Ash looked around, deciding not to activate his Aura powers for now. With so many people around, activating it would only make the incoming sensations too chaotic. The crowd was thick, so the group decided to head to the Pokémon Center and wait until it thinned out a bit before returning.
Once they arrived at the Pokémon Center, Ash muttered to himself, "That green-hatted guy hasn't shown up yet? I've been waiting for him."
The "green-hatted guy" had upset May in the past, leaving her sad for quite a while. Ash had no intention of letting him off easily. Every time he saw May, this guy would always try to grab her hand. But Ash was no longer the clueless boy he once was—he was determined to make his stance clear this time.
He remembered that Harley might have already gained Nurse Joy's trust here, possibly waiting around to prevent May from signing up for the Saffron City Contest.
With no sign of Harley for now, Ash decided to play it cool. Brock, however, was starting to feel exhausted in his unofficial "super babysitter" role. He could clearly see the complicated dynamics between Ash, Misty, and May, and it made him long for the day he'd find someone special for himself.
Just then, Nurse Joy entered the Pokémon Center. Brock's face lit up with excitement as he thought his luck might finally be changing. He dashed over, introducing himself eagerly.
But his hopes were dashed when he was interrupted.
Right behind Nurse Joy walked a young man with purple hair and, oddly enough, a green hat. The two seemed friendly, chatting and laughing, and Joy didn't seem to hear Brock's enthusiastic introduction. Brock's heart sank.
At that moment, Harley spotted May.
"Hey, May! I knew you'd be here for the Saffron Contest!" he called out, running up with a wide grin, his hand reaching out to grab hers.
Ash reacted swiftly, stepping in and slapping Harley's hand away with a loud smack.
"Mr. Green-Hat Harley," Ash said, his tone sharp, "grabbing a girl's hand without her consent isn't polite."
Harley glared at Ash, taken aback by the sting in his hand. But he quickly adopted a pitiful look, turning to May for sympathy.
"May, who is this guy?" he whined. "He's being so rough—so rude! I've realized my mistakes from last time, and I was just trying to apologize."
But May was wiser this time. She looked to Ash, who gave her a reassuring nod, then turned back to Harley.
"Harley, drop the act. May will achieve first place in the Contest with her own skills. There's no room for your tricks," Ash said, his expression unyielding. "May, keep your distance from him. And of all things, he chose to wear a green hat—how tacky."
Harley's face flushed with anger and embarrassment.
May nodded, remembering how Harley's deceitful ways had caused her trouble before.
"Harley, Ash is right," she said firmly. "If you're really that good, then prove it on the stage and stop resorting to cheap tactics."
The whole group—Ash, Misty, Brock, May, and even Nurse Joy—turned their gaze to Harley's green hat.
Harley fidgeted uncomfortably under their stares, his face dark with frustration and resentment.
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T/N:
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