"How do I look, Pikachu?" Ash excitedly asked as he inspected himself in the mirror. "Just like Riley, right?"
"Pika Pi!" The little yellow Pokémon nodded its head and then donned a hat and the costume of a court jester.
"You look awesome!"
"Pika..." The Pokémon blushed at its Trainer's compliment and then ran up to his friends.
Inside the Royal Dressing Hall, the seven Champions of the Eight Annual Games of this year were all gathered, getting ready with the help of maids.
Ritchie, who had won the Battle Championship, was in the corner, standing in front of a life-sized mirror as he inspected his black tuxedo and the half-mask.
Brock, who had won the Cross-Country Race, had chosen to wear a Bishop's outfit, and the other Champions had made their picks as well, dressing to their liking.
Since it was a Masquerade Ball, a lot of people wished to wear outfits of the time long gone by. And the luxurious costumes in the Dressing Hall of the Champions were stunning, to say the least.
Only Gary had brought his own outfit with him.
"Damn... I am missing the staff!" Ash clicked his tongue as he looked at the painting of the Legendary Aura Guardian, Sir Aaron, who looked a lot like Riley and his father.
The boy from Pallet Town wanted to dress up just like him, and now he was searching for a Staff everywhere in the room.
There were a few, but they were nothing like the one Sir Aaron carried in the painting.
When he could not find anything, he sighed, but then his eyes shined as he spotted Old Jenny entering the Hall.
"Jenny!" He excitedly called out to the Old Maid, who smiled at his enthusiasm.
"Yes, Ash?" She gently asked, and the boy told her that he was searching for a staff similar to that of Sir Aaron.
The Old Maid thought for a while and then curiously looked the boy in his eyes.
"Actually, one of the Winners of Annual Games, usually the Champion of the Battle Championship, gets to hold the Sceptre of Sir Aaron during the Royal Ball. If you can convince everyone, especially Gary, to let you have it..."
"Okay!" Ash darted off towards Gary and managed to convince the boy to let him carry the staff during the Ball.
The Oak just did not want him to pester him too much.
The rest of the Champions did not think much of it either as the Staff did not suit their outfits, and they were also looking forward to dancing, so, keeping the staff on them would prove to be a hassle.
Old Jenny then brought Ash to the room that once belonged to Sir Aaron, and the boy's eyes shined brightly when he saw the staff that was placed inside a glass case.
"It's warm." He said as soon as he grabbed the staff, piquing the Old Maid's curiosity.
"Warm?" She remembered that once Ilene had said the same thing.
"Yes."
Jenny curiously touched the Sceptre but only felt the cool touch of the metal.
She then checked if the boy had a fever, but he was fine as well. What did it feel warm to him?
Since she had a lot to do, Jenny did not think much of it and led Ash back to the Dressing Hall of the Champions.
She could always ask Aizen about it later. She was sure the Orayen would know the reason why the staff felt warm to the Queen and Ash.
An hour later, all Seven Champions together with their Pokémon, under the cheering applause of the guests, entered the Great Hall, where a beautiful melody was softly being played.
The Hall had been decorated with beautiful lights, and there was also this beautiful scent of incense that made people feel refreshed.
Ash excitedly waved at Aizen, who was standing on the Royal Platform with his wife, the Queen, wearing a warm smile as usual. The Prince acknowledged his presence and nodded to him, and then curiously looked at the staff in his hand.
And Old Jenny, who was standing a step under him, to his side, noticed his gaze.
Maybe there was really something special about this staff.
Unbeknownst to her, Ash, and everyone else in the Hall, Aizen had already sensed the Pokémon who was sealed inside the Sceptre. And he had also sensed Jirachi's enchantment on this Aura Weapon.
However, he did not keep his eyes on the Sceptre for long. And neither did he allow the curiosity to get to him.
There was already a lot on his hands for the night.
And soon, his 'wife' stepped forward to speak to the guests.
Unlike everyone else in the hall, the boy from Pallet Town, who had his Pikachu on his shoulder, did not listen to the speech of the Queen when she addressed the guests.
Instead, his eyes were looking at the Kanto Champion and all the powerful trainers he had seen in the videos.
His ears, however, perked up when he heard that the Queen and her husband were now going to give the rewards for the Annual Games.
And he brightly grinned as he waited for his name to be announced.
"Please welcome on stage, our winner of the Cross-Country Race, Brock Harrison!" The voice of the Master of Ceremonies rang in the Hall.
Under fervent applause, Brock climbed the stairs to the platform with his Dodrio, and as soon as he arrived before the Queen, he knelt.
The Cameran Queen placed the golden medallion around his neck, and then he stood up and bowed to her before she handed him a large cheque of 75,000 PokéDollars. The Cheque was only for a show as the money had already been transferred to his account.
She then congratulated him and complimented his Pokémon on its performance.
Brock also received a chest from Aizen, which contained a framed picture of him and his Dodrio of the moment they crossed the line and won the race. It was a beautiful memory. And then there was a Pokémon Egg, which belonged to Aerodactyl, lying right next to the picture.
Ash's eyes glinted in excitement when he checked the details of the Pokémon on his Pokédex.
After Brock returned to his side, a girl's name was announced, who had won the Fashion Fest.
She too received a medallion, a cheque of 75,000 PokéDollars, and a chest from Aizen which contained a framed picture of her and her Frosmoth and Lopunny, as well as an Egg of a Sneasel, which she openly gushed over and repeatedly thanked the Queen and her husband for.
Next up was the Winner of the Fishing Competition, he received the same rewards, and his Pokémon Egg was of a Staryu.
After the winner of the Fishing Competition, the Winner of the Cooking Contest climbed the stairs. He received the same rewards as well and an Egg of a Mime Jr.
The fifth winner was a girl who had won both the Singing and Dancing Competitions. Her cheque was for 150,000 PokéDollars. She also received a set of Evolutionary Items, which were the bonus reward for winning two competitions, and the Pokémon Egg that she received belonged to a Cleffa.
Ash nearly jumped in excitement when his name was announced, but then nervousness crept in as he slowly climbed up the stairs.
Having seen how everyone else had observed the etiquette, he too knelt to the Queen and brightly smiled when she put the medallion around his neck.
He accepted the cheque of 75,000 PokéDollars, feeling rich, and then grinned when a chest appeared in Aizen's hand out of nowhere.
When he opened it, he found a beautiful picture of him and his Pikachu, running from the horde of Beedrill, carrying the Treasure Chest.
The memory from yesterday made him laugh, but then his eyes were transfixed on the Pokémon Egg.
"Whose Egg is this?" He softly asked.
"Squirtle."
The moment he heard that the Egg belonged to Squirtle, his eyes sparkled in brilliance.
He had seen how strong Gary's Wartortle was, and he was looking forward to having such a strong addition to his team.
"Thank you!" He sincerely said and bowed to Ilene and Aizen, and then reluctantly walked back to join their other Champions as a butler took his chest away for safekeeping.
"And lastly, please welcome on stage, the Champion of the Pokémon Battle Competition, Gary Oak!"
Gary gracefully climbed up the stairs and then knelt to the Cameran Queen.
He received his medallion, a cheque of 100,000 PokéDollars, and then a chest which contained a picture of him and his Team with their Trophy. And the Egg he received belonged to a Larvitar.
All the Winners received the Eggs of Pokémon that they did not have on their teams and were deemed to be a perfect fit for them by the Judges of their respective competitions.
"When is this Ball going to end?" Ash asked, prompting both Gary and Brock to chuckle.
"Why? Want to hold your Egg and sing it a lullaby?"
"Just want to hold it." He sighed, and Gary shook his head and laughed.
"It's not like the Egg is going to hatch today, Ash. Take it easy, enjoy the evening, find a girl and invite her to a dance."
"Why?" He frowned, but his friend and rival did not bother answering him.
Ash raised his brow when Gary started chatting with the girl next to him, the winner of the Dance and Singing Competition.
She was beautiful.
A blush crept on his face when he saw the girl lock her arms with his old rival. Inadvertently, he looked around, but could not muster up the courage to invite any girl to dance with him.
The evening continued, and eventually, the boy from Pallet Town decided to dance with his Pokémon. It was something he wholeheartedly enjoyed.
This did help him find a girl, who gushed over his Pokémon and eventually took him to dance with her.
The music in the room kept changing, and all the guests enjoyed their time to the fullest.
However, soon, a loud explosion sounded out outside in the sky, which drowned the sound of the music inside the Great Hall.
And moments later, chaos broke out...