I'm so excited; we're not far from completing the Johto Saga now! I'm looking so much forward to work on the next saga of Ashley's journey!
My goal is to finish the Johto Saga this year, and it looks like I might make it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 52: Pop Goes the Sneasel
We had a week left to make it to Silver Town. We knew we were on the right way because we met people along the path. Some were heading down the mountain for last minute training and some hurried to the Silver Conference. I already felt a little nervous, but it was a thrilling sensation. I looked forward seeing how much I had grown since the Indigo Plateau Conference and battle with my party of Johtonian Pokémon in the Silver Conference.
Our journey came to an abrupt halt when we found a gate where a crowd had gathered. From the sound of voices, it felt like there was a concerning situation. "What's going on over there?" Ash wondered.
"It sounds like there's a problem", Misty said.
"Should we take a look?" I asked.
"It might be best to do so", Brock nodded.
We walked closer to the crowd while some people walked away disappointedly. "Excuse me", Ash called out. "Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all", one of the people replied.
"Are you four new around these parts?" another man asked.
"Yeah", the four of us nodded simultaneously.
"We're waiting to see the Johto League Silver Conference torch", the second man explained.
That reminded me of my first rendezvous back in Kanto when each one of us ran with the sacred flame of Moltres. I got the honor to run the last part and light up the central torch of the stadium during the opening ceremony.
"The Johto League torch is from this place?" Ash asked excitedly.
"Yes", the first man nodded. "This is the Ho-Oh Shrine where a flame of Ho-Oh is under protection so it never goes out."
"The journey of the torch to the Silver Conference starts here one week before the Pokémon League begins", the second man added.
"We have such good luck we made it here in time!" Misty smiled.
"I know!" I nodded excitedly.
"Let's stay here and wait for the torch, guys!" Ash suggested.
"Great idea!" Brock nodded. "We'll make it to Silver Town in a couple of days, so we can take a detour."
One of the men's faces dropped in slight disappointment. "The thing is the torch runner was supposed to leave a while ago, but there's been a huge delay."
"Really?" Ash blinked. "How come?"
The gate opened and a monk peeked out to the crowd with an apologizing expression. "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the delay, but… Due to some unexpected circumstances, it will be just a bit longer before the torch leaves."
The crowd didn't hold back their disappointment. The monk apologized and tried to calm the people down, but in the midst of chaos, Togepi ran through the open gate with Pikachu chasing her.
"Pikachu! Togepi! Where are you going?!" Ash yelled.
"Togepi, come back!" Misty shouted.
We forced ourselves through the crowd and into the main area of the shrine to get the Pokémon. I felt bad for trespassing and giving more trouble for the monk, but we had to get Togepi and Pikachu.
"Togepi!" Misty crouched down and picked up the little naughty Pokémon. "Why did you run off like that?"
"Thanks for catching her, Pikachu", Ash praised his partner.
"Pika pika", Pikachu nodded.
The monk dashed to us, now looking twice as stressed than before. "Excuse me, you aren't allowed in here."
"We're sorry, sir, but our Pokémon ran in here for unknown reasons", Brock apologized.
"It's okay as long as they didn't do any damage", the monk nodded. "Just be careful next time."
A pair of panicked shrieks echoed from a long set of stairs next to us. Two Trainers ran down like they had been chased by an Ursaring. One of them even carried a Poliwhirl that had seen better days.
"What is the matter?" the monk asked them.
The male Trainer was not pleased at all and growled at the poor man. "Our Pokémon got defeated, that's what the matter is!"
"Those wild Pokémon up there are just too strong against our Pokémon!" the female Trainer added, clutching two Poké Balls to her chest. "Now we don't know if our Pokémon will be able to battle in the Silver Conference!"
"We're leaving for the Pokémon Center!" the male exclaimed before he and his partner rushed out from the open gate where the crowd respectfully waited for updates.
"No! Wait, come back!" the monk yelled out as his shoulders sank in sadness. "What do we do now…?"
"Excuse me, but…do you have any problems?" I wondered.
"Yes, unfortunately, I do", the monk nodded. "Are any of you competing in the Silver Conference?"
"Just me and my twin sister", Ash replied.
The monk's eyes lit up by hope. "Then may I ask you for an enormous favor?"
"Um… Yeah?" Ash nodded hesitantly.
"Thank Arceus!" the monk smiled in relief before he got serious. "My fellow monks and I have been asking Trainers who passed by the shrine to help us with this problem, but they all run away in fear like those previous Trainers."
"Is there…something scary in this area?" Misty wondered.
"Not exactly", the monk explained before he turned to the long step of stairs. "At the very top of those stairs is the real Ho-Oh Shrine where the flame of Ho-Oh is protected. The legend says a war raged across these lands hundreds of years ago. Ho-Oh couldn't bear to watch the war any longer, so it used its special move Sacred Fire to burn the weapons into ashes. Unfortunately, the Sacred Fire laid the land into a bare wasteland, but thanks to the fire life began sprouting again from the ashes once the war was over. All that was left was a single flame of Ho-Oh burning on a branch which has been preserved until this day as a reminder of peace can be achieved again and it is now the symbol of the Silver Conference, known as the Sacred Flame."
"What a fascinating story…", Brock mumbled in awe.
"I agree!" a new voice spoke up.
A Trainer in his late teens and his Houndoom had at some point entered the garden of the shrine. I was very surprised by his height. He was even taller than Brock, and his accent told me he probably came from a different region.
"I was passing by when I heard you're in trouble, so I thought I could help you out", the young man said.
"That is wonderful!" the monk smiled, happy that more people were coming forward to help out.
"Who are you?" Ash asked the new Trainer.
"My name is Harrison", the Trainer introduced himself. "I come from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region."
"If I remember the world map correctly, Hoenn is somewhere in south-east from Johto", Brock hummed.
"I think so too", I nodded, visualizing the world map in my brain. "It's somewhat close to the Sevii Islands too, so it's a tropical region."
"You're both almost correct", Harrison grinned. "Hoenn has some tropical areas, but it's not like the Alola region. Who are you guys?"
"Oh, sorry! My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and this is my partner Pikachu."
"Pika pikachu!"
"I'm Ashley, Ash's twin sister."
"I'm Misty and this little baby is Togepi."
"Togiprii!"
"And I'm Brock, a Pokémon Breeder."
"Nice to meet ya", Harrison smiled. "If we work together, we might be able to solve the problem this shrine has."
"I certainly hope so because we cannot prolong the wait much longer", the monk said. "Like I said, the flame of Ho-Oh is at the top of those stairs, but lately a wild Sneasel has claimed that area as its territory. I have asked Trainers to help us retrieve the Sacred Flame, but so far they have all been defeated by Sneasel."
"A Sneasel?" Harrison's eyes lit up. "I've been looking for a Sneasel for a long time, so I'm going to catch this one!"
"I have to warn you; that Sneasel is quite the terror", the monk warned us. "It doesn't hesitate to attack anyone who approaches the shrine. Pokémon and Trainers alike have been hurt by it and its two comrades Machop and Machoke. We've tried talking to Sneasel, but it refuses to hear us out."
"I think I have an idea", I raised my hand.
"What is it, Ashley?" Ash asked.
"I meant by how to confront the Pokémon", I explained. "Lily can take care of Machop and Machoke since her psychic moves are super effective against fighting-type Pokémon. Then the rest of you should take care of Sneasel by using a fire or fighting-type Pokémon."
"A few Trainers mentioned they first encountered Machop and Machoke as soon as they got off the stairs", the monk nodded. "Then, if they pass those Pokémon, they'll encounter Sneasel right by the shrine."
"I've got the perfect Pokémon to deal with Sneasel, so leave that to me", Harrison spoke up.
"Sounds like we're ready to go?" Misty wondered.
"Togi?"
"Yep! Let's save the Silver Conference and get the Sacred Flame!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.
"Be careful, all of you", the monk said.
He allowed me to use the temple's telephone to contact Professor Oak so I could switch Mystic for Lily for the confrontation. In the meantime, he went to get the torch so we could deliver the Sacred Flame without burning ourselves. Brock got to hold it while we climbed up the long steps. I called out Lily beforehand so she could forewarn us if we were to get ambushed by the wild Pokémon. Harrison still had his Houndoom out for extra protection.
My legs were burning when we were less than five meters away from the top of the steep hill. I wasn't the only one complaining. "My knees are killing me…", Misty panted.
"Hold on, we're almost there…!" Ash gasped.
"This is tougher than I thought…", Harrison mumbled.
"Espe!" Lily growled as she rushed up the last steps.
"Lily!" I yelled and ran after her. As soon as I touched the ground, a Machop and a Machoke jumped out from the bushes with their fists drawn. Lily immediately used Swift to knock them back before they could land a hit on me. "Great job, Lily!"
"On!" Lily barked.
"So two of them are here!" Ash glared at the wild Pokémon. "Where's Sneasel?"
"There! On top of the shrine!" Harrison yelled.
A Sneasel sat on the roof and polished his claws, minding his own business. He smirked mischievously and seemed to wait for his turn to step in and battle. "He's acting like he's their boss", I pointed out.
"We better divide us to deal with the Pokémon!" Brock said.
"I'll help Ashley!" Misty exclaimed before she put Togepi in Ash's arms. "Ash, hold Togepi."
"Okay!" Ash nodded and gently cradled the baby Pokémon.
"Brock, we'll go to the shrine and deal with Sneasel!" Harrison said.
"Right!" Brock nodded.
The duo ran past Machop and Machoke that tried to stop them, but Lily pushed them back with a Psybeam. "We are your opponents, so keep your eyes on us!" Misty yelled before she threw a Poké Ball. "Corsola, I choose you!"
"Corsolaaa!" Corsola chirped eagerly, ready to battle side by side with Lily.
"Get them, girls!" Ash cheered.
"Pika pika!"
"Machoop!"
"Machooke!"
The fighting Pokémon flexed their muscles, preparing themselves to battle and kick our Pokémon's butts. Like that was ever going to happen.
"Corsola, use Spike Cannon on Machop!" Misty shouted.
"Lily, use Psybeam on Machoke!" I yelled.
Our Pokémon fired their moves and forced both Pokémon back, but Machop recovered fast from the spikes from Corsola and used Karate Chop to hurt her. "Corsooo!"
"Corsola!" Misty shrieked worriedly. "Use Recover!"
Corsola's body glowed in a green light, recovering her strength while the wild Pokémon rushed toward her, seeing her as an easy target.
"Lily, shield Corsola and force them back with Psychic!" I shouted.
Lily jumped in front of the coral Pokémon and made her eyes glow in blue light. Machop and Machoke's bodies glowed in the same light before they were levitated up from the ground. They flailed about to get free, but Lily added more pressure on them which made them cry out in pain.
Corsola jumped up on her little feet when she was done regaining her health. "Corsolaa!"
"Corsola, use Bubble Beam!" Misty shouted.
"Laaaaaaa!" Corsola opened her mouth and fired a beam of bubbles at the wild Pokémon, first Machop and then Machoke. They looked already very tired, but their eyes were full of determination to never give up.
"Mind if I step in?!" Ash called while Pikachu jumped off his shoulder.
"Go ahead, Ash!" Misty nodded.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu launched a lightning bolt and electrocuted both wild Pokémon. The Thunderbolt was extra effective thanks to their soaked bodies after Corsola's Bubble Beam. Their bodied sizzled when the electric move was done.
"Lily, show them who the boss is and throw them down the hill!" I shouted. "Let them taste their own medicine!"
"Eon!" Lily threw Machop and Machoke over us with her psychic powers and threw them down the stairs. We watched them roll down all the way to the bottom where the monk waited for our return.
"That was quite evil, Ashley", Ash chuckled sheepishly.
"Bullies need their own medicine to understand what they've done to other Trainers and Pokémon", I growled softly, getting reminded of my painful past.
"Nonetheless, we made a pretty good team", Misty smiled to our Pokémon. "Great teamwork, guys."
"Pika pika!"
"Corsolaa!"
"Espeoon!"
A bang snapped us out from the small celebration, reminding us there was one more Pokémon we had to deal with. We recalled our Pokémon and rushed to the shrine where there was an intense battle ongoing. The wild Sneasel was fighting a new Pokémon I had only seen in the picture books.
"What's that red Pokémon?" Ash wondered while he grabbed his Pokédex.
"It's a Blaziken!" I gasped in awe. "It's the final evolution of the fire Starter Pokémon in Hoenn!"
Blaziken, the blaze Pokémon. Fire and fighting-type. The evolved form of Blaziken. Flames spout from its wrists, enveloping its knuckles. Its fiery punches scorch its foes. It can clear a 30-story building in a leap.
"Wow, that's impressive!" Ash smiled.
Sneasel gathered his energy and threw a large Shadow Ball at Blaziken who awaited orders.
"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" Harrison shouted.
"Blaaaaz!" Blaziken breathed a thick Flamethrower that clashed with the Shadow Ball, causing another explosion that filled the area with smoke. The smokescreen swiftly cleared up and revealed Sneasel running toward Blaziken with his claws in the air.
"Blaziken, block the attack with Fire Punch!" Harrison yelled.
Blaziken's fist burst into flames before he blocked Sneasel's Slash. Sneasel shrieked in pain at the contact of fire and jumped back, flapping his claw around to soothe the burn.
"Now, Blaziken! Finish it with Flamethrower!" Harrison yelled.
Blaziken breathed a new beam of Flamethrower that engulfed the poor Pokémon. Sneasel screeched in pain before he collapsed on the ground, knocked out by the powerful fire move. Harrison swiftly grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it at him. "Poké Ball, go!"
The capture device touched Sneasel and absorbed him before it shut close and fell on the ground. The Poké Ball wobbled back and forth, filling the air with tension and anxiety as we waited to see whether Harrison caught the Pokémon.
A familiar ding rang from the Poké Ball as it stopped moving. We all released a gasp in relief while Harrison picked up the capture device. "Alright! I caught a Sneasel!" he erupted into a big smile and high-fived his partner. "Great job, Blaziken!"
"Blaaz!" Blaziken smiled widely.
"Congratulations, Harrison!" Ash smiled.
"You worked great together with your Pokémon", Brock said, talking like an analyzer.
"Thanks, guys, but I couldn't have done it with you", Harrison said. "Now, let's get the Sacred Flame."
Ash opened the door to the Ho-Oh Shrine, revealing a simple interior. The shrine was empty and had no windows except for a gold-like statue of Ho-Oh. Its wings were open and raised over its head in which it held a bowl where the Sacred Flame was burning.
Brock carefully walked to the statue and held the torch in an angle so some of the fire was transferred to it. "We've got the Sacred Flame!"
"Great! Now we've got to hurry back down and deliver it to the monk and the torch runner!" Misty nodded.
"I'm relieved Team Rocket didn't show up the entire time", I sighed in relief.
"I hope you didn't jinx us now, Ashley", Ash said.
I covered my mouth, regretting my choice of words.
XXXXXXXXXX
Thankfully, Team Rocket didn't show up once while we walked down the stairs back to the house where the monk was waiting for us.
The sun was ready to go down for the day, but the torch runner was just starting his journey. After passing the torch with the Sacred Flame to him, he took off from the gate where the crowd clapped and cheered for him. We watched from the gate, proud of the good deed we had done today.
"I cannot thank you enough, Trainers", the monk said. "You saved the Silver Conference."
"No problem!" Ash smiled.
"Glad we could help", Harrison nodded.
Machop and Machoke walked to us, all healed up and no longer emitting any hostility like before. "We've decided to hire them to guard the shrine permanently", the monk explained.
"Choop!" Machop smiled.
Machoke flexed his muscles with a large smile. "Chook!"
"That's great", I smiled. "I'm happy for them."
"And now it's time for us to hurry to Silver Town", Ash nodded.
"So you're entering the Silver Conference, Ash?" Harrison asked.
"Yeah! And my sister!" Ash nodded.
"That's great! 'Cause I'm entering too!" Harrison revealed.
"What?!" the four of us gasped at the revelation.
"That actually makes sense", Brock commented after he got over the shock. "Considering your strong Blaziken and you being in this area."
"I'll see you guys at the stadium. I look forward to battle both of you if we make it to the finals", Harrison smiled.
"Same here", Ash nodded.
"Pika pika!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's party:
Cedric the Tyranitar (male)
Hikaru the Ampharos (male)
Victor the Houndoom (male)
Sora the Dragonair (female)
Queendra the Kingdra (female)
Lily the Espeon (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Trica the Furret (female)
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
Aria the Lapras (female)
Axel the Scyther (male)
Kobra the Arbok (male)
Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)
Mystic the Togetic (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's roaming Pokémon:
Crystal the Suicune (genderless)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Bayleef (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Dunsparce (male)
Croconaw (male)
Phanpy (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Heracross (male)
Snorlax (male)
Larvitar (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's roaming Pokémon:
Entei (genderless)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Politoed (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Forretress (male)
Magcargo (male)