AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 9 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Orange Islands. Lorelei from the anime makes an appearance in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this, even though this chapter will be a trifle shorter than most of the others you've read.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary are in for a pleasant surprise as they meet up again with Lorelei of the Elite Four. Lorelei challenges Tristan to a battle immediately upon getting together.
Chapter 9: A CHANCE MEETING WITH LORELEI
Our heroes have arrived at Mandarin Island. But this one is to the south, not north, so in actuality, it's called Mandarin Island South. Anyway, it's another stop on their seemingly endless journey through the Orange Islands. What our heroes don't know, however, is that they are in for a special surprise.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were enjoying themselves on Lapras's back as they continued drifting along in the open sea. Presently, they saw an island in the distance.
"That island is enormous!" said Tristan.
Hillary took a closer look at the map of the Orange Islands. "That must be Mandarin Island South," she replied. "It's nothing like Mandarin Island North. I heard that Lorelei from the Elite Four is supposed to be here today."
"Lorelei?" gasped Tristan. "You don't mean the same Prima who helped us out in our battle against Team Rocket at the Indigo Plateau, do you? Then that must mean she lives here, too!"
"So what are you going to do?" asked Hillary.
"I'm gonna challenge Lorelei to a battle and see how far I've come as a Trainer," answered Tristan.
"But you can't just go and challenge Lorelei to a battle outright," protested Hillary. "She might be busy, or she might be uninterested."
"Even if she is, I'm sure she can't resist a challenge from me, right, Pikachu?" said Tristan.
Pikachu agreed.
"Then that settles it," said Tristan decisively. "Okay, Lapras, Mandarin Island South is our next stop, so full speed ahead!"
Lapras squealed as it picked up speed at Tristan's command.
When they got to the island, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu got off of Lapras's back.
"Thank you, Lapras," said Tristan. "That was a very nice ride. And a fun one, too."
"I agree," smiled Hillary. "Your swimming is excellent."
Lapras cooed happily as Tristan gently petted it.
"You deserve a good rest," smiled Tristan as he returned it to its Pokéball. Then he turned to Hillary. "So where do you suppose Lorelei is?"
"Hmm," said Hillary. "I'm not sure. If I were Lorelei, I'd be...right there!"
It was true. Hillary had spotted someone sitting at an outdoor picnic area having lunch in the distance. She had a red shirt, blue jacket, and was wearing glasses. Her hair had two pigtails and one ponytail. Sure enough, it was, indeed, Lorelei, one of the Elite Four.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu raced off to meet her.
Lorelei stared at the open sea with a dreamy sort of look on her face. "It's a nice day," she said to herself. "I wonder who I'll be meeting today."
"Hey, Lorelei!" called a voice.
Lorelei turned around and saw Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu approaching them. "Well, if it isn't Tristan and Hillary," she smiled. "How have you been?"
"Fine," answered Tristan and Hillary together.
"And how's your quest in the Orange Islands coming along?"
"So far, so good," replied Tristan. "I already earned two Orange League Badges."
"That's impressive," said Lorelei. "I'm sure it hasn't been an easy challenge since you accepted it."
"Are you kidding?" said Tristan. "I'm always in the mood to battle other Trainers, including strong opponents. That way I can improve my skills as a Trainer and learn more about my Pokémon with my Pokémon."
Lorelei smiled. "It sounds like you've learned a lot since you first started on your journey."
"And not only that, Lorelei," added Hillary, "I managed to catch an Eevee and a Ledyba!"
"It sounds like you're doing quite well as a Trainer," commended Lorelei. "Have you decided what you want to do on your journey yet?"
Hillary didn't think much about it. "No, Lorelei. Right now, I'm trying to figure that out."
"Well, you don't have to rush into that," Lorelei assured her. "There's plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. Every journey is different, but there's no one path. Just remember that every road will eventually lead to your ultimate goal, whatever it may be."
"That's good advice, Lorelei," said Hillary. "Thank you."
"As for you, Tristan," said Lorelei, "what do you say to a little...battle?" She took out a Pokéball.
"You mean me versus you?" asked Tristan. His face brightened up. He'd been wanting to battle Lorelei ever since he first met her at the Indigo Plateau, so this was his big chance. "All right! I accept your challenge!"
"Now hold on a minute," said Hillary. "Battling a member of the Elite Four is no ordinary challenge. Lorelei really strong, and you don't know how you'll fare against someone as good as her."
"Come on, sis," replied Tristan. "I managed to get eight Badges in Kanto, and I already have two Badges in the Orange Islands. Besides, it's not like I'm competing against Lorelei for some big prize or something. I can take her on with no problem.
But Hillary wasn't so sure.
In a few moments, Tristan and Lorelei faced each other on the beach while Hillary watched them.
"All right, Tristan," said Lorelei. "We'll battle using one Pokémon each. But don't think that just because we're friends I'll be going easy on you."
"I won't be either, Lorelei, so may the best Trainer win," replied Tristan.
"Lapras, go!" shouted Lorelei as she threw a Pokéball.
(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon)
A white light shot out and her Lapras materialized from it. It looked really strong.
"Whoa!" said Hillary. "That is one powerful Lapras!"
Sure enough, it was really strong.
That Lapras looks like it's stronger than mine! thought Tristan.
"Lapras and I have been through many battles together over the years," said Prima. "We've formed a really strong bond."
"Well, if it's bonds you're talking about, I've got Pikachu!" replied Tristan. He turned to his pal, who was standing beside him, ready to battle. "Are you ready?"
Pikachu nodded and jumped in front of Tristan as it waited for Tristan's directions.
"So, you've chosen Pikachu, an Electric-type," said Lorelei. "A smart choice. But is it strong enough?"
"We're about to find out right here!" said Tristan. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt now!"
Instantly, Pikachu unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its cheeks at Lapras, scoring a direct hit.
"Yeah!" said Hillary. "That Thunderbolt hit its mark!"
But surprisingly, Lapras shook it off.
"What happened?!" gasped Tristan. "Thunderbolt didn't do anything! Well, nobody said it would be easy."
"That's right," smiled Lorelei. "Normally, Thunderbolt would do a lot of damage against Water-types like Lapras; however, Lapras and I have been through many battles in the past, as I've said before. So one big jolt won't be enough to beat us."
"Then we'll just have to give it an even bigger jolt," said Tristan. "Pikachu, Thunder attack!"
Pikachu released a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its body at Lapras, much bigger than its last attack, but unfortunately, Lapras shook off Pikachu's Thunder attack, too.
"No way!" gasped Tristan. "Pikachu's Thunder attack isn't working either!"
"That's not good!" said Hillary. "If Pikachu's Electric attacks don't work, what else can Tristan do?"
"Lapras, jump as high as you can, then use your Body Slam!" ordered Lorelei.
Lapras jumped high into the air and proceeded to land on Pikachu with its full body weight.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" shouted Tristan.
Pikachu quickly evaded Lapras's attack just in time.
"That Lapras is strong," said Tristan to himself. "I can't lose focus on this battle. Pikachu, use your Agility now!"
Pikachu quickly ran from place to place, briefly disappearing in the process every time as it ran straight for Lapras.
"Now follow it up with Quick Attack!" commanded Tristan.
Pikachu dashed for Lapras with a white line trailing behind it and it rammed into Lapras, but Lapras's body absorbed Pikachu's Quick Attack, causing it to bounce off of it.
"None of Pikachu's attacks are working!" grunted Tristan.
"Lapras, Blizzard attack!" ordered Lorelei.
Lapras shot a powerful gust of snow and wind from its mouth at Pikachu, slowing it down and making it shiver.
Tristan and Hillary were forced to cover their faces from the combination of the strong gusts of snow and wind.
"What's happening?!" bellowed Hillary.
"Pikachu, hang in there!" shouted Tristan.
Lorelei was smiling. Her strategy was working perfectly. She had Tristan and Pikachu exactly where she wanted them. Then, she commanded, "Lapras use your Ice Beam and finish it off!"
Lapras shot a powerful beam of cold energy at Pikachu.
"Look out, Pikachu!" shouted Tristan.
But it was too late, for Lapras's Ice Beam attack came too fast for Pikachu to dodge, and it scored a direct hit.
Pikachu was encased in a block of ice as a result.
"Pikachu!" cried Tristan. He quickly rushed to his friend, who had been knocked out. "Pikachu! Are you okay?"
There was no response from Pikachu. It was still frozen solid.
"Poor Pikachu," said Hillary.
Tristan grabbed a big rock and frantically smashed it against the ice in the hopes of freeing Pikachu from it. After a few hits, he was able to smash the ice.
Pikachu gasped for air as it broke free.
"Pikachu, how do you feel, buddy?" asked Tristan.
Pikachu replied weakly.
"Nice job, Lapras," said Lorelei as she returned it to its Pokéball and walked over to Tristan and Pikachu. "That was a very good effort, Tristan." Then she gently took Pikachu from Tristan's arms and placed it in hers. "I'm sorry I had to do that, Pikachu. I hope you can forgive me."
Pikachu nodded as she handed it back to Tristan.
Tristan and Hillary were confused. They didn't expect a Trainer to apologize to an opposing Pokémon.
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)
"It's quite clear that you understand a lot about Pokémon," said Lorelei. You've raised and trained your Pokémon to the best of your ability."
"Well, thanks, Lorelei," replied Tristan. "That's nice of you to say that. But I know that I still have a long way to go in order to be as good as you."
Lorelei understood what Tristan just said. Then she gave both Tristan and Hillary some advice on her battling strategy. "I'm usually one to go with the flow, like water. But when I engage in a battle, I become hard as ice."
"Go with the flow of water outside of battle; become hard as ice in battle," repeated Tristan. "So in order to be a good trainer, we have to be harder and stronger as blocks of ice, right?"
"It sounds like you know what to do to improve," she said. "You know that it's your Pokémon that do the hard stuff. They help you in every battle you take part in. However, I won't forget the fact that your Pikachu is very strong. And I have a feeling that the same holds true for all of your Pokémon. Keep on training with Pikachu, and you two will go far."
"Thanks, Lorelei," said Tristan. "We'll remember it all." Then he turned to his friend. "What do you say, Pikachu? Are you ready to train even harder?"
Pikachu eagerly agreed. It couldn't wait to get stronger with Tristan at its side.
After one match that ended in defeat for Tristan, he and Hillary take some of Lorelei's wisdom with them as they continue their journey to the next Orange League Gym.
►TO BE CONTINUED
