Liuqia.
Mikoli's niece, someone who hasn't played Gemstone Reproduction or followed the Pokémon Journey series, might find her quite unfamiliar.
But in the Hoenn Region and indeed the entire Pokémon World, she's very famous.
Because she's the Gorgeous Competition idol, has starred in numerous hit dramas, and the morning drama Mawile recently loves is one of her starring roles. Baimu was forced to follow the series and knows Liuqia inside and out.
Hmm?
Thinking about it this way, Mawile's decision to participate in the Gorgeous Competition might also have her influence.
Upon realizing her identity was exposed, Liuqia didn't immediately remove her disguise but cleverly looked around, slightly lowered her mask, and made a "shh" gesture.
"Lower your voice! If my fans find out I'm here, it's over... Ah! You're not a fan of mine, are you!"
She said in surprise.
Baimu bent down to pick up the bewildered Mawile, "No, it's the one who's your fan. Since we happened to meet, could I trouble you for an autograph?"
"Chido? Chido!"
Mawile was initially stunned but then struggled to break away from the Trainer's grip, showing some displeasure at his presumptuous actions.
A lady shouldn't be picked up! And he hadn't even accounted for the time when he ruffled her head!
However, taking advantage of the opportunity to finally recognize who was in front of her while looking Liuqia in the eyes, Mawile couldn't help but feel a little excited.
But even with this realization, when out in public, she's still very conscious of her image, especially since she just returned from the beauty salon yesterday. Mawile felt the need to maintain some grace, so she politely bowed to Liuqia.
"Kawaii!"
Liuqia couldn't help but take off her sunglasses, her eyes glowing. Sensing the curious glances from the surrounding passersby, her body instantly tensed, instinctively reaching to grab Baimu and leave.
But the latter's instinct to avoid trouble had him raise his hand right away, causing her attempt to grab him to miss.
The two looked at each other, both puzzled.
"Uh, if it's not convenient here, should we find a less crowded place?"
Baimu broke the awkward situation first, but once he said it, he felt he'd misspoken. After all, she's an idol and should have a strong sense of self-protection; why would she casually go with a stranger to a secluded place?
Yet Liuqia quickly agreed without the slightest hesitation. "Sure!"
Baimu: "..."
This one's a bit too carefree.
——
In a slightly secluded forest.
Liuqia quickly took off her coat, sunglasses, and mask, sighed in relief after revealing her regular clothes, "Phew~ it was suffocating."
Her light green ponytail and youthful face, with a sparkling hairpin on her forehead, made the Key Stone quite conspicuous.
She couldn't look older than twelve or thirteen.
"A child star..."
Baimu and Mawile followed behind her, and Baimu couldn't help but say:
"Miss Liuqia, maybe I'm being overly concerned, but I advise you not to run off with strangers to secluded places next time. It's really dangerous."
"Huh?"
Liuqia seemed slightly confused, naturally placing her index finger on her cheek and tilting her head, "Dangerous?"
An idol's professionalism is deeply ingrained in her habits, her every movement is cute, no wonder everyone likes her so much.
"Aren't you worried I might kidnap you? You've acted in dramas with plotlines like that, where bad guys kidnap rich daughters for ransom." Baimu retorted.
"Would you?"
Liuqia looked terrified for a moment, then quickly smiled as if changing faces, "Just kidding, I know you wouldn't because I know you. You're Baimu, from the Ore Region."
"... You heard from Mr. Da Wu?"
"No, I heard from my uncle." Liuqia's smile remained unchanged, "My uncle and Mr. Da Wu are very close, I heard your name early on, and we're the Glazed People."
"The Glazed People..."
"Yes, along with the Meteor People, we safeguard Hoenn's ancient history, a people with thousands of years of heritage." Liuqia said with a mysterious look, adding, "It's quite a coincidence running into you here."
It seemed like she hadn't come to find him on purpose.
Baimu felt a bit disappointed. When he heard the Glazed People mentioned, he was momentarily delighted, thinking she was going to assign him some kind of trial.
Turns out it was by chance.
"Could you please sign this for me?"
Baimu took out paper and a pen, speaking as he glanced at Mawile, "I, um, personally would really like your autograph."
Mawile heard this and nodded in satisfaction.
As time passed and they spent more time together, she could now understand what her Trainer was saying as easily as Pikachu could.
"Signing is no issue."
Liuqia signed swiftly, "But there's one thing I must make clear—don't underestimate the Gorgeous Competition!"
She handed back the autograph and raised a finger to indicate the importance of her words.
"Can I argue that I didn't underestimate the Gorgeous Competition?"
Baimu showed the autograph to Mawile, saw her delighted smile quickly restrain itself, and then properly stored it in the bag, "Maybe you misunderstood me a little."
"No, no, no, I didn't misunderstand."
Liuqia shook her head, "Didn't you say, 'Go challenge the gym' before coming to the Gorgeous Competition?"
"Well... I did."
"Even my uncle undergoes a week of specialized training before participating in the Gorgeous Competition; you plan to join the Gorgeous Competition right after challenging a gym. How can you say you're not underestimating it? If you truly respect it, you should invest considerable time in preparation!"
Liuqia earnestly said, "Perhaps you consider your talent impressive, but there's always someone better. People of equal talent may spend a month preparing while you only devote a day; how can you compete against them?
Joining the Gorgeous Competition with a casual mentality, indifferent to outcomes, shows disrespect to all participants and is also a form of undervaluing it!"
... Quite a sensible argument.
Baimu had to admit he subconsciously harbored a slight underestimation of the Gorgeous Competition, even planning to spend merely a day researching the moves used in it.
"Sorry, my bad." He apologized for his earlier stubbornness, resignedly said, "Mawile, seems we have to join the next Gorgeous Competition."
"Chido..."
Mawile felt a touch of regret but understood the importance of adequate preparation.
Liuqia was very pleased with Baimu's willingness to acknowledge and correct his mistakes, "No problem at all! This is your first Gorgeous Competition, right?"
"Yes."
"Since it's your first, it's your debut battle, so you should give it paramount importance. Even though winning the ribbon is our goal, when you lose, you should also understand where you lost."
"Understood!"
"Great! From now on, I'll teach you the tricks of the Gorgeous Competition as Liuqia!"
Liuqia flashed a lively smile, "You'll definitely benefit a lot!"
Such enthusiasm.
However, before that.
"I'm happy you're willing to teach me, but for safety's sake, I have to ask one thing first." Baimu said seriously, "You didn't sneak out alone, did you?"
Liuqia's smile froze, "Uh!"