AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is Chapter 29 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. Ash, Misty, and Brock are mentioned in this chapter, but don't make appearances. However, Giovanni does at the end of the chapter. As always, please feel free to read and review. And remember, feedback of any kind is always welcome.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have arrived in Gringey City, but when yet another Team Rocket scheme comes to town, it's the legendary Pokémon, Zapdos, who is the victim. Will these brave children be able to come to its rescue?
Chapter 29: THE ROAD TO SAFFRON CITY, PART 2
(Music Cue: Route 1: The Road to Viridian City (Version 1))
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu have now arrived in Gringey City, which is the site of many power plants and factories. It's the next leg of their journey to Tristan's next Gym battle in Saffron City.
"This city sure looks beautiful," said Hillary.
Even with the many factories this city has, it looks like it's been well-maintained," added Tristan.
Pikachu agreed with them.
"Let's go find a Pokémon Center," suggested Hillary. "You never know when we might need one."
"Okay," replied Tristan as he and Hillary set off.
(Music Fade Out)
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center," greeted Nurse Joy as Tristan and Hillary walked in a few minutes later.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan and Hillary together.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Nurse Joy.
"I think we're good for now," replied Tristan. "However, if you'd check my Pokémon just in case, that would be great."
"I'd be happy to check them out," smiled Nurse Joy. Then she sighed. "If only I was as happy and motivated months before that fateful day." She then took Tristan's Pokémon into the examination room and carried out her task.
(Music Cue: Pikachu Appears)
"I wonder what's wrong?" said Hillary.
"Maybe something happened on that fateful day, and maybe that's why she's so sad," suggested Tristan.
"That may be," replied Hillary. "But that doesn't explain what happened before."
"Let's talk to Professor Oak," suggested Tristan. "After all, he's been wanting to know how we've been doing."
"Good thinking, Tristan," replied Hillary as she and Tristan walked over to the video phone.
Tristan dialed the number and heard it ring. The screen turned on and Professor Oak appeared on it.
"Ah, hello, kids, how's it going?" asked Professor Oak.
"We're doing great, Professor," replied Hillary.
"We arrived in Gringey City not too long ago," added Tristan.
"Interesting," remarked Professor Oak. "When Ash was there, that city was a mess." Presently, a purple gooey body with large hands hugged and smothered Professor Oak. "Ugh! And so am I!"
Tristan and Hillary gasped in shock. "Are you okay?" they asked.
"Yes, I'll be fine," smiled Professor Oak. "Ash's Muk has certainly been very affectionate to me ever since he caught it."
"It's certainly a friendly Pokémon," said Tristan as he scanned Muk on his Pokédex.
"Muk: The Sludge Pokémon: The evolved form of Grimer," identified Dexter. "Poison seeps out of Muk's body."
"It doesn't seem to bother the Professor at all," remarked Hillary.
"I'm used to it," replied Professor Oak. Then, Muk hugged him again. "Stop that, Muk! You're ruining my favorite lab coat!" He turned to the camera and said, "Sorry, kids, but I've got a lot of Muk on my hands. Bye for now!" Then the video screen turned off.
"That Muk must've liked Gringey City before it got caught," said Tristan, who by this time was very confused.
"Either that or it took a liking to Professor Oak after it got caught," replied Hillary. She was just as confused as Tristan was.
Presently, the healing chimes rang.
Nurse Joy came out of the examination room with Pikachu and Tristan's four Pokéballs. "Your Pokémon are all in tip-top shape," she said.
"Great. Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan.
"We heard you sighing before, Nurse Joy," said Hillary. "Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong now," replied Nurse Joy, "but several months ago, the city was polluted. The air wasn't fresh and the water wasn't clean."
Tristan and Hillary listened in astonishment.
(Music Cue: Unconditional Love)
"The citizens of Gringey City didn't clean up, and I wanted to do my job," continued Nurse Joy, "but I just didn't have the motivation to be a good nurse." She sighed as she continued her story.
"When three Pokémon Trainers, Ash, Misty, and Brock came here, they brought in a Pikachu that didn't feel too well. I dismissed its condition as just a common cold. Little did I know that Pikachu had built up too much electricity in its body. It sometimes occurs among Electric Pokémon. The Magnemite and Magneton that powered the power plants were overpowered by the Grimer and the lone Muk because they loved the pollution."
"So that's what happened," said Hillary.
"Yes," replied Nurse Joy sadly. "However, thanks to the Electric Pokémon, Ash and his Pikachu defeated the Grimer and captured that Muk. The power was restored and the Grimer were sent packing.
"Later, Ash and his friends explained that everyone in the city shared the blame of polluting the city, causing the Grimer to come here. But thanks to that experience, the citizens of Gringey City have been inspired to keep the city clean, and I was inspired to be a better nurse. So I, among the other citizens, owe Ash and his friends our gratitude."
"That's a great story, Nurse Joy," said Hillary.
"Is that why you've been so sad?" asked Tristan.
Nurse Joy nodded.
"It's never too late to start keeping the city and earth clean, right?" said Tristan.
"Right," answered Hillary.
(Music Cue: A Devious Plot)
Presently, the sky outside turned dark. Then, rumbles of thunder could be heard.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Nurse Joy ran outside.
"What's going on?" asked Tristan.
"There must be a storm nearby," replied Nurse Joy. "We'd better get inside." She led Tristan and Hillary back inside and closed the door.
Tristan and Hillary were confused.
"I don't get it," said Tristan. "Why would a thunderstorm appear out of nowhere like that?"
"Good question," replied Hillary.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar was heard in the sky followed by a big clap of thunder.
(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveiled)
"What's that?" asked Tristan.
"I don't know," replied Hillary. Then she gasped in shock as she saw a large yellow bird with yellow and black spiky wings and a large orange beak fly overhead. "Big yellow bird flying at twelve o'clock!"
"What's it doing?" asked Tristan.
"It looks like it's showing off its electricity as it's flying," replied Hillary.
"Come on, let's follow it!" said Tristan as he and Pikachu followed Hillary out of the Pokémon Center.
"Please be careful out there!" called Nurse Joy as the doors closed behind them. Then, she whispered. "I hope they don't get struck by the lightning."
(Music Cue: Wreakin' Havoc (as heard in "An EGG-Sighting Adventure"))
As they ran down the streets of Gringey City, Tristan and Hillary were wondering what a flying Pokémon would be doing in a city like that.
"Maybe that Pokémon visits here a lot," suggested Hillary. "Or maybe it's just passing by."
"Either way, we've got to see where the Pokémon is headed," said Tristan. As he continued to run, he got a better look at the yellow Pokémon with spiky wings and scanned it with his Pokédex.
"Zapdos: The Electric Pokémon," identified Dexter. "This Legendary bird Pokémon is said to appear when the sky turns dark and lightning showers down."
"So that's why the sky turned dark all of a sudden," said Hillary. "It was because of Zapdos flying in the sky."
All of a sudden, a net was shot in Zapdos's direction.
"Zapdos, look out!" shouted Tristan.
Zapdos quickly turned around and avoided the first net, but was soon captured in another net that shot out from the opposite direction.
"No, Zapdos!"shouted Hillary.
The net that trapped Zapdos inside caused it to fall down to the ground. It then used multiple Electric attacks to try and break out of it, but it failed every time.
"We're coming!" shouted Tristan and Hillary as they ran toward the net.
But a powerful stream of electricity shot out from nowhere and stopped them in their tracks. It was then that a bunch of gray metal spherical Pokémon with magnets on their sides appeared.
"What's going on?" asked Hillary. "And who are those Pokémon?"
"Let's check them out," said Tristan as he scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.
"Magnemite: The Magnet Pokémon," identified Dexter. "It's able to float through the air and emits Thunder Wave through its magnet-shaped units located on its sides."
Just then, two helicopters appeared in the sky as Zapdos struggled to break free on the ground. They both landed on the ground, then multiple men in black uniforms stepped out. They all had a red R on them.
"Stay out of our way, you meddlesome kids!" said one of them.
"You're Team Rocket!" fumed Hillary.
"Let Zapdos go right now!" demanded Tristan.
"No," smiled a Rocket Grunt. "We're here to take that Zapdos, and there's nothing you can do about that."
Zapdos squirmed and tried to break free with a huge stream of electricity, but it wasn't powerful enough to break through .
"Zapdos's attack didn't work," said Tristan.
The net must be electric-proof," added Hillary.
The Rocket Grunt nodded. "Zapdos usually gets here to get recharged by the power plant's electricity when it's running low on energy. We planned for it to come when it's at its weakest this whole time." He turned to the other Rocket Grunts, who were standing by. "You in helicopter one, grab it now!"
The Rocket Grunt in the first helicopter complied as a mechanical claw grabbed the net.
"All right, let's go!" commanded the Rocket Grunt.
The other Grunts got inside the helicopters.
"It's time to bid adieu," said the Rocket Grunt as he followed the others in the helicopter.
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle Version 2 (as heard in "Volcanic Panic"))
And just as he did, the helicopter began taking off into the sky.
"Hey, come back!" shouted Tristan as he and Hillary began pursuing the helicopters, but the Magnemite surrounded them, preventing them from getting any closer.
"Now what do we do?" asked Hillary. "We can't proceed with these Magnemite blocking our way."
"Then it's time for Plan B," replied Tristan as he took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"
Pidgeotto materialized from the white light that shot out of its ball and awaited Tristan's directions.
"Go and help Zapdos now!" ordered Tristan.
Pidgeotto flew ahead and raced toward the helicopter carrying Zapdos.
The Rocket Grunt in the helicopter was surprised by the sudden appearance of Pidgeotto. "You fools! You let them send a Pokémon our way!" he exclaimed at the other Rocket Grunts. "Where are your Magnemite?!"
"Surrounding the kids, where else?" replied another.
The commanding Rocket Grunt grumbled and proceeded to use the loudspeaker. "Attention, all Magnemite: change of plans: stop that birdbrain!"
All the Magnemite left Tristan and Hillary and chased after Pidgeotto, who was flying toward the helicopter as fast as its wings could carry it.
"Looks like your plan worked, Tristan," smiled Hillary.
"Come on, guys, now's our chance!" said Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu raced after the helicopter, Pidgeotto, and the Magnemite.
The Magnemite closed in on an unsuspecting Pidgeotto. One of them began to launch an Electric attack on it from behind.
"Pidgeotto, behind you!" shouted Tristan.
Pidgeotto heard Tristan's voice and climbed higher to dodge the attack.
Then, many more of the Magnemite launched more Electric attacks, but Pidgeotto easily dodged them.
The commanding Rocket Grunt was beginning to get annoyed. "I've had enough," he said at last. He opened a hatch and threw a Pokéball.
A Pokémon with three gray connected spherical shapes was released from the white light that shot out of it. They each had magnets on their sides.
"Oh, great, just what we needed," fumed Hillary. "Another magnetic problem."
"Let's see what Dexter says," said Tristan as he scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokédex.
"Magneton: The Magnet Pokémon. The evolved form of Magnemite," identified Dexter. "Its anti-gravitational powers allow it to float, and it can emit powerful magnetic and electric fields."
"Now that Magneton has arrived, it's going to be harder to rescue Zapdos," said Hillary.
"You can do it, Pidgeotto!" shouted Tristan. "Please don't give up!"
"Prove the kids wrong, Magneton!" commanded the Rocket Grunt through the loudspeaker.
Magneton launched a powerful stream of electricity at Pidgeotto, who narrowly dodged the attack.
"Magnemite and Magneton, team up and attack!" ordered the Rocket Grunt.
The Magnemite gathered around Magneton and combined their electricity into one powerful blast, which struck Pidgeotto directly, causing it to go into a tailspin.
"Oh, no!" gasped Tristan.
"Pidgeotto's been hit!" exclaimed Hillary.
Pidgeotto kept falling and falling until at last, it crashed into the ground. It seemed to be hurt for sure.
Tristan and Hillary rushed to Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeotto, you've gotta try and get up!" implored Tristan.
"You have to!" cried Hillary.
But Pidgeotto just lay motionless on the ground, still suffering from the massive blast and the crash landing.
(Music Cue: A Formidable Opponent Appears)
"We've got it now, guys, now finish it off!" cried the Rocket Grunt.
Once again, the Magnemite and Magneton combined their electricity and aimed it at a motionless Pidgeotto, who struggled to get up.
"Pidgeotto!" exclaimed Tristan as he rushed forward.
"Tristan, wait!" cried Hillary.
Tristan rushed in front of Pidgeotto, determined not to let any of the Electric blast hit it. Pidgeotto was surprised at Tristan's bravery and was touched by how far he was willing to go to protect it. He braced himself for the attack, but at the last second, Pikachu jumped in front of both of them and took the massive blast itself.
"Pikachu!" cried Tristan.
Pikachu strained as the electricity coursed through its body, but managed to hang in there.
The Rocket Grunt was getting anxious. "Come on already, let's get out of here with our legendary prize!" he said.
"But what about the Magnemite and Magneton?" asked another Grunt.
The commanding Rocket Grunt grumbled. "Fine, let's get them and go." Then he saw Tristan's Pikachu still taking the massive blast of electricity. At last, he lost patience. "You dumb Magnet Pokémon, get that rodent out of our way!" he yelled.
One of the Magnemite charged at Pikachu and rammed into it, causing it to stop taking the hit and forcing Magneton and the Magnemite to stop their attacks.
Tristan quickly rushed to Pikachu, who was on the ground. "Pikachu, are you okay? Say something, buddy."
Pikachu slowly, but surely got back on its feet. However, larger sparks of electricity sizzled from its cheeks. Pikachu now felt stronger than ever.
"Go get that kid!" shouted the Rocket Grunt.
The Magnemite and Magneton all gathered around once more and combined their electric attacks into one huge blast and aimed it toward Tristan.
"Tristan, look out!" cried Hillary.
But before anyone knew what was happening, Pidgeotto, who was determined to protect Tristan at all costs, rushed in front of him and took the full blast.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu gasped in worry as Pidgeotto got hit. Pidgeotto spread its wings wide and let out loud cry of determination as it began to glow in a bright white light.
(Music Cue: Route 11: The Road to Lavender Town)
The light was so strong that it not only pushed the electric blast back, but it knocked Magneton and the Magnemite back, too.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were in shock as they looked on.
Pidgeotto then grew in size. The crest on its head grew to almost the exact length as its body. When the light dissipated, the crest on its head was yellow in the middle and red on the sides. Its tail feathers were all brown. It was now a whole lot bigger, and it squawked a strong cry of determination so loud that it shook the helicopters.
"Pidgeotto just evolved!" said Hillary excitedly.
"Into what?" wondered Tristan as he scanned his newly-evolved Pokémon with his Pokédex.
"Pidgeot: The Bird Pokémon: The evolved form of Pidgeotto," identified Dexter. "It can fly at twice the speed of sound and an altitude of nearly one mile."
"This is so awesome!" said Tristan.
"Pidgeot must have been willing take the hit so you wouldn't have to," replied Hillary.
Pidgeot spread its wings wide and lowered its body.
"What is it, Pidgeot?" asked Tristan.
"I think Pidgeot wants you to come with it," replied Hillary.
Tristan turned to Pidgeot and asked, "Is Hillary right?"
Pidgeot nodded.
"Then I'm ready," said Tristan. "Come on, Pikachu, let's go!"
Pikachu jumped on Tristan's shoulder as he climbed on Pidgeot's back.
"Let's go rescue Zapdos together!" shouted Tristan.
Tristan and Pikachu held on tight as Pidgeot flapped its wings and began taking off into the air.
"That's as far as you're gonna get, Team Rocket!" shouted Tristan.
Pidgeot squawked in agreement.
The Rocket Grunts trembled in fear as Pidgeot sped toward the helicopter.
"Looks like that birdbrain grew, and they're headed right for us!" shivered one of them.
"Oh, quit your bellyaching!" shouted the commanding Grunt. "Magnemite and Magneton, prepare to attack!"
The Magnemite and Magneton flew in front of Pidgeot as they began to charge for another electric blast.
"Go, Pidgeot, Gust attack now!" ordered Tristan.
Pidgeot furiously flapped its wings as big gusts of wind like hammers blew from them. One by one, the Magnemite kept getting pummeled by those powerful attacks. They were knocked out on the ground. Only Magneton was left standing, or floating as the case may be.
"Pidgeot, Quick Attack now!" commanded Tristan.
Pidgeot charged toward Magneton with a white line trailing behind it. Its Quick Attack was much faster than what it was in its previous stage. Pidgeot successfully scored a clean hit on Magneton, knocking it out.
"Now's our chance, Pidgeot," said Tristan. "Let's get Zapdos out of there."
Pidgeot quickly turned around and headed toward the net. Its large beak and talons sliced right through it like knives, freeing Zapdos on the spot.
"Way to go, Pidgeot," commended Tristan. "When it comes to battling in the sky, you're as good as the best."
Pidgeot replied happily.
Zapdos tried to aim an Electric attack at the helicopter, but the strain caused it to fail.
"No good," grunted Tristan. "Zapdos is too low on power to deal with Team Rocket."
"Blackout, blackout, Zapdos is a blackout!" taunted the Rocket Grunts in a sing-song voice.
That was when Pikachu leaped off of Pidgeot's back and landed on Zapdos, much to Tristan's surprise. Pikachu charged up electricity from its cheeks, but the sparks were larger than expected.
"Pikachu?" gasped Tristan.
"Pikachu must want to help Zapdos get its energy back, but I don't see how," said Hillary.
That was when Pikachu focused all its energy on Zapdos and fired on all cylinders. "Pikaaaaaaaaa...chuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
(Music Cue: Fighting Spirit)
Instantly, Zapdos felt the energy running through its body as it kept recharging with each passing second.
"Was that Thunderbolt?" wondered Tristan.
"It seemed like a more powerful Thunderbolt to me," answered Hillary. "This might be a coincidence, but I think Pikachu just learned a new attack."
"Maybe Dexter knows what it is," said Tristan as he took out his Pokédex.
"Thunder: This attack uses a lot of electricity and is the most powerful Electric attack yet to be discovered."
"So that's what a Thunder attack is like," said Tristan. "That may just be the power boost that Zapdos needs."
Pikachu kept using its Thunder attack on Zapdos, giving it more and more energy.
At last, Zapdos opened its eyes and showed off its newfound power in the sky.
"All right!" said Hillary. "Zapdos is fully charged again!"
Just as Zapdos prepared to launch a powerful electric attack of its own, Pikachu charged up its own power boost from the Magnemite and Magneton. They both combined their attacks into one supercharged blast and struck the helicopter, causing it to explode.
The Rocket Grunts screamed as they disappeared in the sky with a bright ting! to mark their flight.
Pidgeot landed safely on the ground, and as it did, Tristan jumped off its back.
"You were awesome, Pidgeot," said Tristan.
Pidgeot replied happily.
Zapdos landed on the ground soon after, and Pikachu dismounted.
"That was incredible, Pikachu!" commended Hillary. "Way to go!"
Pikachu replied happily.
Tristan and Hillary were also amazed at Pikachu's incredible attack.
"Why was Pikachu's last Thunder attack more powerful than normal?" asked Tristan. He was a bit puzzled.
Hillary suddenly remembered. "I know!" she said. "Tristan, don't you remember when Pikachu took the hit for you and Pidgeotto? Pikachu must have known that you two were in danger, so it jumped in front of you so you wouldn't be hurt. Then, it used the power boost to not only revitalize Zapdos, but it also helped it to take care of Team Rocket."
"That explains it!" gasped Tristan.
Pikachu nodded at what Hillary just explained, then it collapsed on the ground from exhaustion to Tristan's worry.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" he asked.
Pikachu slowly opened its eyes and replied happily.
"You were great, pal," said Tristan. "You really helped us out today." Then he looked up at Zapdos, who began to take off into the darkened sky. "Hey, Zapdos, how are you doing, buddy?"
Zapdos roared its response happily as a free bird.
Tristan then turned to Pikachu. "It sounds like Zapdos is thanking you for the help," he said.
"Not just you and Pikachu, Tristan," said Hillary. "I think it's thanking your Pidgeot, too."
Zapdos nodded at Hillary's statement, and then it began flying off. As it did, the skies cleared up.
Tristan turned to Hillary and said, "Well, should we get going?"
"I think we should," replied Hillary.
"Then I think it would be best if we just flew to Celadon City," suggested Tristan. "Now that Pidgeot evolved we can make better time by flying to destinations we've already been to. It'll save us a ton of walking."
"I don't know," said Hillary uneasily. "I've never been very good with heights."
"Don't worry about it," assured Tristan. "Pidgeot's a safe Pokémon to fly on. It'll make sure we make it there safely. And if we fall off, it'll be able to catch us right away. Right, Pidgeot?"
Pidgeot squawked happily.
"Besides," continued Tristan, "we'll be able to get a good view from the air."
"Well, I suppose that's possible," said Hillary.
"I'll let you get on first, and then I'll get on right behind you," said Tristan.
(Music Cue: To the Hopeful Sky)
Pidgeot lowered its body and held perfectly still so Hillary could get on its back. Tristan followed right behind her. Pikachu got on Tristan's shoulder.
"Now hold on tight to its back and I'll hold on tight to you," said Tristan.
"Okay," replied Hillary.
"Is everyone all set?" asked Tristan.
Everyone nodded.
"Then let's go," said Tristan.
Pidgeot then flapped its wings and gently gained altitude. It was very careful not to shake too much, especially since Tristan and Hillary weren't used to flying on its back yet.
The fresh air rushing smoothly over Tristan and Hillary felt good.
Tristan saw that Hillary had her eyes closed. "You can open your eyes, sis," he said. "Check out the cool view."
Hillary slowly opened her eyes and saw the wonderful view in the sky. "Wow," she said. "I never thought we'd get a beautiful sight from the sky."
"I told you we'd be able to fly in the sky someday," replied Tristan. "And thanks to Pidgeot, we finally can."
"Don't forget that you deserve part of the credit," smiled Hillary.
"I guess so," smiled Tristan. He turned to Pidgeot and said, "Thanks for taking us up here."
Pidgeot nodded at Tristan's gratitude.
"Now, let's go to Celadon City," said Tristan.
"I can't wait to get there," added Hillary.
Pikachu agreed with them as Pidgeot flew on.
A selfless mission to rescue the legendary Zapdos from Team Rocket has left Tristan with a newly evolved Pidgeot. And thanks to that experience, he and Hillary are flying high as they continue on their journey to Celadon City. It's the final leg of their long journey toward Saffron City and Tristan's sixth Gym Battle.
(Music Cue: The Moon Stone)
Meanwhile, in a hideout not too far from a huge building in Saffron City, a man in an orange suit was waiting patiently. He was about ready to make his next big move. The man was, of course, Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket.
"Excellent," he said. "Saffron City is where I will rule the roost, and this time, nothing will stand in my way, not even those meddling kids." He paused for a second as he looked at a tall building in the distance. "Once the Silph Company is infiltrated, all of Saffron City will finally belong to me. And not only that, I will claim the ultimate prize...the Master Ball. With it, I will be able to catch any Pokémon without fail. Every Pokémon that gets in a Master Ball will be caught instantly. Every one of those Pokémon will be mine to command! Mufufufufufu...Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
