"Hey, you all look great today. Didn't you shop until late yesterday?" Rex asked, puzzled by how refreshed Yuli and the others appeared.
"Hmph, of course, we had a great time shopping yesterday. We had Gloom heal us last night, then had a wonderful sleep. We woke up feeling completely refreshed!" Yui explained.
"I see, impressive! You're learning to adapt!" Rex praised, giving a thumbs up.
After breakfast, they headed to the event venue. Since they arrived early today, they still had over half an hour before the competition started.
Feeling bored, Rex picked up the Marill that was following Yuli and started playing with the water mouse. Watching Marill squish in his hands, Rex felt a bit more at ease, making the waiting time less tedious.
Marill had a look of being played out, gazing at its trainer with watery eyes. Yuli couldn't bear Marill's pitiful expression and rescued it from Rex's arms.
With that little interlude over, today's competition finally began.
May and Harley's match was the first. Since it was a double battle, May sent out Beautifly and Bulbasaur, while Harley used Cacturne and Banette, both of which he had used in previous performances.
Harley took the initiative, having Banette use Screech and Cacturne use Pin Missile, forcing Beautifly and Bulbasaur to dodge awkwardly, costing May some points.
However, May wasn't easy to push around. She had Bulbasaur use Vine Whip to bind Banette and Cacturne's legs, then Beautifly used Silver Wind to attack them.
Perhaps due to Harley deceiving her the day before, May was exceptionally motivated today, suppressing Harley throughout the match. She ultimately defeated Harley's Cacturne and Banette, advancing to the top 16 and securing her first win of the day.
As time passed, the top 16 contestants emerged, and May's next opponent was a plump guy named Donphan. If she could defeat him, she would advance to the top 8.
The battle soon began. This time, May chose Combusken and Bulbasaur, while Donphan sent out Pinsir and Swalot.
The battle was intense, with neither side able to completely dominate. In the end, when the five-minute countdown ended, May narrowly won with a slight points advantage, advancing to the top 8.
The second-round matches ended quickly, and May's next opponent was her rival, Drew. The winner between them would advance to the top 4.
From an observer's perspective, Rex felt Drew was much stronger than May. May's chances of winning were slim unless Drew made a mistake or she performed exceptionally well to turn the tide.
In this battle, May used Combusken and Delcatty, while Drew used Flygon and Roserade.
Based on the Pokémon's strengths alone, Flygon, as a fully evolved Pokémon, was the strongest. However, being Ground and Dragon-type, it was four times weak to Ice-type moves, and Skitty happened to know Blizzard. This added an element of suspense to the match, depending on whether May could seize the opportunity.
As the battle began, Drew attacked first, having Roselia use Petal Dance, with Flygon weaving through the petals to strike at Combusken and Skitty.
May didn't back down, having Skitty use Assist. By a stroke of luck, Assist triggered Fire Spin, burning away the Petal Dance petals and forcing Flygon to retreat and dodge the flames.
Following May's command, Combusken used Sky Uppercut on Flygon. Unfortunately, Flygon dodged the attack, causing Combusken to lose balance and fall, landing on Skitty.
This failed attack cost May a lot of points.
Flygon hovered in the sky, positioned against the sun, making it hard for May to locate it due to the blinding light.
Seizing this momentary lapse, Drew had Flygon use Flamethrower and Roserade use Solar Beam for a double attack.
To Rex's surprise, Combusken used a powerful Fire Spin to counter the double attack.
Seeing this seemingly impossible move, Rex felt choked up, unable to express his amazement.
Drew also lost some points due to May's perfect defense but seemed quite pleased.
May seized the momentum, having Combusken use Fire Spin on Flygon, but Flygon countered with Sandstorm.
Simultaneously, under May's command, Skitty used Blizzard on Roserade, but Roserade evaded by leaping onto Flygon's back.
With less than a minute left on the clock, May, trailing in points, launched another assault.
This time, Combusken used Skitty's Assist-triggered Vine Whip to leap toward Flygon. Although Flygon tried to block with Flamethrower, May used the flames to power Combusken's Fire Punch, landing a solid hit on Flygon.
Despite this, May's previous point deductions left Drew in the lead, with only 30 seconds remaining.
Knowing time was short, May had Combusken and Skitty charge at Flygon and Roserade, but they were paralyzed by Roserade's Stun Spore before getting close.
Drew then had Flygon use Steel Wing, sweeping Combusken and Skitty away as the countdown ended.
Rex felt the match was strange, like Drew was guiding May, controlling the battle and allowing her to perform better.
Despite losing the match, May's impressive performance by Combusken and Skitty earned her the audience's applause, lifting her spirits despite the defeat.
As the event reached its climax, Robert used Milotic and Claydol to defeat Drew's Flygon and Masquerain, winning the grand festivity.
"May, your battle today was fantastic!" Rex praised her after the match.
"Thank you, but I still need to work harder," May said, feeling much calmer. She knew she was still far behind Drew and Robert but was determined to become a top coordinator.
"Ash, there's still over a month until the Ever Grande Conference. What are your plans?" Rex asked Ash, who had a newly evolved Glalie by his side.
"We plan to leave for Sootopolis City tomorrow and train along the way," Ash replied without hesitation.
"See you at the Ever Grande Conference then. Let's hope we all achieve great results," Rex said, exchanging plans with Ash before bidding farewell.
Having been away for several days, Rex and his friends decided to return to the farm today, flying back on their Swellow.
(End of Chapter)