Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Sigh, I just lack the willpower..." After leaving the center, Xiaoyao's face was full of disappointment.

I finally wanted to take the initiative, but I didn't get the chance.

"Hey, kid... what do you think I should do?" Musashi asked Ash hesitantly.

She really cares about this competition, and even humbly asks Ash for advice.

"This tournament only allows 30 people to register, and there are only four spots for advancement in the preliminary round. It's a small-scale competition with very little room for error," Xiao Zhi analyzed. "So don't make the initial stage too outlandish; you must ensure you can advance."

"But... what happened next?" Musashi asked, puzzled.

"After that, you're guaranteed to win. With your and Arbok's strength, I can't imagine how you could possibly lose."

Xiao Zhi wasn't exaggerating; after all, he already knew who would advance.

To put it simply, if Arbok uses its two snake-type moves effectively, and adds a Rock-type move, it can easily wreak havoc!

Chapter 658 The Kanaz Tournament, A Show for Actresses

Without much waiting, the Grand Contest of Kanaz began.

Thirty contestants took to the stage, showcasing their Pokémon's talents by spinning around or performing acrobatics.

Of course, more often than not, they achieve dazzling and spectacular stage effects through various combinations of special techniques.

Although they look dazzling, they are all the same thing at their core.

Ash isn't a professional Coordinator, but he's an absolute professional trainer, and he's quite familiar with the judges' standards, so it's easy for him to tell who can advance.

In this match, there were only two who could be considered Musashi's opponents.

One of them is a contestant named Eiji, whose partner is Moth. His Poison Moth demonstrates a delicate manipulation of telekinesis, able to control many small objects to float in the air, and even steadily pour coffee in mid-air.

Another contestant, named Huimei, brought a hunting swallowtail butterfly. She showcased the butterfly's magnificent wings and the strength of its silk threads through a combination of morning light and silk-spinning techniques, making her more professional than Eiji.

Such a performance undoubtedly attracted Xiaoyao's attention.

"How beautiful, a hunting swallowtail butterfly..."

"That's an evolution of the Wurmple. You can easily find them everywhere. If you're interested, you can catch one," Ash casually explained.

"To capture it... okay!" Haruka seemed to have made up her mind, already imagining herself competing with a Safari Butterfree.

"Look, Musashi has appeared." Serena reminded everyone that Musashi had taken the stage.

"Go for it, Musashi!" "Give us your best, meow!"

In the audience, Kojiro and Meow Meow immediately began to cheer with all their might.

"Huh, she actually dressed up Arbok too?" May was surprised to find that Musashi not only dressed herself up like a vampire countess, but also gave Arbok a scarlet bow tie and glasses, making a huge visual impact as soon as they appeared.

“Those aren’t ordinary glasses, they’re dustproof goggles.” Ash saw through it at a glance. “Jessie really put a lot of thought into coming up with this kind of gadget.”

In low-tier Grand Contests, there are only a few basic strategies, and powdering is a popular tactic among many Coordinators.

Now Arbok is wearing dustproof goggles, and Musashi has even disguised them, which is probably going to kill off a lot of players who rely on this skill.

"Arbok, acid bomb followed by poison needle!"

Jessie clearly took Ash's advice to heart, and Arbok used Poison Sting to blast the Poison Ball that had taken off prematurely, spreading a chilling acid rain across the entire area.

After that, she made Arbok open its mouth and glide around the arena, constantly swallowing the falling poisonous rain, and finally made a hideous and terrifying face, which undoubtedly highlighted Arbok's toxicity and ferocity.

A decent performance, even if it doesn't surpass Hyemi and Eiji, it's definitely enough to secure a top-four finish and contend for a top-three spot.

However, Musashi did not seem very satisfied.

Ash had heard James mention something about Jessie's initial design for the finishing move, which seemed to involve Arbok wrapping itself around her before swallowing her upper body...

Ash has to say, if Jessie dared to do that in Hoenn, she would definitely be eliminated.

But if it were somewhere else—like Sinnoh—she might get a perfect score!

Arbok's most distinctive feature is its cobra-like appearance combined with its python-like physique; its gaping maw can swallow people whole, making it far more unique than swallowing rainwater.

So, that's basically all there is to the first round of review.

Even with rules, it's impossible to completely standardize a competition judged by humans like this.

The competition organizers have always touted showcasing the charm of Pokémon itself, but in reality, they are more about catering to the tastes of the judges.

The final result was not surprising. Musashi, Emi, Eiji, and an unknown contestant advanced to the second round of auditions, where they would have to compete in a spectacular battle to determine the winner.

Musashi's first match was against Eiji and Suiri.

"Undead moth, hypnotic powder!" Eiji was clearly one of the powder-spraying group... and then he got tricked.

"Arbok, sirens glare!" Arbok nonchalantly blew, and all the powder immediately vanished without a trace. Then, the patterns on its abdomen twitched, startling the Moth into freezing in place.

Honestly, the Serpent's Stare is a truly amazing skill; it has a 100% hit rate and can paralyze anyone who encounters it.

In particular, it completely ignores type. Electromagnetic waves will paralyze Ground-type Pokémon, but Normal-type Pokémon Snake Spirit can work on Ghost-type Pokémon!

"Next, use Coil!" After landing a successful attack, Jessie did not rush to attack. Instead, following Ash's instructions, she steadily activated another power-up move, simultaneously increasing Arbok's attack, defense, and accuracy!

This is actually a kind of performance, using the snake's body to coil and twist, displaying a kind of eeriness and contortion that discerning judges will give extra points.

"This won't do... Moth, use telekinesis!" Seeing his score keep dropping, Eiji anxiously commanded Moth to launch an attack.

"Use a surprise attack!" But just as the Abomination made a move, Arbok suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of energy, lunging forward and slamming headfirst into the Abomination!

While severely damaging the opponent, it also significantly reduced Eiji's score!

"Beautiful!" Even Ash had to give a thumbs up for that move.

To be able to unleash this move, Musashi has truly mastered the art of dazzling combat.

"Strange, it was clearly Moth that attacked just now, so why did Arbok get there first?" Haruka asked a beginner's question.

“A surprise attack is a very special preemptive move. If the opponent uses an attack skill, we can take the initiative,” Serena explained. “This move is also very useful in high-stakes battles.”

"That's right. The spectacular battles that started in the second round, although they had some performance elements, were ultimately focused on attacking the opponent," Ash explained. "Using surprise attacks at the right time can not only inflict damage but also disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm."

"I see." Xiaoyao nodded humbly, feeling that she had gained more useful knowledge.

At this point, the outcome of the match had completely lost its suspense.

With their powder-spraying abilities blocked and their attacks countered, Eiji and Sueiri Moth are paralyzed while their opponents occasionally unleash a powerful attack... It's clear that their love story is doomed.

Jessie was careful; Arbok eventually used Poison Sting to slowly wear down the time, without revealing the Rock-type move Ash had mentioned.

Clearly, this is meant to be reserved for the hunting swallowtail butterfly to try.

In the final match, Musashi faced off against Emi again.

Although Emi is a level above Eiji in terms of trainer coordination, Musashi had a much easier time in this battle.

After all, the popularity of Beautifly was purely driven by the anime; this kind of decorative Pokémon is simply not suitable for the brutal battlefield.

Bug/Flying is one of the lowest-ranking type combinations in Pokémon, and Beautifly is arguably the lowest-ranking Bug/Flying Pokémon.

If your base stats can't break 400, you're basically useless.

Both are butterflies, but the Butterfly Papilion and the White Butterfly rely on their compound eyes to unleash a barrage of hypnotic butterfly dances and high-quality three-part combos.

However, the only weapon available for hunting swallowtail butterflies is the common insect police, which doesn't even have the ability to use sleep powder.

Its only strengths in flashy battles are probably Butterfly Dance and Silver Whirlwind... but Emi's Hunting Butterfly doesn't know these two moves. How can Musashi possibly lose?

After Arbok swallowed the awakened power at the start and retaliated with a glare from the giant snake, the battle turned into a one-sided affair.

After a simple coiling and strengthening process, Musashi did not use a surprise attack this time. Instead, she used the Binding move to directly bind the Butterfree, and then commanded Arbok to smash Rock Slide against its own tail!

Since coiling up increases defense, this damage is negligible for Arbok, but Butterfree, which is four times weak to Rock, will suffer greatly.

The damage was so terrible that even with Chenguang, Huimei couldn't recover!

"Butterfly Hunting Battle Off! The ultimate victors are Jessie and Arbok!"

The battlefield actress's debut has come to an end. Musashi delivered a crushing defeat to her opponent and successfully earned Hoenn's first Ribbon Medal.

Then, while congratulating her, Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel conflicted again...

"Musashi is amazing! She's a hunter butterfly..."

Sigh, I hope Arbok's ferocious behavior didn't shake her resolve to capture Butterfree...

Chapter 659 Subduing the Stinging Tail Insects and Devon's Important Items

After the grand tournament at the Corsair Center, Ash should have been able to end his temporary Hoenn journey.

However, considering the true protagonist's mission, Ash decided to continue exploring the main area of ​​Rustboro City.

He planned to get involved in the Aqua Fleet's affairs, gather more intelligence on the Aqua-Fire organization, and see if he could establish some connection with Devon Corporation.

This decision was undoubtedly met with Xiaoyao's full approval.

The girl is now quite resistant to traveling alone, and has gradually gotten used to being with Ash and Serena, and is reluctant to be separated from them...

Ash didn't mind taking her a little further, so the group set off again.

While passing through a nearby forest, they encountered the Pokémon they had been talking about.

"Warpworm... can it evolve into Swallowtail Butterfly, right?" Haruka hesitated, looking at the group of little creatures munching on leaves in front of her, seemingly still undecided.