another one of my long pokémon contest chapters as told from Drew's point of view... this time, it's from the Fallarbor Town Contest based loosely on the Advanced Challenge episode of 'Pros and Con Artists'.
disclamation: I still do not own the 'Pokémon' anime series in any way, shape, or form, nor do I even own the storyline of this entire fanfiction. this fanfiction's storyline was originally written by another blogger on this site who writes under the penname of IWriteFandomStuff. I am just rewriting their fanfiction into a more family-oriented version. oh, and all ownership rights for the manga, the anime and even the games are reserved solely for Satoshi Tajiri-san, his staff and the folks of the Nintendo Gaming Company.
I could not believe I was already in Fallarbor Town. I had not been here since I was a child on vacation with my parents. The only difference in my visit to Fallarbor Town this time was that I was here to compete in its pokémon contest, instead of being a mere tourist. The town was a lot bigger than I initially remembered it being as a little boy.
Fallarbor Town was the one contest I skipped last year because it was just too far out of my way. I did not want to cross the desert that year anyway, since I knew I was not planning to even enter the Grand Festival last time.
I was here now, though. I had just left the Fallarbor Contest Hall after registering a mere two days before the contest which was scheduled to take place in town. I could not believe how late I registered for this contest. I had never registered for a contest as late as two days before.
A full day's worth of my time in the past week, however, was spent totally on training some attacks with Masquerain, getting Vibrava used to contests for the day it would have evolved into the Flygon I wanted to use in my contests so much, and working on some combinations with Roselia. By the time I had finished training with any of my pokémon all that time, most of the day had already finished, the sun was setting, and the contest hall had already closed for the night.
That was exactly how focused on training for this contest I was. It was when it was just two days before the contest and the deadline to register that I had decided to give my pokémon a much needed and well-deserved break from our training regimen. It was also why my pokémon were taking some time off at the local pokémon spa in Fallarbor Town.
Roselia had given me her trademark rose in gratitude just before I left her at the pokémon spa with Masquerain and Vibrava. I also promised them all that I would pick them up a little later just around the end of the day.
Yours Truly: Just enjoy a bit of time off, guys. You deserve it. Roselia might be the only one I'll be using in the Fallarbor Contest, but that doesn't mean I don't want all of you in tip top shape after your time at the pokémon spa. So, just relax for now.
Later after I was finally registered for the pokémon contest to be held in two days, I took a walk around the back of Fallarbor Hall in order just to avoid being seen by anyone. I would head over to the local market to pick up some premium berries to use in my pokéblock for all of my pokémon once they were all done enjoying their relaxing day at the pokémon spa.
That was when I caught sight of a Beautifly fluttering about and spreading its wings, awaiting its trainer's orders. Then, I looked at said trainer to notice the person was wearing the color red. It was a girl, that much I could see, and the girl wore a red shirt with a yellow fanny pack and had light brown hair covering the top of her head, and her scalp was concealed by a red bandana.
Of course, I knew right away who it was; that same girl in the red bandana who had previously lost to me and Roselia in the Slateport Contest. That very same May. I guess she did not quit contests after that loss, after all. It had been just as Soledad told me. She really was just recovering some before entering another contest.
May was alone with her Beautifly in an isolated area behind Fallarbor Hall. She was probably looking to avoid the people who were practicing in the front of the hall. She had her back turned to me, so it was very obvious that she was no doubt oblivious to my own viewing of her and her Beautifly.
I had full intentions of keeping it that way just long enough to observe May and her Beautifly as the two of them practiced their appeal and attacks. I wanted to first know whether or not she had managed to improve since the last time I saw her in Slateport City. I wanted to know if she and her Beautifly had mastered their attacks.
Mind you all, I was in no way stalking the girl in the red bandana for the sake of romance, nor am I anything like that when I actually am seeking that kind of sentiment. I was watching May for the sake of knowing what she and her Beautifly could do thus far.
The first attack I heard May call for from her Beautifly was that pristine Silver Wind that still managed to stun the sense right out me after some weeks of not seeing it once in any contest. There was no doubt that it was a promising start. I waited for whatever her next move would be.
May: Combine Tackle!
And with that, my world suddenly made sense again. It was definitely a weird call for sure. There are plenty of attacks that would make a contest-worthy combination with Silver Wind; twenty moves at most. Tackle, however, was not on that list of attacks.
It only managed to get worse for May and her Beautifly from there. She questioned herself and almost instantly lost her nerve when she saw that the combination she used had failed to work.
May (continued): Wait, I mean Gust!
Beautifly tried for the Gust attack that its trainer called for it to do.
May (continued): No, make it String Shot!
Of course, Beautifly obliged to May's command no matter how bad the call was and got tangled in its own String Shot as a result.
I only had two thoughts about May's performance with her Beautifly.
My first thought of May's performance was about just how dreadful it was. From the way it looked to me, she was just as inexperienced as when I had first met her in Slateport City that day. She kept on second guessing herself and her performance, and her Beautifly was the one who suffered for it. Her appeal was so disastrous that it looked a lot like another reflection towards her battling skills, too.
There was just no hope for May, and I told Soledad so only two weeks prior to then and there.
My second thought, however, was that at least May had managed to actually learn just what a combination even was. I did not really think it counted for enough to win her any ribbons in the near future, but I supposed that it was at least something. I guessed that she was at least trying… with 'trying' being the key word in that sentiment. I could barely say anything about this girl's skills as either a trainer or a coordinator, but she did stand to have boundless determination and was stubborn about her goals, to a fault even.
I could easily say, however, that once May got it through that bag of air she called her head that contests and coordinating obviously were not meant for her, she could push herself to focus her life goals on something else… something else in the wide range of livelihoods in which she could most likely be a lot more successful.
Beautifly hovered above its trainer, basically begging May for a bit of help to get untangled from its own combination backfire. May just groaned a sigh with that all too innocent voice of hers. That was exactly what the girl in the red bandana was; innocent to a fault.
May (continued): Poor Beautifly.
That was just about when I approached the two of them and pulled out the rose right out of my jacket. It was as perfect as ever, just like all of Roselia's roses had ever been.
Yours Truly: Nice work. Botched up combination, huh?
I did not even bother to look her in the eye right away, though. I sniffed up a whiff of the rose from Roselia.
Yours Truly (continued): No wonder. You're very indecisive.
It was then and there that May finally spoke to me, and her voice wore a tone that sounded as though it had mixed annoyance with confusion.
May: Drew?
Even when my name was the only thing May had to say to me at the time, it was still enough to surprise me that the girl in the red bandana had actually remembered my name from the Slateport contest. I suppose the reason she surprised me was because there were a tremendous number of reasons as to why she actually managed to remember me.
It could have been because she cared enough to remember me. That reason would have brought all of my blood in my entire body straight to my face if she were a real coordinator.
She could have also remembered me because of what a lout I admittingly was to her before. Of course, that reason would be the most insulting kind.
There was also a chance that she had finally learnt to respect me as her superior in contests. That reason would have flattered me if it were the case.
The possibilities were endless.
Obviously, I did not know her reason, myself. All I did know at that moment was that I had not forgotten her name, either, unlike how I was certain I would after the contest from Slateport City.
Yours Truly: Isn't that sweet? You even remember my name after all this time.
I then took another whiff of the rose in my hands.
Yours Truly (continued): Hi, May.
It was then that I tossed the rose over to May and relished in the ever-expanding confusion on her face. Of course, she caught it. She clearly did not know what to say about it, however, judging by the look on her face. I did not have anything to work with from that kind of response from her. I just drew a blank until her Beautifly lowered itself to get a better look at the rose.
Yours Truly (continued): Don't get your hopes up, May. The only reason I even came over here was to see Beautifly again.
May: Then now, you can go!
I had to admit that it had surprised me quite a bit to see her being that serious at the time. I knew that the girl in the red bandana was clearly used to my sarcasm already, and May had obviously learnt exactly how to recover from it and even how to channel her own anger right back to me.
I had to admit that May was clearly unlike any other girl I had ever met before. This walking enigma of a girl in a red bandana intrigued me enough to actually want to keep talking to her. I decided I would try a new approach, though.
So I steered our little conversation towards something important to me. The topic I knew how to talk about the best; contests, and my talent for them. I flicked my hair just before talking to her about it.
Yours Truly: Anyhow, I don't suppose you've won any ribbons yet, have you?
The stubbornness fell right off of May's face. She then wore a crocked, uncertain expression on her face just before bringing the rose up to it. It looked to me at that moment like she was trying to hide from me at the mention of contest ribbons. Of course, her expression alone was all that I needed to get my answer.
Yours Truly (continued): Didn't think so, after that last display.
Then, I turned around to walk away. I just knew that she would ask me how many I had if I gave her enough of a reason to. As ironic as it sounded, I actually hoped she would ask me…
May: So, how many ribbons do you have, Mister Perfect?
As though her question were right on cue, I had actually reached into my jacket pocket just to pull out my ribbon case to show off to May before she even asked about them.
Yours Truly: Thought you'd never ask.
I opened my ribbon case up to show May all three of the ribbons I had previously won.
Yours Truly (continued): At the rate I'm going, I'll need a new case soon.
It was very satisfying to hear the envy in May's gasp once I had flashed them all to her face. I did not even need to look at her to just picture the shocked expression on her face.
Yours Truly (continued): The nice yellow one on the right; won that one just a while ago. A coordinator with no ribbons at all really doesn't stand a chance in a competition like this.
It was harsh, but the harshness of my statement did not make it any less true. Since I arrived in Fallarbor Town last week, I had seen some seriously strong coordinators.
There was even this one coordinator with a Medicham for a contest partner pokémon that knew both Ice Punch and Psychic. The former of which was a powerful attack which could take down even a pokémon like my own Roselia if it managed to score a direct hit, and that was just describing an Ice Punch by itself.
When I saw that girl just the prior night, she was working with her Medicham on a combination fusing that Ice Punch with the pokémon's own Psychic attacks.
May's Beautifly and her skills as a coordinator were just no such match for any of the other contestants from within the Fallarbor Contest. She had to realize that by now, or so one would have thought.
I just put my ribbon case back into my jacket pocket and walked away from May. I was eventually on the other side of the building.
May: Alright, Beautifly. We can do this.
Oh, yeah! May definitely had enough determination to spare, but that determination could only get her so far.
Later that day at exactly three p.m., I had finally picked up my pokémon from the pokémon spa located within Fallarbor Town, just as I said I would. I had actually planned to pick them up a bit later than three p.m., but they were good and ready to be picked up by that particular time. I actually got a call from the spa keeper on my PokéNav, saying that my pokémon were now ready to train.
I got back to the spa as soon as I could not long after the keeper's call, and all of my pokémon greeted me with smiles while showing how great they looked.
Yours Truly: Well, no mistaking it that you're all contest ready, for sure.
After returning Roselia, Masquerain and Vibrava all to their respective pokéballs, I made my way to the pokémon center where I had plans to get their health checked out, too. Everything in this contest had to go smooth as silk, especially now that I had presented myself as a threat to May's chances of even winning the Fallarbor ribbon. I simply had to back up that threat I had given her earlier.
I was waiting in the line for Nurse Joy to arrive when I heard someone call out my name. It was a guy's voice, that much I could tell.
Voice: Drew!
I had to admit that hearing somebody call out my name caught me a bit off guard. I did not know anyone in Fallarbor Town aside from May, so I did not expect it from anybody else.
I turned around to see a group of guys walk up to me. The first one looked to be about my age, the second was around the same age as Soledad, and the third was probably around seven or eight judging by his height. I just barely recognized them all. I could not put my finger on why, though. When I saw the Pikachu which was perched upon the one in the blue hoodie's right shoulder, however, I started to catch an idea of just who they all were.
Yours Truly: You're May's little friend, right?
I was only guessing who they all were, but I figured that it was worth a shot.
Boy in blue hoodie: Yeah, we met before. I shoulda known that we'd see you here.
I quickly lost interest in them, however, as soon as the mystery was solved.
Yours Truly: I just came to pick up a couple more ribbons so I can enter the Grand Festival.
I was ready to turn away from them all to make it known that I did not have any more interest in any one of them. That was when I began to ponder something about their presence.
Yours Truly (continued): Are you all entered in the contest, too?
How horrid would that have been? May being the Fallarbor Contest was bad enough. I could not even imagine how pathetic her friends could be… or whatever these guys were to her. I was not really all that concerned about the tall guy and the little kid… the boy in the blue hoodie, however, I just could not let go of the feeling in my gut that seemed to tell me that May was probably going out with that one.
Regardless of what I suddenly thought of them all, perhaps May's friends would be able to pass along a message from me to her of just how better of a coordinator I still was than her. I had also only become an even stronger coordinator since then.
Boy in blue hoodie: Nah, we're just here to cheer for May and watch her compete, right, Pikachu?
The Pikachu from atop the boy in the blue hoodie's shoulder happily complied to its trainer's answer to me.
Yours Truly: I get it; you're afraid, huh?
I could admit that I was just being sarcastic. For one reason or another, however, I just knew that May's traveling companions were bound to have just as short of a fuse as May, herself. Sure enough, I was right about at least the boy in the blue hoodie.
Boy in blue hoodie: NO! I'm not afraid of anything! And, I'd never back down from you or anybody else!
I just laughed at the boy in the blue hoodie's remark about not being afraid.
Yours Truly: Is that a fact?
I finally flicked at my hair afterwards.
Yours Truly (continued): Why don't you and me have a little battle?
My request stunned the boy in blue from his outburst of rage.
Boy in the blue hoodie: You wanna battle with me? A real battle?
I guess that I just had to coax the guy into accepting my challenge.
Yours Truly: Just because I'm a pokémon coordinator doesn't mean that my battling skills aren't top notch.
The promise of a battle seemed to have ignited something else inside of the boy in blue in front of me. He just shifted from outraged to confused to fired up within a matter of seconds in between each one.
Boy in the blue hoodie: Great! Ready when you are!
The Pikachu that was perched upon his right shoulder readily complied to its trainer's determination.
The boy in blue was just like May. I would not have been surprised if the two of them were an item.
For me, the battle against the boy in the blue hoodie was just another chance for me to prove myself to be better than May in every possible aspect for contests. I was ready to show this trainer that I was also a better battler than him, even if I was a coordinator.
The walk I took with the group of May's friends to the perfect spot for battling was short in distance, but it was long in endurability, especially for me. I managed to stay a few paces ahead of them all simply because I did not feel welcome to be near them. It was not like I wanted to talk to them, anyway. I did, however, manage to learn all of their names on our way to the perfect place for a match.
Boy in the blue hoodie: Hey, Brock, do you think that you can referee the battle?
Brock: In my sleep, Ash.
Ash: And, Max, you can agree with me that Taillow has the clear advantage?
Max: No doubt about it, Ash; a flying-type against a grass-type? It's nothing short of common sense.
Needless to say, I had managed to learn a decent amount of information about the three of them just by listening to them talk to one another.
First of all, there was the eldest of their little group, Brock. A somewhat famous face and a notable Kantonian gym leader who was known for his expertise in rock-type pokémon. Soledad had told me about him a time or two. He had left Kanto to study to become a pokémon breeder. It was an interesting choice for a successful rock-type gym leader to make. From what I had gathered about the rock-type gym leader's role during our walk, Brock was apparently the parental friend in their group. He then asked Ash if his pokémon had eaten the special protein-packed food mix that the Kantonian gym leader had created for them all.
Then, there was the little kid of their group. His name was Max, and I already knew that he was May's little brother. From what I had heard about Max's part in their little group, the kid had joined his big sister and her friend on her journey when they left their hometown in Petalburg City. Max drilled my opponent for the battle on every possible strategy as they all exited the building. The kid then mentioned something about how his and May's father would have been when heading into a random battle, which obviously meant that their father was clearly a very strong and incredibly experienced trainer. It was definitely something into which I made a mental note to look a bit later… when I would have the chance to do so, anyway.
Finally, there was my opponent for the surprise battle, Ash. He was a pokémon trainer and Pokémon League Champion wannabe, and apparently Hoenn was his third shot at the title. A young Kantonian trainer from Pallet Town, he had apparently set out to memorize a complete pokédex and become a pokémon master. It was an admirable title for sure, but he still had much left to learn, and I was the one holding the lesson book.
Suddenly, I heard even more talking from their group. It came from that Max kid by the sound of it.
Max: Anyone know where May is? I want my sister to see Ash school this weenie.
My thoughts: Oh yeah, that's real creative.
Despite his extensive knowledge of pokémon and even pokémon battles, May's little brother, Max, really was such a kid of only about seven or eight years of age.
Ash: Leave her alone, Max. She's still busy training to beat Drew just like I'm about to.
That Pikachu of his which he seemed to keep outside its pokéball for one reason or another spoke its name in agreement with its trainer.
Ash (continued): I want May to be here as much as you do, but just imagine all of the awesome attacks she's practicing with her Beautifly to get ready for the contest, right now.
That was the time when May's kid brother, Max, took the open window of opportunity to further show exactly how much of a little kid he still was by teasing Ash.
Max: Gee, Ash, if ya love my sister so much, why don't ya just marry her?
That comment from May's little brother suddenly gave me the feeling of being a potential homewrecker. Luckily for me, Ash was just as quick to shoot a comment back at the kid.
Ash: Gross, Max! NO WAY! Never gonna happen! What kind of guy do you even take me for anyway?
Max still laughed at the comment he made to Ash about his own sister, even when the pokémon trainer gave the kid such a response.
Max: You're right, Ash. My sister'll never get a boyfriend. She's way too weird and crazy for anyone. Even a total loser can do better than her.
It was then that Brock finally chided at the other two.
Brock: Alright, you two. How about we drop the subject and start focusing on the battle, now? And, Max, do be nicer to your sister.
I just rolled my eyes at that last part. Brock was the parental one in the group, alright… especially after that chiding that was just a little too friendly.
But at least at that very moment, I actually felt a lot less like a probable homewrecker after what Ash had said when shooting back at Max when he jokingly suggested the idea of marrying May to his travelling companion. It definitely made me feel less like a possible homewrecker in regards to having given May a rose not just once but twice by then. Granted I gave her the roses when it was just me and her, but I could feel all the more comfortable doing it in front of her friends in addition.
It suddenly dawned on me just what I was thinking at that very moment, and I shook my own head just to snap myself out of it. It was definitely not the time to be thinking those kinds of thoughts. Not at that moment, or even any other given time.
Once we got to the perfect place for the battle, it began quickly. Ash's Taillow was ready, willing and able to accept whatever command its trainer had for it. Taillow spoke its own name in preparation for the battle ahead of it.
Ash: Alright, Taillow, Quick Attack.
To my surprise, the Taillow managed to score a direct wing at my pokémon for the battle at hand, Roselia. She quickly recovered from it, though. I knew just what attack to call for at that very moment.
Yours Truly: Roselia, Magical Leaf!
Of course, she complied to my command because she trusted me.
Ash: Taillow, dodge it!
Obviously, Ash was not the type to give up so easily. From the sidelines of the battlefield, Brock and May's kid brother, Max, looked like they were enjoying the show.
Brock: Wow, that was impressive.
Max: Keep it up, Taillow!
They were all just about to learn that I was not the type to give up the fight, either, myself.
Yours Truly: Use Petal Dance.
Roselia complied to my orders and unleashed our signature attack for contest battles.
Ash: Fly higher and dodge it!
I had to admit it. Ash might have had the same kind of temper as her, but his battling skills made him look more like he knew what he was doing than May clearly had in that first contest battle against me from back in Slateport City.
Ash (continued): Alright! Good job, Taillow!
Then, he turned to face me.
Ash (continued): You want a challenge, you got one! Go, Taillow, Peck Attack!
Or maybe he did not know what he was doing. Granted, the type of attack he had called for his pokémon in the battle to use was a good choice type-wise, but it was not going to be enough to beat a pokémon as strong and battle worthy as my Roselia had always been. What else would I have even learnt to expect from my first ever pokémon partner? I also managed to theorize because of using Roselia in the battle that Ash would have been better off choosing his Pikachu against my Roselia in this battle, too. It might have had the type-disadvantage, but at least it would have been the more experienced of my opponent's pokémon.
Of course, I knew exactly what to do against this Peck Attack from my opponent's Taillow.
Yours Truly: Stun Spore, Roselia.
Ash managed to think he still stood a chance.
Ash: Taillow, climb and dodge!
My opponent's pokémon tried to dodge Roselia's Stun Spore, but it was no good. My grass-and-poison-type's attack was guaranteed to hit its mark.
May's little brother, Max, could only gasp at the sight of the rising Stun Spore.
Brock: Come on. Dodge!
I'm sorry, but I thought the referee of any battle was supposed to be impartial.
Trying to dodge such a well-timed attack was a waste of my opponent's time, though. The Stun Spore hit its mark just like I knew it would.
Ash: Taillow!
May showed up from the bushes behind me as soon as my Roselia's Stun Spore hit my opponent's Taillow… in the poor creature's wing, no less. I could not help but chuckle at the knowledge that the very person I had actually hoped to educate in this lesson had finally showed up by then.
Yours Truly: Just in time for the best part, May. OK! Finish up with Solar Beam!
Roselia was only all too happy to comply to my command and to help my showing off to May before I even knew that it was trying to do. I swear that I believed Roselia, my own first ever pokémon partner, was basically in cahoots at times with Soledad about trying to set me up with a girlfriend. I kept telling both of them that I did not even want a girlfriend right then or any other time at all in the future by then, but they just kept on pestering me about the whole deal like they were both worried about me. I was more than capable of finding my own girlfriend without their help, thank you very much.
Ash: Pull up, Taillow!
Max: Hang in there! Come on!
A huge beam of energy shot from my thorn pokémon's arms. The energy beam effectively knocked the small bird pokémon out cold. Like I always said, type-advantage meant absolutely nothing for me and my Roselia. I heard May's voice call out to her friend's poor Taillow from behind the bush.
May: Taillow!
I openly took pride in the collective gasps from everyone else, particularly May's gasp. With it, the tall one held out his left arm towards my direction to…
Brock: Taillow's unable to battle. Roselia wins. The victory goes to Drew.
My opponent then growled in frustration at losing the battle right before he recalled his wounded bird back into the poor thing's pokéball.
Ash: Taillow, come on back.
May: Whoa, I can't believe Ash lost.
It was just a mumble she said to herself, but I heard what May said about her friend's loss against me loud and clear.
Yours Truly: Believe it! I'll explain why; in any pokémon contest, you have to be on the same wavelength with your pokémon if you wanna win. But, that can be the trickiest part about it 'cause when a trainer gets confused so does his pokémon, but that's the true essence of teamwork.
Every word of my explanation to May about my battle against her friend, Ash, was true until the end of time. I managed to look over in her direction to make sure that she paid attention to my demonstration, which she did, and it mildly pleased me… mildly.
At the heart of her whole battle strategy and everything about her in the contests, that was May's problem. Her own confidence, or rather lack thereof, seeped into her pokémon and their performance and battling skills. I had learnt early on that the bond between trainer/coordinator/etc. and pokémon in any form of battle was the most important element. I had watched, twice in a row by then, how May and her Beautifly had lacked that exact strength of a connection.
In May's first contest, she and her Beautifly could only shine for real once she forgot about the audience for which she was performing and was able to completely focus on her pokémon partner in that contest… especially since said pokémon partner was the main attraction of any pokémon contest.
It was quite a different case that morning behind Fallarbor Town's Contest Hall. I watched all of the attacks from her and her Beautifly at the time, and when she kept trying to fix her combination, it turned into such a mess on her part. She was probably far too concerned with how to pull off even a half-decent combination to keep from letting her doubt consume her, and of course, it leaked onto her poor Beautifly.
I quickly realized that that was where May struggled with contests. Then again, if she really wanted to embarrass herself in front of all of those people in another contest, I obviously had no right to stop her or try to scare her away from them. That was how I concluded that if neither one of those worked, I could at least provide the poor girl with some of the necessary, legit advice she would have needed to at least advance past even the preliminary round.
All things truly considered about the girl in the red bandana, I did not actually hate May. I found her quite interesting, if nothing else. I would have been a terrible person should I have even tried to steer her towards failure ever again, anyway.
I would also have been lying through my teeth to not admit to believing that May definitely had the potential to execute flawless combinations in contests, at least. She had all of the right pieces, and her only concern left at the time was to figure out a way to put all of them together just enough to make a working contest combination formula. If she could not figure one out, then that was on her.
Obviously, it was May's conscious life choice to pursue contents, and I saw finally that I could not convince her that she was not meant for it, nor could I scare her away from it. So, I finally figured that if I could not do anything even close to that, I could at least try my hand at helping her figure it out.
I suppose that May probably would have been able to figure out how strong of a competitor I would be for her in the Fallarbor Contest. I also hoped that she could, at that very moment, finally understand and know just what I had been talking about at the time. The rest of that was all up to her; and it would all be based on whether she took my advice or left it.
I could see the look of total concentration on May's face and saw how well she had managed to absorb my advice. With it, I no longer had any more reason to stay.
Yours Truly: Take care, everyone. Tell Taillow that I hope it'll be well and that it's not too injured from the battle.
Ash: Yeah, thanks a lot for the battle, Drew. I know it was actually to teach a lesson, but you still did it for a good cause. I just hope that one day I'll get to return the favor.
Yours Truly: We'll see in time. I'd better head back to the pokémon center, anyway, so I can let Roselia get some extra time to rest before the contest tomorrow.
I then turned away from them all and left.
It was not much later the following day, the day of the contest, however, that I heard a few things about rotten con artists that tried to rip off the coordinators entered in the Fallarbor Contest with shiny pokéblock that was never even made from real berries to begin with.
When their awful little scam operation did not go down as they had planned and they were finally discovered, they revealed themselves to be nothing but pokémon thieves and tried their hands at stealing every last pokémon belonging to the coordinators who had entered the contest. Luckily, the thieves were outdone quickly, and the contest was able to get underway without a single hitch.
When I got to Fallarbor Hall, however, I was initially surprised by just how packed it was. The Fallarbor Contest was so much more popular than I had ever cared to even realize. The whole stadium was jam packed with spectators and competitors alike. There was not a single available seat in the entire stadium.
All of the registered coordinators took the stage to greet the crowded audience in the stands, and I was surprised by just who took the spot next to me as Vivian Meridian, the master of ceremonies, welcomed the entire audience and greeted all of us coordinators at the same time. It was none other than May, herself.
It was certainly a bold move for the girl in the red bandana to stand next to me. I had to admit that I admired that kind of courage from her. I had to say, however, that I was most taken aback of all by the determined smile she sent right back to me. She had obviously been saying with that grin that she was more than ready, willing, and able to give it everything she had. I honestly hoped that that look had meant that I could expect great things from her that day.