Ash, with his invincible physical body, wants to become a Pokémon Master

"Xiaoyao, I knew you would be an interesting opponent when I first saw you, and now I've finally met you."

"Let's have a spectacular battle!"

"Yes, I am Miss Grace, who will not lose!"

Both sides immediately dispatched their own Çalhana and Hunting Butterfly.

As soon as the battle began, the two Pokémon rushed at each other and unleashed their strongest moves.

"Charem, Psychic!"

"Hunting Swallowtail Butterfly, Silver Whirlwind!"

The silver whirlwind, shimmering with beautiful light, had just risen when telekinesis instantly arrived, forcefully bending its angle upwards to 90 degrees.

"Oh, what powerful psychic abilities! Grace perfectly neutralized Haruka's attack!"

However, no sooner had Miss Vivian, the host, finished speaking than another silver whirlwind from the Hunting Swallowtail Butterfly struck.

In terms of battle experience, May has accumulated a very solid foundation because she has always been with Ash.

Faced with what seemed to be an unsolvable psychic power, it immediately noticed the barely perceptible strain on Çalem's face.

"It won't be easy for Charem to reverse the Silver Whirlwind's elemental advantage. As long as the attack frequency is high enough, it will definitely be able to disrupt the opponent's rhythm of using Nen."

"Hunting Butterfly, use Silver Whirlwind continuously, don't stop attacking!"

"Ouch!"

"Seriously, why are you so enthusiastic, Haruka? Medic, use a yoga pose to dodge!"

"Rem!"

Both Pokémon moved quickly and attacked fiercely, making it seem less like a flashy battle and more like an ordinary one.

But in the back-and-forth exchanges, the two Pokémon's precise control over their respective skills presented a pleasing spectacle, making it feel like a truly magnificent battle.

However, in such a closely contested match, the score will not change.

"Half the time has already passed?"

After glancing at the large screen in the center of the court, Grace immediately decided to intensify her attack.

"Charemie pose, followed by Freeze Punch!"

Çalem quickly assumed a meditation posture, his entire body radiating a dazzling blue light as he floated into the air.

Before the blue light on its body had even dissipated, the Freeze Punch swung down heavily.

The surrounding ice shards were empowered by the power of yoga, and a beautiful, icy blue fist shadow flew out.

The Freeze Punch actually turned into a ranged attack, and this spectacular strike caused May's score to drop significantly.

Ash, watching from the sidelines, was quite surprised. "You can use Ice Punch like that? Not bad, looks like I can use it next time."

The set of movements was so fluid and graceful that even Vivian couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Oh, what a beautiful combination move! How should Haruka respond?"

"Hunting Swallowtail Butterfly, Spin Silk, Gale!"

Haruka also used her combo attack. Her entire body began to spin continuously, and the raging storm behind her became a propulsion device, pushing her down rapidly from the sky.

The colorful figure flew quickly across the field, while a powerful thread was spat out from its long mouth, spiraling forward and catching all the flying ice shards.

"What? The silk threads of the Swallowtail butterfly are so tough?"

Grace was beyond her comprehension to have managed to hold off Charem's Freeze Punch without being torn apart.

The silk threads of the hunting swallowtail butterfly still shimmered, catching the fist shadow and flinging it back.

This time, Çalhan's attack hit himself.

Grace's score was immediately reduced by one section.

However, Grace and Çalem had not lost their composure, and she immediately reacted.

"Charem, use a yoga pose to dodge immediately!"

At the critical moment, the fist landed, and dust flew up on the field, leaving a large hole.

However, Çalam had already used a yoga pose to fly it out of the attack range.

It came to a steady stop in mid-air, minimizing any potential point deductions.

"Ah, we were almost able to turn the score around! Butterfly Hunting Charge!"

"I won't let you succeed, Medicham Nen!"

The Hunting Butterfly, which was originally charging straight towards Çalem, was suddenly frozen in place, as if time had stopped.

Superpowers are still too unreasonable in one-on-one battles.

However, as Grace said before, the outcome of a Grand Contest depends not only on the contestants' experience, but also on luck and the type matchups between Pokémon.

This time, she was just unlucky. Her Bug/Flying type, Butterfree, completely countered her Fighting/Psychic type, Medicham.

This attack was intentionally orchestrated by Haruka, allowing the Hunting Butterfly to get close.

“When Charem’s psychic powers are applied to Butterfree, there is indeed a noticeable pause.”

At this moment, Çalam had already stretched out his hands in preparation for using his telekinesis, and Haruka's opportunity had arrived.

"Hunting Butterfly, use your two wings to create a silver whirlwind and control Charem!"

Even when immobilized by telekinesis, insect-attribute energy can still circulate within the Hunting Butterfly's body.

Two powerful whirlwinds were suddenly released from its two wings, breaking through Charem's psychic blockade.

Two dazzling whirlwinds swept through the hall, their restrained yet powerful force firmly binding Çalam's two hands, completely locking its body in place.

Grace lost another section of her score.

"Now! Hunt the swallowtail butterfly's chirping!"

The hunting swallowtail butterfly's previously curved mouthparts straightened instantly, releasing a melodious sound.

Ordinary insect chirps are hardly pleasant to hear, but the chirps released by Haruka's Hunting Butterfly are exceptionally melodious.

This was clearly something May and Beautifly had practiced specifically for the Grand Contest, and the results were naturally quite impressive.

Fierce silver whirlwinds swept past on both sides, with melodious waves striking Çalem in succession.

This combination of techniques caused Grace's score to plummet.

But Çalem just couldn't break free for a while, and then the time limit for the Spectacular Battle finally came to an end.

"The bell rings, the battle is over!"

As Vivian's voice faded, the final scoreboards on the big screen froze at the point where Haruka had lost half her points and Grace had lost eighty percent.

The final victory belongs to Haruka!

Grace's image instantly disappeared, leaving only Haruka's bright smiling face.

"...We won?"

At first, Xiaoyao was a little incredulous, but then a wave of ecstasy washed over her.

"Great! Hunting Butterfly, you really worked hard, we won!"

"Ouch!"

Today, Xiaoyao received her first ribbon medal.

Even after the awards ceremony ended and Xiaoshun and Grace came to say goodbye, she still hadn't recovered from her excitement.

"Ash, Shun, look! My ribbon badge!"

"Yes, congratulations, Xiaoyao. This is a big step in your life."

"Sister, you've been holding that ribbon medal and looking at it for ages. It's time to put it away."

"If you carelessly drop it somewhere and can't get it back, you'll be crying."

"Shun, can't you wish me something good? Humph!"

However, after being reminded by Xiaosheng, Xiaoyao reluctantly put the Autumn Leaf Ribbon Medal into the badge box her father had given her.

She then carefully placed the box in her shirt pocket, and then patted it to make sure it was really there.

"Sis, isn't that a bit much?"

Seeing her like this, Xiao Sheng always felt that her older sister was overreacting.

However, Ash could understand May's feelings at that moment.

"No, not at all. This is the first ribbon medal."

"Yes, the first ribbon medal in one's life has a very special commemorative significance for a Coordinator."

"I still keep my first ribbon medal safe and sound."

The sudden sound startled the group who were walking back to the Pokémon Center.

With a quick scan, Xiaozhi immediately recognized the newcomer.

“Mr. Michael, you’re still here.”

Indeed, the strange man who appeared before them, completely covered up, was none other than Mikoli, who had not yet left.

He carefully checked that no one else was around before removing some of his disguise, revealing his handsome face underneath.

"I was just about to leave, but I suddenly remembered something important, so I came back to find you."

As he spoke, he happily gave Xiaoyao a thumbs up.

"Haruka, you did a fantastic job at the Grand Contest! All your hard work these past few days has paid off. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Michael, this is all thanks to your guidance."

"But what exactly do you want with us?"

Well...

Suddenly, Mikuri looked at Ash.

"Ash, you once caught a black Rayquaza, but now you can't find it, right?"

That's right.

After Ash parted ways with Sisley, he went to great lengths to try and summon his NecroKing back.

After all, it's for the future of the Hoenn League and the world. If Rayquaza can be found, then the subsequent resolution of the meteor crisis can be done in the most orthodox and risk-free way.

Although Ash thought that having him directly smash the meteorite was a good idea, he couldn't resist the fact that others were afraid, so he had to compromise a little.

Unfortunately, no matter what Ash does to the Tri-Orifice, he can't summon back the Nugget he loves so much.

This made Ash quite sad.

However, at this moment, Mikuri suddenly smiled and said to Ash.

"Do you want to get it back? If so, I have a way."

Chapter 430 is probably setting the stage for Niko's return.

At the foot of Mt. Chimney, near LavaCity, Ash and his friends are riding the famous sightseeing cable car, methodically traversing the hill.

Once Ash crosses Mt. Chimney, he'll reach Lavatree Town, the location of his next gym challenge.

Now they can simply enjoy their trip to this tourist destination and wait for the cable car to stop.

However, along their journey, there was always a hint of unease amidst the calm.

Sure enough, while Xiaozhi was still admiring the scenery outside the window, the carriage became noisy again.

"Oh no, sister, you need to put the Skitty away! It's dangerous for it to be using its skills like that in the carriage. What if the cable car accidentally falls off?"

"Of course I know, don't rush me, Skitty can't use its assist move anymore."

"Meow?"

The kitten tilted its head, ignoring Xiaoyao's words, and continued wagging its cute big tail.

Torchic used the assist move it had recently learned during its daily practice to unleash its Spark ability.