AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 113 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. I wanted to leave the last chapter as a cliffhanger because I figured a chapter with nearly 8,000 words would be too long. So I decided to make this a two-parter. Still, I hope you enjoy. Here it is, the second part of this battle.
TEASER: Tristan continues his battle against Silver. But when it comes down to Meganium vs. Feraligatr, Meganium must overcome its fears from its very first day and rise to the occasion!
Chapter 113: TRISTAN VS. SILVER, PART 2
(Music Cue: Opening Title 2000 (as heard in the Japanese version of "Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei"))
After winning his way through the preliminaries, Tristan thought he'd finally know how far he'd come as a Pokémon Trainer. But little did he know that he'd be up against Silver to start off the Victory Tournament.
Then immediately after seeing his hero, Ash, emerge victorious in his first match, Tristan was inspired to follow in his footsteps into the second round. He managed to defeat Silver's first two Pokémon with ease, but Silver's Magneton proved to be too much for Feraligatr, and ultimately drew with Typhlosion.
But when his Pupitar came up against his Gengar, Tristan found himself in some serious trouble, for with a serious disadvantage in the water, he found himself and Pupitar sinking fast! Will Pupitar survive the onslaught of Gengar's attacks? And will Tristan emerge victorious against Silver, his longtime rival? Stay tuned and find out!
(Music Cue: Lugia Appears! (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))
Gengar's Shadow Ball was quickly closing in on Pupitar, who was still sinking like a stone.
"Pupitar, look out!" shouted Tristan.
But Pupitar, still confused and sinking in the water, didn't hear Tristan's shout, and so there was nothing it could do as Gengar's Shadow Ball struck it full force, sending it flying out of the water.
"Gengar's Shadow Ball scores big time!" boomed the announcer. "Can this be a one-hit wonder?"
As the tremendous splash of water faded, Pupitar was seen on one of the floating platforms with a dazed expression in its eyes. It had been knocked out.
"Pupitar is unable to battle...Gengar wins it!" declared the referee as he raised his red flag in the air to a roaring crowd.
"Folks, Pupitar was taken out in one attack," said the announcer. "Now, both Trainers have three Pokémon remaining."
"That was a really smart strategy," remarked Veronica. "Using Mean Look followed by Confuse Ray makes it a dangerous combination that any opponent has to watch out for. Now we'll have to see how Tristan handles it."
"I sure hope he can," replied Hillary nervously.
"Go, Dragonair, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his next Poké Ball.
(Music Cue: Kanto Gym Leader Battle (full version)
Dragonair emerged from the white light that shot out of it and floated over the top of the battlefield.
"Tristan's fourth Pokémon is a Dragonair," said the announcer.
"Gengar, use Mean Look again!" instructed Silver.
Once again, Gengar's eyes glowed purple.
"We won't fall for that trick again," said Tristan. "Okay, Dragonair, Twister attack!"
The ends of Dragonair's tail glowed, and it flicked its scaly tail, spinning a gigantic tornado from it straight at Gengar, scoring a direct hit on it before it could complete its attack.
"That high-flying Twister attack is doing some serious damage!" boomed the announcer. "Gengar sure isn't feeling like it's in Silver Town anymore!"
"Quick, Gengar, get out of there!" shouted Silver.
But Gengar just stood there as Dragonair's Twister did the job.
"Why isn't Gengar moving?" wondered Evan.
"Sometimes, Twister causes an opponent to flinch," explained Veronica. "Gengar won't be able to use Mean Look in the current state that it's in."
"Way to go, Dragonair!" said Tristan. "Now finish it off with Dragon Rage!"
Dragonair's orb around its neck glowed, and an even stronger twister formed all around it. Then it sent the twister straight at Gengar and scored another direct hit on it.
"It's a clean hit with Dragon Rage!" boomed the announcer.
Gengar fell on one of the floating platforms with a dazed expression in its eyes. It had been knocked out.
"Gengar is unable to battle...Dragonair wins!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag in the air.
The crowd roared in excitement as the declaration was made.
"Dragonair sure handled that fast," smiled Hillary. "And to think, it was just a timid baby Dratini when Tristan found it."
"I must say, he's done a great job raising it," agreed Eric.
"And if Tristan keeps this up, he'll beat Silver and advance to the next round," added Braden.
"Alakazam, battle mode!" shouted Silver as he threw his fifth Poké Ball.
Alakazam emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It had two spoons, one in each hand.
"Silver's fifth Pokémon is Alakazam," said the announcer.
"Whoa, a Psychic Pokémon this time," said Evan nervously. "I sure hope Tristan knows what he's up against."
"I know he can handle it," replied Hillary. "If I've learned anything from my journey with Tristan, it's that he never backs down from a challenge."
"Alakazam, Psychic attack, let's go!" ordered Silver.
Alakazam's eyes glowed blue as it started its attack.
"Dragonair, ExtremeSpeed!" commanded Tristan.
"What?!" exclaimed Silver.
Dragonair surrounded itself in a white aura, and then as fast as lightning, it flew and rammed into Alakazam before it could strike back.
"Talk about lightning fast!" boomed the announcer. "Alakzam may have launched the first attack, but Dragonair struck first!"
"Tristan's Dragonair is incredible!" remarked Shen. "I never knew that he would catch one that could learn ExtremeSpeed."
"Now use Twister attack!" ordered Tristan.
Once again, the ends of Dragonair's tail glowed, and it flicked its scaly tail, spinning a gigantic tornado from it straight at Alakazam, scoring a direct hit on it.
"Dragonair has put on a great display of strength," said the announcer. "Alakazam seems to be in major trouble."
"Don't back down, Alakazam," said Silver. "Use Psybeam to break through!"
Still trapped in Dragonair's vortex, Alakazam managed to fired a mysterious colored beam from between its two spoons and managed to break through Dragonair's Twister, freeing itself in the process.
"Alakazam manages to escape Dragaonair's brutal attack!" boomed the announcer.
"I must admit, Silver, that was a smart move," smiled Tristan.
"We've only just begun to fight," replied Silver. "Now use Recover."
Alakazam began to glow as its wounds started to heal back up.
"Alakazam uses Recover to reduce the damage it's taken," said the announcer. "Can Tristan turn this around?"
There must be something I can do to defeat that Alakazam, thought Tristan. Then he suddenly remembered. That's it! If it's using Recover, it'll be immobile! "Quick, Dragonair, hit it with ExtremeSpeed at full power now!" he shouted aloud.
(Music Cue: Opening Title M01B 1997-1998)
Quickly, Dragonair surrounded itself in a white aura, and then it flew and scored an even bigger hit on Alakazam, giving it serious damage.
"It's a direct hit!" boomed the announcer. "And a critical one at that!"
"Alakazam!" cried Silver.
Alakazam fell on one of the floating platforms with a dazed expression in its eyes. It had been knocked out.
"Alakazam is unable to battle...Dragonair wins it!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag in the air to a roaring crowd.
"Dragonair has knocked out two of Silver's Pokémon in a row, leaving him with just one remaining!" said the announcer.
"All right!" said Evan excitedly. "Just one more, and Tristan will win the match!"
"Don't get too excited," cautioned Hillary. "I think we all know what Silver's last Pokémon will be."
"What do you mean?" wondered Braden.
Silver recalled his Alakazam and put his Poké Ball away. Then he took out his final Poké Ball and said, "Well, Tristan, I underestimated you from the start. You seem to have something there that I never knew you had. But don't think it'll be enough to beat me. I still have my star battler left, and it's been the bane of your existence since the day I met you."
Tristan gasped, for he knew who Silver would choose last.
(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster (as heard in the episode: Why? Wynaut!"))
"Let's bring it to him, Feraligatr! Battle mode!" he ordered as he threw his final Poké Ball.
Feraligatr emerged from the white light that shot out of it. Sure enough, it was still just as mean as ever.
"Silver's final Pokémon is Feraligatr!" boomed the announcer. "And it's ready to rumble!"
"I was afraid he'd use Feraligatr," said Hillary worriedly. "Silver had originally stolen it from Professor Elm's lab when it was just a little Totodile. I tried to get him to return it, but he just shrugged it off and kept on going."
"And he scared a Chikorita out of its wits in the process," added Veronica.
"What a jerk," grumbled Braden. "If I was battling in Tristan's place, Silver would've been sorry."
"Come on, Tristan!" shouted Evan. "Teach that spoiled brat what real battling's all about!"
"All right, Dragonair, let's win this with ExtremeSpeed!" instructed Tristan.
Once again, Dragonair surrounded itself in a white aura, and then it flew in for the attack against Feraligatr.
"Block it, Feraligatr!" commanded Silver.
Using its strong hands, Feraligatr managed to stop Dragonair in its tracks.
"Dragonair's ExtremeSpeed has been brought to a screeching halt!" boomed the announcer. "How will Dragonair get out of this?"
"Let's try using Twister instead!" instructed Tristan.
The ends of Dragonair's tail glowed, and it flicked its scaly tail, spinning a gigantic tornado from it straight at Feraligatr.
"Slash attack!" ordred Silver.
Feraligatr used its sharp claws to shred Dragonair's Twister to smithereens, much to Tristan and Dragonair's shock.
"Dragonair's Twister proves to be powerless against Feraligatr's powerful claws!" boomed the announcer.
"Let's give Dragonair a plot twist with Ice Beam!" ordered Silver.
Feraligatr unleashed a powerful ice-cold beam of energy from its mouth right at Dragonair, scoring a clean hit with it.
"Dragonair!" exclaimed Tristan.
Dragonair had been sent careening into one of the floating platforms and collapsed on it; it had been knocked out.
"Dragonair is unable to battle...Feraligatr wins!" declared the referee as he raised his red flag in the air to a roaring crowd.
"Folks, Dragonair was defeated by a powerful Ice Beam attack, one of a few weaknesses for Dragon-type Pokémon," said the announcer.
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard in the Japanese version of "From Ghost to Ghost"))
"Tristan has two Pokémon left," said Evan worriedly. "How will he come back from this?"
"He will somehow," Braden assured him. "He's got Pokémon that are strong against a Water-type like Feraligatr."
"True," agreed Shen. "If he has a Grass or Electric-type, then he should be just fine."
Pikachu stood next to Tristan, worrying about him.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," he said. "I'm never one to give up. I know I can always count on you. So how about taking a shot?"
Pikachu nodded in agreement as it raced onto one of the platforms.
"Tristan's fifth Pokémon is Pikachu!" said the announcer.
"Yes! Tristan's ace!" said Veronica. "Show him what you can do, Pikachu!"
"Yeah, you can do it!" cheered Rachael and Stuart together.
Togepi cheered loudly as well.
"Let's get in there right away, Pikachu!" commanded Tristan. "Thunderbolt!"
Quickly, Pikachu unleashed a yellow bolt of electricity at Feraligatr, striking it directly.
"Thunderbolt scores a clean hit," said the announcer.
"Perfect!" said Braden excitedly. "With a Thunderbolt that strong, it should cause some serious problems for Feraligatr!"
"Tristan knows that this battle will be tough," agreed Veronica. "He's battling like a true champion."
"Can Feraligatr escape the onslaught of Pikachu's Thunderbolt?" boomed the announcer.
"Feraligatr, use Slash attack!" shouted Silver.
Feraligatr managed to break free of Pikachu's Thunderbolt and proceeded to strike Pikachu repeatedly with its sharp claws.
"Pikachu's getting pummeled by that Slash attack!" boomed the announcer. "Pikachu could be in major trouble!"
"This isn't good," said Shen nervously. "Pikachu can't last much longer if it keeps getting hit repeatedly like that."
"Hang in there, Pikachu!" shouted Hillary.
"Yeah, you can do it!" added Evan.
Togepi cheered even louder for Pikachu.
"Finish it off with Hydro Pump!" ordered Silver.
Feraligatr unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth and scored another direct hit on Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" cried Tristan.
Pikachu was sent careening into one of the stadium walls and collapsed on the ground. It had been knocked out.
"Pikachu is unable to battle...Feraligatr wins!" declared the referee as he raised his red flag in the air to a roaring crowd.
"You heard it, fans!" said the announcer. "Pikachu was defeated by Feraligatr's Hydro Pump!"
"Pikachu!" exclaimed Tristan as he ran onto the field to get it.
"Oh, poor Pikachu," said Eric sadly.
"I know," agreed Evan. "And the type advantage was a good idea, too."
"I guess Feraligatr's strength took Pikachu by surprise," added Braden. "But still, I wouldn't count Tristan out of this match just yet. He may be down to his last Pokémon, but he didn't get this far without learning a few comeback tricks."
Tristan carefully set Pikachu down on the ground next to him.
Pikachu sadly apologized to him.
"Don't get bent out of shape, pal," smiled Tristan. "You did a great job. You deserve a nice rest." Then he took out his Friend Ball and held it close to him. "All right. This is going to be tough, but I'm counting on you, so let's do our best together. Meganium, I choose you!" he shouted as he threw the ball.
(Music Cue: Johto Champion Battle (slightly higher pitch as heard in "Love, Pokémon Style"))
Meganium emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Tristan's final Pokémon is Meganium!" boomed the announcer.
"So, Meganium's up now, huh?" smirked Silver. "This should really be interesting."
Sure enough, Meganium, seeing its opponent, looked nervous, for it knew the very same Feraligatr and the Trainer who snatched it, but it glared at Feraligatr, eagerly ready to battle.
Feraligatr glared back at Meganium.
"Whoa," said Hillary nervously. I never thought that this battle would be between Meganium and Feraligatr, especially since their history goes back to the very first day we met Silver."
"You're right," agreed Veronica. "Tristan can't get sidetracked now. He and Meganium are going to have to use every trick in the book."
Togepi cheered loudly for Tristan and Meganium.
"Let's bring it to them, Meganium!" commanded Tristan. "Use Razor Leaf now!"
Meganium shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves from its neck petals at Feraligatr.
"Feraligatr, Hydro Pump, go!" ordered Silver.
Feraligatr launched a powerful blast of water from its mouth to block Meganium's Razor Leaf.
"Both attacks are perfectly matched!" said the announcer.
"Now strike back with Ice Beam!" instructed Silver.
Feraligatr unleashed an ice-cold beam of energy from its mouth at Meganium.
"Meganium, use Vine Whip to jump!" ordered Tristan.
Quickly, Meganium launched two green vines from the petals around its neck, and they hit the floating platform with such force that it made Meganium airborne, allowing it to dodge Ice Beam.
"Whoa, what a jump!" gasped Hillary.
"Meganium makes a huge leap!" said the announcer.
"Now use Body Slam!" shouted Tristan.
Meganium got into position, and used its full weight to try and land an attack on Feraligatr.
"Feraligatr, Slash, let's go!" ordered Silver.
Feraligatr used its sharp claws to strike Meganium before it could make contact, sending it flying onto one of the floating platforms.
"Feraligatr's Slash attack sideswipes Meganium and stops Body Slam!" said the announcer.
"Even with a type advantage, Feraligatr's attacks have given it big trouble," remarked Veronica nervously.
"Come on, Meganium!" shouted Evan. "Show them how it's done!"
Meganium got back up, unwilling to back down from facing its opponent.
"That's the way, Meganium!" commended Tristan. "Don't let Feraligatr intimidate you! Now use Razor Leaf!"
Meganium unleashed another flurry of razor-sharp leaves from its petals at Feraligatr.
"Dive into the water to dodge it!" instructed Silver.
Quickly, Feraligatr dove into the water, and successfully avoided being hit by Razor Leaf.
"Now we wait for Feraligatr to emerge from the surface," said the announcer.
"It could come up anywhere," grunted Tristan as he and Meganium frantically looked all over the pool for the slightest trace of Feraligatr.
"Ice Beam now!" ordered Silver.
Feraligatr popped its head out of the water and unleashed another ice-cold beam of energy at Meganium, striking it directly.
"Meganium gets sideswiped by that Ice Beam attack!" boomed the announcer.
Sure enough, Meganium was sent careening into one of the floating platforms, but refused to give in.
"Whoa, that Feraligatr means business," said Rachael nervously.
"And that Ice Beam is no joke, either," added Stuart.
"As long as it keeps going like this, it won't be easy for Tristan to pull through," put in Veronica.
"There has to be something that Tristan can do to win, isn't there?" asked Evan hopefully.
"Well, I've seen this happen before, and if he makes his moves in just the right order, then he can easily turn this around," explained Hillary.
"How do you mean, dear?" wondered Veronica.
Everyone else was confused, too.
"Well, Feraligatr may know an Ice-type attack like Ice Beam to slow Meganium down," replied Hillary. "But if Meganium can warm the weather up just enough, then it just might be able to defeat Feraligatr, and that will win the match for Tristan."
Braden understood what Hillary was talking about, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he just kept concentrating on the battle to see if Tristan would make the right move.
Meganium was starting to get tired, but Feraligatr still looked at Meganium with no signs of weakness.
"Slash attack!" ordered Silver.
Feraligatr flew at Meganium and struck it with its sharp claws, sending it flying into the water.
Meganium quickly recovered and got back on the floating platforms, but as soon as it saw Silver, it became more and more nervous.
(Music Cue: A Formidable Opponent Appears (full version as heard in "Get Along, Little Pokémon"))
"What's the matter, Meganium?" taunted Silver. "Can't you battle better than that ever since I tried to take you away by force way back when?"
Meganium, still feeling traumatized by the event from long ago, froze in its tracks.
Tristan became worried. This isn't good, thought Tristan. Meganium still hasn't forgotten about the time that it was almost taken away, and it hated all humans because of it.
That gave Silver the opening he needed. "Wrap it up with Ice Beam!"
Feraligatr unleashed a powerful ice-cold beam of energy and struck Meganium with it.
"Ice Beam scores a direct hit!" said the announcer. "Could this be the end for Meganium...and the match?"
Sure enough, Ice Beam was doing the job, and had begun to encase Meganium in a block of solid ice.
"This is bad," said Veronica worriedly. "Meganium can't move in this position, and its awful memories from the very first day have made it even worse."
"If there's one thing Silver's good at, it's throwing cheap shots," remarked Braden.
"Come on, Meganium!" shouted Rachael and Stuart together.
Togepi cheered for Meganium as loudly as it could.
Meganium was still feeling the effects of Ice Beam as it continued its work.
I have to think of something fast, thought Tristan. Then he shouted aloud, "Meganium, listen! You can't let the awful memories of Silver control you! All you wanted was to make friends and do the best you could in life! You're doing that right now!"
Meganium started to hear those words and thought back to the wonderful memories it made on its journey with Tristan.
"Just what good can encouragement do?" said Silver, being dismissive. "Talk about pathetic."
Tristan continued. "Remember way back when you were just a Chikorita, and remember how you helped me out of serious jams along the way. And you helped all of us grow. You didn't do those things yourself, Meganium, because we all did it together. And we can do it together here right now. I believe in you! You have to at least try! Do it for your friends! Do it for yourself! Do it for me!"
(Music Cue: Gym 2 1997-1998 (full version as heard in "Volcanic Panic"))
When Meganium heard the word, 'try,' it had gotten the inspiration it needed, and broke out of the cold grip of Feraligatr's Ice Beam and leaped back onto one of the floating platforms.
"Yes!" said Tristan excitedly.
"Would you look at that!" boomed the announcer. "Meganium somehow managed to break free from Feraligatr's Ice Beam and found new strength at the same time!"
"No way!" exclaimed Silver.
"All right!" cried Rachael and Stuart excitedly.
"Now that's what I call awesome!" said Veronica.
"Go, Meganium!" cheered Hillary. "Show that Feraligatr who's boss!"
Togepi cheered even more loudly for Meganium.
"I knew you could do it, Meganium," smiled Tristan.
Meganium nodded in agreement. Thanks to Tristan's words of encouragement, it had the strength to stay in it, and wanted to prove to Tristan and Silver that good memories or bad, it could overcome any obstacle.
"Hey, Silver, looks like your victory was short-lived," continued Tristan.
"We'll see about that, Tristan," retorted Silver. "Feraligatr, Hydro Pump!"
Feraligatr unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Meganium.
"Dodge it now!" ordered Tristan.
Quickly, Meganium leaped high into the air and successfully evaded Feraligatr's Hydro Pump.
"Now use Sunny Day!" instructed Tristan.
Meganium unleashed a beam of light from between the two antennae on its head into the sky, causing the sun to shine even more brightly, making the temperature warm up even more.
"Meganium's Sunny Day has certainly made things even warmer," said the announcer. "Better grab your sunglasses, folks."
"Ice Beam, full power!" yelled Silver.
Feraligatr unleashed a powerful ice-cold beam of energy at Meganium.
"SolarBeam! Give it everything you've got!" shouted Tristan.
Thanks to the harsh sunlight, Meganium was able to instantly unleash a bright and powerful beam of energy it gathered from the sun from its petals.
Both attacks collided in a devastating show of power.
Tristan and Silver watched anxiously as both attacks collided.
However, Feraligatr was starting to show signs of weakness from the harsh sunlight and from the long battle it had had against three of Tristan's Pokémon.
That was the opening Meganium needed, for it turned up the power of its SolarBeam and successfully cancelled out Feraligatr's Ice Beam and scored a direct hit on it, causing a tremendous explosion of smoke and dust to form that could be seen for miles.
Everyone was waiting anxiously to see who would emerge victorious from the tremendous blast.
Even all of Tristan and Hillary's Legendary Pokémon friends looked anxiously at the big screen outside the stadium, especially Lugia, hoping that Tristan would win the final tumultuous battle.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Feraligatr and Meganium stood intently at one another, waiting to see which one of them would fall first.
Meganium smiled at Feraligatr for the tough, but exciting battle it was having.
Then Feraligatr smiled at Meganium, not just because of the tough battle, but because Meganium was pushed to keep trying, and that its true strength came from its friends, and it was able to battle at its very best. Then Feraligatr winced in pain from the damage it took from the battles against it, Pikachu, and Dragonair and fell into the water with a tremendous splash. It had a dazed expression in its eyes. It had finally been knocked out.
"Feraligatr is unable to battle...Meganium is the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag in the air.
(Music Cue: Ending 1997-1998 (full version as heard in "Round One: Begin!"))
"Feraligatr has been defeated!" boomed the announcer as the crowd roared loudly in excitement. "The winner is Tristan from New Bark Town!"
The crowd continued to roar even more loudly after the epic battle they had just experienced.
"He won!" cheered Rachael and Eric together.
"That was awesome!" said Evan. "That was so wonderful, I can't stand it! It makes me want to battle, too!"
"You'd have to earn some badges first," smiled Braden.
"That's what I call a great battle," said Shen. "That Meganium of his is really something."
"He won," said Veronica to herself. "I knew he would."
Eric nodded in agreement.
"What a hard-fought, hard-won battle this was for Tristan!" continued the announcer. "He and Meganium have shown what powerful competitors they are. And now, Tristan will move on into the Quarterfinals of the Johto League Silver Conference!"
Tristan was bewildered at first. But then he was full of joy. He ran with Pikachu to congratulate Meganium for a job well-done. "Meganium, you were incredible!" he said. "Thanks so much!"
Meganium smiled and embraced him in return.
Silver recalled his Feraligatr, then he gave a smile to Tristan and Meganium. Then he said to himself, "Well, I lost. I trained long and hard, but he still won. I guess he is the better Trainer after all. Now I can see I was wrong about him all along." He turned and left the stadium.
"I'm so proud of you, Meganium," commended Tristan. "You gave it all you had out there."
Meganium agreed happily and embraced him with its long slender neck.
Tristan turned to look up toward his friends and family as they looked on proudly. This is one of many steps that I needed to take, but I know I'm closer than ever to fulfilling my destiny. And someday, I'll be a Pokémon Master. He continued to stand proudly, knowing that with his friends and family by his side, he would always be a winner in their book.
That night, Silver stood alone by the lake. He looked at Feraligatr's Pokémon for a long time. He was beginning to understand why he kept losing to Tristan and Hillary all the time.
"Silver?" said a voice.
Silver turned around to see Tristan standing there with Pikachu right next to him.
"Hi, Tristan," said Silver. "Thanks for coming to see me."
"No problem," replied Tristan. "But what are you doing all the way out here?"
(Music Cue: Ecruteak City (full version))
Silver said nothing at first. Then he said, "I've been thinking of something for a long time. I'm beginning to understand why you had to stop Giovanni. I saw the news report on television last year, too. I never really knew that he kidnapped your parents of all people."
Tristan was confused, but he kept on listening.
"Not to mention that Blue was also captured along with his Pokémon," Silver continued. "You've proven to me that you defeated Giovanni fair and square. Man, I was such a creep."
"Wait, so is that why you wanted to set out on your journey in the first place?" asked Tristan.
Silver nodded. "I'd wanted to track you and Hillary down so that I could get some answers on Giovanni's sudden disappearance. When we first met, I didn't understand why love and trust in your Pokémon played a factor in the victories you and Hillary achieve along the way. But it seemed to me that those factors helped the both of you stop Giovanni and save your family and friends." He then clenched his fists. "How could I believe his lies all this time?"
"It's okay, Silver," Tristan assured him. "You didn't know."
Silver felt more relaxed after that, but still felt uneasy. "I'd been so mean to Feraligatr and all the Pokémon I'd caught on my journey. If only I could take back all the rotten things I've said about you and Hillary..." He paused. "...I'm going to do my best to make things right. So I'm going to return Feraligatr to Professor Elm's lab where the whole trouble started."
Tristan was surprised. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Yes," replied Silver. "It's the only way to atone for the wrongs I'd committed."
"You're wrong," insisted Tristan. "It's not just your Feraligatr that you made friends with. Your Sneasel, Magneton, Alakazam, Gengar, and even your Crobat helped you along on your journey, didn't they? Your Crobat evolved from a Golbat because of how friendly it was to you. And you can still be kind in return to not only the Pokémon you have, but any Pokémon you catch and train on your journey. No matter what, your friends will always be with you."
Silver thought long and hard about what Tristan just told him. Then he smiled and said, "Thank you, Tristan. That means a lot. I think I will keep Feraligatr and the others and go on a brand-new journey soon. And from now on, I'm going to treat my Pokémon with love and respect."
"Great," smiled Tristan. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"I hear you're battling against Shen tomorrow," said Silver. "I'll be rooting for you in your match."
"Thanks, Silver," replied Tristan. "I'll do my best."
Tristan and Silver shook hands as Hillary stood quietly close by.
"It looks like Silver's finally figuring things out," whispered Hillary.
"I have to go now," said Silver. "I'll catch you later." And he gave a friendly wave and left.
"That was unexpected," said Hillary as she and Togepi approached.
"Yeah," agreed Tristan. "He said he finally opened up to the truth about Giovanni. He also wanted to return his Feraligatr to Professor Elm's lab, but I told him he could make more friends if he kept on his journey with his Pokémon."
Hillary smiled. "You never cease to amaze me. And I know Silver will be successful on his journey, no matter what his destiny is."
Tristan just stood there. Then he smiled and said, "I know he will, too."
And so, having defeated his longtime rival, Silver, Tristan looks ahead to his second match in the Johto League Silver Conference Victory Tournament and his battle against Shen. Will fate allow Tristan to emerge victorious again? Stay tuned and find out!
► TO BE CONTINUED