The next day, Ash gets up earlier than everyone else to pick up his Pokemon from Nurse Joy and starts training. As he trains with his Pokemon, he notices that Charizard is feeling higher in spirits, clearly glad to have won Ash the battle against Ritchie. Servine feels like it could have done better against Zippo, but Ash cheers it up, saying not to worry about it and to just keep going. A little later in the morning, Ash and Pikachu see Ritchie and Sparky leaving the Pokemon Center to head back to his hometown, and the two of them wave goodbye to their friends. A couple hours later, Misty comes up to him and childishly orders him to come inside for breakfast. Ash wants to train more, but then his stomach rumbles, so he quickly follows Misty with his Pokemon following behind.

After breakfast is over, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Brock, Holly, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu all leave to go back to the registration center to find out who Ash, Max, and Timothy are going to face next.

"Man, only 8 people left in the league already," Max says before turning to Ash, Holly, and Timothy. "And we're half of the remaining 8."

"Yup, we sure are," Ash says with a smile.

"At this rate, it's only a matter of time before some if not all of us have to face each other," Max says.

"And that's assuming some if not all of us don't end up facing each other today at the quarterfinals," Holly points out. "Or that any of us are going to win this round."

"Speak for yourself, Holly," Timothy says. "I don't see any of the other contestants keeping me from reaching the semifinals."

"You might if you go against me," Ash says.

Timothy smirks at Ash, and the raven-haired boy just smirks back competitively.

"Just make sure all of your Pokemon are ready for this, guys," Brock suggests. "You are competing in full battles from now on, after all."

"Oh please," Timothy says with a wave of his hand. "I've gotten this far many times, and Ash has too as I recall."

"You got that right," Ash boasts.

"Well then, my advice goes to just Max and Holly then," Brock says.

Max nods and says, "Admittedly, I haven't had a full 6-on-6 battle before, so I hope I'm ready for it."

"Me too," Holly says. "It hasn't been that long since I got a full party by capturing Beedrill."

"You'll do fine," Brock says, pitting his hand on Holly's shoulder.

Holly turns to Brock and smiling sweetly, treasuring the times that he's with her and not Lucy.

"I'm just annoyed that Giselle is still competing," Dawn says with an annoyed frown. "Did you see that pompous look on her face when she was battling last night?"

"I sure did," Misty says. "I'd like to personally wipe that arrogant smile off her face."

"Me too," May says.

Serena hesitates and says, "I'm not one for violence like that, but I would like to see her get knocked out of the tournament."

Ash turns to Serena and give her a toothy grin.

"Don't you worry, Serena," he says. "I still plan to keep my promise if I end up having to face her."

"So do I," Timothy says, giving Serena a wink.

The honey blonde girl smiles appreciatively at both Ash and Timothy. Before long, the entire group makes it to the registration center, and already a couple of trainers who are still in the tournament begin fishing for Magikarp. The office is rearranged so that there is only one large pool left to fish for Magikarp and find out who is competing against who in the quarterfinals. Ash, Max, Timothy, and Holly walk toward the desk to get fishing rods until Giselle cuts in front of them.

"Hey!" The four of them say at the same time.

"Hey, yourselves," Giselle says rudely before turning to the attendant. "I'd like to find out who I'm up against."

The attendant looks like Gisele skeptically over her rude demeanor before she gives the girl a rod. Giselle smirks and begins to head to the pool before giving Timothy a glare.

"I better be facing you next," she grumbles. "I still want payback after you disqualified me in the preliminaries last time."

"I don't doubt you," Timothy says bluntly. "But we won't know until you start fishing, won't we?"

Giselle snarls and puts her rod in the water. It isn't long before Giselle gets a bite, and she pulls a Magikarp out of the water.

"Humph, D-5," She says plainly before turning to the attendant. "Who am I up against?"

"I don't know yet," the attendant answers. "In fact, no one has found the same Magikarp as someone else."

"So does that mean we won't find out who battles against who until, Max, Timothy, Holly, and I catch our Magikarp?" Ash asks.

"That's right," the attendant answers.

"Well, what do you know," Cilan says, amused.

"Looks like none of you are going to face each other in this round either," Iris says.

"Axew," Axew says with a nod.

"Looks like it," Max says as he takes a rod from the attendant. "So, let's find out who we are up against already."

"Right," Ash, Holly, and Timothy say before getting their own rods.

The other remaining trainers in the competition watch eagerly as the other four competitors put their rods in the tub. Serena Pikachu, Brock, Misty, Bonnie, Clemont, May, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Coovers, and Electchu also watch their friends, invested with what's going to happen. Giselle drums her fingers while her arms are crossed until Max gets a bite and pulls out a Magikarp.

"F-7," the attendant says. "That means you will be going against Thomas in the first battle today."

Max's picture and the picture of a guy with green hair appears on the screen above the attendant. Max smiles before turning to the man named Thomas, who gives him a competitive smirk.

Holly's rod moves next, and she pulls out a Magikarp that has a C and a 6 on its side.

"C-6. And that means you will go against Jim on the second battle," the attendant announces.

Holly's picture appears on the screen alongside the picture of a tall man with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. Holly turns to find Jim until she spots him, giving her a grin and a thumbs up. Next, Timothy's rod begins to twitch, and he immediately pulls it out. Giselle grins excitedly, expecting him to get the same letter and number, but her hopes are crushed when she sees what he has instead.

"Z-9. So you will be going against Laura in the third battle," the attendant announces.

Timothy's image appears alongside a teenage girl with black, curly hair and freckles. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt turns to see Laura giving him a serious, determined look with her hands turned into fists. Giselle clenches her teeth in irritation while the entire gang turns to Ash.

"So if Giselle didn't get Timothy or Holly or Max, then that means..." May says.

Ash feels a Magikarp pulling the string in his rod and pulls it out. Sure enough, the fish Pokemon dangling in the air has a white "D" and the number 5 on its side.

"Ash, Giselle, you will partake in the last battle today against each other," the attendant says. "Best of luck to all eight of you."

"Thanks," All the competitors say except for Giselle.

With that, the gang and all of the remaining participants in the tournament all leave the registration center. Everyone in the group is about to leave when Giselle walks behind Ash, taps him on the shoulder, making him turn around to face her.

"Listen here and listen good, Ash," she begins, pointing at Ash with her finger. "You may have gotten the best of me at the Pokemon Institute, but it won't happen again. I don't care what Pokemon you have now, I'm going to beat you."

Serena, Misty, May, and Dawn glare at Giselle's attitude. Ash, however, just smirks at Giselle.

"Whatever you say, Giselle," he says. "Just know that I'm not going to lose."

"Humph, we'll see about that," Giselle says before she walks away with her head held high. Serena, Misty, May, and Dawn continue to glare at her until she's out of sight.

"She really grows on you, doesn't she?" Coovers says jokingly.

"Oh yeah, she's a diamond in the rough," Bonnie says sarcastically.

The others nod in agreement until a beeper is heard in Brock's pocket. Holly's heart sinks as he turns to him.

"Oh, please don't tell me it's already time," she says.

"I'm afraid so. Lucy and I have plans for lunch and a couple of other things," Brock says before he gives her an assuring smile. "Don't worry, though. I'm going to be at your battle cheering you all the way, and we'll have dinner right after. I promise."

Holly frowns sadly. Deep down, Brock knows what he said is not what she wants to hear, but it's all he can do to make things up to her. He gently strokes her cheek, making her smile for a brief moment before he turns around and leaves. Holly puts her hand on her necklace and sighs sadly. Everyone looks at her sympathetically except for Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu.

"I'm sorry, what's this about?" Timothy queries.

Serena turns to him and looks at Holly as if to ask her if he and his companions should be told what is happening. Holly hesitates before she softly nods her head, and Serena turns back to the two men and the Raichu.

"Basically, when we were at that dinner party at Lucy's house, she and Brock secretly left to confess their feelings," she begins. "They planned to be together after Ash competes in the Indigo League, but then Brock forgot about all of that when we ran into Holly at Neon City and..."

"And then they made their own plan to get together after Holly competes in the league," Coovers says, figuring out the rest.

"Yes," Serena says. "On the first day of the preliminaries, Lucy came, and she told us about her deal with Brock, and we all confronted him about it. We're all angry about what he did but then later came to apologize to Lucy and Holly and together, they formed a compromise where he takes turns spending time with either Lucy or Holly as a way to try to make up for both of them for what he did."

Both men and the Raichu frown in concern. They look at Holly, who is looking away from everyone with her head down and her hand still on her necklace.

"This is unfortunate to hear," Timothy says. "I'm sorry that you're going through this, Holly."

"Thanks," Holly says softly.

Coovers runs his fingers through his hair, disturbed that the man he thought was getting the romance he's always wanted brought himself into such a terrible situation.

"I can't believe this is happening," he says.

"Believe it," Misty says, coldly. "Brock has always had a weakness for women."

"Yeah, but he really put his foot in it this time," Max says, disapprovingly with his arms crossed.

May, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, and Cilan nod in agreement while Ash just frowns for his long-time friend. Holly sighs again before she shakes her head and turns to the group.

"You know what? I don't want to hear you guys talk about it anymore," she says. "Let's just focus on our upcoming battles."

"Good idea," Clemont says with a small smile for Holly before turning to Ash. "So, what do you know about Giselle's Pokemon?"

Ash scratches his chin in thought and says, "Well, half of her Pokemon are both rock and ground types including a Rhydon, a Marowak that knows a couple of fire attacks and a Golem that knows some electric attacks."

"Hmmm, that's a smart set of moves to have, especially the electric attacks," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu agrees.

"Yup, but apart from that, I only know about her Espeon," he says. "Those are the only Pokemon I've seen her use both here and during the Grand Festival."

Coovers thinks about it and says, "You know, I think I remember watching her compete in the rock field a couple of battles before Timothy's during the preliminaries, and I think she was using a Vileplume."

"That's right," Timothy says, remembering. "If I recall correctly, her Vileplume knows Petal Dance, Mega Drain, Toxic, and Sludge Bomb."

"Good to know. That means I know about all of her Pokemon except for two," Ash says, smiling. "And best of all, I have a good idea about how to deal with half of her party."

"You do?" Everyone asks at the same time.

"I sure do," Ash says.

"Well, what is it?" Bonnie asks.

"Let's just say after one of her contests battles against Serena, I have a good feeling that she doesn't know a whole lot about Pokemon beyond the Kanto and Johto regions," Ash says with a grin.

"Ooh, sounds like you've already got a pretty cunning strategy in mind," Dawn says with a smug grin. "I'm excited to find out what it is,"

"Me too," May says.

"Me three," Bonnie says cheerfully.

Serena smiles softly and nods.

"That all sounds well and good, but what about Giselle's last Pokemon?" Iris asks, concerned.

"Indeed, you can't have a complete dish without knowing all of the ingredients," Cilan says.

Max rolls his eyes at Cilan's metaphor and says, "Then we all better get back to the Pokemon Center and find out what her other Pokemon might be along with what Pokemon Holly and Timothy and I have to face."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Iris says. "The quarterfinals start in a couple of hours, so let's get going."

***********************************************************************************************

Thus, for the next hour, the group looks up what Pokemon Thomas, Ashley, Jim, and Giselle have. But while Max, Holly, and Timothy find out their opponents' entire parties, Ash doesn't find anything in the Pokemon Center's computers to find out what Giselle sixth and final Pokemon is. Everyone grows uneasy with this information, especially Serena and Misty, as they begin to suspect that Giselle's final Pokemon is meant to be a secret until someone successfully takes out her other five Pokemon. But despite that, Ash chooses to think positively about his upcoming match as he calls Professor Oak and has a couple of his Pokemon switched out.

After Ash spends an hour training the Pokemon he received from Professor Oak, the group heads to the Indigo League stadium for the quarterfinals. Max comes first against his opponent, Thomas, who makes May nervous since it is her little brother's 6-on-6 battle. Her worry grows when Thomas gets a head start by knocking out Max's Pinser and Arcanine, but after he chooses Sceptile for his third Pokemon, he begins to take the lead by taking out four of Thomas's Pokemon before Thomas' Rapidash finishes Sceptile off. Fortunately, Max calls out Kubutops next who finishes off the rest of Thomas' Pokemon. May lets out a big breath that she didn't know she was holding before standing up and cheering loudly for her brother.

Holly comes next to battle, feeling just as uneasy as May was. But thankfully, Brock comes in time to motivate her before she goes into the field. She starts out by having Wigglytuff constantly using Sing to immobilize Jim's Pokemon and beating them until they fainted until Jim calls out his Mr. Mime that has the ability, Soundproof, and defeats Wigglytuff. She then calls Beedrill, knowing that Mr. Mime is weak against poison attack and keeps using Poison Jab until Mr. Mime is down. The barrier Pokemon was quickly replaced by a Flaaffy who constantly electrocutes Holly's Pokemon until it was unconscious. Finally, Holly used Probopass, who takes out Flaaffy and the rest of Jim's Pokemon, much to the auburn-haired women's joy. She quickly runs up the stands where the gang is to give Brock a big hug. Her spirit is crushed, however, when Brock once again has to leave to spend time with Lucy.

Timothy comes next against his opponent, Laura. The teenage girl start, with a couple of ghost and fire type Pokemon, but the man in the "H.A.K." shirt takes advantage that Ashley doesn't know that Ghost-types are immune to normal Pokemon and that his Snorlax knows Ice Punch to wipe out most of Laura's Pokemon. Snorlax is finally immobilized when Laura takes out her Lapras and has it use Sing to make Snorlax fall asleep. Knowing that he can't wake up his Pokemon and Laura would have Lapras use its other moves to take down Snorlax anyway, Timothy decides to cut his losses and return Snorlax to its Pokeball. He calls out Odyssey next who uses Extreme Speed and its fighting attacks to take down Lapras before it can Sing again. Laura uses a Machamp as her last Pokemon, and Odyssey constantly defends itself against the superpower Pokemon with Bone Rush before taking it down. Unknown to everyone else, though, Ash carefully watches the way the Lucario used its bone of energy, thinking about the next time Primeape will face Timothy's Pokemon.

Finally, it's Ash's turn to battle with everyone encouraging him to take down Giselle. He and Pikachu grin proudly as the two of them and Iris, Axew, and Serena go downstairs and down the hall to enter the field. Giselle comes out from the other side of the battlefield and glares at the raven-haired boy with her hands on her hips.

"So, it's time to see how strong you really are, Ash," she states. "I'd like to see how strong you think you are after first meeting you with only two badges and three Pokemon to your name."

"Just as full of herself as ever," Serena mumbles with Iris nodding as they sit down on a bench behind Ash with Axew.

"Oh, don't you worry, Giselle," Ash says. "I think you're in for a big surprise."

Giselle looks away from Ash with a "humph," while the referee raises his flags and clears his throat.

"This will be a full battle between Ash and Giselle!" he announces. "The battle will be over when all six Pokemon from either side is unable to battle! Furthermore, substitutions are not allowed! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready," Giselle answers plainly.

"You bet I'm ready!" Ash declares proudly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, feeling Ash's enthusiasm.

"Then battle begin!" The referee shouts.

Giselle immediately takes out a Pokeball and throws it in the yelling, "Marowak, let's do this!"

"Come on out, Palpitoad!" Ash shouts, throwing his own Pokeball at the field.

Both ball open to reveal the trainer's respected Pokemon. Giselle looks at Palpitoad curiously until she chuckles, arrogantly.

"Judging by the blue skin from your Pokemon, I reckon that's a water Pokemon, and so you think you can take out my Marowak with water attacks," she states.

"Among other moves, yes," Ash says, not afraid to confirm his opponent's observation.

"Well then, we'll just have to show you that we won't lose to your water Pokemon," Giselle says. "Marowak, use Screech!"

Marowak opens its mouth and lets out a deafening sound, causing Palpitoad to groan, feeling its defense lowering dramatically.

"Oh, no. Now I'm worried about what is going to happen with Palpitoad even though the rest of Marowak's attacks are not normally effective to a water Pokemon," Serena says.

"Relax, Serena, your crush has plenty of tricks up his sleeves," Iris says reassuringly.

Serena tries to take Iris' word for it until her eyes widen, realizing what she just said and blushes.

"Who told you?" she asks.

"Nobody told me," Iris says in a matter-of-factually tone. "It's just pretty obvious."

"Marowak, use Bonemerang!" Giselle commands.

"Knock it out with Mud Shot!" Ash orders.

Marowak throws its bone at Palpitoad, but Palpitoad simply takes out its long tongue and glows yellow before swinging its tongue, releasing multiple balls of mud. One of the balls hits Marowak's bone, sending it crashing into the ground, far from the bone keeper Pokemon. Another ball of mud hits Marowak and nearly knocks it off its feet.

Giselle frowns and shouts, "Marowak, pick up your bone and then use Fire Blast!"

Ash smirks, knowing that having Marowak run for its bone makes it an easy target for his next move.

"Palpitaod, use Supersonic!" he commands.

Palpitoad takes a deep breath and releases several sound waves with one of them easily hitting Marowak as it runs for its bone. Marowak's pupils shrink, and it starts moving around in a daze.

"Oh, no!" Giselle says worriedly.

"Oh yes," Ash grins. "Palpitoad, use Mud Shot again!"

Palpitoad swings its tongue, releasing several balls of mud again. The balls hit the bone keeper Pokemon who grunts in pain while still confused.

"Let's wrap it up with Hydro Pump!" Ash commands.

Palpitoad lets out a large stream of water from its mouth, and Marowak helplessly stands still as the water hits it directly. With its ground-type body unable to take anymore, Marowak falls down with swirly eyes.

"Marowak is unable to battle. Palpitoad is the winner!" The referee announces.

The crowd cheers while Ash shakes his fist in the air. Serena and Iris smile as they also applaud. Giselle, on the other hand, returns Marowak to its Pokeball and grins as she takes out another one.

"Now it's my turn to take down one of your Pokemon," she claims before throwing the ball. "Golem, let's go!"

Golem comes out of its container and growls at Palpitoad.

"Uh-oh," Serena says. "Golem knows Thunder Punch, so she's likely to use it to take down Palpitoad."

"I think Ash is counting on it," Iris says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Serena asks, confused.

"You'll see," Iris says with a smile and a wink.

"Alright, Palpitoad, let's start off with Hydro Pump!" Ash shouts.

"Defend yourself with Defense Curl!" Giselle commands.

Golem puts its arms, legs, and head into its shell, protecting itself from Palpitoad's water attack.

"Now, use Rock Slide!" Giselle shouts.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouts back.

Golem raises its hands, and a large boulder appears in the air. The Megaton thrusts its arms at Palpitoad, and the boulders zoom toward its opponent. But instead of getting hit, Palpitoad starts hopping on top of each boulder coming its way. The vibration Pokemon laughs gleefully as if it's playing a game, but Giselle smirks at its demeanor.

"Now, use Thunder Punch while it's distracted!" she orders.

Serena's eyes widen with worry, and she puts her hand on her ribbon as Golem charges at the oblivious Palpitoad with electricity coming out of its fist. But the honey blonde girl's worry turns into confusion when Ash turns his head to look at Pikachu, and the two of them quietly giggle mischievously. Serena tilts her head, befuddled until she sees Golem punching Palpitoad hard in the gut, sending it falling into the ground. Giselle grins at her Pokemon's accomplishment until she sees Palpitoad standing in front of Golem, looking just fine.

"Alright, Palpitoad, use Supersonic before Giselle gets any other ideas," Ash instructs.

Palpitoad releases several sound waves again, and they hit Golem, making it act goofy just like Marowak.

"Not again!" Giselle groans.

"Now, use Mud Shot followed by Hydro Pump!" Ash shouts.

Without hesitation, Palpitoad releases balls of mud from its mouth again, which directly hits Golem with ease. Shortly after that, Palpitoad takes a deep breath and unleashes Hydro Pump. The move hits Golem so hard that it's sent flying, crashing into a wall before falling down, unconscious.

"Golem is unable to battle! Palpitoad wins again!" The referee declares.

Giselle grinds her teeth before returning her Pokemon. She turns to Ash, who just smiles at her without a care.

"How could this have happened?!" she screams, "Why didn't Thunder Punch work?!"

"Because Palpitoad is both a water and ground type," Ash answers. "Thunder Punch wouldn't have done a thing no matter how powerful it is."

Serena's eyes widen, and she smiles before turning to Iris.

"So that's what you were talking about," Serena says. "Ash predicted that Giselle doesn't know much about Palpitoad because it's a Pokemon from Unova and used the fact that Giselle would have relied on Thunder Punch as a trap."

"Exactly," Iris says, smiling with her eyes closed.

Serena beams and turns to Ash.

"Just like Ash to come up with a strategy like that," she says.

"Sure is," Iris says before turning to Ash concerned. "But I wonder why Ash revealed both of Palpitoad's types to Giselle."

Serena frowns and scratches her chin in thought. She keeps thinking until she snaps her fingers with an optimistic smile.

"I think I have a good idea this time," she says.

Giselle clenches her teeth and takes out another Pokeball.

"Let's go, Rhydon!" She screams, throwing the Pokeball into the air.

The drill Pokemon comes out of its ball and roars menacingly at Palpitoad. Serena smiles at Rhydon while Iris turns to her, slowly putting the pieces together in her head.

"Oh, get it," she says. "Ash told Giselle that Palpitoad is a ground type so that she will choose Rhydon next since ground-type Pokemon are weak against ground attacks."

"Exactly," Serena confirms.

Iris smiles until she frowns and scratches chin in thought.

"But wait a minute, ground attacks are neutrally effective against Palpitoad because it's a duel type," she says. "So really, Rhydon's attacks will only do normal amounts of damage while Palpitoad has two moves that can seriously hurt it."

"So, Giselle is being reckless with her desire to take down Palpitoad?" Serena asks.

"Most likely," Iris says.

"Palpitoad, use Hydro Pump again!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it and use Drill Run!" Giselle commands.

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena are taken aback by Giselle's order while Palpitoad uses its water attack. Rhydon moves away to avoid the large steam of water and jumps into the air before it starts spinning its whole body like a drill. It then charges at Palpitoad and stabs it, sending it crashing into a wall next to Serena and Iris.

"Palpitoad!" Ash cries out.

"Heh, finally hit that stupid thing," Giselle grumbles.

Ash rushes to Palpitoad's side and asks, "Can you keep going?"

Palpitoad groans, tormented from the attack. It struggles for several seconds before it gets up.

"Palpitoad!" It shouts.

Ash smiles before he gives a detriment face.

"Alright then, let's go get 'em!" He shouts.

Palpitoad hops back into the field while Ash returns to his side of the field. Giselle sneers, unconvinced that Ash's Pokemon will still be a problem.

"Let's get rid of that annoying toad, Rhydon!" She calls out. "Use Megahorn!"

Rhydon's horn glows white and extends before it charges at Palpitoad again. Ash just smirks as he patiently waits as the drill Pokemon gets closer and closer to his Pokemon.

"Now, Palpitoad, use Supersonic again!" He shouts.

Palpitoad releases several sound waves from its mouth again, and Rhydon is too close to it to avoid the attack. The Supersonic hits it, and Rhydon just looks around completely confused.

"Oh, come on!" Giselle screams.

"Now, use Hydro Pump at full power!" Ash shouts.

Giselle can do nothing but watch as Palpitoad once again releases a giant steam of water, and it directly hits Rhydon. It roars loudly as the water hits its rock-and-ground-type body hard. The process goes on until Palpitoad stops, and Rhydon groans weakly before it falls to the ground on its stomach.

"Rhydon is out of the match!" The referee shouts. "Palpitoad is once again the winner!"

The crowd cheers loudly while Giselle screams in irritation. She puts Rhydon back in its Pokeball and immediately takes out another one.

"Vileplume, let's take that Pokemon down!' She yells, throwing the ball.

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Iris, and Axew frown in concern as Vileplume comes out of its container. Palpitoad keeps a cheerful face even though it's at a type disadvantage.

"Let's go, Palpitoad!" Ash shouts. "Use Supersonic!"

"Oh, now you don't!" Giselle growls. "Dodge and use Petal Dance!"

Vileplume jumps away just in time to avoid Palpitoad's Supersonic and stretches the opening on its flower to releases pink petals in a spiraling fashion. The petals hit Palpitoad, and it squeals before it falls down on it's back with swirly eyes.

"Palpitoad is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Vileplume is the winner!"

"Aw, poor Palpitoad," Serena says.

"Yeah, it didn't have a chance after getting hit with Screech," Iris says sadly. "That's okay, though. Palpitoad gave it it's all, and it took out half of Giselle's Pokemon. Besides, I doubt Ash could keep his charade with just Palpitoad anyway."

"Axew," Axew says in agreement.

"I guess so," Serena says. "Plus, Ash did say he switched a couple of his Pokemon, so I bet that means he has more up his sleeve."

"I think that's a safe bet," Iris says. "He may be a kid, but he can be a clever trainer from time to time."

Serena gives Iris a judging look for calling the guy she likes a kid again. Iris ignores Serena's glare before the two of them turn to face Ash, who is taking out another Pokeball.

"Glalie, I choose you!" He shouts, throwing the ball.

Glalie comes out and gives an intimidating glare that frightens Vileplume. Iris and Axew's eyes widen, and they hold each other in terror as if a giant monster is going to gobble them up. Serena turns to Iris and Axel and looks at them, confused.

"What's wrong, Iris,"

"I-i-i-i-ice Pokemon," Iris whimpers. "They frighten me because I'm a dragon Pokemon trainer and ice Pokemon are very strong against dragon Pokemon."

Serena blinks before she covers her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh, Iris," she chortles with her mouth covered.

"Alright, Glalie, let's start things off with Icy Wind!" Ash commands.

"Dodge it and use Toxic, Vileplume!" Giselle shouts.

Glalie blows sparkling, blue snow from its mouth, and Vileplume jumps away from it and fires black gas from its flower towards its opponent. The gas hits Glalie, and it grunts in agony as purple bubbles appear all over its body.

"Oh, no!" Ash cries out.

"Glalie's been poisoned!" Serena shouts.

"Yes!" Giselle shouts, pumping her fist. "Now use Sludge Bomb!"

Ash grinds his teeth and shouts, "Glalie, use Headbutt while spinning!"

Glalie grins and starts spinning around and heading toward Vileplume per Ash's instructions. Vileplume fires a blob of brown sludge at its opponent, but the attack is knocked back with Glalie spinning. The face Pokemon headbutts Vileplume while still spinning, knocking it off its feet and sending it crashing into a wall.

"Don't give it a moment to get up!" Ash shouts. "Use Ice Beam!"

Glalie smiles mischievously and charges a light blue ball between the horn on its head. It fires a light blue beam from the ball, and it hits Vileplume, trapping it in a block of ice.

"Vileplume cannot continue! Glalie is the winner!" The referee announces.

The crowd cheers again, and Serena and Iris stand up and shake their fists in the air with Axew cheering from Iris' hair. Ash smiles and turns to Pikachu.

"Just two more to go, buddy," he says.

"Pika!" Pikachu says happily.

"Glalie!" Glalie cheers with a grin before purple bubbles appear around its body again, and it moans in agony.

Ash turns to his friend and says, "Looks like we need to be quick if we are to win before you faint, Glalie."

"Glalie," Glalie says with a nod.

Giselle returns Vileplume and glares at Ash.

"I've had just about enough of you!" she yells with another Pokeball in her hand. "Go, Espeon!"

She throws the ball, and Espeon comes out. Glalie glares at the sun Pokemon, trying to intimidate it despite is growing weaker from the poison.

"Now, Espeon, use Psybeam!" Giselle commands.

"Glalie, use Double Team!" Ash shouts.

Glalie makes multiple copies of itself all floating in a straight line. Espeon hesitates before it shoots Psybeam at all of them right to left. The attack takes down all of the copies of Glalie, but the real one is nowhere to be seen. Espeon grows worried until the real one appears behind it.

"Now use Ice Beam!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Swift!" Giselle yells.

Espeon turns to Glalie and quickly jumps away to avoid the Ice Beam. It then jumps into the air and swings several golden stars at its opponent. They hit Gallade, and it grunts in pain.

"Now, use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Giselle orders.

Espeon winks at Glalie, sending tiny, pink hearts at the face Pokemon. The hearts hits Glalie, and it feels it's strength weakening.

"Oh no, that weakened Glalie's attack, didn't it?" Serena says.

"Yeah, it did," Iris says. "But I think all Ash needs is one good hit from either Icy Wind or Ice Beam, and Espeon will be done."

"I hope so," Serena says.

"Espeon, use Swift again!" Giselle shouts.

"Dodge and use Headbutt while spinning again!' Ash shouts.

Espeon flings several yellow stars at Glalie, but the face Pokemon just dodges it and starts spinning toward Espeon. Glalie successfully hits Espeon, and it knocks the sun Pokemon off its feet, but it just slowly starts to get up with a few scratches on its body.

"Aw, Headbutt isn't as effective as it was before," Serena says.

Ash has the same thought as he says, "Alright, use Ice Beam!"

"Counter with Psybeam!" Giselle shouts.

Espeon fires a multicolored beam, and it hits the Ice Beam, causing both of them to explode and cover the middle of the field in smoke.

"Now, while you have cover, use Morning Sun!" Giselle commands.

Espeon's entire body glows white, and within a few seconds, it stops flowing to reveal that it's fully healed. When the smoke clears, Ash and Glalie are shocked that their efforts to hit Espeon were just taken away. Just then, purple bubbles appear on Glalie's body again and moans, feeling weaker by the minute.

"We don't have much time," Ash says seriously. "Use Icy Wind!"

"Dodge and use Swift again!" Giselle commands.

Once again, Glalie blows blue snow from its mouth, and Espeon simply jumps away before using Swift. The yellow stars hit Glalie, and it falls to the ground on its side.

"Glalie!" Ash cries out.

"Now, let's finish it!" Giselle commands. "Use Psybeam!"

Ash grows worried until he gets an idea.

"Glalie, use Ice Beam to cancel Psybeam!" He orders.

Glalie nods and uses its attack while still lying on its side. Once again, Psybeam and Ice Beam collide and explode, covering the middle of the battlefield in smoke.

"Oh please, Ash," Giselle says mockingly. "If you think you can get the best of me by copying my -"

"Use Ice Beam again!" She hears Ash shout.

Giselle is confused until she sees another Ice Beam emerge from the smoke. Before she knows it, Espeon only has a split second to cry out before the beam hits, and its body is covered in a block of ice.

"No!" She screams. "I can't believe it happened again!"

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue! It's a draw!" The referee declares.

Giselle is confused with the referee's announcement until the smoke finally clears, and Glalie is seen lying on the ground unconscious. It takes a moment before she realizes that the poison from Vileplume took full effect. Ash gives his Pokemon a sad smile as he returns it to its Pokeball.

"You were awesome, Glalie," he says.

Iris and Axew sigh in relief, happy to not be around an ice type Pokemon even if it was Ash's. Serena once again covers her mouth, trying to hide a laugh at their demeanor.

Giselle returns Espeon, feeling as grumpy as ever.

"At least I got rid of that ice Pokemon before," she says to herself, "Now let's see how he handles my last Pokemon."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Iris, and Axew become serious as they wait in anticipation to find out what is Giselle's final Pokemon.

"Let's finish this, Dragonair!" Giselle shouts as she throws her last Pokeball.

The ball opens, and a Dragonair appears on the field. Ash blinks before he smirks and takes out a Pokeball.

"I think you should have waited until I took out a Pokemon that might have been at a disadvantage against Dragonair, Giselle. That might be the last mistake you'll make in the entire match," Ash taunts before throwing his Pokeball. "Go, Gabite!"

Ash's Pokeball opens, and Gabite comes out and roars at its opponent. Iris smiles happily like a kid at Christmas as she gazes at the two Pokemon.

"This is so exciting!" she squeals. "A dragon Pokemon against a dragon Pokemon."

"But isn't Gabite a duel type by being both dragon and ground?" Serena asks.

"Yes, but it's still weak against dragon attacks the same as Dragonair," Iris points out. "So it could go either way based on what dragon attacks they both have and who lands the most hits. Oh, I can't wait to find out!"

"Axew!" Axew exclaims, sharing its partner's excitement.

Serena frowns and says, "Please focus, Iris. We're here to cheer for Ash, remember?"

"Yeah...you're right," Iris says, chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of her head.

Meanwhile, Giselle looks at Gabite skeptically. While she hasn't seen the Pokemon before in her life, she has an uneasy feeling that Ash is going to use whatever type he has to his advantage, just like with Palpitoad and Glalie. With his little taunt before calling out his Pokemon, it sounds like he's laid another trap that might work against her. It frustrates her that she doesn't know what the Pokemon is, and so she grinds her teeth and take a chance.

"Dragonair, let's finish this quickly!" she commands. "Use Twister!"

The orbs on Dragonair's tail glow, and it waves its tail, creating a tornado heading to Gabite.

"Gabite, use Dig!" Ash shouts.

Gabite jumps in the air and dives into the ground, creating a hole in the battlefield. The twister passes by the hole, and Giselle and Dragonair look around for their opponent before Gabite emerges from the ground and attacks the dragon Pokemon. Dragonair squeals as it is sent a couple of yards back and crashing onto the ground before getting up with a couple of scratches into its body.

Giselle's frustration grows as she shouts, "Dragonair, use Thunder Wave!"

Ash smirks as Dragonair lets out a blue stream of electricity that wraps around Gabite like a rope. But instead of showing any hint of pain or agony, Gabite just stands there as if it's feeling nothing but air.

"What's going on?!" Giselle screams.

"Now, Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" Ash commands.

Giselle's eyes widen as Gabite charges at her Pokemon with its body surrounded lin blue energy shaped like a dragon. The attack rams into Dragonair, and it screams as it falls to the ground again, looking very weak.

"Dragonair!" Giselle shouts, worriedly.

"What a predicament for Giselle!" the announcer says. "Just like with Palitoad, she doesn't know that Gabite is a dual-type - in this case, dragon and ground."

Giselle pupils shrink as the weight of the situation hits her like a giant boulder. She glares daggers at Ash, who just keeps smirking along with Pikachu.

"So that's how it is!" she growls. "You're going to regret the announcer saying what type your Gabite is."

Serena frowns again and says, "That might actually be true. You did say that dragon Pokemon are weak against dragon attacks, right Iris?"

"I did," Iris says with a nod. "We'll just have to see where the battle goes from here."

"Dragonair, use Twister!" Giselle commands.

"Gabite, use Dig again!" Ash orders.

Dragonair uses Twister again, and Gabite just goes underground, dodging the attack. But instead of getting worried, Giselle watches closely to the ground underneath Dragonair until she sees cracks appearing.

"Dragonair, jumps away, and use Dragon Tail!" She commands.

Dragonair does as it's told, and jumps away just as Gabite is emerging from the ground. Its whole tail glows light blue before it swings its tail and hits Gabite in the stomach.

"Now, use Twister again!" Giselle shouts with a grin.

Dragonair unleashes another tornado, and this time it successfully hits Gabite, and it howls in pain while going down one knee.

"Gabite!" Ash calls out.

"Oh, no!" Serena says, putting her hand her blue ribbon.

"That was a serious combination of dragon type attacks," Iris says. "It's a miracle that Gabite is still conscious."

"Now, finish it with Dragon Tail!" Giselle commands.

Ash grows worried for his Pokemon as Gragonair prepares to use it's dragon attack again

"Gabite, I know you can beat Dragonair!" He calls out. "Deflect that Dragon Tail with Rock Smash now!"

Gabite shuts its eyes and tries to fight through the pain through Ash's encouragement. It takes a deep breath before it opens its eyes to see Dragonair about to swing its tail at it. Gabite gives its opponent a competitive look, and it raises its arm with its hand glowing white. Dragonair's tail hits Gabite's glowing hand, and the two of them struggle to overpower the other.

"Finish it, Dragonair!" Giselle exclaims.

"Come on, Gabite! You can do it!" Ash encourages. "Show Dragonair your real strength. No matter what moves it has, it's no match for you, so push back!"

Gabite hears Ash's words, and it grinds its teeth. It slowly but surely gets back on both feet and pushes back Dragonair's tail with a mighty roar. Suddenly, Gabite's entire body is covered in a white glow, and everyone watches, surprised as Ash's Pokemon grows almost two whole feet, and its body begins to change. When the white glow disappears, a Garchomp appears in Gabite's place and with its right hand still holding Dragonair's tail, makes its left-hand glow white as well and punches Dragonair, making it scream in pain and back away from its opponent.

"Alright!" Serena cheers as she jumps into the air.

"Gabite evolved into a Garchomp!" Iris says happily.

Ash and Pikachu smile widely to see their friend fully evolved.

"Way to go, Garchomp!" Ash shouts. "Now, let's finish this battle!"

Giselle stares at Garchomp, taken aback by the sudden development in Ash's favor.

"It doesn't matter if your Pokemon evolved or not because I'm still going to take it down along with the rest of your Pokemon!" She claims childishly. "Dragonair, use Twister!"

"Garchomp! Dodge using Dig and then emerge close to Dragonair and use Dragon Rush!" Ash instructs.

Garchomp flies high in the air and dives into the ground, dodging Dragonair's Twister again. Giselle watches the ground underneath her Pokemon, expecting Garchomp to emerge there, but then the mach Pokemon appears just a couple of feet next to Dragonair and rams into it using Dragon Rush. Dragonair yowls and falls down on its back with several serious scratches all over its body. The dragon Pokemon manages to get up and keep a brave face while Giselle loses her temper.

"Use Dragon Tail!" She hollers angrily.

Dragonair charges at Garchomp again with its tail glowing, but Ash just smirks, knowing that his opponent made her last mistake.

"Garchomp, let's finish this with Draco Meteor!" He shouts.

Garchomp's body glows orange, and an orange ball of light appears inside its chest. The glow fades, and the ball appears in front of the mach Pokemon's mouth. Ash's smirk grows as Garchomp fires the orb into the air and explodes into many tiny orbs falling into the ground.

"Dragonair, watch out!" Giselle calls out.

Dragonair sees the orbs falling toward it, and it moves away, trying to dodge all of the orbs crashing and exploding on the ground in a state of panic. But try as poor Dragonair might, it is only a matter of time before an orb lands on top of it and explodes. The dragon Pokemon screams one last time before it plummets to the ground, and the dust clears to find Giselle's last Pokemon limp.

"Dragonair is out of the match!" The referee announces. "Gabi - er, Garchomp wins, and so victory goes to Ash!"

The crowd goes wild, and Ash and Pikachu happily jump up and down in celebration while Serena, Iris, and Axew happily cheer in joy.

"No!" Giselle screeches.

Ash runs over to Garchomp and gives it a big hug.

"Great job, Garchomp!" He cheers.

"Gar!" Garchomp replies before it bites Ash's head affectionately, and Ash laughs through the pain. Serena stops cheering and sighs in annoyance.

"Yep, that's still Gabite alright," she groans.

After the moment or celebration ends, Ash, Pikachu, and Garchomp walk over to Serena, Iris, and Axew with Ash's eyes on Serena.

"There, I defeated Giselle as promised," he says.

Serena is taken aback as she realizes Ash is still thinking about his promise to her. She gives the raven-haired boy a smile with her hand on her ribbon.

"I'm glad," she says. "Plus, you made it to the semifinals with Max, Holly, and Timothy."

It takes more before Ash realizes that Serena is right and smiles brightly.

"Well, what do you know? So we have," he says.

"This means you'll have to face one of our friends tomorrow, and another one the next day if you're going to win the whole thing, " Iris points out. "Honestly, the more I think about it, the more exciting it is."

"Axew," Axew agrees.

"That's right," Ash says. "So what are we waiting for? Let's meet up with the others and head to the Pokemon Center."

"Right," Serena and Iris say simultaneously before Ash returns Garchomp to its Pokeball and they all head out

********************************************

Before long, everyone in the group excluding Brock met up with Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Iris, and Axew, and together, they all walk to the Pokemon Center. Ash, Max, Holly, and Timothy give their Pokemon to Nurse Joy to heal them, and Nurse Joy informs Ash and Timothy that they both have a video call from Professor Oak. They look at each other curiously, wondering why he would be calling both of them before they walk to the nearest video phone, dial Professor Oak's number, and the professor, Tracey, and Delia appears on the screen.

"Ah, Ash, Timothy," Professor Oak says.

"Hi Professor, Mom, Tracey," Ash greets.

"How's it going, Professor?" Timothy asks.

"Oh, we all just wanted to congratulate both of you for making the semifinals on behalf of all of Pallet Town," Professor Oak says.

"I'm so proud of you, honey!" Delia coos.

"Yeah, way to go, Ash!" Tracey says.

"Thank you, Mom and Tracey," Ash says.

"And Timothy," Professor Oak begins. "You've made wonderful progress with winning the Johto League and now making it this far in the Indigo League. Give it your all, young man."

Timothy smirks and says, "Believe me, I intend to."

"Hey, Mrs. Ketchum," May calls from behind. "Are you taking good care of my trophy while we're gone?"

Max rolls his eyes at his big sister while Delia chuckles with her eyes closed.

"Don't you worry, May," she assures. "I'm taking good care of it as if my boy won it."

"Thanks," May says.

Misty and Iris, on the other hand, snicker.

"Can you imagine Ash competing in Pokemon contests and making it all the way to the Grand Festival?" Misty chuckles.

"I can't even begin to imagine," Iris chuckles. "He's too much of a kid to do that."

"Hey, I'll have you know I competed with May at the Terracotta contest and tied with her.

"That's true. He did do that," May says. "I still have my half of the ribbon."

"Yeah, well, you are still a kid," Iris says with a wave of her hand.

Ash, Serena, May, Max, Dawn, Holly, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, and Coovers all roll their eyes at Iris, annoyed at her constantly calling Ash a kid. Delia chuckles in amusement while Professor Oak and Tracey just smile.

"Well, we better let you go," Professor Oak says. "Good luck to you, Ash, and Timothy. Same goes to you, Max and Holly."

"Good luck, honey," Delia says with a wave.

"Thank you," the four remaining contestants say before the image disappears.

"Hey, I know," May says, turning to Max. "Let's call Mom and Dad."

"Good idea," Max says. "I'm sure they would love to find out about how far I am."

The two of them walk to the videophone while Coovers turns to Timothy.

"We should call your dad and your brother, too," he suggests.

"Agreed," Timothy says. "I bet they are thrilled that I -"

"You!"

Everyone apart from May and Max turns around to see Giselle storming towards Timothy. They roll their eyes as the brunette marches toward the man in the "H.A.K." shirt and points at him.

"That should have been me you had to face!" She snarls."I would have finally beaten you if I had the chance."

Timothy raises his eyebrow and smirks.

"Franky, I doubt that," he says. "As someone who has been a trainer for closer to 20 years, I can think of a few ways that I would have wiped out the team you used against Ash. Besides, if you couldn't beat more than two of my rival's Pokemon, what makes you think you had a chance against me?"

Serena, Ash, Dawn, and Bonnie smirk, and the brunette girl glares menacingly at Timothy.

"It wasn't a fair fight," she claims. "I was prepared for you, not for Ash!"

"Then you still have much to learn about being a trainer," Coovers says, stepping in. "A Pokemon trainer should be prepared to give it their all no matter what foe they face. Otherwise, you'll never make it to the top in a Pokemon League much less win against someone who has won one and beaten the Elite Four and Champion like Timothy."

Giselle sputters, trying to say words to counter what Coovers said, but nothing comes out. Finally, she runs in irritation and storms to the front desk to give Nurse Joy all of her Pokemon. She then glares at Serena and storms over to her, making the honey blonde girl feel uncomfortable as she leans into her ear.

"I better see you competing at the contests in the Johto region," she hisses. "Because I know you have no reason to go anywhere else."

Serena winces as Giselle marches out of the lobby. She frowns sadly as Giselle's words make her think about her fear of leaving Ash behind to pursue her dream. Ash notices her grief, not knowing what Giselle said and figures that she said something insulting to Serena about losing the Grand Festival. He turns to Pikachu, and the two of them nod, knowing that they must keep going to continue competing and the Pokemon League and try to make their friend smile with everything they've got.