After a simple lunch, the afternoon's matches—the round of 32—began quickly.
It was still one-on-one. Ace went to the drawing station again, took a random ball, and saw it was A1.
"That's pretty fast," Ace handed the ball to a staff member and looked up at the screen.
On the screen, the first match in Block A was Ace VS Beverly.
Ace's brows furrowed slightly. He had heard others talk about Beverly, a trainer rumored to be very strong with a combat style similar to his own—focused on practical, real-world battle.
"Looks like I'll get a good fight after all," Ace's frown softened into a smile, and he quickly walked toward Block A.
Since it was the first match, a short-haired blonde girl in a tracksuit was already waiting on the battlefield when Ace arrived.
"You're Ace?" Beverly looked at him with a grin. "Let's have a good fight."
Ace smiled back, his eyes sparkling with anticipation for the upcoming match.
Soon, the referee was in position. At his signal, both Ace and Beverly threw their Poké Balls. With a flash of light, Combusken and a Drillbur appeared on the field.
"Fire Punch!"
"Metal Claw!"
Combusken pushed off with its legs, rushing toward Drillbur. Flames gathered on its claws as it charged, and it struck out at its opponent.
Drillbur's reaction was just as quick. Its sharp claws screeched against each other twice, and then its Metal Claws rapidly slashed at Combusken.
"Bang!"
With a dull thump, the two Pokémon crossed paths and separated. In an instant, they both used their waist strength to twist their upper bodies and launched an elbow strike at the other's head.
Their elbows collided, and they both quickly retreated, having swapped positions.
"Sandstorm!"
"Flame Charge!"
Drillbur immediately whipped up a sandstorm. Seizing the opportunity, Combusken, engulfed in flames, slammed into Drillbur.
Drillbur's face showed pain, and its feet dragged a meter-long trench on the ground. Its hands came together, and it drilled straight into the earth like a corkscrew.
"Bulk Up!"
Seeing Drillbur vanish underground, Ace immediately commanded.
Combusken's muscles bulged. It let out an angry roar, and a bright light began to glow around it.
"Hold it back!"
Seeing the familiar light of evolution, Ace immediately told Combusken to suppress it.
Combusken nodded, and the light quickly faded. Taking advantage of this fleeting moment, Drillbur emerged from its Dig attack, spinning like a high-speed drill toward Combusken. Within the sandstorm, Drillbur's speed increased even more.
"Fire Punch!"
Combusken unleashed a punch that collided with the tip of the drill. Due to the type disadvantage, Combusken was gradually overwhelmed and thrown into the air.
"Finish it! Horn Drill!"
Seeing Combusken get sent flying, Beverly's eyes sparkled with excitement as she shouted the command.
Drillbur pinpointed Combusken's landing spot, brought its body together again, and spinning like a drill, it rushed toward the falling Pokémon.
"A formidable opponent," Ace said calmly, looking at Drillbur before speaking to Combusken. "It's alright. Evolve."
As Ace's words fell, the descending Combusken was instantly wrapped in flames. A loud cry rang out, and the light of evolution burst forth from it.
"Don't worry about it!"
Beverly's eyes widened in surprise, a sense of foreboding flashing in her heart.
"Boom!"
The flames surrounding Combusken dispersed, revealing a Blaziken before everyone.
In the next moment, Blaziken's feet ignited with fire like rocket boosters, and its body suddenly accelerated its descent.
Drillbur's Horn Drill completely missed its target!
"Blaze Kick!"
Blaziken twisted in the air, its legs wrapped in flames, and it delivered a powerful kick that landed squarely on Drillbur's spinning body.
Using Drillbur's spin as leverage, Blaziken ricocheted back and landed beside Ace.
The now-stationary Drillbur landed in front of Beverly, and it looked at the scorched mark on its side, a hint of fear in its eyes.
"Come on, let's continue," Ace beckoned to Drillbur. In the next instant, Blaziken shot forward.
Now standing at over six feet tall, Blaziken's long legs alone were nearly four feet, and its powerful legs gave it incredible mobility.
Coupled with the boost from its Speed Boost ability, Blaziken's speed was at its peak!
"Metal Claw... No!"
As Blaziken charged at Drillbur, Beverly was about to have Drillbur retaliate, but the fading sandstorm made her cry out in alarm.
Drillbur had the Sand Rush ability, which increased its speed during a sandstorm.
But now that the sandstorm was dying down, its boosted speed suddenly plummeted.
The abrupt change in speed left Drillbur disoriented. Blaziken instantly seized the brief opening. After closing in on Drillbur, it delivered a fierce Blaze Kick right to its face!
The instantaneous heavy kick and the explosion of flames completely dazed Drillbur, and its entire body was sent flying backward.
"Keep going!"
Blaziken instantly became a blur. The continuous acceleration made its body creak and groan, but Blaziken paid no mind.
Speed is power!
Blaziken caught up to the flying Drillbur and quickly got behind it.
It stopped, delivered a powerful snap kick, and another Blaze Kick fiercely struck Drillbur's back.
In the next moment, Drillbur was sent flying again, and Blaziken once more vanished from its spot.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A relentless series of kicks, with flames bursting all over Drillbur's body, kept the Pokémon suspended in mid-air, unable to touch the ground.
"Thud!"
It was only when Drillbur finally fainted that it fell to the ground.
Blaziken, now panting, appeared next to Ace. The ultra-high-speed kicks had taken a toll on its body.
However, Blaziken's performance also taught Ace something about its Speed Boost ability. As long as Blaziken's body could withstand the strain of the ultra-high speed, the ability was not limited to just a few fixed boosts like in the games.
If Blaziken's physical strength could continuously improve like Ace's, then Blaziken's speed could also continuously accelerate!
"Drillbur is unable to battle. Blaziken wins!"
With the referee's announcement, Ace secured his place in the top 16.
The next round of matches would no longer be one-on-one but three-on-three.
And the finals would be a true six-on-six full battle!
Chapter 196: Ralts Hatches
"Six versus six, should I call a few of them over?"
Ace left the competition venue and went to a small stall to buy some snacks, as well as some for his Pokémon.
Crobat and Larvitar were quietly eating their snacks, while Blaziken gave Gible a provocative look. Blaziken's message was clear: See, I came later than you, but I evolved first.
Gible ground its teeth in frustration. As an old rival, being surpassed by a junior made Gible very unhappy.
"Blaziken, your evolution was a bit rushed, so you won't be needed for the upcoming battles. Focus on training your body to make up for the deficiencies of a hasty evolution."
Ace didn't turn back to watch the two Pokémon's antics but directly declared that Blaziken would not be participating in the next battle. Blaziken's eating immediately froze, and it turned completely gray.
"Actually, I'll have Chansey help you out. It will be faster that way."
Ace continued to murmur softly. Blaziken wasn't just gray anymore; it was practically petrified, looking like it was about to crack.
What was Chansey's reputation? It was an invincible force among Ace's Pokémon. How many Pokémon had been subdued by its little fists? No Pokémon dared to act tough in front of Chansey. Even the equally powerful Gengar and the rapidly improving Crobat were no match for Chansey.
Now that Blaziken knew it would be sent to Chansey for physical training, it was clear that its future would be a living hell!
Gible, who had been annoyed with Blaziken, now looked at it with sympathy. Gible patted Blaziken on the back, its expression clearly saying, "Go with God, brother. I'll pray for you."
Blaziken rolled its eyes at Gible and followed Ace silently. The once-delicious snack now tasted like sawdust in its mouth.
Ace returned to Professor Rowan's lab to use the Pokémon Transfer System to bring a few of his Pokémon over.
"I'm sorry, but it seems there's a problem with the Pokémon Transfer System recently, and Pokémon can't be sent over." The lab staff member, knowing that Ace was there to receive Pokémon, said apologetically, "Professor Masaki is currently repairing it. If you're not in a hurry, you could use the mail system."
"Oh, in that case, never mind."
Ace nodded in understanding. He frowned as he left the lab. He knew this must mean Pryce had already begun his plan. He had stolen a large amount of energy from the Pokémon Transfer System for his own use, and Masaki was probably at his wit's end trying to fix it.
"I wonder if the small Pokémon Transfer System from my system can be used." Ace sighed, only hoping that the system would come through for him.
Soon, Ace called his home. His Chansey answered the phone. Following Ace's instructions, Chansey put Ace's Pokémon into Poké Balls and placed them on the Pokémon Transfer System on the third floor.
Chansey pressed the switch, and the transfer system activated. In Sinnoh, Ace watched as a metallic indentation on his Pokédex flashed with sparks. Soon, one Poké Ball after another appeared from the indentation and landed on the ground.
"The system is still quite reliable."
Ace picked up the three Poké Balls and said to Chansey over the phone, "Chansey, I'm sending some Poké Balls over. Blaziken needs to strengthen its physique, so I'm leaving its training to you. There are also four new Pokémon. They're very weak, so for now, find some thick steel plates and have them crash into them to temper themselves. Understand?"
Chansey chirped back through the phone, clearly indicating that it understood.
Next, Ace placed five Poké Balls one by one into the indentation on his Pokédex, pressed the switch, and the five Poké Balls vanished from his sight.
At Ace's home in Kanto, five Poké Balls appeared on the Pokémon Transfer System, and Chansey picked them up one by one. It opened Blaziken's Poké Ball first, and Blaziken appeared in the third-floor lab.
Blaziken looked around the lab and instantly felt its legs go weak.
"You've evolved, haven't you? From now on, you'll be training with me. Understand?" Chansey looked at the tall Blaziken, frowned slightly, and spoke in Pokémon language.
"Yes! Boss! I will absolutely obey your commands!" Blaziken's legs went weak, and it knelt on the ground, making a solemn vow to Chansey.
"What are these four Pokémon?" Chansey opened all the Poké Balls, and four Shiny Beldum floated in the air, looking around at their surroundings.
"The master said they're called Beldum. They only know one move, Take Down, and they look a little dumb," Blaziken said, showing a natural talent for being a sycophant. It quickly moved behind Chansey, distancing itself from the Beldum.
The four Beldum all focused their gazes on Blaziken. Beldum were not dumb at all; in fact, they were much smarter than most humans and Pokémon. They knew that they were now Ace's Pokémon, and so were the ones in front of them, so there was no need for internal conflict. However, that Blaziken had called them dumb, and the Beldum remembered it. When their strength improved, they would definitely show it who was dumb!
"It looks like they're not listening, Boss. You need to establish your authority!" Blaziken said, seeing the malicious looks from the Beldum and trying to stir up trouble.
"There's no need for that. Your task from now on is to crash into steel plates. Understand?" Chansey ignored Blaziken's ploy and directly assigned the training task to the four Beldum.
The four Beldum all nodded. They could feel the huge gap between themselves and Chansey, so they obediently agreed.
Things were going smoothly for Chansey, but Ace in Sinnoh was facing a small problem.
After Ace picked up the three Poké Balls that had been transferred, the fanny pack on his waist suddenly began to shake.
"Huh?" Ace was confused. He rummaged through the pack and found that the Pokémon Egg, which he had kept in an incubator since he got it, was shaking. At the same time, the eggshell began to emit a soft, glowing light.
"Hatching? So fast?"
Ace quickly took it out. As soon as he held the egg in his arms, the light grew intensely bright. When the light faded, a Ralts was tightly hugging Ace, its small face rubbing against his chest.
"Question: Are you my Master?"
A gentle, frail voice echoed in Ace's mind. Ralts raised its light blue hair, its big, watery eyes looking at Ace.
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