It's finally time for the Silver Conference arc! How far will the Ketchum twins make it? Let's find that out together!
I wrote both Ash and Ashley's Pokémon League battles in the Kanto Saga, but from now on, I will only be focusing on Ashley's battles from start to finish. I might showcase some highlights of Ash's battles to give him time in the spotlight.
Also, expect some love drama with the twins involved in the next coming chapters.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 53: A Claim to Flame!
We traveled the last part to Silver Town with Harrison since we were heading to the same destination. We made it in two days; just five days before the Johto League were to officially begin. We split up so we wouldn't give away our secret techniques and strategies while training our Pokémon in the last minute. Ash and I signed up immediately and got a guidebook about the rules and regulations that I started reading as soon as we stepped out of the main building for registration.
"We're finally here!" Ash exclaimed eagerly. "Let's start battling!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered.
"Ash, you haven't even read the guidebook yet", Misty reminded him.
"That's 'cause Ashley is reading it right now", my brother replied.
"Yeah, but you can't rush straight into battle without knowing the details", Brock pointed out.
I read the smallest details about the first part of the Silver Conference. "There's a Trainer Screening which consists of three battles for each participants during three days before the Silver Conference begins. In order to pass the Screening, you need to win at least two battles, but a perfect score is if you win all three battles. Only forty-eight Trainers can move on to the Conference."
"Is that before the Silver Conference officially starts?" Ash wondered.
"From the sound of it, yeah!" a snarky voice spoke up.
I lifted my eyes up from the guidebook seeing Gary standing in front of us. "Gary?"
"That's my name!" Gary smiled.
"Hey, long time no see!" Ash greeted him with a big grin. "You're gonna battle in the Silver Conference too?"
"Yep!" Gary nodded. "I've got all eight badges and my Pokémon are ready for fierce battles!"
"Sounds like you're ready to go", Misty giggled.
Gary smiled, but I noticed there was an odd gleam in his eyes. "Yeah, this Conference means a lot to me. It's now make it or break it!"
"Yeah, and I'm going to break you when we meet in the finals!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "Ashley defeated you in the Indigo Plateau Conference, so it's only fair we'll battle each other next!"
I flushed when I was reminded by the highly awkward aftermath when I got a meltdown after defeating Gary and his Pokémon. I hid my red face behind the guidebook, relieved I had some sort of cover. "Don't remind me of that…"
Brock softly patted my back. "You've grown a lot since that time, Ashley."
"It's hard to forget something so embarrassing…", I murmured.
Gary laughed heartedly. "Yeah, you really kicked my butt back then, Ashley. But I'm not gonna let that happen again if I face you or Ash at the Conference!"
"Mind if I join the fun?" a soft familiar voice spoke.
My face turned hotter when my eyes met with a pair of gentle dark brown eyes. "Ritchie!"
Gary suddenly made a frown when he turned to Ritchie. Ritchie ignored him and walked to us with Sparky on his shoulders. "Hi, guys! It's been a long time!"
"Ritchie!" Ash smiled widely. "I'm so glad you made it!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu waved to Sparky who waved back.
"Ka pika!"
"I didn't think we'd meet you here", Misty commented.
"Togiprii!" Togepi chirped from her arms.
"Yeah, I almost didn't get my final badge and I had to take an urgent flying taxi to Silver Town for the Silver Conference", Ritchie grinned sheepishly.
"Wait a second…", Gary hummed before he snapped his fingers. "I remember you now! You were part of the Indigo Plateau Conference last year!"
"Yeah, and I remember you too", Ritchie nodded. "You and Ashley had such an intense battle I was on the edge of my seat the whole time."
I turned away, fearing Ritchie would say something bad about my meltdown after that battle. To my relief, he didn't mention that part which eased the tension on my shoulders.
"I can't wait to battle both of you!" Ash exclaimed eagerly.
"Me too", Ritchie nodded. "But to do that, I need to register. I'll see you later, guys."
"Okay", Brock nodded.
"See you later, Ashley", Ritchie gave me a smile when he passed me.
I nodded shyly and waved back. "See you later…"
"I have to go and sign up too", Gary stated, suddenly appearing next to me that scared the wits out of me. "Smell ya later, guys!"
My heart slowly calmed down while I watched the two brunets walk toward the registration center. Gary walked a little faster and lightly elbowed Ritchie on his side, which caught him off guard.
"What was that about…?" I wondered.
Misty giggled next to me. "This Conference is going to be very interesting."
"Oh boy…", Ash said with a protective voice. "Never thought I'd see the day arrive with boys fighting over you, Ashley."
"Why would they fight over me?" I asked, truly not getting what my brother meant by that statement.
Misty sweat dropped at my response. "You might be still too young to understand, Ashley."
"Where are we supposed to stay?" Ash asked, breaking up the weird mood.
Brock took the guidebook from me since I was no longer reading it. "The Trainers stay in the Athlete's Village during the Silver Conference which is connected to Silver Town."
We followed the road sign that led us toward the village passing by many stands where people sold street food and merchandise. It was quite lively and noisy, but I could endure it. Now that I thought about it, my tolerance for loud noises had gotten better throughout the year. Was I finally growing up and becoming normal like everyone else?
"Yum! All the smells make me hungry!" Ash hummed while his stomach growled.
"How about we grab some for lunch?" Misty suggested. "There's nothing on the schedule today, right?"
"Let me see…", Brock flipped through the guidebook. "The Trainer Screening starts three days before the Silver Conference, so the Screening will commence the day after tomorrow."
"Great! We can do some final training before the Screening!" Ash pumped his fists. "I'm gonna add Larvitar to my party so he can watch what battles are about in the professional league!"
"I'm also going to add Trica and Axel to the team and train them", I nodded. "I haven't used them in quite some time and I want them to be on equal level with everyone else."
"Aren't you going to use your other Pokémon, guys?" Misty asked.
"We will once we know who our opponents are in the Conference", Ash replied. "But now, I want to use many of my Pokémon I caught in Johto to give them a chance to shine."
"Me too", I nodded. "It's like a challenge for us to only use Pokémon caught in this region."
"Yeah, but don't get too confident, guys", Brock reminded us.
I spotted an old man up ahead who was giving away balloons to young children. I recognized him by his long hair and beard from last year's League. "Hey, isn't that Mr. Goodshow?"
"It is!" Ash exclaimed before he waved his hand. "Hello, Mr. Goodshow!"
Mr. Goodshow's face erupted into a big smile when he saw us. "Ah! If it isn't the Ketchum twins with friends!"
"Hello, sir, how've you been?" Brock asked politely.
"Why are you giving away balloons, Mr. Goodshow?" Misty wondered.
"It is part of my jobs as a member of the Pokémon League Torch Committee", Mr. Goodshow explained. "I'm out here greeting fans who have come far and wide to watch the Silver Conference. And everyone gets a big smile when they receive a balloon!"
"Yeah, I remember I loved getting balloons from carnivals back in Pallet Town", Ash nodded.
"Me too, especially if there were dragon Pokémon on them", I smiled, reminiscing the precious memory.
"I can tell you two have grown a lot since last time, Ashton and Ashley", Mr. Goodshow commented. "Are you here to battle at the Silver Conference?"
"That's right, sir!" Ash nodded determinedly.
"Splendid! Show everyone what you and your Pokémon can do, and don't forget to enjoy yourselves", the old man told us.
"We'll have fun and learn a lot", I replied.
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We got ourselves quite a luxurious room at the hotel of the Athlete's Village. The bed was so soft and comfortable I had no problem falling asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. Ash and I trained a lot with our Pokémon the next day for preparation of the Screening. Trica and Axel were happy to see me again and they caught up fast with my other Pokémon. I felt ready to battle for the qualification.
There were several courtyards in the village where every participant could battle to earn points and qualify for the Conference. Ash switched Bayleef for Larvitar so the young Pokémon could take a good view of the battles. Ash had his battle for the day before me and he won against a Trainer called Salvador and his Furret who gave Pikachu a big challenge. I was fascinated by the way Salvador's Furret battled so I made mental notes for the next opportunity I could train Trica.
I was soon called to Courtyard D along with a Trainer called Jamie. She and I stood ready on the battlefield which was surrounded by a fence to make sure none of the Pokémon would accidently hurt the spectators. Ash, Misty and Brock stood outside of the fence so they wouldn't distract me.
"The fourth match of the D-Block is now in session!" a referee called out. "The battle between Ashley from Pallet Town and Jamie from Goldenrod City will now begin. We will first decide the order of battle."
The digital screen activated a wheel that spun around until it landed on green color, meaning I would go first to call out a Pokémon and then my opponent could call out their Pokémon after deciding which of theirs was best against mine. The light landed on the red color meaning my opponent was to go first.
"Trainer Jamie, please call out your Pokémon!" the referee shouted.
"I've got the perfect Pokémon for this!" Jamie smirked and threw her Poké Ball. "Go, Granbull!"
"Raugh!" Granbull snarled as it landed on the ground and glared aggressively.
"A Granbull…", I hummed to myself. I thought quickly through the Pokémon in my party until my mind landed on Axel. I snatched his Poké Ball from my belt and called him out. "I choose you, Axel!"
"Scytheeer!" Axel hissed eagerly and took his stand on my side of the field. Granbull growled threateningly at my Pokémon which made him flinch back, affected by its Intimidate ability.
"Begin battle!" the referee yelled out.
"Axel, use Agility to get close to Granbull!" I shouted.
Axel growled and dashed toward his opponent while his feet kicked up the speed of his movement. Jamie smirked while she and Granbull remained collected.
"Granbull, use Scary Face!" Jamie yelled.
Granbull stood its ground and created a very scary face with its power which it sent at Axel. Axel was struck by the move and forced him to slow down a lot, cancelling his increased speed.
"Now, Granbull, use Fire Fang!" Jamie shouted.
Granbull's mouth was engulfed by fire along with its two large fangs. It ran toward Axel who awaited my orders.
"Dodge with Agility!" I quickly yelled. Axel dodged the incoming move with the nick of time before Granbull could land a bite on him. "Now, attack with Night Slash!"
"Scyyyt!" Axel's scythes glowed white before he swung one of them at Granbull, landing a successful hit. Granbull groaned as it skidded backwards on the field before it came to a halt.
"Granbull, use Rage!" Jamie shouted.
"RaaUGH!" Granbull's body glowed red as it stomped the ground, expressing its loading anger. It ran at Axel and head-butted him on his chest.
"Axel!" I called out worriedly.
Axel skidded on the ground, but quickly collected himself and growled back at the raging Pokémon. "Scytheeer!"
"You okay, Axel?" I asked.
"Scyyt!" Axel nodded over his shoulder.
"If Granbull wants to fight with strength, let's do the same!" I yelled determinedly. "Axel, Swords Dance!"
Axel's body glowed orange while energy swords appeared around him. He started dancing with those swords, swinging his scythes around to increase his strength.
"Granbull, use Scary Face to slow Scyther down!" Jamie shouted.
While Axel was busy dancing, Granbull created another spooky image with its power and threw it at my Pokémon. Axel's movements clearly slowed down, but that didn't affect his power boost.
"Granbull, use Fire Fang!" Jamie yelled.
"Raugh!" Granbull summoned fire in its mouth and dashed toward Axel who had just finished his dance.
Now it was time to go offensive. "Block with Night Slash, Axel!"
His scythes glowed white again and he swung both of them at Granbull's head before it could touch him. Granbull howled as it was punched to the ground by the Night Slash. Axel jumped back to dodge some ember that nearly touched his body.
"Granbull, can you stand up?" Jamie called out concernedly.
"R-Raugh…!" Granbull pushed itself up on its feet and glared aggressively at Axel.
"We're far from done!" Jamie smirked. "Attack with Rage!"
Granbull's body once again glowed red and in a swift move it head-butted Axel again. Axel screeched in pain as he crashed on the ground.
"Axel, are you okay?!" I yelled worriedly.
"S-Scyt…", Axel grunted as he slowly got up with the help of his scythes.
"It's time to end this!" Jamie yelled. "Granbull, use Crunch!"
"Rauoooh!" Granbull howled as it jumped toward Axel with its mouth wide open.
"Dodge with Agility!" I shouted. Axel moved so fast he kicked up dirt and ended up behind Granbull who ended up biting a large amount of dirt instead of fluffy skin. "Now, finish this with X-Scissor!"
Axel's scythes glowed green before he swung them in the shape of an X and struck Granbull's backside. The force of the move was so strong it threw up sand and dirt, covering half the battlefield. The dust dissipated and revealed a fainted Granbull with Axel towering it.
"Scytheeer!" Axel screeched victoriously.
"Granbull is unable to battle! Scyther wins!" the referee announced, raising his green flag. "The winner of this battle is Trainer Ashley!"
"Alright! You did it, Ashley!" Ash cheered behind me.
I rushed to Axel who came toward me and I pulled him into a hug. "You were amazing, Axel! You've become so much stronger in such a short time. I'm so proud of you."
"Scytheer!" Axel hissed happily.
We walked over to Jamie who tended her Granbull, praising it for its hard work. "Is your Granbull okay, Jamie?"
"Yeah, he's going to be fine", Jamie nodded, smiling at me. "I didn't expect losing to an unevolved Pokémon. Your Scyther packs quite the slash."
"Thank you…", I blushed, embarrassed by the praise. I held my hand out for a handshake. "I had a great match. Good luck with the rest of the Screening."
"You too, Ashley", Jamie shook my hand. "I hope to battle you again in the finals."
I left the courtyard after I recalled Axel so he could rest. A group of maintenance people stormed into the yard to fix the battlefield before the next battle. I walked to Ash and our friends and got quite a surprise.
"Ritchie? Gary?" I blinked.
"Hi, Ashley", Ritchie smiled with a light wave. "Congratulations on winning your first Screening battle."
"Yeah, that was very impressive!" Gary nodded with his arms crossed.
"Thank you", I nodded back. "I feel like I'm getting better with my reaction timing."
"You really have, Ashley", Misty commented.
"Have you two already had your battles?" I asked my rivals.
"Sure have! And I won, as I predicted!" Gary smirked proudly.
"Sparky had a tough opponent, but he pulled it through", Ritchie nodded with Sparky on his shoulder.
"Pika pikachu!"
I smiled and stepped closer to Ritchie to scratch his Pikachu's chin, making him purr in delight. "You did a great job too, Sparky."
"Hey! My Arcanine did great too!" Gary intervened and stepped in between me and Ritchie, forcing me away from the kind brunet. "Praise him too, Ashley!"
I got caught off guard for a second. "Um… But your Arcanine is not out…?"
Gary growled irritably before he walked away with a frown. "Whatever! Praise my Pokémon next time, Ashie-girl!"
"That was weird", I commented.
"I feel sorry for Gary…", Misty mumbled quietly behind me.
"Isn't Gary one of your friends from Pallet Town?" Ritchie wondered.
"Yeah!" Ash and I nodded simultaneously.
"He's been acting weird and hostile toward me", Ritchie confessed. "I have no idea why, though."
"I'm sorry about his behavior, Ritchie", Ash apologized on Gary's behalf.
"No, it's okay", Ritchie reassured us. "I'm not bothered by it."
"Are you sure?" I asked concernedly.
"Yeah, I'm sure", Ritchie nodded with a big smile.
"You are such a nice person, Ritchie", I commented with a shy smile. "I wish we grew up as childhood friends."
"Me too, Ashley", Ritchie smiled. "You're a great friend and amazing rival just like Ash!"
Something about how he said he called me a great friend made my heart hurt a little. I had no idea why, though. It was like a piece of my heart broke by the fact that he only saw me as a rival and not as something else that I couldn't put my words to it.
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The next day of the Screening arrived swiftly. Ash won his second battle with Phanpy, and so did Ritchie and Gary. Now it was my turn against my second opponent. We stood ready on a courtyard with a new referee.
"The fifth match of the B-Block is now in session! The battle between Ashley from Pallet Town and Gaven from Cianwood City will now begin. Let's spin the wheel!"
Gaven and I waited patiently for the wheel to slow down and stop at a certain color. The wheel stopped on the color green which was actually Gaven's side.
"Trainer Gaven, please call out your Pokémon!"
"This will be easy!" Gaven smirked and threw his Poké Ball. "Go, Octillery!"
"Oocta!" Octillery hissed aggressively as it appeared on the battlefield.
It was an easy choice to pick amongst my Pokémon I currently had on me. "I choose you, Hikaru!"
"Amphaaa!" Hikaru bleated joyfully as he came out from his Poké Ball.
"Begin battle!" the referee shouted.
"Octillery, use Focus Energy!" Gaven shouted.
Octillery closed its eyes and began humming like it was meditating. Its body glowed orange showing signs that its next couple of moves were for certain going to be critical hits. "Oooooo!"
"Hikaru, use Discharge quickly!" I shouted.
"Ampha…", Hikaru's ears sparkled as he gathered energy in his body before he released it so sparks erupted from his body. "ROOOOOSS!"
Octillery was instantly struck by the Discharge. It groaned while its body sizzled after being scorched by the super effective move. It shook its head to remove its daze after the shocking attack.
"You okay, Octillery?" Gaven called.
"Oocta!" Octillery nodded.
"Let's return the favor with Octazooka!" Gaven yelled.
Octillery glared as it fired a large orb of ink from its mouth toward Hikaru. "Hikaru, counter it with Cotton Spore!" I shouted.
Hikaru breathed cotton from his mouth and created a wall in front of him which Octazooka hit instead of him. The cotton wall exploded and scattered lots of ink soaked cotton across the field. I shrieked as I dodged a few of them to keep myself clean.
"Hikaru, use Signal Beam!" I shouted.
"Octillery, use Signal Beam too!" Gaven yelled.
Both our Pokémon fired a colorful beam of light each that collided with one another and forced another explosion creating a smokescreen. If the battle continued like this, it could last forever and force our Pokémon to get overly exhausted.
The smoke cleared up and revealed Hikaru and Octillery unscratched. They glared intensely at each other refusing to give up.
"Octillery, use Constrict!" Gaven shouted.
Octillery jumped at Hikaru and wrapped him with its tentacles, squeezing him with everything in its might. Hikaru bleated in pain as Octillery increased its strength.
"Hikaru!" I gasped before I realized I had an opportunity. "Hikaru, hold on as long as you can and use Charge!"
Hikaru gritted his teeth while the orb on his tail started glowing. The light grew stronger the more he used Charge to increase his electric power while enduring Octillery's Constrict.
"Keep using Constrict, Octillery!" Gaven called out excitedly. "Ampharos is getting weaker!"
"Ooocta!"
"A-Ampaa…!"
I nodded once Hikaru's orb glowed at its max power. "Now, Hikaru! Use Discharge!"
Gaven's eyes widened when he figured out my secret plan. "Octillery, let go of Ampharos right away!"
The warning came too late. Hikaru released all the stored up electricity and electrocuted Octillery. The octopus Pokémon crashed on the ground and didn't budge a single inch. Hikaru and I watched cautiously for any signs of movement until the referee raised the red flag.
"Octillery is unable to battle! Ampharos wins! The winner of this battle is Trainer Ashley!"
"Alright!" I cheered happily and gave my Pokémon a big hug. "You were amazing, Hikaru! You endured the Constrict so well!"
"Ampha!" Hikaru bleated with a big smile.
Gaven recalled his Octillery and walked to me. He had a sour face, but he still showed some respect by holding his hand out. "You and your Ampharos were great. Thanks for the battle."
"Thank you too", I nodded and shook his hand. "Good luck on your next battle."
"Same", Gaven snorted before he left the field. It was quite a cold departure, but I didn't care much about it. People were different and some accepted defeat better than others.
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The third and last day of the Screening was here. The boys won their battles and now it was my turn to get my third win and guarantee a certain pass to the Silver Conference. I was on the green side and my opponent on the red side.
"The second match of the A-Block is now in session! The battle between Ashley from Pallet Town and Jose from Olivine City will now begin. We'll determine who sends their Pokémon out first by spinning the wheel!"
It took about five seconds before the wheel stopped on the red color. "Trainer Jose, call out your Pokémon!"
"I've trained long and hard with my Pokémon!" Jose bragged and threw his Poké Ball. "Let's go, Skarmory!"
"Skaaar!" Skarmory shrieked before it landed on the field preening its wings.
I reached for Victor's Poké Ball and called him out. "I'm counting on you, Victor!"
"Hoouun!" Victor barked and glared aggressively at the steel bird.
"Begin battle!" the referee declared.
"Victor, use Fire Fang!" I shouted, deciding to go straight into offensive.
Victor's mouth lit up by fire as he dashed toward Skarmory who remained calm. And it was for a proper reason.
"Skarmory, use Sand Attack!" Jose shouted.
"Skaar!" Skarmory used one of its clawed feet to throw sand straight on Victor's eyes. Victor howled in pain and came to a halt to shake the sand off his face.
"Victor, are you okay?!" I called.
"Now, Skarmory, use Drill Peck!" Jose shouted.
Skarmory took off to the sky and then descended toward Victor while spinning around like a drill with its beak aimed at him.
"Victor, jump to your right!" I shouted.
Victor barked and jumped aside, barely missing Skarmory's Drill Peck. The bird Pokémon ascended to the sky and remained there while Victor finally managed to shake off the dirt in his eyes that were now red.
"Skarmory, use Spikes!" Jose yelled.
Skarmory opened its beak and fired several spikes that scattered across the field. Victor dodged a few that came his way, but he howled when one of his paws landed on one. "Look out, Victor! There are spikes everywhere!" I warned him.
"Having trouble getting out of this trap, hm?" Jose asked amusingly. "Your Houndoom cannot move around without getting impaled by a spike."
I had to say, Jose was not a Trainer to underestimate. His Skarmory had set up the field so it could easily attack Victor. How could I get out of this? "Victor, use Howl!"
I needed to somehow stall the battle until I could figure out a plan. In the meantime, Victor had to set himself up so he could have a chance to instantly defeat Skarmory with a single Fire Fang, which was the meaning behind his Howl.
"Attack Houndoom with Steel Wing!" Jose shouted.
Skarmory's wings glowed white with a metallic sheen while flying toward Victor who exposed his teeth in anger.
"Victor, use Flamethrower!" I yelled.
"Hoooun!" Victor breathed a thick beam of fire toward Skarmory, making it seem like it was going to hit.
"Slash through the Flamethrower with Steel Wing!" Jose yelled.
"Skaaar!" Skarmory angled its body so its left wing slashed the Flamethrower while still flying toward Victor, splitting the flames apart.
I panicked and tried telling Victor to dodge the move, but Skarmory struck him so hard he flew backwards and landed on the spiky ground. He howled as his body was covered by spikes that got stuck on him.
"Victor!" I shrieked worriedly.
Skarmory landed on the ground making sure not to step any on the spikes it had scattered around. "Good job, Skarmory", Jose praised his Pokémon.
"Skaar!"
"Victor, can you stand up?" I called concernedly.
Victor grunted as he forced himself up on his four paws. His black fur was stained by blood that came from where the spikes impaled his body. His eyes shone in pain, but he was determined to keep battling.
I nodded to him and got serious. "We'll battle to the end, Victor! Use Flamethrower on the ground!"
Victor breathed fire on the dirt with the hopes the spikes would at least melt down so they wouldn't stick up and hurt his paws. Jose panicked and went straight into action. "Skarmory, blow the fire away!"
Skarmory flew up and flapped its wings so hard it caused powerful winds. I grunted as I shielded my eyes from dirt that flew up. Victor had to stop breathing fire and endure the wind until the fire died down. Some of the spikes did actually melt into tiny puddles, but half of the field was still covered by them.
"Victor, use Howl again!" I shouted.
Victor howled as loudly as he could while his body glowed red and increased his attack strength. It was the only thing he could do now while Skarmory was far out of his reach.
"Skarmory, attack with Drill Peck!" Jose shouted.
Skarmory spun its body around while flying toward Victor, looking more than ready to take him down. I wouldn't allow that now that I had come this far! "Victor, attack with Fire Fang!"
Victor opened his mouth where some flames spilled out before he jumped straight toward the incoming Skarmory. The impact caused a large explosion and such a force it nearly knocked me down on my knees. I shielded my eyes from dust until it settled down and revealed the field.
Victor was down while Skarmory fought hard to stay on its clawed feet. It had scorching marks on its metallic body and it panted deeply with a tired look in its eyes. The referee raised the red flag. "Houndoom is unable to continue battling! Skarmory wins! The winner of this battle is Trainer Jose!"
I was a little disappointed, but otherwise I was okay with the results. I rushed to Victor while Jose praised his Pokémon with lots of pats, careful where I stepped my feet so I wouldn't get impaled by the spikes. "Are you okay, Victor?" I asked once I crouched down next to him.
"H-Houn…", Victor whimpered and shook in pain.
I softly patted his head and gave him a reassuring smile. "You did you very best, Victor. I'll bring you to the Pokémon Center immediately."
"Hey, is your Houndoom okay?" Jose spoke up after he recalled Skarmory.
"I think so", I replied while I recalled Victor. "Your Skarmory gave him a big fight."
"Same to your Pokémon", Jose nodded. "Thanks for a great battle."
"You too", I replied as I brushed the dirt of my knees. "Sorry, but I need to take Victor to the Pokémon Center."
"Yeah, go!" Jose insisted with a worried glance. "Your Pokémon comes first!"
I left the courtyard and rushed all the way to the Pokémon Center for urgent healing. Nurse Joy and Chansey took Victor's Poké Ball and rushed behind the counter to a surgery room. I sat outside and waited anxiously. I snapped my head up when Ash and our friends joined me including Ritchie and Gary.
Ash sat next to me and rubbed my back. "Victor is going to be okay, Ashley. Remember he was the leader of that Houndour pack. He's a tough Pokémon."
My voice cracked as I held back my tears. It was partially because I was worried for Victor and the other reason was I was the only one among us who didn't have a perfect score after the Screening. "I-I know…" Pikachu crawled onto my lap and I immediately started caressing his soft fur. It always brought some form of comfort to touch something soft when I was upset.
"You and your Pokémon fought well, Ashley", Misty spoke up. "You should be proud of how far you've come."
"Togii!"
"Yeah, and Victor almost forced this battle into a draw", Brock added. "Skarmory had a large advantage because it set up those Spikes on the field and limited Victor's movement."
"Yeah…", I mumbled, my sight turning a little hazed.
Ritchie crouched down in front of me and placed a hand on top of mine. I snapped out of my trance by the gentle touch, my cheeks turning a little warm when I had eye contact with him. "Your Houndoom did his best out there, Ashley. You helped him overcome the Spikes with that Flamethrower."
"Yeah, except that Skarmory blew the flames away and stopped the fire from melting the rest of those Spikes", Gary snorted. "Still, you did great, Ashley."
I was touched by the kind words from everyone. They still saw me as a winner rather than a loser, including Gary. "Thank you…"
"When are they going to reveal the Trainers who passed the Screening?" Ash wondered.
"I think they'll do that in the evening", Brock replied while he checked the League guidebook. "The Screening ends this afternoon, and then they'll gather the Trainers and reveal who passed the preliminaries."
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I think it's only fair that Ritchie is included in the Silver Conference arc. I mean, they hinted about his appearance in the fifth Japanese opening of Pokémon that he might show up and compete, but alas he did not! It's time for redemption for Ritchie!
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Ashley's party:
Cedric the Tyranitar (male)
Hikaru the Ampharos (male)
Victor the Houndoom (male)
Lily the Espeon (female)
Trica the Furret (female)
Axel the Scyther (male)
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Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
Aria the Lapras (female)
Kobra the Arbok (male)
Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)
Mystic the Togetic (male)
Sora the Dragonair (female)
Queendra the Kingdra (female)
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Ashley's roaming Pokémon:
Crystal the Suicune (genderless)
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Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Cyndaquil (male)
Dunsparce (male)
Croconaw (male)
Phanpy (male)
Larvitar (male)
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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Heracross (male)
Snorlax (male)
Bayleef (female)
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Ash's roaming Pokémon:
Entei (genderless)
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Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Politoed (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
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Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
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Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Forretress (male)
Magcargo (male)