AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 7 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue to explore the Johto region. There will be some chapters where they will do some sightseeing. This will be one of them, but there will also be some battle action. As always, please feel free to read and review at your leisure.
TEASER: Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu go sightseeing as they continue their journey to Violet City.
Chapter 7: SIGHTSEEING IS BELIEVING
(Music Cue: Route 1: The Road to Viridian City (M18A)
Today, our heroes are walking from place to place, discovering new Pokémon along the way. Their first stop takes place in a small valley.
"Well, we should be able to get through this valley," said Tristan. "It's supposed to be the fastest way to get to Violet City."
"Yeah, provided we don't get crushed by falling rocks first," replied Hillary.
Pikachu agreed nervously.
Presently, a small gray elephant-like Pokémon made its appearance out of the bushes. It had a thick black band of hide running down the length of its back and extended to the tip of its long trunk.
"That's a cool Pokémon," said Hillary as she scanned it with her Pokédex.
"Donphan: The Armor Pokémon," identified Dexter. "With its strong tusks and tough skin, Donphan is known for its powerful Tackle attack. The length of its tusks indicates its level."
"Aren't Donphan usually bigger than this one?" asked Hillary.
"They should be, but take a look at those tusks," said Tristan. "They look pretty short."
Sure enough, they were short, and didn't look as sharp as those on the Pokédex.
"This Donphan must be a young Donphan," remarked Hillary.
Just then, the little Donphan lifted its trunk and sniffed the ground with its trunk.
"I wonder what it's looking for," said Tristan.
"Oh, that's amberite," answered a voice.
(Music Cue: Today's Johto Pokémon Curiosity)
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were startled to see a girl with green hair wearing an orange headband make her appearance.
"Who are you?" asked Hillary.
"My name's Rochelle," answered Rochelle, "and this Donphan is the least experienced in finding amberite, but it's getting better and stronger each day."
"That one looks very nice," said Hillary. "And cute, too. My name's Hillary."
"And I'm her brother, Tristan," added Tristan. "It's nice to meet you."
"Pikachu!" added Pikachu.
"Has this Donphan found amberite before?" asked Hillary.
"It's found a few pieces of amberite here in the past," answered Rochelle. And she showed Tristan and Hillary the necklace made of the same material. It felt very smooth.
"That's really cool," said Tristan.
Just then, the little Donphan started to walk away.
"Donphan, where are you going? Come back!" called Rochelle.
But the little Donphan continued walking, seemingly ignoring her command.
"What do we do?" asked Tristan.
"What I would normally do," replied Rochelle. And she took out a whistle and blew into it.
The whistle made a high-pitched noise, causing the little Donphan to quickly turn around and go back to Rochelle.
"Whoa, that's amazing!" gasped Hillary. "That Donphan obeyed the whistle just like that!"
"I've been training this Donphan to answer to the whistle for a little bit ever since I met another Trainer quite some time ago," explained Rochelle. "And, as I mentioned, it gets bigger and stronger each and every day.
"Has that Donphan ever been in a battle before?" asked Tristan.
"It's been in a few battles," answered Rochelle. "It wins some and loses some, but that's all part of the experience."
"Do you think you could battle me using that Donphan?" asked Tristan.
Rochelle turned to the little Donphan. "Well, what do you think?"
The little Donphan nodded eagerly.
"All right, we accept," said Rochelle.
"Great!" said Tristan excitedly. He could hardly wait to start battling.
A few moments later, Tristan and Rochelle faced each other on opposite sides of a nearby clearing while Hillary and Pikachu watched.
"We'll battle with just one Pokémon each, agreed?" said Rochelle.
"Agreed," replied Tristan.
(Music Cue: Johto Champion Battle (as heard in "Doin' What Comes Natu-rally"))
Normally, I'd send out Blastoise or Venusaur to take on a powerful Pokémon like Donphan, he thought. But it wouldn't be right to give it an unfair matchup, plus, Chikorita needs the experience. He then took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Chikorita, I choose you!"
Chikorita emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball. It looked eager for battle.
"Why Chikorita?" wondered Hillary. "He could've had an easy win with either Blastoise or Venusaur, but he chose Chikorita instead. I guess he didn't want to be unfair." She then understood Tristan's choice. "That's very considerate."
"Ready, Chikorita?" asked Tristan. "This'll be a tough one."
Chikorita nodded.
"Donphan, Tackle attack!" commanded Rochelle.
The little Donphan charged toward Chikorita.
"Chikorita, jump and use Razor Leaf!" ordered Tristan.
Chikorita nimbly jumped into the air, evading Donphan's Tackle attack, and shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at it, scoring a hit in the process.
"Not bad, Tristan," smiled Rochelle. "That little Chikorita's very nimble. Donphan, use Defense Curl."
Instantly, the little Donphan curled up into a ball to protect itself from Chikorita's Razor Leaf.
"That defense won't stop us," said Tristan. "Chikorita, Vine Whip attack!"
Chikorita shot two green vines from its bud necklace and struck Donphan repeatedly, but the little Donphan didn't seem to take much notice.
"That Donphan's stronger than I thought," grunted Tristan.
"Okay, it's time for a surprise," said Rochelle. "Donphan, use Rollout attack."
Donphan started rolling like a wheel at incredible speed.
"Goodness, that's fast!" gasped Hillary.
Sure enough, Donphan was rolling faster and faster...too fast for Chikorita to dodge it, as it struck it head on, sending it skyward.
"Don't give up, Chikorita," encouraged Tristan. "Stop it with Tackle attack!"
Chikorita landed neatly on its feet and charged at the rolling Donphan.
"Donphan, show Chikorita who's on a roll with another Rollout attack," instructed Rochelle.
At Rochelle's command, Donphan rolled even faster, much to Tristan's surprise.
Unfortunately for Chikorita, Donphan's Rollout attack proved to be much stronger and faster as it was struck again, sending it flying.
"Chikorita's in trouble!" exclaimed Hillary.
"Chikorita!" cried Tristan as he ran to catch a falling Chikorita in his arms. "Are you okay, Chikorita?"
Chikorita had a dazed expression on its face as it gave a weak reply. It had been knocked out by Donphan's second Rollout attack.
Donphan stopped its attack and came back to Rochelle's side.
"Great job, my little Donphan," commended Rochelle as she gently stroked it.
Donphan gave a happy reply.
"You were great, Chikorita," said Tristan. "You deserve a good rest." And he returned Chikorita to its Pokéball. "Does Rollout get stronger every time it strikes an opponent?"
(Music Cue: Bicycle 1997-1998)
"Yes, it does," answered Rochelle. "That's an excellent question. Not very many Trainers ask me that. And the more times it strikes, the faster and harder it goes, and the more damage the opponents take. That Chikorita of yours was good. I think that battle will help this Donphan get even stronger."
"Well, thanks, Rochelle, but truth be told, Chikorita and I haven't been together for very long," replied Tristan. "We still need a little practice, but I know this was a good experience for the both of us."
"That's the spirit, Tristan," said Hillary. "With an attitude like that, you'll always be a winner."
"Right, and that's what'll help me win my first Johto League badge!" added Tristan.
"Pi-Pikachu!" agreed Pikachu.
"So, I guess that means you're on your way to Violet City then, right?" asked Rochelle.
"That's right," answered Tristan.
"Then you should be able to get through this valley, through that dark forest, into the next town, and through the snowy mountains," explained Rochelle. "I think you're going to enjoy some of the other towns along the way, too."
"That's a lot of steps to take," remarked Hillary.
"But we can do it," added Tristan. "Who knows? Maybe we could even find some rare Pokémon."
"Yeah!" Hillary's face brightened up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see if we can catch 'em!"
Rochelle gave a chuckle as Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu began to depart. "Well, good luck on your journey."
"Thanks!" called Tristan and Hillary as they continued on.
And Rochelle waved to them until they were out of sight.
(Music Cue: You Have to Earn Respect)
That night, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu came to a thick, dark forest.
"Oh, great," said Hillary. "I can't see a thing in here."
"Hmm," replied Tristan. "Maybe I should check my PokéGear to see where we are." He took out his PokéGear, pushed some buttons, and came to the map. "It looks like we went the right way. But I don't remember this forest being on the map."
"Maybe we should stop and set up camp for the night," suggested Hillary as she checked her PokéGear. "I don't see any Pokémon Centers nearby, and there's no way we can find one before the sun comes up anyway. And besides..." She then yawned. "I'm getting kind of sleepy after walking all day."
Tristan reluctantly agreed to the idea as he started to take out his sleeping bag. He didn't believe it at first, but he was getting tired as well. "At least nobody will bother us.
Presently, eerie sounds came from deeper in the forest.
"Did you hear that, Hillary?" asked Tristan nervously.
"It's just the wind, Tristan," replied Hillary.
"Oh," sighed Tristan. "I thought I heard something.
Just then, menacing faces began to appear on the trees as the eerie sounds got closer and closer.
"This can't be real, can it?" shivered Tristan.
"Oh, come on, Tristan," snorted Hillary. "You know ghosts like this don't..." But then she saw the scary faces on those trees. "Yipes!"
The faces laughed evilly and spookily.
(Music Cue: Raid! (as heard in "Shell Shock!"))
"I told you I heard something!" said Tristan. "Now we see that something!"
"Run for it!" screamed Hillary as she, Tristan, and Pikachu ran from those trees.
But no matter which way they ran, those trees seemed to appear in front of them.
"It's no use," said Tristan. "We can't outrun these things!"
"Go away! Go away!" yelled Hillary.
"Hoothoot, use Foresight!" ordered a voice.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu all gasped in shock as a beam of red light shot toward the trees. As they watched, the scary faces on the trees disappeared, and everything was back to normal.
"Who just saved us?" wondered Hillary.
"I don't know," replied Tristan.
"Hmph!" said the voice as he made his appearance. He had red hair.
Tristan knew who it was. "It's Silver," he whispered.
"You both are so pathetic," smirked Silver. "Falling for some illusion like that."
"Hey, we didn't know that those scary trees were illusions, okay?!" protested Hillary.
"Any wise Trainer should know that illusions like that don't exist."
A round owl-like bird Pokémon seemed to agree with him. The Pokémon had two big round red eyes, two stubby wings and a short fan-shaped tail.
"Who's that Pokémon?" wondered Tristan as he scanned it with his Pokédex.
"Hoothoot: The Owl Pokémon," identified Dexter. "Hoothoot stands on one leg, but uses both powerful eyes to see clearly, even through the darkest night."
"Don't tell me that you don't know anything about Hoothoot either," grumbled Silver. He then smirked. "You're even more pathetic than I first thought." He turned to Hoothoot. "Come on, Hoothoot, let's leave those losers in shame."
Hoothoot agreed and hopped off right behind Silver.
"I can't stand that guy!" fumed Hillary. "The next time I see him, he's gonna be sorry!" Hillary was so angry that she forgot how tired she really was.
"All right, take it easy, Hillary," advised Tristan. "Silver wants us to get worked up."
"I am not getting worked up!" snapped Hillary. "I don't care how smart he thinks he is! Nobody insults me like that!" And she ran off to try and catch Silver before Tristan could stop her.
Silver and Hoothoot saw her coming and quickly turned around. "What do you want?"
(Music Cue: Ash'd Decision to Fight (first part)
"I challenge you and Hoothoot to a battle!" demanded Hillary. "We'll see how powerful that Hoothoot really isn't!"
"I'd battle you with Hoothoot except..." began Silver.
"Except what?!" exclaimed Hillary. "That it would lose to my Pokémon?"
"No, that's not it at all, now listen," insisted Silver. "This Hoothoot is a rental. A nice old lady named Hagatha gave it to me so I could use it to get through this forest. And, even though I'd like to train it to become strong, it's not worth the risk."
"At least he's sensible at doing something," murmured Tristan.
"Fine then," said Hillary. "Then we'll battle one-on-one! Any Pokémon of yours against any Pokémon of mine!"
"I'll accept that," replied Silver. "But I should warn you that this battle will make our last one seem like a fond memory."
(Music Cue: Johto Rival's Theme (as heard in "The Grass Route"))
A moment later, Hillary and Silver faced each other as Tristan and Pikachu watched nervously.
"I don't know about this," said Tristan to Pikachu. "Hillary doesn't know what she's gotten herself into, nor does she know how much stronger Silver's gotten since we first met."
Pikachu agreed with him.
"Totodile, battle mode!" shouted Silver as he threw a Pokéball.
Totodile emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
If Silver's Totodile has gotten stronger, he'll expect me to use Cyndaquil like I did last time, thought Hillary. But maybe I can beat him with another Water-type instead. Squirtle's the perfect choice. "Okay, Squirtle, let's do it!" she shouted as she threw a Pokéball.
Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it and faced Totodile.
"So, you've chosen a Squirtle," smirked Silver. "That's lame. Totodile, Water Gun!"
Totodile shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth towards Squirtle.
"Squirtle, use your Water Gun attack too!" commanded Hillary.
Squirtle shot a powerful blast of water at Totodile.
Both Water Gun attacks were evenly matched.
"So, it's a standoff," smirked Silver. "We can fix that. Totodile, jump and use Bite now!"
Totodile jumped high into the air and opened its mouth, showing its sharp teeth.
"Squirtle, Withdraw!" instructed Hillary.
Squirtle's head and limbs disappeared into its shell, thus negating Totodile's Bite attack.
But that was the opening Silver had been waiting for. "Blast it with Water Gun!"
Totodile shot another powerful blast of water from its mouth at Squirtle's shell, scoring a hit on it and sending it flying.
Squirtle's flight surprised it so much that its head and limbs emerged from its shell as it went into a free fall.
"Squirtle!" cried Hillary.
"This is bad," said Tristan nervously. "Squirtle's Withdraw prevented Bite from working, but this time, Withdraw worked to Totodile's advantage when its Water Gun attack blasted it!"
"That's right," replied Silver. "And now that Squirtle's been sent skyward, we can move in and do some serious damage. Totodile, finish it off with Scratch attack!"
Totodile rushed in and just as Squirtle was within striking distance, Totodile furiously scratched a defenseless Squirtle repeatedly, causing it to take a lot of damage as it fell to the ground.
"Squirtle, no!" cried Hillary.
Squirtle had a dazed expression on its face. It had been knocked out.
Silver smirked. "Now that was too easy." And he returned Totodile to its Pokéball.
Hillary quickly rushed to Squirtle. "Squirtle, are you okay? Say something!"
Squirtle opened its eyes and gave a weak reply.
"You were great, Squirtle," said Hillary. "I guess my strategy was a bit off."
"Now that that's done, I'm outta here," said Silver. "Later, weaklings." Then he turned his back on Tristan and Hillary and walked away.
Hoothoot turned around and hopped right behind him.
Hillary seethed in frustration after losing to Totodile. "I can't stand that guy," she muttered.
"I guess this just wasn't our day, huh, Hillary?" said Tristan some time later.
"I guess not," replied Hillary. "First your Chikorita losing, and now my Squirtle. What's the deal?"
"Our opponents were just better today," said Tristan. "But you know what? I think Squirtle and Chikorita will learn from their experiences, and in turn, we will also."
Pikachu agreed.
"I suppose," said Hillary doubtfully. "I still can't believe that Silver refuses to learn anything about friendship and trust, especially since he stole that poor Totodile in the first place. Now that Totodile's as rude and self-centered as he is."
"I think a good night's sleep will be just what we need," said Tristan. "Afterwards, we might feel different tomorrow. What do you say?"
Hillary agreed to the idea. "Sleep well, Tristan. Let's hope those spooky trees don't disturb us."
"We'll see," said Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu closed their eyes and fell fast asleep.
(Music Cue: Route 29)
The next morning, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were feeling much more cheerful and were ready to set off. They retraced their steps to the edge of the dark forest where an old lady was waiting.
"So did you get lost, kids?" she asked.
"Well, we were going in circles," answered Tristan.
"Yeah," added Hillary. "Do you have any Hoothoot to rent?"
"Yes, plenty of them, and they're all ready to go," answered the lady. "My name's Hagatha. I'm surprised that you didn't come to me sooner."
"Well, we'll be better prepared next time," promised Tristan.
"Okay, my little Hoothoot, guide these two kids through the forest," instructed Hagatha. "My twin sister Nagatha will be waiting."
The Hoothoot nodded.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Hillary. "Let's go!"
And with Hoothoot in the lead, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu followed it confidently through the dark forest.
A few twisted turns and several Foresights later, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu made it through the forest and met up with Nagatha, Hagatha's twin sister.
"Well, now, did this little Hoothoot help you through the forest?" asked Nagatha.
"Yes," answered Tristan and Hillary.
"I never knew that Hoothoot's Foresight could see through those illusions until we saw them for ourselves," said Tristan.
"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "Next time we see an illusion, we'll just have a Pokémon use Foresight."
Hoothoot hopped on Nagatha's shoulder and hooted in agreement.
"Go through the next town, and through the snowy mountains, and you should be in Cherrygrove City," explained Nagatha. "It's not quite to Violet City, but you should be able to make it there as soon as you reach Cherrygrove City."
"We will, thank you," said Tristan and Hillary as they and Pikachu waved to Nagatha and set off for their next destination.
Our heroes have had a few surprises on their journey. Some of their most recent ones may not have been as pleasant as they'd like, but in the end, they know that they've learned from those experiences. And so, with newfound wisdom from those experiences under their belts, our heroes now continue their journey to Violet City and the Johto League.
► TO BE CONTINUED