pokemon adventure

chapter fifty five

Chapter 55

Meeting Harrison and the Johto League Torch

After reuniting Larvitar with his mother, the gang were now on the way to Silver Town. Along the way, they noticed a crowd of people outside a very large gate. Ash asked someone from the crowd what was going on, and that person explained that everyone was waiting for the torch of the Silver Conference. Another person explained that they were at the Ho-Oh shrine and running of the torch started here. Those words made the gang feel excited about the torch. "Can we see the torch too?" asked Tomo. "Of course we can," replied Ash "there's no way I would miss the running of the Johto League torch; especially since we ran carrying the flame for the Indigo League, remember?" Tomo, Misty and Brock did remember and so they all agreed to watch the running of the torch.

Everyone waited and waited for the torch running to start, but so far nothing was happening. "I hope the runner is okay," said Ash "I mean surely it doesn't take this long for them to start the running". Just then a man came out of the gates. "I'm very sorry everyone," said the man "but due to circumstances the torch will take a bit longer to start". The crowd started to groan because they didn't like waiting. "Something must be wrong here, if we are being told to wait more" said Brock. "Let's find out what's wrong" said Ash.

The gang asked the guard of the shrine what was going, and the guard led the gang into the shrine. The guard explained that there was actually trouble at the shrine. "If you've got trouble I can help" said a voice. The voice came from a trainer, about the same age as Brock, with a Houndoom at his side. The trainer said his name was Harrison and he was from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region. The gang introduced themselves to Harrison and also told him that they were from Kanto.

The guard explained that the torch and runners were ready, but the flame for the torch wasn't ready. "The truth is our flame is actually from the legendary Ho-Oh," said the guard "and there's a legend about it too". The legend was that a long time ago there was a terrible war within the area, and both pokemon and humans were hurt from the battle. After the war was over the land became a wasteland because of all the fighting, and then Ho-Oh appeared. Ho-Oh blew its flame at all the humans weapons; ending the war. After that the land was really lifeless then, but because of Ho-Oh's ashes the land started to come to life again and soon the land was back to what it was again and peace reigned. But one flame of Ho-Oh remained one a tree and the people called it the sacred flame. "They built this shrine to worship Ho-Oh, which is why it's called the Ho-Oh shrine. And the sacred flame had stayed in the shrine ever since". "Wow, what a story," said Ash "and I thought it was only the tin tower and the burned tower in Ecruteak City that were the places to worship Ho-Oh". "We learn new stories about the legendary pokemon of Johto all the time" said Brock.

The guard showed Harrison and the gang to the staircase that led the way to the shrine where the sacred flame was kept. "We can't seem to get the flame, because a wild Sneasel is guarding the shrine" said the guard.

Ash looked at Sneasel on the pokedex: Sneasel, the sharp claw pokemon. A smart and sneaky Pokémon, it makes its opponents flinch by suddenly showing the claws hidden in its paws.

"Excellent," said Harrison "I want to capture a Sneasel and this will be my chance". The guard explained that Sneasel attacks anyone who gets closer to the shrine, because it made that place its territory. And to make matters worse Sneasel had a Machop and Machoke with it. "If we don't get that flame soon, we will never be able to start the Silver Conference Tournament" said the guard. "I'll help get that flame" said Ash. There was no way that Ash was going to let anything ruin the tournament; especially since he and his pokemon had worked too hard to enter it. Tomo, Misty and Brock offered to help too, and so did Harrison; he wished to capture the Sneasel.