The afternoon match was between Hua Yan and Junya. Junya attacked first, sending out Nidoking as his first Pokémon, while Hua Yan opened with Dugtrio. Nidoking attacked with Hyper Beam, but Dugtrio quickly dodged it with Dig. Perhaps Hyper Beam had never been Junya's real objective: as soon as Dugtrio burrowed underground, he ordered Earthquake, hoping to deal a devastating blow. Unfortunately, although the ground shook, Dugtrio was not forced out. Instead, the earth beneath Nidoking turned to quicksand. Dugtrio trapped Nidoking in Sand Tomb, then knocked him out with a single Fissure.
"Heh, interesting. Dugtrio took the Earthquake underground, but the soft sand he prepared beforehand dispersed most of its force." Watching the changes on the field, Liu Qing thought for a moment and understood why Earthquake had failed to have its intended effect on Dugtrio.
Junya's second Pokémon was Gyarados. Perhaps because Liu Qing's Gyarados had put on such an overwhelming performance that morning, Junya's Gyarados immediately drew the audience's attention upon appearing. Hua Yan even openly declared that she considered Junya's Gyarados a stand-in for Liu Qing's, making this a practice bout before facing Liu Qing's Gyarados.
Who among the top four was not aiming for the championship? Junya was angry at Hua Yan's dismissive words, but he still worked to keep his composure. Nevertheless, an unmistakable aggression crept into his commands. After a series of relentless attacks, Dugtrio fell to Gyarados's Hydro Pump.
Hua Yan recalled Dugtrio and sent out Ampharos, while Junya immediately recalled Gyarados and sent out Piloswine. Hua Yan attacked first, and Ampharos struck Piloswine with Thunder. Piloswine showed no sign of pain, however. With a full-body shake, he broke through the lightning, charged toward Ampharos, and landed repeated hits with Fury Attack. Perhaps Hua Yan had been waiting for Piloswine to close