AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 37 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu, as they continue their journey through Kanto. Neon Town and Grampa Canyon are their next destinations, and I based this chapter on the episode "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon." This chapter obviously takes place after Ash's visit there. Many of the prehistoric Pokémon from that episode make appearances in this chapter. Shinji Miyazaki's music cues and arrangements as well as episode references make appearances also. Brock makes an appearance in a flashback. As always, please feel free to read and review, and feedback of any kind is always welcome.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary find themselves in Grampa Canyon. After a lunch break, Tristan ends up trapped in an underground cave! How will Tristan find a way out with a bunch of territorial prehistoric Pokémon, let alone an Aerodactyl who wants Tristan as its lunch?

Chapter 37: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE

A few days after leaving Saffron City, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu briefly find themselves in the city that never sleeps: Neon Town. It may be loud there, but little do they know that an even louder adventure is waiting for them just outside of it.

"Boy, this city sure is busy," said Tristan as he covered his ears from all the noise.

"And loud!" added Hillary. She covered her ears, too.

Pikachu agreed with them as it covered its ears as well.

"Maybe we should get out of here and find another route," suggested Tristan. "I don't know if Neon Town was part of our trip."

"Even if it was, I'm ready for some peace and quiet," replied Hillary. "Let's go."

"Stay close, guys," advised Tristan. "I don't want to lose you."

And they walked out of Neon Town as quickly and quietly as possible so they wouldn't attract any attention.

An hour later, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu found themselves in the woods.

"Ah, peace and quiet," sighed Hillary.

"We needed this," added Tristan. "It was so loud in Neon Town that I couldn't concentrate."

"Pika Pika," replied Pikachu.

Tristan took his map out of his backpack and began to study it. "Let's see," he said. "We were just in Neon Town, and we came this way. And if we came this way, we should be near a big canyon."

"A canyon?" asked Hillary. "I hope we're not getting lost again."

"We should be fine," replied Tristan as he put his map away and took out his compass.

Then they all started walking again.

(Music Cue: All's Well That Ends Well)

Fifteen minutes later, Tristan and his friends arrived at the canyon that he studied. The views were breathtaking.

"Tristan, is this it?" asked Hillary.

"I believe it is," answered Tristan. "This must be Grampa Canyon."

"Grampa Canyon?" repeated Hillary.

Tristan nodded. "I heard that there was an incident here due to appearances of extinct Pokémon."

"What's does 'extinct' mean?" asked Hillary.

Tristan was a little perplexed at the question and replied, "Uh, I'm not sure exactly."

Hillary slapped her face in embarrassment. "Maybe it's time you looked it up in the dictionary."

Just then, Tristan's stomach grumbled, causing him to be embarrassed, too. "I guess it's time for lunch," he said sheepishly.

"Did you bring anything good today?" asked Hillary.

"Just several sandwiches," answered Tristan.

"All right!" said Hillary excitedly. "Do you think you can have your Pokémon join us?"

"I don't see why not," replied Tristan as he took out his five Pokéballs and tossed them in the air. "Okay, guys, it's lunch for six!"

Ivysaur, Charmeleon, Blastoise, Pidgeot, and Lapras materialized from the white lights that shot out of the Pokéballs. Everyone stared at Lapras, particularly Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Pidgeot. Lapras became nervous, even though it remembered Pikachu's face.

"Lapras seems to be pretty shy," remarked Hillary.

Tristan gathered his Pokémon around him. "Everyone, this is Lapras, your newest friend and teammate," he said.

Everyone greeted Lapras warmly. Lapras felt better after that.

"There's another thing you should know guys," continued Tristan. "Blastoise and Pidgeot recently evolved, so don't be afraid."

Everyone replied happily.

"Butterfree has also gone on a long trip, and it won't be back with us for awhile, but our old friend will come back and be with us again someday soon," finished Tristan.

All of Tristan's Pokémon looked up in the sky and silently remembered the many adventures they had with Butterfree. Lapras looked up, too, despite not actually meeting Butterfree face to face yet.

"Tristan, are we just going to stand there looking at the sky or are we going to have our lunch?" asked Hillary impatiently.

"Oops, I forgot," replied Tristan. "Let's eat guys!"

Everyone replied in exuberance.

"Finally!" said Hillary.

Tristan took out the ingredients for the Pokémon and mixed them well.

"What are you doing, Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"Wait and see," said Tristan as he continued on. In a matter of minutes, he put the finished food into bowls. He turned to his Pokémon who were eagerly waiting. "All right, guys, dig in!"

All the Pokémon looked at the food and gave it a taste. Sure enough, they were delighted.

"Wow, Tristan, that's remarkable!" said Hillary. "How did you do it so well in so little time?"

"Well, just before I had my first Gym Battle, I asked Brock if I could learn a few good easy recipes," answered Tristan as he began his short story.

(Music Cue: Reunion)

"I realized that Brock wouldn't be traveling with us on a regular basis," explained Tristan. "So on the night before I had my first Gym Battle, I went up to Brock and asked him."

"Making good homemade Pokémon food is easy," said Brock. "It takes some skill and persistence, but with enough practice, I'm sure you'll get it down it in no time."

"So I helped out with the ingredients and I followed the instructions," continued Tristan. "However, I still made more than my share of mistakes. I wouldn't give up until I got it just right. And when I did, I practiced again and again until I knew the recipe inside and out."

"I'm very happy because not only can I make good Pokémon food, but I can make sure that every Pokémon that tastes it enjoys it to their heart's content," finished Tristan.

"That's a great story," said Hillary. "Now what about us? What about the sandwiches?"

"Oh, that's right. I'll get 'em," said Tristan as he dug into his backpack and took out two plastic bags, each containing a sandwich.

"Let's sit down with the Pokémon and dig in ourselves," suggested Hillary.

"I agree," replied Tristan as he and Hillary sat down to lunch and marveled at the sights of Grampa Canyon.

After a relaxing lunch, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu explored deeper into the canyon. Presently they saw a sign ahead and ran toward it.

"DANGER," read Tristan in his normal voice. "Claims of a prehistoric Pokémon living under the canyon have been reported. Also, due to the danger of cave collapses, digging is strictly prohibited."

Hillary gasped in worry. "Do you think that we're in danger, Tristan?"

Hillary's question was soon answered for they suddenly felt the ground rumbling under their feet.

"What's that?" asked Tristan worriedly.

Tristan and Hillary then discovered that they were standing in a pile of rubble, which was about to collapse under them!

"Tristan, look out!" yelled Hillary as she and Pikachu quickly escaped the rumbling.

(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveiled)

But it was too late for Tristan, for the rubble collapsed under him, opening a hole in the earth, and he shouted as he fell into the abyss below, and in his panic, he dropped one of his Pokéballs next to Hillary's feet.

"TRISTAN!" yelled Hillary at the top of her lungs.

The hole closed just as quickly as it opened, trapping Tristan.

(Music Cue: Danger! Pikachu! as heard in Mild 'n Woolly")

Tristan braced himself for the inevitable until he quickly had an idea. "Pidgeot, I choose you!" he shouted as he took out a Pokéball and held it tightly as it opened.

Pidgeot materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball as it dove down below him. It knew its Trainer was in danger, so it judged the speed of Tristan's fall and positioned itself perfectly for him to land safely on its back.

Tristan wiped his head and sighed with relief. "Thanks a lot, Pidgeot," he said. "Your timing was just perfect."

Pidgeot replied as it landed safely on the ground.

Tristan dismounted and quickly checked his surroundings. He saw that he and Pidgeot ended up in an underground cave hundreds of feet below the surface. Fortunately, there was air coming from above so they could breathe easily.

(Music Cue: A Devious Plot)

"There has to be some way we can get out of here," said Tristan. That was when another idea struck him. "Maybe Blastoise can help us!" He tried to find Blastoise's Pokéball, but soon realized that he couldn't find it on his belt. He then got worried. "Uh-oh. I must've dropped Blastoise's Pokéball when I was trying to escape the rubble." I just hope Hillary and Pikachu are okay, he thought.

"Tristan!" called Hillary at the top of her lungs. "Can you hear me? Please answer if you can!"

"Pika pi!" called Pikachu.

But all that was heard were the sounds of their voices echoing all across Grampa Canyon.

"He has to be here somewhere," said Hillary. "I just hope he's okay."

Just then, Pikachu pointed to a Pokéball next to the hole where Tristan fell into.

"Uh-oh!" gasped Hillary. "Do you think Tristan dropped this Pokéball by accident when he fell, Pikachu?"

Pikachu replied with uncertainty.

"We have to keep looking for him!" said Hillary. "He has to be okay!"

Presently, a siren wail was heard and a motorcycle came. It stopped next to Hillary and Pikachu. A female police officer was on it. It was Officer Jenny.

"This area is a danger zone," warned Officer Jenny. "You have to leave immediately."

"But Officer Jenny," protested Hillary, "my big brother fell down this hole after the rubble collapsed from under him!"

"What?!" gasped Officer Jenny. "When did this happen?"

"Just a few minutes ago!" replied Hillary. "Please, you've gotta help us look for him! We've tried calling his name, but we haven't heard from him!"

"Hold on, then," said Officer Jenny. "I'll get some help." She took out her radio and spoke into it. "Dispatch, this is Officer Jenny. We have a ground collapse in Grampa Canyon with one person trapped. Advise responding units to bring their pickaxes to help dig their way into the canyon."

"Ten-four, Officer," replied the dispatcher.

"Help should arrive in a few minutes," Officer Jenny told Hillary. "We'll have your brother rescued in no time."

"I didn't realize that this area was a danger zone," said Hillary. "But why is that?"

"Well, during the Great Fossil Rush that happened here about a year ago, some Pokémon thieves planted the canyon with dynamite," explained Officer Jenny. "Apparently, they succeeded in opening up this big hole, and caused a few people and Pokémon to end up trapped just like your brother is now."

"Why would they do that?" asked Hillary.

"Those thieves wanted to steal some Pokémon fossils that all the tourists collected," answered Officer Jenny.

"I'll bet that was Team Rocket," said Hillary as she clenched her fists.

"And to add to that," continued Officer Jenny, "reports of a prehistoric Pokémon surfaced in the canyon, and it had one human in its claws as it flew high in the sky. And after a Jigglypuff put everyone to sleep, that Pokémon fell asleep, also. In the end, nobody got hurt, but due to the danger of further cave collapses like this one, this area was considered a danger zone."

"Tristan might be in danger right now because he doesn't know about this, either," said Hillary.

"Then we'd better start digging for him ourselves," replied Officer Jenny. She then saw the Pokéball held in Hillary's hand. "Is that a Pokéball?"

"Yes, I think it might be Tristan's," answered Hillary. She threw it and shouted, "Go!" Then she thought, Please be a strong Pokémon.

The Pokéball opened and a white light shot out of it, and Blastoise materialized from it, much to Hillary and Pikachu's relief.

"Blastoise! Thank goodness!" said Hillary. "We need your help. Tristan's trapped below the surface and we need you to dig inside the canyon to help get him out."

Blastoise replied and started lifting one heavy boulder after another.

"We'd better start digging, too," advised Officer Jenny.

Tristan continued to explore the canyon on foot while Pidgeot flew along.

"There's got to be a way out of here," said Tristan. "Do you think you can find one, Pidgeot?" asked Tristan.

Pidgeot replied and flew above Tristan, not wanting to leave him behind should any danger come. It scoured the area with its keen eyesight, but couldn't find an exit.

"No good, huh?" said Tristan.

Pidgeot landed on the ground and replied sadly. But just then, it sensed something and stayed perfectly still.

"What is it, Pidgeot?" asked Tristan.

Pidgeot didn't answer Tristan's question for it was sensing something coming toward them. It kept looking in all directions using its keen eyesight. Then it saw eight pairs of red eyes approaching them.

(Music Cue: The Mighty Mewtwo)

Tristan saw the red eyes, too. "Whoa!" he said. "Whatever it is doesn't appear to be too friendly!"

The first pair of red-eyed creatures revealed themselves from out of the shadows. They were blue ammonite Pokémon each having ten tentacles and a helix-spiraled shell on their backs.

"I wonder what all these Pokémon are," said Tristan as he scanned the first pair of Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Omanyte: The Spiral Pokémon," identified Dexter. "Believed to have lived over two billion years ago, recent research indicates that it was able to control its buoyancy by storing and releasing air in its shell."

The second pair of Pokémon revealed themselves from out of the shadows. They looked a lot like Omanyte, but they had spikes on their shells, wider eyes, and fang-like beaks.

Tristan quickly scanned the second pair of Pokémon as Dexter identified them.

"Omastar: The Spiral Pokémon: The evolved form of Omanyte. This extinct Pokémon is believed to have used its sharp fangs to break through the shells of its prey in order to feed."

Next, the third pair of Pokémon revealed themselves from out of the shadows. They had large brown shells and four short yellow legs. Tristan checked them out next.

"Kabuto: The Shellfish Pokémon. Although this Pokémon is believed to be extinct, it had a hard shell that protected its body and is believed to be a strong swimmer."

"Shouldn't you have said 'has' a hard shell, Dexter?" said Tristan. "Because these Pokémon look very much alive to me."

Finally, the last pair of Pokémon revealed themselves from out of the shadows. They resembled living skeletons with half-moon disc-shaped heads and two large sharp gray scythes. Tristan quickly scanned them.

"Kabutops: The Shellfish Pokémon: The evolved form of Kabuto. Believed to have been a slim and fast swimmer, Kabutops sliced prey with its sharp sickles and drank the body fluids."

It was obvious that all the Pokémon weren't at all happy with Tristan and Pidgeot's intrusion and surrounded them.

"We've got trouble," said Tristan, trying to stay as calm as possible.

Meanwhile back on the surface, a team of firefighters with pickaxes in hand helped Hillary, Pikachu, Officer Jenny, and Blastoise remove the heavy boulders one by one.

Hang on, Tristan, thought Hillary. We're doing everything we can to rescue you, and that's a promise I intend to keep.

When they tossed enough boulders aside, a big hole was revealed.

"I see an opening!" cried Hillary excitedly.

"All right, then," said Officer Jenny. "Let's go and rescue the person who's trapped!"

Back in the cave below, Tristan was trying to figure out why Omanyte, Omastar, Kabuto, and Kabutops were so upset. "Please, everyone," he said. "We mean no harm. We fell into this cave by accident, and I promise that we don't want to battle or hurt you. All we want to do is get out of here."

(Music Cue: Flying Pokéball Chaos (as heard in "Two Hits and a Miss"))

But the Pokémon didn't listen. Instead, they called for backup. More Omanyte, Omastar, Kabuto, and Kabutops surrounded Tristan and Pidgeot, leaving them with nowhere to run.

"These Pokémon have us trapped!" exclaimed Tristan. "There's no other choice. We'll have to battle our way out." He took out two more Pokéballs and threw them. "Ivysaur, Lapras, I choose you!"

Ivysaur and Lapras materialized from the white lights that shot out of them and readied themselves for battle.

All the Pokémon started charging for Tristan and his Pokémon for an attack.

"Lapras, Water Gun attack! Ivysaur, use your Razor Leaf attack!" ordered Tristan.

Lapras fired a powerful stream of water from its mouth at the fossil Pokémon in one direction while Ivysaur fired a flurry of razor sharp leaves in another.

They scored hits, but neither would give up without a real fight, so they charged in again.

"Those Pokémon look like they're really strong," said Tristan. "Go, Pidgeot, blow them away with your Gust attack!"

Pidgeot furiously flapped its wings and created huge gusts of wind like hammers at the fossil Pokémon.

The fossil Pokémon were hit by the hammer-like gusts, and one by one, they fell back.

However, Omastar proceeded to spin quickly, using the spikes on its shell to try and attack Tristan's Ivysaur and Lapras. Kabutops charged using the scythes to try and attack Pidgeot.

Pidgeot narrowly dodged Kabutops' Slash attack, while Ivysaur and Lapras both avoided Omastar's attack.

"Okay, everybody, let 'em have it!" commanded Tristan.

Pidgeot flapped its wings furiously, creating another Gust attack; Ivysaur fired another Razor Leaf attack; Lapras shot another Water Gun from its mouth. All the attacks combined into one powerful blast and struck all the fossil Pokémon, causing them to beat a hasty retreat.

"Boy, that was a close one," said Tristan. "Thanks, everyone." However, he wasn't certain if the combined blast was the only reason why the fossil Pokémon ran away.

Just then, Pidgeot sensed something else, and it knew it was much worse than the threat that they just encountered.

"Is something coming, Pidgeot?" asked Tristan.

(Music Cue: Brutal Pokémon Appears (orchestra version))

Just when Pidgeot was about to reply, a large shadow swooped down from out of nowhere. Pidgeot managed to avoid it in time, but unfortunately, Ivysaur was struck by the large shadowy figure, sending it flying backward into one of the walls.

"Ivysaur!" cried Tristan as he ran toward it. "Are you okay?"

Ivysaur gave a weak reply and fainted.

"You'd better get some rest, Ivysaur," advised Tristan as he returned it to its Pokéball. He then turned to see a large reptilian bipedal Pokémon with large membranous wings revealing itself coming out of the shadows. It had a gaping mouth with many sharp teeth.

The large Pokémon landed on the ground and roared loudly to signal its appearance, and it looked like it was very angry.

"That's a scary roar," said Tristan as he scanned the large Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Aerodactyl: The Fossil Pokémon," identified Dexter. "This Pokémon was resurrected from the genes of an ancient dinosaur. This Pokémon uses its sharp claws to capture its prey and uses its fangs to go for its throat."

"Now I understand why the others ran away," said Tristan. "They knew that Aerodactyl was coming, so they ran deep inside this cave so they could avoid any danger."

Aerodactyl roared again, and it was louder than its last one.

Everyone covered their ears from the loud roar.

As soon as the roaring stopped, Tristan uncovered his ears. Unafraid, he faced Aerodactyl. "You've got some nerve attacking my Ivysaur from out of nowhere like that, Aerodactyl!" scolded Tristan. "Why did you have to hurt it?"

Aerodactyl just stood there as if it didn't hear him.

"Well?" said Tristan, who was getting more impatient. "It's time for you to explain yourself!"

Aerodactyl just stood there and roared, causing everyone to cover their ears again.

The roaring stopped again and everyone uncovered their ears.

"It doesn't look like Aerodactyl wants to listen to me," said Tristan to his Pokémon. "I guess we'll have to battle this one, too. So we'll have to be tough." He turned to Aerodactyl. "Now, you listen! Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to pick on smaller people or Pokémon! You may have huge teeth and sharp claws, but you don't mess with us! Because if you do, we'll make sure you lose!"

(Music Cue: Raid!)

Aerodactyl had heard enough of Tristan's ranting, so it flapped its huge wings and flew toward Tristan and his Pokémon.

"Run for it, guys!" shouted Tristan as he, Lapras, and Pidgeot ran away from Aerodactyl as fast as they could. But just then, Tristan tripped and fell on the ground.

Pidgeot turned and saw Tristan in danger, so it turned tail and quickly rammed into Aerodactyl using Quick Attack to protect him.

Pidgeot landed next to Tristan and helped him get back on his feet.

"That was close. Thanks, Pidgeot," said Tristan.

Pidgeot bent down so Tristan could climb on its back, and he immediately did so. They quickly took off above the ground to try and outrun Aerodactyl.

"This is much faster than running," said Tristan as he hung on tight to Pidgeot. "Let's just hope Aerodactyl isn't as good as catching us as the Pokédex says it is."

But just then, Aerodactyl flew behind Tristan and Pidgeot and proceeded to grab him from above!

Tristan looked over his shoulder as Aerodactyl closed in on him. "Lapras, use your Ice Beam attack, fast!" he cried.

Lapras fired an ice-cold beam from its mouth and tried to hit Aerodactyl with it, but time after time, it avoided Lapras's attack.

Aerodactyl proceeded to grab Tristan with its huge claws.

Tristan braced himself as he hung on to Pidgeot as tightly as he could in order to avoid being grabbed.

But just then, a yellow stream of electricity shot out from out of nowhere and struck Aerodactyl, dealing some damage to it.

Tristan turned around to see Hillary, Pikachu, Officer Jenny, and Blastoise running to his rescue.

(Music Cue: Gym (Version 1) 1997-1998 as heard in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne")

"We're coming, Tristan!" shouted Hillary.

"Are you all right?" asked Officer Jenny.

"I am now," answered Tristan. "You guys came just in time."

Pidgeot landed back on the ground, allowing Tristan to dismount.

Tristan and Hillary ran to each other and embraced.

"I'm so glad you're okay," said Hillary. "I had Blastoise help dig into the canyon to try and find you."

"That was just the right thing to do," replied Tristan. "You stayed calm and gave Officer Jenny the information she needed. I'm very proud of you."

Hillary handed Tristan a Pokéball. Sure enough, it was Blastoise's Pokéball. "I believe this is yours."

"Thanks a lot, sis," replied Tristan.

"Perhaps you want to save the reunion for later," advised Officer Jenny. "That Pokémon looks pretty peeved."

Sure enough, Aerodactyl charged in for another attack, and tried to grab Tristan again.

But Tristan wouldn't have any of that. "All right, Blastoise, give Aerodactyl a dose of your Hydro Pump," he instructed.

Blastoise's cannons were extended, and two powerful blasts of water shot out from them at Aerodactyl.

Aerodactyl narrowly dodged them, but didn't see Lapras standing in front of it, waiting to attack.

"Lapras, Water Gun!" ordered Tristan.

Lapras shot a powerful close range stream of water from its mouth at Aerodactyl, blasting it backward. The powerful attack was too much, and it caused Aerodactyl to retreat back to where it came from.

"Way to go, guys," said Tristan.

Blastoise and Lapras nodded and replied happily.

"Now let's see if we can get out of here," said Hillary.

"Agreed," said Tristan as he returned Lapras to its Pokéball. He turned to Blastoise. "Blastoise, do you think you can help us get out of here?"

Blastoise nodded.

"Hillary and Officer Jenny, go ahead and hop on Blastoise," said Tristan.

They both did as told while Tristan and Pikachu got on Pidgeot's back.

Blastouse quickly soaked the ground with Hydro Pump, then it used the sharp claws on its hands to quickly dig a large tunnel.

"All right, let's go!" shouted Tristan as he and Pikachu held on to Pidgeot

Blastoise led the charge as Hillary and Officer Jenny held on tight and Pidgeot followed them.

It was a fast ride for all parties as everyone held on for dear life and Blastoise continued to dig through the walls.

Moments later, Blastoise emerged above the surface of Grampa Canyon while Pidgeot flew out right behind it.

Pidgeot landed right next to Blastoise just before everyone dismounted. They all cheered for their latest victory over being rescued from a cave with an Aerodactyl almost making Tristan its next meal.

(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)

"Boy, I'm sure glad that's over," said Tristan as the sun started to set.

"So am I," added Hillary.

"I'm just glad I came along when I did," said Officer Jenny. "Grampa Canyon has been labeled as a danger zone ever since the first cave collapse."

"We were just trying to find our way to Cinnabar Island so I could compete for my seventh badge," explained Tristan. "I didn't know that this area was off limits."

"Well, then, you're in luck," replied Officer Jenny. "Just take this road out of Grampa Canyon, and you'll find the way back to Fuschia City. Once you're there, take the sea to Cinnabar Island."

"Thanks a lot, Officer Jenny," said Hillary. "You've been a really big help."

"You're very welcome," replied Officer Jenny. "Take care, kids!"

"You, too," said Tristan and Hillary together as they set off and waved good-bye.

Pikachu waved good-bye also.

Well, this is an adventure that will go down into history for Tristan and Hillary as they continue on towards Cinnabar Island.

TO BE CONTINUED...