Katrina stood at the end of the red tunnel, watching intently as the match between Logan, a very familiar face from the Food Court Tournament, and a boy named Carter. She knew Logan's skill as he made it to the semi-finals in the tournament in Mauville City. The match came to a swift end as Logan's Steelix sent an Exploud crashing into the ground with an Iron Tail.

"Exploud is unable to battle! Steelix wins and the victory goes to Logan!" The judge declared.
_______________________________________

So he's here too huh? Cool. I was wondering if I would have the chance to face him again, Brendan thought as he waited in the tunnel for the next round to start.
_______________________________________

"The next match will be between Katrina and Sylvia!" The announcer exclaimed as both contenders walked out of their respective tunnels.

"You're all in for a real surprise folks, because Katrina is none other than the sister of Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia, who just so happens to be in the stands right now!" The announcer pointed out, causing a camera to be directed at Cynthia.

Cynthia smiled and gave a wave into the camera as it was filming her. Several others in the stands all whirled around to see where she was. Today, she had situated herself behind Brendan's parents. Katrina spotted Cynthia and waved, excited to see her sister there.

"This will be a two on two battle! Trainers! Send out your first Pokémon!"

Katrina reached for her belt and carefully selected her choice. "Magmortar, time to fight!" She shouted fiercely.

"Kabutops, let's go!" Sylvia bellowed.

"Begin!" The judge shouted, swinging his hand down to signal the start of the battle.

"Kabutops, Aqua Jet!" Sylvia commanded.

Katrina stood still, her eyes fixed on Kabutops as he drew near. Katrina was fully aware that she was at a disadvantage, but that didn't seem to bother her in the least. A smirk crept onto her face as she gave her command.

"Focus Blast!" She ordered.

Magmortar extended his right arm and retracted his claws to create a cannon-like opening in his hand. A bright light emitted from it and soon a ball of sparkling blue energy erupted from the cannon, nailing Kabutops at point blank range. Kabutops was flattened by the blast and was knocked out of the fight.

Sylvia blinked. What just...how did she? What!? She exclaimed internally as she saw her Kabutops lying in a heap.

She lured me in with that one. I guess I'd better play it safe and wear that Magmortar down from a distance.

"Kabutops, return!" Sylvia called out, retracting her fossil Pokémon so he could rest.

"That Focus Blast took me by surprise. But let's see you do that again! Hippowdon, battle station!" Sylvia commanded.

The Heavyweight Pokémon immerged onto the battlefield with a heavy thud. Suddenly, a powerful sandstorm whipped up, obstructing vision, but only slightly.

A Hippowdon huh? This would be troubling if I weren't prepared for something like a Ground-type. This should be fun, Katrina mused as she planned her next move.

"Hippowdon, use Dig!" Sylvia commanded.

Hippowdon burrowed quickly under the arena, hiding from his foe.

"I will say this Sylvia. Your strategy is quite good. I'm impressed," Katrina began. "But it will take a lot more than this to beat me."

The ground beneath Magmortar began to shake violently, giving away Hippowdon's position. Magmortar jumped back right as the behemoth burst through the surface, just missing Magmortar by a hair.

"Sunny Day!" Katrina commanded.

Magmortar raised his cannons high and fired two golden beams of light that twisted around each other, only to collide to create a harsh light that overwhelmed the arena. Sylvia acted quickly.

"Earthquake!" She exclaimed.

"Solar Beam!" Katrina commanded.

Hippowdon slammed his massive front feet onto the ground, creating a massive shockwave that shook the ground. Magmortar managed to jump  up to avoid the attack and launched a beam of golden energy towards Hippowdon. The blast connected, causing an intense explosion that blasted Hippowdon into a wall inside the arena.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle! Magmortar wins! The match goes to Katrina!" The judge declared.
_______________________________________

There you go sis. Looks like you've learned well. But it looks like you're a little bored, Cynthia thought as she followed Katrina's eyes to where she was looking.

Standing at the end of the green tunnel was a young man in a strange white cap. Brendan.

Eager to face some real competition I see? Well, as long as you get through to the semi-finals, I have a feeling you'll be fighting a better challenge soon enough, Cynthia thought as she watched Katrina exit the arena.
_______________________________________

"She sure doesn't pull any punches, does she?" Tim stated as he sat waiting for his turn.

"Nope. She was like that when we battled, and it seems she's gotten a lot stronger since then," Brendan replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, but so have you, mister I-own-two-legendaries," Tim grinned.

"Hey, they asked to join me," Brendan laughed. "And they at least want one round each," Brendan replied, hefting Latias' ball and catching it.

"You aren't going to do that now are you?" Tim blinked.

"Not in these rounds. It's too early to pull anything big here. Anyway," Brendan stated, placing Latias' ball back on his belt, "I'm up."

"Good luck dude!" Tim saluted, getting a thumbs up from Brendan as he walked away.
_______________________________________

"Looks like Brendan's up now. I wonder which Pokémon our son will use now," Professor Birch pondered aloud.

"Excuse me, aren't you Professor Birch?" Came a voice from behind the group, causing them to all turn around.

"Well I'll be a Mankey's uncle! Cynthia!" Professor Birch exclaimed.

Cynthia smiled and waved. "To answer your question, yes, I am," Professor Birch replied.

"I thought so. You specialize in research on Pokémon habitats am I right? I've read some of your articles. They're really informative," Cynthia beamed.

"Thank you Cynthia, that's very kind of you to say. I do my best," Professor Birch replied.

Cynthia nodded and glanced over at the others. She took note of Courtney whom she'd seen on the news before with the incident in Sootopolis. She also recognized Lisia, winner of the previous Grand Festival and the runner-up to May this year. And then there were May's parents, one of whom she knew due to his Gym Leader status. She also recognized Derrick as the second runner-up of the Grand Festival.

Cynthia turned her attention back to the battlefield as Brendan walked out of the tunnel.

I see why my sister has an interest in battling you. She told me you managed to tie with her in a tournament in Mauville City. I must admit, you have piqued my interest as well. Let's see what you can do in this round, Brendan...
_______________________________________

"This match is between Brendan and Travis!" The announcer shouted, gesturing to both competitors as they appeared.

The crowd cheered wildly as both contenders stood on the battlefield.

"Trainers! Send out your first Pokémon!"

Brendan reached down to his belt and snatched up Sandslash's ball.

"Sandslash, battle's on!" Brendan called out.

Sandslash burst onto the arena floor, a shower of sparkles heralding his arrival. He brandished his claws and prepared for the upcoming fight.

"Medicham, let's go!" Travis called out.

"Begin!" The judge commanded.

"Medicham, use Ice Punch!" Travis ordered.

"X-Scissor!" Brendan countered quickly.

Medicham raced towards Sandslash, his fists coated in an icy aura. Sandslash's claws glowed a vibrant green as he closed the distance between himself and Medicham. The two clashed, trading blow after blow as they met in the center.
_______________________________________

That Medicham is pretty impressive, however, Brendan's Sandslash seems to have gotten a lot stronger. Travis is about to find out just what I mean...Katrina smirked.

Her eyes followed both Pokémon as they danced along the arena, coming to blows and separating, only to clash once more with different attacks.
_______________________________________

Medicham made a solid connection with Sandslash, causing him to skid back, wincing a bit from the blow. Shaking it off, he turned to his opponent and displayed his claws and enveloped them in a ghostly aura.

"Sandstorm!" Brendan commanded hastily.

A harsh sandstorm came upon the battlefield, causing the judge to put on his goggles to protect his eyes.

"Now Shadow Claw!" Brendan commanded.

Medicham didn't have time to react. Due to the increase in speed that Sandslash was given, thanks to Sand Rush, Medicham was nailed hard with a powerful Shadow Claw barrage. Sandslash swung upwards and landed a final Crush Claw that knocked Medicham out cold.

"Medicham is unable to battle! Sandslash wins!" The judge declared.

Travis returned his Medicham and grabbed his next partner.

"Tropius, Let's fly!" Travis called out.

Aaaaand here comes trouble, Brendan thought as the Fruit Pokémon took flight. This should be interesting to say the least. Good thing Sandstorm is still up.

"Sunny Day!" Travis ordered.

Son of a- Brendan cut himself off as his storm dispersed.

"Sandslash, return!" Brendan commanded, bringing back his companion and reaching for another.

"Thanks for setting the stage for me," Brendan grinned. "Arcanine, battle's on!" Brendan shouted.

The fiery canine burst onto the arena and gave an intimidating growl, causing Tropius to shrink back a little.  Travis sweat-dropped. He'd literally walked into a trap.

"Tropius, use Air Slash!" Travis commanded.

"Extreme Speed!" Brendan countered.

Tropius flapped his leafy wings, creating sharp bursts of wind that cut through the arena as Arcanine avoided them at blinding speeds. It was virtually impossible to tell where Arcanine was due to the rapid movement along the ground. A final Air Slash crashed into the ground, just missing Arcanine as he sprang up, his body crackling with electricity as he nailed Tropius hard on the right flank, sending him hurtling downwards.

Tropius struggled to regain control and finally managed to pull up before Arcanine could pounce. Tropius unhinged his jaws and shot forth a Dragon Pulse which was quickly met with a Fire Blast that forced it back. An explosion resounded in the air and an unconscious Tropius crashed into the ground.

"Tropius is unable to battle! Arcanine wins! Therefore the winner is Brendan!" Declared the judge as his hand went up.
_______________________________________

Very impressive. You knew that your opponent would have the edge if Sandslash stayed in after losing the weather advantage so you swapped out to use the opponent's advantage to your own benefit. Now I see more clearly why my sister wants to battle you and Tim, thought Cynthia as she watched Brendan exit the arena and head back down the tunnel.

I suppose only time will tell if I get to see that matchup or not, Cynthia mused, watching as Tim took to the arena.
_______________________________________

So Brendan secures a spot in the qualifiers! Woohoo! We are getting closer to the finale peeps! I hope you're ready! Remember to vote and comment if you liked it! It realky helps to receive feedback!