Chapter 10

To Leaf's relief, reception towards her handling of the Cinnabar Island evacuation wasn't negative. Most reports didn't focus on her too much. Their priority, rightfully, was the former residents of Cinnabar Island. When they did mention Leaf, they were relatively brief about it, mainly just noting that she and the Elite Four were present, but the tone ranged from neutral to positive. Champion Leaf and the Elite Four, with their Pokemon, assisted greatly in evacuating residencies, moving luggage on board, and watching out for trouble. Champion Leaf, in particular, did her best to connect with the poor Islanders and boost what little morale they had.

Leaf was so lucky the reporters had arrived after the brawl she'd unintentionally triggered.

If anything, Leaf was disappointed there was no mention of Dragonite. It was definitely better than slander, but she'd hoped the public would see that Dragonite wasn't some bloodthirsty, uncontrollable monster.

One thing that did make her uncomfortable, though, was the response towards Blue. The reports weren't negative, but some of the comments left by netizens were needlessly cruel. Guess he doesn't have anything else to do now that he's not Champion. He's just trying to stay relevant now that he's no longer Champion. Leaf wanted to ask Blue how he felt about being in the public's eye, but she doubted he would give her a proper answer.

Leaf checked her calendar for a free afternoon. A part of her still wasn't sure if getting lunch with Blue was a good idea. She could probably count on one hand the number of positive interactions she'd had with Blue the past few years. But she needed a friend and Blue was her only option. With her schedule, it was impossible to meet new people her age.

She was just about to call the Oak residency––she didn't even have Blue's personal contact information––when Tasha's name appeared on screen.

"Hello?"

"Leaf." Tasha's voice was cold and sharp, like a knife. "President Ken is very upset with you."

Leaf's heart jumped. "What?"

"I told you not to release Dragonite!" Tasha yelled. "I told you, you didn't listen, and now President Ken is upset!"

"What do you mean?" Leaf stammered. "How did he even know?"

"You think the leader of our region only gets his news from TV? Of course he heard about Dragonite. And he's mad because he explicitly told you to keep Dragonite in his PokeBall!"

Leaf felt like a small child being scolded by her parents, only she was more afraid than ashamed. "What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything to me personally, of course. It was through June. She said President Ken was displeased and wanted you to come to the Silver Palace ASAP. So get over there right now!"

Tasha hung up. Considering how she wanted to projectile vomit, it was extremely impressive how quickly Leaf got ready.

Fearow gave Leaf a look of concern when she sent her out. "I'm fine, just fly to the Silver Palace as fast as you can."

When she arrived at the Silver Palace, Gary greeted her with a warm smile, but there was an air of sympathy. "Don't worry," he said. "President Ken will forgive you."

For some reason, that just made Leaf even more worried.

Unlike last time, Leaf wasn't served gourmet food. Gary escorted her to President Ken's office, the one room she wasn't shown on her tour. Just like every other room, it was grander than it needed to be. The wall-to-wall carpeting was deep blue and had an image of the Kanto flag at the center. Sitting on top of the flag was a coffee table. Plush couches flanked it. Against the walls were busts and portraits. There was also a tall, white bookcase. At the end of the office was a large mahogany desk with intricate designs carved into it. President Ken sat behind it, his hands folded on the surface. Behind him were windows and two Kanto flags. June stood stiffly to the side.

President Ken didn't bother greeting Leaf. "Come here."

Leaf winced. President Ken's voice wasn't loud, but it was forceful. She stepped towards him, stopping right in front of the desk. Leaf wished she could sit. She wasn't sure her legs could hold her up.

"I was very clear with you, was I not?" President Ken asked. "Dragonite was to stay in his PokeBall."

Despite how terrified she was, her protectiveness over her Pokemon took over. "He didn't hurt anyone."

"It's good he didn't, but you shouldn't have taken that risk."

"It wasn't a risk. Dragonite would never har––"

President Ken slammed a fist on the desk. It was so sudden, so uncharacteristic of the normally composed president that Leaf jumped. "I don't want to see Dragonite out of his PokeBall for three months. No exceptions. Do not disobey me again."

Leaf was too shocked to respond.

"Since the evacuation is complete, we can resume the Indigo League. Good luck with whoever challenges you next."

And with that, Gary escorted Leaf out. He tried giving her a comforting smile, but Leaf couldn't look at him, nor Fearow when she sent her out.

When Leaf returned to her apartment and looked in the mirror, her face was stark white.

As soon as the Indigo League resumed, challengers flooded into the stadium. It was surprising, considering how slow things were prior and the hiatus hadn't been long at all. Leaf supposed it was due to the weather getting warmer. It was now April. Everyone had trained hard in the bitter, cold winter and a new spring meant hope for victory, especially for the returning challengers. One of the trainers was on his third challenge against the league. Last time, he made it all the way to Lance. This time, he lost to Bruno. Leaf saw on his face that he wasn't going to come back for a fourth challenge.

Leaf thought about how she defeated the Elite Four on her first try. Had she been unable to do that, how many times would she rechallenge them? Would she keep trying for the rest of her life, or would she have given up after a certain number of failures? She contemplated the question for a long time and couldn't decide on an answer.

"Challenging Lorelei today is Marian Bridgeton of Azalea Town!"

A newcomer, and from Johto, too. The league hadn't seen a challenger from Johto in a while. Interest piqued, Leaf leaned forward from her seat to study Marian. She was quite lovely and younger than most, though still older than Leaf. She had cropped golden hair and chocolate-brown eyes. With her straw hat, orange dress that resembled an apron, and purple working boots, she looked like the country bumpkin she was.

Despite her sweet exterior, Marian was a menace. She used two Pokemon to take down Lorelei without much trouble: an electric sheep that Leaf recognized as Ampharos and a tree-like Pokemon she'd never seen before called Sudowoodo. Strangely, the Sudowoodo used a lot of rock and fighting-type moves.

Against Bruno, she only used one Pokemon, though it fainted at the end of the match: Slowking, which was apparently the final evolution of Slowpoke. Leaf had thought Slowbro was Slowpoke's only evolution. The Slowking's shell, which had a red gem in the center, sat on top of its head like a crown. Around its neck was a spiny ruff with alternating red and white stripes. Unlike its predecessors, the Slowking's eyes were full of intelligence and wisdom. It steamrolled Bruno's fighting Pokemon with incredibly powerful psychic attacks, and Steelix with a Surf the size of a tsunami. Seeing the monstrous wave made Leaf realize Marian would defeat the Elite Four.

Marian, as it turned out, had her own Steelix. Agatha's Pokemon stood no chance against a steel-type. She again used her Steelix against Lance, along with her Ampharos and Sudowoodo. Unless Marian was saving certain Pokemon, it seemed she had four total. And all four were beasts.

For the first time since Harris Wilkes, Leaf had a battle to look forward to.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Our challenger, Marian Bridgeton of Azalea Town, will face our Champion, Leaf Green!"

The stadium was filled with spectators. There'd been a lot of buzz around Marian. She was the first challenger from Johto to reach Leaf, and she'd done so with a strength that could be Champion-level. People were eager to see if the Johto girl could overthrow the Kanto girl.

"Will our challenger come out victorious? Or will our Champion prove once again that she's the greatest trainer in the world?"

Leaf had mixed feelings on the commentary. On one hand, she didn't like that some people were betting on her losing. On the other, she didn't like some of the things being said about Marian. They were vicious for no reason. Someone had even unironically referred to Marian as a Johto peasant. The comments she hated the most though, were the ones describing her upcoming match against Marian as a catfight. As if the fact that both of them were young women made the match less legitimate.

"Trainers may send out their Pokemon now. May the best one win!"

Whatever. Leaf was going to show everyone once more that she was the strongest trainer. Her gender didn't change that. She sent out Golduck while Marian sent out Sudowoodo.

From where Leaf stood, she got a better view of the Sudowoodo. It stood on two feet and had yellow spots down its brown, loggy torso. There was a forked branch on top of its head. It had thin arms with three green spheres at the ends of its fingers.

The Sudowoodo very much looked like a tree. One would think it was a grass-type. But Leaf was suspicious when it never used a grass move, instead using rock and fighting. Seeing how the green spheres didn't have the texture of leaves, Leaf now knew for sure the Sudowoodo wasn't a grass-type. The rock Pokemon may have fooled other trainers, but it wasn't fooling Leaf.

"Golduck, use Surf!"

"Protect!"

A green dome formed around the Sudowoodo just as Golduck's wave came crashing down on it. Leaf stifled a sigh. She hoped this battle wouldn't just be Golduck trying to get past the Sudowoodo's shield. She waited for Marian to make a move.

When the battlefield had drained enough, Marian shouted, "Use Sunny Day!"

The green dome disappeared. Sudowoodo raised its arms up and Leaf's vision suddenly turned white. She held an arm over her face to shield herself from the blinding sun.

"Rock Slide!"

"Surf!"

With the sun burning so harshly, Golduck's wave was the size of one in a wave pool. The rocks barreled through it and Golduck wasn't agile on land enough to completely dodge. He let out a cry as a giant rock slammed into him.

Leaf's first instinct was to worry over Golduck's weakened state, but she calmed herself down quickly. Golduck didn't only know water-type moves.

"Golduck, use Psychic!"

The Rock Slide halted. Leaf squinted and saw that the Sudowoodo had stiffened, now under Golduck's control. As a rock-type, Psychic couldn't inflict much damage on the Sudowoodo, but that wasn't necessary.

"Hold," Leaf ordered. Sunny Day wouldn't last forever. She would wait until Golduck's water attacks returned to full strength and then unleash a storm on the fake tree.

Marian understood Leaf's intention. "Sudowoodo, use Flail!"

The Sudowoodo's face scrunched in concentration, but Golduck's control over it was powerful. The Sudowoodo didn't move an inch.

"Sudowoodo, use Mimic!"

The Sudowoodo's eyes flashed. Leaf knew what was going to happen before Marian shouted her next command because Fearow had used a similar move against Sabrina's Kadabra. "Now, use Psychic!"

The Sudowoodo's eyes flashed again. With great effort, as if pushing something heavy, it moved its arms forward. Leaf couldn't see Golduck's face, but she could tell from his stiff posture that it wasn't easy to combat the Sudowoodo's Psychic.

"You got this, Golduck!" Leaf exclaimed. The sunlight's intensity was beginning to die down. Golduck needed to hold onto the Sudowoodo for just a little longer.

Leaf had to admit though, the Sudowoodo was putting up a good fight. It continued to resist Golduck, to move. Leaf flinched when the Sudowoodo suddenly surged forward, only to freeze again a meter away from Golduck.

Someone cheered for the Sudowoodo. The cheer was met with a few boos. Not many people wanted a Champion from Johto.

The sunlight faded.

"Surf!"

"Rock Slide!"

Water and boulders burst into the battlefield. The collision caused the wave to shoot up high, splashing water onto the glass panels that protected the spectators.

When the water drained from the battlefield, Leaf saw the boulders scattered all around. At the center of it all, Golduck was standing while the Sudowoodo was lying face-down.

The referee raised a flag. "Sudowoodo is unable to battle!"

The spectators cheered. If Marian was bothered by it, she didn't show it. She sent out her next Pokemon. Leaf wasn't surprised to see it was her Ampharos.

Leaf glanced at Golduck. There were bruises on his body, but he seemed to be in decent enough shape to continue battling. Despite the type disadvantage, he had a shot at defeating the Ampharos.

Did Golduck need to battle the Ampharos though? She had five other Pokemon to choose from, all of whom were at full health. Golduck could rest. Leaf returned the blue duck. Who should replace him? The Pokemon who had some advantage over electric-types were Venusaur and––

I don't want to see Dragonite out of his PokeBall for three months. No exceptions. Do not disobey me again. President Ken's voice was so icy in her head, she felt a chill. It hadn't been three months yet. Leaf would get in trouble if she sent out Dragonite.

The coldness suddenly dissipated. Now, she was hot with anger. She still didn't understand why Dragonite was essentially placed under house arrest. It wasn't fair. If the whole world could see who Dragonite was, no one would fear him. And the only way for them to see was to show them. President Ken might get mad, but he would forgive her. Besides, what could he realistically do to her?

Leaf took a deep breath and tossed Dragonite's PokeBall. When he emerged and began circling the stadium, a hush seemed to fall on everyone.

Marian was unfazed. "Ampharos, use Thunderbolt!"

The Ampharos fired lightning from its horns. Dragonite flipped around in the air to dodge it.

"Rage Twister!"

The yellow and purple twister collided with the lightning and with a boom, the battlefield was shrouded in smoke. Dragonite shot out of the smoke and hovered high above.

Marian shouted, "Rain Dance!"

The world darkened as black clouds filled the sky. Rain poured down in buckets. From watching Marian battle Lance, Leaf knew what her intention was.

"Dodge!" Leaf screamed, unable to come up with a better command on the spot.

"Thunder!"

The sky bellowed and spat out lightning bolts thick as tree trunks. Dragonite hastily flew around, narrowly dodging the bolts.

The smoke was now gone, revealing the Ampharos. Its eyes blazed as it summoned more lightning like a god. Dragonite wouldn't be able to avoid its wrath forever. He needed to face it head-on.

"Torpedo!" Leaf yelled.

It was a move Leaf came up with during a training session. Dragonite spun, harsh winds wrapping around him, and dived towards the Ampharos. He was halfway there when a giant bolt of lightning struck him from above. The Twister cloak vanished instantly and he fell to the ground.

"Dragonite!" Leaf exclaimed, wincing when she noticed the burn marks all over his body. She'd hoped the winds would shield Dragonite from the lightning. That somehow, they'd redirect them. Clearly, she was wrong.

The referee was narrowing his eyes, determining if it was time to call the match. Leaf wasn't going to allow him to. "Dragonite, Rage Twister!"

To her relief, Dragonite stood, purple and yellow energy surrounding him. It was when he roared that Leaf remembered: Rage Twister didn't manifest that way.

Oh no.

Quick as the lightning bolts, Dragonite flew at the Ampharos and swung at it with purple and yellow fists. Electricity crackled off the Ampharos and there was an explosion. At the last second, the Ampharos had attempted to defend itself with a Thunderbolt. Through the smoke, Leaf could see flashes of purple and yellow, hear the Ampharos bleat in pain, hear Dragonite roar in rage.

The rain stopped and the clouds drifted apart, letting light shine onto the stadium again. There was another explosion, generating more smoke. Leaf could hear Lance's voice in her head: Return your Dragonite.

Leaf detached Dragonite's PokeBall from her belt and aimed at where the flashes were. The red beam penetrated the smoke and the flashing, Dragonite's roars, abruptly disappeared.

The smoke faded. The Ampharos was lying on the ground, badly bruised. The referee raised a flag and said shakily, "Ampharos is unable to battle."

The spectators made no noise. Leaf had almost forgotten they were there. She didn't want to think about what was in their heads. She needed to focus on winning the battle.

Marian's face was grim when she returned her Ampharos. It contrasted greatly with her sunny outfit. She sent out her Steelix, who loomed over the battlefield like the titan it was.

Leaf sent out Venusaur. If anyone could make her look good, it was him.

"Earthquake!"

"Frenzy Plant!"

It was impossible to see what was going on when the world was shaking and monster branches were flying everywhere. Leaf wondered how the Indigo Stadium was able to stand. The Earthquake suddenly ended and the Steelix began trying to cut away the branches with an Iron Tail; Leaf hadn't even heard Marian shout the command.

The branches calmed. Amazingly, Venusaur was roughly in the same spot as before, but there were bruises on his legs. He stood still, recharging from the Frenzy Plant.

Marian seized the opportunity. "Earthquake!"

The second Earthquake tossed Venusaur around more than the first. Leaf couldn't tell if she heard Venusaur moaning in pain. He would survive this Earthquake, but it was hard to say if he could handle another. She needed to end this battle soon.

When it was about time for Venusaur to have recharged, Leaf yelled, "Sleep Powder Bomb!"

With the ground still shaking, Venusaur couldn't quite jump. Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to jump high; he was much heavier now than he was as an Ivysaur. But he was also much more powerful, so when the Sleep Powder burst from the flower on his back, it was almost as if an atomic bomb had gone off. The Steelix's eyes drooped when the green powder flew into its face. It swayed from side-to-side, trying to fight the drowsiness. When it couldn't, it shut its eyes and began to topple over.

It was going to fall right on top of Venusaur.

"Venusaur!" Leaf screamed.

Venusaur knew what was coming. As fast as he could, which didn't feel fast enough, he got back on his feet and started to take off. The Steelix hit the ground with an ear-splitting bang, sending rubble and dust flying. When the dust faded, Leaf saw that Venusaur was standing right next to the Steelix's head, which was almost the size of his body.

Leaf let out a sigh of relief. That was dangerously close. She was about to say her next command when she noticed the look of pain on Venusaur's face, heard him moan. She leaned forward to see what was going on. Her heart dropped.

Venusaur had mostly avoided the Steelix. Mostly. His left hind leg was under the Steelix's head. Leaf swallowed. This wasn't going to change her plan, but the thought of Venusaur's crushed leg made her feel queasy. She really needed to end the battle now.

"Solar Beam the Steelix's head!"

Marian's face paled as Venusaur began to absorb energy from the sun. "Steelix, wake up!"

The Steelix rumbled. Leaf didn't think she'd heard a Pokemon snore before.

"Steelix, use Earthquake!"

Venusaur tilted backwards so that the flower on his back was facing the Steelix's head.

"STEELIX!"

The Steelix's eyes flew open, but it was too late. A green beam shot from Venusaur's flower, right into its head. The force of it made the Steelix roll over, roaring in pain. It slammed against the wall, creating another cloud of dust. When the dust faded, the Steelix was lying down still, covered in rubble, eyes closed.

The referee raised a flag. "Steelix is unable to battle! The winner of this match is our Champion, Leaf Green!"

The spectators cheered. Leaf was more taken aback than happy. Didn't Marian have one more Pokemon? A Slowking? Maybe facing Bruno's whole team alone proved to be too much, and it couldn't fight this battle. Picturing the tsunami it summoned, Leaf wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

She didn't have time to think about it, though. Venusaur's moan brought her back. With the Steelix gone, Leaf could now see the leg that was trapped under. She almost threw up. It was twisted unnaturally––Leaf couldn't replicate that position if she tried––and a deep purple, almost black. It didn't look like it was Venusaur's leg. It was more like a tumor.

Leaf returned Venusaur immediately. It required all of her willpower to go down and shake Marian's hand, instead of running straight to the Pokemon Center. When she was finally able to leave, she took off as fast as she could, ignoring all the buzz around her. Before she exited the Indigo Stadium, however, something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. President Ken was standing in his booth, arms crossed. Leaf did a double take––he definitely wasn't present when the battle started––and like a ghost, he was gone.

Sorry for the slow update! Been really busy. I hope the wait was worth it. This chap also has the first battle in a while; good way to start the new year (though it's a bit late haha)

Thanks for your patience. Thanks for reading and as always, would love to hear feedback.