One week later.
An entire week flashed by in the blink of an eye.
During that week, Silas gave up all his Pokémon training, spending every day with the three girls exploring every inch of Cinnabar Island. Every attraction, every event, every famous sightseeing spot—they visited them all, leaving footprints and laughter wherever they went.
Well… the ones laughing were the three girls. Silas, on the other hand, didn't crack a smile the whole time—he spent the entire week playing their "pack mule."
Cinnabar Restaurant.
The most famous eatery on Cinnabar Island.
After a full day of fun, Silas and the others sat quietly around a table. The atmosphere was a bit heavy, with only Giselle blissfully oblivious, ordering food with enthusiasm. Once she'd finished, she turned excitedly to Silas. "Silas, what's our next destination?"
"Already worn yourself out?" Silas asked with a teasing grin.
"Mhm!" Giselle nodded, giving a long, lazy stretch. "I've had my fill here—if I wanna play more, it'd have to be in a new place. So what's our next stop?"
Those eager eyes made Silas hesitate, the words for goodbye stuck painfully in his throat.
If it were Lorelei, he wouldn't have cared so much. She was Kanto's Elite Four—once Silas became Champion, they might not see each other all the time, but they could always meet up if they wanted. But Giselle was different. She was just a top student at the Pokémon academy; their paths were parallel, not meant to cross. After this separation, who knew when they'd see each other again?
As Silas struggled, Lorelei broke the silence. "Giselle, the journey's over. There isn't a next stop."
"What do you mean?" Giselle asked, shock clear on her face.
"The literal meaning," Lorelei replied calmly. "Silas already earned his Volcano Badge. That makes seven badges. For his eighth, he'll go for the Earth Badge. So our journey's finished. Tomorrow, we'll each go our separate ways—Silas, Suzie, and the rest of us."
Lorelei's bluntness left Giselle speechless. Her smile faded instantly. She looked at Silas, stunned. "Silas, is that true?"
"Yeah." Silas nodded with a helpless smile, "Sorry for keeping it from you…"
With that confirmation, sadness washed over Giselle's face.
All this time—even when it was tough, exhausting, and she complained a lot—she'd cherished the journey. These were experiences she'd never had before. Now, all of a sudden, it was ending. She'd have to part from her companions, leave for the academy… She just couldn't process it.
Giselle's sudden silence drew wry smiles from Silas, Suzie, and Lorelei. Did any of them really want to say goodbye? Journey's end always comes too soon, and goodbyes are never easy to swallow. But the three of them were adults. Even if parting hurt, they'd still smile and see each other off—unlike Giselle, who wore her heart on her sleeve.
"Can't you just skip the Earth Badge?" The three were still smiling sadly when Giselle blurted it out, pleading in her voice. "There are so many Gyms in Kanto… Why does it have to be the Earth Badge? There's still three months until Indigo League, right? We have plenty of time."
Giselle's plea nearly broke Silas's resolve. But then he remembered—Mewtwo's awakening was just around the corner. He had to be ready. So he steeled himself and said, "Even if I skip the Earth Badge, we'll still part ways eventually. It'd just make things even harder later."
"But—"
"Don't." Giselle wanted to protest again, but Lorelei cut her off. "Goodbyes are just so we can meet again in the future. If you ever miss us, just give us a call—we can always video chat, right?"
Lorelei was right, and as much as Giselle wanted to retort, she just couldn't find the words. So she stayed silent, her only rebellion.
Giselle's sulking drew even more wry smiles. This time, Lorelei played her trump card: "Didn't you always want to see what an Elite Four's work is really like? How about this—when you're on break, come visit me at League Headquarters. I'll show you what goes on behind the scenes."
Hearing that, Giselle's eyes filled with reluctance. Sure, she was dying to see what Elite Four life was like—but she didn't want to leave Silas either. The conflict left her stuck in place…
Suzie saw Giselle's struggle and smiled warmly. "Don't be sad! Didn't you say you wanted to research Pokémon food? I've got some notes you can take back and study. Besides, you're still a student, you know. You can't just ditch school to follow Silas around! And if you ever really miss us, just give a call. We'll be there, okay?"
Suzie's words only made Giselle's confusion worse.
"Giselle." Finally, Silas spoke up. He looked her in the eyes and suggested, "Let's make a promise."
"A promise?" Giselle blinked, puzzled. "What kind of promise?"
"You said you didn't want us to split up, right?" Silas said.
"Mhm!" Giselle nodded hard.
"Then study hard." Silas's gaze was serious. "If you can graduate top of your class at the Pokémon Academy, I'll hire you as my personal secretary. That way, you'll get to stay by my side from then on. How's that sound?"
Lorelei was floored—she never expected Silas to offer Giselle such a tempting reward. If Silas became Champion, having Giselle as his secretary would put her just below him—higher than most of the League's bigshots!
But to Giselle, all that mattered was being able to stay together. After a few moments of hesitation, she asked, "What if I don't get first place?"
"Only my number one can follow me."
"Deal!"
...
Lorelei and Giselle left.
Suzie and Silas watched them go.
"They're gone…" Suzie's voice was a little down as she watched the ferry disappear over the horizon. "Guess it'll be a lot quieter around here now."
"Yeah," Silas replied softly, then tried to lighten the mood. "Don't brood. We'll see them again. Besides, we should get ready to board too—did you pack everything?"
"All packed." Suzie didn't sound very cheerful, and Silas sighed, but he didn't try to comfort her more. His own heart wasn't any lighter—goodbyes always sting the most. Quietly, he said, "Alright, let's get on board."
"Mhm."
...
A week later.
Viridian City.
After a full week at sea, Silas and Suzie finally returned to the city where it all started. Neither of them had any interest in hanging around Viridian City—they headed straight for the Viridian Gym, planning to finish their battle in the morning and be back in Pallet Town by the afternoon.
Viridian Gym.
The place was pitch dark—no light, total blackness, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It suited Giovanni, the big boss of Kanto's underworld, perfectly. Once inside, Silas motioned for Suzie to stay behind him, then called out loudly, "This is Silas Oak from Pallet Town! I'm here for my Gym battle!"
Clap!
A loud snap rang out, triggering a domino effect—click, click, click—lights flared to life, illuminating the entire Gym at once!
And then… Giovanni appeared before them.
He sat on a sofa, dressed in a blood-red suit, swirling a glass of crimson wine. As soon as he saw Silas, a huge grin spread across his face. "Silas! I've been wondering when you'd show up for your uncle's badge. Didn't expect it to be this soon!"
Silas ignored Giovanni's "uncle" act—after all, thanks to Giovanni's Team Rocket, Suzie had almost died once. He cut right to it. "Can we start the Gym battle?"
"Sure."
Of course Giovanni could tell Silas was still holding a grudge from last time. But that kind of wound couldn't be healed overnight—only time could fade it. So Giovanni stood up, still grinning, "Viridian Gym's rules: one-on-one battle. That cool with you?"
"Not three-on-three?" Silas frowned. He knew the standard Viridian rules by heart.
"For everyone else, it's three-on-three." Giovanni chuckled. "But you and I, we're old friends. I know how strong you are—if you can't win the badge, nobody can. No need to waste time in a three-on-three. One round, I'll record it for the League. That's all they need."
Giovanni's meaning couldn't have been clearer. He didn't want a real battle, just to hand Silas the Earth Badge and call it a day.
Silas understood. Giovanni knew just how strong he really was—he knew there was no winning a Champion-level fight, and he wasn't about to parade Mewtwo in front of a League brat. So, he decided to make his own "gift" out of the Earth Badge.
The more Silas thought about it, the more revolted he felt. This was supposed to be a Gym battle, not some backroom deal. But he couldn't change Giovanni's mind, and he wasn't going to skip out either. So, he pulled out Pikachu's Master Ball. "Fine."
Once he gave the okay, Giovanni took out a Poké Ball. "Let's go! Golem!"
"Golem!"
A Golem appeared in front of Giovanni. That only made Silas more annoyed—the Golem was barely high-elite level. Giovanni was barely even trying! Still, Silas tossed out his own Master Ball. "Pikachu, you're up!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu appeared before Silas, locking eyes with Golem, full of fighting spirit.
"Nice stare." Giovanni glanced at Pikachu and nodded approvingly. "Good form, good spirit—full marks all around!"
"Yeah, whatever…" Silas muttered, lips curling into a frown. Suddenly serious, he pointed at Golem and ordered, "Take it out—Double-Edge!"
"Pikachu!"
The seriousness in Silas's tone told Pikachu all it needed—it knew its Trainer wasn't happy. Instantly, Pikachu dashed forward. As it ran, golden lightning wove around it, sheathing Pikachu's body in sparkling yellow light, a living bolt of thunder.
Take it out?!
Giovanni saw the icy look in Silas's eyes and the lightning-clad Pikachu and just grinned coolly. "Silas, you're still underestimating your good old uncle. Golem, use Rollout—send Pikachu flying!"
"Golem!"
Golem tucked in its limbs and spun into a massive boulder, thundering toward Pikachu, ready to flatten it!
Double-Edge vs. Rollout!
In theory, Golem had the clear advantage—rock vs. electricity, after all. But the power of the Elemental Crystals showed its true worth now. After nearly six months of charging up, Pikachu's lightning had become terrifyingly savage!
Boom!
"Pikachu!"
BANG!
CRASH!
As the two Pokémon collided, each let out a battle cry—a yellow blur and a brown missile smashed together head-to-head!
Winner decided instantly!
The second they hit, Pikachu flung Golem right out of the arena, slamming it straight into the wall!
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