Of Champions and Legends
The Alola Region was known as a paradise for its tropical climate and untamed natural beauty. The natives communed with nature rather than trying to urbanize and bend nature to their will giving the region a very relaxed and laidback feel to locals and tourists alike. Of the four islands, Poni Island was the most wild with very little in the way of human settlements. Due to this, Poni Island was the site where many powerful Trainers went for training their Pokémon. This was especially true at the Battle Tree, a sacred battle ground beneath the tallest tree in Alola where the toughest Trainers in the region competed against one another in a test of strength.
Standing at the entrance of the Battle Tree was an eleven-year-old girl with shoulder length wavy black hair dressed in a black t-shirt, black jean shorts, black knee socks, and red hiking shoes with a bag that looked like a watermelon slice slung over her shoulder. She stared at the magnificent carved stone pillars covered in vines and moss with a glimmer of awe and wanderlust in her green eyes. If only the gates had been colored with red, yellow, pink, and purple stripes they would have reminded her of the Trial Gates from her recently completes Island Challenge, the rite of passage that allowed her to come here in the first place. Or rather it was the trials that paved the way for her to become Alola’s first Pokémon League Champion.
In previous years kids would take the trials and battle the four Kahunas in succession to complete their Island Challenge but that all changed this year. Prof. Kukui had been trying for years to create an official Pokémon League in Alola that could rival the leagues of other regions like Kanto where he had first gotten the inspiration to form one. It was only in the past month that his dream finally became a reality with the completion of the Alola League and the crowning of Mahina as its first Champion after grueling battles with the newly assembled Elite Four and Kukui himself.
With a deep breath and a wide smile on her face, Mahina entered the Battle Tree ready for any challenge that awaited her. After everything her and her team had been through since that fateful night when she met the Guardian Diety of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko, for the first time, she knew that there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish if they worked together.
Mahina barely took one step into the Battle Tree before she was approached by two men. The one on the left had spiky orange hair and grey eyes wearing green shorts, green tennis shoes, a black shirt and sunglasses sitting on top of his head. The other on the right had grey eyes, brown hair mostly hidden under a red hat with a white brim and a white Pokéball half on the front wearing jeans, red tennis shoes and a white shirt with red sleeves and a red 96 written on it. Upon seeing the two figures Mahina’s face lit up with a huge grin.
“Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigodomigodomigodomigod!!! You’re Red and Blue!” she squeed practically jumping with excitement with her fists clenched tight and her knees and elbows bent.
“Well look at that Red! Our reputation precedes us even out here in Alola.” said the one on the left, Blue, proudly to his partner.
“… …” Red placed his right hand under his chin and tilted his head.
“I’m… I’m actually from Kanto…” Mahina giggled sheepishly not wanted to burst Blue’s bubble but also not wanting there to be a misunderstanding. “My mom and I moved out here six months ago. But you both are my childhood heroes and the reason I wanted to become a Trainer in the first place! Omigod! I’m actually talking to Red and Blue!” she fangirled.
Red and Blue shot each other a glance. It wasn’t the first time they had a tween swooning over them. It was the price they paid for fame. While Red would never say it out loud, Blue was certain that was one of the reasons he frequently exiled himself to secluded areas. Blue then smirked at the girl standing before him.
“We know who you are too Mahina.” he said to her earning a surprised gasp as her green eyes grew wide with astonishment. “Don’t look so surprised. Did you really think we wouldn’t have heard about Alola’s first champion? Especially one as young as you.” Blue then turned his attention to Red. “How about that? She’s eleven, the same age we were when we became Champions!”
“…” Red gave his rival a confused look.
“Hey! I was Champion! Just because you ousted me doesn’t mean I wasn’t!” shouted Blue indignantly.
“Red and Blue know who I am!” Mahina beamed with that revelation finally sinking in. “Can I have your autographs!” she requested exuberantly. For that Blue gave her an annoyed look.
“Just what kind of Trainer are you, asking for an autograph?” he questioned. “See, when I meet strong Trainers the first thing I ask for is a battle. It would be an insult to me, my Pokémon, the other Trainer, and their Pokémon if I don’t. In fact, I’m curious to see just how strong Alola’s first Champion really is.” he challenged with a wide grin.
“… …” Red nodded in agreement.
“You mean I get to battle one of the two most powerful Trainers in the world!?” squeed Mahina at the prospect of facing one of her childhood heroes in a Pokémon battle.
“That’s right! So who will it be; me or Red?” asked Blue intently.
Mahina buried her blushing face in her hands. How could she choose? Blue was the Viridian City Gym Leader so she could always battle Red now and challenge Blue at the Gym another time. But it was Blue who directly issued the challenge so it would be rude to turn down his request. She also had that seed of doubt in the back of her mind that she would even be able to defeat them since they were pretty much on a pedestal to her. During her journey she battled Hau, Totem Pokémon, Trial Captains, Kahunas, Team Skull, Ultra Beasts, Lusamine, Nebby, Kukui, and even the Tapu. All of these were challenges and trials to overcome which made Mahina the Trainer, no, the Champion she was today. But Red and Blue were no ordinary Trainers. They were not just Champions of Kanto. They were Legends. Getting to battle them was as terrifying as it was thrilling. Those were the same emotions Mahina had felt over the course of her journey so it was only fitting that it would all culminate in this encounter right here, right now. Win or lose this was not a battle she could run away from and frankly it was one she didn’t want to run from. Just having the opportunity to battle one of her heroes was well worth everything her and her Pokémon had worked for. The fact that they were the ones issuing the challenge meant they were serious about this battle and that they recognized the same talent in her that everyone else always praised her for. Win or lose, this would be one epic battle that Mahina would always remember fondly.
Still blushing hard at the flattery of getting the chance to battle one of these Legends, Mahina raised her arm and pointed towards the one she wanted to battle.
“I chose you!” she called confidently.
The Alola Region was known as a paradise for its tropical climate and untamed natural beauty. The natives communed with nature rather than trying to urbanize and bend nature to their will giving the region a very relaxed and laidback feel to locals and tourists alike. Of the four islands, Poni Island was the most wild with very little in the way of human settlements. Due to this, Poni Island was the site where many powerful Trainers went for training their Pokémon. This was especially true at the Battle Tree, a sacred battle ground beneath the tallest tree in Alola where the toughest Trainers in the region competed against one another in a test of strength.
Standing at the entrance of the Battle Tree was an eleven-year-old girl with shoulder length wavy black hair dressed in a black t-shirt, black jean shorts, black knee socks, and red hiking shoes with a bag that looked like a watermelon slice slung over her shoulder. She stared at the magnificent carved stone pillars covered in vines and moss with a glimmer of awe and wanderlust in her green eyes. If only the gates had been colored with red, yellow, pink, and purple stripes they would have reminded her of the Trial Gates from her recently completes Island Challenge, the rite of passage that allowed her to come here in the first place. Or rather it was the trials that paved the way for her to become Alola’s first Pokémon League Champion.
In previous years kids would take the trials and battle the four Kahunas in succession to complete their Island Challenge but that all changed this year. Prof. Kukui had been trying for years to create an official Pokémon League in Alola that could rival the leagues of other regions like Kanto where he had first gotten the inspiration to form one. It was only in the past month that his dream finally became a reality with the completion of the Alola League and the crowning of Mahina as its first Champion after grueling battles with the newly assembled Elite Four and Kukui himself.
With a deep breath and a wide smile on her face, Mahina entered the Battle Tree ready for any challenge that awaited her. After everything her and her team had been through since that fateful night when she met the Guardian Diety of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko, for the first time, she knew that there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish if they worked together.
Mahina barely took one step into the Battle Tree before she was approached by two men. The one on the left had spiky orange hair and grey eyes wearing green shorts, green tennis shoes, a black shirt and sunglasses sitting on top of his head. The other on the right had grey eyes, brown hair mostly hidden under a red hat with a white brim and a white Pokéball half on the front wearing jeans, red tennis shoes and a white shirt with red sleeves and a red 96 written on it. Upon seeing the two figures Mahina’s face lit up with a huge grin.
“Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigodomigodomigodomigod!!! You’re Red and Blue!” she squeed practically jumping with excitement with her fists clenched tight and her knees and elbows bent.
“Well look at that Red! Our reputation precedes us even out here in Alola.” said the one on the left, Blue, proudly to his partner.
“… …” Red placed his right hand under his chin and tilted his head.
“I’m… I’m actually from Kanto…” Mahina giggled sheepishly not wanted to burst Blue’s bubble but also not wanting there to be a misunderstanding. “My mom and I moved out here six months ago. But you both are my childhood heroes and the reason I wanted to become a Trainer in the first place! Omigod! I’m actually talking to Red and Blue!” she fangirled.
Red and Blue shot each other a glance. It wasn’t the first time they had a tween swooning over them. It was the price they paid for fame. While Red would never say it out loud, Blue was certain that was one of the reasons he frequently exiled himself to secluded areas. Blue then smirked at the girl standing before him.
“We know who you are too Mahina.” he said to her earning a surprised gasp as her green eyes grew wide with astonishment. “Don’t look so surprised. Did you really think we wouldn’t have heard about Alola’s first champion? Especially one as young as you.” Blue then turned his attention to Red. “How about that? She’s eleven, the same age we were when we became Champions!”
“…” Red gave his rival a confused look.
“Hey! I was Champion! Just because you ousted me doesn’t mean I wasn’t!” shouted Blue indignantly.
“Red and Blue know who I am!” Mahina beamed with that revelation finally sinking in. “Can I have your autographs!” she requested exuberantly. For that Blue gave her an annoyed look.
“Just what kind of Trainer are you, asking for an autograph?” he questioned. “See, when I meet strong Trainers the first thing I ask for is a battle. It would be an insult to me, my Pokémon, the other Trainer, and their Pokémon if I don’t. In fact, I’m curious to see just how strong Alola’s first Champion really is.” he challenged with a wide grin.
“… …” Red nodded in agreement.
“You mean I get to battle one of the two most powerful Trainers in the world!?” squeed Mahina at the prospect of facing one of her childhood heroes in a Pokémon battle.
“That’s right! So who will it be; me or Red?” asked Blue intently.
Mahina buried her blushing face in her hands. How could she choose? Blue was the Viridian City Gym Leader so she could always battle Red now and challenge Blue at the Gym another time. But it was Blue who directly issued the challenge so it would be rude to turn down his request. She also had that seed of doubt in the back of her mind that she would even be able to defeat them since they were pretty much on a pedestal to her. During her journey she battled Hau, Totem Pokémon, Trial Captains, Kahunas, Team Skull, Ultra Beasts, Lusamine, Nebby, Kukui, and even the Tapu. All of these were challenges and trials to overcome which made Mahina the Trainer, no, the Champion she was today. But Red and Blue were no ordinary Trainers. They were not just Champions of Kanto. They were Legends. Getting to battle them was as terrifying as it was thrilling. Those were the same emotions Mahina had felt over the course of her journey so it was only fitting that it would all culminate in this encounter right here, right now. Win or lose this was not a battle she could run away from and frankly it was one she didn’t want to run from. Just having the opportunity to battle one of her heroes was well worth everything her and her Pokémon had worked for. The fact that they were the ones issuing the challenge meant they were serious about this battle and that they recognized the same talent in her that everyone else always praised her for. Win or lose, this would be one epic battle that Mahina would always remember fondly.
Still blushing hard at the flattery of getting the chance to battle one of these Legends, Mahina raised her arm and pointed towards the one she wanted to battle.
“I chose you!” she called confidently.
