It is early the next morning, and Holly has woken up before Serena, Iris, Axew, Dawn, Piplup, Misty, and May have. She sits up from her bed and stretches before grabbing some clean clothes and going to the bathroom to change into them. After that, she decides to leave the room and get some breakfast at one of Indigo Plateau's restaurants. As she exits the Pokemon Center, she yawns and has a smile on her face as her mind goes back to last night.

A few hours after Ash defeated Giselle, it became Holly's turn for Brock to treat her to a meal. He came to pick her up at the Pokemon Center and took her to a nice restaurant where he held the door for her before they came in. As they ate their food, they talked about several things like her battle in the quarterfinals, who she might face at the semifinals, and she would ask him to tell her more about the adventures he experienced over the years with Ash and their friends. The only thing they never talked about was the deal between the two of them and Lucy. Both of them seemed to avoid it as if they were standing on an old wooden bridge, and bringing up the situation would cause the bridge to break. Regardless though, Holly had a great time being with Brock like they used to before Lucy came in.

As Holly thinks about the situation while she walk, her smile falters. No matter how much part of her wants to, she still can't bring herself to forgive Brock for what he did. And yet the more time she's been spending with him after the deal started and the more she felt like her heart was breaking every time he leaves to be with Lucy, the more she wants to find it in herself to take him back. She wants to work something out between her and Brock to patch things up and have the official relationship they both wanted, but something has been keeping her from doing that. Whatever it is, she can feel in her gut that it has something to do with Lucy.

But as she's walking down the plaza, she hears laughing and giggling. She looks up and feels a pain in her heart as she sees Brock and Lucy sitting at a table in front of a restaurant and having a fun conversation while they eat their breakfast. Not wanting to disturb them, she finds a large tree close to them and hides behind it. She sighs, knowing that she has successfully kept herself from interrupting them, but then her curiosity gets the better of her, and she slowly peeks to watch them from afar. She can only see the back of Brock's head, but she can see Lucy just fine.

As she keeps herself hidden, she can see Lucy resting her head with her arms. She has a smile, and a small blush on her cheeks as Brock is talking. Holly can see the admiration in Lucy's eyes as they stare into Brock's eyes. It's at this moment as she watches Lucy that she realizes this other woman is feeling the same way she is. Whether she is planning to forgive him or not, she doesn't know, but deep down, she knows that somewhere deep inside her rival is also treasuring the moments she has with the tan-skinned man.

Holly's face falls as the reality of the situation sinks in. She looks down at the ground sightly, feeling more afraid of what is happening between her, Brock, and Lucy than before. She looks back up and sees that Lucy and Brock are done with their meals, and Brock is bidding Lucy farewell before he leaves. Lucy takes a moment to smile brightly for herself, happy that she's had this time with the guy that she likes. Suddenly, Holly feels a tap on the shoulder, and she turns around, and her eyes widen to see Barbara and Lucy's other sisters with their hands on their hips, glaring daggers at her.

"How dare you spy on Queen Lucy!" She rebukes.

"Oh no, I wasn't spying," Holly says in a panic. "I just uh... happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I didn't want to disturb Brock and Lucy."

"You liar!" A different sister hisses. "You have some nerve to spy on your opponent!"

"Look, I really didn't mean to bump into them," Holy protests. "I just got curious when I saw them."

"A likely story!" Barbara growls.

Suddenly, a rose projectile zoom past between Holly and Barbara. All four women jump in alarm before they turn to see Lucy standing a few feet away from them.

"Barabra, please, some people are still asleep," she says calmly before looking at Holly. "That being said, I agree with my sister for once. I do not appreciate you surveilling me when I'm with Brock."

Holly frowns, feeling guilty and gives Lucy as respectable bow.

"You're right. I'm sorry I did that. That was wrong of me," she says humbly.

Lucy's sisters don't look convinced with her apology, but Lucy herself gives the auburn-haired woman a small smile and a nod.

"Apology accepted," she says.

Holly raises her body and looks at Lucy appreciatively. She turns around and starts to leave until Lucy suddenly speaks again.

"Wait," Lucy says firmly, making Holly freeze in place. "Let me see your eyes."

"Uh, my eyes?" Holly asks.

"Yes, your eyes," Lucy says. "I want to see something."

Holly makes a befuddled face, wondering what in the world does her rival mean. Eventually, she silently agrees, and she turns around to face Lucy. The pike queen walks over to Holly until they are less than a foot apart and glares at Holly, making her uncomfortable. Lucy keeps on looking deep into Holly's eyes for several seconds until she looks down, closes her eyes and sighs.

"Just as I feared," she says with a soft frown on her face. "Your feelings for Brock are growing back, too, aren't they?"

Holly's eyes widen, shocked that Lucy has figured out what is going on just by simply looking at her eyes just like she did from afar. She frowns again, and her eyes go down before she nods.

"I see," she says. "I suppose it's neither your or my fault. Brock has been true to his word to do everything he can to make it up for both of us and, in doing so, has both of us equally happy despite what he did. The only thing we didn't count on was beginning to have our feelings reignited."

"Yeah, I guess so," Holly says.

Lucy nods and says, "Having said that, I can't bring myself to truly forgive him."

"Neither can I," Holly says. "I want to, but I can't."

"In that case, something has to be done," Lucy says. "I, at least, have to do something to get him back."

This time, Holly's eyes widen, and she looks up to face Lucy.

"What did you say?" She asks.

"You heard me," Lucy says bluntly. "I can't deny my feelings, and I want to be with him. So I'm asking you nicely to back away."

Holly looks at Lucy, dumbfounded by her forwardness. Her shock turns to anger, however, and she glares at Lucy menacingly.

"Excuse you, I want him back too!" She snaps. "I may have my problems with him, but I also want to work things out! I'm not going to just lie down and let you be with him!"

"Why not? Queen Lucy is the best choice!" One of Lucy's sisters says.

Holly turns to the other women and says, "I thought you didn't like Brock."

"Of course, we don't. We've been resenting him long before any of this happened," Barabra says. "But the way Queen Lucy talks about him after spending time with her makes it clear that he makes her happy. So whatever makes our queen happy makes us happy."

"Yeah, and Lucy is the better choice, no doubt!" another sister claims. "She's strong, speaks her mind, has powerful Pokemon, and she is a queen!"

"That's right," Barabra says. "What do you have against that? What makes you a better choice?"

"Because I want to be a better partner for him!" Holly shouts. "Even though he said I didn't need to get stronger, I want to be the perfect battle partner for him. That's why I worked hard to compete in this tournament; to get as far as I can to feel worthy of being with him!"

Lucy's sisters mockingly laugh at Holly. They put their hands on her knees and some point at her like school children scolding one of their classmates. Lucy, on the other hand, keeps a wooden face, but it's clear in her eyes that she has the same thought on her mind as her sisters.

"If it's a matter of being a better battle partner, then that still makes me the best choice," she states. "I am a member of the Battle Frontier. I am so strong with my Pokemon that only a few trainers like Ash and Timothy have beaten me out of so many who have tried. I've seen you in battle, and you wouldn't be able to beat either of them."

Holly grows angry and shouts, "I bet I can!"

Lucy's sisters laugh mockingly, and even Lucy herself smiles, amused with Holly's claim. But then, Barabra stops in mid-laughter and grins.

"Say, that's a good idea," she says.

The other sisters stop laughing and look at Barabra, confused. Even Lucy and Holly turn to Barabra, looking at her strangely.

"What is a good idea?" Lucy asks.

"Betting that she can beat Ash or Timothy," Barabra answers with a smug look.

"Are you serious?" One of the other sisters asks.

"Look, let's be honest with ourselves; Brock is too devoted to making both Queen Lucy and this woman happy to make a real choice of who he should solely pursue," Barabra says, turning to Lucy. "I mean, you told us that he doesn't know how to handle this situation partly because he's never really had any woman really care about him much less two, right Queen Lucy?"

Lucy thinks for a moment before she answers, "Yes, that is true."

"Then, if he won't man up and make a choice, then it's up to the women to make the choice for him," Barabra declares. "Since you two are judging who should be with him based on who's the strongest trainer, then let's make a wager: if Holly succeeds where Queen Lucy did not with beating either Ash or Timothy in battle, then she gets to be with Brock no matter what. But if she loses to either of them or goes against their friend Max at the semifinals and loses, so she doesn't get to face either of them, then Brock belongs to Queen Lucy and Queen Lucy alone."

The other sisters stare at Barbara, shocked until they think about it and all nod in agreement. Lucy raises her eyebrow at Barbara before she looks down and scratches her chin in thought. Then, with a small smile on her face, she turns to Holly.

"I think what Barbara is suggesting makes sense," she says. "Brock is stuck with going back and forth between the two of us, so it's up to us to fix the situation like the strong women he hails us as. If you are strong enough to beat either of the two trainers who have beaten me, I swear on the Battle Pike that I will back down. If not, you have to step aside and allow me to claim him then and there."

Holly stares at her rival, dumbfounded that she agrees to her sister's idea. A part of her wants to flat out say no and demand a better way to settle the matter, but the rest of her sees this as an opportunity to feel truly worthy of being with Brock forever. The thought of winning this bet would also mean getting the black-and-red-haired woman out of her way so that she might truly mend things with Brock together. The more she thinks about it, the more she feels that this would be the best way to prove her worth and be with the guy she likes.

"Done," she says. "I will take your wager."

"Excellent," Lucy says, extending her hand. "Let's shake on it."

With her eyes glaring daggers at Lucy, Holly firmly shakes her hand. The Pike Queen gives a small smile before she turns around with her back, completely facing Holly.

"Best of luck," she says bluntly before she walks away with her sisters following her.

Holly keeps glaring at her rival until she is out of sight. She takes a deep breath through her nose and shakes her head, feeling like she has a lot of energy that just zapped into her body. When she calms down, her determined face falls slightly, and she begins to wonder if she made the right decision.

********************************************************************

A couple of hours later, Brock and Holly go out to lunch at an Italian-styled restaurant. They both order spaghetti with breadsticks, but when the food is delivered, only Brock starts eating. Holly plays with her food with a sad look on her face, and it isn't long before Brock notices it.

"Holly, are you okay?" Brock asks. "You better eat your food before it gets cold."

Holly snaps out of her train of thought and gives Brock a small, sweet smile.

"Thanks for being worried, Brock," she says sincerely before she lets out a big sigh.

Brock tilts his head and asks, "Is something bothering you?"

"I guess I have the Pokemon league wrapped in my mind too much recently," she half lies.

Brock gives her a small smile and says, "You have been doing great. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Once again, Holly gives Brock a sweet look before she decides to robotically eat her food. But even though she's finally eating, Brock can tell that her mind is far from food or spending time with him. After a while, the two of them finish their meals, and Brock moves his empty plate before leaning close to Holly.

"Holly?" he says.

"Hmmm?" Holly hums, looking away from him.

"There's been something that I want to tell you," he says. "This might not be the right place, but it's something very important and would mean the world to me if you say yes."

Holly turns her head to look at Brock, slightly curious.

"Oh?" she asks.

Brock takes a deep breath before taking both of Holly's hands and clasp them together. He looks deep into Holly's eyes, and she looks at him back, unsure of what he's going to say.

"Holly, I -"

"Holly, there you are!"

Brock groans, wishing he wasn't interrupted as Ash, Pikachu, May, and Max come inside the restaurant and jog over to Holly and Brock's table.

"We've been looking all over for you," May says.

"What is it, guys?" Holly asks.

"We need to get going, that's what," Max says like he's in a hurry. "We have to be at the registration center in five minutes."

Holly's eyes widen, and she looks at the clock hanging on the wall and panics.

"Oh my gosh, we gotta run!" She says, getting up from her seat and turning to Brock. "I'm so sorry."

"No, I get it. You better go," Brock says sadly. "You better find out who you're up against."

"Thanks, Brock," Holly says while giving Brock a quick hug before quickly exiting the restaurant.

When they go outside, Holly finds Serena, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers waiting for them. Together, they run to the registration center, where an attendant is waiting for them next to the tub of Magikarp.

"Glad to see you all made it," she says to Ash, Holly, Max, and Timothy. "Are you ready to find out who you are going to face in the semifinals?"

"Yes, we are," Timothy pants from all the running.

"Good," the attendant says before handing the 4 or them rods. "You all know what to do."

They all nod and walk over to the tub. But before Ash, Holly, and Timothy cast their rods, Max stops them.

"Wait, hold on!" He says.

They look at him, confused with Timothy asking, "What's the matter?"

Max hesitates before he gives the three other contestants an appreciative smile.

"I just want to say that as someone who became a trainer only recently and made it this far on my first Pokemon league that I'm thankful," he says. "It hasn't been easy, and I've had some challenges along the way with earning all of my badges, but no matter what happens, I'm glad we can make it this far together as friends."

Ash, Holly, and Timothy smile warmly. Everyone else in the group is also happy that Max said that, particularly May and Bonnie.

"I'm glad we can make it this far too, Max," Ash says.

"Pika," Pikachu says from Ash's shoulder.

"Me too," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

"Me three," Holly says.

Max smiles brightly and nods at them. Without another word, the four remaining contests separate and cast their rods on different sides of the tub. They wait patiently for them to get a bite until Holly feels something tugging her line. With a sharp pull, she yanks out a Magikarp with a "B" and a 1 painted on the side. Shortly after that, Max feels a tug and pulls out a Magikarp that has an "A" and a "5" on its side. Holly secretly grins, finding out she is already getting her chance to prove herself by facing either Ash or Timothy. She watches the two of them in anticipation of everyone else in the group as the two rivals wait patiently. Finally, Ash feels a twitch coming from his line and immediately pulls out a Magikarp and smiles.

"A-5," he says before turning to Max. "Looks like you'll be battling me, Max,"

"Awesome!" Max says, excitedly. "I can't wait to finally face you, Ash. Let's have a battle that none of us will forget."

"You got it," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

The rest of the gang smiles and Holly joins them before she turns to Timothy, who takes out a Magikarp.

"B-1," he says before turning to Holly with a smile. "Let's give it our best, Holly."

"Believe me, I intend to," Holly says with a determined smirk.

Timothy nods before everyone turns to the attendant, who is typing on her keyboard.

"Timothy and Holly, you will be facing each other at 3 o'clock sharp," she says before turning to Max and Ash. "And after their battle, there will be a ten-minute break before you guys start yours."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says before turning to the other contestants. "Let's all give it our very best, just like Timothy said."

"Yeah!" Max, Holly, and Timothy cheer.

********************************************************************

For the next hour and a half, the four remaining trainers in the tournament have been preparing for their battles in separate areas of the Indigo Plateau. Serena, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Iris, Axew, and Cilan watch Ash training while May and Bonnie are watching Max train, and Coovers watches Timothy train. But as for Holly, she trains alone with her Pokemon, which suits her just fine. As much as she loves the idea of Brock coming to watch her get ready for her battle with Timothy, she wants to stay focused on making sure her Pokemon are at their very best. The more she trains her Pokemon, the more her confidence to defeat Timothy grows.

Finally, it is time for her to head over to the Indigo stadium for her match. As she gets closer to the building, she can already see people in line to get inside the stadium. She walks over to the side entrance that leads her to her side of the battlefield, but as she walks toward it, she hears Brock calling out to her from behind.

"Holly!" He shouts.

Holly turns around and sees Brock running over to her as fast as she can. When he catches up with her, he pants heavily while putting his hands on his knees.

"Brock, what is it?" She asks.

Brock takes a moment before he catches his breath, stands up straight and looks at Holly.

"Look, there's something I want to tell you before you start your match," he says.

Holly looks at him and asks, "Is it about my match with Timothy?"

"Well, no," Brock replies. "It's about the important thing I wanted to talk about at the restaurant."

Holly frowns and says, "Then it will have to wait. I really need to focus on this battle right now."

"No, please wait," Brock begs. "I promise it's better that I tell you now."

"I'm sure it might be, but this is important too," Holly says seriously. "Whatever you have to say, I swear I'll let you tell me as soon as the battle is over. Just please be patient with me until then."

Brock looks at Holly hesitantly, clearly not wanting to delay what he has to say any longer. But after a moment, he sighs in defeat and gives her an understanding smile.

"Okay," he says. "We'll talk after the battle."

"Thank you," Holly says appreciatively.

Brock nods and smirks, saying, "You got this. Give it everything you've got."

Holly smirks back, pleased with the encouragement.

"I know I got this," she says. "You can count on me."

Before Holly can turn around, though, Brock steps forward and pulls her into a tight hug. Holly is taken aback at this, but then she smiles and closes her eyes as she tightly hugs him back. She wishes the embrace can go on forever, but she knows she needs to go win her match so she can hold him all the time. She slowly breaks the hug away and gives Brock a heartfelt look before she turns around and leaves. As she walks down the hall leading to the battlefield, she puts her hand on her necklace and runs her fingers against the rock and pearl. When she's only a couple of feet away from the end of the hall where she can already hear the crowd cheering, In anticipation, she takes a deep breath and smiles.

"For Brock," she whispers.

She enters the battlefield and waves her hands to greet the crowd. From the front stands, she can she Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Clemont, and Bonnie all cheering for her while Coovers is cheering for Timothy. She turns to the other side of the field to see the man with the "H.A.K." shirt and his Raichu. But then she glances at the other side of the stands and sees Lucy looking at her with her arms crossed with Barbara and her other sisters standing next to her. The auburn-haired woman glares at her opponent, and the pike queen just gives a wooden stare as if to imply that Holly is hardly worth her time. Holly grinds her teeth angrily at Lucy until the announcer speaks.

"Welcome to the semifinals for the Indigo Plateau Conference!" He shouts.

The crowd cheers in excitement before the announcer continues.

"Without further ado, let us begin with our first match between Holly and Timothy!" He shouts.

The crowd cheers again, and Holly and Timothy's eyes meet. The brown-haired man smirks and gives Holly a thumbs up as a way of wishing her luck, and she just smiles and gives him a thumbs-up back. The referee walks to the sidelines and raises both his flags.

"This will be a 6-on-6 battle between Timothy and Holly!" He declares. "The battle will be over when all six Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! Furthermore, if you recall a Pokémon, they will be out of the match! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready," Timothy replies.

"Oh, I am very ready," Holly answers.

"Then let the match begin!" The referee shouts.

As soon as the referee gives permission to begin the match, Holly snags a Pokeball from her belts and throws it into the air.

"Let's go, Beedrill!" She shouts.

Beedrill appears from its Pokeball, and Timothy smirks before turning to Electchu.

"What do you say, pal?" He queries. "I know I've been keeping you from participating because I want to save you for last, but would you like a piece this time?"

Electchu grins and says, "Rai! Rai, rai, rai Raichu!"

Timothy chuckles and says. "I bet you thought I'd never ask. Now get out there and show them what you can do."

"Rai!" Electchu shouts as it walks over to the battlefield with electricity coming out its cheeks.

"So he's starting off with Electchu, eh?" Holly says with a grin. "Alright, then. Beedrill, let's get things started with X-Scissor!"

Beedrill runs toward Electchu, getting ready to cross its arms in an "X" fashion.

"Dodge and use Electro Ball!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu jumped out of the just as Beedrill is about to strike before it hits its opponent with a ball of electricity.

"Okay then, use Pin Missile, followed by Poison Jab!" Holly instructs.

"Dodge again and use Iron Tail to block the Poison Jab!" Timothy responds.

Beedrill's stingers glow white and shoot multiple small needles. Electchu jumps away to dodge every single one of them and turns around just in time to see Beedrill chasing at it with its bottom stinger glowing pure and pointing toward it. The Raichu's tail turns into iron and blocks Beedrill's stinger before it jumps and smacks the poison bee in the face. Holly starts to grow uneasy until she gets an idea.

"Of course, why didn't I think it right away?" She says to herself. "Beedrill, let's show them our new trick up our sleeve with Outrage!"

Beedrill's body becomes surrounded in a red aura with its eyes glowing bright red. It charges at Electchu again on a rampage, but Timothy and Electchu are unmoved.

"Sorry, Holly, but as the bi-regional champion, Lance would tell you, we know how to deal with that attack," he says. "Electchu, block it repeatedly with Iron Tail!"

Electchu's tail turns into iron again, and it starts to block every ferocious slash or jab attempted by Beedrill. The process keeps going until Beerill stops attacking, and it stands in place, looking around confused.

"Oh, no!" Holly shouts worriedly.

"Oh, yes!" Timothy says with a grin. "Now, finish it with Thunder!"

Electchu builds up large amounts of electricity before it unleashes a giant bolt at Beedrill, which hits it hard. Beedrill stays standing for a moment before it falls down on the ground with swirls in its red eyes.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Electchu is the winner!" The referee shouts.

Holly frowns and returns Beedrill back inside its Pokeball. She thinks carefully before she gets an idea.

"Alright, let's take this up a notch!" she says before taking out another ball and throwing it. "Go, Wigglytuff!"

She throws the ball, and her balloon Pokemon comes out, trying to look tough in front of Electchu. Timothy frowns seriously and turns to his partner.

"Get ready, Electchu," he warns. "She's probably going to use the move I think she's going to use, so let's respond to it fast."

"Rai," Electchu responds while getting on all fours and positioning itself as if it's preparing for a race.

"Okay, Wigglytuff, let's not waste any time," Holly commands. "Use Sing!"

"Electchu, use Iron Tail to kick the dust at Wigglytuff, double time!" Timothy yells.

Electchu races toward its opponent with Iron Tail at the ready. Just as Wigglytuff is getting ready to sing, Electchu uses its tail to knock the dust off the floor, sending the dust flying toward Wigglytuff's eyes. The balloon Pokemon shuts its eyes and tries to get the dust out of its eyes with its little arms.

"Wigglytuff!" Holly cries out.

"Now smack it down with Iron Tail!" Timothy orders.

Holly grows worried, knowing that Wigglytuff is weak to steel attacks and shouts, "Wigglytuff, use Defense Curl now!"

Despite being distracted by the dust in its eyes, Wigglytuff trusts in its trainer and rolls itself into a ball, blocking Electchu's attack. Holly sighs in relief, but her moment is short-lived when she realizes that Wigglytuff can't stay in Defense Curl forever. But if it lets its guard down, Electchu will use Iron Tail to seriously hurt it, and Wigglytuff can't use Pound or Headbutt when it can't see. The more she thinks about it, the more she considers calling it back even though that will take it out of the match. She looks at Timothy and Electchu, and they clearly are watching in anticipation for Wigglytuff to come out its only means of protection.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Holly decides to put on a brave face and takes out Wigglytuff's Pokeball.

"Wigglytuff, return!" She calls out as her Pokemon goes back inside.

From the stands, she can see Brock and all of her friends looking sad that she did that. She then turns to Timothy, who just gives her a respectable smile as a way of saying she did the noble thing. Holly sighs, hating that she has already two Pokemon out of the match while her opponent is still using his first one. She considers using Toxicroak next, but she decides against it because she wants to save her partner for last if it ever comes to that. She knows that Pelipper and Farfetch'd are weak against electric attacks, so she needs to somehow take down Electchu before she is forced to use either of her bird-like Pokemon. With all of that in mind, it is clear to Holly who she should pick next.

"Probopass, let's do this!" She calls out while throwing another Pokeball.

Probopass comes out of its ball and looks ready to fight to the best of its ability. Timothy and Electchu stare at the compass Pokemon, closely silently deciding to keep their guard up.

"Probopass, use Magnet Bomb!" Holly commands.

Probopass' three small mini-noses glow orange and separate before they fly towards Electchu.

"Electchu, knock them back with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

The Raichu's tail turns into iron again and starts swatting away the mini-noses, but they keep heading towards them like magnets. Timothy and Electchu become uneasy as Electchu keeps trying to knock the noses back to no avail. Holly smirks, finally seeing things go in her favor before she gets another idea.

"Probopass, use Rock Slide!" She orders.

Probopass's body is surrounded in blue and takes out chunks of the ground with the pieces also outlined in blue. The pieces of ground then split apart and flies towards Electchu. The mouse Pokemon becomes so distracted from the small rocks hitting it in the face that it can't concentrate on the mini-noses. Before Electchu knows it, the three mini-noses get close enough to it that they glow orange and explode, sending it flying into the air and crashing into the ground. Timothy becomes concerned for his partner, giving Holly the chance to make the next move.

"Now use Earth Power!" she shouts.

Timothy's eyes widen, and he turns to his Raichu, shouting, "Electchu, look out!"

But as soon as he calls out to his friend, Probopass's body becomes outlined in gold, and glowing gold cracks emerge from the ground hitting Electchu. It squeals in pain before it is sent crashing back a couple of feet with several serious scratches on its body. Holly proudly shakes her fist into the air while Timothy looks at his friend worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asks. "Do you think you can pull through?"

Electchu bites its tongue as it slowly stands back up. It glares menacingly at Probopass with electricity coming out of its cheeks again as if to try to intimidate its opponent. Holly, just smirks, thinking Electchu has no chance to stop her from finally taking it out.

"I think it's time for things to finally go in my favor," she declares. "Probopass, use Earth Power again!"

"Quick use Thunder before it can use that attack!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu stores up as much electricity as quickly as possible before it fires at Probopass. The large bolt of electricity hits Probopass, and it grunts loudly in pain as countless volts through its body.

"Now use Iron Tail multiple times on the double!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu charges at Probopass and starts smacking it repeatedly with its tail turns into hard metal. Probopass keeps its eyes shut as it struggles to fight the pain each time its opponent smacks it with its tail relentlessly. Once Electchu is done hitting it, Probopass is in a daze, struggling to stay conscious.

"Okay, I know it's slightly resistant to normal attacks, but I think we've weakened it enough to do this for good measure!" Timothy says. "Finish this with Hyper Beam!"

Electchu gathers orange energy that creates an orb in front of its mouth and. When it's gathered enough energy, it fires a beam from the ball. Probopass does nothing but stay in a daze as the beam hits it and sends it crashing into a wall next to Holly before it falls down, limp.

"Probopass is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Electchu wins!"

Holly stares at her falls, Pokemon devastated. She feels as if she had her one shot at defeating Electchu and moving on to Timothy's other Pokemon, and through the Raichu's willpower, it took it all away. Her face is crestfallen as she returns Probopass into its Pokeball. But as she thinks about what Pokemon to choose next, she glances at Electchu and notices that it's panting heavily and struggling to stay standing. It suddenly hits her that it needs to recharge from using so much energy from using Hyper Beam.

"I need to be quick with calling out my next Pokemon," she thinks. "I could use Toxicroak, but I still should use it for last because if Electchu takes it down too and then, I might as well be defenseless with Pelipper, and Farfetch'd. So I have to choose a Pokemon that can cause good amounts of damage while it's in a daze."

With that, Lucy hastily throws another Pokeball, and Farfetch'd comes out with its stalk at the ready. Timothy frowns, knowing that Holly is taking advantage of Electchu feeling very low.

"Electchu, hold your ground!" He shouts. "Stay strong until you have your energy back!"

Electchu takes a deep breath and nods while struggling to stay standing.

"Farfetch'd, use Razor Leaf now!" Holly shouts.

Farfetch'd flings its stalk, sending a couple of sharp leaves that hit Electchu square on the chest.

"Now, use Peck!" Holly commands.

Farfetch'd runs toward Electchu and starts pecking Electchu on the head vigorously. Electchu clenches its teeth as it braces itself through every harsh peck.

"Now keep hitting it with Fury Swipes!" Holly shouts.

Timothy frowns and turns to Electchu, shouts, "Electchu hold on and use Iron Tail to block as soon as you're able to!"

Farfetch'd swats Electchu repeatedly on the face. The Raichu endures every single hit, but its body grows weaker. Holly grins as her wild duck Pokemon gives it everything it has, but as Farfetch'd is about to make one last swipe, its stalk is blocked by a tail made of iron. Holly and Farfetch'd look in shock before Electchu smacks the duck-like Pokemon in the face with a grin.

"No!" Holly shrieks.

"Nice job, Electchu," Timothy says in relief. "Now let Farfetch'd have it with Thunder!"

Without hesitation, Electchu stores up all the electricity it needs to hit Farfetch'd hard with Thunder. Once the attack is done, Farfetch'd groans with scratches all over its body before it tumbles to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Farfetch'd is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Electchu wins!"

The crowd cheers while Holly sighs sadly and returns Farfetch'd to its Pokeball. From the stands, she can see Brock, and of her friends growing worried for her, and on the other side, Lucy is smiling while her sisters are mockingly rooting for Holly's opponent like bratty little children. Holly clenches her teeth angrily and snatches another Pokeball from her belt.

"Forget it!" She yells. "Toxicroak, take that stupid mouse down!"

Toxicroak comes out its Pokeball and readies its stingers pointing at Electchu. The Raichu gives the toxic mouth Pokemon a menacing look, and Toxicroak just gives it a cruel grin.

"Alright, Electchu, let's get started with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

Without hesitation, Electchu turns its tail into iron and hits Toxicroak with it. But instead of being concerned, Holly just crosses her arms and smirks.

"You know something, Timothy? I'm glad that you went Iron Tail again," she says. "Toxicroak, Revenge!"

Toxicroak's body in orange aura and it unleashes a burst of orange energy. The energy hits Electchu, and it squeals in pain. Timothy grows worried while his partner barely stays standing.

"Alright, let's take it down!" Holly shouts. "Use Mud Bomb now!"

Toxicroak takes a big breath and fires a ball of brown mud. Before Electchu can react, the ball hits it, and it squeals in agony and is sent back a few feet before it crashes into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Electchu cannot continue! Toxicroak is the winner!" The referee announces.

"Augh! Finally!" Holly growls.

Timothy frowns and walks over to Electchu. He picks his Raichu, and the mouse Pokemon slowly open its eyes and turns to him.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu," it says quietly.

"Don't say that, pal. You did great," Timothy says with a kind smile. "Just get some rest, and I'll finish this. Okay?"

Electchu smiles and nods as Timothy picks it up and carries it to his spot on the field before putting it down. Holly, meanwhile, is relieved to have finally taken down Electchu. She looks at the stance to see Ash, Serena, Dawn, and everyone else cheering for her. But once again, Brock is cheering louder than anyone else. The auburn-haired woman smiles sweetly at the man she wants to be with and puts her hand on her necklace. Brock sees her hand on the necklace and gives her a heartfelt smile.

But on the other side of the stands, Holly sees Lucy and her sisters looking unimpressed by her accomplishment. From the way Lucy is looking at her rival with her arms crossed, Holly can tell that she's not worried about her chances of losing the wager. Holly's smile fades as she realized it took more than half of her party just to take out Timothy's first Pokemon. Her heart sinks just thinking about her odds, but then she looks down at her necklace. She holds up the rock, and pearl blended together and remembers Brock saying that her necklace is a promise that a part of him will always be with her. Her smile returns slightly before she kisses the necklace and turns to her Pokemon.

"Toxicroak, let's win this battle together!" She shouts.

"Croak," Toxicroak grunts.

Timothy turns to Holly and gives her a smile of respect. Holly returns the smile before her opponent takes out another Pokeball.

"Let's wrap this up, Shockwave!" Timothy shouts, throwing the ball.

The man's loyal Gardevoir gracefully appears on the battlefield and looks at Toxicroak with a blank stare. Toxicroak points its stingers at its opponent while Holly gets ready to make an order.

"Toxicroak, use Mud Bomb again!" She shouts.

Toxicroak fires another ball of mud from its mouth, but neither Timothy or Shockwave are concerned with the attack.

"Send it back with Psychic!" Timothy commands.

Shockwave's eyes glow blue, and the ball of mud freezes in midair, surrounded in the blue outline. Without moving a muscle, Shockwave sends the mud back to Toxicroak. The toxic mouth Pokemon groans in pain after getting hit by its own attack, but Holly refused to be fazed by it.

"Poison Jab, now!" She orders.

Toxicroak shakes off the mud on its body and charges at the Gardevoir with its stingers glowing purple.

"Stop it using Psychic again!" Timothy commands.

Shockwave's eyes glow blue again, and Toxicroak is lifted off the ground with a blue outline surrounding its body.

"Now, use Psyshock!" Timothy shouts.

Holly's heart sinks as Shockwave builds up a ball of purple aura before firing a large beam out of it. Toxicroak can do nothing but stand in midair trapped before getting hit so hard that it crashes into a wall and falls down to the ground inert.

"Toxicroak is unable to continue! Shockwave wins!" The referee declares.

The crowd cheers, but Holly's heart aches from seeing her best Pokemon get taken down so easily. With a heavy heart, she returns Toxicroak and takes out her last Pokeball. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down before her competitive glare comes back.

"This battle is not going to take him from me!" She claims. "Go, Pelipper!"

She throws the ball, and it opens to reveal Pelipper soaring through the air.

"Let's not waste any time, Pelipper! Use Hydro Pump!" Holly yells.

"Dodge and use Disarming Voice!" Timothy orders.

Shockwave moves away just in time to miss a large stream of water and releases purple hearts at its opponent with a loud shrieking sound. The hearts hit Pelipper, and it falls down, nearly hitting the ground before it regains control of the air.

"Use Water Pulse followed by Surf!" Holly shouts.

"Stop the Water Pulse with Psychic!" Timothy commands.

Pelipper creates a ball of water from its mouth and fires it at Shockwave. The embrace Pokemon uses Psychic to knock the Water Pulse back but sees Pelipper creating a giant wave of water heading towards it.

"Use Moonblast to take it down!" Timothy orders.

Holly smirks and shouts, "Get ready to use Wing Attack!"

Shockwave gathers moon energy and blast the wave of water down. Both the Gardevoir and its trainer seem satisfied until they hear Holly shout, "Now!" Before either of them knew it, Pelipper is charging toward them with its wings glowing white. It hits Shockwave in the gut with one wing and smacks it in the head with the other. Timothy's Pokemon gets down on one knee, in a slight daze from the damage it just took.

"Excellent, Pelipper!" Holly praises. "Now, use Hydro Pump again!"

Timothy frowns and commands, "Dodge it and use Psychic!"

Shockwave regains its focus just in time to move away from Hydro Pump's line of fire again. It then quickly looks Pelipper dead in the eyes, and its eyes start glowing blue again, capturing Pelipper in its psychic control.

"No! Not again!" Holly cries out.

"Sorry, Holly, but it's time I finish this," Timothy says. "Shockwave, use Psyshock!"

Holly pupils shrink as she can do nothing but stare as her Pelipper takes a hit from another beam of purple aura. She can hear her water bird Pokemon crying out in agony before it crashes into the ground. She slowly looks down and sees her poor Pelipper lying down on the ground with swirly eyes.

"Pelipper is unable to battle!" The referee announces. "Shockwave is the winner, and so victory goes to Timothy!"

The crowd cheers loudly while Brock, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan look at Holly sadly. Coovers cheers for his longtime friend, but even he glances at the auburn-haired woman, feeling sorry for her. Lucy closes her eyes and smiles happily and clasps her hands together, feeling a subtle sense of joy while her sisters cheer loudly.

As for Holly, she stands still like a statue. It takes a while before she slowly takes out Pelipper's Pokeball and returns it. Her mouth quivers, and her eyes water as she feels her heart breaking into a million pieces. She gets down on all fours and starts crying loudly, with tears falling down on her face.

Timothy notices her woman crying while spraying a super potion on Electchu. He sees the tears falling down, and her hands turned into fists as she wails loudly. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt looks at Shockwave, who is standing next to him and then at Electchu, who is slowly getting up, and he silently decides to walk over to Holly. With his two Pokemon following him, Timothy kneels down in front of Holly and puts his hand on her shoulder. She looks up with her eyes red and puffy, and Timothy gives her a compassionate smile.

"Hey, it's okay," he says comfortingly. "You gave it everything you have just like we said we would. You should be proud for making it all the way to the semifinals. It took me many tries before I got that far in any Pokemon league. To make it this far in your first league is truly incredible. You did well, Holly. You did really well."

Holly stares at Timothy in a state of disbelief. In her mind, she cannot believe he thinks the reason she's crying is because she is disqualified from the tournament. Whether he means well or not, she couldn't care less. With new tears in her eyes, she swats Timothy's hand away and turns her head away from him.

"Shut up!" She shouts. "I'm not crying about the battle! I'm crying because I lost him forever!"

Timothy blinks before he looks at Electchu and Shockwave, who are just as confused as he is.

"Holly, I don't understand," he says.

"Of course, you don't!" Holly screams bitterly. "You're just like Ash! It's all about the big battles and accomplishments with your Pokemon! Just train and battle day and night, not realizing what is more important than anything you could ever want as a trainer! I had what I needed, and you just took it away from me! You took away what people like Serena, and I need more than anything! You just...just..."

Holly can't bring herself to say any more with the tears still flowing in her eyes. Timothy tries to comprehend what she's saying, but he can't. Without another word, Holly takes her necklace, yanks it off her neck, and tosses it into the ground. Timothy and Electchu are shocked at the action before Holly gets up and runs down the hall, still crying. Timothy quickly picks up her necklace and, together with Electchu and Shockwave, starts running after her.

"Holly! Holly!" he shouts. "Holly, come back!"

But try as the three of them might, they just hear Holly's cries grow more and more faint. They keep running until they are at the exit and look around only to see no sign of her. Timothy keeps looking for her desperately until he sees Brock running towards him with Ash, Pikachu, Serena, May, Max, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan and Coovers following behind.

"Where's Holly? Where is she?" Brock demands.

"I don't know," Timothy answers. "I was trying to cheer her up for losing, but she just blew up on me and yanked off her necklace."

Brock's heart sinks as he snatches the necklace from Timothy's hand.

"She really did take it off," He says, hurt. "What is going on?"

"I think we can answer that."

Everyone turns to see Lucy and her sisters walking over to them. Lucy tries to keep the fact that she's happy from Brock by covering most of her face with her hair while Barbara steps forward.

"Since Brock was so focused on making both that woman and Queen Lucy happy, we decided to make a wager between the two of them," Barbara states.

"Wager? What wager?" Brock demands.

"Simple. Both Holly and Queen Lucy regained their feelings for you and started arguing with who should be with you based on their strength as Pokemon trainers," Another sister explains. "Since Ash and Timothy are one of the few trainers to ever defeat our queen, we decided to let who should be with you based on whether or not that woman could succeed where Queen Lucy could not."

Everyone stares at Lucy's sisters in disbelief. Lucy puts her hands behind her back, still trying to hide her smile with her hair.

"So you made a bet on who should be with Brock just on whether or not Holly could beat Ash or Timothy?!" Serena shouts.

Timothy turns to Brock, feeling the weight of his part in the bet hit him like a wall of bricks.

"Well, of course we did," Barbara states. "The guy they both like couldn't make up his mind, and so we decided to move things along."

Finally, Lucy looks up to Brock and smiles with a small blush on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that we acted this way, Brock," she says sincerely. "We just thought it was the best way to work things out. You said yourself that you didn't know how to handle what was going on between the three of us, so we thought we should help you with your burden."

Brock stands still as he processes what is explained to him. He looks down and runs his fingers through his hair while Lucy walks over to him with a kind smile.

"Don't you see, Brock? It had to be done," she claims. "After all, you couldn't decide how to -"

"But, I did decide!" Brock barks abruptly. "I've been trying to tell Holly what my decision is all day!"

Lucy steps back, shocked by Brock's outburst. All eyes turn to the tan-skinned man as he elaborates.

"Look, Lucy, I know you wanted to help, and I understand that you really want to be with me, but what you did was not for you to decide," he says. "I don't care about the strength of a person as a trainer. Never have. And as much as I've been spending an equal amount of time with you, I grew to learn that only one of you makes me truly happy."

Lucy's eyes widen, and she gasps softly. Her sisters look at each other, confused with what Brock said to their queen. Without another word, Brock just runs away, heading to the Pokemon Center. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, and Shockwave look at each other before they run after him. With Lucy and her sisters alone, the pike queen gets on her knees and struggles the urge to cry while her sisters are still puzzled with what just happened.

"I don't get it," Barbara says, turning to Lucy. "You won, didn't you?"

"No," Lucy replies with her voice cracking slightly. "I won the wager, but I didn't win his...his heart."

******************************************************************************

Brock bursts into the Pokemon Center with everyone else not too far behind. They all look for Holly in the lounge before they race up the stairs to the girl's bedroom. But as soon as they enter, all of Holly's stuff is gone. Brock's heart sinks as it becomes clear what is happening.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he screams as he runs past everyone standing by the entrance. "Don't tell me she did it again! Not again!"

"Again? What is he talking about?" Iris asks.

Ash, Serena, Dawn, May, Max, Timothy, and Coovers' eyes widen as they realize what is on Brock's mind.

"She left," Dawn answers softly. "She left him a second time."

Misty, Iris, Cilan, and the Pokemon look in surprise before everyone races to catch up with Brock. They run back upstairs, determined to catch up until they see him standing at the front desk. The Nurse Joy behind the desk gives him Holly's purple Crane's Bill flower, and Brock slowly takes it, crushed.

"She said not to follow her," Nurse Joy says to him. "She said she hopes you will be very happy with Lucy."

At this moment, Brock stares at both the flower and the necklace as his world comes crumbling down. His hands shake, and his mouth quivers as tears begin to emerge from his eyes. Ash and Cilan are quick to come to his sides before Brock's legs give in, and he gets down on his knees and starts crying. Serena stares at Brock, trying to fight the tears she has to see her two friends split apart. May and Max look at each other sadly with May putting her hand on her little brother's shoulder. Clemont and Bonnie look at Brock sympathetically, feeling unable to do anything for the man they've only known for a short while. Misty and Iris look away, unable to bear watching Brock weep. Coovers looks down on the ground sadly while Electchu and Shockwave look at each other with crestfallen faces. Finally, Timothy walks over to Brock, Ash, and Cilan with a look of guilt all over his face and kneels down behind them to pat Brock's back.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," he manages to say. "I wish there was something I could do to...I don't know, fix this."

Cilan turns to Timothy and says, "There's nothing you could have done, Timothy."

"He's right," Ash says while patting Brock's shoulder. "You had no way of knowing, and you only gave it your all like you, me, Max, and Holly agreed to."

"I know," Timothy says. "But that doesn't stop me feeling terrible for playing a part in this."

"It's...It's not your fault, Timothy," Brock manages to say through his tears. "It's not your fault or Holly's fault or Lucy's or anyone else's. It's me. This whole thing is my fault. All I wanted was to find that special someone in my life, and my selfishness drove away the one person who could be that for me. I've been chasing after women my whole life, and now I'm getting what I deserve for it."

The tan-skinned man's words don't make Timothy feel any better. Soon, Serena, Misty, Max, and Dawn walk over to comfort Brock. Iris, Axew, Coovers, Electchu, and Shockwave, just stay standing while pitying the brokenhearted man. As this goes on, however, Nurse Joy's phone rings, and she answers it.

"Yes, they're here. Yes, I'll tell them," she says before turning to Ash and Max. "Ash, Max, I'm sorry to disturb you, but the ten-minute break before your match is almost over. You two need to get back to the Indigo Stadium right away. "

Both trainers frown before Ash says, "But we can't just leave Brock like this."

But Brock shakes his head and slowly gets up to give Ash and Max his best brave face.

"It's okay, you guys," he says with a weak smile. "Please don't worry about me. Just go out there and give it everything you've got. I'll be cheering both of you on when I'm ready."

Ash and Max hesitate before they sadly nod.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Max says.

"I insist," Brock confirms with the best smile he can muster. "And I bet Holly probably would too."

"Alright, then that's what we're going to do," Ash says, giving his long-time friend a smirk.

Timothy and Coovers step in with the latter saying, "We'll stay here with Brock while you guys go."

"Thank you, Coovers," Misty says.

With that, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan all leave to head back to the stadium. After Timothy asks Nurse Joy to heal Electchu and Shockwave up, he and Coovers help Brock find a place to sit down while they try to comfort him to the best of their ability. But try as the two men might, they both know that what they do won't heal Brock's broken heart. Timothy sighs as he looks away while rubbing Brock's back and secretly thinks about what Holly said to him before she ran away in tears.