From Xia You, Makomo also learned some of the rules of Pokémon Contests.
As he explained quietly, Makomo learned that the first round, the Performance Evaluation, was now beginning. She turned her attention to the stage, watching Coordinators appear one after another to present the various performances they had carefully prepared with their Pokémon.
Water and light intertwined, vines and petals danced together, sparks and shadows played...
All kinds of imaginative, beautiful performances drew gasps and enthusiastic applause from the audience, and even Makomo was captivated.
Only when Dawn appeared did she snap out of it.
"Dawn's up!"
As the group watched expectantly, Dawn made her confident entrance beneath the spotlight, dressed like a princess in a gorgeous, billowing gown.
Her "Dreamy Bubble Party" performance with Piplup and Pachirisu once again won thunderous applause with its fresh, romantic style and precise control. When the judges revealed their high scores, the group tallied them up in their heads. Once they confirmed that she had advanced to the second round in third place, they all breathed a sigh of relief, then cheered and congratulated her.
"That was wonderful! It was like watching magic!" Makomo clapped excitedly.
Songlu even jumped up. "Dawn, you're amazing!"
"Easy, easy..." Seeing how excited the two of them were, Xia You couldn't help smiling as he tried to calm them down. "She's only secured a place in the second round. She hasn't actually won yet. There's no need to get this excited."
Even so, for Makomo and Songlu, two well-behaved girls who had previously devoted themselves to scientific research, this atmosphere alone was already exciting enough.
Seemingly realizing that she had gotten a little too excited, Makomo gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
After all the contestants had finished their performances and there had been a short intermission, the