Moon could see the crowd buzzing beneath her. They stretched from the base of Mount Lanakila, out into the clearing where Tapu Village's trailers had been temporarily moved, and even a little beyond. And all of them were waiting for her.
It wasn't that she was suddenly faced with the reality of how many people she'd be addressing, or that she didn't even have the rush of a Pokemon battle to bolster her, or the fact that the elevator was slowly descending, closer and closer to the crowd, like a sword falling closer and closer to her neck. It definitely was not that.
They were only fifty feet away, now, and she could see every face in the crowd. There were kids and cameras, parents and interviewers, fans and simple spectators, even a few Pokemon no doubt brought by their Trainers. They were all just people, she reminded herself, and the Champion had nothing to fear from Pokemon or people. She was the best in the world. Now more than ever, she had to believe that.
Speakers had been set up throughout the area, and she could hear Professor Kukui finishing his own speech about the Pokemon League. He had all the confidence he always had, and most of the crowd were interested in it. A few polite smatterings of applause, or a few cheers, when he complimented Alola or gave credit to its traditions. And then she was closer, just a few seconds away from the elevator slotting into the stage, and he introduced her to the crowd.
"That's right, it's time to meet the first Champion of Alola's Pokemon League, woo!" Professor Kukui gestured at the stopped elevator. "Welcome, Moon! Oh yeah!"
Moon strolled up to the podium, just like she'd practiced. She knew that all of the crowd had seen the videos of her at the Battle Royal Dome, or else had heard about it, but none were in the right state of mind to boo. That was a performance, and they were in on it, but this would be the moment where he'd really put on a show.
"'Sup?" Moon asked the crowd as she leaned against the podium with one arm. "I'm the Champ. I came here from Kanto less than a year ago. Didn't even know the Pokemon League was a thing. But I was here. And I always wanted to train Pokemon, so. I did that." There were far too many intimate details of her private life in her journey, but she could avoid them if she kept it brief. "I got my first Pokemon from Kahuna Hala. Probably the best thing he's ever done."
She smirked a little, partially because of her persona, partially because of the muttering it earned from the crowd. She could even see Hala off to the side, with the other Kahunas as well as the Trial Captains. He furrowed his bushy brow, just his part of the theater.
"From there, I beat everyone. Me and my Pokemon. From Trial Captains, to Kahunas, to Team Skull and Ultra Beasts. There's no one else who could have done that. Just me and my Pokemon. Then I found out about what Kukui was doing. The Elite Four, the role of Champion. And I thought, finally! A title worthy of the effort. Being the best doesn't mean anything if nobody knows it. Then, after a long bunch of battles, I sat on my throne and it was like...finally. This is where I'm meant to be."
She'd hit most of her points. She'd talked about her origins, what her journey was like, how good it felt to be acknowledged as a Champion.
"So what do I think of the Pokemon League?" Moon tapped her chin. "It's cool. The Trials make people work hard. The Elite Four gives the best of them a challenge. And the people who survive them? They get to battle me. It's an honor most people won't ever get. And if you think that you can...you know where I am." She pointed a finger straight up, up Mount Lanakila, up to the seat of the Champion.
The crowd applauded. The purpose of the speech was to talk about how important the Pokemon League was, built it up, more than making people hate her persona. Although she was confident it would. She'd be annoyed by whoever said what she had.
"We've still got some time left, so let's take some questions, yeah!" Professor Kukui said, as he stepped up to the podium beside Moon. "Let's take one from...you there, with the glasses!" He pointed at a reporter in the crowd.
"Moon," The man began.
"Nope." Moon interrupted. "I'm the Champion. Remember that. Next question."
"Champion Moon," The next reporter began. "There have been rumors about your involvement with the heirs to the Aether Foundation and how they affect your position as champion. Have you anything to say on your relationship with them?"
"Yeah." Moon nodded. "There are four things." She held up her hand to count them off. "None. Of. Your. Business. Next question."
The microphone was handed to another reporter, one dressed in as fine a suit as one could buy.
"Champion Moon, just recently you attended an interview with Pokestyles Magazine at The Bloom Sickle Bowls restaurant in Konikoni City and reportedly left the establishment before the bill was paid. What do you have to say about these allegations?"
"The Champ has no memory of that." Moon answered. "Next question." She was beginning to like how wary the reporters were getting of dealing with her questions. If their reports were colored to represent her as rude, all the better for making everyone else believe it.
The next reporter cleared her throat before speaking in a surprisingly soft voice. "Champion Moon, there have been concerns bout the attitude you've displayed in various instances over the last few weeks. What would you say to those who believe your attitude to be ill-fitting of a Champion?"
Moon smirked behind her mask. "Let me ask you something. Who was it that conquered every last one of the trials in Alola? Who stomped the Kahunas into the dirt every time she met them? Who is the most recent, most successful, Island Challenge Champion? Spoiler: You're looking at her. Not good enough for you? Let's keep going."
"Who was it that became the first, and if I have anything to say about it, only, Pokemon League Champion in Alola? Moon. Who discovered the disease at the heart of the Aether Foundation and cut it out before it spread to the rest of these islands? Me. Who's walked across every inch of Alola, defeated every Pokemon that crossed her path, and found every little secret in every nook and cranny? Me!"
"More? I've got you covered. When Team Skull were running riot over Alola, vandalizing everything in sight, stealing Pokemon, terrorizing people in their homes, where were the Kahunas? What were they doing? What about the Trial Captains? They helped out here and there, but it wasn't them who took Team Skull off the streets. It wasn't them who defeated Guzma in the heart of his territory. It wasn't them who walked into Po Town and took it back for the people. Who was it? That's right, it's ya girl – Moon!"
"And one thing, just one little thing, oh, but it's a good one – I'm not just the Island Challenge Champion, the Pokemon League Champion, the Savior of Aether, the Scourge of Team Skull, the Pokemon Master, I'm the girl who's got the blessing of the guardian deities! Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini. I've met them all, and they all loved me, just like all of you should. As a matter of fact – you're gonna."
"From now on, I'm not just your champion, I'm the Kahuna of Alola. The whole damn place. If you want to hurt it, you're gonna have to go through me. If you have a problem with my attitude, you're gonna have to conquer the Trials, the Kahunas, and my Elite Four, then maybe, maybe, I'll give you the time to question me before I send you crying back to your parents." Moon shook her head. "And now you've gone and annoyed me, so...I'm outta here." She said, then slammed the button to send the elevator back up and smiled to herself as the reporters yelled out their questions in the hope of a last-second answer.
Moon thought she was going to be a very, very good Champion.