TOP Track #19 - "Battle vs Lance & Red"

• Track: "Battle with Red" or "Battle with Lance" 
• Composer: Junichi Masuda
• Game: Pokémon Gold & Pokémon Silver
• System: Game Boy Color
• Release: October, 2000

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The battle against Pokémon Trainer Red at the summit of Mt. Silver is by far the crowning achievement of the Pokémon series. They have yet to outdo this unbelievable feat of unprecedented excellence in the past 13 years. Nothing could have prepared me for how amazed I was going to be by this fight. I've said time and time again that the original Kanto region is my favorite, which makes Red and Silver my favorite Pokémon games (Soul Silver being the absolute best). You need look no further than an article I wrote just three days back about "Gym Leader Battle." The fact that I love Kanto, and the Kanto gym leaders so much is honestly what makes Gold & Silver stand out so much. After you battle your way through the new region of Johto and become the Pokémon League Champion, you're treated to revisiting Kanto, gathering 8 more badges, and ascending to greatness atop Mt. Silver. 

Last I checked, my wife can't tell the difference between Ash & Red. Honestly, this is almost grounds for divorce. I can't believe she would so easily mistake someone as awesome as Red for his complete antithesis, the immature loser named Ash. Now, I concede they look similar - Ash is of course based off of Red's design - but they differentiate pretty significantly from that original design concept. Red is the greatest Pokémon Trainer of all time (his Pikachu is consitantly the highest level Pokémon you will ever fight in any Pokémon game). Ash gives away his best Pokémon for no real reason. I pretty much gave up on Ash when he let Charizard go. Unbelievable. Fortunately, my wife and I have just agreed not to talk about it. Crisis averted. Marriage saved.

- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog

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I was an enthusiastic subscriber to Nintendo Power when Pokémon Gold & Silver came out. They had guides to help you against the myriad trainers you would face. They even gave layouts and maps of dungeons. They were surprisingly tight-lipped about what awaited on Mt. Silver, however. I am truly grateful for that. If I recall, I think they did state there was a surprise waiting for the player at the top, but they said no more on the matter. I was definitely surprised. Facing off against Red and his team of Super-mon was one of the greatest treats I've ever experienced in a video game. Defeating him is not easy, and it felt like a true accomplishment to best him in six on six combat. 

As I mentioned earlier in my thoughts on "Gym Leader Battle," Junichi Masuda does a fantastic job of making variations on the Pokémon main theme. This track is the pinnacle of the series' songs. This particular tune reminds me of SNES era "Final Fantasy" battle themes. It begins slowly with the a strong beat to build anticipation, then bursts into an exciting melody. This one definitely falls into the "adrenaline" category of video game songs. I'm glad they saved the best for last; getting beat up by a Lv. 81 Pikachu can be demoralizing.

- Deez
@Deezer509

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Derivative Tracks



Metal Remix - http://youtu.be/ZkWIpbapagQ