Chapter 35
Madness
The next morning, the trainers participating in the tournament were becoming anxious to see who their opponents would be. A computer randomly matched up the trainers against each other, so there were no guarantees on how the first round of the tournament would shape up.
Winona gathered the Hoenn gym leaders together. "This is our chance to really make a statement for Hoenn," she said. "When you battle in this tournament, you're not just battling for yourself; you represent all of Hoenn."
"Trying to put the pressure on us?" Flannery said.
"I just don't want us to be embarrassed," Winona responded.
"Don't worry, you can count on me!" Flannery said energetically.
The other Hoenn gym leaders pledged their best effort, before seeing a group of five gym leaders coming nearby.
"Who are they?" Flannery asked.
"Those look like those Orange Island gym leaders," Wallace said with a hint of disgust in his voice.
"I still can't figure out why the Pokémon League gives them gym leader status," Winona said.
"Why is that?" Flannery asked.
"The Orange League is by far the weakest of any of the leagues," Wallace said. "Those trainers couldn't make it as gym leaders in Hoenn, yet because they are official gym leaders, they get to enter this tournament as well."
"They have laid-back styles of battling and training," Winona said. "They aren't nearly as devoted to Pokémon training as we are. We've seen reports on them on television, and it's clear that they are more into having a good time in the warm weather there than actually trying to become great Pokémon trainers."
"They won't last long in this tournament," Wallace said.
Meanwhile, Silver, Jasmine, Gold, and Whitney were on their way to find out who they would be battling in the first round. Jasmine was silent as usual, but the normally talkative Silver was also not talking, causing Jasmine to wonder what was wrong.
"Silver?" she asked meekly.
Silver did not even turn to face Jasmine, instead staring off into space.
"Silver, this isn't like you," Jasmine said.
"He's afraid of losing," Gold said. "Don't worry about him, he'll snap out of it once he wins a few battles."
Silver turned from silent to enraged. "I'm not scared of anything!" he said angrily to Gold. "The tournament doesn't concern me."
"It's your father," Jasmine said.
Silver looked at the ground. "Yes, it's about him," he said. "I feel like a failure."
"You've been a huge success," Jasmine said. "You stood up to him when he tried to convince you to join him. You've turned your life around. You're no failure, Silver."
"There was one thing I failed at," Silver said. "I needed to turn his life around, and it's too late now."
"Silver, you couldn't live his life for him," Jasmine said. "I'm sorry he's gone… really, there's nothing you could have done."
"There had to have been something," Silver said.
Jasmine grabbed Silver's hands and stared into his eyes.
"Let go," she said softly.
Silver stared silently at Jasmine for a few seconds before beginning to smile, causing Jasmine to smile back at him.
"This is why I love you," Silver said.
"All right, you two, let's go!" Whitney said. "We've got to find out who and when we're battling!"
"All right, all right," Silver said. "Let's get this tournament on!"
The four Johto trainers walked over to a large board on a wall with all the first-round matchups posted. The board listed each person's title, whether they were a gym leader, Elite Four member, or a qualifier who earned eight badges in Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn.
"I'm against Blaine, one of those former Team Rocket executives," Gold said. "That should be interesting."
"I've never even heard of my opponent," Silver said. "Forrest… Pewter City co-gym leader? Who is that?"
"He is apparently the brother of Brock, one of the people who fought with us against Team Rocket," Whitney said. "I'm not even up against a gym leader, but an eight-badge qualifier from Hoenn… Tyson is his name."
"What about you, Jasmine?" Silver asked. "You're against… Rudy? Wow, only you would be that lucky."
"That's not fair," Gold said. "Jasmine gets to go against one of those Orange Island gym leaders- by far the weakest in the tournament."
"We'll see," Jasmine said softly, with a bit of nervousness in her voice.
The four Johto friends all noted their battles were scheduled for later in the day. They decided to head to the stadium anyway to watch the opening ceremony of the tournament and some of the early battles.
About a half hour later, the opening ceremonies took place. Professor Oak, who had arrived from Pallet Town, addressed the crowd, welcoming them to the Pokémon League tournament. After his short speech, Lorelei and Lance spoke to the crowd.
"Every year, we have this tournament to determine the greatest Pokémon trainer in the world," Lorelei said. "We, the Elite Four of Kanto, are pleased to host this tournament here at Indigo Stadium again. But before we begin, I would like to hold a moment of silence for Koga and Pryce, who were killed by Team Rocket."
The crowd went silent for a minute. Aya and Janine sobbed. Gold looked down at the ground, wondering what it would have been like to have known his grandfather.
After a minute, Lorelei announced, "I would like to introduce to everyone the defending champion, Lance!"
The crowd erupted as Lorelei handed her microphone to Lance.
"Thank you," Lance said. "Yes, I did win this tournament last year. But after my win of the championship, I became power-hungry and worked with Team Rocket. I disgraced the position of Pokémon League Champion as well as the position of being a member of the Elite Four. Somehow Lorelei has forgiven me for my turning on her, yet I don't feel right remaining as a member of the Elite Four. That is why I will resign from the Elite Four effective at the end of this tournament."
Many fans in the stadium gasped, as they had become huge supporters of Lance after watching his impressive championship run the year before. Lorelei looked at her boyfriend in disbelief.
"Nevertheless, this tournament is not about me alone," Lance said. "And as the current leader of the Kanto Elite Four until the end of the tournament, I declare this tournament underway!"
Melody had been chosen by the Elite Four to light the flame at the stadium with a torch, the flame of which represented the flame of Moltres. She used her torch to light the flame, causing the fans in the stadium to cheer.
"Lance," Lorelei whispered to him, "think this over. We all want you to remain with the Elite Four."
"I know, but I've made my choice," Lance whispered back.
The two of them walked towards a tunnel in the stadium, finding Agatha standing there.
"Agatha?" Lorelei asked. "I thought you retired."
"Heh, you wanted me to, didn't you?" Agatha said. "I decided one final tournament will be worth it for me. And Lance- why are you giving up your position? I'm sure no one here wants you to leave."
"My decision has been made," Lance said. The three of them then walked into the tunnel, going to prepare for their first-round tournament matchups.
Meanwhile, Jasmine, Silver, Gold, and Whitney sat down in their seats in the stadium, ready to watch the first battles of the opening round. All of them were a bit nervous, although only Jasmine was willing to admit it, and her shyness kept her from saying anything at the moment.
The announcer for the tournament, DJ Mary, spoke to the crowd from her press box, with the stadium's speaker system allowing everyone to hear her. "All battles will be 3-on-3 battles," she said. "No substitution of Pokémon will be allowed."
"Who needs 3-on-3 when your top Pokémon can take out all the rest?" Whitney said, thinking back to her original challenge to Gold.
"Our first battle will be between Morty, gym leader of Ecruteak City, and Ash Ketchum, eight-badge qualifier from Pallet Town!" DJ Mary announced.
"Morty…" Whitney said, with a bit of anger in her voice.
"What is it about him?" Gold asked.
"He thinks he's so much better than us girl trainers," Whitney said. "I wish I could show him that's not the case."
Ash and Morty walked to their positions on the battlefield. They both then reached for their first Poké Ball.
"Charizard, go!" Ash said, sending out his Charizard.
"I choose Gengar!" Morty said.
As the battle began, the four Johto trainers were interrupted by a girl who walked in front of them.
"Hey, move it!" Silver said angrily.
"Sorry," the girl in front of Silver said. "Hey, Jasmine, how are you?"
"Hi, Janine," Jasmine said, recognizing the girl as Koga's daughter. "We're watching these battles before our matches later."
"My match is much later too," said Janine, stepping out of Silver's way. "My aunt Aya is going to battle soon, and I want to watch her. It's been as tough on her as it has been on me, but I'm so glad Giovanni's gone."
Silver immediately gave Janine an angry glare. Jasmine noticed Silver's uneasiness with Janine's comment.
"I wish you good luck," Jasmine said, hoping to change the subject.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to sit in this seat here and watch my aunt's battle, which is next," Janine said, pointing to the seat next to Silver. "This section is reserved for all tournament participants, and I figured I'd sit here."
"Aren't there a lot of other seats?" Silver said.
"Excuse me?" Janine said.
"Look, I don't want anyone sitting here," Silver said.
"Why not?" Janine asked indignantly.
"I… just don't," Silver said.
"It's me," Janine said. "You're mad at me. Why?"
"Giovanni was my father, and whether you hated him or not, that's who he was, and I still think I could have helped him turn his life around, as I did," Silver said.
Upon hearing this, Janine became angry as well.
"Giovanni? The man who killed my father?" Janine said. "You're his son? No wonder you're so despicable!"
"I'm not like him," Silver said. "At least, not anymore."
"I don't want to sit by someone who carries the legacy of such a terrible man!" Janine said, walking away angrily.
Silver turned his eyes downward, looking at the ground in silence. Giovanni wanted him to carry on his legacy. And whether he liked it or not, he was linked to his father and his father's evil misdeeds.
"She's going through grief," Jasmine said softly to Silver. "Don't take those words to heart."
"They're true!" Silver said angrily, his eyes tearing up while his face turned red. He stood up, about to walk away. "I can't bear my father's burden."
"You don't have to," Jasmine said, springing to her feet. "You may have faults, but your heart is in the right place. I know that my Silver is not just another Giovanni waiting to happen."
Silver stood still, trying to hide his face from Jasmine, as he did not want her to see his watery eyes. "I know it hurts every time someone brings him up," Jasmine said. "I wish I could do something about it, but-"
Silver looked at Jasmine, grabbed her right hand and squeezed it tight. "You can," Silver said. "Just stay loyal to me."
Jasmine smiled at Silver. "You know I will," she said. "As long as I live."
The two sat back down, and Silver kissed Jasmine on the lips.
"Aren't they so romantic?" Whitney asked Gold.
"Yeah, sure," Gold said. "But they're missing a great battle."
Gengar managed to knock out Ash's Charizard, but Ash sent in Snorlax, which took out Gengar and Morty's second Pokémon, Gastly. Morty was down to his last Pokémon, Haunter, but with a powerful Psychic attack, it caused Snorlax to faint.
"Snorlax, return!" Ash said. "Are you ready, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded energetically.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.
Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt towards Haunter. Haunter tried using a Psychic attack to redirect the Thunderbolt, but it did not work, and Haunter took the full force of the attack.
"Haunter, cast a Hypnosis spell on Pikachu!" Morty said.
"Quick, Pikachu, use Thunder before Haunter puts you to sleep!" Ash said.
Haunter began to cast its Hypnosis spell, but Pikachu was too quick with its Thunder attack, and the Thunder attack knocked out Haunter.
"Haunter is unable to battle!" DJ Mary said. "Morty is out of usable Pokémon! The battle goes to Ash!"
"Yes!" Ash said, running off the battlefield with Pikachu in celebration.
Morty walked away in frustration, realizing his arrogant boasts about being better than the female Johto leaders had not been backed up by his performance.
"Good to see him out of the tournament," Whitney said.
"Our next battle is between Sakura, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Aya, co-leader of the Fuchsia Gym!" DJ Mary announced.
The crowd cheered for the competitors, with Silver noticing a certain loud cheer coming from behind him. He looked up several rows to see Janine cheering. He then bristled with anger.
"Relax," Jasmine said calmly to Silver, putting her right hand on his left hand. Silver turned back to watch the battle.
"Espeon, go!" Sakura said.
"Go, Venomoth!" Aya said.
Espeon stared down Venomoth, with both trainers looking determined to win.
"Espeon, blast a Psychic attack at Venomoth!" Sakura said.
"Use Poisonpowder!" Aya said.
Espeon's Psychic blast was so strong that it not only took the Poisonpowder away from Espeon, but it also knocked out Venomoth in one hit!
"Good work, Espeon!" said Sakura.
"Venomoth, return," said Aya. "For my next Pokémon, I choose Venonat!"
"Psychic again, Espeon!" Sakura yelled.
The result was the same. Before Venonat could do anything, Espeon wiped it out with one massive blow.
"Looks like a first-round mismatch here," Whitney said.
Aya looked upset. She realized her Poison-type Pokémon stood no chance against Sakura's Espeon, but with no other types of Pokémon, she had no choice but to keep using them. "Go, Weezing!" she said.
"Espeon, use Psychic one more time!" Sakura said.
"Weezing, use Toxic!" Aya said.
Aya then saw an all-too-familiar sight: Espeon's Psychic attack completely wiping out her Weezing, even deflecting its attack.
"Weezing is unable to battle! The match goes to Sakura!" DJ Mary announced.
"Good job, Espeon!" Sakura said, embracing Espeon. She then had Espeon return to its Poké Ball before walking off the battlefield.
Aya, meanwhile, looked distraught. "I have failed you, Koga," she whispered. Then she slowly walked away.
"Have you ever seen such a lopsided battle?" Gold asked Whitney.
"There are usually quite a few of them in the first round of this tournament," Whitney said. "In fact, my Miltank took out all three of my opponent's Pokémon in the first two rounds last year."
"How far did you make it?" Gold asked.
"I made it to the third round, the round of sixteen," Whitney said. "I then faced Jasmine, and she easily won."
"You must be pretty good," Gold said to Jasmine.
Jasmine simply smiled, remaining silent.
"You'd better believe she's good!" Silver said to Gold. "Why would you think otherwise?"
"I wasn't-"
"Yeah, you better not say anything against my Jasmine," Silver said. "This girl means a lot to me."
The reserved Jasmine simply stayed quiet, knowing that although she did not like Silver's attitude towards Gold, she knew Silver meant it as a compliment to her.
"Our next battle will be between Richie, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Violet, co-leader of the Cerulean Gym!" DJ Mary announced.
Many fans in the stadium groaned, including Misty, who was waiting for her upcoming battle. She knew that Violet was not here for the purpose of trying to win, but merely to get easy money for appearing in the tournament. It was an embarrassment to her city, she thought. Most other fans also knew of the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City, knowing them to be great at putting on shows, but not as good battlers.
Richie walked across the battlefield to greet Violet before their match.
"Ooh, you're a cutie!" Violet said.
"Uh, good luck," Richie said.
"Like, want to go on a date after our battle?" Violet said.
She is a pretty girl, but I'm too focused on winning this tournament, and after I win, I've got to train more, Richie thought. But I guess after I beat her, she'll be sad, and I could help her feel better.
"Okay," Richie said nervously.
"Now, let's, like, battle!" Violet said.
The two went to their starting positions. Figuring Violet was new to battling at these tournaments, Richie purposely paused to let Violet throw out her Poké Ball first, so he would know its type.
"Okay, go, Dewgong!" Violet said.
Just as I thought, a Water type, Richie thought. "Are you ready, Sparky?" Richie said.
"Pikachu," Sparky said.
"Sparky, use Thunderbolt!" Richie said.
Sparky shot a Thunderbolt attack at Dewgong, as Violet struggled to think of what attack to use. The Thunderbolt attack took Dewgong out in no time.
"Oh, Dewgong, are you okay?" Violet asked.
"Dewgong," the exhausted Pokémon replied.
"Return," Violet said. "Go, Seaking!"
"Another Thunderbolt!" Richie said.
"Uh, use that horn of yours!" Violet said frantically.
As Sparky charged up another Thunderbolt attack, Seaking used its Horn Drill attack on Sparky, knocking it out with one hit!
"Huh?" Richie said.
"Ooh, you're good, Seaking!" Violet said.
Luck, thought Richie. Lightning never strikes the same place twice, and neither do those 1-hit KOs.
"Go, Happy!" Richie said, sending out his Butterfree.
"Try that again!" Violet said.
"Use Confusion!" Richie said.
Happy's Confusion attack hurt Seaking and prevented it from having its Horn Drill attack work.
"Now, use Psybeam!" Richie said.
Happy shot a Psybeam at Seaking, taking it out.
"Aww…" Violet said. "I have one more, though. Go, Starmie!"
Violet sent out her Starmie, not knowing what attacks it knew. She hoped Starmie would somehow figure out what to do on its own.
"I'll let you make the first move," Richie said, thinking up a strategy. "Have your Starmie attack."
Violet sat there puzzled. It was soon clear to everyone that she did not know Starmie's attacks. The crowd started to laugh. Misty then stood up and started screaming.
"Violet! I can't believe this! You're embarrassing Cerulean City in front of everyone!" Misty yelled.
Violet saw Misty yelling at her and walked over towards where she was sitting, trying to talk to her. "Like, Mist, I'm trying to battle right now."
The crowd booed, while Violet tried talking to Misty, although Misty could not hear her over the crowd. Misty then pointed back towards the battlefield, where Butterfree was shooting a Psybeam towards Starmie.
"Hey, like, that's not fair!" Violet said.
"The battle was never paused for you to have a conversation," DJ Mary said. "Continue battling!"
The Psybeam attack did little damage to Starmie, however. Instead, it got Starmie upset, and Starmie used one of its attacks, its Thunder attack.
"Happy!" Richie yelled, seeing Starmie's Thunder attack knock his Butterfree out.
Misty sat down, while the crowd began to cheer. "Pokémon sometimes attack on their own if their trainers stink," she said softly. "Violet got lucky there."
If she doesn't know what attacks Starmie knows, but Starmie attacked with electricity, then there's no use using a Flying-type, Richie said to himself. "Go, Zippo!" he yelled, sending out his Charmeleon.
"Ooh, a scary Pokémon!" Violet said. "Wait, its tail is, like, on fire! Put it out, Starmie!"
Starmie shot a Hydro Pump attack at Charmeleon, which easily knocked it out, right as Richie was about to order Charmeleon to attack. The crowd erupted into cheers, realizing what a huge upset had just occurred. Richie stood there, stunned. Violet jumped up and down, celebrating. Misty crossed her arms and sulked.
"My sisters have all the luck," she said angrily.
"Yeah, I am, like, the winner," Violet said, having her Starmie return. "How about that date now?"
Richie angrily walked away from Violet, giving her no response. He walked towards the stadium tunnel and disappeared.
"He wasn't that cute anyway," Violet said, then began to laugh as she walked off the battlefield. "Misty thinks I'm not that good, but I must be good!"
"Our next battle is between Azalea Town gym leader Bugsy and Hoenn Elite Four champion Steven!" DJ Mary announced.
"Another one of ours is battling," Whitney said, referring to the fact that Bugsy was a Johto gym leader.
"We've got to root for Bugsy," Jasmine said. "He isn't arrogant like some of the other gym leaders in Johto."
"Yeah, but that's probably because he stinks," Gold said.
"Gold!" Whitney said. "That's not very nice!"
"I battled him, and I easily beat him," Gold said. "He's got no chance."
Steven sent out his Metagross against Bugsy's Metapod. When Whitney and Jasmine saw this, they both gasped, while Silver and Gold laughed.
"This is actually sort of sad," Silver said. "It makes Johto look like a joke."
Metapod tried a Tackle attack against Metagross, but merely bounced off the Steel-type Pokémon. Metagross then attacked Metapod with a Take Down attack, hurting it quite a bit.
"I told you Bugsy wasn't very good," Gold said, watching Metagross wipe out Metapod.
"You weren't lying," Whitney said, nervously watching as Bugsy sent out his Spinarak.
"It's always better if you see more of your opponent's Pokémon," Jasmine said. "But if Bugsy does poorly, we won't see more than one of Steven's Pokémon."
The four Johto friends watched as Metagross attacked Spinarak brutally, with Spinarak giving virtually no resistance before getting knocked out.
"I almost wonder why Bugsy even showed up," Silver said.
"Perhaps he hoped to face an all-Psychic team," Gold replied.
Bugsy sent out his Scyther and had it try a Slash attack, but that attack was also useless. Metagross continued hitting Scyther with harsh physical strikes before finally delivering the final blow.
"Scyther is unable to battle. The battle goes to Steven!" DJ Mary announced.
The scoreboard showed records of the different areas of the Pokémon world, with Kanto at 3-2, Hoenn at 1-0, and Johto at 0-2, with the Orange Islands yet to have a member battle.
"I can't wait to change that scoreboard in our favor," Silver said.
"Our next battle is between Kanto Elite Four member Bruno and Mauville City gym leader Wattson!" DJ Mary announced.
Bruno and Wattson walked out on to their places on the battlefield. Bruno then sent out his Onix, while Wattson sent out his Manectric.
"I don't know much about these Hoenn trainers," Jasmine said. "Is this Wattson a trainer of Electric types?"
"He must be," Silver said. "No one would be stupid enough to send out an Electric type against a Ground type unless they have no other types of Pokémon."
The four Johto friends watched as Bruno's Onix used an Earthquake attack on Wattson's Manectric, knocking it out easily.
"Return, Manectric," Wattson said. "Go, Magneton!"
The Johto trainers looked at each other, shaking their heads.
"How did this guy become a gym leader?" Gold asked.
"Probably the same way you did," Silver said.
"Silver!" Jasmine scolded.
Wattson's Magneton was knocked out just as easily. Wattson retrieved his Magneton and sent out his Magnemite, causing the crowd to groan.
"He got really unlucky to face a Ground-type Pokémon in the first round," Gold said.
Magnemite tried using a Sonicboom attack, but it was not nearly effective enough. Onix took out Magnemite with little trouble.
"Magnemite is unable to battle. The match goes to Bruno!" DJ Mary announced.
The crowd cheered loudly for Bruno, as the Kanto Elite Four were very popular.
"If Bruno wasn't an Elite Four member, there would be no reason to cheer for him," Silver said. "Any trainer with a Ground-type Pokémon would have won that battle easily."
"Wattson should have brought some other Pokémon besides all Electric-types," Gold said.
"Maybe there just are all Electric-types around his home, and he doesn't like to travel," said Whitney.
"Our next battle is between Dewford Gym Leader Brawly and Hoenn Elite Four member Drake!" DJ Mary announced.
While the two trainers got ready for their battle, Silver noticed that Jasmine seemed to have a very nervous look on her face.
"Are you okay?" Silver asked.
Jasmine nodded her head, keeping silent.
"You seem nervous. What is it?" Silver asked.
"I don't like battling in this sort of atmosphere," Jasmine said. "I prefer my small gym, where no one's around except for the opposing trainer."
"There's nothing to be nervous about," Silver said. "You'll be fine."
Jasmine just looked down, not responding. Silver then grasped her hand.
"Come on, let's go walk around the stadium," Silver said. "I'll get your mind off the huge crowd."
Jasmine got up with Silver, and the two walked out of the seating area. Whitney and Gold stared at them, wondering where they were going. The battle began, and they then turned around to watch the battle. Silver took Jasmine aside to have a private talk with her.
"What's the matter?" Silver asked. "Something's really troubling you, I can tell. You're a great trainer. You won that battle against Gold and Whitney for me. What have you got to worry about?"
Jasmine looked down, not responding.
"It's not the battle, or even the large crowd, is it?" Silver said.
Jasmine shook her head.
"Then what is it?" Silver said. "Please tell me. You know you can trust me. If you hurt, I hurt."
"You're so thoughtful," Jasmine said. "Silver, I hate to think of what my life would be like without you. I remember being so lonely…"
"But we met," Silver said. "You've changed me from being a completely self-focused idiot to… well, an idiot, but no longer a selfish one."
Jasmine laughed. "And only you know how to make me open up and talk," she said. "But a word that Whitney said really made me nervous."
"What was it?" Silver asked.
"Home," Jasmine said. "You see, I'm planning on returning back home after this tournament. I'm still a gym leader, and I want to go back to being the lighthouse keeper. What are you going to do after this tournament?"
"I haven't really thought about it," Silver said. "I don't know."
"You told me your parents abandoned you and all about your past, but you never told me where you live," Jasmine said. "Where do you live?"
"I don't have a home," Silver said. "When I started Pokémon training, I ran away from the place where I was being taken care of, then stole a Pokémon from Professor Elm… I've been either on the run or traveling ever since."
"But after this tournament your journey will be over," Jasmine said. "Your goal was to make it to this tournament, but now that you're here, what are you going to do?"
Silver paused. "I don't know why I never thought about the future," he said. "I was so focused on this tournament for these past few days… and before I met you, I was always just wanting to be better than Gold."
Jasmine looked down. "I'm nervous that you're going to leave me, that we're going to be separated for a long time," she said. "But I don't want to hold back your dreams."
"We must have the same dreams, then," Silver said. "Because my dream is to be with you forever. And if you are going to Olivine City, so am I. I'll buy a home there."
Jasmine smiled warmly at Silver. The two of them then shared a kiss.
"Shall we go back to our seats?" Silver asked.
"Sure," Jasmine said, taking Silver's right hand. The two then slowly walked together back to their seats.