AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 62 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. Dayton and Bright make cameo appearances in this chapter. This one's a little shorter, but there have been longer chapters, and there will be more of them coming up, so that balances out. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary encounter a Chinchou, little realizing that it's on its way to reunite with its former Trainer. However, they must overcome several obstacles, including a narrow pass and Taz!

Chapter 62: EXPLORING THE WHIRL ISLANDS, PART 2

(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard in the beginning of "Takin' it on the Chinchou"))

Our heroes are continuing their journey through the Whirl Islands, and today, they've decided to stop by Blue Lagoon, which is where the Parade of the Chinchou normally takes place. Then it's on to Bluefinland, which is where they will start sailing from.

Tristan and Hillary were checking out the cool view from the top of a mountain the next day.

"I can see why Blue Lagoon has such a cool view," said Tristan.

"It's too bad we don't see any Chinchou around here," replied Hillary. "It would've been nice to see the Parade of the Chinchou."

(Music Cue: Today's Pokémon Curiosity (Johto))

Pikachu and Togepi were just about to agree when presently, a small blue fish-like Pokémon appeared. It had a round body and had a pair of antennae on its head with yellow tear-shaped orbs at the tips of them.

"What's that?" asked Tristan as he scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Chinchou, the Angler Pokémon. Chinchou have the ability to conduct electrical currents from their two tentacles, which flow positive from one end and negative from the other. Chinchou can also communicate underwater by flashing its tentacles."

Tristan suddenly remembered something about the Chinchou. "I remember facing one in the Pokémon League!"

"Oh, yeah!" added Hillary. "Trinity had a Chinchou, didn't she?"

Chinchou hopped happily, as if it were being celebrated.

"Do you suppose this Chinchou is lost?" asked Hillary.

"Maybe," replied Tristan as he crouched down to Chinchou's eye level. "Hey, there, little Chinchou, are you lost?"

Chinchou shook its head at first, but then it nodded.

"I guess it is," said Hillary.

"Maybe it got separated from its Trainer," suggested Tristan. "Is that what happened, Chinchou?"

Chinchou nodded.

"I have an idea, sis," said Tristan. "Why don't we help this Chinchou find this Trainer, whoever he is, and then we can commence our journey to Bluefinland so we can sail to our next destination."

"Okay, Tristan," agreed Hillary. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can traverse through the Whirl Islands."

And so it was decided.

Chinchou happily hopped along as Tristan and Hillary followed it.

"This Chinchou seems like it's in a great mood," remarked Hillary.

"Yeah, it sorta reminds me of me sometimes," added Tristan.

Presently, Chinchou stopped, and its antennae drooped sadly.

"Uh-oh, something's not right," said Hillary. "Quick, Tristan, check it out."

And immediately, he did. He felt it all over, but couldn't find anything wrong with it. "It doesn't feel feverish, but it appears to be dry."

"Maybe it needs water," suggested Hillary. "Maybe if your Croconaw uses its Water Gun for a rain effect, it'll restore Chinchou's energy. And my Squirtle can help out with that, too."

(Music Cue: All's Well That Ends Well)

"Good idea," replied Hillary as he took out his Lure Ball. "Croconaw, come on out."

Hillary took out her Poké Ball. "You come out too, Squirtle."

Croconaw and Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of them.

Croconaw immediately bit down on Tristan's head to show its affection.

"Not now, Croconaw, you're embarrassing me!" complained Tristan.

Croconaw immediately let go of Tristan's head and awaited his directions.

"Okay, aim your Water Gun towards the sky," instructed Tristan. "The water that falls should help restore Chinchou's energy."

"You help out, too, Squirtle, Water Gun!" commanded Hillary.

Croconaw and Squirtle nodded and shot out blasts of water at the sky.

Seconds later, the water fell on Chinchou like a good soaking rain, and it immediately felt much better.

"Looks like it worked," said Hillary. "Great job, Squirtle."

"You, too, Croconaw," commended Tristan. "Hey, that looks like fun!" And he immediately jumped into the shower of water and joined Chinchou in the fun of getting wet. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

"What are you doing, Tristan?" asked Hillary, who was confused.

"Having fun!" replied Tristan. "And getting wet, too! Come on, give it a try!"

Hillary thought about it for a moment. "That does look like fun, doesn't it?" And she joined Tristan in the shower of water. "You're right, this is fun!"

"See? I told you," said Tristan.

And they splashed about for the duration of the morning hours.

Later, they both returned their Pokémon to their balls.

"Ah, that was refreshing," said Hillary. "I'm surprised we didn't think of doing this sooner."

"Yeah, I can see why Chinchou enjoys getting wet," replied Tristan. "It's like having fun at a water park. Now let's get going. I'm sure Chinchou wants to get to its destination as quickly as possible."

"Right," agreed Hillary.

And together, they set off once again with Chinchou leading the way.

(Music Cue: A Devious Plot)

Meanwhile, a familiar bearded figure was watching from the bushes. It was Taz, and he was intrigued by Chinchou's appearance. "Now this looks interesting," he said with an evil smirk. "With a Water Pokémon like Chinchou, I'm sure it'll be no match for my Electabuzz. After all, water conducts electricity. I must have it."

(Music Cue: You Have to Earn Respect)

Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Togepi, and Chinchou marched on. They soon came to a bridge.

"This bridge looks a little rickety," said Tristan nervously.

Chinchou seemed to agree. It felt hesitant to cross it.

"Don't worry, Chinchou, we'll cross it together," Hillary assured it. She went on the bridge first.

Chinchou followed with Tristan and Pikachu bringing up the rear.

Sure enough, they managed to cross the bridge without incident.

"At least we made it," said Tristan.

"With ease," added Hillary. "But now we have another obstacle to get through."

Sure enough, they saw a mountain pass they had to cross.

"Great, now what?" grumbled Tristan.

"We get across that valley," answered Hillary. "Come on." And she led the way feeling confident.

Tristan had to chuckle. "That sounds like me, doesn't it?" And he and Pikachu followed as Chinchou tagged behind.

As they went on, the path became more and more narrow.

"Be very careful, Hillary," warned Tristan. "There's no telling how big of a drop below it is if we fall off."

"Don't worry, Tristan, I'm feeling very lucky," replied Hillary.

Unfortunately, she was feeling more plucky than lucky, for at that very moment, the edge of the cliff broke loose, causing her to lose her footing and fall.

"Hillary!" cried Tristan as he quickly grabbed her hand.

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

Fortunately, Hillary was holding Togepi, preventing it from falling down. Then she looked down and saw the seemingly bottomless crater, causing her to cringe in fear.

"Whatever you do, Hillary, don't look down!" shouted Tristan.

"Too late!" replied Hillary as small rocks fell from the cliff.

"Just hang on and don't let go of Togepi!" encouraged Tristan. "I'm gonna try and pull you up!" And he and Pikachu started pulling as they hung on to her.

It took all their strength, but they managed to haul Hillary and Togepi to safety.

Tristan and Hillary managed to catch their breath.

"Phew!" sighed Hillary. "That was close. Thanks, Tristan. But I have to apologize for being careless back there."

"I'm just glad you're safe," replied Tristan. "That's all that matters to me." And he hugged Hillary tightly.

"Ugh!" grunted Hillary. "Tristan, could you please stop squeezing me so hard?"

Tristan slackened his grip. "I guess I was still feeling a little scared. I thought I might lose you."

Hillary let out a small smile. She was glad to be back in one piece with Tristan again.

They continued on the narrow path a short time later.

"Let's hold hands," suggested Hillary. "That way we'll know we're safe."

"Good idea," replied Tristan as he held Hillary's hand.

And they proceeded slowly and carefully through the pass.

(Music Cue: Pikachu Appears!)

A few minutes later, they managed to make their way to the beach.

"Hey, look, we made it!" cried Hillary excitedly as she ran to the shore.

Tristan could see that she was right. They had made it to shore, and Chinchou's apparent destination.

Chinchou was obviously very excited.

"I guess this must've been where Chinchou was leading us," said Tristan. "I wonder why."

Tristan was about to find out, for suddenly, a boy wearing a yellow t-shirt and orange jacket suddenly appeared and ran toward the beach.

The Chinchou was happy to see him, and it hopped away from Tristan and Hillary.

"Wait, Chinchou, where are you going?" asked Hillary.

Then the Chinchou leaped into the boy's arms.

"Whoa, Bright, what are you doing here?" asked the boy. He was very confused. "Did you come here just to see me?"

The Chinchou nodded.

Tristan was surprised. "Wait, you know this Chinchou?"

The boy nodded. "This is Bright. I know this Chinchou because I released it to the sea not too long ago after we participated in the Parade of the Chinchou. I guess it wanted to explore and must've come here to see me for a little while. Isn't that right, Bright?"

Bright nodded.

"I'm Dayton," said the boy. "Thanks for leading Bright to me. I guess I missed it more than I thought, so it decided to come out here to see me."

"I'm Tristan, and this is my sister, Hillary," said Tristan.

"Hello," added Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi greeted Dayton warmly.

But just then, a pair of hands snatched Bright from behind!

"Hey, what's going on?" demanded Dayton.

Taz revealed himself. "Thanks for the Chinchou, kid."

"It's Taz!" exclaimed Tristan and Hillary disdainfully.

"Now, I've gotta run," smirked Taz. "I have some water I must put on this little Chinchou."

(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "Beauty and the Breeder"))

And he started running off.

"Not so fast!" shouted Hillary as she took out her Poké Ball and threw it. "Squirtle, I choose you!"

Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it and stood in front of Taz, preventing him from making a clean getaway.

"Water Gun attack!" ordered Hillary.

"Go, Magmar!" shouted Taz as he threw his Poké Ball.

Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of it and stood in front of Squirtle.

"Quick, Magmar, use your Smokescreen!" commanded Taz.

Magmar released a cloud of gray smoke from its mouth, enveloping Squirtle and everybody else in it.

Everyone coughed as the smoke grew thicker and thicker.

Squirtle, remembering Hillary's command, blasted through the smoke with its Water Gun.

Slowly, but surely, the smoke cleared, and everyone was able to catch their breath.

"Thanks for clearing the smoke, Squirtle," said Hillary.

Squirtle nodded.

"Look!" cried Dayton. "Bright's gone!"

Everyone saw that Dayton was right, for Taz had used the cover of smoke to steal Bright away.

"Don't worry, Dayton," Tristan assured him. "We'll get Bright back for you in no time."

Presently, Pikachu pointed to something in the sand.

"Hey, look!" said Tristan. "Footprints!"

"They must belong to Taz!" added Hillary.

"I bet if we follow them, they'll lead us straight to him!" said Dayton.

"What are we waiting for?" said Tristan excitedly as he, Hillary, and Dayton followed the footprints through the sandy beach.

Meanwhile, Taz was still gleefully running with Bright still in his grasp. "Well, not to worry, my young friend, you'll get a fresh dose of water."

But sparks crackled from Bright's antennae, and it delivered a paralyzing Thunder Wave, shocking him instantly.

Taz fell to the ground. "Wow, good attack," he said in a daze. "I never knew you gave such shocking results."

"Hold it right there, Taz!"

Taz turned around and saw Hillary along with Tristan and Dayton. "Argh! How'd you find us?"

"You wouldn't have been so easy to follow if you hadn't left these footprints behind," smiled Tristan.

Taz could see that Tristan was right. He saw his footprints, and realized that he forgot to cover his tracks.

"Now hand Bright over right now!" demanded Dayton.

"No!" replied Taz scornfully. "If you want this little Chinchou back, you'll have to battle me first! Go get 'em, Electabuzz!" He took out his Poké Ball and threw it.

(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle)

Electabuzz emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"That thing doesn't scare us!" said Dayton. "Ready, guys?"

"You bet!" replied Hillary. "Let's do it, Squirtle!"

Squirtle charged in to battle Electabuzz.

"You get in there, too, Pikachu," said Tristan.

Pikachu nodded and ran into battle as well.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch, go!" yelled Taz.

Electabuzz made a fist as electricity crackled through it, and launched its attack at Pikachu, who nimbly dodged it.

"Give 'em a Thunderbolt!" shouted Taz.

Electricity crackled through Electabuzz's body, then it shot a bolt of electricity at Squirtle.

"Squirtle, look out!" cried Hillary.

"Stay and take it, Bright!" instructed Dayton.

Bright jumped in front of Squirtle and stayed where it was as Electabuzz's electricity surged through it. When it stopped, it felt more refreshed by the attack.

"Hey, thanks, Dayton," smiled Hillary.

"You're welcome," replied Dayton.

Taz was confused. "Huh? What happened? That Thunderbolt attack didn't work."

"You should've known that Bright has Electric-type characteristics, too," smiled Dayton. "Anyone could see that you failed Pokémon Battling 101 if you didn't know that fact."

Taz fumed at that statement.

"Guys, let's team up," suggested Tristan.

Hillary and Dayton nodded in agreement.

"Squirtle, hit Electabuzz with your Water Gun now!" instructed Hillary.

Squirtle shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth and scored a direct hit on Electabuzz, pushing it into Taz, and getting them soaked in the process.

"Okay, ready, Tristan?" asked Dayton.

"Ready," replied Tristan. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack!"

Bright, Spark attack now!" ordered Dayton.

Pikachu shot a powerful bolt of electricity from its cheeks while Bright shot a powerful electric blast from its antennae. Together, they combined into one and shocked Taz and Electabuzz so much that the surge caused an explosion that sent them skyward.

BOOM!

"We won't forget this!" screamed Taz as he and Electabuzz disappeared into the sky.

DING!

"Great job, everyone," commended Tristan.

"Yeah, that was good, wasn't it?" agreed Hillary.

"I must admit that was simply electrifying," put in Dayton.

Everyone had to laugh at Dayton's joke.

(Music Cue: OK! (Orchestra)

That evening as the sun set, everyone was getting ready to say goodbye to Bright as it prepared to head out to sea once again.

"It was great seeing you again, Bright," said Dayton.

Bright nodded and gave a happy reply. It was just as happy that it had a chance to reunite with its Trainer.

"Come back soon, okay?" said Dayton.

Bright gave a nod.

Then suddenly, a wave hit the shore, taking Bright with it.

Dayton felt sad, but said, "I miss Bright already, but I know that we'll see each other again someday soon."

"That's right, Dayton," agreed Hillary as she put her hand on his shoulder. "And I know that'll happen soon. Right, Tristan?"

"That's right," agreed Tristan.

Pikachu and Togepi also agreed.

Later, Dayton led Tristan and Hillary to the pier in Bluefinland and said his goodbyes.

Tristan sent his Lapras out, and he, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi hopped on board.

"This route will take you straight to Yellow Rock Isle," explained Dayton. "You should be there before it gets too late."

"Thanks for everything, Dayton," said Tristan.

"Thank you for helping me reunite with Bright," replied Dayton. "It was also fun battling alongside you."

"We had a blast," smiled Hillary.

"An electrifying blast," put in Tristan.

Everyone had to laugh at that joke.

Then Lapras started pulling out.

"Bye, guys!" called Dayton as he waved goodbye. "Have a safe trip! Come back and see us again, okay?"

"We will! Bye now!" called Tristan and Hillary as they waved back.

Pikachu and Togepi also waved goodbye.

And so, as our heroes leave Blue Point Isle and their new friend Dayton, they look forward to the many adventures that lie ahead as they continue exploring the Whirl Islands. What adventures await them on Yellow Rock Isle? Wait and see, won't you?

► TO BE CONTINUED