"Masquerain, block it with Air Slash!" Sasuke commanded sharply.
Masquerain's four delicate, translucent wings began to beat rapidly. The air in front of it shimmered as crescent-shaped blades of wind shot toward Salamence with whistling precision.
The jagged stone blades Salamence had unleashed earlier met the slicing winds head-on.
For a moment, the battlefield was filled with the clash of rock against air — a sharp crack and shatter of energy.
But the Air Slashes couldn't match the raw force of Stone Edge. The wind blades broke apart, and the remaining stones slammed into Masquerain's fragile body.
The Masquerain cried out, "Maaas!" before being hurled to the rocky ground with a heavy thud. Its eyes swirled, signaling it had been knocked out instantly.
"Masquerain is unable to battle! Salamence wins!" the referee declared, raising one flag toward Gary.
"What?!" Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. Even with a quadruple weakness to Rock-type moves, Masquerain was no pushover — at least, not one to be taken out in a single hit like that.
But Gary knew exactly why. His Salamence's EX Intimidate ability didn't just cut Attack; it also applied an extra defensive reduction, leaving Masquerain's physical and special defenses weakened. Against a powered-up Stone Edge, it had stood no chance.
Sasuke clicked his tongue and recalled Masquerain. He had intended for it to at least chip away at Salamence's stamina, but instead it had been reduced to an early sacrifice.
"Fine then," he said, retrieving another Poké Ball. "Crobat — let's turn this around!"
With a burst of light, the sleek, purple Poison/Flying-type emerged, its four wings buzzing like a jet turbine. "Crrrooo!" it screeched, glaring at Salamence with predatory eyes.
[Level 52 Crobat — Quasi-Elite]
Gary didn't hesitate. "Return," he said calmly, recalling Salamence before the poison tactics began. In its place, he tossed out another Poké Ball.
"Let's go, Gardevoir!"
The elegant Gardevoir appeared in a swirl of shimmering light, her green hair flowing gracefully as her red eyes locked onto Crobat.
Sasuke wasted no time. "Crobat, Sludge Bomb!"
"Crrro!" Crobat gathered venom in its mouth before spitting a barrage of toxic globules toward Gardevoir. But to Gardevoir, the attack was painfully slow — almost lazy.
"Teleport," Gary ordered.
With a flash, Gardevoir vanished from sight, reappearing a few meters away as the poisonous projectiles splashed harmlessly onto the ground. Her hands then glowed pale white.
"Gravity."
An invisible force suddenly pressed down on the field like an unseen storm.
Crobat let out a startled hiss as its flight faltered, slamming into the rocky terrain with a painful whump. Its wings flapped weakly, but the oppressive weight kept it grounded.
Sasuke scowled and quickly recalled his immobilized Crobat. "Fine. Let's try this — Scizor, you're up!"
The crimson Bug/Steel-type burst onto the field with a metallic clang, snapping its enormous pincers menacingly.
"Sci—ZOR!".
[Level 51 Scizor — Quasi-Elite]
Gary raised an eyebrow.
"Bold choice," he said under his breath.
Scizor was durable, yes, but its 4× weakness to Fire made it a risky pick — and Gary's Gardevoir happened to have exactly that coverage.
"X-Scissor!" Sasuke ordered, striking first.
"Zha!" Scizor's claws glowed bright green with Bug-type energy, slicing an 'X' through the air as it charged.
Gary only smirked and snapped his fingers. "Mystical Fire."
Gardevoir's slender hand traced a perfect circle in the air, each fingertip leaving a trail of flame. The ring ignited fully before she thrust her palm forward, unleashing a roaring sphere of fire.
Scizor's eyes widened. "Zor—!"
The fireball slammed into it, engulfing its entire frame in a blazing explosion. When the flames cleared, the Steel-type was charred, steaming, and very much unconscious.
"Scizor is unable to battle! Gardevoir wins!" the referee declared.
Two of Sasuke's Pokémon had fallen without even scratching Gary's team. The crowd murmured in awe — Gary wasn't just winning, he was dominating.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Alright then… Marowak, I choose you!"
A flash of light revealed the brown, bipedal Marowak wielding its signature bone club.
The Marowak twirled its weapon in one hand, smacking it into the palm of the other with a confident whack.
"Wak!"
[Level 49 Marowak — Gym]
"Dazzling Gleam," Gary ordered.
Gardevoir began to radiate a brilliant light — but just before the move released, Marowak dove underground in a swirl of dirt, vanishing from sight.
Gary frowned slightly. "Dig."
The ground beneath Gardevoir erupted as Marowak emerged, smashing its club upward and knocking her back. She winced but quickly regained composure.
"Future Sight," Gary said calmly.
Her eyes glowed a deep azure, psychic energy rippling through the air before vanishing into the timeline.
"Moonblast!"
A shimmering orb of lunar light formed between Gardevoir's hands and shot forward, striking Marowak square in the chest.
"Gala!" the Marowak groaned, staggering back but refusing to fall.
"Earthquake!" Sasuke barked.
Marowak slammed its club into the ground, sending tremors rippling across the rocky field. Gardevoir braced herself — but before Marowak could recover, the stored energy of Future Sight came crashing down from above, striking with a devastating psychic force.
"Moonblast, one more time."
Another glowing sphere of moonlight soared through the air, detonating on impact and sending Marowak sprawling to the ground. This time, it didn't get up.
"Marowak is unable to battle! Gardevoir wins!"
With that, Sasuke's third Pokémon had fallen, ending the first half in a total shutout.
Halftime break
Sasuke sat with his team, frustrated. Gardevoir had dismantled his first half without even breaking a sweat. If he couldn't adapt, the second half would end the same way.
Gary, meanwhile, was calm and collected, sipping water while his Pokémon rested. He already knew Sasuke's second-half lineup from previous matches — and he had the perfect counters ready.
Second half — Water Field
The shimmering water surface reflected the stadium lights as the second half began.
Sasuke's first Pokémon was Tentacruel. The jellyfish Pokémon floated on the water's surface, its red orbs glowing ominously.
[Level 47 Tentacruel — Gym]
Gary led again with Salamence, whose EX Intimidate instantly lowered Tentacruel's defenses.
"Zen Headbutt," Gary commanded.
With a roar of "Salaa!" Salamence's head glowed with psychic energy before it dove, ramming Tentacruel hard enough to send ripples across the arena.
The Tentacruel shrieked before fainting almost instantly, though not before its Poison Touch ability left Salamence slightly poisoned.
Gary recalled Salamence immediately — he wasn't about to let poison sap its strength further.
"Latios, take over."
The Eon Pokémon materialized, sleek and blue, eyes sharp with focus.
"Laa-tios!"
With Safeguard shimmering around him, Latios nullified Sasuke's entire poison-based strategy. Crobat and Weezing fell in rapid succession to Latios's powerful Psychic attacks, leaving Sasuke with no remaining options.
"All of Sasuke's Pokémon are unable to battle! Gary wins!" the referee announced.
It was another flawless victory.
Gary wasted no time after the match, rushing to the Pokémon Center to cure Salamence's poisoning. As Nurse Joy worked, Gary muttered to himself about his distaste for poison-specialist trainers.
"Poison trainers are the worst," he grumbled. "Always dragging battles out, watching opponents suffer… disgusting."
Semifinals
At noon, the semifinal matchups were posted:
Gary vs. SeanTyson vs. Shuichi
Sean's team lacked any major threats, and Gary dismantled him in the morning battle with another clean 6–0 sweep. Tyson also advanced after crushing Shuichi, setting up a much-anticipated final showdown.
But the finals schedule was brutal — after a grueling morning match, both trainers would have to face each other that very afternoon.