Chapter 379: Ring Tournament
After receiving the Ribbon from the Changshou Tournament, Ash found May outside the venue, reviewing the performance with Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur, are you okay?"
May regretted not noticing Bulbasaur's issues sooner.
"Da-ne~"
Bulbasaur shook its head.
"I'm sorry, I was too arrogant. It's because I wasn't mature enough that I let you..."
"Da-ne, da-ne..."
Seeing May feeling down, Bulbasaur couldn't help but comfort her.
"May, it seems you've already realized your mistake," Ash said.
"Yeah!" May nodded and asked, "Ash, actually, you guys knew from the beginning that I would lose today, right?"
"Some failures need to be experienced personally to leave a deep impression. May, things have been too smooth for you. Getting too carried away will lead to trouble. What do you think?" Ash said earnestly.
"I..."
Upon careful reflection, May realized that after arriving at Changshou Town, she had indeed become a bit conceited after hearing a few compliments.
"Alright, look forward. The past is in the past, and there's no point in dwelling on it. Truly remembering the reason for today's failure and striving not to make the same mistake in the future is what matters."
"Ash... I understand now. Thank you!" May said, cheering up again.
...
After saying goodbye to Tsukiko and Hoshika in Changshou Town, Ash's group continued their journey toward Viridian City.
After experiencing the incident with the Spoink's pearl, the group arrived at a town called Yokoto Town.
"Ahead is Yokoto Town, known as the Crossroads of Wind," Brock said.
"Crossroads of Wind?"
May curiously looked at the town in the distance.
A gentle breeze blew across their faces.
"Wow, it's true! The wind here feels so comfortable!" May exclaimed.
"Chiu-chiu..."
A Swablu flew over from not far away, carrying a strange ring in its beak.
"That is... a Swablu," Brock said.
"As expected, Swablu is cute no matter how you look at it!"
Even though it wasn't her own Swablu, May's affection for the Pokemon didn't diminish in the slightest.
Suddenly, the wind direction changed, and the wind force increased sharply. The Swablu flying in the sky instantly lost its balance due to the strong wind, and it looked like it was about to crash.
Ash quickly released his Swellow to perform a rescue.
"Swablu!"
Just after rescuing the Swablu, a boy arrived, looking very anxious.
Upon seeing the boy, the Swablu immediately rushed into his arms. This reaction confirmed to Ash and the others that he was the Trainer of this Swablu.
"Thank you for saving it. My name is Kate!" the boy said.
"I am from Pallet Town..."
Ash and the others introduced themselves one after another, while Latias, who only had eyes for Ash, didn't react to this, only nodding friendly in response to Kate.
After some conversation, Ash learned what the Swablu had been doing just now.
Yokoto Town was holding a Pokemon Ring Tournament in the afternoon, and Kate was training his newly caught Swablu.
Hearing that there was a competition in Yokoto Town, Ash and May immediately expressed their desire to participate.
Ash would naturally be competing with Swellow, while May planned to send out the Swablu she had previously caught.
After all, since catching it, May hadn't used the Swablu in any matches yet, so getting used to the arena in advance was a good thing, to avoid any similar incidents like Bulbasaur's stage fright.
Because it was a small town-level competition, the registration process was simple. Not long after Ash and May registered, it was time for the match.
While registering, the two also saw James from Team Rockets was also going to participate.
As the competition opened, the huge computer screen first displayed photos of past Champions and their Pokemon, and then the groups for the competition were decided.
Ash's luck was average; in the first round, he wasn't grouped with May, Kate, or James, but he was grouped with a so-called favorite to win.
Due to the large number of participants, the first two rounds were 4-person group competitions.
However, it was a bit troublesome for May, as she was grouped with James.
The first to compete was Kate, who was assigned to Zone A.
Relying on his knowledge of the wind direction, Kate commanded Swablu to easily win the first match.
The second match was Ash's turn to compete. His opponents included the favorite, Volt, and his Volbeat, as well as passersby Trainers using Golbat and Ninjask.
As the Host announced the start of the match, the four simultaneously released their Pokemon.
"Hmph, Swellow, Golbat, and Ninjask? A bunch of small fries. Volbeat, use Thunder to knock them down!"
This Volt clearly intended to take out the other contestants first and then capture the ring to complete the task.
Ash felt very disdainful of this clownish behavior. "Swellow, ignore him, use Agility!"
"Swellow!"
Swellow went full speed, turning into a streak of white light, grabbed the ring, and headed straight for the tower to hang it.
When Volt saw this scene, it was already too late to stop it.
Swellow's speed was like lightning; his Volbeat couldn't catch up at all.
Thus, Ash won this match.
As the competition progressed, the final match soon began.
James, using Jessie's Dustox, and May, sending out Swablu, competed for the qualifying spot against two other Trainers using Crobat and Jumpluff.
As soon as the match started, May commanded Swablu to use Quick Attack to grab the ring. However, James waited for the opportunity and used Psybeam to snatch the ring from Swablu's mouth.
Enraged, May commanded Swablu to use Hurricane in an attempt to disrupt Dustox's balance. However, James had been trained by professional mentors and commanded Dustox to perform a ride-the-wind maneuver, completely sealing the victory.
This move completely stunned May.
As the rounds progressed, they quickly reached the semi-finals. After Ash defeated a passerby Trainer, he successfully advanced to the finals, while the other finalist spot would be decided between James and Kate.
At the start of their match, both chose to hold their ground. They spent eight or nine minutes waiting, with both of them relying on the movement of the clouds to judge the wind direction.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew up from under the balloon hanging the ring, and both of them gave action commands almost simultaneously.
The next moment, the sudden change in the clouds made James call a halt to Dustox. Just when Kate thought James was giving up, the clouds that had been obscuring the sun were blown away, and the blinding sunlight shone directly into Swablu's eyes.
"Dustox, now, use Tackle!"
Dustox received the command, flapped its wings, climbed sharply, and directly bumped into Swablu's rear, then grabbed the ring and rushed to the finish line, securing the last ticket to the finals.
At the moment of the finals, both sides were old opponents.
James initiated the attack first: "Dustox, use Psybeam!"
"Swellow, use Quick Attack."
The Psybeam shot straight at Swellow. After Swellow completed an evasive maneuver at a higher altitude, it went full speed and bumped Dustox back head-on.
Ash said: "Very good, Swellow, go and get the ring!"
"Hmph, Dustox, don't lose to the Ash's Swellow! We're going to grab the ring too!" James said, refusing to be outdone.
Both Pokemon burst out at their fastest speed towards the ring. Just as they were less than five meters away from the ring, a strong wind suddenly rose, kicking up sand and dust to form a sandstorm, enveloping the ring in the eye of the wind.
"Dustox, wait for the wind to disperse and then go grab the ring immediately!" James chose to play it safe.
"Swellow, use Brave Bird and charge in!"
"Nani?!"
Ash's choice left James completely dumbfounded.
Swellow was a good boy. Upon hearing Ash's command, it activated Brave Bird. Like a sharp arrow, it easily pierced through the sandstorm and held the ring in its beak.
After getting the ring, Swellow descended at high speed and flew towards the finish line.
Its speed was so fast that it made James despair.
The Host announced: "It's here! The winner of this year's Ring Tournament is Ash! Congratulations to Ash for becoming the 121st Honorary Citizen of our Yokoto Town!"
"Teacher, I have failed your teachings, I am sorry!"
James looked up to the sky and wailed loudly.
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