There was a lot of commotion in town the next morning. May and Drew were heading over to the contest hall to register, when they noticed a large crowd at the outdoor amphitheater.
"Repent, all you sinners!" one voice said. They got a closer look and saw three relatively older men hatefully preaching to a crowd of people. Everyone was yelling at each other but on one was being heard.
"You're a bunch of hypocrites! You have no right to point fingers at us!" came several voices from the crowd.
"Let's get out of here," Drew said, and May followed. They went inside and registered for the contest.
"I wonder what that was all about," May said.
"Who cares? Let's just go practice."
The two went out to Route 40 and trained by the ocean for the entire day straight.
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Twelve hours passed.
"Wartortle, use surf, followed by ice beam!"
The small turtle fired ice and froze the water it rode, creating a gorgeous, ice-sculpted wave. It gracefully slid down the frozen wave and took a bow.
"Wartortle, that was awesome, but-" May slipped on the sand and faceplanted into the ground.
Footsteps approached.
"Hey clumsy, you ready to head back?"
May glared at her rival. "Whatever. I think we've practiced enough for today. You better get ready!"
Drew flipped his hair. "Yeah, we'll see."
The sun had begun to set. The two rivals were walking back to town, not conversing much. Drew was walking slightly behind May, and couldn't help but stare. The way the sun was hitting her hair and making it shine with the breeze was really keeping his eyes glued. He didn't realize he was doing it, but soon enough it was interrupted.
"Are you prepared?" a voice said from behind them. They turned around and saw a strange man standing there holding a Bible.
May smiled. "Oh yeah, we've been training all day. We're so ready for this contest!"
"No, I mean are you prepared for the end times?"
The two teenagers looked at each other with confusion, then back at him. "What are you talking about?"
"The chasm isn't fixed yet. There's still time to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior if you haven't already."
"Look, it's been a long day, and we've really gotta get back," Drew said with another hair flip, annoyed.
"Nations will rise against each other," the man continued. "There will be earthquakes and fire will fall from the sky. You must save yourselves by receiving the Lord Jesus."
"Um… okay crazy guy," May said, feeling awkward. "Those are very interesting ideas, but we're leaving now."
They walked away as quickly as they could without breaking into a sprint.
What a weird guy…
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They arrived at the Pokemon Center and were hanging out in the lobby.
"Well, that certainly made the day more interesting," May said. "But now it's contest time! Less than three days now! This is it… Drew, I'm taking you DOWN. That ribbon is mine!"
She pounded her fist on the table as she said that, not noticing the sharp pencil there. She flinched at the sudden pain in her hand.
"Hah, I'll believe it when I see it, klutz."
"Oh, you will. Believe me."