Chapter 53

Since the Pokémon League was going to be starting soon, Chase and his friends had traveled to Viridian City. Silver wanted to check up on the Gym while they were there since it had been left in his hands.

When the trio approached the Viridian Gym, they were surprised to see two people standing outside its front doors.

"Looks like there are some challengers," Silver observed.

Turns out the two were Bill and Celio. When they noticed Chase, Jason, and Silver coming towards them, they waved.

"Hey, guys!" Bill greeted them.

"Hi there, Bill," said Jason. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Celio. He's a computer programmer."

"Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Jason."

"And I'm Silver."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Celio replied as he shook Jason and Silver's hands. "Hi, Chase!"

"Hello!"

"So, how has your journey been going since I last saw you?"

"I was able to get all eight Badges. But, more importantly, how have you been?"

"Oh, I've gotten interested in politics lately. Other than that, not much."

"Okay. And Bill, how goes your Badge quest?"

"Well, I still need one more. If you haven't already guessed, I'm missing the Earth Badge. But it doesn't look like I'll be getting it today, though; the Gym Leader seems to have left."

"You're in luck," Silver responded. "The Gym Leader's right here."

"Where?"

"You're looking at him."

"You?"

"Yeah. My father left the duty to me."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Celio exclaimed.

"All right. Silver, I challenge you to a Gym battle!"

Everyone filed into the Gym. It looked completely untouched from a few days ago. Silver went to his area while Bill stood on the end near the entrance. Celio, Jason, and Chase stood on the sidelines and waited in anticipation.

Silver sent out Meganium, and Bill released his Alakazam. The redheaded Gym Leader gave Bill the first turn.

"Use Substitute!" the computer programmer called.

Alakazam suddenly disappeared. In its place was a large stuffed doll that looked like a dinosaur. Silver and Meganium raised an eyebrow at this.

"Meganium, use Razor Leaf!"

The Grass-type shot a stream of sharp leaves at the stuffed animal. Upon being hit, it bounced up and down, having taken the damage for Alakazam.

Suddenly, Bill's Pokémon reappeared. "Use Calm Mind!" the Trainer instructed. Alakazam closed its eyes and relaxed. By doing this, its Special Attack and Special Defense were raised. Then, as quickly as it had reappeared, Alakazam disappeared, leaving the doll in its place once again.

"Use Razor Leaf again!" Silver shouted.

Meganium's leaves hit the Substitute, but like before, it took the damage for Alakazam.

"Calm Mind once more!" exclaimed Bill as his Pokémon became visible again. The Psychic-type closed its eyes and raised its Special Attack and Special Defense for a second time, then vanished behind the veil of its Substitute.

"Meganium! Use Body Slam!"

The Herb Pokémon ran forward and tackled the inanimate object, sending it bouncing across the floor. In a puff of smoke, it disappeared, and Alakazam returned.

Without missing a beat, Bill commanded, "Use Psychic!"

Alakazam's irises glowed light blue, then Meganium was thrown against a wall with tremendous force. The Gym Leader's Pokémon fell to the ground and lied there with swirls in its eyes.

Silver thanked and returned his incapacitated friend. Then, he plucked another Poké Ball from his belt, knowing exactly which Pokémon to send out next.

Silver's Weavile took form on the battlefield. Bill, knowing he was at a disadvantage, returned his Alakazam and switched to his Flareon. Because he did this, Silver got the first turn.

"Use Night Slash!"

Weavile bounded towards its opponent and swiped it with claws glowing of dark energy. Flareon jerked back and yelped, but then retaliated and used Flamethrower. Silver's Dark-, Ice-type tried to jump out of the way, but its left hand was caught in the fire. Weavile retreated a good distance away and held its burnt hand with the other.

"Weavile, use Brick Break!" Silver commanded firmly.

The Sharp Claw Pokémon's right hand glowed with white light this time, and it ran up to Bill's Fire-type again.

"Use Protect!" Bill cried as Weavile thrust its arm down upon Flareon. A dome of green energy appeared around it, shielding the Flame Pokémon from the blow.

The Dark-type leaped back to Silver's side of the field before its opponent could sear its other hand. The Protect faded away, and Weavile flanked to the left. It hopped off the ground and executed a downward blow with Brick Break. Flareon split in two, and then the copies split again, eventually surrounding Weavile in a circle; the Flareon it attacked had disappeared.

Bill's Pokémon had used Double Team. The Ice-type looked around, bewildered. Before it could differentiate the real Flareon from all the fakes, Bill commanded with a grin, "Flareon, use Dig!"

One of the Fire-types hurriedly burrowed into the ground. Weavile ran up to the hole and peered down into it, only seeing darkness. Silver's Pokémon then turned around to see Flareon jump out of another hole. The Flame Pokémon smacked its adversary in the head, and Weavile fell on its back, unconscious.

Silver once again returned his fallen comrade as he thanked it for doing such a great job. Then, he released his own Alakazam.

Bill decided to keep Flareon in the battle for now and called to it, "Use Dig!"

The Fire-type obeyed and dug its way into the earth again. Silver's Psychic-type closed its eyes and listened. By the time Flareon had come out of the ground to attack, Alakazam was already using Psychic; it grabbed Bill's Pokémon in midair and held it there.

"Now!" exclaimed Silver.

Alakazam moved its hand down, slamming Flareon into the ground. When the dust settled, Bill looked sadly at his unconscious partner lying motionlessly with swirls in its eyes.

Bill returned Flareon, thanking it for doing its best. Next, he picked another Poké Ball off of his belt and released a Laprus. The large Water-, Ice-type Pokémon was blue in color with a gray shell on its back and a long neck.

"Alakazam! Use Psychic!"

The Psi Pokémon began to execute its move, but Bill instructed Laprus to use Ice Beam. It launched a light blue-colored ray of energy at Alakazam, who held out its hand to block the attack. It hit and encased the Pokémon's whole arm in ice.

"Water Pulse!" Bill commanded. Laprus opened its mouth and made a ball of water, then sent it flying at Alakazam, landing another hit.

"Energy Ball!" Silver shouted anxiously.

Alakazam made a ball of green energy float in front of its one good hand. Next, the sphere was shot at Laprus. The Transport Pokémon could not move fast enough to dodge the incoming attack. Alakazam's Energy Ball exploded upon impact; green light illuminated the stadium for a moment, then they saw that Laprus had been knocked out.

Bill thanked his Pokémon, returned it, and sent out his Alakazam. When Bill called for an attack, Silver was ready. As soon as Bill's Alakazam used Substitute, the green dinosaur appeared to shield its user from any attacks.

"Energy Ball!"

Silver's Alakazam launched another green sphere towards the doll. When it exploded, the Substitute was flung across the ground. When it came to a rest, Bill's Psychic-type appeared and used Calm Mind, then disappeared again.

Silver told his Pokémon to use Energy Ball one more time. The force of the attack was enough to make the Substitute go up in a puff of white smoke, returning the foe Alakazam to the battle.

"Signal Beam!" cried Bill. His Pokémon shot a multicolored shaft of light from its spoons at the Gym Leader's Alakazam.

"Hold it with Psychic!" Silver countered.

The Signal Beam was stopped and held just a few feet in front of Alakazam. Light blue energy outlined it, the Psi Pokémon's irises glowing the same color. Bill's Alakazam started to increase the power of the blast, putting more and more pressure on its foe's mental prowess.

Silver's Pokémon tried its best to hold back the attack, but it wasn't strong enough, and the Signal Beam broke free of its grasp. Alakazam was hit in the chest and fell on its back, swirls in its eyes.

The young Gym Leader returned his Pokémon after thanking it and placed its Poké Ball back on his belt.

"Congratulations, Bill!" Silver shouted happily.

"Thank you!" he responded.

Silver entered the door behind him and came back a minute later holding a green, leaf-shaped Badge. He met the victor in the middle of the ring and handed it to him.

"That was a great battle. It is my pleasure to award you the Earth Badge."

"Thank you. I had a lot of fun."

"You pulled off some pretty impressive strategies. Would you mind teaching some of them to me one day?"

Bill smiled. "Not at all."

"All right!" said Chase. "Great match!"

"Yeah, it was so suspenseful!" added Jason.

"Bill! I can't believe how good you've become!" Celio commented.

"Oh, c'mon. I'm not that good," Bill chuckled.

The group walked out of the Gym with Silver locking the door behind them. Then, they headed towards the Pokémon Center to heal Silver's and Bill's Pokémon, and to get some rest themselves.

After a while, Silver stood up from the chair he was sitting in and made sure he had everything. Chase looked on in confusion and asked, "Where are you going?"

"My father requested I do something for him in the letter he left," the redhead explained, "so I'd better be going."

"What about the Pokémon League?"

"I promise I'll meet you all there. Now, I'm not going to be around to tend to the Gym, so I need someone to do it for me. There was a person who was filling in for my father before. Maybe we can get a hold of him again."

"You're talking about Gary Oak, right?" Bill interjected.

"Yeah."

"Well, we can call Professor Oak and ask him about it. He's Gary's grandfather, after all."

Everyone huddled around a TV phone as Chase called the professor. Samuel Oak answered within moments and said, "Why, hello there, Chase! I haven't spoken to you in quite some time!"

"Hello, Professor!" the Trainer replied.

"Oh, and who are these people?"

"These are my friends: Silver, Jason, Bill, and Celio. Silver wanted to get a hold of you and ask a question."

"Sure! I'm all ears."

Chase moved so Silver could sit down at the desk. He held the receiver to his ear and said, "I was wondering if your grandson could fill in as the Viridian Gym Leader again. My father is Giovanni, and we have no one who can stay and watch the Gym for us."

"Well, I'm certain he'd love to help out again! Gary has been staying with me since he returned from Sinnoh. He stepped out to run an errand, but he'll be back soon, so I'll let him know. If you don't hear from us, he'll be able to fill in for you."

"Thank you, Professor! We better let you go. Talk to you later!"

"Okay. Goodbye!"

Both of them hung up. Silver turned to his friends and smiled, knowing that the Viridian Gym would be taken good care of. The redhead then bid them all farewell and went on his way.

Silver journeyed up into the mountainous region of the Kanto-Johto border, and eventually reached one of the secret entrances of the Mt. Silver base. Once inside, Silver signed in at the guard post there and walked down a narrow hallway leading deeper into the center of operations. Upon turning a corner, he bumped into someone.

"Will you watch where you're going!" the Rocket member exclaimed angrily. "Oh, S-Silver! Sorry, I didn't recognize you!"

"Hello, Butch!" the Trainer replied gladly.

"Where've you been? I've had no one to talk to."

"What, did everyone up and disappear?"

"I wish. But, sadly, that isn't the case."

"Here, I have a letter for you from Giovanni."

"Is it my pink slip?"

"No, I don't think so." He handed Butch the envelope and continued, "You've been with Team Rocket for a long time, and I know my father appreciates your hard work."

Butch looked at the letter with wide eyes. Then he jumped for joy, exclaiming, "I can't believe it! I got a promotion! I'm not dreaming, am I?" He pinched himself and muttered, "Ouch," then resumed celebrating.

"My father had only good things to say about you. So, anyway, I need to pass envelopes along to Art and Anthony. Come along with me, Mr. Executive."

"I like the sound of that," Butch chuckled. "And thanks, Silver."

"You're welcome."

The two walked down the hall until they found Professor Nelson working in his laboratory with Art. Now all four of them were alone in a secure room.

Silver handed the two Nelsons their letters. Giovanni had written that Anthony would be coordinating Team Rocket's projects, and Art and Butch would look after the team's affairs in their respective departments.

"How long is Giovanni going to be away?" Anthony asked.

"I don't know," replied Silver.

"What is going on in Giovanni's head?" the younger purple-haired man grumbled.

"You sound almost upset," Silver quipped. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Silver's right," Nelson said to his grandson. "We just need to do our best until Giovanni returns. We will keep everything in order and continue with his programs."

"I understand," Art agreed.

"Okay, is everyone on the same page?" The three others replied yes. "Then it's settled. Now, I have other business to attend to, so I must leave."

Silver excused himself and left the room. Then, he made his way out of the base and went to the northeast, heading to the Indigo Plateau, the place where the Pokémon League was going to be held. Meanwhile, Chase, Jason, Bill, and Celio had started on their way to the Pokémon League's headquarters, as well.

The next day, after wandering through the cavern named Victory Road, the four friends had reached Indigo Plateau, having met up with Silver along the way.

Chase and Bill spoke with the local Nurse Joy at a counter inside the League's main building. After seeing their Pokédexes and registering their Pokémon, she signed the two Trainers up for the competition, handing them passes to wear around their necks, and the group was assigned a cabin to stay in for the next few days.

Their cabin was made of logs. It had many separate bedrooms and a kitchen. The living room was large and came fully furnished, and there was a staircase leading up to the loft.

When they got to their quarters, Jason was the first to stretch out on the couch. Bill and Celio got onto their laptops, and Chase and Silver began talking about strategies for Pokémon battles.

They stayed there until it was time to see the runner carrying the Flame of Moltres to Indigo Stadium, a tradition that had been kept for many years. People lined the streets to see the runner, a fellow competitor in the tournament.

Bill, Celio, Jason, Silver, and Chase found a spot to watch up the road from where the torchbearer was. When he approached and saw Bill, he recognized the computer programmer as a competitor and handed him the torch. Bill was taken by surprise.

"Here, I'm supposed to pass this torch on to someone else that is competing. All you need to do is carry it the rest of the way to the stadium."

"What? No, I couldn't," he insisted.

"Sure you can! I've been carrying this flame long enough."

Bill hesitantly took it, and then he, along with his friends, jogged up the road to the stadium. People cheered and clapped as they passed by.

Soon, Bill handed the Flame of Moltres to Chase, who carried it into the stadium, where he encouraged his friends to all put a hand on it and held it up for everyone to see. The president of the Pokémon League Torch Committee walked up, thanked them, and took the torch.

Chase and his friends were amazed at what had happened. After the ceremony was over, they returned to their cabin, where they discussed how exciting it was to have carried the Flame of Moltres into Indigo Stadium.

The next day, the Pokémon League was to officially begin, and Bill and Chase couldn't wait.

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