Tory hopped back down from the top of the rocky barricade and started to help dig. Gertrude had found something new to complain about: hunger. Come to think of it, Tory was feeling mighty hungry too. But still, he kept moving rocks. Gertrude remained on the side, not helping as always. Even her Pokemon were slacking. "It would go a lot quicker if you would help," Tory pointed out.
Gertrude laughed. "Don't you want to train to move a mountain?"
Tory thought about it. The ability to "move a mountain" had never come across his mind.
"One who moves a mountain, starts by moving tiny stones," said Gertrude. She laughed and adjusted herself in her spot.
Tory dropped the rock and turned around. "You know, that may be the smartest thing you ever said." He went back to work.
Gertrude laughed again. He knew she was slowly losing her mind and left it at that. Her help wasn't something to value, he thought. After strenuous hours of continuing to move the stones, he could finally weasel through a hole at the top of the rock slide. When Gertrude noticed the hole, she, as predicted by Tory, pushed him out of the way and tried to go through first. But her adult body, although not fat, could not fit through the hole. She growled in frustration. "Make this hole bigger," she demanded.
Tory climbed up and went through. He peeked his head through the hole and said, "No." Gertrude stared at him with a mixture of terror and anger and then screamed. "One down, three to go," he said to himself. He slid down the pile of rocks and skipped merrily towards the exit. Along the way, he pulled out his Araidos. When he came to the edge of the cave, he looked out towards the ocean. It was night time, and he couldn't see any sign of civilized objects, like boats or lights. He turned around and waited. It wasn't long until he saw his second victim. That victim was Henry. He was having trouble seeing. "Araidos, Spider Web."
"Huh? Oh!" said Henry. He was stuck to the wall, pinned to it by Araidos' spider web.
Tory went to snatch the trophy from him, but found that both of his hands were empty. Tory searched the ground with his hands. "You won't find it," said Henry. "Melanie took it from me. Teleported right in front of me, then some flying freak took it out of my hands, then teleported away.
Tory expected she teleported back out. He looked back out onto the ocean. Still, nothing was there. "I think she is still in the cave. She just wanted to teleport to someplace safe," said Henry. "No sense in teleporting back to the city. You wouldn't get recognition," added Henry.
Tory waited for Melanie to make her appearance. He didn't let Henry out of the spider web, and he could hear Gertrude sobbing down the tunnel. Tory watched the tunnel Henry came form, seeing that it would be unlikely Melanie would come from the one he came from. The sun was starting to rise, which made him anxious. He thought that there was another exit, and went outside to check the sloping mountain. There wasn't another one, so he went back inside. By now the bottom of the sun had risen above the horizon. The warm light infused the cave.
Then Melanie rounded the corner of the tunnel Henry had come from. She noticed Tory and stopped. She had the trophy in hand and a Murkrow on her shoulder. It was a reflex that Araidos went to use spider web on her. But her Murkrow was faster and tackled it. "Murkrow, Shadow Ball," commanded Melanie.
The Shadow Ball hit Araidos and sent it flying into a wall. Melanie and Murkrow ran for the exit. "Araidos, Poison Sting." Araidos jumped on Melanie's back and bite Murkrow. Melanie fell over, and Murkrow tumbled down the side of the mountain. Tory walked over to Melanie and grabbed the trophy.
"Araidos use Spider Web on this ball and I will stick it to your back. Then we run for it." Araidos obeyed and Tory stuck it on Araidos' back. Then they ran. They ran down the mountain and saw a port at the end of the island, where many people were waiting. When they saw Tory they started cheering.
Tory looked over his shoulder and saw an Electrode rolling at an insane speed towards him. It hit Tory and he flew further down the mountain. Painful "Oh's" came from the crowd. Tory looked up, he stopped rolling next to Melanie's Murkrow. He watched his Araidos and Electrode battle. Electrode used Thunderbolt, and Araidos countered with Night Shade. Electrode made a constipated face and blew up.
The trophy was striped of the spider web and flew off Araidos' back. It glittered in the sunlight. Beyond Araidos, Henry was running, with Melanie behind him. Tory got up and ran to catch the trophy. Henry and Tory were running side by side, arms outstretched, waiting for the trophy to fall in their hands. Both of them grabbed it at the same time and it turned into a game of tug-o-war. Melanie went to nurse her Murkrow.
All through the chase, the crowd was cheering on who ever they wanted to win. Tory thought he heard his mother scream for him and he turned to look at the crowd out of instinct. Henry ripped the trophy out of Tory's grip and started running to the port. The crowd erupted into a louder cheer. Tory followed him, trying to catch up and tackle him. Out of nowhere, his Araidos ran past Tory and tackled Henry. The trophy flew out of Henry's hands and landed less than an inch away from the finish line. Tory jumped over Araidos and Henry and ran to the trophy.
Then, Melanie teleported between the Tory and the trophy and picked it up. She mockingly took a moment to admire it, before crossing the finish line. Tory's mouth hung open. He was shocked.
After that, each contestant was taken aboard a separate boat and was given food, drink, rest, and healed Pokemon. Tory sat on the bed, in the cabin. The boat had only one cabin. It wasn't a luxury liner like the S.S. Floaty Boat. Just a cheap boat used for recreational fishing. He stared into his cup of hot chocolate.
The roar of the motor stopped and he was alerted that they had arrived back in Fuchsia City. He got up and went out. There, a crowd was cheering for him, and he could see his mother and sister waiting for him. His sister still looked angry about the whole Tory in the final four thing.
When he took his first step back on civilized land, His mother tackled him and held him in a hug. She patted him on the shoulder, and gave him some words of encouragement and took him home. He didn't want to stick around for the final ceremony; he just wanted to be home.