After a night's rest, the fatigue from the competition had completely disappeared. As Xiao An had predicted, Reggie and Yue'er won the remaining two quarterfinal matches and advanced to the semifinals.
Once the final four had been decided, the big screen displayed the computer-generated semifinal pairings. The first match would pit Drake against Yue'er, the only girl remaining and a beautiful young Trainer. The second would be between the two handsome Trainers, Liu Qing and Reggie. One match would take place in each half of the day, completing the round in a single day.
The next day, the semifinals began as scheduled. In the first match, Drake's opponent, Yue'er, used Clefable, Wigglytuff, Nidoqueen, Umbreon, Delcatty, and Absol, but ultimately failed to withstand his powerful offensive. Her Indigo League run ended in the top four.
Soon, it was time for the afternoon match. Liu Qing and Reggie stood on their respective platforms, waiting for the battle to begin.
"Ever since our last battle in Fuchsia City, I've been looking forward to facing you again. Now I finally have my chance," Reggie said, looking at Liu Qing while they still had a little time before the match.
"So have I. Let's both give this battle everything we've got," Liu Qing said.
"That's exactly what I was hoping for." Reggie nodded and said no more. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, settling his mind.
Before long, the referee walked to the edge of the field. He first announced the rules, then confirmed that both contestants were ready before lowering his flag and declaring the start of the second semifinal!
"Scizor, you're up!" Liu Qing once again sent out his trusty lead battler.
"Ninetales, let's go!" Reggie sent out his Pokémon right after Liu Qing.
As the white light faded, both Pokémon appeared on the field. They had fought once before, and Scizor had lost to Ninetales. The moment they faced each other again, the tension between them flared.
"Scizor, be careful! Use Brick Break!" Scizor had lost their previous battle after being hit by Will-O-Wisp, so they would have to be especially cautious this time. Liu Qing couldn't help reminding Scizor, who understood as well. Scizor gave him a slight nod, beat those wings, and shot toward Ninetales like a bolt of red lightning.
"Ninetales, block it!" Reggie commanded, unfazed by the incoming Brick Break.
"Nine..." Ninetales gave a soft cry, and the nine enormous tails behind Ninetales suddenly spread like a peacock's fan. The alluring display immediately drew squeals from the girls in the audience.
"Sciz!" At that moment, Scizor's attack arrived. A glowing white claw came crashing down at Ninetales's head, but Ninetales made no attempt to dodge. Nine tails danced into place to block the blow, and Scizor felt as though the attack had struck a mass of cotton, finding no purchase at all.
"This is bad! Scizor, get away!" Just as Scizor was about to put more strength into the attack, Liu Qing's command rang out. Trusting him completely, Scizor immediately tried to fly away, only to discover that those wings could no longer move. Ninetales's bewitching red eyes suddenly appeared right before Scizor.
On the field, Ninetales's nine enormous tails danced wildly. After blocking Brick Break, seven had wrapped around Scizor's four limbs, neck, and two pairs of wings. The other two coiled around Scizor's waist, holding the Pokémon firmly in place.
"Well done, Ninetales! Show off your charm! Attract!"
At Reggie's command, Ninetales's already seductive eyes shone with an eerie red light. A red heart struck Scizor, and the Pokémon, who had still been struggling fiercely in response to Liu Qing's orders, went still and gazed at Ninetales in infatuation.
"Oh no! Scizor, return!" Ninetales certainly lived up to that name. Even without Attract, Ninetales could captivate the opposite sex; with it, that charm was positively ruinous. Scizor would probably have been willing to die if Ninetales asked. Liu Qing immediately took out his Poké Ball to recall Scizor, but Ninetales flicked out a tail and blocked the red beam. By the time Liu Qing tried again, it was too late.
"Ninetales, Overheat!"
At Reggie's command, dazzling red light blazed over Ninetales's entire body. Flames of red, yellow, and white instantly engulfed Scizor, yet Scizor seemed oblivious to the devastating attack, continuing to stare at Ninetales in adoration until losing the ability to battle. Ninetales elegantly tossed the charred Pokémon aside, gathered all nine tails behind, and sat on the ground with regal poise, head held haughtily high. The display immediately drew another wave of squeals from every woman in the audience.
"Scizor is unable to battle!" the referee ruled, lowering his flag.
"What a powerful Ninetales! Reggie's Ninetales..." The commentator launched into his commentary the moment the referee finished.
"Reggie, I didn't expect you to develop so many uses for Ninetales's tails and put them to such good effect. You're certainly not an opponent I can underestimate," Liu Qing said after recalling Scizor.
"Heh, I got the inspiration from Blaine's Ninetales on Cinnabar Island. This was my first time trying it in an actual battle. I didn't expect it to work so well," Reggie explained, pleased to have defeated one of Liu Qing's Pokémon so easily.
"I see. Blaine trained his Ninetales's nine tails for rigidity, while you've trained yours for flexibility. Both are ways to put them to use." Hearing Reggie mention Blaine reminded Liu Qing of the Gym Leader's Ninetales.
"Liu Qing, please send out your second Pokémon." The match was still underway, and the referee couldn't let the two chat for too long, so he promptly urged them onward.
"Go, Gyarados!" At the referee's prompting, Liu Qing immediately threw his Poké Ball. White light flashed, golden sparkles scattered, and a deep-red Gyarados appeared on the field. Gyarados let out a mighty roar at Ninetales, sending an oppressive presence rolling outward. Unable to maintain that regal composure, Ninetales immediately stood and shrank back a few steps.
"Ninetales, return!" Reggie knew that Ninetales had been afraid of Gyarados ever since their previous battle. Although Ninetales had grown much stronger, so had Gyarados. With Gyarados's distinctive Intimidate ability added to the mix, it would have been strange not to be afraid. Reggie immediately recalled Ninetales and threw another Poké Ball. "Go, Ludicolo!"
"Ludi-colo!" As soon as Ludicolo appeared, the Pokémon began dancing merrily. A natural optimist, Ludicolo paused only briefly under Gyarados's Intimidate before continuing to dance. That lively performance did an excellent job of stirring up the crowd.
"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" Liu Qing gave the first attack command.
"Roar!" Gyarados was already furious at Ludicolo's constant challenge to that imposing presence. Now that Liu Qing had given the order, Gyarados held nothing back, swinging a powerful Aqua Tail with enough force to suggest the attack wouldn't stop until Ludicolo had been smashed to a pulp.
"Protect!" Although Water-type moves did little damage to Ludicolo, that depended on the move. Aqua Tail could be considered a physical strike imbued with Water-type power. If it landed, Ludicolo would suffer far more than a minor injury.
Facing the sweeping Aqua Tail, Ludicolo sensed its crushing force and stopped dancing. A green barrier spread around Ludicolo's body—the move Protect.
"Wrap your tail around Ludicolo! Thunderbolt!" Just as Aqua Tail was about to strike Protect and allow Ludicolo to block the blow, Liu Qing suddenly recalled how Ninetales had used those tails. An idea immediately came to him.
Though puzzled by Liu Qing's sudden change of command, Gyarados obeyed, turning the strike into a coil and wrapping Ludicolo up. After a brief clash, the water circling Aqua Tail and the green barrier surrounding Ludicolo both disappeared. Golden electricity then coursed through Gyarados's body into Ludicolo, whose face immediately twisted in pain.
"Oh no, is this instant karma?" Reggie gave a wry smile at the sight, but still shouted, "Ludicolo, snap out of it! Giga Drain!"
Hearing Reggie's words, Ludicolo struggled to open those eyes amid the current and gave a loud cry. A green band of light shot from the rain-catching dish atop Ludicolo's head, wrapped around Gyarados, and began draining Gyarados's energy.
As that energy was drained away, Gyarados's face contorted in pain. With an enraged roar, Gyarados stopped Thunderbolt and hurled Ludicolo into the sky.
"Ice Fang!" Liu Qing immediately shouted as Ludicolo flew through the air.
After a slight pant from the loss of energy, Gyarados roared and opened a maw filled with freezing air, lunging to bite Ludicolo as the Pokémon fell toward the ground.
"Ludicolo, Leech Seed!"
At Reggie's command, Ludicolo faced the rapidly approaching jaws and immediately launched a seed from the top of that head. It landed squarely on Gyarados's forehead.
The seed instantly sank into Gyarados's forehead and sprouted rapidly, enveloping the entire head. Not only did it prevent Ice Fang from taking effect, but it also quickly spread over the body and began draining Gyarados's energy. It drained only one-eighth of Gyarados's energy, and even combined with the earlier Giga Drain, that loss was still tolerable given Gyarados's tremendous reserves. Nevertheless, it allowed Ludicolo to escape Ice Fang and recover a considerable portion of the energy lost to Thunderbolt.
"My brother's amazing!" In the stands, Paul clenched his fists excitedly as he watched the match. He could almost see Reggie defeating Liu Qing, then Drake, and standing on the podium with the trophy raised high.
"Come on, big brother!" On the other side, Liu Yuan shouted anxiously toward the field. This was the first time in the tournament that he had seen Liu Qing trapped in such a predicament, completely on the back foot.
"Liu Yuan, don't worry. The situation isn't entirely unfavorable for your brother. It just depends on whether he's noticed," Mili told him with a slight smile.
"Mom, really?" Liu Yuan asked curiously.
"Yes. Look, your brother may have noticed already," Mili said, pointing toward the field.
Before you continue