On the other side of town, at the Community Center.
Penny sat beside Pam, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at Haley on the screen.
"Next up—representing Pelican Town, it's Haley!"
Even before Haley appeared, cheers erupted throughout the room.
The situation was slightly different from Abigail's performance—mostly because people hadn't quite known what to expect from Abigail's act. But Haley... just hearing that name was enough to make everyone believe she would deliver something absolutely spectacular.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, the curtain pulled back, and Haley ran out holding a Minccino.
"Ah, it's Minccino," Emily said, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen.
Choosing Minccino wasn't surprising—compared to Sunkern, it was far more agile and could coordinate better with Haley for various performances.
Since this outfit had been refined through countless fitting sessions with Haley, she already knew exactly how it would look. The same couldn't be said for everyone else.
When they saw Haley under the spotlight in her gem-encrusted gown, gasps of amazement rang out unanimously.
Clint sat up straighter with pride.
The gems on this dress were also polished by him, one by one. Each facet had been carefully crafted after discussions with Emily. Under the spotlight, they refracted dazzling brilliance.
Emily had chosen an ocean theme for the dress, so with these gem embellishments, Haley looked as though she was wearing the morning waves—the kind where the sun has just risen, the sea surface is crystal clear with hints of deep purple interwoven throughout.
"Minccino, use Swift!"
At her command, the Minccino immediately began running around the venue. Countless stars shot from its tail, converging toward the center before colliding and exploding into a sky full of glittering stardust.
"The Minccino's agility is on full display!" commented the host, Marianne. She kept her eyes on Haley beneath the starlight, unable to help but marvel inwardly at the girl's exquisite beauty.
Even though Marianne had hosted countless Pokémon Contests, it was rare to see someone so strikingly beautiful.
But this wasn't a runway—the focus of a Pokémon Contest was on the Pokémon, not the Trainer. Therefore, such attention-grabbing beauty might not necessarily work in her favor.
With that thought, she saw Haley toss something from her hand.
In the next instant, the Minccino leaped up and caught the small object.
"Ah, it's a ring—is it a prop for the performance?" Marianne said, then noticed that the Minccino holding the ring in its mouth began emitting a soft glow.
"Is that a move?"
In a corner of the broadcast screen, one contestant stared at the monitor, murmuring in disbelief: "Could it be... Dazzling Gleam?"
Serena, who was also watching the screen intently, naturally knew what this was. She stared at the field in surprise: "So that's how the ring can be used—"
Having spent limited time with Haley, this was Serena's first time watching her perform. Though it was her first competition, her performance techniques were remarkably seasoned.
She clearly knew her strengths and weaknesses, so after capturing everyone's attention with her entrance, she used this clever method to shift the audience's focus from herself to her Minccino.
The light radiating from that Shiny Ring was soft and not blinding. Under this glow, the Minccino's silky fur, and especially that beautiful tail, now looked like satin, making people unable to help but follow the Minccino's leaping figure around the venue.
"She's also from Pelican Town, right?" one contestant couldn't help but say. "The last one was too—good heavens, what kind of monsters are coming out of this small town."
"I just hope her Pokémon isn't too strong this time—"
Someone prayed silently while racking their brain, wondering which of their own Pokémon was the most durable.
Meanwhile, Abigail sat in the spectator stands, watching Haley in the arena.
"I knew it," Abigail said proudly, looking at Haley. "She's perfect for this."
Beside her, her Gengar let out a cry.
"You think so too, Amber?"
"Geng!"
"This is our Pelican Town's Flower Queen!"
Before she could finish, Haley's performance concluded. She held her Minccino and bowed to everyone.
Immediately, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.
"A perfect finale!" Marianne applauded, turning to the judges.
"I love this one!"
"The Minccino is very well cared for—you can tell it's been meticulously groomed."
As soon as Nurse Joy spoke, the Minccino in Haley's arms lifted its head and looked up at her, waiting with a standard smile plastered on her face.
Haley's smile briefly froze.
"Min~"
"Taking good care of you is the same thing," Haley whispered to the Minccino in her arms without breaking her expression.
This explanation satisfied the Minccino, who couldn't help but flick its tail.
After exiting, Haley carried her Minccino to the backstage area.
Serena had drawn the last performance slot. After the two met up, Serena congratulated Haley: "That was an amazing performance! You'll definitely advance!"
"Thanks." Haley blinked. "You'll do great too. See you in the second round."
"See you in the second round!" With that, Serena watched Haley head backstage.
After a moment, she took a deep breath.
Despite her words, after witnessing Abigail's Gengar, she really didn't hold much hope for the upcoming battles.
Although the Pokémon Haley currently possessed didn't seem particularly powerful, with Abigail's Amber there, she couldn't afford to let her guard down for a moment.
"Maybe I should go with Delphox after all?" Serena murmured, watching Haley's departing figure. She took a deep breath, then headed toward the stage.
After exiting backstage, Haley went to the contestant area and sat beside Abigail.
"By the way, Amber is—your Gengar, right?"
Haley sat next to Abigail, recalling what she'd heard earlier, and asked.
"Mm." Abigail rubbed Amber's head. "What's up?"
"Not sure, but when I passed by earlier, I thought I heard someone mention something about... a Gengar's Mega Stone?"
Haley thought for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure. I just heard it when I was walking by over there."
Since Sunflora required a Sun Stone to evolve, Haley had been specifically collecting information about such items.
"What's Mega Evolution? I thought this was its final form."
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