When we're back at the Pokemon Center, Wallace comes towards them and he says, "How are you guys doing?"

"Hey, Dad." Reisa and East hug their father. Our other rivals are surprised to learn that we know Wallace personally.

"So if you don't know, the next round of battles are Double Battles, and three wins are required to advance." Wallace says to me.

"Three of them are all Double Battles..." I say, then Nurse Joy calls them to give out their match-ups, and then the four trainers all go prepare. Reisa asks, "So Dad since you have been a Champion for almost a year, are you worried that your title will be taken by Ash after that?"

Wallace says, "Maybe, but I am looking forward to seeing how he does."

Morrison is facing a Trainer who uses a Marowak and a Machamp, so he uses Growlithe and Gligar. In the end, he wins due to Gligar using Iron Tail, much to everyone's surprise.

"Now it is my turn." I say as I prepare my upcoming match, but then we are caught off guard when we fall into a pitfall trap with Team Rocket doing it again. However, their employer bursts through the wall and sends them running.

"Hey? That's weird. I wonder what's going on..." I mutter.

After getting to the stadium, I face the trainer named Dominick.

"Okay, Sharpedo, Camerupt, I choose you!" As for my opponent, he sends out Tropius and Swalot. The match was an easy one for me, Camerupt and Sharpedo worked together with ease and I won the match in the end. Both Wally and Tyson also advance to the next round, they are excited and seen chatting about who is stronger in the restaurant.

Once the match ups are over, Tyson, Morrison, Wally, and I also advance to the Top 32. All the matches are now Full Battles, and I'm facing against a trainer named Katie. The battlefield is selected by the computer as a craggy rock battlefield.

"Let's go! Torkoal!" "Come on, Venomoth!"

Once the two Pokemon appear, the match begins. Venomoth uses Stun Spore, but it is blocked by Iron Defense. Venomoth uses Disable to make it unusable.

"That won't stop us, Flamethrower, Torkoal!" I say as I have Torkoal attack, but Kaite yells, "Venomoth, return!"

She returns the Pokemon, much to my surprise. "Go! Golduck, now!"

As the Water Type Pokemon appears on the field, I have Torkoal use Body Slam, but Golduck sends Torkoal flying with a Hydro Pump and then cuts it down with Fury Swipes.

"Torkoal has great defenses..." Mark gasps.

"But Katie won pretty easily." Insey says.

I return my Torkoal and I say, "Manectric, I choose you!"

Once the Electric Type Pokemon appears, Katie recalls her Golduck and sends out Dugtrio.

"A Dugtrio? That's bad..." Trenor says.

"It has a major advantage over Electric Type Pokemon." Tyson adds.

"Come on, match! The types aren't important and you have to win!" Morrison yells.

Manectric uses a Quick Attack, but Dugtrio Digs to dodge, and then uses Sand Tomb to engulf the ground in an ever-growing sand trap. Sliding down the ominous pit, Manectric uses Thunderbolt on Dugtrio to no avail.

"Use Double-Edge, Dugtrio!" "Hit it with Ice Fang, Manectric!" Manectric jumps back before being swallowed up, but it is knocked out by the Double-Edge.

"Nice try with that Ice Fang, but it isn't enough. Ash is in trouble now." Alice says.

"He can't lose another Pokemon..." Mark adds.

"We'll turn this around in no time! Walrein! I choose you!" I send out Walrein and Dugtrio tries to escape underground. But it is forced above by Walrein's powerful Ice Ball on the ground. Using this opportunity, Walrein knocks it out with an Ice Beam.

Katie sends out Misdreavus, but after taking an Ice Beam and an Ice Ball, Misdreavus uses Destiny Bond. Misdreavus faints, but then suddenly Walrein glows purple and collapses as well.

"Great... now I lose three Pokemon..." I mutter.

After the five-minute break, the field changes from a rock field to a water field. I decide to go with Sceptile while Katie goes back with Golduck.

"Alright, Golduck Fury Swipes!" Katie yells. "Leaf Blade now!" I yell back. However, the continuous strikes from both Pokémon matches blow for blow, canceling out.

"Golduck! Use Hydro Pump!" Katie yells. "Dodge it and then use Dual Chop!" I reply. Sceptile jumps and then attacks, but Katie doesn't seem worried.

"Trying to draw me into a direct fight? Well, I don't think so! Golduck! Confusion!" Katie says as the attack stops Sceptile in mid-air. Sceptile is suspended helplessly by Confusion before being flung across the arena and into the water by the attack.

"Sceptile! No!" I yell, and the Pokemon is in a state of confusion from Golduck's attack. Unable to snap itself out of confusion, Sceptile falls straight into the arena's water, but Katie looks on confidently.

Sceptile manages to sneak up to Golduck unnoticed before lashing its opponent with a successful Leaf Blade to the face, sending it reeling.

"What?" Katie is surprised as she grits her teeth as Sceptile lands safely on one of the arena platforms, before ordering her fallen Golduck to use Fury Swipes again.

"Sceptile, dodge it! Now!" I say, but Sceptile is dazed and then it starts firing Bullet Seeds everywhere. Absol, Pikachu, and I are trying to dodge the upcoming seeds, but one seed manages to hit Golduck and knocks him out.

"How dare you use our Confusion attack against us..." Katie returns Golduck and calls back Venomoth. I decide not to switch out because of the last win. However, Sceptile is still confused and uses Bullet Seed without being ordered to. Katie orders Venomoth to dodge and use Supersonic on the already-confused Sceptile.

"That's funny, it's already confused so Supersonic won't even work..." Lisia says.

"Looks like Katie is a little confused herself." insey says.

I decide to return Sceptile and send out Swellow to face a Bug Type. As the Pokemon appears, Katie responds by telling Venomoth to use Stun Spore, though Swellow dodges and uses Peck.

"Venomoth! Use Disable!" Katie says.

"I've got more Flying attacks than that! Okay! Swellow! Aerial Ace!" I yell.

Swellow loops around mid-air, and dives straight for Venomoth, smashing into the Bug Pokémon and sending it spiraling down towards the arena's water.

"It's not over yet! Supersonic!" She yells. "Quick Attack!" I yell back.

Swellow lands a Quick Attack, sending Venomoth straight into the water and out for the count.

"Things are looking up now." Minami says.

"And that Aerial Ace... battling with Mom really helps him learn that." East nods.

"That's the way, Swellow, good job!" I say.

"Go! Scizor!" The fifth Pokemon of hers is a Scizor, and May asks, "A Bug Type against the Flying Type?"

Insey says, "Scizor is also partly Steel-Type, and they have some advantage over a Flying Type."

"Quick Attack!" "You do the same!"

Two Pokémon speed toward each other, trading blows repeatedly in mid-air. They eventually stop and face off. Since Disable has worn off, I order Swellow to use Peck once again, and Katie responds by telling Scizor to use Double Team, creating several Scizor illusions across the various platforms.

"And right into Metal Claw!" Katie says. All of the Double Team clones leap towards Swellow, claws glowing.

"Double Team as well!" Swellow then creates a line of its own clones to tackle Scizor's.

The illusions pass through each other, and I order Swellow to use Aerial Ace. The Swellow loop around and speed toward Scizor. Katie has Scizor counter with Hidden Power, destroying the Swellow duplicates.

"That's it Scizor!" " Swellow! Quick Attack!"

Swellow speeds through Scizor's attack, Katie then orders Scizor to counter with Metal Claw, which it does, smashing straight into Swellow's position. However, Swellow used Aerial Ace to instantly vanish and hit Scizor. The force of the attack sends Scizor crashing down onto a stadium platform, and it is unable to battle.

Down to her last Pokémon, Katie falls silent for a few seconds before sending out her Walrein.

"Just keep it up, Swellow, and we're going to win! Quick Attack! Let's go!" I yell.

However, due to Walrein's sheer girth and body mass, Swellow's direct attack bounces straight off, and a shocked Swellow is sent flying back.

"Walrein, Ice Beam!" Katie says, and then the move forces Swellow to make an evasive dodge to avoid it, though the tip of its wing gets frozen as a result.

"Okay, Swellow! Peck attack!" I yell. Katie counters by telling Walrein to go underwater, causing Swellow's attack to miss. I grit my teeth, and Katie confidently orders the submerged Walrein to use Ice Beam. The attack lands a direct hit, forcing Swellow to crash onto the floor outside of the arena and be knocked out.

"Okay, Castform! Come on out!" I decide to go with my final Pokemon.

"Walrein! Body Slam!" "Castform! Sunny Day!"

I tried to change the weather, and now Castform is a Fire Type, but Castform is hit by the attack. "Use Flamethrower!" I yell, and Castform manage to deal some damage, but it is defeated with the Hidden Power from Walrein.

"Sceptile! I choose you!" I send back my now not-confused Pokemon. Alice says, "Katie might have an advantage this time..."

"Come on, Ash! Show them who's the boss!" Morrison yells.

Katie starts the final match-up by ordering Walrein to use Ice Beam. Sceptile leaps over Ice Beam, which instead freezes some of the water field solid.

"Dive underwater!" Katie says as Walrein dodges, and then Sceptile lands on Walrein's platform, unable to make Leaf Blade connect.

"Again?" I mutter with anger. "Ah, yes. It's nice to have a water battlefield. Walrein, Ice Beam, go!" Then Walrein quickly emerges from the water and fires Ice Beam, landing a direct hit.

Sceptile smirks and gets back up, shooting a look at Walrein before it dives underwater once again. Walrein repeatedly emerges in various areas of the pool and I look on in frustration.

I notice the frozen water around the platform and I say, "That's it! Why didn't I think about it before? Sceptile! Use Leaf Blade on top of the water!"

Sceptile nods and then he does it, it causes a shock wave that forces Walrein out of the water.

"Walrein, let's finish it up with Ice Beam now!" I have Sceptile dodge the attack, and the Ice Beam freezes over the pool, removing Walrein's underwater advantage.

"What?" Katie is shocked as the pool is frozen.

"Now that will stop the two from hiding." Lisia says.

"Now time to do this." I yell as I Mega Evolve my Sceptile, and once it Mega Evolved, I have it use Quick Attack, the force of which sends Walrein flying into the arena wall and kicks up a cloud of dust.

"Good job, Sceptile!" I shout encouragement to him as he smoothly lands.

"It's not over yet! Walrein, use Mimic!" Katie says as she doesn't seem worried. Several beams of bright, pink light burst out from the dust clouds before Walrein flies across the field using its Mimicked Quick Attack. Unable to react quickly enough, Walrein hits Sceptile head-on and sends it flying. Sceptile manages to stop itself before staring down its opponent, who has just revealed its latest trick.

"Time for us to get up close! Sceptile! Leaf Blade!" Sceptile uses the move, which sends Walrein flying back.

"Two can play this game, Ash! Walrein, Body Slam!" "Dodge and use Bullet Seed!" Ash yells. Sceptile leaps into the air and fires off a volley of seeds upon a defenseless Walrein.

"So battling up close is a trick. Alright, Ice Beam!" I have Sceptile dodge with the Quick Attack, and then it strikes Walrein. Katie watches on as Sceptile lands several powerful blows against Walrein.

"He goes back, I attack! Walrein! Quick Attack!" Walrein speeds toward Sceptile, and I decide to have Sceptile move it close. And when the timing is right, I have Sceptile dodge the attack.

"Sceptile! Dual Chop!" I yell, and Sceptile slices its blade straight up Walrein's body, sending it skyward and back to the ground, giving me the win.

"Alright! Sceptile! We won!" Sceptile returns to normal and puts a twig in his mouth.

"Our battle was tougher than I thought it would be, you won fair and square. Keep on winning." Katie says to me.

"Thanks, I'll do my best." Then we shake hands before returning to others.

When we are having pizza in the Pokemon Center, we are talking about the tournament. Morrison says, "This is my first official competition, I have no idea that the battle's so intense."

"Yeah. I was getting nervous." Wally says. "I wonder who are we going to battle in the next round."

Max says, "Speaking of which, the matchups are announced now."

As everyone looks at the match-ups, I say, "Wait, looks like I am battling you, Morrison."

Morrison is particularly stunned as he falls completely silent, he is now worried and I think there is something wrong with him. I decide to find him that night with Alice, and we find him training with Metang.

"Morrison! We've been wandering around looking for you." I say.

"Go away!" He says to me, much to our surprise, and then he just runs off with Metang.

"I don't get what's going on..." Alice mutters.

"That's a tough one." We notice my family and friends arriving. East says, "Morrison just gets his first win, and he finds a great new friend in you. And then... he finds out he's gonna battle his new friend. It's very confusing."

"I know, I don't want to battle him like he does, but I have to." I say.

"You're right. There's always a chance that any two trainers who challenge the same tournament can end up battling each other at some point." Mark says.

"If that happens, you still need to get 110%. I just wonder if Morrison is going to be able to handle that." Insey adds.

The next day, the Full Battle between Morrison and I begins. The stadium flame burns make for the perfect backdrop as the field of choice this time around is the ice field. Morrison grits his teeth as he looks at me, and everyone is watching the battle in silence.

"Let's go! Banette! I choose you!" I yell as I send out my first Pokemon, and then Morrison halfheartedly says, "Go! Girafarig!"

Then as the battle begins, I command, "Banette! Use Sucker Punch!"

As the punch is coming, Morrison, whose confidence is shaken, says, "Girafarig, Light Screen." And then the attack lowers the damage taken, but Banette crashes through the Light Screen and hit Girafarig's head with Sucker Punch. Girafarig manages to shake Banette off, sending it sliding back.

"Alright, Girafarig! Use Tackle!" Morrison hesitantly orders, but Banette uses Phantom Force to dodge the attack. Girafarig, unable to stop in time, Tackles straight into the upright icicle, causing damage to itself.

"Now use Sucker Punch again!" I yell, but Girafarig slips and falls on the icy floor, causing Banette to miss.

"Use Dark Pulse this time." I command as the Pokemon charges the attack. "Go, Girafarig! Use Iron Tail!" Morrison desperately orders, but Banette dodges the attack and attacks with Dark Pulse, knocking Girafarig out.

Morrison gasps at his fallen Pokémon, before silently calling it back. Instead of sending out his next Pokémon, Morrison stands there, petrified by indecision.

"You must choose your Pokemon immediately!" The referee says to Morrison, but he cannot concentrate.

"If Morrison can't send out the Pokemon, then it will count as a forfeit and then Ash will win the battle!" The announcer says, but Morrison is still not doing it.

"Wait for a minute! You have to give him a little more time!" I yell at the referee! "Morrison! Snap out of it!"

"Yeah, but...Go!" Then Morrison hastily sends out his Growlithe to take on my Banette, and Banette begins the battle by firing Shadow Ball at Growlithe.

"Use Agility to dodge it!" Morrison yells, still unable to take any offensive action towards his friend and rival.

"Banette! Phantom Force!" I yell. Banette attacks the Pokemon in the shadows, knocking it out.

"Growlithe, I'm sorry I'm letting you down..." Morrison says.

"Morrison!" I yell at him. "What's going on with you? We both know you can battle better than this! Why are you just giving up?"

"Yeah? Who asked you?" Morrison turns away.

"If that's how you feel then you might as well quit! Right now!" I yell.

"No way!" Morrison says.

"You got Pokemon that depends on you and battle, but right now you act like you don't want to care about them!"

"Yes, I do care about Growlithe! You know that, right?" Morrison asks the dog Pokemon, and he nods. "I just hope you'll forgive me, Growlithe."

Then after recalling the Growlithe, Morrison has renewed vigor and yells loudly, "Look out! 'Cause I'm back! Yes, you want it, I'll give you a battle, Ash!"

"That's the spirit!" I say back.

Morrison chooses Swampert as his third Pokémon. Banette and Swampert clash their Shadow Claw and Focus Punch attacks with tremendous power.

"Now this is a real battle." I say.

"Thank you for waking me up, Ash! But you're going to be sorry again!" Morrison yells. Swampert blasts a Hydro Pump to match Banette's Shadow Ball, but both Pokémon seem evenly matched. Sucker Punch and Focus Punch are used again, but each attack hits the other Pokémon in the face, knocking them both out.

"With one side having three Pokemon out, the battle goes into intermission." The announcer says as we take a little break to change the battlefield.

During the break, Morrison comes to me, "Got a second, Ash?"

"Sure, what's the matter? I ask.

"I want to apologize about how I acted before." Morrison says. "You probably don't believe this, but I didn't use to be as competitive as I am. I mean, nobody likes to lose, but I always have it for fun. I never really cared that much if I won or not. But... ever since I started to try for the Hoenn League, I love to just win matches and now I just don't know when to stop."

"And going against the great trainers and winning is the best." I say back to him.

"But it wasn't the best when I learned that I'm battling you, I never had a battle against a good friend before." Morrison says. "It's okay now, though. You snapped me out of it when you yelled at me during the battle. And I realize that fighting with all you have is what a real friend would do."

"Because a true friend wants to see you give your all in the battle." I say. Then we shake hands and each refuses to lose, but promises to remain friends regardless of the outcome.

The second half of the round will take place on a Grass Field. I choose Swampert as my second Pokémon to battle Morrison's fourth Pokémon, Steelix.

"Use Dragon Breath!" "Dodge and use Muddy Water!"

As the Swampert dodges the upcoming attack, it sends out dirty water toward Steelix, but it counters with a devastating Iron Tail. Steelix disappears underground and strikes Swampert into the air with Dig.

"Hang in there, Swampert, and use Hammer Arm!" I yell.

Swampert tries to land the attack, but Steelix evades with Dig and smashes Swampert into the air again.

"Swampert! Use Earth Power now!" I yell, and then the attack finally hits Steelix.

"You don't give up as well! Use Earthquake!" "You too! Don't hold back this time!"

Both Pokémon are commanded to use Earthquake, but Steelix's power is more than Swampert, causing him to faint.

"Torkoal! Come on out!" I yell as I send out my third Pokemon.

"I know what you're trying to do with the matchup! But it won't work! Steelix! Use Dragon Breath!"

Torkoal blocks the attack with the Iron Defense and then uses Overheat. Steelix unleashes a second round of Dragon Breath, both attacks meeting in the middle. Overheat proves more powerful, landing a direct hit on Steelix.

"Flamethrower!" "Another Dragon Breath, Steelix!"

This time, the result is an explosive draw. Using the resulting cloud of smoke as cover, Steelix escapes underground. Torkoal guards itself against Steelix's Dig by using Iron Defense. Steelix immediately uses Dragon Breath, hitting and knocking out Torkoal.

"Come on out! Cacturne!" I send out my fourth Pokemon. Steelix unleashes its Iron Tail right from the start, but Cacturne quickly dodges it.

"It's so fast..." Morrison is surprised that he missed the attack.

Cacturne uses Bullet Seed at Steelix, which burrows into the ground once again in retreat.

"Get ready to dodge, Cacturne. Here it comes." I say as he nods, then it manages to dodge the attack, but then it is hit by the Dragon Breath.

"Use Needle Arm!" I yell as another Dragon Breath is coming, and then Needle Arm shields Cacturne as it makes its way to land the attack, knocking out Steelix.

"Gligar, you're next." As the fifth Pokemon from Morrison appears, Cacturne uses Foul Play, but Gligar swiftly dodges it and performs Steel Wing. Cacturne barely dodges Gligar's onslaught of attacks by hiding in the tall grass on the field.

"Bullet Seed again." I yell as Cacturne fires the attack, striking Gligar.

"Strike back with Steel Wing!" Morrison says as Cacturne retreats back to the tall grass.

"Now use Giga Drain!" I yell as Cacturne leaps onto Gligar to suck its energy, but Morrison tells Gligar to shake it off.

Free-falling through the air, Cacturne tries Bullet Seed once more, but to no avail. It is helpless to defend itself from Gligar's Guillotine. Gligar's pincer grips Cacturne's neck and slams its opponent into the ground.

"Let's go, Aggron!" I send out my fifth Pokemon. Gligar attempts to quickly end it with Guillotine but Aggron responds with Stone Edge, causing him to be hit before Guillotine hits.

"Rock Tomb!" I yell as the rocks are now trying to hit Gligar, but it dodges and attacks with Iron Tail, but Iron Defense manages to block the attack.

"Use Hidden Power, Gligar!" Morrison yells as the attack hits Aggron, sending them to the ground. Then they both use Flash Cannon and Earthquake, causing them to double knock out.

"Glalie! Let's go!" I send out my final Pokemon, and Morrison says, "You're up! Metang!"

After both Pokemon appear, I decide to go for another Mega Evolution. Alice is the one who gets excited about the form. "Mega Glalie! I have been waiting for this!"

Glalie performs Headbutt, which Metang matches with Take Down. The Pokémon collide, but Glalie takes the brunt of the damage.

"That's okay, Glalie! Give it an Ice Beam!" I command, but Metang's Confusion forces Ice Beam right back towards Glalie.

"Hit it hard with Take Down!" As Metang charges forward, I say, "Glalie, get back in there and use one more Ice Beam!"

"Why is he using the same attack?" Max asks in confusion.

Confusion sends it back, but Glalie is told to use Icy Wind, reflecting Ice Beam back again, landing a direct hit on Metang and encrusting it in ice. Glalie follows up with a successful Headbutt, sending ice shards all around. Metang releases an intense Meteor Mash and scores a direct hit.

"Now this is the way the battle's supposed to be. Morrison, let's do it, Headbutt now, and do it with a spin!" As I yell for the attack, Morrison says, "I know how to handle it, so finish it with another Meteor Mash using everything you got!"

At the last moment, Glalie ducks under and strikes Metang's underside. The referee judges Metang as unable to battle and declares me the victor. I'm happy that I advance the match. Both Tyson and Wally also manage to advance to the top 8, which we are happy to hear from.

Morrison, viewing the stadium from the outside, shouts out in disappointment at his loss, but quickly feels better. I walk to him and say, "That was an amazing battle, right? Morrison?"

"You are right. Be sure to win the league, Ash." He says.

"You bet, and maybe we will have another battle again." I say, and then we decide to have dinner together.

Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, the battle with Morrison and Katie are done. And the next chapter will be the final chapter of the Hoenn League Tournament.

Ash and Alice's Pokemon:

Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Pikachu x2, Lapras, Meganium, Espeon, Steelix (Crystal), Mantine, Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Mightyena, Linoone, Beautifly, Dustox, Ludicolo, Shiftry, Swellow, Pelipper, Kirlia, Gardevoir (Shiny), Masquerain, Breloom, Slaking, Ninjask, Shedinja, Exploud, Hariyama, Nosepass, Delcatty, Sableye, Mawile, Aggron, Medicham, Manectric, Plusle, Minun, Volbeat, Illumise, Roselia, Swalot, Sharpedo, Wailmer, Camerupt, Torkoal, Grumpig, Spinda, Flygon, Cacturne, Altaria, Zangoose, Seviper, Lunatone, Solrock, Whiscash, Crawdaunt, Claydol, Cradily, Armaldo, Milotic, Castform, Kecleon, Banette, Dusclops, Tropius, Chimecho, Absol, Glalie, Walrein, Huntail, Gorebyss, Relicanth, Luvdisc, Shelgon, Latias, Latios, Kyogre, Groudon, Jirachi

May's Pokemon:

Venusaur, Blaziken, Beautifly, Skitty, Munchlax

Mark's Pokemon:

Blaziken, Swampert, Ludicolo, Pelipper, Surskit, Breloom, Hariyama, Medicham, Sharpedo, Wailmer, Camerupt, Torkoal, Whiscash, Crawdaunt, Milotic, Walrein, Huntail, Gorebyss, Relicanth

Minami's Pokemon:

Linoone, Swellow, Gardevoir, Slaking, Exploud, Delcatty, Mawile, Medicham, Grumpig, Spinda, Swablu, Zangoose, Lunatone, Solrock, Claydol, Castform, Kecleon, Chimecho