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The moment the battle began, May eagerly issued her command.
"Beautifly, use Tackle!"
Riding the wind, Beautifly surged forward. After a smooth aerial glide, it charged straight toward Taillow. Behind it, shimmering scales scattered from its wings, catching the sunlight and forming a long, sparkling trail in the air.
This was a trait unique to butterfly Pokémon. During intense flight, almost all of them shed glittering powder, creating a beautiful and eye-catching spectacle.
"Taillow, dodge it!" Ash called out.
A straightforward attack like that wasn't easy to land on a fellow Flying-type. At Ash's command, Taillow twisted its body midair and slipped past the charge with ease.
And Ash didn't stop there.
"Counter with Tackle!"
Taillow immediately dove back in, returning the favor with the same move.
But just as Taillow had dodged moments earlier, Beautifly wasn't about to be hit so easily either.
At the instant Taillow closed in, Beautifly tilted its body slightly and narrowly avoided the strike, causing May to let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
After all, she hadn't been a Trainer for long. Compared to Kai or even to Ash she still couldn't remain calm when her Pokémon was under attack. Her emotions rose and fell with every movement Beautifly made.
Still, under pressure, May showed the instincts she'd developed as a Gym Leader's daughter.
"Beautifly, use String Shot!"
Beautifly's long, needle-like mouth snapped forward, and thick strands of silk shot out at once. Almost as if guided by an unseen hand, the threads wrapped tightly around Taillow's wings in an instant!
The onlookers' eyes lit up especially Max's.
"Nice timing, sis!" he blurted out.
With its wings bound, Taillow couldn't fly freely. Its small body made it difficult to break free through brute force alone, and thanks to the silk supporting it, it didn't immediately fall to the ground.
Against an ordinary Trainer, this surprise tactic would've caused real trouble.
Unfortunately for May, her opponent was Ash someone known for his unconventional thinking.
"Taillow! Look for an opening and break free!" Ash shouted.
Taillow darted back and forth within the webbing, never allowing the silk to fully tighten around it. Beautifly struggled to secure the bind completely.
As the situation dragged on, May's nerves began to fray.
She wanted to change things, but with her limited experience, she couldn't immediately figure out how. Just as panic started to set in, inspiration struck.
"Beautifly, use Gust!"
Beautifly beat its wings powerfully, unleashing a strong wind mixed with countless shimmering scales. The blast snapped the silk threads apart and sent Taillow hurtling downward.
Taillow slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.
"Nice one!" Kai and Misty cheered at the same time, their excitement making it obvious which side they were rooting for.
Ash didn't have the luxury of reacting to their bias. His eyes were fixed entirely on Taillow.
"Taillow! Hang in there!" he called out urgently.
Whether it was Ash's voice reaching it or the cushioning effect of the remaining silk Taillow slowly opened its eyes.
"Yes!" Ash's face lit up. "Now cut through those threads!"
Just moments ago, May had been thrilled, convinced she was on the verge of winning. But seeing Taillow struggle back to its feet, panic rushed in again.
"Use Silver Wind!"
At those words, Kai raised an eyebrow, already sensing trouble.
Earlier, Misty had mentioned that Beautifly had attempted Silver Wind many times before with nothing but failures to show for it.
Betting on an unfinished move at such a critical moment was practically handing the opponent an opening.
And just as Kai expected, Silver Wind failed again.
Beautifly beat its wings desperately, but the wind it generated dispersed almost immediately in midair.
That was all Taillow needed.
Breaking free from the remaining silk, it shot back into the sky and struck Beautifly with a powerful Wing Attack, sending it crashing to the ground.
Beautifly lay motionless completely knocked out.
Kai couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
May had been this close to earning the classic achievement: defeating Ash as a rookie Trainer.
Kai and Misty stood up and walked over, about to say something—
When a voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
"Not bad at all. With skills like that, entering a Pokémon Contest shouldn't be a problem."
It was a man's voice, close by.
The group turned around to see a man in his early thirties walking toward them, clapping his hands. He wore traditional clothing and had a white headband tied around his head.
"Ah—thank you…" May replied shyly, smiling. "I still have a long way to go. You're being too kind—"
Before she could finish, the man walked right past her and stopped in front of Ash.
May:?
The man patted Ash on the shoulder and said with a grin, "That Taillow of yours performed wonderfully. You're here to participate in the Contest too, right?"
…Huh?
May froze.
So he hadn't been praising her at all he'd been complimenting Ash?!
Even Ash was caught off guard. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Uh… actually, you've got it wrong. It's the girl in front of me who's entering the Contest."
Only then did the man realize his mistake. He turned back toward May.
May nodded awkwardly. "Y-Yes… I'm the one competing."
"I see my apologies." The man laughed it off without any embarrassment. "Your Beautifly did very well too. But I can tell you and your Pokémon haven't competed in this kind of event before, have you? You're both pretty nervous."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!