AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here's chapter 34 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they progress through the Johto region. I decided to have Latoya Parker from the anime as well as Gligar make an appearance in this chapter as someone who signs autographs. Even though she's closer to Azalea Town than Goldenrod City, I thought about giving her a role as she signs autographs. Please feel free to read and leave responsible reviews at your leisure.
TEASER: After Togepi gets saved by a superhero named Gligirl, Hillary is anxious to meet her in person; however, Tristan is skeptical about superheroes. But when Gligirl's up to her neck in trouble, it'll be up to Hillary and Tristan's belief in her and Gligirl in order to save the day!
Chapter 34: HEROES AND SUPERHEROES
(Music Cue: Kanto Route 1 (as heard in the Japanese version of "Mewtwo Strikes Back"))
Our heroes are still on the road to Goldenrod City, but today they're stopping for a midday break.
Tristan and Hillary were just setting up lunch in the middle of a clear meadow.
"Come on out, everyone, it's time to eat!" said Tristan as he excitedly tossed his Poké Balls in the air.
"You, too, guys, you heard what Tristan said!" added Hillary as she tossed her Poké Balls in the air.
Tristan's Venusaur, Blastoise, Chikorita, and Cyndaquil emerged from the white lights that shot out of his Poké Balls while Hillary's Squirtle, Cyndaquil, Eevee, Furret, and Lapras emerged from the white lights that shot out of hers.
Most of the newer Pokémon were a little nervous around Furret.
"There's no need to be suspicious, guys," Hillary assured them. "Furret evolved from Sentret."
The Pokémon felt better after that.
Little did everyone know that a familiar bearded man was hiding from some bushes, and was sneaking behind them. Quickly, he snatched the littlest Pokémon he could find, which was Hillary's Togepi, and covered its mouth so its cries couldn't be heard.
Everyone was just about to eat when Hillary looked around. "Has anybody seen Togepi?"
"It was right next to Pikachu last I checked," replied Tristan.
(Music Cue: Desperate Situation 1997-1998 (as heard in "The Superhero Secret"))
Presently, everyone heard the sound of a motorcycle coming right at them. Quickly, they got out of the way.
Tristan was most annoyed. "Hey, watch where you're going, fella!"
Next, they heard the cries coming from Togepi.
Hillary was most alarmed. "Togepi!" she cried. She then got angry. "All right, who did that?!"
Then familiar cackling could be heard in the distance.
Tristan and Hillary knew who that was. "It's Taz!" they exclaimed.
"Ha ha ha ha!" laughed Taz. "See, I told you I'd have my revenge, and now this little Togepi is mine."
"Give back my Togepi!" shouted Hillary.
"Quick, Venusaur, stop him with your Vine Whip!" ordered Tristan.
Venusaur shot multiple vines from its flower and stretched them out as far as they could go, but unfortunately, he was just a little out of reach for the vines to connect.
"No!" grunted Tristan. "He's going too fast!"
Taz stopped his motorcycle briefly and gloated in triumph. "Well, this is what I call the perfect payback. If it hadn't been for your Furret, I would've had my big Onix prize, but I can be flexible enough to steal a cute Pokémon like Togepi instead."
"You won't get away with this, you rotten crook!" shouted Tristan.
"Yeah, give Togepi back!" added Hillary.
"Oh, yeah? Try and make me," said Taz as he started roaring off on his motorcycle again.
But just then, a purple bat-like Pokémon with a round head and body swooped in right in front of Taz and landed on his face, blinding him, and forcing him to crash his motorcycle.
But just before Taz crashed, the Pokémon grabbed Togepi and flew it right back to Hillary.
"Togepi!" said Hillary as she happily reunited with it in her arms. "Are you okay?"
Togepi chirped happily.
Hillary looked at the purple bat-like Pokémon. It had long, triangular ears, two pointed teeth, two pincers, two blue wing membranes, and a long tail ending with a stinger. "Who's that Pokémon?" she wondered as she scanned it with her Pokédex.
"Gligar, the FlyScorpio Pokémon. Gligar uses the cape-like wings on its back to glide from tree to tree quickly and quietly."
Taz slowly picked himself up and grew angry. "All right, whose Pokémon is that?!" he demanded.
(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard at the end of "A Shadow of a Drought"))
It was then that everyone heard a heroic feminine voice. "Children, prepare, and evildoer, beware!"
Tristan and Hillary were surprised. "Who's that?"
A feminine figure stood tall on a nearby tree branch, and was wearing a similar Gligar costume. "Evil never prevails...as long as there's Gilgirl!"
Hillary was impressed. "Now she's my kind of superhero!" she said. "Gligirl, you're the best!"
Tristan was skeptical at first. "Oh, please. Superheroes don't exist...do they?"
"Hey, goily-goil, I don't have time for this," said Taz. "Now if you'd be so kind as to let me get back to what I was doing..."
(Music Cue: Flying Dragonite (Kairu))
But Gilgirl wouldn't listen. "Gligar, Poison Sting attack now!"
Gligar's tail glowed and it shot poisonous needles from it right at Taz, who ran around frantically trying to dodge Poison Sting.
"Gligar, use Swift attack now!" commanded Gligirl.
Gligar shot a barrage of white stars from its body at Taz.
Taz tried to dodge Gligar's Swift attack, but to no avail, as the stars kept hitting him like a barrage of angry Beedrill.
Quickly, Taz got back on his motorcycle and roared off. "This isn't over, kiddies! I'll be back!"
Gligirl jumped down from the tree branch and walked over to Tristan and Hillary. "Are you two all right?"
"We are now," answered Hillary. "Thank you so much for saving my Togepi. I don't know what to say."
"Think nothing of it," replied Gligirl. She looked at the collection of Tristan and Hillary's Pokémon. "Now those are some really cool Pokémon. I wish I could stay and play with them, but I must go, for Gligar and I have business elsewhere." And she and Gligar disappeared into the bushes.
A moment later, a motorcycle leaped out of the bushes and sped off with Gligirl riding on top of it.
"Wow, Tristan, wasn't that cool or what?" said Hillary excitedly. "A superhero comes to our rescue and saves my Togepi! Let's meet GliGirl in person and thank her! Sound good?"
"But Hillary, you heard what Gligirl said, didn't you?" replied Tristan. "She can't stay in one place for too long."
"But I've just gotta meet her!" insisted Hillary.
"Hey, wait a minute," said Tristan suspiciously. "How did you become a fan of this Gligirl all of a sudden?"
"I'd been reading comics that had Gligirl in them before we started our journey together," answered Hillary. "I can't believe you've never heard of Gligarman or Gligirl. Gligirl's my personal favorite over Gligarman. Let's have our lunch and go! After all, we wouldn't want to travel on an empty stomach, would we?"
Tristan sighed. "I suppose not."
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi came to a town some time later. There they saw posters and action figures of Gligirl.
"This Gligirl is everywhere," said Tristan. "No wonder she's so popular here."
"Now that I've seen how likable, sweet, beautiful, and strong-willed Gligirl is, I wanna meet her even more!" said Hillary. She then noticed a crowd of people lining up for something. "Come on, Tristan!" And she dragged Tristan by the arm.
When they got to the crowd, they saw a teenage girl with maroon hair at a stand signing autographs.
"I wonder if this person knows anything about Gligirl," said Tristan.
"Or who she is," added Hillary.
Tristan and Hillary waited in line for what seemed like hours.
When the line cleared out, they were the only two people left, along with Pikachu and Togepi.
"Hi, there," said Tristan.
The maroon-haired woman turned around. "Hi there," she said. "Can I help you?"
"We came here to learn about Gligirl and why she's so popular here," replied Hillary. "I'm a big fan of her and have been for years. I remember getting the latest comic book from my grandmother for my birthday. My name's Hillary and this is my brother Tristan, and our Pokémon, Pikachu and Togepi."
"Hello," added Tristan.
Pikachu and Togepi greeted the girl warmly.
The teenage girl introduced herself. "My name's Latoya Parker. It's nice to meet you especially someone who's a big fan of Gligirl. My father's the owner of a toy store in another town, but he couldn't make it because he's been battling the flu, so he asked me to fill in for him."
"We're sorry to hear that, Latoya," said Tristan. "I hope your father gets better soon."
"So where did the idea of Gligirl come from anyway?" asked Hillary.
Latoya shrugged. "Well, I guess I...
But just then, a Gligar showed up and used its tail as a threat to Hillary.
"Eek!" shrieked Hillary.
"Gligar!" scolded Latoya. "Why can't you behave yourself just this once?"
Gligar lowered its head in shame.
"Wait a second," said Tristan. "If you have that Gligar, doesn't that mean..."
Tristan and Hillary both gasped and exclaimed, "You're Gligirl?!"
Latoya shushed them.
Fortunately, nobody else was around, so nobody heard the conversation.
"I need you to make a promise to me," whispered Latoya. "You must never say anything about my Gligirl identity, okay? I don't want word going around this town or anywhere else. Do you promise?"
"We promise, Latoya," said Tristan.
"My lips are sealed," agreed Hillary. "But I'm still curious about how Gligirl came into existence, though."
"Actually, the idea of Gligirl came from the beginning of Gligarman," explained Latoya as she began to tell the story.
"My father wasn't selling enough toys in his toy store. He tried everything, but no matter how much he did, he just couldn't be successful at it. So he decided to invent Gligarman and wrote stories on him. Then one day he decided to become Gligarman because it felt so fulfilling to him than just being a regular businessman. He then had Gligarman toys because the Gligarman stories were so popular. Soon everybody in the store was buying Gligarman merchandise and comic books, and soon, my father was the best businessman in the city."
"But when my father and my friend Ash were tied up by that nasty Team Rocket not long ago, I decided to come to his rescue as Gligirl," continued Latoya. "I wanted to prove that he isn't the only hero in the town, plus when he retires, I can help save the citizens of the city that I call home."
"That's a great story, Latoya," said Tristan. "Your father must be real proud of you."
"That Gligar may be ill-mannered," said Hillary, "but I do owe it my gratitude for its help for saving Togepi today."
Togepi chirped in agreement.
"As my father would say," smiled Latoya, "Gligar wants to fight for the right and help people who are really in trouble."
Tristan and Pikachu nodded in agreement.
Just then, the sound of a whistle could be heard.
Tristan and Hillary gasped in alarm.
"What's that?" asked Hillary.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "The Superhero Secret"))
"It's the Gligar Whistle!" replied Latoya. "There's some kind of trouble...big trouble! Gligar, let's go!" And she ran off.
Gligar nodded and flew off after her.
A moment later, a motorcycle emerged as Latoya, now in her Gligirl costume rode off to the source of the trouble with Gligar following in hot pursuit.
"Come on, we'd better follow her," advised Hillary to Tristan. "She may be a superhero, but she may be getting into super-trouble."
Tristan nodded in agreement as she and Tristan ran after her as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Taz, now dressed in a supervillain costume, was terrorizing several innocent people using his Electabuzz's electricity.
They were all tied up in a group circle thanks to his new Spinarak's String Shot.
"So which one of youse is gonna help me unmask this Gligoil?" asked Taz.
The citizens all quivered in fear as Electabuzz got ready to use a Thunder Punch.
"Come on, youse guys, it ain't a tough choice," smirked Taz. "Just one of you gets to help me and you all go free. Nothing to it."
Presently, Gligar flew to the scene and attacked Electabuzz using its Poison Sting.
"Electabuzz!" gasped Taz in shock. Then he got angry. "All right, who did that?"
"You leave those people alone!" That voice belonged to Gligirl as she made her appearance. "How dare you come here and terrorize them!"
"Well, look who decided to show up," smirked Taz. "You may have gotten me with my guard down last time, Gligoil, but this time, we're ready for you."
"You won't be ready for this," replied Gligirl. "Gligar, Swift attack now!"
Gligar's tail glowed and white stars shot out from it toward Electabuzz.
"Electabuzz, give it a Quick Attack," instructed Taz.
Electabuzz jumped up and streaked toward Gligar with a white line trailing behind it while at the same time, dodging Gligar's Swift attack. It came so fast that Gligar didn't have time to dodge the attack as it was struck hard, much to Gligirl's shock.
"Gligar, no!" cried Gligirl.
Gligar crashed onto the ground.
"Now it's your toin," said Taz. "Okay, Spinarak, let's tie her up."
Taz's Spinarak shot white sticky string from its mouth and tied Gligirl's arms and legs.
As a result she fell to her side on the ground.
"I hope youse had a nice fall," smiled Taz.
Gligirl strained as she tried to break free from Spinarak's String Shot attack.
There was worse to come as Spinarak started glowing in a white light.
(Music Cue: Cause for Alarm)
The citizens gasped in horror as Spinarak grew bigger and bigger.
When the light stopped, Spinarak looked like a red spider with purple eyes and a white horn on its head.
"Heh heh," chuckled Taz. "Looks like my Spinarak just evolved into an Ariados."
Tristan and Hillary arrived in time to see everything unfold in the distance. They were shocked at the new Pokémon that Taz had.
"Whoa, that's Taz, and he's got a new friend we didn't know about!" gasped Hillary.
"New is an understatement," agreed Tristan as he scanned Ariados with his Pokédex.
"Ariados, the Long Leg Pokémon. The evolved form of Spinarak. Ariados is able to spin extremely strong, sticky webs to trap its adversaries."
Trap was right, for they saw Gligirl helpless on the ground not too far away.
"Hey, that's Gligirl!" cried Hillary. "And she's in real trouble! I've gotta help her!" And she started running off.
"But Hillary, what can you do?" asked Tristan.
"Maybe nothing, but I've gotta try," insisted Hillary.
"But I've told you, Hillary, Gligirl doesn't even exist," said Tristan. "She's not real, she's just some comic book superhero."
"Gligirl's my favorite superhero, and I've gotta make sure she's unharmed!" said Hillary defiantly. "You saw her save my Togepi, right? So it's my turn to return the favor and save her! If I don't, who knows what could happen! Please, Tristan, have faith in me! If you truly believe in me, then you've gotta believe in Gligirl, too!"
Tristan was surprised. He didn't know that his skepticism would've gone this far, and now he was being asked to have faith in Hillary and the superhero he never thought existed until now. He looked right into Hillary's eyes. He'd never seen her look at him with such determination before. At last he said, "All right, then. Go and rescue her. Just be careful, and make sure you don't end up like she did."
"Thanks, big bro," said Hillary. "Here, you take Togepi!" And she handed Togepi to Tristan as she ran off to help Gligirl.
"Best of luck," whispered Tristan. "You can do it."
Meanwhile, Taz was standing triumphantly over the fallen Gligirl. "Now, it's time for you all to watch as I finally unmask Gligoil!"
"No...you can't!" grunted Gligirl.
Gligar lay helpless as it struggled in vain to get back up.
"The time has finally come," said Taz.
But before he could get even close to Gligirl's mask, a Flamethrower attack stopped him dead in his tracks and freed Gligirl from her bonds.
Everyone gasped in shock.
Taz became most upset. "Hey! Can't you see that I'm busy?"
(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard at the end of "A Shadow of a Drought"))
"That's as far as you're gonna get, Taz!" said Hillary as she and her Cyndaquil ran to the scene.
Gligirl sighed with relief.
"Arrgh!" growled Taz. "Not youse again! Why is it that some kid always has to ruin my plans, not to mention one of the annoying two kids?!"
Hillary ran to Gligirl. "Are you okay?" She then helped Gligirl to her feet.
"Why did you come?" asked Gligirl sternly. "You could've gotten hurt."
"But I had to help you, Gligirl!" insisted Hillary. "You saved my Togepi, so now I have to return the favor. Won't you please let me help you?"
Gligirl was touched by Hillary's generosity. "Okay, you win. Let's take care of this creep together."
(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (starting at :19 (as heard in "The Superhero Secret")))
And after giving each other a high-five, they faced Taz just as Cyndaquil and Gligar flew in front of their Trainers.
"You're gonna be sorry youse ever messed with us," growled Taz. "Electabuzz, use your Thunderbolt."
Electabuzz charged forward as its body sizzled with electricity. It then shot a powerful bolt of electricity straight toward Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil, look out!" cried Hillary.
"Gligar, protect Cyndaquil!" commanded Gligirl.
Gligar flew in front of Cyndaquil and absorbed Electabuzz's attack.
Taz was confused. "Why didn't it woik?"
Gligirl smiled. "You should've known that Gligar was immune to Electric attacks."
"Thanks, Gligirl," said Hillary.
"Anytime," replied Gligirl.
"Ariados, go get that Gligar!" barked Taz.
Ariados charged at Gligar as fast as its six legs would carry it.
However, Hillary knew what to do. "Cyndaquil, Flamethrower now!"
Cyndaquil ignited the flame on its back and shot another strong stream of fire from its mouth directly at Ariados, scoring a clean hit on it, and sending it flying.
Meanwhile, Tristan and Pikachu, along with Chikorita managed to get to the tied up citizens while Taz and his Pokémon were kept occupied.
"Okay, Chikorita, use your Razor Leaf to free those people," instructed Tristan.
Chikorita nodded and shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at the string, causing it to break.
The citizens were now freed. "Thank you so much," they said.
Back with Hillary and Gligirl, they were just about to wrap things up.
"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!" commanded Hillary.
Gligar, use Swift attack now!" ordered Gligirl.
Cyndaquil and Gligar teamed up and unleashed their attacks toward a defenseless Electabuzz, who got hit by the combination attack.
Electabuzz had been knocked out right on top of a dazed Ariados.
Taz looked around helplessly just as he was confronted by Tristan, Pikachu, Chikorita, and the citizens.
"We'll take it from here, ladies," said Tristan. "Pikachu, give him a Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu jumped up and unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity on Taz, Electabuzz, and Ariados, scoring a direct hit on them and causing an explosion that sent them skyward, screaming as they went.
DING!
(Music Cue: You Can Do It If You Really Try (instrumental (as heard in "Hot Matches"))
Everyone cheered as they celebrated their victory over Taz.
Then, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Gligar, and Gligirl all did a celebratory pose like a Gligar.
Later, after everything had calmed down and the citizens had left, Tristan, Hillary, and Latoya had all gathered back together with their Pokémon.
Latoya was now back to her normal clothes after switching out of her Gligirl costume.
Tristan spoke to Hillary. "Hey, sis, I'm sorry I said that Gligirl didn't exist. You were right. Gligirl was and is a real superhero. Not to mention that you came to her rescue when she needed you the most."
"Well, it was the least I could do, Tristan," replied Hillary.
"Aw, come on," smiled Latoya. "It doesn't matter if people believe in me or not. I'm just glad it all worked out in the end."
"From now on, whenever Hillary says something important, I'll believe her," promised Tristan, "even if there is a real live superhero out there. That's because we're brother and sister. And she's my superhero." And he embraced her.
"Aw, thanks, Tristan, that's sweet," replied Hillary as she hugged him right back.
Latoya proudly watched the happy moment.
"We've gotta get going, Latoya," said Tristan. "I've got a Gym Battle coming up in Goldenrod City."
"But Tristan, don't you want Gligirl...er, Latoya's autograph?" asked Hillary.
Tristan thought about that a minute. "Well, I suppose we could wait just a little bit longer."
Latoya gave a good chuckle, and so did Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon.
That evening, Tristan and Hillary left town and said their goodbyes to Latoya.
"Bye, Latoya!" called Tristan. "Take care!"
"Thanks for everything!" added Hillary. "Say hi to your dad for us!"
"Good luck with the rest of your journey!" replied Latoya.
Pikachu and Togepi said their goodbyes to Latoya as well.
As they left, Tristan and Hillary thought fondly of their latest adventure.
"Wasn't that cool, Tristan?" said Hillary. "I got to meet Gligirl up close and personal after she saved us today."
Tristan agreed. "And you had a chance to save her in return. Right, Pikachu?"
Pikachu nodded in agreement.
And so, our heroes have gotten a real taste of what superheroes can do, especially now that they've helped one in need as they continue their journey to Goldenrod City and new Johto League adventures!
► TO BE CONTINUED