AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 63 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Whirl Islands in the Johto region. I decided to put Andrea, Mika, and their father as well as the shop attendant in this chapter. You may recall their appearances on the Pokémon: Master Quest episode: "A Corsola Caper," where Misty caught her Corsola. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.

TEASER: After a tiring evening of travel, Tristan and Hillary get a good night's rest at the Pokémon Center and meet some artisans at the local jewelry shop on Yellow Rock Isle, but Taz wants to sell the jewelry for cold-hard cash, and it's up to them to stop him.

Chapter 63: EXPLORING THE WHIRL ISLANDS, PART 3

(Music Cue: Surf 1999-2001)

Today, or should I say tonight, our heroes are sailing in the open sea toward their next adventure. Their next destination: Yellow Rock Isle.

Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi all felt relaxed as Tristan's Lapras swam serenely.

"This is one of the nicest rides anyone could ever ask for," said Hillary.

"You said it, sis," agreed Tristan. "I've never felt this relaxed before."

Pikachu and Togepi nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, just looking at the clear sky and the bright moon in it," added Hillary. "And seeing how calm the sea is makes it even more relaxing."

"A trip like this one on a moonlit night couldn't be more perfect," sighed Tristan.

Lapras seemed to be enjoying itself carrying Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi on its back.

"Your Lapras seems to be having a relaxing time, too," remarked Hillary. "And it seems really happy, too."

Tristan nodded in agreement. "Lapras does love to ferry people, doesn't it?"

Presently, Hillary gave a yawn. "I'm getting sleepy."

"Me, too," yawned Tristan. "I just hope we find Yellow Rock Isle soon. And he closed his eyes and began to doze off.

Hillary closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Presently, Pikachu saw an island ahead and tapped on Tristan's shoulder.

Tristan took no notice.

Pikachu tapped harder on Tristan's shoulder.

Tristan opened his eyes and slowly sat up. "What is it, Pikachu?"

Pikachu pointed to the island as they got closer and closer to it.

"Whoa, that's Yellow Rock Isle! We made it!" cried Tristan excitedly. Then he nudged Hillary. "Hillary, wake up!"

Hillary opened her eyes and yawned. "What? Did you say something, Tristan?"

"Look! Land ho!" said Tristan as he pointed to Yellow Rock Isle.

Hillary rubbed her eyes and saw it. "Oh, boy, we made it! And that city must be Megi City in the distance! Now we can find a nice soft bed to sleep in."

"Okay, Lapras, full speed ahead to Yellow Rock Isle!" commanded Tristan.

Lapras gave a squeal of delight as it picked up speed toward Yellow Rock Isle.

"Well, there's no need to worry about sleeping now," said Hillary. "I'm wide awake." She then gave another yawn.

"I'm sorry, now what was that you were saying?" asked Tristan.

"I guess I'm not as awake as I thought I'd be," replied Hillary.

"Well, we could all use a little shuteye," suggested Tristan. "As soon as we dock on Yellow Rock Isle, we'll find a Pokémon Center so we can sleep. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great," yawned Hillary. "If only I can keep my peepers open."

"Let's hope you can," said Tristan. "Otherwise, I'll have to carry you."

Tristan and Hillary did their best to stay awake as Lapras got closer and closer to Yellow Rock Isle.

They docked on Yellow Rock Isle a few minutes later.

"Thanks for the ride, Lapras," said Tristan as he returned it to its Poké Ball.

(Music Cue: My Friend, Pokémon)

Hillary gave her biggest yawn yet, and she started to waver on one side.

Luckily, Tristan caught her. "I think I'd better carry you." And he got her on his back just as she fell asleep, and carried her on the streets of Megi City. "You're getting heavy," he grunted as he struggled to keep her balanced on his back. "You're growing way too much. I just hope I can make it to the Pokémon Center before I have to rest." And he continued walking.

Togepi gave a yawn from Hillary's backpack, withdrew into its shell and fell asleep soon after.

Pikachu walked beside Tristan as they slowly made their way to the Pokémon Center.

Fortunately, the Pokémon Center was close to the port, and they managed to arrive there a few moments later.

Nurse Joy saw them walking in and saw Tristan carrying a sleeping Hillary on his back. "Whoa, you guys must be tired."

"Yeah, we are," replied Tristan.

"I can certainly give you rooms for the night," smiled Nurse Joy. "You deserve them."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy, that'll be great," said Tristan.

Nurse Joy led them to the bedroom filled with the softest pillows and sheets.

Tristan helped Hillary get into bed and tucked her in. "Pleasant dreams, sis," he said, and gently rubbed Hillary on the shoulder as she slept. He took off her glasses and put them in a safe place. Then he put the sleeping Togepi next to Hillary. Next, he got himself ready for bed. Then he looked at the moon in the night sky with Pikachu. "That sure is a wonderful way to end the day."

Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Just look at that moon and the stars," whispered Tristan. "I wonder how different our world looks from up there."

Pikachu was about to agree when it gave a yawn.

"You must be tired, too," said Tristan. "Let's get some sleep. By morning, we'll be refreshed and enjoy our stay on Yellow Rock Isle."

Pikachu got into bed with Tristan, and soon, they both fell fast asleep.

Voices of several Pokémon could be heard in the distance as they slept peacefully all through the night.

(Music Cue: Route 29)

The next morning, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi all woke up feeling refreshed and ready for another day of adventure.

"That was a good night's sleep," yawned Hillary as she stretched.

Tristan had to agree. He felt just as refreshed as Hillary did. "I know what'll help us be even better prepared for the day ahead."

"Wait, let me guess," replied Hillary. "You're thinking that a good breakfast will help us get the energy we need to get through the day, right?"

"Yup, you got it," said Tristan.

"That doesn't surprise me," chuckled Hillary. "With all the journeying we've done together, it's not hard to see why."

They got themselves ready for the day and had breakfast in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria.

Afterwards, they went and explored Megi City on Yellow Rock Isle.

"The rock formations are yellow," remarked Tristan. "I guess that's how Yellow Rock Isle got its name."

"Who'd have thought there'd be so many?" agreed Hillary. "I guess that's why we couldn't see them in the dark."

Sure enough, the rocks on Yellow Rock Isle were yellow, and so were the streets.

"According to what I've heard about Yellow Rock Isle," said Hillary, "it relies on many different kinds of Pokémon for its fishing and farming industries."

"Any idea of which Pokémon Yellow Rock Isle depends on?" asked Tristan.

"Not a clue," replied Hillary.

Presently, they came to a unique gift shop that was full of pink art pieces.

"Look at those!" said Tristan. "They sure look pretty."

"I agree. They look nice," replied Hillary. "And they're pink! That's my favorite color, you know."

A shop attendant appeared. "All those items you see are made with Corsola horns."

"Corsola horns?" Tristan and Hillary were confused.

"Yup, every year, Corsola shed their horns and we use them to make these pieces," explained the attendant.

"They sure look beautiful, don't they?" agreed Hillary. "Grandma used to take Tristan and me through antique shops and look for pieces of art like that."

The attendant then laid his eyes on Tristan's Pikachu. "Excuse me, I really like your Pikachu."

Pikachu seemed to like that comment.

"Why's that?" asked Tristan.

"We Yellow-Rock Islanders love yellow Pokémon," explained the attendant. "They make us really excited."

"That's a nice thing to say, isn't it, Pikachu?" said Tristan.

Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"And that Togepi looks wonderful, too, with its cute yellow body and cute yellow arms and feet," added the attendant.

"Togepi sure is cute, isn't it?" replied Hillary.

Togepi chirped in agreement.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Theme (as heard in the Japanese version of "Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei"))

Meanwhile, Taz came to the back of the store and quietly broke in. His goal this time was to make a fortune by stealing all the jewelry in the shop. "Heh!" he snickered. "I can see why this shop's so popular with tourists." He opened a box and saw a stash of Corsola jewelry. "Look at that! If I sell this load of trinkets, I'll make a bundle! And he took out a bag and put the jewelry in the box in it.

Unfortunately for him, when he took the big box off the shelf, the little box started to waver. Seconds later, it fell off the shelf.

Taz quickly caught it and managed to keep the bag in his hand, but he landed on his bottom with a loud thud.

Tristan, Hillary, and the attendant heard that thud from all the way outside.

"What was that?" asked Hillary.

"I'll go check it out," replied the attendant. And he ran to the back of his store to see Taz stealing two boxes of Corsola jewelry in one bag. "Hey, you! How did you break into my shop?"

"Ah, so you're the owner," smiled Taz. "Sorry I disturbed you, but I gotta run. I have some jewelry to sell, and I can't waste time chitchatting." And he took out his Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, Magmar!"

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "Hatching a Plan"))

Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of it and faced the attendant, who stood back.

"Magmar, Smokescreen now!" ordered Taz.

Magmar unleashed a cloud of gray smoke from its mouth and enveloped the attendant in it, causing him to choke.

The attendant managed to trigger an alarm inside the shop.

Tristan and Hillary heard that very sound and gasped in shock.

"That must be the alarm!" said Hillary.

"That means there's a thief in the shop!" replied Tristan. "Come on, let's go!"

And they hurried off to the back of the shop and saw the attendant crawling out from the thick smoke.

Then Tristan and Hillary saw the fleeing Taz as the attendant gave chase and shouted, "Stop! Thief!"

"Oh, great, not Taz again," fumed Hillary.

"Let's go after him," advised Tristan.

And they hurried off to assist the attendant.

Taz was still a Poké-length ahead of the attendant with the stolen jewelry in tow.

Tristan and Hillary managed to catch up with the attendant.

"Hey! What happened?" called Hillary.

"That guy!" panted the attendant. "He stole my jewelry!"

"No sweat!" replied Tristan as he took out his Friend Ball and threw it. "Bayleef, I choose you!"

Bayleef emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Tristan's orders.

"Okay, Bayleef, stop Taz with your Vine Whip now!" commanded Tristan.

Bayleef shot two vines from the leaf necklace and, causing Taz to trip over them and fall to the ground, and sending the bag of jewelry flying.

Fortunately, Hillary saw the flying bag and caught it safely in her hands.

"Hey, nice catch, Hillary," smiled Tristan.

"Thanks, big bro," replied Hillary.

Tristan turned to Taz. "You should be ashamed of yourself stealing that jewelry," he scolded. "Has no one taught you manners, Taz?"

Taz angrily got to his feet. "YOU have the right to talk about manners? Let's talk about your manners, little boy! I believe it was rude of you to take my jewelry without asking!"

"Except that jewelry doesn't belong to you," retorted Tristan. "It belongs in the shop!"

"We'll see about that," replied Taz as he threw two Poké Balls. "Magmar, Electabuzz, go!"

(Music Cue: Raid!)

Magmar and Electabuzz emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"All right, go get 'em, Pikachu!" ordered Tristan.

Pikachu nodded and charged into battle.

The attendant was conflicted as he saw Taz's Electabuzz. "Normally, I like Electabuzz, but it's too mean and evil to receive any honorable mentions from me."

"Electabuzz, Thunderbolt! Magmar, Flamethrower!" yelled Taz.

Electabuzz launched a bolt of electricity from its body while Magmar shot a blast of fire from its mouth.

"Dodge, then use Quick Attack!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu easily dodged both Electabuzz's Thunderbolt and Magmar's Flamethrower as it ran from side to side with a white line streaking behind it. Then it rammed into Electabuzz, sending it flying into Taz.

"Augh! Get off!" yelled Taz.

"Bayleef, hit Magmar with your Tackle attack!" ordered Tristan.

Bayleef charged full-body style into Magmar, sending it flying into Electabuzz and Taz.

Electabuzz and Magmar had knocked each other out on the spot.

Taz was very angry. "Will youse two get offa me and start battling?!"

"I must admit," said Hillary to herself. "Tristan seems to be getting better and better with each battle. And his Pokémon seem to be getting just as strong. He's learning to become a master in the art of the Pokémon battle."

"Now, let's get rid of 'em, Bayleef," ordered Tristan. "Send 'em all flying with Vine Whip!"

Bayleef once again launched two vines from its leaf necklace and wrapped them around Taz, Electabuzz, and Magmar. Then it spun them all round and round until, with a final thrust of strength, it sent them flying high into the air.

"We won't forget this!" yelled Taz as he and his Pokémon disappeared into the sky.

DING!

"I don't know how to thank you all for saving my jewelry," said the attendant.

"We were just glad we could help," replied Hillary. "Right, Tristan?"

"That's right, sis," agreed Tristan. "Pikachu and Bayleef helped out, too."

Pikachu and Bayleef smiled and nodded in agreement.

(Music Cue: Golden Silver)

Presently, a man with a younger and elder girl came to the scene.

The man spoke first. "What's going on here?"

"These Trainers just helped me get our jewelry back," answered the attendant.

"Well, thank you both for recovering the jewelry," said the man.

"You're most welcome," replied Hillary.

The elder girl introduced herself and her family. "I'm Andrea, and this is my little sister, Mika."

"Hi," said Mika.

"And this is my father, who owns the shop," added Andrea.

"I'm Tristan, and this is my sister, Hillary," said Tristan. "And of course, this is Pikachu and Bayleef. And Togepi, of course."

"Hello," said Hillary.

Pikachu, Togepi, and Bayleef all greeted the newcomers warmly.

"That jewelry, as you know, comes from Corsola horns, which come from these Corsola, who live on nests, which are situated on our home's foundation," explained Andrea.

"Our family business thrives with all this jewelry," added Andrea and Mika's father. "We have Corsola that shed their horns, making it easy for us to collect them. And we also call them by their nicknames."

"Their names are Annie, Danny, Connie, Bonnie, Johnny, Donny, Ronny, and Lonnie," said Mika. "A lot of people get confused because of the names, but we can tell which one's which."

"That's a lot of Corsola to take care of," remarked Hillary.

"When a wild Corsola scared off our Corsola, they all left the nests, and the foundation on our house broke apart, causing it to float away with little Mika on board," said Andrea. "Luckily, three other Trainers came to her rescue and saved her from that nasty whirlpool."

"Boy, I'm sure glad they did," said Tristan. "Those whirlpools are dangerous, especially in storms."

"And they are no picnic," added Hillary. "And I ought to know because Tristan and I nearly got sucked into one ourselves."

"But we made it out in one piece," put in Tristan. "That's what counts."

"So what happened with the wild Corsola?" asked Hillary.

"Misty caught it after it and the others sent Team Rocket flying," replied Mika. "She promised to take care of it like a family member."

"It knew a pretty good range of attacks," added Andrea. "Besides Spike Cannon, it knew Tackle, Recover, and Mirror Coat."

"Wow, such a powerful range of attacks," remarked Tristan. "I can see why Misty wanted one."

"I'm gonna go ahead and take this bag of jewelry back to the shop," said Mika.

Her father agreed that it was a good idea.

But just as Mika was about to take it back, a String Shot attack came out of nowhere and snatched the bag of jewelry from her hands.

"What's going on?" gasped Andrea.

(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "A Corsola Caper"))

Everyone turned to see Ariados with Taz as he took the bag from its string.

"It's Taz again!" exclaimed Tristan.

"I thought we got rid of you!" added Hillary.

"Ha-ha!" laughed Taz. "I have ways of coming back after a humiliating defeat. Thanks for guarding that bag for me, kids, but I'll be taking it back now."

"We'll see about that, Taz!" replied Hillary.

"Ariados, use your String Shot attack, and make sure that they're all tied up," instructed Taz.

Ariados shot another round of string from its mouth and tied Tristan, Hillary, and their friends up.

"Hey, let us go!" demanded Tristan.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but you look a little tied up at the moment!" laughed Taz as he started running.

Quickly, Tristan took out his Fast Ball. "Quick, come out, Quilava."

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

"Quilava, break this string with your Flamethrower!" instructed Tristan.

Quilava unleashed a Flamethrower to burn through Ariados' String Shot, freeing everybody.

"All right, let's go after Taz!" suggested Hillary.

And so they did.

Taz kept running as fast as he could with Ariados not too far behind. "At last, I'm gonna sell that treasure, and there's nothing those kids can do to stop me!"

"Not so fast, Taz!"

(Music Cue: Johto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "Mild 'n Woolly"))

Taz turned around to see Tristan and his friends rapidly catching up with him. "Argh! How'd you break free from Ariados' string?"

"We think fast on our feet and know what to do," replied Tristan. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

And Pikachu sped toward Taz and Ariados with a white line streaking behind it, and successfully rammed into them, sending the bag flying out of Taz's grip.

Once again, Hillary caught the bag in her hands.

"Wow, Hillary, that's two for two," remarked Tristan.

"Good thing I learned how to catch when I was growing up," replied Hillary.

Taz seethed in anger. "That treasure is mine! I want it back! Ariados, use your best String Shot to get that bag back, and do it now!"

Ariados shot another String Shot attack towards the bag.

"Quilava, Flamethrower!" commanded Tristan.

Quilava ignited the flames on its head and back and shot a powerful flame, blasting Ariados' String Shot and scoring a direct hit on Ariados.

"Ariados!" cried Taz.

Ariados had been knocked out by Quilava's attack.

"Return, Ariados," said Taz as he recalled it into its Poké Ball. "How could you be so mean? Now youse made me mad!" He took out two more Poké Balls and threw them. "Magmar, Electabuzz, let's go again!"

Magmar and Electabuzz emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"Okay, are you ready, Pikachu and Bayleef?" asked Tristan.

Pikachu and Bayleef nodded.

"Electabuzz, hit 'em with a Thunderbolt!" ordered Taz.

Electabuzz unleashed a bolt of electricity from its body.

Bayleef saw the attack coming and deflected it by spinning the leaf on its head round and round at amazing speed.

"Yeah, way to go, Bayleef," commended Tristan.

Bayleef gave a nod.

Andrea was impressed. "That Bayleef knows how to defend itself from almost any attack Taz throws its way."

"Oh, yeah?" replied Taz. "We'll see how well that Bayleef defends itself against Magmar's Flamethrower!"

Magmar shot a powerful flame from its mouth at Bayleef.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity from its cheeks at Magmar's Flamethrower.

Both attacks collided, creating a huge explosion, causing a cloud of thick smoke to form.

"Where'd those Pokémon go?" asked Taz, who was frantically searching for them.

"Bayleef, Tackle attack!" ordered Tristan.

Bayleef rushed out of the cloud of smoke and rammed into Electabuzz and Magmar, causing them to fall on Taz.

"Argh! Not again, you two!" fumed Taz. "Get up and fight right, will ya?

"Okay, Bayleef, use Vine Whip to send them all flying!" commanded Tristan.

Bayleef launched its vines from its leaf necklace, and wrapped them around Taz and his Pokémon, just like before, and once again, it spun them round and round until, with a final thrust, sent them skyward.

"This is getting old," he fumed. "And we're not getting any younger!" And he and his Pokémon disappeared into the sky.

DING!

(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)

Later, Tristan and Hillary helped get the jewelry back into the shop.

"How can we thank you for helping us today?" said Andrea.

"Yes, you guys were a big help," added her father.

"We were just glad we could help," replied Hillary.

"We were hoping you can tell us how to get to the next town," said Tristan.

"Oh, it's pretty easy," replied Andrea. "It's a straight path from here. Follow it, and you'll reach Ogi City. There's a port there with a ferry that runs to Red Rock Isle once a day if you prefer ferries."

"All right, then, next stop: Ogi City!" said Hillary.

"You said it, Hillary," smiled Tristan.

Pikachu and Togepi eagerly agreed.

"Bye, guys!" called Andrea. "Thanks for your help!"

"Take care!" added Mika. "Have a safe trip!"

"We will! Bye!" replied Tristan and Hillary as they and their Pokémon waved to Andrea, Mika, and their father. Then they started walking toward their next destination.

Having once again helped out someone in need, our heroes continue their journey across Yellow Rock Isle, eagerly waiting for Whirl Camp to begin on Silver Rock Isle. But getting there is only half the fun.

► TO BE CONTINUED