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Chapter 24
"Metagross is unable to battle, Sceptile wins. Since Steven has lost all his Pokemon, the winner of the match is Ash." The referee declared.
"You were amazing as always. Thank you Metagross. Now take some nice rest." Steven thanked Metagross smiling as he returned it to its Pokeball.
Ash's Sceptile had reverted to his original form whom he thanked and recalled to his Pokeball "That was wonderful Sceptile. Thanks a lot, my friend. Have a good rest for now."
"It was a great battle, Ash. I really enjoyed it."
"Me too. That was the best battle I have had in this tournament so far." The two elite-trainers shook their hands and waved towards the crowd showing their appreciation for the support as they went inside to meet their friends.
"That was a splendid battle. No doubt one of the best we have witnessed so far in this tournament. Our Champion Ash joins Cynthia, Serena and Lance to complete the line-up for the Semi-Finals. But he didn't have it easy unlike his other battles in this tournament as he finally lost a Pokemon to our former Hoenn region Champion, Steven. The battle was a lot closer than what the score-line suggests. A couple of moments going the other way would have changed it around to go Steven's way but having said that it was still a solid performance from Ash Ketchum. Congratulations to him and hard luck for Steven whose journey in this tournament has come to an end. So, that is all for today folks as we look forward to tomorrow for the much-awaited Semi-finals. Who will face whom? To know stay tuned to our channel as the matchups will be revealed live in half an hour. It's time for me to take off. Have a very good night." The commentator announced.
"That was an awesome battle. Congrats Ash and you were great too Steven." Cynthia said smiling.
"That was a lot closer than what the result suggests," Lance commented.
"I know a couple of times I felt, Steven would have had it but hard luck dear boy. And congratulations to you Ash." Alder said agreeing to Lance.
"Thank you all. I agree I had my moments but Ash was clinical as always. Now you have to win the whole thing." Steven said smiling at Ash
"I plan on that. Thank you, Steven, for the exceptional battle. Well, I think it's time to get some food." Ash said shaking hands with Steven again.
"Battling always makes you hungry, Ash," Bonnie mentioned rolling her eyes.
The group were having food and talking to each other when the television screen showed the news flash regarding the next day's matches.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, after a thrilling day of four grand elite battles, we are finally down to the best four Pokemon trainers. All the battles showed why these trainers are the top 8 in the world. Here are the results of the extremely exciting Quarter-final fixtures.
In the first match, the Sinnoh Elite-Four & former Champion Cynthia beat the Kalos Elite-Four & former Champion Diantha in a close-fought match that ended 6-5. The second match featuring the former Kalos Queen Aria and the current Kalos Queen & Top Co-ordinator Serena ended with Serena taking the victory but it finally ended her streak of winning without losing a Pokemon, as the match ended 6-2. In the third match, the Unova Elite-Four & former Champion Alder lost to the Kanto & Johto Elite-Four & former Champion Lance in an extremely tight match that featured four double knockouts, ending in 6-5. And in the final match of the day, the Hoenn Elite-Four & former Champion Steven suffered a loss to the champion of the six regions, Ash Ketchum, in a match that was way closer than what the score-line 6-1 suggests.
So, Semi-finals will feature Ash, Serena, Lance, and Cynthia. The battle will be six-six just like the Quarter-finals. Without further ado, we present on your screens the live draw of the Semi-finals of the Masters' Victory Tournament. The randomiser will choose the match-ups for the two matches now, live on your screen.
In the first match, we have the Kalos Queen, Serena taking on the previous winner of this tournament, Lance. And the second match of the day will feature the last tournament's runner-up, Cynthia against the Champion of six regions, Ash.
All the matches will take place in the central arena. Get geared up everyone as we are going to witness both the fantastic battles tomorrow. It is going to be one exciting day. On behalf of the Pokemon League and the Masters' Victory Tournament, Reporter Alexa wishes the trainers their very best."
"So, ready for tomorrow Cynthia?" After a few moments of silence, Ash was the first to speak up.
"You bet. It is not going to be one-sided like last time." Cynthia replied smiling.
"The battle wasn't one-sided last time, just the score-line. But I am not going to lose this time either." Ash said grinning.
"We will see about that tomorrow because I am coming with all guns blazing," Cynthia told Ash as the two trainers looked at each other and shook their hands.
"Serena, I hope you are prepared for tomorrow because I am showing no mercy," Lance told Serena with a smile.
"I would expect you to as I am giving it all I have got and I am winning it," Serena replied with confidence.
"Bring it on then," Lance said as they too shook their hands.
"I am so excited for tomorrow. I don't think I can sleep thinking about your battles." Bonnie said enthusiastically as everyone smiled and laughed at the younger girl's eagerness.
"All the best four of you. It is surely going to be an exciting day." Clemont commented as the others wished them luck too.
After talking for some time, Alder said, "I know you all are going to do your best. I think everyone should get some sleep after all the tiring battles today."
"Yes. Let's all call it a day. I am sure you four require a much-needed rest before tomorrow." Grace commented as everyone agreed. They all said their goodbyes and retired to their respective rooms for the night.
Ash and Serena's Suite
"Have you decided about tomorrow's Pokemon?" Ash asked after they freshened-up getting ready to sleep.
"Yes, more or less. I know Lance mostly uses Dragon types. Against you in both the championship matches, he used all six dragon types and, in this tournament, also he has used Pokemon of the same type except his Charizard. So, I am almost prepared for the match even if I know he will have some tricks up his sleeve. I have a couple of Pokemon for any surprises that he might have. So, let's hope everything goes to plan." Serena replied as she considered all her options and the probable strategy of her opponent.
"It will. You will be great; I am sure of it." Ash said with an assuring smile.
"Thanks. So, have you decided who you are going to choose against Cynthia?" Serena questioned as the moved to the bed.
"I have chosen a couple of my Pokemon with whom I am going to battle with but the thing is, Cynthia has used only six Pokemon in this tournament so far; the six she used against Diantha; the same six she had used against me in our championship match. I am sure she will have bombshells to drop tomorrow. I am kind of keeping my bases covered to tackle anything. But I am sure it is going to be much tougher than last time." Ash said thinking about the possibilities of the battle. He was yet to choose from a few Pokemon for a couple of spots. He wasn't pondering much on Cynthia's likely strategies though. He was going to play by his strengths.
"It will all be alright. Let's get some sleep. We have to be with our full energy tomorrow." Serena said as they went to sleep.
"Yeah. You are right." Ash said and switch off the lights as the couple retired for the night.
"Goodnight Ash."
"Goodnight Serena."
"Ready for today?" Cynthia asked the champion couple.
"Absolutely," Ash replied grinning.
"Let's give it our all," Lance said.
"You can count on it," Serena commented as the four did a group fist bump.
"Where are the others?" Ash asked searching for their friends.
"Hey, guys," Aria said to the four.
"Here they are," Cynthia said as the rest of the group joined them.
"Are you all prepared for your battles? I can't wait till 10 o'clock for your match." Bonnie exclaimed.
"Calm down Bonnie," Clemont told his sister who was too excited to witness the matches.
"Good morning all. Hope you four are ready. My best wishes are with all of you." Grace said to the four trainers.
"Thank you, Grace." Cynthia and Lance thanked her.
"Thanks, mom." Serena and Ash said as they hugged her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the semi-finals of the Master's Victory Tournament. This is the day we are going to find the two strongest trainers in the world who will clash in the finals. Will it be the Sinnoh Elite-Four and former champion, the previous runner-up of the tournament, Cynthia? Or will it be the Elite-Four and former champion of Kanto & Johto, as well as the former winner of this tournament, Lance? Or is the five-time Top Co-ordinator and Kalos Queen, Serena going to take the title? Or will it be the Champion of the six regions, Ash? All your questions will be answered by the end of the day by the two thrilling matches that we are about to witness. The first match between Serena and Lance will start momentarily. And the second match between Cynthia and Ash will take place at 4 in the evening. Now, without any further delay, let's call to the arena, the trainer for the first match of the semi-finals.
On the red side, we have the five-time Top Co-ordinator winning the Grand Festivals in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh & Unova, as well as claiming the title of Kalos Queen, Serena. Facing her today, on the green side, the winner of this tournament 10 years ago defending his title, the Elite-Four and former champion of Kanto & Johto, Lance. It is going to be an electrifying match to decide our first finalist. So, stick to your seats and screens people and enjoy the battle." The commentator announced.
"This match is going to be between Serena and Lance. It will be a six-on-six battle with substitutions allowed at all times. The trainer to lose six Pokemon first will be out of the tournament. In case of a draw, the trainers will battle in a one-on-one contest style match. The randomiser will now choose the trainer to send their Pokemon first." The referee announced the rules.
The computer screen showed the green side trainer to reveal the first Pokemon.
"The randomiser chose the green side, so, Lance will choose the first Pokemon."
"Let's get this match started. Salamence, it's time to battle." Lance revealed his Pokemon.
"It's time for your graceful presence, my dear. Togekiss, come on out." Serena called her first Pokemon.
You will witness the battle in the next chapter that will be posted this weekend. This relatively short chapter is mostly a summary of the Quarter-finals and the presents fixtures for the Semi-finals. The battles are going to be even more intense now. You can expect Serena and Ash to encounter more problems than the previous rounds. Lance and Cynthia will be tough to battle against. Will there be any upset? Could be! You will have to find out in the coming chapters. The battles are going to be longer and it will take a couple of days to write the next chapter.
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