Lotus and Stone (Steven Stone x OC)

3. Caves and conferences

The conference ended in about an hour. Tomorrow was the ceremony, Cynthia had suggested for her to go home and rest before tomorrow, to which she happily obliged. Victor accompanied her back down to the lobby, and Tofu, the skitty, once more wrapped herself around her neck, warm underneath the crocheted scarf. During the meeting, it had started to snow In Jubilife.

"It has been an absolute pleasure, Champion Luna." He said before giving a short bow.

"Oh please Victor, just Luna is fine." She said with a smile.

And with that she was off, she released her Driftblim when she was outside as snowflakes settled on her hair and nose.

-

Luna couldn't sleep. She was so anxious about tomorrow, about the ceremony. It just was all becoming too real. She crept downstairs to make herself a cup of tea when she noticed Julia knitting in the living room. What time was it? Why was she still up?

"Jule?" Luna called out her name from the bottom of the stairs. Julia quickly threw her work across the couch and under the blanket that was there, as if to hide it from Luna. She laughed, "What are you doing Jule?" She asked intrigued.

"Nothing! What are you doing still awake?" Julia hurriedly said.

"Couldn't sleep. What are you doing being so secretive?" Luna giggled.

"So you saw it then... Well I was knitting you a sweater for tomorrow, but it's not finished yet... I didn't have much time to do it but..." Julia trailed off. Luna uncovered the sweater from the blanket and gasped, it was gorgeous. A green colour worked sweater with Mareep on it! It was so cute!

"This is so beautiful!" Luna threw herself in Julia's arms, as she stroked her medium-length hair. "Thank you Jule."

"Off to bed now, you need to rest before tomorrow, get some sleep. I will try to finish this." Jule said tiredly. Luna knew there was no convincing her otherwise, so she quickly prepared a cup of tea for her Nanny and then crept back into bed. Dreaming of Mareep hopping over fences, Luna quickly fell asleep.

-

Today was the day.

Luna was wearing her black coat open, with her Mareep sweater and long forest green cashmere skirt with combat boots. Anxiety bubbled in the pit of her stomach. A stage had been set up in Jubilife, leading from the stage was a long walkway, connected to the Jubilife town hall. She looked at herself in the town hall's bathroom mirror. She was alone, Cynthia and the other champions were behind the stage. The Mayor of Jubilife called her from outside the bathroom, it was nearly time. She could hear the crowds cheering and yelling from here. she wiped the last bit of sick from her mouth and fixed her lipstick, the mayor was waiting.

She could hear Professor Rowan begin his speech over the loudspeakers which echoed across the City's main square, people hushing. Luna however started to hear a ringing in her ear. The anxiety was too much. She shakily took a breath. She had to do this.

"-and now, the moment we've been waiting for! Luna Renn! Champion of Sinnoh!" the professor concluded. Screams of joy and cheers could be heard coming from all over. The door to the town hall opened. There she stood motionless, as the mayor urged her a few steps ahead to start walking.

Luna did not smile as she slowly walked. All she could think about was putting one foot in front of the other. Her boots crunched the thin layer of snow beneath her feet and Tofu happily skipped about in the snow between herself and the mayor. She slowly turned her head around to look at the people that surrounded her. Smiles of children and Pokémon and all types of people looked back at her, clapping and cheering. The champions and Cynthia were on stage clapping all in a line.