Jhoto - Mt Silver

Ash, "You okay Gary?"

Gary, "I am better than okay. We are going to be the finalist."

Ash chuckled, "Yes, I guess we are."

Gary, "I do wonder what h to the other two though. I know they said investigations were going on and to respect the privacy... "

Ash, 'Green was tracking done misuse of drugs in the competition that's what is going on out there.'

Gary, "You know something, don't you?"

Ash, "Well, I know Green is involved but I don't know the details exactly you will have to ask her."

Gary, "Green? What has she got to do with ... Wait a minute! Don't tell me, the case she had been working on involves those two as well."

Ash, "Seems that way. I didn't ask because I know myself. I would forfeit the match to try and help her. That would be unfair to my Pokemon especially after all the hard work."

Gary smirked at him, "That is true. I would also be upset if I became the winner of this Conference without a good battle."

Ash chuckled, "You would never let us hear the end of it."

Gary then became serious, "Ash, about the secret you want to share with me. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Ash, "I want to because you are one of my most trusted Gary. I trust you so I want to tell you about it."

Gary, "It must be very serious then."

Ash, "Yes, it is and also kinda dangerous too."

Gary stared, "Does it have anything to do with Team Rocket?"

Ash, "Yes and other organizations around the world too."

Serena who had been listening in covered her mouth, 'What in the?'

Gary turned Ash towards him, "Ash, what the hell? How?"

Ash, "I will tell you once this Conference us over, I promise Gary."

Gary looked at him hard, "Good, and if it is really dangerous do understand I am telling Gramps and your mom too. I know Blue and Red already know so at least you are not completely alone. Wait, does Silver know?"

Ash, "I told him yes. He was not happy I kept getting involved with danger but understood it was unavoidable."

Serena was shaking as she tried to leave but bumped into someone, 'Who? Lance?'

Lance placed a finger over his lips and Serena nodded, Ash and Gary no longer spoke of anything and left for their match which was the final match. Lance pat the young blond's shoulder and advised her not to force Ash to talk because he might shut her out otherwise. Serena wanted to protest but she knew Lance had a point, she was barely into her first year of being a trainer and it was Misty and Melody who carried the weight of the team between them. In fact, even Chloe with her laid back attitude was more experienced than her in Pokemon battles and facing dangerous entities.

Serena, 'Ah! Damn it!'

Misty, "Serena there you are."

Melody, "We were looking for you."

Chloe, "What's wrong?"

Serena blurted, "Did you know Ash got involved with Team Rocket and other such organizations too?"

Misty flinched, 'Ah! She found out.'

Melody, "I expected it, considering how the Legendary Pokemon were drawn to him. I did not know he was already involved though."

Chloe, "Gou did mention Ash had been researching other regions and keeping an eye on the local news of those regions."

Serena, "Oh!"

Misty, "Yeah, I mean, have you seen the way he trains his Pokemon? I swear he is training a hit team."

Serena looked more upset, "Why was I not told of this?"

Chloe, "We do not exactly talk with Ash about it. We just observe and try to keep up with him though admittedly it is not easy."

Serena, "What? Seriously?"

Misty, "You remember what I told you about our first night as trainers? About Mt Moon and the trio starter Pokemon he has?"

Melody, "Yes, you got attacked by Team Rocket in day one. You have quite the poor luck, don't you?"

Misty, "Ash changed that day. It was not obvious, of course but he changed."

Chloe, "And on top of that learning about how Charizard, Blastoise and Venasaur's trainers treated their Pokemon did not help."

Misty, "Not at all. Something broke in Ash when he saw Charmendar though he hid his expression pretty fast."

Serena looked down, "I didn't know any of that. Now, I feel really foolish."

Misty, "Ash talks with Red about all this from what I know so we don't exactly talk about it with him. Of course, if he wishes to talk about it to us we are willing to listen."

Serena, "I envy Gary a lot. Ash wants to talk to him about it."

Misty, "I see. Well then, we just have to be patient then."

Melody, "I agree, Ash is at least talking to someone about it. In the future I have no doubt one day Ash will trust us to share his side of the story."

Chloe, "Agreed! So cheer up Serena. We are only teens to begin with. We are not exactly equipped to deal with something this serious either. I wonder how Gary will handle it though."

Serena, "Yeah, I have decided Misty."

Misty, "Yeah?"

Serena looked determined, "I want you to train me to fight both Pokemon battling and hand to hand combat. I want to become someone that everyone can rely on and trust."

Misty, "Of course. I specialize in water Pokemon battles so my style is mostly water based. Is that ok?"

Serena, "It's fine. Anything is better than nothing."

Chloe, "Looks like you grew up too Serena."

Melody grinned, "It is not just us who grew up and matured."

Serena turned red, "Ah! That's.... I am.. "

Misty grinned, 'So adorable, I am going to protect her as long as we travel together.'

Melody, "You can start your lessons after the Conference is over."

Chloe, "Look Ash and Gary are about to start their match."

Announcer, "Welcome to the finals of the fifty seventh Silver Conference ladies and gentlemen. On the red box is Ash Ketchum from Kanto and on the blue box we have Gary Oak."

Referee, "This will be a six on six battle. Also since this is the final rounds there will be no substitutions allowed. The winner will be the last Pokemon standing. Choose your first Pokemon."

Ash, "Pikachu let's start with a bang."

Gary, "Let's go my handsome Jolteon."

Referee, "Begin!"

Ash, "Agility!"

Gary, "Copycat Jolteon."

Pikachu used agility and Jolteon started to use the move as well going paw to paw with Pikachu who narrowed his eyes. The yellow mouse not wanting to be out smarted used iron tail to hit Jolteon and knock him out only for Jolteon use light screen to protect himself from that attack. Gary and Ash were enjoying watching the high speed battle with both electric Pokemon zipping around the field looking like yellow lines. Pikachu was observing Jolteon the same way Jolteon was now observing Pikachu who was obviously heavily trained like him.

Gary, "Jolteon pin missile."

Ash, "Brick break contest style."

Gary raised his left eyebrow at that looking very curious about how that move will turn out in a contest form and Pikachu did not disappoint. Pikachu jumped avoiding the pin missile and coming down to the ground hard break the ground and raising a wall big enough to cover Pikachu from the pin missile attack. Both Pokemon were now sizing the other up and then Gary called for wild charge while Ash called for volt tackle making both Pokemon move at high speed with electricity cackling around them. It was obvious both Pokemon had practiced and trained the two moved till the attacks were powerful if the charge in the air was anything to go by. The Referee coughed as the dust settled from the attacks clashing and waited for the dust to settle.

Referee, "Countdown has started 10,9, 8, "

Ash, "Pikachu!"

Referee, "7, 6, 5, 4, "

Gary, "Jolteon, come on buddy."

Referee, "3, 2, 1. Neither Pokemon had gotten up. There is no winner for the first round. Choose your next Pokemon."

Ash got down, "Hey Pikachu, you alright there?"

Pikachu finally woke up, "Pika... "

Lucario, -You did well against his Jolteon, brother.-

Pikachu cooed, "Chaaaaaa."

Ash, "Rest for now okay?"

Gary was comforting Jolteon too, "Thank you for the battle Jolteon. Leave the rest of the battle to us."

Jolteon yipped, "Jolt."

Gary, "Not bad, Ashy. I knew Pikachu was powerful but to think he could keep up with my Jolteon is impressive."

Ash, "Thank you. Now, shall we continue?"

Gary rushed back to his box, "Hell yeah!"

Ash, "Let's go Shuckle."

Gary, "I chose you Yanmega."

Announcer, "Looks like we will have another intense bug type Pokemon battle."

Korrina laughed, "Hah! They are crazy is what they are."

Lucario, "Rio."

Ash, "Rock throw!"

Gary, "Night slash."

Shuckle who was pleased at being finally allowed to battle gave a happy trill and then grabbed a large rock and threw it at a very much surprised Yanmega. Yanmega used three night slash to cut the rock heading towards her and sweat dropped at the happy go lucky Shuckle. The little bug was treating this as a fun game which ticked Yanmega off a bit and he started to buzz at Shuckle with frustration to take it seriously. Shuckle gave Yanmega an up turn eye smile and then threw a sticky web which Yanmega dodged while glaring at the shell bug. Gary called for Yanmega to use ancient power which Yanmega got ready to yawn flying higher to avoid the sticky web.

Ash had been watching his Shuckle, 'He is treating this as a game.'

Lucario, 'Totally treating it like a game. Will he be alright?'

Ash murmured, "I am sure Shuckle will be alright."

Lucario whispered back, -I was not asking about Shuckle.-

Ash sweat dropped, "Ah! Shuckle create a fort using sticky web."

Shuckle chirped and created a very large fort with oath ways for himself reminding Ash of one of those National Geographic in the old world. He remembers a spider doing the same thing or was it actually a movie and not a National Geographic program, Ash decided to think about it later. Shuckle was using the fort made of web to avoid the attacks coming from Yanmega who was looking unhappy with the whole thing. Gary called for Yanmega to calm down and then looked at the fort of web frowning, he remembers reading about it before. The fort was normally created by female bug types though not males so this was new.

Gary shook his head , 'Focus Gary, figure out how this happened later on after the battle is over.'

Yanmega, "Azzzz."

Gary, "Yanmega blow the fort away using air slash and supersonic."

Ash, "Shuckle prepare for supersonic using withdraw and prepare gastro acid."

Gary, "Be ready to dodge."

Yanmega nodded and started to use both supersonic and air slash to cut and blow away the fort of web. Gary watched as the fort became unravelled and showed many intricate and well made pockets inside the fort but Shuckle was missing. Then from the last piece of the fort came an acid attack which Yanmega dodged then started to attack once again. Shuckle was pretty fast despite being a bug with a shell on it's back, Gary should have known Ash would find a way to make Shuckle fast. He grew up with Ash from diaper days, they were basically twins, in the beginning Gary had thought he would be the big brother to Ash.

Gary, 'Instead I ended up following his lead and creating my own plans for my future.'

Ash, "Bug bite, time to bring him down Shuckle."

Gary, "We are not going down that easily leech life."

Shuckle used bug bite on Yanmega while Yanmega used leech life on Shuckle both Pokemon were hell bent on bringing the other one down. The Referee checked on the two Pokemon after they stopped moving and then announced both Pokemon were now longer capable of battling. Gary and Ash cane forward to check on the two Pokemon and separate them carefully and realized they had poisoned each other aside from trying to defeat them. Ash looked at Gary who looked back at him smirking and shaking his head, they had similar styles and methods it seems.

Ash, "Well then, time to change tactics."

Gary, "Indeed. No more playing around."