AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 64 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue sailing through the Whirl Islands. I decided to have Luka from the anime appear in this chapter. I'm planning to have her appear in a future chapter also. But for now, please enjoy, and review responsibly at your leisure.

TEASER: On their way to Red Rock Isle, Tristan and Hillary embark on an undersea adventure with their new friend Luka as they learn more secrets of the Silver Wing and what life is like under the sea. But Taz wants to steal a powerful Mantine all for himself! Can our heroes stop him?

Chapter 64: EXPLORING THE WHIRL ISLANDS, PART 4

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

Our heroes are still journeying through the Whirl Islands, and have made it to the port in Ogi City on the other side of Yellow Rock Isle. But little do they know that a surprise is soon headed their way.

"Well, sis, I guess it's time to say goodbye to Yellow Rock Isle," said Tristan the next day.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," replied Hillary. She was a little sad. "I really enjoyed seeing all the yellow things on Yellow Rock Isle, and I also liked seeing all that pink jewelry."

"It was beautiful to see, wasn't it?" agreed Tristan. "I'll tell you what. As soon as we see Grandma again, we'll tell her all about this shop on Yellow Rock Isle, and we'll see about visiting it again someday."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Now all we have to do is wait for the ferry that'll take us to Red Rock Isle, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Presently, a woman came to Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi. "What's up, guys? Do you need a lift to Red Rock Isle?"

"Yes, please, that'd be great," replied Tristan and Hillary.

A few moments later, they had taken off in the woman's boat.

"My name's Luka," said the woman. "And I'm so pleased to meet you."

"Hi, my name's Tristan," said Tristan. "This is my sister Hillary, and our Pokémon, Pikachu and Togepi."

"Hello," said Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi greeted Luka warmly.

Suddenly, Luka spotted the Silver Wing around Tristan's neck. "Whoa, that's a Silver Wing! How'd you manage to find one?"

"Well, you see..." And Tristan told his story.

(Music Cue: Calm After the Storm)

"It all started when Hillary and I were vacationing on Silver Rock Isle on the Whirl Islands," began Tristan. "When Pikachu and I saved the two Lugia eggs from a wild Tentacruel near Ogi Isle, we were allowed to see the parent Lugia hatch its two eggs. They were baby Lugia, of course, and one of them swam over to meet me right away. I didn't realize it back then, but it had dropped a Silver Wing right where it first met me.

"Then, after it had learned to fly at an early age, it had to leave its family behind to prevent it from being exposed to any further danger. While it was flying in search of me, it got attacked by Team Rocket in an attempt to capture it. It fell out of the sky and easily landed in my hands. We took it to the Pokémon Center to get it some treatment, and I was able to calm it down after it was in a very distressed state. I promised to protect it, and it grew big and strong in record time. I'll never forget the feeling of flying on its back like that, especially when we were being chased by Team Rocket.

"After our battle with Team Rocket, Lugia gave me the Silver Wing as a gift," said Tristan. "Lugia and I share a special bond and play together whenever we see each other."

"That's a pretty cool story," said Luka.

"My Silver Wing not only lets me call Lugia and other legendary Pokémon Hillary and I befriended to our location," continued Tristan, "but it has many other magical abilities as well, like detecting the presence of other legendary Pokémon."

Luka was awestruck. "You're so lucky. I never knew a Silver Wing had powers like that. Yours must be especially rare if it has that many functions." And she opened up the locket hanging around her neck, and showed Tristan and Hillary her own Silver Wing.

"You have a Silver Wing too!" said Hillary.

"Tell us, Luka, how did you get it?" asked Tristan.

"My great-grandfather enjoyed studying Water Pokémon and deep-sea diving just like I do," began Luka.

"You're a deep-sea diver?" asked Hillary.

Luka nodded, then she continued her story.

(Music Cue: The Enigma)

"My great-grandfather took pleasure in searching for rare treasures and artifacts," explained Luka. "Then after 20 years of searching, he managed to acquire this Silver Wing and placed it in a large treasure chest. However, soon after, he was on another voyage on the I.S.S. Raspberry when a huge storm came up all of a sudden, and his ship sank to the bottom of the sea. He and his crew survived, but the Silver Wing was still in the chest, which went down with the ship. My great-grandfather was determined to get it back to prove his story, but his explorations all ended in failure.

"His legacy to explore has inspired my family for three generations. One day, I was doing some research on family heirlooms, and uncovered my great-grandfather's diary. It contained a map with an "X," which led me to the remains of his ship. With the help of Ash and his friends, we managed to locate it and recover the Silver Wing."

"And that's how I was able to clear my great-grandfather's name and obtain the Silver Wing you see before you," finished Luka.

"Wow, that's a pretty awesome story, Luka," said Hillary.

"Did your Silver Wing also come from a Lugia?" asked Tristan.

"Yes, it did," answered Luka. "During my time with Ash and his friends, we discovered a baby Lugia and its parent. Those may be the same Lugia you saw. My Silver Wing glows red whenever Lugia is in a rage. I remember that it gave rise to a very powerful and destructive storm after its baby was captured. The parent was eventually captured along with its child. But Ash and his friends worked together and saved them, and they've been living peacefully far away at sea ever since."

That's good, thought Tristan. At least they're safe and out of harm's way. Lugia will be happy to know that.

"But as rare as my Silver Wing is, Tristan," continued Luka, "it seems to pale in comparison to the rarity and power that yours has."

For a long time, Tristan stared at the Silver Wing in his hands. He couldn't believe that it had so much power and so many abilities. Perhaps there were many other abilities he never even knew it had.

"Hey, look over there!" said Hillary.

Tristan and Luka turned and saw a school of light-blue fish-like Pokémon with saucer shaped eyes.

"What are those?" asked Tristan.

"They're Remoraid," answered Luka.

Tristan scanned the Remoraid with his Pokédex.

"Remoraid, the Jet Pokémon. Often found in large groups, Remoraid can fire water and hit targets up to 100 meters away."

"Those are pretty cool ones," said Tristan. "I remember Grandma talking about some Remoraid she saw at Lake Lucid many years ago."

Just then, a large Pokémon shaped like a manta-ray appeared from the surface. It had large fins and had two ring-shaped marks on its back.

"Whoa, that Pokémon's huge!" gasped Hillary. "What is that?"

"That's a Mantine," answered Luka.

Hillary scanned Mantine with her Pokédex.

"Mantine, the Kite Pokémon. Mantine swims about the ocean majestically, and may fly out of the water if it builds up enough speed."

"I wish I could have one of those," said Hillary.

"Well, try and catch it then," said Luka.

Little did Hillary know that the Remoraid were the Mantine's protectors, and it protected them in return.

"Here goes nothing...go, Poké Ball!" shouted Hillary as she threw her Poké Ball at the Mantine.

But the Remoraid shot the Poké Ball away with their Water Gun attacks before it got close, and it landed back in Hillary's hands.

"What happened?" asked Hillary. "My Poké Ball didn't work. Something must be wrong."

"The Remoraid do their best to protect the Mantine from intruders," answered Luka. "And in turn, the Mantine protects the Remoraid and their family."

"Gee, you could've told me that sooner," grumbled Hillary.

"You see," explained Luka, "I was on an underwater exploration to recover the Silver Wing with Ash and his friends, and discovered why the Mantine wouldn't let us get anywhere close to his ship. Luckily, they managed to help us in the end, and we got the chest without any further incident."

"So that's why Hillary's Poké Ball didn't work on Mantine," said Tristan.

"Oh well," agreed Hillary. "Better luck next time, I guess."

"Hey, Luka, you mentioned that you were a deep-sea diver, right?" said Tristan. "Could we go on an underwater exploration with you?"

"Yes, Luka, could we?" asked Hillary. "I always wanted to see what it's like underwater."

"I don't see why not," replied Luka. "As a matter of fact, I have several spare scuba diving suits for you to try. But we'll need someone to stay on the boat to help keep an eye on things."

A short time later, Hillary got into her scuba gear. It was pink and purple.

"Hey, not bad, sis," said Tristan. "That gear looks perfect on you."

"Well, pink is my favorite color," replied Hillary. "Now watch as Hillary the soon-to-be-famous Pokémon Trainer transforms into the most beautiful mermaid out in the Johto seas!"

Tristan had to let out a chuckle for that one.

"Okay, Magikarp, go!" said Luka as she threw her three Poké Balls.

All three Magikarp emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"Tristan, Pikachu, be sure to keep an eye on Togepi, okay?" said Hillary.

"Of course," replied Tristan. "And we'll use the radio to keep in touch with you while you're underwater."

"Ready, Hillary?" asked Luka.

"You bet," answered Hillary.

And they put on their mouthpieces and dove into the ocean.

(Music Cue: Messenger)

Below the surface, there were scores of Water Pokémon, including Shellder, Horsea, and Tentacool. There was even a school of Chinchou swimming nearby.

"Look at all the different Water Pokémon!" said Hillary, who was completely awestruck.

"I always have a fun time seeing all the Water Pokémon," explained Luka. "It expands my horizon."

"You've certainly opened me up to the joys of the sea today, Luka," smiled Hillary.

Presently, Tristan's voice was heard through their gear. "Hey, guys, what's it like down there?"

"It's awesome!" replied Hillary. "You won't believe the number of Water Pokémon living down here!"

"How many are there?" asked Tristan.

"There may be hundreds, no, perhaps thousands!" replied Hillary. "Some of which may have been recently discovered!"

Tristan was surprised. "That's...awesome. I never knew that so many Water Pokémon could live in one big place."

Half an hour later, Hillary and Luka emerged from the surface and came back onto the boat.

"So, how was it?" asked Tristan.

"It was awesome," replied Hillary. "I know you're up next, but talking about it isn't as cool as seeing it firsthand."

"I want to see the bottom of the sea, too," said Tristan, who was getting more and more excited. But just then, his stomach growled. "Oh, but I am getting a little hungry."

"I guess we could all use a bite to eat," said Luka. "I think I have something that will suffice." And she took out some bags filled with cheeseburgers and French fries.

"All right!" said Hillary and Tristan together. They were obviously excited to have such great fast food.

"I managed to pack a few extras when I ordered my lunch on the go today," said Luka. "So please, take these as my gift."

"Thank you, Luka," said Tristan. "What do you say we dig in?"

"I'm in," agreed Hillary.

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

Little did they know that Taz was spying on them from a periscope as he drove a one-man submarine below the surface. "Rats, no treasure to find," he grumbled. "I wish there was something for me to steal today. Ah, but what's this?" He saw the giant Mantine swimming by with the school of Remoraid closely guarding it. "Well, now, I think I've seen the prize that I wanna go after today, so get ready, Mantine, you're my hors d'oeuvres of choice!" And he snickered evilly.

Meanwhile, Tristan, Hillary, and Luka had just finished their lunch.

"Boy, that was great," said Tristan.

"You said it, Tristan," agreed Hillary.

"Now, Tristan, I believe it's your turn to dive down with me next," said Luka. "Why don't you try on this diving suit for size?"

A few minutes later, Tristan was situated in the diving gear Luka provided for him.

Then Luka handed Pikachu its own diving gear, which was a perfect fit. Then she sent out her three Magikarp again.

Pikachu wondered how it looked in the diving gear.

Hillary smiled. "You're looking great, Pikachu."

Pikachu gave a happy reply.

"All right, guys, are you ready to take a dip?" asked Luka.

"We're ready, Luka," replied Tristan.

"I'll stay here and guard the boat," said Hillary.

And together, Tristan, Pikachu, and Luka all dove down below the surface.

Sure enough, Tristan could see scores of Water Pokémon swimming by, just like Hillary did earlier. "Hillary was right," he said as he watched in wonder. "These Pokémon do call the sea their home."

Pikachu seemed to be enjoying its time underwater with Tristan.

"Are you having a good time seeing all these Pokémon, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.

Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Just then, Mantine was heard giving off a loud cry.

"What was that?" asked Tristan as he and Pikachu looked on in alarm.

"Let's go check it out," suggested Luka.

And they swam to where the cry was coming from.

Sure enough, they saw a that a mechanical arm had grabbed Mantine. Then they saw the source of the problem: it was a submarine, and someone was driving it.

"It's Taz again!" exclaimed Tristan.

Taz turned around to see Tristan and Luka. "Well, if it isn't my little friends getting in my way as usual. But this time, you're too late. That Mantine's mine."

"Let it go!" demanded Tristan. "That Mantine doesn't belong to you!"

"Looks like it does now, kid," replied Taz smugly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to sell on the black Poké Market."

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard the first time in "The Wayward Wobbuffet"))

And he drove off in his submarine.

"We've gotta go after him," advised Luka.

"Right!" agreed Tristan as he and Pikachu followed.

Back on the boat, Hillary had just heard everything on the radio. "I'd better help out here," said Hillary as she took out her Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, Squirtle, I choose you!"

Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Hillary's directions.

"Squirtle, dive underwater and help Tristan and Luka," instructed Hillary.

And Squirtle dove down and prepared to help the others.

Back below the surface, Tristan and Luka had given chase to Taz and his submersible vehicle.

"Get back here, Taz!" demanded Tristan. "Or you're gonna regret it!"

"We'll see about that, kid," replied Taz.

Just then, several Water Gun attacks blasted the arm that had captured Mantine, and set it free.

"Hey, what the...?" grumbled Taz.

But as he turned around, he saw multiple Remoraid had come to Mantine's rescue.

"All right, Remoraid!" said Tristan excitedly.

"Remoraid and Mantine coexist in symbiosis," explained Luka. "They help each other out. Remoraid protects Mantine and Mantine protects them and the younger members of their family."

"That's awesome," said Tristan. "It's like they're living together in cooperation and harmony."

"Well, the last thing anybody needs from youse is a biology lesson!" fumed Taz as he took out his Poké Ball and opened the bottom hatch of his submarine. "Go and get 'em, Magmar!"

The Poké Ball opened and Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of the submarine. But unfortunately, Magmar almost immediately gagged and started running out of air.

"Aaah!" cried Taz. "I forgot that Magmar can't swim! Magmar, return now!" And he immediately recalled Magmar back into his Poké Ball.

"Serves you right, Taz," scolded Tristan. "You should've known that Fire Pokémon like Magmar have trouble with the water."

Taz was ashamed. "I guess I'm having one of those off days." Then he got out of his depression and took out another Poké Ball.

(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon (as heard in "Forest Grumps"))

"All right, I may have messed up last time, but this time I ain't holding back. This'll get me back in the game. Go, Poliwrath!"

His Poliwrath emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"Now, go teach them laughing losers a lesson!" ordered Taz. "Hit 'em all with your Doubleslap!"

Poliwrath started swimming for Mantine and the Remoraid and proceeded to attack. But just then, another Water Gun attack blasted Poliwrath away and into the submarine.

Tristan and Luka turned around to see that Hillary's Squirtle had arrived to help.

"Perfect timing, Squirtle," commended Tristan.

"Hillary must've been paying attention," remarked Luka. "She's certainly a very good listener."

"Well, I don't care how good of a listener she is, for I'm getting that Mantine if it's the last thing I do!" shouted Taz. "Poliwrath, go!"

Poliwrath charged in for the attack again, but before it could, Squirtle and the Remoraid quickly blasted it with their Water Gun attacks into Taz's submarine, causing it to explode.

The explosion was so powerful that it sent Taz and Poliwrath flying.

Hillary was surprised when she saw them emerging from the water with a tremendous splash and going sky-high.

"NOT FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIR!" screamed Taz as he and Poliwrath disappeared into the sky.

DING!

"That was so cool!" said Tristan. "Thanks for your help, everyone."

Squirtle, Remoraid, and Mantine nodded and gave happy replies.

"Yup," smiled Luka. "By the time Taz lands, he's gonna be all wet."

Everyone laughed at Luka's joke.

(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)

That evening as the sun set, Tristan, Hillary, and Luka were reminiscing about their underwater adventure.

"You should've seen how Taz was blasted sky-high," said Hillary. "He was screaming 'No fair!'"

"We did see it, sis," replied Tristan. "The Remoraid and your Squirtle helped us out and blasted him with their Water Gun attacks."

"You did the right thing by helping out the way you did," said Luka.

"Well, it was Squirtle that did all the work," replied Hillary. "I was only listening to every word on the radio."

"Well, you've proven yourself to be a great listener," smiled Tristan. "If you listen to your Pokémon and your heart, then nothing'll stop you from reaching your goal."

"I'll do my best to remember that," smiled Hillary.

"So, I hear you guys are attending Whirl Camp on Silver Rock Isle in the next few days," said Luka.

"That's right," replied Tristan.

"I have a feeling you'll have a great time there," smiled Luka. "There'll be plenty of surprises in store, and I know we'll see each other again real soon."

"How do you know that, Luka?" asked Hillary.

"Oh, you'll see," promised Luka.

Presently, they saw a big island up ahead.

"Is that it?" asked Tristan. "Is that Red Rock Isle?"

"Yup, the one and only," answered Luka.

Sure enough, it was Red Rock Isle, and it looked beautiful in the distance.

"What do you say we check it out as soon as we dock there?" suggested Tristan.

"I'm in," agreed Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi also agreed.

Thanks to their new friend Luka, our heroes have made it to Red Rock Isle. What will they see there? The answers are coming your way as their journey through the Whirl Islands continues!

► TO BE CONTINUED