Harley's very good performance put some pressure on May.
However, sometimes pressure helps a person. Seeing a strong opponent can make a person work harder and find more strength.
Harley started the Saffron Contest very well. After he left the stage, other contestants performed. But their performances were not very good. This happened because they were worried about Harley. Their scores were low.
Ash and his friends did not expect this. No one thought that Harley would lead the competition!
This was only the first round. But it was clear that Harley had a lot of momentum. He was very prepared for this contest.
Contestants went up, performed, and left the stage.
Time passed. The atmosphere of the Saffron Contest became very exciting. More than half of the first round was finished. There were not many performers left.
May was the very last performer. This gave her more time to prepare. But she became more nervous as she watched the other contestants.
Luckily, May's mind was strong. Natsui was with her. She was a bit nervous, but that was a normal feeling. It did not hurt her.
In this atmosphere, another contestant left the stage. A woman with purple hair walked onto the stage. She wore a red dress and glasses shaped like butterflies.
Lilian called her the Fairy Jessiebella. But Natsui recognized her immediately. It was Jessie from Team Rocket!
So Jessie came to join the contest too.
Natsui was a bit surprised. But he knew Jessie's personality, so it was not very strange.
He thought about stopping her.
But Natsui did not want to interfere. Also, he liked the Team Rocket trio. He thought Jessie's performance would be fun to watch. He wanted to see what she could do.
The performance began, and Jessie released her Pokémon.
But the Pokémon was not hers. It was James's Cacnea!
James caught this Cacnea in a forest near Rustboro City in the Hoenn region. It had been with Team Rocket for a long time.
It looked like a round cactus or a green jack-o'-lantern. It was small. It had a golden flower on its head and spikes on its body. It looked a bit silly and not very strong. But its next form was Harley's Pokémon, Cacturne!
Natsui did not know much about this species. But he could guess its power by looking at it.
Jessie and Cacnea looked at each other.
People waited for a beautiful move. Instead, Jessie and Cacnea ran toward each other. They hugged tightly.
The audience was shocked.
They did not expect such a simple move!
Also, Cacnea had very sharp spikes. But Jessie hugged it anyway. She used her physical strength to ignore the pain!
This was a performance style that no one had ever seen before.
People felt pain for Jessie. No one knew why she did this.
But the host, Lilian, started to shout. Tears were on her face.
"This is so moving!" Lilian said.
"This is love! It is love and peace! The beautiful, heartbreaking, and touching hug has worked!"
The audience finally understood. They thought the hug was special and emotional.
People began to imagine many stories. They cried like Lilian. They felt very emotional. The spotlight hit Jessie and Cacnea. It made the scene look even better!
Even May and Ash felt the bond between Jessie and Cacnea. They were also emotional.
In the whole stadium, only Natsui did not show any emotion.
He did not understand. He thought she was just stuck because of the spikes. Why did these people imagine so much?
He looked at the three judges. They were smiling and clapping!
Natsui could not understand this.
Lilian and the judges were professionals. They should see Jessie's problem. But they were acting like this instead.
Suddenly, Natsui saw the problem.
He realized why he did not like participating in a Pokémon Contest.
He was a rational person. This helped him in Pokémon battles. He did not show weakness. He could find an opponent's mistakes and win.
But a Pokémon Contest needs emotion. A person needs to feel beauty from the Coordinator and the Pokémon. One needs to feel a special mood. Natsui did not have this.
This was why everyone else felt something from Jessie's performance.
So, Jessie's mistake actually became a success!
He wondered if she was a genius.
Jessie's performance was not over.
She ignored the pain from the spikes and started her next move.
While they hugged, Cacnea used Pin Missile. Cacnea guided the needles. They flew into the air and hit each other. They exploded into colorful light. The light fell like stars around Jessie and Cacnea. Jessie looked like a fairy descending to the stage!
The audience was amazed.
"So amazing..."
Natsui heard May's voice.
Natsui looked at her. May was watching the screen seriously. She said, "It seems it's not just Harley. This person is also a difficult opponent!"
Natsui: "..."
May did not know it was Jessie. She thought Jessiebella was a very strong Coordinator!
Natsui thought for a moment. He decided not to tell her the truth.
He knew Team Rocket would make a mistake eventually. Why should he say anything?
For now, he would let May feel the pressure.
Maybe this pressure would make her better!
As expected, Jessie finished the first round with a very high score. This score was higher than Harley's. She had the highest score in the stadium!
Natsui looked up at the ceiling.
He thought the result was strange but also made sense.
When Jessie was serious, she was actually good!
When Jessie left the stage, something happened.
Jessie could not move because she was stuck to the spikes. The medical staff had to use a stretcher to carry her away!
This accident did not change the result. Instead, the audience thought Jessie was very serious about her work.
The clapping and cheers became louder!
After Jessie left, it was finally May's turn.
"Good luck." Natsui said to May in the waiting hall. "I believe you can do it. Just show the results of your usual training."
"Don't worry, I'll do my best!"
May gave Natsui a sweet smile and stood up. She stopped worrying and walked to the stage.
Soon, May appeared on the stage.
Natsui watched her on the big screen. She looked relaxed and confident. Natsui wanted to see the results of her training.
Natsui felt a bit irresponsible. He did not know which Pokémon May was using or what her plan was. He felt bad as a friend. Last night, he knew May was going to compete. But he left her to go on a date with Sabrina. He did not seem reliable.
But he wanted to see Sabrina. He could only help May more in the future to make up for it.
May was a nice girl and did not mind. This made Natsui feel even more embarrassed.
That was why he helped her so much today and worked hard on the preparations.
Lilian introduced May's name and history. Then the performance began.
May brought Squirtle onto the stage. But she did not try a new style in the first round. She sent out her Combusken.
She wanted Squirtle to learn about these performances. Natsui saw that she had grown a lot.
Combusken landed in the center of the stage. May threw her bandana. Combusken used Fire Spin and then Sky Uppercut. The hot air blew the bandana high into the air. Combusken jumped into the air. With another Sky Uppercut, it hit the bandana back onto May's head.
Finally, May and Combusken jumped to the center of the stage for a finale.
May's performance was finished.
Natsui thought about it. The performance was fast and strong. It showed Combusken's charm. But it was "cool" rather than "beautiful." It felt a bit simple.
Combusken is a Fire and Fighting-type Pokémon. It is not a "beautiful" Pokémon. But May's style was very similar to Ash's style.
This style was cool, but it did not have much variety. It might be hard to get a high score that way. May's future might not be easy.
But the audience liked the cool performance. The three judges gave it a good score.
Natsui thought about the results.
May's score was not the highest. But it was better than most. She should advance to the next round.
He was right. The big screen showed the eight winners.
May was in 7th place. She made it to the next round.
Jessie and Harley were the top two. They also advanced.
This was good news for May. She had taken a big step forward. She was not in last place. She moved up to 7th!
The contestants who did not win were sad. But the winners had no time to be happy. They had to go back and compete again.
The rules were like the ones in the Hoenn region. The second round was a Contest Battle. In Kanto, you could use two different Pokémon!
One Pokémon could perform, and the other could battle. This was better for the audience.
The audience was happy.
"Everyone, we are going to continue!" Lilian came to the center of the stage with a smile. She pointed toward the big screen. "But before that, let's look at the grouping for the first match of the second round!"