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"So, how's the training going?" Kai asked bluntly, getting straight to the point.
At his words, Misty and May exchanged a glance. For a brief mont, both of them visibly deflated. Though neither said anything, Kai could clearly sense the atmosphere turning awkward.
On the other hand, Max showed no such hesitation. Shrugging his shoulders, he bluntly criticized his sister.
"It's a total ss. Her poses, her coordination with Beautifly, even Beautifly's moves—it's all terrible."
"Huh?!"
Ash and Brock froze, both instinctively turning to look at May.
If things were really as bad as Max said, then what was the point of entering a Contest at all?
Feeling everyone's gaze on her, May's face flushed red. She wanted to argue, but deep down she knew Max wasn't exaggerating. Ever since arriving at the beach, her performance had been nothing short of awful.
Honestly… even she couldn't stand watching herself anymore.
Earlier, because Beautifly hadn't fully mastered its moves yet, it had accidentally used Gust and blown away a whole group of innocent beachgoers.
That was exactly why they had retreated to this secluded spot.
Seeing May's reaction, Ash and Brock imdiately understood Max was telling the truth.
Still, neither of them dared say anything discouraging. Ash clenched his fist and tried to cheer her up.
"Don't give up! The only thing you can do now is keep practicing and aim to be in your best condition before the Contest!"
"Of course I know that!" May shot him a look, instantly shaking off her earlier gloom. Her eyes burned with determination. "Do you really think I'd give up over sothing like this? I've been practicing nonstop since before you got here I haven't been slacking off at all!"
As she spoke, she grabbed three flying discs and hurled them into the air at once.
"Beautifully, use Gust!"
The discs spun rapidly as they soared upward.
Beautifly flapped its large wings, and a powerful gust ford almost instantly. The wind caught the discs, altering their trajectory and sending them flying back toward May.
With a light leap, May traced a graceful arc with her arms and effortlessly caught the first two discs.
The movent was smooth, elegant, and genuinely pleasing to watch.
A calm, confident smile spread across her face.
Oh?
Seeing this, Kai and everyone else couldn't help but brighten.
This didn't look nearly as bad as Max had made it sound.
But just as that thought ford, the third disc suddenly whooshed past May's head.
She hadn't landed yet, and with both hands already holding discs, she couldn't react in ti.
The disc continued flying behind her.
Everyone turned to follow its path—only to notice that beyond the beach stood a raised hillside. A staircase connected the sand to the top, and standing there was a teenage boy about Ash's age, with slightly curled green hair.
No one had noticed when he arrived or how long he'd been standing there.
The disc was heading straight for him.
"Watch out!!"
May cried out, her face going pale.
That disc was thrown by her. If it hit soone, she'd never forgive herself.
Even Kai raised his hand instinctively, ready to have Gengar intervene.
After all, not everyone had Ash's absurd durability. A spinning disc at that speed could easily leave a nasty injury.
But in the next second, Kai relaxed.
The green-haired boy didn't even lift his gaze.
With a casual flick of his hand, he caught the disc cleanly.
That alone stunned Ash and the others.
Seeing that he wasn't hurt, May finally let out a relieved breath and hurried forward.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
The boy straightened up, not even sparing her a glance. He twirled the disc on his finger a few tis, then casually tossed it at her feet.
"Don't tell you're planning to enter a Pokémon Contest with tricks like that."
May froze.
She looked down at the disc… then slowly raised her head, frowning as she stared at him.
The boy slipped his hands into his pockets and walked down the steps, stopping right in front of her.
Then, with a single sentence, he shattered her composure.
"You're not beautiful at all."
May exploded.
Before she could even speak, the boy raised a hand to interrupt her, continuing in a smug, condescending tone.
"My na is Drew. I'm a Pokémon Coordinator. But don't compare yourself to . Neither you nor your Pokémon possesses any beauty whatsoever. You should give up on those unrealistic dreams and forget about entering the Contest."
"What did you just say?!"
That was the final straw.
Anyone could tell this guy was deliberately provoking her, constantly harping on the word beauty like he owned it.
From behind, Kai narrowed his eyes. As the oldest among them, there was no way he could stand by and watch May get bullied like this.
Just as he was about to step forward—
A blur flashed past him.
Misty had already stord ahead.
She marched right up to Drew, her temper flaring.
"So you're just here to pick a fight?" she snapped. "Fine, how about a battle? Let's see if your Pokémon are as impressive as your mouth!"
She and May had grown close in a short ti, practically sisters already. There was no way Misty would let so arrogant punk insult her like this.
"A battle?" Drew scoffed, glancing Misty up and down with open disdain. "I see—you must be one of those savage Pokémon Trainers. Always resorting to battles. How crude. And just like her, you're not beautiful either—"
He didn't finish.
A shadow flashed before his eyes.
Drew froze then his pupils shrank as he finally realized what was coming straight at his face.
A fist.
Dropping his smug act instantly, he tried to dodge—
Too late.
Pain exploded across his cheek as Misty's punch landed squarely.
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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!
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