Well... the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. 108 years of curses, bad luck, demons, and so on were exercised. Seriously, can you imagine not winning a championship for 108 years!? I'm not even a Cubs fan but that blows my mind. Now if I could only wait 108 years before I have to pay off my student loans lol. Luckily for you guys, you didn't have to wait that long for this chapter. *ba dum tissss* Now that the bad jokes are out of the way, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.


Chapter 54- Gloria & Aftermath

There comes a point where you must accept the fact that hard work and preparation can all go down the drain because you need to risk something. As Umbreon chose to attack instead of heal, I realized how dumb I was to throw Gyarados away to a Raichu when I maybe could've toughed it out by choosing Umbreon. Espeon didn't need to stay in against her Gyarados, Ampharos should've been called back immediately against Dugtrio, I almost let Furret get sucked into its fissure too, and then putting all the pressure on Umbreon to finish. Although he didn't seem to mind, it hurt me that I put him in a tough spot when I first called on him.

Seeing him in action against Scizor changed my mind though. He's so locked in when battling that he doesn't look like he feels the pressure of the situation; all he wants to do is win. No trying to dodge any more than what I say, no second guessing, and he's not afraid to go head-first despite the chance of a wrong attack. If he had gone for Moonlight, then we would've probably lost in the long run. Allison had zero reason to make her Scizor any faster down the line after it used Agility three times and Umbreon has been hitting his hardest with Faint Attack every time. The collision was the most cringeworthy thing I've seen; even surpassing what I saw in Olivine. At those speeds, it was amazing that he didn't shatter any bones or flat out die.

"Come on Umbreon! You've worked so hard to get to this point! You're almost at the top Umbreon!"

I've never screamed so hard in my life as I tried to rally him to stand and finish what Tom started. He rose and howled for what seemed like an eternity only stopping just before the referee announced that he had won. The scoreboard made my picture bigger and flashed my team below the winning banner; we did it. We won the whole fucking thing. I sprinted to Umbreon jumping and swinging my fist, screaming in pure joy at the effort everyone gave today. He collapsed into my arms as I kneeled next to him.

"You did it Umbreon!" I practically squealed with my voice being worn out. I did my best to hold him but everywhere I touched made him wince or moan. "We'll have plenty of time for hugging later. Get some rest now." He snuck in a smile as the beam brought him back safely. Allison had turned to walk to her tunnel with a smirk as the crowd's roar reverberated around the stadium and into the night sky. Every second felt like an hour when no signs of it stopping anytime soon.

All my friends in the press box were jumping for joy while the gym leaders in the executive suite kept a poker face… except for Jasmine. Her hand covered her mouth while a few tears of joy fell from her eyes. She opened the door for a few more leaders to at least nod in approval. The referee was replaced with Mr. Goodshow holding the trophy.

The old trophy was a gold stand resembling a twisting tree trunk with a Poké ball on top until it was replaced by a thinner stand with a set of wings protruding out from the center about halfway up the stand; the ball remained on the top. One artist's representation of Ho-Oh's wing and the other one of Lugia's was used since nobody had seen them in at least 150 years. I had to believe that someone saw them but kept it to themselves.

"Congratulations Mitch," the chairman opened with after he was handed a microphone. "You overcame all the obstacles in your way to get to this point. The fighting spirit you've shown and the bond you shared with your Pokémon has earned you and your team a place in Silver Conference history, Johto history, and Pokémon history for generations to come. On behalf of the Pokémon League… I hereby present you with this trophy as proof of your victory here tonight. Congratulations on becoming the Silver Conference Champion!" Cheering continued to come from the crowd while I held it up.

"Now as the winner of the Silver Conference, you have earned the right to challenge the Elite Four by the beginning of next year's tournament. Enjoy your win tonight; you've earned it!" The walk back to my tunnel was so satisfying as I held onto the trophy all the way to the press conference doors.

Ashley held a big grin. "Congrats Mitch! I don't know how you did it, but you did it!"

"Me neither" I joked back. "But I really do need to talk to you after this. It's something I'd rather not address in there but I could do it. Also, get a nurse with a portable healing machine. I'm not going in there until my team feels better than they are now."

She was uneasy. "Okay. I'll take care of this and I'll help after too." Most of the press conferences I had were met with rooms full of people. This room would be a 4:1 ratio where it'd be four people for one chair; not even the air conditioner could bring down the room temperature enough. Ashley did her thing before I got bombarded with questions.

"Jason Smith, Kanto National Radio. Odds makers had you as a huge underdog to win… so how'd you do it?" I internally cringed knowing that the payout for Allison would be enormous but I couldn't show it.

"I went with my gut, took risks, and adjusted on the fly as I needed to. Don't be fooled though; I made a few dumb decisions that made the battle that much harder. Also… massages. Everybody got massages except me. Maybe I should get one." Brandi caught my eye so I called on her instead of Ashley.

"Brandi Carlson, WJTV. Mitch, a lot of people say you don't look like a champion or don't have the aura of a champion. Your response?"

Stupid gossip. "Does the underdog ever truly look like a champion? Look at me: not really wearing anything fancy, no entrance music, and one of my arms has massive claw marks. Hell, my other arm looked like Swiss cheese before I got here after I had a run-in with a Skarmory colony. If anything, I embrace the fact I look like this. My Pokémon have put their blood, sweat, tears, heart, mind, and soul into this so I should do the same."

"What about the aura part?"

"I'll pick on Lance a little bit because he's a guy you'd think would have an aura. I'd argue that that's a disadvantage because the pressure stays on him to win every battle. But on any given day, he can be beat; the same goes for myself. Me not having an aura is fine… that just makes it easier to hustle everybody for a little extra cash." I got a few laughs out of that. "Next question."


The onslaught lasted another hour as the press asked me everything: how I winded up only bringing six Pokémon, who I gave my VIP tickets to, how much prep time I put in for my battles, how I handled the brutality of the final match, my favorite food, and so on. It took every ounce of willpower to avoid calling out Allison on her gambling or the fact that she was supposed to get Umbreon and Gyarados before I ruined her plan. Had I done that, I would've thrown away any respect I might've earned throughout this tournament. Ashley wrapped up the presser and helped break down the room while I remained at the podium wondering how to approach the prospect of going after the one trainer that was tied with Cory and Sara in terms of how much I hated them.

"I'll be done in about 30 minutes Mitch. You just wait for me in the stadium bleachers."

"Where do you want me to wait?"

"Follow the side stairs upward and you should end up near the sacred flame," she explained while making little hand gestures. I made the decision not to call everyone out quite yet and just soak it in by myself. From the opening battle where Lance outmaneuvered Allison to win 1-0 to my preliminary rounds on the worst fields here to my team picking me up after I had a mental breakdown to beating Wes, yet getting dismantled by a Shuckle of all things on worldwide television, only to scrape my way into the bracket round.

It only got more chaotic from there. Jason was a sore loser trying to send out Nidoking after the battle was over, I had two of my partners suffer injuries worse than the average Pokémon could deal with, I somehow kept Carly in the event despite her Typhlosion frying a Raticate, beat Davis to my dismay, beat Carly to my dismay, found out more about Cory before beating him, slaughtering Sara much to my delight, and finally beating Allison. The empty stadium still had the lights on and the flame burning but Ashley made her way next to me.

"So what's up?"

"It's about Allison." Her face defaulted to a confused look. "I'll tell you since Lance told me and I doubt they kept you too much in the loop with my case. Two of my Pokémon were experimented on by Team Rocket and they were supposed to be purchased under a pseudonym. Allison told me before our battle that she was the buyer." Ashley took down notes on her pad. "She also bet on every trainer in the quarterfinals to win."

"So what did she say about the bets?"

"The last eight trainers had certain odds but she dumped a lot of money…"

"For her to win the whole thing? Wouldn't she have lost a lot because you beat her and the fact that everyone else lost?"

"No, because she bet the most on me to win."

"Why you? She was clearly the favorite." It came to my attention that Ashley wasn't old enough to gamble so she had no idea why that makes sense.

"You good at math?"

"Depends."

"Okay, so you understand odds?" She nodded slightly. "Somewhere along the way I was favored at 10:1 to win the tournament but Allison has never been better than 3:2."

Her eyes widened. "How much did she bet on you?"

"A whopping 100,000P."

"That's insane! She'll get... add the zero… 1,000,000P!?"

"Bingo. Allison will also get even more money because of other side bets. I can't prove it even though she showed me a stub. Maybe she was trying to psych me out with a fake one, I don't know. She mentioned that the bet was made at the Goldenrod Game Corner if that helps."

"Unfortunately I can only pass this on to someone with a higher rank. Even though it's buried in our bylaws when you get your trainer's license, it's still against league policy for you to place bets on yourself or others if you are participating in league sanctioned tournaments. Let's just say it gets complicated when you factor in other things but for now it looks like Allison's in trouble."

"That's all I needed to know." We both sat in silence staring at the sacred flame for a few minutes then at the slightly repaired battlefield before Ashley was getting ready to leave.

"Before I go, I'll give you this. The chairman trusted me of all people with this so I was a little nervous getting it as soon as you won." A small piece of rectangular paper was presented in my hand; it was the check for 500,000P. "I've heard all kinds of stories on what happens to the prize money. Which end of the spectrum will you be on Mitch?" All that money. Mine to do whatever I please. "The stadium lights are automatically going to go off at midnight which is about an hour from now. You're welcome to stay longer; don't hurt yourself on the way out if the lights are off. Last thing: the sooner you set a date to challenge the Elite Four, the more they'll like you. Although they're ready at the drop of a hat, some time to prepare would be nice. See ya!" A text came through shortly after she left.

Yooooooooo! That was insane and the presser was nice! Victory party? We're hanging out in the cafeteria getting food if you want to stop by Davis sent.

I'll give you guys a notice. I just need some time alone.

Absolutely! Take your time.

The warmth of the sacred flame plus Jasmine's jacket comforted me as the temperature had dropped a fair amount from the start of the battle. The clear sky allowed for the stars to be visible for anyone still up at the Indigo Plateau.

"Well… I guess it's time. Alright everybody, come on out!" They all materialized looking healthy despite a quick healing. "If you guys didn't see or hear by now, we won the whole thing!" They still cried out in joy whether they knew of the win or not.

"Let me start off by saying each of you paved the way for a win regardless of when you were called out. Not a single attack was wasted the entire battle. Every miss we had created new weaknesses for Allison and we exploited the hell out of them. Who gives a damn if Dugtrio can hide underground? Who cares that Ursaring is one of the strongest physical attacking Pokémon in Johto? You guys didn't... which is why we won. I didn't get caught up in the drama about how great our opponent was supposed to be or how strong her Pokémon were because I knew you all had it in you!" More cheering. "Now I'm going to let everyone relax out here for a few minutes before I talk about what's next. Don't you dare poke that bowl of fire Ampharos; it's one of the hottest flames in existence."

The six of them paired off like I thought they would by moving a few rows down away from the flame. Umbreon looked a little more exhausted than the others and was slower moving around but Espeon helped him move about. Only he stared at the field without emotion. It had been a long time coming for him so it'd be best to let him soak it in when he's not in pain. I just threw my hands behind my head and laid back in my seat closing my eyes.

"So it is finally over?" The voice echoed in my head after about five minutes; it wasn't Espeon. The scared flame grew in size but not in temperature as a shadow emerged from the night sky in a glorious light and roosted on top of the bowl.

"Ho-Oh…" I whispered in complete awe. As it went to stretch its rainbow-colored wings, Umbreon sprung in front of me lighting his rings in a battle stance with Espeon following behind since they were the closest. "Wait you guys!"

It angled its winds at the three of us as if it was ready to attack. "So this is the greeting I receive after returning here, is it?" The remaining four managed to make their way in front of me with Gyarados slightly ahead of everyone else. Crackling of the fire made the only sound as both sides stood on edge. It retracted its wings slowly until it was perfectly perched with a puffed-out chest.

"Back up you guys." They did so as I took a step forward. Before I could apologize, it started to talk to all of us.

"I have flown across the skies for centuries and have not seen Pokémon so loyal to their master that they would face me on their own free will despite my power." I couldn't bring myself to speak; it could've burned all of us to a crisp if it chose to do so. History portrays Ho-Oh as a Pokémon who will rarely attack, but it still must defend itself somehow. "I have been watching over this entire tournament from the skies above this year just as I have done for the past few centuries and figured now was the right time to reveal myself to you... Mitch."

"Why?" I battled with so many conflicting emotions just to make the word come out as neutral yet firm.

"Humanity waits for my return, but unfortunately that time is not now. However, I will show myself to individuals who I deem worthy. You have had my eye for quite some time; my three loyal servants have reported your work as well. How you took in the Umbreon and Espeon, how you cared for your partners after nearly freezing to death, how you protected them against others with disregard for your own life; I've heard and seen it all since that day. Your actions tonight proved what we have been thinking all this time. If you had left this area, then I would have found you myself in the near future."

"They reported all that… and I didn't know?"

"Yes. They lurk in the shadows and just like me, only reveal themselves to those they deem worthy. Their standards are different than mine, but they still wait for the moment all of us can live with humans in peace."

"Do you watch over Ecruteak more often than other places? They pay more homage to you than anywhere I've visited in my travels. They eagerly await your return." It thought hard about my question.

"Every time I fly over the Burned Tower, I remember the war that took place. I remember how the land was reduced to nothing. I restored the land not for the humans, but for the Pokémon so that they may live in peace. The eternal flame I left behind here will go out when I command it to but in the meantime, it will serve as a reminder of the past. Humans dedicating a tournament to me to show the bonds they had with their Pokémon was a noble idea. Not many trainers have been worthy of my presence since the first ever tournament though. I was genuinely surprised that they did not tear down the tower that went up in flames and made the surrounding area a graveyard."

"So you know Morty?"

"Morty is a man of great character and one of the few humans I highly respect. His position of a gym leader is not one I agree with but when the time is right, I will show myself to him as a reward for all he has done for the city's Pokémon."

"If you know about the graveyard, then do you know…"

"I do." It turned to Umbreon. "Your friend Quilava is doing fine. He has never stopped watching over you and he says you are stronger than he could ever be. I do have the power to revive him. However… what I have seen is that you prefer both of them being revived. I do not have the power to raise humans from the ashes nor do I interact with them in death. Arceus has told me that your first master is more than happy for you and owes his new life to Mitch for keeping you safe." Umbreon immediately lost it so I scooped him up to pet him.

I fought back tears of my own. "See buddy? Isn't… that… wonderful? They still remember you… just like you remember them."

"Your condition may seem overwhelming to deal with at first glance. Mitch's guidance from the moment he cared for you has kept you on the right path. As for the rest of you, you have shown me that there is hope for a future where all Pokémon and all humans can work together in harmony." I listened as I continued to console Umbreon.

"The loyalty you show to your master while maintaining your happiness rivals that of my servants' loyalty to me. Truly that is something to be commended for. I offer this before I bid you farewell: you all will know when I am around in the future. In the meantime, I shall not allow the scared flame to be extinguished like it normally is after every tournament if you continue to stay here and press onward against the strongest trainers in Johto. The road ahead will be filled with obstacles. It will be up to all of you to see if you can rise above them. Farewell."

Ho-Oh flapped its massive wings and proceeded to fly away in the night sky leaving a trail of sparkling light before ascending too high to see. The flame had gone back to its normal size while a small feather ended up on a seat very close to the bowl so I picked it up.

"Everyone… what do we want to do? I have the option to challenge the Elite Four. Are all of you up for it? I'm not going to challenge them if you're all not healthy enough to do it." I could tell everyone was thinking it over. Eventually Espeon stepped forward.

"There's no guarantee that we'll be any healthier than we are now. We're also on a roll and the six of us think we should rest a little before we battle them. We want this chance Mitch."

Health… a simple word yet not always simple to gauge. "I know you guys want to keep going, but I need to think it over. The Elite Four are no joke. They won't toy with their opponents; they'll end every battle as fast as they can. I hope you can understand what I'm feeling." Five of them nodded while Umbreon had cried himself to sleep. I sat back down and let everyone enjoy the silence or petting for a few more minutes before I called them all back.

I'll be there in 15. Hope you guys saved some food for me. I'm starving lol I texted Davis. As soon as I got up to leave, the lights turned off leaving the fire to dimly light the path back to the exit. I took one step and the flame grew slightly bigger to fully light the pathway back to the door.

"Thanks Ho-Oh," I said while looking at the sky. "You too Tom."


A few housekeeping things here: I'm done with the press conferences or at least significantly shortening the dialogue because I just don't think it impacts the story that much; sorry if you enjoyed those scenes. The scene of Mitch jumping up & down after the win should play out like when Michael Jordan hit the game winner over Craig Ehlo in game 5 of the 1989 NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. I mean it: look at the video of the reverse angle and tell me how cool that looks.

I felt a little uneasy that I added another "talking" Pokémon, especially a legendary one due to the reputation that comes with them and I believe that most legendary Pokémon shouldn't just show up out of nowhere and immediately befriend a trainer. Considering Ho-Oh's lore, what it does/represents, and how my story is crafted, I didn't feel as bad having it make an appearance compared to an encounter with, say, Suicune.

The next few chapters are going to have a little more fluffy moments so there's that to look forward too if you're into that. Thank you to those who responded to my poll as well, much appreciated. The poll will stay open forever as well so don't feel like you missed anything. That's all I got this time around so have a good day and I'll see you all next chapter :)

-W4f