The next day, due to Janet's intense nervousness, she asked May to train with her. The sensible little girl, Stella, took over the household chores, allowing her mother to focus entirely on tomorrow's Pokémon Contest without worry.
While Janet and May were training, Team Rocket attacked, attempting to steal the two girls' Ribbons so they could enter the R1-level Contest! Fortunately, Ash arrived just in time, sending them blasting off and diffusing the crisis!
Outside the Contest hall, Jessie was angrily tossed out, clutching a giant, ridiculous-looking Ribbon. She was furious, protesting that she was "good at everything," so why couldn't her large Ribbon qualify for the Contest? Meowth and James were utterly embarrassed; they wished she'd at least try to make a fake that looked remotely believable—no Contest ever awarded a Ribbon that huge.
Inside the venue, Ash, May, and Janet were in the waiting area, while Stella, Brock, and Max sat in the audience, awaiting the opening of the Fallarbor Contest!
Vivian took the stage to announce: "Welcome, everyone! This Fallarbor Contest is an R1 level competition, meaning only Coordinators holding one or more Ribbons can participate! As you can imagine, the competition will be fierce and the quality exceptionally high! Now, allow me to introduce your host, myself, Vivian!"
Clap, clap, clap... The audience cheered enthusiastically!
In the waiting room, despite the Mom's Group doting on Ash, May focused on her strategy. She decided to use her two strongest battle-ready Pokémon: Beautifly and Combusken. With the help of Ash and May, Janet slowly managed to overcome her stage fright.
The first round began quickly. "Next up, contestant number 12, May!"
May chose her stage-experienced Beautifly for the first round. Using the newly learned Morning Sun combined with Silver Wind, her polished performance earned her a high score of 28 points!
Next was Ash. "I choose you! Beautifly!" "Woo~"
Ash's Shiny Beautifly appeared, immediately scattering glittering Stun Spore. Its natural charisma alone, without overly flashy movements, won over the audience immediately!
"Beautifly, start with Safeguard and Quiver Dance!" "Woo~" A magical, protective aura surrounded Beautifly as it performed a light, elegant dance!
"Wow! Beautifly's dance is absolutely superb!" Vivian commented.
"Beautifly, time for the finale! Use Attract followed by Air Slash!" Beautifly's Attract generated floating hearts, and then it used its wings to unleash several Air Slashes, slicing the hearts into sparkling fragments that drifted down!
Ash's final score was 29.8 points, taking the current lead!
Next, Janet performed. Although she was extremely nervous before the contest, her performance with Flareon was smooth and seamless, securing her a high score as well!
The last major contestant was Drew. He sent out his trusty Roselia, whose solid and consistent performance also netted a high score!
The first round of judging officially ended, and Ash, May, Janet, and Drew all successfully advanced to the Secondary Review—the five-minute Contest Battles!
The Secondary Review: Battle Rounds
Naturally, the second round was a four-way tournament! The matchups were May vs. Janet and Ash vs. Drew!
Match 1: May vs. Janet
Combusken vs. Lairon! May took the battle seriously, and her Combusken, performing on stage for the first time, gave 200% of its effort. Although Lairon was generally stronger than Combusken, it had a fatal 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves!
"Combusken, use Sky Uppercut!" The clock was ticking down to the final seconds, and both May and Janet launched their last-ditch attacks!
"Lairon, a full-power Metal Claw!" CRASH! Time was up. In this friendly first-round match, May won by a narrow margin of points!
Seeing Janet lose, the village's hope was gone, and the Mom's Group looked utterly disappointed.
Match 2: Ash vs. Drew
Bayleef vs. Masquerain! Masquerain's level was low, only Elite - Mid Stage, making this match easy for Bayleef, which was nearing Gym Leader - Mid Stage!
"Ash! I finally get to battle you!" Drew looked eagerly at Ash. He had long wanted a chance to compete against Ash, but the opportunity hadn't presented itself until now!
Ash looked slightly apologetic towards Drew, as the level difference was too great. "Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!"
"Bay!" Bayleef fired a barrage of leaf blades toward Masquerain. "Masquerain, Agility!"
Masquerain swiftly and elegantly avoided all the blades. "Use Ice Beam!" Ash's point meter began to drop!
Masquerain condensed an icy-blue beam. "Bayleef, Ancient Power!"
"What?!" Drew was shocked, not expecting Bayleef to know a Rock-type move!
The Ice Beam and the brown energy of Ancient Power collided. BOOM!!! Under Bayleef's superior level, Ancient Power shattered the Ice Beam and struck Masquerain, knocking it out instantly!
The three judges immediately raised their 'X' signs. Drew was eliminated!
The Final Showdown
The Grand Finale was set: May vs. Ash!
"It's my sister against Ash again, sigh~" Max sighed. He didn't know who to root for, but he knew his sister was bound to lose!
"Let's cheer for both of them!" Brock replied. "Pika" "Eevee"
"Come on, Ash! I absolutely won't lose this time! Combusken, take the stage!" "Chamo~"
"Bayleef, I choose you!" "Bay!"
It was the Hoenn Fire-type starter's second evolution against the Johto Grass-type starter's second evolution!
"Combusken, Fire Spin!" May had Combusken use the Fire-type move it recently learned—Fire Spin!
A huge vortex of fire rushed toward Bayleef. "Bayleef, Light Screen!" Four reflective light barriers appeared around Bayleef, blocking the Fire Spin! May's score began to drop.
"Bayleef, Ancient Power!" "Combusken, Flamethrower!" CRASH! When the smoke cleared, Combusken burst forward. May smiled. "Good job, Combusken! Sky Uppercut!"
Ash smiled slightly. "Bayleef, use Grass Knot!" Combusken, charging toward Bayleef, was immediately tripped and fell to the ground! May's score dropped again!
"Wow! An unexpected Grass Knot trips the charging Combusken! May's score has fallen drastically; can she still turn the tide?"
May took a deep breath. "Combusken, use Flame Charge and spin!"
Combusken spun rapidly around Bayleef, forming a circle of fire that enveloped Bayleef!
"Just like that, Flamethrower!" Flames attacked from all directions, making Bayleef the center of a huge fiery wheel. Ash's score began to drop!
"Wow! May's 'fire wheel' tactic is both gorgeous and powerful, leaving Bayleef no place to hide! How will Ash respond?"
"May, that's a good idea! But... Bayleef, Safeguard and Swords Dance!"
A magical, protective light surrounded Bayleef in the center of the stage, shielding it from the heat. Bayleef's spinning Swords Dance attack shredded all the surrounding flames! May's score dropped dramatically, leaving her with barely any points left!
"The deadlock is broken! Is the outcome decided?! May's score is almost zero!"
"I don't care! Combusken, go!" "Chamo~" Combusken leaped into the air, fire condensing on its right foot as it aimed a kick at Bayleef!
"Blaze Kick! Did it learn a new move? Bayleef, go! Use Rock Smash!"
Though Combusken did not lose the ability to battle, May's score was entirely depleted when the clock ran out!
"The victor is decided! The winner of the Fallarbor Contest is Ash!"
Clap, clap, clap! The audience cheered, giving a warm round of applause.
Ash accepted the Fallarbor Ribbon, needing only one more to qualify for the Grand Festival!
After a celebratory dinner at Janet's house, Ash and his friends set off on their journey early the next morning!