Chapter 324: A Rival Appears, Prepare Diligently, May!
After May noted down everything Ash said, she planned to start training from the absolute basics.
"You don't seriously intend to enter the Pokémon Contest with that level of ability, do you? This kind of last-minute cramming doesn't capture the beauty of Pokémon at all."
Just then, a green-haired boy walked over.
May said indignantly, "You... who are you? Why would you say that?"
"My name is Drew, and I am a Coordinator..." After the boy finished his introduction, a hint of excitement appeared on his face. He looked at Ash and said, "You are Ash from Pallet Town, right? I watched the battle recordings of the Rustboro Tournament. You are very strong and a rival worthy of attention. If the opportunity arises, I would like to have a match with you at this tournament."
"If we run into each other, that's naturally no problem." Ash nodded in response.
Drew smiled and said, "Then I'll see you in the second round!"
He paused and continued, "By the way, could you please leave this place? This is the private beach of the hotel where I am staying."
Hearing this, the trio looked at the building on the cliff and then at the long staircase.
Brock said, "No wonder there's no one here."
"Can't be helped. Let's go find an open space in the forest over there." Ash pointed to the nearby forest.
He had the money to rent the beach directly, but doing so wouldn't serve much purpose.
May walked in the direction Ash pointed, pouting; clearly, Drew's dismissal of her had made her feel very angry.
The group entered the forest and soon found a decent clearing.
"By the way, Ash, which Pokémon do you plan to use for the competition this time?" May asked suddenly.
"Hmm... let me think..." Ash fell into a brief contemplation. "Alright, I choose you, Milotic."
The Pokémon Ash sent out was Milotic. Although the one he wanted to send out most was Jigglypuff, considering there was a Trainer using a Milotic in this tournament, he felt that bringing out a Milotic might be more fun.
"Milotic?"
May's expression changed slightly.
For a Pokémon like Milotic that was already beautiful enough on its own, taking it to a Grand Festival was simply too unfair. She now felt her pressure increase sharply.
Ash patted her on the shoulder and said softly, "Don't overthink it. You should focus on practicing with Beautifly first. Tomorrow, I'll have Professor Oak send me two Pokémon to help coach your Beautifly."
The two Pokémon he mentioned were actually Butterfree and Pidgeot. One was skilled in Bug-type moves, and the other in Flying-type moves. If they couldn't teach Beautifly well with a two-pronged approach, then he would just have to draft Combusken into service.
Anyway, since they were all going to be fodder, as May's lead Pokémon, Combusken could treat a moment of social death as setting an example for its younger sibling.
"Ash, thank you..."
After May finished speaking, she lowered her head and walked to the side with Beautifly to begin training.
Ash glanced at May's back and then began to work on his own training plan.
His training plan was different from May's; he focused on Double Battles.
"Pikachu, please be my sparring partner next."
"Pika!"
Pikachu nodded and then ran to the opposite side of Ash.
"Taillow, Sableye, let's start with you two. Sableye, use Disable; Taillow, use Steel Wing..."
...
The next day.
Ash first transferred Typhlosion and Sharpedo back to Professor Oaks Laboratory, then received Pupitar, Pidgeot, and Butterfree.
He requested Pupitar mainly because the minerals he had left behind previously had been eaten up, and Pupitar was nearing the edge of evolution, so he planned to use it in the next Gym Challenge and, incidentally, set an example for May.
With Pidgeot and Butterfree as mentors, the proficiency of May's Beautifly with its skills shot up.
After five days, Beautifly's strength had climbed several levels.
Once its skill proficiency increased, Beautifly could basically complete the corresponding performance moves according to May's design. The only drawback was that May's performance was a challenge to herself; if she wasn't careful, she would ruin the performance.
For May, who had participated in two Gym Challenges, the second round of judging could be difficult or easy. After all, the actual combat in the second round tested the precision and flair of the Pokémon's moves, which was a difficult problem for May.
In order to let May master the techniques to cope with the second round of judging as soon as possible, Ash had no choice but to find Jessie, who was also preparing for the Grand Festival.
There was no help for it; when it came to cheating for others, the Team Rocket Trio were the most professional.
"Alright, the simulation match for the second round of the Grand Festival begins now!" Brock shouted.
Jessie said confidently, "little girl, I will show you what a real performance is! Go, Dustox!"
"I won't lose to you! Beautifly, take the stage!" May was also full of confidence.
"Dustox, use a gorgeous Poison Powder attack!"
Upon hearing the command, Dustox danced in mid-air, scattering light purple dust. These powders were also mixed with shimmering scales.
Seeing this, May couldn't help but exclaim, "So amazing!"
"But we won't lose. Beautifly, use Hurricane."
Hearing this, Beautifly flapped its wings, stirring up a strong whirlwind, only this time it could control the wind direction very well.
Under Beautifly's control, the whirlwind swirled around it, converging into a tornado, and Beautifly danced gracefully in the eye of the storm.
The Poison Powder released by Dustox was blown into the sky under the influence of the tornado, and Beautifly was not affected in the slightest.
Seeing this, Jessie was so angry that she gnashed her teeth. "Damn it, how did this girl change so much?"
She clearly remembered that a few days ago, May's Beautifly was still a stupid Pokémon that just fired off moves blindly. In just a few days, it could be trained to be this gorgeous. She really couldn't accept it.
"Dustox, we use Hurricane too, with the wind direction opposite to that girl's!"
Although the Team Rocket Trio often went hungry, their Pokémon were all raised quite well.
Dustox followed Beautifly's operation and mimicked it, easily replicating the same effect. Although there were still deficiencies in some accuracy, Dustox had learned the essence of showing off its own beauty.
Protecting its own scales, they filled the Hurricane as embellishments. Against the glittering background, Dustox in the eye of the storm displayed a unique beauty.
Two tornadoes with different directions but equal power came into contact, and soon the wind forces canceled each other out.
As the breeze dissipated, Jessie's goal was achieved; the scales released by Dustox drifted around it to form embellishments, while Beautifly was bare.
Seeing this, May was slightly stunned.
"How about it, little girl? My Dustox is just better than your Beautifly!" Jessie said confidently.
May regained her senses and gritted her teeth. "Hmph, it's not over yet. Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"
As if feeling the changes in May's heart, the execution of Beautifly's move became rough.
Dustox didn't even need Jessie's order; it dodged with a slippery movement on its own.
"No matter how you struggle, it's all in vain. Dustox, use Psybeam."
The two's simulated battle was undoubtedly won by Jessie in terms of flair.
And the defeated May became a bit depressed.
"May, you are too impatient. Whether it's the Grand Festival or a Gym Challenge, even if you are at a disadvantage, you as a Trainer cannot be anxious, because once you are anxious, not only will you easily make judgment errors, but it will also affect your Pokémon's state," Ash said.
"Oh, I know."
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