Pokémon: Above the Top

After the preliminaries ended, the 32 qualified contestants were given a day off to rest and adjust.

Sato had already planned to meet up with Norman, Flint, and the others today to explore the bustling Indigo Plateau.

Inside the Pokémon Center's lobby, Sato sat with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, Skorupi on his left, and Umbreon right beside him on the right.

Wearing an all-black casual outfit, he looked more like a traveler than a finalist.

Sitting on the couch waiting for the others, Sato flipped through the list of Ace Tournament finalists.

Besides familiar friends like Norman and Flint, Sato was naturally more interested in the renowned veteran Ace Trainers.

But he didn't get far before he sharply noticed two sets of footsteps suddenly slow down behind him.

Whoosh~

Sato swiftly dipped his left shoulder, and at the same time, a hand swiped across the space he had just moved from.

"What the… do you have eyes on your back or something?! How'd you dodge that so fast?"

Norman's voice came from behind, only to be met with a sideways glance from Sato.

"Hehehe, congrats~ Ten straight wins and into the finals!" Phoebe ran up with a grin, congratulating Sato warmly.

"Hmm… As expected."

"…I'm starting to think the Sato I used to know was a fake." Phoebe rolled her eyes, this "arrogant" version of him seriously made her want to smack him.

Soon, Flint also walked over and joined the group.

"Where's Volkner?"

Not seeing the blond, deadpan companion at Flint's side, Sato felt a bit off.

"Oh, he said he was going into an intese training session. Took off early this morning." Flint shrugged.

Just as Flint finished speaking, a flash of white suddenly spun into the scene.

"Good morning, my beloved partners~" Wallace twirled dramatically, scanning the group before stopping in front of Sato with a raised eyebrow and smirk.

"Especially you~ My most adorable… Skorupi!"

"…Skor?"

Skorupi instinctively backed up two steps, its tiny eyes squinting hard.

'Who am I? Where am I? What do you want from me?'

Of course, no matter how Skorupi reacted, nothing could stop Wallace from continuing his "performance."

"By the way, Skorupi's Trainer~ How have you been lately?"

"…I miss the innocent, bashful Wallace from the Sootopolis Gym."

Fwoosh~

Thunk!

Wallace clutched his chest dramatically, as if struck by an arrow. Truly, what goes around comes around.

Not wanting to let the drama king in front of him improvise another scene, Sato quickly turned his head away.

At some point, Ryoko had quietly arrived and now stood off to the side, smiling as she watched the group's lively antics.

"Still hiding your power, huh? I heard your Axew evolved into Haxorus. It's one of your aces now?"

"Yeah~ Did your Zweilous evolve yet? Think we'll see it in the next rounds?"

"Haven't solved the evolution issue yet, so I'm sticking with Umbreon and the others this time," Sato replied, gently patting the well-behaved Umbreon next to him.

"Umbre~"

Hearing its name, Umbreon happily rubbed against Sato, clearly pleased.

Soon after, Jona, Marshal, and the rest arrived too. With the full group assembled, they headed out together in high spirits, drawing plenty of attention as they walked.

As participants in this year's Ace Tournament, Sato and the others weren't exactly household names, but they were at least recognizable faces.

And with such a large group walking together, they hadn't even made it a hundred meters before they were completely surrounded by "fans", three layers deep… unable to move a step.

Flint and the others exchanged glances, clearly not expecting the fans to be this passionate. Only Sato remained calm, recalling Skorupi and Umbreon, then releasing Ralts.

"I'll go on ahead. I'll wait for you guys at the Cat & Dog Café up front," Sato said. Just as he finished speaking, a flash of white light enveloped him and, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Seeing this, the rest of the group immediately understood. In a flash, six Flying-type Pokémon appeared in the sky:

Flint's Charizard, Ryoko's Tropius, Wallace's Mantine, Jona's Unfezant, Norman's Pidgeot, and Phoebe's Mismagius.

The six Trainers wasted no time hopping onto their respective Pokémon. And under Marshal's stunned gaze, they all took off like the wind.

"Why is there never… anyone who'll fly me?"

Marshal muttered to himself, his stern face full of disbelief and the sorrow of abandonment.

"They just flew off like that… As expected from Ace Trainers, even their exits are cool!"

"Exactly, I'm so jealous… When will I be able to leave like that whenever I want?"

"WAIT! Looks like there's still one left… Should we ask for an autograph? Maybe a selfie?"

"You sure he's a real contestant? How come he can't even fly?"

Pfft!

"Yeah, and he looks kinda weird too…"

Pfft pfft!

"I only like young Trainers… let's go, let's go!"

Pfft pfft pfft!

Clutching his metaphorically shredded heart, Marshal finally released his barely-airworthy Fighting-type "bird" Pokémon, determined to prove himself.

Fighting-types can fly too!

That very afternoon, word had already spread across the Indigo Plateau: finalists spotted out on the town together! Many who had stayed home rushed out, hoping for a chance encounter on the street.

Meanwhile, the stars of the event had already gathered at the Cat & Dog Café, each showing off their own unique charm while playing with normal cats and dogs, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

---

Early the next morning, the Pokémon League Ace Tournament finals officially began!

The 32 Ace Trainers who had made it this far entered the arena one by one under the spotlight, greeted by loud roars from the crowd.

"Pika pika!"

Pikachu, perched on Sato's shoulder, showed no shyness, waving its tiny paws excitedly at the audience and drawing surprised glances from other contestants.

Soon, Charles Goodshow took the stage again, offering formal congratulations to those who had advanced and words of encouragement to those who hadn't.

Then, under everyone's watchful gaze, he officially declared the start of the finals.

The rules of the finals were already well known. Though the "2+1+1" format was new, the ten-day preliminaries had given everyone time to understand it.

With the MC's opening speech wrapped up, the matchups began to appear slowly on the central screen above the battlefield.

"It's him…"

Sato quickly found his own portrait and, upon seeing who his first opponent was, he immediately felt a sense of concern.

It was none other than the man who had already defeated Norman once: Mr. Orin.

A specialist in… Fighting-type Pokémon!

Sato instinctively turned toward his opponent… only to see Orin looking back at him at the same time.

As their eyes met, the fire of battle began to blaze in both their hearts!

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150 PS - CHAP