Before long, the afternoon matches ended as well. That evening, the quarterfinal matchups appeared on the big screen at the Pokémon Center.
"Dushe, Takami, Liu Qing—you three still haven't been matched against one another. The other Pokémon Trainers here are pretty good, but none of them should pose a threat to you, Liu Qing. Those two will be your real opponents in the fight for the championship," Brock said, looking at the screen.
"Tomorrow's match shouldn't be a problem. What matters is the day after. I wonder whether I'll face either of them," Liu Qing said confidently.
The next day's match went just as Liu Qing had predicted, without much trouble. His opponent's first Pokémon was a Mantine, which was fast and had powerful moves, but Slowking eventually caught it with Confusion and defeated it cleanly. For the second Pokémon, his opponent sent out a Slowbro, hoping to counter Slowking's Confusion. Yet whether Slowking naturally intimidated Slowbro or not, the opposing Slowbro failed to display even half its usual strength before Water Pulse knocked it unconscious. Takami and Dushe also advanced successfully.
With three of the matches ending quickly, the morning's battles soon concluded, leaving four contestants in the Semifinal. By noon, the Pokémon Center had posted the matchups. This time, Liu Qing would face Takami in the second match that afternoon, while Dushe would battle another beautiful woman.
"Liu Qing, Brock told me you have a shiny Gyarados too. Will you use it against Takami's Gyarados this afternoon?" Ash asked over lunch.
"Maybe." Liu Qing only had two Water-type Pokémon at this point, so if Slowking lost, he would have to use Gyarados. He couldn't give a definite answer.
"Oh? So you have a Gyarados too—and a shiny one, at that." A voice suddenly came from behind them. They