"Dexio, Sina."
"Aizen!"
The two Researchers hugged the Orayen Prince, praised him for his performances so far, and then greeted the rest of the group.
Anira, May, Risa, and Misty had another good friend with them now.
It was none other than little Crystal, Professor Dora's younger sister, whom the girls had met on Sayda Island.
Everyone was quite excited about Leaf's match, and Misty proudly declared to Dexio and Sina that her friend was going to beat their friend, Anthony.
They did not mind her words and only hoped to see a great battle. They expressed their support for whichever Trainer proved to be the better one on the day.
Leaf received a bigger welcome from the audience than Anthony, and it was because she had managed to reach the Round of 16 in her very first Conference.
She was not the favourite to win this match, and so, the audience was cheering for her to give her confidence.
As soon as the countdown started, the Arena quietened down, and both Anthony and Leaf picked their Pokéballs for the first round.
When the whistle sounded, Leaf revealed a Pokémon she had not used in the tournament so far. The same was true for Anthony, who was stunned at his luck.
"Round 1: Bisharp vs Arcanine. Begin!"
Anira heartily laughed when she saw her friend read Anthony perfectly, and Aizen was taken by surprise as well.
"Her mother gifted her Arcanine on her birthday," Misty informed the Orayen Prince, who nodded and smiled.
Everyone attentively watched the match, and even though Bisharp was at a disadvantage against Arcanine, it did not go down without a fight.
However, against the Fire Pokémon's speed and Flare Blitz, it was completely helpless.
"Come on, Leaf. Keep the match under your control now." Misty clenched her fists when the result of the first round was announced.
Anthony too realised that the match was slipping from his control, and so, he took his time as he picked his next Pokémon.
He sent out his Swampert, hoping to bait Leaf's Florges or some other Grass-type Pokémon.
However, Ludicolo was not the Pokémon he was expecting.
The lemon-haired boy was stunned when a powerful Energy Ball struck Swampert, and the Grass Pokémon, despite taking strong Earth-type moves, kept standing.
He soon regretted sending Swampert out but found some solace when his Pokémon took Ludicolo down with it.
Leaf smiled at the result of the second round, and she sent out her Arcanine again, not willing to reveal her third Pokémon yet.
As she had expected, seeing her choice, Anthony decided against taking any gambles and sent out his Tyranitar.
"Mala, be brave." She calmly said to her Pokémon and then demonstrated her tactical awareness and battle intellect to the audience.
She knew that Arcanine was no match for Tyranitar's raw strength, but she also knew that her opponent was no match for her Pokémon's superior speed.
Leaf ordered Arcanine to keep using Extreme Speed and to waste time, and her Pokémon expertly held on by jumping from rock to rock every time Tyranitar tried to use Earthquake.
None of the Stone Edge attacks managed to catch it, and even though Arcanine suffered from Earth Power, it kept going.
Anthony was stunned when he saw the Pokémon even survive Meteor Beam, and as soon as the clock hit the five-minute mark, Leaf grinned.
The boy was expecting her to recall her Pokémon, but she had other plans for the moment.
"Close Combat."
Tyranitar, who was too enraged at the Fire Pokémon, never saw the move coming. Arcanine expertly rushed in, landing several powerful strikes, and then struck it with Iron Tail before retreating again.
Everyone thought she was trying to stall for time, but that was not her true intention.
What she truly wanted was to enrage Tyranitar, and she succeeded in making the Dark Pokémon lose control.
Arcanine taunted and bullied the Rock-type powerhouse, mocking it, and then found another opportunity to use Close Combat again.
This time, it used Iron Tail on Tyranitar's left foot, and the Pokémon roared in pain as it collapsed.
Arcanine proudly howled to the sky.
"Play Rough!"
Leaf immediately called out the Fairy-type move.
Her Pokémon did not waste any opportunity and slammed its tail into Tyranitar's face, generating a thick cloud of grey smoke surrounded by sparkling stars, which made the Dark-type Pokémon groan in pain.
Tyranitar went on a rampage afterwards, and Arcanine wisely darted away from it.
However, Arcanine was growing tired now, even though it had not slowed down.
Her opponent was just as stubborn as she was.
"Return." Leaf suddenly called her Pokémon back, and seeing Arcanine vanish from the battlefield, Tyranitar roared furiously at the sky.
"Go, Farigiraf!" Leaf cheerfully called out her Pokémon, setting up a bait, and Anthony frowned at her choice and hesitated to recall Tyranitar.
In the end, he chose to keep it out, but he instantly regretted it when the referee started the fourth round.
"Grass Knot."
The girl from Pallet Town clenched her fists as she called out the move, and Tyranitar tripped on vines that sprouted from the ground and tangled around its feet.
When the Pokémon fell, it took great damage and failed to dodge the powerful Iron Head that followed, which ended the battle.
"Tyranitar is out. Farigiraf wins the fourth round!"
As soon as the referee's voice fell, the audience jumped to their feet and loudly cheered for Leaf.
Anthony still had a Pokémon left, but no one believed he could turn the battle around at this point.
"Go, Incineroar!"
"Hehe..." Leaf cutely giggled and recalled her Farigiraf.
"Go, Goro!"
"Round 5: Incineroar vs Pangoro. Begin!"
Pangoro was pumped up when it found itself against the bipedal Tiger Pokémon, and the two engaged in a terrifying clash that lasted for nearly ten minutes.
Incineroar roared to the sky when it managed to win, leaving Pangoro's body scorched, but Leaf did not panic.
Her Pokémon had beaten the fight out of Incineroar.
"Round 6: Incineroar vs Arcanine. Begin!"
Both Pokémon were exhausted, but the Tiger Pokémon was no match for Arcanine's blistering speed.
It resisted bravely, fought hard, and entered the state of Blaze, but sadly, it was up against a Fire-type Pokémon with Flash Fire and Justified as its abilities.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! We have our first Quarter-Finalist, the girl from Pallet Town, Kanto, the pride of Blanc Laboratory, Blanc Island, Leaf... Green!!!"
Arcanine howled after she defeated the Fire Tiger, and Leaf rushed onto the battlefield and hugged her Pokémon, shedding tears into its mane.
She did not even hear the thunderous applause of the crowd.
All she knew was that she and her Pokémon had won, and had earned the right to battle inside Indigo Stadium tomorrow.
When she came out of the Arena, she ignored everyone and rushed straight into Aizen's arms, burying her face in his chest and sobbing, which made her friends laugh.
She did not care at all that they would tease her. She just loved how his arms tightened protectively around her.
"I am proud of you."
His words echoed in her mind, and she laughed and cried as she nodded her head.
Leaf quickly wiped her tears before she was tackled by the girls, who squeezed her in a group hug, and then she rushed into her mother's arms when she came out of the Arena.
"You were awesome, Leaf!"
They all heard someone shout, and the girl laughed when she saw Ash and Pikachu running over.
"I am sorry I was not there, but I promise I watched your battle!" he said embarrassedly.
"It's okay. I am glad you are here." She nodded to him and then shared a fist bump with him. "Your turn, Ritchie."
The boy nodded to her and then resolutely looked at Aizen.
"I will meet you in the Quarter-Finals."
The Orayen Prince smiled at his words.
"I will wait for you." The two shared a fist bump, and then the boy from Pallet Town rushed to the Third Grass Battlefield.
His match was not for another two hours, but he had to report to the Arena, give his interview, and then go through the formalities.
The group went to attend the match on the second Grass Battlefield, where Leaf's next opponent was going to be decided.
"Alain is going to win it." Anira confidently said, and no one doubted her words.
The boy from Kalos had performed exceptionally well so far.
And true to her prediction, Alain Sycamore made easy work of his opponent.
Leaf, however, was not intimidated by his performance. She was fired up and determined to beat him so that she could face Aizen in the Semi-Finals.
He was the only one she would not mind losing to now that she had come this far.
However, the group soon lost their smiles when Ritchie lost his battle against Jon Dickson.
The boy was depressed and disappointed after his loss. It was not even a contest. His opponent did not even have to use his fourth Pokémon.
Nevertheless, he still managed to put on a smile and shook hands with Jon, which the crowd appreciated a great deal.
Next was Aizen's match against Davy, and Ritchie returned to watch it with everyone in the Arena after submitting his Pokéballs at the Centre.
The way he was holding up and owning his loss impressed everyone, especially Professor Oak, who made a call to him to tell him how proud he was of his performances.
His parents were very happy as well, and seeing them smiling and hearing how proud they were of him made him smile again.