Part CXXVII: Sweet Sixteen

"Alright folks welcome back to day two of the Kalos fighting tournament." The announcer said from his booth. "And you know that means. It is time for the sweet sixteen!"

The crowd gathered cheered as the first four trainers and their Pokémon walked out to their rings. The rings were the same size but now there was only two on in front of the other with a good gap between them in the middle of the arena so more space as they prepared for the battles. The sweet sixteen as the announcer called it would feature two bouts per slate with two judges per bout, so it was still 4 slates of bouts for the crowd to enjoy. As such they were following the same schedule as the day before with two slates before lunch and two afterwards all starting at the same time as the first day.

The opening slate featured Ash and Lucario verses Adam and Hitmonlee in one ring while Serena and Pancham faced off against Korrina and Mienshao in the other one. After the hectic day before, Ash and all his friends here who were in it made up 15 of the 16 spots left in the tournament with a lone Hariyama under the command of a Kanto trainer who'd lost two bouts to Adam's Pokémon before winning the third being unknown.

He was up against Adam's Poliwrath in one of the final bouts. Before then the Hoenn aspiring fighting specialist had 4 other Pokémon going while Ash had 3 and Korrina 2 still in the competition as the only ones who had had multiple Pokémon advance to the second day of the competition.

Ash was about to face one of Adam's 5 remaining Pokémon, his Hitmonlee, in this round. His other Pokémon were against Misty's Machamp and Korrina's Machoke in the second and fourth slates respectively. Ash had spoken with all of his Pokémon about today the night before and they'd strategized as best they could. The could do it and first up was Lucario.

"Alright Lucario, we know how to handle this one." Ash said as Lucario sat on the stool and drew on the warmth that the small amount of passive aura Ash produced in this style of battle and knew his human spoke the truth, he had this. "We've faced Hitmonlee in battle, well Conkeldurr and Hawlucha have but we discussed this, and they've helped you prepare for it. We know what one can do. You will win."

Lucario barked in agreement as he looked at the Kicking Pokémon that he was facing this time around. He had received the lowdown on how this Pokémon fought from his fellow fighting type teammates and knew what it could do. There was only one thing that he had to worry about, but he knew that he could handle that. He was ready to win again for Ash.

"Begin!" The announcer said as the bell rang.

Instantly Lucario was up and rushing Hitmonlee who had also bounded forward the moment the fight began. The one thing that Lucario knew that Hitmonlee had on him was reach. The Kanto fighting type could kick and that was it, but it could stretch its legs, but Lucario wasn't going to let that happen. That was why he was going to close the distance early.

Hitmonlee saw this and tried to extend his leg as he came up and launched a powerful roundhouse at Lucario's face. Lucario however ducked the high, telegraphed, kick with ease as he ran and with the miss Hitmonlee had to full rotate to avoid falling over and Lucario used that to his advantage as he closed the last distance as Hitmonlee came around to face him.

As soon as Lucario was there he attacked. With quick palm thrusts Lucario landed 3 blows to Hitmonlee's body pushing him back and going forward before Hitmonlee could get his footing again, something key to kicking specialists like Hitmonlee. Even when he did manage that and got up a right leg kick he was again going for Lucario's head, but all Lucario had to do was raise his left arm and he blocked while following it up with a fourth palm heel to the face before Hitmonlee got his leg down.

Hitmonlee staggered back a bit from taking the blow while on one leg and Lucario leapt after him, cocking his right arm back and punching Hitmonlee in the face, well what passed as a face for the strange, shaped Pokémon. The pure fighting type staggered back as he finally raised his arms, but Lucario followed it up with a kick of his own to Hitmonlee's side that the Pokémon wasn't expecting while showing how rounded a fighter he was. Hitmonlee grunted from the blow and lowered his hands so that Lucario could land two more palm thrusts forced Hitmonlee back and into the ropes.

Lucario kept it up though and used the ropes and his body to unleash a furious assault with is palms, elbows, and knees onto the near helpless Hitmonlee that managed to block a handful of them and even landed a few knees of his own. However, with the close quarters he couldn't kick Lucario at all thus negating his best fighting attribute.

That wasn't enough to stop Lucario's assault and by the end Lucario had landed 15 more blows by his count, but it would come down to the judges in the end. The only thing that saved Hitmonlee was the bell that rang and ended the round just as it looked like Hitmonlee would slump to the floor and have to face a count.

"Great job Lucario." Ash said encouragingly as Adam was doing the same opposite him the moment their Pokémon took their seats in their respective corners. "You are really laying it on there but keeping in control to avoid a warning like what happened yesterday."

Lucario barked in agreement at that. Ash had explained excessive force the day before and Conkeldurr had apologized to them for his warning and promised to not do it again. Then again he was up against a Machamp, he couldn't do that move even if he wanted to against his old rival.

"Our tactic worked perfectly there." Ash said and Lucario could only nod. "Keep it up in the next round to really put this out of reach and maybe win by knock out."

Lucario barked confirmation at that. They had drawn up a plan for each of them based on their opponents' skills and what each of them had and Lucario's plan was straightforward. Hitmonlees, while strong and powerful with their kicks, were basically just that, kicks. If Lucario could close the distance and rely more on knees, hands, and elbows then he could really win this with ease. Kicks were also easier to block in Lucario's mind. He was more rounded which meant that he had this.

His friends also had their tactics as well. Hawlucha's was straightforward as well so Lucario wasn't worried about him. It was Conkeldurr that he was most worried about as his opponent was one of the strongest in terms of raw power in the competition. However, that was pushed the back of his mind as the bell rang again and he got up for the second round.

Again, Lucario went forward for the quick start, but this time Hitmonlee was ready for him and launched a long direct kick rather than a spinning one that Lucario had to sidestep. That allowed Hitmonlee to pull the leg back and launch a side kick with the other one before Lucario could leap out of the way or close the distance, aiming for his side this time.

Lucario just grinned though as he set his feet and raised his right arm to take the hit on his side. It was powerful for sure, Hitmonlee could kick better than probably any Pokémon out there due to their specialization in the style and Lucario grunted from the hit, but he lowered his arm and pinned the Pokémon's leg to his side. They'd planned for this as well. Kicking was often better then punches as legs were usually stronger but kicking had limitations as you needed feet to stand on so could only use one leg at a time and if you had one leg pinned then you couldn't do much about it.

With a grunt, Lucario grabbed Hitmonlee's leg with both paws and spun on his heels. Hitmonlee had to pull his muscles in to avoid the ropes as Lucario used all his strength to spin faster and faster. Hitmonlee was now parallel with the ground while his other leg flopped about unable to land a hit as Lucario kept the spin up through several rotations before throwing him when he felt he could go any faster.

The moment Lucario released Hitmonlee he stopped spinning and centered himself fighting the dizziness he was now feeling. He had the time to as Hitmonlee shot away and into the ropes back first before he could react to the throw. The ropes stretched most of the tournament so far thanks to his speed before they reached their limit and snapped back slingshotting Hitmonlee forward.

Lucario had to step out of the way as Hitmonlee shot across the ring and into the other side's rope that stretched almost as much as it had when Hitmonlee had been thrown into the other side due to the speed the Kanto Pokémon was going at. It too shot Hitmonlee back and this time he lost momentum and crashed into the floor back first, rolling across the ring as Lucario watched before hitting the first rope he'd been thrown into again. This time it didn't bend much before Hitmonlee fell face first down to the ring floor and lay there dizzy, dazed, and battered.

"1, 2, 3, 4…" One of the judges began as Ash and Lucario watched while the crowd joined in. "..9, 10. That's it, Hitmonlee is out."

"…10." A judge in the other ring said at almost the same time. "Pancham is out."

"I don't believe it." The announcer said as the crowd roared. "We have a double knockout within a second of each other in the second round of the first slate of bouts today. Both Pancham and Hitmonlee have hit a 10 count and are out. That means that our first two quarterfinalists who will face off tomorrow are Lucario and Mienshao."

Ash blinked in surprise, he hadn't expected the other match to end at the same time, he'd have to ask Serena and Korrina about that later, but he was still needed to stay. He did have the next match and as he won this one he was allowed to stay on this ring while Adam moved to the other one to face May and her Blaziken in his second bout of the day.

"Well done Lucario." Ash said fist bumping Lucario as Lucario made his way back having bowed to Hitmonlee before he was recalled by his trainer. "That was rather spectacular at the end, but we won and that's what counts in these matches."

Lucario barked in agreement at his victory before climbing out of the ring. He'd won and advanced, it was time to go and join his friends and support Conkeldurr and Hawlucha as they too tried to make it to the quarterfinals.

"Well done Ash." Adam said with a nod as he hopped off his platform before Ash's eyes and headed to the other ring. "You handled a kicker well there, just as it should be done. I will face you again though, my others will advance."

"Looking forward to it." Ash called out as Serena and Korrina left, ready to face Misty when the next round began at its allotted time.


Serena just made her way back to her seat with a small smile knowing that Bonnie would be supportive after her loss but still happy with how Pancham had performed. It had been a tough match to begin with as Mienshao was a smooth fighter who could match Pancham's mobility and fully evolved but he'd given it his all and acquitted himself well in the end.

Their plan for Mienshao had been simple, hit and run tactics using their showcase skills to their advantage. It was the only way that Serena could think of winning against a Pokémon like the one that she was facing. Win by points and using their superior agility from their training.

It had worked relatively well for the first round. Pancham had evaded Mienshao's whiskers and limbs with his dance moves and retaliated with a few arm thrusts that landed but was batted away so in the end they had both landed 4 hits by the time the bell rang to end the round. The only problem was that it had taken all of Pancham's skills to avoid Mienshao and he was exhausted.

Regardless, he'd given it his all in the second round and tried the same thing tactic. Alas this time it didn't work and soon he missed a step thanks to his fatigue and Mienshao snagged him. That was it for Pancham as the Martial Arts Pokémon pulled him in and unleashed a flurry of blows from its legs and knees as it held Pancham until it was certain that he'd had enough. Only then did Mienshao let Pancham go, and he collapsed barely conscious to the ground. The count had been a formality at that point.

Serena was a little upset that she'd lost but she'd gotten to the second round and of all of them Pancham was the weakest in terms of raw strength and evolution level, well likely tied with Adam's Makuhita, so it wasn't a surprise that against a Pokémon like Mienshao he lost in the end. He had done amazing, and Serena had told him as much when she'd recalled him to his Poke Ball. He'd get a pampering tonight for his work once Nurse Joy healed him but for now she could sit back and support her friends more.

Ash's Lucario had already advanced, now it was time to watch two more interesting matches as Serena settled down to support May against Adam and see how Ash and Misty handled facing each other though she was rooting for Ash in it as she had to go for her unrequited crush over her rival. Things were certainly getting interesting as the sweet sixteen continued.


"Alright Blaziken, this one is a fellow Hoenn Pokémon, one that was caught in our home region, and trained by a Hoennite like me so we should be able to handle." May said as Blaziken sat on the stool looking at his opponent. "And one that is part psychic type, so we have to take that into account."

Blaziken nodded as he looked at his opponent in the opposite corner. He vaguely knew the bipedal gray Pokémon with what looked like baggy pink pants that had a yellow edge on the top and dot that were actually its legs and a pink crest with three yellow dots at the bottom of it from the week prior when they were all training together. Medicham was from the same region as he was and this one in particular was from Hoenn as was its trainer just as May had said. It was also one of the odder fighting types out there, something May reminded him of a second later.

"Medicham, it's fighting style uses yoga to train and precognition when it fights." May said. "Like that Throh last round, this isn't what a typical fighting type does and is almost unique in its style as far as I know. Be careful. It will likely be able to predict your attacks and counter from there. Go with speed and multiple strikes. It can't use a move and raw power is on your side. Medichams rely too much on their minds, let's see it handle an onslaught from a more traditional fighting type."

"Blaziken." Blaziken agreed, he could handle that for May.

"Alright, let's win." May said as the bell ran and Blaziken rose to do just that. "I know you can do it."

Blaziken knew it as well and he quickly charged Medicham. He'd heard of this Pokémon's ability and May, and he had gone over it as best they could the day before as it had won its through evasion and prediction against a Hitmontop. Well, he could just put the pressure on it from the start and keep it up to see if it could try and predict that.

That was why Blaziken started with a series of light jabs to assess how well Medicham could do with its precognition. The Meditate Pokémon easily evaded the blows twisting her upper body to avoid them and waiting for that moment to counter. However, Blaziken didn't let her as his initial series was more than just some light jabs to gage her but to lull her into a false sense of prediction and get accustomed to his rhythm.

She'd predicted his moves well and as such was not expecting the sudden side kick that took her in the side before she could counter. Blaziken had been waiting for that moment and as she lent back from his left fist and showed a counter to him, he pivoted on his left foot as he brought his fist back and kicked her in the side. The closeness of their combat and the fact that she was focused on his jabs ensured that even if she could predict it she wasn't going to avoid the kick, something he could do really well.

The force of the blow drove the breath from her lungs and broke her concentration so that Blaziken could follow it up with a left hook that caught her in the cheek staggering her back with the force it. Blaziken kept the pressure up as he kneed her in the chest as she was staggering. He had her now and prepped a punch to lay her out and see if his opponent could recover from that.

Blaziken had also made sure that it would work as he clearly telegraphed his right fist for the punch so that she spun out of the way using her footwork to her advantage. The as her back was turned to him Blaziken let out a palm thrust at her with his left hand.

That was when things changed. As he thrust, knowing that even if she sensed the attack she wouldn't be able to dodge it from this position, his left arm glowed blue and was moved to the side just enough that it missed as Medicham finished her spin and launched a palm thrust of her own into his chest that pushed him back a bit.

Almost as soon as that happened a whistle was blown by one of the judges following by a blinding flash of light that dazzled everyone in that ring. Medicham let out a wail of pain while Blaziken just grunted from attack damage as he blinked away the light. When the light cleared Medicham was on one knee and there was a Wigglytuff between them with its arms up to each of them showing who had used the Dazzling Gleam attack as Nurse Joy stood next to the other judge on their platform.

"Medicham just used Psychic to alter Blaziken's strike and cause a miss." Nurse Joy declared. "As that is a move, Medicham is disqualified. Blaziken wins and advances to the quarterfinals."

"Oh, and the second disqualification of the tournament has just happened." The announcer said as May regained her sight and processed what had happened, as did Adam. "Blaziken advances to the elite eight tomorrow."

"Sorry about that." Adam said to May as he bowed deeply, as did Medicham who looked shameful at her actions. "Your attack strategy was the best one to face us and Medicham's instincts kicked in to protect herself when the final attack was coming from behind. We deeply regret our actions and the dishonor it has brought this competition."

"Medicham." Medicham said in agreement sounding remorseful as she apologized to Blaziken for ruining their match and accepting her disqualification with grace because it was deserved. "Medicham."

"Blaziken." Blaziken said accepting it and hoping that they would finish this properly one day which Medicham smiled at and nodded in return.

"It's ok Adam." May said as Wigglytuff was returned and Blaziken came back to her side. "Don't worry about it. We can have a battle or something to settle this when we next meet, I know you and Emily are leaving as soon as this is over."

"I look forward to it." Adam said as he recalled Medicham. "I need to prepare my other 3, see you later May."

"You too." May said as Adam left. "Well, Blaziken, our plan worked even if it was not how we expected to win it."

"Blaziken." Blaziken said with a shrug as a win was a win and he'd advanced to the next round.

"Let's get to the stands to watch Ash and Misty finish off their battle." May said recalling Blaziken as the bell rang to signal the end of the first round. "That is one I don't want to miss."

May hurried to the stands to join the others and watch the other battle of this slate. It was Ash and Misty's first bout against each other, and they all wanted to see it not just because of Ash and Misty were facing each other but because it was Machamp verses Conkeldurr. It was going to be good regardless and May didn't want to miss a minute of it now that she could see how it would end.


"Alright Conkeldurr, that first round was a little rough, but we got this now that we've seen what they can." Ash said as he gave Conkeldurr some water as he say on his corner panting a bit from the effort of the first round. "We knew that Misty and Machamp would come out hard but that was intense."

Conkeldurr just grunted and nodded in agreement. The match had started rough for him against his old rival, and it had taken a lot to not use a move but stick to his raw strength as he took an opening pounding that he hadn't expected. Machamp had really improved his speed and finesse under his trainer just as Conkeldurr had under his.

The round had started with Machamp showing off his faster speed and footwork by coming in hard to Conkeldurr and landing a flurry of 4 punches, one from each fist, before Conkeldurr could block them. Machamp had height and muscles on Conkeldurr while Conkeldurr was stocker and thicker in the upper body but still Machamp had taken the opening round with ease.

After the 4 punches, things had eased up and Conkeldurr was able to block some of the attacks, but Machamp used his upper arms to land 4 more hits on Conkeldurr throughout the rest of the round. Conkeldurr had managed to acquit himself well though and landed his own attacks when he got within Machamp's grasp and hit 5 body blows in quick succession right at the end to avoid a route to start the match. Still, he wasn't in a good place, but he trusted his trainer to have an idea and Ash had an idea.

"Alright Conkeldurr, I needed that round to really assess Machamp as I couldn't yesterday due to our match with that Sawk." Ash said quietly. "And I have an idea based on your styles. You're both fully evolved and made of pure muscle but there are advantages and disadvantages to each of you. Machamp has better reach and attack power with his four arms, but you have something he doesn't thanks to your work with the pillars. We are going to use that so here's what you will do…"

Ash began to whisper into Conkeldurr's ear and the Muscular Pokémon grinned. Yes, that was a good plan, and he was going to execute it perfectly and show Machamp that he was just as strong as his rival.


"Ash is up to something so be cautious Machamp." Misty said to her Pokémon as she gave him some water and looked at Ash whispering furiously to Conkeldurr. "He thinks of things we can't so focus on your advantages over Conkeldurr, that is your superior footwork and your ability to punch more than any other Pokémon here."

Machamp just nodded. He understood what his human wanted. He'd done that in the first round, and it had worked well but his old rival had countered in the end and landed several heavy blows to his core that still stung showing that Conkeldurr was just as muscular as he was it just wasn't as obvious. It was clear that a human influence had been great for his old rival, and he was enjoying this. Still, he wasn't going to lose.

Misty had no intention of losing either. She had one Pokémon in this and her Machamp was going to win it all. Ash had already advanced with Lucario in quick order, he wasn't going to do so as well with Conkeldurr. Well, that and Ash had joked at the start that this was their third fight in reference to their previous two Contest battles that they'd split the year before. Misty was going to win this one and take the lead against Ash when it came to facing him.

"Just go out, be lose and show Conkeldurr why you always beat him in the forest." Misty said as the bell rang to start the second round. "Win this."

Machamp grunted and got up. He had the advantage with speed as Conkeldurr's strength was in his core, upper body and arms not his legs. Machamp was more balanced though he did have greater upper body strength thanks to his 4 arms so he could close faster and thus land the first hit as Conkeldurr lumbered towards him. That is what he did as he came at Conkeldurr hard and went with a quick jab from his lower left fist.

However, this was exactly what Conkeldurr was expecting. Ash had told him to focus on the fist that came at him and then, as soon as it was there, catch it with his own larger, stronger hand. That is precisely what he did as he caught Machamp's left fist in his right hand and held it tight in his meaty, muscular, hand.

Machamp was surprised by that but kept up his combo sequence as he brought his lower right fist in for his second punch that Conkeldurr again caught this time with his other hand. That was when everything changed.

Ash had told Conkeldurr that his strength in this was his hands, core, and upper body thanks to his constant use and gripping of his pillars. As a result, he had to have extremely strong grip strength just to hold and swing his pillars. Add in the amount of strength that he needed in his arms and core to actually swing them effectively and that was just what he did right then.

The plan was simple. Conkeldurr was going to use his greater hand strength to hold Machamp's first two fists in unbreakable grips. Then, as Machamp no doubt followed it up with his upper arms as well, Conkeldurr was to use his strength to spread his arms wide and step into the range of Machamp as he tried to bring down his upper set of arms and throw him off in the process.

All Machamp could to was try before his lower arms were forced apart and Conkeldurr stepped in and headbutted him in the sternum, hard. Conkeldurr had learned about headbutts and how useful they could be from Scraggy during his time at the ranch though he never saw a need for it until now. They really had a good use and he followed up his winding shot by leaping up while still holding Machamp's hands and slapped the crown of his head his rival's lower jaw snapping Machamp's head back and making him see stars from the impact.

As soon as that happened Conkeldurr knew he had one opening and he took it. Letting go of Machamp's lower hands, Conkeldurr wrapped his arms around Machamp's waist and grasped his wrists in a lock as Machamp tried to recover. He then swung around Machamp so that he was behind him, and his grip was not going to break. Finally, as Machamp was about to recover, Conkeldurr arched his back and used his core strength to suplex Machamp onto the ring floor, his upper shoulders and head hitting the ground hard causing the floor to bounce on impact.

Conkeldurr knew that he had to let go and move, doing so and moving as fast as he could to get up and retreat to a safe distance as he kept an eye on Machamp. Had the ring floor not been flexible it would have likely stunned Machamp long enough but alas the springier material helped absorb the blow a bit and Machamp was able to roll over and slowly get to his feet before the count reached 5, shaking his head to clear it as he did.

What Conkeldurr had done had certainly been impressive and Machamp couldn't help but respect it. His rival had used his own strengths to get the better of Machamp before unleashing a combo that Machamp had not expected from a Conkeldurr but one that the Unova fighting type had picked up somewhere. The results were clear, and he was now more warry of his opponent. Still, he was going to win this for down and a few impressive blows weren't nearly enough to take him out of the bout.

Machamp shook his head again to clear it before he moved forward and towards Conkeldurr who seemed ready to let him come towards him this time. This time however, Machamp was staying light on the balls of his feet as he neared Conkeldurr and stood outside of his range as he let out a series of light jabs with all his firsts that were just feints. Conkeldurr wasn't biting though so he quickly closed to distance and attacked.

Again, Machamp went with a strong punch and again Conkeldurr caught it, this time he'd led with his right lower fist and so Conkeldurr now had it in his left hand. Machamp grinned though as he feinted with his left lower fist. This time Conkeldurr bit on his feint and Machamp changed it up with a downward punch from his upper right fist that slammed into Conkeldurr's face with enough force to stagger him.

However, Conkeldurr did not release Machamp's fist as he'd expected. Instead, he kept his grip and closed his right hand before using his upper body strength to close the gap and slam it into Machamp's gut in a powerful punch. Grunted as he was almost winded by the blow, Conkeldurr used that grunt to draw his fist back to punch Machamp in the same spot again.

Machamp just had to take it, but he braced this time and as he was hit he used both his left arms to slam punches into Conkeldurr, the upper one catching him in the cheek while the lower one hit him in the side thanks to the punch. Conkeldurr grunted and finally let go of Machamp's fist but as he did he shoulder charged Machamp in the chest and wrapped his arms around his rival again.

All Machamp could do was raise his upper arms above his head, clasp his hands and then bring it down hard onto Conkeldurr's back to try and break Conkeldurr's hold. As he did he used his lower arms to land rib blows at the same time on Conkeldurr's sides trying to do the same thing.

Conkeldurr ignored that though as he drove forward through the blows to lift Machamp off his feet again and dump tackle him to the ground on his back as hard as he could, landing on top of Machamp as he did to add to the attack. Just then the bell rang to signal the end of the round and instantly the Pokémon split apart and made their ways to their corners panting from the tough round they'd just engaged in.

"That was good Conkeldurr, you got us back into this bout for sure." Ash said as Conkeldurr sat down on the special metal stool for larger, bulkier, fighting types like himself and opened his mouth so that Ash could squirt water into it. "Well done, you showed Machamp what you can do. Keep it up and we will win, I know it."

Conkeldurr just grunted at that. He'd gone all out and showed his rival he was just as good as he was. He'd really taken it to Machamp and landed several good hits, as well as showing his strength by throwing his rival twice in the battle, not an easy feat to go against a Machamp. Conkeldurr knew that he had this, he just had to outlast Machamp in the final round and land more hits which meant smart but hard hitting.

Machamp was thinking exactly the same as he sat in his corner panting and accepting the drink Misty had given him. He'd underestimated Conkeldurr and his improvisation of other fighting type styles in that round. His trainer was clearly as good as Machamp had noticed. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Alight Machamp that was just as we should expect from Ash." Misty said rubbing his shoulders as she lent down and whispered to him. "Ash is very good with random strategies that are out of the box and he no doubt thought that one up on the fly to compensate for Conkeldurr not having his pillars though the headbutts might have been all Conkeldurr. Well, maybe, Ash does have a Scraggy back home, so he knows that there's at least one fighting type that uses that style."

Machamp grunted in agreement at that as he worked his jaw and rubbed it with one of his hands. He'd taken a good hit there and it stung like hell. Headbutts weren't a common strategy with most fighting types, they preferred punches and kicks. Only specific fighting types like Scraggies used more uncommon tactics like elbows, headbutts or throws. Still, Conkeldurr was showing that he could adapt from that.

"Plus, those throws were good but don't worry." Misty said. "You landed some great hits there that will be very useful for our points and wear Conkeldurr down at the same time. Keep it up, survive this round, and we will win. After that, we need to remember how Ash fights because if we keep winning like I know we will we're likely going to see Lucario and then Hawlucha before we win this."

Machamp nodded as the bell rang again to signal the start of the last round. He was going to win this for Misty and keep advancing until he was the last fighting type standing. He was going to be the best fighting type here, but Conkeldurr had the same mindset and as the third round started one of these two fierce rivals would have to lose.

This time however, Conkeldurr came out faster than anyone, even Ash, expected. He'd thrown Machamp, both figuratively and literally, in the round before and this would keep it up. It certainly did as Conkeldurr lumbered towards Machamp faster than before, using his hands on the ground at one point to speed up and stay stable, before he head charged Machamp in the sternum as Machamp staggered back with the blow.

Conkeldurr followed it up by shifting his head to the side and got ready for a tackle as he wedged his shoulder in Machamp's gut and wrapped his arms around Machamp's legs. However, this time Machamp was ready.

As Conkeldurr tried to wrap Machamp up, he used his thick legs and muscles there to spread them slightly in a staggered stance so that Conkeldurr couldn't get a grip like before. Then, before Conkeldurr could change his tactics, Machamp lent forward and wrapped all four of his arms around Conkeldurr's body as he rested his chest on his rival's back. Machamp was grateful that Conkeldurr had a narrow waist or else he wouldn't have been able to get his upper set of arms around for what he was about to do.

With a roar, Machamp set his feet on the floor, using his superior footwork and leg muscles to hold Conkeldurr as the Unova Pokémon tried to push against him. Then, with all his strength, his muscles rippling and bulging for all to see, Machamp arched his back to the upright position, lifting Conkeldurr up and ripping his arms from Machamp's legs so that he was holding Conkeldurr upside down with his back to his chest as the crowd cheered at the sight and pictures flashed to capture the moment.

Machamp held the pose for a moment and the pictures of it that would make it into the next flyer for the tournament and make Machamp a fan favorite going forward though he didn't know any of that at the moment as he was focused on his bout with Conkeldurr. Then, with all his strength, Machamp squatted down and piledrove Conkeldurr face first into the ground of the ring as hard as possible. Conkeldurr wasn't the only one who could change things up after all.

The force of the blow actually tore the ring as it tried and failed to absorb the impact of it and Conkeldurr flopped down onto his chest, his face still in the ring floor, as Machamp let go of him and staggered back to give Conkeldurr space as the count began. That blow was too much for Conkeldurr as he lay there dazed and unable to process what had just happened to him.

He'd given it his all and he tried to get up, but he just didn't have the cognitive function after that blow to do so. He had failed Ash and he knew it. He would have to make sure that Lucario and Hawlucha continued in his honor and won this for their trainer while also avenging him when they got the chance as he doubted any Pokémon other than his teammates could stop Machamp.

"…8, 9, 10." One of the judges said as the crowd joined in at the end. "And that is it, Conkeldurr has been knocked out, the winner is Machamp."

"Oh, and what a bout between Machamp and Conkeldurr." The announcer said as Machamp bowed to Conkeldurr out of respect for the match. "Two fully evolved, trade evolution, pure fighting types originally from Kanto and Unova but both actually caught here in Kalos going at it, and it did not disappoint. After the quick end to the Blaziken and Medicham bout we got to focus fully on the rest of that epic bout that shows that a fighting type is more than what they are known for. Machamp advances to the elite eight to face Blaziken this time tomorrow. It's time for lunch now though so we will resume with the sweet sixteen in a little over an hour at the scheduled time for the third slate. Can we get that ring fixed in that time please."

"Don't feel bad Conkeldurr, you were great there, but that final attack was unexpected and too much for you to handle, I doubt any Pokémon could handle that kind of hit." Ash said to the Poke Ball in his hand having recalled his friend during the announcer's spiel. "You gave it your all but in the end Misty's Machamp is something else. Don't worry, Lucario and Hawlucha are still in this, and they will keep winning. Take a good rest, you'll be out tomorrow to support the others."

"Well done Machamp, take a break for lunch and then we can watch the rest of the bouts." Misty said recalling a smiling Machamp after his great win. "Ash, well done there but looks like I won this fight."

"True but there will be more to come." Ash said as he and Misty hopped down from their platforms and met while everyone broke for lunch. "I will have to go through you or May to reach the final with Lucario now."

"I look forward to both matches." Misty said as she took his hand to show sportsmanship, and they made their way over to join their friends for lunch before the afternoon slate of bouts began with Max, Adam, and Owen facing off while Emily had to stand in for Adam again as he had two in the next slate. "But first let's get some lunch and prepare, you still have Hawlucha to advance and Korrina won't be easy in that final slate."

"True." Ash said as they headed out to enjoy lunch and get ready for the upcoming afternoon slate of matches as the sweet sixteen continued.


"Lunch is over, so we are about to start the third slate of matches in the sweet sixteen." The announcer said to the cheering crowd. "So, let's see who will join Lucario, Mienshao, Blaziken, and Machamp in the quarterfinals."

"Alright Chesnaught, you got this." Max said encouragingly as Chesnaught sat in front of him opposite Adam's Pangoro who he was about to fight. "Same strategy as before. Pangoro has a lot of raw strength, more so than that Breloom but will tire quickly. Block and then counter when you have that opening."

"Chesnaught." Chesnaught said with a nod, he knew how he was going to win.

"This one will likely be able to hit harder, but it will focus on the attacks and not defend which is good so take your counters well the moment you have them." Max continued. "So, expect less blows but with more power to them and little to no defense. Also, from what I've read, that leaf in its mouth to sense your attacks so be careful. I know you can do it."

"Chesnaught." Chesnaught agreed as the bell rang, and he got up ready to win again for Max.

Just like Max had predicted, Pangoro came right at Chesnaught hard and faster than his previous opponent had done so. Chesnaught barely had the time to get into his defensive posture when Pangoro was on him and landing the heavy blows on his armored arms and back shell thanks to his defensive position.

The rules stated that only clean hits counted, not defended, parried, or blocked ones, so Max felt that while Pangoro was landing a good few blows to start off the round he wasn't losing points given the fact that they weren't clean hits. After all, Chesnaught was using his body to block and not taking blows to his body or face, so it had to be ok. That didn't really matter to Max though, he was going to win this regardless of the rules with his tactics.

Pangoro for his part just kept up his onslaught for a good minute and change as he forced Chesnaught back and to the ropes though he was so focused on what was in front of him that he wasn't going after anything else. Rather than try to land a blow on the ribs or slip under Chesnaught's guard, Pangoro just pounded away at the arms that were shielding Chesnaught's face trying to break through the defense there.

Chesnaught took the blows steadily as he patiently waited for his moment. The bows hurt even through his armor, but it wasn't too bad, and he knew that he could easily withstand them as the rope began to bend back as he was forced that way. However, there were few fighting types who could keep up such an onslaught indefinitely and offense was always more draining then defense, so Pangoro was going to have to tire eventually.

That moment came just before the halfway point in the round. It was hard to tell when it came but Chesnaught felt the moment that the heavy blows slowed by a fraction while reducing in strength at the same time. That was the moment that he needed. It was time to counter.

As soon as the next punch landed on his arm guards, rather than do nothing Chesnaught pushed back against the powerful blow with his own power, aided by the elastic ropes of the ring springing back into place. Between his strength and Pangoro's exhaustion, Chesnaught had the edge and he roared as he pushed back and popped out of his defense swinging having just broken Pangoro's attack.

All Pangoro could do was grunt as he staggered back before a powerful fist slammed squarely into his chest, Chesnaught was a shorter Pokémon by half a meter, so it was the easiest spot, but as Pangoro further staggered back Chesnaught followed it up with a vicious uppercut that caught Pangoro under his chin and snapped his head back.

Most other Pokémon would have been laid out by an attack like that but not Pangoro, he was too big and sturdy to fall to that. However, that just meant that Chesnaught pressed his advantage by raining a series of powerful jabs to Pangoro's chest as he kept staggering backwards under the sudden counter attack.

It took a good 10 blows, including the first two, and over half the ring for Pangoro to get his bearings and return the favor. Rather than go defensively, Pangoro, like his species was known for, ignored the hits as he raised his clasped hands above his head, taking 3 more punches to the chest in the process but no longer staggering back, before he brought them down hard onto the back of Chesnaught's head.

The logical thing would be to back it up with a knee to the face, but Pangoros weren't known for that, they liked fists and that was it. No matter how much his human tried during training, along with his friends Hitmonlee and Scrafty, Pangoro was not going to change. He instead took a step back and punched Chesnaught in the face as he staggered forward. The force of the blows sent Chesnaught skidding back and was only prevented from hitting the ground by the ropes that he fell on.

Pangoro roared as he went berserk and charged forward to pound Chesnaught before he could recover. He managed that by getting there before Chesnaught could raise his arms to defend himself and raining 4 blows to his head and face as Chesnaught recovered.

However, Chesnaught was not out of it and knew that this was about hits as much as strength and that Pangoro wouldn't care about defense so as he got his footing and cocked back for a 5th punch to his face, Chesnaught launched out with a strike to the gut just before the headshot landed. Chesnaught landed a second body blow with his other fist before Pangoro could land a 6th and just before the bell rang to end the round. A testament to his training, Pangoro stopped and backed up panting and grinning as he headed back to his corner to sit and get some water and advice from his trainer.

Chesnaught did the same heading to his own corned and sitting while panting from the attacks he and Pangoro had exchanged at the end. He was strong and fully evolved and even then he'd taken a solid pounding. Still, he'd landed his own licks in return and knew he was doing well.

"Good start my friend." Max said squirting some water into Chesnaught's mouth. "You are really landing those blows out there which is just what we want. Keep it up. I don't really know Adam but according to May he's analytical like me so he may tell Pangoro somethings so be wary and smart in this round. Let it tire itself out even more."

Chesnaught nodded as he swallowed the water and thought on what Max had said. He was doing well in this fight, but the hits were heavy, he would have to defend for longer if he wanted to win it again.

"Also crouch down and use the ropes." Max said. "He may try to slip under your guard now that Adam has seen your tactic up close and had a chance to assess it, don't let that happen."

Chesnaught grunted in agreement at that as the bell rang to start the second round. He could do that with ease and would do so for his human as he rose and slipped to the side. This time he was not going to bother going out to meet Pangoro, he had a better plan for how to handle this round.

Instead, Chesnaught slid to midway between his corner and one of the unused ones and crouched down while leaning against the ropes. He then raised his arms and lowered his head into a defense position that was even stouter than he'd used in the first round. Again, he was just able to get into position before Pangoro was on top of him and the attack began.

As with before, Pangoro simply rained blows down upon him trying to break through his defense, using his height to his advantage. Again though, Pangoro couldn't get past Chesnaught's strong defense and with the ropes protecting him from being driven to the ground there was no way he could force him down. This frustrated Pangoro as he kept it up and pushed even harder than before to break through and beat his foe at all costs.

Alas it wasn't going to work and this time Chesnaught was even more patient with his foe. He waited 2 full minutes and well past when he could have countered before he acted this time. He'd felt his opponent slow a good 20 seconds prior but kept it up to increase the fatigue while increasing his own chances of landing several hits. Then, at the right moment, Chesnaught pushed forward.

This time the blow he pushed into glanced off his back shell and Chesnaught rose as Pangoro's arm went up and drove his right fist deep into Pangoro's gut. Pangoro grunted in pain from the blow and doubled over. That was when Chesnaught launched a powerful left hook into his foe's face with enough force to knock out the leaf that Pangoro had in his mouth.

That was the deciding moment in both the round and ultimately the battle as Pangoro instantly lost his mojo with the loss of the leaf he had chosen as his species was known to do. He almost went limp and did nothing more than back up as Chesnaught countered with another face blow from a right hook and then pressed his advantage. He landed a good 6 more blows on the backing up Pangoro before the bell rang to end the round though Pangoro was still standing despite the hits that he'd taken.

As soon as the bell rang, Chesnaught backed up to his corner to sit and grin at his success as Max provided him some much needed water. At the same time Max saw Adam pull out a leaf identical to the one that Chesnaught had dislodged and wave it at Pangoro. Instantly Pangoro hurried over to his trainer and took the new leaf in his mouth, his energy seeming to be restored the instant he had the leaf back in his mouth.

"Chesnaught, does that leaf have to be special for Pangoro?" Max asked his Pokémon as he looked at Adam giving Pangoro a pep talk and Chesnaught nodded a confirmation at that. "And when you knocked it out he seemed to loose heart, does that always happen?"

"Chesnaught." Chesnaught said with another nod though he doubted his human would understand the intricacies of how Pangoros were with their leaves and how once they had one they could only have one of the same type afterwards and if they lost it they became depressed and didn't do anything until they got a new one, usually from a helpful Pancham that the Pangoro protected. "Chesnaught."

"Ok well that was a lucky break for us there, but it won't happen again, Pangoro will be too guarded I think to allow it." Max said as he quickly thought on what to do. "Alright we are changing it up this time Chesnaught."

"Chesnaught?" Chesnaught asked confused.

"It's simple really." Max explained. "Pangoro is going to be really pissed after the last time and is going to come hard looking for revenge. Rather than block like you've done so far at the start of each round, show off your good evasion as well by avoiding all its charges. Don't let it catch up and play tag with it now. Only strike if you can get a clean hit and then back up. Understood. We should have the hits so this will secure the win for us."

Chesnaught nodded as the bell rang for the final round and got to his feet ready for the battle. It was the final round, he just needed to survive this, and he would win for Max and advance to the next stage of the tournament.

That was why this time he was on the balls of his feet as he bounced out and to the side to meet a really pissed Pangoro. His opponent was mad that he'd lost his leaf the last round and the defensive stuff had really pissed him off because that wasn't how a fighting type should act. At least that weird crab thing the day before had understood and they'd gone at it as two fighters should, that being pounding the ever-loving shit out of each other until the end of the fight.

Now with Chesnaught bouncing like a fighter he was feeling taunted and saw red. With a roar, Pangoro charged more determined than ever to end this Pokémon and win the fight at all costs.

He was fast but Chesnaught knew that and with a last second leap he avoided the powerful punch by ducking and rolling to the side before getting up and spinning as Pangoro's momentum carried him into the ropes. He bounced into them and then off, staggering slightly but righting himself as he got ready for another charge that Chesnaught easily avoided as well.

This kept up for a good two and a half minutes as Chesnaught retreated and dodged the blows with his smaller stature and Pangoro getting more and more pissed at the missed hits. To make things worse for the Daunting Pokémon, Chesnaught even landed a punch to his back when he got tangled in the ropes a minute into the round and avoided an arm sweep with a laugh before keeping everything up.

Had it not been for the announcer and the crowd this would have kept up to the end but that all changed at the worst time with just over half a minute left in the bout. Pangoro had just ended up in the ropes again and Chesnaught was going in for another hit when it happened.

"…9, 10." The crowd chanted followed by something from the judge as Chesnaught landed the blow to Pangoro's back.

"Oh, and that is the count right before with only half a minute left in the bout as well, so close but so far at the same time." The announcer said excitedly. "Scrafty is down and out which means that Passimian has won the bout and advances to the elite eight."

This had happened as soon as the punch landed and distracted Chesnaught enough as his friend had just advanced. That distraction cost him as a now royally pissed off Pangoro roared, spun and landed a forearm to Chesnaught's ribs that sent him flying to the side and into the ropes where his shell spines caused problems. Pangoro's teammate had just lost, he wasn't going to do so as well, especially not against this excuse for a fighting type in his mind.

He'd finished his spin before Chesnaught hit the ropes and charged at his foe with a bellow, punching him hard in the face before he could react. Pangoro followed it up with a flurry of fast fists that landed 9 more blows to Chesnaught's exposed head and chest that left him dazed and sagging in the ropes stunned by both the hits and the number of them as Pangoro gave into his rage and desire to win to land them. The only thing that truly saved Chesnaught was the bell as there hadn't been enough time left for Pangoro to finish him off and the bout ended.

"That is, it." One of the refs said as Pangoro backed up panting and grunting, pissed that his opponent was still standing. "Can Chesnaught stand?"

Chesnaught showed that with a groan as he lifted himself off the ropes and stood tall and proud to show that he hadn't been bested by that final onslaught. He had gone the distance against Pangoro and now it would come down to how the humans evaluated them to see who had won it.

"And for the first time all sweet sixteen we've had a match go the distance as Pangoro and Chesnaught will come down to points." The announcer said as the refs conferred for a moment before coming to a conclusion on the averages of their scores for the match. "And we seem to have a ruling so who will advance to face Passimian in the third quarterfinal tomorrow."

"Pokémon to me." One of the refs said stepping into the center of the ring. "And before I make my announcement there is a ruling to determine from that match. Due to Chesnaught's armor and known fighting style, the blows to it in defensive mode are not considered clean hits and as such don't count to the points total. Is that clear?"

Max and Chesnaught nodded while Adam seemed to mumble something to himself at it and Pangoro just grunted. He didn't like that but seeing as the blows on that armor didn't take down his opponent he didn't really have a leg to stand on regarding this.

"Good then we have a final score to announce." The ref said. "After the averages were taken, the final score is 25 to 18 in favor of Chesnaught. That means that it advances to the elite eight tomorrow."

The crowd cheered at this as Max and Adam recalled their Pokémon, both were too beat up to really keep out and needed attention from Nurse Joy as soon as the competition ended for the day. Plus, Adam still had one more match to participate in in the final slate, so it made sense to recall them right now.

"You did great Chesnaught." Max said to the Poke Ball in his hand as Adam did the same with Pangoro's. "We won that one with tactics and we face Owen and Passimian next, that will be interesting for sure as it is a very different kind of fighting type."

"Yeah it will be." A voice said from behind him, and Max turned to see Owen standing there a respectful distance away though he'd already recalled Passimian it seemed. "A tough one for me for sure but we won't back down so don't go easy on us."

"Not a chance." Max said with a grin as he hopped off the platform for trainers and walked over to his friend while Adam stayed for his final match and consoled Emily behind him after she'd lost her own match as Adam's representative. "How did your match go?"

"Pretty even really, couldn't even say who had the points edge in that one." Owen said as they headed to the stands to support Ash in his final bout of the day. "Passimian is taller and roughly stronger than Scrafty, but he is too used to fighting with berries, so his close combat needs some work. He was able to use his superior mobility to out maneuver Scrafty and use hit and run tactics, but Scrafty was more mobile than I expected and landed some good kicks on Passimian."

"Sounds about right." Max said thinking on Owen's Passimian and how it would work best. "But Scrafties are more than they seem from what I've heard about them though Adam's is the first I've ever seen."

"That they are, they kick and use their heads unlike their pre-evolved forms who are much more headbutt focused." Owen said as they made their way to their seats to rejoin their friends. "Which Passimian wasn't used to. He got caught a few times with both kinds of attacks, but we were even for most of it. He only won because the shell helmet he uses is not a weapon so allowed. He used it to counter a headbutt that stunned Scrafty and used the action to punch it out cold. Could have gone either way really had it come to points."

"I don't doubt it." Max said. "It was the same for me. Had Pangoro not lost its leaf in the second I don't know if we would have won in the end, and I would have had to rely on my defensive style for the third round as well."

"Good tactic though." Owen said approvingly. "When dealing with a Pangoro the leaf should be the primary target."

"It is?" Max asked confused. "I figured afterwards that the leaf is important but not why other than that it can be used to predict an attack apparently."

"That it can but it isn't the only importance of the leaves, the other is that Pangoros are really particular with their leaves." Owen explained to him. "Once they chose one after they evolve they will only accept that kind for life and get mopey and depressed if they ever lose it. No doubt a trainer like Adam who specializes in the type would know that and was prepared for such an eventuality to happen at least 3 times in a bout."

"He was, he had a backup leaf ready the moment the round ended which snapped Pangoro right back into action." Max said before his brow furrowed at what Owen was saying. "You know a lot about Pangoros Owen."

"In Galar they like to seek out Obstagoons to fight and as I had a Linoone I learned that for when he evolved, especially now that we are in Kalos where Pangoros are considered native so I can see if they behave the same here as back home despite Obstagoon not being found in Kalos." Owen said with a shrug. "It will teach me a lot about Pokémon innate behavior and how Pokémon that aren't regional variants might still vary depending on the region they are from. Hopefully that Adam kid spars with me and Obstagoon with Pangoro if there is time after the tournament ends or at least the next time we run unto him. He seems like a decent guy who likes a good scrap, might do well in Galar."

"I'm sure he would agree." Max said as they took their seats. "But first let's see who advances in this final slate."

Owen just nodded from next to Max as they settled in and got ready for the last two matches of the day. After this they'd know who the final two quarterfinalists were.


"Alright folks this is the final slate of the day." The announcer said as the four Pokémon and their trainers took their positions in their respective rings. "Who will be the final two to reach the elite eight out from the ones left, it's time to see. One thing is for sure though, with the Hawlucha verses Machoke matchup, one trainer will be guaranteed to get two Pokémon to the elite eight as both Ash and Korrina have a Pokémon through already and those two will start the day off tomorrow against each other as well as end today against each other."

"You got this Hawlucha." Ash said supportively to his Pokémon as he looked out at the Machoke that beat him in their battle a while back in a normal battle. "No moves so it can't use that Thunder Punch against you. This is pure skill so you can do it. Use your advantages in this match."

"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said with a nod as Korrina gave Machoke some reassurance as well.

"Good, go out there and have fun." Ash said as the bell rang and Hawlucha hopped up and began to run at Machoke who'd risen slower. "You will win this my friend."

Hawlucha knew that he would, and he charged at Machoke taking the match to him from the very start. Hawlucha was smaller, Machoke had over half a meter in height and good amount of pounds on him, but in the end he would still win this bout. He knew it and he intended to show it.

Machoke was slightly startled by the aggressive start but matched it lumbering out at Hawlucha to meet him in battle. However, Hawlucha was expecting this and as Machoke cocked his fist back to punch him, Hawlucha dove forward, using his smaller stature to his advantage as he dove under the punch and through Machoke's legs, rolling over onto his back as he did.

Then, before Machoke could react, Hawlucha launched a kick into the back of his right knee staggering him and allowing Hawlucha to get up. As Machoke was recovering, Hawlucha used his leg muscles to leap into the air and kicked Machoke in the side of the head with a side kick that staggered him even more.

Machoke roared in frustration and anger as he spun to face him, but Hawlucha had already leapt up off the Pokémon's shoulder and kicked it in the head again using his aerial mobility to his advantage. Not done, Hawlucha landed as Machoke completed its spin and launched a flurry of jabs into its abs, landing a good 5 that didn't do much but counted as clean hits before Machoke recovered.

The Superpower Pokémon was now pissed and roared as he tensed his core right before the 6th hit. This cause Hawlucha pain as he wasn't much of a puncher and hitting solid muscle was too much for him. Machoke used this to his advantage by backhanding Hawlucha across the face as hard as he could to regain control of the bout.

The force of the blow staggered Hawlucha and he backed up seeing stars from it. Machoke pressed his advantage by following it up with a pair of punches to the face and a gut punch to double Hawlucha over before he could react to what was going on. Machoke then picked Hawlucha up, his big hands over Hawlucha's wings to prevent him from using them and raised the Wrestling Pokémon high above his head.

Once he was there, Machoke threw Hawlucha down as hard as he could and onto his back. The flying and fighting type hit the spongy ground hard and bounced up the breath driven from his lungs. As he bounced up, Machoke punched down and into his chest driving Hawlucha down and into the floor of the ring before retreating as Hawlucha lay there and the count began.

"1, 2, 3…" The ref and crowd began but Hawlucha had rolled back and onto his feet before the count reached 8, he was dazed but still in it and shook his head to clear it as he was still hearing a count for some reason, and he was sure the blows to his head hadn't been that hard. "…9, 10."

"Oh, and that has been the quickest match of the day as Adam's Poliwrath avenges his Makuhita's loss in the first round yesterday by showing off its near endless stamina to break past Hariyama's solid defenses and knock it out with a minute remaining in the first." The announcer said. "And with that Adam's final Pokémon of the day has advanced after his other 4 were beaten with 2 knockouts, a disqualification, and a loss on points. All eyes are now on the final match of the day as we turn to Hawlucha and Machoke."

Hawlucha now understood what was going on and just in time to avoid an attack from Machoke by leaping out of the way and running to the ropes where he had the advantage. He had a plan and while he'd had his bell rung before he was not done yet and leapt up on to the top of the ropes before turning to face Machoke. Machoke was just turning as Hawlucha leapt and glided at him.

Bringing his wings in and corkscrewing, Hawlucha sped up his glide such that he was able to land a clean headbutt to Machoke's gut as he finished his corkscrew and before Machoke knew what was going on. Machoke doubled over as the breath was driven from his lungs from the surprise impact he hadn't been able to brace for. This gave Hawlucha a chance and he didn't waste it as he leapt up and landed a roundhouse kick to Machoke's face just before the bell rang to end the round.

"Ok that was good Hawlucha." Ash said as Hawlucha sat down, and Ash gave him some water as he panted there. "You really gave it to Machoke and had him on the back foot early before he turned the tables on us with those hits and that throw. That's ok though, we know that it can do that going forward and can avoid it. You landed some great hits and more than Machoke did on you."

"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said with a nod. "Haw, Hawlucha."

"We are likely going to have to win this on points." Ash continued. "Machoke is too muscular for you to knock out without using moves, only Conkeldurr would really be able to do it I'd say on the team which means that if Lucario faces Misty's Machamp we're going to need a really good strategy for that. Instead, I want you to focus on using your mobility and flying type more in the second round. Dodge and counter, that's how we win."

"Hawlucha." Hawlucha agreed as he listen to his human's advice and watched Machoke do the same with his. "Hawlucha."

"Good, we got this." Ash said as the bell rang to start the second round. "Go and keep winning Hawlucha."

Hawlucha nodded one last time as he got up and again ran at Machoke to start the round. This time though Machoke didn't come out far and rather stood read for it. That was why Hawlucha went for a feint as he showed that he was going to go low. Machoke bit and bent down so Hawlucha leapt up the moment that happened.

Instantly Machoke saw his mistake and raised his arms to block the incoming kick. It would have been a good plan had Hawlucha planned a kick. Instead, he took the middle path and kneed Machoke in the chin snapping his head back rather than kicking it in the side of its head. The kick instead came as Hawlucha was falling to the ground and he launched a side kick to catch Machoke in the side with a clean blow as he staggered back before landing on his feet.

Hawlucha followed this up with another jab flurry but unlike last time when he got cocky and didn't stop in time, he stopped at 4 and leapt back just in time to avoid a slap as Machoke recovered. He had this and he knew it as he backed up. Machoke just shook his head, grunted and charged once more.

This time Hawlucha held his ground until the last minute and leapt up and back as Machoke went in low for a grapple. Hawlucha hadn't flipped though so he was able to raise he right foot and deliver a powerful heel kick to the back of Machoke's head that between the force and the angle drove Machoke headfirst into the floor of the ring.

Hawlucha retreated to the ropes as the count began but it barely reached 3 when Machoke pushed himself up and shook his head to clear it. He was again pissed and growled. However, a testament to his training he didn't rush in with a hot head. Rather he held his ground and waited this time. It would be up to Hawlucha to make the move.

If Machoke was going to give him the opening then who was he to say no to it. With a single leap, Hawlucha leapt up and onto the top of the ropes, extended his wings as he always did before he leapt high into the air. This was his favorite move, and he would land it again as he tucked in his wings and corkscrewed at Machoke.

Machoke just grinned as he stepped back a few paces and waited for the spin to end. It did and he wasn't where Hawlucha was expecting. Hawlucha didn't have the time to process that though as Machoke's fist slammed into the back of his head and drove him into the ring floor as hard as the pure fighting type could. The bouncy material bounced the lighter Hawlucha up and Machoke took advantage of that by kicking him under the jaw in a move that Hawlucha hadn't expected as Machokes didn't often kick.

The force of the blow sent Hawlucha spinning back in the air a few times before he landed hard on his back with enough force to wind him. The moment that happened the count began, and he could see stars above him. However, he had enough sense to know he had to get up and with a groan he rolled to the side and stood just as the count reached 8, shaking his head to get rid of the stars he was seeing.

It was clear that he couldn't take another hit like that and this time Machoke went on the offensive coming at him swinging as it too knew that Hawlucha was nearing the end of his rope. All Hawlucha could to was leap to the side and duck to run between Machoke's legs and to the other side of the ring to get clear. He took no blows and knew it wasn't the best plan, but he couldn't keep fighting without a break. Mercifully that came as Machoke turned around for another charge and the bell rang to end the second round.

"Take a breather Hawlucha, you need it." Ash said encouragingly as Hawlucha sat on his stool panting and accepted some water from his trainer as he did just that and tried to catch his breath. "You've got this on points, I am sure of that, but when it comes to raw power that Machoke has you beat."

"Hawlucha." Hawlucha admitted with a sigh. "Hawlucha."

"Don't worry we will still win this one." Ash said with a grin. "You have more points, the only way we lose is a knockout or taking a lot of hits and we won't let either of those happen. It's time for defense. This is how most third rounds go from what little I've seen. The leader is defensive and the one catching up will come out hard, remember how Chesnaught fought Pangoro last round."

"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said with a nod, he recalled that strange third round well, it was an unorthodox tactic that Chesnaught employed but it worked. "Hawlucha."

"Good, I want you to do that this time." Ash said. "Machoke will be smarter than Pangoro as it isn't an all-out attacker, but you will be nimbler than Chesnaught because of your size and flying type. Avoid fighting and show that a fighter has to be able to dodge as well as brawl in order to win."

"Hawlucha." Hawlucha agreed as the bell rang and he got up, it was time to win this for Ash and advance to join Lucario in the next round of the tournament.

The break had been needed and Hawlucha was clear headed now and moved out and to the side. So did Machoke who'd received his own advice and encouragement from Korrina. He knew what he had to do to win. He just needed to land a few good hits and Hawlucha wouldn't be able to get up from them. He had this; he knew it. He just needed to be smart as he began to close with Hawlucha.

What happened next was just as Ash and Hawlucha had planned, 3 minutes of tense dodging as Hawlucha used his exceptional mobility and flying type to avoid as much as he could while Machoke looked for openings and tried to corner Hawlucha against the ropes but his slower speed and Hawlucha's upwards mobility thanks to his typing and wings gave the Kalos Pokémon the edge.

It wasn't as cut and dry as Ash had hoped though. Machoke landed a few glancing blows here and there, mainly wild slaps that caught Hawlucha as he dodged out of the way, while Hawlucha did use a few kicks to keep Machoke at bay as much as he could and get some distance from it at the same time. It was tense and nerve wracking, and the crowd was on the edge of their seats as they watched the climax of the final bout of the day.

Overall, though, it was underwhelming as Hawlucha had just enough stamina to outlast Machoke for the full 3 minutes of the final round. The blows he'd taken were just shy of being too much and he was about to be cornered right at the end, but the bell rang just as Machoke grabbed him to signal the end. As soon as it did Machoke let go of Hawlucha and helped his opponent to the center for the final score, both Pokémon greatly respecting each other now after they'd gone the distance in their bout.

"And that is it folks, the last bout has gone the distance and as we are accustomed to in such bouts the final round was all about preservation and desperation for the leading and trailing Pokémon respectively." The announcer said as the refs talked and sorted out their scores. "And it looks like we will now know our final quarterfinalists."

"Pokémon to me." One of the refs said as he made his way to the center of the ring. "That was a good and smart fight, especially at the end, but one Pokémon had to win. On points, the final score is 20.5 to 14 in favor of Hawlucha. That means that Hawlucha advances to face Poliwrath in the quarterfinals."

"Alright you did it Hawlucha." Ash said pumping his fist as Hawlucha smiled at him before Ash recalled him as his Pokémon needed a break after that and a healing session with Nurse Joy right away, his status as a quarterfinalist giving him priority in the Pokémon Center. "Take a good rest, you earned it. Tomorrow we fight first and last and both of you will advance again, I know it."

"That was good Ash, clever at the end." Korrina said having recalled and thanked Machoke as he did the same with Hawlucha. "It's how I won a few bouts last year, but it will only work once. We start tomorrow against each other, and I will have my revenge with Mienshao. It's her year and I know Lucarios better than any other fighting type."

"I look forward to the battle." Ash said with a grin. "As will Lucario."

"Folks with Hawlucha's win over Machoke, a quarterfinalist from last year by the way, that concludes the second day of the 23rd annual Kalos Fighting Type Tournament." The announcer said as the bracket on the screen shrunk to show the remaining eight Pokémon, 4 on each side before the screen shifted to show the profile pictures of said 8 Pokémon left in the tournament. "Get ready for the elite eight tomorrow."

Ash looked up to the board and grinned as he was the only one with two left. On it there was Lucario, Mienshao, Blaziken, Machamp, Chesnaught, Passimian, Hawlucha, and Poliwrath. The fighting tournament continued tomorrow, and Ash couldn't wait. Up next, the elite eight as they continued on their way to crowning the best fighting type in Kalos.