Rustboro Conference

"How could that be? How could Dad lose?"

After hearing that Gary and Rosa had won the Balance Badge from the Petalburg Gym, aside from May's slight shock, Max was undoubtedly the one who found it hardest to believe.

Max had always idolized his father, Norman. In his eyes, Norman was an invincible, unbeatable Trainer—the strongest Trainer there was.

"Max, are you okay?"

As his older sister, May naturally understood how he felt and knew Norman's importance in his heart, so she looked at her younger brother Max with concern.

"I have to say, Mr. Norman really is incredibly strong!"

Rosa, however, did not react to Max's response. Instead, she recalled her earlier battle with Norman at the Petalburg Gym and sighed in admiration.

"Yeah, and that was with Mr. Norman not even going all out."

Gary nodded in agreement. They both knew that Norman possessed Elite Four Level strength.

Fortunately, the current Pokémon World was not the world of the special edition. Otherwise, Gary would really have suffered—Norman, who could command Rayquaza, was not someone to mess with.

When Max heard that his father had not fought at full strength, his earlier dejection immediately vanished.

"I knew it! There's no way Dad could lose." After hearing Gary and Rosa's words, Max promptly returned to his usual self.

"Max!"

May, who had been constantly worried about her little brother, wore a speechless expression when she saw his mood flip from gloomy to cheerful.

Just as Gary and the others marveled at how quickly Max had changed his mood, a Beautifly that had flown in from who knew where suddenly landed on May's head.

"Ah! What is this?" May jumped in fright at the sudden arrival of the Beautifly.

"May, that Pokémon is a Beautifly."

Having recovered from his earlier mood, Max helplessly explained it to his overly startled sister.

"It seems to really like you, May."

Ash smiled as he watched the Beautifly stubbornly refuse to leave May's head.

"Huh? How could that be?"

May was at a loss as she failed to shake off the Beautifly no matter what she did.

Just as May was on the verge of breaking down, an apologetic voice came from behind them.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you all okay?"

At that moment, a boy and a girl came running toward Gary and the others.

After a brief round of introductions, Gary and the others got acquainted with the two of them.

The Beautifly belonged to a girl named Megumi, while the man with a Venomoth was called Eiji.

They were both preparing to participate in the Rustboro Gym, and were currently doing some simple pre-contest training for the Pokémon Contest.

Just now, while Megumi and Eiji had been practicing against each other, Eiji's Venomoth had used too much force and blown Megumi's Beautifly over here.

Afterward, Megumi and Eiji patiently gave Ash and May, who knew nothing about Pokémon Contests or Coordinators, a simple introduction to both.

"A Pokémon Contest... is that the event where the winner gets a Ribbon Medal?"

After listening to Megumi and Eiji explain Pokémon Contests and Coordinators, May suddenly remembered.

She had heard about them before, so she had a basic understanding of them.

Then, when Megumi showed them her Ribbon Medal, May could not help feeling envious.

"It's so pretty! I want one too!" May's voice was filled with longing as she looked at Megumi's medal.

"If you want a Ribbon Medal too, May, why not enter a Pokémon Contest yourself?"

Seeing how much May liked the Ribbon Medal, Rosa offered her suggestion from the side.

"Enter a Pokémon Contest?" Rosa's words left May tempted.

"I want to enter too." Ash did not want to miss out on the Pokémon Contest either.

"If you want to enter the Pokémon Contest, I think the registration period hasn't ended yet."

When Megumi heard that Ash and the others wanted to participate, she added this.

"Then let's hurry up and register!" Ash was the type to act as soon as he made up his mind, so he wanted to register immediately.

"Rosa and I won't be going." As Ash and the other four prepared to register, Gary stepped forward.

"Why not?" Ash was quite puzzled.

"Because Gary and I came here to watch the Pokémon Contest, not to participate."

Rosa followed Gary's lead and explained the reason.

"Oh, I see. Got it." Ash expressed his understanding after learning why.

Thus, after saying goodbye to Gary and Rosa, they headed to the venue to register for the competition under Megumi and Eiji's guidance.

Gary and Rosa, meanwhile, found a place to rest inside the venue, since there was still some time before the Pokémon Contest began.

While Gary and Rosa were resting, they ran into Ash and the others again and learned what had happened from them.

When they arrived at the registration desk, the attendant told them that all available spots had already been filled, so they could not register.

Although they found that regrettable, with Megumi's help, Ash and the others received Contest Passes just like Gary and Rosa.

Just like in the original story, May and Max also became Megumi's assistants for this performance and took part alongside her.

Before long, it was time for the Rustboro Conference to begin. Gary, Ash, and the others followed the crowd into the Main Venue to watch the Pokémon Contest that was about to start.

As May watched one Coordinator after another take the stage to perform, she began to develop an interest in Pokémon Contests.

However, after an intense showdown, Megumi's Beautifly ultimately defeated Eiji's Venomoth and claimed victory at this Rustboro Conference, earning her third Ribbon Medal.

Likewise, after experiencing this Rustboro Conference, May developed an interest in Pokémon Contests and Coordinators, laying the foundation for her future as the Hoenn Contest Idol.

As for Gary and Rosa, who had come specifically to watch the Pokémon Contest performances, they were thoroughly satisfied and felt they had gained a great deal. They both said the trip had not been wasted.