A Claim to Flame
After weeks of traveling, the heroes finally made it to Silver Town and were within reach of Mt. Silver. They came to the front gate of a shrine and saw a crowd. The heroes found out that it would soon be time to announce the start of the Silver Conference by lighting the torch. The legend behind the shrine was that a fierce battle broke out between humans and Pokémon and the land was laid to waste when the greenery was destroyed and the lake dried up. Ho-Oh appeared and destroyed the weapons carried by the soldiers with her Sacred Fire. The land was turned into a wasteland, but from the ashes of Ho-Oh's flame, the earth was rejuvenated. People and Pokémon who witnessed this miracle agreed to stop fighting and set their differences aside as they would work together and restore peace. A small amount of Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire was still burning and was taken from the forest and preserved in the shrine known as the Ho-Oh Shrine. And today, runners would be carrying the Sacred Fire all the way to Silver Town to announce the start of the Johto league Silver Conference.
There was still time for the Silver Conference to begin, so the heroes spent the remainder of the time in Silver Town helping Emily prepare for one of the biggest events in the world of Pokémon. Emily spent a lot of her time looking through the guidebook to learn about the rules and battle methods.
"You finally made it," said a familiar voice. Emily and the boys turned and saw their old friend Max. "I was beginning to worry you weren't coming."
Emily and the boys were more than shocked. "Max? You're here?"
"Since when did you become a Pokémon trainer?" Joey asked.
"More importantly," Kaiba was saying, "how did you get here?"
Max wiped her brow and explained, "I followed you into the Secret Garden and began my own Pokémon jouney."
Yugi saw a black bracelet around Max's wrist and noticed it contained a Keystone. "That's a Keystone," he cried. "How did you get one?"
"The same way you guys got yours," she replied. "The Dark Lord gave it to me and said it would help me on my journey."
Emily suddenly remembered. She reached into her bag and pulled out the chest containing the Cobalt Star shard. "I have to give you this."
Curious, Max opened the case. When she did, the shard glowed and attached itself to the shard hanging from around her neck. "I can't believe you found it. I've been looking all over for this since I got here."
Joey chuckled and said, "It's a pretty long story."
"Well, we have plenty of time," said Max. "Although, I really would like to train for the Silver Conference."
"I understand," said Emily. It was no surprise that Max would also want to have fun on her journey and compete in the Pokémon league. "Maybe we could battle each other."
Max smiled and said, "That's something I'm looking forward to." And the girls shook hands and wished each other the best.
"I wonder what kind of Pokémon Max acquired on her journey," Joey wondered.
Emily sighed and and said, "We'll find out in the Silver Conference."
The heroes headed to the suite where challegers for the Silver Conference would be staying. The room provided a view of the lake and there was a computer on the desk where challengers could look at the database of all competitors and their Pokémon.
It was time for the preliminaries to begin. Trainers had to win at least three matches to proceed. Whoever comes out victorious can advance to the chosen forty-eight. Emily was going to be facing a dark-haired girl named Sylvia. Emily was permitted to make the first call. She tossed her Pokéball and called on Luna. Sylvia chose Misdreavus. Luna made the first move by attacking with Swift. Misdreavus took evasive action by using Double Team. After that, Misdreavus attacked with Psybeam. Luna got back on her feet and launched her Shadow Ball attack. Misdreavus dodged and used Head Butt. Misdreavus was about to attack again, but Luna jumped and attacked with Bite. After that, the match was over and Misdreavus was no longer able to battle.
The battles were actually pretty easy for Emily. She won two more matches by defeating a Hitmontop and a Sunflora. When she and her friends returned to the Pokémon Center to chek the results, they saw Max again. Both girls were qualified to participate in the semi-finals.
It was now the middle of the night, but Emily couldn't sleep. She knew the semi-finals started tomorrow after the opening ceremony, but she was too excited. She left the suite and began taking a walk along the lake with her Pokémon. As they were walking and thinking about tomorrow, they noticed Max standing near the lake as well.
Max noticed them as well. "I suppose you couldn't sleep either. You must have a lot on your mind."
"Nothing gets past you," said Emily.
Max moved aside. "Here, sit."
The blonde accepted the offer. So they sat down together and shared their stories of their Pokémon adventures. Max had actually met with some of the legendary Pokémon too. They didn't fear her for being a servant to the Dark Lord. They had as much respect for her as they did for the warriors of Millennia because they remembered that the previous guardian of the Cobalt Star was a friend to the royal Egyptian family. She also learned some important things about the past and the Gods.
Emily reached into her bag and pulled out another case. "I thought of you when we were on the Whirl Islands and I bought this for you."
Max takes the case and sees that it has a silver wing. "I have something for you too." She reaches inside her own bag and presents Emily with a case. The blonde opens the case and sees a rainbow wing. It was a charm that looked like one of Ho-Oh's wings. Just as Emily remembered that Max like silver, Max remembered that Emily liked rainbows and she was also known as the rainbow duelist back home.
"Emily," Max was saying, "it's good to see you and the boys again."
The blonde returned the gesture. "I've been thinking about you a lot since we came to this world. I had a feeling you would be coveting the Cobalt Star shards too and would find a way to the other worlds."
"Tell me something," Max was wondering, "is that really why you're here?"
Emily was silent for a moment, then replied, "You know, I've been asking myself the same question. Because to say I'm doing this because the Great Goddess sent me on a mission would be a lie. The real reason I wanted to come to this world is because…"
Max told Emily she didn't have to answer. "It's okay. I understand. Your ideals are separate from Millennia's wishes. You have your own personal thoughts to consider."
Emily tightened her eyes. "You read my mind and saw my ideals again, didn't you?"
Max softly chuckled. "Hey, I'm not trying to judge you." She stands up and says, "But you know, if we didn't come here because of the Gods, but because we wanted to see the world, what if we ended up in two different places? We were sent to this region because it was where the Cobalt Star shard was. But what if we got to choose which part of the world we wanted to end up in?"
The blonde faces the sky and replies, "I never thought of that."
"Well, it's true," said Max. "And think about all the wonder and possibilities that await us in the other worlds. It's exciting. And it will also influence us in many ways good and bad."
"That's true," said Emily. "We were great people back home and we're great people in this world too. But it's not because of who knows us, but because of what we became. You and me and the rest of our friends became great Pokémon trainers and everyone will know our stories."
Max nods and says, "Listen, you may have beaten me in Duel Monsters, but a Pokémon battle is a whole new game. This time, if we should face each other in a battle, know that I plan to win."
The blonde admired her determination. "So do I. Even if we are friends, I'm gonna give it all I've got."
"That's exactly what I'm hoping for," said Max. The girls shake hands and return to the suite.
The next day, everyone headed to Silver Stadium to witness the opening of the Silver Conference. The Sacred Fire from the Ho-Oh Shrine was being carried to the Stadium by the torch runner. The flame was lit in the center of the Stadium, announcing the commencement of the Silver Conference.
The heroes decided to kick things off in their own way with a song. Yugi was the first to start singing. There's no time to question my moves
I stick to the path that I choose
Me and my friends are gonna do it right
You'll never see us run away from a fight
To be a master is my dream
All I've got to do is believe
I believe, Joey vocalized.
Emily took her turn and sang, I've got a chance to win
I'm on my way to victory
I can be a champion if I just believe
Kaiba joined in by singing, I'm on a master quest
I want the whole world to see
Joey finished up by singing, I'm gonna be the very best
'Cause all I've got to do is believe in me. Pokémon!