Chapter 150: The End of the First Day

"There you go! Your Pokemon are all better now."

"Thanks," Iris mumbled as she accepted the tray with her Pokeballs, placing them on her belt before walking out of the Pokemon Center.

Unusually, the sky was clear that day in Wyndon, but Iris paid the beautiful sunset no mind. All she could think about was her last battle.

"I thought that we could do it, but it wasn't enough…"

"Iris! Great match!"

Iris looked up to see Ash, Lillie, and Chloe walking over to her.

"Yeah, you were awesome!" Chloe added.

"I thought you had her for sure," Lillie finished.

"Yeah…thanks…" Iris said, but it was clear to Ash she was just putting on a brave face.

"Iris?"

Finally, Iris couldn't take it any more, breaking down into tears as she hugged Ash, sobbing into his shoulder as he tried to comfort her.

"Iris?"

"I…I'm sorry. I just…I feel so useless!"

"Iris, don't think like that! You're not."

"Aren't I? My Pokemon counted on me, and I blew it! Unova was counting on me, and I blew it!"

Ash smiled, and gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Iris, you didn't blow it. You were awesome!"

"Yeah!" Chloe spoke up. "I thought you had her for sure!"

"Haxorus was amazing!" Lillie said. "Ash showed me pictures of you guys when you were in Unova, I can't believe he was that cute little Axew!"

"Vul!"

As she said that, Haxorus let himself out of his Pokeball and nuzzled her, making Iris smile as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Thanks, guys. I just…I just feel so frustrated. Like I let my friends down…"

Ash nodded in understanding.

"I know how you feel. Remember how bad I felt when I lost the Unova League? It's never fun, especially when you gave it your all. But you and Cilan were there for me, and we're here for you!"

"Got that right!" Chloe said. "Let's go get some ice cream!"

"That always makes me feel better!" Lillie added. Iris smiled, and nodded.

"I'd like that. And, uh, sorry for borrowing your boyfriend there."

"Don't worry about it!"

"A chocolate for Chloe, a strawberry for Iris, and a swirl for me and Lilie!"

"Thanks!"

Once everyone had their cones, they started back to the hotel, Ash and Lillie holding hands as they shared their treat.

"Thanks guys, I needed this. And you know what? I feel sorry for whoever has to face me tomorrow!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Hey Ash, hold up!"

Hop came around the corner, cutting them off from advancing.

"Hey Hop, what's up?"

WIth a grin, Hop pointed his finger at Ash.

"I want to battle you!"

"Me?"

"You didn't think I'd never find out it was you who wrote my recommendation letter, did you? Now come on! I want to prove to you that you made the right choice!"

Ash smiled, and twisted his cap around.

"I'm always up for a challenge!"

Iris sighed, and shook her head.

"Still such a kid."

"Tell me about it," Chloe sympathized. "I swear, he and Goh are two peas in a pod."

Lillie giggled, and finished her ice cream with a smile.

"I love it."

A few minutes later, the two were facing each other on a small battlefield.

"Alright Ash, no holding back! I want to make sure you have what it takes to take on my big bro!"

"You got it! One-on-one?"

"Deal! Go, Dubwool!"

Chloe eyed the new Pokemon curiously.

"A Dubwool, huh? Let's see what the Pokedex has to say about it."

"Dubwool, the Sheep Pokemon, and the evolved form of Wooloo. Weave a carpet from its springy wool, and you end up with something closer to a trampoline. You'll start to bounce the moment you step foot on it."

"Wow!" Ash said excitedly. "Wooloo evolved? Awesome!"

"Yep! And now we're going to show you how awesome we are! Dubwool, Double Edge!"

"Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

Dubwool charged, ready to ram into Pikachu, only to be batted back by a swift strike from his opponent's tail. But while Pikachu was only briefly grazed, Dubwool was knocked out cold.

"Dubwool is unable to battle, Pikachu wins!"

"Alright, way to go buddy!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

Despite his loss, Hop couldn't help but smile as he returned Dubwool to his Pokeball.

"You did great, Dubwool. Get some rest."

He then turned towards Ash to shake his hand.

"Man, you really are as tough as Lee says!"

"Leon talks about me?"

"All the time, and now I can see why!"

"Wow, that's great! By the way, how's the Galar Cup coming?"

Hop smiled, and proudly took out a badge case containing all eight badges, much to their amazement.

"Wow, awesome!"

"Thanks, I got the last badge last week! The league won't be until after the Masters Eight, but that's no excuse to slack off on training!"

"Glad to hear it! Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

Hop was just about to turn and run, but stopped.

"Hey Ash, why'd you write that letter anyway? You barely knew me."

Ash smiled.

"Because I saw your determination, and it reminded me of myself when I started out."

Hop smiled, and gave him a thumbs up.

"Well, don't think I'll be doing you any favors! Next time we battle, I'll win!"

"Hop, I'll accept a challenge any day!"

The next day, the tournament was back in full swing, the members of the Masters Eight gathered in the locker room to see what the matchups would be.

"Alright folks, I hope you got a good night's sleep, because you won't want to miss a second of this action! Today, yesterday's losers will battle it out for the right to stay in the tournament! Let's find out who will be facing who!"

The slots began spinning once more, with the first picture landing on…

"Number 7, Iris!"

"Yes!" Iris shouted. "Time for redemption!"

"And her opponent will be…Number 4, Lance!"

The two locked eyes, a silent acknowledgment of respect passing between them.

"Which means Number 3 Steven Stone will be up against Number 6 Alain!"

Alain turned to his old mentor with a smirk.

"So, I finally get to see how much you've grown!" Steven said. "I look forward to our battle."

"As do I."

"Our competitors have 10 minutes to prepare, then it's showtime! Good luck!"