Pokémon Heroes of Johto

How Far We've Come

"Finally we meet again.... Fire of Pallet Town." the man said calmly.
"L-Lance?! You're the Champion of Johto?!!" I exclaimed in shock, staring up at the redhead in a cape.
I wonder if Lance is the first Dracula Silver was talking about back in Blackthorn City.
"Indeed I am." Lance stated simply, coming over to greet us properly.
"But I thought you were one of the Elite Four of Kanto..." Silver stated questioningly.
"I am that too. I became Champion of Johto after I became part of the Kanto Elite Four. Since Kanto and Johto are closely related, these types of things are aloud here." Lance explained.
"Come to think of it, Bruno is an Elite Four member in Kanto and Johto, isn't he?" Gold asked.
"That's correct. Now then, I think that's enough chit chat,
Fire-" I gasped at the call of my name, previously being lost in thought, "I believe there is a reason you are here, right?" Lance asked, smiling softly at me. I took a deep breath. This was it. My final challenge to determine if I was capable of being the Champion of Johto.
"Right.... to challenge you for your place as Johto region Champion." I said just above a murmur.
"Then let us begin our battle. Right this way." Lance said, using his hand to signal me to the battlefield.
"Fire," Crystal called, causing me to turn around to face her. "We believe in you." Crys stated calmly, Gold and Silver standing beside her and nodding in agreement. I smiled back at them, my confidence slowly returning to me. Lance and I took our places on the battlefield, a calm silence overtaking us for a moment.
"How long I have waited for this day.... to battle you, the younger sister of the one trainer who beat me with such ease. I hope you battle with the same passion as Red did." Lance stated softly.
"Bet on it." I said with a confident smirk.
"Hm, good. Now then, let's get started!! Gyrados go!!" Lance called. My eyes widened at the familiar red Gyrados.
"You caught it.... the Gyrados at the Lake of Rage?" I asked softly.
"I most certainly did, and how strong it's groan has amazed even I." Lance stated proudly.
"Well, so has the strength of my Pokémon!! Go, Asuna!!" I called. "Thunderbolt!!"
"Use Dragon Dance!!" Gyrados used its Dragon Dance not only to raise its stats, but to dodge the Thunderbolt.
"He's good.... but we're better than you think! use Slash!!" Asuna sprinted across the battle field, pouncing up and slashing at Gyrados' neck. Gyrados cried out in pain, pulling away from Asuna.
"Well well, even after Dragon Dance raised our defense and Gyrados' Intimate ability lowering your attack, you still managed to land such a powerful Slash. Impressive. Now Gyrados, give them a Hydro Pump!"
"Asuna dodge it!!" I called out. Asuna didn't have room to dodge because of how close she was to Gyrados, earning a direct hit from Hydro Pump. "Asuna!!" I cried. Asuna shakily rose to her feet, glaring fiercely at Gyrados.
"Quick, Hydro Pump one more time!!" Lance ordered.
"Block it with Thunderbolt!!" I commanded. The two powerful attacks collided in the center between them, both Pokémon trying to force the other into submission.
"Asuna, give it everything you've got!!" I called. Asuna's eyes filled with passion, and she pushed everything she could into her attack. The electricity began to not only push the water back, but go through it, zapping Gyrados with every ounce of power. Gyrados fell to the ground, exhausted and defeated.
"Yes!! Wait to go, Fire and Asuna!!" Crys cheered loudly. I wiped the sweat off my forehead, smiling softly at Crys as I took little breaths.
"Powerful indeed. So the stories I've heard of you were correct, you are a force to be reckoned with. Now, let's see how you handle the force of this! Dragonair, you're up!!" Lance called, revealing the elegant blue dragon Pokémon.
"Asuna, you wanna keep going?" I asked, earning a nod from my friend. "Alright then, use Slash!!" I commanded.
"Dragonair, Dragon Tail!!" Asuna leaped up at Dragonair, but Dragonair was too fast compared to Asuna and slammed its tail down at her. At startling speed, Asuna returned to her Pokéball, Dragonair awaiting my next Pokémon.
"W-wha?" I questioned, dumbfounded by whatever it was that just happened.
"Dragon Tail is a move that makes the opponents Pokémon return and another Pokémon switch out the instant it hits. The reason another Pokémon didn't fly out of its Pokéball is because your Persian fainted." Lance explained.
"Asuna.... fainted?" I murmured to myself, looking back at Asuna's Pokéball.
"So both Lance and Fire lost one Pokémon already..." Gold stated.
"Right, so they both have five left. We'll have to see how this goes on." Silver muttered, keeping his gaze focused on the battle.
"Alright then, if Asuna fainted, then we'll just have to keep it moving. Rina, use Sludge Bomb!!" I commanded as I released my next Pokémon. The sudden attack caught Dragonair off guard and landed a critical hit.
"Dragonair!!" Lance called in shock, watching as the Dragon Pokémon lifted its head off the ground shakily.
Dragonair shivered in pain, gritting its teeth as it tried to hang tough. "Poisoned..." Lance growled, glaring out at Rina and I.
"Perfect, just like we planned! Now Sludge Bomb once more!!" I ordered. Rina closed in a bit more before landing another attack.
"Dragonair, hang in there! Use Dragon Pulse!"
"Use Dig to dodge!!"
"Dragon Tail when it comes up!!"
Rina dug into the ground just before Dragon Pulse managed to hit her, but right when she came up, Rina was met with a Dragon Tail to the side. Just like Lance had said, Rina was forcefully returned to her Pokéball, and Umbre popped out. Confused, he glanced around and turned to me for guidance.
"It's ok, Umbre. Just battle! Use Dark Pulse!!" I commanded. Umbre nodded before jumping up and shooting a Dark Pulse straight at Dragonair. It did a lot more than expected, and with the added affects of Poison, Dragonair fainted. Lance returned Dragonair to its Pokéball and praised it for its work while I wiped the sweat now building on my forehead and chin. I was breathing a little harder too. Lance suddenly began laughing as he plucked out another Pokéball.
"Ya know, battling you makes me feel like a little kid again!" Lance exclaimed cheerfully. I smiled up at him, chuckling softly as I did so.
"Oddly enough, battling you makes me feel like I have the experience of an adult." I stated with a chuckle.
"Well, different battles bring different feelings to different people. Shall we continue?" Lance asked.
"We shall!!" I exclaimed readily.
"Aerodactyl use Ancient Power!!"
"Umbre, dodge and use Shadow Ball!" Umbre jumped through the rocks swiftly, shooting a Shadow Ball in the clearing it found. Aerodactyl was hit, but definitely not down, though our attack did a good amount of damage.
"Hyper Beam!!" Lance ordered.
"Counter that with Dark Pulse!!" I called. Dark Pulse only held off the Hyper Beam for so long, causing an explosion that Umbre took most of the damage from.
Umbre couldn't handle the force of the blast, causing him to be down and out, much to my disliking.
"Pietro, let's go!! Surf!!" I called out quickly. Pietro rode a wave right into Aerodactyl, instantly knocking it out and evening the score a bit.
This battle was getting intense...
"Charizard, Slash!!"
"Pietro, Zen Headbutt!!"
Charizard's attack landed first, but both attacks did a great amount of damage.
"Sunny Day, then Solar Beam!!"
"Solar Beam?! Quick Pietro, Surf!!" Just as Pietro's Surf attack landed, Charizard used Solar Beam at close range. Both of our Pokémon had fainted. It was surprisingly a draw.
Both Lance and I were panting now, staring at each other intently as we took a little breather.
"So, Fire has three Pokémon, while Lance has two now..." Silver murmured.
"So Fire has the advantage." Crys stated cheerfully.
"Give it your best, Fire!! You're almost done!" Gold called out to me. I nodded, plucking a Pokéball off my belt.
"Rina!!"
"Dragonair!!"
"You.... you have two Dragonairs?" I questioned.
"I sure do. But this one has a different move set. Might want to keep your guard up." Lance stated with a wink.
"Alright... Rina, Sludge Bomb!!"
"Aqua Tail!!" Dragonair slapped the Sludge Bomb attack back at Rina, using our own move against us.
"Now, Thunderbolt!!" Dragonair launched the electric attack from the blue orbs on its tail, leaving us no room to recover. Rina had fainted after the impact.
So much for that advantage Crys was talking about. Now it was an even ground... but I have to win this. I just have to. I didn't come all this way and beat four of Lance's six Pokémon, just to lose in the end.
My Pokémon and I still have a lot of fight left in us!
"Trickshot, it's all on you buddy!!" I called out.
"A Togetic..... and you call it Trickshot? What an unusual name." Lance stated with an interested tone.
"Thunderbolt."
"Alright, Trickshot!! Metronome!"
Ice Beam... Ice Beam... Ice Beam...
Metronome transformed into Ice Beam, and landed a direct hit, as did Thunderbolt. The two super effective attacks already had both our Pokémon at their knees.
"I see.... so that's it, huh?" Lance murmured.
"What?" I questioned, loosening my position a bit.
"Your Togetic, it has the power to control its Metronome attack, though it is supposed to be a random move. That's why you call it Trickshot, right? Because it's exactly that. A trickshot to your opponent. Clever indeed." Lance commented. My eyes widened for a second before I smiled nervously.
"You got me. We don't know how we do it ourselves, but Trickshot and I seem to have that special ability going for us." I stated shyly.
"That makes way too much sense..." Silver groaned out, massaging his forehead as he took in the thought, recalling the events in Mahogany Town.
"Now then, Dragonair, use Dragon Rush!!" Lance commanded.
"Double Edge!!" Trickshot and Dragonair bashed into each other, a cloud of thick dust surrounding them and blinding us from the results of our attacks. When the dust cleared, there they were, both Trickshot and Dragonair, lying on the ground. They had fainted. It was yet another draw.
"So...." Lance huffed out after returning hi Dragonair. "It all comes down to this now."
"Yeah.... my partner Pokémon against yours." I panted, smiling shakily up at Lance.
"Dragonite!!"
"Typhlo!!"
"I choose you!!" we called in unison, releasing out partners.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Flamethrower!!" Our attacks were evenly matched, causing a blast that damaged both Pokémon.
"Dragon Rush!!"
"Block it, then use Slash!!" Typhlo stopped Dragonite with his arms, pulling one claw away to land a powerful Slash.
"Aqua Tail!!"
Typhlo was to close to Dragonite to dodge, and was hit by the super effective attack.
"Hang in there pal, let's keep it going!! Flamethrower!!"
"Dragon Pulse, one more time, Dragonite!!" Since both Pokémon were close to each other, the blast that was caused this time did a lot more damage. Both Typhlo and Dragonite were breathing roughly, staring each other down. I think everyone knew this would be the last attack to decide the match.
"Let's end this...." I panted out.
"One more move..." Lance huffed.
"Typhlo!!"
"Dragonite!!"
"USE THUNDER PUNCH!!"
Sparks flared on both sides of the battlefield. Dragonite swooping down, Typhlo bounding up, both Pokémon charging their electric attacks. A blinding flash of yellow made it impossible to see which attack did more damage. When we were able to see again, Typhlo stood facing Lance, and Dragonite stood facing me. Bruises were visible all over them as they glanced back at one another.
"Come on Typhlo!!" Silver cried out.
"You can do it!!" Crys called.
"Hang tough, Typhlo!! Do it for Fire!!" Gold yelled.
Typhlo's eyes flashed open and he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand taller.
"Come on Dragonite, give it your all!" Lance called.
Dragonite tried to force itself up too, shaking in pain a it did so. A rush of dizziness came over Dragonite, and its eyes widened for a moment as it began to fall forward. The ground shook a bit as the huge Dragon hit the ground.

It fainted. We... we won.

Typhlo turned to me, a small smile on his face, but his eyes showed how happy he really was. We ran at each other, embracing one another warmly.
"Typhlo we did it!! We really won it!!" I exclaimed, tears of joy running down my cheeks. Gold and Crys cheered in delight, and Silver sprinted over and tackled me into a hug the second I let Typhlo go.
"You won it!! I knew you could do it!!" Silver exclaimed joyously as he hugged me tight. I hugged back just as tightly, not really wanting to let go.
"Well done, Fire- excuse me- Champion Fire. That was an outstanding match." Lance stated coolly.
"Thanks." I said breathlessly, amazed that I actually won.
All the battles I've faced, the Pokémon I've met, and the friends I now hold dear have been leading me to this moment. And it was finally here.
Lance asked Gold, Silver, and Crys to wait in the battlefield and led me to a long hall. In it were different picture frames of strong looking trainers, adults and kids alike, with their Pokémon partners. "What is this place?" I asked in awe.
"This, Fire, is where we honor every Pokémon League Champion of Johto." Lance stated calmly. He stopped before a table-like machine, similar to the ones where they heal your Pokémon in Pokémon Centers. He signaled me to place my Pokéballs there, and stand beside them. One by one, my Pokémon appeared on the monitor over the table and were soon after released from their Pokéballs, fully healed and ready to go.
"Now, face me and give me your best battle pose!" Lance stated cheerfully. So we did. My Pokémon and I got into the coolest battle pose we could pull, making the most determined expressions as a flash appeared over Lance's head.
We watched as a yellow light flowed through the little path- like tube on the roof and to the largest picture frame. The picture of Lance and his Pokémon when he was just a few years younger moved to an empty frame off to the side, and the picture of me and my Pokémon took the place of the large, center frame. A congratulations sign popped up above it for a few moments, before eventually fading away. I smiled softly, placing a gentle hand on the edge of the frame.
"I can't believe this is actually happening.... I'm really the Champion of Johto..." I stated breathlessly.
"You are. And you deserve it more than anyone, Fire." Lance stated coolly. He motioned me to join everyone outside after returning all my Pokémon but Typhlo.
I clutched the necklace Tony gave me to my heart, overwhelmed by joy at everything that was happening.
Gold, Silver, Crystal, and I prepared to leave after saying our goodbyes to Lance, but on our way out I stopped. Everyone looked at me quizzically except Lance, who seemed to have an understanding of what was going on somehow.
"Lance... will you... be my mentor?" I asked with a determined expression. Lance smiled softly at me and gave me a small nod. I smiled gratefully, bowing lightly to show my thanks.

And so, the starting point of a new life begins, right here, in the Pokémon League.