Emily then turned to look at Haley beside her. Haley's gaze was still fixed on the screen.
The gorgeous stage, the brilliant lights—reflected in her eyes at this moment, leaving no room for anything else in those azure eyes.
Emily suddenly felt her heart sink.
Meanwhile, in Kalos.
Abigail rested backstage for quite a while. After watching Serena's dazzling performance on the broadcast screen, she went to wait on the inevitable path for Serena's return.
"How do you feel?" The two weren't far apart, so after Abigail came off stage, Serena hadn't had time to talk to her. Now sitting beside her, she asked.
"Completely terrible. I don't think I'm suited for this," Abigail said, looking down at the dress she wore, always feeling somewhat sorry toward Emily.
"How could that be? Everyone loved your performance," Serena said, taking out two small snacks from her bag nearby—one she fed to the Sylveon that had just given a perfect performance, the other she gave to Gengar nearby: "You too, Amber. You performed wonderfully."
"Gengar~"
Abigail let out a long sigh, turning her head to look at Gengar who was currently happy.
Amber quite enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.
Though knowing it was a performance, when the Shadow Balls hurtled toward the audience, watching the audience and judges widen their eyes in fear, even involuntarily shrinking back.
And hiding in the shadows herself, shattering that Shadow Ball at the crucial final moment—it gave her a sense of successful mischief.
Thinking this, she chewed the snack in her mouth vigorously, feeling as if she had returned to the Pelican Town farm, hiding in shadows to scare Combee.
Meanwhile, in Santalune City, at the Santalune Gym.
Learning that Abigail would challenge both Gym battles and the Pokémon Contest, Viola happened to be free today and was watching the Cyllage Conference broadcast in the gym.
Because it was adjacent to the botanical garden area, Pokémon would occasionally come to watch together.
"Ah, she's on. As expected, it's Gengar?" Viola wasn't surprised watching the television.
Before she finished speaking, the Vespiquen behind her darted out, chirping insistently at something on the TV.
"Bzz bzz bzz!!"
"What's wrong?"
This Vespiquen was the original Combee that had evolved. However, because its level had increased and it had trained at the farm for a period, it was no longer suitable for battling first-time Gym challengers. So now it was responsible for caring for the Combee in the ecological garden area.
"Bzz bzz bzz!"
Back at the farm, this was exactly how it played pranks!
Viola raised her eyebrows in confusion, then was startled by the Gengar that suddenly leaped out on the screen.
Then, the Shadow Ball exploded on the screen, and thunderous applause erupted in the gym.
Though she wasn't a Coordinator herself, Viola could tell that this performance's score must be very high.
In Pokémon Contests, rather than having Pokémon display moves as gorgeously as possible, what was more important was showcasing the Pokémon's own charm.
Obviously, Gengar had accomplished this.
Thinking this, she waited a while, and as expected, saw the news of Gengar's advancement.
Next came the battles. Contest Battles were both a competition of gorgeous moves and also a contest of power.
However, Viola didn't think Gengar was guaranteed victory.
After all, this wasn't a Gym battle—there was no challenge order, nor rules requiring Pokémon of the same level to compete.
She had just seen many second-stage and even fully evolved Pokémon.
Meaning their levels were definitely not low, and they possessed rich battle experience.
Thinking this, her gaze focused on Serena's face, who had also advanced through battles.
Meanwhile, in Pelican Town.
After Abigail's performance ended, Robin went to work at the construction site.
Ron returned to the farm, confirmed that the farm's television could also receive the Cyllage Conference broadcast, then picked up the television.
He walked outside.
The good news was that the television didn't need a power source—just like sprinklers didn't need a water source—so it could be placed outside and still work. Ron couldn't be bothered to puzzle over where the electricity came from. He carried the television to the edge of the construction site.
Pam's party of three were still discussing Abigail's performance just now. Robin hammered at wooden boards while saying: "I completely couldn't recognize her. I saw Caroline secretly wiping away tears just now."
"She must be proud of Abigail too," Pam said, handing up a wooden board nearby: "That child seemed to like performing before. Didn't she and Sam and the others make a fuss about forming a band?"
Robin thought for a moment and remembered there was such a thing.
Her own son Sebastian had almost become that band's keyboardist. But because Jodi alone really couldn't support the family's expenses, Sam eventually had to find a long-term job, and the band matter was dropped.
Penny was currently looking down with her head lowered.
To say she wasn't envious would definitely be a lie.
But if she were really asked to go, she wouldn't be very willing either. This was like every girl admiring the dazzling singers and actors on stage, but afterward, everyone still had their own dreams.
Only in that instant when the spotlight shone on the stage was she envious.
Actually, if given the choice, compared to being the center of attention on stage, simply sitting by a window quietly reading a book and drinking some tea would satisfy her completely.
Thinking this way was somewhat unambitious.
But stability had its own happiness too.
Thinking this, she looked up and helped Pam hand boards to Robin.
The Clefairy nearby helped carry cups, waiting for whoever was thirsty to go to the house nearby and pour some hot water.
Ron walked over at this moment.
"Ron, why are you here?" Robin asked.
"The farm's TV seems to be able to watch too, so I brought it over," Ron said, placing the television aside, then arbitrarily went to drag a table from the saloon.
"Wouldn't it be dangerous to get distracted?" Pam couldn't help saying.
"It's good to at least listen to the sound," Robin waved her hand: "This way when Abigail comes on, we can watch immediately."
So the television was turned on, and it just happened to show the scene of Abigail advancing.
The three couldn't help but applaud together.
"Wonderful!" Penny applauded. Although she knew Abigail couldn't hear, she still cheered for Abigail in her heart.
Immediately after, they heard a burst of cheers erupt from the Community Center not far away.
The two places weren't too far apart, but there was some distance. One could imagine how sensational the scene must be.
"If you ask me, Pierre should organize some event for this," Pam said: "Like a 20% off sale at the general store!"
"That would be harder than killing him," Robin couldn't help but dispel her fantasy: "Even if Pierre himself won the championship, he might not be willing."
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