"Go, Beautifly!" "Woo~" May's Beautifly was seriously practicing Quiver Dance alongside Ash's Beautifly.
The two butterflies danced elegantly, attracting onlookers and Pokémon along the path.
Just then, a well-dressed couple approached Ash and his friends. "Excuse us, are these two Beautifly yours? Their Quiver Dance is truly fantastic!"
"They belong to me and Ash!" May replied. "Thank you! Hello, my name is May!"
"My name is Oscar!" "And mine is Andrew!"
"Hello! I'm Ash from Pallet Town!" "Pika" "Eevee"
"I'm Max!"
Brock, his eyes turning to hearts for Andrew's girlfriend, stepped forward. "Your humble servant is Brock!" Bang! Spinda dashed out and restrained Brock!
"We admire the affection between you two, and we have a favor to ask: please accept our challenge!" the couple said in perfect unison, their thoughts aligned.
"Our affection?" May pointed to herself, then to Ash, confused.
"Alright! We accept the challenge!" Ash immediately agreed.
May's mind raced, filling in a long series of romantic assumptions, though Ash was merely interested in a battle.
"Huh, May, what's wrong? Do you disagree?" Ash asked May.
May flinched, then looked down. "I agree!"
No one noticed her strange reaction, and the couple explained the rules. "This isn't a normal battle! It's a Double Battle, and each person can only use one Pokémon to test the partnership between the two Trainers!"
"No problem, bring it on!" Ash replied, turning to May. "Right, May?"
May braced herself. "Exactly!"
Before anyone could stop him, Brock rushed forward and grabbed Andrew's hand. "In that case, let me, this genius Pokémon Breeder and fan of this lovely lady, be the referee!"
The others looked on in disbelief.
Andrew looked at Oscar in confusion. Are we that famous? We already have fans!
"If you're going to be the referee, then do it properly and stop confusing people!" Max couldn't stand it. He initiated his ear-pulling technique and, along with Spinda, dragged Brock away.
Brock snapped back to reality and dutifully announced the rules as the referee.
Ash and May used their two butterflies, while Oscar and Andrew used Nidoking and Nidoqueen—Pokémon perfectly fitting for a couple!
Both sides were at Elite - Late Stage strength. In terms of type matchups, the combined types of Nidoking and Nidoqueen avoided any 4x weaknesses, and the Ground-type moves would be ineffective against the flying Beautifly, giving Ash and May a slight advantage.
"Beautifly, Quiver Dance!" (x2) Ash and May spoke in perfect unison, seemingly in agreement to boost their Pokémon!
The two Beautifly danced gracefully, their stats receiving a boost!
"You two truly have excellent teamwork!" "That's right, but so do we!" "Use the Double Rock Slide of Love!"
For Beautifly, who are 4x weak to Rock-type moves, a Rock-type attack was naturally the best choice!
Rolling stones surged toward the two Beautifly. "May, I'll block them, and you take the opportunity to attack!" "Got it!"
"Protect!" "Beautifly, Gust!"
Ash's Beautifly formed a green shield in front, blocking the rock fragments. May's Beautifly unleashed a strong gust of wind, hitting Nidoking and Nidoqueen.
"Nido~" (x2)
"Nidoking (Queen), are you okay!"
"Ash and May are coordinating really well!" Brock said, nodding in approval.
"I know! Their synchronicity is amazing!" Max then wondered, Is Ash going to become my brother-in-law? It wasn't entirely impossible! Max quickly shook his head. Why am I getting sidetracked!
"Nidoking (Queen), Double Fire Punch of Love!!"
"Safeguard!" "Beautifly, Aerial Ace!"
Ash's Beautifly put a Safeguard shield on May's Beautifly, while May's Beautifly charged into the fray!
Clang! "May, cover me!" "Okay!"
"Solar Beam!" "Beautifly, control the field with a spinning Silver Wind!"
Ash's Beautifly condensed solar energy on its wings. May's Beautifly used Silver Wind to control Nidoking and Nidoqueen. A scorching white beam of light flashed! Nidoking and Nidoqueen both lost the ability to battle!
"Nidoking (Queen)!!"
"Nidoking and Nidoqueen are unable to battle! Beautifly wins! The winners are the Ash and May team!"
"Yay! We won!" May was so excited that she spontaneously hugged Ash. Everyone turned to look at her!
May awkwardly pulled away, her face flushing crimson as she lowered her head.
Brock nodded thoughtfully, already preparing to sell the information to Misty. He might just get the rare, long-sought-after photo album of the Cerulean Gym Sisters!
Andrew and Oscar recalled their Pokémon. The couple walked hand-in-hand toward Ash and the others. "Your teamwork is truly excellent! We lost! But our love is invincible!"
Andrew seemed to whisper something to May, causing May to constantly steal glances at Ash.
"Farewell, you cute and affectionate pair!" Andrew and Oscar walked off hand-in-hand!
Lost in the Dark Forest
In a certain dense forest, the sunlight barely pierced the thick canopy, leaving the area dim. Bulbasaur, Feraligatr, and Lairon were equipped with Macho Braces and battling the wild Pokémon that suddenly appeared, boosting their strength.
Meanwhile, Ash used his last two basic Rare Candies on the long-stagnant Grovyle and Torkoal, helping them break through to Gym Leader - Early Stage and learn Leaf Storm and Eruption, respectively!
"Dah-na!" Bulbasaur sent a Zigzagoon flying with a Vine Whip, looking at its newly joined partners whose strength was constantly rising. It felt a little down that its own progress was slow, worried about being surpassed!
"Ah! Darn it, the Pokémon Navigator has no signal!" Max suddenly shouted.
Brock frowned. "The compass is malfunctioning, and this forest doesn't seem to be on the map!"
May instantly felt a shiver. She wanted to lean closer to Ash, but seeing how calm he was, she took out a Poké Ball. "Come out, Skitty!"
"Meow~"
May crouched down and hugged Skitty. Holding Skitty made her feel much calmer.
But suddenly, Skitty jumped out of May's arms and darted into a small bush nearby.
"Ah! Skitty, where are you going!" May called out, chasing after Skitty. Unbeknownst to her, that direction led straight into the depths of the forest!!
"Sister?" Max called out.
"Ah!!!" "May!" (x2) "Sister!"
Ash recalled his Pokémon. The three rushed forward to check on the situation!