AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is Chapter 54 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. I decided to put Ramona, Keegan, and their Arcanine in this chapter. I remember that Arcanine are powerful Pokémon and are very fast, too, especially when using their ExtremeSpeed. It must be exhilarating to ride on one at that speed. Enjoy and leave responsible reviews.
TEASER: Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu meet Ramona, Keegan, and their three Arcanine, who run a delivery business. After Tristan falls off one of the Arcanine during his riding lesson, he knows it'll take confidence and practice to ride one, especially when Taz tries to steal the three Arcanine and and the Fire Stones!
Chapter 54: RIDING AT EXTREMESPEED
(Music Cue: Very Bad)
After their adventures on Snowtop Mountain, our heroes decide to take a rocky pass on the way to Olivine City, but they've been walking so long, they can hardly stand up.
"I need a break," complained Tristan as he, Hillary, and their friends Pikachu and Togepi sat down in the middle of the pass.
"Yeah, I know how you feel," agreed Hillary. "My feet are killing me. I feel as if I could catch as many Pokémon as I have blisters."
Pikachu and Togepi agreed, although Togepi didn't have to walk after spending time in Hillary's arms; Pikachu had been riding on Tristan's shoulder as usual.
"Is there a Pokémon Center nearby?" asked Tristan.
"Let's see," said Hillary as she took out her Poké Gear and checked the map function. She didn't see any there. "No, I'm afraid I don't see any Pokémon Centers anywhere around here. However, if we wanted to check out the Pokémon Center back on Snowtop Mountain, we could do that."
"That'd be like going in reverse," groaned Tristan. "Besides, we'll never get to Olivine City by going backwards anyway. And besides, we still have eggs from Ho-Oh that we need to hatch."
"You're right, Tristan," agreed Hillary. "What should we do?"
"Well, we need to take care of them, first of all," answered Tristan. "And second of all, we'll need to make sure they hatch safely."
Just then, three quadruped Pokémon with orange pelts and black stripes appeared.
Two people were seen riding on two of them. There were a young boy and an older girl.
"Whoa!" gasped Hillary. "What are they?"
"I know what they are, sis, they're Arcanine," answered Tristan.
"Let's check them out," said Hillary as she scanned them with her Pokédex.
"Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. The evolved form of Growlithe. Arcanine is known for its bravery and fierce loyalty. Growlithe evolves into Arcanine through use of a Fire Stone."
"Those Arcanine look pretty big," said Hillary. "They must be strong ones, too."
"Yeah, do you remember the Arcanine that Officer Jenny from Fuschia City had?" asked Tristan.
"Yeah, they helped us get away from Taz when he was trying to capture all the Butterfree back in Fuschia City," answered Hillary.
Presently, the girl and boy hopped off of the Arcanine.
"Hi," smiled the boy. "You two look tired."
"We sure do," groaned Tristan. "We've been walking all day and stopped just a little bit ago to rest."
"I'm sure you needed it," replied the girl. "Hi, my name's Ramona, and this is my little brother, Keegan."
"How do you do?" greeted Keegan.
"Hi, my name's Tristan," said Tristan.
"Hello, I'm his sister, Hillary," added Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi greeted Ramona and Keegan warmly.
Presently, Hillary noticed some luggage wrapped around one of the Arcanine's manes. "What are these bags for?"
"We operate a delivery business," explained Ramona. "We carry items from town to town and from village to village using our Arcanine."
"The town recently had a Fire Pokémon competition," added Keegan. "And we delivered some Fire Stones there, but we did have a few minor difficulties. I recently injured my arm, and Team Rocket tried to steal Ash's Pikachu. But we defeated them and delivered the Fire Stones to their destination on time. Plus, my arm's out of the sling now, so I can lead my Arcanine again."
"That's a relief," smiled Hillary.
"And," continued Keegan, "since the town we're headed for enjoyed the Fire Pokémon competition so much, they decided to do it again. And we've been asked to deliver more Fire Stones."
"Another Fire Pokémon competition?" Hillary could scarcely believe her ears. But then she grew more excited. "I want to enter it! I have a Cyndaquil!"
"And I have a Quilava, who recently evolved from a Cyndaquil," added Tristan.
"Well, that settles it," smiled Ramona. "We'll see about getting you there."
"But sis, we still have plans to go to Olivine City so I can get my next badge," whispered Tristan to Hillary.
Keegan overheard their conversation. "Don't worry about it. The town we're going to is on the way to Olivine City. So maybe you'd like to ride with us on our Arcanine."
"Could we?" Tristan and Hillary thought that it was a good idea. "Sure, we'd love to."
Tristan then walked over to one of the Arcanine. "This one sure seems friendly." And he gently petted it.
The Arcanine seemed to like that a lot...so much, in fact, that it decided to lick him, causing Tristan to laugh.
"That tickles!" laughed Tristan.
"Arcky seems to have taken a liking to you, Tristan," smiled Keegan.
"Arcky?" asked Hillary.
"That's what I call my Arcanine sometimes," replied Keegan. "I have one while Ramona has the other two."
"Well, I think we should get going, don't you?" suggested Ramona.
"I'll ride with Keegan so I can learn how to handle Arcanine," said Tristan. "Do you think you can handle riding one by yourself, Hillary?"
"I think so," said Hillary nervously.
"I wouldn't worry," Ramona assured her. "You can ride on one of mine. They're well-trained."
"Okay, let's go," agreed Hillary.
And a moment later, Tristan, Hillary, and their new friends rode off on the Arcanine and made their way through the valley.
(Music Cue: Kanto Route 1 (as heard in the Japanese version of "Mewtwo's Counterattack"))
Some time later, they all stopped in the middle of a clearing to rest and have lunch as Keegan, Ramona, and Hillary all brushed the Arcanine's coats.
Tristan cooked the lunch as usual, while sharing it with Hillary and the Pokémon as well as Keegan, Ramona, and their Arcanine.
"Thanks for this great food, Tristan," smiled Keegan. "I don't get cooking that's this good, not that Ramona's cooking is bad or anything."
"Aw, don't mention it," replied Tristan. "Thank you for letting us ride the Arcanine with you."
"You're welcome," said Ramona. "We were just glad you were able to ride with us."
"One thing Tristan and I have learned is that some Pokémon are amazing to watch," said Hillary. "But other Pokémon are so much fun to ride."
"Arcanine are well known for their beauty and speed," added Ramona. "So it's no surprise that when Trainers ride one, they have an amazing time as the wind rushes through their hair, especially when they go fast."
"It almost makes you feel like you're actually flying," agreed Keegan.
"Hey, Keegan, do you think you can teach me how to ride an Arcanine by myself?" asked Tristan.
"Sure," smiled Keegan. "I can give you a riding lesson if you want."
"That'd be great, thank you," replied Tristan. "I'm always up for a new challenge, and I'm a quick study."
A few minutes later, Tristan had situated himself on Keegan's Arcanine as Keegan and the others watched.
"Now one of the best things to know is that you have to be one with Arcanine," explained Keegan. "It's very important not just for Arcanine, but for the person riding it as well."
"Got it," said Tristan.
"One other thing," continued Keegan. "When you want to change direction, just lean in the direction you want to go."
"Keegan sure knows a lot about Arcanine," remarked Hillary to Ramona.
"Keegan first got those pointers from me when I taught him how to handle Arcanine," replied Ramona. "We'll just have to see how well your brother does when riding by himself for the first time."
"Hey, if I can handle riding an Arcanine by myself, then so can he," said Hillary.
"I'm ready, Keegan," said Tristan. "Let's go, Arcanine!"
(Music Cue: Depart to the Pokémon Castle)
And Keegan's Arcanine took off, but much faster than Tristan would've liked, for it started running like a shot, causing Tristan to hang on as tightly as he could.
"Whoa!" cried Tristan. "How do you stop this thing?"
"That Arcanine's fast!" exclaimed Hillary. "I think Tristan may have gotten more than what he bargained for."
"Remember, just be one with Arcanine!" called Keegan.
Tristan heard him and managed to regain control.
"Hey, maybe Tristan's not so bad after all," remarked Ramona.
"Yeah, he's doing a pretty good job on his first try so far," added Keegan.
If I want to be as good at handling Arcanine as Keegan is, I'm gonna have to trust my instincts and listen to his instructions, thought Tristan. And he looked quickly and carefully as he saw a boulder ahead. "Go left!" he shouted as he leaned his body to the left.
Sure enough, Arcanine swayed to the left and avoided the boulder. Then Arcanine turned around and went towards the boulder again.
"Now, go right!" instructed Tristan as he leaned his body to the right.
Arcanine swayed to the right, avoiding the boulder again.
"Hey, not bad, Tristan!" commended Keegan.
"Yeah, way to go, Tristan!" shouted Hillary.
"Hey, this is fun!" said Tristan as Arcanine went faster and faster; however, his excitement was short-lived, for just ahead of him and Arcanine, there was a pond. "Quick, jump, Arcanine!"
And Arcanine did, jumping high into the air with amazing speed; however, Tristan flew off its back in the process, causing him to fall towards the ground.
"Look out, Tristan!" cried Hillary.
Fortunately, Bayleef had seen him fall and quickly used its Vine Whip to catch him just before he hit the ground.
Arcanine, on the other hand, landed safely just a few feet away.
"That was close. Thanks, Bayleef," said Tristan.
Bayleef set him safely on the ground..
"You didn't do too badly for your first try," said Ramona. "But it's gonna take some more practice to ride Arcanine at that speed."
"I'm confident that I will," replied Tristan. "If I can be one and change direction that quickly, I know I'll be able to handle riding Arcanine at a fast speed in no time."
"That's the spirit, Tristan," commended Keegan. "It's just like riding a bicycle. You just gotta get back up and try again."
"What he said," agreed Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi agreed with them.
"Yeah!" said Tristan as he got back on Keegan's Arcanine. "Let's do it, Arcanine!" And he practiced with Arcanine for the next hour.
(Music Cue: A Devious Plot)
Meanwhile, not too far away, Taz, the bearded man, was looking through the bushes. "Those Arcanine look really good and strong," he said to himself. "If I could capture them and sell them on the Poké Market, I'd make a bundle. And I think I know just how to do it, too, especially if what they're carrying is of high value. That'd be a bonus." And he put his plan into motion.
As Tristan, Hillary, and their new friends continued on their way riding on the Arcanine, they saw an ice cream truck just ahead.
"Hey, look!" said Keegan excitedly. "We should stop a minute and get some ice cream!"
"I'm in," agreed Hillary.
"Me, too," added Tristan.
"Me, three," added Ramona. "Okay, Arcanine, let's stop a second."
The Arcanine slowed down and came to a halt.
(Music Cue: Today's Pokémon Curiosity Kanto)
A figure in ice cream attire came out of the truck and said, "Well, howdy, kids! Get your ice cream cones free of charge right here!"
Little did everyone know that it was really Taz in disguise.
"Free? That's the best ice cream ever!" smiled Keegan.
"There are plenty of flavors to choose from," added the man, "including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry shortcake, rocky road, you name it!"
Ramona became suspicious. "Now why would someone like you be stopping here in the middle of the valley, especially when it can get chilly this time of year?"
The disguised Taz shrugged. "Well, ma'am, I'm just trying to keep my ice cream fresh. It makes no sense to stop in places that are too hot for the ice cream to survive. It could melt instantly in the hot sun."
"Yeah, that makes sense," replied Ramona.
"Say now!" smiled the disguised Taz. "Those are some pretty fine Arcanine you've got there! After spending the entire day carrying you guys around from place to place, I think they deserve to have the first licks of ice cream."
"Great idea," agreed Keegan.
"Well, they do deserve it," added Ramona.
"The ice cream bowls are right in the back of the truck," smiled the disguised Taz. "Go on, you three fine Arcanine. You earned it."
And the three Arcanine climbed into the back of the truck. But just as they got in, the door suddenly closed behind them, causing them to panic.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "Hatching a Plan"))
"Arcanine!" cried Ramona and Keegan.
"And the Fire Stones!" added Hillary.
"Hey, what is this?!" demanded Tristan.
Taz threw off his disguise and revealed himself to everyone. "Ha! Gotchas again, losers!"
"It's Taz again!" exclaimed Hillary.
"Give back the Arcanine!" demanded Tristan.
"And the Fire Stones, too!" added Keegan.
"Looks like they belong to me now," replied Taz. "But don't worry, when I sell them all, I'll be sure to think of all of youse!" And he took out his Poké Ball and threw it.
His Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Magmar, Smokescreen now!" ordered Taz.
Magmar shot a gray cloud of smoke from its mouth directly at Tristan and his friends, who choked.
"Ha! So long, suckers!" laughed Taz as he started speeding off.
"Heracross, Larvitar, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his two Poké Balls.
Heracross and Larvitar emerged from the white lights that shot out of them and awaited Tristan's orders.
"Heracross, blow the Smokescreen away!" commanded Tristan.
Heracross flapped its wings furiously and blew Magmar's Smokescreen away in no time, but as soon as it did, everyone saw that the truck was going further and further away.
"Heracross, go follow the truck from the air," instructed Tristan.
Heracross instantly flew ahead to try and catch it.
"Larvitar, go underground and follow the truck from below," added Tristan.
Larvitar nodded and quickly dug underground.
"Let's go, too," suggested Tristan.
Everyone else agreed as they all ran after the truck.
Meanwhile, Taz was driving faster and faster towards his destination. "As soon as these Arcanine are sold, I'll have all the money I need to retire."
Just then, big thumps were heard coming from the back of the truck.
"Hey! Shut your yaps you good-for-nothing things!" barked Taz. "We'll be there soon, all right?" He then grumbled. "It's worth all this trouble just to capture some rare and powerful Pokémon. Maybe I need to stop a second and stretch." And a moment later, he pulled the truck to a halt and got out for a short walk.
As soon as Taz walked away from the truck, Larvitar popped out from underground. It then bit one of the truck's rear tires as hard as it could, and soon, air was hissing from it. Larvitar popped back underground so it wouldn't be seen.
A few moments later, Taz came back feeling refreshed from his walk. But as soon as he got inside, the truck drastically tipped over to one side. "Now what's going on here?" he demanded. He got out to investigate, and sure enough, he saw the tire that had gone flat thanks to Larvitar. "Of all the rotten luck! How could this have happened?!" And he quickly got out to change the tire. Little did he know that he was being observed from above by Heracross, who had followed him and rushed back to alert Tristan and his friends.
Meanwhile, Tristan and his friends were still looking for the truck.
Keegan and Ramona began to get worried.
"I hope we find the Arcanine soon, Ramona," said Keegan.
"I hope so, too," agreed Ramona. "We have a delivery to make and a deadline to meet."
Presently, Tristan, Hillary, and their friends saw Heracross coming toward them.
"What's up, Heracross?" asked Tristan. "Did you see the truck?"
Heracross gave a nod and flew ahead in the direction of the truck.
"All right, let's go!" said Tristan excitedly as he and his friends followed.
Back at Taz's location, the Arcanine were still banging against the back of the truck's trailer. Presently, they unleashed their Flamethrower attacks at the trailer door in an attempt to burn through it.
At that moment, Taz had just finished putting on a new tire, and was now ready to drive the truck again.
As soon as he got back inside the truck to start it up again, Larvitar quickly popped out from underground again, and bit another one of the truck's rear tires, causing air to hiss out of that one and the truck to tip over.
Taz got out to investigate again. "Good grief!" he grumbled. "Why are my tires suddenly going flat?" He took out another new tire and replaced the old tire as fast as he could.
(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "Volcanic Panic"))
But then, he noticed the horn on Larvitar's head sticking out from underground. "Aha! So youse did it! Come here, you!" And he rushed towards Larvitar, but Larvitar was too quick and dodged him.
Then Larvitar rammed its hard horn into Taz's bottom, causing him to scream out in pain.
At that very moment, the three Arcanine had blasted through the trailer door with their Flamethrower attacks and tackled their way out.
Just then, Tristan and the others arrived on the scene.
Keegan and Ramona were happy that the Arcanine had escaped the truck and embraced them.
Tristan and Hillary were happy for their reunion.
"Great job, Larvitar. You, too, Heracross," commended Tristan.
Larvitar and Heracross gave a nod and a happy reply.
Then Tristan and Hillary turned their attention to Taz.
"You're cornered, Taz, so give it up!" demanded Hillary.
"Never!" replied Taz. "If you want me, then come and get me!" He then took out his Poké Ball and threw it.
(Music Cue: Raid!)
His Magmar made another appearance.
"If it's a fight you want, I'll give you one!" said Hillary as she took out her Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, Squirtle!"
Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"That's just fine with me," said Tristan as he took out his Lure Ball and threw it. "Totodile, I choose you!"
Totodile emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"So you wanna play hard ball, do you?" growled Taz. "Magmar, Flamethrower attack now!"
Magmar unleashed a powerful stream of fire from its mouth at Totodile and Squirtle.
"Totodile, use your Water Gun attack!" commanded Tristan.
"You, too, Squirtle!" ordered Hillary.
Both Pokémon shot powerful blasts of water from their mouths at the approaching Flamethrower, successfully knocking it back and scoring a direct hit on Magmar in the process.
"That's a bulls-eye!" said Tristan excitedly.
"Way to go!" added Hillary.
Totodile and Squirtle gave each other high-fives.
"Oh, yeah? Magmar, give 'em your best Smokescreen!" ordered Taz.
Magmar shot another gray cloud of smoke toward Tristan and his friends, who couldn't see what was going on.
Then Taz started speeding off again as the tires screeched.
"He's gonna get away again!" grunted Ramona.
"We'll never catch him through the smoke this way!" added Hillary.
Suddenly, Keegan's Arcanine came to Tristan.
"What's up, Arcanine?" asked Tristan.
"I think Arcanine wants you to go with it," replied Keegan. "Isn't that right, Arky?"
The Arcanine gave a nod.
Tristan, Totodile, and Pikachu leaped onto Arcanine's back. "All right, let's go get Taz!"
(Music Cue: OK! Orchestra and Guitar as heard in ("You're a Star, Larvitar"))
And together, they took off to catch him.
"Do you think Tristan can handle riding Arcanine after falling off on his first try?" asked Hillary.
"You know, I have a feeling that he will be just fine," replied Ramona. "He's got determination, and he knows he can do it."
"Why don't we follow?" suggested Keegan. "I wanna see the action!"
"All right, let's hurry!" agreed Ramona as she, Keegan, and Hillary got on the other two Arcanine and followed Tristan.
Meanwhile, just ahead, Tristan remembered the tips that Keegan had given him earlier in the day as he chased after Taz. Then he saw that he was closing in on the truck.
Taz saw Tristan, his Pokémon, and Arcanine following him. "So you wanna race, huh? Okay, youse got it!" And he accelerated the speed inside the truck, causing him to drift further and further away.
"All right, Arcanine, do you think you can catch up to the truck?" asked Tristan.
Arcanine gave a hard nod.
"Okay, go!" shouted Tristan as he, Pikachu, and Totodile held on as tightly as they could.
At that instant, Arcanine ran faster and faster, causing its legs to become a blur. It was using ExtremeSpeed.
Taz was getting frustrated. "Aargh! Is there no way to lose that kid?"
"Go, Arcanine!" cried Tristan.
And Arcanine made such a big jump that it flew over the truck and landed in front of it. It then came to a stop, causing Taz to slam on the brakes and screech to a halt.
"That's as far as you're gonna get, Taz!" said Tristan as Taz stepped out.
"You think so, huh? Go get 'em, Magmar!" ordered Taz.
Magmar lunged forward and prepared to attack.
"Totodile, Water Gun!" commanded Tristan.
Totodile leaped off of Arcanine and shot a powerful blast of water, scoring a direct hit on Magmar, and knocking it into Taz.
Taz struggled in vain to lift Magmar off of him. "Get off me!" he strained. But he didn't strain for long for he saw Pikachu right in front of him with electricity sizzling from its cheeks.
Tristan stared at Taz with sheer determination.
"I don't think you enjoyed my fake ice cream trick, did you?" said Taz.
"Tricking me out of ice cream is one thing, but when it comes to stealing Pokémon, that's crossing the line," said Tristan. "Give him a good Thunderbolt lesson, Pikachu!"
Pikachu leaped up and shot a powerful bolt of electricity at Taz and Magmar, scoring a direct hit and causing the truck to explode, sending Taz and Magmar skyward.
"I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE MESSED WITH YOUSE!" screamed Taz as he and Magmar blasted off into the sky.
DING!
"Thanks for the ride, Arcanine," said Tristan. "Without you, we would've never been able to catch Taz."
Arcanine nuzzled Tristan with affection, giving him a good chuckle.
Just then, Hillary, Keegan, and Ramona arrived on the scene. "Tristan, here we are!"
"Hey, guys!" said Tristan. "You should've seen Arcanine and me together. We were in perfect sync!"
Arcanine nodded.
"I knew you could do it, Tristan," smiled Ramona.
"Well, I couldn't have done it without Keegan's advice," replied Tristan. "So I owe you a thank-you, Keegan."
"Aw, don't mention it," said Keegan.
"We'd better hurry if we want to get those Fire Stones delivered," reminded Hillary.
"Let's go," agreed Tristan.
By nightfall, everyone delivered the Fire Stones safely to their destination.
The manager was waiting for him. "Thank you for bringing us those Fire Stones. I was wondering if you were going to make it in time. Did you have any problems getting here?"
"Nothing we couldn't handle," replied Ramona.
"Tristan and Hillary were a big help," added Keegan.
"It wasn't much," said Tristan sheepishly. "Although, we should be thanking you for letting us ride the Arcanine."
Keegan was a little puzzled.
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)
"Your pointers helped me learn how to handle riding an Arcanine," explained Tristan. "I realize that I have to be in perfect sync with any Pokémon I work with, whether it's one of my own Pokémon or somebody else's. And that's a lesson everyone should learn."
"Well said, Tristan," smiled Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi agreed.
Tristan walked over to Keegan's Arcanine. "I should thank you, too, Arcanine. If it hadn't been for you, I never would've been able to ride at ExtremeSpeed like I did before."
Arky gave him a lick, causing him to laugh.
Everyone else gave a good laugh as well.
The next morning, Keegan, Ramona, and the three Arcanine said their goodbyes.
"I'm sorry we can't stay for the Fire Pokémon Tournament," said Ramona. "But we have more deliveries to make."
"We appreciate you getting us here, Ramona," replied Hillary. "Now I'll be able to put my Cyndaquil's firepower to the test."
"And my Quilava, too," added Tristan. "Keegan, take good care of Arky, okay?"
"I will," said Keegan. "And you take care of each other."
"Good luck in the tournament," smiled Ramona.
"Thanks," replied Tristan and Hillary together.
And in no time, Ramona and Keegan rode off as the three Arcanine quickly raced away.
"This just goes to show that there's always a lot to learn about Pokémon," said Hillary.
Tristan silently agreed.
I couldn't have said that better myself, Hillary. But don't forget to register for the Fire Pokémon Tournament, for this one guarantees your memory of it will burn for a long time to come.
► TO BE CONTINUED