AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! This will be my third fanfiction story. This time, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu will be exploring the Johto region, but informally, it's the Adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu in Johto. First, they'll do some vacationing with their grandparents, Veronica and Eric. This is based on my experiences with the Gold, Silver, and Crystal version games back when I first played them. I was inspired to do this fanfiction story by watching and reading some of my favorite childhood TV shows and books. I'll tell you about them once we get to some of these chapters. There will be lots of surprises in store, and 100 new Pokémon species to meet. Some of whom you've met already. Just so you know, I do not own Pokémon. Pokémon, Pikachu, and all other known character names are trademarks of Nintendo. I hope you enjoy this.
TEASER: Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu go on a road trip with their grandparents, Veronica and Eric, and begin learning about the Johto region's rich history in Ecruteak City.
Chapter 1: A LEGENDARY PAST
(Music Cue: Title Screen 1999-2001 (as heard at the end of "A Shadow of a Drought"))
Today, our heroes are beginning a new journey, but this time, they're travelling with their grandparents on their vacation. Their very first stop on their trip is Ecruteak City, where they're about to learn some ancient secrets.
A car pulled into the city limits of Ecruteak City on a beautiful sunny morning. It gently rolled to a stop.
Tristan and Hillary, still in their clothes from the Orange Islands, plus Pikachu got out of the car, followed by their grandparents, Veronica and Eric.
"Ah, smell that fresh air," said Tristan as he took a deep breath.
"Yeah, this is perfect weather for travel," agreed Hillary.
"Well, today, we're going to learn about the history of the Tin Tower," said Veronica. "And our host today is Morty, the Leader of the Ecruteak Gym."
"What's he going to tell us, Grandma?" asked Hillary.
"He's going to tell us about the Legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh," answered Veronica.
"What's a Ho-Oh?" asked Tristan.
(Music Cue: Messenger)
"It's a powerful Legendary Pokémon that has Sacred Fire abilities, and legend says that it's able to bring dead forests back to life."
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu gasped in wonder.
"Legend also states that Ho-Oh lived in the Tin Tower in ancient times," added Veronica. "But war broke out, and the Brass Tower burned to the ground. And when it did, Ho-Oh created Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. That is the old Brass Tower over there." She pointed to an old burned building. It looked like it had existed since ancient times.
"A new Tin Tower was built a short distance from where the Brass Tower stands," said Eric as he pointed to a much taller building. It looked just as old as the Brass Tower, except it was in pristine condition.
The Tin Tower looked strong and tall compared to the old Brass Tower.
"Come on, let's go and visit Morty at the Gym," suggested Veronica. "Maybe he can tell us more about it." And she led the group a short way through town.
The buildings in Ecruteak City looked old-fashioned.
Everyone felt like they were travelling back in time.
A few moments later, Tristan, Hillary, and their grandparents made their way to a smaller building. Like most of the rest of the buildings, this one, too, was old fashioned.
A tall young man saw them approaching them. He had golden yellow hair with a blue bandanna around it. He wore a blue long sleeve shirt with yellow elbows. It was Morty. "Hi there," he said warmly. "Welcome to Ecruteak City." He saw Veronica and Eric. "My old friends, Veronica and Eric. It's nice to see the two of you again."
Tristan and Hillary were surprised. "You know him?"
"We met each other a few years before you guys moved to New Bark Town," explained Veronica. "Morty was appointed Ecruteak City's Gym Leader, and we thought it would be interesting to meet someone who knows as much about Legendary Pokémon as we do, maybe more."
"I appreciate the kind words, Veronica," smiled Morty. "Who are these young Trainers?"
"My name's Tristan, Morty," said Tristan. "And this is my partner, Pikachu, and my sister, Hillary."
"Hi," greeted Hillary.
Pikachu greeted Morty as well.
"These are two of our grandchildren," explained Veronica. "They had just completed their journey through the Orange Islands. Right now, we're taking a little road trip on our vacation, so we thought we'd stop here and give them a crash course of the ancient past."
"That's very interesting," said Morty. He turned to Tristan. "You remind me of another Trainer I met not too long ago. His name is Ash Ketchum. On his first day as a Pokémon Trainer, he also saw the legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh."
"He did?" said Tristan. "That's extraordinary."
"Do you know what Ho-Oh looks like, Morty?" asked Hillary.
"Well, I haven't actually seen Ho-Oh face to face," said Morty. "But I do know that it's a Pokémon whose body glows in seven colors, just like a rainbow. To be specific, its feathers are predominantly gold and red, and it had yellow tail feathers, a white underside, and green feathers at the tip of its wings."
Tristan tried to imagine what Ho-Oh looked like through Morty's description. Then suddenly, something seemed to dawn on him. "I think I saw Ho-Oh before!"
Everyone gasped at the revelation.
"Where did you see it?" asked Morty, who was a little surprised.
"It was near Fuschia City," answered Tristan. "After Hillary and I rescued Articuno from Team Rocket, we saw this rainbow-colored Pokémon fly in the sky. It left a huge rainbow behind."
"That has to be it!" gasped Hillary. "That has to be the Pokémon we saw while we were travelling through Kanto!"
Morty then smiled. "I may not believe it now, but if you guys say you saw Ho-Oh before, then I'll have to believe you eventually. Come on, I want to show you something." And he led the entire group inside the Gym.
The interior looked just as old-fashioned as the exterior.
"At least there's electricity," remarked Hillary.
"We use electricity for just about everything, including Gym Battles," replied Morty. "Please have a seat."
Everyone sat down as Morty turned on a TV set. "I was going to watch a story of what happened in the Tin Tower in the past so I can learn more about it. But having all of you here to watch it with me was perfect timing. I think this documentary may intrigue you." He then took out a tape, put it into the machine, and began to play it.
Everyone watched in wonder as the story began and the voice of a narrator was heard.
(Music Cue: Mystical Story)
The Story of the Tin Tower
Once upon a time, in the beautiful historic city of Ecruteak, there was a beautiful tower called the Tin Tower. It was built 1,000 years ago to promote peace and understanding between people and Pokémon alike. Many of those people protected the Tin Tower every day, day and night, without rest.
Many years passed by, and as they did, the Tin Tower became a special place for still another reason. It was the only place on Earth where a legendary Pokémon made contact with these ancient people. The Pokémon's name was Ho-Oh.
Ho-Oh flew and visited the tower each and every day, as its visits were a sign of peace. However, it would only appear to a select few.
Those few people, including the ancient people, paid their respects to the legendary Ho-Oh, who perched on a tall stand, as a sign of their gratitude. A prayer flame stood at the legendary Ho-Oh's feet.
But then, one day, 700 years later, evil people came to Ecruteak City. It was a stormy day.
One man, the leader of the invaders prepared to charge toward the tower. "This is it, men," he said. "Today's the day that we finally get our hands on Ho-Oh's power. If we can steal this power, the entire world will cower at our feet."
"That Ho-Oh will soon be ours," a follower agreed. "We'll show these fools our unstoppable might."
"And then we'll use Ho-Oh's power for anything we see fit," said another.
"All right then!" said the leader. "Let's go flush out Ho-Oh and take over the world!"
"YEAH!" roared the invaders. And with torches in hand, they all set off to the Tin Tower to capture Ho-Oh.
Meanwhile, inside the Tin Tower, the guards were busy paying their respects to Ho-Oh, little realizing the danger they were in.
Suddenly, Ho-Oh looked up and heard something.
The guards knew that whenever Ho-Oh looked up, there was trouble. And sure enough, there was.
The invaders charged into the tower and came into the room where Ho-Oh and the guards were.
The guards drew their swords and prepared to battle.
"Who dares trespass?" demanded one guard.
"Halt in the name of Ho-Oh!" added another.
One invader threw a torch across the room.
"Somebody grab that torch!" cried a third guard.
(Music Cue: Cause for Alarm)
But it was too late, for the torch dropped to the ground, and the fire spread everywhere in the room.
It was the beginning of what was soon to be the most destructive war Ecruteak City had ever seen.
The guards summoned reinforcements to try and battle the invaders and drive them out of Ecruteak City.
However, the guards knew that they would be outnumbered by the invaders, but despite the odds, they battled them for all it was worth.
As the war raged on, things grew more and more intense. The fire kept growing and spread to almost every corner of the room. There was nothing for the guards to do but flee the tower.
Lightning flashed just outside. It kept getting closer and closer as it flashed with more and more regularity.
Ho-Oh sadly watched the battle and began to shed tears, for it knew something about the Tin Tower that nobody else had ever known.
In another room below where the war was raging, three nameless Pokémon, who heard the noise inside and outside, were getting more and more nervous. They knew this was a bad situation, but didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, the biggest lightning bolt struck the Tin Tower directly, causing the entire tower to burst into flames.
Everyone inside felt the loud boom, but they had no idea of the danger that was coming next.
Flames surrounded every corner of the tower, causing every invader to flee the scene as well, despite being unable to steal Ho-Oh's power.
Unfortunately, the three nameless Pokémon were caught in the flames. All of their exits were blocked by smoke, flames, and falling debris. There was nothing they could do. As a result, all three of those Pokémon were unable to escape on time as the fire destroyed the Tin Tower.
Seeing this, Ho-Oh felt very, very sad, guilty that it couldn't do anything to help the nameless Pokémon or the guards protect the tower. So it flew high into the sky and, using its great power, broke through the burning roof. It saw the devastation from high above as rain began to fall from the sky down on the flames. Then, using its legendary power, the three nameless Pokémon were bathed in lights of blue, red, and yellow.
My friends, it said. I'm so sorry I was unable to help you escape this terrible tragedy. Evil humans caused this to happen to you and this place. But fear not, I shall create new lives for you. Behold. Ho-Oh then glowed in a beautiful light and spoke to the Pokémon bathed in the yellow light first. You will be the very first Pokémon that represents the lightning that struck the tower; however, your powers will be used for good in the centuries to come. I have the perfect name for you as the reincarnation of thunder. Your name shall be...Raikou.
Raikou roared as it emerged from the glowing yellow light. It looked like a yellow tiger with black stripes and white underside. It had two fangs like a saber-toothed cat, and it had a mane that represented dark purple rain clouds.
Next, Ho-Oh spoke to the Pokémon bathed in the red light. You, like me, represent fire, but the fire that you represent is the fire that burned the tower. However, don't mistake that for evil, for your fire will be for the good of this world. I have bestowed a unique gift to you. Your barks will set off a random volcanic eruption somewhere around the world. I have the perfect name for you as the reincarnation of the volcano itself. Your name shall be...Entei.
Entei roared a mighty roar as it emerged from the red light. It had a leonine quadruped that was covered in brown fur, and it had a mane that looked like a thin, light gray cloud of smoke.
Finally, Ho-Oh spoke to the Pokémon bathed in blue light. You, perhaps are the most important part of this world, since you represent the water that put out the fire burning this tower. You will have the power to simply walk across water and purify any dirty water with just one touch. I have the perfect name for a creature that's a beautiful as yourself. You name shall be...Suicune.
"Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuune!" roared Suicune, as it emerged from the blue light. It looked like a blue mammalian-like quadruped with diamond shaped markings. It had a purple mane on its back that resembled the aurora borealis, and had a hexagonal, cerulean blue crest on its forehead.
Listen, my friends, Ho-Oh said. I have now bestowed on you the gift of life once again. You now possess more power than before the tower burned. I must now flee this place. I'm going on an endless journey through the world's skies. I am sad, yet angry that this awful circumstance happened because of the invaders who came to steal my power. My wish is that I would find a human with a pure heart, someone who knows right from wrong. When the hearts of Pokémon and humans become one, I will return to this place. But until that time comes. I will need you three to help me observe this world from the ground. I must go now. Good luck...and goodbye. And Ho-Oh flew off and disappeared into the sky as the rain continued to put the fire out.
Raikou, Entei, and Suicune realized their mission, and off they ran at incredible speed in three different directions to observe mankind from the ground.
Some time later, the fire was put out, and the skies cleared up.
The guards were unsure of what to do about the burned tower.
"Let's repair the damage and rebuild it," the first one said.
"But we can't do that," replied the second. "The world may not know that some humans are in fact evil. I say we leave it as is."
"I agree with you on that," added the third guard. "But we should build another Tin Tower, like the one we stood guard in before it burned. Our hope is that when it gets built, Ho-Oh will return."
Just then, the first guard saw a few things inside the rubble. "Look there!" he said.
Sure enough, they saw an incredible sight. There were 32 metal bells and four crystal bells that were miraculously untouched by the flames.
"These bells may be just what we need," said the second guard.
"Those bells may be the key to Ho-Oh's return," said the third. "The 32 metal bells will ring to alert us, whether something is stolen from the tower or when Ho-Oh is coming. But the special crystal bells will ring when Ho-Oh begins to arrive."
With the tragedy behind them, the guards began construction on building a new Tin Tower.
The months passed until finally, construction was completed. The new Tin Tower was built, and continues to stand tall to this day.
However, since that terrible day, Ho-Oh has never returned, and has flown through the world's skies ever since.
When the presentation was over, everyone was in awe of what happened.
At the same time, Tristan felt sad. "Poor Ho-Oh," he said. "Maybe it's sad and lonely because it doesn't have any friends, especially since nobody protected the three Pokémon."
"Don't worry, Tristan," replied Hillary. "Someday, we'll meet Ho-Oh, and tell it how we feel about Pokémon."
"That's a good ambition," smiled Morty. "I can see that you two really care about Pokémon so much. I think your presence is part of the evidence that Ho-Oh will return here someday. I know that day will come."
"We all do," agreed Tristan.
Morty turned to Veronica and Eric. "You two should be very lucky to have raised such wonderful grandchildren. They may just have a bright future waiting for them, especially when Ho-Oh returns. Thank you for bringing them to Ecruteak City."
"Thank you, Morty," replied Veronica and Eric.
"Thanks a lot, Morty," added Tristan and Hillary.
Pikachu thanked Morty, too.
In a little while, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Veronica, and Eric made their way to their car and got in.
"Who's ready for our vacation on the beach?" asked Veronica excitedly.
"We are!" replied Tristan and Hillary excitedly.
"That's great because we're going to the Whirl Islands to have some fun in the sun," said Eric.
"All right, let's go!" said Tristan and Hillary excitedly.
(Music Cue: Bicycle 1999-2001)
Everyone buckled their seat belts as Veronica started the car and began driving out of Ecruteak City.
On the way out, they passed through the surrounding forests. Tristan was awed by the many different Pokémon living there, some of whom he'd never seen before. "Look at them all!" he said. "I guess this place really is peaceful when humans and Pokémon are friendly with one another."
"I've never seen so many Pokémon living in one place," added Hillary.
"These Pokémon are normally very friendly," replied Eric. "But once something goes wrong, they sense it, and if a human does something terrible, they might just try to take their anger out on everyone in this town, all except our brave childhood heroes, that is." He then laughed.
"Now, Eric, quite trying to scare the children," scolded Veronica.
"Sorry, dear," said Eric.
Tristan and Hillary chuckled. They knew that their grandfather was only teasing them.
"So where exactly are we going, Grandma?" asked Hillary.
"Like I said before, dear, we're going to the beach," answered Veronica. "But I thought I'd take you to Kisado City on Silver Rock Isle on the Whirl Islands."
"The Whirl Islands? What are they?" asked Tristan.
"They're a group of different islands with whirlpools and many different Water-type Pokémon living there," explained Veronica. "Your grandfather and I were there many years ago when we were traveling together. Maybe we'll see some rare Pokémon there."
"Oh, boy!" said Tristan excitedly. He always loved seeing new Pokémon.
"How will we get there, Grandma?" asked Hillary.
"First, we'll take the road to Olivine City," explained Veronica. "Once we're there, we'll take the ferry headed for the Whirl Islands."
They drove on and on closer to Olivine City with each passing minute.
Some time later, they reached Olivine City.
Veronica parked her car and got out. "Come on, everyone!" she said "Our ferry awaits!"
"Yeah!" said Tristan and Hillary as they, their grandfather, and Pikachu followed her excitedly to the ferry.
In no time at all, they got on board, and soon, the ferry pulled away from Olivine City's harbor, and was sailing toward the Whirl Islands.
Having unofficially begun their journey in the Johto region, our heroes board a ferry and head on over to Kisado City in the Whirl Islands for some beach time. What surprises will await them there? With this part of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu's story just beginning, you've just got to stay tuned!
► TO BE CONTINUED
