The Lily of the Valley Conference, main arena.
Ash and Shinji had already risen into the arena on the lifts.
The atmosphere in the stadium was more electric than ever.
This was not merely a tournament match, but a fated showdown between two Trainers with completely opposing philosophies.
As usual, the commentator announced the rules.
"Starting with the quarterfinals, matches will be full six-on-six battles! Competitors may use either Z-Moves or Mega Evolution, but not both!"
That made no difference to Ash and Shinji, however, since neither of them seemed to have access to either...
Perhaps Ash might have one.
The battlefield was selected at random.
This time, it was a dirt battlefield that offered neither side any particular advantage, with an exceptionally smooth, level surface.
"Piplup!!!" In the stands, Piplup danced excitedly to cheer them on.
Li Wei, Cynthia, and President Samaranch watched the match from the upper stands.
Blue and Red, who were training on Mt. Silver, also chose to take a short break and watch the match live on their phones.
Blue believed this would be Ash's most important match of the entire Lily of the Valley Conference.
Following their battle at Lake Acuity, the two were once again staking their convictions, bonds, and emotions on an all-out showdown.
Before today's official match, the two sides had encountered each other at the Pokémon Center the previous night.
More precisely, Dawn had met Shinji first.
Probably because Dawn was Li Wei's student, Shinji had been surprisingly civil toward her.
"I hate him. He's just like my brother, always going on about trust and emotions."
Dawn couldn't help saying, "But my teacher says the same things!"
Shinji suddenly stopped walking.
Dawn wasn't lying.
In the very first class Li Wei had taught at Celadon University, he had spoken to