May and Drew are in a battle to reach the final four of the Grand Festival, and both Coordinators have some powerful combinations up their sleeve. May even picked up a few tricks from watching Ash's Battle Dome match against Tucker! Her Combusken and Squirtle give it their all against Drew's Flygon and Absol, and nobody in the arena can even predict which way things are going to go.
Once Flygon and Squirtle are knocked out, that's when things really get exciting. Absol's Water Pulse is bad news for a Fire-type like Combusken, but Combusken hangs in there and even comes up with an unexpected move, Overheat! Absol uses Water Pulse again but Combusken's Overheat protects it in the nick of time, and the clock runs out on the battle. It's up to the judges to decide the winner: May!
Elsewhere, Ash faces a battle of his own as he tries to catch the mischievous Aipom for once and for all. With Pikachu's help, he catches the Pokémon for his team and goes to watch May battle Solidad in the semifinals. Solidad knows exactly how to counter May's powerful battling style, and it's Solidad who goes on to win the Grand Festival. May is disappointed, but her friends cheer her up. Now it's off to the Battle Pyramid for Ash's rematch with Brandon!
May takes on her rival Drew in the second round of the Kanto Grand Festival. Her Squirtle launches a Bubble attack that fills the arena, while Combusken glides through with Sky Uppercut for a combination that lowers Drew’s points. However Drew’s Flygon evades, while a Razor Wind from Absol batters Squirtle and Combusken. Flygon follows on with a ferocious Flamethrower closing in on Combusken and Squirtle at a high rate. Combusken counterattacks with his own Fire Spin, which results in an explosion that pushes the Pokémon back and deducts points on both sides. Drew doesn't hesitate and calls for a Dragon Formation combo; Absol launches another Razor Wind and Flygon adds Dragon Breath to Absol's attack. Both Combusken and Squirtle attempt to evade but manage to take direct damage from the attack. Flygon and Absol rush forward with a Steel Wing and Iron Tail respectively. As the two opponents close in, May evaluates the situation and directs Combusken and Squirtle to launch a Fire Spin and Bubble combination, scoring a direct hit on the opposition.
The Contest Battle timer slides to just below four minutes while Drew and May continue the match. Squirtle withdraws into its shell and uses Rapid Spin. Absol uses Flash, blinding Combusken but having no effect on Squirtle. Flygon attempts to use its Steel Wing attack to divert Squirtle but only manages to knock him above the arena. With Flygon's back turned, Squirtle launches a devastating array of Bubbles towards Flygon. Absol responds to divert the attack with Razor Wind but Combusken intevenes with his Fire Spin, allowing the Bubble attack to hit Flygon. Upon Squirtle's decent, he strikes down with a finishing Ice Beam just inches away from Flygon, knocking it out. As Squirtle begins its final descent, Absol takes advantage of the time and uses its Iron Tail to harshly knock Squirtle into a stadium wall, rendering Squirtle unable to battle. Both Coordinators return their unconscious Pokémon.
The Contest battle now resumes with May's Combusken versus Drew's Absol, and two minutes remaining. Combusken uses Mega Kick and Absol launches into an Iron Tail, with each side scoring a hit on the opposition. Absol manages to strike with an additional Razor Wind hitting Combusken for a direct hit before he is able to recover, knocking more of May's points off. Combusken launches another ferocious Fire Spin, but Absol manages to gain the type advantage and blocks it with a Water Pulse attack. As the water dissipates, Combusken's body begins glowing red, and May is instantly reminded of Ash's Torkoal and realizes Combusken has just learned a new move - Overheat. and steam begins forming around his body. Drew doesn't hesitate to attempt to gain the advantage and directs Absol to launch another Razor Wind towards Combusken. As the attack approaches, Combusken uses Overheat, launching an extraordinary amount of fire power dissipating Absol's attack and hitting for direct damage. May calls for another Overheat, though it is weaker than the last and Absol’s counter Water Pulse dissipates the flame attack. As steam fills the air, Absol glides forward attempting to blind Combusken as he rotates forward striking Absol but managing to make no damage. Combusken uses the advantage of the close range launching another devastating Overheat attack which engulfs Absol in the magnificent flames. Absol manages to shake off the attack, and the added shimmer effect also negates some of May’s points. Drew notices Combusken's fatigue from the continual Overheat attacks and takes advantage with Absol striking forward with a Razor Wind hitting Combusken for direct damage. Absol strikes forward with another Water Pulse attack. Combusken manages to use other Overheat attack with much weaker force, and it proves ineffective against the Water-type attack. The water engulfs Combusken, causing steam to rise from Combusken's body. Absol rushes in with an Iron Tail, propelling into the air. Combusken attempts to take advantage of the airborne attack and uses Sky Uppercut. The attack manages to make contact just as the battle timer expires. May is announced as the winner of the close round, and wins a place in the semi-finals. May's friends are overjoyed with the result, while Drew offers his nod of approval as well.
In the confusion, Aipom manages to snatch Ash's hat once more and rushes out of the arena. Ash and Pikachu give chase, though the pursuit quickly ends when Aipom simply throws Ash's hat back to him. Aipom begins leaping on the spot with fists ready, and Ash realizes she wants to battle. So Ash begins his second attempt to try to capture Aipom as Pikachu blazes forward with Quick Attack. Aipom evades the attack and uses Swift making direct damage. Pikachu recovers and counterattacks with his Iron Tail. Aipom quickly recover from the attack and replies with a Focus Punch which knocks Pikachu to the ground. Aipom continues jumping up and down in excitement. Ash finally decides to attack long-range with Pikachu's devastating Thunderbolt. As Aipom is stunned from the attack, Ash launches a Poké Ball at Aipom. The Poké Ball's brilliant red light shining off and on before finally stopping, and Aipom is finally captured. As Ash collects his newly caught Pokémon, an audience of people around him begins applauding. Scott soon arrives on the scene, instantly getting Ash's attention.
May and Drew watch backstage as Solidad wins her second round match with her Butterfree and Lapras. Drew warns May that Solidad will be a tough opponent, and she cannot be beaten with power alone. Soon May’s semi-finals clash with Solidad is well underway. Solidad has chosen her Pidgeot and Slowbro while May has chosen Munchlax and Combusken. Munchlax launches forward with a Focus Punch while Slowbro uses its Psychic to rotate around and counterattacks, dissipating Munchlax's attack and knocking him backwards. Combusken's devastating Fire Spin momentarily envelops Pidgeot, though Solidad calls for a Feather Dance. The extraordinary feathers dissipate the flame attack and being raining down on Combusken and Munchlax. Slowbro uses Yawn which puts Combusken to sleep. May still has Munchlax, and she orders a Solar Beam attack. However Slowbro uses Psychic to evade it and Pidgeot launches into a Double Team formation to strike Combusken. Slowbro launches a finishing Hyper Beam as Pidgeot speeds forward with an Aerial Ace, and the two attacks knock both of May’s Pokémon out, advancing Solidad to the Grand Festival finals. May shows her support for Solidad with a respectful bow, though she is clearly upset by the loss. She greatly thanks Munchlax and Combusken for their efforts in getting her to the top four. Heading backstage, May meets up with Ash, Brock and Max who compliment her on her amazing campaign. Despite the compliments, May cannot help but be devastated over her loss and begins to cry. As she sobs, her friends comfort her knowing that she's still made a big step on her journey. Later, Solidad wins the Kanto Grand Festival and is presented with the magnificent Ribbon Cup, with the stadium filled with applauds from the crowd and confetti.
Later that night, an after party is held for all the participating contestants. Drew begins to leave as May manages to catch up to him holding a solitary rose. She wishes him an exuberant parting as he walks off dispersing into the distance. May, as confident as ever, is now ready to head towards the artful Battle Pyramid. Scott tells Ash that the Battle Pyramid is near the ruins of Fennel Valley, and Max reviews his PokéNav and finds that Fennel Valley isn't too far from Indigo Plateau. With that, the group finally advance onto the final stretch of the Battle Frontier with the Flames of Courage brighter than ever.
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