Semifinal Showdown: Part 3

... ... ...

We...lost.

I'm sorry, young master! I-it was my fault!

If I'd been able to support you better... I could have...

No waaay! I'm the one who botched it for us! If my feints had been better, we coulda outmaneuvered 'em...

I'm so sorry, Master Lear...

What are you two apologizing for? I'm not angry.

But, !

You both did well. Better than I ever could have hoped for.

Besides, the PML is a team competition, isn't it? Every triumph is a team triumph. The same goes for the opposite.

Every loss is a team loss, so don't put all of the blame on yourself when things go wrong.

Master Lear...

*sniffle* Sorry! Don't mind meee... Just gonna need a minute to, like, stop myself from crying, that's all...

Young master, you... You've really...

I'm just so proud of you.

Don't be sad, Hoopa.

You were phenomenal.

No wonder we're friends! Heh... Thank you.

And Scottie! The fact that I lost vexes me to no end! But I will state for the record...

Victory belongs to you and your team today! And that means that you'll be taking my place in the finals!

Don't thank me! You'll make me feel even worse! Anyways...

Hush! No getting mushy on me! You just won the semifinals. Hold your head high and be proud!

One more thing. And listen closely, because I'm only going to say this once!

When we were battling each other a minute ago... for the first time in a really long time...

I...had a lot of fun.

Aww... Lear!

For some reason, I've always felt so irritated by you, Scottie.

I used to think it was because you and your silly little hat reminded me of Red...but now I think I understand what was really bothering me.

You truly believe in the people and Pokémon around you.

And when you're battling, you look like you're having more fun than anyone else.

And...I think deep down, I might have been jealous of that.

That's why you've always picked on Scottie...

But now you know what it feels like to have that kind of fun, too.

Don't you?

Hmph. Maybe.

If I had to name one reason why we lost the match today, that would probably be it.

You all discovered the joy of Pokémon battling long before I did.

And you've had far more time than I have to develop the power of your sync stones.

Other than that, I've got nothing! So that must be the reason!

Not maybe, definitely!

Absolutely! There could be no other explanation!

But know this, I'm not going to quit just because I lost one match!

I'm going to form an even tighter bond with my team! Mark my words, the next time we battle, I'm going to win!

Just you wait! Hahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!

Tsk! The least you could do is react a little! What's the point of cackling if no one's even paying attention!

Fine! I'm done talking! Come on, you two. We're leaving!

C-coming!

Scottie...

...Win the finals.

Lear sure was tough, wasn't he.

He's always had a lot of talent.

If he'd known how much fun Pokémon battling is all this time, that match might have gone a bit differently.

If that were the case, I think it would have been even more fun!

Don't you think, Scottie?

Yeah! I bet our next battle with Lear's team is gonna be superduper awesome!

Totally! I mean, did you see how gung ho Lear was about it just now? It's gonna be great!

At any rate, we should all give ourselves a pat on the back. We made it to the finals!

Whether we win or lose, we made it all the way to the end!

Speaking of which, it looks like our opponents have arrived.