Ash and Aipom!

"The battle is over! Since both of Harley's Pokémon are unable to continue, the winner of this Contest Battle is… May!"

Lilian, momentarily stunned, quickly snapped back to reality and announced the result.

Deep inside, she let out a sigh of relief. After all, she had always been particularly impressed with May and her dazzling performances in the Hoenn region.

She truly enjoyed watching May's elegant and strategic approach to Pokémon Contests.

The giant screen shifted its focus to the panel of judges.

There was no doubt about it—May and Harley's battle had been captivating from the start. The way May built her strategy, even allowing her score to drop initially, only to turn the tide at the last moment, was nothing short of spectacular.

"That was a truly brilliant performance battle!"

"Despite being a double battle, May's defensive setup at the beginning wasn't just for show—it set the stage for a grand finish! Even when she lost points early on, she turned everything around in a single, decisive strike. And that final touch— Wartortle's Hydro Pump creating a rainbow in the sky—was simply breathtaking!"

"In terms of battle tactics, Pokémon strength, and sheer visual appeal, this was a performance worth remembering."

"Oh my, I love this! Absolutely love it!"

"You can tell that both Kirlia and Wartortle trust May completely. This was an amazing contest match—keep up the great work!"

The judges' feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Harley was frozen in disbelief.

"I lost again... Again?!"

Dropping to a crouch, he buried his face in his hands, unable to accept reality.

Losing to May once was humiliating enough—but twice?! And at a prestigious Kanto Grand Festival event?!

No matter how much he hated it, the fact remained—he had lost!

Contest Waiting Room

Drew and Solidad had been watching the entire battle from the waiting area.

"May and this Harley guy… They seem to have some kind of rivalry?" Solidad asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Drew nodded.

To be honest, he was starting to feel the pressure.

For the longest time, he had always believed that May was trailing behind him—both in Pokémon battle prowess and in the art of Contest performances.

But now?

Her progress was nothing short of phenomenal.

She wasn't just catching up—she was at the brink of surpassing him.

"With May at this level, she's really becoming a force to be reckoned with," Solidad remarked. "Drew, we'll need to step up our game as well."

Hearing that, Drew took a deep breath and walked out.

His match was coming up next.

Drew's opponent used Medicham and Exploud, while Drew sent out Masquerain and Roselia.

With an elegant and seamless blend of moves, Drew managed to leave the audience in awe, completely outmaneuvering his opponent and knocking out both Pokémon.

With that, Drew secured his spot in the Top 8.

Afterward, it was Solidad's turn to battle.

She sent out Slowbro and Lapras, facing off against an opponent who used Girafarig and Zangoose.

The match ended in spectacular fashion—Lapras' Ice Beam froze the battlefield, and Slowbro shattered the ice with a powerful Hyper Beam, sealing the victory.

Solidad, too, advanced to the Top 8.

With the rest of the battles wrapping up, the day's contest matches finally came to an end.

Outside the Contest Hall

May walked out of the waiting room, where Misty, Anabel, Brock, and Lucy were eagerly waiting for her in the audience stands.

"May, that was incredible! You took down Harley like a pro!"

"Yeah! That was amazing!"

But while they were all celebrating, May's eyes darted around.

Something was missing.

"…Wait a minute. Where's Ash? And Pikachu?"

At the mention of Ash and Pikachu, the group suddenly remembered.

Brock quickly explained, "Just as the contest battle started, an Aipom showed up out of nowhere and tried to steal Ash's hat! Ash caught it in time, but since your match had already ended, he and Pikachu went after it. Let's go find them!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

However, Anabel chuckled softly. "You don't have to worry too much. That Aipom looked really excited watching the Contest battles. I think it actually challenged Ash on its own."

That made sense—Anabel had the rare ability to understand Pokémon's emotions.

Still, if a wild Pokémon had voluntarily challenged Ash to a battle, that was definitely something worth seeing!

Outside the Indigo Plateau's Contest Hall

As they stepped outside, a large crowd had gathered near the entrance.

People were cheering and watching something exciting unfold.

"Whoa! That was awesome!"

"Yeah, perfect timing!"

"That Aipom is pretty good!"

In the middle of the crowd, Ash and Pikachu were facing off against the Aipom.

"If you want to battle, then I won't hold back! Pikachu, let's do this!"

"Pika!!"

The wild Aipom was only at Level 25, which was actually impressive for a wild Pokémon.

Come to think of it, in the original timeline, this Aipom eventually followed Dawn because it loved Pokémon Contests.

Maybe this one would still do the same?

Or maybe… Dawn would meet a different Aipom altogether?

That was something to think about later.

For now, Ash quickly checked its potential—this Aipom had Red-tier talent, meaning it was strong enough to be on par with the main Pokémon of Gym Leaders!

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Pika!"

With a flash of lightning speed, Pikachu rushed forward and struck Aipom before it could react.

"Waaah?!"

Aipom was sent flying but quickly retaliated, swinging its hand-like tail to launch a Swift attack!

Ash didn't order Pikachu to dodge—the level gap was simply too big.

Pikachu took the Swift attack with barely any damage.

"Alright, Pikachu—Thunderbolt! But tone it down a bit!"

"Piii… KAAA!!"

Even though Pikachu held back, the difference in power was overwhelming.

With a single jolt, Aipom collapsed, unable to battle.

Ash wasted no time. He took out a Pokéball and tossed it.

The ball barely wobbled before it clicked shut.

Capture complete!

"Nice! I caught an Aipom!"

"Pika-pikachu!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

As May and the others arrived, they smiled at the scene.

(Author's Note)

PS: Rewatching the Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea movie. If you've forgotten the plot, feel free to rewatch it too! →_→

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