When Misty returned to the room she shared with May, she still looked annoyed.
She was not really angry at Natsui. She was upset with herself for not keeping a closer eye on him. Because of that, Lisia had found a chance to get close!
Misty sat on the bed, looking down. At first, May did not know how to comfort her.
"Um..." May thought for a moment, then tried to help. "What happened today was just bad timing. No one knew Lisia would show up here. You can't blame yourself for that. Try to think about the good side. Once the Grand Festival is over, she'll leave. You won't have to see her again after that."
It was no secret that Misty liked Natsui. Everyone around them could tell. Even Max knew it.
But hearing that only made Misty feel worse.
She said quietly, "There are things you don't know. After our trip through Hoenn ends, I have to go back to the Cerulean Gym. Natsui will keep traveling to Sinnoh, and Lisia has contests there too. I'm really worried..."
Even though she did not finish, May understood what she meant.
She was afraid someone would take Natsui away.
May wanted to comfort her, but she did not know what to say.
It was true. When someone is no longer by your side, no one knows what might happen. When the future is uncertain, simple comfort does not help much.
Misty sighed. She leaned against the wall, looked up at the ceiling, and let out another long sigh. "If only I could keep traveling with him..."
"Ladies and gentlemen! Here in Slateport City, the biggest stage for all Coordinators, the Pokémon Grand Festival, has officially begun!"
The open-air stadium could hold tens of thousands of people. Vivian stood in the center of the field in a long red dress, holding a microphone as she announced the start of the yearly event.
Vivian was the most popular host in Pokémon Contests. Whether it was a regular contest or a major event like this, she was almost always there.
She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and her voice was strong and lively. She brought a lot of energy to the whole event.
Today was the first day of the competition. According to the rules, 64 people would be selected from the 247 contestants in the first round to move on.
Natsui sat in the front row with Misty, Ash, and the others. He ate popcorn and looked very relaxed as he watched the event from close up.
Even May was still sitting with them for now, since her turn was much later.
As the first round began, they started to see just how strong the contestants were. They even spotted some familiar faces.
Natsui did not know many Coordinators, because he had only watched one contest before. But once the first round started, he recognized one person right away: Robert.
This was the man who had beaten Drew to win the Slateport Contest before. He was the second contestant to go on stage. His performance was as smooth as ever. In this first stage, he still used Milotic. His performance was polished and impressive, and he got 98 points. That was a very high score. The crowd cheered loudly for him.
That made May feel a little nervous.
"His performance is strong as always," Natsui said. "Ninety-eight points is almost perfect. If nothing unexpected happens, Robert should make it to the end. If you want to win, he'll be your biggest obstacle."
May nodded. She did not doubt that at all.
In truth, she knew she did not have as much experience as he did.
But even so, she still believed in herself. She had already earned five Ribbons. That proved she was just as qualified as anyone else there.
After Robert, four more Coordinators went on stage. Their performances were also very good. Everyone here had earned five Ribbons, so they were all skilled. There was still a gap between them and someone like Robert, but every performance was still enjoyable to watch.
After that, it was Drew's turn.
Drew's partner was still Roselia. Roselia scattered flower petals all across the stage and put on a very good show. Drew earned a strong score of 95 points.
So far, only those two had scored above 95.
May swallowed hard. It was clear that she was starting to feel the pressure.
"Don't be nervous." Natsui was sitting close enough to speak to her quietly. "Don't focus too much on them. Just show what you can do. As long as you do your best, this will still help you grow, even if you don't win in the end."
He said that because, in the original story of this Grand Festival, May did not win. He wanted to prepare her a little so she would not feel too crushed if things did not go her way.
Hearing that, May calmed down a little.
She turned to look at the man who had won championships in two different regions and asked, "When you entered a Pokémon League for the first time, were you nervous too?"
"Then you picked the wrong person to compare yourself to." Before Natsui could answer, Ash laughed and said, "I've never seen Natsui look nervous."
Natsui rubbed his nose. He had to admit that May really should not compare herself to him.
Back when he entered those Leagues, he did feel nervous, but not in the same way she did.
It was not because of his opponents. He was nervous because the championship was right in front of him.
It was the kind of excitement that came when victory felt close enough to touch.
Everyone around him laughed softly. After hearing Ash say that, May realized she really had asked the wrong person. She could only smile and turn back toward the field.
After around twelve more contestants finished, it was finally the turn of that odd man, Harley. Natsui had met him yesterday.
His Pokémon was Cacturne. It was a green Pokémon that looked like a cactus. It had many dark green bumps on its body and looked a little like a scarecrow.
The moment people saw Cacturne, they understood why Harley dressed the way he did. He and his Pokémon looked like they matched.
Cacturne finished its appeal quickly with Bullet Seed. In the end, Harley got 84 points.
Eighty-four was nowhere near Drew or Robert's score, but it was still a decent result.
At the very least, it should be enough to get him into the next round.
At that point, the backstage staff came to tell May to get ready. May took a deep breath and stood up from her seat.
"Good luck, Sis!" Max said.
"May, show them your best!" Natsui and the others cheered for her. May gave them a small smile, then left the audience area and walked toward the tunnel.
But Misty watched her leave and frowned. "Why do her steps look so heavy?" she asked worriedly.
"Don't worry." Ash smiled. "May is strong. Just trust her."
That was true. Ash and the others knew May's contest style better than Natsui and Misty did. Since they thought she was fine, there was no reason to worry too much.
Soon, after a few more people performed, it was finally May's turn.
May was still wearing her usual outfit. A small smile rested on her face as she walked steadily to the center of the field.
Her mindset was already much better than when she had first started entering Pokémon Contests.
That was why Natsui always believed people needed to travel more. Only by seeing more of the world and going through different experiences could a person grow. Staying in one comfortable place for too long was not a good thing.
"Now, please enjoy May's performance!" Vivian announced.
May spun around and released Beautifly. The moment it appeared, Beautifly beat its wings and scattered powder across the stage. Under the sunlight, it looked like golden dust drifting through the air.
May's entrance was well done.
The crowd applauded. It was not the loudest applause of the day, but it was clear that the audience liked what they saw.
In a major event like this, contestants only used the partner they trusted most. No one would casually send out a different Pokémon. One mistake could get them eliminated right away.
It was just like a Pokémon League. Even if the format was different, you still had to be careful.
May and Beautifly's performance continued. Beautifly danced through the air while the powder kept falling like golden dust. Then it used Silver Wind to make the performance more dramatic. At the end, Beautifly landed on May's arm, and the two of them struck a finishing pose together.
The audience applauded again. Natsui and the others clapped too, then looked toward the big screen.
The judges for this Grand Festival were not Nurse Joy, Mr. Sukizo, or Mr. Contesta. Instead, there were three experienced judges who knew this field very well.
These three judges were sharp and fair, and people trusted the scores they gave.
After thinking it over, the three judges gave May a total of 88 points.
That score was close to 90. It showed that the judges liked May's performance. Her score was higher than many of the other contestants, including Harley. She was definitely making it into the next round.
That made Natsui and the others feel relieved. May's mother, Caroline, was especially happy.
As a mother, she was more nervous than anyone else. She wanted her daughter to do well on a stage like this.
Once May left the stage, Natsui and the others stood up and headed backstage.
Each contestant only spent one or two minutes on stage. But with so many people, it would still take nearly nine hours for everyone to finish. That was exhausting for both the judges and the audience.
During such a long event, most people only stayed to watch the performances they cared most about. After May finished, Natsui and the others did not feel like staying any longer. They only needed to wait for the first round to end and the list of qualifiers to come out.
After leaving the stadium, they ran into May on a side path.
Caroline, Misty, and Ash praised her again and again, and May grew embarrassed from all the compliments.
Just then, Harley appeared from somewhere and walked over to May with a wide smile.
"That was really amazing!" He moved in an overly excited way. His voice sounded friendly, but something about him still felt off. "Looks like getting into the main round will be easy for you!"
May was surprised to see him. But since he came over to congratulate her, she stayed polite. "You too, Harley. Your score was pretty high as well. You should get into the main round too."
"Oh, not at all." Harley waved both hands and kept smiling. "Your Silver Wind was the best part. I hope you keep using it in the next matches."
May thanked him seriously. "Thank you. Honestly, that was because of your suggestion. I'll keep using it."
"Then it's a promise. See you later."
After saying that, Harley quickly walked off. May and the others were about to keep moving, but Natsui suddenly spoke.
"May, you should stay away from that guy."
Hearing that, May looked surprised. "Eh? Why do you say that?"
"He gives off a bad feeling. That suggestion sounded helpful, but he may be planning something. He kept bringing up Silver Wind. That's not something I'd ignore."
"Exactly! Even Natsui noticed it!" Max quickly agreed. "I told my sister before that this guy is trouble. We can't trust him. And if even Natsui says so, then it's definitely true!"
May might ignore Max, but she could not ignore Natsui.
"I understand." She nodded seriously. "Don't worry. I'll be careful and keep my guard up around him."