Ace

Chapter 33

"Absol, Mega Evolve!" I touched my Mega Earring and surrounded both myself and Absol in a radiant, iridescent glow. Moments later, Mega Absol emerged from the light, majestic wings trailing out behind it.

"There it is, folks!" The commentator announced. "This skilled Dark-type trainer has dealt her ultimate card: a majestic and intimidating Mega Absol, possibly the only one on earth!"

"Psycho Cut, let's go!" Absol unleashed a blade of pink energy from its horn, which slammed into my opponent's Amoongus and fainted it instantly.

"With her third win in a row, Astrid has secured herself a place in the quarterfinals! Thank you for watching, and will the remaining 8 trainers please gather on the battlefield for the quarterfinal's pairings."

I watched as the other trainers joined me onto the field and waited in front of the huge TV screen. Ash, with his Pikachu on his shoulder as always, gave me a friendly wave. Sawyer, the green-haired Trainer I had battled the day I had become an Ace Trainer, had his notebook at the ready to record anything important. Standing behind all of them was Alain.

I bit my lip, pretended not to notice and stared at my feet.

Photos of all 8 trainers appeared on the screen and randomly paired up with each other. I found my photo next to Ash's, being the second-to-last battle in the quarterfinals. He glanced at me and grinned.

"Looks like we're battling each other again," he said. "Let's all have lots of fun, ok?"

"Sure," I replied. "But don't think that means I'll go easy on you."

Everyone left the battlefield for a small break before the match. I left, but not before stealing the TV screen another glance.

I had gotten better as a trainer, but that didn't mean Ash hadn't as well.