AUTHOR"S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 13 of the Adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu in Johto. This chapter is based on my experiences in the Sprout Tower with the Sages in the Gold, Silver, and Crystal version games. Enjoy!
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary do some training in the Sprout Tower, but defeating a few wise monks won't be a walk in the park for them!
Chapter 13: THE SPROUT TOWER
(Music Cue: Mystical Story)
Today, our heroes are still in Violet City, site of Tristan's first Johto League Gym match. But today, they've decided to stop at the Sprout Tower for some training.
Tristan and Hillary were walking through the streets of Violet City the next morning and stopped at a three-tier building.
"I wonder if this is the Sprout Tower that Miss Priscilla talked about?" said Tristan.
"It has to be," replied Hillary. "It's the tallest building in Violet City. Let's go inside and check it out."
Pikachu agreed while Togepi chirped happily as they and their Trainers walked inside.
Meanwhile on the top floor inside the building, several monks were busy meditating when their leader spoke up.
"I hate to interrupt our meditations," he said, "but I recently received word from Earl's Pokémon Academy that two Trainers were on their way over here today."
One of the monks became uneasy. "Are they bad people, Master Li?"
"Not to worry," Master Li replied. "These Trainers are pure of heart. Actually, they're brother and sister. They're as close as family, if not closer. So, today, we're going to demonstrate the art of the Pokémon battle by battling against them. We will each take turns battling them, one by one, so let's spread out."
"Yes, sir!" agreed the monks.
Just out of sight, a red-haired boy saw Li and his monks preparing to battle the two Trainers. It was Silver. "There'd better be some strong Pokémon here," he said impatiently.
Tristan and Hillary saw the pillar in the center of the tower swaying back and forth.
"I've never seen a pillar moving back and forth before," said Tristan.
Hillary agreed. "It sort of reminds me of a Pokémon I once saw before."
"That's because it's exactly like one," said a voice.
Tristan and Hillary were startled. They didn't expect one of the monks to sneak up behind them.
"Pardon me for scaring you the way I did," said the monk. "My name is Nico, and I'd like to challenge one of you to a battle. This request is from my master."
"Sure, we'd be happy to battle you," replied Tristan.
"May I battle him, please, Tristan?" asked Hillary.
"Sure," answered Tristan. "There's no stopping you, is there?"
"All right," said Nico. "We'll battle one-on-one with no substitutions."
"Fine with me," replied Hillary as she faced Nico. She turned to Tristan and handed Togepi to him to babysit. Then she took out a Poké Ball and threw it. "I choose Eevee!"
Eevee emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.
"And I will choose this Pokémon," said Nico calmly as he took out a Poké Ball.
The PokéBall opened and a Pokémon with a bell-like head and stem-like brown body emerged from the white light that came out of it.
Tristan recognized it immediately. "It's a Bellsprout!" He then looked it up in his Pokédex.
"Bellsprout: The Flower Pokémon," identified Dexter. "Bellsprout plants its feet deep underground to replenish water. It can't escape its enemy while its rooted."
"Now I'm beginning to understand why that pillar sways like that," said Tristan.
Hillary agreed. "Everything starts out small, including a Bellsprout. I guess the swaying pillar is like how a Bellsprout moves, right?"
"That is correct," replied Nico. "You 'sprouts' catch on quick."
"I'm ready to battle whenever you are," said Hillary.
"We'll let you make the first move," replied Nico.
(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle)
"I like how you think," said Hillary eagerly. "Eevee, start off with a Tackle attack!"
Eevee charged at Bellsprout full-body style.
But Nico and Bellsprout just stood there, as if nothing was happening.
Tristan was confused. How could Nico be so calm? he thought.
Closer and closer Eevee got to Bellsprout until...
"Vine Whip," instructed Nico.
On Nico's command, Bellsprout launched two green vines from its leaves and managed to trip Eevee, causing it to fall on the ground.
Hillary became worried. "Eevee, are you okay?"
Eevee nodded and got back up.
So that's why that Bellsprout just stood there, thought Tristan. He wanted Eevee to get as close as possible, and then, when it did, he really let Eevee have it."
"Now, if you don't mind, young lady, it's our turn to attack," smiled Nico. "Bellsprout, show Eevee your PoisonPowder."
Bellsprout shot a cloud of purple poisonous powder toward Eevee.
"Quick, Eevee, use your Sand-Attack!" ordered Hillary.
Quickly, Eevee turned around and kicked as much sand as it could toward Bellsprout's PoisonPowder.
Thanks to Hillary's quick thinking, Bellsprout's attack was cancelled out.
"Interesting," said Nico. "That Eevee of yours has been well-trained."
"All right, give it a Quick Attack!" ordered Hillary.
Eevee charged at Bellsprout again, but this time with a white line trailing behind it. It ran so hard and so fast that it rammed into Bellsprout with a vengeance, causing it to collapse in a heap.
Bellsprout had been knocked out.
"Looks like a loss for me," said Nico as he returned Bellsprout to its Poké Ball.
"Eevee, way to go!" commended Hillary as she stroked it on the head.
Eevee gave a happy reply.
Hillary then returned Eevee to its Poké Ball for a well-deserved rest.
Presently, some more monks came in. They had the same hairstyle as Nico did.
"Greetings," one said. "My name is Chow."
"My name is Edmund," said another.
"My name is Jin," said a third.
"My name is Neal," said a fourth.
"And my name is Troy," said a fifth.
Hillary was surprised. "Wow. That's a lot of old guys."
"In the same style of clothing," added Tristan.
Pikachu and Togepi agreed.
"We just wanted to come and see how Nico's battle turned out," said Chow. "But now we know that the young girl won. Pretty good, right?"
The other monks agreed.
"So we thought that one of us should test you one more time to see how you really fare," added Edmund.
"And I think the best choice would be the strongest out of all our master's servants," put in Jin.
Neal agreed. "You're quite right, and Troy would be the best choice."
Troy came forward. "It is indeed an honor." He turned to Hillary. "So, young girl, are you up for another one-on-one battle?"
"I know I am," answered Hillary.
"Good," said Troy. "I shall send out my Pokémon, Hoothoot." He took out a Poké Ball, which opened, and a small owl-like Pokémon with big red eyes emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
Hillary was puzzled. "Why Hoothoot?"
"Most of us have battled with Bellsprout over the course of many years, training new Trainers and getting them accustomed to battling," explained Troy. "But I wanted to see how well I can do by using Hoothoot."
"That makes sense," replied Hillary. "Okay, I've made my choice. Let's go, Cyndaquil!" She threw a Poké Ball.
Cyndaquil emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Ah, a Cyndaquil," said Troy. "I'm anxious to see how you will use that Pokémon."
"Go, Cyndaquil, use your Tackle attack!" commanded Hillary.
(Music Cue: Johto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "A Ghost of a Chance"))
Cyndaquil charged at Hoothoot full-body style.
"Hoothoot, fly away," instructed Troy.
Hoothoot flapped its little wings and flew above the ground, much to Cyndaquil and Hillary's surprise.
"That Hoothoot flies?!" gasped Hillary.
"Hoothoot's wings may be short, but it can surely fly," said Troy.
"Let's try Flamethrower instead!" said Hillary.
Cyndaquil ignited its flame from the four holes on its back, then it shot a powerful blast of fire from its mouth at Hoothoot.
"Fly away again, Hoothoot," instructed Troy.
Hoothoot flapped its wings and narrowly dodged Cyndaquil's Flamethrower.
That Hoothoot's really good at dodging attacks, thought Hillary. I'll just have to find a way to confuse it. "All right, Cyndaquil, use your Smokescreen!" she shouted.
Cyndaquil shot a black cloud of smoke from its mouth at Hoothoot.
"All right!" said Hillary. "That should blind it just enough for me to attack it."
"Use Foresight," instructed Troy.
Hoothoot's eyes glowed in a red light. Instantly, it could see Cyndaquil in the thick smoke.
"Now Tackle it," commanded Troy.
Hoothoot dove down on Cyndaquil through the thick smoke and scored a very hard hit on it, much to everyone else's surprise.
"Cyndaquil!" cried Hillary.
Cyndaquil was sent flying past Hillary into one of the walls, knocking it out.
Hillary quickly rushed over to Cyndaquil. "Are you okay?"
Cyndaquil gave a weak reply.
"You were great," said Hillary as she took out Cyndaquil's Poké Ball. "Have yourself a good rest." And she returned Cyndaquil inside the Poké Ball.
"Exemplary work, young lady," smiled Troy. "That Cyndaquil of yours is quite agile."
"Thanks, Troy, but we still need to do some training," replied Hillary. "I've only had Cyndaquil for a few days."
"But in that short amount of time, you've trained it very well," said Troy.
Hillary felt better after that.
Just then, loud noises could be heard on the floor above.
"What was that?" asked Tristan.
"Another of our visitors is up there with Master Li," answered Troy. "Let's all go up and see." And he led Tristan and Hillary and his fellow monks up the stairs to the top floor.
On the top floor, another monk just saw his Bellsprout get defeated by a Totodile and its Trainer.
The Trainer had red hair. Sure enough, it was Silver. "How pathetic," he said. "You say my Totodile has a type disadvantage against a Bellsprout. But I proved you wrong."
The monk returned his Bellsprout to his PokéBall.
Master Li was watching very closely and came to Silver. "You are, indeed a very skilled Trainer, young man," he said. "However, the way you're treating your Pokémon can be a bit too harsh."
Silver took offense to that. "What did you say?!"
"What I'm saying is that Pokémon aren't tools of war," explained Master Li. "You should treat your Totodile better."
Presently, footsteps could be heard racing toward him and Silver.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Troy, and his fellow monks made their appearance.
Silver turned around and saw them. "Hmph! I knew you'd show up." He turned to the monk he had just defeated. "He claims to be experienced in battle, yet he was no match for me. He was far too weak. I hate the weak."
"He's not weak!" exclaimed Hillary. She was most upset by Silver's remark.
"Okay, take it easy, Hillary," whispered Tristan. He didn't want to see Hillary get into trouble like she did in the thick, dark forest.
"Those who lecture me and tell me that I should be 'nice' to Pokémon are no match against me," continued Silver. "All I care about are strong Pokémon that'll win me battle after battle, time after time. The rest of them don't mean a thing to me." And he took out a long rope, tied it tight to a pole, and started to leave.
"Hey, you get back here!" ordered Hillary.
"This place was a complete waste of my time," said Silver. "I'm outta here." And he slid down the rope out of the window, and soon disappeared out of sight.
"That was weird," whispered Tristan.
Pikachu and Togepi agreed.
Hillary clenched her fists in anger. "The next time I see him, I'm gonna win, and he's gonna lose!"
"Now, for you two," said Master Li as he walked up to Tristan and Hillary. "It's so good of you to have come here. Who wants to battle me two-on-two?"
"I will," answered Tristan. "I have a Gym battle coming up, and I want to see how well I can do."
"Very well," said Master Li. "I'll start with Bellsprout." He took out a Poké Ball, and it opened.
(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon (as heard in "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis"))
Master Li's Bellsprout emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"He's got a Bellsprout, too!" gasped Hillary.
"As you know, Sprout Tower is a place for Pokémon Trainers come to train," explained Master Li. "Trainers and their Pokémon test their bonds to build their future together. I am the final test. Please allow me to check the ties between you and your Pokémon."
"Chikorita, go!" shouted Tristan as he threw a Poké Ball.
Chikorita emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"So, you're using a Grass Pokémon," said Master Li. "We'll see how strong it really is. Bellsprout, start of with Vine Whip."
Bellsprout shot two green vines from its body at Chikorita.
"Chikorita, battle back with your Vine Whip!" commanded Tristan.
Chikorita shot two green vines from its bud necklace.
Sure enough, the two Vine Whip attacks caught on to each other as both Chikorita and Bellsprout struggled to maintain control.
"Hm, it seems like we're evenly matched," smiled Master Li.
"Chikorita, use Razor Leaf attack!" ordered Tristan.
Chikorita, still holding on to Bellsprout's vines with its vines, shot a barrage of razor-sharp leaves at Bellsprout.
The leaves battered Bellsprout one by one.
"Clever," remarked Master Li. "Let's use Sleep Powder, Bellsprout."
Bellsprout unleashed a silver cloud of sleeping powder at Chikorita.
"Quick, Chikorita, get out of the way!" shouted Tristan.
Chikorita let go of Bellsprout's vines and jumped as high as it could to avoid Bellsprout's Sleep Powder.
"Phew!" said Hillary. "That was close."
"Now use your Tackle attack!" ordered Tristan.
Chikorita, still in midair, charged at Bellsprout and scored a direct hit on it, sending it flying.
Bellsprout crashed into one of the walls, knocking it out on the spot, much to the surprise of the other monks.
"Ah, excellent," said Master Li as he returned Bellsprout to its Poké Ball.
Chikorita happily ran back to Tristan.
"Amazing job, Chikorita," commended Tristan as he gently stroked it.
"I see that you and your Chikorita have gotten really close," remarked Master Li. "How long have you had it?"
"Not very long, actually," answered Tristan. "I had just gotten it a few days ago in New Bark Town."
"It's obvious that you have a real close bond with all of your Pokémon no matter how long you've had them," smiled Master Li. "But enough of that. Let's move on. I shall send out my Hoothoot next." He took out a Poké Ball, which opened.
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Hot Matches"))
Hoothoot emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"You have a Hoothoot, too?" asked Hillary.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with starting off as a sprout, right?" replied Master Li. "I like Bellsprout, but I wanted to catch a Hoothoot to see how Trainers react to surprises like this one."
Chikorita's been doing well, thought Tristan. However, if I let it battle Hoothoot, it'll be at a type disadvantage. I have to make a decision.
"Poor Tristan," said Hillary to herself. "What'll he do now?"
"I'll stay with Chikorita," said Tristan aloud.
Hillary was shocked. She wasn't expecting Tristan to make that move.
"Very well, then," said Master Li. "Hoothoot, are you ready for this?"
Hoothoot replied with a hoot.
"Good, then let's start off by flying into the air!" instructed Master Li.
Hoothoot flapped its short wings and was instantly airborne.
Chikorita was shocked.
"Stay calm, Chikorita," said Tristan. "Just watch Hoothoot's every move."
Chikorita nodded and kept its eyes open.
"Go, Hoothoot, dive down on it!" commanded Master Li.
Hoothoot flew down and charged toward Chikorita.
"Dodge it, Chikorita!" ordered Tristan.
Just as Hoothoot was within striking distance, Chikorita dodged into the air and narrowly avoided it.
"Quick, Hoothoot, fly up again and do a Tackle attack!" shouted Master Li.
Hoothoot quickly ascended and tackled a surprised Chikorita.
Chikorita landed hard on the ground.
"You're okay, Chikorita, let's get back up," encouraged Tristan.
Chikorita slowly got back on its feet.
"Now Peck attack!" commanded Master Li.
Hoothoot used its beak to peck Chikorita over and over again.
"Chikorita's in big trouble!" cried Hillary.
"Hurry, Chikorita, use your Razor Leaf attack to drive Hoothoot away from you!" shouted Tristan.
Chikorita shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves, which battered Hoothoot, preventing it from pecking it any further.
"Hoothoot, fly as fast as you can and use Tackle attack!" ordered Master Li.
Hoothoot flew and charged straight at Chikorita.
"Chikorita, use Vine Whip to jump!" instructed Tristan.
Chikorita extended its two vines from its bud necklace, then it jumped off the ground with all its might, preventing Hoothoot from striking it.
"Use your Sweet Scent attack to stop Hoothoot in its tracks!" ordered Tristan.
Chikorita released a pink powder that smelled very sweet.
Soon, Hoothoot was completely enveloped in it, thus stopping it right where it was.
"Clever," remarked Master Li.
"This is Tristan's big chance!" said Hillary excitedly.
"Chikorita, finish it off with a Tackle attack!" shouted Tristan.
Chikorita, using the momentum from its fall, rammed right into Hoothoot, knocking it out on the spot.
"All right!" cheered Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi were excited for Tristan and Chikorita's win.
"Great job, Chikorita," commended Tristan.
Chikorita ran back to Tristan and they shared a hug.
Master Li returned Hoothoot to its Poké Ball and came to Tristan. "Very well done, young man," he said. "You and Chikorita showed excellent teamwork in that battle, even at a disadvantage. You should have no problem battling the Violet City Gym Leader."
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)
The other monks agreed.
"Do you know who the Gym Leader is?" asked Tristan.
"His name is Falkner, and he uses Flying Pokémon," explained Master Li. "He's got a powerful team of them waiting to battle any Trainers that challenge him."
"Well, then, let's rest up and see what we can do to get our first badge!" said Tristan excitedly. "What do you say, guys?"
Tristan's Pokémon and Hillary agreed excitedly.
That evening, Tristan and Hillary left the Sprout Tower as they waved goodbye to Master Li and his fellow monks. "Goodbye!" they called. "Thanks for the great battles!"
"Feel free to come back to the Sprout Tower at any time!" replied Master Li as he and his monks waved back.
Tristan and Hillary then started back for the Pokémon Center.
"I wonder what kind of Flying Pokémon Falkner will use in your Gym battle," said Hillary. "Whatever they are, they must be really strong."
"I don't care how strong they are," replied Tristan. "We'll beat them. After all, battling strong Trainers and winning against them makes us get even stronger together, and it makes us all feel good, too, right Pikachu?"
Pikachu nodded in agreement.
And so, with another day of training behind them, Tristan and Hillary set off once again for the Pokémon Center. And after getting a good night's sleep tonight, Tristan will be ready tomorrow as he prepares for his first Johto League Gym match!
► TO BE CONTINUED