Chapter 11

Rose and Alex looked at each other on their side of the battlefield. Rose in the blue corner with Cinderella and Alex in the red corner with Prince Philip. It now came down to this. One of them was going to defeat the other and win the title of Pokémon League Champion. Alex's rings glowed as he stared at his cute little opponent across the field.

"You're a great trainer, my Lady," said Philip.

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Cinderella, "You're a very good trainer yourself. I can see why you became the Pokémon League Champion."

"I only learned from the best." said Philip, "But can you really win against me with such a cute Pokémon?"

"I don't know if I will," said Cinderella, "I've never used my Eevee before. But I have faith in Eevee and what she can do."

Meanwhile, Alex and Rose were having their own conversation.

"An Eevee, huh?" said Alex, "Sure you're cute, but can you really fight?"

"I never have fought in the Pokémon League," said Rose, "But my friends and trainer believe in me. I have them with me."

Alex smiled. "This should be interesting…"


Up in the stands, the stepfamily and the stepsister's Pokémon were looking on.

"An Eevee?" said the stepmother, "What good is a Pokémon who's nothing but cute and cuddly? They don't have any strong attacks."

"Maybe Eevee is stronger than it looks." said Sabrina, "I'm sure she wouldn't use it if it couldn't battle."

Patricia popped another chocolate into her mouth. "I think Prince Philip's going to win this battle."

As the family debated among themselves about who would win, the stepsisters' Pokémon were having their own debate.

"I bet Umbreon wins this battle," said Jewel.

Emerald shook his head. "Nah, my money's on the Eevee."

Blair let out a sigh. "There you go again with the pretty Pokémon…"

"There's no way an Eevee can win against an Umbreon," said Princess.

"Why is it you always bet on cute and pretty Pokémon?" asked Gloria.

Emerald smiled. "Just call it a 'gentleman's intuition'."


Down on the field, Philip and Cinderella looked at each other.

Cinderella knew four of Alex's moves; Bite, Psychic, Moonlight, and Shadow Ball. Rose and Cinderella didn't have to worry about Shadow Ball. After all, it was a Ghost-type move which had no effect on Normal-type Pokémon. Cinderella also knew that although Umbreon didn't have strong attacks, their defense and endurance was best of all of Eevee's evolved forms.

"Shall we begin, my Lady?" asked Philip.

Cinderella looked at him. "Let's battle."

"Alex, use Bite!"

Alex sprinted towards Rose, his teeth bared and ready to attack.

"Eevee, use Protect!"

Rose stood on her hind legs and summoned a protective force shield. Alex ran headfirst into the shield in a cloud of dust and bounced off it, landing on his feet a few feet back. The shield vanished, leaving Rose unharmed. The crowd gasped in astonishment.

"OH MY! PRINCE PHILIP'S UMBREON MAKES THE FIRST MOVE WITH BITE, BUT THE MASKED MAIDEN'S EEVEE DEFENDED ITSELF WITH PROTECT!"

"Eevee, use Swift!"

Rose leaped into the air, summoning several golden stars and throwing them with a flick of her tail.

"Alex, use Psychic!"

Alex's eyes glowed blue.

"BOTH POKÉMON ARE ATTACKING! EEVEE USES SWIFT TO THROW STARS AT UMBREON! BUT UMBREON USES PSYCHIC TO THROW THE ATTACK BACK AT EEVEE! IT SEEMS THINGS ARE GOING BAD FOR EEVEE- OH! LOOK AT THAT! EEVEE HAS DANCED OUT OF THE WAY OF THE COUNTER ATTACK! AN INCREDIBLE FEAT FROM EEVEE!"

Rose leaped and bounced around the field as she beautifully dodged her Swift attack.

"Eevee, use Tail Whip!"

Rose winked at Alex and cutely wagged her tail at Alex. This caught Alex off-guard and he glowed blue as his stats fell.

"WELL, THIS IS DIFFERENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. EEVEE USED IT'S TAIL WHIP MOVE TO LOWER UMBREON'S DEFENSE. THIS IS A DIFFERENT STRATEGY THAN WHAT THE MASKED MAIDEN'S OTHER POKÉMON HAD BEEN DOING. WHAT ELSE CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE?"

"Alex, use Bite again!" Philip called out.

Alex charged at Rose again.

"Eevee, use Sand Attack!" cried Cinderella.

Turning her back to Alex, Rose kicked up a large cloud of dirt behind her. Sand and dirt flew into Alex's eyes and he recoiled with his eyes covered as his body glowed grey.

"OH MY! EEVEE HAS USED SAND ATTACK AND UMBREON'S ACCURACY FELL! IT SEEMS LIKE EEVEE'S DEFENSIVE STRATEGY IS TAKING A TOLL ON UMBREON'S OFFENSIVE FRONT! WILL DEFENSE THE BEST FORM OF OFFENCE IN THIS BATTLE?

"Alex, don't charge ahead!" Philip called out, "Listen for my voice!"

"Eevee, Swift again!"

Rose summoned some more golden stars and threw them at Alex. Unable to see clearly, the Swift stars hit Alex this time.

"OOO! AND THERE'S FIRST DAMAGING HIT! EEVEE HAS HIT UMBREON WITH SWIFT! THAT DID SOME DAMAGE, TOO!"

Alex was having a hard time seeing what was going on. However, Philip quickly became his eyes for him.

"Go straight and use Bite, Alex!" Philip called out.

"Run, Eevee!" cried Cinderella, "Don't let him find you!"

Rose immediately began running around, trying to keep Alex from finding her. She was quite quick on her feet, even for an Eevee. But Philip wasn't about to fall for that trick. He led Alex on, giving directions.

"Go left, Alex!" shouted Philip, "Now right! You got it, Alex!"

"Eevee, use Tail Whip!"

Rose again wagged her tail at Alex with a wink. Seconds after that, Alex bit her on the leg. As she did, he saw her tail wag cutely again and he glowed blue.

"UMBREON HAS MADE IT'S FIRST HIT! DESPITE IT'S REDUCED ACCURACY, IT MANAGED TO MAKE A HIT WITH BITE! BUT EEVEE KEEPS LOWERING IT'S STATS! JUST WHAT IS THIS YOUNG LADY UP TO?"

"Alex, use Psychic again!"

"Eevee, Protect!"

Alex's eyes glowed blue he attempted to fire a psionic blast at Rose. Rose summoned another protective force shield. The psychic blast hit it and exploded in a cloud of smoke. The Protect shield faded away, leaving Rose unhurt once again.

"Bite it again!" Philip called out, "Straight ahead!"

Alex again bounded ahead towards Rose, semi-blind. Cinderella waited until Alex was in range.

"Good!" said Cinderella, "Now use Sand Attack!"

Again, Rose stirred up the sand and dirt, right in Alex's eyes. He coughed as he was caught off-guard again, and his body glowed grey again. He rolled away and rubbed his eyes with his paw trying to get the sand and dirt out, but that only made it worse.

"Now Tail Whip!" Cinderella called out, "Once more time!"

"OH, THIS IS SOMETHING NEW!" exclaimed the announcer, "EEVEE IS NOT USING DAMAGING MOVES, BUT IT'S REALLY GIVING UMBREON A RUN FOR IT'S MONEY! IT KEEPS CONTINUING TO MAKE UMBREON LOSE STATS! I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN THE POKÉMON LEAGUE! THIS COULD GET DANGEROUS IF IT GOES ON ANY LONGER!"


The stepfamily watched in awe from their box in the stands.

"What is she doing?" asked Patricia, "Why is her Eevee not using attack moves?"

"This is a complete waste of time." said the stepmother.

"That's not true Mother." said Sabrina, "Think hard about her strategy. Her Eevee is battling an Umbreon, a Pokémon with strong endurance. The Masked Maiden's Eevee has been using one attack move, one defensive move, and strengthening those two moves with two status moves."

"I still don't understand." said Patricia.

Sabrina explained. "If she keeps lowering Umbreon's defense and accuracy, it will make Umbreon more vulnerable against Eevee's Swift attack. Umbreon can't defend itself blind and weakened."

"Oh. Now I see." said Patricia, "That makes perfect sense."

"I still think this is a waste of time." said the stepmother distastefully.

The Pokémon heard the stepmother and frowned at her.

"Is that woman blind?" said Emerald, "This is smart! It's perfect for outsmarting your opponent!"

"True," said Berry, "But does Umbreon have a backup move to protect itself?"

"Let's watch," said Princess.


The battle continued on the field. By this point, Rose was leaping around the field, weakening Alex with Tail Whip and blinding him with Sand Attack. Alex was literally running and fighting blind on the field. He was now completely dependent on Philip as his eyes and guide. Not to mention his defense was greatly reduced.

"OH, THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL FOR UMBREON AND PRINCE PHILIP! THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE IF THEY DO SOMETHING SOON!"

"Eevee, Swift attack!" Cinderella called.

Rose again threw another barrage of golden stars at Alex. They hit him, knocking him off his feet.

"Alex, stay strong!" yelled Philip, "Moonlight!"

Alex's rings glowed as he absorbed the moon's energy from below the horizon. In a matter of seconds, his injuries were healed. However, his blindness and lowered defense remained the same.

"OH, UMBREON RESTORED IT'S ENERGY WITH MOONLIGHT AND FEELS THE RELIEF! FOR A MOMENT THERE, I THOUGHT HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS WAS COMPLETELY DEFENCELESS! CAN THEY HOLD OUT LONG ENOUGH TO LAND A DECISIVE BLOW?"

Rose flinched. She had forgotten that Alex knew Moonlight. She knew even with Alex's lowered defense, she couldn't defeat him in several Swift attacks without Alex healing himself again. How was she going to defeat him?

She looked at Cinderella, "I can't do it! I can't do it!"

"Eevee, use Protect!"

Eevee quickly protected herself from another attack by Alex.

Cinderella continued. "Yes, you can, Eevee. Ampharos gave you some important advice before the battle. What did she say?"

At first, Rose couldn't think of it. Then she remembered.

"And don't forget your newest move. The longer it goes on, the better chance you have at dealing damage."

Her newest move was Trump Card. Rose remembered that was more powerful the longer the battle went on. This battle wasn't about power or weakening her opponent. It was about stalling the battle long enough to strike at just the right time.

With her confidence restored yet again, Rose nodded and leapt just in time to avoid another Bite attack from Alex. She continued to run, dodge, and block Alex's attacks. She even attacked with more Swift stars. Every time Alex got weak, he would heal himself with Moonlight.

"THIS BATTLE KEEPS GOING BACK AND FORTH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WE MIGHT BE HERE ALL DAY UNTIL THE POKÉMON ARE EXHAUSTED! THIS COULD HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS'S FIGHT TO LOSE AS UMBREON CONTINUES TO FIGHT BLIND! ON THE OTHER HAND, IT WOULD BE REMARKABLE IF THE MASKED MAIDEN'S EEVEE COULD PULL THIS OFF!"

Cinderella continued to give orders to Rose, watching and waiting for the right time. Rose continued to fight in defense, waiting for Cinderella's call.

It happened after Rose made a critical hit on Alex. Her Swift attack knocked Alex back ten feet. He forced himself to his feet and shook his dizziness away.

"Alex, great job hanging in there." said Philip, "Now use Psychic!"

Alex bounded forward as his eyes glowed. He managed to grab Rose and throw her across the field. She struggled to her feet and looked at Cinderella.

"Cinderella…can I use it yet?" she asked nervously.

Cinderella nodded. "Yes, but we need to get him to stop moving first."

Rose hopped to her feet.

"Eevee, Sand Attack again!" Cinderella called, "Bury his legs!"

Whipping around, Rose kicked sand from the ground with her hind legs getting more in Alex's face. This time, she halfway buried Alex in the sand. Alex was so surprised, he lost his concentration and his Psychic attack failed. He tried to wriggle free, but couldn't move.

"You know what to do, Eevee!" Cinderella called, "Trump Card!"

Philip's eyes widened. "What?!"

Rose jumped into the air as six red plates formed in front of her. Everyone in the Colosseum gasped in astonishment. Even Philip and the announcer were surprised.

"WHAT?! WHAT IS THIS?! A NEW MOVE?!"

"Eevee knows Trump Card?!" gasped Philip.

With a swipe of her tail, Rose threw the Trump Card plates at Alex's back. Both he and Philip knew Alex couldn't avoid a direct hit. All Alex could do was brace himself as the plates hit him. There was a cloud of dust as an explosion rocked the Colosseum. For a brief moment, everything in the Colosseum was silent. The audience looked on and held their breath, wondering what happened. Cinderella's stepfamily and their Pokémon leaned over the railing, trying to see what was going on.

Then the dust cleared. Rose was left panting heavily in the blue corner. In the red corner, Alex laid on his side, dazed and out cold. He didn't move.

"UMBREON IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! EEVEE IS THE WINNER! WHICH MEANS THE MATCH GOES TO OUR NEW POKÉMON LEAGUE CHAMPION, THE MASKED MAIDEN!"


The audience broke into a roaring cheer. Many of the Masked Maiden's fans threw their golden masks into the air in celebration. Those in the front row of the blue corner threw roses at the Masked Maiden. The roses landed in the blue corner around her.

Up in the stepfamily's box, the stepsisters and their Pokémon all clapped and cheered. Emerald was cheering the loudest.

"Yes! She did it! She did it!" he shouted in glee.

"Wow," said Blair, "I did not see that coming."

"So the Masked Maiden's plan that whole time wasn't trying to weaken Umbreon's defense." said Sabrina, "It was to stall the battle long enough in order to use Trump Card."

"I forgot that Trump Card was one of Eevee's strongest moves!" said Patricia, impressed.

The stepmother didn't speak. All she could do was stare in utter shock, her mouth agape. She couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't understand how this girl—whom she believed had stolen her daughter's win the other day—was able to defeat Prince Philip.


With a big smile on her face, Rose ran over to Cinderella and jumped up into her arms.

"I did it, Cinderella!" said Rose, "I did it!"

"I always knew you could," Cinderella replied.

She kissed Rose on the forehead. Rose giggled happily. Ariel, Mikey, Rex, and Mikey were now fully recovered from their battles and came to join the two of them.

"She did it! She did it!" cheered Rex.

"See? We told you you could do it!" said Ariel as she gathered up the roses.

"You were amazing, Rose!" said Bella, also gathering roses.

"That was quite a Trump Card," said Mikey proudly.

"My Lady."

The group looked up to see Valiant standing behind them, fully recovered and giving a gentle smile of approval.

"That was a big accomplishment on your behalf, my Lady." said Valiant, "Especially for your first Pokémon League battle. You won this battle not with strength or power, but with your wit and skill. You held out and waited for the right time to strike, you stayed calm and did not give up. I couldn't be more proud of you, my Lady."

Rose beamed proudly at the praise from her friends and teacher. Then she looked back at the field. The others followed her gaze. Philip had walked out to Alex and was patting his back. Alex's eyes were back to normal and he was now sitting up.

"You did great out there, Alex," he said.

"Umbreon…" ("Thanks, Philip...")

Rose leapt from Cinderella's arms and ran over to Alex and Philip. Cinderella walked over behind her.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked Alex.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Alex replied with a thin smile, "I can see again now."

Alex got to his feet and smiled at Rose. She blushed in response.

Meanwhile, Philip stood up and took Cinderella's hand. He kissed it once again. By now all of Philip's and Cinderella's Pokémon came over to both trainers. Everyone showed good proper sportsmanship, nodding heads and shaking hands, paws, or whatever. Alex gave Rose a kiss on her paw, making her blush even more.

The King and Queen then came out of the Royal box with the announcer. Next to them came a uniformed man carrying a golden trophy and another carrying a golden rose on a red velvet cushion. With them came the Archduke, who had also been watching from the Royal box.

The Archduke smiled at Cinderella. "Congratulations, my Lady. Most impressive."

"Thank you, my Lord," said Cinderella bowing.

The King then took the golden trophy and offered it to Cinderella.

"Congratulations, my Lady." said the King, "As the winner of the Pokémon League Championship, I am proud to present to you this trophy and the title of Champion."

Cinderella took the trophy with the help of Valiant.

"And as our new Champion, our former Champion is proud to present you the golden rose as he hands off his title to you."

Philip smiled as he handed Cinderella the golden rose.

The announcer and his Loudred then addressed the crowd with their megaphone.

"WELL, THERE YOU ARE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING YEAR! THERE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE SKILL AND TALENT OF BEHALF OF BOTH CHALLENGERS, BUT THE RESULTS ARE CLEAR. I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE YOU, OUR NEW POKÉMON LEAGUE CHAMPION, THE MASKED MAIDEN! LET'S GIVE HER AND HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS A HAND!"

The crowd let out another loud cheer as a shower of flower petals rained down on the group. Cinderella and Philip held hands as they and their Pokémon waved to the crowd, smiling proudly.

"WELL, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR THIS YEAR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR WITH OUR NEW CHAMPION! THANK YOU TO ALL THE CHALLENGERS, THEIR POKÉMON, THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS, AND THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES FOR COMING AND SUPPORTING THE POKÉMON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING, AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!