Although the official results were supposed to be announced only after all contestants had finished performing, most of the Top Ten qualifiers were already obvious.
After each Pokémon completed its showcase, its vote total remained displayed on the large scoreboard.
While the rankings themselves weren't sorted, many contestants had been recording the scores on their phones and arranging them manually.
As a result, everyone already had a fairly clear picture of the standings.
And just as expected—
When the final four performances concluded and the official rankings were displayed, there were almost no surprises.
The qualifying positions remained largely unchanged.
Ash's shiny Feebas, Lumina, and Clarissa's shiny Magikarp both occupied first place with perfect scores of 5,000 votes.
Misty's Marill followed closely behind with an incredible 4,993 votes, firmly securing second place.
The remaining Top Ten contestants were almost identical to the rankings everyone had calculated earlier.
No dark horse emerged.
No miraculous upset occurred.
Everything unfolded exactly as predicted.
…
By the time the third-round semifinals concluded, it was already six o'clock in the evening.
The event organizers arranged a one-hour dinner break before the finals.
After finishing dinner at the tournament restaurant, everyone spent some time relaxing.
Some chatted.
Some walked around with their Pokémon.
Others simply enjoyed the brief respite.
After all, the semifinals had eliminated thirty contestants in one sweep.
Out of forty participants, only ten remained.
The championship match would begin soon.
And by tonight—
The winner would be decided.
…
While resting in the lounge, Ash suddenly turned toward Clarissa.
"By the way, Clarissa."
"After the Cerulean Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Contest ends and we return to Viridian City, how about I take you into Viridian Forest to catch a new Pokémon?"
"Have you thought about the Pokémon I recommended before?"
Ash asked.
At their current age, trainers shouldn't own too many Pokémon.
Too many partners would spread their attention too thin.
But having too few Pokémon wasn't ideal either.
That would simply waste valuable resources and opportunities.
Clarissa's starter Pokémon, Happiny, had already evolved into Chansey.
It was definitely time for her to expand her team.
…
Among their friend group, everyone already had a respectable lineup.
Ash had six Pokémon:
Pikachu
Frogadier
Pidgeot
Fearow
Shiny Magikarp (Valor)
Shiny Feebas (Lumina)
Gary had four:
Wartortle
Umbreon
Magikarp
Fletchling
Misty had three:
Staryu
Marill
Magikarp
Green had two:
Dedenne
Flabébé
Serena had two:
Braixen
Cleffa
Trevor had two:
Charmeleon
Sandshrew
Shauna had two:
Bulbasaur
Caterpie
Tierno had two:
Wartortle
Poliwag
As the eldest daughter of the Kanto Joy Family and its future heir, Clarissa naturally couldn't fall too far behind everyone else when it came to Pokémon training.
Not only because of her status.
But also because she possessed access to tremendous resources.
Letting those resources go unused would simply be a waste.
…
Clarissa nodded thoughtfully.
"Mmm…"
"I've actually been thinking seriously about this ever since you mentioned it, Ash."
"I agree that it's time for me to catch another Pokémon."
"Since I'll be traveling with you in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to catch Pokémon from other regions."
"So I'm not in any hurry."
"Instead, I think many Pokémon native to Kanto are worth raising."
She paused before smiling.
"The Pokémon you recommended before—Oddish and Paras—I really like both of them."
"And since Viridian Forest has plenty of Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon nearby…"
"If possible, I'd like to start by catching either an Oddish or a Paras."
"Would that be alright?"
She looked at Ash expectantly.
…
"Of course."
Ash nodded immediately.
"Oddish is an excellent choice."
"As a Grass-type Pokémon, it can learn Aromatherapy."
"And once it evolves into Gloom, its nectar can help relieve paralysis."
"Eventually, if it evolves into Bellossom using a Sun Stone, it can even gain the Healer Ability."
"From start to finish, the entire evolutionary line possesses strong healing potential."
"It's an incredibly worthwhile Pokémon to raise."
"Once this contest is over and we return to Viridian City, I'll take you into Viridian Forest to catch an Oddish."
Ash smiled.
He had always been attentive toward the people around him.
Especially Clarissa.
After all, she was one of the people closest to him.
"Mhm!"
Clarissa nodded obediently, clearly pleased.
However—
At the side, Misty's expression suddenly became rather strange.
There was unmistakable fear in her eyes.
"W-Wait a second…"
"You're seriously planning to catch a Bug-type Pokémon?"
Misty stared at Clarissa in disbelief.
"I think you should reconsider."
"Personally, I highly recommend Water-types instead!"
"Water-type Pokémon are adorable!"
"And the move Life Dew is amazing."
"It's fantastic for healing injuries and especially effective against burns."
Unable to resist, Misty immediately began promoting Water-types.
Clarissa giggled.
"Mhm, Ash already told me about Life Dew."
"But Bug-types are great too."
"Especially Paras."
"The spores it produces are incredibly valuable medicinal ingredients."
"And the mushrooms it grows are highly nutritious."
"They're perfect for preparing meals for recovering patients."
"One day, I definitely want to raise a Paras."
A bright smile spread across her face.
…
Unfortunately—
That smile looked completely different from Misty's perspective.
To someone who was terrified of Bug-type Pokémon…
Clarissa's expression might as well have belonged to a devil.
"Eek…"
Misty shivered involuntarily.
Just imagining herself traveling alongside Bug-types in the future made her skin crawl.
"Hm?"
Clarissa tilted her head in confusion.
Seeing Misty's reaction, she couldn't understand what was happening.
Ash sighed helplessly.
"Clarissa, you don't know this."
"Misty is absolutely terrified of Bug-type Pokémon."
"WHAT?!"
Clarissa stared at Misty in shock.
Misty immediately looked embarrassed.
…
Ash shook his head and spoke seriously.
"Misty."
"Everyone has things they're afraid of."
"That's perfectly normal."
"But as a professional Pokémon Trainer, you need to overcome those fears as much as possible."
"You're the Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym."
"What happens if challengers learn about this weakness?"
"What if they all start bringing Bug-type Pokémon to challenge you?"
"Would you be too scared to battle?"
"Would you just hand out Gym Badges for free?"
Misty immediately imagined the scene.
A line of Bug Catchers standing outside Cerulean Gym.
Each one carrying six Bug-types.
Her face turned pale.
Ash continued mercilessly.
"And don't forget."
"Your dream is to become the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Master."
"What happens after you achieve that dream?"
"What if people discover that the world's strongest Water-type Trainer is afraid of Bug Pokémon?"
"At that point, you won't just embarrass yourself."
"You'll embarrass every Water-type Pokémon."
"People will start saying things like…"
'Water-types are weak.'
'Water-types are inferior to Bug-types.'
'Even the world's best Water Trainer is afraid of Bugs.'
"You don't want that to happen, do you?"
Ash asked.
Misty immediately shook her head.
"Of course not!"
Her expression became serious.
Clearly—
The thought of bringing shame upon Water-type Pokémon was far more terrifying to her than the bugs themselves.
And for the first time—
Misty found herself wondering whether it was finally time to confront the fear she had been running from for so long.