At the Fallarbor Town Pokémon Center, the atmosphere was electric. Coordinators from all over the region had gathered for the upcoming Akiba Contest, and May was feeling the pressure.
"So many experienced Coordinators… and they're all so stylish!"She was nearly overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Brock had nearly lost control over himself thanks to the many beautiful older contestants—only to be immediately disciplined by Max's expert ear-pulling technique.
Ash, for his part, had recently sent his newly evolved Swellow back to Professor Oak and brought Beautifly along instead, planning to help May with her training.
When Ash returned, he noticed a new face with May's group—an elegant young woman. Upon introduction, he learned her name was Grace, and she was also a Pokémon Coordinator.
They'd met by accident—Grace had been practicing Confusion with her Medicham and ended up accidentally lifting Max's glasses off his face!
"Hi there! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and these are my partners Pikachu and Eevee!""Pika~!""Eevee~!"
"Oh! It's really you! Ash, I've watched your matches—this time, I'll win the Ribbon and beat you!"Grace stared at Ash like he was her biggest rival.
"Uh…" May awkwardly stepped in. "I'm the one entering the Contest this time, not Ash."
Ash just smiled and waved it off.
"I'm just here to support May."
"Oh! Well, then I wish you the best of luck, May!"
Then Ash turned to Grace.
"Want to have a friendly battle?"
"Sure! Medicham and I will give it everything we've got!"
They headed to the practice field, where Brock acted as the referee.
"Let's go, Medicham!"
Medicham• Strength: Advanced Tier – Late Stage
"Then I choose… Electrike!"Ash sent out a bright green puppy Pokémon."Woof!"
"Medicham, Ice Punch!"Medicham floated into the air in a meditative yoga pose, then sent a flurry of ice-blue punches, glistening with frost and flair.
"Whoa! That's definitely a Contest combo move!" May's eyes sparkled. She was seeing this kind of display up close for the first time—and it was clear Ash had arranged this battle to help her learn.
"Electrike, counter with Charge, then Thunder Fang!"
Electrike surged with electricity, then lunged forward, fangs crackling. Boom! Their attacks collided in a spectacular burst of ice and sparks.
"Medicham, use Confusion!"
"Electrike, use Protect!"A shield shimmered in front of Electrike, blocking the psychic energy, and then—
"Thunderbolt!"
Medicham was struck and fell back. Grace looked surprised.
"Medicham, get up! Use everything you've got!"
"Electrike, finish it—Wild Charge!"
Lightning surged as Electrike rocketed forward and slammed into Medicham. With a final cry, Medicham collapsed.
"Medicham is unable to battle! Ash wins!"
Grace recalled Medicham, smiling despite the loss.
"You're as strong as I heard, Ash. Next time, I'll definitely win!"
After saying her goodbyes, Grace returned to the Pokémon Center to rest.
Meanwhile, Ash released his Beautifly to help May with her own combination move training. Even Drew showed up to assist—but May, too flustered to appreciate the help, ended up arguing with him instead.
Over the next few days, May worked hard with Ash's guidance. She just barely managed to complete a set of new combo moves before the big event.
And Ash had prepared a secret trick for her Beautifly… one that could come in handy against Medicham. Whether it would work depended on luck—and May's determination.
The Akiba Contest Begins!
The Contest Hall was packed. Out of all the Coordinators, only four would advance to the second round—the Five-Minute Performance Battles.
Drew dazzled the crowd with Roselia's Petal Dance, scoring a brilliant 29.6.
Grace followed with a powerful High Jump Kick from Medicham, earning 29.5.
May performed with her usual moves and managed to avoid mistakes, but her score was a modest 25.9—barely passing.
Then came Jessie, who cheated by using a hidden device on Dustox. Her flashy, fraudulent combo got her the top score of 29.7.
"Sigh…" Ash shook his head. "If she actually tried, she'd be good enough to pass on her own…"
Fortunately for May, the final contestant only scored 25.8. By a narrow margin, May advanced to the battle round—but she felt intimidated. Everyone else had scored over 29!
Battle Round 1: May vs Jessie
During the match, May noticed something strange about Dustox and managed to knock the hidden device off its neck, exposing Jessie's cheating in front of the entire audience.
The crowd erupted with boos, and Jessie had no choice but to flee, swearing revenge on Ash (again) after her training was complete.
"People in this world sure are naïve…" Brock sighed. "That cheating device was obvious!"
Battle Round 2: Drew vs Grace
Drew attempted to turn things around using Solar Beam, but Grace had Medicham use Ice Punch on the battlefield. The resulting ice reflected the beam straight back at Roselia—eliminating Drew from the contest!
"Amazing… she used physics to win…"Indeed, knowledge was power.
Final Match: May vs Grace
It was the moment of truth.
"Go, Beautifly!"Beautifly took the stage—already partially tangled and frozen by its own String Shot combo. But May shouted with determination, rallying Beautifly to break free!
Grace moved in to end it quickly.
"Medicham, yoga pose, then High Jump Kick!"
Medicham performed its elegant prep motion, then launched into the air with intense speed.
"Dodge it, Beautifly!"Beautifly twisted away just in time—Medicham crashed into the ground, injuring its knee!
"Now, Silver Wind!"
Beautifly's wings shimmered, sending a burst of silver particles that struck Medicham and began to turn the tide.
"String Shot, then Tackle—rotate and form a silk twister!"
The combination spun into a dazzling vortex, disrupting Medicham's Confusion and leaving it vulnerable.
"Follow with a split Silver Wind—control it with Tackle!"
The two-part combo landed cleanly, sending Medicham flying again!
"Medicham, try one more High Jump Kick!"
"Beautifly, now! Use our special training—Aerial Ace!"
Beautifly's wings glowed as it dove sharply, striking Medicham with pinpoint force and slamming it into the arena wall.
Just then, the five-minute timer ended. With more points remaining, May was declared the winner and Akiba Contest Champion!
"I... I actually won?!"May gasped, then jumped into the air. "I did it, Beautifly! Thank you so much!!"
"Yay! Big sis won!" Max cheered.
Ash and Brock exchanged satisfied glances—May had truly come a long way from being a nervous beginner.
She received her first Contest Ribbon: the Akiba Ribbon!
After saying farewell to Drew and Grace, Ash and the gang continued on their journey—heading for their next destination:
Lavaridge Town!
To be continued…