AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 12 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. This chapter is based on some of the Trainers players face on Pokémon Stadium 2 on the Nintendo 64. Plus, Miss Priscilla and Earl Dervish from the anime make appearances in this chapter. So do Swimmer Julian, Camper Cole, and Youngster Jonathan. Any questions? Feel free to ask me. I DO NOT own Pokémon. Pokémon, Pikachu, and all other known Pokémon names are trademarks of Nintendo.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary finally arrive in Violet City for Tristan's first Johto League Gym battle, but first, they get a crash course in battling other Trainers to test their skills at Earl's Pokémon Academy.

Chapter 12: SCHOOL'S IN SESSION

Our heroes have made it to Violet City. It's here that Tristan plans to earn his first Johto League Badge. But they might have to go to school to learn how to battle effectively.

Tristan, Hillary and Pikachu were walking ghrough the suburban outskirts of Violet City as the sun shone.

"I can't believe we're here already," said Hillary.

Togepi chirped in agreement.

"Yeah, and I can hardly wait to get my first badge," added Tristan.

Pikachu eagerly agreed.

"Now where is the Gym?" asked Tristan.

Presently, an overweight man dancing in a tutu showed up. "Well, now, you must be two new students!"

Tristan and Hillary shrugged.

"Well, we're actually Pokémon Trainers..." began Tristan.

"And we were on our way to the Gym..." added Hillary.

"It's time to dance our way to school!" said the man, and, with a spin, he spun Tristan and Hillary off to their destination, dancing as he went.

A short time later, Tristan and Hillary found themselves at an old-fashioned building that resembled a school.

"Well, here we are!" said the man. "This is Earl's Pokémon Academy. I"m the principal, Earl Dervish."

"That's...great," said a dazed Tristan and Hillary, who were still dizzy from spinning around.

"Well, let's not waste time, my little children," smiled Earl. "Come on inside." And he happily waltzed inside the building and into a classroom full of young students.

A young lady with dark blue hair saw Earl with Tristan and Hillary. "Well, what do we have today?"

"These are two young Trainers who have come here to learn as students," answered Earl.

"We never said that!" protested Tristan and Hillary together.

The lady was a little surprised.

"We only came to Violet City so I could compete for a Gym badge," explained Tristan.

"Yeah, until Earl here dragged us all the way here to this school," put in Hillary.

The young lady chuckled. "Oh, that's just Earl's way of expressing his enthusiasm. Hi, I'm Miss Priscilla. I teach my young students here on how to become good Trainers."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Priscilla," replied Tristan. "I'm Tristan from New Bark Town."

"Pika, Pikachu!" added Pikachu.

"And I'm Hillary," put in Hillary. "It's nice to meet you."

"Now, I have other matters to tend to," said Earl. "Students, please be sure to give these two Trainers a crash course in battling today, all right?"

"Yes, Principal Earl," replied the students as Earl closed the door.

"What did Earl mean by 'crash course,' Miss Priscilla?" asked Hillary.

"You see," explained Miss Priscilla. "Every Pokémon battle has a few conditions that go along with it. Why don't I take you all outside and maybe some of them can demonstrate what they can do?"

The students agreed to the idea.

Just outside the building, Tristan, Hillary, Miss Priscilla, and her young students were waiting for another class to come outside.

Presently, an older group of young people ran outside to greet Miss Priscilla.

"Who are they?" asked Hillary.

"Oh, that's a group of older students that I used to teach about two years ago," answered Miss Priscilla. "They're working on some advanced techniques on being even better Trainers than they are today." She turned to the older kids. "Guys, these two Trainers have come here to learn all they can on being good battlers, so be sure to do your best and help them, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Priscilla," the older students replied.

An older kid in camping gear came forward. "My name is Cole, want to go first," he said. "I want to challenge the girl."

Hillary was taken aback at first, but then she eagerly came forward. "I accept your challenge. I haven't been a Trainer for very long, but I don't want you going easy on me."

"Yeah," said Cole. "Trainers with spunk are the most fun to beat."

A moment later, Hillary and Julian faced each other while Tristan, Pikachu, and Togepi watched.

"Let's battle one-on-one," suggested Cole.

"That's fine by me," replied Hillary.

"I'll start with Exeggutor!" said Cole as he threw a PokéBall.

A Pokémon resembling a coconut tree emerged from the white that shot out of it.

"Wow, an Exeggutor!" said Tristan as he scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Exeggutor: The Coconut Pokémon: The evolved form of Exeggcute," identified Dexter. "Exeggutor's heads think independently. However, they are friendly and never appear to squabble."

"Go, Cyndaquil, I choose you!" shouted Hillary as she threw a PokéBall.

Cyndaquil emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"That Cyndaquil may be a Fire-type, but I'm still gonna beat it anyway," said Cole. "Go, Exeggutor, Mega Drain!"

Exeggutor'e eyes glowed yellow and shot a beam of yellow energy at Cyndaquil, who took the hit from it.

Cyndaquil strained as it got hit, but it didn't seem to be taking much damage at all.

Why is he using Mega Drain? thought Hillary. And how can Cyndaquil still be standing?

"I see," said Tristan. "Even though Mega Drain is doing damage, it doesn't work very well against a Fire-type like Cyndaquil."

"That makes sense!" said Hillary. "Now, it's time for my first attack! Cyndaquil, Flamethrower!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "Good 'Quil Hunting"))

Cyndaquil lit its flame from the four holes on its back, then it shot a powerful blast of fire from its mouth, scoring a direct hit on Exeggutor.

"All right!" said Hillary excitedly.

"That must mean Fire attacks work well against Grass Pokémon." said Tristan as he thought back on his battles against some of the Grass-type Pokémon in the past, including those of Celadon City's Gym Leader, Erika.

"Exeggutor, try another Mega Drain!" commanded Cole.

"I won't fall for that again, Cole," said Hillary. "Knock it off balance with Quick Attack!"

Like a shot, Cyndaquil sped toward Exeggutor with a white line trailing behind it, and hit it hard.

However, Exeggutor was still on its feet.

"Quick, use another Flamethrower!" ordered Hillary.

Cyndaquil shot another powerful stream of fire from its mouth, delivering the final blow to Exeggutor and knocking it out.

"Exeggutor!" cried Cole.

"Awesome job, Cyndaquil," commended Hillary.

Cyndaquil gave a happy reply as it hoped up and down.

"Cyndaquil sure seems happy," remarked Miss Priscilla.

"Hillary and Cyndaquil sure earned that one," said Tristan.

Just then, an older kid wearing a cap came forward to challenge Hillary to battle. "I'm Jonathan. You may have won against my friend, Cole, but you'll never win against me as easily."

"Oh, yeah? Try me," replied Hillary.

"I choose Ivysaur!" shouted Jonathan as he threw a PokéBall.

Jonathan's Ivysaur emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"That Ivysaur looks pretty strong," said Hillary nervously as she looked it up in her Pokédex.

(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard in the Japanese version of "From Ghost to Ghost"))

"Ivysaur: The Seed Pokémon: The evolved form of Bulbasaur," identified Dexter. "The bulb on its back grows as it absorbs nutrients. The bulb gives off a pleasant aroma when it blooms."

"Cyndaquil, why don't you watch this one?" suggested Hillary. "I'm gonna show him a surprise." She took out a PokéBall and threw it. "Squirtle, let's do it!"

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

Tristan was surprised. "Why is Hillary using Squirtle? She should know that Water attacks won't do much against Grass Pokémon like Ivysaur."

I believe in you, Squirtle, thought Hillary. We may have the disadvantage, but I know our friendship and trust will help us get through.

"Let's win this with one attack, Ivysaur!" commanded Jonathan. "SolarBeam!"

"SolarBeam? Already?" gasped Hillary.

Ivysaur began absorbing energy from the sun into the bud on its back.

"Hillary, maybe you can stop Ivysaur while it's still absorbing energy!" shouted Tristan.

Tristan's right, thought Hillary. SolarBeam takes awhile to charge up. "Quick, Squirtle, hit it hard with your Water Gun!" she shouted.

In a twinkling, Squirtle shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Ivysaur. It did score a hit, but the type advantage allowed Ivysaur to stay in the battle as it continued getting ready to launch SolarBeam.

"Keep squirting as hard as you can, Squirtle!" encouraged Hillary. "Ivysaur will wear down sooner or later!"

Squirtle continued to blast Ivysaur with everything it had using Water Gun; however, Ivysaur showed no signs of fatigue because of its resistance to Water Gun. Unfortunately, Squirtle ran out of power to use Water Gun, causing the blast of water to trickle and stop.

"Oh, no!" cried Hillary.

There was worse to come, for Ivysaur's SolarBeam was ready to go.

"Ivysaur, strike now!" commanded Jonathan.

Ivysaur launched a powerful beam of energy from the bud on its back directly at Squirtle.

"Look out, Squirtle!" cried Tristan.

"Pika, Pika!" cried Pikachu.

"Quick, Squirtle, protect yourself!" shouted Hillary.

All of a sudden, Squirtle's body became outlined in blue, and as Ivysaur's SolarBeam struck it, the attack stopped dead in its tracks.

Everyone was surprised, especially Jonathan, who didn't expect Squirtle to survive a SolarBeam.

"I don't believe it," gasped Miss Priscilla.

"Squirtle just absorbed the SolarBeam like it was nothing," added Tristan.

Hillary checked out the move on her Pokédex.

"Protect," said Dexter. "It protects the user from attacks that target it, including offensive attacks. However, if used in succession, it may fail."

"Sounds like I'd better be careful using that attack," said Hillary to herself. Then she took a good look at Ivysaur. Even though it had taken little damage from Squirtle's Water Gun attacks, it couldn't do another SolarBeam right then, for there was no sunlight in Ivysaur's bud. "Quick, Squirtle, use your Tackle attack!"

(Music Cue: S.S. Aqua (as heard in "The Fire-ing Squad"))

Squirtle charged at Ivysaur and hit it head on, knocking it backward.

"Ivysaur!" cried Jonathan.

Ivysaur dug in its heels and hung on.

"I think Hillary may have just found a weakness in Ivysaur's SolarBeam," said Tristan.

Pikachu cheered for Hillary and Squirtle.

"Ivysaur, quick, you've gotta do another SolarBeam attack!" cried Jonathan.

Ivysaur started absorbing sunlight into the bud on its back.

However, Hillary wasn't going to wait around for it. "All right, Squirtle, use another Tackle attack!"

Squirtle charged full-body style and scored another direct hit.

Ivysaur was still far from ready to attack with SolarBeam.

"Follow up with Water Gun!" ordered Hillary.

Squirtle shot another powerful stream of water at Ivysaur. Even though Water Gun was doing little damage, it was still getting the job done.

But soon, Ivysaur's SolarBeam was all charged up.

Squirtle stopped its Water Gun attack and prepared to react.

"Ivysaur, SolarBeam now!" yelled Jonathan.

Sure enough, a powerful beam of energy was launched from Ivysaur's bud straight at Squirtle.

"Squirtle, use Protect!" commanded Hillary.

Squirtle did a protective pose and its body was outlined in blue, and as SolarBeam hit it, it was cancelled out.

Ivysaur had tired out from its last two SolarBeams, and panted wearily.

"Ivysaur, stay strong!" encouraged Jonathan.

"Squirtle, end it with a Tackle attack!" shouted Hillary.

Squirtle charged at Ivysaur as fast as it could and rammed it hard, sending it flying backward.

"Ivysaur, no!" cried Jonathan.

Ivysaur crashed into the ground, forming a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Ivysaur was seen with a dazed expression on its face. It had been knocked out.

"Hillary and Squirtle are the winners!" declared Miss Priscilla.

"Awesome, Squirtle!" commended Hillary.

Tristan came to Hillary and Squirtle with Pikachu right beside him. "You two never cease to amaze me," he said.

"Thanks, Tristan, but it's Squirtle that deserves the credit," replied Hillary.

Presently, a female swimmer came up. "I wanna challenge the boy!" she said.

"What? Who, me?" Tristan was a little puzzled.

"Yeah, you!" said the swimmer. "My name's Julian. That girlfriend of yours beat two of my best friends, and now there's a 100% chance that you're gonna lose! Let's battle using only one Pokémon each!"

"You're on, Julian," replied Tristan. He was always eager to accept a battle challenge.

Tristan and Julian faced each other while Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi watched.

"Go, Staryu!" shouted Julian as she threw a Pokéball.

A golden brown starfish Pokémon with five appendages emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It had a red gem in the middle.

"Let's see what Dexter has to say," said Tristan as he scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Staryu: The Star Shape Pokémon," identified Dexter. "This Pokémon's center point glows like a human heartbeat at night."

"I choose you...Chikorita!" shouted Tristan as he threw a Pokéball.

Chikorita emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"You'll never beat my strategy, kid!" said Julian. "Staryu, Water Gun attack!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Tunnel Vision"))

Staryu shot a blast of water from its top appendage at Chikorita.

"Dodge it, Chikorita!" ordered Tristan.

Chikorita jumped into the air and avoided Staryu's Water Gun.

"Chikorita, Vine Whip attack!" commanded Tristan.

Chikorita shot two vines from its bud necklace and hit Staryu with them.

"Not bad, kid, but you'll never beat this part of my strategy," said Julian. "Staryu, Rain Dance!"

"What'a a Rain Dance do?" wondered Tristan.

Staryu shot a powerful orb of water into the sky directly at the sun.

Shortly thereafter, rain clouds formed in the sky and heavy raindrops began to fall, soaking everything and everybody.

"Hey, what is this?" demanded Tristan. "The weather forecast didn't predict this!"

"Anybody got an umbrella?" asked Hillary.

"That's what Rain Dance does," replied Julian. "It changes the weather so that Water attacks will get even stronger. Okay, Staryu, show that Chikorita what a new and improved Water Gun attack looks like!"

Staryu shot another blast of water from its top appendage at Chikorita. Sure enough, thanks to Rain Dance, Water Gun's velocity and speed increased, and it scored a direct hit on Chikorita, causing it to fall backward.

"Chikorita, can you stand up?" asked Tristan.

Chikorita struggled until it got back on its feet.

"All right, Julian, this battle's still on," said Tristan.

"Not for long it's not," replied Julian. "Now it's time for part two of my strategy. Staryu, hit it with a Thunder attack!"

Staryu shot a powerful bolt of electricity toward the storm clouds.

Seconds later, lightning began to flash and fall down toward the ground straight toward Chikorita.

"Run! Get away from it!" cried Tristan.

Chikorita scurried away from Staryu's Thunder attack as fast as its little legs could carry it. But as fast as it ran, the lightning continued to follow it wherever it fell.

"You amateur," smirked Julian. "As long as Rain Dance is in effect, Thunder is always a guaranteed hit."

And hit it did, for it struck Chikorita full force, causing it to collapse.

"Chikorita's been hit!" cried Hillary.

"Ha! Looks like I win, kid!" said Julian.

But Julian's victory was short lived, for she saw Chikorita struggling desperately to stand up.

Tristan couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe that Chikorita would want to keep going.

But Chikorita had plenty of spirit left, for once it got on its feet, its eyes got all fiery, and it shot a beam of energy toward the sky.

Seconds later, the sky cleared up, causing the sun to shine even brighter than before when the battle began.

"Hey, that sunlight's too bright!" complained Julian.

"Anybody got a pair of sunglasses?" asked Hillary. "I don't think the weathermen predicted this wild weather day."

"Whoa, I think Chikorita used Sunny Day," said Miss Priscilla.

"It must've cancelled out the Rain Dance," said Tristan. "All right, Chikorita, let's show them what you can do!"

(Music Cue: OK! Orchestra & Guitar Arrangement (as heard in "Spinarak Attack"))

Chikorita nodded, and before anyone knew what was happening, Chikorita lifted the leaf on its head.

The leaf began to glow in a white light, and almost immediately, it shot a powerful beam of energy from its mouth at Staryu, scoring a huge direct hit.

"Staryu!" cried Julian.

Everyone was surprised.

Especially Hillary. "Chikorita just used a SolarBeam attack!"

"I can't believe it!" gasped Miss Priscilla. "Two new attacks in one day!"

"That must mean that while Sunny Day is in effect, SolarBeam doesn't need time to charge up," said Tristan. "All right, this is great!" He then turned his attention back to the battle. "Chikorita, that Sunny Day and SolarBeam combination was awesome! Now we'll be able to beat Staryu!"

Chikorita nodded as it gave a happy reply.

Staryu managed to get back up at that moment.

"Hurry, Staryu, use your Water Gun on that Chikorita at full power!" yelled Julian.

Staryu shot its most powerful Water Gun attack it could use at Chikorita, but unfortunately, thanks to Sunny Day, the power of its Water Gun wasn't as powerful as it was before.

"Chikorita, block it with Razor Leaf!" commanded Tristan.

Chikorita shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Staryu's weakened Water Gun, successfully blocking it.

"That's impossible!" gasped Julian. "Why isn't Water Gun working?"

"Rain Dance may have been able to double the strength of Water attacks, but with Sunny Day, those attacks get cut in half!" said Hillary. "Tristan's making excellent use of the weather conditions!"

"Quick, Chikorita, finish it off with SolarBeam!" shouted Tristan.

Chikorita's leaf quickly glowed white, and wasting no time, it shot another powerful beam of energy from its mouth, scoring another huge direct hit on Staryu, sending it flying backward.

"No, Staryu!" cried Julian.

Staryu crashed into the ground, causing a cloud of dust to form.

The dust soon cleared, and Staryu lay flat on the ground as its red gem flashed repeatedly, signifying that it had been knocked out.

"Staryu is unable to battle!" declared Miss Priscilla. "Chikorita wins, and the victory goes to Tristan!"

Chikorita glowed with delight and ran into Tristan's arms.

"You did it, Chikorita!" commended Tristan. "I'm so proud of you."

Chikorita gave happy replies as it embraced its Trainer.

"I...lost?" gasped Julian as tears began to form in her eyes. Then she began to cry hysterically. "It's not fair! Why did I have to lose?! My powerful Rain Dance and Thunder combo was rendered useless thanks to that good-for-nothing Sunny Day and SolarBeam! That's just so mean!"

Miss Priscilla came to Julian. "It's perfectly fair, Julian," she said. "And you gave Tristan and his Chikorita a difficult challenge. You should be very proud of the fact that you taught Staryu a good combination, too."

Julian stopped crying right then and wiped her eyes. "You're right, Miss Priscilla. The Rain Dance and Thunder combo was good, wasn't it?"

Everyone nodded.

(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)

Julian came to Tristan. "Congratulations, Tristan," she said. "Your Chikorita's attacks are strong."

"Thanks, Julian," replied Tristan. "You were a tough opponent. And I know you're gonna be a great Pokémon Trainer."

Tristan and Julian shook hands as everyone happily looked on.

That evening, Tristan and Hillary got ready to leave the school.

"So, I hear you're wanting to compete in the Johto League, right, Tristan?" asked Miss Priscilla.

"That's right," replied Tristan. "I've been wanting to get my first Johto League badge for a long time."

"Actually, you've been wanting to get it for a few days," corrected Hillary.

"Well, why don't you check out the Sprout Tower first?" suggested Miss Priscilla. "You'll get a few hours of training in."

"I could certainly use that," replied Hillary.

"And remember, feel free to come visit the school anytime when it's in session," reminded Earl. "We'll do some more dancing together."

"I think we'll pass on that dance," said Tristan and Hillary together as they started to leave.

"Bye, guys!" called Miss Priscilla. "Good luck with your Gym Battle, Tristan!"

"Thank you!" called Tristan as she and Hillary waved back and headed over to the Pokémon Center for the night.

Our heroes attended a few classes, had a few battles, and even had some surprises from their Pokémon. But what will happen in the Sprout Tower, let alone Tristan's first Johto League Gym match? You'll have to stay tuned!

► TO BE CONTINUED