With Nemona's stellar performance, the lagging score was pulled back to 1–2.
As Blueberry Academy's momentum inevitably faltered, Naranja Academy's low morale was instantly revived.
Penny and Lacey, the two opponents for the fourth round, stepped up.
Having experienced a loss once, Blueberry Academy had already adjusted their mindset. Faced once again with Penny, Lacey's fighting spirit ignited.
On Penny's side, bolstered by team morale, she—rarely—faced all eyes on her and played a flawless match.
Lacey's father is Gym Leader Clay of Unova. Growing up immersed in training, her skills as a trainer were no joke.
Penny's background was even more dazzling—her father, a former Galar League Champion; her uncle, the League Chairman; and with those connections, she sometimes met not just the current champion but even former ones.
Don't be fooled by her "hacker nerd" image; her knowledge as a trainer was never lacking, especially with Lucas's guidance.
Strictly speaking, Lacey isn't a pure Fairy specialist—she is a "cute specialist."
She always captures Pokémon she finds adorable, naturally mastering the Fairy type, though her team includes many non-Fairy Pokémon.
In this 3-on-3, Lacey sent out Whimsicott, Primarina, and Excadrill—a "very cute" Pokémon from her father.
Penny led with Sylveon, then rotated to Jolteon and Flareon.
Penny's ace, Sylveon, started by defeating Whimsicott but was switched out for Jolteon against Primarina.
Sensing the disadvantage, Lacey countered with Excadrill, who beat Jolteon and returned to Primarina.
Penny responded by sending in Sylveon again. After another tough skirmish, Sylveon bested Primarina but, at low health and a type disadvantage, lost to Excadrill.
Penny's final Pokémon—a fully recovered, perfect condition Flareon—entered the fray.
Lacey's Excadrill was also battered after fighting Sylveon and Jolteon.
That's when Penny pulled out her trump card—the Tera Orb.
With "Tera Fire," Flareon's fire moves became stronger than ever. Excadrill was quickly defeated.
The score was tied, 2–2.
On Blueberry Academy's side, Briar thoughtfully stared at Flareon's candle-like head, muttering to herself.
"So this is Terastalization..."
"If only we could recreate it inside the Terarium…"
The fifth match began: Arven vs. Crispin.
Several months earlier, after Lucas had beaten Alder, Crispin underperformed due to shaken nerves. But now, he was much improved.
No more nervousness; his performance flawless.
His lack of battle experience, obvious before, had faded thanks to Alder's mentoring.
Arven, meanwhile, had the benefit of a full adventure, a trip into Paldea's Great Crater with Lucas, and a period of "hellish training" under Nemona.
Both were masterful cooks, but Crispin lacked some natural Trainer's intuition, making the battle intense.
Ultimately, Arven's Ursaluna defeated Crispin's ace, Blaziken, and ended the match.
That powerful, leaping body—even the nimblest Blaziken looked like a chick before the might of Ursaluna.
For a moment, the image of Ursaluna's ferocity was seared deeply into everyone's memory.
Many reporters hurried to organize their notes for a first-hand story.
Next up, Eri vs. Amarys pushed the excitement to new highs.
Amarys, from Castelia City of Unova, could be summed up this way: A born trainer, who precisely controls Steel-types and ruthlessly corners her foes.
Her battle style was chillingly calm—especially daunting for instinct-driven, Fighting-specialist Eri.
Her team: Skarmory, Scizor, and Metagross.
A master of double battles, Amarys was no slouch at singles.
Skarmory opened with entry hazards and tag-teamed with Scizor to pressure Eri's Breloom.
If Lucas hadn't taught Eri the correct use of "Poison Heal," Breloom would've fallen quickly.
Toxicroak couldn't be played due to typing, Crabominable was too slow, and Blaziken too weak for this level.
So Eri switched to her ace, Annihilape, seeking a chance.
But Scizor's rapid Steel-type attacks put it at a real disadvantage.
First, Spikes punishing every switch, then Skarmory "walking" Annihilape like a dog for lack of Flying.
Outraged, one close chance let Eri land an "Anger Fist" to daze Scizor.
With Scizor reeling, Eri—ever the instinct type—immediately called for "Fire Punch," its four-times effective power KO'ing Scizor.
But having taken a lot of hits, Annihilape was then knocked out by Metagross's heavy onslaught.
With Annihilape gone, Amarys called back Metagross and set Skarmory again, even refreshing Spikes to lock down switches.
Reluctantly, Eri brought out Breloom again, hoping its endurance and recovery would buy a chance.
After all, with no Annihilape left, switching in Ursaluna would just be giving Amarys the upper hand.
Funny how it is: Fighting supposedly counters Steel, but Amarys's Pokémon either neutralized that or, like Scizor, could brawl evenly thanks to sheer strength.
Eri was left suffocating by the tactics.
Breloom couldn't dent Skarmory's high defense and resistances—only a slow war of attrition.
With Metagross still lurking, Eri dared not bring out Ursaluna into Spikes. The two sides deadlocked for ages.
Luckily, Toxic Orb Poison Healing Breloom's stamina was something else, and finally, Eri saw an opportunity.
Seeing Skarmory flagging, and betting on its defense, Amarys gambled—ordering Roost to recover health.
For that turn, Skarmory lost its Flying type, becoming pure Steel.
Eri wasted no time—Mach Punch and all-out Force Palm landed in a flurry.
Skarmory, never one to just take a beating, retaliated at close range with a Brave Bird.
Ultimately, Breloom couldn't hold out and fell, Skarmory barely scraping by with a sliver of HP.
Cornered, Eri called on Ursaluna, who tackled Skarmory before it could take off, finishing it off.
Then came Metagross vs. Ursaluna.
One was Hoenn's famous late-bloomer, the other the fierce, unstoppable bear partnered with Nemona and Arven.
The fight was intense—a true showdown of raw violence.
Metagross's Meteor Mash and Ursaluna's Hammer Arm clashed over and over. Then, Ursaluna bit down with Crunch, gaining the upper hand.
Amarys's elaborate strategies failed before such overwhelming force.
Even Metagross's great intellect couldn't tolerate losing in raw strength.
Both ultimately went down together—a draw!
In the crowd, a kaiju fan happily stowed his camera, eager to re-watch the footage.
The clash of steel and muscle was truly thrilling.
Many reporters' eyes lit up, writing feverishly.
First, Nemona's Ursaluna crushed Flygon. Then Arven's Ursaluna steamrolled Crispin's Blaziken. Lastly, Amarys's Metagross vs. Eri's Ursaluna delivered a titanic collision.
Everyone was excited!
At that moment, standing in the square, both Briar and Clavell exchanged a glance. Clavell announced:
"The score now stands at Naranja Academy with three points, Blueberry Academy with two, and one draw.
"The next match will determine whether Naranja Academy secures victory or Blueberry Academy catches up for a draw.
"Please look forward to the final battle!"
With just a few sentences, Briar whipped the crowd into anticipation for the thrilling conclusion.
From Blueberry Academy's side, Ellios confidently assured his juniors.
"Relax. As Aliquis's brother, I know him best.
"I don't mean to belittle him, but precisely because I understand him, I can say for sure he can't beat me.
"This one is in the bag."
Hearing this, Drayton, now recovered from his loss, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
That was for the best.
Though the opponent had once been defeated fair and square, as a senior Elite Four of Blueberry League, Drayton still trusted Ellios.
At the very least, compared to the embarrassing sweep earlier, getting a draw this time was still progress.
Maybe next time…
On Naranja Academy's side, all eyes zeroed in on Aliquis.
Nemona, Eri, and Shizuka egged him on. Penny tried hacking Blueberry Academy's system to dig out Ellios' full lineup. Arven scrambled to hand out sandwiches for an energy boost, while Paul deadpanned some last-minute advice.
Feeling warm inside, Aliquis firmed his resolve.
Just then—
As the exchange tournament neared its end, Lucas led in an energetic old man wearing a hat.
Nemona recognized him first and blurted out, "You're the grandpa from the ranch outside Mesagoza!"
"Hohoho, you've got such a good memory, young lady—remembering an old man like me."
Ellymos stroked his beard, eyes twinkling as he looked at Nemona.
"I was going to ask about Tauros, but with your performance just now, I'm sure it's in even better shape than when it was at the ranch."
"Thank you for your praise! Tauros runs a hundred laps every day on my villa's private beach—it's absolutely bursting with energy!"
Nemona's eyes lit up as she replied loudly.
"Private beach near the villa …" Paul, from a modest background, twitched his lips.
He was used to seeing Nemona get picked up by a pristine, professional-looking, black-uniformed butler in an understated black car, but the mention of a private beach still left him speechless.
Is this the world of the rich…?
While Paul found himself sour with envy, Aliquis looked at the old man in surprise. "Grandpa, what are you doing here?"
"Your teacher invited me over—otherwise, I wouldn't even get to see both grandkids together," replied Ellymos, giving Lucas a glance.
Lucas added, "Mr. Ellymos has already met your brother, too."
Aliquis instantly understood.
Ellymos placed his warm, old hand on his grandson's shoulder and spoke with genuine gravitas:
"Grandpa knows you want to surpass your brother, though I don't know much about being a Pokémon trainer.
"But I have to say this myself, to both of you."
Pausing, the old man looked his grandson straight in the eye:
"No matter which of you brothers wins, grandpa will applaud you both."
…
"The final match of the Academy Exchange Tournament: Naranja Academy's Aliquis against Blueberry Academy's Ellios."
"Please send out your first Pokémon!"
With a sharp whistle, both trainers threw their Poké Balls.
"Meowscarada!"
"Rillaboom!"
…
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