"Ladies and gentlemen, the stage every Pokémon Coordinator dreams of has finally arrived—the Pokémon Contest Grand Festival in Slateport City has begun!" Three days had passed in the blink of an eye. On the day of the Grand Festival's opening, Vivian stood at the center of the Main Stadium's stage and loudly delivered her opening remarks. "Our contestants, each of whom has earned five Ribbon Badges, must first pass the Preliminary Round. Victory or defeat comes down to a moment: everything from a Pokémon's entrance and execution of its moves to its appeal and coordination with its Coordinator counts toward the score. Only sixty-four of our 247 contestants will advance to the Official Match. Now, let's see which Coordinators will make it through!"
Liu Qing sat in the spectator stands of the secondary venue where Liu Yuan was competing, keeping his attention on only the few contestants who were Liu Yuan's major rivals. Robert was the second contestant to appear at this venue, earning an impressive ninety-eight points with his Milotic's performance. A little while later, Drew took the stage and had Roselia perform Petal Dance. His performance leaned a little too heavily toward the move itself, so his score fell short of Robert's, though he still earned ninety-five points. Harley appeared next with Cacturne. His character left much to be desired, but his abilities certainly could not be underestimated, and he scored eighty-four points. Not long after Harley came May, who traveled with Ash. She used Beautifly, showcasing Silver Wind to earn eighty-eight points.
"Next up is this venue's final contestant, Liu Yuan from Saffron City," the announcer introduced. "Let's begin contestant Liu Yuan's performance!"
"Corsola, Power Gem!" Stepping into the center of the stage, Liu Yuan produced a Poké Ball and tossed it out. Once Corsola appeared, all