At the Pokémon Center, many Coordinators had indeed gathered for the Pokémon Contest, making May feel a lot of pressure. What's more, there were many pretty older sisters among the Coordinators, and Brock was losing his composure, but Max's expert ear-twisting skills kept him firmly in check!
Meanwhile, Ash had sent his newly evolved Swellow back and had his Beautifly sent over, planning to train this Shiny Beautifly well.
When Ash returned, he found a new woman with May and the other two. He learned that her name was Grace, and she was also a Coordinator. She had become acquainted with them after getting too absorbed in her training with her partner Meditite and accidentally using Psychic to control Max's glasses!
"Hello! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and these are my partners Pikachu and Eevee!" "Pika" "Eevee"
"Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you, Ash! I've seen your battles! We're going to defeat you and win the Ribbon!" Grace looked at Ash as if he were a formidable opponent.
"Um..." May felt a little ignored. Please don't forget about me! I'm the one who's actually competing this time, not Ash!
Ash smiled and shook his head. "I'm not competing this time. I'm here to support May!"
"Oh, really?! What a shame! Well, May, you have to do your best!"
"Then how about a practice match with me?" Ash invited.
"I'd be happy to! Meditite and I will give it our all!" Grace nodded and accepted.
They went to a battle area, with Brock as the referee. "Come on out, Meditite!" Grace sent out her partner, Meditite.
[Meditite]
[Strength: Elite - Late Stage]
"Alright, you're up, Electrike!" "Woof~" The little green dog appeared on the field.
"Meditite, use Ice Punch!" Meditite floated in the air, striking yoga poses, and continuously threw fists glowing with cold, icy blue energy, causing ice crystals to fall from the sky! She's a true Coordinator; every attack is full of elegant flair.
"A combination move! Electrike, meet it head-on with Charge and Thunder Fang!" Blue lightning arcs flashed around Electrike, and it rushed toward Meditite like a bolt of lightning. A huge blue electric fang appeared in its mouth, and bang! The two Pokémon were evenly matched.
"Wow! Is that a combination move?!" (?((???))?) For May, combination moves were a whole new world. At the same time, she realized that Ash's battle with Grace was to help her improve and to understand her rival's battle style. Thinking of this, May felt a sense of excitement!
"Meditite, use Confusion!" Meditite unleashed a blue psychic energy, trying to control Electrike!
"Electrike, Protect! Then use Thunderbolt!" "Woof~" Electrike's barrier defended against Confusion, then it released a blue current, knocking Meditite down.
Grace's face changed. She shouted, "Get up! Meditite!"
"Electrike, a fatal blow! Wild Charge!" "Woof~" Electricity surged around Electrike as it charged into Meditite. Bang! Meditite was unable to battle!
"Meditite!" Grace sadly looked at her fallen Meditite and recalled it. "You tried your best. Come back and rest!"
"Great job, Electrike!" "Woof~"
Grace walked up to Ash. "Ash! You really are strong. I won't lose to you next time!"
Afterward, Grace said goodbye to Ash and his friends and returned to the Pokémon Center to rest!
Ash sent out Beautifly to help May with her combination move training, with the goal of winning the Fallarbor Ribbon! Although a certain Drew showed up to secretly help, May didn't notice his assistance and ended up getting into a big argument with him instead.
After a few days of hard work and with Ash's help, May was able to perform her combination moves, albeit with some difficulty. Ash also prepared a special trump card for May's Beautifly against Meditite. As for whether she would succeed during the contest, it would depend on where Lady Luck stood!
The Fallarbor Contest officially opened. There were many contestants, but this time, only four would advance to the second round, the five-minute battle stage.
As expected, Drew finished with a high score of 29.6 with his Roselia's Petal Dance, and Grace finished with a high score of 29.5 with her Meditite's High Jump Kick. These two were almost guaranteed to pass.
May performed her usual routine from the previous contest. Although there were no mistakes, she only got a score of 25.9, just barely on the passing line!
This time, Jessie also participated in the contest and, thanks to her cheating, got the highest score of 29.7. Ash shook his head. If Jessie had just worked hard and not cheated, she would have easily passed. The other contestants just don't have a talent for performing!
With the final contestant getting a score of only 25.8, the last ticket to the five-minute battle stage was given to May, which put a lot of pressure on her, since everyone else was a top-tier contestant with a score of over 29!
The second round began with May vs. Jessie. During the battle, May knocked off the device on Dustox's neck, exposing her cheating to everyone. The audience began to boo Jessie, and under Ash's intimidating gaze, Jessie had no choice but to make a strategic retreat, promising to get revenge on Ash once her strength improved!
It must be said that the people in the Pokémon world are very simple. Such an obvious cheating device was not noticed by anyone!
The next match was Drew vs. Grace. Drew was once again punished. He was at a disadvantage during the match and tried to take a chance with Solar Beam, but Grace had her Meditite use Ice Punch on the ground, causing ice to form. The light reflected off the ice and hit Roselia, knocking it out! Knowledge really does change one's destiny!
The final battle was, of course, May vs. Grace!
On the battlefield, "Go, Beautifly!" May used her revival cheer to awaken Beautifly, who was tangled in a web of white silk and frozen. Beautifly broke free!
Grace decided to end the match. "Meditite, first use Meditate, then use High Jump Kick to finish it!"
Meditite jumped into the air, closed its hands, and moved its head left and right twice before charging toward Beautifly!
"Dodge it, Beautifly!" Beautifly bravely dodged the attack!
Meditite hit the ground, injuring its knee. May took advantage of the opportunity. A Silver Wind sent Meditite flying, and the tide of the battle had turned! May's protagonist aura activated. She first used a combination move of Tackle and String Shot, creating a white silk tornado as Beautifly spun. Not even Meditite's Confusion could stop it, and it was controlled!
She then used a combination move of Silver Wind and Tackle. The normally offensive Silver Wind split into two and became a control move, trapping the Meditite that had just managed to escape the white silk. Beautifly hit it head-on with a Tackle, sending it flying!
Grace still didn't give up. "The battle isn't over yet! Meditite, use a final High Jump Kick!"
"Beautifly, use the result of our training these past few days! A full-power Aerial Ace!"
Aerial Ace was super-effective, sending Meditite crashing into the wall!
At that moment, the five minutes were up. In the end, May won the Fallarbor Contest by a point!
May was in disbelief for a moment. (.ヽ(^Д^*)/.) She hugged Beautifly happily and said, "I won! I really won! Thank you so much, Beautifly!"
And just like that, May got the first Ribbon of her life, the Fallarbor Ribbon!
"Yay! My sister won!" Max cheered. Ash and Brock exchanged looks and felt relieved. May had grown from a clueless rookie to a true Coordinator!
After saying goodbye to Drew and Grace, Ash and his friends set off on their journey again, with Lavaridge Town as their destination!