After a quick wash, Ace returned to Sandgem Town.
The tournament had already concluded for the day, so Ace headed straight back to the inn he was staying at.
With his physical injuries fully healed, Ace lay on his bed, pondering the information Rayquaza had given him. He finally set his sights on Shaymin.
Based on what Rayquaza said about a Pokémon that could absorb and purify polluted air, Ace racked his brain for anything that fit the description, and only Shaymin came to mind.
"Shaymin, huh..."
Ace murmured to himself, "It seems there's no other way to find it besides looking for Gracidea flowers."
With that, Ace rolled over and decided to put those thoughts aside for now. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. The important thing was to get through the tournament. Mewtwo was fine for now, and once he found Shaymin, the problem would be solved.
With this thought, Ace fell into a deep sleep. Even though his conversation with Rayquaza seemed simple, it had taken a significant toll on his mental energy.
…
A new day began, and Ace woke up.
He picked up Ralts, who had snuck into his bed at some point, and placed it to the side. Ace then went through his usual morning routine and took the now-awake Ralts out for breakfast.
After a quick meal, Ace headed to the arena.
He squeezed his way through the crowd and into the venue. The semifinals were scheduled to begin today.
However, when he saw Cynthia emerge from the crowd, Ace was visibly stunned. Cynthia took her place opposite him and then looked toward the referee.
"Due to the withdrawal of the third and fourth place contestants, today's matches will be the final to determine the champion," the referee announced.
After listening to the referee's explanation, Ace understood the situation.
The two contestants who were supposed to face Ace and Cynthia had decided that they couldn't possibly win. Since they had already made it to the semifinals and secured a decent amount of prize money and rewards, they chose to withdraw and leave.
As for how the third and fourth places would be decided, those two contestants were a couple, and their rankings were determined between themselves.
"That works out. Straight to the finals then."
Ace looked at Cynthia, his wrist flicking, and six Poké Balls fell to the ground with a clatter.
Seeing Ace's move, Cynthia instantly understood. With a slight smile, six Poké Balls of her own also dropped to the ground.
As the referee announced the start of the match and the crowd looked on in confusion, Ace and Cynthia made their move.
They quickly ran to their respective Poké Balls and threw them out with a sharp motion.
Next, a Larvitar and a Lucario emerged. Using the momentum from their throws, they charged directly toward each other.
"Rock Slide."
"Power-Up Punch."
Rocks rapidly gathered, forming into a blade-like shape on Larvitar's right arm. As Larvitar swung, it cleaved at Lucario.
Lucario, however, threw a punch, ignoring the rock blade. In a move of trading blows, it landed a punch on Larvitar.
The rock blade shattered, and Larvitar was sent flying. Larvitar was at a severe type disadvantage.
"Sparks."
Ace immediately rushed forward. He recalled Larvitar while simultaneously throwing out Ninetales's Poké Ball. Ninetales burst out, and a shower of Sparks accompanied the opening of the Poké Ball, all heading toward Lucario.
"Please do not enter the battle arena, Ace. This is very dangerous..." the referee said.
"Aqua Ring!"
Cynthia also rushed forward. After recalling Lucario, her Milotic appeared with at least three Aqua Rings spinning around its body!
As the Sparks headed toward Milotic, the Aqua Rings exploded, sending a massive amount of water in all directions, extinguishing all the Sparks.
The referee, seeing both of them already inside the arena, was speechless. He couldn't suspend the match to get them to return to their positions.
"Extrasensory!"
Milotic, still in the air, was suddenly encased in a blue glow as its eyes widened. It was then sealed by the Psychic energy. As the pressure intensified, Milotic showed a pained expression.
"Recover!"
A healing light flashed, and Milotic's injuries were instantly healed. At the same time, the excessive healing energy blasted against the Psychic energy, creating a gap. Milotic exerted all its strength and instantly broke free from the Psychic hold.
"That's a good idea, but it's too late!"
Ace waved his hand, and the shattered Psychic fragments instantly transformed into blades. The Psyshock blades flew out, striking Milotic with great force.
Milotic had just landed and had no time to react. It was struck by the Psyshock blades, leaving shallow cuts on its body.
"This Ninetales... its control over Psychic moves is so precise?"
Seeing the injuries on Milotic, Cynthia's heart sank. After Milotic used Recover, it immediately fired a Hydro Pump toward Ninetales.
Ninetales's tail tips ignited, firing nine Flamethrowers at once. They instantly overpowered the Hydro Pump, pushing it back toward Milotic.
"This guy..."
Cynthia felt a sense of helplessness. Battling this Ninetales was a blow to her confidence. A normal Ninetales would fire a single Flamethrower, but this one could fire nine at once. How could she possibly win?
Milotic used Aqua Ring to protect itself. After the Hydro Pump was evaporated, the Aqua Ring took over, finally neutralizing the weakened Flamethrowers.
"Flamethrower doesn't seem to be as controllable as Sparks. If I can just dodge the linear attack of Flamethrower, I can win!"
Cynthia observed Ninetales's attack patterns and quickly found the flaw in its Flamethrower.
"Hydro Pump!"
Another Hydro Pump was launched. Ninetales raised its tails, firing nine Flamethrowers.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cynthia recognized the direction of Ninetales's attack. Milotic quickly dodged the Flamethrowers and opened its mouth again, firing another Hydro Pump toward Ninetales.
"Naive."
Ace gave a faint smile and then waved his arm.
Suddenly, a Light Screen appeared in front of Ninetales. The Hydro Pump struck the Light Screen but was unable to shatter it. Instead, its attack was completely blocked.
At that moment, two of the Flamethrowers that had been dodged suddenly changed direction, curving sharply and striking Milotic's back.
Hit by the powerful blow, Milotic whimpered, and the Hydro Pump ceased. Immediately after, the Light Screen shattered, and a barrage of Psyshock blades flew toward Milotic.
Caught in a pincer attack, a violent explosion erupted. The strong shockwave forced Cynthia to stumble back, raising her arms to shield herself from the blast.
When the smoke cleared, Milotic was lying on the ground, scorched and unable to battle.
"Milotic is unable to battle! Ninetales wins! Cynthia, please send out your next Pokémon," the referee announced, waving his flag.
But it was clear that both Cynthia and Ace had completely ignored the referee.
Just as the referee finished speaking, Cynthia threw out a Poké Ball. By the time Togekiss appeared on the field, Milotic had already been recalled by Cynthia.