Jessie's "performance" instantly dropped the entire stadium's mood to absolute zero...
Whoo... whoo...
A cold breeze seemed to blow through.
Everyone could only feel one thing: pure, secondhand embarrassment.
Jessie had, once again, gone way over the top.
Up until now, every time she had pulled one of these reckless stunts, she'd somehow made it through the first screening.
Which had given her a very misleading confidence...
Meanwhile, poor Jessie had crash-landed right onto Wobbuffet's head, standing triumphantly atop it, convinced that everyone was too stunned by her and Wobbuffet's "amazing performance" to even applaud.
Otherwise, how else could you explain the complete silence?
It was this delusional self-confidence that carried Jessie off the stage, blissfully unaware of how badly she had bombed.
__
Up next was Zoey.
Naturally, Zoey had come to compete in the Wallace Cup as well.
For her first-round performance, she used her beautiful partner— Finneon.
Finneon was an absolutely gorgeous Pokémon in its own right.
Zoey began by having Finneon gracefully perform a Flash underwater, creating rippling waves of light.
Then, she had it suddenly stop and unleash Safeguard, enveloping Finneon in a mesmerizing emerald glow—making the entire stage shimmer beautifully.
After Zoey's performance, more and more Coordinators took the stage, each showcasing their unique flair.
__
At that moment, when a certain contestant stepped onto the stage, hostess Marian suddenly froze—then glanced toward Wallace.
Wallace looked back and gave a subtle nod.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have some wonderful news!"
Marian's voice bubbled with excitement.
"Today, not only will you witness the dazzling performances of all these amazing Coordinators—but at the grand finale of the Wallace Cup, after the champion is crowned, Mr. Wallace and a special guest will give everyone an exclusive exhibition match! Please look forward to it!"
BOOM!
The stadium erupted into thunderous cheers!
__
"I can't believe it—we'll actually get to see Wallace perform live!"
"This is incredible! Totally worth it!"
"Best day ever!"
__
As expected, May, Dawn, and Zoey all passed the first screening without any issues.
"Wow, both May and Dawn made it through together! They're both incredible,"
Brock and Lucy praised with admiration.
"Yeah, they've been working really hard... I wonder who'll end up winning the whole thing?"
Anabel mused thoughtfully.
"Well, no matter who wins, as long as they give it their all, there won't be any regrets!"
Lucy said with a smile.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
__
In the first screening, sixteen contestants advanced.
Since this was the prestigious Wallace Cup, the number of participants had been massive.
Only the best of the best could move forward!
In the second screening—naturally, May, Dawn, and Zoey sailed through again without trouble, advancing into the Top 8!
Then came the third round: Top 8 to Top 4!
Here, May and Zoey faced off!
May sent out her Beautifly.
Zoey countered with her Glameow.
The battle between Glameow and Beautifly was stunningly intense, filled with graceful attacks and glittering dodges.
The two were practically neck and neck!
But in the end, Zoey fell just slightly behind, allowing May to clinch the win and move into the Top 4.
Meanwhile, Dawn also defeated her opponent and moved forward as well!
__
Thus, May and Dawn both entered the semifinals—and after each won another match, the highly anticipated finals finally arrived!
May vs Dawn!
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for—the grand finals of the Wallace Cup!"
Marian's voice rang out, electrified with excitement.
"Will Miss May or Miss Dawn claim the ultimate prize? Let's find out together!"
The whole stadium buzzed with anticipation.
__
"Glaceon, take the stage!"
May called out confidently.
"Piplup, make your dazzling entrance!"
Dawn shouted.
"Piplup!"
"Glaaa!"
The two Pokémon burst onto the stage—both radiant, both brimming with energy.
__
"May, I never imagined I'd make it all the way here and meet you in the finals!"
Dawn said, beaming.
"Dawn, me neither! So let's give it our all and have a battle with no regrets!"
May smiled warmly.
Two shining girls—both exceptionally talented—had finally met on the grand stage of the Wallace Cup.
And deep down, both of them shared a fire that drove them forward.
May had embarked on her solo journey for a very clear reason—
To chase after Ash, and to close the gap between them.
Dawn, meanwhile, had no intention of losing to May—not here, not now!
__
"Piplup, Bubble Beam!"
Dawn commanded first.
"Glaceon, dodge and counter with Secret Power!"
May responded swiftly.
Piplup spun gracefully and fired a sparkling beam of bubbles.
But Glaceon, light on its feet, ducked low and sprinted forward.
At the same time, its body shimmered with a pink glow—powered by Secret Power!
BAM!
Direct hit!
"Piplup!"
The little penguin rolled across the stage, tumbling several times.
It quickly struggled back up—but the Secret Power's additional effect had kicked in:
Paralysis.
Depending on the field environment, Secret Power's bonus effect could change—and this time, it had paralyzed poor Piplup!
__
"Glaceon, Ice Shard!"
Chunks of razor-sharp ice rained down on Piplup, shaving off two chunks of its points!
"Piplup, roll into the pool!"
Dawn shouted.
Smart move!
By using the water's conductivity, Piplup was able to wash away the paralysis effect.
"Piplup, Whirlpool!"
A massive Whirlpool formed at center stage, surging toward Glaceon!
"Glaceon, Mirror Coat!"
The Whirlpool crashed onto Glaceon—only for Glaceon to reflect the damage right back!
"Come on, Piplup—Bubble Beam!"
"Piplup!"
"Glaceon, Shadow Ball!"
BOOM!
The two exchanged fierce attacks—dazzling moves lighting up the arena in a beautiful clash of power and elegance.
The crowd was absolutely riveted!
__
"Time's up!"
Marian announced, raising her hand.
All eyes immediately turned to the giant screen overhead.
__
The result was displayed—
May and Dawn's point bars were EXACTLY identical!
"Huh? This result is..."
Marian blinked in surprise.
What now?
Call it a draw?
Everyone's eyes turned toward the three judges—and then to Wallace himself, the host of the Wallace Cup.
__
The three judges... also looked at each other awkwardly.
Truth be told—they'd been so entranced by the match that they had forgotten to keep closer tabs on who had the edge!
And so—
All eyes turned to Wallace.
__
Wallace smiled gently and stepped forward.
"First, let us all thank May and Dawn—and their wonderful Pokémon—for giving us such a breathtaking performance,"
he said warmly.
"Everyone—did you enjoy it?"
The answer was a resounding yes from the crowd!
Of course!
These two had put on an incredible show!
__
Wallace nodded thoughtfully.
"In that case,"
he declared,
"since everyone agrees their performance was equally wonderful, I shall honor the will of the audience—
I hereby declare both Miss May and Miss Dawn as the winners of this Wallace Cup!"
The stadium exploded with applause!
Truly worthy of a Champion-level Coordinator!
Ash, watching from backstage, couldn't help but give Wallace a mental thumbs-up.
Such masterful handling!
By asking the crowd first whether they enjoyed the show, Wallace made sure no one could complain.
Everyone said yes, after all—no one had specified which girl performed better!
Trying to argue afterward would only make someone look bad in front of everyone.
Brilliant.
__
As for the ribbon prizes?
Simple—Wallace Cup organizers had prepared multiple ribbons in advance!
They could just give each girl one.
And if needed, they could always craft another later!
Both May and Dawn were absolutely ecstatic!
They had each won the Wallace Cup Ribbon (i.e, the Aqua Ribbon)!
__
Though the Contest was over, the crowd's excitement didn't die down at all—
If anything, it grew even stronger!
Because next—
Wallace and his special guest were about to perform an exclusive exhibition battle!
__
Ash had already moved backstage, preparing to make his entrance.
"Let's use this performance,"
he whispered to himself,
"to give May and Dawn my heartfelt congratulations!"
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu cheered beside him.
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T/N:
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