The whole ground shuddered from a titanic impact. The large, furry body of Pangoro fell to the ground with a powerful, physical thump, sliding forward only a foot before coming to a complete halt. His head, having rolled to the side limply, showed his unconscious face, his eyes half open and his jaw slacked.
Standing just ahead of the fallen Pangoro, a Karate Master stood in defeat, looking dumbstruck at his Pokemon. He slumped down onto his knees, his eyes darting every which way over Pangoro's limp form. His hands silently reached out, feeling the matted fur on his backside, stroking weakly.
Finally, when he looked up to the trainer across from him, he forced himself to swallow.
"You… You truly are your brother's sister…"
Tall and proud, Bonnie was grinning. She had grown taller, standing on spindly legs—and much stronger too. The long strap of her bag that went across her chest was studded with gym badges from all over Kalos.
As she walked, she ran her fingers up through her hair, helping to pull her long blonde hair back through the pigtail on the side of her head, keeping it taught from where several gusts of attacks had pulled it loose. Though she looked proud and excited, she didn't let it overwhelm her, instead choosing to be respectful and sportsman-like in light of her recent victory. She collected her jacket from where she had set it down on the floor—the tan, leather jacket that she pulled over her dark brown shirt and held close over her black biking shorts. Down by her pink sneakers, the long slender body of a Milotic slithered along the ground, leading the charge as Bonnie crossed the small battle chamber.
The Karate Master had turned to weeping as he looked down at his Pokemon, his head in his hands. When Bonnie approached, she stood nearby, looking back towards him.
"Mm, perhaps more practice is needed," said Bonnie. She stifled a giggle. "Perhaps you should 'chop' to it, hm?"
Bonnie reached down to the Karate Master's belt loop, snatching up a card key from a small pull-string. She then waltzed over to the door, walking up the console in the large metal door.
Before she waved the card key up at the console, Bonnie paused for a moment. The proud grin she had was wiped away as she silently contemplated the next room—it was the last room, at least for Kalos. It was the Pokemon League, after all. After this, the world of Pokemon beyond her home—where so many of her friends had traveled before—would be open to her to explore for herself, and find new horizons. This was possibly the last challenge she would face for a long time, and it was the last one that mattered.
Bonnie raised the card key to the console, waving it front of the glassy aperture, getting a resounding beep from the console. She tossed the card key aside, hearing all of the pressurized seals around the door release. It was a gigantic, perfectly round metal door, one that rolled away as it slid into the wall beside it. Fresh air from the other side poured in, smelling of cold metal and potential. Red laser lights ran down tracks in the wall of the tiny, round corridor, moments before the lights came on overhead. At the end of the short corridor was another room, and in the center of the room and the perfectly round opening at the end was a large pedestal, holding the Hall of Fame medallion.
Down by her side, Milotic's head was raised, looking up to Bonnie. She made a cute face at her, and Bonnie in-turn made a cute grin. Bonnie stepped up onto the main path of the rounded corridor, the metal grated floor clanking beneath her footsteps. Milotic slithered behind quietly, following her.
The room ahead was empty, save for the pedestal in the center. It was tall, perfectly rectangular with a perfectly cubical glass case above—holding a silvery medallion. It was what she would win if she won the league. For a moment, Bonnie wondered if she had already won, and that she had already fought her final battle.
"Bonnie..."
Bonnie had unwittingly wandered towards the case on the pedestal, looking at the blue-lit interior, when she looked up the sound of the voice. It had come from a door on the left, where someone new was standing.
She was much older than Bonnie had remembered. She was just slightly taller than Bonnie, and though she looked in shape it looked as though she was not nearly as youthful as when she had known her. Her short, cut blonde hair had been pulled back into a motherly bun, and though her eyes looked as bright and blue as they ever had before, her face was worn and tired. She was wearing a pink blouse, black pants and brown leathery boots.
"Serena…?" Bonnie asked, looking dumbstruck.
Serena smiled in reply. "It's so good to see you, Bonnie… You've gotten so big! Look at you! You're… You're going to beat the Kalos League, aren't you?"
"Yes…!" Momentarily distracted, Bonnie shook her head, looking much more confused than when she had entered. "But, where's the champion…?"
"I had promised you that I would battle you when you were old enough, didn't I? If you beat the Kalos League before I battle you, well, that would be breaking my promise. Wouldn't it?"
"Huh…?" asked Bonnie.
"Well, seeing as you're doing pretty well with everything the Elite Four has been throwing at you, I guess that means you're finally at my level," Serena winked.
Bonnie looked incredulous. She then smirked. "Pfff, yeah. Sure! Of course, yeah I'm at your level."
From behind Serena's back, she reached back for a Pokeball—one that looked old and battered, somewhat familiar to Bonnie. Even though she had reached for it and pulled it out willingly, Serena looked almost amazed that she had it. She gave it a longing look for several long seconds after she had found and put it into her hand.
"Let's battle it out then," Serena smiled, matching the youthful grin from Bonnie.
Bonnie felt an inch in her eye. She ignored it, even as she felt something pooling beneath her eye.
"You got it!"