"All right, the Wallace Cup has finally reached its last day!" The night had passed in a flash. Although the competition had yet to begin the next morning, the excitement had already reached a fever pitch as Marian addressed the audience.
"Only those who win their way through the semifinals and into the final showdown can truly shine on the Sinnoh stage!" Wallace added, stirring up the crowd.
"The first semifinal match pits Dawn on this side against May on the other! The time limit is five minutes. Begin!" Bai An announced as soon as Wallace finished speaking.
"Piplup, take the stage!" Dawn tossed her Poké Ball, and Piplup appeared amid a shower of bubbles with a cheerful cry.
"Beautifly, take the stage!" May threw her Poké Ball at the same time. As it opened, countless petal-shaped lights fluttered through the air. Beautifly spread its folded wings and faced Piplup.
"Either Dawn or May will face one of us in the final!" In the contestants' waiting room, Liu Yuan watched Dawn send out Piplup and May send out Beautifly, both ready for battle, then turned to Zoey beside him.
"That's right, so we need to watch their performances closely!" Zoey nodded and turned her attention to the live broadcast on the big screen.
"Liu Qing, who do you think has the better chance of winning, Dawn or May?" Brock asked. Ash and the others also looked at Liu Qing.
"Beautifly is one of May's longtime partners. With the two of them working together, May is undoubtedly far stronger than Dawn. But Contest Battles aren't like Gym battles, and they only last five minutes. No one can say whether something unexpected might happen in that time. Overall, I'd put Dawn's chances at around thirty percent," Liu Qing replied. Brock, Ash, and