Because the Autumn Festival only grants three days of rest, in a single afternoon all participants fought two battles, and thus the four semifinalists were directly decided.
In the third round, the battle from Top 8 to Top 4, Ethan Black and Alex Baxter encountered quite a difficult opponent. Finally, thanks to Charmeleon's containment efforts, Sandshrew was able to use the move Rollout to consecutively defeat their opponents.
"Ugh! It's all your fault for holding back! Look at the school forums! Everyone's only talking about those other four guys!" protested Alex Baxter that night, annoyed.
"What's the rush?" replied Ethan Black without lifting his head. "Of the four semifinalist teams, one of them is us. Sooner or later, we're all going to face each other. Holding something back isn't a bad idea."
"Yeah, yeah! But it's still really annoying," Alex Baxter huffed.
"Instead of wasting time on forums, come review our strategies. Those other teams are strong, and we don't know if they're also holding something back. Even if we go all out, we don't have a guaranteed victory."
Ethan Black was writing and sketching on a sheet of paper, noting down the moves their opponents had shown, along with tactics to counter them.
Alex Baxter quickly nodded and joined him in working.
...
It was already mid-September, and the weather was starting to get cooler.
In the school gym, an intense battle was about to begin.
On both sides of the field, the two semifinalist teams were already prepared. At the referee's signal, four Poké Balls were thrown into the air, and four Pokémon appeared imposingly on the battlefield.
On Ethan Black and Alex Baxter's side, of course, were Sandshrew and Charmeleon.
On the opposing side, the two teammates sent out two Scyther.
As soon as the referee shouted for the battle to begin, the Scyther moved at incredible speed, even without the need for orders. It was clear their trainers had already coordinated their entire strategy in advance.
"Charmeleon, use Smokescreen!" ordered Alex Baxter, sticking to their prearranged plan.
Charmeleon spat out a thick cloud of black smoke that quickly covered the entire field, allowing Sandshrew to take advantage of the confusion to launch a surprise attack.
"That won't work! Scyther, use Wing Attack to clear the fog!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, a strong gust of wind rose, stirring the haze and dispersing it completely. A moment later, a green figure burst forth from the smoke at full speed.
The smokescreen had vanished!
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" shouted Alex Baxter upon seeing the Scyther charging straight at them.
Charmeleon fired an intense jet of fire from its mouth, aiming directly at Scyther.
"Fly and dodge!"
The opposing trainer ordered his Scyther to evade the flames, without attempting to block such an unfavorable type of attack.
"Scyther, use Fury Cutter!"
Meanwhile, the other Scyther lunged at Sandshrew, its scythes glowing, ready to unleash a chain of consecutive strikes.
"Sandshrew, use Rollout and face it head on!"
Ethan Black narrowed his eyes. Fury Cutter was a move that grew stronger with each consecutive hit, but the same was true for Sandshrew's Rollout.
This round was a true clash of equivalent forces.
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower again!" shouted Alex Baxter, seeing his first attack had missed.
"Dodge it!" said the opposing trainer calmly.
Scyther flapped its wings and easily avoided the Flamethrower, which only made Charmeleon even angrier, roaring in frustration.
(End of chapter)