Lance vs. Wallace!
This was the first time since Johan began watching the "Young Masters World Championship" that he witnessed a battle between two future Champions.
Lance needed no introduction. Though his Champion path in Kanto was blocked by "that one obstacle," once the Dragon King returned to Johto, he officially became its Champion.
As for Wallace—true, Steven handed the title over to him, but one couldn't just hand the Champion title to anyone. Wallace earned it.
So, this battle was bound to be exciting.
Honestly, Lance's strength was undeniable. He may have "debuted early," but this wasn't a game or an anime—this was the real Pokémon world. His roster wasn't just Pokémon with "dragon" in their names.
In addition to Dragonite, Charizard, Gyarados (the red one), and Aerodactyl, he also had Salamence and Altaria—both dragon types.
Okay, calling him the "Flying-type Champion" wasn't wrong.
Wallace, on the other hand, ran a team of water-types—none of which were pseudo-legendaries. So in pure power, Lance had the edge.
Plus, Wallace had one "flaw." Not really a flaw, but… his battling style leaned heavily toward grace. Everything—moves, posture, expression—was stunning.
It worked well against weaker opponents. But against Lance? That obsession with beauty dulled his edge in real battle.
In the end, Lance took the win.
Cynthia summarized it succinctly: "Lance simply had more battle experience."
Yes—Cynthia was today's commentator. Since she had already finished her match and was hugely popular, the organizers brought her in.
After the Lance vs. Wallace battle ended, it was Flint vs. Rika.
Fire vs. Ground—advantage: Rika.
"Up next, let's welcome from the Paldea region—Rika!"
Under the spotlight, Rika strode out, hands in pockets and smiling gently. She was tall, poised, and... another one with mass appeal.
"And now, from the Sinnoh region—Flint!"
Flint walked out with the same hands-in-pockets swagger, but with a totally different vibe: chaotic and scrappy.
His fiery, aggressive battle style had earned him the nickname—"The Flame-Fro'd Wild Card!"
"Miss Cynthia, can you comment on these two?" the host asked expertly.
Cynthia smiled and nodded. As the two prepared, she said:
"Miss Rika…"
She gazed at the poised figure and continued:
"Her battle style reminds me of Bertha of the Elite Four. She's incredibly strong."
Bertha! One of the rare Ground-type Elite Four members, known for calm and precise strategy.
"And as for Flint—" Cynthia glanced at the overly familiar face and smirked. "Watch out for his Infernape."
Flint, who was eagerly waiting for praise, nearly choked.
High praise for Rika. For him? Just "watch out for Infernape"?
Still, Cynthia's words made it clear—Flint's Infernape had left a strong impression.
"Trainers, prepare for battle!" the referee signaled.
"Go, Magmortar!"
Flint led with a pure Fire-type.
Rika smiled gently and threw out her Poké Ball.
"Whiscash!"
Water-Ground—Whiscash!
The type match was brutal. Whiscash hard-counters Magmortar.
Normally, Flint might tense up against such an opponent.
But in battle mode?
He didn't care who he faced.
His expression said it all: Bring it on.
"Magmortar, Fire Blast!"
"Whiscash, Earthquake!"
They clashed immediately—classic Flint.
As expected, Magmortar was defeated.
But Flint was unfazed and kept going!
Next came Arcanine, who lowered Whiscash's Attack with Intimidate, set up Sunny Day, then launched a Solar Beam to take Whiscash down.
Reckless? Maybe. Dumb? Not quite.
Johan might've withdrawn Arcanine to reuse Intimidate later—but that wasn't Flint's style.
And surprisingly, Rika's battle tempo started shifting.
Flint's relentless aggression forced her to respond in kind.
Eventually, Flint traded Arcanine and Rapidash to eliminate Rika's Camerupt.
That left him with just one Pokémon.
And of course, it was Infernape.
Rika countered with her ace—Clodsire!
Cute. Dopey-looking. But tough.
She'd clearly researched Flint and knew Infernape was his strongest Pokémon.
So—she went straight for her trump card: Terastallization!
The first Terastallization of the tournament!
Rika raised her radiant Tera Orb. Sparkling dust and mysterious energy filled the arena. She hurled the orb toward Clodsire.
Clink—clink—clink!
Crystals formed around Clodsire, enveloping it in brilliant shards.
When the energy settled, Clodsire's entire body gleamed like a gemstone.
A massive crystal resembling the Earth floated above its head—
Tera Type: Ground!
The crowd went wild. It was gorgeous!
Even Wallace's eyes sparkled—perfect for Contest style!
"Hahahaha—now that's what I'm talking about!" Flint grinned.
"Infernape, show them what we're made of—Flare Blitz!"
Flint's eyes lit up like fire, and Infernape responded, blazing toward Clodsire.
The crowd roared.
Would Infernape's sheer power win out, or would Tera Clodsire stand tall?
Johan would later say—Too bad it was Tera Ground instead of Water or Rock.
Sure, Ground is super effective against Fire, but it doesn't resist Fire.
Infernape still hit for full damage.
And with Blaze triggered, Flint's secret weapon—the "one-HP clutch"—activated.
The match slipped out of Rika's control.
Also—
Rika had fallen into Flint's tempo.
Once that happened?
Flint was nearly unstoppable.
In the end, Flint's Blaze-boosted Infernape 2v1'd Rika's remaining team.
Winner: Flint!
And then—
"Congratulations to Diantha, who advances to the Top 8!"
Diantha had defeated Lorelei.
It was a tight match, but Diantha's Mega Gardevoir clinched the victory.
Lorelei, like Lance, suffered from "early appearance syndrome." She also lacked access to strong Mega-compatible Ice-types.
Mega-eligible Ice-types like Glalie and Abomasnow weren't exactly elite-tier.
And Lorelei didn't even have them—her weather controller was an Alolan Ninetales.
Honestly, Mega Glalie and Abomasnow just didn't have much presence.
In contrast, trainers like Johan, Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha—who had ace Megas—had a clear edge.
Few contestants had access to Z-Moves or Terastallization.
And Gigantamax was banned due to energy restrictions.
"Now—our final quarterfinal match!"
"Look—Professor Johan is entering!" Poppy cheered. "Go Johan-sensei!"
Rika quietly tied her hair up, casting a helpless look at Poppy. Even after losing, she had to cheer for Johan now?
Not just Paldea's Poppy and Rika.
Fans from Alola—having already lost Marius and Acerola—also supported Johan.
Like Lana, Mallow, and the others.
Raihan, Johan's opponent, had his own massive following.
He strode out confidently, flashing his signature shark grin under a red bandana.
The crowd erupted.
Johan glanced at the screen showing Raihan's team:
Torkoal
Goodra
Flygon
Turtonator
Duraludon
Archaludon
Johan raised a brow.
Raihan truly was the "Weather Child."
With just these six, he had access to Sunny, Rainy, and Sandstorm weather.
But officially, Raihan's title was "Storm of Dragons."
And any Dragon specialist was bound to have some "tricks."
What surprised Johan was Raihan had both Duraludon and Archaludon.
But thinking it through—it made sense.
Duraludon had a Gigantamax form and was one of Raihan's signature Pokémon.
Archaludon, its evolved form, had base stats of 600—pseudo-legend level.
With Goodra added in, Raihan had two pseudo-legendaries.
Johan couldn't help wondering—
How badly does Hammer Girl want to forge Archaludon gear?
Ahem.
"Battle's starting," Cynthia said from the commentator booth, eyes serious.
RUMBLE—
The drawn battlefield was Grass Terrain.
Format: 6v6, with rotation singles.
While they prepared, the field was installed.
After reviewing the rules, the referee signaled for their opening Pokémon.
From Raihan's team, Goodra meant rain.
Torkoal meant sunlight—thanks to Drought, which beat manually summoned weather.
And Torkoal paired well with Turtonator—classic sunny core.
Sandstorm could come from Flygon and combo with Duraludon and Archaludon.
But Johan knew Raihan had Gigalith as a sandstorm setter.
If Gigalith didn't make the team, sandstorm likely wasn't Raihan's weather of choice.
"Go!" Raihan shouted, "Torkoal!"
The heavy Torkoal appeared, magma swirling beneath its shell.
Sunlight intensified!
Sure enough—Drought.
Johan smiled faintly and tossed his own Poké Ball.
"Yoji! Yoji! Yoji!!"
His lead Pokémon was… Larvitar?!
"PFFT—Larvitar?!"
"Wait, Johan's really playing Baby Cup at the World Championships?!"
"Larvitar! A pseudo-legend in training!"
Only then did the audience realize—Johan had changed his usual six.
Larvitar had replaced Urshifu!
Even Cynthia paused in surprise.
But then her lips curled into a knowing smile:
"This Larvitar… isn't one to judge by appearance."
Her Garchomp had told her—this Larvitar is different. Very different.
She knew Johan's personality.
He never underestimated any opponent.
Not in League matches, and certainly not against Raihan.
If he sent out Larvitar—it was for a reason.
Larvitar. Ninetales.
That meant Johan also had two weather setters.
Could this match become… a Weather War?
Even Raihan was surprised.
But like Cynthia said, he didn't underestimate Larvitar.
Torkoal sensed danger—just a flicker, but it was there.
Enough to show—
This Larvitar wasn't any weaker than a Gym-level Pokémon.
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Powerstones?
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