In the end Ash had to wait until the group arrived back at the hotel to find out the result. But once they got there, they didn't have to wait any longer. The first person Ash and the others saw upon entering the main lobby was none other than Misty herself. Ash ran right up to her and threw himself at her feet.
"Please Misty, I'm begging you, just tell me who won between you and Bea. I can't stand this suspense any longer!" Misty began giggling, before pausing momentarily. She then tilted her head towards Psyduck, who was standing next to her.
"Hmmm. Should we tell him Psyduck?"
"Yes!" Ash and the others all shouted in unison.
"Well...I actually won. That's right, I won my match, so it'll be me versus Brock in the final."
"Wow. That's so awesome!" Responded Ash who continued to grovel at Misty's feet, unable to contain his excitement. "Tell me all about it!"
Misty did just that. She explained how the match came down to her and Bea's final Pokémon: Misty's Psyduck versus Bea's Hawlucha. It looked like Hawlucha was going to win but then Misty had used the amnesia move to get back into the match before winning with a powerful hydro pump move.
"That would've explained the loud roar you heard", Misty finished explaining.
"You're so cool Misty", Ash responded admiringly.
"I try my best", she said jokingly.
The group then decided to move into the main dining area for a slightly early dinner. There were already a small number of guests who had decided to do the same thing. The large room had a big front window looking out into the Main Street, and at this time of the day the bright sunlight was reflecting into the room through the window. They also had a good view of the sunbathed park across the street, where there was a significant crowd gathered. They were joined by Brock and Clement a short time later, who arrived separately. The rest of the group were overjoyed to see them both of them. They all congratulated Brock on his victory before offering their commiserations to Clement when he came in shortly afterward, taking the seat next to Bonnie.
"I'm so proud of you big brother", she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. "You were sooo close. I bet you'll win this tournament next time." Clement began to smile and blush at the same time.
"Thanks Bonnie. I don't know about winning but I'd love to compete in this tournament again...if there is a next time. I honestly did a lot better than I expected."
"Not any better than I thought", said Misty, who was sitting across the table from Clement, looking admiringly at her boyfriend, with her hand pressed against her cheek. Clement looked up at Misty and blushed again.
"Thanks", he replied softly, nervously smiling back at his girlfriend.
Ash noticed that Clement was looking like a man who'd had the weight of the world taken off his shoulders, albeit still a slightly awkward and nervous one. He suspected, from Clement's point of view, that this was the perfect stage of the tournament to make his exit, given that now he wouldn't have to face Misty in the final, which might've been highly uncomfortable for both parties.
"How do you feel about tomorrow, old friend?" Misty enquired of Brock. Brock put his finger to his lip, looking pensive as he thought of a response.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself", he answered. "I guess a little nervous but also really happy to be in the final. Whatever happens, at least one of the old team will claim the victory." Misty, along with most of the others, looked a little off put by his response. However, when Ash heard his friend's response his mind immediately thought how cool it would indeed be if one of the original gang - and one of his original travelling companions - ended up winning such a big tournament. As was common, the hidden subtext of Brock's statement flew over Ash's head, yet even he began to be a little suspicious the more he reflected on his friend's words. But he didn't have long to ponder these things, as dinner was approaching its conclusion when Serena gave him a tap on his right shoulder - the opposite shoulder to the one Pickachu was perched on - and asked Ash if he would like to come upstairs with her. Ash politely agreed.
When the two made it up to Serena's room, the two watched tv together and spent most of that time kissing and cuddling one another. This lasted for around 2 hours before Ash, with Pickachu in toe, Retired to bed for the evening. It was still only around 9:30 at this time but this was one night Ash wanted to make sure he didn't sleep in.
Amazingly, Ash did get up on time the following morning. He hastily rushed into the shower, where he surprisingly didn't stay any longer than a normal person. He then whacked on the same clothes he had worn yesterday at a lightning fast rate, before running downstairs into the crowded main dining area, where he ate his breakfast as fast as he could. He couldn't contain his excitement about the battle between Brock and Misty which was to take place that day. The match was scheduled to begin at midday.
"I'm so psyched! Come on you guys, let's get going soon", he urged the rest of the gang - save Brock and Misty - and received some funny looks from other patrons in the process.
"Ok Ash", Serena blushed, "just calm down. We'll be leaving soon. We don't want to get there too early, you know?"
"Oh but I do know Serena. You see, there's going to be all this awesome pre-match entertainment and music and a parade."
"Ok, ok", she answered, "just chill out. Just give us ten minutes ok, then we'll leave."
"Sounds good to me Serena", Ash conceded.
"Wow, how kind of you Ash", Drew said mockingly, getting a few laughs in the process. Ash now began to blush with embarrassment, before calming himself and taking his seat again, with Serena on one side and Clement on the other.
A short time later Ash got his wish and the group left the hotel and began the fairly short walk to the stadium where the final was to be held. It was a mostly sunny day and the streets were crowded, mostly with other fans heading into watch the match.
Once they reached the stadium complex there was a carnival like atmosphere, with a host of spectators enjoying a range of entertainment. Among them was face-painting; a Ferris wheel; cotton candy, and a carousel. There were also seperate Misty and Brock themed activities. The Misty-themed entertainment was picking up one of three hoses, each in the shape of one of Misty's water type Pokémon and trying to hit a cardboard cutout of Misty, with the bullseye located in the centre of the cutout. The closer to the bullseye, the more points one scored. The prize for achieving a certain score was a choice of water type Pokémon dolls.
However, it was the Brock-themed activity which really took their notice: "What the...", Dawn exclaimed. "'Brock's trail of rejection'", are you kidding me!?" Barely able to contain her laughter. However, Sara - for obvious reasons - didn't find the spectacle, which also contained a goofy image of Brock, to be amusing.
"That's just so cruel. And to think Brock's supposed to be the crowd favourite today. These people have sure got a funny way of showing their loyalty to Johto's best gym leader!" She huffed.
"Hmmm...", Drew mused, "the trail of rejection. So I wonder how you win the game, or should I say lose?" He sniggered.
"Yeah, I was actually wondering the same thing, all jokes aside", responded Ash.
"Well, according to the instructions at the front of the course", answered Serena, "there will be several cardboard cutouts of pretty ladies, each of which the player must offer displays of affection too. Next to each cutout, there will be a note about which 'courtship gestures' are required. Once a player is rejected by a lady, they then move onto the next lady where they repeat the same process. Whoever finishes the course in the fastest time will win a prize."
"That's got to be one of the most stupid things I've ever heard!" Sara screeched, ready to smash up the entire course.
"I don't know", May added. "I think that learning to accept rejection is an important part of life. I've definitely been no stranger to it of late. Maybe trying the course will be good for us and whoever wins truly has a valuable skill." Drew looked somewhat perplexed at what May had just said but he decided now wasn't the moment to press the issue any further. That could wait.
"Alright. I'll try", Ash announced.
As he walked up to the start line, Serena and his friends cheered for him, offering words of encouragement, as well as a little humorous pep talk.
"Come on Ash, you the loser", they joked.
"Yeah, come on Ketchum", shouted Drew. "Just remember all those Pokémon leagues. Same frame of mind." Ash didn't particularly appreciate Drew's humour but he quickly put it out of his head as he set his sights on the course ahead of him. The automatic timekeeping system gave him a countdown and when it said "go" Ash was off and running.
The first pretty lady was an officer Jenny from Azalea town. The note next to her cardboard cutout read: 'tell me I'm the most beautiful officer Jenny in Johto, then offer me flowers.' Ash was momentarily confused before he saw the wrapped flowers on the ground, just to the left of where the note was placed. Ash followed the instructions before the automated voice box located just behind the cutout's mouth area gave the following response: "ugh, no way creep." Ash then heard a beep, which presumably meant he could now move onto the next cutout, so that's precisely what he did.
The next cutout was a nurse Joy. The note read: 'tell me I'm prettier than all my sisters and that you would like to play nurse with me.' Ash felt a bit weird but he followed the instructions and received the following response: "no way, who do you think you are?" Then Ash heard the beep and promptly moved through the maze and onto the next cutout.
Most of the remaining cutouts were of girls Ash and Brock had encountered on their travels, whom Brock had fallen for. But all of a sudden the challenges got a little trickier, with Ash forced to do things such as kiss the 'girls' and tell them things which started to get a little uncomfortable. The rejections also began to get worse: "ugh, gross! Not if you were the last man alive."
"You've got to be the biggest loser on the planet."
"Hahahaha...you...and me? You've got to be the ugliest guy I've ever seen."
Ash was starting to get bit of a bad taste in his mouth but he reminded himself that it wasn't real, before steeling himself as he approached the seventh and final cutout. To his shock, this cutout was someone he knew: Sara!
Once he reached the cutout he reached out and took the note placed just to the left of it and began reading: 'tell me how grateful you are that I didn't reject you like all the other girls did. Tell me I've changed your life and made you the happiest guy in the world, and you don't know where you'd be without me. Then, give me a big kiss on the lips.' Ash was suspicious but he did as the note instructed. It felt a little bit weird kissing Brock's girlfriend, even if it was only a cardboard version. He then received the following message from the automated voice box, which played out of the fake Sara's mouth: "You really thought I was different from the other girls didn't you? You really couldn't read the signs? You know me, I'm a detective, it's my job to read people's emotions and lead them into a trap. You really think a girl like me could go for a guy like you? No offence man but you're a total loser. Loo...seerr."
Ash was totally stunned by what he'd just heard. 'Could that really be what Sara thinks?' He asked himself. 'It couldn't be, could it?' He was frozen on the spot, trying to work out if or how there could be any validity to what he'd just heard. He was so distracted in fact that he'd not heard the beep. When he began to regain his composure, he assumed he'd been to distracted to hear it, so he just picked himself up and continued through the maze, running around the final turn. Once he came around the corner, he saw the finish line just up ahead. He sprinted towards it, trying to make up for the time he'd lost. When he crossed the line, he realised he was just next to where the starting line was placed: 'it had been one of those circular mazes.'
When he was finally out his friends were all clapping for him. They revealed that his time of eight minutes and forty two seconds was the fastest so far. However, Ash did not much care. He couldn't believe that horrible experience had not even lasted ten minutes. Without telling them what he witnessed inside the maze, he informed his friends that the pre-match entertainment would be starting soon, so they should think about making their way into the stadium. Most of them were in agreement but May was desperate to have a turn, promising they could leave once she had. Ash reluctantly agreed. He prayed that May would not get too much of a shock when she came to the last cutout. Drew joked that she would have an advantage because it was the girls doing the rejecting. In response, May stuck out her tongue at him before entering the maze.
Several minutes later Ash and the others observed her dashing for the finish line. Her final time was eight minutes and thirty four seconds, meaning she had bested Ash. He and the others gave her a loud round of applause. Ash was looking for signs of distress but as far as he could observe, she didn't look too fazed.
Just as they came over to congratulate her, the man who ran the obstacle course came over to speak to May: "Well young lady, a great performance."
"Thank you", she relied softly.
"It just so happens I'm about to close this ride up, which means you're the winner. I'll be back in a moment with your prize."
While the man went to collect May's prize the others came over and congratulated her. Drew's pride in his girlfriend was written all over his face. For a fleeting moment they stared into one another's eyes, each becoming lost in the gaze of the other and momentarily forgetting they were in company. However, they were brought back to reality when Serena coughed. They turned around and saw that the hefty, kind faced man was approaching them. He was carrying two objects, one in each hand.
"Your winnings, sweet young lady!" He began. "Firstly, a box of Johto Jimmies", handing May a box of peanut flavoured chocolates.
"And finally, of course, a bouquet of flowers."
"Daffodils!" May exclaimed. "Thank you so much sir." Ash noticed Drew now had a big smile on his face. In their travels together he'd noticed more and more that a general rule of thumb was 'when May was happy so was Drew.' To Ash they seemed right together.
"So, are you feeling a little better about yourself now?" Drew asked May.
"Well...", she responded playfully, raising one heel and leaning closer to Drew, "a girl does like to feel special every once in awhile." Drew smiled warmly at her.
"I'll make note of that."
After all of that, and once they all made it through the long queue and had their tickets scanned, Ash and his companions headed up to the second level of the main arena, where their allocated seats were located once again. The only difference this time was that their seats were on the far side of the stadium, only a handful of rows from the very top of the grandstand.
The prematch entertainment lived up to Ash's expectations. First up, a marching band came on and played some local Johto tunes. Following this, a group of trainers stood in a large circle around the centre of the stadium, and unveiled a large inflatable map of the world, with each of the twelve regions marked; while another 12 children stood around them, spaced apart by some distance, each holding a national flag from one of the 12 regions. This gesture was to represent global unity in the current period of crisis: Drew made a comment about it being touchy-feely, which displeased May. This was followed by a popular local Johto band, which began playing a small selection of popular songs. Ash knew three of them: "unbeatable", "its a whole new world" and "stand up." This last song in particular was a favourite of Ash's and it brought the crowd to life, many of whom literally did stand up to clap and sing along to the lyrics, which appeared on the big screen. The final performance was by a local opera singer who came into the middle of the arena and stood on the dais prepared for her. She gave a rousing rendition of the Johto national anthem, aided by music played through the loud speakers. As she finished the crowd stood on their feet and let out a huge roar. Moments later she - along with the remaining officials and performers still present - left the arena, just as Misty and Brock entered. Ash didn't really care who won, he was just so excited that they were the ones battling it out in the final.
"Who's your pick?" Dawn leaned across from her seat to ask Ash.
"Hmmm...well, water has an advantage over rock, which should help Misty but Brock's smart, he'll have a plan so it's almost impossible to call."
"I should've known", she replied gleefully. "You're being non committal because you're so loyal to your friends. Typical Ash Ketchum!"
"Yes, I am", he answered in return, smiling brightly. He wanted to talk more but he found it really difficult to communicate with anyone who wasn't sitting right next to him because the noise from the crowd was so deafening.
However, it ended up meaning little because moments later the match was underway. Brock started with his Staravia, while Misty began with Gyarados. The match began slowly as the two traded 'low blows', with both gym leaders opting for lower level moves, each trying to anticipate when their opponent would turn up the heat. But who would blink first? Ash felt as if he could've cut the tension in the crowd with a knife, as the whole stadium rode each move, and every passing second between each move. Moments later, Misty made her move: "Gyarados, hyperbeam!"
"Staravia, dodge it and use brave bird!" Brock screamed, reacting almost instantly to Misty's move, as his Pokémon dodged the attack before quickly launching into a sharp aerial assault of its own, tucking in its wings as it raced towards Misty's Gyarados. The attack was a direct hit, bringing Gyarados to the turf in one fell swoop...it wasn't getting back up.
"Gyarados is unable to battle. The winner of the match is Staravia." The crowd had launched off their seats as Staravia impacted with Gyarados and they were in raptures as the first match of the final went to their adopted local Johto hero, Brock.
For the next match, Misty brought out her Psyduck. Ash was worried: he knew Misty's Psyduck wasn't exactly a top rate Pokémon. And if it lost, Misty would only have one Pokémon remaining to Brock's three. He knew Misty had to slow the tempo and find a way to take the crowd out of the match a little.
Brock made the first move, a whirlwind attack which already had Psyduck weakened. Misty countered with an aqua tail attack but it inflicted limited damage. Brock countered this with a quick attack which further weakened Misty's Pokémon. Misty paused for a moment before making her next move: "Psyduck, use aqua tail again." Then right when Psyduck was in the middle of making the move, she ordered it to make another attack: "now, follow it up with hydro pump!" The combination caught Brock and his Staravia off guard and Misty seized this moment to quickly command Psyduck to make another move: "now Psyduck, use amnesia." Now, not only was Staravia significantly weakened, Psyduck's defense was also significant boosted.
"Staravia, use final Gambit!" Misty had expected Brock to do this, so she was prepared to make her next move: "Psyduck, dodge it and use water pulse!" Psyduck was able to both dodge the oncoming attack as well as successfully land the water pulse move, as a pulsating blast of ultrasonic waves hit Staravia's body. It wasn't Psyduck's most powerful move but it was enough to finish off the already weakened Pokémon, as Staravia tumbled face first onto the turf.
"Staravia is unable to battle, this match goes to Psyduck." Misty did not have the home crowd support that Brock did, but she did still have a significant number of supporters and those in attendance who were supporting her let out a huge roar as her Psyduck brought her back on level terms with Brock.
Moments later, Brock brought out his next Pokémon: "Onix, I choose you."
"Psyduck, fury swipe." This attack was a hit but inflicted minimal damage on Brock's fresh Onix.
"Onix, rock slide." A group of large boulders came towards Psyduck. Misty called for it to dodge but a couple still connected, causing a moderate amount of damage. Misty was keen to get back on the front foot.
"Psyduck, soak." A torrent of water crashed into Brock's Onix. But he was quick to respond.
"Onix, dragon breath." The move was a hit and additionally was able to momentarily paralyse Psyduck. Brock was quick to capitalise: "Follow it up with iron tail." The iron tail connected with Psyduck before its paralysis had fully worn off, bringing it crashing to the ground face first. Misty pleaded with her Pokémon to get back up. It offered some resistance but ultimately wasn't strong enough; instead it just flopped briefly before crashing back down, its body still set in the same prone position as before.
"Psyduck is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Onix." The crowd had found full voice once again, as the chants of "Brock the Rock", began. Some spectators pleaded for Brock to "finish her off while she was ripe for the picking."
Misty looked almost frozen herself for a short time, lost in thought, before she finally brought out her third and final Pokémon: "Starmie, I choose you."
"This is great", Dawn called out, looking over at Ash. "Brock is 2 matches to 1 ahead but Misty has the type advantage. It's set up perfectly." Ash nodded in agreement.
Moments later, the next match began. Misty again made the first move: "Starmie, use psybeam." A ray of sparkling light shot across the battlefield so fast that many in the crowd appeared to have not realised Starmie had even made a move. The ray hit Onix in the upper body and instantly left it confused. Misty was determined to capitalise and gain the upper hand. She knew it was now either 'go hard or go home.'
"Starmie, follow it up with rapid spin, and then light screen!" Brock was caught off guard, he'd not expected this sudden barrage, as Starmie began oscillating at incredible speed, before crashing full pelt into his Onix, then quickly retreating and setting up a light screen defence. This wasn't good news for Brock. His Onix's life was much lower than Starmie's and even Onix's most powerful attack wouldn't be able to do too much to turn the tide. However, he also knew that every bit of life would be crucial in the final match so he went for it anyway: "Onix, use double edge."
"Starmie, dodge it and use swift." Misty's Pokémon lunged up and sideways before firing several sharp razors which made direct contact with Onix, bringing it hurtling to the ground. It tried to get back up but didn't have the strength to regain its balance.
"Onix is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Starmie." There was much cheering from the crowd but also a few boos from some of Brock's more vocal fans.
"That was incredible", Serena exclaimed, "Misty seemed like she had that whole battle planned out."
"I think she did", replied Ash. "And she avoided that final big attack from Onix because she wanted Starmie to have full health heading into the final match."
"But these attacks might be tiring Starmie out."
"Don't worry about that Serena. Misty trains her Pokémon really well and it only has to get through one more match. I'm excited to see which Pokémon Brock uses."
"Me too", she agreed.
Moments later, Brock brought out his final Pokémon to huge applause from the crowd: "Marshtomp, I choose you." Misty and Brock briefly glanced at one another, neither of them showing any fear. Then, in an instant, the final match was underway.
"Starmie, use tackle." Starmie lunged at its target, executing a direct hit in the process and inflicting a limited amount of damage. Then it was Brock's turn.
"Marshtomp, use rock smash." Marshtomp rammed at its opponent, landing a decisive right hook and also lowering Starmie's defence in the process.
"Well done Marshtomp. Now stay focused."
"Marshtomp."
"Ok Starmie, use harden." Starmie began to stiffen its muscles. This helped to restore its defence stat.
"Marshtomp, use rock throw." Misty's Pokémon was showered by a barrage of small rocks, despite her pleas for Starmie to dodge the attack. It simply came too quickly. The move inflicted some damage but Starmie's life energy was still fairly healthy.
"Starmie, use Brine." The attack was on target, weakening Brock's Marshtomp. Brock knew now was the time to make his move: "Marshtomp, hydro pump, then follow it up with take down!" The high powered blast of water knocked Starmie over and before it could escape, Marshtomp's secondary tackle move had Starmie pinned to the ground. Encouraged by Misty, it was resisting with all the strength it could muster but Marshtomp was too strong. Misty tried to think of a way for Starmie to break free, as it grew weaker by the second.
"Starmie, use psybeam." This caused only a moments hesitation for Brock's well-trained Pokémon but that moment was enough for Starmie to break free and Misty already had her next moves planned.
"Alright Starmie, use surf! Aim it as high as you can and ride up on the wave!" The rapidly growing wave continued to rise higher and higher, as it spread over more and more of the battlefield. Amazingly, Misty and Starmie looked completely in control and in sync with one another as Starmie rose high up on the wave, now even higher than Ash and the other spectators who were seated in the top rows of the arena. Then, waiting for Misty's signal, Starmie brought the wave down with perfect precision. Marshtomp was running all over the place, but it was like Starmie had a homing device: it was completely locked in on its opponent. Then, with split second perfect timing, in the one moment which Misty needed to give Starmie the command in order for her plan to come together, she gave Starmie its final move: "Starmie, swift!" By this stage Starmie was only a short distance from its target. First, the barrage of sharp razors nailed Marshtomp right where it was. Then, a split second later Starmie landed the huge wage right on top of its opponent and then dove in face-first, landing on top of its opponent and pinging it to the ground. Brock pleaded with his Pokémon to keep on fighting but in his heart he knew the battle was over. A few moments later it was confirmed.
"Marshtomp is no longer able to battle. The winner of this match is Starmie and that means the battle goes to Misty of Cerulean City!" The crowd, including Ash and his friends, let out a huge round of applause for Misty and the contest they'd just witnessed. Naturally, Clement was the most excited of the group.
"Wooo, that's so great for Misty, isn't it big bro?" Bonnie said enthusiastically, looking at her older brother.
"You bet it is Bonnie", Clement replied. "Wooo!" Ash and the others smirked at this unusual display of support from the usually mild mannered Clement. Even Bonnie looked a little surprised.
A few minutes later, after the cleaner Pokémon had dried up the battlefield, the awards ceremony began. First, Brock came up to the official to receive his runners up trophy. He waved to the crowd as a gesture of gratitude and received a large round of applause. There were still people chanting "Brock the Rock."
Next up, Misty came and accepted her winners trophy, before making a similar waving gesture to the one Brock made. Misty received a similar amount of applause to that given to Brock, which in some ways made sense because she was the winner but it also demonstrated the amount of respect that Misty had earned as a result of her very strong battling ability. Right as Misty stopped waving to the crowd and prepared to leave the arena, one spectator got overly enthusiastic: "Three cheers for the Ranga! Hip hip hooray, hip hip..."
"What did you say!" Misty shouted at the top of her lungs, making the spectator who'd dared utter those words squirm back in his seat and pray that Misty wouldn't spot him in the crowd. This moment drew laughter from much of the crowd, including Ash who was reminded of his days travelling with Misty when they were younger.
"I hope she never shouts at you like that big brother", Bonnie observed.
"Meh, wouldn't really bother me", Clement replied.
"You are a man of surprises Clement", Dawn observed. Clement smirked, unsure of how to respond to Dawn's observation.
A minute or two later, the group began exiting the stadium as one. Just before the foot traffic flowed enough for them to exit from their position high up in the top grandstand, Ash looked out to the hilltops which lined the sunbathed twilight skyline, and then beyond to the snow-capped peak of Mount Silver. Suddenly he was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude. For the first time in ages he felt he was exactly where he wanted to be.