Chapter 43: Lucas vs. The Champion
One after another the battles came. First the former Gym Leader, Crasher Wake and his confident offense, then the deceptively easy-going Flint with his unending flames. Next he faced Cynthia and her fluid strategies and mind-seizing beauty followed by the powerful veteran Bertha. Yet despite every challenge and obstacle these mighty Trainers threw at him, Lucas came ahead victorious. He had done it. He had defeated the Elite Four. Now the right to face the Champion was his. After the old woman bowed her head in respect to the young man that had defeated her the door behind her podium opened wide and from behind it the teen could hear a deafening roar.
The arena for the Champion was a stark contrast to the rooms of the Elite Four. Compared to the claustrophobic, specialized fields for each of the member's specialties, with their white walls that transformed only when the battle was about to begin, this final arena felt gargantuan. The Champion's Arena was the size of a football field, with giant spotlights illuminating the ground and the darkening sky above giving the teen a rough idea of just how long he and his Pokemon were battling without rest or a chance for recovery. Surrounding the field were thousands of seats now all filled with people screaming and cheering in anticipation of the battle that would soon begin. The gravity of the situation, compiled with the sheer exhaustion of the challenge made Lucas feel small and unsure, a feeling he didn't have so strongly since his first Gym Match against Gardenia in Eterna City, a fight that now felt an eternity ago. Yet at the same time it felt like it was only yesterday he was an entirely different person: a foul-mouthed delinquent who respected no one, defaced property and got into a fight with whomever triggered his short temper. Though he was aware of the cameras that had recorded his exploits against the Elite Four and broadcast them to the world, this was the first match in the history of his Journey where he would have an audience of so many people. Suddenly the excitable announcer who had commentated on the matches which Lucas had mainly tuned out now seemed a more looming presence, the voice shaking the teen's body as the sound from the speakers rose above the spectators' dull roar.
Ladies aaaaaand Gentlemaaaaan! The announcer boomed. This is the moment we've all been waiting for! The battle that determines who will be the Champion—the strongest Trainer in all of Sinnoh. For months Lucas, the scrappy fighter from Cherrygrove and the little brother of the former Champion John, has been battling across the region to carve out a name and legacy of his own. He has collected the eight badges required by the League to enter the Pokemon League Headquarters and has gone as far as defeating the Elite Four. His opponent Dawn, the youngest Champion in Sinnoh history, has kept the title for two years after defeating Cynthia and is largely responsible for taking down the menace that was Team Galactic. Whatever the outcome, this match will be one for the record books!
The roar of the crowd got even louder and in the noise Lucas realized hundreds of people were screaming his name in unison. Chanting for him to be the winner. The teen's heart raced as he realized people were rooting for him. Even if he lost this match he would still be considered one of the strongest Trainers in the region, be welcomed at the Trainer Club and shown respect wherever he went. But he could not lose. Even if the title of Champion was an honor and glory unto itself, for Lucas it had to be a stepping stone. Three more leagues waited for him after this, and then a final confrontation with the person he hated most in this world: his brother John.
The lighting in the arena shifted as the main lights dimmed and a single spotlight lit with an audible click on the far side of the arena, illuminating the single figure that stood opposite of the field. Once again the visual and audible noise seemed to fade for Lucas. The cheering crowd, the rambling announcer disappeared as his focus condensed on the person who was to be his opponent. Dawn. The Champion. The Final Obstacle. The two combatants walked towards the middle of the field to greet one and other before the battle. And finally, Lucas could meet the mysterious Champion whose exploits had contributed to the history of Sinnoh and the downfall of the corrupt form of Team Galactic.
"I've heard a lot about you and the wonderful things you've done, Lucas!" Dawn said happily, "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you. I really look forward to battling you!"
"The same," Lucas replied. In the young man's eyes, Dawn was just a little girl, like any of the young Trainers he passed in the cities he visited or battled along the roads. She had large, shining blue eyes, long, dark-blue hair and a big, sweet, beaming smile. She wore a pink stocking cap and a scarf over a cheery dress with long socks, one having slid down back to her foot. She did not appear the looming, cryptic, final challenge promised to him since the day he started Training all those months ago. He did not underestimate her prowess. After all, she was the Champion, the girl described by both her friends Barry the Gym Leader and Lucas, Professor Rowan's assistant as an amazing Trainer and by Saturn as the girl who single-handedly brought down Galactic, as well as defeated Cynthia when she was Champion. But despite this, seeing the girl with her joyful, gentle smile made Lucas feel at ease. She gave off neither the seriousness of a proud warrior, the false calm of an experienced tactician nor the smarmy happiness of a confident expert. All the nervousness, doubts, sense of smallness—even his exhaustion—disappeared around this young girl. Her smile told the young man this wasn't a battle with high stakes, honor or the the title of Champion on the line. This would not be a battle between two desperate forces with clashing ideologies or a fight of hated rivals.
It was going to be a battle for fun.
Like Lucas' first battle against the boy outside Eterna with his Bidoof and Starly. Like the battle that made Morgan and himself rivals. Like the Pokemon Contests that his crush Ashley participated in. This was a battle where through each others' Pokemon, attack choices and strategies the two would learn about each other and possibly become friends. The way battles between Trainers were supposed to be. The way that inspired Lucas to want to train Pokemon back when his parents' friend stopped by and showed the boy his team. The tattooed young man found himself smiling. Not his normal sneering, smirk that he usually had just before a battle or fight, but one just as joyous and carefree as the girl's. With both Trainers smiling as brightly as possible, they pulled Pokeballs from their respective belts and their battle, the final battle Lucas would face in the Sinnoh League, began.
Dawn sent out her Staraptor while Lucas summoned Sparky. The two Trainers complemented each others' Pokemon and called out commands, laughing and cheering as each round of battle resulted in spectacular results. Dawn would voice her sympathy when one of her Pokemon would knock out one of Lucas' and the teen would praise his opponent's abilities. Then the teen would pull off an amazing strategy which made the girl cheer just as loudly at the crowd. Time seemed irrelevant now, the length of the battle no longer a pressing concern. As the two exchanged attacks, jokes, and friendly banter, the teen was almost sure his own Pokemon didn't seem as tired as they had earlier as the pressure of winning seemed to fade away.
The first round went to Sparky as he knocked out the flying-type but Dawn came back with a rock move known by her Torterra. Jaws took out the Torterra and Dawn's Infernape, but was then knocked out by her Empoleon. The Empeleon fell to Franky and Franky lost to Dawn's Snorlax. The tough Snorlax also took out Donna before its Rest attack was taken advantage of by Haunter and her Dream Eater attack. Dawn was now down to her final Pokemon. Though this battle was fun for both of them, the two Trainers still put all their heart into winning. The girl's final Pokemon was a Lopunny, a creature that seemed invariably tied to Lucas' destiny. A Lopunny was one of the main monsters his first crush in Sinnoh, Ashley, used. He endured many hardships and tests of personal introspection related to the hatching, raising, and evolution of his own Pokemon Stella. Though Stella had not been selected for this battle, Lucas knew the normal-type, as well as his other Pokemon waiting in the PC Storage System, would be waiting anxiously to discover whether or not their Trainer was victorious. Like many other Lopunny he had encountered, Dawn's Pokemon was also well trained. Through some surprise attacks it defeated his Haunter, bringing both Trainers down to their final Pokemon.
This round would be the determining encounter, the sudden-death, winner-take-all battle that would declare the Champion. Lucas felt immense confidence in the result of this battle. Though this was the most fun battle he had had in a long time, he knew it was coming to an end. Poetically his final Pokemon would his first one, the tiny Eevee Lucas stumbled upon in the woods of the Eterna Forest. "Go Gizmo!" Lucas called out with a heave of the Pokeball.
"Lopunny! Hi Jump Kick!"
"Gizmo, Dig!"
"Lopunny, Thunderpunch!"
"Gizmo, use Return!" Once again the small Pokemon used the attack that became more powerful the more the Pokemon loved its Trainer. Few people had bonds as strong as the one between tattooed teen from Cherrygrove and the small, easily overlooked normal-type, making few Pokemon attacks stronger than Gizmo's Return attack. With the last of the small creature's strength, Gizmo charged his opponent with an aura of sheer force and energy. The two Pokemon collided, the taller, rabbit-like monster sent flying across the massive arena, ending the battle between the friendly opponents. Dawn ran to her Pokemon's side and comforted the unconscious creature. Lucas scooped up the worn Eevee into his arms and trotted over the little girl's side to check on her normal-type's status. "Your Lopunny okay?"
"Yeah, she's going to be just fine. That was an amazing Pokemon battle. It was just like what everybody said it would be. I've been hearing about you for a while and I really hoped you'd get this far so I could finally battle you. The guy with the Eevee who helped get rid of Cosmic in Sinnoh. The Trainer everyone said cared so much about his Pokemon. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun," Dawn was now giving Lucas the biggest smile he had ever seen anybody have.
"I had a lot of fun, too. You're a great Trainer and I hope we battle again some time. I seem to only have two modes with people. After a battle they either want to be my friend or ring my neck. I hope with you it's the first one," Lucas replied.
"It's definitely the first one. But when we battle again I'll want the Championship back," Dawn giggled. Suddenly the reality of the situation hit Lucas like a blow to the head. The roaring noise came back all around him and he noticed a flashing above him. The sheer joy of the battle against Dawn made the Trainer temporarily forget exactly what he had come for. Dawn wasn't just a fun opponent and a cute little girl, she was also the Champion of Sinnoh and he had just defeated her. The entire arena was now screaming his name in unison. Booming cries of 'Lucas! Lucas!' roared in rhythm with the flickering of pictures of his team on giant screens all around the arena. Pictures of Franky, Donna, Jaws, Sparky, Haunter and Gizmo from their triumphs from the five previous matches all flashed around him, entering their data into the Hall of Fame.
The various pictures blipped over and over again until the slide show stopped on a single image: the live feed of Lucas standing in the middle of the arena with Gizmo in his arms with the caption 'Champion' emblazoned in bright yellow underneath. The teen could feel his knees start to buckle as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. By defeating Dawn, Lucas had become the Champion of Sinnoh. He had done it, the first leg of his Journey was now over, and he had succeeded. His chest swelled with pride for his Pokemon as well as for himself. The younger brother of John from Cherrygrove, the boy his parents, teachers—and even himself—had accepted as the inferior strength and intellect of his revered sibling, only good for getting into trouble and disappointing his family, had become the most powerful Trainer in the Sinnoh League.
"Well done, Lucas," a familiar voice called out across the deafeningly loud arena. Lucas looked to see Professor Oak approaching him with his familiar, friendly smile and his arms behind his back. The teen was still too overwhelmed to speak to his idol, and the only man who was willing to believe in a delinquent even his own family had given up on. "I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but I'm glad we're meeting again under these circumstances. I told you when I first met you I recognize talent. And I was right. I knew you'd eventually get here, which is why I asked the League to give me the honor of presenting this to you,"
The Pokemon Professor brought his hands in front of his body, revealing the large, velvet-covered box he had kept hidden behind his body. The older man snapped the box open, showing a large gold-colored badge, twice as large as the badges presented by Pokemon Gyms. The badge was in the shape of a shield like many police officers, with two olive branches crossed beneath a large star. Above the star was the round crest of the Sinnoh League, two dragon-like Pokemon seemingly locked in battle, interlocking with a Pokeball at its bottom edge. Over the top edge of the Pokeball, in raised letters in the same font as the caption on the live feed was the word 'Champion'. Even if, or more realistically, when, a better Trainer would defeat him, Lucas could keep this badge for the rest of his life, a permanent reminder of his success today. Tentatively, the teen boy with the red Mohawk and tattooed arms reached out for the badge in the professor's hands, fearing that as soon as he touched it the dream would end and he would awake in a bed in his brother's house. But that did not happen. The cool metal of the pin felt real in his hands. He showed the object to the exhausted Eevee who had up until that moment understood his Trainer's excitement but was far more comfortable relaxing in his arms. Upon seeing the Champion badge, Gizmo let out one of his chirp-like 'Vii' sounds which Lucas interpreted to be admiration. Looking once more to the crowds, the teen lifted the badge into the air, the arena once more erupting in cheers.
Lucas waited impatiently as the acne ridden man at the counter took his sweet time to make the two prints the teen had requested at the copy-and-shipping shop just outside the docks of Sunnyshore City. When the man was finished, he set the two pictures on the counter next to the two envelopes the Trainer had just purchased, as well as a pen and the crystal bell with the etched Happiny and the words 'Hearthome City' that Lucas had purchased several months earlier for his mother. The young man picked up the prints and examined their quality. They were two copies of the photograph taken for the Hall of Fame: Lucas standing beside the six Pokemon that had brought him the Championship, fully rested and excited after their much-earned stay at the Pokemon Center. Satisfied that they were worth paying for, the teen handed the man some bills, flipped over the first copy, clicked the pen and started writing.
"Dear Mom and Dad,
I have something to tell you and I hope you won't be too mad when you read this. For the past few months, since you dropped me off at the ferry in Olivine, I've been traveling around Sinnoh as a Pokemon Trainer. I know I was supposed to be living with John and staying under the radar, and you're probably not going to be happy to know that I've been not listening to you, yet again. You should know I didn't sneak out or anything to do this. John knew about it and was okay with me leaving. I know he's been covering for me whenever you talk to him, but I hope you won't get mad at him for lying to you. It was probably the only nice thing he's done for me in years.
I'm writing to tell you something important: I'm sorry.
I know for the past few years, my whole life really, I guess, I haven't been the kind of son you've wanted. I know I've caused you all sorts of grief and got into a lot of trouble. I've done a lot of things you aren't proud of. And every time, whatever it was I did or didn't do, you've always said that I should try to be more like John. But that really isn't something I can do. I know what I'm doing isn't what you wanted when you sent me over here, but I can't help being anything but me. But by doing what I'm doing now I'm hoping that being 'me' is something you guys can one day be proud of. So until that happens, I won't be coming back. Don't worry about me, I'll stay safe. I've got some great friends taking care of me now and you guys know I've always been able watch my own back. And Mom, thanks for that pocket money you gave me for the trip, it really helped. I've always loved you guys and I hope the next time you see me, it won't be with that disappointed look you always seem to give me.
This is just something I have to do.
Your other son,
Lucas,"
With the letter to his parents finished, he grabbed the second print and wrote another letter on the back.
"Dear John,
I'm now the Champion of Sinnoh. So screw you.
Lucas."
With his messages finished he put the photos in the envelopes, with the bell in with the letter to his parents, and had the man behind the counter send them out. With his final chore done, Lucas ran for the docks, hearing his ship blast its final warning horn as it got ready for its departure. With Gizmo clinging to his usual place on the teen's shoulder, his restocked duffel slamming gently against his back and his Pokeballs gleaming on his belt, the young man scrambled to the ramp with the rest of the last-minute passengers with the ticket clutched in his hand. This was the last boat of the day that was headed for his next destination, the Hoenn Region. Now safely aboard, he found a good place to stand and readied himself for the trip. As the ferry pulled away from Sunnyshore City Lucas looked back on the Sinnoh Region for the final time. It would probably be at least a year, if not longer, before he would return to this place.
As the landmass became smaller and smaller as the vessel pulled away, the tattooed Trainer was filled with a mix of emotions. Sinnoh was the land where rediscovered his dream of being a Pokemon Trainer, and was the place where many of the firsts of his Journey took place: his first Pokemon, his first battles, his first Championship. Though in the span of his still short life he had only spent a small amount of time in the region, it had begun to feel like home. After several minutes, Sinnoh was no longer in sight, so Lucas moved from the back of the ferry to the front to look ahead. Though the glory of becoming the Champion was still fresh, now was not the time to dwell on even the recent past. A new region and new challenges awaited him that he had to prepare for. After all, Lucas was only just getting started.