The sky over the Lily of the Valley Conference was perfectly clear, dotted only by the occasional burst of celebratory fireworks that added vibrant streaks of color to the morning sun.
It was the day of the semi-finals.
The schedule for the final stretch of the tournament was grueling. Both semi-final matches would take place in the morning, and the two victors would go head-to-head in the grand finals that same afternoon.
"Welcome, spectators, to the Lily of the Valley semi-finals!" the announcer's voice boomed across the stadium. "Our first match is about to begin. Let's welcome our competitors, Gary and Kang Hong, to the field!"
By nine o'clock sharp, both trainers were in their designated boxes.
The referee stepped forward, raising his red and blue flags. "This will be a full six-on-six battle between Gary and Kang Hong. The match will continue until all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle. Trainers, please send out your first Pokémon!"
Without wasting a second, Gary and Kang Hong threw their Poké Balls.
"Go, Mightyena!"
"Heatran, you're up."
Two bursts of light hit the field. On Kang Hong's side stood a fierce, dark-furred canine. On Gary's side stood a massive, steel-plated beast radiating intense heat.
[Lv. 50 Mightyena / Elite-tier]
[Lv. 70 Heatran / Quasi-Legendary]
The stadium erupted into an uproar.
"Unbelievable!" the announcer shouted, leaning over his microphone. "Gary's first Pokémon is the Legendary Pokémon, Heatran!"
Up in the stands, Ash gripped the railing in shock. "Since when did Gary catch a Heatran?!"
"It's completely unexpected," Brock said, his arms crossed tightly. "He hasn't used a Legendary in any of the previous rounds. It looks like he's bringing out his heavy hitters for the finals."
The reveal caused absolute chaos among the betting crowd. Tobias's Darkrai had convinced a lot of people to bet against Gary in the overall tournament odds. Now, seeing Gary casually toss out a Heatran, the gamblers were kicking themselves.
Down on the field, the referee brought the flags down. "Battle, begin!"
Gary didn't waste time. "Flamethrower."
Heatran opened its massive jaws, unleashing a roaring tide of fire that left Mightyena with nowhere to run.
Kang Hong reacted quickly. "Use Dark Pulse to push it back!"
Mightyena fired a beam of dark rings, but the attack barely slowed the incoming inferno. The Dark Pulse was overwhelmed in an instant, and the flames swallowed Mightyena completely. When the fire faded, the Dark-type was lying on the ground, thoroughly scorched.
"Mightyena is unable to battle! Heatran wins!"
There was no suspense. A fresh Elite-tier Pokémon simply couldn't stand up to the raw stats of a Champion-level Legendary, especially one as frail as Mightyena.
Kang Hong quickly recalled his fainted Pokémon and sent out his next.
[Lv. 49 Golduck]
Hoping to rely on a type advantage, Kang Hong had opted for a Water-type. Unfortunately, the gap in power was too wide.
"Scorching Sands," Gary ordered.
Heatran spat out a dense, superheated ball of molten sand.
"Counter with Hydro Pump!" Kang Hong yelled.
Golduck fired a massive torrent of water, but the moment the Hydro Pump made contact with the Scorching Sands, it began to rapidly boil and evaporate. The high-temperature sand blasted right through the steam, crashing into Golduck and burying it.
"Golduck is unable to battle!"
Gritting his teeth, Kang Hong sent out his third Pokémon.
[Lv. 49 Manectric]
Manectric didn't fare much better. Heatran took it down with a single heavy strike. However, Manectric managed to accomplish what the first two couldn't: before fainting, it successfully landed a Thunder Wave, leaving electrical sparks arcing across Heatran's steel body.
Seeing the paralysis take effect, Kang Hong didn't hesitate to press the small advantage. He sent out his fourth Pokémon.
[Lv. 50 Tangrowth / Elite-tier]
"Earthquake!" Kang Hong commanded.
Tangrowth slammed its thick vines into the arena floor, sending violent, Ground-type shockwaves directly toward Heatran.
Because moving abruptly could trigger the paralysis lock, Gary didn't bother ordering a dodge. Instead, he let Heatran stand its ground and tank the super-effective hit. Heatran took the brunt of the Earthquake, then immediately opened its mouth and fired a retaliatory Flamethrower.
The flames easily engulfed the Grass-type.
"Tangrowth is unable to battle!"
In the blink of an eye, Kang Hong was down four Pokémon. His chances of winning were practically zero, but he refused to back down just yet.
"Mamoswine, you're up!"
[Lv. 51 Mamoswine / Elite-tier]
"Mamoswine, use High Horsepower!"
Cloaked in earthly Ground-type energy, the massive Ice-type charged forward like a runaway freight train, aiming its heavy tusks right at Heatran.
Watching the incoming charge, Gary gave a single, cold command. "Fire Blast."
A blinding light erupted from Heatran's mouth. A massive, star-shaped burst of fire shot forward, carrying enough heat to seemingly incinerate the air itself.
Boom!!
The attacks collided, creating a massive explosion. A mushroom cloud of fire and smoke rose over the center of the battlefield, completely obscuring Mamoswine. As the smoke slowly cleared, Mamoswine was revealed slumped on the scorched earth, covered in burn marks and completely unconscious.
"Mamoswine is unable to battle! Heatran wins!"
Kang Hong stood in silence. Five of his Pokémon had been defeated in a row by a single Heatran. He looked down at the last Poké Ball in his hand. It was his Magmortar. Against a Fire/Steel Legendary that absorbed fire attacks, he had absolutely no avenue for victory.
He let out a heavy sigh and looked up at the official box. "Referee, I surrender."
A murmur of surprise rippled through the stadium. It was incredibly rare to see a trainer forfeit in the semi-finals of a League Conference. Usually, trainers fought to the bitter end out of pride.
The referee blinked, stepping forward. "Competitor Kang Hong, are you certain you wish to forfeit?"
"Yes, I concede," Kang Hong said firmly, slipping his last Poké Ball back onto his belt.
Seeing that the decision was final, the referee raised the flag toward Gary's side of the field. "Competitor Kang Hong has officially surrendered! The winner of this match is Gary!"
The announcer's voice quickly cut through the murmur of the crowd. "Unable to overcome the overwhelming pressure, Kang Hong has made the tough choice to bow out! Let's give a huge round of applause to Gary, our first finalist!"
While most of the stadium cheered, a loud section of the audience groaned in frustration. The sports betters were furious. They hadn't bet on Kang Hong winning, but many had placed prop bets on Kang Hong forcing Gary to switch out at least once.
"Are you kidding me?!" one gambler yelled. "You couldn't even make him switch Pokémon once before giving up?"
Gary ignored the noise. He turned and walked off the field, his spot in the grand finals fully secured.