AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 96 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. I had gotten some inspiration to write this chapter after seeing the Pokémon: Master Quest episode: "Just Add Water." Some parts of this chapter remain the same, but there are many more parts that are completely different. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary pay a visit to the Coastline Gym and meet its leader, Dorian. Of course, their nemesis, Taz, is planning to steal as many Water Pokémon as he can.
Chapter 96: FROM COASTLINE TO COASTLINE
(Music Cue: Opening & Title Screen 1999-2001 (as heard at the end of "A Shadow of a Drought"))
With that coveted eighth badge safely in Tristan's possession, our heroes continue their journey to New Bark Town, where Tristan plans to register for the upcoming Johto League Silver Conference.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi walked down the rocky road later that day.
Hillary started to groan and sat down on the ground.
Tristan stopped and looked over. "What's wrong, sis?"
"I can't go another step," complained Hillary. "How much further do we have to go to get to New Bark Town?"
"Well, I suppose we could take a break," suggested Tristan. "Or we could just take in the sights. Or we could..."
"Please, Tristan, can't we just stop and rest?" groaned Hillary. "My feet are killing me!" Presently, she saw an underground passageway. "Hey, check it out."
Tristan looked over. "Looks like a tunnel." Quickly, he checked the map on his Poké Gear. "According to this, if we cross it, it'll take us straight to the ocean."
"The ocean? All right!" Hillary quickly stood up and got excited. Then she raced into the tunnel. "Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!"
"Hey, not so fast, Hillary! Wait for us!" called Tristan as he and Pikachu raced after her.
(Music Cue: Sunbasking)
They emerged from the other end of the tunnel a few minutes later and came to the sea.
"Well, you were right, Tristan," said Hillary. "We're at the ocean. And we're at a pretty cool beach. And just in time, too, because my feet are starting to really get tired."
"Mine, too," replied Tristan. "We should rest here for a while and go swimming."
"Okay!" agreed Hillary as she took out her Poké Balls. "Okay, everybody, come on out!"
Hillary's Squirtle, Eevee, Pichu, Lapras, and Cyndaquil emerged from the white lights that shot out of her Poké Balls.
Squirtle and Lapras happily jumped into the water and splashed some onto poor Cyndaquil, who quickly hid behind Hillary.
"Poor Cyndaquil," she remarked. "Being a Fire-type, it's no wonder it doesn't like the water."
Cyndaquil nodded in agreement.
"I think my Pokémon should join in on the fun, too," suggested Tristan as he tossed his Poké Balls in the air.
Meganium, Quilava, Feraligatr, Pupitar, and Dratini emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
Tristan and Hillary changed into their swim gear, and they along with Pikachu jumped into the water to join their Water Pokémon.
Feraligatr and Dratini came in right next to them and joined Squirtle and Lapras, who happily accepted their company.
"Don't swim too far, Dratini, and be sure to stay with the others," advised Tristan.
Dratini nodded and played with Squirtle, Lapras, and Feraligatr.
"Hey, sis, let's have a little swimming race close to the shoreline," suggested Tristan.
"You're on!" agreed Hillary.
And they swam along as their Water Pokémon watched them.
Pikachu, Pichu, and Togepi were at the shallow end of the water and had fun splashing each other.
Meganium enjoyed having water splash all over it, but Pupitar, Cyndaquil, and Quilava stayed far away from it and soaked in the sun's rays on the soft sand instead.
Eventually, even Meganium decided that it had enough water to refresh it, and joined them as it closed its eyes and rested in the sunlight.
After swimming and resting up, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi resumed their journey.
"That was great," said Tristan. "I guess I needed it."
"I did, too," agreed Hillary. "Even Squirtle and Lapras needed some time to swim and get some exercise. We should do this more often."
Presently, they came to a sign pointing the way to what appeared to be a huge stadium.
"COASTLINE GYM: STRAIGHT AHEAD," read Tristan. "SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING EVENT: TODAY."
"I've never heard of the Coastline Gym before, have you?" asked Hillary.
"No, I haven't," replied Tristan as he checked his Poké Gear. "According to this, it's not even on the map."
"Well, I know you have eight badges for the Johto League," said Hillary. "Why don't we check out the Coastline Gym and see the Synchronized Swimming Event right now?"
"All right," agreed Tristan. "But only because you want to, and because you're my sister."
"I thought you'd see it my way," chuckled Hillary.
Togepi chirped and giggled in agreement.
A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination.
A teenage boy wearing a straw hat greeted them. "Welcome to Synchronized Swimming Event. It's just about to begin right over there." He pointed to a large stadium with water in it.
"Look at that!" said Tristan.
"That's awesome!" agreed Hillary.
They entered the building and took their seats.
"Do you think this will be like the Cerulean Gym?" wondered Hillary.
"It sure looks like the Cerulean Gym," replied Tristan.
(Music Cue: Fighting Spirit (as heard in "Pallet Party Panic"))
Presently, they heard music.
"Ah! Showtime!" said Tristan.
Three Water Pokémon emerged above the surface. They were a blue Pokémon resembling an anglerfish, a Pokémon with a spherical body and flat-shaped tail, and a large manta ray-like Pokémon with large fins.
"A Lanturn, a Qwilfish, and a Mantine!" said Hillary excitedly.
Seconds later, a pair of feet emerged from the water, then dove back down. Then just as quickly, a teenage boy leaped out of the water with the Pokémon.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi all gasped, for they knew who it was: It was the same boy they met at the entrance.
The boy, along with his Pokémon swam in perfect sync with one another. It was like they'd been swimming together for years.
"Just look at them go!" said Tristan.
"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "He's doing a great job with those Pokémon."
They continued to watch the show and enjoyed every moment.
However, not too far away, Taz was preparing another fiendish plan. "Those Water Pokémon sure would make a nice price on the Poké Market. I think I'd better put on my swimming gear." And he sniggered away.
"How'd you guys like the show?" asked the boy to Tristan and Hillary.
"We loved it," answered Hillary. "You and the Pokémon were in perfect sync."
"They're really well-trained," added Tristan. "Do they all belong to you?"
"Yes, they do," answered the boy. "And as you may know, this is also a Gym. My name's Dorian, and I'm the guy in charge here."
"Hi, I'm Tristan from New Bark Town," said Tristan. "This is Pikachu."
Pikachu greeted Dorian warmly.
"Hi, I'm his sister, Hillary," said Hillary. "And this is Togepi."
Togepi trilled happily.
"It's nice to meet you," smiled Dorian. "I'll give you guys the grand tour."
(Music Cue: Pikachu Appears!)
And he led them inside and showed them a room, which had windows that showed the underwater world. "Welcome to the inner workings of the Coastline Gym."
"It's like an aquarium," said Tristan.
"You can see under the sea from here," added Hillary. Presently, she saw three beautiful girls, all of whom looked familiar to her. "Tristan, look!"
Tristan recognized the girls. "It's Lily, Daisy, and Violet!"
Dorian was surprised. "You've met them before?"
Tristan and Hillary nodded.
"We were at the Cerulean Gym at the beginning of our first journey together," explained Tristan. "We even performed in The Magical Mermaid together."
"Oh, that was a blast," agreed Hillary. "I was the mermaid and Tristan was the prince who rescued me."
"Wow!" said Dorian. "I sure wish I could've been there to see you in that show."
"So why did you make a Gym like this in the first place, Dorian?" asked Tristan.
"I've always loved Water Pokémon," answered Dorian. "And I've been to the Cerulean Gym tons of times. My dream is to someday have a Gym just like the Cerulean Gym. For the time being, however, it's still a private Gym."
"I suppose that's why we've never heard of the Coastline Gym before," said Hillary. Then she saw one more picture of Dorian with a red-hair girl with a ponytail. She was very surprised. "Is that Misty in the picture with you?"
"Yes, it is," answered Dorian. "She and two other Pokémon Trainers, Ash and Brock, were at the Coastline Gym just a few days ago, and I showed them some of the ebbs and flows of underwater battling."
"We saw Misty and Ash compete against each other in the Whirl Cup on T.V. on our way to Azalea Town," added Hillary. "And Misty won."
"Wow! Really?" exclaimed Dorian excitedly.
"I still miss my chocolate shake," grumbled Tristan.
"Oh, don't be a sour puss, Tristan," said Hillary. "Besides, you can always get another one anytime." She turned to Dorian. "Hey, Dorian, you mentioned before that you did underwater battles here. Would you mind doing some underwater battling with us?"
"Fine with me," agreed Dorian.
"Hey, how about battling with me first?" suggested Tristan. "I wanna give some of my Pokémon a good workout before the Silver Conference. And Dratini hasn't had a chance to battle since I caught it."
"I accept, Tristan," answered Dorian.
Presently, Togepi yawned loudly.
"I guess it's Togepi's naptime," chuckled Hillary. "I'll just set Togepi over there so it can nap." And she carefully placed Togepi in her little backpack, which she carefully placed in a safe spot so it could sleep undisturbed.
Dorian gave Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu mouthpieces to breathe underwater. Then he took off his shirt and revealed his swimming trunks underneath it.
Then they all dove to the bottom of the aquarium where a battlefield was located. It had big rocks all over it.
Tristan and Dorian stood on opposite sides of the battlefield.
"We'll have a one-on-one battle," suggested Dorian. "Agreed?"
"Agreed," answered Tristan. "I've been wanting to give Dratini a good workout. It may not be a Water Pokémon, but it sure can swim." He then threw his Poké Ball.
Dratini emerged from the white light that shot out of it. But as soon as it saw Dorian and his Water Pokémon, it quickly swam into Tristan's arms and curled itself up.
"I guess that Dratini of yours is pretty shy," remarked Dorian.
"Yeah," agreed Tristan. "It doesn't really feel comfortable around anyone except the people it knows well."
"Okay, then, I'll go with my Mantine," said Dorian.
Mantine swam in front of him and prepared to battle Dratini.
"Hillary, would you kindly judge the match for us?" asked Tristan.
"Well, I don't know," replied Hillary. "I've never judged a match before, but I'll give it my best shot."
(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon (full version as heard in "The Underground Roundup"))
Tristan felt confident, but felt nervous for Dratini inside. However, he quickly brushed his nervousness aside, for he knew that this was Dratini's first battle under his ownership, and he knew that he had to maintain composure.
Hillary felt a little nervous, but she got down to it. "Um, okay. I believe I know what I'm supposed to say. This battle between Tristan from New Bark Town and Dorian from the Coastline Gym will now begin with both Trainers using one Pokémon each. Begin!"
"Mantine, use BubbleBeam!" instructed Dorian.
Mantine unleashed a stream of light blue bubbles from its mouth at Dratini.
"Dratini, use ExtremeSpeed to dodge it!" commanded Tristan.
"What?! ExtremeSpeed?!" gasped Dorian.
Quickly, Dratini vanished and appeared right above Mantine, dodging its BubbleBeam in the process.
"Whoa, talk about lightning fast!" remarked Hillary. "Dratini's got excellent swimming skills, particularly underwater!"
"Now, Mantine, use Wing Attack!" ordered Dorian.
Mantine charged at Dratini using its wings to attack.
"Dratini, use ExtremeSpeed again!" instructed Tristan.
Once more, Dratini vanished and appeared below Mantine.
"Now attack!" ordered Tristan.
Dratini swam and struck Mantine at lightning speed, surprising Dorian.
"Well, I must admit, Tristan, that was impressive," smiled Dorian. "But I see how to play your little speed game. Mantine, use Agility."
Mantine vanished and appeared in a different spot on the battlefield just as Dratini did. Sure enough, it was catching up to Dratini at breakneck speed.
"Keep up the ExtremeSpeed, Dratini!" commanded Tristan.
Dratini kept on vanishing and reappearing in different spots at a lightning fast pace, but no matter how hard it tried, Mantine's Agility matched it move for move.
"Now, Mantine, Supersonic!" shouted Dorian.
An orb appeared between Mantine's ears and unleashed a group of circles from them, and enveloped Dratini in them.
As a result, Dratini became confused.
"What's wrong, Dratini?" asked Tristan.
"That Supersonic attack confused it," answered Hillary.
"Now Mantine, Tackle attack from below!" commanded Dorian.
Mantine flew at Dratini and struck it from underneath, causing them both to fly above the surface of the water.
"Dratini!" shouted Tristan.
"Now, Tackle attack from above!" instructed Dorian.
Mantine flew above Dratini and tackled it head on from high above, sending it down below the surface and onto the sea floor.
"Tristan, you can attack from above or below when you're underwater," advised Hillary. "So the way you battle on land won't work as well here. And Dorian is used to battling underwater."
"Got it, sis," replied Tristan.
"One more time, Mantine," said Dorian. "Go into another Tackle attack from below!"
As Dratini started rising higher and higher, Mantine flew at it from below again.
But Tristan was ready for the surprise attack. "Dratini, use ExtremeSpeed!"
Dratini vanished just as Mantine got within striking distance. Then it appeared underneath Mantine.
"Now attack!" ordered Tristan.
Quickly, Dratini used its ExtremeSpeed to deal an impressive amount of damage to Mantine just as Mantine attacked it.
"Very impressive," smiled Dorian. "But now, it's time to finish this. Mantine, finish it off with Wing Attack!"
Mantine flew at Dratini and struck it hard using its wings,, sending it careening into one of the giant rocks.
"No, Dratini!" cried Tristan.
Dratini had a dazed expression in its eyes. It had been knocked out.
"Dratini is unable to battle!" declared Hillary. "Mantine wins, and the victory goes to Dorian of the Coastline Gym!"
"Well, it looks like that's that," said Dorian.
Tristan swam over to Dratini and held it in his arms. "Are you okay, Dratini?" asked Tristan.
Dratini opened its eyes and gave a tired, but happy nod.
"You were really great," commended Tristan. "Take a nice, long rest." And he returned Dratini back to its Poké Ball.
"You were excellent, too, Tristan," smiled Dorian. "That Dratini of yours is really fast, let alone strong. Keep up the training, and you two will definitely be a force to be reckoned with next time we battle."
Tristan nodded in agreement. "It was a very good experience, Dorian. But the next time we battle, we're gonna win."
Pikachu agreed.
"Okay, Dorian, now it's my turn," said Hillary. "What do you say we have a two-on-two battle?"
"Hillary, you read my mind," replied Dorian.
(Music Cue: Johto Rival Theme (as heard in "Trouble's Brewing"))
A moment later, Hillary and Dorian stood on opposite sides of the battlefield as Tristan and Pikachu watched.
"I hope you're ready for a real battle, Hillary, because this is one experience I guarantee that you will never forget," said Dorian.
"Yeah!" agreed Hillary. "I'm ready to go."
"Lanturn, you're up!" said Dorian.
Lanturn swam in front of Dorian and prepared for battle.
"All right, are you ready to go, Squirtle?" asked Hillary.
Squirtle happily nodded and swam in front of Hillary as it prepared to face Lanturn.
"Lanturn, Water Gun!" instructed Dorian.
Lanturn shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, use your Water Gun attack, too!" commanded Hillary.
Squirtle countered with a powerful blast of water of its own.
Both attacks were perfectly matched with neither side giving an inch.
"Now, Lanturn, give it a Supersonic attack!" ordered Dorian.
On Dorian's command, Lanturn unleashed clear rings from its mouth at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, dodge and use Tackle attack!" shouted Hillary.
Squirtle nimbly dodged Lanturn's Supersonic and rammed into it full-body style, scoring a direct hit in the process.
"Now Tackle from below!" instructed Hillary.
"What? From below?!" gasped Dorian.
Squirtle rammed into Lanturn from underneath, sending it careening above the surface.
"Now Tackle from above!" ordered Hillary.
Squirtle quickly rose above the surface. and like Lanturn, became airborne. Then it flew over Lanturn and rammed into it right from above.
"Now put it in repeat, Squirtle!" instructed Hillary.
Squirtle Tackled Lanturn head on from above and below in a continuous pattern, scoring clean hits every time.
"Yeah, that's showing him, Squirtle!" commended Tristan as he and Pikachu cheered loudly for it and Hillary.
"Hey, not bad, Hillary," smiled Dorian. "I guess you're learning my underwater battle strategy. But now it's time for a surprise attack. Lanturn, Supersonic!"
Lanturn unleashed another barrage of clear rings from its mouth, but this time, they surrounded Squirtle, and it couldn't dodge them this time.
Squirtle stood in a daze, and was very confused as a result.
"Oh, no!" cried Hillary.
"This is like a replay of my match!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Now, Lanturn, Spark, let's go!" ordered Dorian.
Lanturn's antennae glowed blue, and it unleashed a blue bolt of electricity from it, and scored a direct hit on Squirtle, who felt the shock.
"Lanturn, finish it with Tackle attack!" commanded Dorian.
Lanturn charged toward a shocked and confused Squirtle as fast as it could, and scored a direct hit on it, sending it careening into a nearby rock.
"No, Squirtle!" cried Hillary.
Squirtle had a dazed expression in its eyes; it had been knocked out.
"Looks like it's the end of the line for your Squirtle," smiled Dorian. He then turned to Lanturn. "Great job, Lanturn. Come back and rest."
Lanturn swam behind Dorian.
Hillary gently held Squirtle in her arms. "How are you feeling, Squirtle?" she asked.
Squirtle opened its eyes and gave a nod with a weak and happy reply.
"Great job," commended Hillary as she took out Squirtle's Poké Ball. "You earned a good rest." And she recalled Squirtle back into its Poké Ball.
"That Spark attack really did Squirtle in big time," remarked Tristan.
"I know," agreed Hillary. "Lanturn's Electric attacks really took me by surprise. But luckily, I've got a surprise for him. I choose..."
But before Hillary could choose her second Pokémon, a Hydro Pump attack came out of nowhere, and blaster her and everyone else to the ocean floor.
Nobody was hurt, but Dorian was most annoyed. "What's the meaning of this?!"
A cackle was heard just after Dorian asked that very question.
Everyone turned around to see a Gyarados-shaped submarine.
"Look at that!" gasped Hillary. "That's a gigantic Gyarados!"
"Not quite," corrected Tristan. "That's Taz in his submarine."
"You got that right, kiddies," cackled Taz. "You should've seen the looks on your faces when Poliwrath came out of the submarine, and its Hydro Pump attack knocked you off your feet in record time. It was priceless."
"That's not funny, Taz!" fumed Hillary. "Somebody could've been hurt! Namely us! Just what are you doing here, anyway?!"
"I only came here to steal some Pokémon, especially your Water Pokémon," replied Taz, pretending to be innocent. "But if you think that's great, then wait till you see what this baby can do!"
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "Enlighten Up"))
And he flipped a switch, and a vortex of water was unleashed from the submarine like a vacuum, knocking everyone away.
"Hang on, everyone!" yelled Dorian.
Tristan managed to hold his ground and took out his Lure Ball. "Feraligatr, Water Gun!" he shouted as he threw it.
Feraligatr emerged from the white light that shot out of the Lure Ball and unleashed a blast of water from its mouth at Taz's submarine.
But the vortex easily blocked Feraligatr's attack, much to Tristan's shock.
"I can help out, Tristan!" said Hillary as she threw a Poké Ball.
Lapras emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Hillary's orders.
"I'm in, too!" added Dorian. "Mantine, use BubbleBeam!"
"Lapras, Water Gun!" commanded Hillary.
Lapras launched a blast of water from its mouth while Mantine unleashed a barrage of clear bubbles from its own mouth.
Both attacks were aimed at the submarine, but the vortex just absorbed them, too.
"No way!" gasped Hillary.
"That vortex is blocking whatever we dish out!" exclaimed Dorian.
"Ha! That's right, and now I'll add these entrées to my meal!" laughed Taz as he turned up the power on his machine.
The vortex had managed to swallow Mantine, Lanturn, Qwilfish, Feraligatr, Lapras, and Squirtle at once.
"No! Our Pokémon!" cried Tristan, Hillary, and Dorian together.
"Now for the big finish!" smirked Taz as he used the vortex to envelop Tristan and his friends, causing them to fall onto the ocean floor.
Fortunately, they weren't sucked into Taz's machine, but Taz himself managed to make a not-so-clean getaway with their Pokémon.
Tristan and his friends managed to get back on their feet.
"Where did Taz go?" asked Hillary.
"He must've gotten away," replied Tristan.
"We have to find him," said Dorian. "He couldn't have gone very far."
Secretly, Hillary was worried; she knew how vulnerable her Lapras was, especially since she didn't do as much training with it as she would've liked.
Tristan and his friends were back on dry land a few minutes later and were searching for Taz. Fortunately for their efforts, Taz's submarine was very easy to follow, for the submarine managed to leave tire tracks on the beach.
"Look at that!" exclaimed Tristan. "Those are tire tracks!"
"Taz must've gone on shore someplace with our Pokémon!" added Dorian.
"So if we follow them, they'll lead us straight to him!" agreed Hillary.
"Let's hurry!" advised Tristan.
Pikachu agreed as it ran alongside them.
Meanwhile, Taz was gloating over his latest catch inside the submarine. "That was way too easy," he said with an evil smirk. "These Pokémon will fetch a nice price."
All the Pokémon looked somewhat miserable, but Hillary's Lapras began to cry.
"Stop that crying," barked Taz, "or I'll really give you something to cry about!"
But Lapras only cried even more loudly.
Presently, Tristan and his friends arrived on the scene as he shouted, "There he is!"
(Music Cue: Raid! (full version as heard in "Extreme Pokémon"))
"All right, Taz, let them go this instant!" demanded Hillary.
"Arrgh!" growled Taz. "Can't those kids find their own fun?! Now, Poliwrath, let's go!" He threw his Poké Ball.
Poliwrath emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"All right then, I choose Pikachu!" replied Tristan.
Pikachu stood in front of him and readied itself for battle.
"Hold on, Tristan," said Hillary. "I think I have an idea." And she snuck around the submarine and listened for the Pokémon's voices.
Lapras sensed her outside and immediately squealed with delight.
"Shh!" whispered Hillary gently. "It's okay. I'm gonna get you outta here. Listen, I want you all to fill the submarine with water using Water Gun."
All the Pokémon nodded and immediately unleashed powerful blasts of water onto the submarine floor.
Taz eyed her suspiciously and said, "I wonder what she's up to." Then he yelled, "Hey, you! Get away from my submarine!"
"Y-y-yes, sir!" trembled Hillary, pretending to be afraid. Then she ran to Tristan. "Sorry about that. You can battle now."
"All right, Pikachu, give Poliwrath a Thunderbolt!" commanded Tristan.
Pikachu unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its cheeks at Poliwrath.
"Go, Poliwrath, Water Gun!" ordered Taz.
Poliwrath unleashed a blast of water from its belly and blocked Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
Both attacks collided, and exploded on contact as a result.
Taz laughed profusely after Tristan's failed attempt. "Looks like you'll have to do better than that, little boy." But suddenly, he heard the sound of water dripping from his submarine. "Hm? What's that?" And he went to go investigate, but when he got there. he saw large drops of water dripping from the side. "Oh, no, I have a leak in my submarine. I'd better open it to check it out." And he quickly opened the hatch.
(Music Cue: Gym (version 1 (as heard in "Fit to Be Tide")))
But that proved to be a serious mistake, for when he opened it, a flood of water rushed out, and with it, all the Pokémon that he had captured. "Aah!" he cried. "My catch of the day!"
Tristan, Hillary, and Dorian all ran to reunite with their Pokémon.
"Are you guys okay?" asked Tristan.
All the Pokémon nodded, including Hillary's Lapras, who embraced her.
Tristan was confused. "How'd you know that Taz would be distracted by the battle, sis?" he asked her.
"Oh, it was quite easy," answered Hillary. "You know how Taz gloats over his so-called victories. So I wanted to make sure that he'd have his guard down, and when he wasn't focused on the leaky submarine, he had no choice but to focus on the battle."
"Now that was pretty foxy, Hillary," smiled Dorian. "And I mean that in a good way."
Taz seethed in anger when he heard about what had happened. "You're gonna pay for tricking me like that! Okay, Poliwrath, hit those losers with your DynamicPunch!"
Poliwrath charged forward and made a fist, which glowed with a bright light, and it aimed straight toward the Water Pokémon.
"Watch out!" cried Tristan and Dorian.
But suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, Hillary's Lapras unleashed an icy cold beam of energy at Poliwrath and scored a direct hit on it, instantly freezing it solid.
"Whoa!" gasped Dorian. "That was an Ice Beam!"
"That's so awesome, Lapras!" commended Hillary. "You know how to use Ice Beam now!"
"That's no fair," complained Taz. "I want to learn how to use Ice Beam, too."
"All you'll be getting, Taz, is the cold shoulder!" retorted Hillary. "Lapras, use your Ice Beam again!"
Lapras unleashed another icy cold beam of energy at Taz, his submarine, and his frozen Poliwrath, causing a huge explosion which sent them blasting off.
"Now that's cold," shivered Taz as he and his Poliwrath disappeared into the sky.
DING!
"That was cool!" said Tristan excitedly. "Your Lapras learned how to use Ice Beam!"
Hillary ran to embrace her Lapras. "You're the hottest and the coolest!"
Lapras cooed and nudged Hillary to show its affection.
(Music Cue: Ecruteak City (full version))
"You know, it's too bad we never got to finish our match, Hillary," said Dorian at sunset that evening.
"Well, you did win one match," replied Hillary.
"I know, but what would've happened if you'd have used Lapras in our battle instead of your Squirtle?"
"I'm not quite sure," answered Hillary. "Why don't we call it a draw? You're a great Water Pokémon Trainer, just like Misty is."
"And not only that, Dorian, you have all these cool Water Pokémon to show for it," added Tristan.
Dorian gave a chuckle, then said, "Okay, why not? So where are you all headed now?"
"We're headed for New Bark Town so I can register for the Johto League Silver Conference in Silver Town less than three months from now," answered Tristan.
"Well, since you have three months to prepare," suggested Dorian, "why don't you take a short trip to Alto Mare?"
"Alto Mare? What's that?" asked Hillary.
"It means 'high sea,'" explained Dorian. "It's a city that's not too far from the Johto mainland. A good friend of mine lives there, plus there's a cool museum that's loaded with history."
"All right! Next stop: Alto Mare!" said Hillary.
Togepi chirped happily in agreement.
"But what about the Silver Conference?" asked Tristan.
"Don't worry, Tristan," Hillary assured him. "We'll get there on time. Besides, it doesn't start for another three months or so. Besides, I think we all need to lighten up a little. You know, to relieve some of the tension?"
Tristan considered. "Well, I suppose we could stop in Alto Mare for a little while."
"That's the spirit, Tristan," said Hillary. She turned to Dorian. "Hey, Dorian, when we get to the Silver Conference, we'll mention the Coastline Gym to everyone we meet because when it comes to underwater battling here, there's nothing quite like it."
"Thanks, Hillary," smiled Dorian. "That'd be great."
"Then that's that," agreed Tristan. "Look out, Alto Mare, here we come!"
Pikachu jumped in agreement.
"Bye, you guys!" called Dorian as he saw them sailing off on Hillary's Lapras. "Come visit the Coastline Gym again sometime!"
"We will! Bye now!" replied Tristan as he and Hillary waved.
"Don't forget to say hi to Daisy, Lily, and Violet for us!" added Hillary.
"I will!" answered Dorian. "And when you see Misty, tell her I said hi, okay?"
"We promise, Dorian!" called Tristan and Hillary together.
Pikachu and Togepi also bade Dorian a fond farewell.
Once again, our heroes have made another new friend. And now with the Silver Conference still fresh in their minds, they sail on, under Dorian's timely suggestion, to Alto Mare, where more exciting adventures await!
► TO BE CONTINUED