1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 86: Top Eight

The morning after the opening round felt sharper than the first day of the Kalos League. The stadium grounds were still crowded, but the noise had changed. Yesterday, everyone was celebrating that they had made it here. Today, the first eliminations had already happened, and every remaining Trainer carried the weight of someone else's dream. I could still hear Everett's words in my head. Trainers who did not collect eight badges in time were watching too, and that made every bracket update feel more serious than before.

I looked at the updated bracket screen with Pikachu on my shoulder and Serena beside me. Alain, Sawyer, Tierno, Calem, and I had all advanced, but the field was shrinking quickly. The League officials had already posted the quarterfinal paths, and every battle from here would be shown on the larger screens. There was no place left to hide a mistake, and no reason to pretend that excitement alone could carry us.

Serena studied my name on the screen, then glanced at me. "Your next match is against Astrid."

"I remember her," I said. "She battled us during the Diancie journey. Her Absol was really strong, and I know she can Mega Evolve it."

Pikachu's ears lifted at Absol's name. His determined look reached me clearly. "Then we respect that strength and answer it."

"Right," I said. "No holding back just because we are excited about Sawyer or Alain."

Clemont adjusted his glasses while reviewing the bracket. "Astrid uses Mega Evolution with Absol. She also has excellent battlefield awareness, and she has already defeated strong Trainers to reach this stage."

Bonnie held Dedenne close and bounced on her heels. "But Ash has Hawlucha, and Hawlucha is super cool."

Hawlucha stepped out of his Poké Ball at my side before I called him, striking a proud pose with one wing across his chest. His sharp confidence reached me like a flame. "A rival's strength deserves a beautiful answer."

I smiled and held out my fist. "Then you are ready."

Hawlucha tapped my fist with the edge of his wing, then folded both arms as if he already saw the finishing move in his head. That was Hawlucha's style. He respected every opponent, but he also believed every battle should become something memorable enough for everyone watching to feel it.

Across the hall, Sawyer stood with his notebook open, but he was not writing. He looked up at the bracket like every line had become part of his battle plan. Tierno was stretching with Ludicolo beside him, moving through little rhythm steps even while he waited. Trevor was nearby with his camera, calmer after his loss to Alain than I had expected. Shauna still had not arrived, but Tierno kept checking the entrance like he expected her to burst in at any second.

Alain stood apart from the others, watching the screen without showing much expression. His name was already marked for the next round, and I could feel the pressure of his promise even from across the hall. If we both kept winning, we would meet eventually. I wanted that battle badly, but I knew better than to stare too far ahead now.

Serena touched my arm. "One battle at a time."

"One battle at a time," I repeated.

That had become more than advice since Snowbelle. It was the difference between fighting beside my Pokémon and trying to drag the whole future into the present. Sawyer had taught me that mistake once already, and I was not going to repeat it before Astrid.

Astrid waited on a cityscape battlefield, with artificial streets, low rooftops, and blocky towers set around the arena. It reminded me of the first time I had faced her, except this time the whole League was watching. She stood with steady confidence, and her Absol watched Hawlucha from her side as if it remembered him too. Absol's eyes were calm, not cold, and that made it more dangerous.