Note- Oh man! I just missed getting this chapter out in my two month window, but I hope you'll forgive me for the two week delay! A new school year at a new school has me running nonstop, but weekends and breaks like last week continue to come in clutch! I hope this newest chapter finds you doing well!
When we last checked in, our trainers had reunited for a final training session. Now, we find them heading to the same location once more, though this time, they will be joined by thousands of others. With the Silver Conference on the horizon, it's time for them all to show us how much they've grown and how far they've come. It's almost time!
Hope you enjoy! Please Review and Subscribe!
Chapter 59
The cool air swept through Chris's short hair and stung at his eyes. He'd lost feeling in his cheeks a few minutes prior, but he wasn't about to hop off this water ride. That was, until his squinted eyes caught movement along the right riverbank. He leaned closer to the red dorsal fins that his aquatic companion's ears.
"Hey, Gyarados."
The massive creature's skull swiveled and nearly knocked Chris's teeth into the back of his throat. He felt his legs swing out into the open air, and he was forced to grab onto the sea serpent's crest to keep from plummeting into the water below. When he finally managed to find a seat back on his teammate, he found Gyarados's normally intimidating visage looking concerned.
Chris pointed to the mossy bank on their right. "I'm okay. I just wanted to give you a heads up about some potential—"
Gyarados spun his head back around, swinging Chris's upper body back out into space as his lower legs squeezed into one of the grooves of a massive scale. Somehow he managed to hang on, but he didn't wait long to start shimmying down Gyarados's neck. As he did so, the Atrocious Pokémon shook several more times, with thuds accompanying each movement. Chris peered back toward the right side of the bank and ducked just in time to avoid a watery bullet.
"Why are they…"
A swarm of small, blue creatures were unloading attack after attack at the passing duo. Chris noted them all to be from the Marill line.
Shoot, David did mention something about a swarm like this.
But why would they be attacking the two visitors? Chris and Gyarados were just passing…
Gyarados.
Chris had just driven one of the most terrifying Pokémon species in existence into the home of a young family of small creatures. And right now, that scary creature was rolling his body and snapping his fangs in their direction, just waiting for his trainer to have him deliver the vicious counterattack.
"They're spooked by us," Chris tried to explain, though he knew it'd do little good. "We should be fine if we just hurry past them."
The serpent lashed out with his tail, sending a wall of water toward their attackers. With each twist of his head, Chris got further glimpses of the increasing rage in his stare. This could turn into a very dangerous situation. A cataclysmic event that every great trainer of this species should be able to divert.
"Hey!"
Chris scrambled up his teammate's long, slippery neck, smashing a knee into one of the toughened scales. The aquatic artillery continued, though with considerably less firepower, sailing overhead as the trainer rolled across the top of his Pokémon's flailing head, just managing to get a hand around the protruding crest.
"Hey!" Chris shouted again, his eyes peering hard into Gyarados's own. There was a seething rage in those red irises that Chris hadn't seen before. As he went to open his mouth to speak, a sharp pain stabbed into the middle of his back, followed by a freezing, wet burst that flooded into his clothes. It nearly took his breath away, but he hid his shock behind a tightly clenched jaw. "This is their home! And we rushed into it! Imagine if someone came barging into where you lived?"
Gyarados reared his head back and opened his mouth, producing a terrifying heat. A thunderous roar exploded out of the Atrocious Pokémon's mouth, its vibrations shaking the water off Chris's pants.
There ya go, Chris. Make up scenarios to get him extra mad.
"Gyarados!"
The creature's eyes shifted slowly from the sky overhead. By the time he found his trainer's stare, the steam from his mouth had Chris sweating. His head had stopped shaking at least. A freezing beam of ice whistled past the airspace to Chris's right, but his shout kept Gyarados's gaze from fixing on it.
"They just want us to leave them alone! Let's get out of here and save our strength for the big battles to come!"
The water serpent recoiled, twitching as if fighting off the urge to vehemently shake his head.
Chris put on a smile. "C'mon. Let's go settle down somewhere so we can spend some time with the whole team."
Gyarados let a grimace show, but slowly, mercifully, began to drift down river and away from the populated bank. The loud splashes of attacks hitting the water lessened as Chris climbed his way around his teammate's jaw. They had grown faint by the time he'd slid back down to an above-water hump to stand on, overpowered by the smooth push of Gyarados's current.
Chris allowed himself a moment to breathe. He brought a hand around to his back and flinched as a lance of pain emanated out. Already bruised. That would stick with him over their next couple days of travel and would probably still linger even after the Silver Conference ended. He just hoped there wouldn't be internal pain to go along with it at that point.
Shaking his head, he looked back west. The banks around them were clear, save for sparse pockets of trees. It wouldn't be long till they reached Route 26. At that point, the team could stop for the day and Chris could rally the troops before their final push north. Arceus knew he needed—
"You've got to be kidding me."
Chris rose to his feet, his eyes narrowing in on Gyarados's swaying tail. Something blue, round, and all too familiar looked to be attached to his friend's spiny appendage. He took several cautious steps forward, with the now recognizable creature matching his pace. "I knew Pokémon could be territorial, but this is just vindictive."
The Marill reached the flattened out portion of Gyarados's body and hopped up to a vertical base. Chris was surprised to find a wide, almost cocky grin on the creature's face. What was this creature's deal? He didn't have more than a couple seconds to consider that before the wild creature was charging him. Chris dropped into a low stance, his right leg swinging back to provide reinforcement. The Aqua Mouse Pokémon took advantage of it's geometric figure, tucking away his short limbs, and rolled right into the trainer's outstretched arms. A sharp pain shot up his back, nearly taking the breath from him. It left him enough to let out a grunt as he grasped at the creature's smooth, slick body. With an added effort, he dropped to a knee and swung his arms over his head, catapulting the spinning Water-Type past him.
Gyarados swung his giant head around and let out a roar as he found his trainer under attack.
"I can handle this!" Chris called back, never taking his eyes off Marill. "Just keep us moving at a good pace in the right direction. We don't want any more of these guys catching up to us!"
Chris continued to keep an eye on his attacker as he fumbled with his backpack. His left hand made it into the pouch containing his team's Poké Balls, but Marill had already landed at that point. His round foe didn't approach this time, but that didn't mean he'd stopped his assault.
"Shoot!" Chris shouted, leaping to the right as a mass of glowing bubbles hurled toward him. He landed safely on his knees and elbows, but soon realized that Gyarados's wide body had its limits. "C'mon," he grunted as his knees began to slowly slide down the curving scales that made up the side of his teammate's figure. As the rest of his lower body followed suit, he reached out with his free hand and managed to grasp the smallest of handholds.
Looking up, he expected to find another onslaught fast approaching. Instead, his newest foe had begun a casual stroll toward the precariously hanging trainer. The creature's face somehow looked even more smug than before. He'd nearly made it to Chris by the time the trainer's fumbling hand had grasped a capture device.
"Be ready for battle!" Chris roared as he pulled the Poké Ball out and thumbed the trigger
Marill jumped back as a beam of light struck a flat stretch of nearby scales. The glowing aura molded into a horned, purple creature. The random reveal didn't have the type advantage Chris would have liked, but he did appreciate seeing their attacker's smirk vanish.
"Megahorn!"
The Drill Pokémon's horn slashed through Marill's Bubble Beam counter and found the Aqua Mouse's white belly. The momentum of the action took Chris's eyes to the water, where he expected to see a flying blue figure and splash. But the wild creature didn't fly back. In fact, he never left the collision. The muscles in his small arms flexed as his paws held a vice grip on the tip of Nidoking's horn. The Water-type's body swelled and he let another grin show through gritted teeth.
"Fling him away!" Chris shouted.
Nidoking swung his head up, unlodging the Aqua Mouse Pokémon and launching him into the air. Marill made it a short lived loss, opening his mouth and releasing a barrage of shimmering bubbles straight into Nidoking's upturned face. The Drill Pokémon recoiled from the super effective move, bringing a clawed hand to his face.
Marill wasted no time in capitalizing on this reversal. His upward momentum carried him straight into Gyarados's curved neck, at which point, he'd already rolled himself into a ball. He spun down the serpent's ramp-like neck and had nearly reached Nidoking by the time the Poison/Ground-type had recovered. His trainer thankfully had been given a few more seconds to prepare, but their battlefield and lack of time gave the duo only one real option.
"Double Kick!"
Nidoking nearly slipped as he planted his left foot, but managed to bounce off his base and deliver a right, snapping kick to his oncoming foe. Whether because of resistance or lack of prep, Marill wasn't driven back. The collision did manage to bring his Rollout to a stop. That provided just enough time for Nidoking's left leg to find it's mark under the Aqua Mouse's jaw. The blow lifted the wild Pokémon off his feet and sent him back the way he'd come. As he flew toward Gyarados's neck, Chris could already see the Water/Fairy-type beginning to spin once more. Another, stronger Rollout attack would cause real problems with the trainer and his teammate on their back foot at the edge of Gyarados's body. Unless…
Marill rushed back down the water serpent's neck like a boulder rolling down a mountain. Nidoking's head snapped back toward his trainer, but Chris didn't meet his gaze. His attention wasn't fixed on either battler in fact, but instead, their battlefield. As Nidoking let loose a concerned growl, the trainer slowly lifted a hand to appease his partner.
It wasn't until Marill had reached the base of Gyarados's neck that he finally gave a command... but not to Nidoking.
"Stop moving, Gyarados!"
The Atrocious Pokémon stiffened, his scales flaring out to fight against the current. His whole body shuddered, and with the sudden momentum change, his teammates found themselves sprawled out, with their faces pressed against the hump that had now formed in the center of his spine. Through Chris's ringing ears, he thought he heard something woosh over his head. A couple seconds later, he clearly made out a splashing sound. Peeling his face off the rough red scales, he looked back over his shoulder.
A blue figure bobbed up and down in the water. The creature faced Chris, but it didn't look like he was coming back toward them. Squinting, Chris thought he could make out a frown on the creature's face.
Nidoking stepped over to his trainer's side, his gaze also on their former adversary. The Poison/Ground-type shook his head and flashed a fanged grin.
"Don't pretend like he didn't have us shook," Chris said, reaching up to wipe a bead of sweat from his teammate's brow.
Nidoking gave a shrug and rotated one of his arms.
"I'm not saying we couldn't have taken him," Chris replied. He felt a blast of hot breath on his neck, and nearly tumbled into the water when he found Gyarados's maw inches from his back. "Woah, back it up friend. We're alright. We managed to repel the invader." The trainer pointed his teammate's focus toward their floating foe, who had begun to angrily slam his fists into the water. "Though, I did like his skills."
The Drill Pokémon vigorously shook his head. Upon seeing the small smile on his trainers lips, he jabbed his clawed hand back at Gyarados.
"We do already have a physical, aggressive Water-type," the young man agreed. A relieved grin appeared on Nidoking's face—one that Chris hated to take away. "But we don't have a Fairy-type. Heck," Chris felt a twinge of anxiety in his gut as he remembered their battle with Clair's Dragonite, "we barely have any moves to counter Dragon-types. And we can always use teammates that are confident." And not scared of a fight, he silently added as the thought of his last capture entered his mind.
Nidoking's expression had soured even before Chris told Gyarados to circle back around. As they drew close to the bobbing Marill, and as the Drill Pokémon's mood continued to sink, the Cherrygrove native could see a growing grin on the face of their next potential teammate.
Thank Arceus I finally remembered to grab this.
Luke brought one hand up to grip the grey sweater that pressed against his skin. He made sure to keep his other hand in place, lest he fall to his death.
"There it is!" Luke shouted into the wind. His knees pressed in tighter as Charizard made a sharp right turn. He had to bring his other hand down for support as his starter began a nose dive. Luke tucked his head, both to avoid the wind and get closer to the Lizard Pokémon's ear. "You do remember I'm not a Fire-type, right?"
Luke thought he heard something, but he wasn't sure if it was the wind or an amused snort. A pocket of hot steam smacked his face a moment later, answering his question.
As they cleared a layer of morning fog, Luke suddenly found himself looking at a much larger complex than he had expected. This being the culmination of the region's biggest competition, perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. Even so, the location lay tucked between two large lakes and wedged in the shadow of one of the biggest mountains in the world. Luke glanced up to examine said mountain, but the morning haze shrouded all detail, leaving him with only a looming, towering shadow.
Charizard slowed and flattened out his descent, giving his trainer's watery eyes a much needed breather. Glancing back down at the Silver Conference's spread with clearer eyes and less fog, Luke found himself chuckling. When his starter glanced back at him, Luke pointed his attention to the circle shaped campus, with a main street dividing the space horizontally.
"It looks like a Poké Ball," he explained. His smile tightened though when his eyes found the building that formed the "release button" in this comparison. Even with an elevated view, the sight of the center stadium filled Luke's heart with awe and no small dose of anxiety. The open, bowl-like structure kept it's eye bare: a massive, pristinely painted battlefield, surrounded by a space so green that it appeared to be untouched by winter's chill. That's gotta be turf, Luke surmised.
With such grandeur, and with two rings of smaller battlefields surrounding it, it was clear who this centerpiece would play host to. A trainer would have to be skilled, adaptable, and above all, have a team whose strength went beyond what was tangible. His team flashed through his mind, their order moving from most recent back. His egg hatching outside of Ecruteak, the pair of successful trips to the Safari Zone, his early captures in eastern Johto, and…
A sudden halt in momentum nearly brought the front of Luke's skull into the back of his starter's. A wave of heat pressed against his calves as a cold gust of wind from Charizard's flapping wings smacked his upper body.
"Why did…" Luke let his voice trail off, realizing they now rested only a few feet from one of the stone streets. In front of them rested the championship stadium, its grand appearance now feeling like the towering mountain that played host to the venue.
Now we just need to get in there.
A towering white archway was the first greeting to those arriving for the Silver Conference. At first, it looked quite out of place. After making it across the water ways, traversing the thick woodlands, and scaling up the gradually building hills of Route 26, a modern piece of architecture looked almost alien. But as the rocky terrain flattened and the dirt path turned to polished stone, it became clear that one was reentering civilization. If one couldn't tell by their surroundings, the amount of foot traffic that popped up would surely play the spoiler.
Passing under the arch, greenery exploded back into view, with trees and well-kept grass rushing up to surround the stone. It followed the path as it evenly split a large body of water into two, crescent shaped lakes. The pristine blue water quickly vanished behind countless rows of fence. The barriers had been erected around dozens of rectangular plots of dirt. One look at the painted lines gave away their purpose. Moving past this sprawling line of battlefields only brought more of the same, those these were almost entirely hidden by the bleachers that surrounded them.
"Excuse me."
Prinny stepped into the shadows of the nearest bleachers as a man and a Hitmonchan ran by. He had only taken a few more steps when he had to again step over, this time for a woman walking with—or perhaps being pulled along by—four different leashed creatures. The nearest canine, a well-groomed Furfrou, gave the young man a couple sniffs before joining the rest of her pack. He watched the dogs yank their walker through the crowded main road with a small, painful smile. Their family fur companion, Bubbles, had possessed that kind of energy and strength. Until she'd gotten sick.
"All trainers should make their way to the check in center," an official's voice rang over the speaker system. "It's located directly north of the main stadium."
Looking in that general direction, it was impossible to miss the crown jewel of the Silver Conference. Prinny slowed as he approached the massive structure. The open air battlefield lay hidden behind the silver, dome-like walls. A thick white band wrapped around those curved walls, drooping down to make archways over the dozen entrances that fed the complex. The stadium was crowned with a blue ring, adorned with sponsorship banners. As Prinny passed by the main entrance, he paused. Above it, stretching out along the arches covering the lower portions of the stadium, lay another row of banners. His eyes slowly scanned each, the faces on them all-too-familiar.
"It won't be much longer," he mumbled.
He turned north and let himself be swept into the surge of traffic.
"Cmonnnnn, Sas'!"
Sarah pulled her wrist away and hissed toward the ornate hallway ceiling. She didn't know what part of this call was more annoying, the timing or the caller. With the opening ceremony beginning in an hour, the last thing she needed was for her thoughts to be pulled to another region. Especially when that region played host to her supremely successful, spam calling sister.
"You know I'm not gonna tell you who I'm using tomorrow," Sarah quietly replied.
"Why not? There's no way it could hurt your chances."
"You could tell Seth."
Her sister let out a long, obnoxiously loud sigh. "Sarah, I'm your sister. I want nothing but success for you. That was true even when we were competing. When are you going to start trusting me?"
A soft ding preceded the opening of the elevator doors. As Sarah stepped in, she was annoyed to see her Pokétch's signal remain strong. She returned her sister's sigh with one of her own. "Maybe when you stop calling me 'Sas.'"
"I don't know," and Sarah could hear the grin spread across her face, "Candy thinks you're being pretty sassy right now."
For the first time ever, Sarah wished they had done a voice call so her sister could see her icy stare. It might have even made her older sibling's Abomasnow shiver. Regret soon melted that look as she remembered her last battle against her sister's ace.
"Look," Sarah said, stepping out of the elevator and into the bustling hotel lobby, "I'm heading to the stadium now with a big crowd. It's about to be too loud for us to talk. Tell mom and dad I said hey."
"Okay!" her sister's yell nearly made Sarah jump into the older gentleman beside her. "Just know that I'm one hundred percent taking off work to come see my little sis' if she makes it to the finals!"
"Alright, bye," Sarah growled back, swiping the screen and ending the call. She quickened her pace and strode out the front door ahead of the building foot traffic. Once outside, she joined in with the growing mass of people clamoring toward the immaculate stadium. The universal direction gave her the perfect opportunity to mentally reset herself.
She didn't know what game her sister was playing, but it was impossible to miss the added pressure she had tried to put on Sarah at the end of their conversation. Ironically, even with all her innate talent, her sister hadn't won the Sinnoh League Conference. Heck, she hadn't even made it to the semi finals. So those parting words wouldn't hold any weight.
Instead, Sarah decided to focus on the opening round less than 24 hours away. As she reached the trainer gate, her mind had already shifted to what team member she would start with. By the time the line had brought her to the security check, she'd already decided on the three Pokémon that would accompany her through the screening battles. They would be ready to make an immediate statement.
It took all of Chris's willpower to keep from jumping out of his shoes as he entered the championship stadium. He felt a chill run up his spine as he passed under the banners that displayed Johto's current Gym Leaders. He gave one last look back at the darkening sky, still glimmering with the faintest evening sunlight, before letting himself be guided into the designated tunnel. As the line of trainers shuffled along, the building staff greeted them with water bottles and complementary towels, the latter of which Chris excitingly tucked away in his backpack.
The corridor soon opened up into a well lit foyer. Multiple screens resided on every wall, some displaying greetings while others showed the stadium's dressed up battlefield. The smell of concessions had the young man salivating, despite having just eaten a small meal back in his room. He could have made room for some extra buttered popcorn or nachos smothered in cheese. His senses soon shifted back to sight as more and more trainers poured in from the other tunnels. It looked like the flow had slowed, but there had to be close to a hundred individuals already in this large retaining area. The sight of one of those individuals brought a grin to Chris's face. He wasted no time in slithering through the crowd to slap one of the broad trainer's shoulders.
"Can you believe they let us in here?" Chris asked.
"I think they knew better than to try me," Waz answered, a meek smile appearing.
"I don't doubt it. How was the trip over?"
"Pretty smooth. A few trainer battles and some eager wild Pokémon."
Chris's eyebrows rose. "They got feisty with you too huh? I had a group of Marill try to gang up on me."
"We had to fight off more Gligar than I could count," Waz said, shaking his head.
"But we made it."
Waz threw a look over each shoulder. "Looks like we weren't the only ones."
Chris felt his jaw clench as he caught sight of the man who beat him to win the Whirl Islands Tournament. "And it looks like none of them are pushovers." He scanned the rest of the crowd but didn't recognize any of the other trainers. Most of them seemed to move with the same tightness that Chris was beginning to feel in full. As excited as he was to have reached the mountain, it now fully dawned on him just how far of a climb it would be to reach the top.
"Welcome, trainers!"
The top half of a man emerged above the wall of trainers in front of them. The surround sound speakers carried his voice over the dying conversation in the room. "My name is Feng Zhao and I am the chief supervisor of operations for this year's Silver Conference. On behalf of our entire staff here, we want to extend congratulations and a warm greeting to you: the incredible trainers who took on the Johto Gym Challenge and succeeded! We're so grateful to have this many strong trainers make it out to the tournament this year. Johto is often visited for its beauty, but you are proof that its battling is top notch as well!"
Chris's eyes narrowed at the sound of a couple snickers. Some more out of region pricks we'll have to set straight, he thought.
"Here in a few minutes you will be directed out onto the ceremony grounds. We will send you out in groups of twelve, announcing each trainer as you make your way to your waiting area. There will be special representatives out there to greet you and make sure you are standing in the right place." He paused and let a smirk show as the room began to buzz. It definitely had Chris curious. "We will then light the sacred flame and treat you to an exciting, unannounced event." Another pause brought a second round of mummers, these even louder than the first. "But first," the man waved to the screens behind him and stepped down from the out-of-sight podium, "the time and location for your first screening match tomorrow."
And with that, all the air was sucked from the room. Numbers appeared and stretched across each screen. Chris found himself taking a half step forward as names began to fill the spaces beside each number. There was Luke's name, battlefield twenty-two. Seth's name appeared only a few spaces after. Then David at thirty-six. And at forty-two—
"Let's go," Chris hissed through gritted teeth. He didn't recognize his opponent's name, which came as a relief. The best thing for his psyche would be to treat this one-on-one as a random trainer encounter. A 10:30 AM battle time meant he could sleep in a bit as well.
With his own situation now squared away, he became suddenly aware of Waz's continued presence. "Where did you end up, man?" Chris asked.
"Next to last battlefield," Waz answered. "I'll be waiting till damn near noon for my battle."
Chris found his friend's name on the screen. "Do you recognize your…" The young man's breath left him for the second time in only a couple of minutes.
"My opponent? No, I don't know the name." It took Waz an extra few seconds to notice Chris's shocked expression. "Do you know her?"
Chris peeled his eyes off the screen, but glanced over both shoulders before answering. "I do, but I didn't think she'd make it here."
"So I should have nothing to worry about then."
"I don't know about that. She is Mr. Pokémon's granddaughter."
"Have you battled her before?" Waz asked.
Chris took a deep breath and nodded. "But I haven't battled Kayla since my first week as a trainer."
Waz chewed on his lip for a moment, then managed a small smile. "I'll let you know how much better she's gotten."
A woman's voice came over the speakers. "Will the trainers from our first six battlefields make their way to the front, please? We're about to begin."
"Kick some ass," Waz told him as the room descended into chaos.
"Same, brother," Chris answered, pulling the Sevii Islander into a hug.
The rounds of trainers were sent out with remarkable speed. Amidst the noise and movement, Chris failed to meet anyone else he knew. He just managed to catch sight of Luke and David as they were shepherded out in their separate groups. Not long after, he found himself in front of the dwindled trainer group. As they were ushered into the tunnel, he threw one final glance back at the foyer, but aside from Waz and Luke's towering friend, Mitch, he didn't catch any familiar faces.
A gust of wind swept through the narrow passage, blasting the back of Chris's head and bringing his attention back to the path ahead. A brilliant light twinkled from the distant opening, but he found more interest in the group of trainers walking with him. Who would be his first opponent? The woman walking behind him? The man in a wheelchair in front of him?
The light became almost blinding as they reached the tunnel's end. The PA voice that had once been faint now echoed loudly through the hall.
"...comes our seventh group! Give it up for these next twelve trainers!"
A man standing by the entrance brought a hand up to his bald scalp and pressed his thumb against his ear. A moment later, he waved for the first trainer to head out. Despite the cool spring wind, Chris found himself unzipping his tan jacket. He could feel his heart beating rapidly against his red shirt underneath. Another trainer was sent on. Then the next. Chris could see his breath steaming in the bright light as he stepped up to the entrance. His hands clenched into fists and then released. He found himself bouncing his weight from one foot to another.
"Relax, kid." The producer carried a stare that didn't look much more relaxed, but the rest of his body remained as composed as a statue. The older man glanced down at the electronic tablet in his hand, then back up at Chris. "Just follow the person in front of you." He paused for another second, then waved him on.
The dull, sustained noise from the stadium crowd revealed itself to be a powerful roar the moment Chris stepped out into the open air. It lessened somewhat after a few steps, but at the sound of what might have been his own name, the cacophony picked right back up. He squinted out through the bright stadium lights and found a wall of faces that stretched out in every direction. High above them, he could just make out the glow of press boxes. It was a spectacle on a level that television had never captured; that no tournament he'd competed in could replicate. He suddenly found it very difficult to draw deep breaths.
A whistling sound pierced Chris's mental fog and drew his attention back to the ceremony grounds. The trainer in front of him had already rolled his wheelchair into the designated seventh zone. Chris lowered his head and shifted into the fastest speed walk of his life. The crowd had roared back to life for the next entrant by the time he reached the taped off section. Before he could take his place inside, a flash of red intercepted him.
"This isn't the place for lost trainers."
"Kamon!"
At this point, if it were possible for Chris's heart to jump out of his chest and into his throat, he was sure it would have.
The red haired Gym Leader gave him a wry smile. "I thought I was going to have to come out there and drag you over."
Chris laughed. "Yeah, sorry. I just got a little overwhelmed."
"Hey, just relax," Kamon said, grabbing one of his shoulders and guiding him to his spot. "You look like you're trying to jump out of your own skin."
Chris wiped a pool of sweat from his forehead. "To be honest, I kinda feel that way."
"It's alright to be excited. You've worked hard to get here."
"Right."
Kamon nodded toward the crowd. "Just don't forget that this isn't supposed to be the pinnacle. I expect to see you down here again when this space is back to being a battlefield."
"You sure you want to see me again that soon? I thought you got sick of me back in December."
Kamon sighed and began motioning for the next trainer to approach him. Before he stepped out to meet him, he showed the faintest hint of a smile as he said, "I've had four months to recover."
Once the final section of trainers had been introduced, everyone's attention was directed toward the west end of the stadium, where a wide pair of steps extended up from the battlefield to the top of the stadium. At their pinnacle, well above even the nosebleed seats, a large cauldron-like object rested. Chris recognized it instantly, having seen it countless times on broadcasts and read about its history numerous times.
That didn't stop him from getting choked up as the Kimono Girls were introduced. They emerged from five different tunnels, each holding the same colorful object in their hands. It wasn't until they got closer that Chris could make out what they carried; and at the sight of the rainbow colored feathers, Chris felt the strong urge to bring out his own.
As they approached, Chris noticed Kamon noticeably stiffen, his back straightening in a very uncomfortable looking way. The esteemed trainers converged on the heart of the battlefield, into the space between the eight trainer groups. With his eyes pulled toward the other groups, Chris finally noticed the remaining seven Gym Leaders helming each group.
The sound of live music hushed the crowd and pulled everyone's attention to the foot of the stadium steps. A group of sages stood with cymbals, flutes, and several instruments Chris couldn't identify. They played a slow, beautiful piece that the Kimono Girls stepped perfectly in rhythm with. When the dancers reached the sages, they stopped and bowed. The elders stopped their playing and returned the gesture. Five flashes of light brought the Kimono Girls's signature Pokémon to their sides. And as they and their Pokémon took to their stairs, the sages began a new song.
Despite there being thousands of people in attendance, not a single sound of there's made it to Chris's ears. The sound of the eight devout musicians drowned out any murmur and even the countless, breathtaking movements of the dancers and their Pokémon.
"How in the hell do they keep from falling?" one trainer near Chris asked, and that valid question was the only other sound he heard throughout the performance.
The Ecruteak legends glided up the steps, each movement perfectly on beat with the music. As they reached the summit, they and their Pokémon turned in sync to face the bowl. The cymbals clashed together and complete silence filled the space. Looking up at the large monitor, Chris watched as the ladies and their Eeveelutions stepped forward to surround the cauldron. Zuki and Naoko lifted their feathers up, followed by the other three women shortly after. They parted their palms and let the five feathers drift down onto the ornately stacked wood pile below. A swirling orange light filled the large bowl. The Kimono Girls stepped away just as golden flames burst from their open air container. The flames extended higher, growing taller than the women around them, then rising above even the top wall of the stadium. Chris watched, half expecting to see the multicolored flames reach up to touch the stars themselves.
His stare was interrupted by a blast of hot air. He turned and snapped his eyes shut, but the stinging heat still tugged at his lids. It didn't feel too dissimilar to Typhlosion's Eruption. He blinked back tears and forced his gaze back to the source of his discomfort, but the blaze had now receded to a more normal stature. Still, the fact that the feathers had started such a fire without the need for a spark made Chris want to get his as far from his belongings as possible.
Applause and cheers filled the stadium as the Kimono Girls bowed. They and their Pokémon wasted no time lingering, vanishing through the nearest door. Chris couldn't help but notice the security guards waiting for them at the door's entrance. He found even more at the base of the steps, escorting the departing sage musicians. Even though they're surrounded by the strongest trainers in the region… Chris silently mused.
"And now…" the stadium speakers blared, "we would like to invite our trainers over to the floor seats on the sideline. We have another special presentation for everyone!"
Rows of seats had been set up on the north and south sides of the stadium. As the trainers split into two groups, Chris managed to lock on to Luke.
"Enjoying the festivities?" Chris asked as he plopped down into the seat beside him.
Luke's initial surprise turned to amusement. He shrugged. "Not bad. I liked the dance we saw in Ecruteak more."
Chris brought one eyebrow up. "Oh yeah?"
Luke nodded toward the battlefield. "What do you think they have in store for us?"
Chris glanced toward the corners of the space and found identical pieces of equipment at each. "Those things on the ground look like artificial barriers."
"Wonder who—"
"Hello, everyone."
Despite having just sat down, Chris found himself back on his feet. A woman adorned in yellow and silver had stepped out from the tunnel near them. She strode forward onto the battlefield, the heels of her shoes snapping against the ground with each confident step. One look at her silvery blue hair confirmed Chris's suspicion. He soon found several trainers around him standing as well.
Champion Karen reached the edge of the battlefield and stopped. She lifted a hand to the crowd as applause and cheers rained down. "I hope my presence doesn't take away from that sensational performance from Johto's esteemed sages and the Kimono Girls. Let's give them another round of applause." She joined in with the rest of the stadium for the second round of adulation, before turning toward the row of trainers opposite Chris. "As to why I'm wasting your time, it didn't seem right to carry out this exciting tournament without making sure that Johto's current Champion could be here to wish you all well. Especially since the winner is guaranteed a battle against our Elite Four!" The murmur among the trainers somehow seemed to drown out the thousands of people surrounding them. "And I must admit that I also wanted to get a sneak preview of the trainer who would fill that role." She turned to face Chris's row, and the young man found himself dropping back into his seat. "And to give you a little bit of a sneak preview, we have a special one-on-one battle we'd like to end tonight's ceremony with!"
As Will and Koga emerged to enormous fanfare, Chris found his attention drifting back to the vibrant flame still issuing up from the top of the stadium. Even as the exhibition got underway, with Xatu and Crobat giving the crowd an incredible aerial battle, the Cherrygrove trainer couldn't keep his gaze from being pulled. The fire flickered, occasionally sparking up and out of it's bowl, though nothing like the initial burst. But the flame didn't dwindle—never disappeared below the rim of the bowl. It remained steady, even after the battle had ended and the trainers were led back into the tunnel.
WE'VE MADE IT! 10 years of writing and over 60 chapters have brought us here! Thank you all so much for joining me for this story; whether you were reading in 2012 or 2021, I hope you've enjoyed it all! The players of this story might never have made it here without you! The journey through Johto. The Gym Battles. The captures. It all has been leading to this place—this moment.
The Silver Conference begins tomorrow!
I hope you'll join me once again for the next, incredibly action packed chapter of Heart and Soul! Please Review and Subscribe!
