AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 32 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. Sylvester and his first Farfetch'd make an appearance, but I've also decided that I'd base this chapter from my adventures in the Ilex Forest on the HeartGold and SoulSilver version games, since the character has two Farfetch'd instead of one. Yosaku, Sylvester's boss or father, depending on how you look at it, makes a brief appearance in this chapter. As always, please feel free to read and leave responsible reviews at your leisure.
TEASER: After Tristan and Hillary get lost in the Ilex Forest, they find a Trainer named Sylvester, who has trouble maintaining his second Farfetch'd. Will they find a way to calm the Wild Duck Pokémon down?
Chapter 32. SO FARFETCH'D SO GOOD
(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard at the beginning of "Once in a Blue Moon"))
After inviting Celebi to join the group for a while, our heroes continue their journey through the Ilex Forest, hoping to find their way out. But so far, they haven't found the right path.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were walking through the Ilex Forest as Celebi flew alongside.
Tristan was still studying the map on his Poké Gear.
"Is something wrong, Tristan?" asked Hillary.
"There's nothing wrong with me," replied Tristan. "But there's definitely something wrong with this map. I guess my Poké Gear's not gonna help us much."
"Well, maybe my Poké Gear can help us," said Hillary as she took out her Poké Gear. But she soon saw that she had the same problem. "That's weird. It looks like this thing keeps taking us in circles."
Tristan realized what that meant and sighed. "I guess that means we're lost."
"Well, there's only one thing to do," said Hillary. "Let's do lunch!"
"Now you're speaking my language!" agreed Tristan.
(Music Cue: Prayer)
As Tristan and Hillary sat down to lunch with Pikachu and Togepi, Celebi sat and watched from a high tree branch.
Tristan took notice of that and became concerned. "I guess Celebi's still a little shy," he said.
"Who'd blame it?" replied Hillary. "Who'd want to waste their life away rotting inside a cramped G.S. Ball with nowhere to go? I sure wouldn't."
Tristan agreed. "I really can't blame it for being so shy. Celebi sure looks right at home up there."
"It sure does," said Hillary. "Some Pokémon need to have their own space sometimes. Remember, most Pokémon aren't used to having new friends yet. My guess is that Celebi needed a little time to be by itself, especially after the harrowing experience with Team Rocket."
Tristan could see that Hillary was right. He noticed Celebi looking quite content on the high tree branch. But he decided to eat his lunch now and worry about Celebi later. He felt better with each bite.
Presently, Celebi slowly flew down to Tristan and noticed Tristan feeling a little sad.
Hillary noticed Celebi. "Tristan, look at this!"
Tristan saw that Celebi was right next to him and was a little surprised.
"I think Celebi wants to join us!" said Hillary.
"I think you're right," agreed Tristan. He then turned to Celebi. "Were you worried about me?"
Celebi nodded. It couldn't bear to see Tristan looking unhappy.
"Thanks, Celebi," said Tristan. "I guess I was foolish to think about feeling sad." He took out some Pokémon food from his backpack. "Do you want to try this? It's my homemade Pokémon food, and it's quite delicious."
Celebi took the pieces from Tristan and took a bite. It was so happy about the taste that it asked for more.
"You like it?" asked Tristan. He was so happy that a legendary Pokémon would like the homemade food he made. "Please have some."
Celebi was delighted as it chowed down.
"Well, that should cheer you up, Tristan," smiled Hillary.
Tristan agreed.
After lunch, Tristan and Hillary continued on their way with Pikachu and Celebi right behind.
Pikachu and Celebi got along very well as they followed.
"Those two must've hit it off well," smiled Tristan.
Hillary was just about to agree when a brown avian duck-like Pokémon flew right in front of her face. "Hey, watch it, you!"
But the Pokémon didn't listen. It just flew on.
"What nerve!" grumbled Hillary. "Who'd raise such a Pokémon to be that wild anyway?"
"Farfetch'd!" called a voice. "Farfetch'd, where are you?"
"Uh-oh," said Tristan. "Celebi, you'd better hide." He didn't want anyone else to know that he had a Celebi with him.
So under Tristan's advice, Celebi flew out of sight as a boy wearing light-blue clothes stepped out of the bushes.
"Excuse us, may we help you?" asked Tristan.
"My Farfetch'd has run away again," said the boy.
"What caused that to happen?" asked Hillary. "Did it not like its Trainer?"
"Hillary!" scolded Tristan.
"Sorry," whispered Hillary.
"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse my sister, Hillary," said Tristan. "She sometimes teases me, too, but I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"That's all right," replied the boy. "My name's Sylvester."
"Hi, I'm Tristan, and this is Pikachu," smiled Tristan. "And you've met Hillary."
"Hello, there," said Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi greeted Sylvester warmly.
Just then, another brown avian duck-like Pokémon flew in and landed next to Sylvester.
"Look! Another Farfetch'd!" said Tristan.
"That must be the one you trained not too long ago, right?" asked Hilary.
Sylvester nodded. He then turned to his Farfetch'd. "Hey, Farfetch'd, did you see the other Farfetch'd anywhere?"
Farfetch'd shook its head.
"Oh, no," said Sylvester. "It's starting to get darker. And these trees aren't making things any better. Maybe I should've just given up when I raised one Farfetch'd. I never have any luck with wild ones that don't do what I say."
"Don't worry, Sylvester," replied Tristan. "We'll help you look for your other Farfetch'd."
"You'd do that?" Sylvester was touched by Tristan's offer. "Thanks a lot, guys."
Just then, everyone heard rustling in the bushes.
Hillary then noticed a familiar looking beak sticking out. "Hey, could that be your other Farfetch'd?"
(Music Cue: Wreakin' Havoc! (as heard in "The Song of Jigglypuff"))
Sylvester gasped, for sure enough, it was another Farfetch'd. "Farfetch'd! Come here!"
But the wild Farfetch'd didn't listen. It just taunted Sylvester.
"Come on, let's get it!" said Tristan.
Everyone yelled, "Charge!" as they ran to catch it, but unfortunately, the Farfetch'd knew they were coming and flew up, causing them to miss and fall through the bushes.
The Farfetch'd, however, flew above the bushes and laughed. It then flew off, leaving everyone else behind.
Everyone had collapsed into a heap.
"What just happened?" groaned Hillary.
"The Farfetch'd gave us the slip, that's what," replied Sylvester.
"Catching that Farfetch'd isn't as easy as it looks," agreed Tristan.
(Music Cue: The Moon Stone)
A few moments later, everyone recovered.
"We need a new plan," said Sylvester.
"I agree," replied Hillary. "There must be some way to catch that Farfetch'd."
"What if we battle it?" suggested Tristan. "A good battle always helps burn off energy. So if we tire it out, we can catch it, and then we can train it together."
"That's a pretty good idea," smiled Sylvester. "Let's try it. But first, we need to find that Farfetch'd."
"I wonder what Dexter has to say about it," said Hillary as she looked up Farfetch'd's entry in her Pokédex.
"Farfetch'd, the Wild Duck Pokémon. This extremely rare Pokémon can always be found holding a leek, or green onion, which it uses to build its nest."
"The only difference is my second Farfetch'd has been acting really wild lately," said Sylvester. "I think it all started when all the Pokémon in this forest were all started getting anxious. The Farfetch'd I had just caught was getting that way, too, and so it decided to fly all over the forest to see what was going on."
Hillary turned to Tristan. "Well, should we tell him?"
Tristan nodded. He knew there was no choice but to talk about how they encountered Celebi. "We noticed the Pokémon going wild just a couple of days ago," he said. "Kurt, the Poké Ball expert took us to the Ilex Forest Shrine. He entrusted me with this." And he showed Sylvester the now opened G.S. Ball.
"Whoa!" gasped Sylvester. "What was inside it?"
"Apparently, the spirit that watches over this forest," answered Tristan. "It was trapped inside."
"Do you know the name of this spirit?" asked Sylvester.
Tristan took a deep breath, then he answered, "It was Celebi."
Sylvester could scarcely believe his ears. He never knew that the spirit who watched over the forest was a real Celebi. Unfortunately, he was so shocked that he didn't notice his second Farfetch'd flying right above him.
Pikachu instantly pricked its ears up and alerted everyone.
"Is something the matter, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.
Hillary heard flapping in the sky and looked up. "Guys, up there!"
(Music Cue: Raid!)
Everyone else looked up and saw the wild Farfetch'd flying above them.
The wild Farfetch'd saw them looking at it and quickly took off.
"Let's go after it!" said Tristan as he and his friends ran after it.
"Farfetch'd, could you help me catch the other Farfetch'd and bring it down here, please?" asked Sylvester.
His first Farfetch'd nodded and flew after the other one.
Then, Sylvester followed Tristan and Hillary.
The wild Farfetch'd continued to fly away from everyone on the ground.
"Listen to me, Farfetch'd!" cried Sylvester. "You've gotta get back down on the ground!"
But the wild Farfetch'd didn't listen.
Sylvester's first Farfetch'd soon caught up with it.
"Farfetch'd, Fury Attack!" ordered Sylvester.
His first Farfetch'd flew and tried to use its leek to attack, but the other Farfetch'd used its leek to defend.
"That Farfetch'd doesn't give up easily, does it?" remarked Tristan.
"There's gotta be a way that Sylvester can beat it, right, Tristan?" asked Hillary.
Hmm, thought Tristan. I wish I could answer her. But I have no idea of the chances of that happening.
Just then, the second Farfetch'd flew higher and higher into the air.
"I don't know what that Farfetch'd is doing, but I doubt it's good!" said Hillary nervously.
And Hillary was all too right, for the second Farfetch'd quickly turned around and dove down.
"That other Farfetch'd flew up so it could build up speed to attack!" gasped Tristan.
And sure enough, that was what it was doing. Faster and faster it dove until it was within striking distance.
However, the first Farfetch'd didn't see it coming.
"Farfetch'd, look out!" cried Sylvester.
Unfortunately, Sylvester's warning came just an instant too late, for the second Farfetch'd had scored a direct hit by using Fury Attack, sending it plummeting.
However, Sylvester managed to catch it in his hands before it hit the ground. "Are you okay, Farfetch'd? Say something."
The first Farfetch'd nodded and gave a weak reply.
The second Farfetch'd then flew off.
"Well, battling it didn't work," grumbled Hillary. "Now what?"
"We think of something else, that's what," answered Tristan.
Tristan, Hillary, and Sylvester thought about what they could do for what seemed like hours. Apparently, chasing the Farfetch'd had taken more of a toll on everyone than they realized.
"There has to be some way to get that Farfetch'd to come back to us," said Tristan. "But what?"
Sylvester looked all around. Then he saw something on the other side of the trees. "I think I know what might help," he said. "Follow me." And he led Tristan and the others to some thick sticks on the ground.
"Those are just sticks," said Hillary. She was confused.
"Not just any sticks," said Sylvester. "Those sticks always seem to make a cracking sound when stepped on. So when Farfetch'd hears them, it'll fly to where we are."
"Yeah, and then we can sneak up on it and catch it," agreed Tristan.
"And then it's mission accomplished!" added Hillary.
"But there's only one problem," said Sylvester. "When the Farfetch'd sees the person stepping on those sticks, it just flies off. I've tried doing that at least 50 times, but it doesn't seem to work.
"Then obviously, we're gonna have to work as a team to catch it," said Tristan. "We'll all split up in different parts of this area. Someone will have to step on the stick while the other two people are on both sides. Then one of us can catch it before it notices."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Sylvester.
"Let's do it!" said Hillary excitedly. She couldn't wait for this plan to work. So she threw a Poké Ball, and her Squirtle came out of it.
A few moments later, everyone got into position. Tristan and Pikachu hid in the bushes on one side while Hillary, Squirtle, and Togepi hid on the other side.
Sylvester and his first Farfetch'd stood by while they waited.
Presently, the second Farfetch'd landed on the ground not too far away. Its back was turned toward Sylvester and his first Farfetch'd.
"Everything's working out perfectly," whispered Tristan to Pikachu. "Once Sylvester steps on the sticks, we'll put our part of the plan into effect.
Unfortunately, Sylvester's foot slipped, and he let out a yell as he fell to the ground, causing the stick to make a loud cracking sound.
The second Farfetch'd heard him and flew off in Hillary's direction.
"I hate being the fall guy," groaned Sylvester.
The second Farfetch'd flew toward Hillary and Squirtle, much faster than they had anticipated.
"I'm not sure if this was part of the plan," said Hillary to herself. "Squirtle, Water Gun now!"
Squirtle popped out of the bushes and unleashed a powerful blast of water in Farfetch'd's face, causing it to fly in the opposite direction right toward Tristan and Pikachu.
"Okay, Pikachu, it's our turn now," said Tristan. "Use your Thunderbolt attack!"
Pikachu leaped out of the bushes just as Farfetch'd flew toward it, and shot a yellow bolt of electricity at it.
The Farfetch'd manage to dodge it, but was now flying back in Sylvester's direction.
Sylvester managed to pick himself off the ground and had his back turned, but at the last second, he turned around and grabbed it. "Gotcha!" he shouted.
"All right!" said Tristan excitedly as he and Hillary appeared.
"Don't let it get away!" added Hillary.
"That's easier said than done!" grunted Sylvester as he struggled to keep a tight grip on his second Farfetch'd.
The Farfetch'd squirmed in Sylvester's arms as he held on tight.
Then, who should appear from the thick trees but Celebi.
"Hey, look, Celebi's come to help!" said Tristan.
(Music Cue: Route 26)
And it was, for it closed its eyes and it glowed in a blue aura, releasing waves of calming energy and emitting soothing bell-like sounds in the process.
The second Farfetch'd that was squirming instantly stopped squirming and relaxed.
"I wonder what that beautiful sound is," said Sylvester.
"Let's see," said Hillary as she looked it up in her Pokédex.
"Heal Bell. This soothing sound has a calming effect that's so strong, it can cure any status abnormalities."
"So that's Heal Bell," said Tristan. "I'm feeling calmer already."
"Yeah," agreed Hillary.
Everyone took the time to listen to the beautiful sound.
Pikachu, Squirtle, Togepi, and Sylvester's first Farfetch'd all felt the calming effects, too.
All the Pokémon living in the forest thought the sound was so beautiful that they all relaxed instantly.
"Celebi sure knows how to calm things down," remarked Hillary.
"I'll say," agreed Sylvester.
That evening, Sylvester led Tristan and Hillary to a little house in the middle of the Ilex Forest.
A man was waiting outside.
"I'm back, Dad!" called Sylvester.
"Ah, welcome back, Sylvester," his father said. "And I see you brought company this time."
"Tristan and Hillary helped me catch my second Farfetch'd while it was running wild," explained Sylvester.
"Well, all we did was help out...with Celebi's help of course," said Tristan.
"I can see that you three did a great job," said Sylvester's father. "I hope you learned something from this experience, Sylvester. You shouldn't give up on raising your Pokémon just because it's wild. You always have to find a way to calm it down without getting it worked up."
"I'll remember that, Dad, thanks," replied Sylvester.
"As for you two," said Sylvester's father, "I have some high-quality charcoal for you as a way of saying thank you for helping." And he handed the charcoal to Tristan and Hillary.
"Thank you so much, sir," smiled Tristan.
"We're very much obliged," added Hillary. "I never knew you made charcoal."
"My dad's been making charcoal for years with help from his Magmar," explained Sylvester.
Presently, Celebi pointed in a northerly direction and motioned Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu to follow it.
"I think Celebi may have found something," said Hillary.
"Well, we'd better get going, but thanks for this charcoal," added Tristan. And he and Hillary quickly followed Celebi.
"Bye, guys!" called Sylvester. "Thanks for everything!" And he and his father waved until they were out of sight.
It got dark as Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu followed Celebi, but as they did, they noticed the forest getting thinner and thinner, until at last, they saw no more trees.
"We're out!" said Hillary excitedly. "I thought the Ilex Forest would never end."
"Hey, thanks for helping us get out of the Ilex Forest, Celebi," said Tristan. "You're a real friend."
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)
Celebi smiled and nodded as it gently touched Tristan's Silver Wing. And as it did, it flashed for a second.
"I wonder what that flashing is for," said Hillary. "Does that mean we've befriended another legendary Pokémon?"
"It has to be," replied Tristan.
Celebi then flew back into the forest as it waved to Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu.
"Bye, Celebi!" they called as they and Pikachu waved back until Celebi had flown out of sight.
"That Celebi is a really cool Pokémon," remarked Tristan. "And it's real cute, too. I can't wait to see it again."
Pikachu agreed.
"We'd better find a place to stop for the night, sis," advised Hillary.
"I agree," replied Tristan. "And then we can head straight for Goldenrod City!"
Pikachu happily agreed.
They kept walking under the beautiful night sky until at last, they saw a building with a letter P on top of it.
"There's a Pokémon Center," said Hillary. "We can stop here tonight."
"All right," replied Tristan. "Let's go."
And they headed for the Pokémon Center with happy thoughts of their latest adventure fresh in their minds.
And so, thanks to our heroes, Sylvester has his second Farfetch'd back, with some help from Celebi, of course. And now, out of the Ilex Forest at last, our heroes will soon be back on the road to Goldenrod City.
► TO BE CONTINUED