Back to the Contest Hall. Back to the dressing room. Or rather, ‘a’ dressing room. Instead of going back to the same place, Brendan was at May’s dressing room, confused and nervous. “Wait here. I’ll be back quickly”, was all May said before leaving in a rush. Eyes full of restlessness that kept looking around. May’s Trainer outfit and bandana hanging from a wall, different make-up spread on the dresser… Not knowing if sitting down was appropriate or not, Brendan remained still, holding the bag’s belt nervously. What was going on? The answer wouldn’t take that much to arrive, as some voices traveled through the corridor outside the room.

“I’m so sorry for calling you out of a sudden. I could do some things, but I know you have more experience in this”, said May from afar.

“Don’t worry: a friend’s friend is my friend!”, exclaimed a girl voice. “It’s not my first time. You know how many people come here for the same”.

Those voices sounded louder, making Brendan’s heart beat faster. There was no time to react before the door was opened energetically, revealing May along a mysterious girl. Teal hair with a long ponytail and decorated with a sharp hairpin with a Megastone, wearing a top and skirt similar to May’s, but blue-colored and with lots of cloud motives in her arms, heels and neck, making it look extra fluffy. Her teal eyes, along with her big smile, could dazzle a whole auditorium. Brendan was slightly pushed back by the surprise.

“Sorry for making you wait. This is Lisia, Wallace’s niece and the most popular Contest Idol in Hoenn”, introduced May.

“Well, maybe ‘the most popular’ is a tiny bit too much, but can’t deny I love Contests!”, said Lisia, although her enthusiasm made it hard to say it in a humble way.

Brendan could see the resemblance between Lisia and Wallace from the few past battles against the former Champion. Still, finding out this energetic girl was his niece was a surprise. They sure had different personalities and that made it slightly hard for Brendan to say anything.

“H- Hi! I’m…”, began saying Brendan until Lisia tutted with a playful smile.

“Don’t worry about that right now! May told me about your problem. Now that I’m here, we’re gonna help you shine!”, exclaimed Lisia. “So sit down, close your eyes and let us do our magic, got it?”.

Pushed in the back with excitement, Lisia made Brendan sit down on the chair facing the dresser, with the mirror reflecting a confused expression. In a matter of seconds, the hat was nowhere to be found and a white cloth covered everything below the neck. With a loud noise, May put on the dresser a huge metallic box and, one by one, she took out different bottles with labels like “Base” or “Concealer”, things never heard before. Others were more recognizable, like a color palette and several brushes. That only added more doubts to Brendan’s mind, who couldn’t to ask:

“Wait, is that… makeup?”.

“Of course it is!”, exclaimed Lisia as it was the most evident thing. “Makeup can do a lot to highlight your natural prettiness. And with a wig and a dress, you’ll be the cutest girl on stage, promise!”.

Brendan wanted to ask more, but remained silent while processing Lisia’s words. Wig? Dress? Cute? Girl? There were doubts about the veracity of her words, but seeing the idol putting a wig stand on the dresser along with a long brown wig, Brendan knew she was serious. However, it was hard to believe.

“May…?”, asked Brendan nervously while turning around to look at her.

“Yes? This is what you wanted, right?”.

There she was again. May was acting naturally, with her usual kindness and smile, as if nothing was out of place. But that only made it harder for Brendan to understand.

“But… why?”.

There was still that expectation. Being rejected. Memories from the past about being mocked just for being different. For not having the same wishes and interests as the boys. Memories of hiding a true nature in fear of that rejection. However, none of that could be found in May’s sparkling eyes. A girl who looked confused at first, but then, with a gentle smile, she took her friend’s hands, offering a soft and warm touch that brought calmness.

“You are my friend. I care about you and your happiness”, said May with kind voice. “If this is who you are, if this is your heart’s most desired wish… I’ll support you with everything I got. Because… there’s nothing wrong with you being a girl”.

It felt like a raging storm suddenly vanished. The loud noise of old memories and fears just disappeared. May made that possible. A few words that caressed Brendan’s ears, bringing along them a warmth like never before. Brendan could be a girl. There was someone, a person very dear, who said it was possible. Once again, tears flowed again, but it wasn’t pain what caused them. It was joy. The most beautiful joy of being told such a wish was good and feasible. May caressed her friend’s cheeks, a gesture that brought comfort as well as for drying some tears. Lisia watched them, and while she didn’t want to interrupt, time was running out. They had to prepare for the show.

“Don’t worry, dear. You’ll have more time to cry once we are finished… and we apply the tear-proof makeup. So… are you ready?”, asked Lisia with enthusiasm.

For a moment, both friends had forgotten about their original plan. However, finally knowing everything was fine, Brendan rested back on the chair and closed both eyes. If there was anybody who could turn such a wish into reality, those were May and Lisia. And they had some work ahead: putting the hairnet, choosing the right makeup and deciding what colors suited Brendan the best… Some eye shadow here, some blush over there. It wasn’t just fun for them, they truly wanted to make Brendan as comfortable and happy as possible. Arranging the hair brought along some light discussions as well, but after a while…

“Okay, are you ready? Open your eyes!”.

Lisia invited Brendan to take a look. However, deep within the darkness of blindness, there was only some nervous heartbeats. Lots of doubts roaming around. Would there be much difference? Would Brendan still look like a boy? Going that far, there was no other choice but checking the final result. It was slow, with some blurs at first that turned clearer by the second. Finally, Brendan looked at the mirror, thinking it was showing the reflection of a completely different person.

Long eyelashes and yellow eye shadow, bringing color and shine to eyes that felt dull before. Cheeks that got the slight taint of Pecha Berries on them. Lips that shone like rubies. And a wonderful long brown hair that fell gently, tied up in two long pigtails that reached below the neck. Brendan’s own blinking reflected on that person was a proof that was not a mirage or a vision, and still, a question slipped out:

“This is… me?”.

Observing the incredulous look on her friend’s face through the mirror, May smiled and said:

“That’s right: this is you. How do you feel?”.

The warm sensations within Brendan’s heart turned stronger, bringing a smile like never before. Looking at every detail over and over again, that happiness grew even more.

“It… it feels… so great! I can’t believe it! I really look like a girl!”, said Brendan with joy.

“Maybe you should correct yourself”, said May while giggling. “You don’t ‘look like a girl’. You ARE a girl, got it? We just helped you bring out your true girl self”.

Looking again at the mirror, Brendan understood the veracity of May’s words. She was actually a girl. A girl that spent most of her life hidden away, fearing people’s comments and mocking. A girl acting a lifelong role that she never wanted. A girl that, for the first time, was throwing away the chains that held her back. A girl that felt happiness for the first time in her life.

“Thank you”, said Brendan. “Thank you so much”.

“Hey, you better save up your ‘thanks’ for later, ‘cause we’re not done!”, exclaimed Lisia. “Take a look at this”.

Brendan looked at Lisia’s reflection. The idol was already behind her, pushing what looked like a yellow mannequin. May helped Brendan turn around and take a better look, discovering it was far more than a ‘yellow mannequin’. Similar to May and Lisia’s, the mannequin in front of her was wearing a top and a skirt, both dyed in neon yellow. Although the skirt was a bit longer than those of her friends, the outfit was decorated in the same way, with its frills and ribbons that made it cute and adorable. Along with it, there was a pair of shoes with laces, although with no platforms neither high heels, chosen specifically for someone with no practice with them. Brendan was speechless, but her face shone with enthusiasm as she looked at May and Lisia and asked them with her eyes to wear that outfit. Of course, they obliged. Although she was ashamed at first, Brendan took her boy clothing off and let her friends help her put on her new looks. Among her nervousness, she could appreciate the softness of the materials. Every tiny detail made her heart skip a beat. With everything ready, Brendan turned around and looked at herself at the standing mirror.

It was as if that dress always belonged to her. Not only it fitted her so well, but she felt really comfortable with it. The memories of wearing her boymoding clothing five minutes before seemed very far in comparison. Brendan didn’t know what to do. She wanted to smile. She wanted to cry or even jump around and scream of happiness. She couldn’t hide her blushing anymore.

“Well, look at that!”, commented Lisia. “A young pretty princess ready to shine on stage!”.

It was true. She felt cute. She felt like a princess. A princess who couldn’t hold back anymore, with a stream of tears falling down her cheeks as she put her hands on her mouth. Happiness overwhelmed her, and May sure knew that. Not even when Brendan won the Pokémon League she reacted like that. That was when she knew her friend was enjoying that moment like never before. May went behind Brendan and hugged her gently, with her head resting on her friend’s shoulder.

“I… I always believed… this… this would never happen”, tuttered Brendan between sobs. Then, she looked at May and asked: “Do you really think… I’m pretty?”.

“Of course! You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, Bren…”.

But just as she was saying that, May stopped talking. Brendan couldn’t understand what happened, but her friend realized something. After all those steps, how didn’t they think about that?

“I just thought… ‘Brendan’… Is it okay to keep calling you that way?”, asked May to Brendan. “I mean, I will if that’s what you want, but maybe you want to be called something else”.

Even at that moment, even after everything she’s done for her, May was still thinking about making Brendan happy. And she was right: she wanted a different name. However, there wouldn’t be much trouble to find one, since she always had one in mind.

“Actually… what about just… Brenda?”.

It was simple. If it weren’t for one single letter, she could have had a beautiful girl name for all her life. And while she hated ‘Brendan’, that slight change made things completely different. In the same way she changed to be her true self, her name only needed a small change to fit her. Seeing there was nothing to worry about, May smiled and said:

“That’s a lovely name for a lovely girl… Brenda”.

And so, within the vastness of the Hoenn region, it was at a small room within one city where one more miracle took place, much bigger than the awakening of the legendary Pokémon some months before. A young girl called Brenda was facing the world for the very first time in her life.