Jessie and Cacturne's performance began.
Right at the start, Cacturne used Needle Arm and Cut. First, it showed off its skill by carving a carrot into the shape of a tall tower.
This part was somewhat similar to May and Combusken's earlier Frisbee routine. It also highlighted Cacturne's excellent individual ability. The performance immediately earned a round of applause.
After that smooth opening, Jessie moved on to the next part of the Appeal.
Cacturne released a large amount of Cotton Spore into the air. The spores floated like flowers. Then it used Bullet Seed to strike a wide area of them at once. The spores burst apart and drifted down like tiny snowflakes. It was a beautiful sight.
Harley's Cacturne was indeed powerful, easily strong enough for the Grand Festival level. At the same time, Jessie's commands and performance sense were impressive too.
The two of them worked together smoothly. There was no sign of trouble caused by the temporary change in Trainer.
Seen this way, Jessie really was a genius when it came to the stage.
Naturally, this performance gave Jessie one of the top scores, right behind May.
The competition was not even halfway over yet. However, May and Jessie's Appeals had already far surpassed the others. It was hard to imagine the later contestants outscoring either of them. Because of that, even before the first round ended, both had effectively secured their places in the next round.
This was definitely good news for May and Jessie. But for the remaining contestants, the pressure only grew heavier.
More than a hundred people were competing for the remaining spots. The competition was extremely fierce.
However, that no longer had much to do with May.
When she saw that even the popular contestant, Jessebella, still could not surpass her score, May finally relaxed.
For her, all she really wanted was to get through the first round safely.
After all, she had been traveling with Natsui for a long time now. She had learned many things from him, and her style was becoming more and more similar to his. Even her Pokémon's overall strength had improved. She knew she would do well in the battle phase because of her experience and the strength of her team.
The competition carried on with great energy.
Because there were so many contestants, the first round took an extremely long time.
But no matter how many contestants there were, it eventually came to an end. By then, it was already late in the afternoon.
Fortunately, even though it took a long time, the eight contestants for the second round were finally decided.
When the screen changed, Natsui spotted May at a glance. Unsurprisingly, she had advanced in first place. Jessie also advanced to the second round in fourth place.
It was worth mentioning the earlier results.
Even though Jessie had received a high score, several other contestants had also performed very well. In the end, they had pushed her down to fourth place.
Still, the exact ranking did not matter once the battle round began. As long as she advanced, that was enough.
Because time was short, there was only a brief break before the second round started.
Looking at the brackets, May and Jessie were placed on opposite sides.
If both kept winning, they would not meet until the final.
It really did look as if the final match of the Mulberry Contest would end up being between the two of them.
Natsui stepped away to the restroom for a moment. By the time he came back, the battles had already begun.
Fortunately, the first match was not May's or Jessie's. It was between two other contestants. That was why Natsui had felt fine leaving briefly. Once those two finished, it would be May's turn.
May's opponent this round was a handsome young man who looked rather mature. Facing his Skarmory, May sent out her Squirtle.
Even though Squirtle was still in its first stage, and even though it had only joined May's team after she arrived in Kanto, it had been improving very quickly. Faced with a strong opponent like Skarmory, whose overall strength was greater than its own, it did not hesitate at all. Under May's command, it used Withdraw to defend itself from Skarmory's attack, then launched a counterattack and seized the initiative.
May's battle style was becoming more and more like Natsui's. She was calm and steady now. In the past, she had sometimes resembled Ash in battle, but that restless edge was gone.
It was not really a matter of one style being better or worse. It depended on what suited the Trainer. But for May, this change clearly was an improvement. She no longer looked hurried or unstable in battle the way Ash sometimes did.
However, a Coordinator who could survive a field of more than a hundred contestants and reach the second round was obviously not weak.
Although he had underestimated Squirtle at first and lost ground because of that, he adjusted quickly.
But May was no longer the same as before.
Even though Squirtle looked harmless, it was much stronger than it appeared.
It did not only know offensive moves like Bubble and Water Gun. It could also use Ice Beam. At the perfect moment, it froze Skarmory's wings as it passed by, causing it to lose balance and crash onto the stage.
Taking advantage of that opening, Squirtle used its small size and greater agility to defeat Skarmory.
In the audience, Natsui clapped along with everyone else.
As a Trainer and as the one who traveled with her every day, he could feel May's growth more clearly than anyone. He also knew that she had been quietly following his path and modeling herself after him.
It was just that...
With a growth path so different from the original one, Natsui had no idea what May would eventually become.
Would she turn into a female version of himself?
Still, one thing was certain. Keeping May by his side and watching her improve bit by bit gave him a real sense of satisfaction.
It was a completely different feeling from raising Pokémon.
And it also made Natsui understand a little better why someone like Yuma, a former Top Coordinator who had become a Pokémon Breeder, had wanted to guide beginners in the first place.
Watching May grow stronger step by step really did give him a deep sense of fulfillment.
After May's battle, it was Jessie's turn to take the stage.
The Pokémon she used this time was still not one of her own. It was Harley's Banette.
So they really had teamed up.
Even so, Natsui still did not make any move. He simply watched to see what would happen.
After all, he knew Team Rocket would not dare play tricks in front of him. So no matter how much Harley encouraged them, Harley would be the one who suffered in the end.
This was not arrogance. It was simple confidence in his own strength and in his understanding of Team Rocket.
His attention returned to the battlefield.
Jessie's performance had already begun.
Just like earlier with Cacturne, Jessie and Banette worked together surprisingly well. Her commands were smooth, and Banette did not resist her.
On one hand, Harley had probably given his Pokémon some prior instructions. On the other hand, Jessie, much like James, had always had a natural affinity for unusual Pokémon.
With Banette's excellent strength, Jessie barely needed to command it at all. In fact, there was not much she could really do anyway. Banette handled most of the battle through its own judgment and quickly defeated its opponent.
That allowed Jessie, just like May, to keep advancing until she reached the finals.
The two of them would meet in the last match.
By then, the sky outside had already gone dark.
The audience was physically tired, but emotionally still excited. Everyone waited eagerly for the final battle of the last Kanto Pokémon Contest.
After all, if they wanted to see more Contest battles after this, they would have to wait for the Grand Festival. Since this was the last chance before then, and it was the final match, naturally no one wanted to miss it.
"Now, let us welcome our two finalists to the stage!"
As expected of a professional host, Lilian was still full of energy after such a long event. Her voice remained as lively as ever.
A spotlight shone on one side of the tunnel. Accompanied by the audience's cheers, May stepped out while waving to the crowd.
"First to appear is May, who has come all the way from the Hoenn region! She currently has four Ribbons. Will she be able to earn her fifth today and enter the Grand Festival smoothly? Let's find out!"
After introducing May, the spotlight shifted to the other tunnel. A second later, Jessie walked out slowly with a smile on her face.
"Next is the dreamy Coordinator with a beautiful style, Jessebella! Will she be able to win her very first Ribbon today? Let's look forward to her performance!"
Hearing Lilian's introduction, Natsui realized something.
After all this time, Jessie still had not managed to win even a single Ribbon.
That really was...
It should not have been like that.
With Jessie's talent, if she had truly focused on Contests instead of following Ash around all the time, she probably would have earned five Ribbons long ago.
But then again, if she did not chase Ash or Pikachu anymore, would she still be Jessie?
In the end, she had chosen her own path. The outcome of that path was something only she could bear.
May and Jessie took their positions. Then, with a flash of light from their Poké Balls, Squirtle and Banette appeared on the stage again.
Even though both had already gone through several battles, neither looked especially worn down.
They had eaten Pokéblocks and rested for a short while, which let them recover some stamina. They had not taken much damage before, so both still looked energetic.
Once both sides were ready, Lilian gave the signal.
The final battle of the Mulberry Contest officially began.
The moment it started, Harley sat up straight in the stands.
Finally.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
His eyes were full of excitement he could not hide.
After waiting for so long, the scene he wanted was finally here.
Why had he lent his two strongest Pokémon, Cacturne and Banette, to Jessie?
Wasn't it all for this exact moment?
As long as Jessie could use his Pokémon to defeat May and knock her out of the Contest, then his goal would be achieved and his revenge would be complete.
Thinking that, Harley clenched his fists in excitement. It was as if he could already see that outcome.
In Harley's mind, his Pokémon were definitely stronger than May's.
The reason he had lost before was never because he was weaker.
It had only been bad luck.
And because he believed that, he was equally sure that if they fought again, his Pokémon would definitely win.
The only thing that still bothered Harley was James.
According to the plan he had made with Team Rocket, after handing over the Pokémon, James was supposed to interfere with May's progress behind the scenes.
But until now, nothing had happened.
That made Harley uneasy.
He was worried James might have gone to rescue Meowth, but this was the crucial point of the Contest. Even if he wanted to go check, he could not leave now.
Fortunately, a second later, he spotted James near the tunnel exit, glancing around.
That immediately eased Harley's worries.
As long as James was still there, things were fine.
Even if Harley did not understand why James had not followed his instructions yet, as long as he had not gone to rescue Meowth, then their alliance still held.
It just meant May's match had one less obstacle than planned.
At the exact moment Lilian announced the start of the battle, Banette moved before Jessie even gave a command.
A bolt of lightning instantly formed in its hands and shot toward Squirtle at high speed.
The timing was perfect.
Banette had already been gathering power in advance, so the moment the match officially started, it was able to fire Thunder almost immediately. The surprise attack caught both May and Squirtle off guard.
Of course, this could not really be called cheating.
The move was still used after Lilian gave the signal. Before that, Banette had not moved or broken any visible rule. It had simply taken advantage of a narrow opening.
Because Electric-type moves are effective against Water-types, the hit immediately shocked Squirtle badly. A portion of May's points dropped right away.
Fortunately, Squirtle was not so easy to beat.
Almost as soon as it was knocked down, it forced itself back up. Fighting spirit burned in its eyes.
Then it opened its mouth and fired an Ice Beam, instantly returning the surprise with one of its own.