After praising Johanna, Sam quickly got pulled into a conversation with Dawn.
Unlike the simple and cheerful Dawn, Johanna was far more perceptive. She had already noticed that Sam's attention earlier had actually been on her daughter.
However, Johanna didn't expose him. She could tell that the boy in front of her wasn't a bad person and didn't have any ill intentions toward Dawn, so she chose to let it go.
After waiting for more than half an hour, it was finally their turn to register. Sam felt like he had just escaped a disaster.
Once Dawn followed her mother to the registration desk, Sam let out a long breath of relief. He hadn't expected her to be this hard to deal with. The moment he mentioned he was a fan of Johanna, Dawn latched onto him and started nonstop talking about the most exciting battles from her mother's coordinator career.
That completely stumped Sam.
Johanna wasn't a main character in the anime, so even with his knowledge, he couldn't recall any specific "most exciting battles." The whole time, he could only smile awkwardly and nod along.
After successfully registering, he didn't dare linger any longer, afraid Dawn would catch him again. He quickly slipped away from the scene.
When Dawn came out with Johanna, she looked around but couldn't find Sam.
"Hey, where did Brother Sam go?"
Hearing her daughter, Johanna smiled slightly.
"I think he's already gone back. It's fine—he's participating in the Contest too. You'll see him tomorrow."
Dawn thought about it and nodded, no longer worried, then followed her mother back to the hotel.
---
The next day.
At dawn, Wingull glided across the sky, carried by the morning breeze.
Even though the preliminaries would take a long time, most spectators had already arrived early.
Why?
Simple—the opening ceremony.
Many people had traveled all the way to Sootopolis City just to witness it.
The reason was just as simple: Wallace himself would perform on stage.
The audience sat excitedly, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
With a loud bang, cheers erupted—the opening ceremony had begun.
Inside the venue, the excitement quickly settled into silence as everyone waited for the host's announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Sootopolis City for this year's Contest!"
"First, let me introduce the rules. From a Pokémon's appearance, to move execution, to how the performance concludes—everything will be judged. The coordination between Trainer and Pokémon is key."
"Out of 154 contestants, only 16 will advance to the main competition!"
"I can't wait to see who makes it!"
"But before that… let's welcome our special guest—Wallace!!!"
"Now, let him kick off this grand Contest!"
The entire stadium erupted.
Even the contestants watching from the lounge stared intently at the screen.
Sam was no exception.
Even if he couldn't battle Wallace, observing his strength would still be valuable.
---
On the stage, with a soft cry, Milotic appeared gracefully.
Beautiful.
That was everyone's first impression.
Described as the most beautiful Pokémon, Milotic truly lived up to its reputation. Even Sam, who was prepared, couldn't help but be captivated.
The performance began.
A towering column of water shot into the sky. At its peak, it transformed into countless droplets that gently fell like rain.
As the droplets landed on Milotic, it became even more radiant.
Its elegant body floated midair, shimmering under the reflection of water.
Then, Milotic gently flicked the blue scales at the end of its tail.
The falling droplets gathered at the red core on its tail, forming tiny spinning whirlpools.
A soft cry followed.
The small whirlpools expanded outward, spreading across the entire stage.
In moments, the entire arena became a vast, swirling ocean.
Just when it seemed the performance had ended, Milotic moved again.
The whirlpools condensed into massive waves on both sides of the stage.
They surged upward—
—and collided in midair before dissolving into mist.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Sam silently withdrew his earlier prejudice.
Coordinator Trainers were not inferior to standard Trainers—they were simply different.
As long as Wallace existed, this profession would never fade.
Looking at the stage, Wallace stood tall in his white attire, his turquoise hair adding to his charm.
The title "Master Coordinator" was absolutely deserved.
If it were a standard Trainer battle, Sam wouldn't hesitate. No matter how strong Wallace was, he stood on the same level as champions like Steven or Cynthia.
And Sam wasn't afraid of them.
But on the Contest stage?
He had zero confidence.
Because here, Wallace was unmatched.
---
The performance ended.
Soon after, the preliminaries began.
Hundreds of contestants went on stage one after another, judged rapidly.
In the end, only 16 would advance.
Participating in a Contest for the first time, Sam felt a rare sense of tension.
He didn't care too much about winning a ribbon—
—but losing in the first round would be embarrassing.
No excuses.
He had to give it everything.
"Let's go."
---------------Author---------------
Read 60 advanced chapter on👉 patreon.com/Master_fic
U can read 10 chapters ahead just for 5$