The finals, Ash vs. Tobias (4,000 words)

The battle grew more intense. Ash and Paul had been fighting for nearly half an hour without a winner emerging, making this the longest match of the Lily of the Valley Conference so far.

Yet there wasn't a dull moment. Although some of Ash's decisions still left plenty to criticize, such as his strange team selection, he had still delivered an incredibly exciting battle!

Finally, after a series of baffling moves from Ash, Pikachu fell to Electivire, whose Motor Drive had been activated. Both sides were down to their last Pokémon.

"Even I'm getting nervous watching this."

"Oger..."

Mingyou and Ogerpon were both sweating for Ash. He was really cutting it close. Even so, they could tell that Ash was considerably stronger than Paul; his team selection was simply a problem.

But with the match this far along, there was no point talking about that. Everything now hinged on the final showdown.

The Team Rocket Trio were nearby as well. Business had been so good lately that they had nearly cleared out the Manor's entire stock, and they had even been assigned to sell their wares among the spectators inside the stadium.

Even though they had been enemies for years, at a time like this, they truly wanted him to win...

Finally, flames shot skyward, even disrupting every signal in the stadium. Infernape unleashed an astonishing Blaze, and under the fierce assault of one last Flare Blitz, it finally turned the tables and won!

"He finally won!"

At that moment, even Mingyou couldn't help leaping to his feet in excitement. Watching rivals give their all, showing just how far they had come with their Pokémon, never failed to get his blood pumping.

Looking down at Ash and Infernape hugging tightly while their opponent, Paul, smiled in acceptance, Mingyou couldn't resist