After winning the Kalos League, a new part of Ichigo's journey opens up. He and his friends are now on their way to the Champion League for Ichigo now has the chance to become the champion himself.

With a little help, Ichigo and the others were given a black limo to ride in. It was pretty exciting for them to arrive like that.

"There it is! I can see it!" Orihime said. They all looked ahead and could see a large stadium just up ahead. That is where Ichigo will face his next test.

"The champion League!" Ichigo said.

"Wow! It looks like an actual coliseum. This is the first time I've been to one." Rukia said.

"This is it, Absol. We win here and we could end up making history." Ichigo said as he couldn't wait for it all to start.

"Absol."

Each and next chapter, the ultimate goal

Ready for battle, brave and bold

I know we're gonna make it

We will find a way

Oh-oh

We've come so far

We fought so hard to get where we are

Oh-oh

We belong together

It's always you and me

Pokemon

(Ichigo's voice): We Will Be Champions

The limo soon arrived at the stadium. When it pulled up, all of them climbed out. They could see that people were already gathering to see what was about to take place. It will surely be something to behold.

"I can't believe we're really here." Ichigo said.

"You're not getting scared, are you?" Rukia taunted.

"Don't kid yourself!" Ichigo said. "I'm actually ready to go right now. What are we waiting for you?"

"Settle down. You got some time before all that." They all looked to see Kisuke was able to find them. "Save all that excitement for when your battles actually start."

"Hey, Kisuke. Thanks again for the ride here." Ichigo said.

"Don't mention it. It's a special occasion." Kisuke said. "The Elite Four will be here soon. We're still getting everything ready for your big battles. I am glad that you agreed to take this on. Are you ready for it?"

"I really hope so." Ichigo said.

"Don't talk like that. Be more confident." Rukia said.

"She's right. If you go into battle with little confidence, you could do poorly." Chad said.

"Your friends have the right idea. You need to be certain because there really is no turning back." Kisuke said with him getting serious himself with the tone he was using. "Before anything begins, there's one crucial thing you have to do." All of them were starting to get a little anxious as to what Ichigo has to do with how serious Kisuke was sounding.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"You need to register to make this all official!" Kisuke said. They all practically dropped to the ground from that. He made it sound like it was something more important than that. With a little help from Kisuke, Ichigo was able to get registered. It was now official and he was free to take on all the Elite Four.

"Well, it's all set. Just like you said, Kisuke. There's no turning back now." Ichigo said.

"Mr. Urahara, how does the Champion League work exactly?" Orihime said.

"A good question." Kisuke said. "As you know, you have to defeat the Elite Four before you can battle me for the title. If you lose just one battle, that's it. You won't get another chance."

"I just got to keep winning? Sounds easy enough." Ichigo said.

"I doubt that it really is, Ichigo. Remember that this is the Elite Four we're talking about." Rukia said. "They're not ordinary trainers."

"You'll battle each of them one at a time." Kisuke said. "The battle format is set to be four-on-four battles. Fitting since you will be up against four opponents."

"Each member of the Elite Four specializes in a certain type just like gym leaders, don't they?" Chad questioned.

"Exactly. Do you know which type each member specializes in, Ichigo?" Kisuke questioned.

"Yeah... There's... Uh..." Ichigo stumbled. He tried to answer, but he really wasn't sure.

"There's Kariya; who specializes with flying-types, Muramasa that uses psychic-types, Kageroza uses dragon-types, and Shusuke that uses fire-types." Rukia answered for him. "We have met all four of them."

"Oh yeah." Ichigo said.

"Honestly, how could you forget them?" Rukia said.

"I didn't forget who was who. I just had a little trouble remembering what types each of them use." Ichigo said as he was starting to argue with her.

"Same thing! How could you forget what type each specializes in when we met all of them?!" Rukia said.

"If you think you're so smart, how come you're not in the Champion League?" Ichigo mocked.

"That's got nothing to do with this, idiot!" Rukia said.

"Could you two please stop arguing?" Orihime pleaded.

"She's right. Ichigo, save your enthusiasm for the battlefield." Kisuke said. "It will still be a couple days before they all get here. I highly recommend you use this time to strategize as to which pokemon you'll be using. You are allowed to use any pokemon you've caught in your previous travels like you did in the Kalos League. A bit of advice though, don't think of only the type advantage. Those four know how to handle that just like gym leaders do."

"Yeah, I figured that. They're not called "Elite" for nothing." Ichigo said.

"There's one other thing you have to deal with." Kisuke said as he was sounding serious again. "It's something that can't wait and you won't have much time to prepare for."

"What is it?" Ichigo said as Kisuke was getting them all anxious again.

"It's the press!" Kisuke said as he pointed behind them. They looked behind them and saw a bunch of reporters and cameramen coming right at them like a stampede. They were all asking for an interview with Ichigo. "Good luck!" Kisuke got himself out of there.

"Wait! What do I say to them?!" Ichigo called out, but it was too late for him and his friends. All the reporters gathered around them and tried to get at Ichigo for some words.

"You're the challenger, right?"

"How does it feel to be here?"

"Do you feel ready for such a challenge?"

"Can you tell us anything about your strategy or what pokemon you'll be using?"

"Is that your natural hair color?" Ichigo and his friends were getting a sample of what it's like being a big shot. He's not getting too fond of it.

...

Later

Ichigo and his friends retreated to a hotel room. After dealing with all those reporters, they needed a place to relax. Some reporters still tried to get an interview from Ichigo, but he and Absol pushed them all back and shut the door.

"Oh man. They were like a vicious mob." Ichigo said as he had his back to the wall and slid down. "They just wanted more and more answers to their questions. I could barely breathe with all of them mobbing me like that."

"How do you think we felt?" Rukia said. "The rest of us nearly got trampled since we're not the big star trying to take on Champion League."

"At least we managed to get out and get to our hotel room." Chad said.

"So, what are you going to do now, Ichigo?" Orihime said. "You have a couple days before your first battle. What are you going to do?"

"You should do what Kisuke says. Take the time to strategize and get yourself ready." Rukia said. "Look over here." She walked over to a computer and showed that it had all the information that Ichigo was going to need. "You can use this computer to help with that."

"Okay, but I don't even know who my first opponent is." Ichigo said. "Can that computer tell me anything about that?"

"Let's see." Rukia said as she worked on it. "It looks like your first opponent is going to be against Kariya."

"Kariya... He's the one who specializes in flying-types." Ichigo said. "I'm only going to be able to use four of my pokemon. Weavile is an ice-type. That means Weavile will have the advantage. Gliscore, Crobat, and Swoobat will be a help as well."

"Hold on, Ichigo. Remember what Kisuke said. The Elite Four will know how to handle opponents that have the type advantage." Rukia said. "You've got to go at this like you would in your gym battles."

"Kariya is powerful." Orihime said. "Remember when we met him? He was helping Swanna perfect Brave Bird. I even had a small battle against him. Nothing Swanna and I tried did much against them."

"I remember the pokemon he used was a Corviknight." Chad said.

"Corviknight might be a flying-type, but it's considered a steel-type as well." Rukia said. "None of those four pokemon would have a chance against a steel-type." Ichigo had a lot to think about. His battles haven't even started and he might already be in a tough situation.

"Absol..."

"Absol?" Ichigo said as he turned to him. "What is it?" Pokemon and humans might not be able to speak verbally to each other, but pokemon are able to tell what's in a human's heart. Perhaps humans are able to do the same with their pokemon. Just by looking in Absol's eyes, Ichigo can understand what Absol is trying to tell him. "Yeah... I get it."

"Get what?" Rukia said.

"What are you thinking, Ichigo?" Orihime questioned.

"You said it yourself, Rukia. I've got to handle this like I would in my gym battles since each member of the Elite Four specializes in one type." Ichigo said. "In all my gym battles, I trusted my instincts and trusted my pokemon. The Elite Four might be a lot stronger, but I'll just go at it like any other battle. That's how we always battled and how we won. That's what you were trying to tell me, Absol."

"Absol..."

"I'll just battle the same way I always have." Ichigo said. He was sure and confident in himself that he can win this and win it on his terms. His friends were starting to think he really can do this.

"You're right, Ichigo." Chad said.

"Just battle the same way you've always battled." Rukia said. "It is how you managed to get to this point."

"We know you'll win it." Orihime said.

"Thanks, guys. I'll beat Kariya first, then I'll make my way up to battle Kisuke." Ichigo said.

Now that Ichigo is in the Champion League, he has no reason to worry. He's going to battle the same he's always battled. Against such fierce opponents, it certainly will take all that he has to defeat them. The Champion League is going to begin soon, so stay tune for all the excitement.

To Be Continued...

Pokemon Question: Okay, all you future trainers. The answer to the last question was...Mudkip! Mudkip uses its fin like a radar. Also, despite its small size, Mudkip has the strength to heft boulders. Here's the next question. What pokemon can breakthrough a castle wall in one charge?