Not long after Liu Qing sat down beside Mili, the second match began. The girl, Xiao Lian, came from the Hoenn Region, while the boy, A Yu, was a local from Kanto.
Xiao Lian opened with Masquerain against A Yu's Marowak. Although Marowak's bone boomerang dealt considerable damage to Masquerain, Masquerain ultimately finished Marowak off with a Water Pulse. A Yu sent out Magneton next. Its combination of Steel and Electric types let Magneton chase Masquerain relentlessly. Masquerain fought back, but neither its Water-type nor its Bug-type moves did much to Magneton. Finally, a mistake by Xiao Lian allowed Magneton to finish Masquerain off with Thunderbolt.
To counter Magneton, Xiao Lian sent out the Fire- and Fighting-type Blaziken. This Blaziken might have been her starter Pokémon; its performance was exceptionally powerful, and it finally sent Magneton flying with a Sky Uppercut.
A Yu's last Pokémon was also a Fire type—Charizard, one of Kanto's starter Pokémon. What followed was a showdown between Fire-type starters that had the entire audience cheering. In the end, the damage Blaziken had taken against Magneton proved decisive, and Charizard finished it off with a Seismic Toss.
Xiao Lian's final Pokémon was the Electric-type Raichu. With one battling in the air and the other on the ground, the clash of flames and lightning drove the crowd's excitement to its peak. Finally, Raichu struck Charizard with Thunder, sending it crashing to the ground, unable to battle.
The afternoon match between Xiao An and Han Ye was just as spectacular. Yet the impulsive Han Ye ultimately defeated the composed Xiao An, much to Liu Qing's surprise.
The next day, Reggie made it through his battles without any serious trouble, but Ash's run ended in the round of sixteen because of Charizard's lack of effort.
Once all eight quarterfinalists had been decided, the big screen shuffled the eight Pokémon Trainers' photographs again, and the match order was soon set. Since the quarterfinals were full six-on-six battles, one match was scheduled for each half-day, with the round taking two days to complete.
On the big screen, Ritchie and a contestant named Drake were paired for the first quarterfinal. Liu Qing and Han Ye would fight in the second, Reggie and Xiao Lian in the third, and the final match would be between Xiao Feng and a girl named Yue'er.
"Liu Qing, you may be strong, but I won't lose to you. I'm definitely winning tomorrow!" As Liu Qing left the stadium, he ran into Han Ye and Xiao An. Han Ye spoke with his fighting spirit blazing.
"No, I'll definitely be the one who wins tomorrow." Liu Qing shook his head and spoke with certainty before walking away. Rather than waste time on a meaningless war of words, he would be better off getting some rest.
"Damn it! How dare he ignore me!" Han Ye snapped as he watched Liu Qing leave.
"He just doesn't want to argue with you about something pointless." Although Xiao An had lost to Han Ye, Xiao An still couldn't resist taking a jab. "You're nowhere near his level."
"Hmph, so what if he's stronger than me? Plenty of people I've fought were stronger than me, but where are they now? Under my feet, that's where. It happens all the time. Once the actual battle starts, there's no telling who'll win." Han Ye curled his lip.
Xiao An's expression stiffened, but Xiao An still said, "I'm warning you out of kindness precisely because I lost to you. Winning this year's Indigo League won't be easy. Reggie, Yue'er, Drake, and Liu Qing—barring any surprises, those four will reach the semifinals. What you're talking about does happen, but it won't happen in a full six-on-six battle. That kind of match tests a Pokémon Trainer's overall ability."
After saying that, Xiao An took out a small booklet and handed it to Han Ye. "Take a look."
Han Ye accepted the booklet in puzzlement. It contained detailed information on all eight contestants competing the next day.
Liu Qing: Pokémon used so far: Scizor (notable for its speed; moves used include...), Gengar (notable for its unpredictable style and quick attacks; moves used include...), Gyarados (powerful, extremely powerful; moves used include...)
Suspected Pokémon: Arcanine, Shelgon (specific moves unknown)
"This is the most help I can give you. I hope it'll be useful in tomorrow's match," Xiao An said.
"Useful? It's incredibly useful! But I don't mean the booklet—I mean you! I'll tell you every Pokémon I have, and you can help me figure out which ones to use tomorrow." Han Ye laughed and slung an arm around Xiao An's shoulders. "Come on, let's go back and talk it over!"
The next morning's match was Drake versus Ritchie. Even before it began, many experienced spectators and Pokémon Trainers had already predicted the outcome. After all, everyone had seen how easily Drake had made his way through the tournament, while Ritchie had struggled terribly. If he hadn't faced a disobedient Charizard in the round of sixteen, he would never have reached the quarterfinals. The result was just as many had expected: even using all six of his Pokémon, Ritchie only managed to defeat two of Drake's.
The afternoon match was Liu Qing versus Han Ye. Whatever Han Ye had prepared, he looked brimming with confidence when he saw Liu Qing. Naturally, Liu Qing didn't ask. They went straight to their trainer platforms and listened to the Announcer's customary pre-match speech.
Standing on his trainer platform, Han Ye showed none of the impatience Liu Qing had seen before. Instead, he was unusually calm, closing his eyes to settle his emotions. Liu Qing looked toward the stands and smiled and nodded when he spotted Liu Yuan. Many spectators were holding up large photographs of Liu Qing with Scizor, Gengar, and Gyarados, as well as photographs of Han Ye and his Pokémon. Clearly, these were supporters of the two trainers.
At last, the Announcer finished. The referee came to the edge of the battlefield and raised his flags. After receiving a signal from both Liu Qing and Han Ye, he announced the start of the match.
"Scizor, take the field!" Liu Qing tossed a Poké Ball into the air. A white light flashed, and Scizor appeared on the battlefield.
"Magnezone, I choose you!" A slight smile appeared on Han Ye's lips. Just as Xiao An had said, Liu Qing's first Pokémon was indeed Scizor. Even if he had opened with Gengar or Gyarados instead, Magnezone would still have held an overwhelming advantage.
"Scizor, show them your speed! Brick Break!" Liu Qing ordered first.
"Hah!" A streak of red lightning flashed across the battlefield, and Scizor was already in front of Magnezone. It brought a vicious Brick Break down on Magnezone, whose face immediately twisted in pain.
"Thunder Wave!" Han Ye ordered coldly at that very moment.
"Dodge!" Liu Qing had no intention of letting Thunder Wave hit Scizor. A sudden bout of paralysis could be disastrous.
"Hah!" Scizor also realized the danger and flapped its wings to retreat, but suddenly it couldn't pick up speed. It was as though something had caught its body in a magnetic pull. Magnezone's Thunder Wave quickly struck it, and yellow sparks burst across its body, slowing it again.
"Magnezone, Thunderbolt!" At Han Ye's command, golden electricity rapidly flared around Magnezone and struck Scizor before it could dodge. Scizor cried out in agony and fell to the ground on one knee, sparks flickering over its body.
"Come back, Scizor!" If Scizor kept fighting, it would be knocked out, and Liu Qing certainly wasn't going to let that happen. He quickly took out its Poké Ball and recalled it, then looked at Han Ye. "The Magnet Pull Ability. Looks like you really did prepare this for me."
"That's right. This Magnezone evolved while I was traveling through Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh. Its Magnet Pull Ability attracts Steel-type Pokémon. Any Steel-type Pokémon that comes close is bound to be pulled in. I prepared it specifically to counter your Scizor's speed," Han Ye said. "Combined with Thunder Wave, it really did bring Scizor's speed down to its lowest. After that Thunderbolt hit, I would've taken the first knockout if you hadn't recalled it so quickly."
"You're right. Now for my second Pokémon." Liu Qing took out another Poké Ball and threw it. "Exeggutor, I choose you!"
"Yaah! Gah!" As soon as Exeggutor appeared, all three of its heads let out loud cries at once. Their different voices made quite a racket.
"There it is! Liu Qing has sent out Exeggutor, a Pokémon making its first appearance in this tournament! How will this Grass- and Psychic-type Pokémon perform against Magnezone? Let's find out!" The Announcer seized the moment to stir up the audience.
"Magnezone, Magnet Bombardment!" Han Ye launched the first attack.
Boom! With a deafening blast, the three magnets around Magnezone's body detached and shot toward Exeggutor, striking it and exploding.
"Haha! Once my Magnezone's Magnet Bombardment explodes, Exeggutor gets coated in magnetic material. Now it can't escape either!" Seeing his attack land and his plan succeed, Han Ye immediately smiled. "Magnezone, Thunder Wave!"
"We'll see about that!" Liu Qing remained composed at Han Ye's words. "Confusion! Grab it!"
No sooner had he spoken than the smoke from the explosion scattered, revealing Exeggutor with multicolored light glowing around its body. The colorful glow of Confusion enveloped the approaching Magnezone and slammed it hard into the ground.
"How is that possible?" Han Ye exclaimed in shock.
"Nature Power!" Liu Qing had no intention of holding back now and gave the order immediately.
Rumble! At Liu Qing's command, green light flashed over Exeggutor's body. Then the entire battlefield shook violently, and cracks spread outward from Exeggutor. By the time the Earthquake stopped, Magnezone had already fainted.
"Magnezone is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Come back, Magnezone. Thanks for your hard work!" Han Ye recalled Magnezone as he spoke.
"Mom, doesn't magnetic material conduct electricity really well? Why wasn't Exeggutor affected by Thunder Wave after getting coated in it?" Liu Yuan asked.
"Because Exeggutor protected itself with Confusion during Magnet Bombardment, so it never got coated in magnetic material in the first place. How could it conduct electricity that way?" At the same time, elsewhere in the stands, Paul asked the same question, and Reggie patiently explained it to him.
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