Soon after a good lunch, May and Glaceon ran inside Lila's shop, meeting back up with the Poke Stylist who greeted them warmly.
"Welcome back."
"Hi, Lila!" May grinned.
"I think you're really going to like how the dress is coming out." Lila explained. "In the changing room ready for you."
"I can't wait!" May squealed as she ran off. Lila smiled before turning her attention to Glaceon.
"And once we get her feedback I have your things ready too Glaceon." she assured the Ice Type.
"Yes!" Glaceon cheered. Meanwhile May entered the changing room and hanging on a hanger in the dressing room was the dress nearly completely finished. The updates they talked about had been added and aside from a few loose ends that still needed to be sewn up, the dress looked done. May squealed in excitement as Lila smiled to herself. The Coordinator quickly got dressed and ran out just as Lila turned on the three-sided mirror lights once again. May stepped up in front of the mirrors with a wide grin as Lila chuckled at the young girl's excitement.
"It looks absolutely beautiful on you." she smiled.
"I couldn't agree more!" May giggled as she twirled a little on the platform to see the skirt flutter.
"Wow!" Glaceon exclaimed excitedly.
"Thank you so much, Lila!" May said as she hugged the older woman. Lila chuckled and hugged her back.
"I can't take all the credit. It's your dress after all. It's been a team effort." she assured May. "But in that vain I'll ask you, any final critiques or questions we need to address?"
"I don't think so! I think it's perfect!" May replied.
"Glad to hear it. In that case, I think aside from tying up those loose ends, we just need to finish Glaceon's matching accessories." Lila explained.
"Yay!" Glaceon cheered. Lila walked across the studio and opened up a nearby trunk. She pulled out a few different items, including a collar with a matching bow on it, what looked like a mini version of May's skirt, and even some shoulder sleeves that looked like May's.
"Ah!" May smiled. "Those are awesome! That'll look so cute!"
"I sure hope so." Lila nodded as she brought the accessories over to Glaceon. "Can you hold still for me Glaceon?"
"Yup!" Glaceon nodded as she sat down. She held still as Lila started putting on the accessories for her.
"Awesome!" May squealed as Lila finished up.
"There we go. What do you think?" she asked the Pokemon. Glaceon ran over to the mirror and hopped up alongside May on the platform.
"Wow!" she gasped happily.
"You're so cute!" May laughed as she hugged her partner. Glaceon nuzzled her happily and purred in agreement.
"Of course, something we need to check is does it hold up during a performance?" Lila reminded the two of them. "Want to head out back and give it a try?"
"Sure! Let's do it!" May nodded as she hopped off the platform and ran off out the back door with Glaceon and Lila following her group gathered out back on Lila's personal training field and Glaceon immediately ran into the middle of the field.
"Ready!" she called to May.
"Ok! Start off with Ice Beam!" May ordered her.
"Right!" Glaceon nodded as she took a deep breath and fired Ice Beam straight up into the sky. May grinned to herself, feeling now as though they could push their performance even further now that they had their new outfits.
"Now let's dance!" she called, spinning slightly in place. Glaceon smiled at the new command and responded perfectly, beginning to bound and dance around the field as she continued using Ice Beam, this time making a much more intricate and detailed slide then they had just done that morning. "Jump!"
"Whee!" Glaceon cheered as she jumped up to the highest point of the slide and started and heading down the slide once more, riding down with grace on her paws.
"Awesome!" May giggled. "Now let's share the love with the crowd! Use Ice Shard!"
"Hi-yah!" Glaceon called as she fired Ice Shard into the air as she slid down, letting the shards hit one another and create a dazzling flurry across the field as she approached the bottom of the slide.
"Now leap with Iron Tail!" Glaceon encased her tail in metal and then slammed it into the ground, launching herself back into the air high above the slide. "Bring it home with Shadow Ball!"
"On it!" Glaceon nodded as she charged, then fired a massive Shadow Ball into the slide, shattering it and letting the new flurries mix with the old, causing her to become showered with blue and purple flurries as she flipped through the air and landed on her paws in a perfect pose.
"Alright! That was great Glaceon!" May cheered as Lila applauded their performance.
"Simply amazing." she congratulated them.
"Thanks, Lila!" May giggled. With that said Lila walked over and examined Glaceon's outfit for any damages from the performance. Glaceon smiled proudly all the while.
"Looks like it held up pretty well. I think we should waterproof it a bit more with all that ice, but other than that I think we're in good shape." Lila announced. "And you both seemed to be having a lot of fun to boot. So I'd call this a success."
"It went even better than this morning!" Glaceon added.
"Sure did." May nodded.
"Glad to hear it. The energy between you two is infectious. Exactly what I think the crowd will respond to during your performance." Lila assured them.
"We're gonna win!" Glaceon declared. May chuckled and raised a fist, feeling even more confident in herself than before.
"...You know what? You're right! I can feel it...!" she agreed. Both Lila and Glaceon smiled at the brunette, happy to see such a fiery passion in her. "We're gonna take this thing all the way to the top! And this time we're gonna win!"
"Yeah, we are!" Glaceon agreed.
"I'm glad to hear that. That's the kind of confidence and passion that people really like about you May." Lila explained.
"Thanks, Lila. But I can't take all the credit. You helped me get here." May pointed out, but Lila simply shook her head.
"You always had it. I think you just needed the right push to bring it back." Lila countered.
"Heh…" May chuckled nervously, blushing slightly at the compliment.
"Oh! May did you bring the jewelry?" Glaceon suddenly piped up.
"Oh right! The earrings!" May gasped, stunned that she had forgotten.
"Oh did you find a pair you liked?" Lila wondered.
"I did." May nodded. "They're in my bag."
"Let's have a look then." Lila said. May nodded and they all headed back inside and once they were back in the studio, May walked over to her bag where she pulled out a small container with pearl earrings inside. "Oh, those are lovely."
"Think they'll look good with the dress?" May asked.
"Absolutely." the purple-haired woman nodded.
"You know...I've never actually had my ears pierced…" May sheepishly admitted.
"Well, that's alright. I'm sure we can find some similar clip-on if you'd rather." Lila offered.
"No that's ok. I do wanna try it I think…" May answered.
"Are you sure? You can't undo putting holes in your ears you know." Lila cautioned her. May thought for a moment and then nodded her head.
"I want to do it. This is all about giving it my all. And so I want to go all the way with this look." she smiled confidently.
"Alright." Lila chuckled. "There's a shop in the mall here in town that'll do that no problem."
"Perfect." May nodded. Glaceon meanwhile dug through May's bag and then pulled out a yellow bracelet in her teeth.
"Don't forget this one!" she reminded her trainer.
"Ah, so you found a bracelet too? Wonderful." Lila smiled as she took the bracelet from Glaceon and carefully put the bracelet on May's wrist. "A perfect match to the dress as well."
"I think so too." May smiled.
"Well then, I think it's time I put on the finishing touches for you." Lila announced.
"Awesome!" May cheered. Lila smiled fondly at the young girl.
"I think you'll do amazing May." she suddenly commented, making the younger girl blush.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Heh…thank you, Lila."
"My pleasure May. And once I sew up those last few loose ends, the dress will be all yours." she explained.
"I'm going to get this earring thing done this afternoon." May assured her.
"Then I can do those while you're gone if you like."
"Alright then." May nodded as she took one last glance in the mirror. "To be honest, it's a bit of a shame I gotta change out of this dress. I love wearing it so much."
"Well, I'm glad you like it." Lila chuckled. "But it's probably best to save it for the Grand Festival. I'd hate to have both of us put in all this work just for some kid with a wayward smoothie to ruin it."
"Yeah yeah." May sighed with a smile.
"You go ahead and get changed. I'll get Glaceon's things off in the meantime."
"Thanks." May nodded as she returned to the dressing room while Lila kneeled down next to Glaceon as she helped the Fresh Snow Pokemon out of the accessories.
"Aw…" Glaceon sulked, lowering her ears.
"Don't worry." Lila smiled as she helped Glaceon out of the outfit. "You'll be able to wear it all you want in a few days."
"Then I can't wait!" Glaceon perked up. Lila chuckled as May stepped out and placed the accessories on her workbench.
"Alright, Glaceon. Let's go." May called to her partner. Glaceon happily ran over to her and the two girls left the shop, running towards the mall to obtain the final piece of their puzzle.
Soon enough, May and Glaceon were wandering through the massive mall as they looked around for a jewelry shop. After a few minutes, a shop caught Glaceon's attention.
"What about that one?" she suggested, pointing to a small jewelry store nearby with her paw.
"Looks right." May replied as she walked over to the store. The two of them entered the store and a sales girl at the front counter looked up from her work.
"Welcome. How can I-" her eyes widened in surprise as she gasped. "Oh wow! You're the Princess of Hoenn!"
"Oh uh, yeah that's me…" May chuckled nervously, obviously not expecting to be recognized so quickly.
"Wow, this is amazing! H-How can I help you?!" the girl asked enthusiastically, while still obviously just as nervous as May was.
"Well, I would like to have my ears pierced…" May explained.
"Oh! Of course! Our technician is just finishing up with another client right now! Can I help you pick a pair to start with?" the girl offered, but May shook her head.
"Well I actually already have something in mind." she explained as she showed the girl the earrings she'd picked out already.
"Oh of course we can just use those no problem!" the girl assured May.
"Thanks." May nodded with a smile. Both girls stood quietly for a few moments as they waited, but then the sales girl spoke up again, blushing nervously.
"I-I hope you don't mind but...I just have to say I'm such a big fan of yours!"
"Really?" May wondered.
"I just think your performances are awesome. They just…they make me feel like I can do anything! You and your Pokemon just inspire me so much! And I'm rooting for you to go all the way this year." she explained, surprising May. She had always done her performances for herself and for her Pokemon. It had never even occurred to her that seeing her performances could inspire others in such a way. This revelation seemed to stir something inside her, but she noticed that the sales girls as waiting for a response, so she put those feelings aside for the time being.
"Well thank you so much!" May smiled.
"If you don't mind my asking, how come you're getting your ears pierced now?" the girl wondered.
"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. This is one of the steps towards a new look I'm working on for the Grand Festival." May grinned, wanting to subtly thank the girl for having so much faith in her performances. The sales girl gasped in shock at this revelation.
"It is?! Really?!"
"Yup." May nodded. "I'm going to debut a totally new energy. Starting today!"
"Wow! That's so cool!" the girl squealed.
"Get ready for a new dress and a new May." May winked.
"That's so awesome!" the sales girl cheered as May smiled. She couldn't explain it, but seeing this girl get so excited over just the idea of seeing her performance made her very happy. As if just by doing so she'd made this girl's day. Maybe there really was something to this whole "Princess of Hoenn" thing after all. "Let me go check with our technician for you!"
"Great thank you." May replied as the girl ran off to the back of the store, leaving May and Glaceon smiling at one another.
"You look like something's on your mind. Everything ok?" Glaceon asked her trainer.
"Yeah...just thinking." May admitted. However before she could elaborate, the sales girl called to them from the back, waving.
"They're ready for you!"
"Great!" May smiled as she walked over to the back as Glaceon followed.
"Welcome." the earring technician greeted them as he gestured to the chair. "Come have a seat. I understand this is your first time?"
"Right." May nodded, swallowing her nerves as best she could.
"Not to worry. It'll be perfectly painless. What I'll do is use some of this numbing spray." he explained as he held up a small bottle of liquid. "It'll numb the skin and then all you'll feel is a small pinch."
"Okay. That doesn't sound so bad." May admitted as she sat in the chair next to him.
"I was told you have a pair picked out to start with?" he questioned her.
"These here." she confirmed as she pulled out the pair and handed them to him.
"A fine choice." he nodded as he accepted the earrings. "Ready to get started?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Alright. Just lay back in the chair. Do you want a mirror to watch?"
"Sure." she nodded as she complied with his instructions. Glaceon meanwhile hopped up and into her lap to provide comfort. The technician sprayed each of her earlobes and took a moment to load the first earring into the piercing gun as May's earlobes went numb. May pet Glaceon to stay calm as Glaceon purred happily.
"Alright." the technician announced as he set up the piercing gun to her ear. "Ready?"
"Yeah…" May said as she took one last deep breath.
"One, two, three." he used the gun and May felt a small pinch as the needle was driven through her ear. May winced slightly as Glaceon felt her tense up.
"You ok...?"
"I think so…" May nodded, breathing through the pain as best she could.
"You did great. Have a look." the technician informed her as he adjusted the mirror for her, showing her the new earring in her ear. May and Glaceon looked closely and Glaceon smiled happily.
"Pretty!" she declared. May smiled softly and chuckled.
"Yeah...it is." she agreed.
"Ready for the second one?" the technician asked as he loaded the other earring into the piercing gun.
"I am." she nodded, feeling a bit more confident now.
"Alright." he replied as he lined up the next earring to her ear. "One, two, three." May felt another pinch as the earring was driven into place. She grit her teeth a little and Glaceon licked her hand for comfort.
"I'm alright…" May assured her partner.
"And that's all there is to it." the technician announced as he handed her a hand mirror so she could see both earrings at once. May sat up in the chair and looked into the mirror, stunned by how much more grown up she looked just from putting the earrings in.
"Wow!" Glaceon gasped.
"Wow is right..!" May giggled.
"They look great on you!" Glaceon grinned.
"I think so too." May agreed. "Thank you so much, sir."
"You're very welcome." the technician replied. "Then they can take your payment upfront. Just make sure not to mess with them for a few weeks ok?"
"Got it." May nodded as she got up from the chair and headed back up to the front where the sales girl from earlier was still working. Upon seeing May again, her star-struck smile returned.
"Wow! Those look so amazing on you!" she gasped.
"Thank you. And thank you for all your help." May smiled.
"I can't wait to see what you have in store for the Grand Festival! I can just tell it'll be your best one yet!"
"I'm gonna blow your socks off!" May promised her as she proceeded to pay for the piercings.
"Thanks!" the sales girl smiled as she accepted May's money.
"Thank you as well." May smiled as she then proceeded to leave the store.
"Good luck Princess of Hoenn! I'll be watching!" the girl called after her with an excited wave.
"Thank you!" May called back as she waved goodbye. Glaceon smiled at her trainer as they left the mall and headed back outside. She couldn't help but notice the newfound excitement on May's face.
"What's going through your head?" she questioned her trainer.
"Nothing really…" May admitted with a little smile to herself. "Just starting to think that maybe there really is some good that can come from this whole "Princess of Hoenn" thing after all…"
"Glad to hear it!" Glaceon grinned. "I know one thing for sure! I can't wait to compete alongside the Princess of Hoenn!"
"Now that's what I like to hear!" May laughed.
To be Continued...