En route to the Battle Arena, we stopped at a particularly popular Kanto bakery at May's request. Although we have to wait for a long line... which is not great for us. Suddenly, an Arcanine comes bounding down the road directly towards the gathered crowd. The Arcanine leaps over everyone and continues running into the distance.

May watches the Pokemon with amaze and says, "I want to catch it..."

"Arcanine!" We turn around and we notice Drew and Flygon. "It's Drew!" I gasp.

"Flygon! Flamethrower!" Drew commands, though Arcanine evades and responds back with a Heat Wave attack. Arcanine sprints into Extreme Speed to get away, much to Drew's annoyance.

"It got away!" Drew says with anger.

"I didn't know you're in Kanto too, Drew..." May says.

"Real winner can't resist competition, though that makes me wonder why you're here." Drew says.

"Can't you try to be polite?" May says with annoyance.

I say, "I guess you're like May and I, entering the Kanto Grand Festival, too?"

"Well, more accurately, I'm going to win it." Drew says. "Although having you in the Contest makes things really fire up. After all, you did win the Hoenn Grand Festival."

"And I also intend to win this as well." I say. "So how many ribbons do you have?"

"Check it out." Drew shows her Ribbon Case, and he already gets one ribbon. May groans, "Damn it... I still haven't won one of those while you and Ash already have one!"

"Well of course you haven't. I'm on my way to catch that Arcanine now so I can continue winning my way through Kanto." Drew says.

"For your information, I'm going to catch that Arcanine!" May says back.

"I'd love to see you try, but I hate to see you fully humiliated." "I'm going to show you!"

Then after Drew leaves, Emerald says, "I have to admit that Flygon is something else."

"Who cares! I'm going to show him something else and capturing that Arcanine will be the best way to start!"

Serena says, "So what's the deal with that guy?"

"He's Drew, he's a rival of ours in the Contest Circuit. May loses to him in the Hoenn Grand Festival while I win against him." I say.

"Eh..." Serena nods.

Not long after, we find the Arcanine as it is picking Pecha Berries and storing them for later. Arcanine starts to leave, so May sends out Blaziken to get it. Blaziken starts to catch up, but Arcanine uses Extreme Speed to flee.

"I guess we should've expected that." I say.

"But how are we going to catch that Arcanine when we can't even catch up to it?"

"We'll have to think another way and that means we need to get some information." Reisa says.

We come to an old woodsman's house. The man admits that a young boy and his Flygon were also curious about the Arcanine, and he also shares his first-hand information on the elusive Arcanine with the group.

"The Arcanine never came down from the mountains, but lately I've seen it almost every day." He takes out the map and says, "Take a look at this map and this forest. And right here is the Pecha Trees they know about, and the over here is a spring where it goes to drink."

"So how are we going to get it?" Serena asks.

"The spring is close to here and we know that it needs water." Reisa says.

We then decide to head to the spring and hide in the bushes nearby. May also says that she's going to use Squirtle to battle the Pokemon. And just then, we're getting hungry. Then we all decide to have a lunch break, and thanks to the old woodsman who gives us a lot of fresh vegetables, they all admit that the food this time is tasty.

When the Arcanine appears, May's voice causes him to run off quickly. "Wait... come back..."

We continue to chase after the Arcanine until we arrive at the Pecha Trees, and we decide to draw a map in the dirt. Emerald says, "There are steep cliffs on the east and west sides of the forest, so the only two ways the Arcanine could have come in are from the north or the south. May, Max, and Reisa, you take the north side. Serena, Brother, and I will hide in the south."

"So when Arcanine comes down by us, then we just push it towards May and Max." I say.

Then we also have Milotic, Gyarados, and Squirtle come out of their Poké Balls ready for battle. Arcanine soon comes in from the south, so Gyarados uses Hydro Pump, though the attack misses its target. I have Milotic use Water Gun, and it leads Arcanine to flee up north.

As May gets ready for Arcanine, she discovers that Squirtle is sleeping. She wakes it up and tells it to get ready. It stands to attention as Arcanine approaches. Arcanine uses Roar and Squirtle returns to its Poké Ball.

"Hey May, what if you use Munchlax's Metronome?" Max asks.

"It's worth a shot. Munchlax! Metronome!" May says, and Arcanine uses Extreme Speed to get away as Munchlax starts waving its hands. Munchlax's Metronome turns into an Extreme Speed attack, and it quickly matches Arcanine's speed.

"Look at the two of them go..." Emerald says.

May tells it to jump on top, but Munchlax ignores orders, and instead starts gathering Pecha Berries at a blinding pace.

"It's using Extreme Speed to collect Pecha Berries while Arcanine is getting away..." Reisa says.

We decide to try the last idea, that is going to the cliffs. We hide behind a rock, with Squirtle out, as Arcanine walks up the path to a ledge. May jumps out with Squirtle and corners Arcanine. But just when she thinks she's got it, Drew jumps in with Flygon. Arcanine jumps past the two and up a cliff. May and Drew argue for a bit, though decide to settle who gets Arcanine in a battle.

May orders Squirtle to use Tackle, which Flygon dodges by flying. Flygon uses a Steel Wing attack. Squirtle tries to use Bubble to block, but Flygon's Steel Wing hits and Squirtle begins to cry again. May picks it up as Drew walks towards the cliff where Arcanine went. Everyone climbs up to see that it's gone, but then they notice it up on a higher ledge and see that Arcanine is feeding three Growlithe babies.

"That's why it's interested in foods..." Serena says.

"It has kids..." I say.

"That means it has to get down from the mountains more often to gather food for them."

Suddenly Team Rocket, in their balloon, net the Growlithe for themselves and capture Arcanine as it tries to intervene. Team Rocket rejoices for a moment, but is sent back to the ground by Flygon's Steel Wing.

As we are preparing to battle them, May says, "Wait, let Drew and I finish with this one."

"Yeah, since May and I are the ones who started this whole thing off." Drew adds.

Flygon uses Steel Wing to break the nets and free the captives. James sends out Cacnea and gets a needle-filled hug, before telling it to attack. Cacnea releases a Pin Missile, but Squirtle blocks with Bubble. Jessie sends in Dustox and orders a Poison Sting, though Flygon counters with Flamethrower. As Cacnea whips up a Sandstorm, Flygon blocks Squirtle from getting hit. Squirtle hops onto Flygon, and the pair soar toward their foe. Squirtle soon jumps off and smashes Dustox in a Tackle while Cacnea gets a Steel Wing from Flygon. May and Drew order Water Gun and Flamethrower respectively, sending Team Rocket blasting off.

Then May decides not to capture the Arcanine, and Drew also concedes. Drew says, "I guess this is goodbye."

"Until we meet again at least." May says.

"You know, there's a contest coming up in Saffron City that I think you should enter." Serena and I flinch after the mention of the Saffron City, and May says, "I've never heard about it, why? Are you entering it?"

"No, I have to focus on finding a new Pokemon to strengthen my team first. But I think you do really well in it."

"Saffron City... never thought we're going back there again..." I say.

"I know what you mean..." Serena says as we all head there.

We arrive at Saffron City, May tries to explain the Contest circuit to Munchlax and Squirtle, but they don't seem to be interested. "Don't forget, they've never been in a contest before." Max says.

"Then I'll have to let them know, it isn't about winning my first ribbon, it is about winning all five ribbons before Drew." May says.

We notices that there are already people entering the Saffron City Contest Hall, and a guy with his Mankey tells us that it is open so that people can check out the stage.

Inside the Contest Hall, preparations are being made just as May steps in. We notice the announcer in the middle of the stage and May asks, "That's weird... Is that Vivian?"

"No, that's Lilian, she is Vivian's sister. I knew her since she was the announcer back in our Johto Contests." Reisa says.

"That sure brings back a lot of memories." I say.

Lilian steps into the stadium center and calls out her Espeon, whose magnificent coat shimmers under the stadium lights. She tells Espeon to use Swift, followed by a Psychic which causes the stars to form several rings. Espeon leaps and somersaults several times through the rings and gracefully lands on the stage. May's Squirtle becomes excited and rushes down to the center of the ring, whereupon it performs Bubbles.

"That's cute, but what do you think you're doing up here?" Lilian asks.

"I'm sorry!" We rush to the stage. "Before I knew it got away from me."

"No harm done, but you need to keep it off the stage while we're rehearsing." Lilian says. "Ash and Reisa! It is nice to see you two again. It sure has been a while since the Johto Grand Festival."

"It's also nice to see you again, Lilian." I say.

While in May's arms, Squirtle begins to cry. Lilian thinks that Squirtle wants to be on stage, which is confirmed by its sudden joy.

At the nearby Pokémon Center, everyone is enjoying cold drinks as May considers using Squirtle in the Saffron Contest, which she ultimately decides to do.

"Your attention, please! Contestant 45, your Pokemon have passed the checkups and are being brought out." May rushes to get her Pokemon, but she lets out a scream. When we check out, we are surprised to see who it is.

"Hold on a sec. Harley?" May gasps.

"Wow, if it isn't May! Long time no see, huh?" Harley says.

"What are you doing here?" I also gasp in surprise. "Are you really Nurse Joy's volunteer?"

"Not officially. I just volunteered here during the contest. My Cacturne was running a fever so I brought it here. Nurse Joy was so wonderful to me and how selfless and kind she was made me feel ashamed of what I was supposed to be. So I decided to turn over a new leaf and help the others."

"But what about the contests?" May asks.

"I'll still enter it. Which reminds me, do you hear about the rules?" Harley asks. "You can substitute the Pokemon from the first and second rounds here."

"We already know that, you're here to get May disqualified, right?" Max accuses.

"That's a good one. I know I was a little bad before but I wish you would believe me that I'm a different person now..." We still don't trust him and glare at him, and Nurse Joy comes and she also explains that Harley has been a big help in the Pokemon Center.

May decides to use Squirtle and Combusken in the Contest, and the two respond by athletically jumping off of the gurney and landing with a pose. May says, "I'm sorry, Harley. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"I'm still not so sure about that..." Max says. "I still think something's fishy here..."

I have to agree, then I realize that May has never gotten a Kanto Pass. When May gasps that she forgets, Harley also explains that he already got the last one and there should be no more. But when we all get to the registration hall, I decide to use my status to ask one for May, with the status, and she manages to get the Contest Pass in the end.

"How could this be...I was supposed to get the last one..." Harley groans in annoyance. Serena says, "You forget that Ash is a Top Coordinator, he has authority." Then Harley remains determined to keep May from winning the Saffron Ribbon.

Now the Contest has started and Harley is the first one as he sends out his Cacturne, who starts things off with Cotton Spore. The spores slowly rotate in the air while Harley calls for Needle Arm. Cacturne stands motionless for some time before suddenly protruding spikes from its whole body through all of the spores, creating an interesting display.

Jessie is also in her disguise and then she sends out Cacnea. Cacnea and Jessie run toward each other and hug each other. The painful embrace moves Lilian and the crowd to tears, showcasing the pair's close bond. Jessie tells Cacnea to use Pin Missile and the pins wind upward and collide, exploding like fireworks. Lilian goes to congratulate Jessie but notices that Cacnea is still attached to her and she's not moving at all. Lilian taps her and she falls to the floor, paralyzed with pain. Jessie is then rushed back into the operating room again by Chansey.

May is the last one and she has Squirtle by her side. Squirtle becomes uneasy at the sight of the massive crowd, but May says that she'll get used to it. She calls upon Combusken, who emerges from its Poké Ball in a series of gymnastic somersaults. May then unties and throws her bandanna toward Combusken, ordering a Fire Spin followed by Sky Uppercut. Combusken propels the bandanna upward with Fire Spin, leaps through the spiraling flames, and uses Sky Uppercut to refold the bandana. Combusken then delivers one last blow to send the retired bandanna right back onto May's head. Combusken lands in front of May and the two pose for the finish. The crowd goes wild, shouting and cheering. Squirtle looks on admiringly and everyone seems to be pleased with her performance, except for Harley, who looks disappointed with her success.

Harley, Jessie, and May all advance to the second round, Serena says, "I don't know that Jessie from Team Rocket is good at Contests as well."

Reisa says, "She entered a lot, but I was surprised that she didn't cheat this time."

I say, "Yeah, usually every time they cheat and when they are found out, they reveal their identities and try to steal the Pokemon, then we have to blast them off again..."

In the second round, we see Harley against Jessie. However, both of them are not moving, and Lillian says, "Coordinators, the clock is ticking. You leave me no choice. Both of you are issued a yellow card."

And we see that both of them have their points subtracted to half. "Sorry, this isn't a staring contest. You're giving us nothing to judge."

"A second Yellow Card will cause you to be disqualified." Mr. Contesta adds.

Then Harley finally decides to attack after threatening to get the second yellow card, he tells Ariados to use String Shot on Wobbuffet. Seizing the opportunity, Jessie directs Wobbuffet to use Counter, but Wobbuffet becomes helplessly wrapped by the threads.

"Mirror Coat and Counter won't work against defensive moves." Harley says.

Ariados then manipulates Wobbuffet like a puppet with its attached strings, as points are gradually deducted from Jessie's score. The crowd begins to laugh at the puppet show on display, which ends when Ariados tosses Wobbuffet. The rest of Jessie's points are deducted and Harley advances to the next round.

May breezes through the next rounds with Squirtle defeats a Crobat with Bubble followed by Squirtle knocks out a Weepinbell with Tackle. Similarly, Ariados entangles a Walrein in a Spider Web. With both May and Harley having won all their rounds, they find themselves in the finals of the Saffron Contest.

May is facing Harley in the finals, and then May sends out Squirtle and Harley sends out Ariados. Ariados attaches itself to the ceiling with its String Shot and swings into frighten Squirtle with a Scary Face. Squirtle then recovers and uses Ice Beam on Ariados, but it is so powerful that it misses its mark and knocks Squirtle onto its back. Ariados then retracts up to the ceiling and shoots another String Shot onto Squirtle's body, reeling it in and deducting more of May's points. Harley decides to rack up style points by covering the whole stage with Spider Web, impressing Lilian and the audience. Ariados then spins Squirtle around in a circle and sends it hurtling onto the web, entangling its back in the process. As Squirtle continues to struggle, May's points are approaching zero. Ariados then descends down from the ceiling to the web and begins walking towards Squirtle to strike with Double-Edge. May tries a Bubble attack, but it doesn't even slow Ariados down.

May then recalls Squirtle's last attempt at Ice Beam which propelled it backwards, and uses it to free Squirtle from the web. The attack also freezes Ariados and the web, leading Harley's points to drop by more than half. Squirtle runs and jumps onto the frozen web to hit Ariados with Bubble, shattering the ice and throwing Ariados backward. Ariados tries to stop itself, but its feet can't get any grip on the frozen web. Squirtle slides down the icy webs like a surfer and Tackles Ariados to the ground, knocking it out. Squirtle neatly lands on its feet on top of Ariados.

"Ariados is unable to battle, which means that May is the winner of the Saffron Contest!" Lilian announces.

Squirtle comes running back to May for a hug as we cheer from the stands.

"No way I could've lost... stupid contest that rigged somehow..." Harley mutters and then he walks off in a huff. The crowd cheers as May is awarded her first Kanto Ribbon, making for a great start to her Kanto Contest campaign.

"Great, now that we're done here, I think we should leave Saffron as soon as possible." I say.

"Eh? But what about exploring the Silph Co?" Max asks.

"After what happened, I don't think it is a good idea." Serena says. "The Gym Leader of this city is the wife of Team Rocket's boss, and she's another level compared to those three. She was able to manipulate Ash's Mom into being an assassin in the past."

"Even though she has changed, the traumatic experience is not easy to forget." I say as they understand.

Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, May gets her first ribbon. I hope you like it and the next chapter will be the Battle Arena.