Pokémon Heroes of Johto

Heads Up, Pokémon League!

I swept through the preliminary matches easily. The trainers were at a disappointingly low level of skill. They weren't terrible, but it only took one or two hits and they were down for the count.
Ok, maybe they were pretty terrible...
I used a different Pokémon each round to make my battles unpredictable. We all only got to use one Pokémon per battle in the prelims. Three Pokémon are aloud in the semi finals, and the finals are a full six on six.
Trickshot confused our opponents with speed, then attacked with full force. Asuna never let the opponent move with her swift, powerful attacks. Pietro let the opponent get confident and close, then knocked 'em out with one move. Rina aimed for the opponent's blind spots for an easy victory. Umbre used its speedy dark type moves and defense to battle the heavyweight Pokémon. Typhlo didn't really need a strategy in the prelims with his powerful attacks. Together, we swept through all the trainers. I couldn't ask for a better team.
Like every other year, the preliminary matches lasted four days. The first group of fifty, Group A, would battle on day one, Group B would battle on day two, and so on and so forth. We were each given a free hotel room to stay in for the week of the League. Upon arriving at my hotel room, I treated all of my Pokémon to a full course meal for their hard work, even if it was a cake walk, this was our dream. It should be rewarded as such.
"Eat up you guys. Tomorrow it's Silver's turn to sweep the prelims! So we've gotta cheer him on!" I exclaimed cheerfully. My partners cheered out happily in agreement.
After we ate, I let everyone stay out of their Pokéballs for a change. I lie on my back on the fluffy bed, staring up at the ceiling. Asuna and Rina, who I had learned to be the attention hogs of my team, curled up beside me, sleeping peacefully. Umbre lie on the window seal, staring up at the full moon in silence. Pietro rested against Typhlo, who slept soundly on the carpet, hugging little Trickshot close.
I can't remember the last time we were like this together. When my Pokémon and I were really united like a peaceful family. The feeling was just so.... perfect. As if everything was right with the world. I wondered if dad was okay. Before he disappeared, we had it good. Dad was a police officer, mom took care of the housework, and Red and I grew up in a stable home. Nobody knew what happened to dad..... just like nobody knew what happened to Red. I want to see them again more than anything. I'd go all the way across every region to find them again! I scanned the quiet room one last time before drifting off to sleep.

The things I'd do for love...

The next day, I made my way back to the stadium, and spotted a familiar face in the distance. I sprinted towards her, a joyous grin on my face. "Mom!!" I called, tackling her into a hug. She embraced me back warmly. I hadn't seen mom in forever, so it was odd, yet relieving to see her again. I grinned up at her as I pulled away, expressing how glad I really was to see her.
"Oh, Fire!! You've let your hair down!!" mom exclaimed happily.
"Haha, yeah, I did." I chuckled softly, feeling my medium length raven hair behind my neck. "I really missed you, mom, Professor Oak, Professor Elm, Bill, I'm so glad to see all of you!" I stated joyfully.
"We're glad to see you as well, Fire! Hmm..." Professor Oak looked me up and down for a moment, causing me to stare back in confusion. "You've really changed, Fire. You're nothing like how you were when you first set off on your journey." Professor Oak stated, a small smile on his face.
"You think so? Thanks." I shifted my gaze shyly.
"Oh yes, you're right, Samuel! She sounds so lively now!" mom exclaimed cheerfully. I glanced up at her in confusion.
Lively? I wasn't anymore lively than I've ever been... at least I hadn't noticed if I was.... was I?
"Right, and you seem so much more.... at ease. Dare I say you look happy. Could you maybe tell me the reason behind this observation?" Professor Oak asked, leaning forward in anticipation. I glanced to my left towards the stadium, setting my gaze on Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Gold and Crys were giving Silver words of encouragement, patting his back and cheering him on. Silver glanced back in our direction, grinning shyly as he spotted me. I grinned back, giving him a little wave.
"Ah, I see... they're your friends, right? They are the ones bringing you so much joy. That's good, I'm glad for you, Fire. Friends like that only come once in a life time." Professor Oak stated wisely. I nodded, smiling up at him softly.
"Right..." I murmured, a hint of a smile on my face.
I sat in the bleachers with mom, Professor Oak, Elm, and Bill, watching as the Group B competitors battled. Scanning the field, I waited for Silver to appear.
"Next up, a boy who's red hair and metallic grey eyes make him unmistakable in a crowd! The sullen trainer of Viridian City, Silver!!" the announcer cheered. As if on cue to the announcer's introduction, Silver dashed up onto the battlefield, the determined look in his eyes could be seen on the monitors.
Sullen was a bit harsh if you ask me...
"Go, Silver!! Show 'em your stuff!!" I cheered, shooting up to my feet as I called out. Mom and Bill, who were sitting on both sides of me, stared up at me in surprise, Professor Oak and Elm following their lead.
"That's one of your friends, isn't it?" mom asked curiously.
"Yeah! He's my rival, and my best friend! We had a rough start when we first met, but we get along great now!" I exclaimed cheerfully, taking a seat once again.
"Would he be the one you would go train with at night when you were at my ma's place?" Bill asked.
"Yep, he helped me evolve Eevee into Umbreon." I stated.
"That was mighty nice of him." Professor Oak stated softly.
"Yes, well... back when they first started out, that boy stole my Todadile. I had planned to press charges, but after hearing all the positive reviews about him from Fire, and hearing from Gold how well Todadile seemed to get along with him, I decided against it. Sometimes it's just better to let things go so they can blossom into something else." Professor Elm stated wisely, a small smile on his face. I smiled gratefully at him. If Professor Elm had pressed charges against Silver, I probably wouldn't have had the will to make it this far. Why? Because Silver was my rival... my inspiration. Without that inspiration, what would I press on for?
Silver, like I did, defeated the trainers with out much of a story to tell. I watched as he returned Sneasel, the Pokémon he chose for his last match, and turned on his heel to exit the stage. I grinned as everyone began to exit the stadium, and hastily went to find Silver. Spotting him in the distance  outside the stadium, I picked up my pace, calling out to him as I did so.
"Oh, it's you, Fire." Silver stated softly, turning halfway to face me.
"Hey, Silv! Nice job out there, you were great!" I complemented. Silver closed his eyes gently for a moment, seemingly taking my words in. He slowly lifted his gaze, a small smile on his face as his metallic grey eyes stared into mine.
"Thanks. Look out though, we may be facing off in the semi finals." Silver teased. "You haven't forgotten about our rivalry, have you?"
"Of course not. But there's no way we'll face off in the semi finals. A match that good is only worthy of being the final battle!" I exclaimed proudly.
"For once, you say something not completely and utterly crazy!" Silver exclaimed jokingly.
"Hey! Not everything I say is crazy!" I exclaimed in a mock offended tone, playfully punching Silver's shoulder.
"Yeah, right. Says the one who dragged me to a dance theater." Silver stated rolling his eyes playfully.
"You know you had fun." I teased.
"Hm, maybe. I can't say that I did though." Silver smirked. I laughed at his expression, once again playfully hitting him.
"Whatever, I know you had fun whether you admit it or not." I chuckled. Silver smiled softly at me in response. He was about to say something when Gold jumped at him from behind and ruffled his hair.
"Great job in the prelims, Silv!!" Gold exclaimed happily. Silver yelped in surprise, pushing Gold off of him.
"Thanks, but was it really necessary to mess up my hair?" Silver asked, irritation noticed in his tone.
"Sorry about that. So, are ya ready to see me ace the prelims tomorrow, too?" Gold asked with a thumbs up and a wink. Silver smirked jokingly at his expression.
"You mean if I'm ready to see you lose? Yeah, I'm down for that." Silver teased. Gold pouted playfully at him, while Silver and I laughed.
After chatting for a little while longer, we each went back to our hotel rooms to rest up for tomorrow. My evening replayed yesterday's events, but with mom as an additional guest to my hotel for a little while.
Gold's battles against the other group C trainers was just like Silver's and my own, with a slight struggle here and there. After Group D finally got their chance, Crystal also swept away the competition. I smirked to myself in the realization that Gold, Silver, Crystal, and I were the four finalists. Of the two hundred entries, we stood out above the rest.
Together.
"You know what this means, right?" Gold asked, causing us to turn our attention to him.
"What?" Crys asked curiously.
"We're the four trainers in the semi finals. The final four. That makes us all rivals now!" Gold exclaimed happily.
"Ya got that right! Now we just gotta see who comes out on top tomorrow!" I cheered. We exchanged determined glances as we thought about the coming day.
We decided to get something to eat together and headed to a nearby café. It was small, but nice, dare I say it was a bit homey too. After grabbing something to eat, we headed out to train. We stayed up for a long while, pouring our hearts into our training. Our Pokémon put in just as much effort as we did. I trained til I dropped almost literally. Typhlo had to carry me to the hotel on his back because I was to exhausted to walk.
We knocked out easily and I dreamt of mom, dad, Red and I back at home, enjoying the days gone by. Not to forget Blaze, dad's Charizard from when he first started on his journey. Blaze was like our version of a pet Arcanine, but way more fun. None of the little bullies in Pallet Town ever messed with me or Red, because if they messed with us, they messed with Blaze. And nobody messes with Blaze.
He may have been a gentle soul, but when Blaze got mad, believe me, Blaze got mad. We never needed a babysitter or someone to watch over us when mom and dad were busy, because that was Blaze's job, and he made it fun when he took us for little flies and lit our camp fires. He even cooked when mom and dad were at work! And it was actually really good, and fast to make. I wonder how Blaze is now..... I hope he's alright..... dad too. I wish dad could see Red and I now. I'm sure he'd be glad Red and I both had fire types as our first Pokémon. Especially knowing Red has a Charizard now, too. That'd make dad real proud.

I headed to the stadium the next morning. Everyone cheered and screamed in excitement as Gold, Silver, Crys and I stood in the center of the battlefield.
"All right folks!! Today's the day of the Pokémon League semi finals, day five! The four finalist trainers you see here are Fire of Group A, Silver of Group B, Gold of Group C, and Crystal of Group D! Now then, let's see who's battling who in the semi final match ups!" the announcer called cheerfully, turning to face the middle monitor. Three electronic cards spun around on the screen. After locking in pairs, the virtual cards flipped, revealing our trainer card pictures and our names.
In large, all capped letters, the screen read as shown;

FIRE vs GOLD

SILVER vs CRYSTAL

I turned to Gold, smirking competitively at him. He stared back into my eyes, nodding once to show his determination, along with a smirk to emphasize it.
Crystal grinned at Silver, who flicked his hair and nodded calmly. This was the first time I'd battle Gold, and Silver's first time battling Crystal. The matches were decided, and now it was time for the semi final matches to begin, starting with Gold and I.

Excitement filled the air as all seemed to revolve around this stadium. As excited as I was to be battling Gold, there was no way I planned on losing to him.