The Adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu in Johto Chapter 76: DELIVERING THE PITCH, a pokémon fanfic

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 76 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue to traverse through the Johto region. I decided to add Casey to this chapter because Taz and Electabuzz appear also. Nobody knows how her Bayleef evolves into a Meganium. But what were to happen if we were to imagine it together? As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary meet a Trainer named Casey, who's a die-hard Electabuzz baseball fan. But when Taz, disguised as Jimmy Blake enters the scene with his Electabuzz, it's gonna take teamwork and some convincing from Tristan and Hillary with some assistance from Morty to help Casey see the kind of person Taz really is.

Chapter 76: DELIVERING THE PITCH

(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard at the beginning of "A Goldenrod Opportunity"))

"All right!" said Tristan as he and Hillary reached the top of a hill the next morning. "We're here!"

"Ecruteak City!" added Hillary. "I know those two towers anywhere!"

Sure enough, they could see the Burned Tower and the Tin Tower in the distance.

Pikachu and Togepi were just as excited as their Trainers were, for they were looking forward to resting up.

As our heroes continue on their journey to Mahogany Town, they're excited and delighted to make a stop in Ecruteak City for a quick break...and to meet some familiar friends.

"We should probably stop at the Pokémon Center and give our Pokémon a little rest, too," suggested Tristan.

"Good idea," agreed Hillary. "I'm sure they could use it."

Just then, they saw a short, fair-skinned young girl with long purple hair in the distance. She had a black-striped white baseball cap with a lightning bolt on the front. She was wearing a pale-blue t-shirt and a yellow jacket with blue stripes, and she wore a horn around her neck, and was standing next to a Bayleef.

"All right, Bayleef, this is it!" said the girl. "If we win this game, we'll have four badges, and we'll be halfway to our goal. Then, nothing will stop us from getting into the Johto League when we get all eight! Talk about a grand slam!"

Her Bayleef eagerly agreed.

"But first, let's sing our traditional theme song to get us pumped up for victory!" And she waved her arms as her Bayleef waved its leaf.

(Music Cue: Electabuzz Theme Song (as heard in "The Double Trouble Header"))

"We all love Electabuzz
No other team's the same
The players charge the field
And electrify the game
They pitch and catch and run so quick
Their baseball bats are thunder sticks
Their power hitters do the trick
Electabuzz, our favorite pick
We love their yellow colors
And their black stripes are the best
Electabuzz, they're better than the rest.

"Yay!" cheered the girl as she and Bayleef gave each other a high-five. "Now I know we'll win! What do you say, Bayleef? Shall we go to the Gym?"

Her Bayleef eagerly nodded in agreement.

"Excuse us," said Tristan as he and Hillary approached.

The girl turned around and saw them, and was excited to see Tristan's Pikachu perched on top of his shoulder, and rushed over. "Oh, wow, a Pikachu!" she cried. "You remind me so much of another Pikachu I met not too long after I started my journey." And she picked it up and hugged it. "You're just as cute and cuddly as Ash's Pikachu!" And she squeezed it even tighter. Little did she know that she was squeezing too hard as Pikachu got more and more nervous.

Sparks crackled from Pikachu's cheeks.

Tristan knew what was coming. "Hey, stop! Look out!" he cried.

But it was too late, for Pikachu had unleashed an Electric attack on the girl, causing her to drop to the ground.

Tristan and Hillary quickly rushed over to the girl.

"Are you okay?" asked Hillary.

The poor girl was in too much shock to answer.

"Pikachu, you know better than that," scolded Tristan.

Pikachu scratched its head and apologized to the girl.

A few minutes later, Tristan and Hillary introduced themselves to the girl.

"I'm Tristan. Sorry you got shocked."

"And I'm Hillary."

The girl introduced herself. "I'm Casey. I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

"Aw, don't worry about it," replied Tristan.

Pikachu smiled and also forgave Casey.

"You see, I really love yellow and black-striped Pokémon," explained Casey. "That's why I ran over to meet your Pikachu because it reminds me so much of Ash's Pikachu."

"Wow, you met Ash, too?" asked Hillary.

Casey nodded. "He and I have different opinions of my favorite team, the Electabuzz."

"Wow, you mean the Electbuzz baseball team?" said Tristan. "But I thought Electabuzz was only the name of a Pokémon."

"That's true," replied Casey. "But there are teams who are named after many of the Pokémon. And I'm trying to collect as many yellow and black-striped Pokémon as I possibly can. I wanna fulfill my dream of owning a real live Electabuzz someday."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that goal," said Hillary. "By the way, we noticed that you have a Bayleef, but it's not yellow."

"Oh, I started out with it as a Chikorita," explained Casey. "It helps me get big hits and earn many victories."

"So, your Bayleef's the ace-in-the-hole, right?"

"That's right."

"So why were you training out here?" asked Tristan.

"We're preparing to take on the Ecruteak City Gym," answered Casey. "I only have three badges, so we're trying to gain entry into the Johto League. I'm not in any big rush to get there, but I'll keep training with my Pokémon till we know we're ready for it."

"Yeah, that's the spirit," said Hillary. "And I know you'll score a home run when you get that badge."

"You bet," agreed Casey. "Well, Bayleef, you heard what they said. It's time to challenge the Ecruteak Gym!"

Her Bayleef gave a hard nod. It was looking forward to another victory at the Gym.

Presently, a man appeared wearing the same outfit as Casey.

Little did Casey, Tristan, and Hillary know that it was really Taz in disguise.

"Excuse me. I hear you love the Electabuzz, right?" said the man.

Casey turned around and saw him. "Yeah, that's right."

"I thought so," said the disguised Taz. "A die-hard Electabuzz fan, just like me. My name's Jimmy Blake. And I have a Pokémon that'll make your day." And he took out his Poké Ball, and it opened.

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

"Oh! It's an Electabuzz, my dream Pokémon!" Casey was obviously excited to see what appeared to be her favorite Pokémon.

(Music Cue: Cause for Alarm (as heard in "Hour of the Houndour"))

But as soon as Electabuzz saw Tristan and Hillary it started charging in for the attack.

Pikachu leaped off Tristan's shoulder and unleashed a Thunderbolt attack in an attempt to defend Tristan.

Unfortunately, Electabuzz was just a little too fast, and went past Pikachu without even flinching.

Tristan and Hillary were most alarmed. "Hey, watch out!" they cried.

Electabuzz unleashed a Thunder Punch attack on Tristan and Hillary.

But the disguised Taz grabbed Electabuzz and stopped it just in time. "Not yet, you lame brain! Do you wanna give us away?!" He turned to Casey. "Sorry about that. My Electabuzz wanted to test its strength and went too far. Let's go and work on a cheer that'll be sure to bring you to victory."

"Okay, Jimmy," replied Casey.

"Wait a second!" said Hillary suspiciously to Casey. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Then she turned to the disguised Taz. "That Electabuzz of yours almost attacked us, which must mean you had evil intentions! Admit it, Jimmy! You had Electabuzz attack us just so you'd take us out of the picture, didn't you?!"

Casey gasped in shock and disbelief and took offense to Hillary's accusation. "Hold your tongue, young lady! Nobody wearing an Electabuzz baseball uniform would show any intent to harm anyone! That man is full of honor and integrity, and would never go so low as to hurt anyone, let alone you! How dare you say he's evil and mean!"

"But Hillary's telling the truth!" protested Tristan. "Don't you understand that?"

"Oh, so now you're defending her, too?" retorted Casey. "You're no better off than she is if you're accusing this man of attacking you on purpose when he really isn't! Come on, Jimmy, let's leave these losers at the showers."

(Music Cue: OK! (Piano Ballad))

"Sounds good to me," replied the disguised Taz as he led Casey and her Bayleef away. He gave Tristan and Hillary, who were left feeling confused and very sad, an evil smirk.

Pikachu and Togepi were very concerned for their Trainers; never had they seen them feeling dejected after they accused someone of attacking them.

Later, Tristan and Hillary were sitting in the Pokémon Center's lobby. They were feeling very despondent, indeed.

"Now what do we do?" said Hillary. "Casey walks away from us after we just met her, and after that Electabuzz attacked us."

"I know," agreed Tristan. "What did we say to make Casey mad at us? She loves Electabuzz too much to see Jimmy Blake's true intentions. There has to be some way we can convince her...but what?"

"As long as Jimmy Blake has Electabuzz, there's not much we can do to convince her," said Hillary.

Presently, a familiar figure came in to see them. It was Morty, the Ecruteak Gym Leader. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Morty," said Tristan and Hillary despondently.

"It's good to see you, but not so good to see your faces looking glum," remarked Morty.

Tristan and Hillary nodded. Sure enough, they did look glum.

"I saw everything that happened," said Morty. "That Electabuzz almost attacked you right as that Trainer released it. He may have stopped it, but he has evil intentions. I may be no fortune-teller, but what I do know is that he is not to be trusted. That girl you met is certainly an Electabuzz fan. Ash told me about her sometime during his last visit here, while we were learning about the legend of Ecruteak City, and the legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh."

Tristan and Hillary looked at Morty in astonishment.

"Wait, you knew about this?" asked Tristan.

Morty nodded. "That girl doesn't always know a person's true intentions until they're completely exposed. And I felt bad when she falsely accused you of saying that Trainer had evil intentions, including harming you."

"But how do we make her understand that?" asked Hillary. "She's already gone off with that creep to who-knows-where."

"Well, the only way to make her see the truth about Jimmy Blake is to expose him for who he truly is," explained Morty. "We'll need to catch him in the act."

Presently, the recovery chimes rang.

Then Nurse Joy came out of the examination room with Tristan and Hillary's Poké Balls. "Your Pokémon are in perfect health, kids, and it shows you've been taking good care of them. Oh, hi, Morty. I didn't see you come in."

"Hello, Nurse Joy," replied Morty. "I was just helping Tristan and Hillary cheer up after seeing them so glum."

"Well, when they first arrived, they seemed very sad and neglected," said Nurse Joy. "It was as if someone they just met had left them in disgust or something."

"Actually, that's exactly what happened, Nurse Joy," said Morty. "But we're cooking up a plan to make things right again."

"Well, good luck, and hopefully, that plan of yours works."

"Thanks," replied Tristan and Hillary.

A few moments later, Tristan, Hillary, and Morty looked through the bushes. There was Casey with the disguised Taz.

"There they are," whispered Hillary. "Now what do we do?"

"Let's watch and see what they do," replied Tristan.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Morty.

"We'll wait and see if Jimmy Blake does anything funny," explained Tristan. "And if he does, Squirtle will come rushing in."

"Right," agreed Hillary as she and Squirtle stood by.

"So, are you ready to charge the field and take on this Gym, Casey?" asked the disguised Taz.

"You bet I am," replied Casey. "We're gonna score big time. With Bayleef on my team, there's no way we can lose."

The disguised Taz gave an evil smirk. "Or can you?"

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard the second time in "Spinarak Attack"))

He then reached into Casey's pocket and took one of her Poké Balls and started running away with it.

"Hey, that's mine, you pickpocket! Come back!" shouted Casey.

"Ha!" laughed Taz. "Guess you struck out, kid! Bayleef is mine now!"

"Stop! Thief!" shouted Casey. "He stole my Bayleef! Somebody stop him!"

Just then, Squirtle appeared in front of the disguised Taz and blasted him with its Water Gun, forcing him to lose his grip on Casey's Poké Ball.

Casey managed to catch it in her hands.

The force of Squirtle's Water Gun caused Taz's disguise to disintegrate, and Taz himself emerged from it, beard and all.

Casey gasped in shock. "You're not Jimmy Blake!"

Hillary, Tristan, and Morty emerged from the bushes and confronted Taz.

"We should've known it was you all along, Taz!" said Hillary, rather disdainfully.

Taz groaned. He wasn't expecting Squirtle, Tristan, or Hillary to show up out of nowhere.

"This was a very expensive baseball uniform, and now it's completely ruined!" snarled Taz. "I was looking forward to watching the game with that girl until you showed up! I'll make you jerks pay for that!"

"Yeah, who cares?! Just leave Casey alone!" demanded Tristan.

Casey was surprised. She never expected Tristan and Hillary to be so forgiving, let alone defend her from Taz, after she yelled at them.

Taz threw his Poké Ball and shouted, "Okay, Electabuzz, let's go!"

(Music Cue: Cause for Alarm)

Electabuzz emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It glared angrily at Tristan and Hillary as it prepared for battle.

"My Electabuzz is really peeved for some reason, just like I am," explained Taz. "And as soon as it defeats the both of you, we'll both be feeling better."

"We'll see about that," replied Tristan. "All right, Pikachu, go get it!"

Pikachu leaped in front of Tristan and prepared to face Electabuzz.

"Now, Electabuzz, send that rodent flying!" ordered Taz.

Electabuzz charged in for the attack and unleashed a Thunder Punch at Pikachu.

"Quick, dodge it!" shouted Tristan.

Pikachu nimbly dodged Electabuzz's Thunder Punch.

"Hold still, you little pipsqueak, and let Electabuzz crush you!" growled Taz.

Electabuzz threw one Thunder Punch after another at Pikachu, who easily dodged them all. However, Electabuzz threw its most powerful Thunder Punch at Pikachu, who was standing in front of a nearby tree.

Pikachu dodged the attack, but Electabuzz managed to hit that tree, causing it to topple over. Pikachu was now directly in front of the falling tree!

"Look out, Pikachu!" cried Tristan as he ran as fast as he could to save it from being crushed by the tree, which hit the ground with a crash.

"That was really close," remarked Morty.

"Yeah, another second later, and Pikachu would've been done for," added Hillary.

Casey stared in wonderment as she saw Tristan's bravery in action.

"That was a close one. Are you okay, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.

Pikachu nodded.

At that instant, Electabuzz came over and looked on menacingly at Tristan and Pikachu.

"This is the bottom of the ninth, and you already have two strikes against you," smirked Taz. "Now strike 'em out with a Thunderbolt, Electabuzz!"

Electabuzz unleashed its most powerful Thunderbolt yet on Tristan and Pikachu, who braced themselves and shut their eyes.

"Watch out!" cried Hillary and Morty.

Casey quickly took out her Poké Ball and threw it. "Quick, Bayleef, help them out and keep them safe!"

Her Bayleef emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball and intercepted Electabuzz's Thunderbolt.

Tristan and Pikachu opened their eyes and saw Bayleef defend them against the attack.

"Don't worry, guys," smiled Casey. "We'll save you." Then she turned to Bayleef and shouted, "Bayleef! Don't give up! Be as strong as you can be...for Tristan...Pikachu...and Hillary, too!"

Bayleef strained as it took the damage from Electabuzz's attack. Then it let it out a yell as it was suddenly bathed in a bright white light, causing Electabuzz's Thunderbolt to stop, and Electabuzz to be pushed back into Taz.

(Music Cue: OK! (Orchestra & Guitar (as heard in "A Promise is a Promise"))

Everyone was awestruck at what was happening.

"Whoa, what's going on?" gasped Hillary.

"Bayleef's starting to evolve!" said Tristan.

Sure enough, Bayleef was evolving as it grew. The leaf on its head disappeared and two stamen-like antennae took its place. The leaves sprouted into flower petals. When the light disappeared, Bayleef was taller, it had pink flower petals, and it was greener.

Tristan checked out the new Pokémon in his Pokédex.

"Meganium, the Herb Pokémon. Meganium has the ability to restore dried-up plants and bring them back to life with its breath."

"That's awesome," said Casey. "Meganium, you're just the Pokémon we need to clinch this game. Are you ready?"

Meganium gave a hard nod and stepped forward to face Electabuzz, who just got off of Taz.

Taz struggled to its feet. "You are such a pain! You had to evolve just as I was about to claim my victory! Go, Electabuzz, teach that thing a lesson!"

Electabuzz charged forward for the attack on Meganium.

"Meganium, Razor Leaf!" ordered Casey.

Meganium shot a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Electabuzz, scoring clean hits with each and every one of them, and sending it flying into Taz.

"Wow, did you see that?" said Hillary. "That Razor Leaf attack is super-strong!"

"Now that was impressive," agreed Morty.

Tristan and Pikachu quickly got to their feet and faced Taz and Electabuzz.

"All right, Pikachu, it's our turn! Thunderbolt attack!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu jumped into the air and unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity on Taz and Electabuzz, who reeled in pain from the shock.

Taz and Electabuzz fell to the ground and moaned.

"Yeah, that should keep them down!" said Tristan.

"That's not fair," grumbled Taz. "I was supposed to do that to youse guys."

Presently, traces of sunlight were absorbed into Meganium's petals as energy began to form. Then it shot a white beam from the petals at Taz and Electabuzz.

"Meganium's using a SolarBeam attack!" gasped Hillary.

Meganium's SolarBeam scored a huge direct hit on Taz and Electabuzz creating a huge explosion that sent them skyward.

BOOM!

"AAAH! That's strike three!" cried Taz. "That means...WE'RE OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"

DING!

"Wow, that SolarBeam attack hit home!" remarked Morty.

"You mean a home run," corrected Hillary.

"It knocked Taz and Electabuzz outta the park!" put in Tristan.

Everyone laughed at the three jokes.

Then Tristan and Casey gave each other a high-five as Pikachu and Meganium congratulated each other for their teamwork.

(Music Cue: I Got a Victory Badge! (as heard in "The Double Trouble Header"))

That evening, as Tristan and Hillary prepared to spend the night at the Pokémon Center and say goodnight to Casey and Morty, Casey spoke up. "I wanna apologize to you guys," she said. I should never have believed Taz just because he had an Electabuzz. I'm beginning to have serious doubts that I'll fulfill my dream of owning one someday."

"Don't give up so easily," said Hillary. "Your dreams can still come true. And Tristan and I forgive you. Isn't that right, Tristan?"

"That's right," agreed Tristan. "Why don't we just let bygones be bygones. Right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"As a matter of fact," continued Tristan, "if it hadn't been for your newly-evolved Meganium, we never would've gotten out of this mess in the first place."

"And that SolarBeam attack was top-notch," added Hillary. "If you and Meganium keep training the way you have today, then you'll definitely be a force to be reckoned with. You've become a real pro."

Casey smiled. Then she said, "Actually, if it hadn't been for Morty, I never would've never been able to see Taz's true colors."

"Don't worry about it," Morty assured her. "It's not your fault at all. I was just glad I could help out."

"Hey, how would you like to have dinner with us at the Pokémon Center, Casey?" asked Hillary.

"I'd like that," replied Casey. "Thanks very much."

"How about you, Morty?" asked Tristan. "Would you like to join us?"

"Actually, I have to prepare for my Gym match against Casey tomorrow morning," answered Morty. "But I do appreciate the invite. When you guys come back to Ecruteak City sometime, maybe you can be my dinner guests. And don't forget to invite your grandparents along."

"We'll bring them," promised Tristan.

"Hey, take care, Morty," said Hillary as she and Tristan shook his hand.

"I will," replied Morty. "You guys do the same." And he left for the Gym.

"Well, let's eat guys," said Tristan. "And then we'll plan for tomorrow when we leave for Mahogany Town."

"So you're going for your seventh badge, then, right?" asked Casey.

"That's right," answered Tristan.

"Well, then, I wish you the best in Mahogany Town and the Johto League," said Casey.

"Thanks," replied Tristan. "I'll do my best."

"And I'll make sure he does," added Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi eagerly agreed. They always looked forward to seeing their Trainers do their best in battle.

"But before we eat, let's sing my favorite theme song!" said Casey.

"Not again," groaned Tristan and Hillary.

(Music Cue: Electabuzz Theme Song (as heard in "Here's Lookin' at You, Elekid"))

But it was no use; Casey had already begun her anthem.

And so, as our heroes listen to Casey's victory song as a pep-up for victory in the Johto League, they look forward to tomorrow as they continue their journey to Mahogany Town.

► TO BE CONTINUED