>>53916936I like when she finally managed to win against Drew not for the episode itself but for all the build up that was behind it. I really like May and Drew as characters and I like the concept where Drew looks at May as a mirror of values, strengths and vulnerabilities. When he yelled at May he took it out on her because he's actually angry with himself. He is falling into despair because he hasn't won at any GF and getting to second place gives you a bitter feeling deep down. He even put Absol in an uncomfortable position, Absol doesn't really want to hurt Drew's neck but he's not thinking straight. The conversation with Ash is important because it emphasizes that Drew still considers May as his rival, in other words, he does not consider May as someone weak, he is simply frustrated with himself. Drew has always had great admiration for May and it's something he recognized in the middle of the battle and when May defeated him. Hoenn GF was about May's flaws/vulnerabilities and Kanto GF was about Drew's flaws/vulnerabilities the lesson in both cases is *trust yourself*. May won this time because of her optimism and because she is not severe with herself. She put into practice the advice that Drew gave her in Hoenn, she trusted herself without listening to others. One can argue that what happened with Combusken was convenient and yeah it is, but I like to think that pokemons try hard to make the seemingly impossible come true because they love their trainers is the power of friendship. Her defeat with Solidad also gave her a lesson in life confidence is important, but don't underestimate others. One can't help but feel sorry for her when she cried because it's basically the bitch slap of reality there'll be always someone better than you. The 2 Grand Festivals handle the theme of balance in life very well.
