The next morning, the Ever Grande Conference stadium was louder than it had been all week.
The stands were packed, the banners of the League hung proudly around the arena, and the excitement in the air was almost impossible to ignore. Everyone knew what today meant.
The semifinals, four trainers remained. Only two would move on to the final battle.
The cameras swept across the crowd as the announcer stepped onto the battlefield, his voice echoing through the stadium.
"Good morning, everyone! After an incredible week of battles, we have finally reached the semifinals of the Ever Grande Conference!"
The crowd cheered while the Referee continued, "Only four trainers remain, and today we will find out who will advance to the Championship Match!"
The giant screen above the battlefield lit up, showing the remaining competitors.
Brendan
Solidad
Ash
Wally
"And now, our first semifinal match!"
The screen shifted and the first match was shown, Brendan vs. Solidad
The crowd immediately cheered.
"Two incredibly talented trainers will face off! One is a rising star who has proven himself throughout this tournament, while the other is a skilled battler and former Grand Festival finalist!"
The gates on opposite sides of the battlefield opened.
Brendan walked out first, his hat slightly tilted as he looked around the massive stadium. He had a grin on his face as he quickly fixed his hat, "Finally," Brendan muttered, "A battle like this."
Meanwhile, Solidad calmly walked onto the field from the other side. She stopped across from him and gave him a smile, "Good morning, Brendan."
"Morning, Solidad."
The two looked at each other for a moment.
Brendan grinned, "I hope you know I'm not planning on making this easy."
Solidad smiled, "I wouldn't expect you to."
The referee stepped between them, "This will be a six-on-six full battle! Both trainers will use all six Pokémon, and both trainers are allowed to switch Pokémon. The first trainer unable to continue will be declared the loser!"
"Trainers, take your positions!"
Brendan and Solidad walked back to their sides of the field.
The referee raised his flags.
"Are both trainers ready?"
Brendan grabbed a Poké Ball, and Solidad did the same.
"Begin!"
Both trainers threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
"Go, Swellow!"
"Come on out, Pidgeot!"
The two Poké Balls opened.
Swellow and Pidgeot both flew out of their Poké Balls, stretching their wings as they stared each other down.
Brendan pointed forward first, "Swellow, [Aerial Ace]!"
Swellow disappeared in a blur, becoming a streak of white as it shot toward Pidgeot.
"Meet it head-on!" Solidad replied, "[Aerial Ace]!"
Pidgeot did the same, flying directly toward Swellow. The two birds collided in midair, white energy exploding between them before they shot past each other, both of them creating some distance.
But Brendan immediately continued, "[Aerial Ace] again!"
Swellow spun around and dived right back toward Pidgeot.
But this time Solidad shot her hand out, "Pidgeot, [Feather Dance]."
Pidgeot spread its wings, and dozens of glowing white feathers scattered across the battlefield, hitting Swellow as it flew and slowing it down slightly.
"Now," Solidad smiled, "[Steel Wing]."
Pidgeot folded one wing back before spinning. Its wings turned silver, then the Steel Wing slammed into Swellow's chest, knocking it backward through the air.
Swellow tumbled backward through the air before quickly spreading its wings to steady itself.
Brendan grinned instead of looking worried, "Nice! Then let's speed things up! [Quick Attack]!"
Swellow burst forward in a flash of white, weaving left before darting right, back and forth.
Solidad remained calm, "[Detect]."
Pidgeot's eyes narrowed as a faint green aura surrounded it. The instant Swellow appeared in front of it, Pidgeot leaned just enough for the attack to miss.
"Now, [Wing Attack]."
Pidgeot twisted its body and slammed one wing into Swellow's side. The impact sent Swellow spinning across the sky.
"Keep going!" Brendan shouted, "[Double Team]!"
Swellow suddenly split into a dozen copies, all circling around Pidgeot at incredible speed.
"Interesting," Solidad murmured.
The copies suddenly all dove at once.
But Solidad swiped her arm, "[Twister]!"
Pidgeot flapped both wings powerfully, and a tornado erupted beneath it, spiraling higher and higher. One after another, the Swellow copies vanished the instant they touched the whirlwind, but as the last one disappeared, it also turned out to be a fake, making Solidad's expression change for the first time in this battle.
Brendan grinned and pointed to the sky, "[Boomburst]!"
From high above, Swellow had been hiding above the tornado. It flew down, letting out a sound wave that hit Pidgeot directly, making it stagger.
And before Solidad could counter, Brendan cut in.
"Now finish this with [Brave Bird]!"
As Swellow flew down, its body was covered in blue fire, and it fell like a meteor. Solidad tried calling for Pidgeot to dodge, but Pidgeot's ears were still ringing, so it didn't hear her.
Pidgeot was hit directly in the chest, and Swellow dragged it all the way down before slamming it back into the field. When the dust settled, Pidgeot was lying on the ground with spirals in its eyes, and Swellow puffed out its chest feathers.
Brendan pumped his fist, "Nice job, Swellow!"
Swellow chirped proudly as it circled once before hovering over Brendan's side of the field.
Solidad wasn't bothered in the slightest. She simply smiled softly, "You did wonderfully, Pidgeot."
She recalled her partner in a beam of red light, "Take a well-earned rest."
She looked down at the Poké Balls on her belt for only a second before selecting another.
"I'll leave the rest to you." The Poké Ball flew, "Go, Butterfree!"
Butterfree appeared in a shower of sparkling light, its colorful wings slowly beating as it floated gracefully above the battlefield.
Once the battle was ready to continue, Brendan pointed immediately.
"Don't give it any time! Swellow, [Aerial Ace]!"
Swellow vanished into another white blur.
"Butterfree," Solidad answered calmly, "[Sleep Powder]."
Butterfree flapped its wings, and golden spores scattered through the air like glitter. Swellow sliced through the cloud, but Brendan immediately realized the problem, "Don't breathe it!"
Swellow beat its wings violently, trying to clear the powder away before it could settle on its body.
But Solidad continued, "[Silver Wind]."
Butterfree's wings glowed silver, and a shimmering gust blasted straight toward Swellow, also picking up the spores.
"Cut through it!" Brendan shouted.
Swellow dove directly into the attack, pushing through the sparkling wind before appearing right beside Butterfree, "[Wing Attack]!"
Swellow slammed into Butterfree, sending it tumbling across the sky. But from the impact, the wind pushed the spores toward Swellow's nose, making it breathe them in.
Swellow immediately became drowsy, and its vision grew blurry. Even as Brendan called out to his bird, Swellow closed its eyes and started falling to the ground, already asleep.
As Swellow was falling, Brendan quickly pulled out his Poké Ball and yelled out, "Return!"
Right before Swellow hit the ground, it turned into a beam of red light and returned to the Poké Ball, making Brendan sigh in relief.
"Take a rest. We'll take it from here," Brendan muttered.
Swellow wasn't knocked out, so technically he could use him again, but with him asleep, it might not be the best idea. Still, it was in the back burner just in case.
He pulled out another ball and smirked.
"Let's see how you like this! Magcargo!" Brendan called out.
The ball rolled open, and from it came his Magcargo.
Solidad narrowed her eyes and pointed.
"Butterfree, [Sleep Powder] again!"
Butterfree began fluttering its wings, letting out more spores. But this time, Brendan smirked.
"No, you won't. Magcargo, [Incinerate]!"
Magcargo opened its mouth and let out a blast of hot fire into the sky. When the fire hit the spores, they all ignited and burned up uselessly in the air, while the flames kept going. Butterfree tried to dodge, but one of its wings still got clipped.
Brendan saw that and pointed upward again.
"Keep the pressure on! [Rock Slide]!"
Magcargo's shell glowed before several large boulders erupted from the battlefield and launched toward Butterfree.
"Fly through them," Solidad commanded, "[Silver Wind]."
Butterfree beat its wings, creating another shimmering gust. The Silver Wind shattered the first few rocks into countless fragments, but there were simply too many. One clipped Butterfree's side before another struck its lower body, sending it dropping several feet before it recovered.
"Now, [Ancient Power]," Solidad continued.
Golden stones materialized around Butterfree before launching one after another toward Magcargo.
Brendan didn't hesitate, "Meet them with [Rock Slide] again!"
Another volley of boulders shot upward. The two attacks collided in midair, explosions of stone scattering across the battlefield as chunks rained harmlessly onto the field below.
Brendan grinned, "Let's corner it! [Lava Plume]!"
Magcargo's shell glowed bright orange before erupting. A massive wave of molten fire burst outward, spreading across the battlefield in a blazing semicircle.
The intense heat forced Butterfree higher into the air.
"Now!" Brendan pointed upward, "[Rock Slide]!"
The moment Butterfree climbed to escape the flames, another barrage of rocks shot into the sky.
Solidad smiled, "So that's your plan, but it's no use. Butterfree, [Protect]!"
But as she said that, Brendan smiled, "Perfect."
That made Solidad stop and look at him in shock.
As Butterfree set up a barrier that blocked the incoming rocks one after another, Brendan pointed one more time, "[Overheat]!"
Magcargo opened its mouth and shot out a massive blast of fire, so large that it covered the entire field and headed straight toward Butterfree.
The way [Protect] worked was that once it blocked one attack, it became harder to block a second. It either failed or became weakened. And that's exactly what happened.
As the fire hit the barrier, Butterfree tried to keep it up, but it started cracking. Then it shattered, and the flames engulfed Butterfree.
When Magcargo stopped the fire and the smoke cleared, Butterfree fell out of the sky, landing on the ground with spirals in its eyes, unable to continue battling.
Brendan pumped his fist, "Awesome! We've got the lead!"
Magcargo let out a proud roar, molten lava bubbling around its shell.
Solidad simply smiled as she recalled Butterfree,"You did well."
She paused for only a second before selecting another Poké Ball, "In that case..."
She tossed it high, "Go, Lapras!"
Lapras materialized gracefully on the battlefield, letting out a small cry. It got ready, staring down Magcargo.
Brendan looked at it and sighed, "Well... hat's about the worst matchup I could've asked for."
Solidad didn't give him any mercy on this one, "Lapras, [Surf]!"
Water burst from beneath Lapras, rapidly spreading across the battlefield before rising into a towering wave, "Jump onto that rock!" Brendan shouted.
Magcargo launched itself onto a nearby boulder just before the wave crashed beneath it, but the water kept climbing, "Now, [Ice Beam]!"
Lapras fired a freezing beam through the center of the wave. The water instantly froze into a massive wall of jagged ice surrounding Magcargo's perch, since if they didn't do it like this, the water would have simply fallen into the drains.
Brendan's eyes widened. She trapped them. With the ice surrounding them, if Magcargo tried to get off, it would fall into the ice and water,
"Now finish it with [Hydro Pump]!"
Lapras opened its mouth and unleashed a concentrated torrent of water. Magcargo desperately tried shooting out an [Overheat] to clash against it, but in this case, it couldn't overcome the type advantage. The water pushed past the flames and blasted Magcargo, knocking it out.
Brendan returned Magcargo to its Poké Ball and rubbed it, "Great work. You did what you needed to."
He put it back on his belt and pulled out his next one, "Let's see you deal with this, Breloom!"
Breloom landed with a flip, bouncing lightly on its feet as it cracked its fists together.
Brendan immediately pointed forward, "Breloom, [Mach Punch]!"
They were far apart, but Breloom didn't care. It reeled back its arm, then shot it forward as it stretched across the field and hit directly into Lapras's neck.
Lapras slid backward across the soaked battlefield, "Counter with [Ice Beam]."
A freezing beam shot forward, "Jump!"
Breloom sprang high over the attack, the Ice Beam freezing the puddles beneath it into slick sheets of ice.
"Now, [Bullet Seed]!"
Dozens of glowing seeds rained down toward Lapras.
"[Protect]!"
A shimmering green barrier appeared around Lapras, the seeds bouncing harmlessly away.
The instant the barrier faded, Solidad calmly raised her hand, "Now, [Perish Song]."
Lapras closed its eyes, and a haunting melody echoed across the entire stadium.
Brendan gave her a blank look, "...Seriously?"
Solidad didn't respond. She just gave a small smile, making Brendan shake his head helplessly as he reached for his belt.
"Alright, guess I have no choice."
But then, immediately, he called out, "[Seed Bomb]!"
Breloom hurled several glowing seeds that exploded around Lapras one after another. Smoke filled the battlefield.
But through the smoke, Solidad called out, "[Surf]!"
Water exploded outward again. Breloom crossed its arms just before the wave slammed into it, carrying it backward across the battlefield.
Then immediately, both of them returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls. They didn't want them to get knocked out because of the song, so they both grabbed a new Poké Ball and threw it out in unison.
"Go, Claydol!"
"I choose you, Slowbro!"
The two Pokémon appeared in flashes of light.
Claydol hovered silently, its six eyes glowing as it spun in place. Across the field, Slowbro yawned lazily, its Shellder clamped firmly onto its tail. It looked completely relaxed despite the roaring stadium.
Brendan didn't let that fool him, "Claydol, [Earth Power]!"
The battlefield shook violently as pillars of earth erupted beneath Slowbro.
"[Teleport]!"
In a flash of pink light, Slowbro vanished. The pillars erupted harmlessly where it had been.
Brendan clicked his tongue as Slowbro reappeared behind Claydol, and Solidad continued, "[Surf]!"
A wave burst forward at point-blank range.
"[Rapid Spin]!"
Claydol began rotating at incredible speed, becoming a whirling top. The spinning force cut through much of the water before the remaining wave crashed into it, pushing it backward across the battlefield.
"[Extrasensory]!" Solidad called.
Purple rings rippled outward from Slowbro's eyes.
Brendan pointed immediately, "Meet it with [Ancient Power]!"
Golden stones materialized around Claydol before launching toward Slowbro. Psychic waves collided with the stones, explosions filling the battlefield with dust and shattered rock.
The moment the smoke appeared, Brendan smiled, "[Sandstorm]!"
Claydol spun once more before blasting sand across the battlefield.
Brendan grinned, "There we go! Now let's make this your battlefield!"
But on the other side, Slowbro simply blinked and looked unbothered.
Brendan shrugged, "Didn't think so. That's why we're doing this."
He pointed forward, "Claydol, [Earth Power]!"
Hidden beneath the sand, the ground suddenly glowed, and the battlefield erupted. Stone pillars burst upward one after another beneath Slowbro.
"[Teleport]!"
More pink light flashed, and Slowbro disappeared a split second before the pillars reached it.
It reappeared several yards away.
But this time, Brendan had a plan.
"Again!"
More pillars erupted, and Slowbro teleported again. But every time it did, Brendan ordered Claydol to attack again and again, forcing Slowbro to teleport somewhere else each time.
Brendan smirked. Teleporting still required energy, so the more Slowbro used it, the more tired it became.
And when Slowbro stopped again, this time it was just a second too slow. It was hit by the exploding ground, sending it flying backward and crashing onto the battlefield.
Brendan scratched his nose with his finger, puffing out his chest proudly, "Ha! Told you it wasn't enough, Claydol! [Rapid Spin]!"
Claydol suddenly accelerated, spinning like a massive top before charging through the sandstorm.
"Slowbro." Solidad raised her hand, but she spoke a little faster this time, "[Psychic]!"
Slowbro's eyes glowed blue. Claydol abruptly stopped in midair, caught inside Psychic's invisible grip.
"Now get ready to finish it."
Slowbro brought Claydol close and started charging a [Hydro Pump].
But Brendan wasn't worried. He just smirked, "[Explosion]~"
Everyone immediately gasped, and Slowbro instantly threw Claydol away to try and avoid the explosion.
But Brendan just laughed and winked, "Just kidding! Gotcha!" Instead, he pointed upward, "[Ancient Power]!"
Golden stones materialized around Claydol before launching from every direction. They ended up hitting Slowbro directly across the face, making it fall onto its back.
Brendan then brought his fist down into the palm of his hand, "Now end this with [Earth Power]!"
The ground underneath Slowbro exploded, causing it to fly upward before crashing back onto the other side of the field. But this time, when it tried to get back up, its arms gave out, and it fell back onto the ground with spirals in its eyes.
Brendan pumped his fist, and Claydol floated back toward his side of the field, still spinning slightly from the momentum.
"Yes! Nice job, Claydol!"
Claydol let out a strange cry as its eyes glowed happily.
Across the field, Solidad calmly returned Slowbro. Then she looked down at her remaining Poké Balls and picked one.
"Let's see how you handle this." She tossed it forward, "Go, Bellossom!"
The Poké Ball opened, and Bellossom appeared in a flash of light, spinning gracefully as flower petals scattered around it.
The battle continued. Brendan pointed forward, "Claydol, [Psychic]!"
Claydol's eyes glowed purple as psychic energy surrounded Bellossom.
Solidad raised her hand, "Bellossom, [Petal Dance]!"
Bellossom began spinning rapidly, releasing a storm of glowing petals around itself. The petals collided with the Psychic energy, scattering in every direction as Bellossom pushed through the attack.
"Now, [Magical Leaf]!"
The petals suddenly changed direction, becoming dozens of glowing leaves that flew toward Claydol.
Brendan quickly countered, "[Rapid Spin]!"
Claydol spun rapidly, knocking away the leaves as they approached.
But Solidad had expected that, "Now, [Sunny Day]!"
Bellossom raised its arms, and a bright light spread across the battlefield. A miniature artificial sun shone above them.
Brendan saw it and quickly continued, "Claydol, [Earth Power]!"
The battlefield shook as pillars of earth erupted beneath Bellossom again, while golden energy began charging,
"Bellossom, [Protect]!" Solidad commanded.
A small barrier appeared around the Grass-type like an orb. Then, as the ground exploded and the smoke was blown away, Solidad continued, "Now, [Solar Beam]!"
Bellossom charged energy in its petals. Then, through the smoke, it fired a bright green blast directly toward Claydol.
The beam struck Claydol directly, sending it flying backward, and Claydol hit the ground.
"Claydol!" Brendan shouted, "Are you okay?"
Claydol managed to push itself up, but it was visibly getting tired. Brendan took a breath through his nose, "Alright then, guess we're doing 'that.' You ready?"
Claydol heard and nodded, and Brendan smiled, "Alright, [Duo Screen] up!"
Claydol quickly shined and created a [Light Screen] and [Reflect] around itself to set up for the next Pokémon that would come out.
Meanwhile, Solidad narrowed her eyes and pointed forward, "[Solar Beam] again!"
Bellossom opened its little hand and fired another large green blast directly toward Claydol.
But this time, Brendan shot his hand out, "Go through with [Rapid Spin]!"
Claydol began spinning like a beyblade, then shot itself forward. As the beam connected, it started drilling through it, getting closer and closer to Bellossom.
Then, when it was close enough, Brendan continued with one last command, "Claydol, [Explosion]!"
When Claydol got close, it began glowing brightly. Both Solidad and Bellossom had their eyes widened in shock, but before they could react or try something, a large explosion covered the battlefield.
When the black smoke dispersed, everyone looked at the field. There on the ground were both Bellossom and Claydol, knocked out.
The referee waved his flag, "Double knockout! Both trainers, quickly release your next Pokémon!"
Brendan recalled Claydol with a smile, "You were awesome, buddy."
Across the field, Solidad smiled warmly as she returned Bellossom, "You did wonderfully."
Both of them switched their Poké Balls and grabbed a new one. They threw them out at the same time.
"Go, Exploud!"
"Ninetales!"
The two Pokémon appeared simultaneously. Exploud slammed both feet down and stretched its arms, beating them against its chest, while Ninetales stretched its tails, enjoying the sun that was still shining from Bellossom's Sunny Day.
And the battle continued yet again.