HGSS: Johto Saga
Season 2 Opening: Born to be a Winner
Part 9
Catchy Goldenrod, Part 1
The sun shone on the path so that it lit the way for Ethan and Lyra towards Goldenrod. They could see the tall buildings even from where they were. They could feel the air coming from the productive city.
"Almost there! Goldenrod is supposed to be the biggest city in all of Johto...and with all the DEPARTMENT STORES!" Lyra runs ahead. Ethan rolls his eyes.
"Yay, go department stores...uck."
Lyra skidded to a stop as she came across an abandoned building. "What the...?" She tried to open the door, but it was locked shut tight.
"What happened?!" Lyra shrieked.
A woman appeared next to her. "The old folks here packed up and moved their Day Care to Ecruteak City not long ago!"
"What? Why would Grandma and Grandpa do that without telling us?!" Ethan walked up behind her.
"What is it?"
"My grandparents day care used to be run here...they moved to Ecru..."
"Would yo two like to compete in our Goldenrod Grand Tournament?" The woman said, glaring down at them, cutting Lyra off.
"Um...What's that?" Ethan asked.
"It's where 32 competitors battle in a real tournament. Winner gets a big prize from the Gym Leader herself!"
"The Gym Leader? Cool! I'm in!" Ethan said excitedly.
"Me too!" Lyra said, forgetting about the Day Care.
"Okay! THe competiton starts in ten minutes. Be on the other side of Goldenrod by that time!" She then hurries off.
"If she was trying to get people to join, why was she all the way on this side of town?" Ethan asked suspiciously.
"I don't know. Let's go!"
Later in a large building...
"Hello everyone! Here to present this year's Goldenrod Battles is...your Gym Leader, Whitney!" A young teen girl with pink hair and knee socks took the microphone from the woman from before.
"Thank you Marley. Hello everyone! I'm glad to be hosting this year's tournament in the Goldenrod Gym! I hope everyone has an awesome time today!" EVeryone in the bleachers on either side of the inside battleground screamed and shouted in excitement.
In a room outside that one, the 15 people stood inside. The first one from their room had already gone out to battle his first one. In that room was Lyra. On the other side of the building, Ethan was in a seperate room.
He glanced around and saw a boy, about his age, maybe two years older, standing watching the screen. He had on a white hat that went back with a green band over it. He had on orange gloves with a black and green trim, a type of thin shorts over "legging" type pants, and shoes that had the pants tucked inside of them. His shirt was orange and green, same as his other clothes, and he wore a bag similar to Ethan's: Across the side and over the back.
Ethan walked over to him.
"Hey, my name's Ethan!" He greeted.
The boy looked over to him, grace flittering in his eyes. "Hi Ethan. I'm Brandon," he said, holding his hand out to shake. "I'm new here to Johto, but I'm no stranger to pokemon battling. I collect Gym Badges."
Another person was called out to battle.
"Really? So am I! How many badges have you gotten...from?"
"Sorry, pardon my rudeness. I'm from Hoenn, an island region pretty far from here. And I've collected three gym badges. The Stone, Knuckle, and Dynamic badges are what they called there."
"Awesome. I have two. The Zephyr and Hive badges."
"Cool. I'm here with a girl named May. We travel together, but she competes in contests...she's actually competing here too!"
A girl is called out to battle.
"I'm here with Lyra. We travel around too, and she wants to compete in contests," Ethan replied.
"Oh, there's a contest here in Goldenrod tomorrow. She might want to know about it!" Brandon informed him.
"Brandon!" Brandon hear's his name and rushes out.
"Good luck Brandon!" Ethan calls out to him.
Brandon runs out on field and throws his two pokeballs out. "Go, Lairon and Grovyle!"
A steel-clad pokemon comes out, along with a large gecko looking one.
The person across from him sends out a Psyduck and a Graveler.
"Lairon, use Iron Head!" Lairon gets coated in a gray light and rams towards Graveler.
"No! Psyduck use Psychic!" The boy calls out. Psyduck lights up and stops Lairon, picking it up into the air. "Now throw it down!"
"Lairon, use Iron Defense!" Lairon curls up and is thrown to the ground. When the smoke clears, Lairon is shown unscathed. Ethan is surprised by how well he did that.
"Grovyle, run across the ceiling and use Bullet Seed while spinning!" Grovyle hops back and propels itself to the ceiling, rocketing down again, spinning and shooting off small yellow bullets. They collide with Psyduck and Graveler, sending them sprawling.
"Graveler! Use Stone Edge!" Graveler begins having small rocks circulate around it, then shoots them towards Lairon and Grovyle.
"All right, time to use teamwork! Grovyle, use Agility and run around Lairon!"
Grovyle begins to run incredibly fast in circles around Lairon. "Lairon, now use Water Pulse!"
Lairon shoots off a ball of water, which explodes into a wave. Grovyle's running, however, picks up the water and starts making a circle of water. "Final attack! Lairon, use Take Down with Iron Head and gather some water. At the same time, Grovyle, jump backwards with Leaf Blade!"
"No guys! We have to counter them. Graveler, use Focus Punch!" Graveler started to focus energy into its fist.
Lairon thrust forward, the water spraying it slightly. Grovyle flipped back, blade of grass protruding from its arms. It slashed Psyduck and fainted it. Lairon burst right into Graveler and sent it flying.
"No! MY precious pokemon!"
"Brandon is the winner!"
Back in the room...
"Wow Brandon! That was amazing!" Ethan saw Lyra win her first battle. She jumped up and down, hugging Chikorita and Marill tight.
"All right, in one hour, we will hold the second round! Everyone who advanced must partake!" THe announcer said after the last battle, Ethan's.
Outside the gym, Brandon, May, Lyra and Ethan sit on a bench.
"So, we're all traveling with one another?" May asked Lyra. She had on a green bandana, and orange shirt, orange-blach gloves, shoes like Brendan's, and a black 'skirt'.
"Yup. Me and Ethan...and apparently you and Brandon. Why are you guys here anyway?" Lyra questioned.
"We're here because of the Goldenrod tourney. And we just wanted to take in some sights of Johto," Brandon answered.
"Oh hey! That's cool, maybe we can travel together after the tourney?" Ethan suggested. After May and Brandon thought it over, they turned back to them.
"Sure!" They said in unison.
"I'd miss two contests, but I have three ribbons already, so it's okay. I haven't lost even on contest!" May said proudly.
"That reminds me, Lyra. There's a contest tomorrow here. Thought you'd want to compete," Ethan explained. Lyra nodded.
"Thanks."
An hour later, they're called back for the tourney.
"Our first second-round match will be...Lyra v. May!"
In her room, Lyra stares at May, and she stares back. They'd have to battle now...
On the field, Lyra throws out Chikorita and Marill. May calls on her Roselia and Beautifly.
"Roselia, use Solarbeam!" Roselia started to charge solar energy in its roses. "Beautifly, protect Roselia from attacks!" May ordered.
"All right Marill, use Rollout!" Marill started to roll quickly on the ground towards Beautifly.
"Beautifly, Silver Wind!" Beautifly flapped its wings gracefully and a wind of glittering silver energy whipped across Marill, throwing it into the air.
"Roselia! Solarbeam!" Roselia shot a brilliant beam of light from its hands. It collided with Marill and fainted it. Lyra recalled Marill.
"Chikorita, use Vine Whip!" Chikorita lashed its whips out.
"Beautifly, use Gust!" Beautifly let loose a wave of wind, blowing back the vines. "Now Roselia, use Stun Spore! Beautifly use Silver Wind!" Roselia layed a mist of orange powder of Chikorita, paralyzing it.
Beautifly released the silver wind and it blew CHikorita away, fainting it.
"May's the winner!" Whitney calls out.
Lyra recalls Chikorita.
After the next couple of battles, Ethan notices Silver battling!
"Hey, Silver's here too?!" Ethan says, leaning roughly on a table, watching him battle with his Sneasel.
