How to Act as a Pokémon Champion

Chapter 9: Anabel

(Anabel’s POV)

My heart was a hummingbird trapped beneath my ribs, fluttering with each step closer to the Wyndon Stadium. The cheers of the crowd were a distant roar, like the ocean heard from within a seashell. It wasn't the battle I craved – though Leon's flamboyant displays never failed to entertain. No, my eyes were fixed on a single figure, the boy whose boundless energy had set the whole world alight.

Ash.

Ever since our battle, it was like a switch had flipped inside me. His raw talent, his uncanny connection with his Pokémon... and most of all, the way he looked at me during our match. Not with fear, not with pity, but with the thrilling spark of challenge. That spark had ignited something dangerous within me.

"Anabel!" Scott's voice boomed through the corridor, jolting me back to the present. "Glad I caught you. The Chairman needs a word, some big project he's got planned."

I plastered on a professional smile, but inside, I was a seething coil of impatience. Chairman Goodshow, bless his generous heart, always meant well, but couldn't he see I had more important matters to attend to?

"Of course, Scott," I said, hiding a sigh. "Lead the way."

His office was the epitome of luxury – all gleaming wood and plush leather. Chairman Goodshow, ever the picture of affluence, gestured for me to sit.

"Anabel, as you know, our young Alolan Champion has been making quite the stir," he began, his voice smoothly diplomatic. I suppressed a twitch of excitement.

"Indeed, sir," I murmured, a touch of slyness in my tone. "Quite the formidable trainer."

Goodshow chuckled. "Formidable indeed. Which is why…" he cleared his throat, "it has been decided that you should offer him your assistance."

My breath hitched. "Sir?" To be so closely involved in Ash's growth… It was a dream come true. Or, perhaps, the first step of a grander fantasy.

"You'll advise him on the more… administrative aspects of being Champion," he continued. "League affairs can be rather tedious for someone more accustomed to battling."

A sharp stab of disappointment mingled with the thrill. Paperwork, not training sessions? But still, this meant proximity – a chance to observe him beyond the battlefield.

"It would be an honor, Chairman," I replied, unable to mask the eagerness in my voice.

"And," Scott jumped in with his usual enthusiasm, "How about we expand on that idea a bit? Alola's League is still developing… What say we expand the business a little? A New Battle Frontier!"

A surge of adrenaline washed over me. Scott, perhaps inadvertently, had given voice to my deepest desire. A Battle Frontier in Alola, shaped by my hand, and him as its shining star… It was intoxicating.

"An excellent suggestion, Scott," Goodshow beamed. "Anabel, as Salon Maiden, your expertise is invaluable. You'll head this project."

"Of course," I breathed, struggling to contain my giddy delight.

As I left the office, a single mantra pulsed through my head: I love him, I love him, I love him. Ash, the oblivious object of my growing obsession, was about to become the centerpiece of my world. This 'mentorship' would be far more than he bargained for. Alola would become his stage, and I, his greatest admirer… and perhaps even more.