On his defeat (pretty much inevitable after you had to take on Clay's level 31-33 team), Hugh compliments you on how strong you've gotten and proclaims that he needs to improve his own might as well.  As the announcer declares your win, your old friend also points out that your pokemon seem to have been having a lot of fun.

Afterwards, the announcer calls attention to the big screen, which starts showing the results of the other matches- Cheren handily defeats his opponent, making him your next foe in the tournament.  Colress likewise flattens his opposition, progressing to the semifinals.

Next, then, is your battle with Cheren.  Your introduction is skipped, though you get some cheering as you reach the platform.  Cheren, on the other hand, is introduced as 'battling for his ideals'.  When the matchup is displayed on the bigscreen, Cheren says he's excited to be facing you again, as you were the first challenger he had as a Gym Leader.  He is certain that you've learned and grown since then, and declares his intent to find out if your bond with your pokemon has strengthened in the intervening time.

Battle: Cheren
Opponent: Stoutland Lv 25, Cinccino Lv 25, Watchog Lv 25

With his mysteriously early-evolved Stoutland still using Tackle, Cheren just isn't as much a threat as he could be.  Watch out for the Work Up on his Cinccino and Watchog- if you're slow taking them down, they can do some real damage- but this should be a pretty straightforwards and simple battle even if all three pokemon are fully evolved.

Cheren compliments you on how much stronger you've gotten, and the end of the battle is marked by a few streamers and some fanfare to boot.  He also says something remarkably deep- while he's gotten as far as he has because of the pokemon he works with, he's thinking that maybe the relationship should be looked at more in terms of living beings rather than a trainer and the pokemon they own.  That said, he turns and leaves the platform, so attention is once more on the giant screen to see who progressed.

Colress again smashes his opponent handily, so he advances to the finals with you.