Chapter 162: The Grand Festival (Part 1)

Through May's introduction, Rex also roughly understood the competition rules of this grand festivity.

This grand festivity is divided into preliminaries and formal competitions. Only contestants who pass the preliminaries can enter the formal competition.

The preliminaries are the performance rounds, where the competition is held on the charm stage, showcasing the elegance of the Pokémon and its moves. Coordinators can use up to one skill to display their Pokémon.

From the Pokémon's appearance to the use of skills and making a beautiful finish, everything becomes crucial for victory. The harmony between the Pokémon and the coordinator will also be included in the comprehensive evaluation by the judges. Only the top 64 coordinators can participate in the formal competition.

The formal competition consists of two rounds of assessments, competing for the final championship.

The first round is the performance round, focusing on the independent performance of a single Pokémon, with a time limit of three minutes. Then, the judging committee scores out of 100 points, and only the top 32 coordinators can advance to the second round of the elegant battle.

The second round is an elegant battle, a double battle with a time limit of five minutes. The coordinators are randomly selected by a computer to choose opponents. The loser will be disqualified from continuing, and the one who wins the final match will be the ultimate victor.

During everyone's chatter, time approached 9:30. May needed to go to the backstage prepared for the contestants, while Rex and others needed to head to the spectator seats.

The preliminary competition venue was chosen as the outdoor battle arena. After entering the venue, Rex and Ash's group separated due to different seating arrangements.

"It's really lively here," Yui said.

The outdoor battle arena was packed with spectators, numbering in the tens of thousands, far more than the entire population of Fallarbor Town. It was her first time seeing so many people gathered in one place.

"I estimate that when the Ever Grande Conference starts, there will be even more spectators since the current mainstream still belongs to Pokémon battles," Rex responded.

"Then we should look forward to it. We'll be there to cheer you on, boss," Yui said excitedly.

She loved the bustling atmosphere and was already looking forward to the lively scene of the Ever Grande Conference.

At this moment, the preliminaries of the grand festivity officially began. Since only one Pokémon skill is allowed in the preliminaries, it tests the coordinator's control over the environment and skills.

However, coordinators who have obtained five ribbon badges to participate in this grand festivity are outstanding. Their use of Pokémon skills and creativity are indeed unmatched by regular trainers.

As time passed, all the contestants completed their performances.

May used her old partner, Beautifly. When Beautifly appeared, it was surrounded by many scales that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, earning continuous praise from the audience, marking a perfect start.

Then, she had Beautifly use a spiraling Silver Wind towards the sun, creating an illusion of a staircase to heaven, as if one could ascend to the sun using this staircase.

Finally, the Silver Wind exploded, scattering the scales throughout the venue. The entire arena was filled with shimmering light spots, captivating everyone.

Ultimately, May scored an impressive 88 points with this performance.

However, in this grand festivity filled with top-notch participants, May's score was not the highest.

What impressed Rex the most was a blond youth named Robert and his Milotic in elegant attire.

With Milotic's unparalleled beauty, Rex felt that Milotic could score highly just by appearing on the stage. Moreover, Robert was a top-notch coordinator, ultimately scoring the highest with 98 points.

"Milotic is truly beautiful. I must create even higher quality Blue Pokéblocks to enhance Feebas's beauty and help it evolve into Milotic faster," Yuli Terada silently resolved, watching the beautiful figure on the stage.

Meanwhile, Yui and Karen were already immersed in the coordinators' spectacular performances, their hearts filled with awe.

May's rival, Drew, and his Roselia's Petal Dance performance were also stunning. Rex wondered how Drew trained Roselia to produce heart-shaped petals that filled the venue with pink hearts, eliciting continuous cheers.

Drew scored a high 95 points, one of the highest scores in the venue.

After all the contestants finished their performances, the big screen soon displayed the top 64 contestants. Robert was the undisputed first place, Drew was third, May was 48th, and even that annoying Harley made it.

For May, who debuted not long ago, entering the formal competition was enough to make her happy for a long time.

Now it was already afternoon, and the formal competition was set to start the next day, so they had free time for the rest of the day.

Spectators began to leave the venue. Rex and his group waited until most of the audience left before heading out.

Outside the venue, Rex saw May and others waiting at the entrance.

"Congratulations, May, your performance was splendid," Rex congratulated her.

"Thank you, Rex. I still need to work hard," May said modestly, though her cheerful tone revealed her good mood.

"By the way, what are your plans for the rest of the time?" Rex asked.

"I'm planning to find a place to train Skitty, preparing for tomorrow's competition," May replied. Her score today wasn't high, making her somewhat lack confidence for the formal competition, so she planned to practice well.

"Me too. I need to train Snorunt's Ice Beam skill. It still can't master it well. By the way, Rex, what are your plans?" Ash followed up with his plans and then asked.

"We plan to stroll around Slateport City, so I wish you good luck with your training. See you tomorrow," Rex shared his plans, then parted ways with Ash and his group.

For the rest of the time, Rex became the follower of Yuli Terada and the girls. They rarely had the chance to shop in Slateport City, showing high enthusiasm, exploring according to the travel guide.

They occasionally bought items from stores, and fortunately, Rex had a space backpack; otherwise, he might have been covered in shopping bags.

The girls' energy seemed endless, shopping until late at night before returning to the inn.

Back in his room, Rex felt his legs trembling. Despite his body being trained through the strengthening technique, he couldn't withstand such intense shopping.

It made him marvel at women's innate talent for shopping—truly extraordinary.

(End of chapter)