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After slowly finishing their coffee and sampling a few desserts, the excitement of their long-awaited reunion gradually faded into something calmer.
Their conversation became more relaxed, and the topic naturally shifted to May's purpose for coming to Slateport City.
Although Slateport City didn't have a Pokémon Gym, Ash and his group hadn't arrived without reason.
When she had first set out on her journey, May hadn't had a clear goal. But after traveling for some time and shedding her initial confusion, she had finally found the path she was determined to become a top Pokémon Coordinator.
Unlike Trainers like Kai, who focused on traditional Pokémon battles, Coordinators specialized in Pokémon Contests.
They caught and raised Pokémon specifically for Contests, traveling across regions to participate in different competitions and collecting Contest Ribbons rather than Gym Badges.
Coordinators placed great importance on their Pokémon's appearance and condition. They carefully groomed them, fed them Berries, Pokéblocks, and Poké Puffs to enhance their condition, and trained their moves not just for power, but for beauty, rhythm, and precision.
Though the path was different, it was no less demanding.
"You mean a Pokémon Contest is being held here?" Misty's eyes lit up the moment she heard that.
Having just arrived, she was clearly fascinated by this kind of performance-based competition.
Missing one in the past had already left her full of regret she hadn't expected to run into another so soon.
"Yes," May nodded. "It's tomorrow. I've already signed up."
That only made Misty more excited. She immediately turned toward Kai, her eyes sparkling.
"Kai, let's go watch it together, okay?"
"Of course," Kai replied without hesitation.
There was no reason to refuse. Traveling was all about experiencing new things, and since they happened to be here, missing a Pokémon Contest would be a shame.
Besides, Kai was genuinely curious to see what a real Contest was like.
More importantly, he wanted to see May, the future 'Hoenn Princess', perform with his own eyes.
With that thought, he couldn't help but take another look at her.
As the girl who traveled alongside Ash during the Hoenn journey, May's appearance was in no way inferior to Misty's.
The two gave off completely different vibes, each with its own unique charm.
There was, however, one thing they shared they were both still very much in the "growing" stage.
Because of their age, it was clear they would become striking beauties in the future.
But for now, despite being more mature than boys their age, they were still far from what one would call fully grown.
And yet, this seemingly ordinary young girl would later earn the title of "Hoenn Princess" after just a few Contests, gaining immense popularity.
That alone spoke volumes about her talent and proved that her chosen path was the right one.
Perhaps sensing Kai's gaze, May looked up at that moment.
Kai didn't feel the least bit awkward about being caught.
Instead, he smiled calmly and gave her a polite nod before casually shifting his gaze elsewhere.
Though May was young, her intuition as a girl was sharp. She was certain he had been observing her but she didn't think much of it.
Seeing him look away, she turned back to continue chatting with Misty.
Strangely enough, she felt an immediate sense of connection with her.
Though Misty could be a bit headstrong, their values aligned surprisingly well.
May even had a feeling that this self-proclaimed "world's most beautiful girl" might become one of her closest friends in the future.
That feeling wasn't unfounded.
May had only recently settled on her goal. While she was full of enthusiasm, her confidence hadn't quite caught up yet especially with her first Contest just around the corner. Anxiety weighed heavily on her heart.
The people around her didn't help much either. Ash was careless, Brock was hopelessly distracted whenever an older woman appeared, and Max thought her brother was still just a bookish kid. None of them truly understood a girl's worries, leaving her with no one to confide in.
But now, that had changed.
Meeting Misty, an outgoing girl her own age, felt like finally finding someone she could open up to.
And from Misty's perspective, it was much the same.
Despite having three older sisters, the age gap and differing dreams meant they rarely shared common ground. Most of their interactions consisted of constant bickering, and any girlish thoughts she had were usually kept to herself.
Now, having met May, her fellow "successor in suffering," she immediately felt a sense of kinship.
The two hit it off instantly. From interests and hobbies to shopping and fashion, they chatted endlessly.
By the time the group left the café, the two girls were already walking arm in arm, side by side.
Including Kai, the men in the group were all rather slow on the uptake. They couldn't quite understand how two girls who had just met could become so close so quickly, and could only marvel at how unbelievable it seemed.
Since they planned to stay the night, the group headed toward the Pokémon Center after leaving the café district.
Along the way, Ash excitedly told Kai about the Pokémon he had caught along his journey. When Kai mentioned that he, too, had caught a Torchic and that it had already evolved into Combusken Ash nearly burst with excitement, itching for an immediate battle.
Seeing how fired up he was, Kai could only shake his head helplessly.
"Why are you in such a hurry? If we're going to battle, at least wait until we've checked in."
"Heh." Ash scratched his nose, finally realizing he'd jumped the gun. "Guess I got a bit too excited. Let's wait until we reach the Pokémon Center! Go, go, go!"
Even so, his eagerness to battle Kai was impossible to suppress.
At his urging, the group crossed half the city and finally arrived at the Pokémon Center.
But the moment Ash stepped inside, he froze.
The lobby was packed with men and women, young and old. Despite their differences, every single one of them had a Pokémon by their side.
"Why are there so many people here?" he muttered.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kai said as he walked past him toward the counter. "They're all here for the Pokémon Contest. Come on don't just stand there. Let's check in quickly. If we're any later, we might not even get a room tonight."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!