May was the first of the two to take the stage.
The Pokémon the Hoenn Dancer sent out for the first-round Performance Evaluation were her Glaceon and Venusaur.
It was a rather unusual pairing.
During the performance, Venusaur kept using petals and flying leaves to fill the air with dazzling colors, while Glaceon froze them into beautiful ice sculptures that fell like a shower of icy flowers. Working together, the Grass-type and Ice-type Pokémon presented the audience with a dazzling show.
"May's performances really do put you at ease!"
With so much noise around them, Cheryl had to lean closer to Xia You to make herself heard.
Xia You nodded.
Indeed.
Compared with the other contestants, May was clearly steadier in both her stage presence and her performance, having been through all sorts of trials. But that steadiness was no criticism, nor did it mean she was too conservative. On the contrary, it meant she could remain unaffected by factors both inside and outside the venue, focus on the competition and her performance, and convey what she wanted to express more smoothly, fully showcasing herself and her Pokémon.
In short, this performance also earned her a very high score, allowing her to pass the first-round Performance Evaluation with a comfortable margin.
Then it was Dawn's turn to take the stage.
Dawn wore a flowing, full-skirted dress and hair accessories, and she looked lovely too.
When it came to dressing up, Dawn clearly knew how to style herself better than May, and her taste was much better as well. That was evident from how most of her luggage consisted of various long dresses, and how much she enjoyed shopping whenever they arrived somewhere new.
Dawn invested far more in beauty than May did.
This time, Dawn chose her Buneary and Cyndaquil