AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! We've finally reached the 80th chapter of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. This chapter, as well as the last one, is based on my experiences in the Team Rocket hideout in Mahogany Town, and I'm imagining that this event takes place just after Ash, Misty, and Brock defeat them in Mahogany Town. And I'm also imagining that Lance is helping Tristan and Hillary take care of the remnants of Team Rocket's existence in Mahogany Town while Ash faces Pryce. Well, here's the conclusion to the two-parter, so please enjoy.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary continue their work of defeating the rest of Team Rocket, but now they need passwords to get to the executives, Petrel and Ariana. And that's no easy task, especially when they have to use Petrel's voice to get to them!
Chapter 80: CLEANING UP A MESS, PART 2
(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (Ash Appears (as heard at the end of "A Goldenrod Opportunity")))
Last time, our heroes finally made it to Mahogany Town, where Tristan planned to face off against the local Gym Leader for his seventh Johto League badge. However, upon arrival, they saw Team Rocket on the move, and, figuring they were up to no good, decided to go after them.
Little did they know they'd run into Lance, Champion of the Elite Four and member of the Pokémon G-Men.
Upon Lance's request for our heroes' help, they split up to try and find clues, but Tristan and Hillary had to overcome many obstacles, including Pokémon traps and the Persian statues.
When they reunited with Lance, they set off to find the passwords to deal with the two Team Rocket Executives. What are those passwords? And what are the Team Rocket Executives, Petrel and Ariana, planning?
"We have to find those passwords if we wanna stop Team Rocket," said Hillary as she walked along the corridor with Tristan, Pikachu, Squirtle, and Croconaw.
"Well, we've gotta start somewhere, right?" replied Tristan. "Let's review the clues we have so far. First of all, the first door needs two passwords to open. And there are two people from Team Rocket that have them. So if we were to encounter them and defeat them in a battle, they'd tell us the passwords, and we'd be able to open up that door for certain."
"Right, but how do we obtain them?" wondered Hillary.
"We split up with Lance so we could all search for clues on how to defeat Team Rocket," replied Tristan. "I'm thinking we should split up ourselves, so to speak."
"How come?"
"Number 1: We should each agree to battle one member of Team Rocket that has one of the two passwords. Both of us will bring back one, and once we get them, we'll be able to open the door. And number 2, we'll be able to cover more ground by searching for those guys, one at a time."
"Good thinking, Tristan," agreed Hillary. "It seems like you can use that brain for things every once in awhile."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tristan briefly felt insulted by Hillary's remark, but once again focused on the mission. "Now, let's split up and search."
"Okay, let's meet back at the door once we get our passwords."
"Good luck."
And at that instant, Tristan and Hillary's teams split up to search for the passwords.
Hillary, Togepi, and Squirtle searched on the floor one level down. "Where could that guy be? That person has to have one of the two passwords."
"Indeed, she does!"
(Music Cue: Johto Rival Theme (as heard in "Trouble's Brewing"))
Hillary was startled to hear a female voice from behind her, and she turned around. Sure enough, she had come face to face with a female Team Rocket Grunt. "How'd you find me?"
"A little birdie told me and saw you coming," answered the Grunt.
"Well, do you know the password?" asked Hillary impatiently.
"Maybe, maybe not," smirked the Rocket Grunt.
"Well, if you know it, then give it to me!" demanded Hillary.
"I would if I could, but I'm not gonna," replied the Grunt.
Hillary clenched her fists in anger. "I don't have time for your foolishness! Time is running out!"
"Anxious to cry in shame, are we?" smirked the Grunt. "All right, I'll make you a little deal: Beat me in a battle, and I'll give you what you're looking for."
"You are so on!" replied Hillary.
"Go get 'em, Ekans!" shouted the Rocket Grunt as she threw her Poké Ball.
Her Ekans emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"So you're starting off with an Ekans, huh?" said Hillary. "Big mistake! Ready to go, Squirtle?"
Squirtle gave a nod and leaped over to face Ekans in battle.
"Ekans, Poison Sting!" commanded the Rocket Grunt.
Ekans launched a barrage of poisonous needles at Squirtle.
"Squirtle, battle back with Water Gun!" ordered Hillary.
Squirtle launched a powerful blast of water from its mouth and negated Ekans' Poison Sting.
"Ekans, Wrap attack!" instructed the Grunt.
Ekans lunged forward and proceeded to wrap Squirtle.
"Dodge it, Squirtle!" commanded Hillary.
Squirtle leaped off the ground and avoided Ekans' attack.
"Don't let that runt get away!" barked the Grunt.
Ekans proceeded to wrap its body around Squirtle again, but no matter how fast it slithered, it was just a little too far behind.
"Okay, Squirtle, Tackle attack!" shouted Hillary.
Squirtle charged forward and rammed hard into Ekans, knocking it out.
"Oh, no, my poor Ekans!" cried the Grunt as she recalled it back into her Poké Ball. Then she took out a second Poké Ball and snarled, "You're gonna pay for that! Gloom, show those runts we mean business!" She then threw the ball.
Her Gloom emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Gloom, use your Stun Spore now!" ordered the Grunt.
Gloom unleashed a cloud of gold powder from its petals.
"Dodge it!" shouted Hillary.
Squirtle jumped and avoided Gloom's Stun Spore.
"Squirtle, return now!" called Hillary as she took out its Poké Ball.
Squirtle was immediately recalled back into it.
"You were great," said Hillary as she held the Poké Ball close. "Take a break for now, because I'll need you a little later." She then took out a second Poké Ball. "Now let's turn up the heat! Go, Cyndaquil!" She then threw it.
Cyndaquil emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.
"Gloom, knock it out with Sleep Powder!" ordered the Grunt.
Gloom unleashed a cloud of silvery powder from its petals at Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil, use your Flame Wheel!" commanded Hillary.
Cyndaquil rolled into a fiery ball, scoring a direct hit on Gloom. In the process, it scored a direct hit on Gloom, knocking it out instantly.
"Gloom, no!" cried the Rocket Grunt.
Gloom was too weak to give an answer.
Cyndaquil landed neatly on its feet.
"Nice job, Cyndaquil," commended Hillary.
Cyndaquil gave a happy reply.
"Gloom, return," grumbled the Grunt as she took out her Poké Ball.
Gloom was immediately recalled.
The Grunt sank to her knees in defeat. "All right, you win. I'll give you the password that I have. The password to open the door is 'Slowpoke Tail.' But it's useless unless you have two passwords."
"Well, that accomplishes my part of the job, then," smiled Hillary. "Cyndaquil, return."
Cyndaquil was immediately recalled back into its Poké Ball.
"Wait!" called the Grunt. "Aren't you gonna search for the second password?"
"I already have that covered," replied Hillary. "My friends are helping me find it. Oh, and if you see Officer Jenny, try not to stick around." And she left.
The Grunt clenched her fists and grumbled. She didn't like being defeated so easily by anyone, let alone a kid that was more than half her age.
Meanwhile, Tristan, Pikachu, and Croconaw were facing a similar problem.
"There has to be a member of Team Rocket who has one of the passwords somewhere, but where?" wondered Tristan. Just then, he felt a tap on his head. "Pikachu, did you just tap me?"
Pikachu shook its head.
"Well, if you didn't tap me, then who did?" Tristan turned around and saw a male Team Rocket Grunt standing behind him.
"Hyuck-hyuck-hyuck!" laughed the Grunt. "So you wanna battle me, huh? You've got guts! I like that!"
Tristan, Pikachu, and Croconaw leaped back.
"Hey, who says I wanna battle you?" retorted Tristan. "Oh, that's right! You're one of the troublemakers who did the Evolution Inducement thing, huh?"
"Yup, you got it!" laughed the Grunt. "If you can defeat me, I'll give you a password to our boss' room!"
"If it's to help Lance, then I accept your challenge!" replied Tristan. "Get in there, Pikachu!"
(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle (full version as heard in "Ash Catches a Pokémon"))
Pikachu started to leap in front of Tristan and prepared to battle.
But Croconaw held out its arm and stopped Pikachu.
"Hey, what's the matter, Croconaw?" wondered Tristan.
Croconaw flexed its muscles to Tristan.
"All right," chuckled Tristan, "then go for it!"
Croconaw ran forward and charged into battle.
"Raticate, let's go!" shouted the Grunt as he threw his Poké Ball.
Raticate emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"This shouldn't be too tough," said Tristan to himself. Then he commanded, "Croconaw, use your Water Gun attack!"
Croconaw shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Raticate, scoring a hit on it.
"Raticate, Super Fang attack!" instructed the Grunt.
Raticate bared its teeth and bit down on Croconaw hard.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Tristan. "That's gotta hurt!"
Croconaw strained as Raticate held on.
"Croconaw, try and shake it off!" encouraged Tristan.
Croconaw shook itself as hard as it could, but no matter how hard it tried, Raticate wouldn't let go.
"All right, then, how about a tooth for a tooth? Croconaw, Bite attack now!" ordered Tristan.
Croconaw opened its mouth as widely as it could and bit down on Croconaw hard.
Raticate cried out in pain from being bitten, and as a result, it was forced to let go of Croconaw.
"Raticate!" cried the Grunt.
"I guess I should've warned ya," chuckled Tristan. "Croconaw's teeth are really strong, and even if it loses them, new ones grow back quickly. Maybe your Raticate should've had a check-up at the dentist."
Raticate struggled to get back on its feet after suffering from Croconaw's Bite attack.
"We can't let that kid win! Raticate, give that Croconaw a taste of your Tackle attack!" ordered the Grunt.
Raticate lunged forward as it prepared to tackle it.
"Croconaw, finish it off with your Water Gun!" shouted Tristan.
Croconaw shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Raticate, scoring a huge direct hit on it.
"No, Raticate!" cried the Rocket Grunt.
Raticate lay dazed on the floor. It had been knocked out thanks to Croconaw's attack.
Croconaw stood proudly over its opponent.
"Excellent work, Croconaw," commended Tristan. "You hung in there."
Croconaw gave a happy reply.
The Rocket Grunt recalled his Raticate back into its Poké Ball. Then he laughed. "Hyuck-hyuck-hyuck! Well, we had a deal, and since you won, I'll be a good sport and give you the password I promised you. Let's see, the password to the boss' room. I think it's 'Raticate Tail.'
"You think or you know?" asked Tristan suspiciously.
"I'm sure that's the password," replied the Rocket Grunt.
"I'll believe it when I see it," retorted Tristan. "Come on, guys, let's go." And he walked off as Pikachu and Croconaw followed.
The Rocket Grunt seemed to be impressed with Tristan's fighting spirit. "You know, I kinda like that kid. It's too bad he's not on our team. He's gutsy and fearless, two great qualities of Team Rocket. I'm gonna miss him. But I know we'll meet again. Hyuck-hyuck-hyuck!"
A few moments later, Tristan and Hillary reunited with one another.
"Did you get your password, Tristan?" asked Hillary.
"Yup. Did you?"
"Oh, yeah, piece of cake."
"Then let's get to that door and enter our passwords!"
And they and their Pokémon rushed for the door. But suddenly, they saw a familiar red-haired Trainer approaching them, causing them to stop suddenly.
(Music Cue: Imminent Danger (as heard in "A Bout with Sprout"))
"Hillary, look!" gasped Tristan.
Sure enough, the Trainer looked at them, intending to take care of business. "Didn't I tell you that I was gonna take care of Team Rocket?"
"It's Silver," said Hillary.
"What are you doing here of all places?" asked Tristan.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'd come here to destroy Team Rocket myself, but suddenly, I ran into this Trainer wearing a cape. I tried to beat him, too, but his Dragon Pokémon were too tough for me to handle. My Pokémon were no match at all. What was his name, anyway?"
"Dragon Pokémon?" wondered Tristan.
Then suddenly, he and Hillary remembered. "That was Lance!"
This caused Silver to gasp in surprise and open his eyes wide. "Lance, the Champion of the Elite Four?!" He then closed his eyes and gave a smirk. "No matter. I don't care that I lost. I can beat him by getting stronger Pokémon."
"That's not true at all, Silver," replied Hillary. "You need to work side by side with your Pokémon. They'll get stronger, and you'll get stronger, too."
"That's enough!" barked Silver. "You're saying exactly what Lance said to me, and that bothers me! He told me that I don't love and trust my Pokémon enough! Bah! I'm furious that I lost to a bleeding heart like him! Hmph! I don't have time for the likes of you. I'm outta here." And he stormed off.
"What's his problem?" wondered Tristan.
"What an attitude," agreed Hillary. "Now where were we?"
"Oh, yes, the passwords," said Tristan.
When they got to the door a moment later, they entered their passwords one at a time.
"Slowpoke Tail."
"Raticate Tail."
The door gave a few beeps and slowly, it opened.
"It worked!" cried Hillary excitedly. "Now we can go in!"
"Let's go!" agreed Tristan.
And together they ran in the door, but suddenly...
"Not so fast, you two!"
(Music Cue: Guitar Fight!)
Tristan and Hillary stopped dead in their tracks and saw a towering figure with purple hair coming out of the shadows.
"Who are you?" demanded Tristan.
"I am Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, or their Boss, if you'd prefer," said the man.
"Give me a break!" replied Tristan, who was quite upset. "I've had to deal with him and all of Team Rocket ever since I began this journey! You don't look anything like Giovanni at all! He's probably hiding safely in his fortress while others like you do his dirty work!"
"Whoa, take it easy, Tristan," said Hillary.
"Oh, pardon my rudeness, but please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Petrel. I'm one of the four Executives who help run Team Rocket's evil organization in the Johto region."
"Well then, who are the other three Team Rocket Executives?" asked Hillary.
"Oh I believe you've met one of them already," smirked Petrel. "Remember the time you battled against our friend, Proton, back at the Slowpoke Well?"
"How could we forget that?" replied Tristan. "He was the one who orchestrated the plot to cut off all of the Slowpoke Tails for food so he and the other members of Team Rocket could make money."
"Well, you're partially right, but mostly misinformed," said Petrel. "We normally don't allow cannibalism because of everyone's kid-friendly standards, but for the Slowpoke, they get their tails back...eventually, that is."
"You're sick," retorted Hillary.
"Oh, I'm the sick one?" replied Petrel. "You kids are the ones who are sick...by destroying that antenna and our equipment to create artificial evolution!"
"Yeah, well, just wait until Lance and Officer Jenny come to arrest you like they did to your friend, Tyson!" said Tristan.
"All right, then prepare for battle," snarled Petrel. "But I should warn you, I'm good. Now don't hold back. But answer me this: Are you able to defeat me and obtain the password to enter the generator room?"
"I say bring it on!" answered Tristan. "The sooner I defeat you, the sooner I can help Lance take you all down."
"I can help you with this one, Tristan," said Hillary.
"No, sis, you stay back this time," replied Tristan.
"But why?"
"Just take a look at Croconaw."
Sure enough, Croconaw seemed to be full of energy after taking part in battle after battle in the Team Rocket hideout.
"I do appreciate your assistance, Hillary," said Tristan, "but after spending time battling strong opponents, Croconaw wants to test its strength against Petrel and any other Team Rocket member who wants to battle it.
"Well, okay," replied Hillary. "Just be careful."
"I will, don't worry," Tristan assured her. Then he turned to Petrel. "All right, Petrel, what Pokémon are you gonna use?"
"I'm gonna use all three of mine," replied Petrel as he tossed three Poké Balls.
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (full version as heard in "Mantine Overboard"))
A Zubat, Koffing, and Raticate emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
Croconaw, in a show of power, flexed its muscles and prepared itself for battle.
"So, you're raring to go, right, Croconaw?" said Tristan.
Croconaw gave a hard nod.
"I choose Croconaw!"
Croconaw ran in front of Tristan to battle Petrel's three Pokémon.
"Well, well, you're using only one Pokémon?" smirked Petrel. "My, aren't you a gutsy one. But you won't win with guts alone, and I'll prove that here and now. Let's begin. Zubat, use your Supersonic attack!"
Zubat released a small group of blue circles from its mouth.
The circles enveloped Croconaw, forcing it to cover its ears.
"Now use your Smog attack Koffing!" instructed Petrel.
Koffing unleashed a cloud of green smoke from its mouth.
Unfortunately, Croconaw couldn't see it coming, for it was still covering its ears from Zubat's Supersonic. As a result, it was caught in Koffing's Smog, forcing it to cough.
"Hang in there, Croconaw!" encouraged Tristan.
"Yeah, don't give up!" added Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi cheered loudly for Croconaw as they watched.
"Why don't you tell your other Pokémon to settle down back there?" suggested Petrel. "You know I've got this battle won, so why don't you just admit you're in over your head, little boy?"
"I won't quit," replied Tristan. "As hopeless as it seems I can't give up. Because if I did, I'd be letting not only my Croconaw down, but I'd let down every one of my friends. Croconaw, dig in and use your Water Gun to blow that Smog away!"
Croconaw managed to listen to Tristan's command and unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth to not only clear Koffing's Smog, but also score a direct hit on Koffing, too.
"Yeah, that's it, Croconaw!" commended Tristan.
"That's it is right," snarled Petrel. "Raticate, Hyper Fang attack!"
Raticate proceeded to bite down on Croconaw using its teeth.
"Croconaw, Bite attack now!" ordered Tristan.
Croconaw lunged forward and bit hard into Raticate, stopping it from using Hyper Fang.
"Now give it a toss, Croconaw!" instructed Tristan.
Croconaw spun Raticate round and round and tossed it into Petrel.
Both Petrel and Raticate had dazed expressions, but Raticate was the one who had been knocked out.
However, Petrel wouldn't give up so easily. He recalled Raticate and said, "All right, you've forced me to do something that I didn't want to do. Koffing, Self-Destruct!"
At Petrel's command, Kofing began to glow in a bright white light as sparks crackled from its body.
"Uh-oh!" exclaimed Hillary.
"Yeah, that's right, you'd better be afraid," smirked Petrel. "Self-Destruct may take Koffing out of the fight, but it should keep your Croconaw at bay, too."
And an instant later, Koffing exploded, creating a large shockwave and a big cloud of smoke.
Croconaw was sent reeling backward while everyone else covered their faces.
When the smoke cleared, Croconaw managed to get back on its feet, but unfortunately for Petrel, the explosion had taken Koffing and Zubat out.
Petrel recalled Zubat and Koffing, but he didn't seem at all unhappy. "Well, I may have lost, but at least I was able to render your team a little less mobile. However, as promised, I will give you the password."
"What is it?" asked Hillary.
"The password is: 'Hail Giovanni,'" answered Petrel.
"'Hail Giovanni?'" repeated Tristan and Hillary together.
"Yes," replied Petrel. "However, even if you use the password, it has to be said in my voice in order to unlock the door to the transmitter room."
"Then take us there right now!" demanded Tristan.
"Sorry, gotta run!" smirked Petrel as he made a hasty retreat.
"You get back here!" shouted Hillary.
But it was no use, for Petrel had already disappeared.
"Now how do we get into the transmitter room?" grumbled Tristan.
"Yeah, we can't imitate Petrel," agreed Hillary.
Suddenly, a Murkrow appeared and flew overhead as it carried something in its beak.
"Hey, look, a Murkrow!" said Tristan.
"You're right, and it's carrying something," agreed Hillary.
Murkrow gave a reply and dropped a tape recorder into Tristan's hands.
"What's this?" wondered Tristan.
"It looks like a tape recorder," replied Hillary. "Let's play it and listen to what it says."
Tristan pushed the play button, and Proton's voice was heard.
"Ahem. The password is...HAIL GIOVANNI."
"That's it!" cried Hillary.
"What's it?" wondered Tristan.
Murkrow then started flying off.
"Quick! Follow that Murkrow!" shouted Hillary as she, Tristan, and the Pokémon chased after the Murkrow to the transmitter room.
Murkrow gave a squawk and then flew off.
"Well, it looks like Murkrow led us to a door," said Tristan.
"Not just any door," replied Hillary. "Look there!"
Sure enough, there, where Tristan and Hillary were standing, was another door like the one they had opened the last time.
"Hurry, Tristan, rewind the tape to where Proton gives the password!" instructed Hillary. "Once we play that recording of Proton's voice, the door will open!"
"But what if it doesn't work?" asked Tristan.
"It has to work," insisted Hillary. "Proton said so."
Quickly, Tristan pushed the Rewind button on the tape recorder and got the tape back to where it was before Murkrow had given it to them. Then he pushed the stop button. "Well, here goes nothing." And he pushed the Play button.
Proton's voice came up again. "Ahem. The password is...HAIL GIOVANNI."
At the sound of Proton's voice saying the password, the door slowly opened.
"All right! We can go in!" said Hillary excitedly.
"Yeah, let's go!" agreed Tristan.
"Hold it right there!" demanded a voice.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "A Dairy Tale Ending"))
Tristan and Hillary stopped dead in their tracks as one Team Rocket Grunt and another Team Rocket Executive came onto the scene.
The Executive had red hair.
"Who are you?!" demanded Tristan.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ariana, another Team Rocket Executive."
"And I'm another Rocket Grunt," added the Grunt.
"So, you've encountered our friends, Petrel and Proton," smirked Ariana. "However, we can't have little brats like you on the loose. It'll be harmful to Team Rocket's pride, you see."
"Hey, don't tell us about pride!" scoffed Hillary. "You're the ones who ruined the lives of every single Pokémon in and around Mahogany Town and Lake of Rage, too!"
"Yeah, we both owe it to the Pokémon to take you down and return Lake of Rage to the prosperity it once knew!" added Tristan.
"Well, charming as that may be, little boy," replied Ariana, "you can't defeat us, and even if you could, you two battling together are no match for us. We've seen your pathetic little teams of Pokémon, and I must admit, they're far too weak to pose a threat to our little operation. You may have used Petrel's voice to get into the transmitter room, but now, get ready to be thrashed. Go, Murtkrow!"
The same Murkrow flew in to attack Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon.
But just then, a Hyper Beam was shot directly at Murkrow, scoring a clean hit on it and knocking it out instantly, much to everyone's surprise.
"No, Murkrow!" cried Ariana.
"Whose Hyper Beam was that?" wondered Tristan.
"Don't worry, guys! Help is on the way!"
Sure enough, two familiar figures flew into the room and stood by Tristan and Hillary.
"It's Lance and Dragonite!" said Tristan excitedly.
"Just in time!" added Hillary.
Lance gave a nod, then he turned to Ariana and the Team Rocket Grunt. "So you're the ones who forced the Electrode in the transmitter room to take part in your Evolution Inducement Wave! Now it's payback time!"
"Bring it on, Dragon Boy!" replied Ariana as she tossed a Poké Ball. "Arbok, Gloom, go get him!"
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard the second time in "Whichever Way the Wind Blows"))
Arbok and Gloom both emerged from the white lights that shot out of the Poké Balls.
"Let's stop them, Pikachu!" said Tristan.
Pikachu was about to agree when suddenly...
"Hold on, Tristan, let me battle those creeps." Lance had come forward to battle Ariana and the Grunt much to Tristan's surprise. "Now it's time to show you why you can't mess around with a Pokémon's evolution and get away with it." And he took out a second Poké Ball and threw it.
A Gyarados emerged from the white light that shot out of it, but what surprised everyone was that it was bright red, and as it emerged, a flash of stars surrounded it. Gyarados gave an angry roar.
"Whoa, look at that!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Yeah, that Gyarados is bright red!" agreed Hillary. "And I have a feeling it's pretty angry, too!"
"Uh, should we be scared right now, Ariana?" trembled the Grunt. "I think we should forfeit!"
"You coward!" yelled Ariana. "Don't you see that's the same red Gyarados that has successfully evolved thanks to our Evolution Inducement Wave! We can't afford to disappoint Tyson and Professor Sebastian and come back empty-handed! We've gotta capture it!"
"You'll do no such thing, Ariana," retorted Lance. "Gyarados, Dragonite, use Hyper Beam!"
Both Pokémon launched powerful gold beams of energy from their mouths at Arbok and Gloom, scoring direct hits.
"Oh, no! Arbok, Gloom!" cried Ariana.
Arbok and Gloom both had dazed expressions; they had both been knocked out.
"Wow, that Gyarados and Dragonite are really strong," remarked Tristan.
"Yeah, they took out Arbok and Gloom with just one attack apiece," agreed Hillary. "I hate to admit it, but Lance is a Trainer that you definitely don't want to mess with."
Dragonite and Gyarados stood before their fallen adversaries as Lance stepped forward.
"It's all over," said Lance. "Give it up."
The Grunt turned to Ariana. "I told you that guy was too strong for us," he whispered.
Ariana took a folded-up newspaper and whacked Grunt's head with it. "You stay out of this!" she barked. She then turned to Lance. "Well, you win. Our hideout is done for. But it doesn't matter what happens to it now, and we won't be giving up anytime soon. We've got bigger plans."
"Stop talking nonsense!" demanded Hillary.
"Yeah, just what do you mean, anyway?" added Tristan.
"Oh, you'll find out," smirked Ariana. "You'll come to appreciate Team Rocket's true power soon enough. Enjoy your last days of freedom while you can. Until we meet again, farewell. Mufufufufu." And she quickly tossed a smoke bomb, causing an explosion that released lots of smoke.
Everyone choked and covered their eyes.
When the smoke cleared, Ariana and the Grunt had disappeared.
"They got away," said Lance sadly.
"Team Rocket must be used to quick getaways," remarked Hillary.
"Knowing them, they'll be doing something else very soon," added Tristan. "But we'll be ready for them, won't we?"
All of Tristan and Hillary's Pokémon agreed.
"I want to thank you two for your help in clearing the rest of Team Rocket out of Mahogany Town," said Lance as he returned Gyarados and Dragonite to their Poké Balls. "It appears that Team Rocket is a well-organized evil team that doesn't quit under any circumstances. However, I'm very concerned about that other guy I battled in the process."
"You mean Silver?" asked Hillary.
"Yes," answered Lance. "Apparently, he doesn't value his Pokémon as his friends, but tools for battling. That really makes me sad. Anyway, we have to get in the transmitter room and shut it down for good."
"But hasn't the machine been destroyed?" wondered Tristan.
"The machine may have been destroyed, and the lab may have been destroyed with it," replied Lance, "but the thing is, the transmitter hasn't been shut down after my first meeting with them." He, Tristan, and Hillary all went into the room and saw that there was no switch.
Then they saw six spherical Pokémon that were white on top and red on the bottom.
"Those are Electrode!" gasped Hillary.
"They must've been the ones who were forced to operate Team Rocket's Evolution Inducement Wave!" added Tristan.
"Then we have no choice but to defeat all the Electrode," grunted Lance.
"Let Croconaw and me handle this one, Lance," said Tristan. "Croconaw wants to test its strength against the Electrode. And besides, you helped us take care of Team Rocket, so now it's our turn to help you!"
"All right, go for it," agreed Lance. "Just be careful."
"Let's do it, Croconaw! Water Gun now!" commanded Tristan.
(Music Cue: Flying Poké Ball Chaos (as heard in "A Promise is a Promise"))
Croconaw shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth at one of the Electrode, but unfortunately, the attack didn't seem to do any damage.
"Water Gun's not working!" gasped Hillary..
Just then, one of the Electrode began to glow, and an instant later, the others began to glow as well.
"The Electrode are gonna explode!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Come on, we'd better make a run for it!" advised Lance.
And Tristan, Hillary, Lance, and their Pokémon ran out of the room and out of the hideout as fast as their legs could carry them. But just as they got outside, the entire building blew up as a tremendous explosion took place.
BOOM!
Debris flew up high into the sky as the building burned, then it all crashed into the burning rubble.
Somehow, the Electrode were able to make their escape even after the debris fell. Then they disappeared into the woods, never to be seen again.
Outside, Tristan and his friends watched as Croconaw and Squirtle worked hard to get the fire under control using Water Gun.
"Well, it looks like the transmitter is destroyed," said Lance as night fell. "And so is all the evidence of Team Rocket's Evolution Inducement Wave."
Tristan and Hillary nodded in agreement.
"At least the Pokémon living in this area will be safe from now on," added Hillary.
"Officer Jenny will be happy to know that things will return to normal, too," put in Lance.
Tristan came to his Croconaw. "Croconaw, you were awesome. Thanks in part to your hard work, Team Rocket's run out of town.
"It was a team effort, but we all pulled it off," added Hillary.
Croconaw was about to agree when suddenly, it was bathed in a bright white light.
(Music Cue: The Day is Conquered (as heard in "A Dairy Tale Ending"))
"What's happening?" wondered Tristan.
"Your Croconaw must be evolving!" gasped Lance.
Sure enough, Croconaw was growing in size as it evolved, and it grew sharp claws. When the light faded, Croconaw looked much taller.
"Tristan, Croconaw just evolved into Feraligatr!" said Hillary.
"Feraligatr? That's one of the Pokémon Braden has! I've gotta check it out!" Quickly Tristan took out his Pokédex and scanned Feraligatr with it.
"Feraligatr, the Big Jaw Pokémon. The final evolution of Totodile. Once a Feraligatr has clamped its powerful jaws around an opponent, it won't let go until the opponent is defeated."
"That's what I call awesome!" said Tristan. "I can't wait to battle with you!"
Feraligar gave a nod as it flexed its muscles and showed its teeth.
"After battling so many of Team Rocket's Pokémon, it's no wonder your Feraligatr has grown so strong," remarked Lance. "I can't wait until I see you compete in the Johto League."
"Thanks, Lance, we'll do our best, right, Pikachu?" replied Pikachu
Pikachu happily agreed.
With everyone working together, our heroes were able to stop Team Rocket and put an end to their operations in Mahogany Town and save the Pokémon that live there. Now our heroes can barely contain their excitement as Tristan prepares to face the Mahogany Town Gym Leader for a chance to win a brand-new badge.
► TO BE CONTINUED