Riiing~ Riiing~
The alarm clock rang, and Sato, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes right on time. There wasn't the slightest hint of grogginess or confusion in his gaze.
He turned off the alarm, got up, and went to wash up. Even though today was the semifinals, his morning training still had to continue.
"Pika...chu~"
The alarm hadn't managed to wake Pikachu, but Sato getting up did.
Lying on the pillow, Pikachu twitched its ears slightly, then let out a big yawn.
With tears still in the corners of its eyes, it stared blankly ahead for a moment before slowly hopping off the bed and following Sato's scent to the bathroom.
"Pika pi!"
"Morning, Pikachu. Want to wash your face and brush your teeth?"
"Pika?"
Pikachu jumped up onto the sink, watching Sato's mouth filled with white foam… it looked no different than being poisoned.
"Pi!"
Pikachu shook its head hard and quickly fled the sink.
It had seen humans "play dead" like this before, but still couldn't understand how this stuff could possibly be good for your teeth…
Ten minutes later, Sato stepped out of the room fully prepared, and Pikachu happily leapt onto his shoulder. No one was fighting for that spot today.
Since the Indigo Plateau was full of people and eyes, Sato brought Pikachu to the forest clearing behind the Pokémon Center.
"Everyone, come on out."
Six flashes of red light burst forth. The team Sato had prepared for the semifinals appeared in the forest ahead of time.
Now that the Ace Tournament had reached this stage, it was no surprise that the format had changed to a full 6v6 battle.
And after yesterday's quarterfinals concluded, President Goodshow had conducted the semifinal draw in front of everyone.
Wallace vs Phoebe!
Sato vs Ryoko!
--
The moment the pairings were announced, Phoebe's face was filled with heaviness. She clearly understood the gap between herself and Wallace, and knew winning would be very difficult.
"In the past, I was always the strongest 'rookie' in the Hoenn Region…
But after you showed up, you stole that title from me. This time… I'm taking it back!"
"Yeah yeah, good luck~"
Wallace replied dismissively on purpose, infuriating Phoebe to the point that she wished she could have Gengar drag him into the Ghost World right now.
"Sato, this time it's settled. We meet in the finals~"
Turning around, Wallace declared confidently to Sato.
Although Wallace was now widely recognized as the "strongest" of the younger generation, he had lost to Sato early on. It was still a mental block for him.
"Not taking others seriously at all, huh? Men really are all pigs!" Ryoko said coolly from the side, clearly annoyed by Wallace's attitude.
"Exactly, Ryoko! Men are pigs~"
Phoebe instantly linked arms with Ryoko, standing shoulder to shoulder, united against a common enemy!
Sato: …?[1]
"…I'm heading back to rest."
Sato had no interest in becoming the public enemy here. After saying his piece, he quickly slipped away.
--
Half an hour passed. The basic morning training was finished. Sato recalled all six of his Pokémon, scooped up the exhausted Pikachu, and returned to the Pokémon Center.
He handed his Pokémon to Rose for a quick checkup, then sat down with them for a hearty breakfast; just in time to sync perfectly with the start of the match schedule.
"Do your best! Lance said that if you make it to the finals, he'll come cheer for you in person!"
Rose waved her little fist toward Sato, "encouraging" him.
"Yeah… and thank you for all your help these past few days." Sato smiled and nodded in return.
"You're welcome!"
---
Sato then walked alone toward the arena. When he arrived at the waiting room, Wallace, Ryoko, and Phoebe were already there.
Since only the four of them were competing today, the large waiting room felt particularly empty.
Unlike usual, since everyone was now an opponent, even the typically talkative Wallace and Phoebe had fallen silent, quietly waiting for the match to begin.
Finally, Charles Goodshow stepped onto the stage. After the customary opening speech, the Ace Tournament semifinals officially began.
"It's our turn!"
"Yeah."
Sato and Ryoko stood up at the same time, locked eyes for a moment, then walked toward their respective entrance tunnels.
[We will now begin the first match of the Ace Tournament semifinals. Both sides will engage in a full 6v6 battle. When one side's six Pokémon have all lost the ability to battle, the match will end!]
"Any questions?"
"None!" "None."
"Good. Now, both Trainers, please send out your first Pokémon!"
Bang! Bang!
"Sharpedo. Prepare for battle."
"Swampert! You got this!"
Two flashes of red light burst forth, Sato and Ryoko had both sent out Water-type Pokémon.
But before they could spend time strategizing, the match had already been declared underway!
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet."
"Swampert, Muddy Water!"
Sharpedo acted first, shooting toward Swampert like a cannonball, swirling currents wrapped around its body, completely ignoring the Muddy Water in its path.
Sploosh~
The sound of a rock hitting water echoed. It was Sharpedo diving straight into the Muddy Water, its figure instantly obscured.
But in the next moment, Sharpedo burst straight out from within the torrent, continuing its charge at Swampert.
Aside from making the water around Sharpedo appear a bit murky, Muddy Water didn't seem to have any other effect.
Closer… and closer. The high-speed Sharpedo quickly reached Swampert, and just when everyone thought the two were about to clash head-on…
Sharpedo suddenly twisted its body and darted behind Swampert, chomping straight at the fin on its head!
Move: Crunch.
But on the other side, the seemingly slow-reacting Swampert suddenly tilted its head and twisted its body sharply. Its left hand, hiding a deadly strike, swung out with Brick Break!
Both sides had changed moves on the fly!
"Sha!"
Even though Crunch missed and it ended up in a bad position, Sharpedo showed no panic at all.
Already incredibly fast, it surged forward even faster after missing the bite, narrowly dodging Swampert's Brick Break.
-- --
"Whoa!"
Gasps could be heard from the audience stands. From the very start, the battle was already so intense and thrilling, it gave many viewers goosebumps.
"Only such powerful Pokémon are worthy of these top-tier geniuses," someone whispered in awe.
"Yeah."
-- --
'Of course there's a follow-up… I can't let my guard down.' Sato thought to himself, then continued, "Sharpedo, Hydro Pump."
"Swampert, Aqua Tail!"
Hydro Pump and Aqua Tail clashed violently. Logically, Hydro Pump should've been stronger, but Swampert's natural physical Attack power gave it the edge, and once again, they were evenly matched.
However, a flicker of anxiety appeared in Ryoko's eyes. She knew Sharpedo's strength all too well.
Its Speed Boost Ability felt like a tightening noose… constantly reminding her that Sharpedo was only going to get stronger!
[1] (°ー°〃)