Brianna: May's First Rival, Who Came for Drew

An unsigned letter is all it takes to set her whole storyline in motion. Brianna is a Coordinator from Kanto who lasts just one episode, the length of a single Contest. Yet her appearance leaves a distinct mark on the series: she is the first female rival May meets, and the first to mix romantic stakes with the stakes of a Contest. Behind her entry in the tournament lies an admiration for Drew that she can neither keep quiet nor put into words.

Contents

• A Letter May Credits to Someone Else
• A Kanto Contest, and a Rivalry with Hidden Depths
• Vibrava and Surskit, Two Styles for One Contest
• Brianna at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

A Letter May Credits to Someone Else

The character makes herself felt before she even steps into the frame. Two episodes earlier, May receives a letter that she instinctively assumes came from Drew. The sender is actually Brianna, and the misunderstanding lasts until the two Coordinators finally come face to face.

The meeting itself starts with a near accident. May is in the middle of training when her Munchlax nearly hits Brianna with a Focus Punch; the newcomer immediately follows up by saying how eager she is to battle her. She takes the opportunity to own up to the letter and explain her silence: shyness had kept her from approaching May after a defeat.

Then a single name turns the scene around. On learning that Drew is nearby, Brianna instantly blushes, and May offers to introduce them. She takes her over to the boy, who is busy sunbathing, and tells him that Brianna got into Contests because she admires him — a confession that clearly flatters Drew.

A Kanto Contest, and a Rivalry with Hidden Depths

At first, the tournament goes smoothly for her. Brianna clears the first round and is selected for the second stage, the head-to-head battles. It's a remark from her opponent that sets things off: hearing May say she plans to show Drew how much she has improved makes her lose her temper.

The explanation she then gives sheds light on why she entered at all. If she is so set on facing May, it's because she believes May is the only one who holds Drew's interest among all the Coordinators. She bluntly asks May how she feels about him, and in the same breath announces her intention to confess her feelings once the Contest is over.

The final settles the competitive question and leaves the other one hanging. Brianna loses to May and immediately revises her plan: she will wait until she has won a Ribbon before speaking up. Drew happens to arrive just then, along with Ash and his friends, and pays her a compliment; she blushes even harder and faints. The series shows her only once more, briefly, watching the TV broadcast of the Grand Festival.

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Vibrava and Surskit, Two Styles for One Contest

Her documented team is limited to two Pokémon, and each one covers a different style. Vibrava is the more complete of the two: Screech, Sand Tomb and Dragon Breath give it three moves of different types, from the weakening shriek to the draconic breath by way of the sand.

Surskit works within a narrower range. Agility and Ice Beam make a pairing that's easy to read: one speeds up, the other strikes. Only two moves are on record for it, compared with three for its teammate, which makes it the less documented half of the team.

Only one exchange from the final is shown in detail. In it, Brianna sends her Vibrava against May's Combusken, and that duel decides the Contest. The rest of her run is less detailed: we know she got through the first round with Surskit.

Brianna at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Brianna in the anime?
  A Coordinator from Kanto who appears for a single Contest during the ninth season. She reaches the final there and loses to May.
• Which Pokémon does Brianna use?
  Two are documented: Vibrava, which knows Screech, Sand Tomb and Dragon Breath, and Surskit, known to use Agility and Ice Beam.
• Why is Brianna so determined to battle May?
  Because she is convinced that May is the only Coordinator who holds Drew's interest. In fact, it was out of admiration for Drew that she started entering Contests.
• Does Brianna reappear after this Contest?
  Only once, very briefly: she is seen watching the Grand Festival on TV. She doesn't take part in it.
• Why does May think the letter came from Drew?
  The story doesn't explain it: Brianna only says she didn't dare approach May directly. The letter arrives two episodes before they meet, and the mix-up only clears up when Brianna introduces herself in person.

In short

Brianna lasts a single episode, but her role in it is clear: she is the first female rival the series pits against May, and the first to layer romantic stakes on top of the stakes of a Contest. Her defeat in the final settles only half the question, since she leaves with her confession on hold and a Ribbon to win first. A passing character, whom the series leaves in a dead faint.