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

"Are you... alright?" Serena asked tentatively as she stepped forward.

She reached out her hand to Rukia, but the latter ultimately didn't take it, instead pulling back her partner and fleeing the stage, covering her face...

Seeing this, Serena had no choice but to stay on stage to accept the award.

"This is such a huge blow... Serena's Maw of Venom is actually that powerful?" Haruka asked incredulously.

"It's not that Mawile is too strong, it's that Rukia didn't realize its threat immediately." Ash shook his head and explained, "Mega Mawile has the Huge Power ability, and even if Mega Altaria has full durability, it will still be KO'd... Rukia made a mistake by not using Cotton Guard or Protect at the start, which already confirmed her defeat."

"But it's so much fun to fight like this! It's the first time I've ever felt so fired up watching a Grand Contest." Higana fully displayed her violent... well, bold and straightforward nature, waving her fists and cheering for Serena.

Seeing this, Ash and Haruka also clapped at the same time.

Serena has successfully obtained her first ribbon!

Chapter 888 After the match, temporarily parting ways

After winning the first ribbon with absolute dominance, Serena naturally received a warm welcome from everyone after the match.

"Salina is really amazing! If she keeps this up, she'll definitely be able to get five ribbons within eighty days!" Xiaoyao exclaimed in admiration.

She even felt incredulous, accompanied by a slight sense of loss.

Serena is just too amazing, so amazing that I, the 'senior' who stumbled and struggled to obtain four ribbons, will soon be left behind.

But after a moment's thought, Xiaoyao quickly felt relieved.

That's Serena, you know. She's someone who can ride legendary Pokémon through the skies and battle against Hoenn's land and sea avatars.

Serena, no matter what she does, will be dazzling...

"Everyone, I'm really embarrassed if you keep praising me like this," Serena said with a blush and a laugh. "This is only the first ribbon... and I'm also worried that I might have hit you a little too hard just now."

“That’s not true.” Ash shook his head seriously. “Competitive matches always involve winning and losing. You were just having a normal battle and playing to Mawile’s strengths.”

The Pokémon Mawile's name literally translates to "deceptive mouth." It uses its cute appearance to mislead opponents and then launch a fatal attack, which is exactly what this Pokémon excels at.

If Serena can't defeat her opponent quickly and drag the game into a protracted battle, she'll be the one who suffers.

The first match concluded successfully, and the group left the venue chatting and laughing. However, near the entrance, they discovered a large group of reporters surrounding a luxury car.

"Miss Lucia, it's a pity you didn't get the fifth ribbon. How are you feeling right now?"

"Little Qingqing suffered a complete defeat in the finals. Does this mean that the new Coordinator is exceptionally strong?"

"What are your next plans? Will this loss affect your mentality?"

...

A group of reporters, holding up their cameras and microphones, bombarded the car with questions, some even banging on the windows.

The luxury car couldn't even start, and no matter how the agent inside tried to shoo them away, the reporters refused to leave, creating a chaotic scene.

"Ahem... Serena, something's strange." Ash coughed lightly twice, successfully attracting attention. "You did so well just now, why didn't anyone interview you?"

"Is that Serena over there?" "And next to her... oh my god, that's Ash!!"

Suddenly discovering a new target, the reporters on site went wild. Like sharks that had smelled blood, they immediately rushed over and surrounded Ash and his friends.

Taking advantage of this gap, the luxury car finally had a chance to escape.

The distraught girl inside the car stared blankly out the window, only to see that the person had released an Alakazam, which teleported them away, leaving behind a group of bewildered reporters...

On the outskirts of Lilycove City, Ash and his friends easily shook off the group of reporters, but May was still a little shaken.

“Those guys were terrifying. I felt like I was suffocating just now… It seems that being a glamorous idol isn’t easy either, having to deal with these people all the time.”

“She lives a much more comfortable life than most people, so don’t worry about her,” Xijiana said, pursing her lips.

“Everyone’s hardships are different,” Xiao Zhi said with emotion. “She is indeed well-off, but she is often not in control of her own life... like a caged bird that is not allowed to fly freely.”

"That sounds a bit pitiful..." Serena frowned slightly and asked curiously, "Ash, you've had some contact with her before, right? What kind of person is she?"

“I took her on a short trip when we were in the Whirlpool Islands of Johto,” Ash recalled. “That was probably the first time she took any real action, instead of always riding in luxury cars like she does now… But even so, she wore her performance costume all day long.”

"How could this happen?" *3

The three women were all surprised to hear this. Ryukia's outfit had little fabric but a very complicated design, so it should have been for performances.

In daily life, people are either relaxed or active; who would wear those kinds of clothes all the time?

“She has completely embraced the identity of an idol. Whenever she appears in public, even if she is not in front of the camera, she must maintain a glamorous image.” Ash sighed softly. “For her, being a glamorous idol is not only a pursuit, but also a mission… She bears the heavy responsibility of leading the Hoenn Grand Contests to change.”

Hoenn is the birthplace of the Contests and produced a Contest Master like Wallace, but in today's world, when it comes to the popularity and professionalism of the Contests, people think of Sinnoh first.

More professional yet inclusive judging criteria, the auxiliary performance of the ball shell and stickers, and a variety of other elements have made the Grand Contest a popular event in Sinnoh.

Even in some small mountain villages, you might encounter locals holding village celebrations in the form of grand competitions.

In this situation, Hoenn wanted to change but didn't want to borrow too many elements from Sinnoh, so they introduced the concept of idols.

To put it simply, it's about having the trainers dress up in their best clothes and work with the Pokémon to put on a show.

This is actually similar to Carlos's triple crown satellite tournament, the only difference being that the Grand Contest is open to both men and women, and there is an additional battle segment.

Lucia is the experiment for this transformation. If she succeeds, Hoenn will officially enter the era of the 'Pokémon Grand Contest'.

Hmm... This era has officially arrived on the journey. Lucia, Serena, and May have all donned uniform stage outfits, transforming from Coordinators into glamorous idols.

With this change, the Grand Live Contest will definitely be more popular. Whether it's good or bad, I won't comment.

All he could say was that, among future Coordinators... no, among future Spectacular Idols, there would probably never be another Mikuri.

...

Ash and his friends had a picnic in the countryside, after which they needed to consider their next steps.

“I think we should split up,” Ash suggested. “Serena and I will head to Lilycove City, while May and Sisley can go to Izabeth Island first and try to get the last ribbon in the tournament there.”

“Yes, that’s definitely how it should be…” Xiaoyao nodded dejectedly.

She knew this was the best solution, as it wouldn't delay either side.

Otherwise, if this continues, one of them, either she or Serena, will eventually be unable to collect the ribbons.

But she really didn't want to break up like this...

"Haruka, you'd better hurry up," Serena suddenly said. "Once you get the last ribbon, you must come and meet us as soon as possible. We're going to travel together."

“Salina…” Haruka stared blankly at the smiling girl.

"Yes, I still have to challenge the Petalburg Gym and visit Meteor Falls. I can't do without you guys leading the way," Ash said with a smile.

“I have my own things to do here… Okay, I’ll keep a close eye on this girl.” Higana said with a smile, taking full responsibility. “Once she wins the final match, I’ll fly straight back with her.”

"Okay, it's settled!" Xiaoyao finally felt relieved.

"I'll get the ribbon as quickly as possible... and then come back for our trip!"

Chapter 889 The Hoenn Alliance made its move... but it was too late~

Having companions to support you on your journey to realize your dreams is a great blessing.

However, this does not mean that you have to stay with your companions for the entire trip.

We can separate for now to move forward more efficiently;

They can even shine individually, and then meet at the summit...

"You...you gave a whole bunch of high-sounding reasons, but all you really wanted to do was get rid of them...hmm~"

Inside a tent in the woods late at night, the girl muttered intermittent complaints, but her words were quickly silenced in an indescribable way, leaving only gasps of shame, anger, and helplessness.

Splitting up temporarily will certainly bring some personal conveniences to Ash…

In short, after continuing their journey, Ash and Serena enjoyed some rare time alone together.

Lilycove City is not far from Lilycove City, so Chi and Nami weren't in a hurry. They traveled along the way, enjoying the scenery and waiting for the Hoenn League to make their move.

The fact that none of the board members have publicly responded to Ash so far is considered an implicit acceptance of Ash's challenge.

Even a fool would know that they would not let Ash obtain eight badges so easily.

Sure enough, just as they were about to arrive in Lilycove City, Ash received a call from Fuji.

He was suspended from his post, and the martial arts dojo was temporarily closed. The reason given was that Fujiki had failed to protect the town properly during the previous natural disaster, so he was punished with a temporary suspension to reflect on his actions.

For the next few months, the martial arts dojo will be unable to issue badges.

Meanwhile, all of Hoenn's second-tier gyms have announced their closure for various reasons.

Clearly, this is an attempt to block Ash's path... unfortunately, they acted too late.

Here, I need to explain the League's badge review mechanism. It's not only badges obtained from challenging gyms that can be used to participate in the League Conference.

All badges must be registered in detail once they leave the gym, even if they are stolen.

Any badge given by the gym owner can be used to participate in the League Conference, regardless of the reason.

So Ash was very lucky; he got his boxing badge months ago!

Another fortunate thing is that Fujiki was only ordered to suspend his duties for reflection, and was not directly dismissed from his position as the head of the museum... It is said that the Zvoch family helped to mediate.

This is very interesting.