AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 72 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey in the Johto region. I decided to have Jessie, James, and Meowth make appearances in this chapter, as well as Eusine from the anime. He still is arrogant, but learns his lesson in the end. You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary find a legendary Pokémon egg and meet Eusine, an expert on Pokémon legends, but Team Rocket shows up and steals the egg, injuring Bayleef in the process. While Tristan tends to Bayleef at the Pokémon Center, Hillary and the others search for Team Rocket and the egg.
Chapter 72: THE FIRST LEGENDARY BEAST
(Music Cue: Johto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "A Ghost of a Chance"))
After spending a week on Silver Rock Isle, Tristan and Hillary are ready to resume their Johto journey. But today, they're spending one last day on Silver Rock Isle playing with Lugia. As usual, Tristan and Pikachu are training hard with Lugia providing able assistance. But little do our heroes know that a surprise will soon be uncovered on the beach.
"Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" commanded Tristan.
Pikachu jumped high into the air and shot a yellow bolt of electricity at Lugia, who was high in the sky.
Lugia's quick reflexes allowed it to dodge Pikachu's attack.
Again and again, Pikachu fired off a Thunderbolt at Lugia, but it quickly evaded every one of them.
"Wow, Pikachu's really good," remarked Hillary. "And Lugia's flying and dodging skills are way up there. Those two are perfect training partners for one another."
Presently, Lugia fired an Aeroblast attack directly at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Thunder attack!" ordered Tristan.
Pikachu shot another powerful bolt of electricity to block Lugia's Aeroblast.
The two attacks collided, creating a huge explosion of sand and dust.
The explosion uncovered a light-blue colored egg with white diamonds on it from the sand.
Lugia prepared to fire another Aeroblast attack at Pikachu, who, unbeknownst to it, was right in front of the egg.
Tristan saw the egg and rushed right in front of Pikachu, shouting, "Lugia, stop!"
Quickly, Lugia stopped its attack and flew to the ground. What's wrong?
"Look there," replied Tristan.
Everyone came and looked down.
Sure enough, the egg had been uncovered from the explosion of dust, and had remained intact.
Presently, Tristan's Silver Wing began to glow as he got closer to the egg.
(Music Cue: The Moon Stone)
"Why's your Silver Wing glowing?" wondered Hillary.
Tristan carefully picked up the egg and held it in his hands. "Looks like an egg," he said at last. "But the real question is, where did it come from?"
I'm not sure, replied Lugia. But if I had to guess, I'd say that egg must be another test...to make sure it hatches safely.
"Hey, you two!" called a voice.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Togepi, and Lugia all turned to see a a tall man wearing a purple suit with four white rectangles on it, a red ribbon in the middle, and a white cape in the back. He had green eyes and brown hair with one lock of it standing out.
"Who are you?" asked Tristan as the man stepped forward.
"My name's Eusine," answered the man. "I'm an expert on legends in the Pokémon world. I've been searching near and far for the legendary Pokémon, Suicune, ever since I saw it in Ecruteak City."
"Suicune," repeated Tristan as he took out his Pokédex and looked up its entry.
"Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon. This legendary Pokémon races across the land. It is said that north winds will somehow blow when it appears."
Just then, a thought crossed Hillary's mind. "You know, Tristan, I think we may have seen Suicune ourselves."
"We did? How?" asked Tristan.
"Well, do you remember the time that my Lapras was ill?" said Hillary. "Suicune must've come to us after it saw my Lapras. It then offered us a ride to Cianwood City. It somehow sensed that we cared for Lapras, and must've known that the pharmacy in Cianwood City would help cure its ailment."
"That makes sense," agreed Tristan. "That explains why we got to Cianwood City so fast."
Lugia was surprised. Wow, you guys got to ride on the legendary Suicune? How lucky!
Eusine clenched his hands into a fist in frustration. Impossible! he thought. First young Ash sees a Suicune twice, and now these two kids get to ride on one? That's insane! "You're both liars!" he shouted aloud.
Tristan and Hillary were taken aback by Eusine's sudden outburst.
"Prove yourself, young man!" demanded Eusine as he took out a Poké Ball.
"A Pokémon battle?" said Tristan. He was confused.
A short time later, Tristan and Eusine faced each other.
"Boy, I sure didn't expect this," said Tristan.
Pikachu agreed, for it was just as confused if not more so.
"If Ash saw Eusine, he'd be as confused as you are," agreed Hillary.
"The rule of this battle: one and only one Pokémon will be used," explained Eusine. "If, by some fluke, you manage to defeat me, then I'll believe that you saw Suicune. Go, Alakazam!" And he threw his Poké Ball.
A brown Pokémon with humanoid features emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It had a mustache, and it had two spoons, one in each hand.
"This could be trouble," said Hillary.
How come, Hillary? asked Lugia.
"Alakazam's a Psychic-type, and you know how strong Psychic-types are," explained Hillary. "Plus, I've heard that Alakazam has an I.Q. of 5,000."
Whoa! exclaimed Lugia. Now that's pretty smart! But what worries me is if any mere human can stand against something like that!
"Don't worry, Lugia," Hillary assured it. "When it comes to battling against Alakazam, Tristan's always at his best."
"All right, then, I choose Pikachu!" said Tristan.
Pikachu eagerly leaped in front of Tristan and prepared to battle against Alakazam.
(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveilled)
But just then, a mechanical arm came from up above, and snatched the egg out of Tristan's arms.
"Hey!" cried Tristan.
Hillary was very angry. "All right, what's the meaning of this?!"
Presently, three voices in maniacal laughter were heard from a hot-air balloon above. They were Jessie, James, and Meowth, three old nemeses Tristan and Hillary ran into several times before.
"Hey, who's that?" demanded Eusine.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Motto 1997-1998 (as heard in "Hook, Line, and Stinker"))
"Prepare for trouble we got the egg."
"And make it double, or you'll be forced to beg."
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all peoples within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie."
"James."
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight."
"Daaaaat's right!" chimed in Meowth, who stood between Jessie and James.
"Wobbuffet!" put in Wobbuffet, who stood behind the team.
"It's Team Rocket!" exclaimed Tristan and Hillary together.
"Not you three again!" grumbled Eusine.
Tristan and Hillary were surprised.
"How do you know them, Eusine?" asked Hillary.
"Those were the three losers who stole the four Crystal Bells, and smashed one up in the process, causing the entire world to become unbalanced," explained Eusine. "Then, to add insult to injury, they tried to capture Suicune as soon as it arrived to clear the tensions. Of course, I tried to, as well, but it was too strong for me."
"It's true, we may have missed our chance to capture Suicune AND to grab all those eggs from the Extreme Pokémon competition in Eggseter not too long ago," smiled Jessie.
"But today, we're in for an egg-citing surprise," put in James.
"Since we hoid dere was a rare egg in dese parts, we decided to egg-stract it!" added Meowth.
"Wobbuffet!" agreed Wobbuffet.
"All right, let's make off with the egg and scramble!" commanded Jessie.
"Roger!" replied James as he pushed a button on his remote.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "As Clear as Crystal"))
An instant later, the balloon's flame increased in power, and the balloon itself started rising higher and higher.
"Stop! Come back!" shouted Eusine.
"They're getting away with the egg!" cried Hillary.
"Oh, no, they're not! Go, Bayleef! I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he took out his Friend Ball and threw it.
Bayleef emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Tristan's orders.
"Bayleef, use your Razor Leaf attack on that balloon!" ordered Tristan.
Bayleef shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at the balloon.
But Jessie was ready for it as he took out a Poké Ball of her own and threw it. "Arbok, use your Poison Sting now!"
Arbok emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball and it unleashed a barrage of poisonous needles from its mouth; not only did it negate Bayleef's Razor Leaf, but it scored a direct hit on Bayleef as well.
"Aah! Bayleef's been hit!" exclaimed Hillary.
Bayleef crashed to the ground after the attack.
"Bayleef, try to get up!" encouraged Tristan.
But unfortunately, Bayleef had taken heavy damage from Arbok's Poison Sting attack.
"Ha!" laughed Meowth. "Looks like Bayleef ain't got so much energy left!"
"Ha-ha! We win, you lose!" taunted Jessie in a sing-song voice.
"Wobbuffet!" agreed Wobbuffet.
"Now, let's smoke 'em out! Go, Weezing!" shouted James as he threw his Poké Ball.
Weezing emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Smokescreen attack!" ordered James.
Weezing shot a cloud of green smoke from its two mouths.
Tristan, Hillary, and their friends were quickly enveloped in the smoke, and were forced to cough.
"I can't see a thing!" hacked Hillary. "This smoke is choking me!"
"Ta-ta, Twerps!" laughed Jessie, James, and Meowth as they flew quickly away.
"Lugia, you've gotta help us out!" said Tristan.
Right away! And Lugia flew over the smoke and furiously flapped its wings, creating huge gusts of wind.
Everyone covered their faces as the strong winds from Lugia's flapping blew.
The smoke quickly cleared, and Tristan, Hillary, and their friends opened their eyes.
But unfortunately, Team Rocket had disappeared from the scene altogether.
"Team Rocket's gone!" gasped Hillary. "They must've used Weezing's Smokescreen as a means of escaping!"
Tristan quickly rushed to his injured Bayleef. "Bayleef, are you okay?"
Bayleef moaned weakly as it lay on the ground.
"What's up, Tristan?" asked Hillary. "Is Bayleef all right?"
Tristan felt Bayleef all over, and when he checked Bayleef's face, it was hot to the touch. "Bayleef's running a serious fever. I think it got poisoned, and now it's very weak and sick."
"Poisoned? No!" gasped Hillary.
That's awful! exclaimed Lugia.
"How can that be?" asked Eusine.
"Arbok's Poison Sting must've hit hard and fast enough to poison it," explained Tristan. "I guess now the poison is just now starting to take effect. Bayleef needs to get to the Pokémon Center and fast."
"All right, Tristan, here's the deal. You and Pikachu go ahead and take Bayleef over to the Pokémon Center while Lugia and the rest of us look for Team Rocket and the egg they stole," suggested Hillary.
"Okay," agreed Tristan. "I'll call you when I'm ready to rejoin you guys."
"Right, and when you're ready, Lugia can come and bring you back to us." added Hillary.
In the meantime, I'll search for those bad guys from the sky, put in Lugia.
"Thanks a lot, guys," said Tristan.
"Let's go!" said Eusine as he and Hillary ran off in one direction while Lugia flew ahead to search for Team Rocket.
Tristan quickly returned Bayleef to its ball and whispered to himself, "Good luck." Then he and Pikachu ran in the opposite direction directly towards the Pokémon Center. Hang in there, Bayleef, he thought. I promise you're gonna be okay.
A few minutes later, Tristan and Pikachu had gotten to the Pokémon Center and explained the situation to Nurse Joy.
Nurse Joy immediately took Bayleef into the operating room and immediately went to work treating Bayleef's injuries.
Tristan and Pikachu looked through the window and saw Bayleef, who looked quite upset with itself for losing a battle against an Arbok.
I know how you feel, Bayleef, thought Tristan. Losing against Team Rocket makes me feel just as bad as you do. Soon you'll be fully recovered, and we'll rescue the egg together.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Secret Strategy M26B 1997-1998 (as heard in "The Mystery is History"))
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was enjoying their latest triumph. "Hip-hip hooray!" they cried.
"That experience in Eggseter really paid off, didn't it, Jessie?" smiled James.
Jessie nodded in agreement. "And there's nothing better than robbing those Twerps, especially those who aren't used to seeing us for a change."
"And da best part is we got dat egg as a little bonus!" added Meowth. "And it looks pretty rare, too!"
Sure enough, it was an egg that was new to them.
"I wonder where it came from," said James.
"Maybe it's a legendary Pokémon egg," suggested Jessie.
"But legendary Pokémon eggs don't exist," replied James. "Besides, I've never heard of a legendary Pokémon hatching from eggs."
"Or do they?" said Jessie.
"Who cares if it's a legendary Pokémon egg or not?" put in Meowth. "All dat matters is when it hatches, it'll be ours!"
"And that means it'll be another nice edition to our little team here," smiled Jessie as she snatched the egg and hugged it tightly. "Yes, my little eggy-weggy, you're safe with me now."
"Not!" shouted James as he tried to grab the egg away from Jessie. "If anyone's adding more Pokémon, it's me!"
"Hey, let go, James, or you'll break it!" grunted Jessie.
"Dat does it!" growled Meowth as he proceeded to scratch Jessie and James' faces with his claws.
The scratch caused them to stop fighting over the egg and drop it gently to the ground, but the reactions that followed made them jump and wince in pain as they held their faces.
"If anyone's pocketing dat egg, it'll be me," said Meowth.
This caused all three of them to get into a huge squabble as they fought over who should get control of the egg.
But the squabble caused the egg to roll away from them. Faster and faster it went until it disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Hillary and Eusine were searching for Team Rocket as Hillary told him her experiences with the legendary Pokémon she and Tristan had befriended, especially Lugia.
"That Lugia actually met Tristan, and he was the one who helped rescue it when it was in danger," explained Hillary. "And not only that, Tristan and Lugia enjoy playing and flying in the sky together."
"Wow, I'm almost jealous!" said Eusine. "I can see why you two were tasked to make friends with every single legendary Pokémon you meet. Sometimes I get a little hard-headed, and was jealous and angry after I heard that Ash met the legendary Ho-Oh and Suicune. I remember learning that lesson the hard way. I just wish I heeded Ash and Morty's advice on not battling Suicune when I saw it.
"I understand how you feel, Eusine," smiled Hillary. "It's all about treating them with respect. If you treat Pokémon as friends, they'll treat you the same way."
Eusine understood what Hillary was telling him. Maybe there are Trainers who know more about meeting legendary Pokémon than I do, and that I shouldn't just attempt to catch them. I should earn their respect first. That's probably the reason why that egg chose Tristan and Hillary in the first place. "Say, Hillary, as soon as we find that egg, would you let me watch it hatch with you and Tristan?" he asked aloud.
"Sure, of course you can," said Hillary. "Just be sure to treat it with kindness and respect."
"Don't worry, I will," replied Eusine.
Just then, Hillary and Eusine saw the egg roll toward them.
"Whoa, what's that?" asked Eusine.
"It's the egg!" said Hillary. "Team Rocket must've lost it by accident!" And she quickly picked up the egg, which was covered in dust, and held it in her hands. Of course it was a little difficult to hold it and Togepi at the same time. "Here, Eusine, please hold Togepi for me." And she handed Togepi to him. Then she gently and quickly dusted the egg off. After a few seconds, it looked good as new. "Now I just have to let Tristan know that we found the egg."
Just then, Lugia returned as it flew overhead. Sorry, guys. I couldn't find the egg.
"It's okay, Lugia, it rolled back to us," replied Hillary as she showed it the egg.
What a relief, sighed Lugia. Should I go get Tristan and bring him back to you?
"Go ahead, Lugia," said Hillary. "We'll keep an eye on the egg until you get back."
Okay, I'll be back soon. And Lugia quickly flew off to the Pokémon Center to pick Tristan up.
(Music Cue: Arrival in the Orange Archipelago (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))
Meanwhile, Nurse Joy had just returned Bayleef to Tristan. "Your Bayleef's fever is broken, and it made a full recovery."
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan.
Bayleef jumped off the stretcher and snuggled up to him.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Bayleef," said Tristan. "I'm sorry you got hurt in that battle. I should've known that Team Rocket would try a Poison Sting attack."
But Bayleef shook its head and quickly forgave him.
Presently, Tristan's PokéGear rang from inside his backpack. He took it out and answered it. "Hello?"
"Good news, Tristan, we found the egg!" said Hillary. "Lugia's gonna pick you up shortly and take you back to us."
"Great, sis, I'll see you soon." And Tristan hung up his PokéGear and put it back in his backpack. "All right, guys, let's go outside and wait for Lugia."
Pikachu and Bayleef agreed as Tristan returned Bayleef to its Poké Ball.
Then Tristan and Pikachu came out of the Pokémon Center just as Lugia arrived.
Boy, I sure timed that perfectly, didn't I, Tristan? smiled Lugia.
"You sure did, Lugia," agreed Tristan as he and Pikachu climbed on Lugia. "Now let's go join the others."
Lugia nodded and quickly took off into the air.
Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth were still squabbling and fighting with one another over who should keep the egg.
But suddenly, James let out a shriek and he cried, "The egg's gone!"
Jessie and Meowth were shocked, and became very angry.
Then they and James decided on who the blame should go to. "The Twerps! They'll pay for this!" And they quickly took off in their hot air balloon and searched for Tristan and Hillary.
Meanwhile, Hillary and Eusine were still waiting for Lugia to return with Tristan and Pikachu.
"Boy, I'm getting hungry," said Hillary. "I wish Tristan would hurry up and get here so we can have lunch. Taking care of this egg is a lot of work."
"Here," smiled Eusine as he handed her a sandwich. "I brought lunch. I have a spare sandwich I can chow down on."
"Thanks, Eusine, you're a lifesaver," replied Hillary. "You're not such a bad person to be with after all."
Eusine gave a small chuckle as Hillary took the sandwich from him.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "Espeon Not Included"))
But just then, a mechanical claw came from above and snatched the egg out of Hillary's hands...again!
"Oh, no! The egg!" gasped Hillary.
Sure enough, it was Jessie, James, and Meowth, who had taken the egg for a second time and cackled in triumph.
"Not egg-zactly what you was expecting, huh?" chuckled Meowth.
"Give back that egg!" demanded Eusine. "Tristan and Hillary need it!"
"No way," replied Jessie. "This egg's our ticket to fame and fortune."
"And when it hatches, this Pokémon will be ours and we'll give it to the Boss as a present!" added James.
"Wobbuffet!" agreed Wobbuffet.
"Go, Cyndaquil, use your Fire Blast attack on that balloon!" shouted Hillary as she threw her Poké Ball.
Cyndaquil emerged from the white light that shot out of it. Then it ignited the flame on its back and unleashed a powerful five-pointed flame from its mouth at Team Rocket's balloon.
"Wobbuffet, counter it!" ordered Jessie.
Wobbuffet's body glowed red as it used Mirror Coat to deflect Cyndaquil's Fire Blast attack right back at it, scoring a direct hit in the process, causing it to hit the ground hard.
"No! Cyndaquil!" cried Hillary.
Jessie laughed and said, "That burns you up, right?"
"Buh-bye!" called Meowth.
The balloon rose higher and faster into the air.
"Come back!" shouted Hillary.
But as the balloon rose higher and higher, a whirlpool rose into the air to match the balloon's height and stop Team Rocket in their tracks.
Then Lugia emerged from the whirlpool, causing Team Rocket to quiver in fear, and blasted the balloon with its Aeroblast.
(Music Cue: OK! Orchestra & Guitar (full version as heard in "Fight For the Light"))
The explosion caused Team Rocket to drop to the ground below, losing the egg in the process.
Hillary ran as fast as she could to catch the egg. Judging the speed of the egg's fall, she ran under it, and managed to catch it safely in her hands. "I got it!"
"Hey, not a bad catch," smiled Eusine.
Presently, they saw Tristan, Pikachu, and Lugia arriving on the scene.
"Hey, guys! Sorry we're late!" said Tristan.
"You're just in time!" replied Hillary.
Tristan and Pikachu quickly dismounted off of Lugia as they saw Team Rocket pick themselves up from the rubble of their wrecked balloon.
"You've got some nerve crashing our plans!" groaned James.
"You leave that egg alone!" demanded Tristan. "It isn't yours!"
"No, but it might as well be!" retorted Jessie. "This calls for a Pokémon battle! Go, Arbok!" And she threw her Poké Ball.
Arbok emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Get out there, too, Victreebel!" shouted James as he threw his Poké Ball.
Victreebel emerged from the white light that shot out of it, but as soon as it did, it let out a shriek and attempted to devour James yet again.
"Not me, you potted pea-brain!" yelled James.
I can take care of those guys, Tristan, said Lugia as it prepared for battle.
"No, Lugia, let me handle this one," replied Tristan. "Bayleef and I have something to prove."
Lugia nodded and stepped back.
"All right, Team Rocket, let's see how well we've learned from you and our mistakes." And Tristan took out his Friend Ball and threw it. "Bayleef, I choose you!"
Bayleef emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Victreebel, Razor Leaf attack!" yelled James.
Victreebel shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Bayleef.
"Bayleef, block them with your Razor Leaf!" ordered Tristan.
Bayleef shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Victreebel's leaves, cancelling each other out.
"Arbok, Poison Sting now!" commanded Jessie.
Arbok shot a barrage of poisonous needles from its mouth at Bayleef.
"We won't be fooled by that again!" said Tristan. "Bayleef, use Vine Whip to jump!"
Bayleef extended its two vines from its leaf necklace, and using all the power from its Vine Whip, it jumped high into the air and avoided Arbok's attack.
Everyone one surprised.
"Wow, what a huge leap!" exclaimed Hillary.
"I've never seen a Bayleef jump this high before!" remarked Eusine.
It's really flying high, and it doesn't even have wings! agreed Lugia. I'm quite impressed.
However, Bayleef's momentum didn't stop, for it was directly above Arbok. It used its full weight to drag Arbok down to the ground and flatten it.
"Aah! Arbok!" gasped Jessie.
Arbok had fainted on the spot after Bayleef's attack.
"Wow, Bayleef just learned Body Slam, and it flattened Arbok in one hit!" said Hillary excitedly.
"Awesome, Bayleef, you learned Body Slam!" commended Tristan.
Bayleef smiled and nodded its approval, for it had gotten its revenge on Arbok.
"Victreebel, use your Vine Whip attack!" ordered James.
Victreebel extended its long vine towards Bayleef.
"I don't think so!" said Eusine. "Alakazam, use Confusion!" He threw his Poké Ball.
Alakazam emerged from the white light that shot out of it and its eyes glowed red.
Victreebel also glowed red, its Vine Whip was stopped, and its own attack was sent right back at it, causing it to get hit, sending it flying and crashing into Jessie, James, Meowth, and Arbok.
"Let's go, Pikachu!" commanded Tristan. "Give 'em a Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu jumped high into the air and unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity at Team Rocket, shocking them.
The force of the attack caused a tremendous explosion that sent them skyward.
BOOM!
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled as they disappeared into the sky.
DING!
Tristan came to congratulate his Pokémon for a job well done. "You two were awesome. And you, Bayleef, were really impressive."
Bayleef was a little confused.
"He's right, Bayleef," agreed Hillary. "You learned from your defeat, and you even learned Body Slam in the process. You should be proud of yourself."
Bayleef smiled and gave a happy reply in agreement.
That evening, everyone was watching the egg carefully.
Hillary gave a sigh. "Watching the egg is a lot of work. Do you know how much longer it'll be before it hatches?"
"I'm not sure, sis," replied Tristan. "Eggs take time to hatch. But wondering what will come out of them will make the time go by faster.
You know, I have a hunch that it's a legendary Pokémon, suggested Lugia.
"How come, Lugia?" asked Hillary.
Remember when Tristan's Silver Wing reacted to the egg that was discovered during our training today? There's a chance that it was waiting for the both of you.
Tristan and Hillary looked at each other. Then they looked at Eusine.
"That Lugia friend of yours may be right," said Eusine. "I think the best way to test out that theory is that the both of you gently put one hand on the egg at the same time. If that theory is correct, we'll see a legendary Pokémon hatch right before our very eyes."
Tristan and Hillary looked at each other again.
"Well, what have we got to lose?" said Hillary.
"Yeah, let's do it," agreed Tristan.
Then they reached for the egg and gently touched it at the same instant.
Instantly, the egg began to glow and made a shimmering tone.
Everyone was surprised and stepped back.
Sure enough, the egg was hatching, as the light grew stronger and stronger, and the egg itself grew bigger and bigger. Seconds later, the light dissipated, and the egg hatched into a Suicune.
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)
Everyone was awestruck, especially Tristan and Hillary.
"Incredible!" gasped Hillary. "A Suicune just hatched from that egg!"
The newly hatched Suicune opened its eyes and saw Tristan and Hillary for the first time. It smiled and took a liking to them almost immediately.
Eusine was a little surprised that Suicune had chosen Tristan and Hillary, but he was so happy to see Suicune hatch that he forgot to be jealous. "Well, it appears that you two know something about Pokémon that I don't."
"What's that, Eusine?" asked Tristan.
Eusine stood there for a long time. Then he said, "Friendship...and trust. Qualities that make a good Trainer. That's what my Pokémon and I need to learn. From now on, I plan to treat every Pokémon with love, honor, and respect. And maybe, just maybe, I'll see all the legendary Pokémon like Ash has and you guys have."
Tristan and Hillary looked at each other.
Then Hillary said to Eusine, "We know you can do it."
Pikachu, Togepi, Lugia, and Suicune all agreed.
That evening, Eusine had left, and Tristan and Hillary opted to camp out on the beach away from the water.
"We should all be okay here, and we can certainly take care of Suicune if it needs us," said Tristan.
You know, I have a feeling that Suicune will be okay, even if it wanders off all by itself, replied Lugia. And it knows that you're its friends. So that's another legendary Pokémon to add to the list.
"Mewtwo will be very happy to know that," smiled Hillary.
Tristan and Pikachu agreed.
And so, with a newly hatched Suicune to add to their growing list of legendary Pokémon friends, our heroes look forward to the many adventures that await them, including Tristan's next Gym battle in Olivine City.
► TO BE CONTINUED