Chapter 67

Adjusting her hair in the mirror, May tried to maintain an air of confidence, though it was all forced.

She heard the chime of her Xtransceiver and glanced down, seeing a message from Brawly, 'you've got this, babe. Stun 'em with that gorgeous grin of yours.'

The next message came from Winona, saying, 'hurry up and get your ribbons so I can put in my leave at the gym and come see you! With your talents, we both know you don't need any luck up there! I'm itching to see my favourite apprentice!'

Smiling, May wondered what she'd done to gain such supportive friends in the league. She'd isolated herself in Rocksons and for some reason they were still there to shower her with support.

After her discussion with Brawly, she'd worked up a strategy, but she she wasn't sure if it would work in her favour. From what she'd seen of her competition, it was pretty formidable.

Once again, she felt like she was lagging behind.

Straightening her back, she reminded herself that she had her own talents and she'd have to find a way to utilise them.

Hearing her Xtransceiver again, May glanced down to see a message from Drew, her heart skipping a beat.

Clicking it, May froze when she saw what had written.

'Good luck.'

That was it, but it was enough to brighten her mood and bring some genuine confidence into her grin.

Smiling, May wished he was there to give her that message in person.

Hearing a near perfect score from the screen, May glanced at it to see K-Master bowing, his countenance as confident as ever.

If he'd done as well as she suspected, she'd have a hard time matching his moves.

'That was amazing, K-master! May will have a hard time trying to beat his show,' Adrian Meridian beamed, her voice as sunny as ever.

Hearing her name, May grimaced, pocketing her Xtransceiver. Straightening her shoulders, she tried to ignore the beautifly in her stomach. There was no point panicking now.

Forcing a smile on her lips, she walked towards the stage, pulling her pokéballs out of the hidden pocket in her pink dress, her hair falling in styled curls around her face.

Walking up the stairs, May almost tripped, though K-master caught her, his hands wrapping around her waist before saying in a light voice, 'be careful.'

'Thank you,' May muttered, unable to look at the man as she walked the rest of the way to the stage, hearing the sound of polite applause.

Standing in front of the stage, May forced a smile on her lips, aware of the camera pointed at her. Trying to maintain her composure, May walked forward, keeping her head held high.

Once she'd received the nod from the judges, May spun into action.

Twirling around, May called, 'Blaziken and Beautifly, take the stage!'

'Blaziken, use blaze kick and Beautifly, morning sun,' May called, ignoring K-Master as he stood in the shadows, watching her.

Her starter pokémon lurched forward, looking as confident as ever, his dominant leg glowing as he moved around the stage with a gracefulness that came with experience.

From above them, Beautifly's body became encased with a shining, white light, her soft voice humming.

'Go!' May called as Blaziken jumped up in the air, releasing the fiery kick.

Beautifly trilled happily, flying around the perimeter of the stage, her body encased in the sparkling, white glow.

'Blaziken, send it flying!' May called, punching the air so her starter would know what to do.

He didn't need to be told twice, punching the fire so it sent fragments of fire around the stage.

From there, May pointed at Beautifly, who unleashed the sparkling light, glowing with the warmth of Blaziken's fire attack.

'Wow, what a beautiful display!' Adrian beamed, turning to the judges.

'Thank you, Adrian,' Raoul Contesta smiled, before turning his stern expression onto May.

'May, your pokémon are are doing as well as can be expected, considering their time away from the circuit. However, the display today, whilst spectacular, was lacking a certain finesse that we have come to expect from you,' Raoul frowned, before showing a score of six.

Nodding, May forced her lips to sta in the smile. She could still recover from this.

'Remarkable,' Mr Sukizo smiled, though it didn't meet his eyes. He flashed a score of five on the screen, and May felt her heart sink.

She'd have to have amazed Lisia to pass to the next round, and the woman's turquoise eyes definitely did not have the sparkle of pride in them.

'Hiiii ev-er-y-bo-dy! May, you're loo-king gorg-ous! As for your pokémon! Their moves were briiiilliant, but your pokémon's strength just took the attention from them,' Lisia agreed, showing a mark of seven.

Glancing up at the screen, May tried not to let her disappointment show.

Even back in the changing rooms, she'd seen how well her competition had performed and her score was too low.

She hadn't made it.

Bowing, she tried to keep her voice light as she said, 'thank you.'

A/N:

Poor May's really going through it, especially if her strength as a gym leader becomes her weakness as a coordinator.

Just to let you know, I've started uploading my original fiction on Royal Road, a free to read website. You can access it by looking up LSS Russell on there.