Pokémon: Above the Top

During the opening ceremony, Charles Goodshow gave a brief yet inspiring speech that instantly brought the atmosphere to a climax.

Taking advantage of the energized crowd, Charles immediately announced the start of the tournament and revealed the preliminary groupings.

"Group E, Arena 3, huh?"

"Pika!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Sato gave the excited Pikachu a quick pat and turned to head toward Arena 3.

He didn't pay much attention to the others. If one couldn't qualify, knowing the groupings wouldn't matter anyway.

Although they had agreed to meet during the ranking rounds, facing so many veteran Ace Trainers meant even Sato wasn't 100% confident.

Soon, Sato arrived at Arena 3. Unlike the main arena, it was a bit quieter here, and the audience stands weren't fully packed, but Sato still quickly spotted Clair.

A few minutes later, all participants in Group E had arrived at Arena 3 and began sizing each other up.

Sato also silently observed his preliminary opponents, and soon spotted a very familiar face.

"It's actually her…?" A flash of surprise passed through Sato's eyes, he hadn't expected her to show up.

Caitlin, the Psychic user from Unova!

Perhaps Sato had stared at her a bit too long, or perhaps her Psychic senses were just too sharp, but Caitlin quickly turned and locked eyes with him.

Sato instinctively wanted to nod in greeting, but Caitlin gave him a blatantly disgusted look and turned her head away without hesitation.

"Pika pi!"

Before Sato could react, Pikachu made a funny face at Caitlin in protest, puffing up angrily and making Sato chuckle.

"Easy now, behave."

"Pika!"

[The Pokémon League Ace Tournament Group E round-robin match is about to begin. The first battle will start in five minutes! Contestants Sato and Ford, please report to the stage. Failure to appear on time will result in automatic forfeit!] x2

Without any unnecessary words, the referee made the announcement via loudspeaker, and Sato hadn't expected to be the first one up.

"Pikapi!"

Pikachu tugged excitedly on Sato's ear, urging him to hurry onto the stage.

On the other side, a slightly rugged-looking middle-aged man had already stepped onto the battlefield; clearly Sato's first opponent, Ford!

Seeing this, Sato didn't hesitate. He stepped out of the "crowd" and quickly walked up to the stage.

"Wow, Ford got so lucky. First match and he draws a rookie, easy first win!"

"Haha, we're in the same group anyway. Sooner or later, we'll snag that free point too~"

Two plain-looking, unremarkable Trainers from Group E spoke loudly, not even trying to hide their comments from Sato on stage.

Their chatter caught Sato's attention, and he turned to glance at the two boastful Trainers. After memorizing their faces, he looked away.

There would be chances to meet them soon enough, no rush…

Then, Sato looked back at Ford and noticed the serious expression on his face.

'Looks like he knows who I am. Playing dumb won't work now.' Sato made a mental note and became more alert.

"Both contestants will use two Pokémon each in a 2v2 Double Battle. The match ends when one side's Pokémon have both lost the ability to battle. Any questions?"

"None!"

"No."

"Then, both sides, send out your Pokémon!"

"Krookodile, Cacturne. Battle ready."

"Pidgeot, Charizard, go all out!"

Red light flashed as all four Pokémon appeared on the field simultaneously.

Sato's side had sent out Krookodile and Cacturne, while the opponent sent out two Flying-type Pokémon… one of which was the ever-popular Kanto starter, Charizard!

"The Pokémon League Ace Tournament, Group E round-robin match, battle one. Begin!"

The referee's voice rang out quickly, clearly not planning to give either side much time to strategize.

"Charizard, Fire Blast! Pidgeot, Tailwind!"

"Krookodile, Sandstorm. Cacturne, Swords Dance."

Among the four Pokémon, Pidgeot was the fastest. It quickly flapped its wings, stirring up a powerful, lasting wind that immediately boosted itself and Charizard.

But the second-fastest wasn't Charizard…it was Krookodile!

With a sweeping motion of its arm, a fierce sandstorm erupted across the field, instantly cloaking itself and Cacturne from view.

Next, Charizard's Fire Blast surged forward, carried by the wind as it roared toward Cacturne!

…But it vanished into the sandstorm, leaving the outcome uncertain.

"Pidgeot, clear the sandstorm with Twister! Charizard, Heat Wave!" Ford's commands followed quickly, launching a fierce offensive.

"Cacturne, Sandstorm. Krookodile, Rock Slide."

Twister and Heat Wave merged into a flaming cyclone, forcefully tearing through the sandstorm, but their opponents remained hidden.

Though the audience wasn't large, gasps rang out. It was likely the first time they'd seen Weather moves countered in such a way.

…But the very next moment, another sandstorm surged to life. This time spinning even faster!

Shoo~ Shoo~ Shoo~

Multiple slicing sounds rang out as Krookodile's Rock Slide cut through the air, sweeping through the skies toward Charizard and Pidgeot under the renewed cover of sand.

Faced with the onslaught, both Flying-types instinctively tried to dodge.

Pidgeot's eyes were sharp, and even under the sandstorm's interference, it maneuvered swiftly, narrowly avoiding the attack.

But Charizard wasn't so lucky…

Even with Tailwind boosting its speed, it couldn't evade all of the Rock Slide projectiles.

Boom! Boom! Boom…!

Charizard let out a pained cry that made Ford clench his fists instinctively!

He clearly hadn't expected both of Sato's Pokémon to know Sandstorm, putting him at an immediate disadvantage.

Ford scratched his neck, puzzled as to why it was itching at such a critical moment.

Looking down subconsciously, he found two or three small Cotton Spore tufts clinging between his fingers…

"Damn! Pidgeot, Charizard, get out of the sandstorm, NOW!"

"Cacturne, Thunder Punch. Krookodile, Rock Slide!"

Both sides issued commands simultaneously again. With the sandstorm obscuring the field, most spectators couldn't clearly see what was happening.

But a sudden flash of electricity was faintly visible… followed by several more slicing sounds through the air.

Bang!

A heavy thud echoed as something crashed to the ground. Pidgeot burst from the sandstorm soon after, eyes filled with lingering fear.

Cacturne, still controlling the storm, slightly softened its intensity, allowing the spectators to clearly see Charizard lying motionless on the ground.

Pidgeot, under Cacturne and Krookodile's combined assault, held on for a few more seconds. But with its speed heavily hindered by Cotton Spore, it finally got caught off guard by Cacturne and was slammed to the ground.

"Charizard and Pidgeot have both lost the ability to battle. Krookodile and Cacturne are victorious!

Therefore, the winner of the first Group E round-robin match is Yuga Sato of Shadownight Town!"