Chapter 541: Pokemon master of tactics - 541 (Bonus - )

Mary let out a breath and smiled as the cheers slowly began to die down. "What a match. I don't think anyone watching is disappointed after that one."

Professor Birch chuckled. "I certainly isn't. We just watched two of Hoenn's brightest young trainers push each other to the limit."

Wattson nodded in agreement. "True. It was one of those battles where every decision mattered. One mistake from either side, and the result could've been completely different."

Mary looked at the replay of Crobat and Metagross knocking each other out. "I have to admit, I thought Steven had gained the upper hand when Metagross came out."

Professor Birch replied. "So did I, Metagross is simply that strong. But Alex found a way to trade Crobat for it, and that completely changed the match."

Wattson laughed. "Poor Metagross. Steven spent years raising that Pokémon, and Crobat just refused to let it stay on the field for long."

Professor Birch smiled. "That exchange also says a lot about Alex as a trainer. Many people become attached to their first Pokémon and hesitate to trade them away. Alex doesn't think like that. If sacrificing one Pokémon puts him in a winning position, he'll do it without hesitation."

Mary nodded. "I've noticed that about him too. He rarely seems emotional during a battle."

Birch said. "Don't mistake that for not caring, If you've watched Alex a bit, it's obvious he cares deeply about his Pokémon. He's simply very good at separating his emotions from his decisions while a battle is taking place."

Mary smiled. "I also loved the ending. Aggron landed that Earthquake, and for a moment I thought we'd see a double knockout."

Professor Birch nodded. "That final exchange perfectly summed up the battle. Neither trainer tried to outmuscle the other. They were constantly trying to outthink each other."

Wattson crossed his arms. "let us not forget his Opponent. Steven deserves plenty of praise as well. He lost today, but he forced Alex to to his maximum. That's probably the highest compliment one trainer can give another."

Professor Birch nodded. "Yes, Steven really put in a magnificent performance. You certainly can't blame him for this defeat."

The three of them received a signal from the studio and stopped talking about the match.

Mary looked toward the camera with a smile. "Alex is now through to the finals, while Steven's tournament comes to an end. If the final is anywhere near as exciting as this semifinal, I think we're all in for a fantastic conclusion to this year's Hoenn Championship."

After Steven finished treating Aggron and returned him to his Poké Ball, he walked over to Alex with a wry smile.

He extended his hand. "Congratulations. You were the better trainer today. That battle went almost exactly the way I expected, I just didn't think you'd come up with a way to deal with Earthquake."

Alex smiled. "Thanks. It was a close match. I didn't come up with a way to deal with Earthquake. I came up with a way to make sure it couldn't be used effectively."

Steven let out a quiet chuckle. "I suppose that's a more accurate way of putting it."

Alex looked at Steven and asked, "You really thought dodging High Jump Kick was your win condition?"

Steven nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Aggron only needed one clean Earthquake."

Alex nodded. "I figured as much. That's why I couldn't afford to let Blaziken get too close until the very end."

Steven glanced toward the battlefield, where the referee was preparing for the final Pokémon. "You've gotten even better at controlling the pace of a battle. Every exchange so far has happened exactly where you wanted it to."

Alex shrugged. "It's not as extreme as you think. I can't really think up all the possibilities and foresee them."

Steven smiled. "I hope so. if you can do that you are not just a smart human but a legendary Pokemon"

Steven then looked at Alex with a more serious expression and said, "Go win the tournament."

Alex nodded. "I'll do my best."

With that, Steven turned and walked toward the exit tunnel, accepting his elimination from the tournament, while Alex remained on the battlefield for another moment as the crowd continued applauding the hard-fought semifinal.

Alex walked beside Blaziken, who was basking in the applause, and said with a smile, "How long do you plan to keep standing like that?"

Blaziken finally lowered her arms and stopped looking up at the cheering crowd. She turned toward Alex with an exaggerated look of disbelief. "Why do you have to ruin my moment, Dad?"

Alex shook his head with a smile. "You mean our moment. And you've been standing like that for at least a minute."

Blaziken puffed out her chest proudly and said, "Ha! As if a minute is enough after the performance I just put on. Even though we all contributed to this victory, I'm definitely the Pokémon that performed best."

Personally, he still thought Crobat had contributed the most to the victory. Trading himself for Steven's Metagross had been the turning point of the match. But he had no intention of starting an argument over something so trivial.

Instead, he looked at Blaziken with a warm expression and said, "You really fought very well today. I'm proud of you."

Blaziken's confident expression softened slightly. Looking a little embarrassed, she said, "Dad... not so directly on TV. I have an image to maintain."

Of course, the spectators could only understand what Alex was saying, but any Pokémon watching the broadcast would have understood Blaziken perfectly.

Alex felt slightly disappointed when he heard that. He had always thought he was a pretty cool parent to Blaziken—more like an older brother than a dad.

The referee, noticing how long Alex had been chatting with his Pokémon, finally stepped forward and said, "Sir, could you please clear the arena? The next match is about to begin."

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if the story total of 250 powerstones in 24 hours, I will upload 1 bonus chapter tomorrow.

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