Xia You and May found a nearby bench and sat down.
They were neither too far from Fantina nor too close. Although they could not make out what the two women were discussing, they could see everything they did.
"Xia You, is Fantina strong?" May asked.
Since they were far enough away, she was not worried about being overheard.
"She's quite good." Xia You nodded. "Naturally, she falls a little short compared to the very best, but among Sinnoh's Gym Leaders, she's one of the stronger ones."
"Huh? She's that good?"
"Of course." Xia You smiled. "If she weren't spreading herself too thin, doing things like being a Coordinator as well, she'd even have the strength to challenge Sinnoh's Elite Four. Unfortunately, all those other commitments leave her just a little short."
May understood. "That really is impressive."
"Yes..." Xia You looked toward Fantina again. "That's why I'm looking forward to this Gym battle. I want to see what surprises this woman can bring me."
As they spoke, Fantina left first and entered the Contest Hall alone, while the red-haired woman walked toward them.
"Sorry." As soon as she approached, the woman met Xia You's and May's gazes with an apologetic smile. "Miss Fantina needs to make one final inspection of the Contest Hall. She'll be finished soon, so please wait a little longer."
May could not help asking, "Um... what exactly is Miss Fantina responsible for?"
"Just some routine security work." The woman smiled. "She's leaving Hearthome City tonight to travel around the surrounding area, so the event organizers wanted to take this opportunity to ask her to finalize and check the security arrangements for the entire Contest Hall from a professional's perspective."
"Huh?" May was very surprised. "She's leaving tonight?"
"That's why your timing really is perfect." The