Lisia's uncle once told her, "All the world's a stage."
She took those words to heart, but never in her life has she felt the utter truth of them until right now, standing in the audience of the Slateport Contest Hall.
That girl she scouted is up on stage with her Shroomish. They're positively shining.
"Leech Seed, Sophie!" May cries, arm thrust outward toward the audience.
Her Shroomish releases a clump of seeds that sparkle with a brilliant light. The crowd lets out an uproarious cheer, and Sophie the Shroomish, practically overflowing with cleverness, takes that opportunity to show off a little more. The stage fills with grass and flowers. The audience is delighted. Lisia herself can't help but gasp. So many Pokemon try so hard to display their Spectacular Talents, but this is the first one in a long time that Lisia has felt so much passion from.
Is that passion flowing from Sophie or from May? In an event like this, perhaps it's meaningless to make the distinction.
The other Pokemon's appeals fall flat. The crowd still cheers—out of politeness, mostly. But in the end the winner is clear.
"The winner of this Normal Rank Cleverness Contest is the newcomer May, with Sophie!" the announcer booms through the loudspeaker. Standing in the spotlight amidst the roars of the audience, the young trainer curtsies in her frilly pink Contest costume. Her Pokemon, a green scarf somehow draped around her despite her lack of a cervical area (Lisia doubts she would have come up with that phrasing were this a Coolness or Beauty Contest—she feels like that Spectacular Talent increased her IQ by ten points), jumps up and down joyously.
When the lights come on in the Contest Hall, Lisia hurries out to the lobby. Her cheeks feel hot. She can barely string together a sentence when she approaches the receptionist and tells her to send May to the green room.
The idol's thoughts are completely occupied by May, and by the title she's come up with for this chapter in May's life. She can only hope that many more are still to come.