Galar, Hammerlocke Stadium.
As G-Max Wildfire came crashing down,
the light and mist cleared, revealing that both Gigantamax Pokémon had returned to their original forms. Both lay fallen, having taken each other out.
"The head-on Gigantamax clash ends in a draw!"
Lapras had fulfilled its role as well,
and from there, the match became a brutal war of attrition.
Lorelei's Weavile defeated Leon's Dracovish,
but as Articuno fell unconscious to the ground...
"Articuno is unable to battle!"
"The winner is-Leon!"
The final score stood at 6-3.
Although Lorelei had lost as most people expected, the intensity of the match had exceeded their imaginations.
Next, Cynthia easily defeated Raihan,
while Steven battled Roland to a score of 6-4, revealing why she had made it into the Top 16 so easily.
Lance and Mustard's match was a clash of titans.
Most people thought Lance would win,
but the final result came as a surprise.
The two fought their way to 5-5,
and in the final showdown between Gigantamax Urshifu and Dynamax Gyarados, Urshifu proved the stronger.
Lance lost to Mustard by a narrow margin.
Lance himself took it quite well.
"What a shame, Mr. Lance. You were so close."
Hearing Ash's regretful words in the tunnel, Lance smiled. "It's all right. Losing one match doesn't mean I've lost for good."
Finally, Lance patted Ash on the shoulder.
"Good luck!"
"Yes, Mr. Lance!"
Next came Ash's match against Wallace.
This match promised to be second only to Lance and Mustard's in intensity, so plenty of people were watching closely.
Wallace was a Water-type specialist.
Charizard, Infernape, and Incineroar would all be difficult choices, though they weren't completely out of the question.
After all, they could be equipped with the nasty surprise of Thunder Punch.
Backstage, where the Competitor Tunnel led,
Li Wei, Cynthia,