After her big win at the Akiba Contest, May was still over the moon. She kept admiring her brand-new Ribbon, wiping it clean over and over again with sparkling eyes.
Ash, Brock, and Max watched her with amused smiles. Still, for someone who had only entered her second Contest, May had done incredibly well—already far ahead of most new Coordinators.
"Thanks, Ash!"May bowed her head sincerely. "I couldn't have done it without your help!"
"This was all thanks to your own effort," Ash replied with a grin. "Just keep it up! You've still got four more Ribbons to go!"
"Right!" May nodded with new determination.
Now, Ash and his friends were on the road again, heading toward Lavaridge Town. It was just beyond Mt. Chimney, with only the Fiery Path in between.
But of course, their journey wouldn't be peaceful for long.
Suddenly, May's energetic Skitty darted ahead and headbutted a Slugma out of nowhere—drawing the ire of a whole group of them!
"Waaah! Skitty!" May panicked.
Ash, however, saw it as a golden opportunity.
"Looks like a perfect training session! Go—Torchic, Mudkip, Ralts!"
The three little Pokémon appeared on the field, ready to battle. Torchic dashed in like a warrior with Flame Charge, Mudkip stayed back casting Water Gun, and Ralts floated gracefully behind, using Confusion, Disarming Voice, and the occasional Mystical Fire to finish off weakened opponents.
"Whoa… Ash's Pokémon are amazing!" May watched in awe.
She joined the fray too, sending out Combusken to take on any stronger Slugma. With all their efforts combined, the team powered through the group of wild Pokémon and finally made it out of the Fiery Path as the sun began to set.
Camp Trouble... Again
They stopped on a grassy plain and spotted a fruit tree nearby. Underneath it was a sleeping Numel. Of course, trouble stirred once again when Skitty ran up and gave Numel two quick slaps across the face!
"Skitty!! What are you doing now?!" May yelled, hands on her hips.
The sleepy Numel finally opened its eyes—but rather than getting mad, it simply turned toward the tree and began eating berries. It hadn't even noticed Skitty's "attack."
"It's so calm…" Brock blinked."It got smacked and just kept eating. What a good-natured Pokémon!"
Just then, another Furret appeared alongside a cheerful voice calling out,
"Dongdong!"
They turned to see a girl in a bandana jogging toward them, leading three more Numel behind her.
"Ah, Dongdong! There you are—I've been looking all over!"
After making sure her Numel was okay, she turned to the group with a bright smile.
"You must be travelers! I'm Julie, and I live on a nearby ranch with my Numel."
Everyone introduced themselves—though Brock, as usual, went into overdrive.
"Miss Julie! I'm Brock! Please raise me with the same tender care you give your Numel!"
"Eh??" Julie froze, caught off guard.
Before Max could step in, Numel, sensing a threat to its food, fired a burst of hot steam from its back hump—directly at Brock!
"HOT HOT HOT HOT!!" Brock screamed.
Julie quickly had Furret calm Numel down and, apologizing, invited the group to her ranch to rest for the night. Brock, still smoldering, volunteered to make dinner to show his appreciation—and affection.
The Next Day
By morning, Brock had fully thrown himself into ranch life, helping Yoko take care of the Numel while dragging Max along as "free labor" for grooming.
Meanwhile, May had something on her mind.
"Ash… I think Skitty really likes battling. I want to give her a proper chance to fight."
"No problem!" Ash agreed. "Right, Pikachu?""Pika~!""Eevee~!"
Julie, having just wrapped up ranch chores, overheard them.
"How about a battle with me, then? I haven't had a real match in a while."
May nodded.
"Alright! Let's do it!"
They walked over to a flat clearing while Ash took on the role of referee.
Battle: May vs Julie
Skitty vs Furret
"Alright, Skitty—watch Furret carefully, and—"Before May could finish, Skitty darted forward, ignoring orders.
"Furret, use Tackle!"
Just as they were about to collide, Furret spun around—and Skitty got distracted by its long, fluffy tail!
"Skitty, no!! Stop chasing it!"
"Furret, stop!"Furret skidded to a halt, but Skitty crashed right into it and went flying backward!
Now a bit more serious, Skitty started following May's orders—but its Tackle and Double Slap were too easy for Furret to dodge.
"Gah, this isn't working…" May bit her lip.
Then, with a suggestion from Julie, May scanned Skitty's move list and noticed something.
"Huh? Assist? What's that?!"
"Let's try it! Skitty, use Assist!"
Skitty's claws glowed white—and it suddenly fired a burst of Ember at Furret! The electric attack zipped forward, but Furret dodged again.
"Encore, Skitty! Then use Assist again!"
This time, Skitty summoned a swirling Silver Wind. The sparkling breeze spun toward Furret, but it leapt over it and knocked Skitty back with Pound.
"That's enough!" Ash stepped forward. "Let's call the match. There's too much of a level gap."
May rushed over and picked up Skitty.
"You okay?"
Ash checked her over.
"She's fine. Just needs some rest."
"Ash, what's Assist exactly? It's so weird—it used Ember and Silver Wind, which Skitty can't normally learn!"
"Assist randomly pulls a move from one of your other Pokémon—even if they're not in the battle. But it's all based on luck," Ash explained.
"Wow! That's so cool!" May's eyes lit up. "It's totally unpredictable!"
"Meow~!"Skitty seemed proud, even though she'd just gotten smacked around.
Julie passed around some Energy Cubes for everyone's Pokémon.
"You know, May, your Skitty has great potential," Julie encouraged. "Her speed and instincts are impressive. With more training, she'll shine in both battles and Contests."
"Really?! Thank you so much!" May beamed at the praise.
The Road to Lavaridge
The next morning, Julie gave them directions and waved them off. Brock, on the other hand, had to be dragged away by Ash and Max, his hands reaching longingly toward the ranch behind him.
"We'll visit again someday, Julie!!"
And so, with Skitty's mischievous antics behind them (for now), the group continued their journey toward Lavaridge Town—and their next big adventure.
To be continued...