Chapter 27: The Trial Chamber

Ace entered the press room to thunderous applause and flashbulbs. He sat at the podium and leaned forward into the mic. The atmosphere was electric. A flurry of reporters raised their hands calling his name begging to be called upon. Ace pointed to a middle-aged man with gray hair in the second row.

“Hello Ace. I’m Bob Shaw, Channel 5 Calypso Daily. If you had lost this match, it would’ve meant your death. Was that going through your mind at all during the match?”

Ace breathed before answering calmly and steady. “Yeah, it definitely crossed my mind. You don’t step into the Divine Challenge without knowing exactly what’s on the line, but you can’t battle like you’re already dead. The second you let fear make your choices, you’ve already lost. My focus was on Mikaela, on her Pokémon, on every opening she left. I wasn’t fighting to survive. I was fighting to win.”

The reporters clamored again for Ace’s attention. Ace pointed to a brown-haired woman to his left.

“Hi, Ace. Selene Kaur, Calypso Post. Why did you enter this challenge? Especially knowing the stakes and the fact that no one has ever conquered it in all its history?”

Everyone quieted.

Ace took a breath before answering. “I have my reasons for entering this challenge that I will keep to myself. I’m not in this for glory, wealth, or power. I only want to protect others. That’s all I’ll say.”

Ace called on another reporter in the back.

“Ace, Jordan Reyes, Battle Network International. You looked completely calm in those final moments, even as Saur was being torn apart by Mega Mawile. How do you keep that composure?”

Ace smiled slightly. “You learn to trust your partner. I’ve been through hell with Saur. Compared to that, one Mega Mawile isn’t enough to shake us. If I start panicking, Saur feels it. So, I stay calm, even when it feels like the walls are closing in.”

Ace then pointed toward a raised hand on the aisle, but the woman two seats over didn’t wait.

“Ace, Marisol Vega, Calypso Island Tribune.” She was already standing. “Mikaela Faye has represented this island for six years. She’s given this city more than most people born here ever will. And you waltzed here, called your shot on camera like it was an exhibition match, and now you’re sitting up there smiling about it. Do you have anything to say to the people who actually love her?”

The room dropped about ten degrees. Ace let the silence sit a beat longer than was comfortable.

“She’s the best trainer I’ve fought in years,” he said. “That’s not a courtesy. That’s a fact. And I didn’t come here to take anything from this island.”

“But you did come here to take something.”

“Next quest–”

“Ace! Ace!” Someone in the third row was already talking over him. “Tobias Renn, Silph Battle Digest. You said you’re doing this to protect others. Protect them from what?”

Ace’s jaw tightened, just slightly. Anyone who didn’t know him wouldn’t have caught it.

“There are things moving in the world right now that I’m not at liberty to discuss.”

“That’s not an answer,” Renn challenged.

“It’s the one you’re getting,” Ace retorted.

“Are you working with a League? A government?” Renn was standing now too, notebook forgotten. “Because everyone in history who has attempted this Challenge believed they could earn the right to lead this nation only to fail. And now a three-time Champion shows up out of nowhere with a reason he won’t name—”

“Mr. Renn.” The moderator’s voice cracked across the room. “One question.”

The next reporter Ace called on was a young blonde near the back.

“Clarissa Young, Battle Strategy Weekly. Ace, you pulled Bisharp back in against Tinkaton even knowing the matchup disadvantage. Some people are calling that suicidal. Why make that choice, especially given the consequences for a loss?”

“Because type matchups aren’t everything,” Ace responded. “Bisharp’s Defiant turns stat drops into firepower. Mikaela tried to break him with Baby-Doll Eyes, and it backfired. That’s what this Challenge is about. Reading your opponent, taking the risk, and punishing them when they slip. If I battle any differently than I always do, then I’m dead anyway. Sometimes you gamble. Tonight, that gamble paid off.”