AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 10 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Orange Islands. You know that everyone gets sick sometimes, and in this story, Tristan is no exception. To tell you the truth, this is based on some of my sick experiences when I had fevers growing up. I hope you enjoy.

TEASER: Tristan is sick, and the sun isn't helping to cool things down! It's up to Hillary with the assistance of Tristan's Pokémon to help him get back to full strength! Will he recover in time to rescue her from a sneak attack?

Chapter 10: FEELING HOT

(Music Cue: Opening (M01B)

Our heroes are continuing their journey on Mandarin Island South. But from the looks of things, they aren't doing so hot. Maybe that's because they are hot.

After walking through some towns, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu walked aimlessly through the Mandarin Desert. They were all walking on their feet, and were very exhausted.

The sun was shining brightly, making things very hot.

"Pikachu isn't there something you can do to pick up on civilization or something?" complained Hillary.

Pikachu shook its head.

But just then, Tristan collapsed on the ground, much to Hillary and Pikachu's shock.

"Tristan!" gasped Hillary as she and Pikachu ran to his side. Quickly, she felt Tristan's face, which was hot to the touch. "Yikes! He's burning up!"

Sure enough, Tristan was burning up. His face was red from the heat, and he didn't have the strength to move on his own.

"This is bad," said Hillary. "We're miles away from the next town, and there's nobody around who can help us. And Tristan's fever is getting worse by the second."

Presently, she spotted a large tree.

"I know!" she said excitedly. She had an idea.

A few minutes and some effort later, Hillary managed to carry Tristan to the shade of the tree to keep him out of the hot sun. She gently laid his head on his backpack to use as a pillow so he could rest. However, Tristan didn't feel any better.

(Music Cue: The Enigma)

"We need something to bring Tristan's fever down," said Hillary. "But what?" Presently, she saw a stream with a small waterfall. "That's it!"

Quickly she dug out a rag from her backpack and ran to the stream to fill it with water. Then she carefully brought it back to where Tristan was.

"Now what we need is something to freeze it with," said Hillary. "But this desert's so hot, who knows where we'll find any." She then suddenly remembered. "Maybe Lapras can help with that." Quickly and carefully, she found Lapras's Pokéball on Tristan's belt. She pushed the button. "Lapras, I need your help."

The Pokéball opened and Lapras emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

Lapras was happy to see Hillary, but was surprised to see Tristan out of the action.

"Lapras, I need your help," said Hillary. "Tristan's sick. Could you gently freeze the water in this rag with an Ice Beam please?"

Lapras happily complied and gently shot a cold beam of energy inside the soaked rag. Instantly, the water inside froze solid.

"Perfect, Lapras, thanks," said Hillary. "This'll make a great ice pack."

Lapras nodded happily. It was always willing to help its friends out, especially its ailing Trainer.

Wasting no time, Hillary wrapped the frozen rag, then she gently put it on Tristan's forehead.

Hillary wiped the sweat from her brow. "Phew! That was hard work," she said. "But I can't stop now. What else would Tristan do to help other people and Pokémon get better?" She then noticed Tristan's canteen. "Water! That's what he needs!" She took the canteen and ran back to the stream. Quickly, she filled Tristan's canteen and sealed it. Then she ran back to Tristan and set the canteen next to him. "There. This should help. Now what Tristan needs is rest."

Suddenly, Tristan opened his eyes and sat up. "What happened? Where am I?" he asked.

"Tristan, please take it easy," implored Hillary. "You're sick. You need to rest."

"But I have training to do," replied Tristan. "I have to get started now." He started to get up, but he felt dizzy and collapsed again into Hillary's arms.

"I'm sorry, but your training for today has been cancelled," insisted Hillary. "What good are you if you aren't at your best? Now just lie down and get some rest because today, you're taking it easy. No ands, ifs, or buts. Besides, Grandma would say the exact same thing."

"But sis..."

"I insist."

"All right," conceded Tristan. "We'll rest today." And he lay his head back down on his backpack.

"I'll tell you what," said Hillary. "As soon as you're better, you can train extra hard to make up for lost time. What do you say?"

Pikachu and Lapras agreed to the idea.

"It's a deal," replied Tristan.

"Now rest up," said Hillary. "You have a fever, and Lapras and I made an ice pack for you. We'll keep an eye on you while you sleep, and your canteen is full of cold water should you get thirsty. Besides, you need to drink plenty of fluids, especially when you're feeling hot."

Tristan took a sip out of his canteen. He did feel refreshed by the drink, but still felt unwell. "Thanks, sis. You're the best."

"Now go to sleep, Tristan," advised Hillary.

And Tristan closed his eyes and fell fast asleep with Hillary, Pikachu, and Lapras keeping a watchful eye on him.

Hillary gently took off his hat and glasses and put them in a safe place.

(Music Cue: Legend M31B)

Some time later, Tristan had a dream where he was flying through the clouds with Pikachu. "This is great! Are you having a good time, Pikachu?"

Pikachu eagerly nodded. It seemed to have as much fun flying around the clouds as he did.

They continued flying and doing aerial tricks in the air until they saw a bipedal gray Pokémon with a purple tail flying right next to them. Instantly, they stopped in their tracks.

Tristan recognized it immediately. "It's Mewtwo!" he gasped. "But what's it doing here?"

Pikachu was just as surprised as its Trainer was.

Sure enough, it was Mewtwo, the same Pokémon that they met earlier in their adventures. So, we meet again, it said.

"But how'd you get here?" asked Tristan.

Remember that this is a dream, and dreams don't always have to make sense, explained Mewtwo. You see, Tristan, your mind must have been in a state of unconsciousness to bring you here.

"But the last thing I remember was being sick on the Orange Islands," protested Tristan. "And Hillary was taking care of me."

Yes, that's true, replied Mewtwo. But I've been given the unique ability to enter your mind and communicate with you.

"So what are you trying to show me?" asked Tristan.

Mewtwo led Tristan and Pikachu higher into the sky. Higher and higher they soared until they were just above the earth's atmosphere.

"Awesome," remarked Tristan. "It's our world. It's so beautiful, and it's so big."

I remember being taught that before, replied Mewtwo. There are many places that you and I haven't discovered yet. Some of them we discovered together. Others we will discover on different paths.

"That means that there are countless humans and Pokémon to meet," said Tristan. "Including legendary Pokémon."

Pikachu agreed with him.

That's right, replied Mewtwo. And, as they say, the more, the merrier.

Presently, a pink bipedal Pokémon flew through the air. It had a long, thin pink tail ending in an ovoid tip, plus triangular ears.

"Whoa, no way!" gasped Tristan. "That Pokémon looks sort of familiar to me! But what is it?"

The Pokémon continued to fly gracefully and playfully through the clouds until it disappeared into the distance.

"Was that...?" began Tristan.

Yes, answered Mewtwo. That is the very Pokémon I was cloned from...Mew.

"Mew?" repeated Tristan. "That's the same Pokémon we saw when we were in the Chamber of Legends, wasn't it?"

That's right, replied Mewtwo. And it's the final legendary Pokémon in the Kanto region you and Hillary will need to meet and befriend.

"But I still don't understand, Mewtwo," said Tristan. "Why did Mew reveal itself to us? And where and how do we meet and befriend it?"

Mew will only show itself to a human with a pure heart, explained Mewtwo. And I think that you and Hillary will be the ones to befriend it. It's a lot to take in, but if you two succeed in your task, our power of friendship will grow, and we will have a new meeting place that's better than the Chamber of Legends."

"Better? What do you mean?" asked Tristan.

Mewtwo paused. Then it replied, You will see for yourself one day soon. Now, I must go, but I wish you and Hillary the best of luck in finding Mew. And it started to fly away.

"Hold on! Come back!" called Tristan.

It's all right, Tristan, replied Mewtwo as it continued to fly away. You need to rest up in the real world. You can do this. I believe in you.

Back in the Mandarin Desert, Tristan instantly opened his eyes, woke up with a start, and sat up.

Hillary saw what happened and instantly ran to him. "Tristan! Tristan, it's okay. I'm here."

Tristan felt his head. It still felt hot, but he felt a little better. "What happened?"

"You woke up so suddenly that we were all worried," answered Hillary. "How do you feel?"

"Okay, I guess, thanks to the shade," replied Tristan. "How are you holding up?"

"Hot and sweaty, but otherwise, I'm all right."

Pikachu ran to Tristan and happily embraced him.

"Hey, pal," said Tristan. He was happy to see it next to him.

"You'd better lay back down and sleep, Tris," advised Hillary. "Remember, you're still not at full strength."

Tristan lay his head back on his backpack. Then at last, he said, "I had a weird dream, sis, and Mewtwo was in it."

"No way!" gasped Hillary. She and Pikachu were truly shocked. "Please, Tristan, you've gotta tell us more!"

But before Tristan could utter a word, he collapsed back on the ground.

Quickly, Hillary put the ice pack back on his forehead. "Tristan's still not completely recovered. Let's let him rest, guys. He can tell us what's going on later.""

Pikachu and Lapras agreed.

Sleep well, Tris, thought Hillary. Sleep well.

(Music Cue: Pathos of Nyarth (Meowth))

By the time Tristan woke up sometime later, the sun was setting. Everyone else was getting ready to set up camp for the night.

Tristan felt his forehead. It still felt warm, but it didn't feel as hot as it was earlier in the day. He saw the canteen next to him and took a few sips. Boy, Hillary sure knows how to take care of me, he thought. I owe her my gratitude.

Hillary had just finished setting up her sleeping bag when she saw Tristan drinking out of his canteen. She quickly ran over to him with Pikachu right behind her. "How are you feeling, big bro?" she asked.

"A little better, I think," answered Tristan. "How long was I asleep for?"

"All afternoon," replied Hillary. "And before you say you missed out on stuff, don't. And you know why? Because we didn't do anything today."

Tristan sighed. "That's a relief. At least I know I'm in good hands with you...you and the Pokémon, that is."

"I knew you would say that, big bro," chuckled Hillary. "Anyway, let's get you in your sleeping bag now. Do you think you have enough strength to set it up yourself?"

"I think so," replied Tristan. He slowly opened up his backpack, took out his sleeping bag and got into it. He was looking forward to a good night's rest after sleeping for most of the day.

"Well, it looks like Tristan's getting better, Pikachu," smiled Hillary.

Pikachu agreed. It couldn't wait to see its Trainer get back in the battle again.

The next morning, Hillary was the first one up. She noticed that Tristan, Pikachu, and Lapras were all still fast asleep. "That's good," she whispered to herself. "Tristan must be getting his energy back." She saw Tristan's ice pack had melted, but she also saw that Tristan's face was back to its normal color, and it didn't feel hot at all. "That's a good sign," she said. Then she saw Tristan's canteen. It was almost empty, but she knew that he could use a fresh one full of cold water, so she emptied the remainder of the contents into the ground away from the campsite and filled it up at the stream.

Meanwhile, Tristan opened his eyes and stretched his body. He felt better than ever. "Ah, that was great!" he yawned. "That was the best night's sleep I ever had."

Just then, a scream was heard not too far away.

Pikachu woke up instantly and alerted Tristan at once.

"What's the matter, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.

But Pikachu didn't answer. It ran to the source of that scream.

"Hey, wait for me!" called Tristan as he quickly put on his hat, glasses, and fingerless gloves and quickly ran after Pikachu.

At the stream, someone had shown up and grabbed Hillary from behind. It was a Team Rocket Grunt, and he had come to take Hillary with him.

"Let me go, you creep!" grunted Hillary.

"What's the matter?" taunted the Grunt. "Don't you want to play with me?"

"What do you want with me?" demanded Hillary.

"I just want to take you over to Team Rocket Headquarters, especially since I saw that you managed to catch three Pokémon."

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Tentacool and Tentacruel"))

Just then, Pikachu came into view and launched a Quick Attack on the Rocket Grunt, scoring a direct hit and forcing him to let go of Hillary.

"Hey, who did that?!" demanded the Grunt.

"I'm coming, sis!" shouted Tristan as he quickly arrived on the scene.

"Just in time!" said Hillary as she ran to Tristan. "Thanks a lot."

Tristan angrily turned to the Rocket Grunt. "How dare you try and kidnap my sister like that!"

"She was all alone and she had Pokémon, so that justifies it!" protested the Rocket Grunt.

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to pick on a defenseless girl, much less my sister?!" fumed Tristan.

"I should eliminate the both of you right now!" said the Rocket Grunt as he took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Go, Golbat!"

Golbat emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.

"Pikachu, go!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu ran in front of Tristan and charged into battle against the Golbat.

"Golbat, Wing Attack, go!" yelled the Grunt.

Golbat charged at Pikachu as its wings glowed fiercely.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack now!" ordered Tristan.

Pikachu jumped in the air, dodging Golbat's Wing Attack, then it shot a powerful bolt of electricity at Golbat, scoring a direct hit, causing it to get knocked back into the Grunt, in turn, causing him to get shocked, too.

The force of the shock was so powerful that it created a tremendous explosion sending both of them blasting off into the sky.

DING!

"Goodbye!" smiled Tristan and Hillary together.

Pikachu agreed with them.

"Thanks a lot, Tristan," said Hillary. "You saved me back there. I'm glad you're back. How can I thank you?"

(Music Cue: To the Hopeful Sky)

"I'm glad to be back, sis," replied Tristan. "You and Pikachu took care of me and never left my side. I should be thanking you."

"Don't forget Lapras, too," added Hillary.

"I guess that's true," smiled Tristan.

He turned to the horizon. It was a beautiful sight.

"Really? You dreamed about Mewtwo?" asked Hillary a little later.

Tristan nodded. "It was telling me that Mew is the last legendary Pokémon we need to befriend in the Kanto region. And if we do, we can meet at a better place than the Chamber of Legends. At least that's what I heard Mewtwo say to me."

"But we're far away from the Kanto region," said Hillary. "How are we going to find it?"

"I'm not sure," replied Tristan.

"Come to think of it, that dream might not have been a dream after all," said Hillary. "Maybe Mewtwo entered your dream so it could communicate with you."

"Well, I know that finding legendary Pokémon and befriending them is part of our journey," said Tristan. He was now full of determination. "And now with that settled, I can think about my third Orange League Badge as well!"

Pikachu eagerly agreed with him.

"Then let's clean up the campsite and start moving out," said Hillary.

"Yeah," replied Tristan.

And so, with Tristan fully recovered, he and his friends once again get ready to hit the road...and hopefully, cooler conditions, as they continue their way to the next Orange League Gym. Who knows? Maybe they could find something exciting there.

► TO BE CONTINUED