We went to the statue in the center of the square, and I stood in front of it. I could see a panel had appeared, and I knew if I pressed it, the lift would take me down.

I looked down at Kitt, standing beside me, like he always had. "Are we ready for this, Kitt?" I asked him.

He smiled, and nodded. "Of course we are, Tabby cat." He winked.

I smiled too. And I pressed the lift panel.

There was a shudder, a groan. And then the floor around the statue rose up, and we went down. As the lift descended, lights appeared in the darkness below. I shielded my eyes. There was a big crowd filling stadium seating, cheering loudly. I was shocked. Above, the ceiling was painted with great, swirling murals of stars and planets. The lift sank into the floor before a flight of stairs, the last stairs, and I ran up them to the arena.

It was a wide, golden arena, decorated with great statues and intricate spacial designs along the edges. Above it, in their seats, the crowd whooped and a few shouted my name. But a few shouted another name, and I stared across the arena at my opponent. I was shocked.

"Iris?" I said incredulously.

The girl with the enormous hair grinned excitedly at me. "Hiya, Tabby! Yep, I'm the champion!" She was wearing an intricate pink dress and a golden crown, and she did a little twirl. Standing and flying all around her were her dragons. "Grandpa trained me, but I'd have to say I'm the better dragon tamer now. Wouldn't you think?"

She stopped twirling, and her face became serious. "I want to thank you for everything you did, Tabitha Baker." She said. "The whole of Unova owes a lot to you. You're a true hero. But now, this, this is just another battle. I have no doubt it'll be a great one." She lifted her hand and grinned again. "So show me what you've got!"

I smiled too, and looked at Kitt. He nodded, and sprang forward.

Her Hydreigon swooped in, and the battle began in earnest.

Kitt leaped forward, spring across the golden floor, and leaped upwards. His tail paw flew up, a fist, and hit the dragon in the chest. Ice Punch. It tumbled in the air in a flurry of snow, and then it smacked into the ground, frozen solid.

I let out a whoop. Frozen, already! Kitt yelled happily too. But the then there was a loud CRACK, and the dragon broke out of the ice, roaring. It was badly hurt, but its eyes glowed, and it let out a pulse of blue/red fire. Dragon Pulse. It smashed into Kitt, but he held his ground, his fur whipping in the rush. It took out a piece of his health.

Iris healed her Hydreigon, and it flapped its ragged black wings. Kitt's eyes narrowed, and he ran forward again. The Hydreigon flew to meet him.

Then Kitt swung his tail fist with all his might, it glowing with frozen light. And it connected with the Hydreigon's chin with a resounding CRACK. Critical hit. Hydreigon flipped end over end and hit the ground, and didn't get up. KO.

The crowd roared in excitement.

Iris sent out her Druddigon, and I switched to Leatho. My warrior used Ice Beam, and the Druddigon was blasted into the stadium wall. OHKO.

Then she sent out her Lapras, and I sent out Kitt again.

"Use Low Sweep!" I yelled. He raced forward and swept both tails together, slamming into Lapras's side. It rolled, letting out a screech. But then it staggered back up again, barely conscious. It opened its mouth, and a sweet sound filled the air.

Sing. Kitt staggered, and then his eyes rolled up into his head, and he fell to the ground, asleep.

I gritted my teeth, pulling out a Full Restore. I looked at it, then looked at Kitt. Then I shrugged. "HEY!" I yelled, chucking the Full Restore. "KITT, WAKE UP!"

My throw was true, and the medicine smacked him in the side of the head. He snapped upright with a shout, and glared at me. I grinned and shrugged, and he used the Full Restore.

Then he looked up at the Lapras, that was looming quite suddenly over him. Cold white light was glowing at its jaws.

And then a pillar of light and ice erupted from the Lapras, engulfing Kitt.

The point-blank Ice Beam was a critical hit, and Kitt was frozen immediately in a block of ice.

I raced forward with another Full Restore. "DANGIT, Kitt!" I yelled, spraying the ice with the Full Restore, and it melted away. He stood up, shaking his head.

"Sorry." He grunted.

The Lapras used another Ice Beam, but Kitt was ready for this one, and managed to get back enough in time. It only did a little damage. And then he leaped forward, sending a Low Sweep right at the Lapras's head. CRACK! Its slumped over, KO'ed.

Iris sent out her Aggron, and it roared. My little Gilda swooped out, slammed into the ground with Earthquake, and OHKO'ed that monster. It fell hard, and she whooped.

Then it was Leatho against her Archeops. It was faster, and sent a Rock Slide on top of him, but he broke out of it with barely a scratch. Surf KO'ed it in one hit.

Iris grinned. "I was right! This has been a great fight. But its time for my last." She nodded to her Haxorus, and he ran into the field with a bellow. Leatho was facing it, his face grim. Iris cried aloud, "Take him out, Axe!"

I smiled. "You got this, Leatho."

He looked at me and nodded. "I know."

The Haxorus skidded to a stop, and bowed its head. A glow filled it, red and blue and dark, swirling around it. Dragon Dance. Leatho blasted it with Ice Beam, but it only knocked it down to half.

I bit my lip, suddenly anxious. That Dragon Dance made it faster and stronger...wait...it's going to hit Leatho! For a brief moment, panic seized me.

But then it only used Earthquake.

Oh.

It did next to nothing, Leatho shrugged, and a final Ice Beam tore through the air and lanced into the Haxorus, sending it thundering down. KO.

So...we beat Iris.

We beat the Champion.

We...won.

And no one died.

What happened next...it feels like it wasn't real. Like a dream. A good dream.

The crowd was screaming in excitement. Iris shook my hand. I waved to the crowd, and we went up a staircase at the end of the arena, out of the stadium and into a gilded hall. At the end of the hall was a great computer, and we registered my team there. Their Pokeballs were marked - marking them as Champions. Then Iris took off her crown and handed it to me - I refused it. Crowns aren't my style.

Then she told me, laying a hand on my shoulder, "Congratulations, Tabitha Baker. You're the new Champion of Unova."

The rest of the night was a blur. I went outside and Fang and Belle and Charlotte greeted us, Golden too, and Brandon was there, and so were so many of my other Pokemon. They were all cheering and laughing and hugging me and I was laughing and crying. I was so happy. Someone put on music, and we had a party right there, on the steps of the Elite Four Castle. Iris and the other Elite Four members joined us. David, now a Haxorus, was singing along with Maria. Golden and Bronze flew around, their fur sparkling and casting light on the whole thing.

And all through it, I was still thinking in amazement - I am the Champion.

Not sure why, but I imagined something that night. Maybe I dreamt it. But for a brief moment, I recall looking off in the distance, and seeing a flash of a white wing, a burst of flame, and a man with long hair, watching us. Smiling. And then he was gone, vanished into the moonlight.



And that is the story of how I became the Champion of Unova.


Remnants (c) me
Pokemon (c) Pokemon

(This is my first ever run where no one died in the Elite Four. :3 It makes me happy. I am glad.

But the story's not over yet!)