The Silver Conference

Today was finally the day when the Silver Conference battles would start. The gang was currently in the Pokemon Center, and they were looking at a big chart which showed which trainers would be facing each other in the semi-finals. Ash was in group H and his two opponents were a girl with reddish-brown hair and a boy with light brown hair.

"Don't forget Ash." Brock reminded him. "You have to earn 3 or more points to win the round-robin tournaments."

Ash hadn't forgotten that and he couldn't wait to start battling.

Once the gang was outside the Pokemon Center, they ran into one of Ash's opponents. It was the reddish brown-haired girl and her name was Macey from Mahogany Town.

"I know you are my first opponent Ash." Macey said. "And let me tell you; my fire type Pokemon and I will beat you in a flash."

"So that means you are a fire type Pokemon trainer huh?" Ash asked.

"That's right." Macey nodded.

Macey started talking about how she loved fire type Pokemon and how cool they were; just like how Misty does with water type Pokemon. Misty thought that Macey was annoying.

"I'll see you in our battle Ash." Macey said before walking away.

A few hours before it was Ash's time to battle Macey, the gang was in their room. Brock was using the computer to look up Macey. She was a fire type Pokemon trainer all right; she had a Vulpix, Quilava, Slugma, Flareon and a Houndoom. And to the gang's surprise, she had an Electabuzz.

"She obviously uses Electabuzz to battle water type Pokemon." Misty said. "So what Pokemon are you going to use Ash?"

When Misty asked Ash about the Pokemon he was going to use, Ash explained to the others that he was only going to use his Johto Pokemon.

"You see I only started with Lugia when we first arrived in Johto." Ash said. "And I only used my Johto Pokemon in my gym battles. I know I used Scizor which I caught as Scyther in Kanto in the battle against Pryce and Dragonite in the battle against Clair, but since then I decided I will only be using my Johto Pokemon here in the Silver Conference."

Tomo, Misty and Brock understood his point; sure Ash's Kanto Pokemon and the Pokemon he caught in the Orange Islands were strong, but it wouldn't be fair to all of his Johto Pokemon after all the work they went through to help Ash get to the Silver Conference. So this was obviously their chance to show what they could do.

"Will you be using Lugia and Celebi in the tournament too?" Tomo asked.

"Yes I will, but not against Macey." Ash said. "I've decided to use Feraligatr, Miltank and Larvitar for this."

"Why Miltank though?" Misty asked.

"Let's just say that Miltank knows a move that will beat Macey's fire type Pokemon." Ash smiled.

Misty, Tomo and Brock could tell from Ash's words that he had a trick up his sleeve and they decided to wait to see what would happen in the match.

Later that day, it was time for Ash's battle against Macey. It was held in stadium B. The referee explained that substitutes were allowed during the match; that was different than the Indigo League, because substituting Pokemon cost the trainer a point. But this time the trainers wouldn't lose a point. Tomo, Misty and Brock were sitting on the bench behind Ash.

Macey sent out her first Pokemon, a Slugma. Ash thought this would happen and sent Miltank out to battle first.

"Huh why is he using Miltank instead of Feraligatr?" Misty asked.

"He likely chose to save Feraligatr for last in case Macey used Electabuzz next." Brock explained.

"Slugma use Flamethrower on Miltank." Macey said.

"Use Rollout to dodge Miltank." Ash said.

Miltank started to roll when Slugma used Flamethrower and dodged it. Slugma released Flamethrower again, but Miltank just dodged it again thanks to Rollout and then she tackled Slugma hard.

"I recognize this strategy." Misty said. "Whitney from the Goldenrod Gym did the same thing with her Miltank."

"That's right." Brock nodded. "So it's obvious Ash is using what he learned from Whitney."

"Okay Slugma let's use Double Team." Macey said.

Slugma made multiple copies of itself and Miltank rolled into one of the copies then she stopped rolling.

"Okay Miltank, let's use Surf." Ash said.

Miltank summoned a huge tidal wave and rode on it. The audience was surprised to see Miltank using Surf.

"Wow." Misty said. "I've never seen a Miltank use Surf before."

"Me either." Brock added. "It's obvious that was the move Ash was telling us about."

The tidal wave crashed down on Slugma, destroying the copies and then Slugma fainted.

"Oh no Slugma!" Macey shouted.

She wasn't expecting this to happen.

Macey returned Slugma and released Electabuzz.

"It seems Macey used Electabuzz just like we predicted Brock." Misty said.

"You're right." Brock replied. "I just hope Miltank does well against Electabuzz."

"Okay Miltank let's use Rollout." Ash said.

Miltank started to roll towards Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz use Dynamic Punch." Macey said.

Electabuzz's right hand glowed white, then Electabuzz ran up to Miltank and punched her really hard. The dynamic punch made Miltank stop rolling and it also caused her to become confused.

"Great. Now that Miltank is confused, use Thunderbolt Electabuzz." Macey said.

Electabuzz shocked Miltank with a bolt of electricity.

"Now use Thunder Punch." Electabuzz's fist glowed yellow and it punched Miltank, while electricity surrounded it's fist and Miltank fainted.

"That Electabuzz is strong." Tomo said.

"You're right." Brock replied. "Let's hope Ash can beat it."

Ash returned Miltank and then sent Larvitar out.

"I hope Larvitar will be okay." Misty said. "Electabuzz knows a fighting type move and Larvitar is weak to fighting type moves."

"Yeah." Brock said. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

Macey knew that her Electabuzz wouldn't be able to do much to Larvitar even though it knew a fighting type move, so she recalled it and sent out her third Pokemon, Quilava.

"So she decided to switch instead." Brock said.

"Quilava would be at a disadvantage too as rock type Pokemon are strong against fire type Pokemon." Misty stated out loud.

"True, but Macey's a trainer you shouldn't underestimate." Brock replied.

"Okay Quilava use Flame Wheel." Macey said.

Quilava spun in the air with it's body engulfed in flames and then it rolled towards Larvitar.

"Okay Larvitar use Sandstorm." Ash said.

Larvitar produced a sandstorm from his horn and Quilava stopped in it's tracks.

"Now use Stone Edge." Larvitar's eyes glowed white and then multiple white orbs surrounded it. The white orbs then turned into grey stones and Larvitar fired them at Quilava.

"Quilava fight back with Flamethrower." Macey commanded.

Quilava's Flamethrower hit Larvitar, but it didn't do much.

"That Flamethrower was strong, even though Larvitar is a rock/ground type Pokemon." Misty said.

"It's obvious." Brock said. "Macey has trained all of her fire type Pokemon well."

"Okay Larvitar, use Dig." Ash said.

Larvitar tunneled underground and Quilava had no idea where Larvitar would pop up.

"Okay Larvitar come out and use Stomp." Larvitar jumped out of the ground and then stomped on Quilava hard with both his feet. Quilava fainted from the attack.

"Great job Larvitar!" Ash cheered.

"Wow Larvitar is strong." Misty said.

"Well Ranger Mason did tell us that Larvitar has practiced fighting all the time while it lived in the Pokemon preserve." Tomo said.

Misty and Brock agreed with him.

Macey returned Quilava and sent Electabuzz out again.

"Okay Larvitar, let's use Stone Edge again." Ash said.

But before Larvitar could use Stone Edge, Macey ordered Electabuzz to use Dynamic Punch. Larvitar was punched by Electabuzz and fainted.

"Sorry Ash." Macey said. "But we aren't going to fall for that again."

"Now Ash only has one Pokemon left and that's Feraligatr." Brock said.

"Feraligatr is a water type though." Misty pointed out. "And Electabuzz is a electric type, which beat water types."

Tomo felt nervous for his brother.

Ash returned Larvitar and sent Feraligatr out.

"This battle is going to be easy." Macey said confidently. "Use Thunderbolt Electabuzz."

"Use Hydro Pump Feraligatr." Ash said.

Feraligatr's Hydro Pump and Electabuzz's Thunderbolt collided with each other.

"Use Thunder Punch Electabuzz." Macey said.

"Counter it with Ice Punch." Ash said.

Feraligatr's fist glowed light blue and white then his ice punch attack collided with Electabuzz's thunder punch.

"Okay Feraligatr use Superpower." Ash said.

Feraligatr grabbed Electabuzz and tossed it to the ground. Electabuzz was hurt, but it was still willing to fight.

"Okay Feraligatr, end this with Dragon Claw." Ash said.

Feraligatr's claws turned blue and then he ran over to Electabuzz and slashed it. Electabuzz fainted after being slashed by Dragon Claw.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle." The referee said. "This match goes to Ash Ketchum."

So Ash won his first round-robin tournament; earning him three points and Macey none. Ash and Macey congratulated each other and shook hands. Misty, Brock and Tomo congratulated Ash too.

"You were great big brother." Tomo said.

"I agree." Misty added. "Especially your Pokemon Miltank, Larvitar and Feraligatr."

"Thanks." Ash said.

"So Ash, you only need to win your next round-robin battle and then you can qualify for the final battles."

Ash couldn't wait for his next battle.

The next day Macey was up against her next opponent in the round-robin tournament. She had a surprise waiting for her after her battle with Ash yesterday; her Slugma evolved into Magcargo. Her opponent was a trainer from New Bark Town named Vincent; he was also the opponent that Ash had to battle next. The gang was in the stadium seats and they were watching the match.

Right now Macey and Vincent were down to one Pokemon each. Macey's Magcargo and Starmie had already been defeated and so had Vincent's Golduck and Quagsire. So now it was Macey's Quilava vs Vincent's Poliwhirl. Macey commanded her Quilava to use Flamethrower on Poliwhirl. Vincent was about to command his Poliwhirl to counter with Water Gun, but Quilava was faster and struck Poliwhirl with Flamethrower. Poliwhirl was injured significantly by Flamethrower and fainted. So Macey was the winner and now earned three points.

"Now that Macey has three points like you Ash." Brock said. "You will have to beat or draw with Vincent to win."

"Yes, and I'm going to win." Ash declared.

When the gang went to the Pokemon Center, they encountered Vincent talking to Prof. Elm on the phone. Prof. Elm and Vincent were talking about Vincent's friends Jimmy and Marina, who were also from New Bark Town. Prof. Elm explained that he gave Vincent his first Pokemon, a Chikorita when he became a trainer and he also said that it was now a Meganium. Ash said that he had a Meganium too, as well as a Typhlosion and Feraligatr.

"Wow Ash, you seem to have some incredible Pokemon." Vincent said. "I look forward to our battle."

"So do I Vincent." Ash replied.

Ash told Prof. Elm that he successfully returned Larvitar with his mother at the Pokemon reserve. It made Prof. Elm happy to know that Larvitar was back with Tyranitar.

"Vincent, Ash I wish you luck in this tournament." Prof. Elm said.

Vincent and Ash thanked him and finished the phone call.

The gang started to look Vincent up on the computer. Aside from having Meganium, Quagsire, Golduck and Poliwhirl, Vincent had a Azumarill and a Magneton. Ash had to think about this.

"I've got it." He said. "I'm going to use Flaaffy, Typhlosion and Houndoom."

"That's a good choice." Misty said.

Brock and Tomo liked the idea too.

The next day it was time for Ash and Vincent's battle. Vincent picked out his Azumarill to battle first and Ash sent Flaaffy out. Vincent commanded Azumarill to use Water Gun and Ash commanded Flaaffy to use Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt and Water Gun attacks collided and broke apart.

"Use Iron Tail Azumarill." Vincent ordered.

Azumarill ran over to Flaaffy with it's tail glowing metallic silver.

"Use Cotton Spore Flaaffy." Ash said.

Flaaffy released lots of fluffy cotton balls from her wool and the cotton balls stuck to Azumarill. Azumarill was caught off guard because of the cotton balls.

"Oh no Azumarill." Vincent said.

"Okay now's our chance Flaaffy." Ash said. "Use Thunderbolt."

Flaaffy shocked Azumarill with Thunderbolt and it fainted.

"That was a clever way to use Cotton Spore." Misty observed.

"Yes, Cotton Spore not only decreases a Pokemon's speed it distracts them as well." Brock noted.

"Ash is going to win this battle for sure." Tomo smiled.

Vincent recalled Azumarill and called out his next Pokemon, a Magneton. This Magneton was shiny; it's body was a darker grey than normal. Ash recalled Flaaffy and sent Houndoom out as it was a fire type and Magneton was part steel type.

"Use Flamethrower Houndoom." Ash said.

Houndoom released a stream of fire from his mouth, but Magneton dodged it.

"Use Thunderbolt Magneton." Vincent said.

Before Magneton could shock Houndoom, it tunneled underground.

"Come out and use Fire Fang Houndoom." Ash said.

Houndoom emerged and bit down on Magneton with flames forming in his mouth. Magneton took some damage and was burned as well.

"Magneton use Thunder Wave." Vincent said.

Houndoom was hit by Thunder Wave and was paralyzed as a result.

"Now use Tri Attack." Magneton formed a triangle on it's body. There was an orb on each of the corners of the triangle; one was a fire orb, another was an ice orb and the last one an electric orb. Magneton flung the Tri Attack at Houndoom and it fainted afterward.

"Gosh, that Magneton is strong if it can beat Houndoom like that." Misty said.

"Yeah but Magneton took some damage in the process and it's been burned." Brock noted.

Ash recalled Houndoom and sent Typhlosion out. He ordered Typhlosion to use Flamethrower and it hit Magneton causing it to faint. Now Vincent only had one Pokemon left and that was Meganium. The audience was excited, as this battle was between two fully evolved Johto starter Pokemon.

Vincent told Meganium to use Vine Whip, but Typhlosion managed to dodge the Vine Whip and strike Meganium with his Flame Wheel attack.

"Okay Meganium use Body Slam." Vincent said.

Meganium jumped up and was about to slam into Typhlosion, but it dodged before Meganium could hurt him.

"Okay Meganium use Sunny Day." Vincent said.

Meganium fired a white orb of light into the sky and the sun grew brighter.

*'I know what Vincent's plan is.'* Ash thought. *'Meganium will use Solar Beam next because it doesn't have to charge."*

Ash was right; Vincent ordered his Meganium to use Solar Beam. Because of Sunny Day, Meganium didn't need to power up to use Solar Beam.

"Quick Typhlosion use Fire Blast." Ash said.

Typhlosion released Fire Blast and Meganium fired Solar Beam. The Fire Blast and Solar Beam attacks collided with each other and generated a explosion. When the smoke cleared, everyone saw that Typhlosion and Meganium had fainted.

As Ash still had one Pokemon remaining, he was the winner and earned three more points. So since Ash had six, he was advancing to the final rounds and Macey and Vincent wouldn't as Macey had three points and Vincent had none. Macey and Vincent congratulated Ash and wished him luck in the final rounds.

That evening, after the round-robin matches had ended, everyone was in the Pokemon Center to look at the results for the first Pokemon battles in the final rounds. There were now sixteen Pokemon trainers left so the next battles were the Top 16. The gang saw that Harrison made it to the finals and they also saw that not only had Gary made it; he was Ash's next opponent.

Gary couldn't wait to battle Ash, because he was confident he could defeat him.

"Don't underestimate me or my Pokemon Gary." Ash said. "Because we have worked and trained very hard to come this far."

"I have too, and my Pokemon will beat yours Ash." Gary said.

He took something out of his right trouser pocket; it was half of a broken Poke Ball.

"We'll settle our old score tomorrow." Gary said.

"Very well." Ash replied.

That evening Ash showed the others his half of the broken Poke Ball.

"What's the deal with you and Gary regarding that broken Poke Ball Ash?" Misty asked.

"Well it happened before Gary and I were old enough to become Pokemon trainers." Ash said.

Ash's story was when he and Gary were nine years old; they were fishing at a stream. Ash hooked a Magikarp, but it got away. Gary asked Ash what attacks Magikarp knew; apparently Gary liked to ask Ash questions about Pokemon, because he always thought himself to be the only one in Pallet Town who knew everything about Pokemon. Ash correctly said it was Splash, Tackle, Flail and it could learn Bounce too. Gary got mad because he hated the fact that Ash knew a lot about Pokemon too. Ash and Gary flung their lines into the stream and they hooked a old Poke Ball together. The two boys fought over the Poke Ball, pulling the rods back and forth. Then finally the Poke Ball snapped in half, being so old and rusty. Ash had declared it a tie, but Gary refused; he was the type to never accept ties. He called it Ash's loss. After Ash finished his story, he explained he kept his half as a good luck charm.

"I'm looking forward to our battle." Ash said. "I've wanted to face Gary again since our last battle in Pallet Town."

Tomo, Misty and Brock knew that Ash would do well because of his training with his Pokemon.

The next day there weren't any battles because it was a day off for Pokemon trainers. So Ash thought this was a good time to think about what Pokemon he would use in battle against Gary. On the computer he saw that Gary had quite a lot of Pokemon, so it would be difficult deciding who to use. But he decided to use Celebi and Lugia in the battle.

"Is it okay to use legendary Pokemon in the competition?" Misty asked.

"Yes." Ash answered. "Mr. Goodshow told me that trainers used legendary Pokemon in previous leagues."

"Really? That's amazing." Misty said.

"Aren't you going to use Mewtwo as well?" Tomo asked.

"No, I asked Mewtwo if he wanted to battle in the Silver Conference, but he didn't." Ash said. "He prefers wandering freely and he'd rather fight by my side when we're up against villains. And he said that battling here would attract Team Rocket again."

"That makes sense." Brock said. "I mean Giovanni would do anything to try and get Mewtwo back."

"Yes." Ash agreed.

Later that day Ash and Gary had a surprise waiting for them; Prof. Oak and Delia came to the stadium. They wanted to watch Ash and Gary in the final battle rounds at the stadium, rather than on TV. Delia brought a camera with her to take pictures of the battle. Ash and Gary both got some confident words from Prof. Oak and Delia and then they continued to work on their battle strategy.

The next day it was time for the final rounds to start. Apart from the battles being six on six, the battle rounds were fought on different fields rock, water and ice. It was like the preliminary rounds of the Indigo League. So far Harrison had defeated his opponent on the ice field and now it was time for Ash and Gary's Pokemon battle. It was held on a rock field. Prof. Oak and Delia were watching in the stadium stands. Brock, Misty and Tomo were watching from behind Ash and Harrison was watching from the stands too. Gary's cheerleaders were also there and they were cheering for him.

Gary's first Pokemon was Nidoqueen. Ash chose Girafarig. Ash had thought about what six Pokemon to use and he was ready.

"That Girafarig may be a psychic-type Pokemon, but that doesn't mean we will lose." Gary said.

He ordered his Nidoqueen to use Rock Smash on Girafarig. Ash ordered Girafarig to dodge Nidoqueen with Agility, and Girafarig dodged Nidoqueen just in time.

"All right Nidoqueen use Mega Punch." Gary said.

Nidoqueen ran up to Girafarig with her fists ready to punch Girafarig.

"Use Confusion to stop Nidoqueen, Girafarig." Ash said.

Girafarig's eyes turned blue and then Nidoqueen was surrounded by a blue light and was hoisted into the air.

"Now use Psybeam." Girafarig fired Psybeam from her horns straight at Nidoqueen. Being a poison type Pokemon, Nidoqueen took a lot of damage from the attack.

"Now finish it with Zen Headbutt." With the top of her head glowing blue, Girafarig charged at Nidoqueen and headbutted her. Nidoqueen received more damage from the attack and fainted.

Gary could see that Ash trained his Pokemon well. Delia and Prof. Oak were impressed with Girafarig.

"Ash certainly has trained his new Johto Pokemon well." Prof. Oak said.

"I agree." Delia smiled.

Misty, Brock and Tomo were happy with Ash's first win.

"Ash is doing well at the moment." Brock said. "But Gary will fight back."

Gary sent out his next Pokemon, Magmar. Ash asked Girafarig if she was still okay to battle and she was.

"Let's use Psybeam Girafarig." Ash said.

Girafarig fired Psybeam at Magmar, but it countered with Flamethrower. The Flamethrower broke through the Psybeam and hit Girafarig.

"Now use Fire Punch Magmar." Gary said.

Magmar punched Girafarig with a fiery fist. That took a lot of Girafarig and she fainted.

Ash returned Girafarig and held up another Poke Ball.

"Hey Gary." He said. "I will now introduce you to my legendary Pokemon."

He released Lugia to battle Magmar. Gary and everyone in the audience was shocked to see Ash had a Lugia. Even the referee was amazed.

"I can't wait to see Lugia in battle." Prof. Oak told Delia. "Lugia has grown a lot stronger since Ash caught him as a baby in the Orange Islands. And it also knows some powerful moves."

"I can't wait to see this either." Delia said as she took pictures.

Misty, Brock and Tomo couldn't wait to see Lugia battle either.

"Gary better watch out." Misty smiled. "Because Lugia has become a lot stronger."

"You're right." Brock said.

Tomo was so excited, he was fidgeting a lot and Growlithe had to calm him down.

Gary ordered his Magmar to use Fire Blast on Lugia, but Ash ordered Lugia to counter with Hydro Pump. The Hydro Pump shot through the Flamethrower and struck Magmar. Magmar was sent flying into the rocks by Hydro Pump and it fainted. Gary was left speechless by how strong Lugia was and so was the audience.

"Lugia has really grown up now." Misty said.

Tomo and Brock agreed.

Gary returned Magmar and sent out Blastoise.

"So Gary's starter Pokemon Squirtle is now a Blastoise." Ash said.

Ash recalled Lugia.

"Why did you return Lugia Ash?" Gary asked.

"To give my next Pokemon a chance." Ash answered with a smile.

He sent out Celebi. Gary and the audience were stunned that Ash also had a Celebi. Gary had a lot of questions to ask Ash about his Pokemon later. Celebi made sure not to speak, because Ash warned her that she might be a target for other trainers due to being able to communicate telepathically. So Celebi promised not to speak during the battle.

Gary ordered Blastoise to attack Celebi with Hydro Pump, but Celebi easily dodged it while flying in the air.

"Keep using Hydro Pump Blastoise." Gary said.

Celebi was finding it a bit harder to dodge all the Hydro Pump attacks. Ash knew Celebi would be in trouble at this rate.

"Use Leaf Storm Celebi." Ash said.

Celebi glowed green and then she released a cyclone of leaves at Blastoise.

"Quick use Withdraw Blastoise." Gary said.

Blastoise went into it's shell to defend itself against the Leaf Storm attack. But Blastoise was still injured by the powerful Leaf Storm attack.

"Celebi sure is strong, isn't she?" Misty questioned out loud.

"I'll say, even after being stuck in the GS Ball for twenty years." Brock said.

Gary ordered Blastoise to use Rapid Spin on Celebi, but before Blastoise could do that Ash ordered Celebi to use Energy Ball. The Energy Ball struck Blastoise and it fainted. So Ash was down to three wins and Gary one. Gary was impressed with how strong Ash had become.

Since Ash had defeated three of Gary's Pokemon, it was now time for a five minute break.

"You're doing great Ash." Tomo said.

"Yeah, if you keep this up you'll end up beating Gary for sure." Brock added.

Prof. Oak and Delia liked how the battle was going so far. Prof. Oak said to Delia that even though Gary won't admit it, he considers Ash one of his important friends.

"I think Ash does too." Delia replied.

After the five minute break was up, it was time to get back to the battle. Gary sent out Arcanine to battle next. Ash sent out Feraligatr to battle Arcanine. Gary told his Arcanine to use Extreme Speed and Arcanine tackled Feraligatr really hard.

"Fight back with Dragon Claw Feraligatr." Ash said.

Feraligatr tried to scratch Arcanine with Dragon Claw and Arcanine tried to bite Feraligatr.

"Use Aqua Tail Feraligatr." Ash said.

Feraligatr struck Arcanine with his tail while water was streaming in swirls around his tail. Gary ordered Arcanine to use Fire Blast and Ash ordered Feraligatr to use Hydro Pump. Fire Blast and Hydro Pump collided and then Arcanine was hit by Hydro Pump and Feraligatr was hit by Fire Blast. The two Pokemon panted from the attacks and then fainted. Now Ash had four Pokemon left and Gary only had two.

Gary sent Scizor out next and Ash sent Furret out. Gary smirked.

"That little ferret doesn't stand a chance against Scizor." He said.

He ordered Scizor to use Metal Claw but Ash had Furret use Dig to escape. Scizor looked around to try and figure out where Furret might be.

"Now Furret use Flamethrower." Ash said.

Furret emerged from the ground and used Flamethrower on Scizor. Gary was surprised that Furret knew Flamethrower.

"Just thought I'd let you know Gary, my Furret knows a lot more moves aside from normal type moves." Ash said.

Gary could see that Ash had gotten a lot stronger during his journey through Johto with his Pokemon. Scizor was still hurt, but was more than willing to continue fighting.

"Use Bullet Punch Scizor." Gary said.

Scizor's claws glowed red and then it repeatedly punched Furret.

"Now Scizor, use your Metal Claw."

"Counter it with Iron Tail."

Furret and Scizor were clashing with each other using Iron Tail and Metal Claw.

"This battle is intense." Misty said.

"Yeah, seeing those two going at each other like this is like two humans fighting each other." Brock said.

Tomo and Growlithe were nervous for Ash.

"Now Scizor, Flash Cannon." Gary said.

"Use Ice Beam Furret." Ash said.

Flash Cannon and Ice Beam sped towards each other and then there was an explosion. Ash and Gary braced themselves to see if their Pokemon were okay. When the explosion died down, everyone saw that Scizor and Furret had been knocked out.

"Gosh I didn't expect that." Misty said.

"That's the scary thing about battles. You can never tell what will happen during them." Brock commented.

Tomo and Misty agreed.

Ash and Gary returned Furret and Scizor and sent out their final Pokemon. Gary sent out Golem and Ash sent out Steelix. Gary ordered Golem to attack with Focus Punch, but Steelix managed to fight back with Iron Tail. Then Ash ordered Steelix to use Ice Fang. Steelix bit down on Golem with his mouth glowing icy blue and ice started to form on Golem.

"Wow, it's amazing seeing a Steelix use Ice Fang." Misty said.

"Steelix also knows Fire Fang and Thunder Fang." Tomo added.

Brock admitted that his Steelix knew them too because he and Ash practiced with their Steelix together. Golem was in trouble because of the ice on it's body and then Ash ordered Steelix to use Flash Cannon. Golem was hit by the attack and fainted.

So Ash won his battle against Gary and the audience cheered for him. He collapsed onto his knees; he couldn't believe that he beat Gary. Tomo, Misty and Brock congratulated Ash for his victory. So Gary earned Top 16 in the Silver Conference. Afterwards Ash was questioned about his Lugia and Celebi. He explained to the reporters that he found them and saved their lives from evil men and that the Pokemon joined him after he saved them. Ash wasn't about to tell them how he realy captured them or where he did, because revealing that would cause problems for Shamouti Island in the Orange Islands and the forest in Arborville.

That night Ash and Gary had a discussion by the lake. Ash told Gary how he really obtained Lugia and Celebi and he also told him about his Mewtwo, Latias and her unborn Latios. Gary was amazed with Ash's stories and promised not to tell anyone about his legendary and mythical Pokemon; he knew it was important for poachers and Team Rocket to never find out about where legendary and mythical Pokemon were and trainers to obtain them. Gary handed his half of the broken Poke Ball to Ash. He finally admitted that their fishing competition two years ago was definitely a tie.

"I wish you luck in your next battle Ash." Gary said.

"Thanks Gary." Ash smiled.

He and Gary shook hands with each other; this meant that Ash and Gary were friends again.

The next day...

It was time for the Top 8 round battles. Ash was battling now and his opponent was Harrison. Their battle was on the grass field. Ash was excited to battle Harrison; he was eager to take on his Blaziken. Gary was standing in the stands to watch Ash's battle against Harrison. Last night Ash and the others looked Harrison up and Ash learned about what type of Pokemon Blaziken was. So Ash was ready for this battle.

Harrison sent out his Kecleon first. Ash remembered was a Kecleon; being a normal type Pokemon and that it had the ability to blend in with it's surroundings. Ash sent out Pikachu and told him to be careful because this would be tricky. As soon as the match started, Kecleon blended in with the grass. Ash saw that Kecleon had blended in with the grass, and then he remembered something. Kecleon are unable to hide their red stripes.

"Pikachu, look for any red stripes. That's where Kecleon is." Pikachu nodded and kept a eye out for Kecleon's stripes. Harrison found out that Ash knew everything about Kecleon, so he told it to hide in the long grass. This was a clever strategy because Ash and Pikachu couldn't see Kecleon at all.

"Pikachu, try to listen for Kecleon." Ash said.

Pikachu used his ears to hear Kecleon running through the long grass.

Pikachu was about to dash at Kecleon but Harrison ordered it to use Lick. Pikachu was licked by Kecleon's tongue.

"Now use Psybeam Kecleon." Harrison said.

Kecleon fired Psybeam at Pikachu, but he managed to dodge it just in time.

"Go into the long grass Pikachu." Ash said.

Pikachu did as he was instructed and was hidden from sight. Harrison told Kecleon to use his long tongue to cut the grass. Kecleon cut the long grass, but then it's tongue stopped. Pikachu had grabbed a hold of it. Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt and it shocked Kecleon. Kecleon fainted, earning Ash his first win.

Harrison returned Kecleon and sent out his next Pokemon; Sneasel. Ash kept Pikachu out to battle and ordered him to use Focus Punch. Harrison ordered Sneasel to use Metal Claw. Sneasel was faster than Pikachu and it was slashed by Metal Claw before fainting. Ash remembered how strong and fast Sneasel was from when Harrison caught it at the Ho-Oh shrine. But he had the Pokemon that could defeat it; he sent out Tyrouge.

"Will Tyrouge be okay with Sneasel?" Misty asked. "I mean, I know it's a fighting type but still."

"Well Tyrouge may be small, but he is strong." Brock pointed out. "Ash has trained with Tyrouge lots of times before and has had plenty of battles with him too."

"You're right." Misty said.

Ash ordered Tyrouge to use Double Team to confuse Sneasel. Sneasel was confused by the multiple copies of Tyrouge, but Harrison told it to attack the copies with Metal Claw. As Sneasel was about to strike, the real Tyrouge grabbed onto Sneasel's right arm.

"Great Tyrouge, do it now." Ash said.

Tyrouge slammed Sneasel onto the ground multiple times, while still holding onto it's arm.

"Gosh, Tyrouge really has become a strong fighter." Misty said.

"Tyrouge practiced that with Primeape." Tomo explained.

Tyrouge stopped slamming Sneasel onto the ground and then knocked it out with Dizzy Punch.

Harrison could see that Ash was a strong trainer, even Gary was impressed. Harrison returned Sneasel and sent out Hypno next. Ash knew Tyrouge was at a disadvantage, but Tyrouge was insistent on battling Hypno. Ash ordered Tyrouge to use Dizzy Punch. But Harrison ordered Hypno to use Psychic. Tyrouge was hit by the attack and fainted.

Ash sent Murkrow out next.

"Murkrow's a good choice." Brock said. "Psychic type moves have no effect on dark type Pokemon."

"Hypno's in trouble now." Tomo said.

He was right; Hypno was immediately knocked out by Murkrow's Dark Pulse and Sucker Punch attacks.

So Harrison had three Pokemon left, while Ash had four. Now it was time for the five minute break.

"Aside from Gary, Harrison is one of the toughest trainers I have ever faced here." Ash said.

"Wait until Harrison uses Blaziken." Brock said. "I mean, sure you found out all about it last night Ash, but Blaziken may still be tough to beat."

"Yeah, but I have the right Pokemon to deal with it." Ash smiled.

After the break, Harrison sent out Steelix to battle next. Ash sent out Typhlosion to battle Steelix, he decided to save Murkrow for later. Harrison ordered Steelix to use Rock Throw on Typhlosion, but Typhlosion dodged it thanks to his Flame Wheel attack.

"Use Flamethrower Typhlosion." Ash said.

Harrison ordered Steelix to use Dig to escape, and Steelix managed to tunnel underground to escape Flamethrower. Typhlosion braced himself for when Steelix would return to the surface. Just then Steelix came out of the ground and prepared to tackle Typhlosion.

"Quick Typhlosion use Flamethrower." Ash said.

Typhlosion released Flamethrower and this time it didn't miss.

Steelix received damage from the attack and then Typhlosion finished it off with Focus Punch.

*'Four down, two to go.'* Ash thought.

Harrison returned Steelix and sent Houndoom out to battle.

"Are you okay to continue battling Typhlosion?" Ash asked.

Typhlosion said he was. Ash ordered him to use Focus Punch; Houndoom was a dark/fire type so Focus Punch was supereffective. But Harrison ordered Houndoom to use Counter. Typhlosion's Focus Punch bounced off Houndoom and hit him. Typhlosion took a lot of damage from his failed attack.

"Houndoom use Headbutt." Harrison said.

Houndoom headbutted Typhlosion really hard and then he fainted.

Ash sent his Hitmontop out to battle and ordered him to use Double Team. Houndoom had no idea which one was the real Hitmontop.

"Okay Hitmontop, Rolling Kick." Ash said.

Hitmontop kicked Houndoom.

"Use Flamethrower Houndoom." Harrison said.

Houndoom blew a stream of fire at Hitmontop, but Hitmontp spun like a top and easily dodged the Flamethrower.

"Use Bite Houndoom." Harrison said.

Houndoom went to bite down on Hitmontop, but Hitmontop used Counter and Houndoom's attack backfired.

"Sorry Harrison." Ash said. "But my Hitmontop also knows Counter."

He then ordered Hitmontop to use Brick Break and Houndoom fainted after being hit by the attack.

So now Harrison was down to his last Pokemon while Ash still had three.

"Ash, you are the toughest opponent I have ever faced." Harrison said. "But now it's time for you to face Blaziken."

Blaziken came out of the Poke Ball. Ash smiled because he had been waiting to face Blaziken.

"Use Aerial Ace Hitmontop." He said.

Hitmontop charged towards Blaziken, while streaks surrounded his body.

"Counter with Quick Attack Blaziken." Harrison said.

Blaziken and Hitmontop charged into each other, and Hitmontop took more damage than Blaziken.

"Flamethrower Blaziken." Harrison said.

A stream of fire propelled itself forward, hitting Hitmontop and causing it to faint.

"That Blaziken sure is strong." Misty said.

"Yeah it's tougher than we thought." Brock added.

Tomo also thought that Blaziken was a cool Pokemon.

Ash returned Hitmontop and sent Murkrow out again. Murkrow did quite well against Blaziken, especially with her flying type moves Aerial Ace, Drill Peck and Wing Attack. They made Blaziken weaker by the second, but Blaziken managed to knock her out with Fire Punch. So now Ash only had one Pokemon to use. This made Tomo, Misty and Brock a bit nervous; they wondered if Ash could beat Blaziken.

Ash held up his last Poke Ball.

"Harrison, I kept our deal from last night." He said, sending Lugia out.

The crowd cheered; they wanted to see Lugia again.

"What did Ash mean by deal?" Misty asked.

Tomo explained that yesterday afternoon while he and Ash were at the Pokemon Center; Harrison had a talk with him.

"Harrison stated to Ash that he wanted to battle Lugia, so he agreed to use Lugia in their battle today."

"Oh I see." Misty said.

Blaziken released Flamethrower, but Lugia countered it with Hydro Pump.

"Use Blaze Kick Blaziken." Harrison said.

Blaziken got ready to kick Lugia with flames streaming out of it's feet. Ash knew about Blaze Kick because his Hitmonlee also knew it.

"Blow Blaziken back with Gust." Ash said.

Lugia flapped his wings and Blaziken lost it's concentration using Blaze Kick.

"Use Flamethrower again Blaziken." Harrison said.

"Use Safeguard, followed by Aeroblast Lugia." Ash said.

Lugia defended himself from Flamethrower with Safeguard and then fired Aeroblast at Blaziken. Aeroblast was a flying type move so it was 2x effective against Blaziken. Blaziken panted a lot after the attack and fainted. Ash was the winner of the battle.

So Harrison lost the battle and earned himself Top 8 in the Silver Conference. He congratulated Ash and thanked him for letting him battle Lugia.

"You definitely are a strong Pokemon trainer Ash." Harrison said.

"Thanks Harrison." Ash smiled.

That evening Prof. Oak and Delia said it was time for them to go back to Pallet Town. Prof. Oak didn't want to leave Tracey alone anymore with all the work in the lab, and Delia didn't want to leave Mr. Mime, Persian and Victreebel alone at home anymore. So Ash and the others said goodbye to Prof. Oak and Delia, and then went back to the Pokemon Center so that Ash could rest up for his battle tomorrow.

The next day...

It was the Top 4 battles of the Silver Conference. Ash was battling on the ice field and his opponent was a trainer named Jon Dickson. Right now Ash and Jon were down to only one Pokemon each. Ash was using his Meganium and Jon was using his Rhyhorn. Meganium was doing well against Rhyhorn as she was a grass type and Rhyhorn was a rock/ground type. But Rhyhorn defeated Meganium by using Horn Drill. So Ash lost and earned Top 4 in the Silver Conference.

That evening Ash and the others had a talk with Harrison. Ash asked Harrison what the Hoenn Region was like because he was going to visit that region after this. First off Harrison told Ash about Prof. Birch, the Pokemon professor in Littleroot Town. Apparently Prof. Birch loved all sorts of Pokemon and he loved to study them nonstop, even going to see them in different places.

"It was Prof. Birch who told me to go on a journey here in the Johto Region and I'm glad I did." Harrison said. "I had a great time out here in the Johto Region, seeing new places and Pokemon."

"Same with us." Ash said. "We've enjoyed our journey here too."

"Yeah." Tomo, Misty and Brock added.

Tomo showed his Wynaut to Harrison and he was amazed Tomo had a Pokemon from the Hoenn Region.

"You'll like the Hoenn Region." He said. "Because it has lots and lots of cool Pokemon."

Ash and Tomo definitely agreed that they would go to the Hoenn Region. Later they met up with Gary. Gary explained that after meeting a lot of different Pokemon and seeing their evolutions, he had decided to become a Pokemon researcher. So he wasn't going to participate in any more Pokemon Leagues.

"I think you will be a great Pokemon researcher Gary." Ash said. "Especially since you know so much about Pokemon."

"Thanks Ash." Gary smiled and then he and everyone else went back to the Pokemon Center for the night.

The next day...

It was the semi-finals and the final battle rounds, and now Jon Dickson was up against his final opponent. Jon was using Rapidash and his opponent was using Rhydon. Despite the type disadvantage, Rapidash knocked Rhydon out with it's horn earning Jon the victory. So Jon Dickson was the winner of the Silver Conference.

After all the battles were over, it was now time for the closing ceremony for the Silver Conference. Jon Dickson earned the first place trophy, which was a golden trophy with a golden Poke Ball on top. His opponent in the finals earned the second place medal, which was a silver medal with a picture of a silver Poke Ball. Last of all the trainers who earned third place received a bronze medal with a picture of a bronze Poke Ball. Ash, Harrison, Gary and all the other trainers who didn't win earned a Pokemon League badge. The badge looked like the badge from the Indigo League, but it was colored red and gold like Ho-Oh, and it was in a red and yellow colored cloth. All the participants of the Silver Conference got one more round of claps and cheers and then the Silver Conference finally came to a end and the flame of Ho-Oh in the stadium went out.

When it was all over, it was definitely time for Gary, Harrison and the gang to leave the Johto Region. Gary said that he was going to travel through Mt. Silver some more before heading back to Pallet Town. Harrison said that he was now going to travel through the Kanto Region to participate in the Indigo League. Ash and the others said they were going to travel to Viridian City and then head to Pallet Town. So they all wished each other luck with their goals, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

So now the gang's journey in the Johto Region had come to a end.