Ash's group, with Rustboro City as their destination, stopped at the Rustboro Hall just before the city.
Ash and the others saw many trainers and Pokémon practicing as they walked along.
"What are they doing? It doesn't look like battle practice," May asked, puzzled.
"A Pokémon Contest is about to be held here. They must be preparing for it!" Ash explained.
"Huh, a Contest is going to be held here?" May exclaimed in surprise. She had just learned about Contests from Ash, and now she'd stumbled upon one that was about to begin.
"How about we watch the Contest before we leave?" May asked the group. She really wanted to see one.
"I'm fine with that!" Ash was the first to agree. He knew that this Contest was what would put May on her path to becoming a Hoenn Princess.
"I agree!" Seeing that Ash had agreed, Brock and Max didn't object either.
"Yay! Let's go!" ?(′?`)?
Just then, a beautiful butterfly suddenly flew and landed on May's face.
"Ah~ what is that?" May screamed in surprise.
"Big sister, it's a Beautifly!"
Shortly after, the Beautifly's coordinator and her boyfriend arrived.
Ash then took Pikachu to the Contest registration area.
"Hello! I'd like to participate in the Pokémon Contest," Ash said to the staff member.
"Okay, please show me your Contest Pass."
"This is my first time participating, so I don't have a pass yet. Please help me get one."
"Certainly, please insert your Pokédex into the slot below."
Ash put his Pokédex in.
After the process was complete, the staff member handed Ash a pass. "Okay, you're all registered. Here is your pass."
"Ah! Ash, there you are!" At that moment, May, encouraged by Amy, came to register for the Contest and saw Ash.
Brock, Max, and a man and a woman followed behind her.
After introductions, they learned the woman's name was Amy and the man's name was Eiji.
"Hello! I'd like to participate in the Pokémon Contest," May said to the staff member.
"I'm sorry, but we just received a notice from the entrance that the number of participants has been finalized. You won't be able to register, miss," the staff member politely replied.
"What? No way? Registration is closed? I finally worked up the courage... I should have come with Ash earlier." (?﹏?) May said sadly.
"It's okay, May. You just suddenly decided to participate, and you haven't practiced yet! Even if you did participate, it would be hard to win. You can learn from watching first," Brock comforted May. He then turned to Ash. "I can't believe you're entering a Contest, Ash!"
"Yeah! It's a way to enhance my battle style. After all, the Hoenn Champion Wallace is also a Master Coordinator, which shows that Contests have their own merits," Ash explained. And I can get points, Ash thought to himself.
"I see!"
The group then went to the Contest venue, and May decided to be Amy's assistant to experience what it's like. May had originally wanted to be Ash's assistant, but Ash said his performance wouldn't need one, so May chose Amy instead.
Soon, the Contest began. The host said, "Thank you for waiting, everyone..."
"First up, our first contestant."
The contestant sent out a Jynx, and it simply spun a few times in the air, leaving May completely captivated.
"The Pokémon's debut is the most important part. You could say that the first round of judging is all about that one moment. The judges make a comprehensive judgment based on the beauty of the moves, the perfection of the performance, the growth of the Pokémon, and the synergy between the coordinator and their Pokémon. The final scores will be tallied after all the performances," Amy explained thoughtfully.
During the Contest
Next, Eiji entered and performed a show using his Venomoth to control props, earning a high score of 29.5 points.
Then, Amy used Flash, and May threw a frisbee. Beautifly used String Shot to shatter it, then finished with Hidden Power. The sparkling shards of the frisbee highlighted Beautifly's beauty, and Amy successfully earned a perfect score of 30.
After that, Jessie entered under a disguise, but her disorganized performance got her disqualified.
"And now, our final contestant, Mr. Ash!"
"Come on out, Eevee!" "Vui~" Eevee did a somersault and landed gracefully.
"Eevee, a five-shot Shadow Ball!"
Eevee fired five Shadow Balls into the sky at different angles.
"Eevee, Quick Attack! And then Swift to wrap around the Shadow Balls!" Soon, the five Shadow Balls were surrounded by countless stars.
"Eevee, it's time for the finale! Jump up and use Tera Blast!" Eevee leaped into the center of the five Shadow Balls and fired a Tera Blast. The five Shadow Balls exploded in a sequence of dark purple and golden light, and Eevee landed safely in the midst of the sparkling light.
Clap clap clap! "Wow!" Everyone was stunned.
Unsurprisingly, Ash received a perfect score.
"Did Ash really not practice?" May's jaw dropped. It seemed unbelievable.
"We've been with Ash the whole time. When did you see him practice, big sister?" Max replied.
"It looks like he just gave Eevee some instructions right before he started. I can't believe how talented Ash is at Contests, and his teamwork with his Pokémon is so strong!" Brock exclaimed. Ever since Ash arrived in Hoenn, he's changed, becoming more mature and growing faster!
Amy and Eiji stared intently at Ash. They knew he would be a formidable opponent.
"Wow! Ash, you were amazing!" (?) May watched Ash come backstage with adoring eyes.
"Oh, it was nothing! It was just an idea I had, and Eevee's cooperation was the real key!"
"Vui~" Eevee lifted its head proudly. That's right, it was all me.
Among the eight contestants who advanced to the second round, Ash, Amy, and Eiji took the top three spots and advanced directly.
In the second round, all three of them faced regular contestants and easily advanced.
"Yay, they all advanced! But now, Ash has to battle Eiji," May said, first excited and then a little sad.
"There's only one Ribbon. We were bound to face each other eventually. Let's give it our all, Eiji!" Ash said, comforting May.
"Agreed!"
Then, the battle between the two was about to begin!
"Go, Eevee!" "Come on out, Venomoth! Use Stun Spore."
[Venomoth]
[Strength: Early Elite-Level]
A cloud of powder rushed toward them.
"Eevee, use Dig to dodge it." However, a small portion of Ash's points was deducted.
"Venomoth, watch your surroundings! Prepare Psybeam."
"Eevee, Tera Blast!" Just then, Eevee emerged from beneath Venomoth and began to gather Terastal energy.
"What?! Oh no, dodge it!" What a cheater! He's not playing by the rules! Don't people usually appear behind you? Who appears right below the opponent's feet?!
Venomoth was too slow and was hit by the Tera Blast. A huge chunk of Eiji's points was immediately deducted.
"Eevee, Quick Attack, then Double Kick!"
Bang! Venomoth was unable to battle! Eiji's score was marked with an 'X,' showing he was eliminated.
"Venomoth is unable to battle! Eevee wins! The winner is contestant Ash!"
"Congratulations, Ash!" Eiji walked up and congratulated him.
"Thank you!"
The final match would be a showdown between Ash and Amy.
"Now, the Pokémon Contest - Rustboro Tournament finals are about to begin! Our two semi-final winners, Ms. Amy and Mr. Ash, will now battle! The time limit is five minutes, and the final battle begins!"
"Ash, you're very strong, but I won't give up! Go, Beautifly!"
"You're up, Eevee!"
[Beautifly]
[Strength: Mid Elite-Level]
"Beautifly, use Hidden Power!"
The white rings were not only beautiful but also damaging. Before the attack even landed, Ash's points were already slightly deducted.
"Eevee, Tera Blast!" "Vui~"
The Tera Blast move was also very elegant. The crystals that scattered upon impact were incredibly beautiful. Amy also had some points deducted.
The two moves collided, forming beautiful sparks of light.
"Beautifly, use Hurricane!"
"Eevee, Dig!"
"Be careful!"
"Eevee, Iron Tail!" That's right, after a few days of learning, Eevee had finally mastered Iron Tail! The Iron Tail struck Beautifly and knocked it out.
"Eevee, for the final blow, use Swift!"
"The battle is over! The winner is Mr. Ash!"
"Return, Beautifly. You did great," Amy said, recalling Beautifly, then walked up to Ash. "Ash, congratulations! You are truly amazing!"
"Thank you!"
"Now, please welcome our tournament winner, Mr. Ash, to the stage to receive the Rustboro Ribbon!"
"Congratulations! Here is your Ribbon. And since this is your first time competing, this Ribbon Case is a gift for you!"
"Thank you! All right, I got the Rustboro Ribbon!" "Vui~"
[Ding~ You have received the Rustboro Ribbon. Reward: 1000 points.]
"I'm so jealous! Okay, I'm going to compete in Contests from now on, too!" ?((???)) May looked at Ash with an envious expression and decided to become a Pokémon Coordinator.
To be continued...