Chapter 4: The Champion

Phoebe grinned and looked at Drake, who stood on the other end of the arena with his hands in his pockets, cap shadowing his eyes as usual. "Great job in that battle."

"Same to you." Drake nodded to her. "Your heart is in tune with that of your pokemon, as ever."

Phoebe nodded and turned her head back to Sidney and Glacia. She pursed her lips and folded her arms. "So… what now? We wait for a challenger to arrive, then prove them worthy to face the champion?"

"Not for a while…" Sidney shrugged. "Season just started so it'll be a couple months before anybody gets here. You should meet the champion though; he's a nice guy."

Glacia held her hands clasped daintily in front of her. "I agree. We'll be working with Steven for the next League season, so you really must meet him."

Shrugging her shoulders, Phoebe smirked. "Sure, I'd love to. Lead the way."

Steven Stone sat at his desk, holding a magnifying glass over a rock sample he'd collected. The rock glittered under the light of the desk lamp, its surface covered in tiny, sparkling silver impurities. The rest of the rock's surface was a smooth, dull grey.

Running a hand through his thick silver hair, Steven reached for his pen and jotted a few observations on a memo pad. Hearing a knock at the door, he looked up and pushed his chair back, dusting off his black and purple pinstripe sweater before speaking. "Come in!"

The doorknob turned and Glacia gently pushed it open, standing aside as Phoebe leaned her head into the room. Glacia directed a friendly smile at Steven, hands clasped together in front of her flowing violet dress. Steven raised his head and gave her a curt nod, then turned his gaze to Phoebe.

Phoebe raised a hand in a wave and smiled, nodding to Glacia as she pulled the door closed. Her blue sarong, patterned with white flowers and pokeball designs, hung down to her ankles, tied off over her left hip and exposing her left leg. She wore a blue bandeau top across her chest, leaving the tan skin of her arms, shoulders, and midriff showing. What Steven found particularly striking were the two large pink plumeria flowers that rested in her dusky brown hair. He pointed a finger at them, "Do those signify anything?"

She blinked and touched the left flower with her fingertips. "Well, back on the islands they're planted in gravesites, since the ghosts like them so much." She shrugged her shoulders and set her hands on her hips, flashing a smile. "I love ghosts."

Steven nodded, crossing his purple-sleeved arms and brushing his silver armlets. "So you're Phoebe?"

She nodded. "And you're Steven, the champion?"

"I am," Steven looked at her, silver eyes gleaming. He gestured a hand toward a black couch set beside the wall. "Have a seat, won't you?"

Phoebe glanced back at the couch and carefully sat down, then lifted her knee and propped her foot against the vinyl. She smiled at him, "You don't mind if I make myself at home?"

Steven blinked, looking tense, then shook his head. "No, by all means." He spun his revolving chair back to his desk, running a hand through his hair as he pawed through a stack of papers and folders. Retrieving a plain manila folder, he turned back to Phoebe.

"I've read your file," he said, glancing down at the folder and opening it to the first page. "It's quite impressive."

"Thanks." Phoebe grinned, leaning an arm against the back of the couch.

Steven ran a finger along the page paperclipped inside the folder. "It says here your strategy is to 'confuse and confound'?"

Phoebe nodded, tilting her head in a shrug. "Ghosts aren't known for their physical strength, but they're really good at tricking and scaring people." She smirked, "I don't see why people are so afraid of them, honestly. They're just being playful."

Steven stared at her oddly, raising an eyebrow, then returned to the file. "It also lists your battle record. Looks like you cut it pretty close in your League challenge."

Phoebe sighed and scratched her head. "It was a bit dicey by the end, yeah. But my team and I pulled through."

"And during your year as reigning champion," Steven continued, "You defeated the first sixteen challengers before you were finally defeated by my predecessor. Well done. Few champions stay at the top that long."

Phoebe smirked, hiding her face behind one hand. "Too long, if you ask me. I'm starting to remember why I was eager to get back to Mt. Pyre… all the paperwork killed me."

Steven chuckled. "Agreed. I'd rather be out searching for gemstones."

Phoebe stretched her arms, interlocking her fingers behind her head and leaning back. "So this year's challengers won't arrive for a month or two? What's there to do in the meantime?"

Steven turned back to his desk and picked up another folder, then handed it to Phoebe. "The League keeps track of former Elites, in case one should need to be called in as an emergency replacement. That said…" Sighing to himself, he rubbed his brow with his fingers, then continued, "one's gone missing. Juno."

Phoebe thumbed open the folder and rested it on her lap. The first page of the file had a small photo held with a paperclip, depicting the stern, familiar face of the fighting master she had faced three years ago. Looking up at Steven, she frowned, "Missing?"

He nodded, lifting a speckled rock from the desk and weighing it in his hand. "After you defeated her in the League championship, she left to train and Glacia took her place. Now she's vanished completely."

Phoebe opened her mouth to speak but Steven interrupted. "You must be wondering why I mention this to you. Well…" he grimaced, turning to her. "We believe she's after you."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "She wants revenge?"

Steven nodded. "On the last page of that file, you'll find a copy of the transmission we received from her the day before we lost contact."

She turned to it and read: Training will never be enough to reclaim my lost honor. I must find her and destroy her; it's the only way.

Phoebe stared at the message, flipping the paper over in confusion. "That's all?" she frowned.

Steven shrugged. "Juno was before my time. The League apprised me of her situation, but I've never met her personally."

Phoebe sat back and set the file to her side, lifting her free leg and folding it casually over the skirted one. "Juno was rather uptight when I battled her. She was intensely focused on winning…" she smirked, "though she didn't stand a chance. Fighting types can't touch my ghosts."

Steven smiled, setting the rock down. "The League's planning to send someone to search for her. With you being targeted, I thought you should be warned."

Sitting up, Phoebe pressed her palms to her lap and rose to her feet. "I'll volunteer for that."

Steven looked at her, blinking with surprise, and she quickly added, "Like you said, it's me she's looking for, so if anyone's gonna draw her out, it's me."

Steven bit his lip and nodded. "Agreed. Well…" he turned to the computer set on a side table and tapped a key, quickly bringing up a database. The printer beside him whirred to life as it spat the pages out. Collecting them, he shuffled the paper into a neat stack and tapped it on the edge of the desk, then handed it to Phoebe. "That's the most up to date information we have on her. Take this too."

Phoebe held out her hand as he set an orange, egg-shaped device in it. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's called a PokeNav. My father created it to track Pokemon feelings, but it does more than that." Stepping beside her, Steven tapped the blue button on the device and pointed at the screen that emerged. "There's a map, conditions of your Pokemon, and this."

He tapped one reading "Match Call" and the screen changed to a list of names and phone numbers. Scrolling down the list, he stopped at Juno, whose name appeared in faded grey instead of bright white. "As you can see, she's cut herself off," Steven explained.

"Interesting…" Phoebe stared at the screen, then glanced at Steven and flashed a smile. "Thanks."

Snapping the device closed, she placed the papers in the file folder and reached for the door. Turning back to Steven, she waved a hand and spoke, "I'll be back just as soon as I can."

Steven nodded. "Good luck."

A/N: So yeah, we FINALLY get a physical description of Phoebe, and it's already chapter 4… In searching for a way to continue this story, I came up with the Juno plot that should carry us through the rest of the story. Also I completely forgot about the PokeNav until I thought of giving Phoebe a communicator; it's really convenient that Steven's dad invented the thing! (Also sorry the delay's been as long as it has for this one; schoolwork's been piling up lately. Guess the next chapter will be ready whenever it's ready.)