Part CLX: Defeating Friends and Rivals

"Folks, welcome back to the third day of the Wallace Cup and our second of 3 days of pulse pounding battles for y'all to enjoy!" Jillian said loudly into her mic and the crowd roared as Ash and Jessilina walked out of their respective ends and to the coordinator zones for the first battle of the day. "That means that it is time for the first of the 4 quarterfinal matches that we will be bringing you today."

Ash was prepared for this battle as he reached the starting spot and pulled out his Poke Ball eager for it to get underway. He remembered Jessilina from his time in Sinnoh, she was a streaky and unpredictable coordinator back then who had some stellar wins and baffling losses before finding her groove in time to make it to the semifinals of the Grand Festival where she lost to Misty.

Since then, he had no idea what she'd been up to in the intervening 2 years before she reappeared on the Kalos circuit but whatever she'd been doing she'd caught a lot more Pokémon, including some from Unova that showed that she'd spent some time there, and honed her art to emerge as one of the Big 3. That of course didn't matter to Ash, his friends who were either watching in the stands, in the waiting room, or Misty at the judges panel were counting on him to win and advance to the semifinals tomorrow.

As such Ash had spent the night with Brock, Misty was going to be segregated from them until the end of the Cup, preparing for this match. He'd already decided on who he was going to use and based on Jessilina's usual choices and their types he was certain he'd chosen well. It was also going to be good practice for his Pokémon but that was the ultimate goal of the Wallace Cup, practice.

What Ash wasn't aware of what that Jessilina knew him really well and she was keeping her emotions and anger in check. Of all the people to face in the Wallace Cup Jessie just had to deal with the twerp king himself in that stupid medieval outfit he'd worn at that Kanto palace when they'd had that adventure at the Tree of Beginning to boot.

Well, now was her chance to finally get her long overdue revenge on him for all the unfair indignations that she'd suffered at his hands and win with one of her best Pokémon. She'd bested the other male Kanto twerp, the Kanto twerpette was also present and watching, so now was her chance for sweet vengeance.

"As with yesterday we have an epic first battle for y'all to really set the tone for today's battles." Jillian said as Ash and Jessie settled in their positions, Poke Balls out and ready to start and she raised her arm to Jessie's side. "And who better to start with than one of the two remaining Big 3 on the circuit this year who are still in the Wallace Cup. She's going for that 5th ribbon with the Wallace Cup to qualify for the Grand Festival and is hoping to avoid the fate of her fellow Big 3 member, from the Sinnoh region, it's the Maiden of Sinnoh, Jessilina!"

Jessie just smiled sweetly and gave the crowd a simply wave as they roared for her. Her homely persona, humble nature, and willingness to embrace the fans and the circuit media outside of Contests had made her a darling to the masses just as she always wanted to be.

In her mind she was the fan favorite and all because of this personality though Serena was a close second given her home region appeal, even Jessie could acknowledge that. Still, this was a serious match and Jessie wasn't going to leave anything to chance or off put her so no talking, just battling to remind everyone why she was going to win it all.

"Facing her and looking to keep living up to his nickname is a trainer who's become the bane of strong coordinators on the rare occasions he enters a Contest." Jillian said sweeping her arm to Ash's side. "He's already knocked out one of the Big 3 in Emily by Battle Off yesterday, only the second time one of those girls has lost to someone not in their ranks this year, and now he's trying to become the first to best two of them and in a single Contest no less. He's a man of many talents and a reputation earned through years of battles and surprises. Give it up for the Upset of Kanto, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash had to admit, Jillian knew how to really rev up a crowd as they almost screamed in excitement at his upcoming match. He felt he'd done nothing to really earn that intro, sure he'd bested a few notable coordinators in his time but that was because of his tactics as a standard battler, good choices, a surprise or two, and a few breaks his way. He had lost to coordinators before as well, so he was just an average trainer going for a win and nothing special.

Still, he was glad that the crowd was into it, it meant that they wanted to see a good battle and Ash would certainly give them that. He was ready, clearly Jessilina was ready as she just gave him a small bob of her head from across the ice battlefield and set herself. There was no need for banter, they weren't friends, rivals, or whatever was going on with people like Amelia and Brianna. They were just a pair of trainers ready to do battle and give it their all as they tried to advance to the semifinals of the Wallace Cup.

"No need for anymore words, it seems that our combatants are ready and so are we." Jillian said excitedly as the timer appeared on the screen. "Which means that it's finally time to start the quarterfinals. Battle begin!"

"Gourgeist, come on out and dazzle." Jessie said tossing out her Pokémon as the timer began. "And start us off with Seed Bomb."

"Goodra, I choose you." Ash said grinning at Jessilina's choice, it was one of the ones he was hoping for, and opening attack as a plan quickly came to his mind based on what Goodra knew and Gourgeist's types. "Intercept it with Dragon Pulse but don't lose sight of Gourgeist."

Gourgeist opened her mouth as she floated upwards to get high above the battlefield and unleased a volley of seed from it to kick off the battle. Goodra trusted Ash and he followed her with his eyes as he too opened his mouth and unleashed his Dragon Pulse up at the seeds.

The moment the shockwave of dragon type power slammed into the seeds they triggered and exploded in the air creating a lot of smoke and obscuring the Pokémon from each other. This was exactly what Ash was going for however as he capitalized on it the moment Goodra was able to get off another attack.

"Ice Beam." Ash ordered. "I know that you can hit it."

"Goodra." Goodra said his eyes still locked on where he was sure that the Gourgeist was and opened his mouth.

The ball of light blue light formed in his mouth and then before anyone else could react he blasted out the streak of ice. The attack cut through the smoke and hit a surprised Gourgeist in the base of her pumpkin thing. She let out a wail of pain as the super effective attack hit her and she fell to the ground but that wasn't the worst thing of the whole hit.

No, that was reserved for the fact that the ice didn't vanish after it had hit her. Instead, it grew and encased her body before she hit the ice below with a clatter, lying on her side a look of shock frozen on her face as the potential freezing effect of Ice Beam was triggered.

"Gourgeist!" Jessie said shock and worry in her voice as she forced down her rage at the cheek of the twerp to successfully pull this audacity off.

"That's it now hit it with Dragon Pulse again." Ash said with a grin. "We've got this Goodra."

"Goodra." Goodra agreed as he opened his mouth and built up the attack.

There wasn't much that Jessie could really do but watch in impotent rage as the shockwave of dragon type power blasted out of Goodra's mouth and tore across the ice to hit her poor, frozen, defenseless Gourgeist. At least it had one saving grace as the move struck Gourgeist with a boom and launched her back because the force of the attack shattered the ice and inadvertently ended the frozen status.

Gourgeist was well trained, and she quickly righted herself as she flew around her human and up into the air above her. She'd been frozen but now she was free, and she fully intended to pay that damned dragon slug thing back for it while also never getting frozen.

"That's it Gourgeist, now hit it with Shadow Ball." Jessie said.

"Sludge Bomb." Ash said. "I know you can land it, power through a hit if you have to."

Goodra understood what Ash was saying as he drew all the toxins into his body for the attack and the ball of ghost type power formed in Gourgeist's mouth. He was no longer the weak Goomy who'd failed to save his friends in the wetlands when that evil fairy had attacked their peaceful home. No, now he was a strong and powerful Goodra able to defend them when he returned, and he'd show that now as he tipped back his head and unleashed a series of sludge balls in an arc at Gourgeist just as she let off her Shadow Ball.

The way both had aimed their attacks ensured that the balls of sludge arced over the single shadow ball that was sent at a direct line right at Goodra. As such, they didn't collide and Gourgeist wailed as the poison type attack rained down on her head and drove her to the ice, her ghost type ensuring that she wasn't weak to the move, but it still hurt, and she was nearing her limit as she hit the cold surface of the battlefield.

At the same time however, the Shadow Ball reached Goodra and struck him in the upper chest with a boom causing him to slide back and to the side as the last sludge ball was forming. Between the hit and the ice under his feet Goodra had to abort the final ball but as it was already partially formed in his mouth he just spat it out and away from him as hard as he could to get rid of it, the direction was towards the stands not that the crowd could see as they were really getting into the battle now. Well, all but one in the crowd couldn't see it.

The moment Piplup had heard his human's mate give that order to that Pokémon he knew that he was in for it, and he leapt down and off Dawn's lap where he was watching the battles, down onto the ground and then got behind her legs and cowered under the seat with his flippers over his head as he prayed to Arceus that he wouldn't be hit by it. This time, this time that reckless human's dragon type wouldn't hit him with its one move it could never fully manage to perfect for some reason.

Of course, fate was not on Piplup's side, and the aborted ball of sludge shot out and into the stands. It flew right towards their section, passed over Bonnie's head as she was the one sitting in front of Dawn and thus too small to be in the way of it and down towards Piplup as it finally lost momentum.

Then, just before it would have hit Dawn's legs, she parted them, and the ball slammed into the side of Piplup's head where he was cowering. The force of the poison type attack stunned him before leaving him spluttering, cursing, and swearing bloody revenge as he staggered out to raise a flipper in curse at what had happened to him. Thankfully, Brock saw him and quickly scooped him up to make sure he was ok. At least that human was good to poor, innocent Piplup.

Naturally, Ash saw none of this as he pressed his advantage. The Sludge Bomb had briefly grounded Gourgeist who was spluttering as she tried to clear her eyes from it and rise off the ice. Ash wasn't about to let that happen.

"Ice Beam." Ash said. "We got this Goodra."

"Goodra." Goodra said as the Ice Beam formed in his mouth.

"Dodge and use Leech Seed." Jessie said. "It's not as good as we'd like but we need to get some juice back my darling before we show this dragon what we're made of."

Gourgeist wanted to, she really did, but she was still struggling with the sludge coating her body and the slickness of the ice so alas she didn't have time to rise into the air before the blast of ice shot out of Goodra's mouth, across the battlefield, and slammed into her face. She knew she was done as she let out a wail of pain and sadness for failing Jessie before she passed out as she hit the ice and slid on her back to her trainer's feet, spinning on the ice as she did before she came to a stop there with swirls for eyes.

At that, the 4 Xs of the judges went off to signal that the battle was over just as the timer ticked down past the two minutes remaining point. The crowd let out a cheer at that as Ash looked a little surprised by yet another upset win that was by Battle Off as this one wasn't as in favor as his matchup with Emily the day before had been.

"And there you have it, Ash shows why he earned his nickname with another stunning upset in the Wallace Cup, this time taking down Jessilina of the Big 3 and advancing to the semifinals where he may have a shot at besting all 3 favorites in one competition before the final!" Jillian said to the cheering crowds. "What a way to start the quarterfinals and continue the surprising twists and turns that this Wallace Cup has become known for."

"Gourgeist return." Jessie said her jaw clenched as she fought to maintain her Jessilina person in the wake of such a humiliating defeat. "That damned twerp, he's always in our way but we'll get him one day, I know it. We'll avenge you Gourgeist, I swear it."

"Goodra return." Ash said with a smile and looking at the Poke Ball in his hand. "You were amazing out there just as I knew you would be. We won and are advancing to the semifinals again. We're going to go for the Misty Ribbon, I know it."

With that Ash put the Poke Ball away and looked up to Jessilina who had a sad smile on her face but offered him small curtsey and bow of her head in recognition of his win, a sign of humility that Jessilina had come to be known for before she turned and left the stage. Ash nodded back and did the same. He'd advanced and tomorrow he'd either face Max or Brianna, he couldn't wait for that and his chance to improve on his showing from the last Wallace Cup.

It had taken all of Jessie's control to smile and curtsey at the twerp in her gracious defeat following his mockery of a Contest battle where he'd just treated it like a normal battle and steamrolled her poor Gourgeist to victory before she turned and left the battlefield as humbly as she could manage. She was furious but she controlled it for her image as she passed the last of the Big 3 left, that little monster Brianna, who wasn't looking at her but glaring at Ash's back with hate burning in her eyes and left the battlefield.

With that loss the Wallace Cup was over for Jessie, and she was already changing out of her Jessilina persona and getting ready to storm off with James and Meowth. She'd come up with some sickly-sweet reason for it and spin it but for now she needed to grab her team and vent before they hurried away so that she could win her 5th ribbon in the next Contest they found while also making her way to Gloire City for the Master Class.

She may have lost the Wallace Cup, but the real goal was the Ribbon Cup and the Grand Festival and this time nothing would stop Jessie from lifting it as the Top Coordinator she deserved to be. It would be a fitting victory to go with her new title of Kalos Queen that she would soon hold when she won the Master Class and beat Aria. This was just a setback for her and if there was one thing Jessie did was always bounce back no matter how many setbacks she faced.


"Ash continues to live up to his billing with a second upset of a Big 3 in as many days and now might get the chance to do the unthinkable and beat all 3 in one competition." Jillian said as Max smiled at Ash in congratulations following his solid win by Battle Off over Jessilina and thus his advancement to the semifinals which Ash smiled back at him in his own encouragement to Max as Max walked out and past him to the cheering crowds, Brianna doing the same from the other side of the stage. "And the great battles will just keep rolling as the last of the Big 3, the only one remaining in the Cup, is up next to see if she can advance to face Ash in the semifinal."

Max calmly looked at Brianna who was now glaring at him with a stare so cold that sent a shiver down his spine that definitely wasn't coming from the ice battlefield before them. She was out for blood and while Max hadn't seen her since she'd become this way, well gotten a lot worse as she always had a bit of darkness in her when Max had first met her in Kanto several years ago, he'd heard all about it from May the night before when she told him the full story of why Brianna was the way she was.

It pissed Max off to high heaven that his sister had to deal with her and her warped, twisted reasons for hating May. For the sake of his family, he'd put Brianna in her place today and show her just how wrong she was in the process.

That and the chance to face Ash in the semifinals was on the line and he wasn't going to pass that up. This was the perfect battle for him in a lot of ways as he was defending his sister's honor from some jumped up little brat who'd let love turn to hate as it was poisoned by a manipulative asshole, and he'd get to advance to face his mentor and idle Ash in the semifinals of the very Cup his hometown had hosted the year before.

Sure, he would prefer to face Ash in the Lumiose Conference, and he intended to do so, but any chance to battle Ash was one he had to take. Plus, this would give him a good assessment of how he was currently stacked up against Ash for the Conference, providing he won of course.

Naturally, Brianna was just as eager for this battle as Max was but for other reasons. She was ready for another chance to exact her divine retribution on the evils of this world that dared stand up to her and defy and besmirch her darling, perfect, infallible Drew. She'd dealt with a small fry the day before, that boy, whatever his name was, was an insect but needed to be crushed because he'd helped humiliate her in Laverre but this battle, this was a dish that while not the main course was almost as good as it and would really prepare her for the main course.

Max, the little brother of the world's greatest evil May, was about to face her and be brought to the justice that he so richly deserved for even being part of that vile family of villains. She was going to enjoy this battle as she wiped the floor with Max and whatever he used to try to oppress her. Soon his hide would be on her mantlepiece and another of the evils would see that they couldn't stand up to her good and pure heart.

Of course, there was another bonus to all this, if she won she got to face one of the two worst villains alive in Ash Ketchum in the semifinals. He wasn't as bad as May, he'd even done a good thing in breaking her cold heart just as she'd broken Drew's warm one, but he was still a vile piece of human trash who needed to be brought to the justice she and Drew would meet out for them.

That and the monster had dared to scar her when he'd cheated and humiliated their ally in Kenny, an utterly unforgivable act that deserved a life sentence at the minimum but was excused because it was in a Pokémon battle. When she advanced and put him in his place Brianna would get a little bit back for the pain he'd caused her and for Drew because Ash had been the bastard who'd stolen May's wretched heart and thus broken poor Drew's innocent one.

True without that Drew would never have found his true love in Brianna, a love he couldn't act on because of the ignorance of the rest of the world, though Brianna understood that and would wait until they could act on it, but Drew returning to her life just good things happening because of evil people. It was a biproduct and those who were good and pure like Brianna would reap the rewards the universe had for them when her good balanced the evil of people like Ash and May.

One of those rewards was coming soon as Brianna reached the starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball and glared at the villain across the ice from her. It was time to remind him of his place beneath her and that all evil eventually answered to the forces of good.

"I know that villain of a sister you have has already told you vile, defamatory, lies about me so know this, I'm going to crush you and bring a sliver of justice to the world with my victory." Brianna snapped, the hate she had for evil people like May and by extension her brother Max dripping in her voice as she spoke. "You will know my divine wrath as I destroy you for all to see and sooth the wounds May inflicted upon my Drew's ravaged, innocent and pure soul."

"Wow, you are completely unhinged." Max said his eyes wide; he really had no way to respond otherwise to what he was hearing because it was even more delusional than what May had said Brianna had become and clearly the Kanto girl had been holding back the day before when she'd spoken to them after the last 16 battles ended. "I know what Drew did to May in Johto, how he betrayed her and while I can't beat him I can beat his puppet and defend May's honor that you have gravely insulted with your vile lies."

"I am no one's puppet!" Brianna screeched, incensed by the disgusting words and lies that had just spewed forth from Max's lips, he was clearly as bad as May in this regard and just as delusional as his sister. "I am Drew's equal, his chosen one who will show why he is the greatest coordinator out there. Someone like May has no honor, not after she was the one who betrayed Drew in Johto and then broke his heart by leaving him for some backwoods, inbred, hick from the Kanto boonies who didn't even like her back. He was just serving her the justice she deserved and ensuring that her villainy wasn't rewarded. Our ally Harley showed it when he beat her in that final."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Max asked shocked by what he was hearing and realizing that May was right, this girl was a lost cause. "You're delusional. I would say brainwashed, but I think you were always this bad and just needed the right push from someone who would affirm your beliefs which clearly Drew was more than willing to do. You need serious help."

"How dare you insult me with you heinous lies." Brianna yelled before glaring at Jillian. "Start this damned battle already, I have a bug to crush beneath my feet where he belongs and show the world that good will always triumph over evil in this world!"

"Um right, er, well after that, um spirited banter let's start with the remaining Big 3." Jillian said a little taken aback by Brianna and glancing at Mr. Contesta who just nodded, Brianna would be allowed to continue but if she kept this up she was going to get a formal warning about her behavior in the Wallace Cup. "She's the top favorite of the year and as we saw there are some sharp thorns to her. With 4 ribbons and only one loss so she's trying to be as close to perfect as possible this year with her attempt to qualify for the Grand Festival with the Misty Ribbon, give it up for the Flower of Kanto, from Chrysanthemum Town, Brianna!"

The crowd gave a polite clap for her but nothing more. Brianna's attitude and rather aggressive style, she rarely went the full 5 minutes in a battle and when she did it really pissed her off. That and the fact that almost all of her battles ended matches quickly by Battle Off had won her little support from the crowd. Her skills and talent were undeniable, she'd more than earned her spot as the top favorite, but her personality cost her fan support not that she cared what anyone but her darling Drew thought of her as only his opinion mattered to her.

"Facing her is a Contest debutant, the only one remaining in the Wallace Cup and a normal trainer aiming for the Lumiose Conference that he only needs one more badge to qualify for." Jillian said getting back her rhythm as she gestured to Max. "But a man from Contest pedigree as he is the brother of the Princess of Hoenn. From Petalburg City, it's Max."

"Don't cheer for someone related to that evil monster who's very existence sullies the great institution of Contests and belittles all the other amazing Top Coordinators out there." Brianna yelled at the crowd who gave Max a loud cheer and now all but certain to get a formal warning after the Cup ended meaning that another violation would lead to immediate disqualification from the Contest she was in with more violations triggering a potential suspension from Contests. "He's just as bad as her and soon you will all see when I beat him!"

"And on that note." Jillian said trying to move this along as quickly as possible. "Battle begin!"

"Simisear, let's go." Max said as the timer began, and he sent out his Poke Ball.

"Ha, I got this, and I'll show all just how amazing I am and why my purity will defeat your evil every day of the week." Brianna said as she tossed out her own Poke Ball at the same time and knowing that she'd won this battle already. "Trevenant, steal the show and start us off with Earthquake."

"A Trevenant can learn that move?" Max asked surprised as the Pokémon burst out of their Poke Balls, Trevenant already with his tree-like hands clasped above his head so that as soon as he landed he struck the ground hard imparting the powerful ground type attack into it. "Power through it Simisear, I know you can, and counter with Flame Burst."

"Of course it can, only an ignorant fool like yourself wouldn't know that or expect me to not have a counter for one of my Pokémon's weaknesses." Brianna said with a cackle as Simisear wailed in pain but focused on her target and unleashed a bursting flame at it. "Dodge that and use Earthquake again, we'll win this battle with just one move to show how much better we are."

"No, a counter for a weakness I understand, I use them all the time." Max said unphased as Trevenant dodged the fire that wasn't fully on target anyway but would have still been a glancing blow if he didn't move. "And I too have contingencies as you will now see, contingencies someone like you couldn't have anticipated."

Before Brianna could say anything to the villain talking back to her the fire hit the ice where Trevenant had been and burst on impact. Usually that would mean a miss, but Fire Burst was a move that came with splash damage, so it burst like a water balloon only of fire and splashed onto Trevenant who roared in pain from the super effective attack. Still, he rolled with it before slamming his arms into the ice again and shaking the whole battlefield hard enough to knock Simisear off her feet as she was hit for the second time by the powerful super effective attack.

"How dare you use such a cheap shot on me and defile my saintly Pokémon with your disgusting filth." Brianna yelled as the building shook from the Earthquake. "Trevenant, Earthquake again, keep it up until that Simisear is out for the count like it should be."

"I know you can survive Simisear." Max said to his Pokémon. "Focus and use Flamethrower."

Simisear was already badly hurt. Earthquake was a strong attack to begin with and this Trevenant was powerful, so it really knew how to use it. Then there was the fact that she was weak to ground type attacks and she wasn't sure how much more she could handle but she heard the love and trust in her human and powered through it as she focused on Trevenant.

The other human, she had a bad heart filled with darkness and her Pokémon reflected that making it a tainted Pokémon. Simisear would show them what a pure hearted human was like and why he was a great human for her and all the Pokémon in their team.

With a roar and still on the shaking ground, Simisear opened her mouth and a gout of flames shot out of it. Trevenant was just finishing his attack so he couldn't avoid it as the flames tore across the ice leaving a sheen of melted ice in their wake before they washed over him doing significant damage as well.

His moves were stronger at their core, but Simisear was the same type as her moves and as such that balanced each other out so both had suffered roughly the same amount of damage in the battle so far. It would basically come down to who would land the final move and the nature of them was on Trevenant's side in this quick draw.

"Maximum power." Brianna roared. "Bring the roof down if you have to but show that monkey who's boss as we end its evil and the evil of its trainer. Earthquake!"

"Flamethrower!" Max countered. "I know you can do it Simisear."

Simisear tried as she raised her head and opened her mouth but already Trevenant had his arms over his head and was bringing them down hard as the flames built in her mouth. His hands hit the ice before the flames could come out of her mouth and it was over.

The force of Trevenant's attack hitting the ice let off a massive boom and cratered the ice where he hit as the whole surface around him fractured from the impact and the battlefield shook violently. It wasn't just the battlefield; the whole stadium was shaking, and Max and Jillian were thrown from their feet while Sukizo fell from his chair. As for poor Simisear, she was slammed by the full force of the third super effective move and rendered instantly unconscious, her body flopping and slamming into the ice like a rag doll as the move ran its course.

All the while Brianna, despite being nearest, was still on her feet, her arms wide, elbows bent, and looking up to the ceiling howling with laughter as she brought justice to her enemies and showed everyone in Kalos that the forces of good would always triumph over those of evil. She'd won and she was already embracing it and getting ready to bring justice to one of the worst of the worst in Ash Ketchum first thing tomorrow, so she gave into her joy and laughed victoriously as the world shook around her and she proclaimed it for all to hear.

"Divine justice is mine!" Brianna cackled as the Earthquake continued to rock the stage. "One more villain has been served what he deserves by the hand of one of the few true heroes of the world! My righteous crusade to end the many evils of the world that people like May and her companions personify will not be stopped!"

As Brianna finished speaking, though she was still laughing, the move ended with a final quake, and Simisear flopping onto her back with her eyes swirls. Quickly 3 Xs went off, the fourth coming a second or so later as Sukizo hauled himself back to his seat while Max and Jillian slowly climbed to their feet shaken literally and mentally by what had just happened.

"Um, that was quick." Jillian said trying to recover after what had just happened and glancing up to the board to see just how fast the battle had been. "With more than 3 minutes remaining in the fastest battle of the year so far, Brianna has won by Battle Off and will advance to face Ash in the semifinals tomorrow morning."

"Ha see justice has been served." Brianna said with a grin as she recalled Trevenant and looked at the Poke Ball in her hand. "Well done my friend, we put those villains in their place and showed the world why good always prevails over evil. Take a rest, you need it after that battle."

"Simisear, return." Max said shaken by the violent end of the battle and just how far-gone Brianna now was. "You were amazing girl, held in there until the very end but those Earthquakes were too much. Whatever hate is driving Brianna, it's consumed her entirely. She's gone and I'm not sure she'll stop until she's forcibly stopped, which could take a while as she's not done anything illegal yet as far as I know. Still, if anyone can beat her it will be Ash and he'll show everyone that tomorrow."

Max closed his Poke Ball and looked up to see Brianna still on the other side smirking at him, her eyes dancing with malicious glee at his loss. As soon as he met them she gave him a shoeing gesture with her hand.

"Be gone villain, I've bested you and tell your sister that she'll soon see why Drew is the best coordinator in the world through me." Brianna said. "You're evil stench polluting my presence now."

"You will have your comeuppance one day Brianna." Max said evenly. "And it will be sooner than you think."

With that Max turned and left before Brianna could say anything to him. He had expected to lose at some point, he wasn't a coordinator so in the end one would best him in the Wallace Cup, but this loss still stung because of who it was and how she acted. May didn't deserve any of this and he'd stick up for his sister until the end as any good brother would. Tomorrow was going to be interesting though, Brianna wasn't ready for Ash and soon she'd learn not to mess with them when she faced the best of all of the people she mistakenly believed were villains.

Brianna just smirked at Max's back before she turned and strode off her head held high at another successful victory over the forces of pure evil. She had lunch plans with her darling Drew and after that she would watch closely and hope that Serena won her own battle. After all, with how the bracket was, after Brianna served Ash his long-awaited justice tomorrow she'd have Serena in the final that afternoon and that was the delicious dessert to cap off a wonderous Wallace Cup for her.

Yes, Brianna would win out, get that damned Misty Ribbon that should be renamed the Drew Ribbon after her love, and qualify for the Grand Festival which she'd then win and dedicate to Drew and all that he stood for. The Wallace Cup was the appetizer for the world to see how good and pure Brianna was and by extension Drew as she was living his noble teachings. The Grand Festival was the main course, and she was well on her way to showing all just how perfect and pure hearted she was.


"Well, that was an exciting morning for sure." Jillian said sounding a little rattled by the second battle as both combatants left the stage but quickly getting her feet back under her as her usual tone returned. "And a perfect time for lunch. We will resume in 2 hours with the second pair of quarterfinals as the Wallace Cup continues."

Instantly several of them in their group were up and out of their seats. Brock was heading out to serve lunch to Ash, Serena, Tierno and Shauna who were in the waiting room still before bringing back the lunches he'd made for them while May, Bonnie, and Owen quickly got up to go and see how Max was doing after that loss as he probably needed it and May didn't want to discuss Brianna's antics with anyone else at the moment as it was her brother who'd been the victim of them this time around.

Meanwhile Adam and Emily left to get their own lunch while Lyra and Khoury also left but that was because they wanted to have a romantic stroll in the area around the stadium and have a hot lunch together in the snow as they had the time for it. That just left Dawn, Lucy, Trevor, and Miette to discuss the exciting battles and preview the ones still to come.

"Where to start with the morning's battles?" Dawn asked the others as they grouped up in their section. "Those were some good ones for sure."

"A lot of power was on display." Lucy agreed. "And very offensive, just my style though oddly not as graceful as I was expecting from Contest battles especially with two of the Big 3 in them."

"There's a reason for that in both cases." Dawn said. "The first is Ash, he's a typical battler so he handles his battles as such."

"Though his tactics are out of the box." Trevor said. "That whole deliberately causing the smoke screen by intercepting Seed Bomb with Dragon Pulse to land the Ice Beam at the start was unexpected."

"It was and I think that Ash actually used some of Jessilina's own strategies against her." Miette said. "She did use the whole cover, hit and run tactic against Brock yesterday after all. This was similar though different as he seemed to deliberately cause the cover and trusted Goodra to land the hit rather than use obfuscation for the whole battle. It was impressive and rather, um, attractive, but I did fall for him after seeing him take charge of a battle against some incompetent thieves."

"That is Ash for you, he knows how to get us going even without realizing it." Dawn said with a grin as Miette blushed revealing her own reaction to it all. "And his battles show his full abilities, especially when it's against fools like Team Rocket because Ash takes such impressive charge during those battles. Of course, as clever as he is in battle he isn't with women."

"The opposite of Brock when it comes to feelings from what I've gathered." Lucy said. "Though Brock is also a bit blind to those who returned it just as Ash was. Thankfully, I won that one in the end."

"All true as hard as it is to believe." Dawn said pressing the conversation on before her heartache could return at the reminder of losing her love. "But yes that battle was very Ash. The cover into Ice Beam, a break his way with the freezing to allow another attack and then back-to-back moves to first caused damage with that Sludge Bomb and then end it with the Ice Beam again while Gourgeist was trying to right itself. It was all very Ash. He had a plan, likely from the first or second move, and controlled the battlefield to his advantage the entire time. That's how he won."

"And a trained coordinator like Jessilina, as good as she is, can't compete with him on a normal battle when Ash manipulates the battle to suit his style rather than hers." Miette said while Piplup just sulked, he'd taken a wild shot from the Sludge Bomb that had inexplicably hit him and required treatment from Brock, so he wasn't in a good mood though at least tomorrow he'd get to be with Misty for the last day of the Cup so he would be with her if anything happened. "Once Ash had the control she wasn't able to handle it."

"He did that last year in the quarterfinals against Zoey, took control right from the start and dictated the battle to cause a major upset." Dawn said. "There was a bit more to that battle though, but Ash used confusion caused by revealing a Porygon2 as his Pokémon, that Pokémon's unique physiology, and the terrain to his advantage. Turned the battle into a standard one on his terms, the types of Zoey's Pokémon and Porygon2's moves played into his plan as well, and despite being a Top Coordinator Zoey had not hopes."

"She's the one who had a crush on Misty, right?" Miette asked trying to recall a name she knew that she'd heard before. "And that was kinda a reverse situation for Ash."

"Yup, didn't exactly see that one coming though I got the feeling Zoey was into girls the moment we met and that was confirmed that night, along with a realization that she had feelings for Misty." Dawn said. "Still, the whole crush on Misty was a surprise for Misty when she learned of it, and Zoey's orientation in fact, but Misty is attractive for sure though too girly for my tastes and besides, my love for Ash is so pure I am actually unable to be with anyone else."

"Woah, back up, there are a few things there that you can't leave without context Dawn." Miette said her eyes wide. "Firstly, did I just hear you imply you like girls as well?"

"Yup, I swing both ways but I've always preferred men." Dawn admitted. "And Ash in particular. I'm not going to be in your face about my bisexuality but if it comes up in normal conversation I'll be open about it. That isn't an issue, is it?"

"No, just a little surprised that's all." Miette said defensively. "I'll admit, if I was to experiment with my sexuality I'd probably chose Serena."

"That I can actually see." Dawn said with a chuckle. "From what I've heard you two sometimes act a bit like how Ash and I used to act so there may be some underlying sexual tension there, or it could just be a heated rivalry."

"Anyway, the other thing was what you said about Ash." Miette said deciding to move on from what Dawn said as it wasn't something that occupied her mind, well not often at least, and get back to what was said earlier and the other thing she wanted to know from that. "That you won't be with anyone else. What do you mean by that?"

"I've dated a bit, men and women, since Ash and I parted ways, but it always felt like cheating on my love for him, so it never went far, and it took at least a year or so before I even tried to date." Dawn admitted. "And, well, when I lost him I lost it entirely. It was bad and Misty and mine's relationship was terrible to start with."

"But it's good now." Miette pointed out. "I saw your two at the reception for Wallace, you two seemed pretty close to me."

"Yeah I had to come to terms with a few things, accept responsibility and make amends for some past wrongs I'd committed towards Misty." Dawn said regret heavy in her voice. "I did at the last Wallace Cup and now we're good friends. A new friend, and old nightmare that I won't go into, helped me a lot and understood the mistakes I'd made. Thanks to her I was able to get the help I needed before it caused problems. Who knows, she may help you Miette though in a different way to how she helped me as all of us are different."

"Huh?" Miette asked. "I'm, um…"

"Another time, fate has a way of sorting things out and I'm sure that the Wallace Cup with Ash being Ash is not helping." Dawn said with a smile. "You'll know when it happens, trust me. If I know how things are she'll find you by accident so keep your mind open."

"Um ok, and yeah, I'm falling harder for Ash and have been for a few weeks now." Miette admitted. "And the party didn't help either. I got to dance with him and, well, yeah…"

"I know how that is." Dawn said kindly. "I danced with Ash on our first year together at a festival, even had my hair down for it for the first time around him and looked more feminine than usual for it. It was amazing and my heart raced to do so. I already knew I had a crush on him by then and that just helped solidify it. Enough nostalgia though back to the battles, the other one was a whole different level."

"I'll say." Lucy said getting back into the conversation now that battles and not love was on the agenda while Trevor continued to look through the photos he'd taken as he'd decided to inspect them when Dawn and Miette started chatting about their crush on Ash. "Those Earthquakes were powerful, and I could feel the rage behind them. A trainer's emotions can bleed over to a Pokémon and fuel them just as much as a Pokémon can find a human with a similar heart to it but that was something else."

"It can?" Miette asked. "I've never really felt that."

"It can but only with really strong emotions." Dawn said. "Usually it's more a feeling, a strength that the Pokémon can draw on and yours will do the same Miette but actually emotions like that, that is rare and requires intensity and similarity on the Pokémon's side as well. I'm not talking about the hearts as one thing for Mega Evolution, which is also different, but we saw with Brianna that her rage and hate is on a level not even I've achieved. Even at my worst my Pokémon wouldn't channel it and I have a Gyarados, that's the Pokémon personification of unbridled rage."

"Yeah I know that Pokémon well though I don't use mine that often." Lucy said. "I prefer my Milotic, but a Gyarados has its place."

"I love mine and now that I can Mega Evolve him it's great." Dawn said with a smile. "But yeah we saw the rage Brianna has inside her, it's beyond containable at this point. That, that is something no one can help with. Whatever happened to her, however she became that way, it's too far gone to be saved. If I had to guess she was already susceptible to it due to some underlying personality issue she was born with and then that mixed with some darkness or unhealthy obsession within her to create the circumstances for her rage. Finally, through a twist of fate and the right person, in this case Drew, she turned into what we see now."

"Serena mentioned that Brianna had a thing for Drew even back in the day, though she was giving me second hand information as it was all according to May." Miette said. "And that she's always had a hardness to her when it comes to her obsession for Drew and those who got in the way of it."

"That isn't good." Dawn said darkly. "But there is someone in Kalos now, someone May is seeing soon, who will help her deal with it, I'm sure. Best to leave it there, this is something none of us can understand and something that May must face and overcome alone in the end. The best we can do is help and support her. No doubt she's doing that for Max right now because he needs it after that battle and tomorrow we'll see Ash do it for her but only May can end this. Even Serena, for the roll she's going to be forced to play by Brianna, can only do so much."

"I know and while I don't know her well, she's a friend and more she's one of us." Miette said seriously. "She's our sister in love, a member of the pack that has been forced to bend the knee to Misty, and we will not abandon her."

"No, we won't, and Drew will rue the day he messed with her and the rest of us." Dawn said with a grin that was a little unsettling. "We protect our own, we always will. Us Ash girls gotta stick together, for the most part as Macy is something else but Misty will deal with her one day I'm sure."

"You girls are scary." Lucy said looking from Dawn to Miette. "And that's coming from me, an offensive specialist who uses serpentine Pokémon and a reputation for cool, stoic, poise that is shattered around Brock but beside the point."

"Oh, you're scary in your own right." Miette said to the Pike Queen. "I was there, I saw Aria bow her head, kneel to you and lay her crown at your feet. You made the Kalos Queen bend the knee Queen Lucy, which is scary to us Kalos girls who are performers. Aria is our ideal and you bested her so completely that she did that."

"It was in a battle, and I didn't ask her to do that." Lucy grumbled recalling the situation that Aria had put her in after their battle. "She put on a show and now I don't think there's a performer in Kalos who won't use my title when they meet me or be wary of me. Thankfully, none have knelt to me, yet."

"You don't know the power the Kalos Queen wields here." Miette said. "Not even those who've held the title truly do until they lose it to the next great performer. Our current Champion is female, so are several of our strongest gym leaders and two of the Elite Four, but the woman who almost all women of Kalos truly look to is the Kalos Queen. Only those battle orientated girls don't but even they understand what the Kalos Queen stands for."

"Great." Lucy mumbled but she'd gotten a feel for the level of influence Arie wielded and this just proved it. "And Aria seems to think that Serena is the closest to beating her."

"Probably." Miette admitted. "I hate to say it but of those challenging Aria, Serena is the closest to her at the moment. Even Aria acknowledges her as a rival after Serena challenged her for the crown and Contests will only make Serena stronger. They're doing so for me, but I know that Serena will get more out of it and the battle experiences she earns from them. It all motivates me to work even harder because I'm chasing not just Aria but Serena as well."

"Well, she did look good yesterday against Bonnie but today will be a real test." Trevor said looking up from his camera at last as he could finally join in on the conversation. "Tierno may have the world's most obvious crush on her but he's still a skilled battler who's style is actually well suited to Contests and even with his feelings he'd never hold back against her. Serena will need everything to beat him today but if she can it will show how good she is."

"Ah so Tierno is basically a one target, old school, Brock, guess I'll have to instruct Shauna on my patented ear pull technique." Dawn said. "And we saw his battle with you, the next one should be the most Contest style one yet given who's in it. Plus, it will be nice to see a battle between friends today."

"Oh, it will be as both use that style more." Trevor said opting not to reveal how much he'd helped Tierno with his preparations for his upcoming battle with Serena. "I'd actually be surprised if Tierno isn't the highest ranking Kalos coordinator in the Grand Festival by the time it rolls around. I'd say he's the best chance we've got to win the first one with a native but even if not he could be the first native to win it one day so long as he really nails down how to perform an appeal. He's been a bit inconsistent there but he's improving for sure."

"But he's mainly a standard battler." Miette pointed out. "And going for the Lumiose Conference again."

"True and if he doesn't get it I don't know what he will do." Trevor admitted. "I'm already planning on heading to Kanto next if I fail but Tierno will have other options. I think Shauna will go for a Contest circuit away from Kalos as well."

"I'm probably going to do that too." Miette admitted. "This year is fun but to truly grow and surpass those I am chasing I need to see the world. I'll decide later though."

"Well Trevor, if you come to Kanto you'll face me in the Cerulean Gym." Dawn said with a grin. "So, bring your best because I don't hold back."

"I look forward to it." Trevor said with a smile. "I've not yet faced a water specialist, ours is in the Elite Four, and it's one of the types I'm weakest against so I look forward to the challenge."

"Travel is a good idea." Lucy said with a nod. "It helped me find my purpose when I left Hoenn for Kanto and then was scouted to the Battle Frontier by Scott. I'm sure all of you and Shauna will learn a lot by doing it."

"Speaking of Shauna, how will she fair?" Trevor asked looking to Miette. "You faced Amelia, Miette, is she good?"

"She's strong and a little like Brianna only not as corrupted I'd say as she's a bit more narrowly focused at the moment." Miette said thinking on it. "Amelia is extremely prideful and arrogant which is her weakness."

"Those are common weaknesses and if they aren't checked they can fester and cause problems." Dawn said. "I've seen it happen a few times, as a gym leader you encounter at least one like that each year, but those with too much pride or arrogance always end up checked and realizing their mistakes."

"Amelia hasn't because she's not faced my hardships until she lost to Serena in the Fleurrh Showcase last year." Miette said. "She's got great technique in Showcases, possibly the best besides Aria, but lacks the ability to move a person's heart because of her personality. Unfortunately, that is also what is holding her back in improving as she can't admit her own faults so as to actually address them. At least that's my assessment of her."

"That does sound like a problem." Lucy said. "And if she's never truly reflected on them herself then she's bound to repeat her mistakes which will only make it worse."

"She blames all but herself for being unable to inspire people." Miette said with a sigh. "Honestly, Contests are much more suited to her strengths as she's judged by professionals in the appeals and battles allow her to let out her aggression while also abiding by strict rules for how points are lost so she doesn't have to worry about inspiring people. Plus, we've seen her Pokémon, she has the talent to train strong Pokémon so if she applied herself to Contests she'd be really good at them. Other than Tierno, I'd say that Amelia could be the first Kalos winner of the Kalos Grand Festival if not our first Top Coordinator if she chooses to go elsewhere."

"That good?" Dawn asked surprised.

"Yup, the battle will be brief and brutal." Miette said simply. "Of the three of us, Shauna is the worst at battles though probably the best appealer. Amelia has channeled her anger at the Master Class finalists and is focused on that which will fuel her past Shauna at least. She beat me but didn't get her battle off, expect her to go even harder today. If Serena wins, we'll all bets are off then because she'll be motivated to face Serena at all costs."

"Damn then that match will come down to Pokémon and how good Shauna's style is." Lucy said. "Types and moves can determine a battle if done right though I've only known of one trainer who's managed that and, well, using a Spiritomb against a psychic specialist before fairy types were discovered to have emerged kinda tips the scales there."

"Pretty much, well that and gender." Miette said causing them all to look at her in confusion. "Amelia uses Attract, it's a core part of her style and skill and, well, that will be big in the next match. All of Amelia's Pokémon, as far as I know, know it."

"I remember that." Dawn said. "It is a viable tactic in battle as it works well though it will wear off in time. That and Cute Charm are the ways you cause infatuation."

"Infatuation is certainly a solid strategy but as Misty proved in Sinnoh one time it can be overcome." Brock said returning with lunch for them and sitting next to Lucy. "Even Ash has used it apparently though not often and Forrest said it was how he learned that dad's Golem was female. Anyway, what are we talking about?"

"The battles before and after." Lucy said. "So, what do you think dear? How did Ash and Max do?"

"Well…" Brock began as they tucked in and went over the battles again with Brock before the others returned for the afternoon slate and they enjoyed a good lunch break together as they got ready for the Wallace Cup to continue.


"Lunch is over, we've all been fed and watered and digested those excellent early battles so let's bring on seconds with the remaining battles of the day." Jillian said to the cheering crowds as Serena and Tierno walked out of their sides ready for their battle. "And boy will seconds be great. We have 2 more battles left today, 4 hungry coordinators seeking advancement, and all are from Kalos. We will have a native finalist in the Wallace Cup that Kalos is hosting but who will it be? Well, the first of the two with that chance will be decided shortly."

Serena just smiled at the commentary as she made her way to the starting spot ready for the battle to come. Tierno was going to be a strong and tough opponent, so she had to bring her best and focus on the very nature of a Contest battle while also adding in her own experiences as a performer to win. She and May had been planning this all night and she was ready, she knew who to use and, well, she was confident that he could take on any of the three Pokémon that Serena knew Tierno had but hadn't yet used.

Hell, if it was one of them then she was in for a real good chance of advancing to the semifinals. One of Tierno's remaining Pokémon was also owned by Dawn who'd given her a bit of advice on dealing with it before going to help Ash. Alas Brock, who had one of the other ones that Tierno also had, was with Ash all night so she couldn't ask him for help as well but Serena knew that she shouldn't lean on the others too much. She was here to win, and she was going to win it her own way with her own style and her choice exemplified that.

As for Tierno he was just giddy that he got to face his crush in a proper Contest battle. The beautiful and talented Serena was going to be his opponent, he had to impress her with his dance moves and his Pokémon's power. He'd selected the perfect Pokémon for that to face her and he was going to give it his all, Serena would expect no less from him.

The one thing he didn't know was which of her Pokémon she'd use. He had an idea who he might be against but there were two possibilities based off what she'd used so far and who he knew she had left. Either would be a good and solid challenge for him, one even had a type advantage with its secondary type, and he and Trevor had planned for this in their room that night as they got ready for this battle.

"Just like yesterday we get to start off the afternoon battles with none other than the Kalos Princess herself, the fan voted favorite coordinator this year though her Showcase success and native roots in Kalos does go a long way." Jillian said as she gestured to Serena who had just reached her starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball as Tierno did the same opposite her. "There isn't much more to say about her as she goes for her 3rd ribbon and a spot in the wildcard event in the Wallace Cup. From Vaniville Town, it's Princess Serena!"

Serena just smiled and waved to the cheering crowd who were really going all out for her. She really didn't want this much attention but her success the year prior was causing it, so she had to deal with it as one day it might be what took her performing to the next level, but did she really have to be called Princess Serena? That still seemed a bit much to her.

Of course, to Tierno it was more than accurate. Serena was a princess to him, and he was going to face her in battle now to show her that he could be her prince charming. Hell, she was already a queen to him, she just needed to win the title from Aria to make it official to all of Kalos.

"And against her is arguably the best Kalos native on the circuit this from a skill standpoint thanks to his style and battle experience as a normal trainer making this a really exciting battle indeed." Jillian as she swept her arm to Tierno's side. "He already has 3 ribbons making him one of the few Kalos natives to reach the wildcard qualifier and is currently going for the full qualification if he can get two more ribbons. It's the Dancer from Santalune, Tierno!"

Tierno did his usual break dance routine as the crowd cheered for him. Serena just smiled at it and relaxed a bit. Unlike Max's match this wasn't going to be tense but an actually good, fun, match between good friends.

"Tierno, let's make sure that we have a great battle." Serena called out. "Show everyone what Kalos really has to offer as the best at battles and the fan favorite battle in a civil, mature, sensible manner."

"Of course, Serena, your beauty is only surpassed by your kindness." Tierno said with hearts for eyes. "Allow me to take you out to dinner after this battle."

"It will take more than a battle to win my heart." Serena said knowing that her heart was already won and locked up and promising to tell Tierno after the Cup as he deserved to know.

"I'll manage it." Tierno said. "I promise."

"Ah young love and real Kalos beauty there." Jillian said dabbing at her eye as if there was a tear there, but it was just for dramatic affect and showing once again that she was rather oblivious to the deeper context of the conversation. "That is how we do it here and on that note, battle begin!"

"Hitmontop, let's dance." Tierno said with a dance as he tossed out his Poke Ball.

"Pancham, let's go." Serena said hiding her grimace at it being the third of Tierno's Pokémon, the one none of the others had but she had a strategy for it as well as the timer began to count down. "Start us off with Stone Edge."

"Dodge and counter with Rolling Kick." Tierno said as both Pokémon burst from their balls and the battle began in earnest. "Show off your mobility."

As soon as Pancham was out he thrust his arm forward and sharpened stones erupted from the ice right where Hitmontop had appeared. They would have slammed into his side but as with all of Tierno's Pokémon, Hitmontop had come out loose and ready and the moment he landed he leapt to the side with a graceful cartwheel and spun so that he landed on the point on his head and shot at Pancham in an arc, his legs and arms spinning out as he did.

Serena saw this and while she didn't know the moves that Hitmontop had, she still had a plan for it as it arced fast over the ice and at Pancham, faster than normal due to the slick surface of the ice but speed would lessen control in the moments that counted. That and Serena had a plan to deal with this Pokémon and its nature, one that Pancham would be able to pull off as it required a mix of his skills as a performance Pokémon and his raw strength as a fighting type.

The only thing that was a draw back was that Serena was likely to start in a points hole that she'd have to climb out of, but she trusted that she could manage that. After all, a good coordinator could do that so Serena could as well.

"Stone Edge and keep it up." Serena said as Hitmontop neared Pancham. "Force it to take a wide course and then dodge the attack the only way you know how and counter with our latest move, Ice Punch."

"Pan, Pancham." Pancham said with a nod as he understood what was needed of him and attacked again.

"No matter what, dodge with your superior agility and mobility." Tierno said with a grin as he spun in a breakdance to match Hitmontop. "Show off our training and get in close for the kick."

Serena just smiled at that as Pancham activated a Stone Edge again but again Hitmontop spun to the side to avoid it, arcing back and around to continue his approach to Pancham, the Stone Edge doing nothing more than delay his approach as Pancham followed Hitmontop with his eyes for the next attack. He knew what the plan was, they'd prepared 3 the night before when Serena had told him that it was his turn today and this was the one they'd come up with for dealing with Tierno's Hitmontop.

The idea had come to Serena when she'd heard of what Misty had done with Ash's Pikachu in that battle where she got to dress as him and again when Ash used it against Tierno's Raichu in Joule City during those two side adventures they'd had on the way here from Pierre's party. She had of course adapted it for the Pokémon at play and styles, but the overall gist was the same idea.

In Ash and Pikachu's case, they had used Pikachu's Iron Tail on the ground to counter a Dig attack and disrupt it while also rendering the ground so broken that Dig wasn't practical anymore. In Serena and Pancham's case the tactic was to simply pockmark the ice with Stone Edge Attacks strategically places as Hitmontop was spinning knowing that he'd avoid the attack but steadily reducing the area he could effectively spin with each Stone Edge Pancham used.

That was because a Hitmontop relied on being able to spin on its point and to manage that it needed a good smooth surface. However, with all the missed Stone Edges it was running out of available ice as there were now holes from the attack everywhere as Pancham kept attacking and Hitmontop dodging the latter was running out of space and the ice shards on the ground from the attacks weren't helping him either.

The one drawback from all this was that Serena had blown through a good quarter of her points with this strategy, but she also knew that it would be worth it as Hitmontop finally found a seam and shot recklessly at Pancham after more than a minute of this swinging around the stage to dodge the Stone Edge attacks. This was the moment that they were waiting for, and it would soon be seen.

Pancham let Hitmontop come at him and then, as it was nearing, he ran at it and timing it just right, all that freestyle training had really gotten Pancham's timing on things down pat, he fell to his knees and slid on them, arching his back as the powerful, spinning kick of Rolling Kick lashed out at him. Thankfully, he was a good 2 feet shorter than Hitmontop and the attack just breezed over him, ruffling the leap in his mouth as it missed and Pancham countered the moment he was clear.

As soon as he was past the kick Pancham put his hand down and dug his claws into the ice to slow him down as he twisted his body around it and used the move to swing around Hitmontop. As he did he got up and cocked his left arm back, ice forming over his fist before he punched out, Hitmontop now off balance from the miss and open for Pancham's counter.

After getting to Snowbelle it had been decided that Pancham needed to learn a fourth move just in case and after some thought it was decided he needed something to counter flying types. He had a move for psychic types and while he didn't have anything for fairy types being in Snowbelle allowed him the perfect place to learn Ice Punch to counter a flying type should he face one. That was what he'd done, and he let out a cheer as his Ice Punch slammed into Hitmontop's back and sent him flying forward to hit the ice hard and bounce off it.

"That's it Pancham." Serena said. "Now we got it, Stone Edge again."

"Dodge and counter with Close Combat." Tierno said surprised that Serena had pulled that off, it was an impressive move and one only a performer could really do with all the timing needed to avoid the kick and counter within the range of a close quarters attack like Ice Punch. "I know you can do it."

"Again, use the ice to slide around the blows and counter with Arm Thrust the moment you have an opening." Serena said as Hitmontop managed to just push himself up and backflip away from the Stone Edge as it erupted from the ice. "He's too close for spinning so we've got this."

Serena was right and Hitmontop was forced by both the proximity and the pockmarked ice to push forward on his feet, fists clenched, as he closed in on Pancham for his Close Combat attack. Pancham however just used the ice to gracefully stake, slide, leap and roll, around the close quarter strikes from his fellow fighting type as he avoided the powerful move and slid around and got behind Hitmontop. It wasn't a dance so much as a series of moves that a performer would teach their Pokémon that allowed him to get into position for his own move.

The moment he was, Pancham's right arm glowed with fighting type power, and he slammed it into Hitmontop's back as hard as he could. The force of the blow sent Hitmontop flying face forward and into the ice where he skidded carving a groove into it for a few feet before he came to a stop still in range of Pancham.

"Gyro Ball." Tierno said.

"Block it with Stone Edge." Serena countered as Hitmontop leapt up, spun in the air, and faced Pancham as he landed in a sprinter's stance before launching himself at Pancham spinning around his top as he did.

Pancham just erected the stone spikes of Stone Edge in his way as Hitmontop spun at them. Alas the Handstand Pokémon's speed was faster, and he blasted through them sending rock debris everywhere and slammed the point of his head into Pancham's forehead. It was slower than it should have been, but it still landed and Pancham let out a wail as he was thrown back a fair distance. Still, he spun in the air instinctively thanks to his training and landed on his feet to slide over the ice and put more distance between them.

"Pursuit." Tierno said pressing his advantage.

"Fall back and get between a crater and Hitmontop." Serena said as she suddenly realized something with Hitmontop's moves, something she might be able to exploit. "And as soon as it is in the air hit it with Dark Pulse."

This was the fourth and as far as Serena knew last move that Hitmontop knew and like the other 3 it was a physical move, one that would make contact with the opponent and required you to be up close and personal at the same time. It was a slight flaw in Tierno's tactics Serena realized as he was relying on his dancing style to get close enough and then using the raw power of a fighting type with his moves, but range was just as important, and Serena would show him that now.

Pancham understood what she wanted and slid over the ice to force Hitmontop to take a reckless course over the pockmarked surface. All their planning at the start had been for this and now they were going to exploit Hitmontop's lack of range to their advantage as Hitmontop closed in until finally the moment that Serena and Pancham had been waiting for came.

Hitmontop was in hot pursuit of Pancham so as to land his Pursuit attack and while the move wouldn't be as strong as it could be because Pancham wasn't being called out of the battle, and as a fighting type he was resistant to it, it would still be a solid hit that would cost him points. At least that was the plan until Hitmontop suddenly hit one of the holes created by the earlier Stone Edge attacks.

Thanks to his speed he went into it and then bounced hard off it and was launched high into the air, his momentum broken and suddenly flailing in the air out of instinct as his spin was undone. Pancham grinned at that as that was his opening and he sent out the dark type attack from his mouth.

The black rings in a beam formation that made up Dark Pulse shot out of Pancham's mouth and slammed into Hitmontop's chest as he neared the apex of his inadvertent flight. The other fighting type let out a groan as he was struck and sent flying back by the hit. He was resistant to it but still it was annoying, and he fell back to crash to the ice hard enough to form a small crater in the surface and Serena pressed her sudden advantage.

"Stone Edge." Serena yelled.

"Dodge." Tierno said but this time Hitmontop was too slow.

As Hitmontop was getting to his feet the sharped spikes of stone shot out of the ground and slammed into the sides of his head with a boom. Hitmontop groaned and fell to his knees as the stones fell away, still in the fight thanks to his rock type resistance but starting to near his limit. Serena saw this and was about to give out an order when suddenly the buzzer sounded.

"And that is it, for the first time in the quarterfinals the battle has gone the full 5 minutes and will be decided on points." Jillian said excitedly as they all turned to the screen to see who'd won as both Serena and Tierno had actually forgotten that there was a time limit that's how into the fight they had gotten. "Which means that the winner is…"

It was close but clear as they looked at the board. One of the bars was just below what looked like 30% remaining while the other was just above it.

"…Serena!" Jillian said as the crowd roared at the conclusion of the match and Serena let out a sigh of relief, her reckless start had been overcome by Pancham's dodging and hits, but she was sure that May would have some choice words about that. "She is the third to advance to the semifinals and the last to join her will be learned in just a moment."

"Hitmontop, return." Tierno said with a smile as he looked at the Poke Ball in his hand. "We did well my friend, but Serena's beauty and grace was just too much for us today. We'll win her over though; all this has done is deepened my feelings for her and my desire for her to return them one day."

"Pancham return." Serena said as Tierno was talking to his Pokémon though she couldn't hear what he was saying. "You were amazing out there. For the first time I truly felt the blend of performing and coordinating I was looking for out of all of this and it's all thanks to you and an opponent like Tierno. Let's support Shauna and hope to face her next because this Cup is far from done."

Serena put her Poke Ball away and looked up to see that Tierno had done the same. He gave her a smile and a nod; no words were needed after the battle before he turned and left to change and support Shauna in the last battle of the day. Serena did the same minus the changing part ready to see who she was facing tomorrow as the 3rd and penultimate day of the Wallace Cup entered its final phase.


"Now that was how us Kalos coordinators fight, what a battle all the way to the end showing the grace of coordinating, the power of battling, and the moves of performing." Jillian said as Shauna smiled at Serena to congratulate her on her win, she'd deliberately chosen Serena's side to ensure that Serena didn't have to pass Amelia and Serena smiled back her own support to Shauna for what was to come as she passed her friend and Shauna walked out of the wings. "And next up we have a great battle to finish the day between two Kalos ladies who exemplify the range we women of Kalos have to offer the Contest world."

Shauna just smiled as the crowd cheered, her eyes locked on Amelia's cold, off purple, ones as the other girl walked out a false smile on her face and they made their way to their respective starting points. She was ready for this and after how Amelia had treated Miette the day before Shauna was going to do all she could to win this battle for her friend and to prevent Serena having to face someone as negative as Amelia.

She knew that she wasn't the best battler, of the many notable performers making the transition to Contests Shauna felt that she was possibly the worst of them, but she was going to give this her all and show just what she could do. That and she had another slight change to show off and while she would have liked to save it for Serena, she knew that her friend and rival actually had a great counter for it, possibly even the perfect counter now, so she was going to use it against Amelia. Anyway, she needed her best to deal with the girl from Fleurrh.

Shauna had watched the other girl's match with Miette closely and knew that she was a strong battler. Of all of them Shauna would actually say that Miette was the best in battle as the sharpness her friend had lent to it though Serena had won their only matchup in the Coumarine Contest but that was in part due to Serena understanding Miette so well. A rematch between them would almost certainly be different.

However, despite Miette's skills, she'd fallen to Amelia and the way Amelia fought, it was much more traditional than Shauna had been expecting. Amelia had the poise and grace of a performer and could command around a field necessary for a Contest battle, but she still managed to win in a more direct manner than most coordinators tended to manage. That made Shauna nervous and when you factored in Amelia's issues with her and the other finalists from the Master Class and, well, she needed her best now.

Of course, Amelia was just as ready for this as Shauna was. After the embarrassment Miette had inflicted on her the day before by daring to last the full 5 minutes Amelia was out for blood today. She was going to make Shauna pay for taking a spot that was rightfully hers in the Master Class and she was going to do so with an overwhelming victory in as close to record time as she could manage.

Amelia knew that she needed to save her best for Serena. That false performer would be the toughest of the trio to bring down so she had to have her best and with one of the Pokémon Serena had already used so far Amelia knew that the only Pokémon Serena had who could truly defy her wasn't available. That meant Serena got the best, but she still needed a good one for Shauna.

She'd done her homework the moment she's gotten back to the hotel after the appeals and looked into Shauna's known Pokémon. Based on what she'd used so far Amelia was pretty sure that she knew who Shauna would use against her.

However, Amelia wasn't one to leave things to chance so after her battle with Miette she had made a calculated declaration to Shauna, one that would all but forced Shauna to use the Pokémon that Amelia wanted her to use. It was a strong Pokémon, and a good one for a battle, it was just a shame that the one Amelia was going to use was a great counter for it. Well, shame for Shauna because Amelia had some pent-up frustration from the night before and was going to take it out on Shauna today.

"The runner-up to Serena, fitting that you are the second head that I'll take during the Wallace Cup." Amelia said as they reached the starting points and she spoke before Jillian could begin, she wanted Shauna to know right off the bat how badly she'd lose and rattle her as soon as possible. "And yet you're the weakest of the battlers, had to use cheap tricks just to get this far not that I mind that you did that against whatever his face was yesterday. You won as I wanted but your little tricks won't work on me, I'll end you long before you can even imagine them."

"I admit, I'm not the best at battles and I use what I can to win as one should when dealing with the parameters of a Contest battle." Shauna said. "And I'm not Miette, I won't engage you as she did, nor will I rise to your bait. You're nothing more than a spoiled child Amelia, one who can't reflect on why she failed to reach the Master Class last year when practically every other performer capable of winning a Princess Key did, so you lash out at those better than you."

"Get off your pedestal, we both know that you aren't some high and mighty performer just a lucky girl who didn't deserve to be there, none of you three did." Amelia spat back more annoyed by this than by Miette the day before, at least she understood the level Amelia was on and didn't try to act above it like Shauna did. "The only reason why you got there was because the ignorant masses didn't know true talent from whatever it is you lot have. Don't worry, I'll bring you crashing down and then some today for all to see. Serena is next, I can't not lose this because it's her I really want."

"We are all chasing Serena, she is the princess of our class and rightfully so after her performance in the last Master Class." Shauna said. "And I will do all I can to be the one to face her so come at me with all you got because I'm not going to make this easy. I'll show you why a true performer like me will win in a Contest battle."

"Oh, beating you the way I know I'm going to will be a supreme pleasure." Amelia almost purred in a way that slightly unnerved Shauna and she grinned at that. "Yeah, I'll be remembering this win in my room alone tonight, a good warm up for how beating Serena will feel."

"I really hope that that is not what I am thinking it is." Shauna said glancing to Jillian. "Um, can you please start this already?"

"Huh, oh right, I was too engrossed in the friendly banter, um, I guess I'll start with the Master Class finalist present who's going for a chance to face her rival in the semifinals." Jillian said clearly missing all contexts of the discussion and sweeping her arm to Shauna's side. "She's one of the finalists from the last Master Class and really showing Kalos what our performers bring to Contests, winning two ribbons already and seeking her third in the Wallace Cup. From Vaniville Town, it's Shauna!"

The crowd let out a solid cheer. Shauna may have come second to Serena and her Contest record wasn't as good or flashy, but she was still a home region girl and a nice one at that, so she had plenty of Kalos support whenever she appeared in a Contest. More so than Amelia would get and that would help unsettle the other girl, at least Shauna hoped that it would.

"And facing her it is the potential favorite for this year's Master Class so it's the up and comer against the established performer in a way just as it was yesterday so she's seeking to repeat that kind of victory today." Jillian said as she swept her arm to Amelia's side. "She's not fully committed to Contests but after a run like this in the Wallace Cup all of us in Kalos hope that she tries her hand at them more seriously next year because she's got what it takes. From Fleurrh City, it's their pride and joy, the Pride of Fleurrh herself, Amelia!"

Amelia just gave the cheering, ignorant masses a smile and a wave to appease them the way any rightful monarch would and someday she'd rule them as Queen Amelia, the greatest Kalos Queen in history and the one who defeated Aria. First though she had to put this upstart jester in her place like she did with yesterday's one so that she could destroy the worst of the false performers in the semifinal tomorrow. This was going to be so much fun and when she was done the crowd would never cheer for Shauna again.

"And on that note, battle begin!" Jillian said and the timer began on the final battle of the quarterfinals.

"Venusaur, let's perform." Shauna said sending out her now fully evolved Kanto grass starter and causing Amelia to grin widely at guessing right which really unsettled Shauna.

"Espeon, perfection." Amelia said revealing her psychic type evolution of Eevee and the perfect counter for Venusaur's poison type in a battle she was going to own from the beginning and end faster than that annoying little brat with the scar did earlier. "Start with Future Sight."

"Quickly, hit Espeon with Energy Ball." Shauna said as Espeon sent the delayed attack into the sky which opened up to take it away until it returned in a few moments' time.

"Dodge and counter with an Attract barrage." Amelia said with a grin as the ball of grass type power was shot at Espeon. "Let's see if it's a different gender. Don't let up until you hit it because if it is a different gender then we've won already and any points we lose won't matter regardless because that Venusaur is going down today."

"Defend that with Vine Whip." Shauna said as Espeon gracefully rolled to the side and out of the way of the Energy Ball before popping up and winking at Venusaur. "The odds are on our side given the gender ratios of both species but there's no way in hell we're risking it."

Venusaur roared as it sent out a pair of vines at the oncoming hearts and whipped at them furiously while Espeon winked again and again at it. What happened next was a half-minute long stalemate as the two Pokémon duked it out with their ranged moves, Espeon sending Attract after Attract at Venusaur and Venusaur whipping its vines at the hearts as fast as it could to bat them away and destroy them before they could make contact with its body.

As Venusaur did this Amelia's points began to slowly go down but she wasn't so focused on that as the moment a heart broke through she either won or at least she'd delayed Venusaur long enough for Future Site to land and then she'd win. It was a winning strategy regardless and Amelia grinned at that, and her grin got wider a second later as a heart slipped past a vine and within Venusaur's guard heading straight for its forehead.

The biggest benefit of this strategy for Amelia was that Espeon didn't let up any energy, as all it had to do was wink. Venusaur on the other hand was constantly on the defensive and slowly but surely was tiring out from all the Vine Whips. All it took was that one split second for the heart to get past and it was over as the heart made contact with Venusaur's forehead and exploded. Instantly Venusaur's eyes became hearts and Amelia knew that she'd won the battle.

"Psychic." Amelia said holding out her right arm before raising it high and bringing it crashing down for emphasis. "Grab, lift and slam it into place until Future Sight arrives."

"Razer Leaf." Shauna said desperately but Venusaur was too infatuated to act.

Espeon of course was easily able to do this and its eyes glowed blue as it mewled in triumph and all of Venusaur glowed blue, the infatuation caused Venusaur to smile and not wail in pain despite being hit by the super effective move. From there it was child's play for Espeon.

With a raise of its head, Espeon lifted Venusaur up high into the air and then slammed it down hard into the ice with enough force to crack the surface of the battlefield. There was a brief flash as the Psychic ended only for it to restart as Venusaur remained infatuated and wasn't listening to Shauna's commands, just smiling there as the blue glow engulfed it again.

Once again Espeon raised Venusaur high into the air and slammed it down, Amelia grinning widely and mimicking the actions with her hand as she felt her victory build in her gut and a little lower not that she minded. All Shauna could do was watch in horror as Venusaur was slammed into the ice once again, cracking it more and Espeon used Psychic again but this time it was just to hold Venusaur in place because it sensed that the moment of victory was now at hand.

"That's it, it's time." Amelia cackled as the sky opened up and the Future Sight attack rained down right on Venusaur where it was being held still infatuated, Amelia raising her arm once again and bringing it down in time with the Future Sight as she continued to speak. "Judgement from the heavens! Deliver it now upon this false performer and show all of Kalos who the true heir to Aria will be, who will be the one to surpass her and become the greatest Kalos Queen in history! Strike down the second of the false performers who dare oppose me!"

As Amelia spoke and Shauna shuddered both from what was coming and just how unhinged the other girl was suddenly sounded the Future Sight crashed down right onto the center of Venusaur's flower. There was an almighty boom as the powerful psychic type attack impacted Venusaur and drove it into the ice with enough force to kick up a cloud of icy mist that covered it entirely. With a mewl, Espeon ended the Psychic knowing that it was over.

That was seen a few seconds later as the icy mist cleared and Venusaur was revealed laying flat on its stomach, legs splayed, and swirls for eyes in the center of a cracked crater that the impact with it had made. Instantly 4 Xs went off to declare a Battle Off.

"And with just over 3 minutes remaining, only the 4th time all year so much time has been remaining on the clock, Espeon has knocked out Venusaur." Jillian said as the crowd recovered from the sudden ending and began to cheer though not as loudly as they would have had the match gone the other way. "Therefore, by virtue of a Battle Off, Amelia has defeated Shauna and is the final coordinator to advance to the semifinals where she will face Serena in the second battle tomorrow morning."

"Venusaur return." Shauna said still a little shellshocked by the whole match, she'd never been through such a battle before and it really showed her that there were people like Amelia out there who'd be direct and brutal in battle. "I'm sorry, that was my fault. I tried to face Amelia with all I had but it wasn't enough, we weren't strong enough and I am to blame for that, not you. You were amazing my friend; take a nice long rest and we will use this to get better."

"Espeon return, you were perfection personified as I expected again, thank you for bringing absolute judgment to this false performer and allowing us to take on the last and worst of them tomorrow." Amelia said recalling Espeon before looking up at Shauna and grinning at her, her eyes dancing with malicious delight at her victory. "I told you I'd bring you crashing down and now all can see just who is better. Run along now, you're done with this Cup, and I need to go let the last of your ilk know that her moment to join you and Miette will soon come."

"You may have won today but I am not a skilled battler and this battle fell right into your hands with types and genders at play." Shauna said simply, refusing to give Amelia the satisfaction of knowing that she'd gotten to her. "You've got talent, Amelia, be it in performing or coordinating, that none of us can deny, but your personality is ruining it. I'll be watching tomorrow, and you'll see why Serena is the best of the three of us when you face her in battle."

With that Shauna turned and walked away without another word. Amelia wasn't worth it, and she'd done her best but in the end it wasn't enough to win. The battle had taught Shauna a lot and she'd use it to improve if she wanted a shot at the Grand Festival and if she was to continue growing as a performer so that one day she could truly challenge Aria for the title of Kalos Queen. For now, though she just wanted to change, chat with her friends, and have a good meal. She needed all of that after such a battle.

As for Amelia, she just scoffed at Shauna's arrogance and turned to leave. She had to get back to let Serena know what she was in for as her true final would come tomorrow morning as the last of the three fell right into to her hand of judgement. Yes it had been a good day for Amelia, and she was going to be thinking on it tonight when she finally celebrated her second of three needed victories over the false bitches who had defied her rightful shot at the title of Kalos Queen.


"And there you have it folks, the final four of the Wallace Cup are set." Jillian said as Shauna and Amelia left the stage following the latter's win by Battle Off and the bracket once again shrunk to reflect that. "Ash, Brianna, Serena, and Amelia remain as they vie for the first ever Misty Ribbon and to become the first new winner of the Wallace Cup since Misty herself won it for the first time in Sinnoh three years ago. Tomorrow is the final day with the semifinals in the morning then the final after lunch as the Wallace Cup draws to a close. Get some rest because if tomorrow is like today and yesterday then it is going to be incredibly. Until then, goodnight."

With that Jillian signed off and turned to talk to the judges and Ash and Serena turned away from the screen. There was no need to look at it as they got ready to head to the changing rooms and then back to the hotel to get ready for the final day of the Wallace Cup. They'd won and now only 4 were left. The problem was the remaining two coordinators in the Cup weren't exactly the friendliest of girls in it.

"Yes I'll be seeing both of you villains tomorrow." Brianna spat as they turned, they'd deliberately ignored her today whenever they were in the same room as her but alas they couldn't right now as she was between them and the exit. "First Ketchum then Serena, both of you are going to pay for your crimes and villainy as I bring righteous justice to you tomorrow. The first of at least two servings I have for Serena."

"Brianna, you know we did nothing wrong." Serena said with a sigh despite knowing that trying to convince her otherwise would be futile. "Even May didn't, she did the right thing after what Drew did yo her. You've just let your own emotions darken your heart and allowed your head to be filled with lies from people without your best interests at heart."

"Shut it, I don't need to hear the real lies here that you spout, I know that Drew speaks the truth and that's good enough for me just as it should be good enough for the world." Brianna snapped at her before drawing a finger along her scar that adorned her otherwise beautiful face. "And this is a crime that I will get vengeance for. That and how you poisoned May against Drew by winning her heart Ash and thus breaking his in the process because you're a sociopathic asshole. Without me he'd be a broken shell, I restored him with my pure and holy love. Thanks to that he told me the full truth of the world, so I know that I am in the right."

"I don't know all that is going on, but I never did anything to Drew." Ash said. "And I didn't even know May liked me like that until I was already with Misty. I'm sorry if I caused any issues there, I truly am, but no one can compel another's heart, that much I've learned over the last few years. Drew had his chance, and he was the one who ruined it."

"Drew did nothing wrong, it was you who stole May from him and caused her to betray him the way she did." Brianna snarled. "You'll never be able to convince me of your wretched lies otherwise. I know your true nature and it disgusts me. The only slightly saving grace is that you broke May's heart as well, that was good, but other than that you're just as evil as she is."

"Believe what you want to believe, I clearly can't convince you of the truth and if you're reveling in someone else's heartbreak that is frankly wrong." Ash said a little taken aback by just how messed up what Brianna was saying was but moving onto her one legitimate gripe with him. "As for your scar, I am sorry for that and I do bear the responsibility for it as well as the ones Misty, May, and Serena now have. I went overboard against Kenny when I was defending Misty's honor and heart that she has willingly given me as I have mine to her from his latest deluded attempt to win it. I let my emotions get the better so accept my apology."

"Never fiend." Brianna snapped. "Drew still loves me despite this deformity so I know his love is pure even if we can't share it because the world would label it wrong in their ignorance. Besides, I don't care for Kenny, he was an ally but also a tool to try and get to May via you and Misty, but he was weak, he failed in his mission and was rightfully exiled for it. I will not so get ready for justice Ketchum, because I am coming for you tomorrow. As for you Serena, win so I can serve you yours in the final and show all who is best here before I cement it in the Grand Festival, if you can even make it with May's pathetic teachings."

"I'll make it and I'll see you on the Contest battlefield, but we won't meet until the Grand Festival." Serena said seriously. "You will learn the real truth tomorrow and see why many of us are in a group together when you face it for yourself. Until then know this Brianna, the reason why so many hearts have been captured by one man will be on full display tomorrow and it will be your judgement that faces it. I, I will win and then I will face that myself and maybe find the courage to finally confess, but my heart is pure so I will manage. This is a battle I must undertake alone."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night bitch." Brianna spat back clearly not listening to what Serena was saying and Ash was to dense to figure out the subtle message in her words. "Just don't that that bug beat you, your ass is mine."

"Hardly, I've gone two for two, the third false performer will fall to my hand tomorrow." Amelia said suddenly in the room and pissed at the words the youngest girl present was sprouting about her rightful target. "Begone you bratty child, you aren't worth my time. Let the actual women here speak."

"I may be younger but I'm so much better than some spoiled chick who can't admit her own shortcomings, you could have been a potential ally for us but you're too self-absorbed to be a hero." Brianna snapped at the girl in purple in a phrase that seemed a little rich coming from her. "But whatever, I don't care for you or your petty, insignificant, issues when the war I will win for the forces of good is on a much grander scale. You're nothing and at least Serena has something, something that I will crush. You had potential but really you aren't worth it."

"And I don't care for your strange issues and delusions, the affairs of those who aren't performers and going for Kalos Queen do not concern me so have your battle and I'll face the winner, but the Misty Ribbon doesn't mean anything to me, only the heads of the false performers do." Amelia said as Brianna just glared at her before turning her glare on Ash and Serena and then leaving to be with Drew and prepare for so much rich justice tomorrow as Amelia turned back to Serena. "And that is what the Wallace Cup has given me, the chance to show all three of you that I am your rightful superior. I've shown Miette and Shauna who's best, you're next Serena and I've been able to save the best for last. It will be delicious to beat you."

"Amelia, as always unable to improve yourself and lashing out at others rather than reflecting on your own problems." Serena said coolly. "This is a Contest not a Showcase but whatever, I won't lie, this battle is one I too am looking forward to. I will beat you and remind you of your current place that you will not get out of until you work on yourself but that's not all. No, you were horrible to Miette and Shauna, two dear friends of mine and for that you will pay. You wanted this war, you sought out this battle and threw the first punch, even won the first two engagements but I will end it and you are tomorrow."

"At least you got some spunk Serena, you wouldn't be worth it if you didn't have that." Amelia said spinning and leaving with a parting word. "Bring your A game though because I'm brining mine. Our match tomorrow is the real final and I intend to win it for all of Kalos to see."

With that Amelia strolled purposely out of the room to get ready for the final and Serena knew what she was going to be up against tomorrow. Alas her best counter was useless as she'd used it already, but she had something better for Amelia. She'd win again and then get her chance to face Ash or Brianna. Either would be good but she knew which she wanted more in the Wallace Cup final.

"That was pleasant." Ash said once they were alone, and Serena suddenly realized that and fought hard to control her blush around her unrequited love as this was the first time in a long time that they were alone together. "What are their problems? I kinda get Brianna though some of the stuff she keeps saying confuses me, but I don't understand Amelia."

"Amelia is my issue from before you ever came to Kalos, don't worry about that Ash." Serena said. "Her beef is from the performer world with no crossover or matters of the heart so she's all mine and I fully intend to deal with her tomorrow morning. As for Brianna, that is deeper and goes to the cores of her and Drew. May says that she knows who to talk to about them though and I am sure we will know soon enough."

"True I guess." Ash said with a shrug. "And I have a plan for Brianna that should work. I do want to win, she upset May and that's not something I like. She can't go hurting my friends for no reason, so I'll show her she's messing with the wrong person."

"And that's why we fall for you." Serena said with a sigh.

"Huh, did you say something?" Ash said he'd been to focused on his plan to hear her not that he'd likely have gotten what she meant anyway.

"Nothing Ash." Serena said going bright red when she realized she almost confessed to him, and she was not ready for that heartache despite what she'd said to Brianna only moments ago. "Anyway, let's get back and get ready. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

"That it will be and good luck, I hope you win." Ash said with a smile at Serena. "There's no one I'd rather face for the Misty Ribbon then you Serena."

Ash just turned and left leaving Serena beat red, flustered and alone for a moment. Arceus damn it why did he make her like this. Still, he had a point, if there was anyone she wanted to face the Misty Ribbon for it was Ash so she would support him as well tomorrow as she always did. First though she had to catch up to him and get back to the hotel, so Serena hurried after Ash and left the penultimate day of the Wallace Cup behind her.


"Well, those battles didn't disappoint either." Dawn said to May as most of the people around them got up to leave though they were at least waiting as May wanted to ensure that Drew and Brianna were gone before getting up to leave the stadium as she didn't want to cross paths with them. "Just like earlier in how one was normal, even friendly this time around, and the other was full of animosity."

The couples, and the girls were considering Emily and Adam one even if they weren't official as it was clear to them that at least Emily had feelings for Adam while Adam was full Ash and didn't know that she liked him, had already left to do their own things. As Brock and Lucy would help Dawn with preparing Ash for his battle with Brianna later they deserved a date dinner.

In addition to them, Trevor had gone to find and talk to Shauna and Tierno about their loses and see if they were ok. Lastly, Max and Owen had left to prepare dinner for the bulk of them as Owen was cook for the night with Brock off at some romantic restaurant with Lucy.

Of course, Misty wasn't with them but as a judge for the appeals and allowed to watch the battles from the judge's panel, and with Ash and Serena still in the Cup, she left with the other judges. Only Nurse Joy wasn't with them in the Judges quarters, where naturally Misty got her own room, as she had to deal with healing the Pokémon that had battled today at the Pokémon Center.

That left Dawn, May, Miette, and Bonnie in their seats to quickly go over the latter two battles and assess the semifinals before heading down to try and intercept Ash and Serena, who were no doubt dealing with Brianna and Amelia, before they could change and heading back to the hotel as a group. As such this was a perfect moment to discuss the battles.

"They were good, especially Serena's." May said.

"Yeah it was so graceful and beautiful." Bonnie said. "I really could see her skills there as she coordinated that battle so well while also showing off her performer skills at the same time."

"She had to what with Tierno as her opponent." May said. "His style, if properly cultivated, would make him a lethal coordinator as his moves are great and his battle awareness that of a standard trainer, a combination hard to counter for a pure coordinator. Serena had to fully embrace what a Contest battle was while also remembering her training as a performer to win which she did."

"With a shade of Ash thrown in." Dawn said. "She realized that she had to think outside the box during that match and did so by attacking the field at the start. She sacrificed points to destabilize Hitmontop's rhythm. As soon as it couldn't move as freely it was limited as we saw with that Close Combat dodge."

"And that's where she countered." Miette said with a nod. "She used her training of Pancham as a freestyle Pokémon, along with his size and strength, to dodge more to shave off Tierno's points and then counter either with Arm Thrust and Ice Punch or get some distance for Dark Pulse when Hitmontop finally hit one of the holes she'd made at the start."

"The distance was key in the end as it allowed her to land that Dark Pulse that led into the one successful Stone Edge that tipped the battle to her right at the buzzer." May said. "This was by far Serena's best battle, her win over Jessilina while good was only because of Rhyhorn's evolution, but here she showed her true potential."

"That she did." Dawn said with a nod her own battle skills as a gym leader enabling her to assess the battle from that standpoint. "She managed to assess that Hitmontop only knows close quarters, physical moves which while good for a fighting type is a limiting factor so by altering the battlefield she was able to dodge more and, by timing her counters right, she could land the hits she needed to erase the points deficit she put herself in at the start. A bit reckless with her points but overall, a winning strategy against a superior battler."

"And she'll need that against Amelia." Miette said. "She's better than Serena in battle, I can tell from facing both of them now, and if Amelia sticks to expectations she'll use her Dragonair. Serena doesn't have her Sylveon available which would be her best counter for it, so she'll have to bring her best once again to reach the finals."

"No but we will prepare her." May said and Bonnie nodded at that. "She'll win and then she'll get to face Ash or Brianna in a final that will really test her beyond anything she's faced so far this year."

"It will be tough, but I think she can beat Amelia with the right strategy." Dawn said. "And it won't be as lopsided as with Shauna. Venusaur was just the wrong Pokémon there against an Espeon of a different gender. Once that Attract landed before the Future Sight and Amelia revealed that Espeon knew a second psychic attack it was all over."

"Yeah poor Shauna." Bonnie said sadly. "She's so graceful when she's performing, I wanted her to face Serena in the semifinal."

"We all did but Amelia played that perfectly." Miette said.

"How so?" May asked looking at the blue haired Kalos girl.

"Amelia isn't an idiot, she's a talented performer and planner, only someone with a planning mindset could be as technically as good as she is, so if I had to guess she actually manipulated things to get this matchup." Miette said surprising them as they blinked at her so Miette continued. "Think of it, Showcases and Contests are broadcast and can be accessed online so Amelia would have looked them up beforehand as soon as she knew her three targets in me, Shauna and Serena were here and in the same bracket. She'd know that against me the range was to wide but with the right nudges she could ensure that she got what she wanted with Shauna."

"She did?" Dawn asked. "How?"

"Kalos's Pokémon rule for Contests is more than just a change from other regions, it's done to force us to think strategically." Miette said. "And in the Wallace Cup you have one more option hence why she knew she couldn't work with me and just had to go with what was best. She would have saved her Dragonair and Espeon, so I had a feeling it was her Gorebyss, but I've got nothing that can counter a water type, so I went with Slurpuff to counter her with skill rather than type. However, with Shauna's choices, well she would have known her Venusaur, well Ivysaur as this is the first time we've seen her use Venusaur, was still in play."

"And by threatening you lot and going hard against you she showed her skills in battle." May said getting it. "And thus, would have forced Shauna, who isn't a great battler, to use her strongest Pokémon, which is a Venusaur, a grass and poison type."

"Correct and poison is weak to psychic." Miette said. "So, from there it was just landing that Attract and hoping the genders were different. Even if they were the same gender the moves and types heavily favored Amelia. Then, when the Attract worked the match was over and Amelia showed that with the pair of Psychics and Future Sight, the infatuation just ensured that she ended it quickly. Amelia did get lucky in that match though as both Venusaur and Espeon are predominantly male species so one of those had to be female."

"Yeah I have a Venusaur and a Glaceon which is the same evolutionary family as Espeon, and both are male." May said. "Damn, Amelia a lot stronger, and much craftier, than we realized."

"She's in the semifinal of the Wallace Cup." Dawn said. "At this point we can't underestimate her anymore. Serena will need a lot of help, but can she do it?"

"She has two Pokémon that could counter a Dragonair in terms of raw power." May said simply. "We'll plan with both, and neither are weak to dragon types but nor are they strong against them. However, after her display against Tierno I think Serena has it, it's the other match that will be interesting."

"Ash will win that one." Dawn said simply. "He's defending you; you know how he is on that front, and the prize is now called the Misty Ribbon so he's going all out to be the first to win it. It will be unconventional, this is Ash he can't not be, but he'll still win."

"I know, it's why three of us here have fallen for him." May said getting up and holding Pikachu as he was her responsibility due to Piplup wanting to be with Dawn. "And on that note, let's go find him and Serena, we got some semifinals to prepare for."

The other girls nodded as they rose and left the stands of the now nearly empty stadium to meet up with their friends and get ready for what was to come. Today had been interesting with some serious battles and tomorrow was the climax of the Wallace Cup where a new champion would be crowed from one of the four competitors remaining. One thing was for certain, tomorrow was going to be a day to remember as the first Wallace Cup in an expansion region entered its final day.