Hammerlocke Stadium.
"Charizard is unable to battle!"
"The winner is Red!"
The score settled at 6-4.
After Li Wei and Ash's match came the showdown between Red and Blue.
The score was almost identical to last year's, but this year, Blue had managed to get one step closer to Red.
"Still not enough..."
For a brief moment, Blue couldn't help feeling dejected, but he quickly brushed those thoughts aside.
"Forget it."
It wasn't the first time he'd lost.
With his victory over Blue, Red joined Li Wei as the first to advance to the Master League Top 8 with a 3-0 record.
Since both had gone 3-0,
they wouldn't meet before the finals.
A draw would place them in opposite halves of the bracket.
As for Blue and Ash, who had already suffered defeats, they would have to wait for the eight competitors at 1-1 to finish their matches before another draw.
Ash still had a chance to advance.
But he didn't have many chances left.
Mustard and Wallace were opponents he couldn't beat.
That left Diantha, Steven...
And Iris and Professor Kukui, who were currently at 1-1, though whether they could earn their second win was still uncertain.
There was no need to celebrate Li Wei and Red reaching the Top 8. They were practically celebrating every day anyway...
Every evening, they gathered at Cynthia's villa on the outskirts of Hammerlocke, only returning to their respective hotels late at night.
Why?
Naturally, they weren't used to Galar's food.
They would much rather eat the dishes Li Wei and Brock made.
Making the Top 8 wasn't much of a cause for celebration, either.
If they only finished in the Top 8, then they ought to throw a proper, joyous celebration-or so Akin said.
The next day.
There were four