When they reached the front desk and saw Nurse Joy, before Xia You and the others could explain why they had come, she looked them over and smiled. "Your timing is perfect. We have exactly one men's dormitory and one women's dormitory left. If you had arrived any later, you probably would have had to share with other Pokémon Trainers."
That was certainly good news. After all, who would want to stay with complete strangers? It would make everything inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Xia You nodded. "That's wonderful. Sorry for the trouble, but please arrange the rooms for us."
"Of course." Nurse Joy worked at the computer for a moment, asking without looking up, "Judging by the look of you, you're here for the Pokémon Contest too, aren't you?"
The moment she said that, Xia You keenly sensed a change in the atmosphere around them.
Some of the Pokémon Trainers in the lobby who had been grooming their Pokémon or feeding them cast subtle glances their way almost simultaneously.
As the only two girls, Misty and May naturally noticed their gazes too and instinctively took a step closer to each other.
May glanced around and whispered, "Why are they looking at us?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Xia You said calmly without turning around. "There are already plenty of people here to compete, and only so many spots. Seeing our group, they all know the competition is going to get even tougher."
Gulp...
With so many people watching her, May inevitably grew even more nervous and swallowed without realizing it.
Fortunately, someone who could not read the room broke the silence just then. A figure flashed before them, and Brock leaned against the counter, gazing affectionately at Nurse Joy. "You've misunderstood. May is the only one of us entering the Pokémon Contest. But