Part LXXV: A Fair Semifinal

"And that is it for the first semifinal folks." The announcer said as Ash watched Lucas's Magmortar hit the ground with swirls for eyes as Brendan and his Rhyperior celebrated on the TV in the waiting room. "Magmortar is unable to battle. Lucas is now out of Pokémon meaning that he has been defeated while Brendan moves on to the final of the Indigo Conference and what a semifinal, am I right? Let's see if the next one can live up to it."

Ash couldn't agree more with the announcer, the semifinal between Brendan and Lucas had been pretty epic. If Ash had to rank it, he would say that it was the second best of the Conference, only behind his battle with Cameron for best battle so far but that was because of what Ash did to win that match.

This one had, like several other ones, come down to the wire with both trainers up by two Pokémon at different points during the battle. it started with Brendan going up 3-1 early before Lucas pulled it back with an impressive run to go up 4-2 but at the cost of revealing all his Pokémon. After that Brendan clawed back but his Rhyperior had to land a highly inaccurate Horn Drill on Lucas's Bibarel to set up the final matchup where Brendan had the type advantage in it. That was how he came out on top in the end.

Ash was happy for his new friend. After many years of trying he had finally reached a final. In an hour's time, once the lunch break was over, it would be Ash's turn to do the same. He just had to wait and go over his strategy against Lyra with Pikachu one last time during the hour.

With the semifinals now on them, he and Lyra had been assigned separate rooms on either end of the stadium so that they could prepare for their match alone. There was a TV in each of their rooms and some couches so they were comfortable. In addition, lunch would be provided so all Ash could do now was watch the first semifinal and then wait for his own one to start.

He went over his plan for facing Lyra one more time. Planning to face her was pretty straightforward. She had done what he had done in the past, specifically when he had been in Hoenn, and use the same team throughout only switching up the order as she went. It was clearly due to her bond with her Pokémon, which Ash could tell was deep, and he could respect that but it also allowed him to plan around it pretty well. it was why he had chosen a team that he felt was well balanced and held advantages against Lyra's Pokémon.

There was one Pokémon other than Pikachu that he had to have on his team for this battle though but seeing as it was one of his more versatile ones so it fit just fine against really any opponent. As such Ash was ready for the semifinal and already had his first choice ready for it as he was banking on a 50% chance of being correct as to at least Lyra's opening type though he wasn't sure which one of them it would be.

While Ash was making his final plans lunch was served which he ravenously ate everything they provided him. He would need all the energy he could get for the match so he wanted to make sure he had a good lunch and time to digest it before his match.

After lunch it was just a lot of waiting. Finally a light came on in the room Ash was in and he knew that it was time. Getting up, Pikachu hopping onto his shoulder for the walk to his starting spot, Ash made his way out of the waiting room and along a corridor until he reached the entrance to the battlefield. With a deep breath, and a nod from the attendant standing at the end of the tunnel leading out of the stadium's interior, Ash turned and walked out into the stadium.

The crowd cheered as Ash walked out, focused on his starting spot, and made his way to it. Lyra had walked out of her own side at the same time as he did so they made their way to the starting spots together. She was smiling at him, a smile Ash returned, as while this was a match they were still friends at the end of the day.

"Here we are Ash." Lyra called out once they were in position. "I must admit, I never expected to get this far this year so at this point not even you will stop me from reaching the final."

"You have done well Lyra; I'm impressed but this is where your journey ends this year." Ash said back to her. "I know you will win a Conference one day but that day is not today."

"We shall see." Lyra said with a grin. "I'm sure both Khoury and Dane are really nervous for us up in the stands."

"Misty knows I will win." Ash said with a small smile back at Lyra. "But I'm sure Khoury is worried for you right now."

"Probably but he's always worried about me, it's one of the reasons why I love him." Lyra replied. "But he has nothing to worry about, I won't let him down and you won't be able to pull a stunt like you did in the quarters against me. That was a onetime thing, you'll need to do better today."

"Oh I know that." Ash said. "I have other surprises ready for you. I'm not some one-trick Ponyta, I am fully ready for you. You got this far Lyra which takes a lot of skill so I'm not going to overlook you. The final is on the line, I'm coming at you with everything I have."

"Then bring it Ash." Lyra said the challenge in her voice. "And let's see who gets that second spot in the final."

"Alright folks the second semifinal is here and y'all know all the rules by now so let's get straight to introductions." The announcer said interrupting them and bringing everyone's attention to the impending semifinal. "Again we have two experienced trainers in this one. First off, from New Bark Town in the Johto region, competing in her second Conference after a top 16 finish in last year's Silver Conference, so this is her best Conference showing yet, it's Lyra."

The crowd cheered as Lyra waved happily to them. Ash just smiled as he waited for his own introduction. The semifinals were clearly a time for the big intros as Brendan and Lucas had received them as well when they'd faced off that morning.

"And on the other side, in his 6th league Conference and the only remaining Kanto native in the Conference hailing from Pallet Town." The announcer continued. "He was top 16 when he debuted here 7 years ago while his best was a top 4 placing in the infamous Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh 2 years ago that led to the ban on mythical and legendary Pokémon in all Conferences, though he was the only one to defeat that Darkrai that year. Most recently he was top 8 in last year's Vertress Conference out in Unova. Competing in his second Indigo Conference and second ever semifinal, it's Ash."

The crowd cheered louder for Ash's understandably longer introduction then it did for Lyra but Ash had a feeling he knew why. They were in Kanto so naturally there would be more Kanto natives here though their proximity to Johto meant that there were still plenty of Johto natives here as well so it was going to be good.

"After the coin flip trainers will send out their first Pokémon on the whistle." The announcer said as the coin flip occurred on the jumbotron between the photos of Ash and Lyra, landing on red giving the first move to Lyra as she was the red trainer today. "And Lyra will have the first move. Let the second semifinal, begin!"

Almost instantly the referee for the match blew his whistle. As soon as they heard it Ash and Lyra sent out their Pokémon at the same time, Ash grinning as he heard Lyra's first choice.

"Venusaur, it's your turn!" Lyra said as she threw out her Poke Ball.

"Pidgeot, I choose you!" Ash said throwing out one of his oldest Pokémon though one he'd released many years ago and only been reunited with this year. "Time to come back my friend, just as I promised."

When Ash had run into his released Pidgeot as he left Viridian Forest way back at the start of the year, their reunion had been a painful and touching given Ash's failure to live up to a first promise to return for Pidgeot one day. He had then promised that he would bring his old friend back for the Indigo Conference after he'd recaught it and he had done just that, bringing Pidgeot in when Ash needed it the most.

That was because Lyra was the best opponent to use Pidgeot against as she had at least 3 grass type Pokémon so Pidgeot had a big advantage against her. Ash intended to maximize that to its fullest in this battle.

"Let's see that bird's speed and evasiveness then." Lyra said. "Venusaur, Frenzy Plant!"

"Dodge that and hit it with Wing Attack." Ash countered as Venusaur glowed and vines began to burst from the earth. "Show Lyra just how fast and evasive you really are."

Pidgeot cawed and took off at his opponent flying at full speed. The vines were easy to dodge and avoid as he twisted and spun around or between them, his wings glowing with flying type power as he did. Between his years leading his flock and he recent races with Ash's other, much slower, birds Pidgeot was fast and agile.

That wasn't all though. Ash had brought in Staraptor, Swellow and Unphezant during his training on the Plateau so that all of his more agile birds could race together through obstacle course he, Misty and May had set up for them just in case they needed something like this in a battle. Neither Staraptor nor Unphezant had in their matches and Swellow likely wasn't getting used if Ash advanced to the final but this was something that Ash had planned for and Pidgeot performed it perfectly.

He easily avoided almost all the vines, one did clip his underbelly but while it hurt, it wasn't enough to slow him down, as he soared at and then struck Venusaur in the side as he passed with the super effective move. Venusaur roared in pain as the Frenzy Plant ended and Pidgeot soared up into the air to gain more height over his foe.

Ash looked at Venusaur and saw it panting and not from the hit it had taken. No it was panting because of it had to recharge. Ash knew little about Frenzy Plant, he didn't have a Pokémon that knew it, but apparently it was one of those powerful attacks that required a turn to recharge. Well who was Ash to not pass up such an opportunity to deal a second super effective blow on it.

"Venusaur can't move, Wing Attack again Pidgeot." Ash ordered.

"Damn, forgot about that part." Lyra muttered, she'd gone for a power start against Ash and it had really backfired against her but she could make up for it with her next move. "That was a rookie mistake on my part, I shouldn't have used that attack then. I won't make that mistake again."

Pidgeot cawed and dove at the temporarily defenseless Venusaur. His wings glowing as he slammed into Venusaur again before flying low along the ground and back to Ash to celebrate his two successful attacks. Once there, Pidgeot soared around Ash and up into the air to look at his vanquished foe.

The only problem was that Venusaur wasn't beaten. It was clearly hurt and near the end of its heath, it had taken two super effective flying type attacks after all, but it was not done yet and Lyra grinned at them. She had one more move for them that while it likely wouldn't save Venusaur, would ensure that Ash had to sub out Pidgeot for someone else.

"Petal Blizzard." Lyra ordered. "Confuse it."

"Er that's not the petal-based attack that does that." Ash said surprising Lyra as the maelstrom of petals began, that move was Petal Dance though if it had been that move he'd have been in for it. "But that will still do damage. Pidgeot, finish this with Hurricane."

As the petals reached Pidgeot and did damage but not as much as it could have given Pidgeot's type, Pidgeot cawed through the pain and flapped his wings hard and fast as the petals filled the battlefield. A fierce wind wrapped up Venusaur as it looked at the attack with worry on its face. A second later Venusaur was thrown high into the air with a roar that could be heard over the wind.

The wind died down as Venusaur soared into the air, the petals stopped and then the Seed Pokémon fell to the earth. It hit with a crash that was hard enough cracked the earth but didn't have enough force to kick up much dust. That was why they were able to tell that the third super effective attack had been too much for the fully evolved Kanto grass type starter. Venusaur lay on its belly, legs splayed and eyes swirls. Pidgeot saw that and cawed in victory.

"That was a mismatch that Ash exploited to perfection there to knock out Venusaur as Pidgeot wins the opening matchup of the second semifinal." The announcer said as the ref raised a red flag to Lyra's side of the battlefield. "An excellent display of flying there from Pidgeot."

"Venusaur return." Lyra said recalling her Pokémon, Ash doing the same as soon as Venusaur was off the battlefield to give Pidgeot some rest and prepare it for another grass type later on as Ash knew Lyra had two more on her. "You did great, that loss is on me. I guess the semis got to me and I had a dumb moment there both with the Frenzy Plant risk and forgetting about the difference between Petal Blizzard and Petal Dance. If I had used the later you would have been confused even if you survived. I won't make that again."

"It's a fair mistake to make." Ash said a little surprised at how Petal Dance worked but it wasn't a move he used so his misunderstanding made sense but still pulling out his second Poke Ball at the same time that Lyra pulled out hers and looking at his Johto friend. "Pidgeot needs some rest after that, I want to save him for later."

"Clever because my next choice was a better match for it than my first." Lyra said throwing her Poke Ball out causing Ash to do the same. "Girafarig, it's your turn!"

"Snorlax, I choose you." Ash said quickly.

"Girafarig, Charge Beam." Lyra ordered almost as soon as the Long Neck Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, finishing her order as Snorlax appeared as well.

"Snorlax, Headbutt." Ash countered, he needed to get Snorlax in close for him to work best so he'd have to do this the direct way as Girafarig began to gather electricity for the attack. "Plow through that attack."

"Snorlax." Snorlax roared as he launched himself at Girafarig.

Snorlax slammed head first into the beam and pushed through it as he flew at Girafarig. The duel normal and psychic type kept the attack up trying to stop the incoming move and deal damage to Snorlax but it wasn't enough as Snorlax's strength won out in the end. He just kept going after the Charge Beam ended to slam his head into Girafarig's chest. It wasn't as powerful as he would have liked as he'd been slowed and injured by the Charge Beam but he had still hit it so he'd done some damage to it.

"Crunch." Lyra called out.

"Ice Punch." Ash replied as Girafarig turned so that its tail was facing Snorlax. "Use the arm that isn't bitten."

The head on the end of Girafarig's tail opened its mouth and savagely bit down on Snorlax's left arm as he positioned himself for the Ice Punch. He bellowed in pain but it wasn't too bad, he still had a lot of health, and encased his right fist in ice before he punched. Unfortunately there was only one place he could punch, under the tail that was for some reason biting him at the moment, right in Girafarig's hindquarters.

The blow landed and Girafarig let go of Snorlax and instinctively kicked him in the stomach from the blow to its, well, ass. It didn't do much damage because it wasn't a move but it was still a hit of sorts. However the current position was perfect for Lyra to land a good attack on Snorlax.

"Double Hit!" Lyra said.

Without moving and before Ash could call out his own order, Girafarig's tail blazed with speed as it slammed the double attack into Snorlax, the first of the two blows being a critical hit that no one knew about. Snorlax roared and backed up a bit in pain from the blow but he was still fighting and Ash had full intention to use Snorlax's best asset next, his weight.

"Snorlax, Body Slam." Ash ordered. "Flatten it!"

"Stop it and throw it back with Psychic." Lyra countered as Snorlax leapt into the air above Girafarig. "That Pokémon is too heavy for you to let it hit you."

Lyra really didn't want a literal ton of Pokémon landing on her Girafarig, or any of her Pokémon for that matter. Girafarig understood this and its tail head looked up, its eyes glowing blue before Snorlax glowed blue a moment later, catching it at the last second surprising the Sleeping Pokémon.

With a tremendous amount of effort, Girafarig threw the larger Pokémon back as far as it could, which given Snorlax's mass wasn't far. Snorlax arched through the air before he slammed down hard 15 feet away, creating a small crater in the battlefield thanks to his weight.

With a groan, Snorlax slowly got up and looked at his foe as the weird Pokémon turned to face him, well its main face faced him at least as he had a feeling that creepy head on its tail had a brain in it. He was starting to tire but he still had plenty left to give and Ash knew it.

"Hyper Beam." Ash called out. "Don't waste the attack, make sure that you hit it Snorlax."

"Dodge that and await my order." Lyra said seeing where Ash was going with this as Snorlax opened his mouth. "We're going to get a really good chance soon so hold out Girafarig."

The blast of orange light shot out of Snorlax's mouth and shot towards Girafarig. True to orders, Girafarig leapt to the side but Snorlax had his own orders and pushing all his strength into the move he swept his head to the side keeping it up as long as possible until, right before the move ended, it hit Girafarig in the side.

It wasn't a direct hit but it certainly did a fair bit of damage as Girafarig let out a noise of pain and was thrown to the side to crash heavily on the ground before skidding a few feet on its side. However it was still in this fight and slowly got to its feet as Snorlax panted, needing to recharge after the Hyper Beam. Lyra smiled; the moment Ash used Hyper Beam she knew she had this so long as Girafarig didn't take a direct hit.

"Psychic, lift it up and slam Snorlax into the ground." Lyra said as instantly Girafarig turned and the blue light came into the eyes on its tail head.

The light then enveloped Snorlax who couldn't avoid it as he was raised up into the sky as high as Girafarig could get him and then slammed down hard. There was a large boom and dust shot everywhere but Lyra kept it up, she had a few more seconds left before Snorlax could fight again so she needed to maximize this opportunity.

"Once more." Lyra said. "Psychic and repeat what you just did."

Girafarig didn't need to be told twice as it did as ordered understanding what its trainer wanted out of it. Snorlax groaned as he was once again lifted into the air and slammed heavily down onto the ground. There was now a decent sized crater where he was and the dust almost covered him. However, he still wasn't out, only nearing his limit, and groaned as he slowly got to his feet.

"That's it Snorlax I know you can keep fighting." Ash said encouragingly. "Body Slam!"

Snorlax roared and leapt into the air high and fast. He was going to win this one for Ash, the thing he was facing wasn't going to best him. The speed of the attacked shocked Girafarig and it turned to face it with it normal side to stunned to move but thankfully Lyra was there for it.

"Charge Beam." Lyra called out.

Girafarig instinctively opened its mouth, built the electricity and then fired the electric type attack at the one ton of falling Pokémon. Snorlax couldn't dodge and the attack hit him between the eyes finally pushing him past his limit.

Girafarig had to leap back with a whinny of sorts the get clear as the attack flipped Snorlax backwards enough that he landed on his back with another boom that kicked up enough dust to cover him. When it had settled, Snorlax lay on his back on the cracked earth with swirls for eyes as Girafarig panted. A sight Ash didn't miss.

"That was some tough fighting there from that Girafarig to beat Snorlax but it is clear that Snorlax is unable to battle." The announcer said as the ref raised a red flag to Ash's side while he recalled Snorlax. "Not the best matchup but…what is this? Ash is going for the quick change to take advantage of Snorlax's effort to try and beat Girafarig before Lyra can recall it."

"Kingler, I choose you!" Ash said throwing out his third Poke Ball as soon as Snorlax was back in his and while the announcer was still speaking before looking at Snorlax's ball that was still in Ash's hand. "Well done Snorlax, that Girafarig was better than we expected but you tired and weakened it, now we will beat it."

"Speedy Ash, I see you don't want to let me give Girafarig a rest." Lyra said respectfully, it was a tactic all who were left had used at least once so far in the full battles, it was a useful strategy to employ if you could get it off in time. "Very well, we will still beat you. I have a move type advantage in this matchup."

"True but as you know, moves aren't everything." Ash said with a grin. "Skill is more important. Kingler, Crabhammer."

"Charge Beam Girafarig, don't let it near you." Lyra said as Kingler began skuttling towards it, the larger pincer glowing. "Blast it back."

"That's an electric type move so dodge it and get in for that hit." Ash said. "You got this Kingler, I know you do."

Kingler saw the electricity building and knew it could avoid it. It wasn't going to get hit with another one of those moves, not after last time. Kingler hadn't won its battle last time but Ash had trusted Kingler despite that loss and brought it in for this important match. As such, Kingler wasn't going to let its trainer down, it was going to win for Ash and that was what drove it on as it skuttled towards its opponent.

Girafarig shot the beam of electricity out at Kingler but Kingler scurried to the side of it and clearly the weird Pokémon it was facing was low on energy because it couldn't sweep the beam or keep it up for long. It also meant that Kingler could close the distance and leap up to bring its glowing claw down on Girafarig's head before it could move.

Girafarig bellowed and backed up, turning slightly from the hit. It wasn't down yet however showing just how sturdy it was and giving Lyra a chance as she quickly countered, using Girafarig's momentum to her advantage.

"Double Hit." Lyra called out.

"Dodge and use Bubble Beam." Ash said.

Unfortunately for Kingler, it couldn't leap away in time as Girafarig finished its turn before its tail whipped at it twice, connecting with Kingler's body both times and doing damage but as a normal type move it was only average effectiveness. However it left itself vulnerable to Kingler's attack as it shot the bubbles out of its mouth and into Girafarig's posterior, the second blow to hit it there.

That was the final attack for Girafarig as it was pushed past its limit. It groaned in pain before falling forward onto its front knees and then collapsing over to the side with a soft thud. Its eyes, both on its head and tail head, were swirls indicating that it was out of the fight.

"That Girafarig was tough but in the end it went down and is unable to battle making Kingler the winner." The announcer said as the ref raised a red flag to Lyra's side while she recalled her Pokémon, Ash doing the same as soon as Girafarig was gone to prevent Lyra from pulling a fast change and sending out one of her remaining grass types that would have an advantage over Kingler. "And looks like Ash will substitute again, interesting. This is a little different from yesterday for him."

"Well done Girafarig, you held in there and took out a tough looking Snorlax, I'm so proud of you." Lyra said smiled at the ball before putting it away and pulling out her next one, whispering to it so that Ash couldn't hear. "Ash seems to have my number so far but he won't be expecting you as this is your Conference debut and no one expects you in a battle. We got this."

"Good job there Kingler, I know it was short but I'll need you again later so rest up for a bit." Ash said as he pulled out his 4th Pokémon of the battle already knowing who he was going with and looking at Lyra with a grin. "Time for a little surprise Lyra, this is one of my trickiest to face and a new one this year so I saved it for the semifinal as it deserved to be used this late in the Conference."

"Well then same here." Lyra said holding her ball out. "This is my secret weapon; I've saved it until now but you're worth revealing my 7th Pokémon. Porygon, it's your turn!"

"Porygon2, I choose you!" Ash said at the same time as they threw their balls out together both staring in shock at the other's announcement as there was an audible gasp of surprise from the crowd. "You have a Porygon?"

"And you have its evolved form?" Lyra asked just as amazed. "How did you get it?"

"I actually met it as a Porygon over half a decade ago during my first adventure when its creator let me borrow it for some unbelievable adventure I had in the Computer World." Ash explained. "Then earlier this year I ran into the guy who created it again and he showed me Porygon2, which turned out to be the Porygon I knew but it had been evolved or upgraded to use a more technical word. Porygon2 remembered me so the doctor gave it to me so that Porygon2 could grow and see the world. How'd you get yours?"

"I won it in a game in Celadon City." Lyra said. "Some nutcase set it up as a prize and I was the winner. We've been training ever since but I've been saving it for this late in the Conference if I made it to avoid becoming too predictable. When I noticed that you'd never kept the same two Pokémon all Conference other than Pikachu I knew that I had to bring it."

"That explains why I haven't seen it." Ash said thoughtfully, he had underestimated Lyra and let her lull him into a false sense of expectancy and she'd capitalized on it with a surprise Porygon that against anyone else would have thrown them but not Ash. "This nutcase by the way, he wouldn't happen to have short greenish hair, shaved at the sides, and glasses with swirls in the lenses?"

"Yeah how do you know him?" Lyra asked confused. "He didn't seem all there despite clearly being a computer genius."

"That's Dr. Akihabara, Porygon's creator and yes he is a computer genius." Ash said. "Well this battle just got interesting."

"Folks I do not believe what I am see but it is all registering as true." The announcer said excitedly cutting through them as he spoke to the crowd. "Never before have either of these rare Pokémon been used in the Indigo Conference and here they are, together, in a battle at the same time. This is truly one that will be remembered for years to come."

"Yes it will, let's start this off with some protection." Lyra said. "Porygon, Conversion."

"Porygon2, show why you're the upgraded form with Converson2." Ash said with a grin.

"Conversion2?" Lyra asked as first Porygon and then Porygon2 shimmered but only the earlier stage Pokémon changed color turning into a dark green that Ash realized was likely bug type. "What does that do that's different from Conversion?"

"You'll see." Ash said with a grin. "So I assume that you have a bug type move then? If I recall what the good doctor told me while we were chatting in Celadon, Conversion turns Porygon into the same type as one of its moves."

"Yup and time to show you that move, Signal Beam." Lyra said giving her command to Porygon.

"Dodge that and show how Conversion2 works." Ash said as a flashing beam was emitted from Porygon. "Then counter with Discharge."

The attack wasn't dodged, however. The nature of the attack ensured that Porygon2 wasn't sure how to dodge it and caught a full blast of it and taking damage from it. The potential side effect of confusing thankfully didn't take hold but Porygon2 still wailed in pain from the attack. However it wasn't nearly enough to take it out and as soon as it was over Porygon2 shimmered and turned an ethereal, muted purple that was slightly translucent when you looked at it.

"Ghost type." Lyra said as Porgon2 suddenly discharged a field of electricity from its body. "Well that rules out Tri-Attack but at least we got bug and not flying type with Conversion so use Aerial Ace Porygon."

Porygon had to first take the Discharge as area attack left little room to avoid it. Porygon gave an electronic wail of pain as the electric type attack coursed through it but it wasn't enough to take it down. It then shot at Porygon2 with the flying type attack, one that Ash knew very well didn't miss unless you had a move like Dig that could go where Aerial Ace couldn't take a Pokémon. However, Ash could still use this to his advantage.

"It's going to hit you but I know you can withstand it Porygon2." Ash said encouragingly. "Brace for it and then respond with your own Tri-Attack. Keep showing it why you are an upgrade."

Porygon2 just bobbed its head knowing what its trainer wanted. Ever since it had joined Ash, Porygon2 had developed a love for battling and winning for its trainer just as all its new friends did. Sure it loved its creator but he had stifled Porygon2 because it was just an experiment to him, albeit one that the doctor loved deeply. With Ash Porygon2 was more than that, it was part of a team, it had friends that were also Pokémon, it was depended on and it wasn't going to let Ash down now.

Porygon2 hadn't before, though it had lost to that Tentacruel but that had been a strong Pokémon, it wasn't going to lose now, especially to its downgraded version that it was glad it wasn't anymore. All it had to do was brace itself and take this attack before it could respond and show the Porygon it was facing, only the second of its own kind that it had ever seen, just which version was better.

The Aerial Ace struck it in the side and Porygon2 wailed involuntarily but it held on, forming the 3 balls of Tri-Attack and using its more advanced brain to predict the best angle to land a hit from as Porygon retreated from its successful attack. At precisely the right moment, the Tri-Attack shot out and the 3 colored beams struck Porygon in the center of its mass sending it reeling back with a wail.

"Not bad Ash but you'd have to…" Lyra began before Porygon let out an even loud wail and burst into flames.

One of the 3 potential side effects of Tri-Attack had taken hold, this time it was the burning side effect. Porygon was already damaged by two attacks but the burn, coupled with it now being a bug type was too much for it to handle and it fell to the ground like a stone from where it was hovering. It hit the earth, bounced once and then fell onto its side with swirls for eyes.

"Oh and the burn side effect of Tri-Attack took hold there eliminating Porygon and giving the win to its evolved Porygon2." The announcer said as the ref raised a red flag to Lyra's side but she had already recalled Porygon and was throwing out her next Poke Ball before the announcer had finished speaking or before Ash could pull out Porygon2's Poke Ball. "And it looks like Lyra is going for the quick change to keep Porygon2 in just as Ash did to Girafarig earlier."

"Azumarill, it's your turn!" Lyra yelled as the ball burst open and her Azumarill, likely having once been that Marill that had been what led Ash, Misty and Brock to meet Lyra in the first landed in front of her.

"Well it looks like we have another first in this battle folks, the first official use of one of the new fairy types." The announcer said, the excitement clear in his voice. "While it is true that fairy types had been used all tournament and their reveal yesterday was courtesy of Ash's Mr. Mime but this is the first time a Pokémon that has been officially declared to be a fairy type has been used since that list was published last night. In this case it's a duel water and fairy type in Azumarill."

"So your Marill evolved, interesting." Ash said as he looked at it. "And you're going with one of the new fairy types. I'm glad I didn't bring one of my dragon types though Dragonair would have loved to take on your Azumarill, he's not a fan of that Pokémon."

"Yup she evolved a while back, the whole fairy type thing is just a nice bonus." Lyra said with a grin. "So let's continue Ash, I'm not done yet. Azumarill, Play Rough."

"That's a normal type move, it won't affect you Porygon2 seeing as you're currently a ghost type but stop it with a Discharge." Ash said a little confused at the attack choice but he could at least get a good attack off as Azumarill ran at Porygo2 and deal it some damage. "No point in not using our super effective attack while we can."

"I know you can withstand that Azumarill." Lyra said encouragingly as Porygon2 let off the discharge. "Push through it, it will be worth it. Trust me girl."

"Azumarill!" Azumarill said trusting her trainer and running through the electrical attack that hit it as it was charging at Porygon2.

It did a lot of damage but she was strong, she could withstand at least one if not two Discharges. She pushed through it and as soon as she did she knew that she was close enough to hit Porygon2 she did.

Porygon2 just stayed there however not expecting anything as Azumarill leapt at it with the Play Rough attack ready, its databanks told it that the attack was a normal type attack just as Ash had said so it shouldn't be a problem now that it was a ghost type. Course sometimes databanks could be wrong, especially when a move has changed types without anyone realizing it.

To everyone's shock it was a problem. Rather than pass through Porygon2 as was expected, Azumarill landed on top of it, attack still active, and brought Porygon2 to the ground before she began to roughly play with it. Ash just gaped in stunned amazement as the attack landed. He had not been expecting that.

Porygon2 would have been amazed too but it was already out cold form the third full attack it had taken so it couldn't process what had just happened. All it could do was lie on the ground with swirls for eyes as Azumarill ran back to stand in front of her trainer.

"That, that shouldn't have happened." The announcer said as Ash instinctively recalled Porygon2, Lyra doing the same with Azumarill the moment Porygon2 was off the battlefield to ensure that Ash didn't suddenly send out Pikachu even though Ash was too stunned to have done so after what he'd just seen. "Isn't Play Rough a normal type attack?"

"It can't be one anymore." Ash said as he looked at Lyra still holding Porygon2's Poke Ball as the ref raised a red flag to Ash's side just as stunned as everyone else at what he'd witnessed. "It has to be a fairy type attack now just like Dazzling Gleam is, that is the only way it could have landed on Porygon2 when it was a ghost type. You knew it was one, didn't you?"

"Knew no? Suspected after yesterday, yes." Lyra said with a smile pleased she'd successfully gotten one over Ash in this battle. "Remember I am dating and traveling with Khoury who has a Gabite. A while back we were sparring and Play Rough almost knocked Gabite out when it shouldn't have. After yesterday though and reading the overview of the new type, including the theory that the one known fairy type move, Dazzling Gleam, would be super effective on dragon types I figured that Play Rough had to be as well after what it did to Gabite. I just needed to prove it and when your Porygon2 became a ghost type I had that chance."

"Well it was a risk but you certainly proved it." Ash said knowing that the announcer was making the same conclusions but ignoring him as he bantered with Lyra. "And I see you have recalled Azumarill."

"That surprise gave me the chance to recall her before you tried a quick change and sent out Pikachu before I got Azumarill back in her Poke Ball." Lyra said with a shrug. "Gotta strategize really well, and be willing to take a few risks, when I face you Ash. Plus after that first matchup, I'm going to try and avoid a type disadvantage as long as possible."

"Pikachu." Pikachu said to Ash tugging his pants leg and Ash realized that regardless Pikachu wanted in and grinned, Pikachu would get that chance regardless of what Lyra had planned and he'd win for Ash.

"You may have recalled Azumarill but I can beat it later, that Discharge will have done plenty of damage so it won't be too fresh when it comes back." Ash said before pointing out to the battlefield. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Tauros, it's your turn!" Lyra said throwing out the ball she had prepared for Pikachu and revealing her 5th Pokémon in the process.

"Well done Porygon2." Ash said to the Poke Ball he was still holding as Lyra's Wild Bull Pokémon appeared before her knowing that he had a moment as he had the first move as Tauros stomped the ground in anticipation of battle. "That was a true surprise so we couldn't predict that. We won't be surprised again."

Ash then looked out onto the battlefield and assessed the matchup quickly. He knew Tauros well, he had a herd himself and he had seen Lyra's in action in the Conference, it was primarily used for physical attacks so that likely meant that she would use one to start out. Ash could work with that.

"Pikachu, Electro Ball." Ash ordered.

"Dodge that and go with Giga Impact Tauros." Lyra said as Pikachu formed the ball of electricity on the tip of his tail. "Show off your speed and endurance with it."

"Interesting, I know that Tauros is fast so we are going to have to mitigate this and do as much damage as possible in the process." Ash said as Tauros began his charge while Pikachu got off the Electro Ball. "Pikachu, it's going to be hard to dodge so rather than take it fully, block it as best you can with Iron Tail and see how much damage you can impart in return."

"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a nod knowing what was coming as Tauros arced around the Electro Ball, increasing his speed as he began to bear down on Pikachu.

Pikachu began running at the Pokémon charging at him before leaping and flipping a second later as he turned his tail to steel. He knew Ash was right, this Tauros was both fast and clearly persistent so a Giga Impact would likely hit. If Pikachu could block it with an Iron Tail he would take less damage and allow for a moment to unleash a full attack into Tauros as it recharged from the powerful attack.

That is pretty much exactly what happened. Pikachu's Iron Tail struck Tauros square in the forehead causing the Giga Impact to trigger on the contact with Pikachu's tail. Tauros was stopped in his tracks as he grunted in pain while Pikachu was thrown back and landed hard several feet away.

The attack did a decent amount of damage but Pikachu wasn't out just yet. He slowly got to his feet and looked at the panting bull he was facing. He had a moment to land an attack and he fully intended to use it.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded and Pikachu grinned, that was just the attack he wanted to use.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as he sent out the powerful blast of electricity right into Tauros.

Tauros bellowed in pain but and fell to one knee but it was sturdier than one Thunderbolt despite how good Pikachu's Thunderbolt was. Pikachu panted as Tauros got to his feet. Ash was sure that there was still time so best to land another attack before Tauros could fully recover and cause more problems. He was partially right.

"Quick Attack." Ash ordered.

"Payback." Lyra countered as Pikachu took off at full speed for Tauros and Ash winced at that attack, this wasn't going to be good for Pikachu.

Pikachu shot at his foe but alas he wasn't quick enough to get there before Tauros could attack again. While he knew that he would hit Tauros, Tauros also knew that he would get his own attack off as well and that would cause Pikachu a lot of problems.

It was also just what Lyra had been planning for. She knew that Giga Impact required a recharge period where Ash would attack but she also knew that her Tauros could take the attack and still be standing. That was why she'd taught him Payback, it allowed for a combo with Giga Impact that maximized Tauros's Payback.

That was why, when Pokémon collided again, Tauros's attack, twice as strong as before, was too much for Pikachu's limit health regardless of how high it was for a Pikachu. He was thrown back, out cold in an instant, and right into Ash's chest has he had been in front of his trainer when he'd made contact with Tauros. Tauros staggered a little but seemed fine otherwise.

Ash slid back a few feet as he caught and held onto Pikachu, looking down to see swirls for his starter's eyes and knew that Pikachu was out as Lyra tied up the battle up. However he also knew that he had what it would take to win this battle from this point on.

Lyra had 3 Pokémon left and while he wasn't certain which the last one was, he was certain he knew the type so he knew who to go with next. He had one Pokémon on him that he'd made sure to have in his roster for a match with Lyra as it had a type advantage over almost all of her Pokémon, though Girafarig's psychic type negated it a bit and Azumarill was super effective against it but that wasn't a problem at the moment.

"Pikachu is unable to battle but those were some heavy hits it landed on Tauros in the process." The announcer said as Ash laid he best friend down next to him but out of harm's way as the ref raised a red flag to his side. "And with that this match is now tied at 3 a piece and halfway through it the second semifinal. And it looks like Lyra is keeping Tauros in."

Not wanting to look a gift Horsea in the mouth, Ash quickly pulled his last Poke Ball off his belt and threw it out before Lyra could change her mind as Tauros returned to wait in front of her. He had just the Pokémon for this, he just needed to get in close for the super effective attack to land and he had just the move for that.

"Infernape, I choose you!" Ash said as the ball burst open and his full evolved Sinnoh starter that had once been Paul's appeared before him. "Remember this one Lyra?"

"Yes and I see that your Monferno has evolved." Lyra said with a nod. "I'm not surprised but that won't be enough to win this."

"Perhaps but it's still going to be a challenge for you." Ash said grinning at her. "Infernape, Flare Blitz."

"Well if it wants to do that then we can certainly weaken it Tauros, and then end it shortly afterwards." Lyra said knowing that this probably wasn't going to end well but between landing this and the recoil of Flare Blitz, she had a good feeling that her next Pokémon could take out Infernape if she was fast enough on the switch to force Ash to keep it in the battle. "I know you don't have much left but this will ensure we can keep pace with Ash. Giga Impact!"

Infernape had cloaked itself in fire before setting off at full speed at Tauros. At the same time Tauros reared and charged at Infernape, whipping himself with his tails as he thundering across the battlefield until the pair met in the center of it. There was a colossal boom and an explosion that sent smoke and debris everywhere causing Ash and Lyra to put their arms up to protect themselves.

Out of the growing smoke cloud two figures were thrown so Ash's initial plan of staying close to Tauros had failed but with the recharge of Giga Impact he still had a chance to land what he wanted to land. After all, if plan A failed there was always adapt for plan B and Lyra's used of Giga Impact had ensured that it was time for plan B, once Ash knew what had happened to Tauros of course.

As for Infernape, it had landed hard and rolled until it came to a stop near Ash's feet. It was battered from both the recoil and the attack but Infernape grinned at Ash as it slowly got to its feet, one hand still on the ground before it stood tall and proud, beating its chest with its hands as it howled to the sky. The same could not be said for Tauros

Tauros had landed hard on its side and skidded until it was roughly the same distance from Lyra as Infernape was from Ash leaving a deep furrow in the battlefield in its wake. However, unlike Infernape, Tauros wasn't getting and it was clear why, he had swirls for eyes. He was out of the fight and Lyra had clear expected it as Tauros's Poke Ball was already in her right hand while her left held a second Poke Ball.

"What a collision but after the last match Tauros just couldn't survive that kind of hit and is unable to battle." The announcer said as Lyra recalled her Pokémon and sent out Azumarill faster than Ash thought possible and just before a slightly startled ref raised his ref flag to her. "And it looks like Lyra has gone for a really fast change, the fastest of the Conference so far as she was clearly ready for it and you can see why. Between the Giga Impact, the recoil of Flare Blitz and Azumarill's type advantage she's going to want it out now more than ever."

"Not bad." Ash commented with a nod of respect, Lyra's speed at changing over was something he might have to account for as the smoke cleared showing a medium sized crater at the point where Infernape and Tauros had collided. "Fast and efficient to get that out. Shame my Infernape is one of my top Pokémon, a type advantage, or advantages I guess as fairy is resistant to fighting apparently, won't win this battle alone."

"No but I have two more things with Azumarill that will give me the edge." Lyra said with a grin. "Firstly her ability is Thick Fat which means that she's even more resistant to fire type moves than she would be without it and secondly, she knows this. Bulldoze!"

"That is impressive, Infernape we can't use fire or Dig so get in there with Mach Punch." Ash said as Azumarill stomped on the ground hard shaking the entire battlefield. "It will hurt but I know you can power through it as we can't avoid it."

Infernape nodded as it howled and ran as fast as it could across the shaking battlefield at Azumarill. Azumarill just glared at it and poured all her power into her move as Infernape stumbled but kept going, it's body type allowing it easily steady itself. Infernape was still taking plenty of damage from the attack but it knew that it was still fighting and could reach its opponent and reach it Infernape did.

Just as the Bulldoze was ending Infernape cocked its arm back and faster than the eye could see punched Azumarill in the face. She was blasted back and rolled as soon as she hit the ground but Lyra was ready and knew that Azumarill had enough in her tank for this, well that and apparently fairy types were resistant to fighting type moves so it wouldn't knock her out yet. Plus Infernape was far too close to avoid Lyra's counter.

"Hydro Pump." Lyra yelled.

Ash didn't have time to react, Azumarill didn't give them the time. She didn't even get up off the ground. She just lifted her face up, opened her mouth and blasted the torrent of water right into Infernape's chest. The Flame Pokémon howled in pain as the second super effective attack hit it and blasted Infernape up and back across the battlefield.

Infernape was good, it knew that it was one of Ash's top tier Pokémon but even it had its limits. Taking two super effective attacks, a Giga Impact and dealing with the recoil of a Flare Blitz and was well beyond those limits and Infernape fainted before it hit the ground, rolling a few times before it came to a stop on its back, limps splayed and eyes swirls just in front of Ash.

"What determination from Azumarill to stick in with that Mach Punch and land two super effective attacks, one before and one after, to take out Infernape." The announcer said as Ash recalled and thanked Infernape while the ref raised a red flag to his side and Azumarill got to her feet with a grin on her face at the victory. "That may have been a type mismatch there but that Infernape looked tough to beat."

Ash had seen how fast Lyra was with her changes and he knew he couldn't give her time to get Azumarill out and bring in either Meganium or Tangrowth as her last Pokémon had to be one of them. If she did and Ash sent out who he wanted to face Azumarill with then he was at a disadvantage as he needed the other as rested as possible for the final matchup. Plus that Azumarill was clearly near the end of her ropes so he could end this quick.

Hell if he did it right, albeit in a way that so he was not happy with, he could ensure his own quick change to before Lyra brought in her last Pokémon. Ash would have to apologize to her for this afterwards but right now they were rivals competing for the final and so long as what he did wasn't excessive then Ash would do it. He'd deal with the regret afterwards.

Thankfully Lyra hesitated with her decision as to keep Azumarill in or go with her last and freshest Pokémon. Her glance to the scoreboard showing the two still lit Pokémon for Ash was enough of a pause for Ash to decide who to go with as he recalled Infernape, he'd thank it later, and sent out Poke Ball out to lock Azumarill in.

Lyra had a hard decision to make. Azumarill was near the end of her ropes, one good hit would probably take her out unless she was resistant or immune to the attack, but she also knew which two Pokémon Ash had left. Looking up at the board Lyra decided to leave Azumarill in and go for the quick change if Azumarill lost.

Ash would likely know her last type and probably correctly guess which one and would save Pidgeot for that match. That meant he'd likely want to end this quick, despite Azumarill's resistance, with…

"Kingler, you're up again!" Ash said confirming Lyra's suspicions and keeping Azumarill in the match as he gave his command. "Finish it with Hyper Beam."

"Hydro Pump." Lyra called out as Kingler formed the orange glow in its mouth. "Hold it off, I know you can do it."

Ash didn't want to use Hyper Beam but it was the best move to guarantee that Azumarill was out and that she didn't suffer needlessly from taking multiple water type attacks as Ash doubted anything short of a Hydro Pump would take Azumarill out if it was a water type attack. Plus Ash's other ranged attacks with Kingler wouldn't do much against a Hydro Pump like the one Azumarill had just shot out in defense.

Hyper Beam also had one potential bonus effect, it would almost certainly send Azumarill out the back of the battlefield and into the wall. It wasn't what Ash wanted to do but it was what he had to do to prevent Lyra's quick change, he respected her skills too much to give her a window.

The torrent of water met the powerful orange beam of normal type power and collided. Rather than press against each other however, Azumarill's Hydro Pump just wasn't as powerful after all the damage she had taken against Porygon2 and Infernape. It slowed down the Hyper Beam a little but only for a second before the Hyper Beam cut through it, ending the Hydro Pump and slammed into Azumarill and blasting her backwards. She was out before she hit wall behind Lyra, Ash wincing at the impact but it was what he needed.

"And that will do it for Azumarill, you may call that attack excessive but that is clear respect from Ash for Lyra's Azumarill by not taking any more chances with it after it took down his Porygon2 and Infernape." The announcer said as the dust cleared to reveal Azumarill lodged in a small crater in the wall with swirls for eyes. "Kingler wins that one and leaves Lyra with one Pokémon left."

Lyra agreed with the announcer as she recalled Azumarill while the ref raised a red flag to her side. Ash's Kingler was also a water type so a type move like Bubble Beam or Crabhammer that Kingler had would have only cause Azumarill suffering and not knocked her out. This was Ash's way of showing that he respected her Pokémon enough to go for the clear win despite the fact that if she was fast enough she could get her last one out and really do some damage to Kingler.

However that fact played into the second reason Ash had likely used the powerful attack and again showed his respect for Lyra. She had to turn and recall Azumarill from where it had landed and then send in her last Pokémon before Ash recalled Kingler in that window. It meant that rather than quickly switching from in front of her, she had to physically move her body and that gave Ash a split second to recall Kingler once Azumarill was recalled before she turned and tossed out her last Poke Ball.

It was a clever strategy as she'd literally just shown with getting Azumarill in to face Infernape how fast she could be. Ash had out thought her with this one but he wasn't going to win without a really tough fight from Lyra's best Pokémon.

"Azumarill return." Lyra said recalling her Pokémon, pulling out her last ball and turning to throw it out with her off hand only to see the red light retreating back into Ash's Poke Ball, he'd timed it perfectly to recall Kingler so she just looked at Azumarill's Poke Ball and smiled. "You did great girl, that was some tough matches you were thrust into but you fought hard and took out 2 of Ash's Pokémon including his Infernape and that Pokémon has to be one of his better ones. I'm really proud of you. I will not go out of this Conference without one last fight."

"Sorry about that." Ash said and he meant it, he hatted overpowering an opponent like that but he needed to against Lyra, she'd shown she was really talented so he had to pull out all the stops to ensure that he got this favorable matchup to beat her. "I didn't mean to use so much power against Azumarill. It was the only move I had that would take her out quickly and give me the chance to recall Kingler before you sent out your last Pokémon."

"It's ok Ash, I would have done the same if the roles were reversed." Lyra said with a smile as she put Azumarill's ball away. "But that doesn't mean that I won't go down easy despite this disadvantage. This is my starter we're talking about; we share a deep bond. Meganium, it's your turn!"

"Pidgeot, you're up again!" Ash said throwing out his Poke Ball as Lyra threw out hers. "Let's end this together old friend. It's fitting that one of my original 6 will advance me to my first final."

"I don't think so." Lyra said as Pidgeot cawed coming back into the battle and ready to win again for Ash while Lyra's Meganium just smiled ready for its battle. "Meganium, Petal Dance. We're going for broke with this!"

"I see we're going for confusion well let me speed that up for you." Ash said going with a move that could cause the opponent confusion. "Hurricane Pidgeot. That attack will fill the stage for a while so push through it."

Meganium roared as it scattered petals everywhere, all over the battlefield. Pidgeot cawed in pain as the attack hit, it was more painful than the last petal-based attack he'd taken but pushed through it as Ash had ordered. Pidgeot knew how strong he was and as bad the grass type move hitting him was he was resistant to it; he could push through and unleash his Hurricane.

Flapping his wings hard, Pidgeot created the hurricane once again. Again it surrounded his opponent, spinning it in the vortex as it hurled Meganium up and into the air before it came crashing down hard, wailing in pain from both the attack and the landing.

However it wasn't out of the battle and it wasn't confused so the side effect didn't trigger. Ash didn't care, he knew he had it as Meganium continued the multi turn attack, pouring more power into it and causing more damage to Pidgeot. As powerful as Hurricane was, it wasn't the most accurate move and Ash needed to win with Pidgeot so he went with another super effective move that was more likely to hit rather than push his luck with landing a third Hurricane in the match.

"Wing Attack." Ash ordered.

"Keep it up Meganium, don't let up." Lyra said pouring her love for her starter into her words. "I know you can survive this attack."

Meganium couldn't move, it was putting all its energy into maintaining the Petal Dance as long as possible. Pidgeot saw this and his wings glowed with power as he shot at Meganium, battered by the petals but still flying as his health was slowly sapped by the attack.

Still, he reached it and slammed a wing into Meganium's chest staggering it back but it was a lot sturdier than he or Ash expected as Meganium just grit its teeth and kept the attack up for the max 3 turns as Pidgeot soared high into the air.

However, Ash knew that Meganium was at the end of its line and he had this match. He just had to land one more move to win and with Pidgeot right above Meganium he knew which one to use.

"Pidgeot, Twister." Ash said.

Pidgeot cawed as it whipped up a tornado between its wings and sent it down and at Meganium who was showing a lot of toughness to keep the Petal Dance up for as long as possible. Ash could have ended this with a super effective move but he saw how close to the end Meganium was so he didn't want to go over the top with his finishing move.

Lyra had given it her all and come up short and deserved his respect for how well she'd performed both today and in the Conference in general. However, this match was Ash's and he was going to end it on his terms without being cruel, that wasn't him.

The dragon type move slammed into Meganium's side and that was it. The Herb Pokémon fell forward and face planted on the earth before falling to the side without a sound. The petals stopped moving the moment it hit the ground and it was clear why. Meganium had swirls for eyes marking its and Lyra's defeat.

"And that is it folks, Meganium is unable to battle and as it was her 6th Lyra is now out of Pokémon." The announcer said as Pidgeot cawed before flying back to celebrate with Ash as the ref raised a red flag to Lyra and the green one to Ash before blowing his whistle to signify the end of the match. "Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town has defeated Lyra of New Bark Town and will face Brendan in the final of the Indigo Conference tomorrow. That is all for today folks, time to head home as we wrap up the Conference tomorrow afternoon."

"Meganium return." Lyra said with a sad smile at the Poke Ball in her hand. "We did well my friend, we really pushed Ash I know it. That match was closer than it looked but in the end he showed how much better he was. Don't worry though, we will continue training hard and next time we face him we will beat him and we will win a Conference soon, I promise you."

"Congratulations Pidgeot you were amazing, see I told you that you would be by my side this time and you were the one who got me to my first ever final, thank you." Ash said hugging his old Pokémon. "Tomorrow we get a shot at our dreams. I won't waste it because it was all thanks to you and everyone else today that I have that chance."

Pidgeot cawed happily knowing he'd done well and would impress the others back home with his tales of his battles today before Ash returned him and smiled at the Poke Ball. Then he looked up to see Lyra already at midfield, though on his side of the crater there, waiting for him. Still smiling, Ash walked out to greet her.

"Well done Ash, that was an amazing battle." Lyra said as she held out her hand which Ash shook at once. "You out thought me in the end though and showed me I still have so much more to learn."

"You did amazing yourself Lyra." Ash complemented. "That Play Rough, while a risk, was really smart and you showed just how good you are. Another year and you could easily win a Conference."

"Oh next time I intend to." Lyra said smiling at him. "But for now I am going to join Khoury, Dane and all my new friends in supporting you in the final. Win it tomorrow Ash, we're all rooting for you."

"I will." Ash said before Lyra turned and left the battlefield to join the leaving crowds.

Ash instead looked up at the scoreboard which now showed his and Brendan's pictures with a vs. sign between them and FINAL across the top along with the time it was set to start. There was no need for a draw at this point, they all knew who was going to be in the final.

Smiling at his victory and reaching a new personal best in a Conference, Ash finally turned and walked to the exit. Brendan was likely already back at the Pokémon Center prepping for the final against him so Ash had to do the same.

First he'd briefly celebrate his win with Misty, then he'd study Brenden's style and Pokémon, select the best team possible. After that it would be time to prepare for the final.

Tomorrow Ash competed for the Indigo Conference Championship. Tomorrow, Ash had his first true shot at his dreams and he didn't intend to waste it. Tomorrow he became a Pokémon Master.