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On-screen, Drew's Roselia had already begun its performance.
With a graceful leap, Roselia spun into the air and unleashed Petal Dance, scattering countless petals across the stage. They swirled freely beneath the spotlights but that was only the beginning.
As Roselia rotated midair, it followed up with Stun Spore, releasing a fine golden mist into the sky, then seamlessly transitioned into Magical Leaf.
The effects layered perfectly.
The glowing leaves intertwined with the drifting spores, sparkling brilliantly under the lights. The combined visuals were dazzling, and the fluid chaining of moves instantly drew praise from the host and thunderous applause from the audience. The atmosphere surged.
But Roselia wasn't finished.
It activated Petal Dance once more—and amid the flurry of petals, its figure seemed to vanish from the stage entirely.
A ripple of surprise passed through the crowd.
The next instant, Roselia reappeared and unleashed Magical Leaf again. Razor-sharp leaves sliced through the airborne petals, shredding them into countless fragments. The pieces spun gently as they drifted downward, like a soft pink snowfall.
Standing within that falling curtain of petals, Roselia and Drew mirrored each other's movements and bowed together to the audience.
Clap—clap—clap—!
Applause erupted, rolling through the venue like a wave.
Moments later, the judges' scores appeared on their screens.
Mr. Contesta: 9.8
Mr. Sukizo: 9.9
Nurse Joy: 9.7
A combined score of 29.4.
The highest score of the round so far.
Even Vivian looked genuinely impressed but instead of calling up the next contestant, she approached the judges' table for commentary.
"Those are incredibly high scores," she said. "Could each of you share your thoughts?"
This explanation segment was essential, especially for first-time viewers—to help them understand why Drew's score stood out.
Nurse Joy smiled warmly at the monitor.
"The coordination between the Trainer and his Pokémon was exceptional. Their movements felt natural and comfortable to watch more so than any performance so far. That's why I gave a 9.7."
Next to her, Mr. Sukizo, the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman, chuckled as the microphone was handed to him. "No complicated reason," he said cheerfully. "I just liked it a lot."
Finally, Mr. Contesta gave a more technical assessment. "The stage control was excellent. Roselia has undergone long-term, disciplined training. Several of those move combinations require extremely precise timing. If even one beat were off, the entire performance could have collapsed."
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Inside the contestants' waiting room, Misty frowned as the commentary ended.
"So he really does have skills," she admitted. "No wonder he's so confident."
May said nothing.
Truthfully, the pressure Drew created was immense.
With a performance like that, could she really stand her ground against him?
As the contest continued, the door to their waiting room suddenly opened.
Drew stepped inside, hands tucked casually into his pockets.
"So—you're here after all," he said, scanning the room before his gaze settled on May. A cold smirk curled his lips. "You saw my performance, right? That is true beauty. Not something a beginner like you could pull off."
The moment he mentioned "beauty," Misty's temper flared.
"Are you here to provoke us again?" she snapped. "Want another punch?"
Drew stiffened, clearly remembering the fear instilled by Misty's earlier fist. He stayed planted near the doorway, not daring to come closer but his tone remained sharp.
"Provoke? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just encouraging a junior Coordinator." He glanced at May mockingly. "Try not to get eliminated in the first round, okay?"
No one needed to spell it outhe was clearly here to flaunt and taunt.
May clenched her fists.
She did admire his performance… but she wasn't about to admit that to his face.
Standing up straight, she met his gaze head-on. "I'll make it through, just wait and see."
At that exact moment, a massive cheer erupted from the television.
Everyone turned toward the screen.
A tall man with long blond hair, dressed in a deep violet formal outfit, stood on stage. His posture was elegant, his presence commanding, and beside him was his Pokémon.
Milotic.
Bathed in the spotlight, Milotic shimmered as though wrapped in a veil of light, its scales reflecting a radiant glow.
Vivian's voice rang out with excitement.
"Milotic doesn't even need to move! Simply standing there, its beauty alone has ignited the entire arena!"
"Milotic…?"
Ash stared at the screen, mouth wide open.
"Whoa… It's gorgeous. What Pokémon is that?"
"You don't know?"
Misty shot Drew an annoyed glance before turning back to Ash.
"Didn't you battle Kai's Feebas before? Milotic is what Feebas evolves into."
"WHAT?!"
Ash was completely stunned.
That weak, awkward-looking Feebas… turned into this?
Even Ash, who wasn't usually focused on elegance, could feel how captivating Milotic was.
Strangely enough, only Kai remained unimpressed.
To him, Milotic embodied elegance more than outright beauty. As stunning as it was, it didn't particularly move him.
After all, when he'd caught Feebas back then, it was simply to fill a gap in his Water-type lineup not because of appearances.
If he were talking about Pokémon he truly found beautiful, only ones like Gardevoir, Pheromosa, or Meloetta came to mind.
Even in terms of elegance, he personally felt Latias was far more graceful, far more striking.
Latias…
Kai's thoughts drifted briefly to her and to Latios. He wondered what they were doing now, whether they were still living peacefully.
With Alto Mare protected by its barrier, and Canon and his grandfather watching over them, they were probably enjoying the same carefree days as ever.
By the time Kai snapped back to reality, the performance on screen had already ended.
Just like Drew, the contestant received roaring applause.
And when the scores appeared—
They were identical to Drew's.
Only then did Kai catch the contestant's name as Vivian announced it aloud.
Robert.
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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!