Continuing up through the mountain, Gold wondered who spent their time to make stairs in the dark dangerous caves. Days after arriving at the foot of the mountain, the wild Pokémon finally understood that Gold couldn't be beaten through easy measures and avoided him as he attempted to get to the summit.
For Gold however, he was nearly ready to leave the barren rock formation. There couldn't be anything special here that they needed to close off the entire area from the public. He's had enough of the swooping Golbat and the never-ending Graveler. Even the legendary Moltres didn't seem as much of a challenge as it should have been.
After checking every single cavern, cliff, and grove at Mount Silver, Gold was absolutely positive that the elusive champion Red wasn't on this godforsaken rock. He's gotten lost more times than he could count on both hands, not that he would admit it.
Typhlosion pulled on his jacket sleeve and eagerly gestured to the wall across the cavern, specifically at one of the exasperatingly familiar holes.
"Typhlosion, we've already checked that tunnel. It leads to another dead end." sighed Gold, but his partner continued to jerk on his coat. Giving in, he let Typhlosion drag him around the giant crater and through the cave entrance and found himself in an unfamiliar corridor.
Now intrigued, Gold stepped further into the new cavern. It didn't look much different from the others. High ceilings with stalactites, but the tunnel abruptly turned off to the left, ending at a possible rock climbing path. Ignoring the likely danger from the teetering rock spires above, he ran to the first boulder and attempted to climb. Seeing his friend's meager attempts at making it up the path, Typhlosion picked Gold up and carried him to the top personally. Gold scratched Typhlosion right behind his ears in appreciation, but abruptly stooped when he saw light through an exit. Gold charged through the stone gateway, suddenly meeting the frigid air from the summit.
Typhlosion warily stepped out of the cave, not wanting to go into the intense hailstorm that his somewhat reckless trainer refused to acknowledge. He accidentally bumped into said trainer as he took in the snow covered world around them. There wasn't much snow in relatively warm Johto.
Gold was too busy staring at the lone figure with a familiar electric mouse on his shoulder to notice Typhlosion right behind him. After all his work traveling across two extensive regions on his own, collecting 16 badges, kicking Team Rocket's butt, and extensive training has finally payed off. Here he was, ready to challenge Red, one of the main reasons he put in so much effort into his journey, and give the champion a real battle. Typhlosion knew what was coming. He was just as eager as his trainer to prove his worth. He roared and best prepared for the experience many Pokémon dream of.
Red slowly turned around and lifted his head just enough so Gold could see the champion's namesake eyes. Both went for a pokéball and released their first Pokémon, thus beginning the standoff.
No words were said, as there was no need for them. They both intended to keep to the well-known saying, "When two trainers' eyes meet, a battle must commence."