Alola's First Champion

-1-

Atop the bitterly-cold Mount Lanakila at Ula'ula Island's center, what had been a pipe dream and a wishful construction project less than a year ago was now the most bustling area of the Alola region. The second-ever Alolan League Championship was set to start in a day's time, and the scene was ready.

The remote islands of Alola had recently found itself abruptly thrust into the spotlight. Since the Silver League was established in the Johto region many years ago, the world hadn't seen a brand-new Pokémon League in some time. It was thanks to the efforts of Alola's own Professor Kukui that that dream could finally come true once again.

More than that, the performance of one Pokémon Trainer in particular stole the hearts and minds of the world, as a fledgling Alolan swept the region's Trainers, Trial Captains, kahunas, and even the newly-minted Alolan Elite Four without losing so much as a single match. Other clues abounded of that young girl's other impossible feats, some of them of world-saving caliber, but many scoffed at the claims and deemed them apocryphal.

Still, tales of an 'undefeatable' Trainer drew attention, admiration, and enthusiasm, and now Trainers the world over had collected here, in a no-name region with a no-name League, braving the stabbing cold of Mount Lanakila, just to see what truth those rumors held. The Alolan League had been smart to prepare accordingly, constructing a massive hotel atop the mountain to accommodate the extreme influx of Trainers, where all of the challengers—local and foreign alike, hundreds strong—could stay and eagerly await the beginning of Alola's second-ever Championship.

The question on everyone's mind: would this Alolan child be able to defend her title in the face of the world?

Because, indeed, many veritable legends had traveled this far to get a taste of the 'undefeatable' Trainer's true ability…

"Ahaha. Oh, I recognize those faces." Olivia smiled knowingly as she slid into the booth opposite the foreigners. "I heard you wanted to talk, hmm?"

Red's expression was solid as he continued eating his malasada, but Blue leaned forward, dubiously watching Olivia. "You're Olivia, one of this region's Gym Leaders, right?"

Olivia chuckled lightly. "Dear, we don't have gyms here in Alola, we have trials. I am a kahuna, however, which is roughly equivalent."

"Sure, whatever." Blue dismissed the semantics with a wave of his hand. "I'm Blue. Kanto Gym Leader and one-time Champion." He nudged the Trainer seated next to him. "And this is my pal Red, several-time Champion."

"I see!" Olivia's eyebrow quirked. "Yes, I judged you correctly! Blue and Red, among the best Pokémon Trainers in the world. I believe I watched the two of you battle during the Pokémon World Tournament a few years ago."

"Yeah."

"So that must mean that the two of you are here for the second Alolan League Championship, hmm? Planning to test the new talent?"

"Exactly." Blue's eyes narrowed. "All this talk about an 'undefeatable' Trainer, the 'new number-one,' has my interest, at least. Alola's first Champion seems to have a target on her head if she plans on defending her Pokémon League title."

Olivia leaned back in the booth, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. Moon is quite the specimen of Trainer."

"Not gonna lie," said Blue, "I don't buy it. All this 'undefeatable' stuff has been said before, and not just about this guy, either." He nudged Red again. "Way I see it, Red's the best Trainer there's ever been, and even he isn't undefeatable anymore. I've doubted every 'new number one' we've seen since then, and I've always been right; they always fall off the map after their day in the sun."

Red nodded. Clearly, he shared Blue's doubt, but his eyes carried more curiosity compared to Blue's skepticism.

Olivia crossed her arms. "I suppose that's fair. If I'd never battled Moon myself, I would be thinking the same things, I'm sure!"

"Yeah, I bet." Blue rolled his eyes.

A smirk touched Olivia's lips. "The tournament is tomorrow, so maybe you could test her mettle then?"

"That's the plan."

"Ooh, how exciting!" Olivia clasped her hands together. "In that case, I've figured out why you wanted to talk to me, hmm?"

Blue frowned. "Probably. This 'Moon' girl doesn't seem to be staying here, and I wanted to learn more about her before I face her in tournament."

"Mm…" Olivia glanced around the crowded lobby. Most of the booths were packed with Trainers, foreign and domestic, all enjoying their 'exotic' Alolan meals as they chattered enthusiastically about tomorrow's tournament. This place will be a tourist trap before we know it. She chuckled lightly.

The energy of the room was contagious, and Olivia could feel it getting to her. "…So, you want me to tell you more about Moon, then? If you want me to dissect her battling style, I'm afraid I couldn't give you many pointers. You two are far too experienced to need my advice."

Blue and Red exchanged a glance. Blue then turned back to Olivia, taking a breath and leaning back. "No, not that. Red figured we should get a sense of what the girl's like. Y'know, all the stories about her are real vague. They go, 'Moon's unbeatable,' 'Moon's the next Red,' but they never say anything about what she's like, what's so special about her."

Olivia laughed. "It isn't like Moon was born to special circumstances or anything. She's a normal girl. But…" She tapped her chin. "I suppose the circumstances thrust on her were extraordinary, weren't they? And she took to them like a natural."

"Well, spill it," said Blue, but Red elbowed him scoldingly. "Er—if you don't mind."

"Hmm…" A smirk traced across Olivia's lips as she pondered the matter. "…No, I don't think I'm equipped to tell the story you want."

"Wha—" Blue shook his head, irritated. "What do you mean 'not equipped,' huh?!"

"I mean," Olivia began, trailing her finger in circles over the tabletop, "that I wasn't there all along. I don't have a complete story to give." She then raised that one finger, signaling 'hold on.' "I'll be right back."

Blue glared at the kahuna as she slid out of the booth and disappeared to a different corner of the lobby. A bit bemused, but shrugging it off, Red continued patiently nibbling at his malasada.

Author's note:

In light of Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, there might be small discrepancies with canon, though I'm not sure; I've been avoiding spoilers. This story was conceived before Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were revealed.

Updates every other day.