The battlefield was still shrouded in smoke.
Miltank's breathing grew heavy, each gasp sounding like it could be its last.
Then—
"Thud…"
A body hit the ground.
As the smoke slowly cleared under a passing breeze, the scene became visible again.
At the center of the field—
Electabuzz had already collapsed.
But Pikachu—
Battered, scorched, and trembling—
Still stood.
Electricity crackled across its cheeks, refusing to fade.
Ash clenched his fists tightly.
"Nice one, Pikachu!!"
The commentator's voice trembled with excitement.
"To withstand an Earthquake of that level and still remain standing—what incredible willpower!"
Payton narrowed his eyes slightly. "That Pikachu… no wonder my teacher said Ash is interesting…"
Nemo tilted her head thoughtfully. "It's because of Ash… that Pikachu held on, right?"
Nessa said nothing.
Instead—
She looked up at the sky.
A swift brown figure was descending rapidly.
Lopunny—
Mid-Bounce.
"Ready for this, Ash?!" Peter called out, eyes locked on his opponent.
"Heh…" Ash spun his cap backward. "Pikachu—here it comes!"
"Pi…"
"Use—VOLTTTT TACKLE!!!"
"PIKA—CHUUUU!!!"
Pikachu leapt.
The ground beneath it cracked as golden lightning erupted skyward once more—
A dazzling, unstoppable charge.
Peter's lips curled into a smile.
"Then we'll meet it head-on…"
"MEGA—TON—KICK!!!"
"Mii—LOOO!!!"
A pure white glow ignited along Lopunny's long legs.
Enhanced by the downward force of Bounce, the energy erupted into blazing momentum—
Wind roared.
Lightning clashed.
Mid-air—
They collided.
"BOOOOOOM—!!!"
Blinding light engulfed everything.
The audience instinctively shut their eyes, ears ringing from the explosive impact.
"Thud…"
Two figures fell.
The energy in the sky detonated, scattering shockwaves across the arena.
Through the lingering pressure and numbness, the audience forced their eyes open—
And looked toward the battlefield.
"Mii… lo…"
Lopunny's body trembled as it dropped to one knee.
Behind it—
Pikachu finally couldn't hold on anymore.
It collapsed.
…
The referee raised the flag.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Victory goes to Peter and Whitney!!!"
"WOOOOOO—!!!"
The entire arena erupted.
Peter and Whitney exchanged a glance—
And smiled.
Then—
Under Whitney's shy, blushing gaze—
Peter gently lifted her chin and kissed her.
The livestream chat exploded instantly.
"BRO I JUST LEARNED A COMBO AND GOT HIT WITH EMOTIONAL DAMAGE???"
"That last move was insane… are we sure this is still Elite-level?? This feels like Gym Leader tier!"
"That Pikachu is actually hacking… lowered Defense + took Earthquake and STILL stood up???"
"Ugh… if I were Whitney I'd get kissed by Peter too… just imagining it makes me drool…"
"↑ My friend wants to know… which lips?"
"..."
Holding Whitney's hand, Peter stepped off the stage.
At the sidelines—
Paul was already waiting.
The moment Peter approached, Paul spoke first.
"…You predicted it again?"
Peter blinked, then looked at him strangely.
"Predicted what? I just thought you guys might use your starter Pokémon, so I matched that out of respect."
He shrugged.
"Though I didn't expect you two to actually coordinate. That caused a bit of trouble."
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Don't tell me you actually prepared something specifically to counter me?"
"…"
Paul fell silent.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"…I have something to do."
He turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, he paused briefly—
"…Next time."
Then he walked away.
Saikikka chuckled from the side.
"Looks like you didn't play dirty this time… and he's not used to it~"
Peter smiled casually.
"What do you mean dirty? I'm just being more… civilized."
Whitney wrinkled her nose cutely, a soft smile forming on her lips.
She liked this side of him.
…Actually—
She liked every side of him.
…
The Other Semifinal — Group C vs Group D
Compared to Peter's match, this battle drew slightly less attention—
But in terms of intensity?
It was just as thrilling.
All four trainers were Elite-level.
Every move, every positioning choice—
Carefully calculated.
Facing Water-type specialists, Nemo and Zemu made a smart adjustment.
They sent out:
Pawmot (Electric-type pressure) Ferrothorn (defensive resistance)
Since they couldn't guarantee weather control against two rain setters—
They decided to use the opponent's rain against them.
Rain didn't just boost Thunder—
It also mitigated Ferrothorn's quadruple weakness to Fire.
…
But no one expected this—
Nessa and Payton both sent out the same Pokémon.
Two Kingdra.
A brilliant counter-choice.
Dragon typing resisted both Electric and Grass—
Perfectly covering Water's weaknesses.
But what caught Peter's attention the most—
Was Payton's Kingdra.
[Kingdra Lv.56 (Gym - Mid)]
Ability: Sniper (Critical hits deal 1.5× damage)
This Kingdra—
Was on a completely different level.
…
The battle began.
Nessa set up Rain Dance.
Payton followed with Focus Energy.
Zemu had Ferrothorn use Ingrain, preparing for a drawn-out battle.
Nemo saw her chance—
"Encore!"
She aimed to shut down Payton's Kingdra—
But Nessa's Kingdra intercepted.
Now—
For the next few turns, Nessa's Kingdra was locked into Rain Dance.
First exchange—
Nemo and Zemu gained the advantage.
But just as the crowd began to think they would win steadily—
Payton made his move.
Under the protection of Nessa's Swift Swim Kingdra—
His Kingdra completed a Dragon Dance boost.
Then—
It attacked.
Scale Shot.
Zemu smirked confidently.
"Ferrothorn, block it!"
After all, with Iron Defense boosts—
Ferrothorn was built to tank physical hits.
But—
Something went wrong.
Every single scale—
Threaded perfectly through the gaps in Ferrothorn's armor.
Critical hits.
Every. Single. One.
And it didn't stop there.
Payton's Kingdra was holding a Loaded Dice—
Ensuring multiple hits.
Even Ferrothorn—
The team's defensive anchor—
Was starting to crumble.
Seeing this, Nemo went all-in.
"Pawmot—Double Shock!"
A signature move.
Power 120.
But at the cost of losing its Electric typing.
A risky, decisive play.
But she overlooked one thing.
Speed.
Both Kingdra—
Were absurdly fast.
One had Swift Swim under rain.
The other had +2 Speed.
Both—
Effectively doubled.
Payton casually added a Substitute.
Now there were three identical Kingdra on the field.
Impossible to tell which was real.
Nemo hesitated—
Just for a moment.
That moment—
Was fatal.
Scales rained down again.
Encore ended.
Nessa's Kingdra shifted roles—
Setting up Substitute and Surf to cover.
Pawmot and Ferrothorn—
Couldn't even get close.
Even if they did—
They couldn't identify the real target.
And they couldn't keep up.
The battlefield turned into a massacre.
A sniper's playground.
Kingdra darted through the rain—
Its speed maxed out.
Its presence everywhere.
Scales flew from every direction—
Each one striking a critical point.
Even with Ferrothorn shielding—
Even with Revival Blessing bringing Pawmot back—
It didn't matter.
They were being hunted.
Systematically.
Relentlessly.
In the end—
Both Pokémon collapsed.
And just like that—
The finalists were decided.
Peter & Whitney vs Nessa & Payton.
…
The final battle—
Was about to begin.