AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 56 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. I've decided to base this chapter partly on some parts of the book called The Dragon's Child by Jenny Nimmo because as you know Dando the dragon couldn't fly at first. You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter. Feel free to leave responsible reviews at your leisure.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary's eggs hatch, but Butch and Cassidy from Team Rocket attempt to capture them. The Ho-Oh that visited them in Ecruteak City decides that it's time to take them away for their own safety, but when they fall out of the sky, it's up to Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and a familiar friend to work together and rescue them!

Chapter 56: HATCHING RAINBOW LEGENDS, PART 1

(Music Cue: The Moon Stone)

It was the middle of the night, and Tristan and Hillary were camping out at a lakeside camp with Pikachu and Togepi. They had all fallen fast asleep hours before. The night was clear and the breeze was calm as the moon shone brightly.

Suddenly, Tristan's backpack began to emit a light. At first it was faint, but then it started glowing brighter and brighter.

Tristan slowly opened his eyes and moaned, "Not now, I'm still sleepy." He then turned around to see what he thought was the sun. But when he opened his eyes a little wider, he realized what was happening and gasped in shock. "It's the egg! It's almost time for it to hatch!" He rushed over to Hillary's sleeping bag and nudged her. "Hillary! Hillary! Wake up!"

Hillary moaned and opened her eyes. "What is it now, Tristan? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" Then she saw the bright light in Tristan's bag. "Whoa! Is that the egg that Ho-Oh gave you? I think it might hatch soon!" And she quickly got out of her sleeping bag.

Tristan quickly took the egg out of his backpack and gently set it down on the ground. "It won't be long now."

What a special event this is turning out to be! While journeying to Olivine City and Tristan's fifth Gym battle, our heroes awaken to the bright light from one of their eggs that will soon hatch. Does this mean that their time and patience will soon be rewarded with another legendary Pokémon friend? We'll have to find out for ourselves!

The sun came up a few hours later.

Tristan's egg was still glowing as everyone watched anxiously.

"This is the most exciting thing I've seen since I first saw Lugia hatch," said Tristan to himself.

"I'll have to agree with you, Tristan, even though I didn't actually see Lugia hatch," replied Hillary.

"But now, we'll both get a chance to see the birth of a Legendary Pokémon together," said Tristan, "which is something we don't see every day, so this is a treat."

"Ho-Oh will be pleased to know that this one will be hatched safely," added Hillary.

Just then, Hillary's egg began to glow brightly as well.

"Whoa, no way!" gasped Hillary. "My egg's glowing, too!"

"Could this be the moment when both Pokémon hatch right before our eyes?" asked Tristan as he and his friends continued to watch the eggs.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Boss Theme)

Little did they know that two Rocket Grunts were watching them from a nearby forest.

"Are those the eggs that Professor Namba was talking about?" whispered the first one.

"I don't know," replied the second. "They're too far away for me to see. Let me take a look." And he looked through the binoculars, but the eggs were still too far away to see them. "I'll contact Professor Namba." And he did.

Meanwhile, in a secret hideout, Professor Namba was doing some research for Team Rocket when his radio rang. "What is it?"

"Sir," said the second Rocket Grunt. "We have located two eggs, and we have reason to believe that they're both the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, but can't confirm that at this time. They are in the custody of two children."

"Very good," replied Professor Namba. "It figures those two kiddies would be the ones with another legendary Pokémon. Keep an eye on them, and make sure the eggs hatch safely. I want to make sure that the prize I want is the prize I'm looking for."

"Understood, sir," said the second Rocket Grunt.

Professor Namba was getting very excited. "If those eggs turn out to be the legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh, we'll have what we need to take over the world. With a powerful legendary Pokémon like Ho-Oh at my disposal, no one will be able to stop me!" And he laughed profusely as he watched the operation about to unfold.

Back at the camp, Tristan and Hillary's eggs were still glowing as they, Pikachu, and Togepi watched.

Just then, Tristan's egg emitted a shimmering tone.

"This is it!" gasped Tristan as he gently set his egg down on the ground.

Sure enough, it was time for it to hatch. The egg changed shape into a birdlike Pokémon. When the glowing stopped, it looked like an avian Pokémon resembling a phoenix and a peacock. Its feathers were gold and red with yellow tail feathers and green feathers at the tips of its wings, and a green stripe around its neck. It was, in fact, a baby Ho-Oh. It opened its eyes and looked at Tristan.

Tristan and Pikachu were awestruck.

"That's so cool that your egg hatched, Tristan," said Hillary. "And what a cute Ho-Oh this one is, too!"

The little Ho-Oh stretched its wings and gave a yawn. Then it looked into Tristan's eyes.

Tristan smiled as it watched him. Then he took out his Pokédex and scanned Ho-Oh with it.

"Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Pokémon. Legends believe that Ho-Oh glows in seven colors and continuously flies the world's skies. A rainbow is said to form behind it when it flies. It will reveal itself before Trainers who are pure of heart by shining its rainbow-colored wings."

"That's awesome," said Tristan.

Presently, Hillary's egg began to emit a shimmering tone, signifying that it was ready to hatch.

Hillary looked at it closely with Tristan looking over her shoulder.

The egg transformed into the same Pokémon Tristan's egg turned into.

It was a Ho-Oh, but its colors were vastly different. Its wings were orange with red tips. It had silver tail feathers and a red stripe around its neck. It opened its eyes and looked at Hillary.

Hillary was so excited. "It's a Ho-Oh of a different color!" she said.

"That's so great, Hillary," smiled Tristan. "I'm almost jealous...but I don't care. Now we can tell the Ho-Oh that visited us that these eggs hatched safely, and we can be friends with them."

"But how can I tell the difference between the one you hatched and the one I hatched...besides the colors, I mean? I don't want to get confused just by calling it by its regular name. So I should think about giving it a nickname."

"That's a good idea," said Tristan. "What name did you have in mind?"

"Maybe I can give it a name like, um...Goldie. Yeah, that's it!"

The Ho-Oh with different colors seemed to like the name as it happily flapped its wings.

"Then that settles it," said Tristan. "Goldie it is." He turned to the Ho-Oh he hatched. "You're perfect just the way you are. I don't need to give you a nickname."

"Suit yourself," replied Hillary. "You don't have to give your Ho-Oh friend a nickname if you don't want to."

Tristan and Hillary smiled as they held the two Ho-Oh high in the air.

"Just think, sis," said Tristan. "Someday, these two will spread their wings and fly in the skies."

"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "Those two will be two of the best fliers out there."

Pikachu and Togepi agreed.

(Music Cue: A Devious Plot)

Meanwhile, the two Team Rocket Grunts were speaking with Professor Namba on the radio.

"The two Pokémon are both Ho-Oh, sir," said the first one. "One of them is a different color."

"That's even rarer than the regular Ho-Oh!" smiled Professor Namba. "All right. It doesn't matter which one you capture, but if you can capture the Ho-Oh of a different color, there's an extra bonus in it for you. Move in and capture them at once!"

"Yes, sir!" said the Rocket Grunts.

"We should tell Ho-Oh right away," said Tristan. "I mean the big one that visited us in Ecruteak City."

"But we don't even know where it is now," said Hillary. "How are we supposed to find it?"

Suddenly a Flamethrower attack came out of nowhere, and Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon friends were forced to dodge it.

They saw a Houndour growling fiercely at them.

"Hey, what's going on?!" demanded Hillary.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Motto 1999 (as heard in "Revelation Lugia"))

"It's time for you to prepare for trouble."

"But we decided to make it double."

Tristan and Hillary knew who those voices belonged to as two people appeared behind them.

"I'll betcha that's Team Rocket!" said Tristan disdainfully.

"To infect the world with devastation."

"To blight all peoples in every nation."

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above."

"Cassidy."

"And Butch, of course."

"We're Team Rocket circling Earth all day and night."

"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight, fight, fight."

"Raticate!" chimed their Raticate as it proudly stood between Butch and Cassidy.

"Batch and Cassidy!" exclaimed Hillary.

Butch became upset. "Aargh! Can't you get my name right?! It's Butch, not Batch!"

"We really appreciate you hatching those baby Ho-Oh for us," smiled Cassidy. "Now hand them over."

"Never!" replied Hillary.

"Then you leave us no choice," said Butch as he took out his Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, Hitmontop!"

(Music Cue: Legendary Birds Freed (second part (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia")))

Butch's Hitmontop emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"You go, too, Houndour," said Cassidy.

Houndour came closer to Tristan and Hillary.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"Yes. Totodile, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Lure Ball.

"Go, Squirtle! Help Totodile!" added Hillary as she threw her Poké Ball.

Both Totodile and Squirtle emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"Houndour, Flamethrower!" ordered Cassidy.

Houndour shot a stream of fire from its mouth directly at Totodile.

"Totodile, Water Gun attack!" commanded Tristan.

Totodile shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Houndour, successfully pushing it back and scoring a direct hit on it in the process.

"Nice move, Tristan!" commended Hillary.

"Thank you," replied Tristan.

"Hitmontop, Rapid Spin!" yelled Butch.

Hitmontop did a headstand and spun directly at Squirtle.

"Squirtle, use your Rapid Spin!" instructed Hillary.

Squirtle shrunk into its shell and spun at a high speed directly toward Hitmontop.

Faster and faster the two Pokémon went until they collided into one another.

Unfortunately, Squirtle's size was too small to push back against Hitmontop, and as a result after trying to push Hitmontop back, it had been sent flying, much to Tristan and Hillary's shock.

"Squirtle's in big trouble!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Squirtle, return now!" cried Hillary. And she quickly recalled Squirtle back into her Poké Ball.

"Houndour, use Smog!" ordered Cassidy.

Houndour shot a a thick, black fog from its mouth and enveloped Tristan, Hillary, and the Pokémon, including the two baby Ho-Oh that they were taking care of, causing them to cover their eyes and cough.

"I can't see a thing!" choked Hillary.

"Totodile, blast the Smog away with your Water Gun!" hacked Tristan.

Quickly, Totodile shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth to clear Houndour's Smog away.

"Come on, we'd better make a run for it," suggested Tristan.

"Right!" agreed Hillary as she, Tristan, Pikachu, Togepi, and Totodile started running with the two baby Ho-Oh into the woods.

"Not so fast," said Cassidy, and she snapped her fingers.

In the blink of an eye, an army of ten Team Rocket Grunts came out of nowhere and surrounded Tristan, Hillary, and the Pokémon.

"Oh, no, they've got us outnumbered," grunted Hillary.

"Hey, let us go right now!" demanded Tristan.

"You weren't thinking of leaving, were you?" smirked Cassidy.

"We always have a way of getting what we want," added Butch. "So we insist that you stay."

The Rocket Grunts came closer and closer.

"Hand over the baby Ho-Oh or else," smiled the first Rocket Grunt.

"And if you do, we'll let you leave in one piece," added the second Rocket Grunt.

"You're all insane!" exclaimed Hillary.

"Yeah!" agreed Tristan. "There's no way we'll hand these two Ho-Oh to you losers!"

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to resort to extreme measures," said the first Rocket Grunt. "Capture them now!"

"Leave them alone!" demanded Hillary.

But the ten Rocket Grunts charged toward the baby Ho-Oh, when all of a sudden, an extremely powerful Flamethrower attack came out of the sky and struck them all, sending them flying backward into nearby trees.

"Aah!" exclaimed Cassidy.

"Oh, no!" shouted Butch.

"What's going on?" asked Tristan as he and Hillary managed to pick themselves up.

(Music Cue: Movie Title 2000 Emperor of the Crystal Tower)

Then they looked up and saw the big Ho-Oh descending from the sky.

"Hey, look! It's the Ho-Oh we saw in Ecruteak City!" gasped Hillary.

"You're right, Hillary!" agreed Tristan. "It must've come to help us out!"

Butch and Cassidy angrily turned toward the big Ho-Oh.

"Let's take that one instead!" shouted Cassidy angrily. "Go, Houndour!"

"Go, Hitmontop!" ordered Butch.

Houndour and Hitmontop both charged at the big Ho-Oh.

But the big Ho-Oh simply fired another powerful Flamethrower at them, scoring a direct hit.

"Houndour, return!" commanded Cassidy.

"Hitmontop!" called Butch as he and Cassidy both recalled their Pokémon into their Poké Balls.

"We have no choice but to retreat, Butch," said Cassidy.

"This time," added Butch. "Retreat now!"

And at that instant, all ten Rocket Grunts, battered and bruised followed Butch and Cassidy's orders and beat a hasty retreat.

"Thanks a lot, Big Ho-Oh," said Hillary.

You don't have to call me that, replied the big Ho-Oh. But you can if you want.

"We managed to hatch these eggs safely," smiled Tristan.

The big Ho-Oh took one look at the two babies, who seemed perfectly healthy. I see. You did a great job in taking care of them. But now, I must take them with me safely out of harm's way.

Tristan and Hillary could scarcely believe their ears.

"But why?" gasped Hillary.

"We did everything you told us to do!" added Tristan. "And you promised we'd be friends with them when they hatched!"

I know, and your efforts are greatly appreciated, replied the big Ho-Oh. But these babies have been in enough danger already. Plus, they can't fly yet, so I have to take them with me.

"But how will you carry them?" asked Hillary.

Well, said the big Ho-Oh, I can't carry them in my talons. My claws would crush them too easily. I'll have to carry them on my back.

"But you can't!" protested Tristan.

"They'll fall off!" put in Hillary. "You won't notice it until it's too late!"

I appreciate your concerns, and I know it's a dangerous attempt, replied Ho-Oh admittedly. But those bad people will be back, and they won't stop until they get what they want, and this is the only option we have left. Now I must insist that I carry them to a safe location out of humanity's reach.

Tristan and Hillary reluctantly helped Ho-Oh and Goldie onto the big Ho-Oh's back as it lowered its body.

Farewell, said the big Ho-Oh as it stood up to its full height. I must be off. And the big Ho-Oh flapped its wings and took off into the air with the two baby Ho-Oh hanging on as tightly as their little talons would allow.

Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi were sorry to see the two baby Ho-Oh go.

"This just doesn't feel right to me," said Hillary.

"I know," agreed Tristan. "But we had to do what the big Ho-Oh said."

"No, we didn't!" shouted Hillary.

Tristan was surprised by Hillary's outburst.

"Look, I understand the big Ho-Oh's good intentions, but even if it was trying to protect the baby Ho-Oh, I just know that Goldie's depending on me to take care of it! I'm sure you would agree that the other baby Ho-Oh is depending on you, too! And what if nobody else is there to protect them when we're not? We have to follow the big Ho-Oh and see where it's taking them, even if it thinks it's for their own safety!"

Tristan knew what Hillary was thinking at that very moment. "You're right, sis," he said. "Ho-Oh's a legendary Pokémon. And just like I promised to help Lugia, you and I will promise to take care of the baby Ho-Oh. So let's go. There's no time to lose. Totodile, return!" And he quickly recalled Totodile back into the Lure Ball and ran off with Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi to try and catch up to the big Ho-Oh.

Meanwhile, in the skies above, the two baby Ho-Oh were struggling to hold on as the big Ho-Oh flew higher and faster. Suddenly, they felt the big Ho-Oh's feathers slip out of their grasp.

(Music Cue: Lugia Appears! (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))

They tried to hang on tighter, but they slowly kept slipping through the big Ho-Oh's feathers.

Unfortunately, the big Ho-Oh couldn't feel their small, tumbling bodies, and before it knew what was happening to them, they slid off its back and fell earthward from such a high altitude.

Not to worry, thought the big Ho-Oh to itself. You'll be in a safe place soon enough. The big Ho-Oh flew on and on, unaware that the baby Ho-Oh and Goldie were gone.

Meanwhile, down below, Pikachu pricked up its ears and alerted Tristan to something in the sky.

"What's up, Pikachu?" asked Tristan as he looked through the binoculars. He saw two things falling from the sky. "Those things look like they're shiny things, and they're headed straight down."

"Let me see," said Hillary as she took Tristan's binoculars. She peered through them and zoomed in on those two shiny objects. But when she identified the two objects as the baby Ho-Oh, she gasped in horror.

(Music Cue: Cross the Stormy Sea)

"What? What's wrong?" asked Tristan worriedly.

"It's the baby Ho-Oh and Goldie!" cried Hillary. "And they're in major trouble!"

"Come on, we've gotta save them!" exclaimed Tristan as he, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi raced to the rescue as fast as they could.

The two baby Ho-Oh were falling faster and faster toward the ground below as Tristan and Hillary frantically tried to catch up to them.

"It's no use!" exclaimed Hillary. "They're falling too fast! We'll never make it!"

"Oh, yes, we will," said Tristan. And as he ran, he took the Silver Wing hanging around its neck, raised it into the air, and shouted, "Lugia!"

Instantly, the Silver Wing glowed brightly.

Seconds later, Lugia appeared from the sky and flew alongside Tristan and Hillary. What's up, Tristan? it asked.

"Lugia, we need your help. We've gotta hurry and catch the two falling baby Ho-Oh!" explained Tristan.

All right then, get on, advised Lugia.

Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi scrambled onto Lugia, and together, they all took off into the air as fast as Lugia's wings could carry them.

"So what's your plan, Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"This'll be dangerous, but we need to act fast," said Tristan as he quickly dug out a strong rope from his backpack. "I've been saving this for just such an emergency. Quick, Hillary, help me make a noose with this."

And she quickly did so. "Now what?"

Tristan quickly fastened the other end of the rope to himself. Then he crawled over Lugia's back and tied the noose to its tail. This should hold, he thought. "All right, down a little, Lugia," he advised.

Lugia flew a little lower and came precisely below where the Ho-Oh were falling from.

"That's good, now hold steady!" called Tristan.

And Lugia held its position as it flew.

Hillary and Pikachu then crawled over Lugia's back to where Tristan was.

"Okay, guys, I'm gonna jump and catch the Ho-Oh," explained Tristan. "The rope should be secure enough to keep me from falling and help me catch them. Pull us back onto Lugia when I give the signal."

"You got it," replied Hillary. "Just be careful."

Pikachu also nodded.

Presently, the falling Ho-Oh were just a few meters above Tristan as he judged the speed of their fall.

As soon as they passed him, he leaped off of Lugia after them. As he reached the end of the rope, he managed to catch them in his arms. "Okay, now!" he shouted.

Wasting no time, Hillary and Pikachu pulled on the rope. It was a long struggle, but slowly, they managed to haul Tristan and the two Ho-Oh safely onto Lugia's back.

Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Goldie leaped into Hillary's arms while the regular baby Ho-Oh flew into Tristan's.

Both Trainers embraced the two baby Ho-Oh as Lugia flew lower and lower towards the ground.

A few minutes later, everyone had landed safely.

"Thanks, Lugia, you were great," said Tristan.

You're welcome, replied Lugia. I'm just glad that those Ho-Oh are safe.

Tristan turned to Hillary and Pikachu. "You two were a big help also."

"Naturally," replied Hillary.

Pikachu nodded.

"But what are we gonna do about the baby Ho-Oh?" asked Hillary. "The big Ho-Oh must be miles away by now, and we can't just leave them."

(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight! (second part (Ash Appears)))

"We're just gonna have to raise them ourselves until it comes back," answered Tristan.

"If it comes back," reminded Hillary. "But what if it doesn't?"

"Well, then we'll just have to prove to the big Ho-Oh that we can take care of the the babies, too," answered Tristan. "But they can't fly yet, and Team Rocket could still be after them. Lugia, will you stay and help us in case they come back?"

You can count on me to help, replied Lugia.

Meanwhile, Cassidy and Butch had just reported to Professor Namba.

"Well, what's your report?" asked Professor Namba.

"The two baby Ho-Oh got away thanks to those two meddling kids," answered Cassidy.

"And another big Ho-Oh, too," added Butch.

"That's unacceptable," said Professor Namba scornfully. "Get back out there and try to capture the baby Ho-Oh once again. This time, make no mistakes. I must have them now."

"Yes, sir," replied Butch and Cassidy.

"And when you find them," added Professor Namba, "then the children must pay!"

Once again, our heroes come face to face with the evil Team Rocket. Why are they after the two baby Ho-Oh? And will Lugia's assistance be enough to help our heroes stop Butch and Cassidy's evil plans? Find out for yourself next time!

► TO BE CONTINUED