Chapter 46:Unexpected appearance!

The PWE round had officially concluded. After Ace's intense and action-packed match, the remaining battles wrapped up, though none could compare to the spectacle Ace and Nidoking had delivered. The crowd had clearly found their favorite, as Ace's name was being chanted repeatedly, the cheers echoing throughout the entire stadium.

Ace, who was back in the waiting area with the other remaining trainers, scratched his cheek awkwardly, as the crowd here was twice the size of P1 grand prix. 'Man, this feels kind of weird… but also kinda nice,' he thought, hearing the overwhelming support. The staff members gave the 5 contestants headbands, Ace got a blue coloured headband with 'Team Blue' written on it in golden colour.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Serena leaned forward with a thoughtful expression. "I wonder what the third round is going to be…" she mused, eyes locked onto the stage where the announcer was preparing to reveal the next challenge.

Dawn placed a finger on her chin, considering the possibilities. "Maybe it'll just be a normal battle?" she suggested, though there was a hint of doubt in her voice as she looked at the participants tieing the headbands on their forehead.

May, however, grinned and waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever it is, I know Ace has got this."

Dawn and Serena exchanged looks before nodding in agreement.

Suddenly, Dawn pulled out a pair of pom-poms from her bag and turned to the other two girls with a mischievous grin. "Here, I got these for you guys too!"

Serena and May blinked in surprise as Dawn handed them each a matching set of blue-and-white pom-poms. "W-Wait, we're actually doing this?" Serena asked, holding them hesitantly.

May laughed and shook hers enthusiastically. "Of course! Let's cheer Ace on properly!"

And with that, the three of them stood up and began waving the pom-poms, loudly cheering for Ace. Though Serena appeared embarassed while the other two had no shame at all.

"G-go, Ace! You've got this!"

"Show them what you're made of, Ace!"

"Blue team for the win!"

Ace, who was standing near the battlefield, nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw them. His face turned red as a tomato. "T-This is so embarrassing…" he muttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his head.

But when he glanced around, he noticed the envious glares of the male audience members drilling into him. 'Heh, not gonna lie… This is kinda awesome.' he thought with a grin.

The disguised Proton, still acting as the enthusiastic announcer, raised his microphone to address the crowd and the five remaining participants. "Alright, folks! It's time for the FINAL ROUND! And this one is gonna be something completely new! Introducing… PokéBlock Wars!"

The audience erupted in excited murmurs.

The announcer grinned as he continued, "Here's how it works! Each team will be assigned a color and given a special PokéBlock—a large, metal sphere that resembles a PokéBall, but in their designated team's color!"

Ace and the other participants listened intently, eyes narrowing as they took in the details.

"The objective? Simple! Destroy the enemy team's PokéBlocks while defending your own!"

Gasps of excitement spread through the stadium as they watched the screen.

The massive screen above the battlefield flickered to life, displaying five small artificial islands floating high in the air. These islands weren't just floating through some unknown technology—they were actually being suspended by enormous hot air balloons! Below the islands a giant trampoline also appeared, for the safety of the trainers.

The announcer extended his arm toward the islands. "These will be the battlefields! Each team will start on their respective island, and trainers can use two Pokémon of their own! However, here's the catch! Trainers CANNOT directly attack each other! And if BOTH of a trainer's Pokémon are knocked out, they are automatically disqualified!"

The announcer continued explaining the mechanics. "Trainers have two ways to reach enemy islands! One—you can use the hot air balloon to push your island closer to your opponent's! Two—you can use Flying-type Pokémon to send your team across the gaps! Strategic movement will be the key to victory!"

Before Ace could think and finalize his thoughts about this round, he was interrupted by his three biggest supporters.

"Good luck, Ace!" Serena called out, waving her pom-poms.

"You've totally got this!" Dawn added, beaming.

"Make blue team proud!" May cheered.

Ace turned back to see all three of them jumping slightly in excitement, their synchronized cheerleader act making them look absolutely adorable. His face burned again. "You guys are gonna kill me with secondhand embarrassment…" he muttered under his breath.

Despite his flustered state, he still gave them a thumbs-up because their jumping had done wonders as he saw 3 pairs of balloons going up and down with each jump they took.

The moment was cut short as a Kadabra, belonging to one of the staff members, stepped forward.

The announcer's voice boomed again, "And now, our trainers will be teleported to their starting positions! Trainers, prepare yourselves!"

Before Ace could react, a bright light enveloped him, and in an instant—he was gone.

As the final round of the tournament was about to begin, the scene shifted away from the lively stadium to a dark, secluded alleyway in the city. The air was thick with tension, the only sound being the distant chatter of people unaware of what was unfolding in the shadows.

A lone figure stood amidst the dim light of sunrays peaking in the alleyway. He wore a black hooded jacket, his face concealed behind a sleek, battle-worn mask. At his feet, a beaten and unconscious Team Rocket grunt lay sprawled on the cold pavement, his uniform tattered and his body barely moving.

The masked man held a small radio close to his lips, his voice cold and emotionless as he spoke. "The information is accurate. The raid can proceed as planned."

From the other end of the radio, a voice responded—smooth yet dripping with arrogance. It belonged to a man, one who clearly enjoyed the sound of his own words. "Well, well… It's a good thing you finally decided to come down from that stupid mountain and help clean up Team Rocket's mess, Red."

The masked man—Red—remained silent for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing beneath the mask. His voice, when it came, was unwavering and filled with quiet determination.

"Team Rocket crossed the line when they hired 'Sin' to assassinate Surge." His grip on the radio tightened slightly. "After I finish with Team Rocket… 'Sin' is next."

The voice on the other end let out a low whistle. "Heh. Guess that means things are about to get real interesting."

Red ignored the remark. He turned his gaze toward the sky, where five enormous hot air balloons floated above the stadium, each carrying an artificial battlefield. His masked face remained unreadable as he observed the spectacle for a few moments.

"Will call later, Blue."

With that, he switched off the radio, pocketing it before stepping over the unconscious grunt and vanishing into the shadows.