The atmosphere seemed more tense as Tim and Katrina prepared to face off against each other. Both combatants were highly watched trainers and nearly everyone was trying to guess who would win this match. The judge looked between the two combatants and spoke.

"This will be just like the previous match. Six Pokémon a side with a short break after three of either side's Pokémon have gone down, to switch arenas. We will start with a grass field!" The ref boomed as he stood in the midst of a meadow-like field. "Trainers, send out your first Pokémon!"

"Aggron, time for battle!" Tim belted out, releasing his armored beast into the fray.

"Magmortar, battle station!" Katrina called out.

The fire cannon Pokémon erupted onto the field and faced the towering wall of steel that was his opponent.

"I've been waiting a long time for this. I admit, I was pretty jealous that Brendan got to battle you before I did," Tim said with a laugh.

Katrina smirked and placed a hand on her hip. "Why didn't you later on? You had plenty of opportunities to do so," Katrina retorted.

Tim shrugged. "I guess I wanted to wait. And boy was it worth it. Just look where we are!" Tim grinned.

"Indeed, this is the ideal place to duke it out isn't it?" Katrina smirked. "Shall we?"

Tim gave her a nod and readied himself.

"You may begin!" Declared the judge.

"Here we go! Aggron, Earthquake, let's go!" Tim commanded.

"Protect!" Katrina deflected.

Aggron roared viciously before slamming his tail hard on the ground, causing the entire arena to tremble under his power. Magmortar, acting quickly, surrounded himself in a protective barrier that took the brunt of the attack, weakening the effects until the quaking stopped. This did little to halt a now rampaging Aggron who charged forward and swung a tail covered in aquatic energy. Magmortar stumbled back from the force of the blow after throwing up his arms to soften the assault.

"Stone Edge!" Tim pressed the assault.

"Flamethrower!" Katrina countered

Massive stones materialized around Aggron's frame, circling him before being launched at high speeds towards his foe. Magmortar retracted his claws and revealed the cannons he had hidden beneath and powered up, firing off a stream of hot flames towards the stones, eradicating them upon contact. Magmortar then raced forward and delivered a swift Mach Punch that nearly toppled Aggron had he not braced himself at the right time. Aggron rounded on Magmortar and swept him aside with his iron coated tail.

"Fire Blast!" Katrina called out.

"Aqua Tail!" Tim countered.

Magmortar loosed a blast of superheated flames that were swept aside by the explosive power of Aggron's Aqua Tail, bathing the arena in steam. Aggron stomped the ground hard with his feet and shook it violently in hopes of flushing out Magmortar. The fire cannon Pokémon had leapt high into the air the moment it heard Aggron's foot hit the ground. A bright orb of golden light shone within the cannons. Magmortar shot a Focus Blast at point blank range. A deafening boom echoed through the arena as something heavy slammed into the ground.

"Aggron is unable to battle! Magmortar wins!" The judge declared.

Tim returned Aggron with a chuckle. "I figured as much...I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from that Magmortar," Tim smirked, reaching for his next Pokémon. "But you're not the only one with tricks like that up their sleeve," Tim grinned. "Cacturne, let's fight!"

Out of the ball burst a Pokémon bearing the semblance of a green scarecrow with spikes along its arms, legs, back and chest. Needless to say, this had Katrina intrigued. As far as she was concerned, there was no reason to be deliberately using something with a type disadvantage unless there was a reason, like what she had just done.

"Okay, now I'm curious. Let's see how this plays out! Magmortar, Flamethrower!" Katrina called out.

"Dark Pulse!" Tim fired back.

Magmortar pointed his cannons at Cacturne and fired two streams of hot flames towards him. The scarecrow opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful beam of dark energy which canceled out the opposing assault. Magmortar bolted forward and extended his fist, aiming a Mach Punch straight for Cacturne's chest. With a devious grin, Cacturne threw up a spined barrier that shielded him from harm and caused Magmotar to hurt himself.

"Cacturne, use Feint Attack!"

"Heat Wave and spin!" Katrina countered.

Cacturne suddenly blurred away, his steps silent as he appeared behind Magmortar for a surprise strike. Magmortar fired off a wave of heated air and spun in place, burning Cacturne as he came in for a strike that hit Magmortar on the left flank. Magmortar skidded back while Cacturne pulled himself together, wincing at the pain he just experienced.

"Double Team!" Tim ordered.

Cacturne quickly split into several copies of himself and charged Magmortar. The cannon Pokémon unleashed a widespread Heat Wave that decimated all but two of the copies who managed to get in close. As they closed in, arms laced with dark aura, Magmortar pointed both cannons at the two of them. Hot flames formed within the cannon heads. Both Cacturnes eyes glowed violet, forming a ring around Magmortar's body for a brief moment. Magmortar fired. Cacturne's copy was eviscerated and the original Cacturne was blasted into the far wall, steam rising from his unconscious body. Suddenly, Magmortar toppled over as well.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle!" The judge declared.

Katrina couldn't help but laugh at what happened. She shook her head and returned Magmortar as Tim recalled Cacturne. "You stole that strategy from me," Katrina quipped. "Then again, it was a brilliant maneuver on your part," Katrina stated, mock tipping a hat to him.

"Why thank you. I saw you use it, so I figured, why not?" Tim grinned reaching for his third Pokémon while Katrina grabbed her second.

"Alakazam, let's battle!" Tim shouted as he let Alakazam's ball fly.

"Trevenant, stand by!" Katrina called out, releasing her haunted tree into the fight.

"Alakazam, Shadow Ball!" Tim commanded.

"Shadow Claw!" Katrina repelled.

Alakazam crossed his spoons and concentrated, forming a ghostly ball of energy that vibrated with power before it was launched. Trevenant stood his ground as the ball barreled towards him. He laced his claws with ghostly aura and sliced through the attack, dispersing it. Trevenant soon found himself surrounded by a bright blue aura. He was suddenly flung into the air and brought down hard by an invisible force.

"Phantom Force!" Katrina called out hastily.

Trevenant broke free of the psychic hold and vanished completely from view, leaving the Psi Pokémon to seek him out. Alakazam remained calm, his mind going through multiple calculations as to where his opponent could be. After a few moments of deliberation, Alakazam raised his spoons and whirled around, aiming them at a seemingly empty space in the air. Suddenly, a vortex opened up an in a swift motion, Trevenant shot out of the hole and barely avoided an oncoming Psyshock that tore through the rift he'd created. He lashed out at Alakazam and knocked him into the tall grass.

"Shadow Claw!" Katrina pressed on.

"Psyshock!" Tim cried out.

Alakazam levitated to his feet and pointed his spoons towards the charging ghost tree. Several orbs of violet and pink energy exploded from his spoons and tore through the air. Trevenant batted them aside and lashed out at Alakazam who teleported above Trevenant and sniped him in the back with a Psybeam. Enraged, the haunted tree vanished into thin air. Alakazam began looking around once more, remaining calm as he waited. Just then, a portal ripped open in front of him, giving him little time to react as Trevenant surged out of it and slashed across his chest, knocking Alakazam through the air, crashing and skidding along the ground. Alakazam looked up in time to see a Seed Bomb being dropped on his head, creating a loud explosion.

"Alakazam is unable to battle! Trevenant wins!" Declared the judge. "Please stand by while we change the field!"

The field was lowered once again, giving Katrina and Tim time to think up their next strategies.

"I knew facing you would be tough, but already I'm down three to one? Man, you are something else Katrina," Tim stated as he unclipped his next Pokémon from his belt.

"You're quite surprising yourself. This is the first time I've seen your other Pokémon. I'm impressed," Katrina grinned.

"Well, you're about to be impressed even more after this," Tim smirked as the field came back up, revealing an icy field with rocky platforms.

"I look forward to it," Katrina said with a sly smirk.

"Dusknoir, let's rumble!" Tim exclaimed.

The Gripper Pokémon materialized and surveyed the field with his single red eye. Clenching his fists, he prepared to do battle with his ghostly nemesis. Katrina and Tim exchanged glances as if to say "after you."

"Shadow Claw!" Katrina shouted fiercely.

"Shadow Punch!" Tim cried out.

Trevenant powered up his claws with ghostly energy and charged forward. Dusknoir zipped off towards Trevenant, his fist ablaze with ghostly aura. The two came to blows in the middle and began striking at each other, neither of them scoring a solid hit. Trevenant loosed a barrage of glowing gold Seed Bombs which were incinerated by a flurry of Fire Punch attacks from Dusknoir.

"Seed Bomb!" Katrina ordered.

"Shadow Sneak!" Tim commanded.

Trevenant roared and formed several clusters of Seed Bombs in his claws before thrusting them towards Dusknoir. The ghostly adversary swiftly sank into the ground and moved swifter than the eye could track in Trevenant's direction. Dusknoir shot up out of the ground and dealt an uppercut to Trevenant followed by a bone-shattering Shadow Punch that slammed Trevenant into the ground, unable to continue.

"Trevenant is unable to battle! Dusknoir wins!" Announced the judge.
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"So Tim has a Dusknoir huh? I wonder where he even got it. It's not like they're easily obtained or anything," May stated as she kicked back in her chair beside her boyfriend, Derrick.

"Well, if he had a Duskull and then a Dusclops, all he would have needed was a Reaper Cloth. That's probably how he obtained him. Dusknoir are quite bulky and pack a surprising punch," Derrick said as he observed the match.

"That's true, though it seems like a lot of trouble to go through. Still, I guess the results were worth it," May concluded, watching the match as it continued.
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Katrina recalled Trevenant and primed her next partner's ball. "Rampardos, you're up!" Katrina exclaimed.

The Headbutt Pokémon charged onto the battlefield, lowering his head and roaring.

And her comes a powerhouse. I need to steer clear of him. If I get in too close, it's pretty much over. Dusknoir's defenses can only take so much. If I still had Aggron, this might be a different fight, Tim thought as he contemplated his next attack.

"Zen Headbutt!" Katrina shouted.

"Power-Up Punch!" Tim countered.

Rampardos stomped his feet and then lowered his head as he charged. His skull began to glow a vibrant pink as the psychic aura surrounded it. Dusknoir cocked his fist back and waited until the critical moment before launching it forward, clashing with the thick skull of Rampardos. Power surged through Dusknoir as he connected his strike and then recoiled due to the overwhelming strength of his opponent.

"Ice Punch!" Tim called out.

"Crunch!" Katrina countered.

Dusknoir channeled icy aura into his fists, infusing them with frozen energy before swinging hard at Rampardos who avoided the assault by a hair and bit down hard onto Dusknoir's arm. Keeping a solid grip, Rampardos raised him up and slammed Dusknoir down and then flung him across the arena. Dusknoir scrambled to regain balance and then dove into the shadows along the ground. Dusknoir burst through the shadows and came up swiftly, icy energy shrouding his fist.

"Head Smash!" Katrina called out hastily.

Rampardos poured power into the plate on his head and swung his head down hard. A heavy mist spilled over the arena, clouding vision. When it cleared, both Rampardos and Dusknoir were down for the count.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle!" Proclaimed the judge.

Katrina and Tim returned both of their Pokémon and stared each other down. Katrina was still ahead, but Tim was giving her a really good fight so far. She reached down and grabbed her next partner, Tim mimicking her actions.

"Eelektross, stand by!" Katrina cried out.

"Conkeldurr, let's do this!" Tim exclaimed.

Katrina watched as Conkeldurr lumbered onto the field, casually lifting his concrete pillars as if they were lightweights. I figured he'd save him for the later rounds. He was wise to do so too. If one of his biggest powerhouses were to fall, his team would crumble. Remarkably, his entire team was difficult to take down thus far. Tim didn't earn his reputation for nothing. But I plan to bring him down. So brace yourself Tim, because here I come!

"Conkeldurr, Mach Punch!" Tim ordered.

"Bounce!" Katrina countered.

Conkeldurr charged Eelektross, swinging his concrete pillar at blinding speeds, missing narrowly as Eelektross took to the sky. The EleFish Pokémon plummeted down, gaining momentum as he aimed to pounce upon Conkeldurr. The brutish concrete wielder flexed his muscles and powered up, puffing out his chest as Eelektross came crashing down, driving Conkeldurr back but a few feet. Conkeldurr remained standing and breathed in deeply as he shook off the heavy assault.

"Thunderbolt!" Katrina commanded.

"Protect!" Tim shot back.

Eelektross fired a powerful bolt of lightning that ripped through the air towards Conkeldurr. The concrete bearer placed his pillars beside him and conjured up a verdant protection barrier that repelled the thunderous blast. Eelektross seized the opportunity and closed the distance, swinging home a few Drain Punches. Conkeldurr stumbled a bit and then bulked up and swung hard in retaliation, the Counter attack sending Eelektross flying through the air and crashing into the ground, unable to move.

"Eelektross is unable to battle! Conkeldurr wins!" The judge called out as his hand went up.
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"Looks like Tim is back in this thing," Brendan said to himself.

Courtney looked over at him and nodded. "Indeed he is. His Conkeldurr is in prime condition. Though I must say, I wonder what Katrina's next Pokémon will be."

"With what we've seen so far, probably something as strong as the rest of her team. We'll have to wait and see," Brendan said with a smirk.

"Well, at least you are getting a view of their full teams. Now you know what to expect," Courtney grinned.

"That's true. Even still, they're both in possession of some really powerful teammates. Whoever I battle in the final round is going to really make me work for it," Brendan said with a nervous laugh.

"Then you need to do the same for them. You've worked just as hard as they have, and have as much a shot as they do at winning," Courtney said with a smile.

Brendan nodded and turned back to the fight. I know she's right. But still, it's going to be a hard match no matter who I fight. I need to start making my strategy now, Brendan thought as he observed the match.
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Katrina returned her Eelektross and sighed contentedly. "Good work my friend, now rest up," she stated, reaching for her next partner. "You did well in taking out my Eelektross, but then again, I expected as much from one of your strongest. However, this is where his run stops. Gardevoir, time to battle!"

Gardevoir burst forth from her chambers and gracefully trekked onto the field. Like her trainer, she too placed a hand on her hip and stared at her opponent, a cocky smile crossing her features. Conkeldurr tilted his head slightly at the behaviour of his opponent.

Tim felt uneasy the moment the Psychic-type immerged. He knew he would have to go all out if he was to defeat her. He knew Gardevoir's defenses were decent as far as some attacks went, but physical defense-wise? She was sorely lacking.

"Conkeldurr, use Ice Punch!" Tim cried out.

"Psyshock!" Katrina countered.

Conkeldurr tore off in Gardevoir's direction and laced his pillar with an icy aura and swung it at Gardevoir. The dancer gracefully avoided the assault with a swift sidestep, whirling around to launch a barrage of psychic spheres to the back of Conkeldurr sending him stumbling forward. Conkeldurr grunted and swung his other block around and missed. Gardevoir began teleporting around Conkeldurr, a ball of pink energy forming in her hands as she did.

"Moonblast!" Katrina commanded.

"Protect!" Tim deflected.

Gardevoir appeared in front of Conkeldurr and launched the blast a close range. The ball was deflected by a quickly conjured protect. As the barrier came down, Gardevoir had teleported once again. Conkeldurr powered up his fist and slammed it into the ground, creating an Earthquake that shook the arena. All was quiet until Gardevoir teleported above Conkeldurr an caught him in a Psychic hold. Conkeldurr cringed in pain as he was lifted up towards Gardevoir who smirked as she brought him closer to her. She cupped his face and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing Conkeldurr to cry out in pain as a pink electrical current coursed through his body, sapping his energy. His arms went limp, causing him to drop his pillars. Soon after, he was blasted into the ground by a ball of fairy energy, knocked out of the fight.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle! Gardevoir wins!" Announced the judge.

Tim let out a long whistle as he returned Conkeldurr. "You sure don't pull any punches do you?" Tim said as he reached for his final ball.

"Nope. And I don't plan to either," Katrina smirked, returning Gardevoir to her chamber and priming Garchomp's ball. "Garchomp, time for battle!"

So that's how it is huh? So be it then! Tim smirked, launching his final Pokémon onto the field. "Pidgeot, take flight!"

The bird of prey screeched out of her chambers, spreading her wings to soar above the arena. Below her was what would be considered her greatest challenge yet. Garchomp stared up at her opponent and spread her wings, ready to take flight at the command of her trainer's voice. Katrina reached up to her earring and tapped the keystone. Tim touched his keystone as well, causing Pidgeot's Mega Stone to resonate with his. Before Tim and Katrina's eyes, Pidgeot and Garchomp morphed into their more powerful forms, ready to do battle.

"Pidgeot, Air Slash!" Tim commanded.

"Dragon Claw!" Katrina countered.

Pidgeot flapped her wings repeatedly, firing off sharp blasts of wind that knifed through the air. Garchomp's claws elongated and glowed a vibrant green as she lashed out at the attacks headed her way, cutting through them before taking off toward her opponent. Pidgeot pulled into a kulbit to avoid the speeding land shark and shot another gust of heavy winds towards Garchomp. The Hurricane attack buffeted Gardchomp, forcing her towards the ground, creating turbulence.

"Draco Meteor!" Katrina cried out.

Garchomp regained her balance and pulled out of the Hurricane assault and turned to fire an orange glowing orb high into the air. The orb exploded and a shower of meteors poured down from the sky.

"Pidgeot, Agility!" Tim countered hastily.

Pidgeot began weaving around the falling orbs of light, narrowly dodging the last one as it sped by. As she banked around, Garchomp rushed her, forcing her to pull up. The Mach Pokémon fired a blast of flames towards the massive bird. Pidgeot returned fire and sent a wave of intense heat to cancel the blast, creating a smokescreen after an explosion. Garchomp charged through and landed a Dragon Claw, slicing across Pidgeot's left wing, sending her spiraling out of control. Pidgeot struggled to regain her balance and managed to right herself in time to lean away from a Flamethrower.

"Hyper Beam!" Tim bellowed.

"Dragon Rush!" Katrina countered.

Pidgeot opened her beak and a crimson orb formed in front of it. With a screech, she launched a devastating beam of energy towards her charging opposition. Garchomp shrouded her body in draconic energy, the energy itself taking the form of a rampaging dragon as Garchomp powered into the Hyper Beam attack. There was a brief power struggle as Garchomp began to push his way through the blast. After a few seconds, an explosion rattled the stadium followed by a loud crashing sound. Dust and debris kicked up everywhere, clouding vision momentarily. When it began to clear, a large, dark blue-bodied dragon was seen standing tall over the body of a fallen bird. Garchomp let out a roar of triumph.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle! Garchomp wins! The victory goes to Katrina!" The judge declared.

The audience exploded into cheers as the match ended.

"And Katrina's done it! After a long battle, Katrina has secured her seat in the final round against Brendan! I think we can all agree, that is one match you don't want to miss! Let's hear it for your two contenders!"
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"Awwww man! Tim lost!" Said one trainer that sat in the Oldale Pokémon Center.

"He had a good fight though," said another.

Lucia released a breath she didn't even know she was holding and sighed. "Oh well, he can't win them all now can he?" Lucia laughed.

"Isn't that your boyfriend, Nurse Lucia?" One of the trainers asked.

"Yes he is. And now that he's done in the League, he can come home and spend time with me," Lucia stated with a smirk.
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"Congrats Katrina. You were incredible!" Tim laughed, flashing a goofy grin.

"Thank you. It was a pleasure to do battle with you. It was definitely worth the wait," Katrina said with a smirk.

"Well, it's just you and Brendan now. And I can't wait to see how that turns out," Tim said with excitement.

"Neither can I," Katrina chuckled.

The two shook hands and headed back down their tunnels. Katrina paused before entering hers and stared up into the stands directly at Brendan. Her eyes met his, a challenge lurking in their grey depths. Brendan and Katrina didn't need to speak. They said all that was needed in that one moment of eye contact.
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The stage is set! The final round is between Katrina and Brendan! This will decide the Champion of the Ever Grande Conference! Who's hyped!? I am! Get ready for the clash you've all (probably) been waiting for!