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Robert's appearance placed just as much pressure on Drew as it had on everyone else.
For the first time, Drew clearly realized that this man might be his greatest rival in the entire Contest.
With no mood left to mock May, Drew's expression darkened. Without another word, he turned around and left the waiting room, disappearing down the corridor.
No one noticed his departure.
Everyone's attention remained fixed on the screen.
After Robert's flawless performance, several more contestants took the stage but perhaps shaken by the pressure he had created, a few of them unexpectedly made mistakes.
These were the kind of errors that should never happen in a Contest.
And yet, they kept appearing.
It was obvious just how overwhelming Robert's presence had been.
But May had no time to worry about anyone else.
As the first round neared its end, it was finally her turn.
"Go for it."
As the announcement echoed through the venue, Kai and the others offered their encouragement.
"Believe in yourself—you've got this!"
On the main stage, Vivian held her microphone high and began hyping up the final performance.
"Ladies and gentlemen! There is just one contestant left in the first-round appeal! Please welcome Contestant Number 50—May from Petalburg City!"
May took a deep breath.
Under everyone's supportive gaze, she straightened her posture, nodded firmly, and—like someone crossing a point of no return—strode out of the waiting room.
Honestly, no one had expected her to draw the final slot.
After watching so many performances, both the audience and judges were already experiencing aesthetic fatigue. Without something memorable, it would be easy to be overlooked—or worse, to perform poorly under pressure.
But there was no backing out now.
Misty clasped her hands together, eyes locked on the screen, looking even more nervous than May herself.
"Please… you've got this…"
May stepped onto the stage and stopped beside Vivian.
Seeing her tension, Vivian smiled reassuringly at the audience.
"This is May's very first Pokémon Contest, and she does look a little nervous—but that's perfectly natural! Once she gets into the rhythm, I'm sure she'll forget all about it. Now then, let's welcome her Pokémon and enjoy the performance she's prepared for us!"
Thanks to guidance from Bishi and Arianna, and encouragement from her friends, May quickly settled down once the appeal began.
She threw her Poké Ball.
"Beautiful—let's go!"
As Beautifly emerged, it gently flapped its wings, scattering shimmering powder unique to Butterfly Pokémon. Under the spotlights, the particles drifted downward like a miniature galaxy.
Then May tossed a disc.
Beautifly instantly used String Shot, snapping the disc back to her like a whip.
Back and forth they went—throw, strike, return.
The repeated exchange perfectly showcased the coordination between the Coordinator and the Pokémon.
On the final throw, Beautifly switched tactics and used Gust, sending the disc flying back at a sharp angle.
May leapt high, spun gracefully, and caught it cleanly midair.
Applause rippled through the crowd.
In the waiting room, everyone let out a quiet breath of relief.
So far, everything was going smoothly.
Unlike Drew—who let his Pokémon showcase beauty alone—May's routine relied heavily on interaction, almost like acrobatics. It offered the audience something fresh and engaging.
The judges leaned forward.
Their fatigue vanished.
May didn't disappoint.
Beautifly unleashed Silver Wind, spinning rapidly as a silver vortex formed around its body. The wind carried sparkling powder outward, bathing the entire stage in a radiant glow.
Under that silver light, May struck a confident pose and bowed.
Beautifly landed behind her, perfectly aligned.
A flawless finish.
The audience erupted in applause.
Back in the waiting room, Kai and the others watched the camera pan toward the judges' table.
In the end, only three people decided whether May advanced.
Nurse Joy spoke first, smiling warmly.
"For a first-time contestant, this was an excellent performance."
Her score appeared.
8.7
Next, Mr. Contesta nodded appreciatively.
"To perform this smoothly on your debut is impressive. You don't look like a beginner at all. Your future is very promising."
His score followed.
8.9
Finally, Mr. Sukizo took the microphone.
As always, his comment was simple.
"I liked it."
9.1
The highest score among the three.
Breaking the nine-point barrier carried special significance—it meant her performance had truly earned recognition.
The system quickly calculated the total.
26.7
Seeing her score, May jumped in excitement.
Was it a high score?
Not really.
Compared to Drew and Robert's near-29s, it lagged far behind. Even against average contestants, it wasn't extraordinary.
But this was her first Contest.
As Mr. Contesta had said—she was full of potential.
With experience, she would only grow stronger.
Even Kai felt quietly satisfied.
He remembered that in the anime, May had made mistakes in this very Contest and scored lower.
His presence—even indirectly—had changed things.
Training with Bishi. Guidance from Arianna.
A strong start could shape her entire journey.
Vivian's voice rang out again.
"All first-round performances are now complete! Please wait a moment while we announce the contestants advancing to Round Two!"
When May returned to the waiting room, she was met with thunderous applause.
"You did great!"
"That was amazing!"
Despite smiling, worry lingered on her face.
"I wonder… is my score enough?"
Kai chuckled softly.
"I did the math. You're comfortably above average. Unless something strange happens, you're definitely moving on."
Still, May couldn't relax until the results appeared.
Soon enough, Vivian announced them.
"Thank you for waiting! Eight contestants will advance to the second round!"
The screen displayed their photos.
May's appeared last.
"Yes!!"
She jumped up, grabbing Misty's hands as they laughed and bounced together.
Kai glanced at the others who advanced.
Drew and Robert were unsurprisingly at the top. The rest had all delivered solid performances.
Everything matched his expectations.
Then Brock spoke up.
"Second round is battle-based," he reminded her. "And you're not very used to battles."
May grew quiet.
"That's okay," she said calmly. "I'm already happy just making it this far. Winning the whole thing? I never even thought about it."
Vivian continued.
"Next, we'll randomly assign matchups for the second round!"
The eight portraits shuffled rapidly before locking into a bracket.
May scanned the screen and froze.
Her opponent was Drew.
"What!? Him!?"
Everyone stared in disbelief.
"That's rough…" Ash muttered.
Seeing May tense up, Misty stood silently beside her.
Kai leaned back, smiling faintly.
"If you're worried… want me to lend you a Pokémon?"
Ash's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! You can borrow Pikachu too!"
Misty sighed.
"Stop messing with her. That's cheating—and you know it."
Kai laughed.
"Relax, just kidding."
Borrowing Pokémon would mean disqualification—or worse.
Besides, Contest battles require the same Pokémon used in appeals.
May smiled, feeling lighter.
"It's okay, even if I lose, I'll win someday. Maybe next time or the one after that."
The tension faded.
After a short break, Round Two began.
Soon, it was time.
May and Drew faced each other on stage.
Drew looked confident, arrogant, even.
May wasn't confident she'd win but she refused to back down.
Beautifly's Flying-type advantage over Roselia's Grass-type gave her hope.
Vivian signaled the start.
The timer began counting down.
Drew moved first.
"Roselia—Magical Leaf!"
The battle appeal had begun.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!