The night has passed very quickly and soon, the next day came. The quarterfinal matches have started with the first battle being between Leaf and Jimmy.
The match lasted a little longer than normal matches did, which is normal, as this is a quarterfinal battle, and both trainers proved to be very good, but in the end, Leaf proved to be better of the two, and won the battle, with two Pokémon remaining, one of which didn't even get to battle at all.
Leaf had double luck in this match, as on top of her winning and advancing to the semifinal, her Quilava evolved into Typhlosion.
After that battle, there was half hour break, and then, Serena and Ash walked to the field to have their quarterfinal match.
"Welcome everyone to the second quarterfinal match of this year's Silver Conference," the announcer said, in between the crowds cheering. "After a very good battle between Leaf and Jimmy, now we have Serena and Ash facing each other, and judging by what they have shown so far in the tournament, this will be just as good match as the one between Leaf and Jimmy, so I hope you all enjoy it!"
The computer then decided that Ash will choose his Pokémon first, so he took his first Poke Ball, and released his Pokémon.
"Fraxure, come on out!" Ash said, and his Dragon Type Pokémon came from his Poke Ball, and stood for battle.
"Ninetales, you are up first!" Serena released her first Pokémon, an Alolan Ninetales, which gives her an advantage in this round.
"BEGIN!" The referee shouted, and started the match.
"Ninetales, use Hail!" Serena started first, and her Pokémon released a gust of cold air from her body, causing snow to start falling.
"Stay strong, Fraxure," Ash said. "This much snow is nothing for your, right?"
Fraxure nodded, and stood ready for his first move, while snow was falling all over him.
"Use Swift!" Ash said.
Fraxure jumped in the air, a little closer to Ninetales, and then fired a storm of yellow stars from his mouth, which went at Ninetales, and a bunch of them managed to hit her, causing her damage.
"Ninetales, use Ice Beam!" Serena said to her Pokémon, after she shock of the damage, and stood still.
Ninetales created an ice ball in front of her mouth, and then fired multiple ice beams from the ball at Fraxure.
Fraxure again jumped in the air, and avoided the beams, and then Ash went with his next move. "Use Poison Jab!"
The claws on one of Fraxure's hands glowed purple and he tried to jab Ninetales with it, but she jumped away, and then used Iron Tail to hit Fraxure, and send him flying backwards.
"You OK, Fraxure," Ash asked his Pokémon, after Fraxure lifted his head from the ground, and tried to stand up.
Fraxure looked at Ash, and nodded, and then stood back up, and went back in front of Ash, ready to continue.
"Use Slash!" Ash said, and Fraxure's claws glowed white and extended, and then he jumped at Ninetales, and slashed her across the face, giving her a big slash mark.
Ninetales backed away a little, and moaned in pain from the slash, but overall was fine.
"Come on Ninetales, you can do it, use Swift!" Serena said.
Ninetales lifted her head, showing slash mark on her face, and then narrowed he eyes, jumped in the air, and swished her tales, releasing yellow stars at Fraxure, who got hit my most of them, and received quite a bit of damage.
"Great job, Ninetales," Serena praised her Pokémon, and Ninetales nodded. "Now, finish him with Ice Beam!"
"Fraxure, get up, and use Draco Meteor!" Ash said, as he tried to get as much from this round as possible, even if he ends up losing it.
Fraxure got up, though he was a little hurt, and then started to glow orange. Fraxure fired an orange ball of light into the sky, right after Ninetales fired Ice Beam, which hit Fraxure not long after, and completely froze him in a block of ice.
The ball of light went into the sky, and then suddenly exploded, and multiple smaller spheres started raining down on the field and Ninetales, who was barely able to lift Protect around herself.
The raining of the spheres did a lot of damage on the field, and the dust was lifted, which covered the view for a whole minute.
As soon as the dust was lifted, and by then the snow storm that Ninetales created, also disappeared, everyone saw Fraxure still frozen in a block of ice, while Ninetales, was lying on the ground, breading heavily, but still conscious.
"Well, that's surprising," Ash said, while looking at Ninetales, as he expected her to be taken out by Draco Meteor.
"If it wasn't for Protect, she would have been taken out," Serena said. "Though she still took a lot of damage, as the barrier didn't hold until the end, and got destroyed, while the meteors were still raining down."
"Is that so?" Ash asked, and Serena nodded.
Seeing that Fraxure is most likely done for, as he was frozen for almost two minutes now, the referee called the round in Serena's favor.
"Fraxure is unable to continue, the winner of round one, is Ninetales!"
"Serena wins the first round, and surprisingly gets a lead in her match against Ash," the announcer commented! "It seems that this is going to be a very good match!"
Ash then returned his Pokémon in his Poke Ball, and took another.
"Houndoom, you are next!" Ash said, and his Pokémon came out of his Poke Ball, ready to battle.
Serena saw Ash's next Pokémon, and saw that Ninetales is low on power and very hurt, so she decided to switch her Pokémon.
Serena returned her Ninetales, and released her Feraligatr, as he would be great advantage against Fire Type like Houndoom.
"BEGIN!"
"Houndoom, use Dark Pulse!" Ash started the round.
"Feraligatr, counter it with Hydro Pump!" Serena said.
Houndoom went first, and fired a beam of black and purple circles from his mouth at Feraligatr, who quickly countered it as the red spikes on Feraligatr's head started to glow light red and he released a powerful blast of water from his mouth, which then collided with Houndoom's attack, and after about two seconds of pushing at each other, both attacks exploded, canceling each other out.
"Use Feint Attack, Houndoom!" Ash continued.
Houndoom started running toward Feraligatr on his right side, until he disappeared and suddenly slammed into Feraligatr from Feraligatr's left side, and Feraligatr flew backwards a few meters, until he fell on the ground close to Serena.
"Are you Ok, Feraligatr," Serena asked, and her Pokémon stood up quickly, and nodded? "Good, now use, Hydro Pump, again!"
Feraligatr released another powerful blast of water at Houndoom, who quickly dodged it, but then Serena told her Pokémon to use Brick Break, and Feraligatr's hand glowed light blue, and he slammed it right on Houndoom's head, making Houndoom slam into the ground head first.
"Come on Houndoom, get up, and use Crunch!" Ash said to his Pokémon, who managed to get up a few moments later, and shook his head to clear the mist in front of his eyes.
Houndoom's teeth then glowed orange and he run and jumped at Feraligatr and then bit down on Feraligatr's right arm with his teeth, which caused Feraligatr to yell in pain.
"Punch him away, Feraligatr!" Serena said, and Feraligatr used another Brick Break on Houndoom with his left arm, and Houndoom was again slammed into the ground. Feraligatr's arm was released, though there was injury on it from the bite.
Few moments later, Houndoom again got up from the ground, though now he was breathing hard. He was staring at Feraligatr who was not breathing as hard as Houndoom, but he had an injured right arm, and was holding it because of the pain.
"Houndoom, use Flame Charge!" Ash said.
"Feraligatr, use Aqua Tail!" Serena countered.
Houndoom then became surrounded in red fire, and started running toward Feraligatr faster than his normal speed.
Feraligatr's tail become surrounded in a stream of water that spiraled around his tail and he whipped it around, slamming it straight at Houndoom, who was about to hit him.
The attacks collided with one another, and it caused a small shockwave to go over the field, and then the steam started rising around the field because of the clash between fire and water.
"Push it harder, Houndoom!" Ash yelled to his Pokémon, and Houndoom narrowed his eyes, and the fire around him increased, and that was enough to overpower Feraligatr's Aqua Tail. Houndoom hit Feraligatr, and Serena's Pokémon flew backwards all the way out of the field and crushed into the ground rolling a little before it stopped.
"Good job, Houndoom," Ash praised his Pokémon, who nodded, while breathing very hard from some mild injuries, but mostly from exhaustion.
"Are you ok, Feraligatr," Serena asked her Pokémon, who was lying under a small rubble? "Can you continue?"
Feraligatr started moving, and got up from under the rubble, while covered in some bruises and burn marks, and then slowly walked back to the field, and stood in front of Serena, after which, he nodded.
"Great, now use Hydro Cannon!" Serena said.
"Counter it with Hyper Beam, Houndoom!" Ash said.
Feraligatr went first and created a light blue ball of water in front of his mouth, and then fired it at Houndoom, who also opened his mouth, and fired a yellow beam, which then collided with Hydro Cannon, and the two pushed at each other.
After almost half a minute of pushing, both attacks exploded, which caused an explosion that sent both Pokémon flying backwards away from the field, and behind their trainers.
It took few moments for both Pokemon to stand back up even slightly, as Feraligatr was kneeling on one knee, and breathing hard, while Houndoom was fully standing, and was looking at Feraligatr, while also breathing hard.
Both Ash and Serena asked their Pokémon if they can continue, and they both nodded, though it was clear that they are barely standing, and probably have one attack left in them, so both trainers decided to finish it with their next attack.
"Feraligatr, use Hydro Cannon, full power!" Serena said.
Feraligatr put all of his remaining energy into his final attack, and fired another ball of water at Houndoom, but Ash told Houndoom to dodge it, which Houndoom did, and Feraligatr's attack missed and slammed into the ground, and then Ash said to his Pokémon to use Thunder Fang!
Houndoom run toward Feraligatr, while his fangs were glowing yellow and sparks of yellow electricity surround them. Once he was close enough, Houndoom bit Feraligatr again, making Feraligatr scream in pain, as electricity from Thunder Fang went over his arm, and all over his body.
Few seconds later, Houndoom let go of Feraligatr's arm, and Feraligatr fell on the ground, unconscious.
"Feraligatr is unable to continue, the winner of round 2 is Houndoom!" The referee said, while the crowd cheered for both trainers, as they were showing them great battles so far.
Serena sighed, and returned her Pokémon, and then took another of her Poke Balls, and released her third Pokémon, which was Ducklett.
Many were surprised by another unknown Pokémon, and some were wondering how Serena, Ash and some other trainers like Leaf for example, even managed to get so many Pokémon from different Regions.
Ash saw the condition in which his Houndoom is, as he can barely stand, so he returned him to rest, and then released his third Pokémon. "Come out, Noctowl!" Ash said, and his Pokémon came out of his Poke Ball, and was floating in the air, while looking at Ducklett.
"You know, I'm surprised by how well Serena is doing," Amber commented from her seat, surrounded by the other of Ash's and her friends, as well as Delia and Professor Oak.
"Well, Serena did travel with Ash for an entire year, and she has trained with him every day, so I can't say I'm really that surprised," Brock said. "Her Pokemon had about as much training as Ash's. The same goes for Leaf, and Misty, as they trained a lot with him."
"Yes, but Ash has much more experience, he shouldn't have much trouble," Amber said.
"Maybe his not giving it his all," Misty said, and everyone looked at her, while at the same time, they paid attention to the battle that was going down in the field between Ducklett and Noctowl.
"Why would he hold back," Amber asked? "Wouldn't Serena want him to give it his best even if she loses?"
"Ash is very smart, and he is probably using this to train his Pokémon, as well as help Serena and her Pokémon train as well," Misty said. "I have been traveling with Ash for years, and I know that he really cares about training his Pokémon, but also wants to help all of us who are traveling with him. So, I'm sure that right now, he is more interested in making his Pokémon stronger, as well as make Serena better trainer, then he is interested in winning."
"I see," Amber said, and then she said nothing else, and started paying more attention to the battle, and the others followed her.
Back on the field, Ducklett and Noctowl have been battling for a few minutes now, and it was obvious that Ducklett has no chance in this round, as she hasn't been able to land even a single hit on Noctowl, who is just too far away from her at this point.
"Ducklett, use Ice Beam!" Serena said, trying to land a hit on Noctowl, with wider area attack.
Ducklett opened her beak, and formed a light blue ball inside of it, and then fired multiple light blue beams at Noctowl, who was floating in the air.
"Noctowl, Sky Attack!" Ash said simply, and Noctowl's eyebrow tufts glowed white and he flew into the air as he was preparing for the attack. Then, Noctowl's body become surrounded by a white aura and he flew back down at Ducklett, while dodging all the ice beams. He then slammed into Ducklett full force, making Ducklett let out a yell in pain, and flew far back out of the field, ending up bouncing few times from the ground before she stopped.
Few seconds later, after the referee realized that Ducklett is not getting back up, he announced the end of the round. "Ducklett is unable to battle, the third round goes to Noctowl!"
"And so, the third round in the quarterfinal match between Ash and Serena is over, with another win for Ash, who is now in the lead, as he has one more Pokémon left to battle then Serena." The announcer said, while crowd was cheering, and wanted to watch more.
Serena returned her Pokémon, and soon released her fourth Pokémon. "Come on out, Ampharos!"
"Serena chose Ampharos for her fourth Pokémon," the announcer said! "Will Ash stay with Noctowl, or will he choose another Pokémon, let's wait and see?"
"Sorry Noctowl, I know you want to continue, but others must have their chance as well," Ash said to his Pokémon, who nodded. Noctowl was returned to his Poke Ball, and Ash took another ball, and released his fourth Pokémon. "You are up, Golem!"
After another minute of surprised faces, because no one has ever seen Alolan Golem before, the referee started the round.
"BEGIN!"
"Ampharos, use Cotton Spore!" Serena started.
Ampharos released multiple fluffy, white cotton balls from its mouth that went and floated around Golem, and were about to trap him, but he used Protect, and saved himself.
"Now, Golem, use Mega Punch!" Ash said.
Golem rushed up to the opponent while holding one of his fists back and was ready to strike Ampharos with a powerful punch.
"Ampharos, use Iron Tail, to counter that attack!" Serena said, and her Pokémon's tail glowed white, and then hardened. After it did, Ampharos slammed it right at Golem's fist, and the two attacks practically canceled each other, making both Pokémon were pushed backwards.
"Golem, use Rock Throw!" Ash said, and Golem fired a rock from the top of his body at Ampharos, who was then hit by it, and sent flying backwards, until it hit the ground.
"Are you ok, Ampharos," Serena asked her Pokémon, who managed to stand back up, and nodded. "Good, now use Hyper Beam!"
"Golem, use Thunderbolt to counter it!" Ash said, and his Pokémon fired a bolt of lightning from in between the rocks on top of his body, which then collided with Hyper Beam, and the two attacks exploded, canceling one another.
"Golem, use Earthquake!" Ash quickly continued, trying to catch Serena of guard, and he did manage to do it, because his Golem jumped in the air, and slammed back down, which caused a huge earthquake to spread around the field, and Ampharos fell on the ground from the shaking.
"Oh no, Ampharos!" Serena shouted, as she wasn't expecting this.
"Use Fire Blast, Golem!" Ash shouted, and Golem fired the only fire type attack he learned, which directly hit Ampharos, who was kneeling on the ground, and dealt it a lot of damage.
"Come on, Ampharos, don't give up," Serena called her Pokémon, who was trying to stand up. "Try to use Iron Tail, again!"
Ampharos got up, and its tail glowed and hardened again, and then it jumped at Golem, trying to hit him from above.
"Golem, dodge and finish it off with another Fire Blast!" Ash said.
Golem quickly jumped backwards, and Ampharos slammed its tail on the ground, and then Golem quickly fired another Fire Blast, which Ampharos wasn't able to dodge, and was again engulfed in fire, which caused it even more damage.
Once the dust from the explosion cleared, Ampharos was seen with swirls in its eyes, as it was clearly unconscious.
"Ampharos is unable to continue, the winner is Golem!" The referee called.
Serena sighed, and returned her Pokémon, and then took another Poke Ball, and released her Alolan Ninetails again, as she wanted to keep her last too Pokémon as fresh as possible.
Ash decided to continue with Golem, so the referee started the round. "BEGIN!"
"Golem use Rock Throw!" Ash said, and Golem fired a rock from the top of his body, that went straight at Ninetales.
"Ninetales, dodge, and then use Hypnosis!" Serena said, and her Pokémon swiftly dodged the rock and then her eyes glowed light blue. Golem suddenly became sleepy, and then fell on the ground few moments later, as he has fallen asleep.
Ash sighed as he saw this, and though about training his Pokemon to learn Sleep Talk, so they can deal when something like this happens.
"Ninetales, use Hyper Beam!" Serena called her Pokémon's attack, and Ninetales fired a yellow beam from her mouth, which hit Golem, and sent him rolling backwards few meters, until he stopped, and everyone saw he has passed out.
"Golem is unable to continue, the winner is Ninetales!" The referee called.
"And so the match that looked to go in Ash's directions, is now back to be very interesting, as Serena's Ninetales made short work of Ash's Alolan Golem, which is the second of Ash's Pokémon she was able to take out," the announcer commented, while the crowd cheered, as they hoped Serena can return in the match, and put up a good fight, which is what everyone wants to see. "Now, let's just see if she can keep this up!"
Ash returned his Golem, and then released back his Houndoom, who would have the advantage against the Ice Type Pokémon, but considering that he is tired from battling Feraligator, it could go both ways.
Of course, Serena's Ninetales is also tired, but she had a little more time to rest then Houndoom, and an easier opponent to beat in the first round.
"BEGIN!" The referee started the round.
"Houndoom, use Flamethrower!" Ash called.
"Ninetales, counter it with Ice Beam!" Serena countered.
Both Pokémon fired their attacks at the same time, and when they collided, they caused a small explosion.
"Houndoom use Nasty Plot, and then Fire Blast!" Ash went with his next move.
"Ninetales, you use Hail, and then Ice Beam!" Serena said.
Houndoom's eyes glowed red, and his special attack power increased. Then, he took a deep breath, and released a very powerful star shaped attack at Ninetales.
In the meantime, Ninetales released a gust of cold air from her body, causing snow to start falling, at about the same time, Houndoom was about to fire his attack.
Ninetales then created an orb of energy in front of her mouth, and then fired it at Houndoom.
Both attacks then collided in the middle of the field, and started pushing at each other.
Even though Houndoom had a type advantage over Ninetales, he was constantly being weakened by the Hail that Ninetales released, which caused him to start losing the battle few seconds later.
Ice beam then broke through Houndoom's Fire Blast, and went at Ash's Pokémon, who managed to react quickly at Ash's order, and put up a Protect, that was able to stop the Ice Beam.
"That was a close one," Ash commented, and then thought about his next attack. "Houndoom, use Sunny Day!"
Houndoom released a white beam of light at the sky, and the sun suddenly started shining brighter, and canceled Ninetales's Hail.
"Nice job, Houndoom," Ash praised. "Now use, Overheat!"
Houndoom fired a white flame that has a red-orange flame spiraling around it, at Ninetales.
Ninetales was hit by a powerful Fire Type attack, which caused an explosion that covered her.
Everyone waited to the dust to clear and see what happened with Ninetales, and if she is still able to continue or not.
Serena was certainly hoping that Ninetales was fine, while Ash was hoping she is down, as Houndoom was breathing hard, and was barely standing.
When the dust cleared, Ninetales was see lying on the ground, with swirls in her eyes.
"Ninetales is unable to continue, the winner is Houndoom! The referee said, and then Houndoom smiled a little, and then fell on the ground, unconscious.
"Would you look at that, Houndoom is down as well, and even though he won this round, in the end, he was too tired to continue," the announcer commented, while both Ash and Serena sighed, and returned their Pokémon.
Ash and Serena then picked up another of their Poke Balls, and released their new Pokémon at the same time.
"Come out, Delphox/Heracross!"
As the two Pokémon came out of their Poke Balls, and stood ready to battle, the referee started the round. "BEGIN!"
"Delphox, use Flamethrower!" Serena said.
"Heracross, dodge, and then use Take Down!" Ash countered.
Delphox's Flamethrower went under Heracross, who flew in the air, and then charged at Delphox at the high speed, and slammed into her. Delphox went rolling on the ground for a few meters, until she stopped herself, and got back to feet, with little damage.
"Delphox, use Fire Spin!" Serena said, and Delphox sticks out her wand, and shot a stream of swirling fire from the tip of it.
"Heracross, Protect, and then Megahorn!" Ash said.
Heracross created a light green barrier in front of himself, which stopped the Fire Spin attack. Then he flew in the air, and his horn glowed feint red, and he flew at Delphox.
"Delphox, stop him with Protect!" Serena shouted.
Quickly, a barrier just like the one Heracross created earlier, was in front of Delphox, and Heracross rammed into it.
Heracross pushed with all of his strength to break it and after few moments, the barrier got cracks all over it. Serena told Delphox to push more power into it, but Heracross broke through, and hit Delphox with his horn, dealing her great damage, though not as much as he would have if there wasn't Protect in his way.
Serena cheered for Delphox to stand up, and continue to fight, and about half a minute after Heracross hit her, Delphox was back up again, though she was breathing hard.
"Great, now use Flamethrower, again!" Serena said, and Delphox fired another fire attack at Heracross, who again dodged it.
"Use Megahorn, again, Heracross!" Ash said.
"Delphox, use Iron Tail!" Serena said.
As Heracross was flying at her with his glowing horn, Delphox's tail glowed and hardened. Delphox somersaulted in the air, and her tail collided with Heracross's Megahorn. There was a big shockwave from the clash, which pushed both Pokémon backwards.
"Come on, Delphox, use Fire Punch!" Serena said to her Pokémon, who turned backwards in the air, and jumped on her legs, and then her right arm light on fire. Delphox jumped at Heracross who just stood up, and punched him on the face, giving him a nasty burn, and sending him flying backwards, again.
"Are you OK, Heracross?" Ash asked his Pokémon, who was standing back up, then returned in front of Ash, and then nodded, though he was a little dazed from that punch.
"OK, then use Night Slash!" Ash said.
"Delphox, use Mystical Fire!" Serena said.
First, both of Heracross's claws glowed crimson, and then he flew and slashed at Delphox, who was able to react on time, and she swings her wand stick around in a circle, forming a ring of red-orange fire in front of herself, and then released a red-orange stream of fire from her mouth at Heracross, who was just in front of her, ready to slash her.
Delphox's fire attack hit Heracross head on, and sent him all the way out of the field, and slammed him into the wall behind Ash.
It took a minute for the smoke to clear, and when it cleared, Heracross was shown kneeling on his knees, with both of his arms on the ground as he was holding himself on them, while breathing hard, and covered in burn marks.
"Can you continue, Heracross?" Ash asked, though he knew his Pokémon is barely holding himself from passing out.
Heracross somehow managed to stand up, and went back to the field, much to the shock of some people who thought he was done for, though there were some in the crowd who were happy he is not out, as it means they can still continue to watch this battle.
"OK, then use Focus Blast!" Ash said.
Heracross put his hands together and formed a light blue ball of energy, which he then fired at Delphox.
"Delphox, finish this with Blast Burn!" Serena said, and her Pokémon created a huge ball of red fire in front of her mouth, and then fired a fire beam at Heracross.
The two attacks collided at the middle of the field, and Heracross's Focus Blast held for a few seconds, before Blast Burn broke through it, and went at Heracross.
"Protect!" Ash called as soon as the fire attack broke through Heracross's attack, and Heracross shielded himself with the barrier, which was hit by the very powerful fire type attack. There was a huge explosion that covered the whole field in smoke, and no one knew if the barrier held, or if was Heracross out.
Few moments later, while everyone was waiting for the smoke to clear, Ash suddenly called his next attack, much to everyone shock, including Serena's and her Pokémon's.
"Heracross, use Night Slash!"
While covered by smoke, Heracross flew at Delphox, somehow knowing where she is, and slashed at her with both of his claws, dealing her a near critical damage, as Delphox fell on the ground.
It took about half a minute more for the smoke to clear, and Delphox was seen lying on the ground, though she was moving and trying to stand up, while Heracross was standing in front of Ash, breathing hard.
"Come on, Delphox, don't give up!" Serena cheered her Pokémon, and Delphox tried hard to stand up, but that Night Slash really did her in.
"Heracross, finish this with Hyper Beam!" Ash said, and his Pokémon fired a beam of yellow energy from his mouth at Delphox, who was not able to stand up and get away from it. Delphox was hit head on, and sent flying behind Serena until she collided with the wall just like Heracross earlier, and then few moments later, Delphox was shown with swirls in her eyes.
"Delphox is unable to continue, the winner is..." The referee started to announce the winner of the round, but then Heracross also fell on the ground, and passed out.
"Both Delphox and Heracross are unable to continue, this round is a tie!" The referee announced, while most of the crowd cheered on the great round, and some were surprised by the end.
Ash and Serena returned their Pokémon to have a well-deserved rest, and then Serena took her last Poke Ball, and released her final Pokémon.
"Come on out, Dragonite!" Serena called her Pokémon, who came out of his Poke Ball, and roared to the sky showing his power a little. He was looking pumped up to battle against Ash and his Pokémon, as he knows how strong they are.
Ash stood there for a few moments, thinking what to do next. "I have Noctowl left from the third round, and Zweilous, but which one should I go with? Dragonite is stronger than Zweilous, but Noctowl was also physically weaker, though he might be able to keep up with special moves!"
Ash thought for a few more moments, and then took a Poke Ball, and released his Pokémon. "You are up, Noctowl!"
Noctowl came out of his Poke Ball, and floated in the air, facing Dragonite.
"BEGIN!" The referee started the round.
"Noctowl, use Air Slash!" Ash said.
"Dragonite, dodge, and use Thunder Wave!" Serena countered.
Noctowl raised his wings above his head and a spiraling light blue orb of energy forms in between them, which he then throws at Dragonite, who easily dodged the attack, and then released a stream of blue electricity from the ends of his antennae at Noctowl.
"Noctowl, Protect!" Ash said, and Noctowl surrounded himself with a barrier, from which Dragonite's attack bounced off, and disappeared.
"Now use Heat Wave!" Ash said.
Noctowl opened his mouth, and released a wind of red flames at Dragonite, who was hit, and got some nasty burns on his body.
"Go in with Steel Wing, Noctowl!" Ash said, trying to use the opportunity and cause more damage to Dragonite.
"Dragonite, get up, and use Ice Beam!" Serena said, and Dragonite flew back in the air, just in time to dodge the Steel Wing attack from Noctowl.
Dragonite then created a white ball of energy in front of his mouth, and then fired multiple beams at Noctowl.
"Dodge and use Extrasensory!" Ash said.
Noctowl again dodged Dragonite's attack, which ended up freezing a large portion of the field, and then Noctowl's eyes glowed gold and he opened his beak, releasing a multicolored circular beam with white crescents around it at Dragonite, who was then surrounded by the beam. Noctowl lifted Dragonite into the air and threw him on the ground, causing Dragonite to yelp as he crushed hard into the ground.
"Come on Dragonite, don't give up, get up and use Dragon Rage!" Serena called her Pokemon, who got up, and then flew back in the air. He created a ball of fire in his mouth and released a fiery inferno at Noctowl.
"Noctowl, Protect, again!" Ash said, and Noctowl was again able to save himself with a powerful Protect move.
There was an explosion that was caused by Dragon Rage hitting the barrier, and Noctowl was covered in the smoke.
"Dragonite, use Twister!" Serena called her next move, not even waiting for the smoke to clear.
Dragonite then created a tornado by flapping his wings, and then the tornado went at Noctowl, dispersed the smoke, and caught Noctowl in the middle of it. Noctowl was being thrown around inside of the Twister, getting some damage.
Few moments later, the tornado disappeared, and Noctowl fell on the ground, bit was still in the match, and didn't pass out.
"Are you OK, Noctowl?" Ash asked, while Noctowl slowly flew back in the air, shook his head a little, and then nodded at Ash.
"Good, use Moonblast!" Ash said, and Serena's eyes widened, as she knew how much damage Dragonite would get from that move.
Noctowl gathered energy from the moon, and then formed an orb of pink energy inside of his beak, and fired it at Dragonite.
"Dragonite, counter it with Hyper Beam!" Serena shouted, and Ash smirked, as that was a mistake she has made.
Dragonite fired a big yellow beam from his mouth, which collided with Moonblast, and after a few seconds of pushing at one another, the two attacks exploded, and the shockwave sent both Pokémon flying back on the ground.
They both stood back up at the same time, but Dragonite was breathing hard, as that attack took a lot out of him.
"Noctowl, use Sky Attack!" Ash said.
Noctowl used the opportunity that Dragonite tired after using Hyper Beam, and his eyebrow tufts glowed white and he flew into the air as he prepared for the attack. Then, his body become surrounded by a white aura and then flew at Dragonite.
"Dragonite dodge!" Serena shouted, and Dragonite tried to move away from the most powerful Flying Type attack, but was late, and was hit hard by Noctowl. Dragonite flew back on the ground, where he crushed, and got covered by some dust.
"OH NO, DRAGONITE" Serena shouted, as she saw her Pokémon hit hard by a very powerful attack, and now she is worried he is defeated which would mean she is out of the tournament.
When the dust cleared, Dragonite was shown knelling in the ground, and was breathing hard, but looked like he can continue.
"Come on, Dragonite, use Wing Attack!" Serena said, and Dragonite managed to stand back up, flapped his wings and white energy is released from them, which hit Noctowl, and sent him back crushing on the ground.
Noctowl was still able to stand back up, while being covered in some bruises, from that attack, and then flew in the air, ready to continue.
"Noctowl, use Air Slash!" Ash said.
"Dragonite, dodge, and use Thunder Punch!" Serena said.
When Noctowl created and threw another orb of energy at Dragonite, Dragonite's right fist got surrounded by yellow sparks, which grow into a ball of electrical energy. He then flew and dodged Noctowl's attack, and was about to punch Noctowl.
"Noctowl, use Calm Mind!" Ash said, and Noctowl's eyes glowed, and he relaxed a little, as he was punched by Dragonite's Thunder Punch, which sent him crushing down on the ground.
"Dragonite, finish him off with Dragon Breath!" Serena said, hoping to win with this attack, since her Dragonite can barely last any longer, and there is still one Pokémon Ash has left.
Dragonite fired his attack, which went straight at Noctowl, who was now barely floating above the ground, and that was only thanks to Calm Mind.
"Noctowl, use Protect.
In the last second, Noctowl saved himself again with a defensive move, which stopped Dragon Breath.
"Damnit, I was so close!" Serena shouted, which surprised Ash a little, as he wasn't expecting that, but he assumed she really wanted to win, so he just let it go.
"Noctowl, use Hypnosis!" Ash said, and Noctowl's eyes glowed red and he released red circles that expand as they moved towards Dragonite, who was caught off guard along with Serena, as she didn't expect that move. Dragonite was hit, and got hypnotized into a sleep.
"Dragonite, come on, wake up!" Serena shouted as she saw her Pokémon fall asleep.
"Use Dream Eater." Ash said.
Noctowl's eyes glowed red, and he created a shadow like version of himself, which went through the sleeping Dragonite, and sucked out almost all of his energy, which was then added to Noctowl, who then got reenergized by it.
"Now finish him with Moonblast!" Ash called his final move, and Noctowl fired a pink orb at Dragonite, who was hit by it.
Few moments later, when the smoke and dust cleared, Dragonite was seen with swirls in his eyes, so the referee called the match.
"Dragonite is unable to continue, the winner is Noctowl, and the match goes to Ash Ketchum!"
Serena sighed as she lost the match, then she returned her defeated Pokémon, and finally smiled, as she saw Ash walking toward her, after he returned his Noctowl.
"That was great battle, Serena" Ash said. "I haven't had a battle like that since I faced against Blue, so I congratulate you on the progress you have made since the start of your journey."
"Thanks Ash, and I promise you that the next time we face, I will win!" Serena said, and she and Ash shook hands, and then walked out of the field, while the crowd cheered for both of them.
For the rest of the day, Ash and Serena watched two other quarterfinal matches, along with Leaf, Misty and Brock, as well as few other people, like Professor Oak and Delia.
In the third quarterfinal match, Gary defeated Marina, in a very interesting match, as Marina proved to be a very good trainer, and has defeated five of Gary's Pokémon, but in the end, couldn't defeat his Blastoise.
The last quarterfinal match was between Amber and a guy called John Dickson, and Amber won with her final Pokémon the only one still standing, though Ash noticed how she hasn't used some of her more powerful Pokemon, including her Latias, which made him think Amber is much better then what she has shown so far, not that she has shown little.
When the last match finished, it was already late afternoon, and the gang along with their friends gathered in the restaurant in Silver Town, and all together spent the rest of the day, celebrating that Ash, Amber, Leaf and Gary are in the semifinal.