Welcome to Sinnoh (It's been waiting for you) (Patreon)

A request for Loor! She wanted something pokemon related, particularly Sinnoh. I hope you enjoy it! Our Winner for May is Steph! Please contact me with your request at your earliest convenience <3

When Ren first became Johto’s champion, she hadn’t expected to immediately leave Indigo Plateau to be reintroduced to the gym leaders that she’d just spent a year defeating (though the look of irritation on Chuck’s face was worth it). And then after that was a whirlwind press tour of Kanto because of course she had to meet the gym leaders and elite of Johto’s sister region.

Though saying she ‘met’ Red felt like a stretch. He acknowledged her with a nod and that had been about it. At least that final interaction with Kanto’s league was short and Ren could finally get back to Johto where she belonged.

And then three months later -- without a single challenger, mind you -- she was whisked away to Sinnoh, where the yearly League Conference was taking place. And of course she couldn’t just go straight to the meeting place at Sinnoh’s Pokemon League -- and it did strike her as odd that it wasn’t given a different place name like Johto or Hoenn -- but needed, once again, to go on a region-wide tour. Though she could appreciate the beauty of Florama Town, and the lakes of Valor, Verity, and Acuity, only her Lapras was comfortable with the freezing temperatures of Snowpoint City. Not even the heat of her Typhlosion could keep Ren comfortable for long. Johto was far warmer than Sinnoh on the whole, even in Mahogany Town and Blackthorn City, or the Ice Path that connected the two.

When she and her elite were finally brought to the Sinnoh League’s gothic palace, Ren couldn’t help but feel a little bit of awe. So long had the Johto League been overshadowed by their sister league in Kanto, going so far as to exist on the same -- albeit very large -- plateau that Ren hadn’t even considered such opulence. Perhaps it was time to move the Johto League to a place all its own.

The Sinnoh League attendants led them through the building, past the small slivers the challengers and tourists saw into the inner workings of the palace. Long hallways lined with stained glass depictions of the region’s legends drew Ren and her elite ever deeper until they reached a set of large, almost ominous double doors. They opened, revealing a cavernous hall filled with tables and people.

The Council of the Elites. And at the front of the hall, on a raised platform, sat the Champions.

Ren breathed deeply to steady herself as every eye in the room turned towards her. Red flashed her the smallest of smiles, and gave her a nod -- his approval, and his support.

Cynthia, Sinnoh’s Champion, seated at the highest place, stood. She smiled down at Ren as the new champion approached, and it felt like a challenge.

“Welcome, Tsukino Ren,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”