The next day, the The Tournament of Fate officially began.
Ash, Brock, and Pikachu prepared to enjoy the upcoming performances as spectators.
Although Ash was not optimistic about Zoey's mindset this time, he silently prayed for the young girl in his heart.
However, Zoey, the protagonist of this event, was not as confident as expected in the contestant hall; there was a hint of nervousness on her face.
After all, this was Zoey's first time participating in a collaborative performance.
Fortunately, Zoey had her mother Johanna's amulet and encouragement from her companion and rival, Zoey, and the bard Mr. Nando, which helped her regain her confidence.
"Bang bang bang~"
With a series of cannon blasts, the The Tournament of Fate officially began.
The first to perform was Mr. Nando, as the Kricketune hero, with his Pokémon Kricketune and Sunflora.
Upon stepping onto the stage, Mr. Nando fully utilized Kricketune's characteristic as a musical maestro, with pleasant music accompanied by the enchanting Grass Whistle sounds emanating from Sunflora's leaves.
Along with his golden harp as an auxiliary, he presented the judges and audience with a musical feast performed by a human and Pokémon.
"As expected of a bard, a performance very fitting for his identity~"
"Indeed, the enchanting Grass Whistle and Kricketune's song complement each other, with Mr. Nando's harp playing as an accompaniment, it's simply a perfect musical piece!"
Not to mention the judges and audience, even Ash and Brock both generously gave extremely high praise.
Unfortunately, because Mr. Nando's performance was too perfect, the subsequent Coordinators were not deemed worthy of being praised as jade, and their performances were even more of a mess.
After several rounds, it was finally Zoey and her Piplup and Buneary's turn to take the stage.
First, they performed a standard routine by clashing Bubble Beam and Ice Beam.
As expected, it was followed by the combination of Whirlpool and Ice Beam, finally shattered by Dizzy Punch, causing the entire stage to be covered in sparkling, translucent ice shards.
Although some audience members were very excited by the magnificent performance, most, including the judges, remained quite calm, only offering brief comments.
For example, the judge Sukisa's comment was merely "It's quite nice to look at."
This shows that Zoey's performance still lacked something in their eyes.
"It seems it's still very difficult~" Ash thought with some helplessness.
After Zoey, it was Jessilina's self-destructive performance.
She sent out James's Vortente and the Cacnea that had not been released, performing a self-destructive duet.
The result was unexpectedly winning unanimous praise from the audience and judges, which made Ash almost have black lines all over his head.
Because he simply couldn't appreciate how Jessilina displayed the Pokémon's own charm.
Finally, Zoey's performance concluded the first round.
As a steady and excellent Coordinator, Zoey's performance was quite spectacular.
Through Glameow's Fury Swipes combined with the newly caught Shellos's Water Pulse, she grandly cut through the water flow, while the soaked state successfully showcased the charm of both Pokémon.
Accompanied by sparkling water droplets, she excellently delivered the curtain call for the first round of performances.
After Zoey's performance ended, the contestants had already gathered in the contestant hall, watching the photos on the big screen.
"Hey, Ash, where are you going this time?"
Just then, Ash, who already knew the outcome, hurriedly took Pikachu and ran from the audience seats towards the performance hall where Zoey was.
Brock asked in confusion but didn't forget to follow Ash's pace.
And at this moment, the results of the first round of advancement were already displayed.
First was Zoey, topping the list, followed by the bard Mr. Nando, and then a series of unfamiliar passersby.
So far, not seeing Zoey's photo made her involuntarily clench her fists, her heart even more nervous as she watched for the last spot.
But when the big screen lit up again, the person who appeared was not Zoey, but Jessilina, played by Jessilina.
"Oh ho ho, this queen has passed!" Jessilina put her hand to her mouth and laughed triumphantly.
"How could this be~"
In contrast, Zoey murmured in disbelief, because this was a performance she had meticulously prepared!!!
"Piplup~"
"Buneary~"
Piplup and Buneary looked at each other, ready to step forward and comfort their Trainer.
"I'm sorry, Piplup, Buneary, I ruined your efforts!" Zoey lowered her head, looking at the two Pokémon, and said quite dejectedly.
"Piplup~"
"Buneary~"
Piplup and Buneary shook their heads one after another, indicating that it was not their Trainer's fault, and tried their best to comfort Zoey.
"Enough~"
Zoey was completely caught in a state of self-blame at this moment, because everything was her own fault, and she simply couldn't accept Piplup and Buneary's comfort.
So Zoey couldn't help but shout loudly, which startled Piplup and Buneary, leaving them somewhat at a loss and frozen in place.
"I'm sorry~"
Knowing she had made another mistake, Zoey covered her face and rushed out.
"Zoey…" Zoey, who was beside her, silently watched all of this, but didn't know how to persuade her, only able to comfort Piplup and Buneary.
Zoey ran with her head down through the contestant passage, but suddenly noticed Ash with Pikachu, and Brock, walking towards her one after another.
She quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and pretended to be strong as she walked towards the two.
"Zoey, you didn't…"
"Don't worry, Ash, I'm fine~"
Before Ash could finish speaking, Zoey spoke as if nothing had happened.
Before Ash could elaborate, Zoey smiled and walked past Ash and Brock, pretending to be fine as she left.
Because she didn't want them to see her crying.
"Ash, you already guessed, didn't you?" Brock, who had finally caught up, looked at the scene, connected it with Ash's previous actions, and immediately understood the cause and effect.
"Yes" He didn't deny it, "Perhaps before, I should have forced her to correct this problem"
He naturally saw the young girl's feigned composure, which naturally pained him greatly.
For a moment, he even regretted not having forcibly changed Zoey's mindset.
"It's not your fault, besides, only this way will she remember it deeply!" Brock shook his head, disagreeing with Ash's view.
Growth is a process of making mistakes and constantly correcting them; Ash's idea of forced change was not advisable.
"Go, Zoey needs your comfort. As for Piplup and Buneary, Pikachu and I will take care of them!"
Although the process cannot be interfered with, Ash can act as a guide, leading Zoey to accelerate finding the correct path.
"Pika Pi~ (Go, Ash, it's decided, it's you)"
Pikachu also empathetically patted Ash's shoulder, mimicking Ash's past stance when sending him out, and extended a small finger towards the direction Zoey had left.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you~" Ash said with a smile.
Not caring about the yellow rodent's little gesture, once Pikachu jumped onto Brock's shoulder, he immediately ran towards the direction the young girl had left.