[colour=silver]Rotom’s buzz began to slow until it sounded like a wailmer’s song - Ace was in a trance, even the fog surrounding everyone stood still as stone. Time had stopped. A glitching Lugia was suspended in stasis between Ace and the masked figure all the while hundreds of the legendary Lugia reflected in the mask’s glittering stones.  

The moment was visually stunning, accompanied by orchestral music as loud as a wailord’s yawn. The artificial forest was sparkling, covered in diamond dust. The hologram's light bounced prisms off of jewels and icey fractals. They were at the Pokemon World Contest but surely, this would be one of the most beautiful scenes to come of it.

It dawned on Ace, bathed in colours, that he had begun investigating what would likely be the biggest case of his life. Now how was he going to apprehend the suspect without endangering the civilians? He could… but then… what about… Kecleon. 

Ace’s invisible assistant had snuck behind the mysterious man. He stretched out his sticky finger ready to deliver a punishing disable - when a boot from a Mr Rime collided with the chameleon’s face, catapulting him towards a tree and knocking him out instantly.

The masked man spoke a single word. It was inaudible due to the symphony but a cloud that formed from his breath spelled out, “stomp” -  Mr Rime danced towards the unconscious Kecleon and began a horrifying beating. Ace charged forwards, the masked man leapt back and Mr Rime spun, kicking the detective with its full force, shattering the arm he had raised to protect himself. Ace fell to the floor alongside his Kecleon.[/colour]



[colour=pink]Sugar and Garscon had made their way to the main stadium, an olympic sized stopwatch. She immediately thought, ‘I sure hope it doesn’t crack with all these people on it.’ Beneath their feet was a thick layer of clear glass that revealed complex clockwork. The machinations of the Main Stadium were ludicrously intricate, it was not a mere timekeeping device.

Sugar remembered something she saw from Round One of the World Contest, “Garscon, there’s a whole world underneath this clock. If it opens up on us, who knows where we’re gonna end up.” The Machamp squinted at her and pointed to his ear, it was obvious he couldn’t hear her.[/colour]



The orchestra rose to its crescendo, fireworks blew up in the sky and the legendary Pokemon evaporated into fireflies. The opening ceremony had concluded for the second time. Now all the passengers could hear were the clacking of gears and their own fearful whispers.

Three masked figures stood in the judges panel, a gods’ booth raised high above the audience. [colour=purple]“Hello, darlings, this is your captain speaking again, yoo-hoo. For once, can you all just be quiet? My goodness, every time we do this…’[/colour]
[colour=orange]"What the captain means to say is, you are safe, remain calm."[/colour]

The Main Stadium's gears began to spin faster, rattling with speed. The ship writhed in response. The arena, wobbling like jelly, beamed a blinding light from its clockface and then in an instant, everything snapped back into place with a tanking thud. 

Strangely, it was now a hot summer’s day, despite no passenger having slept. The night had disappeared and the masked people along with it.