The stadium went silent as the two combatants, Billy and Tim, stared each other down. The stakes were high and both of them knew that neither of them could afford any mistakes in this round. Billy knew full well what Tim was capable of and it frightened him a little. Tim didn't have to do too much to be intimidating. This match however, was too important. Billy couldn't afford to be afraid now. It was time to face the giant that was Tim, even if he couldn't shake the nervous feeling he had.

"Hey...don't look so nervous," Tim said with a reassuring smile. "Loosen up dude this is the League, let's have fun!" Tim grinned.

Billy nodded and took a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders more so as not to appear so tense.

"That's better!" Tim encouraged him.

Billy smiled and nodded. "You''re right, I shouldn't be nervous. I need to be at the top of my game! So let's do this Tim!"

Tim smirked and reached down to his belt, ready and waiting for the judge to begin the match.

"This is the final round of the qualifiers! The winner here will move on to the semi-final matchups! Trainers, send out your first Pokémon!" The judge boomed.

"Shiftry, let's battle!" Billy exclaimed.

"Conkeldurr, stand by!" Tim called out.

Shiftry stared menacingly at a calm and collected Conkeldurr. The concrete wielding Pokémon waited patiently for the match to begin.

"You may begin!" The judge hollered.

"Shiftry, use Leaf Blade!" Billy commanded.

"Bulk Up!" Tim countered.

Shiftry's blades forged together to form a single elongated blade on each hand. The Wicked Pokémon shot forward, lashing out as he got in close. Conkeldurr put his concrete pillars down and flexed his bulging muscles, causing veins to pop out over his massive arms. The Leaf Blade struck his abdomen, causing him to move only slightly as the attack didn't do much to faze him. Conkeldurr brought his fist back and punched Shiftry hard in the face with a blindingly fast Mach Punch, causing Shiftry to fly backwards and skid along the ground. Conkeldurr picked his concrete pillars up again.

"Ice Punch!" Tim commanded.

"Bounce!" Billy ordered.

Conkeldurr darted forward, swinging an ice encased pillar at Shiftry who bounced high into the air at the last moment, effectively avoiding the strike. Conkeldurr flexed again as Shiftry plummeted, aiming a kick to his chest from a high altitude. The blow struck hard enough to send Conkeldurr skidding back even farther. Conkeldurr finished channeling more power into his frame and picked up his pillars once again.

"Leaf Blade!" Billy commanded.

Conkeldurr remained standing, flexing again as Shiftry blazed forward, blades extended, and swung hard against his side. Conkeldurr swung his arms down swiftly and grabbed Shiftry by the shoulders in a crushing grip. The guardian of the forest couldn't wriggle his way out of Conkeldurr's iron grip.

"Reversal!" Tim commanded calmly.

It soon became apparent to everyone why Tim didn't go on the offensive right away. After taking several strikes to boost his power, Conkeldurr showed his strength by lifting Shiftry and channeling the accumulated damage into one decisive attack, spinning him around over his head before launching him like a missile into the far wall of the arena. A loud crash was heard soon after.

"Shiftry is unable to battle! Conkeldurr wins!" The judge declared, raising his hand to halt the match.
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Lucia watched the match from inside the Oldale Pokémon Center. She was a bit sad that she couldn't see Tim in action up close, but at least she got to see him on the flat screen in the lobby of the center. Several other trainers were also watching the match take place.

"Tim is so cool!" Exclaimed one of the younger trainers as he witnessed the first part of the battle come to a close.

"I know right? He's got one of the best records as far as battle statistics are concerned. The only one that's currently outdoing him is Katrina. Brendan is pretty darn close though," one of the other male trainers replied.

"It's a tossup with those three. Wally's also a good trainer as well. He did beat May after all," said another as they glanced over at Lucia, waiting for their Pokémon to be healed.

"All I know is that the semi-finals are going to be crazy," another trainer deduced.

Lucia giggled as she listened to the conversation. If only they knew. If they think these are crazy battles, they haven't seen anything yet. Come on Tim! Win this one!
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"Staraptor, let's fly!" Billy cried out, releasing the bird of pre y into the air.

"Now we're talking!" Tim grinned excitedly, Conkeldurr mimicking his trainer's actions, showing that he was pumped for the fight.

His Conkeldurr may be tough, but I doubt he'd be able to beat Staraptor, Billy mused, grinning happily at the prospect of possibly winning this round.

"Staraptor, Double Edge!" Billy commanded.

"Drain Punch!" Tim countered.

Staraptor rocketed into the sky only to dive down and shoot forwards at an accelerated rate, a white aura forming around him as he flew. Conkeldurr braced himself and placed down one of his concrete pillars. Cocking his fist back, he launched it forward and connected with the oncoming bird of prey, the impact creating a stalemate momentarily before both contenders slid back. An orange glow surrounded Conkeldurr, signaling that he'd sapped some energy from Staraptor.

"Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Billy ordered.

"Stone Edge!" Tim riposted.

Staraptor exploded forward, white streaks trailing behind him as he moved through the air. Several stones began forming a crisscross pattern around Conkeldurr before being flung at the incoming Staraptor. The bird of prey began weaving between the stones as they shot past him, narrowly avoiding the last one before powering into Conkeldurr and knocking him over. The muscular Pokémon pushed himself up and used his pillars to steady himself as Staraptor came around for another strike.

"Brave Bird!" Billy cried out.

"Ice Punch!" Tim called out.

Staraptor's body became surrounded in an azure aura as he tore off after Conkeldurr. An icy aura shrouded Conkeldurr's fists before he swung one of them hard as Staraptor closed the distance. Dust and rocks kicked up everywhere and an icy mist clouded the field. When it all cleared, Conkeldurr stood over Staraptor who was half frozen and out of the fight.

"Staraptor is unable to battle! Conkeldurr wins!" The judge declared loudly.

Billy recalled Staraptor and clipped him back to his belt. He was now down to his last Pokémon. He reached for his last ball and snapped it off, priming it and holding it for a while.

This is it. My last chance to turn things around. It may not look good now, but I'm gonna give this everything I've got! Billy thought as he pulled back and thrust the ball forward. "Mawile, let's do this!"

The deceptive Pokémon burst forth preparing to fight for her trainer with everything she had. She readied herself for battle and faced the titan that was Conkeldurr. Glancing back at her trainer, she could see the look of determination on his face. She watched as he reached for the keystone and turned around, bracing herself for the change. Billy tapped the keystone and invoked its powers, causing it to resonate with the Mega Stone about Mawile's neck. In mere moments, the transmutation process was complete.

"This may be our last battle Mawile, so let's give it our all! Iron Head!" Billy called out.

"Conkeldurr, heads up! Use Ice Punch!" Tim countered.

Mawile's jaws shimmered as she coated them with iron and swung as she neared, connecting with the powerful ice infused pillar of Conkeldurr. The muscular Pokémon winced at the impact and brought down one of the other pillars in a swift motion, only to have it caught in one of the jaws. Mawile grinned up at Conkeldurr and lifted the bulky adversary off the ground with tremendous strength.

"Play Rough!" Billy called out.

Mawile took hold of Conkdeldurr's other arm and began swinging him wildly around above her head before slamming him hard against the ground. Mawile began to repeat the process before slamming him beneath her and proceeding to wildly attack Conkeldurr, kicking up dust from the impact of her successive strikes to his chest and face. Mawile hopped off of the beaten up foe and shook her head vigorously before staring innocently at her trainer.

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

Mawile snickered deviously and walked back to her trainer and nuzzled against him. Tim sweat-dropped as he returned Conkeldurr to his ball.

"Nicely done dude! It's not everyday Conkeldurr takes a beating like that," Tim laughed. "So why don't we continue this fight? Pidgeot!" He exclaimed, snapping off his companion's ball and thrusting it onto the field. "Battle time!"

The massive bird of prey erupted from her ball and screeched as she took to the skies. She looked down at her opponent with a predatory gaze, eager to do battle with the little menace. Tim raised his keystone and activated it. The light from it called to the Mega Stone around Pidgeot's neck and caused it to glow. A bright light enveloped Pidgeot and the transmutation was complete. A much larger bird took the place of Pidgeot, Having grown three more feet, Pidgeot towered above her opponent and her trainer. Billy grinned like a loon at the challenge presented to him.

"Mawile, let's do this! Stone Edge!" Billy cried out.

"Air Slash!" Tim countered.

Mawile formed several large stones around her body before launching them in a full on assault at the circling predator of the skies. Pidgeot, undeterred by this action, flapped her wings violently, creating several sharp gusts of wind that tore through the rocks that were shot her way. The rocks broke apart and fell harmlessly to the ground. Mawile jinked to the side to avoid a second set of gusts that threatened to put her in jeapordy.

"Heat Wave!" Tim commanded.

"Metal Burst!" Billy shouted fiercely.

Pidgeot flapped her mighty wings and released a blast of heated winds towards Mawile who gathered power as she was struck. She dug her feet into the ground to keep herself from being overwhelmed and managed to stay up long enough to complete the charge. With a loud cry, she opened her two sets of jaws and fired several white beams of energy towards Pidgeot. They hit their mark, sending Pidgeot sprawling through the air, struggling to maintain balance. She managed to right herself, panting in exhaustion as she did so.

Now's my chance! Billy thought excitedly. "Stone Edge!"

"Hurricane!" Tim countered.

Mawile whipped her head back and launched several large stones at her hovering adversary. Pidgeot spread her wings wide and swung them together, creating powerful gusts of wind that whirled around the arena, kicking up dirt and debris and shattering the stones that aimed to do her harm. This created a smokescreen, buying Pidgeot time to recover. When it died down, Pidgeot was looking suspiciously well, as if she'd never been harmed.

"I can't say it hasn't been fun Billy, you've really been a great opponent. But I think it's time I wrapped this up! Double Team!" Tim commanded.

"Use Stone Edge to find the real one!" Billy cried out.

Pidgeot began a swift duplication process that became difficult to keep up with. Mawile glanced around at each of them, trying to pinpoint which one was the original. She formed multiple stones and flung them in every direction, powering through image after image with no results. Suddenly, Pidgeot was in front of her, wings spread wide and radiating heat. Time seemed to slow down as Pidgeot swung her wings together. BOOM! Mawile was blown backwards as the wave of intense heat washed over her, sending her crashing and skidding along the arena floor. Try as she might, Mawile was spent. She collapsed and conceded.

"Mawile is unable to battle! Pidgeot wins! The victory goes to Tim!" The judge announced as he put his hand up, causing the audience to break into an applause.

Billy gave an exhausted sigh as he walked out to pick Mawile up. Mawile looked up at Billy with a sad expression.

"Hey, it's alright. You did your best. You were great!" Billy said with a bright smile.

Mawile's face brightened up at these words, causing her to hug her trainer. Billy grinned and returned Mawile to her ball and looked over at Tim.

"Thanks for the awesome battle Tim!" Billy called out, causing Tim to turn around.

"No problem! You were a great opponent. Keep training that Mawile of yours and your other Pokémon. One day, we'll have a rematch," Tim said with a grin, giving him a thumbs up.

Billy's face lit up at the promise of a rematch. He nodded and turned around and headed back down the tunnel.

"Wasn't that a fantastic battle!? It certainly gave me chills just watching it. Let's give them another round of applause!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed.

The crowd erupted into cheers once more before they were silenced.

"Now if you'll direct your attention to the board, you will see the semi-finalists! Brendan, Katrina, Tim and Wally will all be battling it out tomorrow for a shot at the final match which will be held tomorrow evening! Brace yourselves, because these are the matchups!" Mr. Goodshow announced.

Everyone turned to look at the board. Brendan's picture was next to Wally's while Tim was next to Katrina. The matchups were set and the day was coming to an end. Everyone soon filed out of the stadium, filled with excitement for the following day.
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And Tim claims victory! And now the semi-final rounds are all set! Get ready for a wild ride! Let me know what you guys think! Ciao!