A Tale of Two Rivals

Now That's Flower Power

My name is Drew Hayden, and I am a true pokémon coordinator. I was living it up in the Slateport City resort and hotel when two beachgoers came into the lobby dripping sand from all over.

Boy: There's sand all over me. What was that girl even thinking?!

Girl: It'll take forever to get all of this sand out of my hair.

Although I was greatly uninterested, I raised my eyes from my PokéNav and my seat to focus on the scene before me. I had been reviewing the footage from my Roselia's magical leaf for the pokémon contest that was just two weeks away. Her magical leaf was an attack that we both knew clearly needed more work. I was not particularly pleased with what I was seeing in the attack, and I knew if we could nail it, it would mean tremendous points for us in any contest.

This was my year. This was the year I would win the Grand Festival. True, I was just over a year in my experience with contests as a coordinator. Yes, I had not entered the Grand Festival the prior year in spite of qualifying. But still, I vowed to myself that this would be the year I would win.

My first year in the contest circuit was all about practice anyway. That was the choice I made after my first loss against Soledad. I had spent the last year traveling through Hoenn while building my team, studying other coordinators, perfecting technical appeals and combinations and entering a few contests here and there.

Even though I had qualified for the Grand Festival the prior year, I had chosen not to enter it. I attended the prior Grand Festival, of course, but it was merely to observe the Grand Festival the prior contest season. I had learned from my loss to Soledad that going into something without any prior knowledge was dangerous and obviously not any way to win a competition of any kind.

It was a long and hard year for me, but I knew I needed it to become the great coordinator I was to this day. I rarely lost within the first year of my contest career. Now in a fresh new contest circuit, I felt more confident than ever. My experience and my pokémon would take me all the way.

Slateport City was my newest contest in the circuit this year. I had already won two ribbons in the prior contests in which I had entered. I had been working with my Roselia on her combination attacks all morning and filmed each attack to study later. I was resting in a large sofa chair, bathing in the sunshine from the glass walls to my left.

The hotel lobby was practically empty with only a few people passing through to make their way to Slateport's famous beaches. Roselia was taking a well-deserved rest in her pokéball while I was reviewing the footage of her attacks and came up with ideas in my head. I was completely focused on it until the two preteens barged into the lobby, yelling complaints and spreading sand everywhere. It was an unwanted and very unwelcome interruption, to say the least.

Boy: Why was she even on our section of the beach? I'm pretty sure she's not staying at this hotel.

He shook sand out of his hair.

Girl: She said something about training.

The girl shielded her eyes from the sand her friend was unconsciously throwing in her face.

I just pursed my lips and started thinking. I knew that there was no gym in Slateport, so that had to mean...

Boy: There is no way she'll win the contest, even with a gust attack that powerful. I'm gonna go shower and change. I need to get this sand off of me.

His friend nodded, and they both headed to the elevator, trailing sand as they went along. Then, some maids came in to sweep up the sand trail the two of them had left behind. I sighed at the maids' efficiency. The resort at which I was staying while in Slateport City was definitely high profile.