0. Blaze

In a molten cave within the Kalos Region, a young man stared down someone who he had once held nothing but respect for. A man who had been watching him ever since he first met Professor Sycamore, calming him down when he had been worried that his Chester would forever be stuck as a ball of stubby limbs. Not that he would ever hate or be disgusted by Chester, having been through so much by that point.

But when Chester had lost so much of his dexterity when it evolved from the Chespin it had once been, the little Pokemon had dragged itself into the doldrums of depression.

Then that man had showed them a picture of what Chester would one day be, and the little Pokemon had picked itself up into a determined frenzy, fighting towards the goal of one day being the powerful paladin that the Pokedex had predicted for the both of them.

And then, during their battle with Clemont in Lumiose City, Chester had fufilled the given prophecy, emerging from a great ball of light to smack down the Leader's Hellolisk with newfound strength.

At that point, not only had Calem watched a Gym Leader turn speechless, but he had started to believe that he was maybe just a little bit special, with a chance to one day stare down the Pokemon League, Chester at his side, bristling with unrestrained power.

So maybe, just maybe, he wasn't their just yet, eight badges or no, the Pokemon League still eluded his grasp.

Not to mention that Serena continued to push him to the very edges of his ability every time the two of them clashed. But all's said and done, he had defeated all eight of the region's Leaders, he still qualified for the opportunity to to clash with the Pokemon League and so, he still considered himself a fairly powerful trainer in the grand scheme of things.

That being said, watching Lysandre's Xerneas batter Chester around as if he were nothing, was enough to make him feel more than insecure about his previous assessment.

"Just accept it Calem." Lysandre, a man he had so trusted, sighed as the boy raised to kneel besides his battered partner. The disappointment in his eyes hurt him almost worse than the betrayal. "You aren't good enough to come up against this Legendary strength that I've chained. Any continued resistance... well, you can see how well that is going for you." he gestured as Chesnaught grunted, shifting to its feet, in obvious pain.

"Chester... It's okay," Calem tried to assure his partner. "Serena and Delphi will be here soon and they..."

"Serena?" Lysandre smiled. "Unfortunately young man, you were the last hope for Kalos." Stepping to the side, Lysandre revealed the battered forms of Serena and Delphox slumped across a stray boulder in the distance, bloody and beaten, five Pokeballs scattered around them. "Much like yourself, she put up a good fight, but in the end..." Xerneas released a cry, the legendary Pokemon charging towards both Calem and the injured Chester. "Neither of you were enough to counter the mythical power at my command."

"I guess this is it buddy." Calem laughed, slumping against Chester. Defeat screaming off of the both of them. "We've only known each other a year but... hey, what a yeah huh?"

Chester grunted, fighting to its feet. "You wanna go down swinging, huh? Okay Chester, that's an idea I can get behind." The Chestnaught roared as his legs tightened, his trainer's soul resonating with the same drive right besides him. "Chester, show this so-called Legend what it means to be tough, WOOD HAMMER!" Chester's fist's coiled, power erupting beneath the skin, coiled and ready to strike, no matter how futile the effort..

Only, the need to charge never came.

"What..." Calem began.

"...The hell?" Lysandre finished, his trump card struggled against a force that gave no ground. The legend was stopped dead in it's tracks, it's massive antlers solidly gripped in the talons of a Red and Grey Pokemon that resembled a wingless hawk.

"You know..." A voice echoed throughout the cave, commanding and powerful, despite the humour slipped into each syllable. "When Steven told me that Kalos wouldn't be able to deal with you, I thought he was joking. Surely the Elite Four will get in to gear and do something I said to him." A snort. "Surely the Champion will make sure that her region won't scorch dry around her."

A figure stepped into the orange light of the magma surrounding them, black hair sticking out from beneath a white beanie, an unzipped jacket draped haphazardly over his shoulders with a deep green t shirt underneath. "I mean, what's the point of having a Champion if all they decide to do is only deal with the problems that come to them, am I right?"

"And who, exactly are you?" Lysandre inquired, with not a little bit of irritation in his voice.

Turning his eyes to the leader of Team Flare, completely uncaring of the bloody Legendary Pokemon only meters away from him, the stranger let out a snort. "Name's Brandon, tell me Lysandre, where the hell is Diantha and why is she doing nothing about you and your little... Temper tantrum?"

Ignoring the dig, the man gestured and Xerneas bucked out of the red Pokemon's grip, retreating momentarily. "Diantha only concerns herself with things that confront her in the moment and cares little for anything but her title and her cafe hopping." With a snarl, that surprised Calem, Lysandre was never anything but composed, the man continued. "A selfish little girl playing at being a grown up, I would not be surprised if she just couldn't be bothered dealing with me."

Calem felt like speaking up, he had met Diantha after all and she hadn't seemed that bad. He was sure that, if push came to shove, if she knew the extent of what Lysandre was up to.

'...He broadcast his intent across the Region, Arceus' sake, he destroyed half a town.' Flinching at his inner monologue, Calem figured that Diantha probably knew exactly what was at stake.

"Well, no wonder you've gotten as far as you have then. At least Alder made some effort to deal with that Plasma lot a few years back... Not that he did much except lose, but jeez, to not even bother... Diantha needs a dethroning." The stranger, Brandon, continued.

"There we are in agreement." Lysandre stated with a smile. "But that raises the issue of why exactly you are here, your Blaziken holding me back from my goal. Surely if we can agree on that one point, we could surely come to agreement on everything else?"

"I doubt it, you and I,... Nah, too different at the end of it all." With a shrug any trace of humour on Brandon's face evaporated as a dark shadow swept across it, an expression that was mirrored by the Blaziken at his side. "Our ideals may somewhat coincide on that one point, but let's get one thing straight, Lysandre." With a snarl, Brandon swept his hand. "Force... No, Murder, that's the word... Murder is never the answer, Blaze!" He intoned, though he may as well have screamed it, the way his voice carried. "Kick this bitch into next week."

With a caw of triumph, the Blaziken streaked towards Xerneas, almost fast enough to disappear, it's foot launching into the Deer's chin, punting it backwards as the Red Pokemon let the force carry it into a summersault and into a crouch, an immediate jab sent the Legendary Pokemon streaking past Lysandre and deep into a brand new Xerneas sized hollow on the cave wall.

In that moment, he could see Lysandre's world falling apart around him, all of his plans and dreams, shattered by a stranger that he had never met. "Who are you?" The man asked again, something akin to madness dancing in his eyes as his goals danced on a the head of a pin.

"Like I told you, name's Brandon. Champion of Hoenn's Pokemon League." A trill sounded as his Blaziken leapt back to his side, bouncing on the balls of its feet, as Xerneas slowly staggered it's way back to it's own Master's side. "And you, Lysandre, have been a very naughty boy."

All the while, Calem sat next to Chester, both looking on disbelievingly as the Champion of Hoenn went toe to toe with a Legendary Pokemon as if it were just another day.

Oh, if only he knew...

-/-

Champion

A Pokemon Fanfic by The General Electric

What does it mean to be a Champion of the Pokemon League, to be regaled as one of the strongest trainer's in the world and a role model and goal for all young Trainers to look up to and aim for?

Brandon has a fair idea, having stared down an Apocalypse horizon and come out alive, so its just a little more than strange bearing witness to a Champion who, for all intents and purposes, just doesn't give a single damn as her Region erupts into chaos around her.

-/-

So... This isn't an update is it?

Ah well, Pokemon is on the mind at the moment, so this is what comes up instead. Good for me, bad for my followers, so I guess I should apologise.

But then again, maybe not.