May Takes the Stage Part 1

Three days have passed for Brendan and May, and during this time, both young trainers had been battling, with May practicing her routine for the contest. During this time, Gwen was easily the stronger of his Pokémon, but Clint was no slouch either. One thing that Brendan was actually surprised about came when Clint showed that he actually knew how to use Dragonbreath. That would be extremely helpful in future battles, but he still had a while before battling the first gym. There were, however, a good number of other trainers who wanted to battle in their spare time.

This day, however, was the day of the Petalburg Contest, and May was more than ready. Miranda's fire attacks had been polished to look gorgeous and eye-catching. Brendan had given some critique about where she needed to improve her appeals. May had already arrived at the contest hall and registered for the contest. Now she was in the dressing room, wearing one of her new dresses, this one was a royal blue formal sheath with a sleeve on the left side, but the right arm would be showing. She enjoyed the fact that the dress was tight in all the right places, while still appearing elegant due to the flowing skirt. She wore a matching pair of elegant stilettos, with small gold earrings which had shimmering sapphires on the ends. Her make-up was done in such a way that Michelangelo couldn't have made her more beautiful. Her mascara was applied to near perfection, which caused her blue eyes to stand out and shimmer like the ocean on a bright, sunny day, and she had on a dark red lipstick. In short, she looked amazing.

She had thoroughly prepared for this contest, but there was still one thing missing for her. She couldn't find her confidence. All that she felt was nervousness. Miranda, who was sitting on the table next to May, could sense how nervous her trainer was but she could do little to help May calm down, since her nerves were getting the better of her as well. The contest would be starting at 5:00, and it was currently 4:45. May was going to be the second to last appeal, but she wasn't sure how she would keep herself calm when the time came.

Brendan was in the middle of the third row from the stage, with Gwen on his lap, and she was clearly excited to see a contest. This was mostly evident because she was practically talking Brendan's ear off, or would have been if she was able to physically speak.

It must be getting close to time for the contest to begin! Gwen said for a seventh time since sitting down. Brendan just looked at his PokeNav clock, which read 4:58.

"Well, we have about two minutes before it's supposed to start, so it should be starting any minute now." As if that was the cue, the lights in the auditorium dimmed down and a single spotlight turned on, aiming at the MC, who was wearing a purple, frilled dress. She had golden, blonde hair that was styled similar to Marilyn Monroe and she wore a microphone headset.

"Welcome one and all to the annual Petalburg City Pokémon Contest. My name is Vivian Meridian, and I am your host for the event. Allow me to introduce you to our panel of judges," She said as she pointed at the four podiums set up for the judges., which were empty at the moment. "First is Director of the Contest Committee Mr. Contesta!" As Vivian said that, a panel in the floor opened up and a chair was brought up on a lift behind the far left podium.

"I am looking forward to seeing how all these coordinators show the appeal of their Pokémon," Mr. Contesta said. He wore a red suit with a white rose pinned to his lapel. His hair was mostly dark, but his sideburns were turning grey.

"Next is Head of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!" This time, the chair was raised to the immediate right of Mr. Contesta

"Thank you Vivian, and I hope this contest proves to be…incredible!" Mr. Sukizo replied. This earned a shocked look from Mr. Contesta, but he said nothing about it.

"Our third judge is the local Nurse Joy!" Vivian said with enthusiasm as the floor behind the third podium.

"I am sure that all these coordinators will show just how close they are with their Pokémon," Nurse Joy said. "That is my favorite part of any Pokémon competition."

"And our last judge is a relatively new face to Petalburg City," Vivian said.

"No way," Brendan said, already knowing who this judge would be.

"He's originally from the Goldenrod City Gym, but now he's become the leader of the Petalburg Gym. Please put your hands together for Norman Maple!" As she said that, Norman was raised to his chair, and he wore a partly stern, partly excited expression.

"It's a pleasure to be here at the Petalburg City Contest, and I would like to thank all of you for welcoming me so openly as your Gym Leader. My expertise may be battling, but believe me when I say that I can fully appreciate when a Pokémon attack is truly beautiful. So, let's see some performances." Norman said. This earned a round of applause from the audience.

"With those great introductions out of the way, let's move on to our first part of the contest: the appeals!" Vivian said. "Our first contestant is a veteran of the contest circuit, and she is sure to catch your eye with her performance. Give it up for none other than Grace!"

Brendan watched the twenty-year old trainer come on stage, and she wore an interesting choice of attire, consisting of a dress that looked to be the color of a pink pearl. She walked with confidence, and she seemed to know what she was doing. "Let's dazzle them Arya!" she called out as she released her first Pokémon, which was a Beautifly. "Use Morning Sun!" At that command, Arya's wings began to glow and shimmer like a rising sun. "Now show them your Electro Web!" she called out.

As she said that command, Arya sprayed what looked like String Shot, but it formed a spider web the hummed with electricity. "Now break it apart with Silver Wind!" Beautifly beat her wings, sending shimmering silver scythes at the web, and when they collided, they both exploded, forming a cloud of multi-colored sparkling lights.

"Excuse me," Brendan heard beside him. He turned to face the source of the voice only to see an eccentrically dressed woman with aqua blue hair that looked like a lightning bolt on top, with a long bang, similar to May's, on her right side, and another bang that looked almost like Vivian's headset. She wore a blue hoodie and khaki pants.

"Yes?" Brendan asked.

"Do you mind if I take this seat," she said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.

"Not at all," Brendan said.

"Thank you so much," the girl said as she sat down. "My name is Lisia Rain, by the way."

"I'm Brendan, and this is Gwen."

Nice to meet you Lisia! Gwen said, which caused Lisia's eyes to go wide. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.

"No, it's not a problem. I just wasn't expecting to meet a talking Pokémon," Lisia said. She paused to watch Grace finish her performance. Arya had begun a Gust attack, forming a tornado in the center of the stage.

"Silver Wind!" Grace called. Arya once more sent multiple glittering waves of silver scythes of wind, which fused with the Gust attack, giving the tornado a glittering appearance. "Now Sunny Day!" With that, Beautifly sent an orb of light into the sky, which intensified the strength of the sun's rays. "Finish it with Solarbeam!" Beautifly's wings both glowed brightly before firing a green and yellow beam of energy at the swirling wind. The attacks collided and they burst into brilliant sparkling dust and energy. Gwen looked to be completely entranced by the gorgeous performance.

The judges all wrote their scores and, with forty points being the maximum points a coordinator could score, Grace was rewarded with 39 total points. Vivian congratulated Grace on her performance. Grace recalled Arya and cleared the way for the next coordinator. Brendan was a bit surprised, he was expecting a perfect score from that performance.

"I figured she'd be just shy of a perfect score," Lisia said, and she noticed a curious look from Brendan.

"How could you tell?" Brendan asked.

"Oh, I figured you would have recognized my name," Lisia said.

"Sorry, I'm new to the Hoenn region. I just recently moved to Littleroot Town from the Johto region," Brendan said.

"Oh, I guess that explains it. Well, I don't like to bring it up, but people consider me to be Hoenn's top coordinator," she said.

Brendan got a look of admiration on his face. "So you're practically the expert when it comes to contests."

"In a way," she said. "But now I'm looking for somebody I can be a mentor to."

"I think I know somebody who you could teach. She said she's the second to last performer," Brendan said.

"Oh? Well, I will need to see how she does then," Lisia said.

In the contestant waiting room, May was sitting on a bench with Miranda next to her and she was in awe of what Grace and Arya just did. It was incredible to say the least. Just as she was getting over her amazement, Grace returned to the waiting room, and she received a round of applause from the other coordinators. As she passed by May, she stopped and glanced at her.

"You're somebody I haven't met on the contest circuit before," she said. "My name is Grace Sinatra."

"I'm May Birch," May said. "And this is Miranda," she said gesturing to Torchic.

"So I take it this is your first contest, am I right?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?" May said.

"When you've been a coordinator as long as I have, you start to be able to pick out the rookies from the crowd," Grace said.

"I guess that's true. Anyway, that was an amazing performance, it must have taken a long time to perfect it," May said.

"If only I had spent a bit more time, that would have been a perfect score," Grace said. "Ah well, it can't be helped now. So, when is your performance?"

"I am the second to last," May said, a bit disappointed.

"I see," Grace said. "Well, here is a quick tip for you. Just relax, think of this like your practice sessions."

"Thank you Grace," May said. "I'll do my best."

"Good, because I want to see you make it to the second stage," she said.

May's eyes went wide with surprise at first, but then she smiled with some confidence. If Grace thought that she had what it took to make it to the second stage, then why did she doubt herself?

Brendan, Gwen, and Lisia enjoyed watching the performances after Grace, but none really seemed to compare, and the scores reflected that, with most falling in the low thirties or lower. In this contest, there were thirty coordinators, and they had already gone through twenty-eight. It was now May's turn.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, for our next coordinator, we have a newcomer to the contest circuit, so please give her a warm welcome. It's May Birch!" Vivian called out. On that cue, May walked out of the tunnel, and Brendan could not believe what he was seeing.

"Well, let's see how she does," Lisia said.

Brendan, however, could only respond with an "Uh huh," as he was awestruck. May didn't just look pretty. No, she had gone far beyond that. She was stunning. Brendan couldn't stop staring at her, no matter how hard he tried…not that he was really trying.

"Gwen, is he okay?" Lisia whispered to the little Pokémon.

Yeah, he just has a crush on May that he won't admit to, Gwen said back.

"Oh, that explains it," Lisia said with a slight giggle.

May waved to the crowd as she walked toward the center of the stage. She didn't pay too much attention to them, though. She was ready to begin her appeal. She pulled out the Pokéball, and readied herself.

"Miranda, take the stage!" May called out as she let out her Torchic, who chirped as she appeared.

"Alright Miranda, use Ember!" May called out. Miranda began to run in circles. While she ran, she spat out multiple sparks of fire into the air, which began to swirl in a spiral pattern.

"Keep going!" May said. Torchic kept running and spitting fire. Brendan smiled in the crowd. The appeal was going really well based on how she practiced it. The fire was coalescing and beginning to take the form of what looked like the Milky Way Galaxy, only in a fiery orange color.

"Oh my, ladies and gentlemen, this is an astounding sight. I think this is the most breath taking performance we've seen from a newcomer coordinator in a long while," Vivian said.

"I couldn't agree more," Lisia said. "She came up with that on her own?"
"Mostly, I helped a little in polishing it up, but she was the one who thought of it," Brendan said.

"Well, it seems you were right. She is something else. I think I can help her learn how to refine her skill to the level of a world class coordinator," Lisia said. "She's a natural with a performing."

"Now, use Peck!" May called out. Miranda's beak began to glow as she leapt up directly into the center of the flaming galaxy. She burst out the top, trailed by a stream of flames as the galaxy broke apart. Miranda flipped and landed strongly in the center of the stage where she chirped with joy and pride. May and Miranda both took a bow, and the crowd erupted into cheers. May couldn't believe how much praise she was receiving from her first performance. When Miranda jumped into her arms, the crowd loved it even more, since it earned a couple 'awws' from the crowd.

That was when May looked at the screen showing her score. Her jaw dropped. It was a perfect forty. She then looked over at the judges table, where she got a smile and thumbs up from Norman. She smiled back and gave a bow to the audience before leaving the stage.

"Hey, Lisia, Gwen and I are going to go to the contestant waiting room," Brendan said.

"Mind if I join you? I want to meet with May," Lisia said.

"I don't mind, and I am sure May will want to meet you as well," Brendan said.

She will definitely love to meet you Gwen said with enthusiasm.

May walked into the tunnel back to the waiting room, only to pass by a younger boy with green hair, holding a rose. He couldn't have been more than twelve years old. "Well, that was impressive," he said. "But just know that you won't win the contest. That ribbon will be mine."

"And who exactly are you?" May said with a slight glare.

"Drew Rosa from LaRousse City," the boy said.

"Well, good luck on your appeals at least," May said.

Drew just scoffed. "As if I need anything as useless as luck," he said as he walked to the field. May just shook her head. She was not going to let a twelve year old bother her.

She got back into the waiting room and saw Grace standing with her arms crossed, her left eyebrow raised, and an amused smirk across her face. "Well, you seem to have made your mark," she said. "That was a beautiful performance!"

"Thank you," May said with a smile. "I couldn't believe that I got that score. I never thought I'd get a perfect score on my first try."

"Well, if that's the case, then you seriously underestimate yourself," a new voice said from behind her.

Yeah, that was incredible. You really shouldn't doubt yourself, said a very familiar Pokémon voice.

May turned around to see Brendan and Gwen, but there was also a new face she recognized, but only from television. "Holy Arceus, is that Lisia?" Grace called out. May didn't know why she knew that name, but she knew it from somewhere. "Do you have Ali with you?" Grace asked.

"Yes, but he's a bit tired from training and practicing for our performance at the Grand Festival this year that he really needed the rest in his Pokéball," the new girl said.

"Wait, Lisia? As in the Lisia Rain?" May said.

"Yes, that's me," Lisia said.

"Wow, I can't believe this! I am a huge fan of yours," May said.

"Well, I can say that the feeling is mutual now," Lizia said. "That performance was astounding."

Just as she said that, there was a roar from the television screens. "And there we have it, the second perfect score of this contest. Drew Rosa has shown his skill once more with his Roselia. That perfect combination of Stun Spore, Petal Dance, and Magical Leaf was incredible to say the least. I think three of the four who go on to the second stage. Our fourth finalist is going to be Richard Johnson."

May groaned when she heard that Drew had a perfect score.

"What's wrong?" Grace asked.

"That kid was an arrogant brat when he passed me on his way to the stage," May said.

"I'm sorry, was my perfect score not proof that I have every reason to be arrogant, as you call it," said a snobbish voice behind Brendan.

Brendan just turned around, coming face-to-face with Drew. The kid was no more than twelve years old, yet he acted like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially with that rose he carried around ridiculously. "So, you're Drew?" Brendan said with a glare.

"Yeah, that's me. Sorry, but I don't do autographs," he said.

"Good, I wasn't asking for one," Brendan said.

"Well then you can get out of my way, loser," Drew said as he tried to walk by Brendan.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. Care to repeat what you just said?"

"Brendan, don't bother with him," May said. "He's not worth it." Brendan gave Drew one last glare before turning around. That would've been the end of it, but Drew took it too far.

"I should have figured that the weak trainer, who doesn't even know how to control a weak little Ralts, would run from a challenge," Drew said. Nobody expected what happened next, not even Gwen.

In the blink of an eye, Brendan had grabbed Drew by his shirt, lifted him three feet off the ground, and had him pinned against the wall. He then leaned in close to Drew. "Kid, you don't know me, and I don't know you. I don't care if you insult me, but don't you dare call my Pokémon weak. Do you understand me?"

The look of fear in Drew's eyes was enough for Brendan. "Next time, don't be a prick to people who you don't know," he said as he released Drew, who made his way to a bench in the waiting room.

He turned to face May, Grace, and Lisia, only to be surprised that they looked impressed by what just happened. May was the first to talk. "You know, you handled that better than I would have," she said.

"Thanks, I wasn't going to hurt the kid, but I figured a good scare would set him straight," Brendan said with a slight smirk.

"True, but I wouldn't make a habit of that," Lisia said.

"I won't if he doesn't," Brendan said.

"Good, anyway, I wanted to talk to you, May," Lisia said.

"About what?" May asked, a bit intrigued.

"I've been looking for somebody I can teach in the ways of Pokémon coordinating, an apprentice of sorts. They couldn't be just any old coordinator, they had to show potential," Lisia said. "Today, I became convinced that you are my best choice. What do you say?"

May was dumbfounded. "Uh, that would be great, but I still want to travel with Brendan, is that still possible?"

"Don't worry, it will only be the occasional meeting and polishing of your techniques," Lisia said. "You don't have to change any of your travel arrangements for this."

"Great, then I accept your offer," May said.

May, you're going to be so great! Gwen said before teleporting over to May and giving her a hug.

May smiled. "Thanks Gwen. I'm glad I have your support."

That was when a bell rang lightly. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, the intermission is over. It is now time to determine the order of the battle round!" On the screen, four panels were showing and the pictures of the finalists appeared a minute later.

"Well, it looks like Drew loses in the first round," Brendan said.

"I agree," Lisia said. The board showed Grace against Richard, and May would be battling Drew. It seemed that karma was working its magic.

Thank you all for continuing your support of my work. I can honestly say that I think this will be my best story yet. At least, that's what my gut tells me. As always, honest reviews are welcomed, just be polite.

Until next time!