A Tale of Two Rivals

Pros and Con Artists

I could not believe I was already in Fallarbor Town. I had not been here since I was a child on vacation with my parents. The only difference in my visit to Fallarbor Town this time was that I was here to compete in its pokémon contest, instead of being a mere tourist. The town was a lot bigger than I initially remembered it being as a little boy.

Fallarbor Town was the one contest I skipped last year because it was just too far out of my way. I did not want to cross the desert that year anyway, since I knew I was not planning to even enter the Grand Festival last time.

I was here now, though. I had just left the Fallarbor Contest Hall after registering a mere two days before the contest which was scheduled to take place in town. I could not believe how late I registered for this contest. I had never registered for a contest as late as two days before.

A full day's worth of my time in the past week, however, was spent totally on training some attacks with Masquerain, getting Vibrava used to contests for the day it would have evolved into the Flygon I wanted to use in my contests so much, and working on some combinations with Roselia. By the time I had finished training with any of my pokémon all that time, most of the day had already finished, the sun was setting, and the contest hall had already closed for the night.

That was exactly how focused on training for this contest I was. It was when it was just two days before the contest and the deadline to register that I had decided to give my pokémon a much needed and well-deserved break from our training regimen. It was also why my pokémon were taking some time off at the local pokémon spa in Fallarbor Town.

Roselia had given me her trademark rose in gratitude just before I left her at the pokémon spa with Masquerain and Vibrava. I also promised them all that I would pick them up a little later just around the end of the day.

Yours Truly: Just enjoy a bit of time off, guys. You deserve it. Roselia might be the only one I'll be using in the Fallarbor Contest, but that doesn't mean I don't want all of you in tip top shape after your time at the pokémon spa. So, just relax for now.

Later after I was finally registered for the pokémon contest to be held in two days, I took a walk around the back of Fallarbor Hall in order just to avoid being seen by anyone. I would head over to the local market to pick up some premium berries to use in my pokéblock for all of my pokémon once they were all done enjoying their relaxing day at the pokémon spa.

That was when I caught sight of a Beautifly fluttering about and spreading its wings, awaiting its trainer's orders. Then, I looked at said trainer to notice the person was wearing the color red. It was a girl, that much I could see, and the girl wore a red shirt with a yellow fanny pack and had light brown hair covering the top of her head, and her scalp was concealed by a red bandana.

Of course, I knew right away who it was; that same girl in the red bandana who had previously lost to me and Roselia in the Slateport Contest. That very same May. I guess she did not quit contests after that loss, after all. It had been just as Soledad told me. She really was just recovering some before entering another contest.

May was alone with her Beautifly in an isolated area behind Fallarbor Hall. She was probably looking to avoid the people who were practicing in the front of the hall. She had her back turned to me, so it was very obvious that she was no doubt oblivious to my own viewing of her and her Beautifly.

I had full intentions of keeping it that way just long enough to observe May and her Beautifly as the two of them practiced their appeal and attacks. I wanted to first know whether or not she had managed to improve since the last time I saw her in Slateport City. I wanted to know if she and her Beautifly had mastered their attacks.