Sorry everyone, this chapter came a little later than usual. I didn't get a chance to finalize it until late evening (EST). Here's an intense battle between Kristine and Liz. Hope you all enjoy.


"Welcome to those tuning into the live stream of the upcoming Junior Circuit semifinals match between Kristine Kyar and Elizabeth Rose," Charles announced through his headset.

He and Scott were tasked to cover just the second and last match of the day, as IPSN had another team of interns that covered the previous game between Bran and Julian. Since covering Jason's victory over Alex, the two commentators seemed a cut above the several other two-person teams that helped broadcast the tournament. They had Jason and Yenela Kreea to thank for that.

"We have an exciting match coming your way," Scott added. "Kristine defeated her twin brother and his beloved lucario to get to the semifinals. Elizabeth, who goes by Liz, swept all three of her opponents."

"Liz's appearance matches her drive," Charles mentioned. "The girl and her team have been on fire, and a lot of viewers have taken notice. Some of you have gone as far as saying she would win the tournament."

"Kristine has shown she is no pushover, though," Scott said. "She utilizes time on the field efficiently and has a keen eye for her opponent's weak spots. She's gained some young fans in Entei Stadium too during the tournament, and her interactions with them have alone made her a fan favorite among viewers."

"So stick around and be prepared to hold onto your seats for this next one. The match starts in about fifteen minutes, and we'll be going on a short break for our sponsors. Coming up, predictions on who would win, and if either trainer can beat Julian Varrek in the final round!"

"What do you know, a pokemon food ad," Scott saw the screen on his laptop, taking his headset off as soon as his mic was muted.

"What do you think that stuff is made out of, anyway?" Charles stood up to stretch his arms.

"Some things are best to be ignorant about," Scott laughed.

Charles glanced over to his right to see Jason sitting several seats down, alongside Amanda, Bran, and Julian. "Hey, how many extra headsets do we have?"

Scott rummaged through a box of equipment underneath his table. "One. Why?"

"Just one? Hey, wanna bring Jason in for a few minutes?"

Scott looked over to see Jason. "Great idea. We have two minutes, though."

"Best we get him quick then," Charles began to take his headset off and approach Jason and company.

"Two minutes!" Scott reminded.

Charles navigated his way down the first row. Jason, Amanda, Julian, and Bran all noticed him.

"Hi!" Charles waved. "I'm Charles from IPSN. I got a question for Jason Kyar."

"What's up?" Jason stood up. He was hoping he wouldn't have to do another interview.

"Hey, look," Charles began his proposal, "I understand Yenela interviewed you earlier. I was wondering if you can take a couple of minutes just chatting with us over there."

"So, like another interview?" Jason asked.

"I wanna be interviewed," Amanda muttered, envious of Jason.

"Kind of," Charles replied. "The extranet viewers would love to hear from you, Jason. Just hop on, tell us your thoughts of your battles against Alex and your sister, and tell us why your sister will win today."

"And that's it?" Jason took a step forward.

"Wait, don't you want to interview a finalist?" Julian spoke up.

Charles snickered. "You're going to get your chance on live television tomorrow."

Julian grinned. "Sweet."

"Is there a catch or something?" Bran added. "When is this interview?"

"Less than a minute," Charles casually replied. "We'll make it back in time to go live again."

"Well," Jason walked over to Charles. "Let's do this."

"Awesome," Charles led the way back to his media box.

"Actually, I don't want to be interviewed," Amanda clarified. "I want that guy's job."

"What, pulling people to interview in less than 60 seconds?" Julian added.

"To get perspectives from other people, of course," Amanda replied.

Meanwhile, Jason entered the media box with Charles, joining Scott, who put his headset back on.

"Grab the extra chair, would you?" Scott instructed Charles.

"Yeah," Charles quickly grabbed a folded chair underneath the table, setting it up and placing it right before Jason.

"Here," Scott handed Jason a wireless headset. "Everything should be hooked up just fine, and you can adjust the band to fit your head."

"Yeah," Jason adjusted the headset as he took a seat. "When do we start?"

"Ten seconds," Scott replied, adjusting the camera mounted on his laptop so he, Charles, and Jason could fit the frame.

"Um, okay," Jason began to take a deep breath.

"It'll be easy," Charles assured him. "We'll start. We'll lead you in and give you icebreakers."

"Gotcha," Jason nodded.

"Three seconds," Scott informed.

Three seconds passed. Charles and Scott were live once more.

"Welcome back," Scott started. "With the next match underway between Kristine Kyar and Liz Rose, we have a special guest on our live stream."

"That's right!" Charles added. "We brought in none other than Jason Kyar, twin brother of Kristine Kyar and the very trainer whom he and Lucario staged a comeback of epic proportions. Jason, how are you doing?"

"Hey guys," Jason spoke up, adjusting the mic on his headset. This created a mild muffling effect for a split second. "I'm doing good."

"That's great," Charles continued. "Hey man, the viewers want to know, what was going on your mind when you were down to just Riolu against Alex's arsenal of heavy hitters?"

"Well," Jason chuckled. "As our friend Amanda would say, 'don't lose.' We didn't think about losing. Winning was the only option, and we had to sweep an entire team to win. Jolteon and Kirlia both did their part to make Lucario's job easier. It's my fault I put my pokemon in an unfavorable position, but we have to believe. We believed in ourselves and each other, and I think that's how Lucario evolved. We won because we just believed we could."

"To all you boys and girls watching who want to become trainers, take note," Scott replied. "Having that kind of drive is often overlooked. It would help if you had confidence, and you need to believe in your team."

"A positive mentality makes all the difference," Charles added. "Raw talent is a thing of its own. The world's best trainers have amplified their talent with many other aspects, confidence being a key component."

"Combine that with urgency and drive, and you break the chains," Scott said before moving on. "Let's talk about your battle against your sister. Any key takeaways you want to throw in?"

"Probably the one everyone is talking about," Jason lightly laughed. "Not switching out Lucario for Jolteon."

"Let's walk through that moment," Charles chimed in. "This is not a 'what were you thinking' type of question in that sense, but I'm just trying to get your perspective."

"We were feeding off from the last battle," Jason explained. "We felt invincible like nothing could stop us. Lucario indicated he wanted to stay in, and I allowed it."

"Lucario is a fan favorite for sure," Scott added. "Lucario's last stand against Espeon earned everyone's respect, that's for sure."

"I appreciate it," Jason replied. "But we need to work on team glory, not individual glory."

"Trainers, your pokemon may be out there fighting individual battles," Charles mentioned. "But you should be working strategically as a team, whether you have designated aces and those who set those aces up for success, or you have a pokemon throwing down Stealth Rock or Toxic, or something Inventum's own Ken Jarrar excels at, switch-hitting."

"One last thing for you, Jason, before we give you back to your friends," Scott continued. "Don't worry; this one is easy. Kristine versus Liz. Who wins?"

"Just don't pick the obvious one," Charles quickly added.

Jason laughed. "Come on, now."

"Okay, okay, let me ask you this instead," Scott said. "Why will Kristine win?"

"She knows what she needs to get done in a battle and how to accomplish it," Jason responded. "She's also super bright and makes sure that I function correctly."

Both Charles and Scott broke into laughter.

"That's what siblings are for, right?" Charles replied.

"Jason, we'll let you go," Scott continued. "Thank you for coming on and great effort in the Junior Circuit. No doubt we'll see you in the future."

"Thanks, guys," Jason smiled. "Thanks for having me."

"Coming up, Kristine Kyar and Liz Rose!" Charles addressed the viewers. "We'll be back in a few."

Charles, Scott, and Jason all took off their headsets.

"Dude, you were great!" Charles fist-bumped Jason.

"How old are you, 13?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," Jason nodded.

"You're way ahead of your age," Scott was impressed. "Keep at it, bud."

"Thanks," Jason began to leave the media box. "See you soon, I guess?"

"For sure!" Charles affirmed.

Jason walked back to his envious friendly rivals.

"I wish I brought my tablet with me," Amanda spoke up. "What did they ask?"

"Oh, you know," Jason chuckled. "What my thoughts were the past couple battles, and who I thought would win with Kristine and Liz."

"You went with Liz, right?" Bran joked.

"Sure," Jason played along.

"That must be cool to be featured like that," Julian gazed towards the media box.

"He did say you're going on TV tomorrow," Amanda added. "Just be ready for that."

"What exactly should I prepare myself for?" Julian asked.

Amanda smirked. "Everything, Julian. Everything."


"Ladies and gentlemen!" the PA announcer addressed the 40,000 fans of Entei Stadium moments later, who all cheered the second he spoke. "The next match is about to begin! The winner of this match will play in the final round of the junior circuit tomorrow!"

"Okay," Kristine took a deep breath. She stood at the mouth of the tunnel leading out to the field. "We're going to win this," she spoke confidently.

Kristine knew going up against Liz would be tough. She had lost to her in a skirmish match months ago, and Liz had shown a sense of determination and mercilessness against Jason back in Richland Port. This was a girl who was not only competitive, Kristine thought; she craved challenges.

Having studied Liz the night before, Kristine observed her facial expressions from the live streams. Liz displayed a smile only when she either knew victory was imminent or the moment she sealed the win. She had this fierce look that seemed to pierce the souls of her opponents. Liz sought to win, and she was willing to roll right through her opponents to accomplish victory.

"From Nashtown in the mountain subregion," the announcer introduced. "If you have dreams of being the best out there, she will set them ablaze. She may be four feet and nine inches tall, but don't let that fool you. Her determination easily overpowers those twice her size. Liz Rose!"

Kristine looked on as Liz emerged onto the field under thunderous applause. Liz's eyes displayed an unrelenting desire to win, she thought.

"And from Mountainspring," the announcer continued. "Give her an inch, and she will make you pay. Not even her twin brother could stop her from getting this far. Here to launch you to the moon with empowered moves, Kristine Kyar!"

"Here we go!" Kristine stepped out onto the field, fans all around cheering for her. It was a surreal moment; this was just the Junior Circuit, but already she had instilled inspiration upon many people. She approached Liz as the two came face to face.

Liz extended her arm. "Good luck, Kristine."

"Yeah, you too," Kristine shook her hand.

Neither trainer said another word. Instead, they turned their heads to the same female referee who officiated the twins' match the day before.

"Oh, uh," the referee grabbed the coin out of her pocket and quickly tossed it into the air before catching it. She revealed the pikachu side. "Kristine's call."

"First move," Kristine responded. She and Liz both proceeded towards their sides of the field before the referee said anything else.

"These kids make my job so easy," the referee muttered and walked over to her box. She began to confirm that both trainers were ready to battle. "Kristine, are you ready?"

"Yep!" Kristine acknowledged.

"And Liz, are you ready?"

Liz nodded at the referee.

"Then let the battle begin!" the referee declared.

The stadium erupted into cheers as Liz primed her first pokeball.

"Let's do this, Haunter!" she yelled.

"Haunter!" Haunter greeted as soon as he was brought out.

"Haunter, eh?" Kristine smirked, pulling out her first pokeball before tossing it. "Showtime, Espeon!"

"Espeon," Espeon greeted with elegance, sitting down.

"Set it up like always with Calm Mind!" Kristine issued.

Espeon's eyes glowed white. Liz was expecting Kristine to start slow rather than go on the attack. As far as she was concerned, the initiative was all hers to take.

"Toxic!" Liz commanded.

Haunter dashed across the floor, projecting toxic sludge from his hands before hurling it at Espeon.

"Espeon! Dodge!" Kristine yelled.

Espeon leaped to her right, but Haunter was too fast and anticipated her movements. As a result, Espeon ran right into Toxic.

"Esp," Espeon felt the poison course throughout her body.

"No!" Kristine saw her plan to set Espeon up falter. Toxic would knock her out inside a minute, so she knew she either had to recall Espeon or take out Haunter in one hit. It was a dilemma, one that caused Jason to come under criticism. Kristine knew she had to decide and now, and that indecision was a decision.

"Psybeam!" Kristine wanted to regain the initiative. The last thing she wanted was another one of her pokemon succumbing to Toxic.

Espeon projected Psybeam from her eyes, firing right at Haunter.

"Shadow Ball!" Liz responded.

Haunter fired Shadow Ball from his hands. Both moves collided, causing an explosion of pink, purple, and blue shades. The resulting smoke obstructed Kristine and Espeon's view of the field.

"Use Psybeam again!" Kristine commanded.

Espeon fired Psybeam through the smoke. Seconds later, the smoke cleared, with Haunter nowhere in sight.

"Espeon!" Kristine, to her dismay, noticed Haunter flanking Espeon. He managed to sneak by the smoke on Kristine's right, coming right between her and Espeon. "Turn around!"

"Haunter!" Haunter's eyes glowed blue. Suddenly, so did Espeon's.

"Espeon," Espeon stumbled around, confused as the poison pulsed throughout her body.

"No..." Kristine muttered. She'd put herself more into a hole if she recalled Espeon now. Jason warned her about Liz's potential strategy to lock down Espeon, though he thought she'd do so with Haunter and Liepard. It seemed Liz's strategy was turning into a huge success.

"Espeon! Just focus!" Kristine yelled.

"Hah!" Liz cheered. "This is it, Haunter! Bring down Espeon with Shadow Claw!"

"Haunter!" Haunter darted at Espeon.

"Stay focused," Kristine muttered. Stay focused, girl, and use Psybeam.

Get down, Kristine heard a response in her mind. She then noticed Espeon about to fire Psybeam at Haunter at point-blank, and she was standing right behind him.

You don't have to tell me twice! Kristine dove to the ground as Espeon managed to fire Psybeam right when Haunter landed Shadow Claw.

"What!?" Liz was shocked. She was convinced Haunter would take down Espeon without incident.

Espeon's Psybeam engulfed Haunter, with the beam shooting right over Kristine and crashing into the steel wall behind her. However, Haunter's Shadow Claw proved to be devastating, sending Espeon tumbling over several times.

As Psybeam dissipated, Haunter crashed to the ground, unable to get up. Espeon struggled to get up, but another poison tick was enough to keep her down.

"Both Haunter and Espeon are unable to battle!" the referee called under the roars from the audience.

"Return, Haunter!" Liz recalled her pokemon. She thought bringing down Espeon was a significant victory, but Haunter went down first in all technicalities. If both pokemon were the last remaining reserves, Kristine would have won. In Liz's eyes, she needed to step it up just a little bit.

Kristine got up and dusted off her knees. "Return, Espeon!" she recalled her companion. "You did good, girl. We'll take this from here."

Both trainers primed their second pokeballs. With Espeon going down second, Kristine would make the first move after Liz brought out her pokemon.

Liz faced Kristine with fiery eyes. "Let's do this, Liepard!"

"Lie!" Liepard hissed, taking several steps forward.

"We can do this, Machoke!" Kristine brought out her second pokemon.

"Machoke!" Machoke flexed.

"Run at Liepard and use Brick Break!" Kristine ordered.

Machoke charged at Liepard. Liz wanted Machoke to run in and sought an opportunity to immobilize him.

"Thunder Wave!" she responded.

"Liepard!" Liepard projected Thunder Wave, aiming at Machoke.

"Switch to Thunder Punch! Shield yourself!" Kristine yelled.

"Choke!" Machoke moved forward, projecting electric energy from his fists to clash with Thunder Wave. Machoke kept charging onward, keeping the electrical currents away from him.

"Move around and Quick Attack!" Liz was surprised to see Machoke continue his attack.

Liepard dashed to Machoke's left flank, striking his side before he could react.

"Choke!" Machoke stumbled before maintaining his footing.

Liz had a split second to react before Machoke could regain his focus. "Thunder Wave again!"

Liepard unleashed Thunder Wave. This time, she was able to paralyze Machoke.

"Machoke!" Machoke clenched his fists as electrical currents rippled throughout his body.

Both Kristine and Liz knew Machoke's ability, Guts, triggered. Machoke would make Liepard pay if she moved into range. But Liz wanted to paralyze a heavy physical attacker like Machoke. Liepard did her job in this particular fight.

"Return, Liepard!" Liz recalled her pokemon. "Standby." She primed her third pokeball. "Let's go, Charmeleon!"

"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon roared.

"Return, Machoke!" Kristine made an executive decision to recall her pokemon. She knew Liz was setting up to take down Machoke. She began to prime her third pokeball.


"This is intense," Jason mentioned, leaning over his seat.

"Liz is trying to outmaneuver Kristine," Bran observed. "But Kristine responded well so far. It's going to come down to who overextends themselves first."

"And I have to fight one of them tomorrow!?" Julian had his hands over his head. "Both of them are nuts!"

"Liz will do anything it takes to win this," Amanda added. "She will not let anyone stop her."

"Neither will Kristine," Jason quickly replied. "This is going to be close, but I believe in her."

"Let's go, Kristine!" the four trainers could filter out Danielle's cheering from the crowd.

Amanda turned around. "Kristine's number one fan?" she asked Jason.

"Oh yeah," Jason chuckled. "I think her name's Danielle. She is wearing Kristine's old visor."

"That's sweet," Amanda smiled. "Hey, Danielle! Ask your parents if you can come down and watch Kristine from the first row! If you want to, of course!"

"Really?" Danielle's eyes gleamed with happiness.

"Yeah!" Amanda noticed two adults standing beside Danielle, presumed to be her mom and dad.

"Go up there!" Danielle's mom, a woman with long black hair, granted permission. "Remember, those four are all trainers."

"Wow!" Danielle was ready to climb her way through several rows of seats out of sheer excitement.

"Hey now," her dad, a slim man with light brown hair, laughed. "Use the steps, silly."

"Oh yeah," Danielle navigated her way across the row to nearby steps before carefully going down to the first row. She kept her focus on Kristine, watching her as Dratini slithered forward as soon as he materialized from his pokeball. Danielle hopped her way towards Jason, Amanda, Julian, and Bran. The reality hadn't sunk in for her just yet. "Wait, all four of you are trainers!?"

"Yep!" Julian replied. "And I'm in the finals!"

"Yeah, yeah," Bran muttered with a slight smile.

"Oh yeah, you beat him," Danielle pointed at Julian, then Bran, before sitting down beside them.

"Yes," Bran sighed. "Yes, he did."


Dratini slithered across the field at a lightning-fast speed after Kristine called for Agility, evading Charmeleon's Dragon Rage.

"Dragon Rage! Let's go!" Kristine yelled. "We're going right at Charmeleon!"

"Dratini!" Dratini fired off a violet sphere of draconic energy at Charmeleon.

"Smokescreen!" Liz responded.

"Char!" Charmeleon unleashed black smoke that concealed him and a sizable portion of the field.

"Use Agility again!" Kristine took advantage of the downtime. "Be ready for anything!"


"How old are you, Danielle?" Amanda asked.

"Seven," Danielle looked up to Amanda. "In five years, I'll be a trainer too!"

"Gosh, I remember being seven," Jason cracked a smile. He remembered looking up to trainers, even those who traveled across the countryside with just a handful of badges if any. He realized he became the very person he once aspired to be.

"Are you all rooting for Kristine?" Danielle wondered.

"Uh," Amanda rubbed her chin. "Kind of. See, Liz is our friend too, so we try not to root for one trainer over the other."

"Oh. I understand."

"But," Amanda pointed to Jason. "He's Jason, Kristine's twin brother. You know him, right?"

"Oh yeah, Kristine beat you," Danielle pointed at Jason. "And you're her twin!"

"Yes, and yes," Jason snickered.

"Well, he's allowed to root for Kristine," Amanda continued. "So you can root for her with him!"

Danielle got up from her seat, bypassing Julian, Bran, and Amanda to sit on the left side of Jason. She looked right at the field of smoke, shifting her eyes to Kristine. "You can win this, Kristine!"


"Agility again!" Kristine called.

Dratini slithered back and forth across the field, cautious of the smoke before him. Kristine believed Liz had two feasible options: Attack with Charmeleon using Dragon Rage, or bring Liepard out with an ambushing assault. Kristine calmed herself, devising the best way to approach this situation.

Liepard's ability was Limber. Kristine figured if Dratini used Thunder Wave and if Liepard were behind the smoke, the attack would go to waste as Liepard was essentially immune to paralysis. Kristine needed one well-timed counter-attack, but she knew Liz was too crafty for a blatant attack. Kristine also knew if she was making use of downtime, so was Liz.

Suddenly, a nerve struck Kristine. It was as if her instinct told her an attack was imminent from Dratini's right flank, just as Dratini slithered to the right side. With her mind focused and calmed from the tension of this battle, she just knew there was a movement beyond the smoke, but she had no idea why.

"Right flank! Dragon Rage! Now!" Kristine yelled.

"Dra!" Dratini fired Dragon Rage. A startled Liepard managed to leap over the attack, her claws glowing bright white.

Liepard maintained her focus, her claws shifting to an illuminant black color before swiping at Dratini with Night Slash.

"Flamethrower!" Kristine responded. She didn't want to begin to wonder how many times Liz got Liepard to use Hone Claws. She started to question if she should have attacked through the smoke first.

"Dratini!" Dratini projected Flamethrower at close range against Liepard.

Liepard was close enough to strike across Dratini with Night Slash. She had no choice but to embrace the brunt of Flamethrower. Dratini tumbled nearly ten times over from Liepard's attack. Kristine feared the worst, seeing how a single attack did so much damage to Dratini. But to her relief, Dratini lifted his head and sprang back into action.

The smoke began to clear, enabling Liz to get a clear view of Kristine's side of the field. She noticed Dratini appeared to be staggered and wanted to capitalize. If she could take Dratini out right here, she could finish Machoke with Charmeleon's Dragon Rage. "Use Quick Attack! Let's end this!"

"Liepard!" Liepard dashed at Dratini, aiming to land the knockout blow.

"Quick! Dragon Rage!" Kristine yelled.

Dratini quickly fired Dragon Rage, causing Liepard to dash to the right.

"Night Slash!" Liz didn't want to relent.

"Lie!" Liepard, avoiding Dragon Rage, leaped towards Dratini with a powerful Night Slash.

"Flamethrower! Now!" Kristine commanded.

Dratini fired a second Flamethrower. But like the first time, Liepard managed to get Night Slash off. The attack propelled Dratini backward across the field. He rolled many times over, stopping just several yards shy of Kristine. He was unable to get up.

"Lie..." Liepard was charred from the second Flamethrower. She fell over seconds later, also unable to continue.

"Dratini and Liepard are unable to battle!" the referee declared.

The crowd gave a standing ovation. That was the second time a double knockout occurred. It came down to Machoke and Charmeleon, but Machoke was paralyzed. Kristine knew she was at a disadvantage, but she had to remain confident. Machoke wasn't going to give up easily, and she needed to display that same level of determination.

"Return, Dratini!" Kristine recalled her pokemon. "You were awesome out there."

"Return, Liepard!" Liz did the same. "Thanks for your effort. You always come through."

Liz and Kristine locked eyes as they primed their last pokeballs. The 40,000 fans of Entei Stadium all cheered loudly in anticipation of a close battle.


"Remember, Liz didn't have a single pokemon go down in the tournament up until this point!" Scott mentioned in the match's live stream.

"Hold onto your hats, everyone!" Charles added. "It's going to come down to Machoke and Charmeleon!"

"Both trainers have shown skill and wits," Scott said. "They both have hearts of pure fire! This will come down to the little details throughout the match. That will determine the winner here!"


"Let's win this, Machoke!" Kristine brought out her last pokemon.

"Victory is within our reach!" Liz summoned Charmeleon. "This is ours to overcome! Use Dragon Rage and finish Machoke!"

"Char!" Charmeleon fired Dragon Rage.

"Machoke!" Machoke stared right at the attack. Facing paralysis, he mustered all of his strength to roll forward. Dragon Rage flew just inches over his head.

"Close on Charmeleon!" Kristine yelled. "You can do this, Machoke!"

"Choke!" Machoke ran forward. Seconds later, paralysis stopped him from going any further.

"Strike his side with Fire Fang!" Liz commanded. "Dodge all attacks!"

Charmeleon charged at Machoke before leaping to his left, using his feet to propel right at Machoke's side.

"Choke!" Machoke swiftly grabbed Charmeleon's neck with one arm.

"Yeah!" Kristine cheered. Machoke initiated Vital Throw without being told to. With Guts active, the attack would be considerably more potent. However, Vital Throw was a notoriously slow move to follow through. While Machoke prepared to slam Charmeleon to the ground, Charmeleon fired Dragon Rage right at his face.

"Machoke!" Machoke did everything he could to maintain his focus. The explosion from Dragon Rage resulted in smoke that obscured his vision. "Ma!" Machoke lifted Charmeleon high into the air.

"Char!" Charmeleon fired another point-blank Dragon Rage.

"Choke!" Machoke stumbled backward after the second attack. Still, he gripped onto Charmeleon.

"Come on, Machoke!" Kristine cheered her pokemon on. If Machoke could deliver the attack, it could potentially knock out Charmeleon.

"Keep attacking!" Liz screamed. "Fight! Fight with everything you have!"

"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon fired a third Dragon Rage at Machoke.

"Machoke!" Machoke grunted from the onslaught. To Kristine's horror, he loosened his grip. "Choke!"

"This is it!" Liz raised a fist in the air, her adrenaline taking over. "Win this!"

Charmeleon wiggled his way out of Machoke's grip. He landed on the ground before leaping at his staggered opponent, delivering Brick Break to finish him off. "Char!"

"Choke..." Machoke stumbled backward from Brick Break. He fell on his back and made no effort to get back up.

"Machoke is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Charmeleon wins! And the winner of this match is Liz Rose!"

Liz fell backward in relief. Overwhelmed by the adrenaline rush and the tens of thousands of cheering fans, she cracked up laughing. Charmeleon, feeling his neck with his right arm, patted Machoke on the back with his left hand out of respect.

"No..." Kristine fell on one knee, devastated. "We were so close. So close," she recalled Machoke. "You were great out there. Be proud of yourself."

Charmeleon walked over to Liz. "Char!" he greeted.

"Hey you," Liz smiled. "Heck of a battle, right?"

"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon nodded, offering a hand to lift Liz.


"No..." Jason muttered. "She was almost there. It was that close."

"I really wanted Kristine to win," Danielle seemed disappointed.

"Me too, Danielle," Jason softly spoke.

"Talk about crazy!" Amanda mentioned. "That could easily have gone the other way."

"Liz's use of status conditions was on point," Bran observed.

"Avoid Toxic and Thunder Wave. Got it," Julian nervously noted.

Jason noticed Kristine was still on one knee. He could only imagine what she was thinking. He figured she needed support from him and her number one fan. "Hey Danielle, follow me," he approached the wall.

"Okay!" Danielle complied.


Meanwhile, Liz had recalled Charmeleon. Kristine still knelt while staring at the ground beneath her. She thought about what she should and shouldn't have done. The close defeat stung her. She knew she needed to move on, just like Jason did. She tried to muster the strength to get up and face Liz.

"Hey," Liz spoke, standing over Kristine and offering her hand. "You don't deserve to be on the ground. Stand proud."

Kristine looked up at Liz with a smile on her face. She accepted Liz's hand, standing on her two feet. "Thanks, Liz."

"No, thank you," Liz hugged Kristine. "I wanted a challenge. A true challenge. You almost beat me."

"Almost," Kristine laughed, hugging back. "You're an incredible trainer."

"The credit goes to my team," Liz replied, letting go. "But we're gonna have to watch out for you in the future."

Kristine smirked, letting go of Liz. "Possibly."

"We still have a lot of work ahead of us," Liz patted Kristine on her right shoulder. "See you back at the resort, okay?"

"Got it," Kristine acknowledged.

Liz walked back to her side of the field, surrounded by cheering fans, before proceeding back into the tunnel.

"Hey, Kristine!" Danielle leaned over the wall to wave at her favorite trainer. "You'll get her next time!"

Kristine cracked a smile, walking over to Danielle and Jason. "Thanks!"

"I just want to say you did great out there, and I'm not mad at you," Danielle continued.

Kristine laughed. "You're just too cute for words."

"I also want to say you did great out there, and I'm not mad at you," Jason chimed in.

"Thanks, bro!" Kristine exchanged a high five with Jason.

"So, Kristine," Julian leaned over the wall. "What's it like battling Liz?"

Kristine looked right at Julian with a smirk on her face. "You have your work cut out."

"I figured as much," Julian nervously chuckled.

"She's probably preparing to fight you as we speak," Amanda added. "Best you get ready right away."

"We got this, right?" Julian replied.

"You sound uncertain," Bran mentioned. "Believe in yourself."

"You're right," Julian nodded. "We got this!"

"Don't lose!" Amanda smiled.

With the semifinals over, only two trainers remained, Liz and Julian. Everyone else began to prepare for the road ahead, but since they had two nights remaining at Canon Carmesi, they all figured they'd make the most of it. As far as the tournament went, Jason, Kristine, Amanda, and Bran all had to prepare for an endless supply of bragging rights from the victor of the final round.