Mini-Chapter: Champion Talk
The rest of the day had been spent with the Silverlock sisters hanging out together at the Rose of the Rondelands Hotel. Still buzzing with excitement over the amazing battle that had happened, Ruby had insisted on treating Emerald and Sapphire to dinner. She even invited them to hang out in her own private suite that she always stayed in whenever she was in Wyndon. This particular suite was for the Champion and of course, had once belonged to Leon during his time in that role. Nobody else was allowed in unless Ruby personally invited them. The suite was better than all the other hotel rooms with more space to walk around, a huge flat screen TV set in the wall, a huge sofa big enough for a whole family to sit on, neatly polished marble floors, a double-poster bed that could easily fit all three sisters at once, a large circular bath with a shower and even an oven and fridge. It was like someone had taken all the necessary parts of an average house and put them all into this one hotel room. Emerald and Sapphire were amazed upon seeing the place.
"Whoa…and this is where the Champion stays?" Emerald gasped, "This is awesome!"
"It certainly feels like my own personal home-away-from-home." Ruby said modestly, "Make yourselves comfortable and I'll order room service for us all. What would you like?"
The girls all ordered, but it wasn't just them that were going to be eating together. Ruby had invited Hop to join the three of them to celebrate Emerald's win and Sapphire's big accomplishment by managing to defeat Ashley and make it to the second round. Emerald and Sapphire were glad to see their neighbour again as they hadn't seen Hop since their Pokémon journeys started. Upon arrival, they'd naturally been quick to bombard him with questions about how it felt to have Ruby as his girlfriend now.
"It honestly doesn't feel that much different from when we were just mates." Hop admitted, "It's just we're closer than before now and we get to kiss one another."
"Nevertheless, we're both quite happy to be a couple now." Ruby said, her arms wrapping around Hop's own as she shifted closer to him.
"You're not the only one." Sapphire put in, "You see…I have a girlfriend now too."
She'd decided it would be a good time to reveal this to Ruby, especially as she was out of the tournament and wouldn't have it weighing on her mind when trying to battle. Ruby didn't seem surprised to be hearing this.
"Let me guess, you and Ashley finally hooked up?" she said slyly, "I think we all saw that coming, Sapph. Needless to say, congratulations to you! I'm glad you've found your perfect partner!" she said happily.
"It must be amazing to be girlfriends with a reigning Champion!" Hop exclaimed.
"I'm just chuffed that Ashley felt the same way about me as I did to her!" Sapphire blurted, "Of course, there's the issue of us living in two different regions but Ashley promises we'll make things work between us so I'm looking forward to that. I really want this to work out for she's perfect for me! So beautiful, smart, friendly, inspiring and modest about her successes…I don't think I'll find anyone else better than her." she said affectionately.
"I'm sure you two will make it work." Ruby said supportively, "If your love means that much to each other, than no distance between regions will stop that."
"Thank you so much!" Sapphire said, beaming, "And I hope you and Hop stay together too."
"Oh I don't think anything will come between us." Hop chuckled, his hand closing around Ruby's.
"Aww, how lovely!" Emerald said with awe, "I hope I'll find my own love someday too."
"Maybe you will, Em." Ruby said reassuringly, "There'll be someone out there for you, I just know it."
Emerald nodded agreeably. While she wasn't pursuing romance yet, she was willing to try it out once she was ready. The conversation carried on with Hop revealing to the twins that he planned to become a Pokémon Professor in the future and was looking into becoming Sonia's assistant. They were pleased to hear he had an idea on what he wanted to do and gave him their full support on becoming Sonia's assistant. He would certainly fill in the void that had been left by the treacherous Margot. A few minutes of chatting later, the food arrived and everybody got stuck in. After dinner, the sisters and Hop spent the rest of the night playing together and letting some of their Pokémon out to socialize for a bit. Hop had even brought Zamazenta with him, the first time anyone had seen him since the foiling of Sordward and Shielbert's plan. Emerald brought out Zacian too so the legendary wolves could meet and see how they were getting on since joining their respective trainers. Emerald had given Zacian a nickname, calling her "Broadsword" in relation to the fact she carried a sword while Zamazenta still retained his name as Hop wasn't one for nicknames. When they talked, Zamazenta still referred to his sister as Zacian, not that anyone minded. Also during their socialising, Ruby had a surprise present for both Emerald and Sapphire. She handed them a can each. The twins looked at the can. It was red in colour and marked with the words "Max Soup" with a logo of what looked like mushrooms above the words.
"What's this?" Sapphire asked.
"It's a present from the Isle of Armour." Ruby explained, "Mustard's wife sent me some and I used them to give some of my Pokémon the ability to Gigantamax. Drinking that soup will unlock certain Pokémon's Gigantamax forms. She suggested I give you and Emerald a can to give to your starters."
"You mean if Kerchak and James drink this, they'll be able to Gigantamax?" Emerald asked.
"Sure thing!" Hop confirmed, "That's how Ruby got Bugs to do so as you've no doubt seen from some of her matches."
"And here I thought they just learned to do that over time!" Emerald laughed.
So she and Sapphire gave Kerchak and James a can of Max Soup each. The two enjoyed the taste of the soup and felt as if a new power had been granted to them. In order to test it out, Ruby took Emerald and Sapphire to the empty Wyndon Stadium. Being the Champion of course, she had access to pretty much anywhere. It felt weird to see a stadium as big as Wyndon Stadium suddenly so empty and quiet. It felt as if something was missing with no audience to watch. Once Emerald and Sapphire were in position, they activated their Dynamax bands and watched as Kerchak and James Pond Gigantamaxed for the first time ever. They grew to giant sizes and their bodies changed as a result of this. Kerchak's drum kit had grown to become a giant wooden drum set complete with cymbals and everything and his grassy mane grew four long "arms" to hold extra drumsticks to play the drum with. James's tail had grown in length to the point he could use it as his own personal sniper tower and he even had a sniper rifle made of water in his hands that he could aim with and fire his signature move with. The twins quickly learned what their G-max moves were. Kerchak could use G-Max Drum Solo and James could use G-Max Hydrosnipe. They were attacks that did damage regardless of a Pokémon's ability and were exclusive to Rillaboom and Inteleon that could Gigantamax like so. Cinderaces had their own G-max move too but Ruby was keeping that to herself for now.
"So that's their Gigantamax forms!" Emerald exclaimed, "This is so awesome!"
"I wish we could've used these in our battle earlier today!" Sapphire cried.
"I wanted to give you both some Max Soup before your match but I didn't have the time." Ruby admitted, "Still, next time you battle, you should battle it out with their G-max forms. I can't wait to show you Bugs's G-max form whenever I can."
"Seeing him do it in person will be better than seeing it on TV." Sapphire agreed.
After that, they returned Kerchak and James to normal and everybody went back to the hotel for bed. The next day came and Emerald made short work of the Champion Cup. She had battled against Nessa, Bea and Raihan for the right to challenge Ruby and despite the Gym Leaders putting up their best efforts, Emerald had triumphed with relative ease. Compared to Paul and Sapphire, they really felt like small time, even if Raihan put up the best battle. Emerald had won the tournament and had earned her spot for the Champion title battle. It would be her against Ruby with the title of Galar Champion up for grabs. This was what Emerald had been hoping for this whole time. Ever since her journey had started, she'd desired to reach the final and battle her sister. And come tomorrow, the big battle would begin.
And yet, she was finding herself full of nerves. She was sitting in Ruby's suite again, slumped on the sofa for she was exhausted after three intense battles with three strong Gym Leaders. But she couldn't settle despite feeling tired. Her stomach was in knots and she couldn't stop fidgeting with her hands. She'd even taken her gloves off for her hands were getting too sweaty. She'd achieved what she'd set out to do, to challenge Ruby for the title of Galar Champion. So why was she feeling so on edge? It was as if Emerald had decided at the last minute she didn't want this. A part of her knew it was because she hadn't expected she'd actually get this far and now she'd achieved more than she'd expected to, she was left wondering what to do now.
Can I really challenge Ruby and take her title? Emerald thought, I'm not sure if I even want to be a Champion…but I can't let her down by refusing to battle! Oh why didn't I think my goals through a little more?!
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Ruby entering the suite. She could see Emerald was looking troubled and she came over to her. She'd taken Leon's cape off and hung it on a coat rack as she felt silly wearing it when she wasn't out battling.
"Hey Em, what's up?" Ruby asked softly.
Emerald turned to face her sister as if only just realizing she was here and she straightened herself up. She was still fiddling with her hands.
"Oh nothing, Ruby! I'm fine! Right as rain!" Emerald lied, trying to smile brightly to hide her nerves.
Ruby shook her head sternly.
"Em, you're NOT fine. You fidget when you're nervous." Ruby insisted, "Please tell me what it is. I don't like seeing you upset."
Emerald sighed. She couldn't get ANYTHING past Ruby! She was always good at telling when her sisters weren't happy. Smiling cheerily, Ruby got up from the sofa for a moment.
"Hang on, I've got just the thing." she said quickly.
She went over into the bathroom and came out again with a hair brush. Emerald beamed brightly.
"Does a certain someone want to give me a brush?" Ruby offered.
"Do I ever! I love giving people or Pokémon a brush!" Emerald cried eagerly.
"I know. It's one thing that hasn't changed since we were little." Ruby noted.
She sat down beside Emerald and allowed the girl in green to give her lovely silver hair a brush. As much as it was to make Emerald happier, it was also to relax her too. Even when they were little, Emerald liked to brush people's hair as a coping mechanism if she was feeling sad or anxious. Emerald slowly brought the brush down through Ruby's hair, being careful not to pull any strands and accidentally hurt her. It had been a while since she'd given Ruby a brush but she hadn't lost her touch. The Champion was enjoying the gentle feel of the brush through her hair while Emerald brushed away.
"Thanks Ruby, this is already making me feel better." Emerald said graciously, "Where's Sapphire at?"
"She and Ashley wanted to hang out together." Ruby explained, "They want some time together before tomorrow's match. She'll come back here before bedtime. So, do you mind telling me what's troubling you?"
Emerald sighed again. She couldn't keep it from Ruby forever. It would at least take the weight off her chest to talk about her feelings.
"I'm just…not sure about tomorrow." Emerald said solemnly, "Not that I'm worried I'll be no match for you, no! That's not what I mean. I mean…do I really want to battle you?"
"When you say that, do you mean you're uncertain if you want to be my successor?" Ruby asked.
"Yes." Emerald confirmed, bringing the brush down Ruby's hair again, "I know I had challenging you as my end goal but the thing is…I never thought I'd get this far. I mostly used that as a motivator to become strong like you and Sapph. The fact I got further than I expected is amazing, don't get me wrong! It's just now I'm here, I'm stuck wondering if this is what I want. I don't know if I actually want to be a Champion. I don't feel like I could ever take that title from you. But I don't want to just quit. That'd spoil everything! I want to make you proud and give you a great battle! But if I win…then what? I just don't know what I really want anymore."
Ruby took everything in with interest and sympathy. Emerald had quite the emotional dilemma and she was thinking carefully on how best to put her worries at ease. She let Emerald continue brushing for a bit before responding.
"I really don't know what to say, Em." Ruby admitted, "But I can say I've kinda been where you are myself. My goal was always to be a strong Pokémon trainer and seeing if I could succeed Leon would've been the ultimate test on just how strong I'd become over time. I didn't actually think I'd win and become the Champion and after that, I did wonder what I'd do now I'd become Leon's successor. A talk with Leon, mum and dad and even Hop eventually helped settle my worries and I came to see that being the Champion didn't mean the end for me. There's still plenty of things to do now! I play a role in keeping Galar safe, I give other trainers a goal to aspire towards while inspiring them to be trainers too and I even help Leon out at the Battle Tower. I guess the best advice I can give is try this battle out and adapt accordingly, whether you succeed me or not. That's what I did and look at me now!"
"I know, an inspiring Champion that puts people and Pokémon above herself while still being the most awesome sister ever!" Emerald said brightly, "But another thing I'm troubled about is…well, I really don't want you to feel I'm undermining everything you worked for last year. You trained so hard, overcame great obstacles and managed to defeat Leon, and all while saving us all from the Darkest Day last year! How can I take your title when I've accomplished nothing anywhere near as amazing as what you've done?" she asked worriedly.
Ruby just smiled in response.
"Bollocks to that, Em. You've achieved a lot on your journey!" she said reassuringly, "You helped in stopping Team Royal, you calmed Zacian down and helped her break out of Sordward and Shielbert's corruption, thus saving Galar just as I did last year, and you've managed to clear the Gym Challenge with a better track record than myself! Who's the one who defeated Raihan without losing a single Pokémon? Not me, that was you! And you've also defeated a skilled veteran trainer from another region and managed to beat Sapph despite her best efforts with your ability to improvise and adapt on the battlefield. I'd say you've achieved just as many great things as I did!"
"R-r-really?" Emerald stammered, surprised with all this praise coming from Ruby.
"Absolutely." Ruby insisted, "So if anything, you're MORE than worthy to succeed me. You're not undermining anything if you become the Champion. I'll be honest, I am curious to see if anyone will beat me one of these days. I won't mind losing, especially to my own sister. So don't worry about a thing Emerald. You won't upset me if you win."
Emerald was so touched that she put the brush down and hugged Ruby in thanks for the kind words. She felt a lot better knowing that Ruby felt this way and had some helpful advice for her.
"Thank you so much!" Emerald piped, "That's really helped me out."
"No problem Em." Ruby said kindly, "I hope you get a good night's sleep. I want us both ready and rested for tomorrow."
"I'll try." the younger sibling said with a chuckle, "And I promise you Ruby, I'll give you the best battle you've ever had!"
"I look forward to it." the elder sibling said excitedly, "But remember Emerald, whether you win or lose tomorrow…I'll be proud of you no matter what. Both you and Sapphire have come so far and become such great trainers. I couldn't be happier with either of you."
Emerald beamed, her heart swelling with pride to hear those words from her sister.
"I'll see you later." Ruby said, "I'm gonna see how Sapph and Ashley are doing. Maybe I can get to know Ashley a little more. Are you OK here by yourself?"
"I'll be fine." Emerald insisted, "I have my Pokémon with me. Don't worry, we won't make a mess of the place!"
Ruby chuckled and left the room, but not without one last thing.
"Oh, and thanks for the brush."
And then she was gone. Emerald was alone in the suite again with her thoughts for company. She decided to think on what team to use for her battle tomorrow. Ruby was the Champion and her Pokémon were on a whole other level so she'd have to choose her Pokémon carefully to battle them. She laid her Pokéball on the sofa beside her and mulled over her options.
"Hmm…it'll be tough to match up…but I might have just the team for tomorrow's match…" Emerald mused.
Meanwhile, Sapphire and Ashley were just finishing their dinner together. They were in the hotel canteen and had enjoyed a lovely time together chatting, sharing photographs and Pokémon facts between one another and eating together. They were on their dessert to finish off, said dessert being a blueberry pie topped with ice cream. They'd ordered it especially for Ashley as she was fond of pie and had been craving one. For a laugh, Ashley allowed Sapphire to spoon-feed her a piece of the sweet confection. The girls couldn't resist giggling at that. They soon finished their pudding and they settled back in their seats to wait for the waiter to come and collect the bowl.
"That was lovely." Ashley said, patting her stomach, "If there's one thing I'll miss when I go back home, it'll be the food here. You Galarians know how to cook up good grub!"
"I say we've practically mastered the art of food." Sapphire chuckled, "Anyone who visits from afar is guaranteed a good meal here. So when do you plan to fly home?"
"I'll give it a couple of days after the tournament concludes if ya want. We can have one last day together before I leave once it's over." Ashley suggested, "I wanna settle back down home for a while and then I'll start planning when I can next visit. In the meantime, I can get down to some training as it won't be long until someone challenges me again for the Champion title. Maybe after that will be a good time to come back over."
"I'll be waiting for you, love." Sapphire said, placing her hand over Ashley's, "And I'll especially be hoping to battle you again too."
"I'll bring over my Champion winning team if ya want." Ashley offered, "Then ya can see me at my best."
"I think I've already seen you at your best." Sapphire purred.
The two kissed each other briefly before the waiter came to their table to clear the bowl away and leave them with the bill. As soon as he left, Ruby made her entrance. Sapphire was surprised to see her but she was grateful that she'd come. Ruby came over to their table and sat down beside the couple.
"Am I interrupting anything?" the Champion asked.
"No, not at all! We've actually finished and we're just about to pay." Sapphire answered, "We've been enjoying our date together."
"Yer welcome to sit around and talk if ya want. We ain't in no hurry." Ashley said casually.
"That's alright then." Ruby said graciously, "So you two are a couple at last. I've already congratulated Sapph but I'll say it again now I have this moment to see you both together: congratulations to you both! I'm glad you've found love in each other."
"Thanks!" Ashley said brightly, "Yer sis has really made my stay in Galar extra special, Ruby. I never thought I'd find the one outside of Unova but, here I am!"
"I'm happy for you." Ruby said brightly, "As I am for Sapphire. Given I'm in a relationship too, it's sweet to see one of my sisters in one too. But this isn't about me."
She turned to Sapphire.
"I just had a chat with Emerald and I wanted to have a chance to chat with you now." the silver-haired girl explained, "With how busy things have been lately with the Champion cup and supporting Em in her battles against Nessa, Bea and Raihan, I haven't really had a chance to ask how you are since the end of your journey."
"Oh that?" Sapphire said curiously, "I've been fine. I still wish it could've been me that was about to battle you tomorrow but I'm cheering for Em all the way! She's really earned her spot to battle you."
"She really has." Ruby agreed, "But don't sell yourself short as you've come a long way too. If it was you battling me tomorrow, you'd have really earned it too."
"You sure about that?" Sapphire asked uncertainly.
"Positive." Ruby insisted, "Just think back to what you've achieved since becoming a Pokémon trainer. You cleared the Gym Challenge effortlessly with a track record equal to Emerald's, so like her you did better than I did, you stopped Team Royal from destroying Hammerlocke and forcing me to give them Doomsday, and you actually managed to win a battle against the Champion of the Unova region, as well as win her heart! Do you realize what a big accomplishment that is?"
"And keep in mind, I haven't lost any battles since becoming Champ, so yer literally the first one ta beat me since then." Ashley put in, "I agree with yer sis here, don't sell yourself short!"
Sapphire just blushed from all the compliments she was getting.
"O-oh m-my…I r-really don't know what to say…" she said shyly.
"You don't have to say anything." Ruby said kindly, "Just be proud of your accomplishments."
Sapphire nodded understandingly. She was proud of what she'd achieved, especially saving Hammerlocke. She would always remember that act of heroism on her part for the rest of her life! She wasn't the kind of girl to boast about achieving something great but Ruby was right, she didn't have to sell herself short.
"Here's something else I'd like to ask." Ruby continued, "If you were in Em's position now, how would you be feeling? Would you be keen to succeed me as Champion, or would you be unsure about it like Em was?"
Sapphire fell silent for a moment as the question settled into her mind. Ashley respectfully shifted aside a little to give her some space to think about her answer.
"You know…I never really thought about that." Sapphire murmured, "I initially thought it'd be fun just to see if I'd actually make it to the final and battle you but I never really considered how I'd feel about if I actually won and became the new Champion. It wasn't really my end goal, I'll admit so had I actually become Champion, I guess I would've been stuck considering "OK…now what?"."
"Would you ever want to be the new Champion?" Ruby asked.
"Honestly…I don't think so." Sapphire said thoughtfully, "I don't think I'd cope with all the responsibilities that you have and I wouldn't want everyone to worship the ground I walk on. If I did win a battle against you, I guess I'd just let you keep the title anyway and just stay a trainer."
"Oh really? That's nice of you." Ruby said graciously, "So with your tournament run now over, have you thought about what you'd like to do next?"
Sapphire thought for a moment again.
"Not really, no." she admitted, "I'm just so caught up in the now, that I really don't know what I want to do in the future. I know that I don't want to give up being a Pokémon trainer. I love all my Pokémon and I want to continue battling with them! But I'm not sure I'd be up for trying again to try challenging you for the title."
"Ya could do what I did and venture to another region." Ashley suggested, "I bet you would do great outside of Galar with your skills."
"I know a good place to start." Ruby put in, "You could visit the Isle of Armour. I hear Dojo Master Mustard has a reputation for steering lost souls into new directions with his trials and training. Maybe he can help you find something new to strive for."
Sapphire considered the suggestion. She didn't fancy much going to another region. She liked it too much in Galar and couldn't bear the thought of leaving it. But the Isle of Armour was close by and still a part of Galar so she wouldn't be leaving at least. She was also interested to hear that the Dojo Master living there supposedly helped steer people in new directions. Maybe going there would be a good first step.
"I'll certainly consider it." Sapphire answered at last, "I hear the Isle of Armour's a lovely place and there's bound to be some awesome Pokémon to catch, especially as there's some that can't be found here in the mainland."
"You bet." Ruby said with a wink, "And at some point in the future, all three of us should visit the Crown Tundra. I know Cousin Gloria would be thrilled to see us again as it's been a while."
"Next time I visit Galar, I should check those places out too." Ashley suggested, "It'll be great to see what else Galar has to offer."
"You'll love them Ashley, believe me." Ruby declared, "I really hope that whatever you choose to do will be what you want, Sapph." she said, turning back to her sister, "And of course, you'll have my support all the way."
"Thanks Ruby." Sapphire said graciously, hugging her sister in appreciation, "And thanks for the suggestions. You've always been a big help to me and Em."
"Anything for my wonderful sisters!" Ruby said brightly, "Well, I'll leave you two to get on with your evening. If you want to join me back in my suite, feel free to come Sapph."
"Thanks, but I think I'll spend the night with Ashley if that's OK." Sapphire said, "We really want to make the most of our time together before she has to go."
"Be my guest." Ruby said understandingly, "I'll see you tomorrow. Remember to cheer for me and Em, both of you."
"We will." Ashley declared, "I can't wait to see you two in action!"
"You'll both be amazing and I don't mind who wins as long as you both have fun out there." Sapphire said happily.
"That's just what I wanted to hear." Ruby said appreciatively, "Thank you! You enjoy the rest of your night you two and have a good one."
She got up and left with Sapphire and Ashley waving to her as she walked away. With nothing else left to do, they paid for their meal and left the canteen to go back to Ashley's hotel room. They fancied watching a movie together before bed. They were excited for tomorrow's match and couldn't wait to see who was going to win .Would Ruby keep her title, or would Galar be crowning a new Champion? It was going to be great to see what the result would be.
As for Ruby, she was feeling good about herself now that she'd had a heart-to-heart with her sisters and had helped put any troubles they had to rest. Now she could look to tomorrow and her battle with Emerald. It was going to be a tough one, having to battle against her own sister, but she knew that Emerald would give it her all. This was going to be a battle she would certainly enjoy…
That was a nice moment with Ruby and her sisters, wasn't it? ^^ Now all preparations are ready, the two can have their final battle. Will Ruby keep her title, or will Galar find itself crowning a new Champion? All this and more next time as we gear up for "Emerald vs. Ruby"...
Trivia: I skipped over the Champion Cup battles with Nessa, Bea and Raihan as the story would just be padded as hell if I didn't. You all don't care for that and just want to see Ruby and Emerald face off. Even I'm as keen to get to it as you guys are so I decided to just skip to the battle while creating this mini-chapter to give you all a breather moment before the big finale. :)
Also, this chapter was originally going to be just Ruby's talk with Emerald but I thought it'd feel like Sapphire's being left out to dry while Emerald gets all the character development, alongside making it seem Ruby favours her. I don't want that so I extended this chapter to include a scene with Sapphire too, also helps in building up the next story that'll take place in The Isle of Armour. ;)