Chapter 27: Style
"The people here are really respectful. I haven't had anyone come up to me without making me uncomfortable," May noted with surprise. They walked through a crowd of festivalgoers who minded their own business. They all seemed simply content to be there for the spectacle.
Pikachu and Ash agreed with her. "Yeah, I thought we'd have a bunch of people rush over to you and invade your personal space. The people who did come up to you were polite enough to ask for a photo or autograph instead of demanding one," Ash added.
"I know. I don't why people behave so differently here, but I love it!" May squealed with relief. Her biggest concern upon being in a public space again was getting surrounded by hordes of obsessive fans, but this was a breath of fresh air.
"That's because the With You Festival is a celebration of solidarity, love, and humanity. I'd say it goes against the festival's values if the attendees can't respect someone's personal space," an informative voice addressed May's thoughts on the festival.
Ash and Pikachu perked up upon hearing the familiar voice. The trio turned around to see who said that. Ash and Pikachu's faces brightened with excitement upon seeing a blonde-haired boy with glasses wearing a blue jumpsuit with yellow stripes and a cybernetic backpack. On his left, there was a small blonde-haired girl. She wore a brown shirt and white skirt with black knee-length compression shorts. She had a yellow shoulder bag with a Dedenne inside. On his right was an older blue-eyed girl with shoulder-length blonde hair. She wore a reddish-pink fedora, a bright pink dress with a white collar, and a red waistcoat with a blue ribbon on her chest. Upon seeing her, May thought she was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen.
"Serena, Clemont, Bonnie!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs with happiness.
"Pika!" Pikachu cheered with his best friend.
"Hello, everyone," Clemont politely bowed at the trio.
"It's so nice to see you again!" Bonnie was ecstatic to see her friends. Pikachu jumped into her arms to nuzzle her. "Aw, I missed you too, Pikachu." The little one nuzzled her cheek against the yellow mouse.
"De denne," Dedenne also warmly greeted their friends.
"I can't believe the three of you are here. This is amazing," Serena giggled with delight over reuniting with Pikachu and the boy who meant so much to her. When she saw May, a mix of pleasant surprise and uneasiness entered her. Everyone knew what May meant to the world, but few, including Serena, knew what May meant to Ash. Nonetheless, Serena was happy to see them and refused to let jealousy ruin their reunion.
Ash rubbed under his nose as he chuckled. He gestured to May with his hand, "Guys, I'd like you to meet my friend, May. She's a coordinator from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region."
"I'm Clemont. It's such an honor to meet one of Ash's old friends. Nice to meet you, May," Clemont formally introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Clemont's sister, Bonnie! I can't believe I'm meeting May; you and your Glaceon are incredible every time I see you on T.V.," Bonnie gushed over May. It's not every day she gets to meet a top coordinator.
May placed her hand over her mouth to contain her laugh over Bonnie's awe, "That's sweet, thank you, Bonnie."
"Dedenne ne," Dedenne reminded Bonnie to introduce him.
"Oh yeah, and this is my friend Dedenne!" Clemont's sibling pulled the orange mouse from her bag to show him closely. The Fairy-type rodent happily waved to the brunette.
May delightfully scratched the mouse's cheek with her finger, "He's so cute."
Now that Bonnie had passed the formalities, she reached for May's hand and kneeled. "May, you're so beautiful and strong. You're a keeper, so won't you please take care of my brother!"
The sapphire-eyed coordinator blushed over the little girl's sudden outburst. May reacted with a nervous laugh, "Take care?"
Clemont's Aipom arm immediately grabbed Bonnie and pulled her away. The Lumiose Gym Leader blushed as red as May's blouse. "Bonnie, how many times have I told you not to do that!" the brother cringed with embarrassment.
"Well, I have to find some pretty girl to take care of you!" Bonnie pouted while Clemont's Aipom arm still held her in midair.
Serena, Ash, and Pikachu chuckled with embarrassment over the scene. Then Serena approached May, "Don't mind them. I'm Serena. It's wonderful to finally meet you, May. Ash has told me so much about you." The girl from Vaniville Town warmly introduced herself.
"Did he now?" May lifted an eyebrow at Ash with a smirk, prompting Ash to smile sheepishly and rub the back of his head.
"Don't let it get to your head," Ash teased, causing the group to laugh together.
The brunette turned her attention back to Serena and the others, "It's so lovely to meet all of you. It's not every day I meet some of Ash's other friends." May kindly bowed at them.
Clemont set Bonnie down to speak to May, "Given your status as a top coordinator, I assume you're here to perform in the festival, May?"
"That's right!" May winked and made a peace sign.
"That's amazing. I can't wait to see it!" Bonnie's eyes turned into stars upon hearing May.
"Wow, but I don't remember seeing you in the lineup. Were you a last-minute entry?" Serena was surprised to hear May would perform. It was somewhat intimidating news, but she reminded herself it wasn't a competition.
"I was," May bashfully admitted. "Luckily, they allowed me to participate. Being Wallace's apprentice still has its benefits," the brunette put her arms behind her back as she revealed how she got into the festival.
Serena giggled, "I think it's terrific that you'll get to perform."
"I concur," Clemont smiled as he adjusted his glasses.
"Me three!" Bonnie chimed.
"Thank you to all of you. It was important for me to get involved in this festival because I want to help with the rebuilding of Kalos after what Team Flare did," May revealed to the three Kalos natives.
Clemont was pleased by her statement, "We will take all the help we can get."
"That's right! We appreciate anyone outside of Kalos who wants to help with the region's recovery," Serena added to his comment.
"With you involved, I'm sure the festival will raise even more money to help the people and Pokémon!" Bonnie cheerfully noted.
May smiled shyly. She found Ash's friends incredibly welcoming and sweet with their compliments. She modestly replied, "I hope I can help raise enough money."
Ash made an eager fist with Pikachu, "Don't sell yourself short, May. You're awesome, so I know you'll be able to contribute a lot of help!"
"Thanks, Ash," the brunette lightly blushed, reminded of her friend's undying belief in her skills.
Serena turned away upon seeing the interaction between May and Ash. She placed her hand over her heart. Bonnie and Clemont glanced at her at that moment. The siblings noticed her slight discomfort and wondered if she was alright.
The blonde-haired performer shook off the feeling when Ash spoke to her, "Serena, are you going to perform too?"
Serena mustered a confident smile to show her high spirits, "Of course!"
"That's amazing!" May's hand turned into eager fists upon hearing Serena.
"The whole reason we came here was because we knew Serena would perform, so we came to support her," Bonnie revealed to their friends.
Serena sheepishly grinned, "Aria organized the event and invited me to participate. There's no way I could refuse. We tried to invite you, Ash, but we couldn't find a way to get a hold of you."
"I can see you were busy with May, so that explains it," Clemont chuckled. Suddenly, Bonnie elbowed him near his gut, knowing well how that remark might make Serena feel. The gym leader winced in pain and murmured, "What was that for?"
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Boys."
Dedenne and Pikachu took pity on the Electric-type gym leader as he tried to recover from the hit. Serena and Ash subtly cringed over the sibling exchange but were also amused. May laughed at the scene, "You know, you kind of remind me of my brother Max when he was younger."
"Your little brother, Max? Wow, I can't believe May just compared me to her brother," Bonnie became giddy over the comment.
Bonnie's reaction made the coordinator giggle again. She found Bonnie to be amusing. Then she looked to Serena. "Serena, do you have an outfit for tonight's show?" the coordinator asked the performer.
"I do," Serena happily answered. She was excited to make her debut in the outfit she had chosen.
"That's exciting, I can't wait to see it! Why don't we talk more about tonight while we walk down to the staging area?" May suggested. Her friends agreed and moved through the crowd toward the main stage.
As they walked, Ash asked his Kalos friends another thing that came to mind. "Are Shauna and the others coming to the festival?"
Serena gave him a disappointed smile, "Unfortunately, Shauna's next performance conflicted with the festival so she couldn't make it."
"By extension, Tierno and Trevor went to support her so they couldn't make it either," Clemont added.
"But we know they're still sending their full support to Serena!" Bonnie believed.
"Ne denne," Dedenne agreed with the little girl.
Ash nodded in agreement. "That's right! No matter how far apart our friends are, we will always back each other as we work to fulfill our dreams," he happily acknowledged.
May softly smiled as she listened to him. Ash's words made her think of the lost time in their friendship and how much of a contrast he was compared to Drew. The brunette looked saddened but snapped out of it when she remembered the past didn't matter anymore. Her attention shifted to Ash when he grabbed her attention, "May, you know Serena is currently competing in contests back in Hoenn."
"That's great. I remember when I first competed in contests while in Hoenn," May reminisced of the old days.
Serena smiled at May, "I've been competing there to sharpen my skills as a Pokémon performer. I've learned a lot while there."
"That makes me so happy to hear. You must be a fantastic performer, Serena," May could tell the blue-eyed Kalos girl had skill.
Serena modestly beamed, "Honestly, I feel a little behind because I only have two ribbons so far."
"Two already?!" Bonnie and Clemont simultaneously shouted. It hadn't been long since they split up, so to hear how far Serena advanced astounded them.
"Wow, that's amazing, Serena," Ash was happy for her. His friend had come a long way from the girl who didn't have a dream when she started her journey.
"Thank you, Ash," Serena appreciated his praise.
"I agree. That's impressive, I hope you win it all!" May cheered for her new friend. Serena thanked her for her encouragement. It meant a great deal to hear encouragement from a top coordinator. "You know, I'd love to see you in a contest one day," May enthusiastically told Serena.
"I think we'd all love to see that," Clemont commented. It would be a treat for all of them to witness such ability from May and Serena.
Serena agreed. "That would be tons of fun. Maybe one day," the blonde-haired performer imagined the day she'd face off against May in a contest.
"You bet!" May gestured a confident fist at Serena.
Abruptly, an announcement came through the speakers of the festival. "Performers, this is the last call to gather backstage for tonight's show. Please be dressed and ready to meet us within 15 minutes," the announcer declared.
"Oh no, 15 minutes?!" Serena's eyes widened. They had gotten so caught up in their conversation that time had become an afterthought.
"To get dressed and meet them back there?!" May also jolted into a panic.
The two performers were in a frenzy to find the changing area so they could hurry backstage. Their attention shifted to Clemont when he chuckled. The Lumiose Gym Leader pushed his glasses back, reflecting a glare. "Fret not, because I have just the solution," he confidently stated.
Bonnie sighed, "Oh no, here we go." The little girl crossed her arms.
Clemont cheered, "The future is now thanks to science! Clemontic gear on!" The blonde-haired boy threw a small box on the floor that unfolded into an even bigger box that could fit a whole person. Ash, Bonnie, Serena, May, Pikachu, and Dedenne looked at Clemont's contraption with surprise. "Meet the 'Dresser Upper 1000,' I built this machine because I anticipated a situation precisely like this one," Clemont boldly claimed.
"That's a terrible name, and no, you didn't," Bonnie looked annoyed, but Clemont ignored her.
"This machine will get you dressed in under 10 seconds. All you need to do is place your new outfit in the slot when you step inside, and the machine will do the rest for you. Using the latest in artificial intelligence, it will dress you perfectly for the show!" the gym leader proudly announced.
Ash's eyes shined with admiration. He made joyful fists, "Science is so amazing!"
"Oh brother," Bonnie realized some things would never change no matter how long or far apart.
May eyed the machine curiously, "This will really get us ready in less than 10 seconds?"
"Does it fit only one person at a time?" Serena had her doubts due to her experience with Clemont's inventions.
"Of course not! I foresaw the need for two spaces, so you could step in simultaneously. Please give it a try," Clemont insisted with pride.
"If you say so," Serena was too kind to reject Clemont's often unreliable creations.
"Here goes," May smiled. She was more optimistic about the result.
They stepped in with their performance outfits. The machine automatically closed the curtains on them. A few lights brightened on the display as beeping sounds commenced. "You better hope this works," Bonnie side-eyed her brother.
"It will," Clemont chuckled with arms crossed.
"Can I try after they're done?!" Ash excitedly asked. Clemont nodded at him with a grin. He always appreciated Ash's belief in his innovations.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until smoke started emerging from the top of the machine. "Pika!" Pikachu pointed at the occurrence.
"There it is," Bonnie predicted with dismay.
"Uh-oh, it's not supposed to do that!" Clemont panicked. The lights on the machine and the beeping became erratic as Clemont tried to turn it off with his remote, but the machine was unresponsive. "Take cover!" Clemont screamed, but it was too late. All of the friends caught got in the explosion's radius.
Ash coughed as the smoke from the explosion settled. When the air cleared, everyone got covered in smoke with puffy hair. May and Serena stood side-by-side with frustration. "Clemont!" Serena screeched with a frown. May was startled by her scream. She never heard anyone yell like that before.
"Whoops," Clemont puffed out some smoke as he nervously laughed.
"I knew it," Bonnie shrugged her arms with a defeated chuckle and fell on her back with Dedenne.
"Chu," Pikachu glared at Clemont.
"Our clothes got dirty, too," Serena looked at her smoke-covered performance outfit with disappointment. She could strangle Clemont now.
May rubbed the smoke away from her face. She disregarded Clemont's failure due to their lack of time. "Actually, I always keep spare outfits in case of emergencies. I'll give you one of mine! Luckily, this isn't my first wardrobe malfunction. You learn a lot when you are constantly performing from corner to corner," the brunette smiled at Serena, hoping the news would cheer her up.
"You'd do that?" Serena looked surprised. May's kindness didn't have limits. Her humility as a celebrity reminded her of Diantha.
"Absolutely, now c'mon. Let's not waste any more time!" May grabbed Serena by the hand. The coordinator pulled the performer to the changing area so they could make it backstage ASAP.
"Good luck!" Ash joyfully waved at them, still covered in smoke and with his puffy hair sticking out of his hat.
Bonnie placed her hands on her hips with annoyance, "C'mon you guys. We have to go to the stage to make sure we get a good view of the show!"
"Right!" Ash and Clemont acknowledged simultaneously.
Fortunately, Serena and May made it backstage in the nick of time. They were eyeing themselves in the mirror as they made final preparations for the show.
Serena thought the outfit May gave her was even cuter than the one she brought. It resembled the one May wore. Serena's outfit was a reddish-orange crop top with a large ribbon tied over her chest and two straps over her shoulders. Underneath the top, she wore a white buttoned crop top that exposed her shoulders. The bottom of her outfit was a skirt of the same color to accompany the reddish-orange top. The final touch was some black knee-high socks with flaming orange shoes and an orange ribbon tied around the back of her hair.
May's outfit was a pinkish-purple variation of the outfit Serena was wearing. She had a ribbon tied over her chest with a white buttoned crop top underneath that covered her shoulders down to her elbows, unlike Serena's. She wore a matching skirt with sparkles at the edges like Serena's. She had a pink ribbon tied around the top of her head, leaving a tail to accompany her side bangs. Her final touch was a pair of purple-hot pink ribbons wrapped around her shins and short-length hot pink socks accompanied by purple-pink shoes to match the color scheme of her outfit.
"May, this outfit is too cute. Thank you for lending it to me!" Serena was grateful for her help.
May raised an eyebrow. "Lending? No, that outfit is for you. You can have it," the brunette happily gifted her the dress.
"What, why?" Serena got caught off guard by the sudden gesture.
"Consider it a token of our friendship. That outfit will always remind you of when we met and our first performance together," May winked at her. She liked Serena, so she hoped she'd keep it.
"May," Serena's eyes glistened with gratitude. She was hesitant at first because she wasn't sure if she was worthy of it. Serena's ocean-blue eyes looked into May's sapphire eyes with some uncertainty. The brunette smiled confidently at her, then nodded. Serena looked at the mirror again, then a smile formed across her face. She accepted it, "Thank you so much. I won't forget this."
May contently beamed, "Good, now come with me to stand behind the curtain. I'm sure the show has already started." Serena agreed, and the two walked together.
"Wow, May came through with these front-row seats. Being friends with a celebrity does have its perks!" Bonnie cheered as she jumped up and down while holding the rail.
"She must've told the show's staff when they reached backstage. It was nice of her," Clemont acknowledged as he adjusted his glasses.
"There's such a massive turnout for this festival, too. That's a great thing for Lumiose City and the rest of Kalos," Ash noted, prompting nods from Bonnie and Clemont. Ash eagerly smiled "This is going to be unforgettable!" Ash's eyes radiated with excitement for two of his closest friends. Pikachu and Dedenne stood on the rails, observing the crowd cheering after one of the performers finished their show. They were enjoying it as much as the humans.
Monsieur Pierre took center stage to welcome the next performer, "Bonjour, Kalos! My, my there is no shortage of talented performers on this stage tonight. We've already collected more funds than anticipated from this festival, and it's all thanks to you. Merci for being at the With You Festival tonight!"
The packed crowd loudly roared in response. The lights on attendees' bracelets changed from green to orange when Monsieur Pierre spoke. He held his cane high, "Now it is my honor to welcome our next performer. She is the runner-up of this year's Pokémon Master Class Performance. There is hardly a need for an introduction. Please welcome Kalos's very own, Serena!"
The spotlight focused on Serena as she stepped out on the stage. She cheerfully waved at the full house in attendance. "Go, Serena!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs alongside his friends. Serena quickly took notice of him and blushed. He always stood out from the audience with the way he encouraged her. She was also glad to see him and her other friends in the front row for her performance.
"Give them the show of a lifetime!" Bonnie screamed as she nearly got on the rails.
Clemont nervously used his Aipom arm to set her down. "Bonnie, get down. You'll get hurt!" the protective gym leader worried.
"Oh, Clemont," Bonnie laughed off his jumpy disposition.
"Are performers required to use a certain number of Pokémon?" Ash inquired when he looked at Clemont, forgetting to ask sooner.
"Since this isn't a competition, performers are free up to three Pokémon, so it's up to the performer how many they wish to use," Clemont informed Ash.
Ash smiled, "Nice. I wonder what Serena decided on."
"We're about to find out," Bonnie admired her friend, whom she viewed as an older sister.
Serena admired the crowd. This is for you, Kalos, the performer confidently smiled. The girl threw two Pokéballs in the air, "Pancham, Sylveon, come on out!"
Pancham and Sylveon proudly stood beside her to begin their charitable performance. "Pancham!" Pancham cheered with arms crossed.
"Sylveon!" Sylveon was delighted to be on stage again.
Serena got her performance underway. "Alright, Sylveon, start by using Fairy Wind!" the performer stretched her arm forward. Sylveon leaped into the air to unleash the pink sparkly gust. Suddenly, Serena ran into the Fairy Wind and got lifted. She twirled in midair as the sparkly dust made her outfit twinkle.
"Wow!" Bonnie clasped her hands together with amazement. Ash and Clemont were in awe at how majestic she appeared.
While still in midair, Serena ordered her next move. "Pancham, use Ice Punch!" Pancham nodded when its paw started to glow an icy color.
"Pancham must've learned that in Hoenn!" Ash excitedly remarked.
Pancham punched the stage with enough force to exert an icy wind that froze the fairy wind. The freezing temperature froze the fairy dust into an ice-shaped heart. Serena landed on the heart gracefully, impressing the audience with her balance. "Now use Swift, Sylveon!" Serena commanded from the top of the ice sculpture.
"Syl!" Sylveon ran up to the top of the icy heart, astonishing the audience with its quick movements. When it reached the top, it jumped off the ice to release a barrage of stars. The most remarkable thing is the stars formed a ring around the icy heart and spun around it. The light from the Swift was reflected on the ice, creating an even brighter glow.
With equal grace as when she landed, Serena slid off the ice sculpture. She pointed at the audience, "Pancham, follow up with an Arm Thrust!"
"Pan!" Pancham leaped high into the air. Its paw began to glow white when it descended upon the heart it made from Ice Punch. With a single strike, the shockwave prompted the ring of stars to burst, and the ice sculpture burst into sparkles. It was a shower of yellow and blue sparkles all over the stage. "Now wrap this up with another Fairy Wind, Sylveon!" Serena proclaimed. Sylveon confidently grinned, using Fairy Wind to push the sparkles into the audience.
The audience touched the sparkles that blew at them, including Bonnie. "Hey, I caught one," Bonnie giggled as it dissipated in her hands.
When Sylveon and Pancham landed beside Serena. The trio took a bow. The festivalgoers burst into a frenzy of cheer when Serena's performance concluded. "I knew she'd be incredible," Ash's eyes glistened with wonder for Serena. She was phenomenal out there.
"Ash," Clemont snapped Ash out of his awe by waving his hand near his eyes.
"Sorry," Ash was embarrassed that he spaced out, so he laughed it off.
"May's coming up soon!" Bonnie was excited about what came next.
The crowd clapped as Serena exited the stage. Monsieur Pierre returned to the stage with high energy, "Thank you, Serena. You never fail to give us a dazzling performance. Keep your eyes on her folks." People continued to whistle and praise Serena until the noise settled down. Then Monsieur Pierre spoke again. "Our next performer needs no introduction. Hailing all the way from Petalburg City. The Princess of Hoenn joins us tonight!" After Pierre made the announcement, the stadium went dark. The only illumination came from the purple and pink colors emitted from people's entry bracelets.
People started chanting "May, May, May," while waiting for the coordinator to come on stage. The chants were heard loudly even from outside the stadium. Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, and their Pokémon were witnessing May's star power at the highest level.
Without warning, a Silver Wind twister burst from the stage, surprising the crowd. "No way!" Ash gasped with excitement. He realized what Pokémon May intended to use tonight.
The Silver Wind tornado became surrounded by sparkles that mesmerized the audience. The next second, it burst into millions of sparkles, revealing May with her arms stretched out. Munchlax and Skitty stood beside her. Beautifly rested on the top of her head. "Hey, Laverre City! It's been a long time coming, but I'm glad I could be here. Welcome to the festival!" the coordinator announced. She knew how to address an energetic crowd after years of performing. The crowd roared with thrill when she greeted them.
"Beautifly, whip up a storm!" May raised her hand in the air.
"Beautifly!" Beautifly cheered. Her Bug-type produced another Silver Wind twister as she spun, but unlike before, this one split into four different twisters thanks to Beautifly's Psychic. With Psychic, Beautifly moved each Silver Wind twister to a corner of the stage.
May saw Ash and her other friends in the front row. The coordinator smiled as the crowd behind her friends squealed with excitement over the fact that she looked in their direction. "May, we love you!" a fan screamed at the top of their lungs behind Ash, pushing him slightly against the rail.
"May sure knows how to get the crowd hyped," Clemont nervously chuckled since he got pushed a bit, too.
"It's so fun!" Bonnie was unbothered by the commotion.
May pointed at the stage runway, "Skitty, use Blizzard!"
"Nya nya!" Skitty fired Blizzard on the stage, creating an icy runaway. May, Skitty, and Munchlax ran toward the icy runway while Beautifly remained on May's head, and then they started to slide down to the diamond center of the stage between the four Silver Wind tornadoes. Everyone was mesmerized by how cool they looked as they slid down the stage until she, Skitty, and Munchlax gracefully hopped off at the center.
May had Skitty use Blizzard once more. People were amazed by how Skitty could maneuver the Blizzard. The icy wind danced around the stage until it twirled around Beautifly's Silver Wind twisters. Then Skitty had Blizzard freeze the Silver Wind, creating four icy statues for each corner. May's Munchlax was next, "Now, Munchlax, use Metronome!"
"Doesn't Metronome summon a random move on the field? Wouldn't that put the performance at risk?" Bonnie wondered.
Clemont rubbed his chin, "I read in an article once that May trained hard to learn how to follow up with whatever attack comes out of Metronome. I think she's ready for anything Munchlax pulls out."
"Whoa," his little sister was impressed.
"That's May for you," Ash's eyes never moved away from the coordinator.
"Munch munch munch," Munchlax swung its fingers back and forth until dark clouds formed above the stadium. That instant four Thunderbolts crashed from the sky onto the four frozen twisters. Upon making contact with the electricity, the ice burst into sparkles floating in the air.
From backstage, Serena was stunned when she looked at the screen. "May's fabulous. I wouldn't expect anything less from," the performer took notes in her head of the coordinator's routine.
May proudly smiled, "Let's end this. Munchlax, use Solarbeam and Skitty, use Double Slap to knock it into the air!" Munchlax and Skitty nodded in unison.
Munchlax charged up the necessary power for Solarbeam, then fired it at Skitty. Skitty braced itself. When Solarbeam was within range, the cat somersaulted forward. It used Double Slap to knock the Solarbeam upward as a giant ball of white energy. May looked up at Beautifly, "Beau," the Bug-type looked at her.
"Send us up, Beautifly," May winked at her friend.
Beautifly agreed as it used Psychic to lift May into the air. Beautifly flew off her head, and the pair started to motion around the Solarbeam slapped toward the sky. The crowd was captivated as May and Beautifly danced around the ball of white energy. Before Solarbeam could get too high, May nearly wrapped it up. "This is it," May smirked at Beautifly.
She ordered Beautifly to use Morning Sun. "Fly," Beautifly started to glow as bright as Solarbeam. The butterfly-like Pokémon tackled the Solarbeam, absorbing its energy to radiate enough to lighten the sky. Everyone was starstruck as Beautifly's glow was as strong as daylight. Still using Psychic, Beautifly positioned itself behind May. Beautifly's positioning made it appear as though May had glowing butterfly wings. When they slowly descended, the brightness gradually dimmed to avoid blinding the spectators. Upon touching the ground, May lifted her arms to get the audience to roar. Her bright wings illuminated the stadium like a disco ball. May and her Pokémon took a bow as Beautifly's light faded. People clapped, whistled, and cheered so powerfully that it felt like the floor was shaking. The festival was a huge success thanks to performers like May and Serena.
Ash, Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, Pikachu, and Dedenne were speechless.
Note: May and Serena were wearing their contest outfits from Pokemon Journeys.