Lotus and Stone (Steven Stone x OC)

2. Championship

Luna had time for a quick bite to lunch and then she would have to close shop. She wasn't hungry though, anxiety taking up all the space in her stomach. She decided to close early and clear her head before meeting the champions. The only problem was that crowds followed her wherever she went. There was only one place she knew she wouldn't be disturbed.

The distortion world.

In the back of the shop, Luna opened a portal where she stood, and like quicksand, she quickly slipped in. The distortion world was a world of nothingness. A place where space and time simply didn't flow properly, floating landmasses, waterfalls that went upwards, trees growing mutated in every direction. Most of all, it was dark. The void extended for evermore.

Luna sat down; she was near a small floating pond. She looked into the water, but there was no reflection. Just a bluish grey wall of water. She mustn't stay too long, minutes could be hours, and hours could be minutes here. Luna stuck her hand in the water, it felt weird on her skin, more like a mist.

Suddenly a memory popped up into her head.

-

Julia and Luna were knitting on the couch, it was peaceful. Skitty was curled up in Luna's lap, and Delcatty in Julia's. the pick yarn all over the living room as Luna knit away. Julia instead was undoing a giant knot that Skitty had made. She loved to get into all the balls of yarn and play with them.

"Did you manage?"

"Patience Luna, you must be patient." Julia replied to the young girl. The fog outside made the windows impossible to see through. All the Mareep were warm in the barn for the weather. It was winter in Sinnoh, and they predicted Snow in twinleaf town, but all that came was fog.

-

It was a simple memory. Luna was very young. Life was easier then, she didn't miss her mother, she didn't even know who she was back then. She hadn't left for her Pokémon journey yet. Must've been about 8 years old. Julia had shown her how to knit when she was very young, to teach her to be patient. It must've worked, she always loved to remember those times by the fire in the farmhouse.

She decided it was high time to leave. She couldn't be late to meeting the champions. She raised an arm and a portal opened beside the pond, to which she hopped through quickly. She was spat out back where she started, it was time to close the yarn shop.

Jubilife grand hotel was uptown, but it wasn't too far. Luna walked casually down the street, skitty around her shoulders, keeping her neck warm. It was Winter, Luna had a warm black coat, and underneath a long beige corduroy skirt with a black turtleneck, and her handmade crocheted granny square scarf. Several people stopped her to ask for a photograph, but she politely declines, saying she was late to a meeting. When she arrived to the hotel, a man she was unfamiliar with greeted her.

"Ah Champion Luna!" He was a short stout man, bald with a moustache "An honor to finally meet you, yes, yes, your meeting is in the conference room on the top floor so I shall accompany you. Ah! I forgot to introduce myself, I am Mr Victor Neren, chief advisor to the pokemon league in its complex. I'm an ex Champion." Luna shook his outstretched hand warmly.

"A pleasure, Mr Neren." Luna said.

"Ah Victor is fine, Champion Luna." He replied with a genuine smile. "Now let me accompany you to the conference room." He pressed the up button near one of the elevators.

"Victor, if I may, of what region were you champion to?" Luna asked genuinely curious.

"Johto, I was two champions before Lance." Luna nodded.

With a ding the elevator doors opened to a long corridor, Luna had never been in the upper floors of the Jubilife Grand hotel, it was usually reserved for important figures. Victor led her to the first door on her right but didn't go in yet. "Are you ready, champion Luna?" the young woman, adjusted her hair, and let skitty down by her feet, then nodded. And with that, Victor opened the door.