"Come out, Kricketune!"

Nando withdrew his Armaldo and let out a soft sigh.

As expected, Ash is truly powerful.

But that doesn't mean we're going down without a fight.

Kricketune—Nando's strongest Pokémon—entered the battlefield.

"A battle of Bugs, then! I choose you—Heracross!"

Heracross!

Ash's mighty Bug King!

"Croaa!"

"Kricketune, use Sing!"

Nando gently strummed his harp, and Kricketune immediately sprang into action.

It raised its arms, like violin bows, playing a mesmerizing tune.

Even some spectators sitting close to the stage looked drowsy.

Heracross, caught off guard, fell asleep on the spot.

Nando hadn't expected Heracross to fall asleep so easily—but it was an opportunity.

And opportunities must never be wasted.

"Kricketune, Wing Attack!"

A Flying-type move—perfect against Heracross, who is Bug/Fighting. That's a 4x weakness!

As Kricketune soared toward Heracross, Ash waited for the perfect moment.

"The match just started, and Nando's Kricketune has already put Ash's Heracross to sleep! Will Wing Attack land successfully? Let's see how this turns out!" the announcer exclaimed, voice filled with anticipation.

Here it comes!

"Heracross, Sleep Talk!"

"Croaa!"

In the blink of an eye, Heracross—still sleeping—moved just before Kricketune's Wing Attack landed.

It dodged the hit and countered with a Megahorn!

Its massive horn slammed into Kricketune's body.

"Kricketune, recover and use Protect!"

Nando was quick to react, trying to survive the follow-up.

But Ash's Heracross had a surprise of its own.

"Feint!"

The Feint shattered Protect, sending Kricketune flying.

"Kricketune, X-Scissor—right now!"

"Heracross, Mega Horn again!"

BOOM!!!

The impact shook the stadium. All eyes were glued to the field.

As the dust cleared...

"Kricketune is unable to battle. Heracross wins! The winner is Ash!"

Ash advanced to the Top 32!

Though Nando felt disappointed, he accepted his loss gracefully.

He hugged his harp and gave Ash a warm, sincere blessing.

"Ash, I hope you win this tournament and claim the championship. If you do, then my loss will have meaning. Perhaps someday, we'll meet again under very different circumstances."

"I'll do my best!" Ash replied.

The two shook hands tightly.

Thunderous applause erupted from the stands.

That's the spirit of Pokémon battles.

Rivals in the arena, friends outside of it. That's the reason so many people love Pokémon battles!

Soon after, Paul also won his match, entering the Top 32.

And as usual, Tobias crushed his opponent using just Darkrai.

He was now drawing serious attention from the Champion-level Trainers.

Cynthia furrowed her brow.

Something about Tobias didn't sit right with her.

But she couldn't put her finger on it yet.

"Based on current results, Tobias is outperforming your favorite, Ash," Alder smirked.

It was true—Tobias had a Darkrai. That alone was overwhelming.

Neither Lance nor Wallace could argue back this time.

After all, Ash had been using only his classic team so far.

And although he won each time, his battles had been competitive.

Meanwhile, Tobias had Darkrai steamrolling every opponent.

One Dark Void, then Dream Eater + Nightmare—his opponents never stood a chance.

Each time a Trainer watched their team fall helplessly... the feeling of powerlessness was devastating.

As time passed, Ash won another match in the afternoon, advancing to the Top 16.

Paul did too.

The two hadn't faced Tobias yet—but now, Ash and Paul were finally about to collide in the Top 16-to-Top 8 round.

It was the dawn of a new day.

The third day of the Sinnoh League.

Today, the finalists would be decided—the last two competitors.

The fourth day would host the final battle for the championship title.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference has reached its boiling point! From this point forward, battles will no longer be 3-on-3—they will be full-scale six-on-six showdowns! Are you ready?!"

The announcer shouted with passion, as though his heart could barely contain the excitement.

The audience responded with wave after wave of cheers and roars.

"Alright! First match of the Top 16: Ash vs. Paul! Both Trainers are undefeated so far in this tournament!"

That announcement caught everyone's attention.

Yes—Paul had rotated his team strategically, maintaining a perfect record.

But Ash had done something even more incredible—he'd won every battle using a single team each time, never switching.

Ash and Paul stepped onto the battlefield together.

The first 6v6 match of the Top 16.

"Let's look forward to the first six-on-six battle of this year's Sinnoh League!" the announcer cried.

"Waaaaahhhhh!!!"

Delia, Misty, May, Anabel, Dawn, Gary, Brock, and Lucy all watched the battlefield intently.

"Ash! My big brother wanted me to face you in a full battle at the Sinnoh League. I've made it this far—I'll show you how much I've grown!"

Paul declared as he tossed out his first Poké Ball.

"Then let's see if your strength is as stubborn as your personality!" Ash shot back, also raising his first Poké Ball.

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T/N:

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