"The preliminary round is over, right?"
"Yeah, we'll soon see the announcement of 64 main contestants."
"I wonder who will advance. I bet Gayle is one of them."
"Hani from Sinnoh also can't be underestimated. She'll definitely be one of the Coordinators competing for the win this time."
"Terrance is also promising, a rookie with a lot of potential. I wonder if he can defeat these veteran Coordinators."
Terrance...
Chisana still hadn't recovered from hearing his friend's words, "Terrance… Could it be Brother Terrance?"
Although the Grand Festival's opening ceremony was beautiful and Wallace's appearance triggered a wave of excitement, Chisana, however, seemed a bit distracted.
He couldn't even focus on the commercials playing on the big screen. Terrance had left Old Green House over two, almost three years ago. During that time, everyone at Old Green House had kept an eye out for any news about Terrance. They only knew that he had successfully obtained his Junior Breeder's license, and then he seemed to have disappeared.
They had also been paying attention to Pokémon Contests. Knowing Terrance, he was sure to participate, but they hadn't seen him at the Grand Festival in either the first or second year.
Not collecting five Ribbons in two years… that was considered the worst among Coordinators. It could be said that he lacked the talent to become one.
Still, the anonymous money sent regularly reassured them that Terrance was doing well, and they didn't need to worry.
Because Grandma Arlan had been a Coordinator in the past, the children at Old Green House also aspired to be Coordinators and found it interesting. But if we had to say who loved Coordinators and Pokémon Contests the most, it would be Chisana.
No one in Old Green House longed to participate in Pokémon Contests or aspired to be a Coordinator more than he did. While other children might have developed an interest or curiosity in Pokémon Contests because of Grandma Arlan's stories, Chisana truly wanted to make Pokémon Contests his dream.
That was why, when he grew up, he secretly left Old Green House just like Terrance, hoping to see the Grand Festival in person.
"Zubat..."
"It's all thanks to Zubat."
Chisana felt the warmth on his chest, giving him a sense of reassurance. Hidden within his clothes was a deep blue bat Pokémon, a Zubat he had befriended that had gotten lost from its group during a nighttime hunt.
With Zubat's help, he had been brave enough to sneak out on his own. Zubat's Supersonic had solved a lot of trouble for him along the way.
"It's starting, it's starting, look! The preliminary round's result!"
Finally, after what seemed like endless commercials for things like shampoo, skin care water, and "This holiday, don't give gifts—only give a Poké Ball," the broadcast returned to the main event of the Grand Festival.
"This is ridiculous! We've seen these commercials countless times already, and they still have the nerve to interrupt the Grand Festival with them."
"Tsk, where do you think Pokémon Contest's sponsorships come from?"
Sixty-four pictures appeared on the big screen. Chisana quickly searched through them. He carefully scanned each one, afraid he might miss something. Then, he saw a familiar face, and froze for a moment, before breaking into a happy smile.
"Good luck."
…
…
At that moment, in Fallarbor Town's Old Green House…
Every year, sitting together to watch the Grand Festival's live broadcast, synchronized across all of Hoenn, seems to have become a tradition here.
Terrance's departure, and Chisana's sudden leaving without saying goodbye, although caused a bit of change to the life here, this habit was still completely preserved.
Grandma Arlan, Ayan, Scarlet, Rina, and Myu—the five remaining people—each with different feelings in their hearts, watched the broadcast intently as the results were announced.
It was the youngest Myu, who was first to react as she rubbed her eyes and said in disbelief, "That person looks so familiar… Could it be Brother Terrance?"
…
…
The preliminary round officially ended, and the 64 Coordinators who advanced now stepped into the limelight.
Some of them had family and friends who were watching with excitement, eagerly awaiting their further performances.
Meanwhile, those unfamiliar with the contestants were more focused on their competitive skills—who had the highest chance of winning, who was most likely to become the Top Coordinator, and who had performed the best in the preliminary round. These were the questions on everyone's mind.
Gian, a Coordinator who had been in the field for a year but had only managed to collect four Ribbons, watched the many veterans standing on the Grand Festival's stage and felt a surge of excitement.
However, recalling the time he participated in a Pokémon Contest and was soundly defeated by a contestant named Hani, the feeling of his confidence crumbling left him deep in thought.
If all the contestants were at Hani's level, there was no way he could have made it far in the competition.
Gian also thought that if a Coordinator wasn't aiming to become the Top Coordinator, there was no point in participating. But even if there were only a few contestants like Hani, it would be enough to make most people feel hopeless.
"Gian, don't get discouraged. It's just one Ribbon you're missing. I think… this time, most of the Grand Festival's contestants would have almost no chance of winning. Did you see the scores of those 64 main contestants? They're terrifying! There are six people with scores over 95 points in the preliminary round! In past competitions, a score of 95 in the preliminary round would almost guarantee a spot in the finals," said one of Gian's friends.
"So you're saying I wouldn't have done well even if I entered?" Gian asked, speechless.
"Of course you should enter, but maybe not right now. Wouldn't it be better to train for another year and achieve better results?"
"Right now, the 64 contestants who advanced have already been divided into three tiers based on their scores. Even the lowest-ranked contestant in the third tier scored 83 points. That score is comparable to getting over 9 points in the primary judging of a regular Pokémon Contest!"
"Three tiers?"
"Exactly. It's all over the Pokémon Contest's forum. You wouldn't know because you never go online."
At that moment, the announcement of the three tiers on the internet had become the hottest topic of discussion.
In the third tier were 42 contestants who scored between 83 and 89 points in the preliminary round.
In the second tier were 16 contestants with scores ranging from 90 to 94 points.
In the first tier were six contestants with scores between 95 and 98 points!
These three tiers had, in a way, defined the skill level of these Coordinators. While it couldn't determine the final outcome, it gave everyone following the Grand Festival a glimpse of the six most brilliant names.
Gayle, Hani, Finch, Mizushima, Hikaru, and… Terrance.
The six contestants who had scored over 95 points in the preliminary round gave everyone the impression that the Champion was likely to emerge from among them.
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