AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 26 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. You may recall the episode "Good 'Quil Hunting from Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, right? It's where Ash encounters Koji for ownership of a Cyndaquil. Well, Koji himself makes an appearance in this chapter. This time, he takes ownership of a Cyndaquil, but technically, he doesn't capture it inside a Poké Ball. Well, this chapter may have a lot of similarities, but it's a little different than how Ash and his Cyndaquil teach Koji a lesson. Please feel free to read and review at your leisure.
TEASER: Tristan finds an injured Cyndaquil, and he must separate from Hillary by going into hiding inside the cave system to treat its injuries! But when Koji challenges him to a battle, he must put Cyndaquil's strength to the test!
Chapter 26: WHEN THERE'S A 'QUIL, THERE'S A CATCH
(Music Cue: Today's Johto Pokémon Curiosity (as heard in "Charizard's Burning Ambitions"))
After welcoming Lapras from Union Cave to their fold, our heroes continue on the road toward Azalea Town. It's there that Tristan hopes to earn his second badge. But for now, they can't seem to find where they are.
"I thought for sure that this was the way to Azalea Town," said Tristan as he and Hillary checked their maps on their Pokégears.
"I thought so, too," agreed Hillary. "But now it looks like we ended up in some forest again."
Tristan sat down on the ground. "I wish we could eat something now."
"Ah, I knew I was forgetting something," said Hillary as she snapped her fingers. "We forgot to eat our breakfast. I was so excited about catching Lapras that I had forgotten all about it."
"How could you forget that?" said Tristan.
"Hey, you forgot, too, you know," put in Hillary.
"Forget about it," said Tristan. "Let's get started." And he took out his Poké Balls and tossed them in the air. "Come on out, everybody!"
"Good idea," replied Hillary as she tossed her Poké Balls in the air. "You guys, too!"
Tristan's Venusaur, Blastoise, and Chikorita, as well as Hillary's Squirtle, Cyndaquil, Eevee, Sentret, and Lapras emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
The littler Pokémon, save for Pikachu and Togepi, were shy around Hillary's Lapras.
"Relax, guys, it's okay," said Hillary. "This is my newest Pokémon, and your new teammate, Lapras." Then she turned to Lapras. "Say hi to the gang."
But Lapras looked uneasy.
"I guess Lapras must be a bit shy," said Tristan.
"Well, I really can't blame it," replied Hillary. "It's not used to being out of its environment for one thing, and for another, it doesn't have very many friends. It'll take a little time for it to warm up to everybody completely. But I know it will eventually, right, Lapras?"
Lapras nodded as Hillary gently stroked it.
"That Lapras is pretty gentle," said Tristan to himself. "I think it made the right choice choosing Hillary as its Trainer."
But just as they were about to set up breakfast, the sound of a loud, painful cry was heard in the distance.
"What was that?" asked Hillary in alarm.
"Whatever it was, I didn't like it," replied Tristan.
Just then, the loud, painful cry was heard in the distance again.
Pikachu pricked up its ears and dashed off into the forest.
"Pikachu, wait up!" called Tristan. He then turned to Hillary. "Hillary, I need you to stay behind with the other Pokémon and feed them."
"Just be careful, Tristan," advised Hillary. "Call me if you need anything."
"I will," replied Tristan. "Come on, Chikorita, let's go." And he and Chikorita dashed into the woods after Pikachu.
Meanwhile, in another part of the woods, a small bipedal Pokémon had just collapsed on the ground. It was blue on top and cream-colored on the bottom, and had four holes on its back.
A Trainer, wearing a bluish-green shirt and a red vest was standing by a Pokémon with brown quills on its back, Sandslash, as the other Pokémon struggled desperately to try and get back on its feet. He had purple hair. "Come on, you dumb Pokémon, if that's the best you can do, then you're useless to me."
The Pokémon struggled and strained to stay with it.
"You're supposed to be a strong Pokémon that can use powerful Fire attacks, but you can't even withstand one attack yet," said the Trainer. "Go on, Sandslash, hit it with Fury Swipes."
Sandslash charged in and used its claws to attack the Pokémon, but was stopped by a flurry of razor-sharp leaves coming from the bushes."
The Trainer was surprised.
Tristan appeared with Pikachu and Chikorita and confronted the Trainer. "What's going on here?" he demanded.
"That's none of your business," replied the Trainer sternly.
Tristan then noticed the Pokémon that could barely stand. "That's a Cyndaquil, and it's hurt!" He turned and faced the Trainer. "All right, what did you do to it?"
"I was just training it to become stronger," said the Trainer.
"Well, this is no way to do it!" said Tristan angrily. "Can't you see that Cyndaquil's too tired to battle, let alone stand?"
"I don't care," replied the Trainer. "Koji's the name, and this Cyndaquil has been useless to me ever since I first caught it."
"You mean you caught this Cyndaquil?" gasped Tristan.
"The only problem is it won't get inside a Poké Ball," explained Koji. "So I used a net to capture it instead after my Sandslash weakened it."
"So technically, the Cyndaquil isn't yours yet," said Tristan.
"Then, during our training, when it had taken one little hit, it had basically given up and acted like a crybaby, so we had to wake it up," continued Koji.
"That's just wrong," said Tristan. "This Cyndaquil needs help, and if it doesn't get it fast, it'll be on your watch!"
"Who cares? I don't. It got what what it deserved. I may have missed my chance to get another Cyndaquil thanks to another kid, but this time, this Cyndaquil's gonna be trained by a real Trainer." And he smugly walked away.
His Sandslash soon followed.
Tristan felt sorry for Cyndaquil, but he couldn't help feeling upset by the way Koji had treated it.
Presently, Cyndaquil collapsed from its injuries and passed out.
Tristan quickly rushed to Cyndaquil and felt it all over. "This is bad. It appears to have taken a lot of damage." And he quickly opened his backpack and took out his first aid kit. He took out a Super Potion and sprayed it on Cyndaquil's wounds.
Pikachu and Chikorita watched anxiously as Tristan worked to make Cyndaquil comfortable.
"Hang in there, Cyndaquil," said Tristan. "You're gonna be just fine."
Meanwhile, Hillary had just finished setting breakfast up for the Pokémon. "Phew! That was harder than I thought. I can understand why Tristan works so hard to do everything." She turned to the Pokémon. "Okay, guys, it's breakfast time!"
All the Pokémon cheered in excitement as they happily dug in.
But just then, she noticed Koji walking through the woods with his Sandslash.
He passed through the woods and didn't say hello. In fact, he just gave a "Hmph!" and walked away.
"I don't like that guy's attitude," said Hillary to herself. "He reminds me so much of Silver. Boy, what I wouldn't give to spend just five minutes alone with that guy."
Presently, Hillary's Pokégear rang.
Hillary took it out of her backpack and answered it. "This is Hillary."
"Hey, sis." It was Tristan.
"Oh, hi, Tristan," said Hillary. "Did you find the source of the cry?"
"Yes, I did," answered Tristan. "It was a wild Cyndaquil, and it was going through some rough training. I'm taking care of its injuries right now."
"How could it be a wild Cyndaquil?" asked Hillary.
"Because this Trainer didn't capture with a Poké Ball," replied Tristan. "He used a net to capture it."
"Do you know the Trainer's name?"
"His name's Koji," answered Tristan.
"Koji, huh? He reminds me so much of Silver. Well, I'll leave you to it, Tristan. Good luck." And she hung up.
Unfortunately, at that moment, Koji had heard his name from the bushes and quickly rushed over to where Hillary and the Pokémon were. He was very angry. "Hey, you! Where is that kid?!"
"He's taking care of that Cyndaquil because you treated it like dirt."
"What'd you say?!" snarled Koji. And he grabbed Hillary by the shirt. "Where is he?! Tell me!"
"I don't know where he is!"
But Koji didn't care, so he pushed Hillary back down to the ground, making her wince in pain. "Come on, Sandslash, we gotta go teach that kid a lesson!" And in a twinkling, he and Sandslash disappeared back into the woods.
Hillary seethed in anger. "Boy, I hope Tristan's the one who teaches that guy a lesson he'll never forget."
Meanwhile, Tristan had just finished taking care of the wild Cyndaquil's injuries. "That's good. Now what Cyndaquil needs is a good rest."
Presently, Pikachu pricked its ears up and alerted Tristan.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled.
Tristan knew who was coming. "That must be Koji, and he's probably looking for us. Quick, let's run!"
(Music Cue: Chaos)
And he carefully picked up Cyndaquil and motioned Pikachu and Chikorita to quickly follow him.
Koji and Sandslash popped out of the bushes just in time to see that Tristan, Pikachu, and Chikorita were gone. "Rats, I missed him!" He looked all around until he saw them running toward a rocky wall with many small caves. "So that's where they're headed. Come on, Sandslash!" And he and Sandslash went after Tristan.
Tristan, Pikachu, and Chikorita had made it to the rocky wall.
But just as Tristan was about to start climbing up, Koji had found him. "Aha! I knew I'd find you here. Gimme back my Cyndaquil! We still have some training to do."
"That Cyndaquil isn't yours, for one thing!" said Tristan. "And another thing, it needs rest! So there!" And he, Pikachu, and Chikorita scaled up the wall as fast as they could go.
"Sandslash, Sand-Attack now!" ordered Koji.
Quickly, Sandslash climbed up to the entrance of one of the caves where Tristan was headed, and using its hind legs, kicked up sand in Tristan's face, causing him and his Pokémon to slip and fall back down to the ground.
Koji laughed. "How was your trip, kid?"
Tristan quickly got back on his feet. "Hey, that's no fair!"
"Big deal," retorted Koji. "That Cyndaquil's mine. Sandslash, get them with your Fury Swipes!"
Pikachu and Chikorita managed to get back on their feet just as Sandslash started scaling back down the wall.
"Chikorita, Tackle attack now!" commanded Tristan.
Chikorita climbed up on the side of the rocky wall, charging at Sandslash full-body style as it went, and rammed it hard, causing it to fall back down the wall, and land right on Koji, squishing him and knocking each other out.
"Now's our chance, guys, let's go," said Tristan.
And together, he, Pikachu, and Chikorita scaled back up the rocky wall, but this time, with no interference from Sandsalsh, and ran inside one of the caves.
Koji was struggling desperately to get up from under Sandsalsh. "Come...back here!" he strained. But he collapsed from the added weight, allowing Tristan and his Pokémon to disappear inside.
The interior of the cave was like a maze of other small caves.
Tristan, who was still holding Cyndaquil, was running all over the cave system, followed by Pikachu and Chikorita. "I can't use any markers here," he said to himself. "He'll find us too easily. Our only chance is to go as deep into the tunnels and confuse him." He looked for the best tunnel to go through. When he found one, he started running again, and his Pokémon followed.
Then they went through another and still another.
After he was sure he was deep enough into the cave system, Tristan stopped and gently placed Cyndaquil down. Then he took out his sleeping bag and gently placed Cyndaquil on it. "Poor thing. Cyndaquil's been through a tough day. We need to make sure that it's gonna be okay."
Pikachu and Chikorita agreed.
(Music Cue: My Friend, Pokémon)
The day quickly passed, and night soon fell, but Hillary and the Pokémon noticed that Tristan didn't return as they sat on the ground in the forest.
"I wonder where Tristan could be," said Hillary to herself. "I'm so worried about him. I haven't seen him or Pikachu all day." She suddenly got an idea. "Hey, I know, guys. Let's all camp out here tonight. That way when Tristan comes back, we can tell him all about our big sleepover outdoors. He's sure missing a great adventure." And she took out her sleeping bag, little realizing that Tristan was already in the middle of his own adventure.
The Pokémon seemed to agree with Hillary's idea.
Her Squirtle, Cyndaquil, Sentret, Eevee, and Togepi all wanted to sleep with Hillary, so they got in her sleeping bag without making too much of a hassle.
Venusaur, Blastoise, and Lapras all stayed out and made themselves comfortable.
"All right, we'll sleep tonight, and then we'll start looking for Tristan first thing tomorrow morning," said Hillary.
All the Pokémon quietly agreed as they closed their eyes and fell fast asleep.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, Tristan got inside his sleeping bag and held Cyndaquil next to him.
Pikachu followed him into his sleeping bag, although it did seem concerned.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," Tristan assured it. "We'll get a good night's rest and Cyndaquil will be as good as new tomorrow. And if Koji has a problem with it, he can battle us."
Chikorita got on top of his sleeping bag and released a sweet scent from the leaf on its head, allowing him and Pikachu to relax.
"Thanks, Chikorita," said Tristan. "That should help. Well, good night, guys." And he and his Pokémon closed their eyes and fell fast asleep.
Cyndaquil had been asleep for most of the day already.
The next morning, Tristan was the first one up. He immediately checked up on Cyndaquil.
Cyndaquil was sleeping peacefully.
Tristan smiled. He knew that Cyndaquil was getting better.
(Music Cue: Golden Silver)
Presently, Cyndaquil woke up and stretched its little body. Then it yawned loudly.
"Hey, Cyndaquil," said Tristan. "How're you doing, buddy?"
Cyndaquil was a bit shy at first. It wasn't used to seeing a kind Trainer treat it with respect unlike Koji.
"It's okay, Cyndaquil. Here, try some of this." And he took out some homemade Pokémon food. "A good friend of mine taught me how to make this wonderful recipe, and I made it myself. Please, go ahead and give it a taste."
Cyndaquil sniffed the Pokémon food and took a bite. It was so happy about the taste that it ate the rest of the food Tristan offered.
"Goodness!" said Tristan. He was surprised. "You must've been hungry!" He then gave a chuckle. "At least we know your appetite's back."
Pikachu and Chikorita opened their eyes and saw Tristan with Cyndaquil. They happily dashed over to greet them.
"Hey, guys!" said Tristan. "Did you sleep well?"
Cyndaquil quickly turned around and hid its face in Tristan's arms.
"Don't be scared, Cyndaquil," said Tristan. "These are my friends, Pikachu and Chikorita.
Cyndaquil slowly turned its face around as Pikachu and Chikorita happily greeted it.
"I should give you guys something, too," said Tristan as he dug the Pokémon food out. "There you go." And he served some homemade Pokémon food to Pikachu and Chikorita, who thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cyndaquil seemed a little nervous, however.
"What's the matter, Cyndaquil?" asked Tristan. He then knew what Cyndaquil was telling him. "You're worried about meeting up with Koji again, aren't you?"
Cyndaquil nodded.
"Don't worry about a thing, Cyndaquil," said Tristan. "I promise that Koji will never hurt you ever again. Tell you what. Why don't we go over and meet up with the rest of our friends. They're really nice. Even my sister would be very pleased to meet you."
Cyndaquil nodded as Tristan put away his sleeping bag.
"Great, then let's clean up and meet up with Hillary and the rest of the gang," suggested Tristan. "I'm sure they're all worried about us by now. What do you say, guys?"
Pikachu and Chikorita agreed.
"All right, let's go."
A few minutes later, Tristan, Pikachu, and Chikorita managed to find a way out of the cave.
Tristan was still holding Cyndaquil in his arms, but he and the Pokémon stretched and breathed in fresh air. "What a beautiful day this is!" he said.
His Pokémon agreed as they took in the fresh air.
Suddenly, Koji appeared. "Aha! I've found you! Now, you're gonna pay for taking that Cyndaquil away from me!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that Cyndaquil isn't yours?" said Tristan. "It's clearly not interested in having you as its Trainer."
"Dream on, kid," replied Koji. "Now hand over Cyndaquil over to me...unless you wanna battle me for it!"
Tristan scoffed as Pikachu and Chikorita gasped in shock. "But I never caught this Cyndaquil, either."
However, Cyndaquil was glaring at Koji.
Tristan was surprised. He'd never seen Cyndaquil act that way. "Is something the matter, Cyndaquil?"
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard in "A Dairy Tale Ending"))
Cyndaquil leaped out of his arms and ignited its flame from the four holes on its back.
Tristan understood what Cyndaquil wanted. "I see. You want to battle him to pay him back, don't you?"
Cyndaquil nodded as it glared at Koji.
"Fine, then, I accept your challenge, Koji, and I'll use Cyndaquil to beat you!" said Tristan.
Of course, when Koji heard that statement, he was furious. "That's it, kid! You're going down! Go, Sandslash!" And he threw his Poké Ball.
A white light shot out of the Poké Ball and Sandslash emerged from it as it prepared to battle Cyndaquil.
Presently, Hillary and the rest of the Pokémon arrived on the scene.
"Whoa!" gasped Hillary. "Looks like Tristan's about to battle!"
"Sandslash, get in there and use your Swift attack!" yelled Koji.
Sandslash quickly rolled into a ball and quickly spun round and round as it unleashed a barrage of white stars from its quills straight toward Cyndaquil.
"Dodge it, Cyndaquil!" shouted Tristan.
Cyndaquil quickly jumped up and nimbly avoided Sandslash's Swift attack.
"Great dodge, Cyndaquil," commended Tristan.
Cyndaquil nodded as it landed on its feet.
"Sandslash, finish it off with Fury Swipes!" ordered Koji.
Sandslash charged at Cyndaquil using its sharp claws.
"Cyndaquil, keep dodging it!" commanded Tristan.
Cyndaquil jumped back as Sandslash tried to attack it using Fury Swipes.
But no matter how hard and fast it attacked, Cyndaquil proved to be one step ahead of Sandslash's movements.
"Wow, that's fast!" gasped Hillary in amazement. "I've never seen a Cyndaquil go that fast before. I can't recall my Cyndaquil ever going that fast."
Cyndaquil continued to jump back at amazing speed as Sandslash used its claws to attack; however, Sandslash swung and missed every time.
This Cyndaquil has proven to have a lot of stamina, thought Tristan. I can't wait to see what else it can do in battle. "Keep it up, Cyndaquil! You're doing great!" He was getting more and more excited by the second as Cyndaquil kept jumping back.
Koji was getting frustrated. Just when did that Cyndaquil get that good? There's no way it could've been able to go this fast under that kid's care!
At that moment, Sandslash started tiring out and breathed heavily.
"Don't just stand there, Sandslash, go get the Cyndaquil!" barked Koji.
Sandslash forgot about being tired and quickly charged in.
"Now's our chance, Cyndaquil, go in for a Quick Attack!" ordered Tristan.
Cyndaquil shot forward with a white line trailing behind it, and it scored a direct hit on Sandslash, sending it backward.
"Sandslash, close in on it with Slash attack!" ordered Koji.
Sandslash charged toward Cyndaquil and used its sharp claws to attack it once again.
"Cyndaquil, dodge it just like you did before!" instructed Tristan.
Cyndaquil jumped into the air and dodged Sandslash's Slash attack.
"Sandslash, Poison Sting!" ordered Koji.
Snadslash rolled into a ball and quickly spun around and around as it shot white needles from its quills at Cyndaquil.
Unfortunately, Cyndaquil got battered by Sandslash's Poison Sting, and it hit the ground.
But Tristan didn't panic. "You're doing great, Cyndaquil, just hang in there!"
Cyndaquil got back on all fours and was ready to face Sandslash again.
"Sandslash, get in there and finish it up with Fury Swipes!" ordered Koji.
Sandslash furiously and repeatedly attempted to swipe Cyndaquil using its sharp claws, but Cyndaquil nimbly kept jumping back and dodged Sandslash's attack.
Tristan noticed that sweat was dropping down Sandslash's face. It won't be long now. As long as Cyndaquil stays strong and stays one step ahead of Sandslash's attacks, we should be fine.
"Sandslash, let's use your Swift attack one more time, now!" ordered Koji.
Sandslash rolled into a ball and quickly spun around and around, launching white stars at Cyndaquil.
"Look out, Cyndaqul!" shouted Tristan.
Cyndaquil jumped high into the air.
But that was the opening Koji was looking for. "Sandslash, Slash attack!"
Sandslash lunged forward and used its sharp claws to attack.
Unfortunately, Cyndaquil was in a position where it couldn't dodge, and it got struck hard by Sandslash's Slash attack, sending it flying.
"Cyndaquil, no!" cried Tristan.
"This is bad!" exclaimed Hillary.
Cyndaquil crashed into a nearby tree, and it slid toward the ground, but it managed to get back on its feet.
"Ha! Looks like it's over, kid!" smirked Koji.
"You're wrong about that!" replied Tristan. "This battle won't be over until Cyndaquil beats you at your own game!"
"Sandslash, finish it up with Fury Swipes!" shouted Koji.
(Music Cue: S.S. Aqua (as heard in "The Fire-ing Squad"))
Sandslash lunged forward and furiously used its sharp claws to attack.
"All right, Cyndaquil, it's time," said Tristan. "Hit it with your Flamethrower attack!"
Cyndaquil opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful hot stream of fire from it at Sandslash, scorching it in the process.
Koji gasped in shock as Sandslash took the direct hit.
"Incredible!" said Hillary.
As a result of Cyndaquil's powerful Flamethrower, the scorched Sandslash stood dazed and confused. Then it collapsed onto the ground from its injuries. It had been knocked out.
"Yes, we did it!" cried Tristan excitedly.
Cyndaquil stood proudly before its defeated opponent and relished in its victory.
Hillary came to Tristan. "Hey, Tristan. Good to see you."
"Likewise," replied Tristan.
Koji angrily returned Sandslash to its Poké Ball and took out his net. "That Cyndaquil belongs to me and nobody else!" And he unfolded his net and tried to capture Cyndaquil with it.
But Cyndaquil jumped back just in time.
"That's cheating!" accused Tristan.
"Yeah, didn't you learn your lesson last time you tried something like this?!" added Hillary.
"Just get out of my way or else!" yelled Koji as he lunged forward with the net again.
But Cyndaquil shot a powerful Flamethrower attack from its mouth directly at Koji, scorching him, clothes and all, just like it did his Sandslash.
Koji's net disintegrated into scorched dust, and he himself beat a hasty retreat. "I'll remember this!"
"Serves you right!" shouted Tristan.
"Yeah, and this time, don't come back!" added Hillary.
All the Pokémon cheered for Tristan after his latest victory.
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)
Tristan gently picked up Cyndaquil as it doused the flame on its back. "Way to go," he said. "You taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget."
Cyndaquil was confused.
"That's what teamwork is," explained Tristan. "We all help each other out."
"What he said," agreed Hillary.
Cyndaquil seemed happy. It knew that it did the right thing by helping Tristan in his battle.
"Hey, Cyndaquil, do you want to come with me?" asked Tristan. "We'll have lots of fun together, and we'll train to be the best we can be. What do you say?"
Cyndaquil was delighted with the idea and embraced him.
Tristan took out his Fast Ball and caught the Cyndaquil with it.
"Wow, that's so cool, Tristan," said Hillary. "Now you have a Cyndaquil, too."
"Thanks, sis," replied Tristan. Then he did a victory pose and proclaimed, "I caught a Cyndaquil!"
"Pi-Pikachu!" added Pikachu.
All the Pokémon stood proudly as Tristan celebrated his latest addition to his team.
After helping a wild Cyndaquil, it has decided to join Tristan as his and Hillary's Pokémon family grows by one more. And now, with a powerful fiery friend on his side, he and Hillary can now continue their journey to Azalea Town, the next Gym, and the Johto League.
► TO BE CONTINUED