Note- OH YEAH! Now that's more like it! Less than 3 months between updates! I hope you've had a great summer! Mine has been... eventful! Newly married, newly employed, new location... just a LOT of new! And that also includes a new chapter of Heart and Soul!

I'm publishing this just after the announcement of free DLC to New Pokemon Snap, which has me very excited. As someone who just loves chilling in the Pokemon world and seeing these creatures exist (including all my favorites), it's a game with A LOT of replay value!

Now... onto the main reason you're probably here. We return to the Skyler ranch with Chris having just suffered a narrow defeat. It could not have come at a worse time with the Silver Conference swiftly approaching. How will each trainer and their teams handle the outcome of that battle? And what other trainers might have joined them since we last checked in? Let's jump in and find out! Hope you enjoy! Please Review and Subscribe!


Chapter 58

"And Pidgeot's Hurricane finds its mark!"

"His No Guard ability might end up making the difference here at the end!"

Seven young men sat cramped around a large TV in a living room. Empty plates lay scattered on the center table and night stands beside the couch. Few of the boys still sat on the couch, with the rest either standing beside the screen or seated right beneath it. They had all remained quiet, aside from occasional banter and the shouts that punctuated the intense moments on screen. And it didn't get more intense than this.

The Mega Evolved bird swooped down toward his foe, a grounded Houndoom. The Dark-type canine had hunched low after being spun around by Hurricane, and looked to be channeling some malevolent energy around it at his trainer's command. And it was that trainer that gave Chris the confidence in Houndoom's victory.

"She's going to do it!" he declared. The young man bounced on his toes, shaking his fists at the screen on his right.

Luke shook his head. "No way. This is Blue we're talking about."

"Not to mention it's a Mega Evolved Pokémon versus one that isn't," his brother Ben added.

"This is Pidgeot's second battle though," Waz countered. "And Houndoom has already managed to use Nasty Plot once."

"And I think Houndoom managed to sneak another one in just now," Chris said.

"You sure you're not just imagining things?" David asked, before revealing a mischievous grin. "We know how you feel about Karen."

Chris didn't take his eyes off the screen as another Hurricane attack rippled out and was met by Houndoom's Dark Pulse. That drew an explosion and a cloud of smoke filled the screen. "Who wouldn't root for her?" he finally replied. "She represents the best qualities of a trainer." And she loves to whip up on Kanto trainers, Chris silently added. Outside of Ethan, Karen was the best Johto had to offer. Someone who had inspired her fellow Johto native with her quick rise to fame and her ability to stay at the top of her game these past eight years. Her counterattack philosophy and battling with her favorite Pokémon had stuck with Chris from a young age. It was clear from their continued cheering that she had the crowd firmly on her side. The sold out stadium must have held at least twenty thousand fans. Chris didn't even want to imagine what they had to pay to attend. The head of the Elite Four only got to challenge the champion one time a year, making it the toughest ticket in the region.

"Oh, a Fire Blast rips through the smoke cloud!"

"Pidgeot unleashes a Hyper Beam to meet—NO."

"What the hell?!" Seth shouted.

Blue's teammate spread his wings out toward the incoming fire, but inexplicably released the orange beam of energy at a lower, sharper angle. His attack had just managed to pierce the smoke when the intense blast of fire struck and completely consumed him in flames.

An audible, collective gasp issued from the packed in crowd as a glow overtook Pidgeot. The added bulk and length faded from the bird's body. And then he began to drop from the sky.

Chris dropped into a squat as Pidgeot dematerialized back into his Poké Ball. He could feel the other six pairs of eyes on him as the announcers were forced to shout over the berserk crowd.

"Turning Pidgeot's No Guard ability against him in a way that only a Dark-type master can! Karen has done it! The head of the Elite Four has now become the Champion of the Indigo Plateau! The most coveted title in either region belongs to her!"


The land around Luke's home was more uneven than any Chris had seen in Johto. He liked to think it was why his breath came so heavy as he ran with his team through the morning fog. Ran after might have been more appropriate. Weepinbell was the only teammate still near him, and even the Flycatcher Pokémon looked like he might pull away from his trainer.

It didn't help that his mind wasn't focused on where he stepped or controlling his breathing. The sting from his loss to Luke had faded over the past few days. After all, he'd battled with two of his newest captures. But something had been creeping—like a slow, rolling fog—into the back of his mind since. He hadn't been able to find the words for what or why. So he decided to find distractions in the different camps he passed.

Waz had set up shop around a cluster of dead trees. The young man and his team looked to be taking turns to see who could leave the biggest dent in them. It wouldn't have been too unbelievable to bank on Waz himself. The Sevii Island native gave Chris a nod as he passed, before whipping his barrel-like leg around to smash through the eroding wood.

Seth's team wasn't too far away. Their trainer was peering through the haze, his eyes wide as he watched Waz decimate the tree trunk. Chris had been surprised when Seth had shown up, even if he had invited him. His hesitancy at the Lake of Rage had painted him to be someone who liked to train in private. Just like my other Sinnoh 'companion', Chris thought.

He had invited Sarah and given her the coordinates, but you'd be better off finding a Cryogonal in a volcano than her showing up. Despite her barbs and secrecy, the Cherrygrove native and his starter would have loved to see her again. The latter had even been preparing a special gift for her these past several weeks. But it might just come down to the luck of the draw in the end.

"Care if I join you?"

Chris almost went sprawling as a shadow rushed up on his left to match his stride.

"Shoot," Chris hissed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Ben."

The young man grinned but didn't take his eyes off the murky path ahead. "You're setting yourself up for that when you run alone in an unfamiliar place."

"I'm not…" Chris looked to his right and found no one there. "Well, I wasn't."

"You like to exercise with your team?"

"It's my second favorite way to train after sparring."

Ben nodded. "I think it's the thing I'm most looking forward to."

Chris slowed his pace to catch a breath. "Your dad mentioned that you'd been competing in the Pokéathlon Junior competitions. You must be a heck of an athlete."

"It's been a long road. Dad started me in sports from a young age. I've enjoyed it, but I didn't see much coming out of it. Until the sponsorship options started rolling in this past year, that is."

"Dang. So you'll be able to finance your journey? Will you still have to compete in the Pokéathlon?"

"Just two majors a year. And the qualifying rounds before them. And now that competitions have expanded beyond Johto, I'll actually be able to consider the Kanto League."

Chris nodded and felt sweat fly off his forehead. "That's not bad. I guess you haven't done any of the joint events with a partner Pokémon?"

Ben revealed a guilty smile. "I actually have. Just in the exhibitions though, since the Pokémon isn't actually mine."

Chris's eyebrows rose, flushing stinging sweat into his eyes. "Who are you using?"

"Dad's Arcanine."

"Ah," Chris replied. Now that he thought about it, it only made sense to let a division full of competitors too young to be trainers borrow other Pokémon.

They passed between a narrow path of trees and the ground slowly began to flatten. Chris glanced down at his watch and realized he'd already cleared three miles.

"I can't wait to compete with my own team. Even if it means starting with Pokémon that have no experience."

The fog had somehow gotten even thicker. It nearly caused the two boys to run straight into a roadblock in the form of six figures.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Chris told them.

Typhlosion held a disappointed look, but that vanished when he noticed Ben looking at him.

"Was Cyndaquil your first Pokémon?" Luke's brother asked.

"He was," Chris replied. He gave his starter a mockingly serious stare. The Volcano Pokémon did his best to return the stare, but couldn't completely hide the grin on his lips. "Any ideas who you'd like your first teammate to be?"

"A dragon."

"What?"

Ben pointed to the north. "We're close to Tohjo Falls," and as he said it, Chris could make out the distant sound of running water. "Even further north is a lot of wild land that makes up the foothills of Mt. Silver. Young dragons will occasionally drop down to roam the hills as they are learning to fly. That's where I'll defeat and capture one."

Chris stared at the fifteen year old for several seconds. His thoughts drifted to the boy's older brother and his near death experience in the wild. Then to David's harrowing tale of capturing his Dratini.

"I hope you don't have more guts than brains," Chris said, and pointed to the young man's legs, "but I have a feeling your legs can get you out of trouble if need be."

Ben smiled. "I'll let you guys get back to it," he said. He gave Typhlosion one last glance, then rushed back into the fog.


The wilds of Route 27 were much more manageable if one could make it past the branching waterways and confusing woodland. A gravel road had been put in as one drew close to the cave that housed Tohjo Falls. And not far from its entrance, looking almost like a mirage, was a Pokémon Center. Just past noon, it played host to three trainers.

"I would have come here this morning had I known how close I was," Chris said as they entered.

"Had I not been unconscious I might have mentioned it," Luke replied.

David shrugged his shoulders as he stepped up to the PC. "Figured you'd love having an excuse to get more steps in."

"Yeah," Chris said with a sigh, "but now I have to worry about you trying to get a preview of my full team."

Luke glanced over at him as the two men took a seat. "Did you really catch more?"

"Well of course."

A moment passed where the two trainers stared unblinkingly at one another. Then Luke grinned.

"You're such a shitty liar."

Chris laughed. "You mean Weepinbell doesn't count?"

Both trainers sat back in their chairs and began fiddling with their Pokégears. Chris noticed a notification about three new messages. He popped open the device and found the first two to be from his parents. His mom had sent him a reply to his last update. Even after ten months of travel, she still made sure to check up on him every couple of days. He'd found it annoying at the start, and even a bit now having just spent a couple weeks straight with her not long ago, but he couldn't deny the care each one carried. He was happy to read that she'd managed to clear three days off to make the trip to the Silver Conference.

Even if the only options were during the 32 trainer finals, Chris thought, a grimace surfacing. He had purposely neglected to mention that detail to her when discussing it back in Cherrygrove. The start of the Silver Conference had still been over two months away, and the risky play had felt like solid motivation to help him fight to those final rounds. Now with the tournament looming, it felt like he'd placed himself smack in the center of an Ariados's web.

His father's message was much shorter, as they tended to be, and also included something about the Silver Conference. Chris nearly sat up when he saw that his father would be able to get off during that week. The 'but' that followed kept him grounded though. He wouldn't know what days they would be until the week prior.

Watch them be the first three days of the screening and elimination period.

The identity of the sender of the third message surprised him, but the message did not.

'Thanks for the invite. Me and Seff' have already had our fair share of get-togethers though. Just make sure you save all your secrets for your other favorite Sinnoh trainer ;)'

Chris rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure why he had even invited her. It had been a long shot in the first place, not to mention that he was pretty sure she disliked him. Still, there was something about nearly dying in a frozen cave together that helped make a connection.

David bounced from the counter and plopped down on the couch beside Luke. He wiped at the layer of sweat still covering his brow.

"Do they have it really hot in here or is it just me?" he asked.

"Maybe you're still tired from the casual stroll over here," Luke offered.

David flashed him a middle finger, but managed to smile. "It's freakin' muggy!"

"How in the world did you manage to make it around the region in time?" Chris asked. The young man had never seen someone perfectly healthy hate moving as much as the Cinnabar transplant. And this was in spite of losing the gut he had carried the last time Chris had seen him.

"There has to be a Flying-type Pokémon you haven't shown us yet," Luke added.

"Hey, I can move just fine if I have a good enough motivation. Managing and studying the Pokémon in the Safari Zone was awesome. Traveling around a more intimate region like Johto to get these final badges was pleasant enough." David paused to air out his armpits. "But hiking back and forth through these woods killing time doesn't quite motivate me in the same way."

"You sure you aren't still exhausted from Seth laying the smackdown on you yesterday?" Luke threw out.

A vein appeared in David's temple. "He's good. But he also had some type advantages. Not to mention the fact that I used Dragonair, who just recently evolved."

Chris wasn't a fan of these talks of defeat either. "Have you been able to track any rare Pokémon since getting out here?" he asked.

"I've tracked a couple," David answered, relief filling his voice. "It seems like there's a booming Water-type population around here. The river close to here is brimming with young Azurill."

"I think I've heard dad mention that Pokémon around here like to breed in early spring," Luke said.

"I wouldn't mind catching one of those young guns brimming with energy," Chris said, scratching at his chin.

"You think you can handle having nine whole Pokémon to train?" David asked with a grin.

"Hey," Chris snapped, jabbing a finger toward the counter, "I think all six of your team are ready for you at the counter."

David chuckled and slowly made it back to his feet. "I'd be all for you stopping to make a capture. It'll be a great break on the way back."


"I thought you said he was the younger brother of Prinny?"

Dobbs had marched off the battlefield and now stood over a squatting Chris. Machoke flanked him on his right, arms folded like he was the young man's bodyguard. The Cherrygrove native was surprised to not feel a burst of heat as Typhlosion leapt to his defense, but then he remembered he'd finally given his starter a much needed break in the PC. Instead, he found Ampharos stepping forward to stretch an arm out toward the annoyed trainer.

"He is his younger brother," Chris explained. He looked around Dobbs's legs and gave the man in question a helpless shrug. "I can't help it that he may be just as good as him."

"Better," Waz called out as he finished congratulating his victorious Gengar. Dobbs turned to watch silently, hands on hips, as the Sevii Islander made his way over to the trainers.

"It's okay," Chris told Ampharos, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Dobbs isn't trying to start trouble."

"No, you're the one who started it by not telling me how good this guy was."

Waz tilted his head back and forth on his short, thick neck as the faint gleam of a grin traced his lips. "How would you say I measure up to my jackass brother?"

Lines appeared across Dobbs's forehead. "Shoot. It wasn't fun battling either of you. How many tournaments have you won?"

It was Waz's turn to furrow his brow. "I've only competed in one."

"And you didn't win it?"

Chris stood up quickly. "Did you compete in the Goldenrod Open Tournament, Dobbs?"

"No," Dobbs said, motioning to the Volbeat doing circles in a nearby field, "I was too busy prepping to win the Bug Catching Championship."

"Contest," Chris muttered. It was impressive how many times Dobbs had attempted to make the three-day-a-week, fun competition sound like an annual, climactic tournament.

Dobbs swiveled back to face him. "Why don't you get out here broski and battle somebody?"

"You want some revenge for that butt kicking I gave you last time?" Chris asked, puckering his lips.

Dobbs glared daggers at him through his tinted glasses. "My team just battled. And that makes it our third in two days. When was the last time you battled anybody?"

Chris went to give a dismissive retort, but realized that he hadn't battled any of the other five trainers since his loss. Dobbs, by contrast, had really surprised him by coming out swinging. He'd battled Luke one-on-one as soon as he'd arrived to 'establish who the alpha was' on Luke's own turf. They'd battled to a draw, which had weirdly bothered Chris, despite the match being a different format than the one he'd had with his friend a couple days prior. Yesterday had seen the slimmed down trainer give David a great two-on-two battle, which saw Dobbs nearly pull off an incredible comeback. And despite only knocking out one of Waz's three Pokémon, Dobbs's team had worn down the other two to the point where Chris wondered if his comeback might actually succeed this time.

"Have you battled Waz?" Dobbs edged on. "I bet he could beat you."

"We had a one-on-one a long time ago," Chris answered. He tasted something sour in the back of his throat.

"He won, didn't he?"

Chris looked over at Waz, whose confused expression was fixed solely on the antagonizing trainer. Ahhhh, to experience Dobbs for the first time.

"He did," Chris finally admitted.

Dobbs shook his head. "You've been slacking, broski."

Chris gave a nod and a half smile, but a chill rolled down his back. Would his father say the same at the Silver Conference, just in much different words? Would his brother come to the same conclusion?

"Hey, Chris!" He turned and found David waving at him from the tree line. "Care to run Jolteon through a sparring session?"

Chris sighed. He had really wanted to work with his own Eeveelution on his movement with some coordination drills. Maybe he could do a bit of that as he helped David. Even if they couldn't, he didn't mind using the time to work with his friend. Seeing David's growth as a trainer had been really impressive. His inexperience and early losses had worried the Cherrygrove native, but the forward progression of he and his team was undeniable. It excited Chris as a friend, even if it meant that he had become another threat to his championship aspirations. And it was for that reason that Chris took a deep breath and sent back a thumbs up.


"Blast through it with Brave Bird," Waz directed.

Swellow took on a fiery, blue aura as he sliced into the wind vortex. The ripping current shook him and pressed back hard, but couldn't halt the bird's advance. He had reached the edge of Twister's grasp before the opposing trainer could call for a follow up.

"Aerial Ace!" Luke called.

If not for the move's added speed boost, and Pidgeot's innate swiftness, the command would have come far too late. With just two flaps of his wings, Luke's teammate reached full speed. Then the two birds met.

Having fought through Twister, Luke had hoped their foe's momentum had been significantly altered. And that looked to be true as Swellow reached Pidgeot at a noticeably slower speed. But as the two creatures pressed against each other, a pulsating light emanated from the item hanging around Swellow's neck. The burning aura around Swellow grew, eventually encompassing Pidgeot. Then Waz's teammate burst through the stalemate, his foe toppling backward. The Kantonian bird plummeted toward the ground, but was intercepted by a dematerializing beam of red light.

"Shit," Luke muttered, cradling the Poké Ball to his mouth. He focused his next words on the speaker that surrounded the device's activation button. "You battled well. They were just the better team." He managed to find a grin. "So for once, spare me the lecture."

"Thanks for the battle," Waz called ahead of his approach. His visibly tired Swellow hopped along the ground slightly behind him. His drooping posture made the orb that hung from a chain on his neck nearly touch the ground with each step.

Luke nodded at the Swallow Pokémon. "Thanks for giving me and Pidgeot some added motivation. Even without the power boost from your Guts ability, your speed and natural strength are obvious."

That straightened the exhausted Pokémon's figure, prompting a small smile from his trainer. "I didn't know if it would end up being our best strategy, but that Flame Orb has been worth the investment. Even if it ate up most of my budget." He turned his narrow gaze on the Poké Ball in Luke's hand. "You guys have a nice thing going with your mixed attacking strategy. Being able to hit us from near and far really had us mixed up early on."

"I was hoping I could stall enough to really let that Flame Orb do more damage. But Twister just wasn't a strong enough deterrent. I'm hoping we can find a more powerful move to strike from a distance with."

Waz tilted his head and looked into the overcast sky. "Maybe you guys could be like Blue and work toward learning Hurricane."

Luke nodded. He'd considered that, but a powerful move like that would require a lot of training. And instruction from an expert, he silently added. What were the chances of him bumping into Blue again? It was absurd enough to get a half chuckle from the defeated trainer. "You do have me a bit suspicious though," he said.

"Why's that?"

"You've been very willing to battle all of us. You've even given pointers to me, David, and Chris. I'm just curious about you studying and influencing our teams in a way that makes it easier for you to counter them."

Waz gave the Tohjo Falls's trainer a knowing smirk. He motioned to his team, all of whom had joined Swellow to stand beside him. Gallade had dropped to a knee to congratulate his teammate, but the rest of Waz's squad looked expectantly at their trainer. "I've given you guys a full view of my team since I got here. You all have gotten to see every Pokémon and almost every move we know. There's a give and take to this."

"Try telling that to Seth. I think I've only seen four of his Pokémon this entire week."

Waz looked to his left and met his Blastoise's gaze. Luke could see his mouth trying to form words, but it wasn't until he turned back to the trainer that any sound came out. "We've put in the work," he said, with an added bass that took Luke aback. "It's earned us all eight badges. There's still something to be said for competitive advantages for the Silver Conference, but paranoia is where I draw the line."

"You're not afraid of anybody figuring out how to beat your team?" Luke asked.

Waz turned away again, but this time, it was the pair of nearby trainers that seemed to grab his attention. An Espeon and Jolteon danced back and forth between them, psychic blasts and bursts of electricity accompanying their every move. Luke found himself getting dizzy watching the speedy Eeveelutions bounce around, but it didn't seem to bother their two grinning trainers.

It was good to see Chris looking happy and comfortable again. The days since their tense battle ended had muted his normally jovial friend. His positivity and accompanying approach could occasionally grate on Luke's more realistic mindset, but he'd needed it more times than he'd care to admit. A not insignificant part of him felt indebted to his friend, a sentiment that Chris would undeniably find humorous. But Luke sincerely hoped he could give back to the Cherrygrove trainer that had encouraged him and kept him steady during the most turbulent months of his life.

"We're going to run into somebody stronger than us at some point," Waz finally said. "It could happen in the Silver Conference. It could happen if I ever challenge the Elite Four. But it will happen." The faint smoke from his Torkoal's shell brought his attention down to the fire tortoise, then to the rest of his team. "Our trust isn't built on winning. Whether we get bounced in the first round or win the whole damn thing, it won't change who we are. The bonds we've developed will outlast any battle or tournament." He gave a shrug as he met Luke's gaze. "And building trust is something I want to be known for outside of my team as well."

Luke tried to poke a hole in that philosophy, but found himself nodding instead. "I hope I can do that with my brother. I want to give him the support I didn't have when I started my journey."

"Be the older brother my piece of shit one couldn't hope to be," Waz replied, his voice layered in contempt.

Chris had warned him about bringing up anything sibling related, so Luke audibled to a neck roll and an examination of the ground.

"Family is important though," Waz added.

Luke looked up and found the stout trainer's glance back on the distant trainers. Espeon looked to have eked out a victory against his downed opponent. His victorious trainer had closed the distance and now chatted with David, the two friends treating their Pokémon as they motioned to the battlefield.

Luke decided to take a risk and reply. "This may sound stupid, but do you consider your brother to be family?"

"I'm not gonna lie, that is a funny question. Of course I don't."

Luke blinked. "But… he's your flesh and blood brother, isn't he?"

"We're related by blood, but he's not my real brother." Waz motioned to his team. "These are my brothers and sisters."

Silence followed as Luke tried to process that. Three of his teammates were moving through the trees bordering the clearing. Lucario looked to be trying to escape from an enraged Electabuzz. The striped creature waved an electrified fist at his younger teammate and tried to wrestle his other arm free from a clearly upset Kangashan. An immature younger brother, an annoyed uncle, and a frustrated mother. Waz was definitely on to something.

"Any trainers worked their way into family status?" Luke asked.

Waz was looking back across the makeshift training field. The other trainers had left the space, the distant smell of dinner most likely drawing them back toward the house. Every trainer that was except Chris. He had gathered his team together, most likely for one of those motivational meetings that danced on the line between cheesy and encouraging.

"One or two are on their way," Waz answered.


Smoke drifted high into the night sky, but couldn't block out the star filled patchwork. Soft, yellow light danced against the tree companies below. A fire blossomed in a rocky pit, its ebb and flow revealing eight shadows resting on the logs around it. The pop and crackle of burning twigs mixed with their quiet conversation to create an ambient background, splintered by laughter or the occasional shout.

A trio of young men sat on the log closest to the fire, each brandishing a long stick. But only one branch had a marshmallow on it, and it belonged to someone with an unreasonably high love of smores.

"How many will this make?" Seth asked.

"Only three," Chris answered, pulling the flaming marshmallow close to softly blow on it. He broke off a piece of chocolate with his free hand and placed it on a graham cracker. In truth, this was his fourth, but no one needed to know that. And unless Luke's lurking brother had been keeping count, no one possibly could. "I have to eat a lot though. Me and my team burn so many calories between conditioning and training."

Seth pointed to one of his eyes. "You definitely look like you've been running yourself ragged."

"Do I really?" Chris asked, reaching under his own eyes to feel for bags.

"I'm mostly fucking with ya'."

"Mostly?"

Seth shrugged. "Your eyes do look a bit tired."

Chris's eyebrows rose but fell relatively quickly. He'd traveled around and explored almost every inch of central Johto in the last couple months. And that had been preceded by seven straight months of training and travel. And with so much thought on what was to come, it'd be weird if he didn't look fatigued. "Well, what did you do to fight off exhaustion?" he finally asked.

Seth took a long drink of his water. He pushed out his lips as he answered, "Have a big Pokémon with wings."

Chris tried to dismiss that, but couldn't think of a single kernel to argue with at that moment. He turned instead to Ben and said, "Make sure you write that down."

Ben motioned like he was writing something on his hand and then eyed both trainers closely. "So how are you boys feeling with the Silver Conference so close?"

"We're not ready yet," Chris said in as flat a tone as he could muster. It was hard not to let a little anxiety in at that truth. "But we will be by the time things get started. We'll have the momentum in full swing by then."

Seth eyed Chris for an extra pair of seconds before answering. "My gang is ready to go. This last month has been good for perfecting some things, but I think it's been more of an anxious wait than anything."

"They've been anxiously waiting to be released from their Poké Balls," Chris added, winking toward Ben.

Seth waved the comment away, but let a grin show. "Everybody has different mindsets when it comes to pre battle strategies. Not showing my full team to a bunch of potential opponents doesn't seem like an unreasonable approach."

"Whate-"

Chris's reply was cut off by a nearby ringing sound. Seth brought up a wrist and looked at the device latched on it. Something about the text on it's glowing screen made his brow furrow. He was shuffling off a moment later, just barely getting in a 'back in a sec' before vanishing out of the fire light.

The sudden interruption had come at a good time for Chris, as the mere mention of the word 'strategy' had triggered a chaotic internal dialogue. He tried to break through it by finding his teammates. Nidoking stood at the edge of the circle of light, vigorously motioning something to a tense Espeon. Whether he was hyping the Psychic-type up for his earlier victory or coaching on mistakes, it was impossible to tell. A bit further away, Chris could just make out Typhlosion's silhouette. His mouth was moving and his gaze fixed on someone, but it took the trainer's eyes a moment to recognize the smaller figure in the conversation. Weepinbell can use all the positive reinforcement we can give him.

"When are you thinking about heading out?"

Having forgotten he wasn't alone, Chris nearly slipped off the log at the sound of Ben's voice. The surprise added with his lack of an answer stretched out the response time almost to the point where he thought Ben might repeat the question.

"I… don't know. It sounds like most of the guys are leaving in a couple days."

"You thinking you'll head to the Silver Conference with them?"

Chris considered that, but he didn't have to think about it for long. Something in him needed a quiet moment with his team before the fanfare and stress of the regional tournament began. He never got to verbalize this as Seth stepped back into the light at that moment and motioned for him to join him.

"What's up?" Chris asked, stepping over to tower above his fellow trainer.

Seth nodded back over his shoulder toward a thick patch of pine trees. Nothing stood out in the darkness, until Chris noticed the faintest glow emanating from somewhere behind the nearest tree.

"Someone wants to see you," Seth finally explained.

"Somebody wants to…" Chris mouthed the remaining words. He gave his fellow trainer one more confused look, but Seth didn't oblige him with any further explanation. With a sigh, Chris trudged forward, his fists clenching ever so slightly as he approached the unknown visitor.

When he reached the tree line, he paused. A paranoid part of him wanted to call a teammate over to back him up, but with the messenger being Seth, he thought better of it. He slid between the first pair of trees, his hands extending out to push back the sharp, but nice smelling branches. He'd only taken a couple more steps when the nearby light burst with blinding brilliance. An intense heat filled the space, making Chris fear he'd just stepped into an erupting volcano.

"What's going on?" Chris shouted through squinted eyes.

"I'm gracing you with my presence."

As the light slowly diminished, Chris was able to quickly place a face with the all-too-familiar voice. His lips formed a smirk, but with his eyes still half closed, he most definitely looked drunk. "So much for having been to enough hangouts."

"Oh, I didn't come here to stay," Sarah quickly countered, motioning for her Infernape to weaken the flame on his head. "I just wanted to swing by to see what I was missing. Turns out I made the right call."

"Why's that?"

"I didn't realize it would be a sausage fest."

Chris rolled his eyes but couldn't completely hold back a chuckle. "I'm sorry a party you were never going to attend disappointed you."

"Hey," Sarah said, leaning forward and wagging a finger, "I'm just trying to give you some free party advice."

"This isn't even my thing," Chris countered, letting out a full blown laugh.

Sarah flashed a smile. "Then pass it on to your friend."

As fun as it could be to banter with the Sinnoh native, seeing Sarah brought back images of their last battle. And the one before that. That got his mind churning toward their next possible battle. "Are you ready for the Silver Conference?"

"Of course," Sarah said matter-of-factly. "It's been three months since we last saw each other. Do you think we've just been sitting on our butts at home for weeks? Or going on sightseeing tours around Johto the whole time?" The eerie similarities between those comments and Chris's last few months did not go unnoticed. It made him wonder when and how Sarah got that info. When Chris didn't respond immediately, Sarah pounced again. "If the tournament started tomorrow, would you be ready?"

The Cherrygrove native stared hard at Sarah. How was she always able to do this? Did she have a Psychic-type feeding her information on all of Chris's insecurities? What was it that made it so easy for her to get under his skin? He took a deep breath and tried to turn the lines around his eyes and on his forehead away from the fire light. She was just asking him the same question he had asked her. It just so happened to be in a more specific, anxiety inducing format that played on his insecurities…

"I think we'd adjust and be fine," he answered slowly.

"Adjust and be fine," Sarah repeated, somehow even slower. "Well, I guess that works if you're happy to just make it to the Pools section."

"Look," Chris said, stepping forward suddenly and making Sarah pull her finger back. He caught Infernape in his peripheral, moving to stand even with his trainer. Sarah stuck her arm out to keep him at bay. Both trainers kept their eyes on one another as Chris continued. "I know you guys have beaten us a couple times. And that last one really hurt. But don't pretend like you wiped the floor with us. Don't give me that shit. You keep provoking and then dismissing us, but you better hope we don't turn out to be an Ursaring."

Sarah's face contorted in multiple directions as her eyebrows rose and stayed up. Infernape's head swiveled between his trainer and Chris, ready for however Sarah wanted to respond. Her right hand came up slow and steady. Even moving at it's gradual pace, Chris wouldn't have been surprised if she tried to slap him. Or maybe she'd call for Infernape to snuff out his burning heart.

Her fingers wrapped around both sides of his jaw. She stared unblinkingly at the lower half of his face as her grip tightened. It took a surprising amount of effort to keep from knocking her hand away.

"This is a new look for you," Sarah said, tilting her head. "You've got a great jawline when you're mad."

No.

Chris felt the smallest of smiles curl onto his lips. "I'll take what compliments I can get. But we're still coming for you. I want you to know that."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't want this to be a trilogy," she said, releasing her grip and turning away. "You're a strong trainer, Chris. But so is everyone else that's made it this far. Are you going to be good enough to make it to that final round of sixteen?"

Rustling leaves behind Chris and a rush of heat snapped his attention away from the trainer. He managed to make out Typhlosion's silhouette before being blinded by the bright flames on his neck.

"Ty'?" the Volcano Pokémon growled.

"It's fine, buddy," Chris answered, rubbing his eyes. As his vision returned, he looked back toward Sarah and her teammate. Typhlosion's head whipped around to follow his gaze. A starry sky and black woodland were their only view.


Chris stepped into a morning fog that was thicker than ever. He gave one final look back into the dark living room as he closed the door. He had made it a point not to turn on a single light as he made his way out, but that kind sentiment might have turned out to be a detriment to the sleeping patrons. He'd bumped into either a wall or a piece of furniture no less than a half dozen times as he made his final exit.

And this would be his last time at his friend's home-turned-makeshift-inn. At least for the next few weeks. The rest of the trainers would be utilizing it for one more night, and then following his same path east. He'd said his goodbyes to them around the campfire last night, including extra gracious thanks to Luke's parents when they'd made the circuit outside. They'd both been so accommodating, even with Marcus twice attempting to change his fandom with a piece of Goldenrod Engineers memorabilia. And speaking of teams...

Chris released his six teammates into the fog around him. Five of them began to stretch and loosen up almost immediately, prompting their trainer to grab their attention. Typhlosion stood on his hindlegs, already aware of what his human companion would say.

"I love that you all are ready to get some more reps in. But we won't be training this morning."

Even in the morning mist, Nidoking's frown was unmistakable. His mouth opened to roar an objection, but something made him slowly shut it. His eyes stayed on Chris as he gave him a slight nod.

The trainer waited to see if any real objections would manifest, but his team looked more curious than disappointed. And it felt odd even to him.

"We start a new journey today," he said, waving a hand through the fog. "Albeit it, a much shorter one with not nearly as much travel." Realization set in on Scizor's face. Crobat's wings slowed and the Bat Pokémon descended to the ground. "I wanted to make sure we weren't on a time crunch going into this final stretch. So let's enjoy it like we did these last couple months." Espeon looked up at him in suspicion. It was a look he was a little surprised to see Typhlosion hold, though his starter did a much better job of hiding it. "No, I'm not an impostor. We're still going to train some along the way, just like before. And if any other teams want to test us along the way," he paused to flex his arms, "we'll have plenty of ass kickings to hand out."
That got a loud roar from most of his team. Chris ducked his head and anxiously waved them further away from the house. He might as well have walked back in the front door and sounded an air horn at this point.

"Let's get this show on the road," he said with as loud a whisper as he could muster. "We're going to be following the water ways, and there's an old friend I'd like to bring back for that."


That was quite a meet up! It was nice to get an insight into each trainer's prep and their mindset as finish line draws close. Chris seems to be holding up alright after his loss, but what is this lingering dread? How will the rest of the trainers do once their mettle is ultimately tested? What waits for them in the foothills of Mt. Silver? I'm so excited for you to find out!

Next stop... the Silver Conference!

I hope to see you back here soon! Please Review and Subscribe!