AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 84 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. This is the second part of the three-part battle against Team Rocket in the Goldenrod City Radio Tower. Things are a little different here than in the games, and Silveena, as well as a cast of characters from the anime and games make appearances in this chapter. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: Team Rocket's takeover of Goldenrod City and the radio station continues as formidable and familiar adversaries stand in their way, but with Tristan and Hillary's grandparents, Veronica and Eric, and their brothers, Braden and Evan, providing assistance, it's clearly anyone's battle!
Chapter 84: THE RADIO TOWER TAKEOVER, PART 2
(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon (as heard in "Two Hits and a Miss"))
Last time, our heroes learned that Team Rocket took over Goldenrod City and the radio station, causing instant panic to the citizens living there and confusion to the residents of the entire Johto region.
Soon, they had a brief encounter with Silveena, who viciously attacked them and knocked them out cold.
The source of her unbelievable power was Team Rocket's Professor Namba, who had installed a device on her to make her even more powerful.
Lugia and Mew quickly came to our heroes' aid, and together, they quickly made their way to Goldenrod City to stop Team Rocket's evil plans.
But to get inside, our heroes had to dress up like Team Rocket, so they went inside the Goldenrod Galleria to dress up like them. They immediately went in the radio station to see Team Rocket's leader in command, but Silver's dramatic entrance blew their cover, and were forced to battle against the Team Rocket Grunt that had blocked their way.
Fortunately, this proved to be an easy task, as Raticate was no match for Pikachu.
Now, as our heroes rush up the stairs with a vengeance, Professor Namba and the four Team Rocket Executives have all joined forces with Butch and Cassidy, as they're, even now, on their way to Goldenrod City. What is Team Rocket's dastardly plan? And where does Silveena fit in? And will our heroes be able to save her?
(Music Cue: Radio Tower Takeover (as heard in "A Hot Water Battle"))
Before dawn the next morning, Butch and Cassidy, along with an army of Team Rocket Grunts, arrived at Goldenrod City's radio station and barged in.
"All right, don't make any sudden moves here!" demanded Cassidy. "Team Rocket's come to town, and we'll be staying awhile."
"We don't want to have to hurt you," added Butch. "So get out."
And they each took out a Poké Ball.
"You can't be serious!" trembled the receptionist.
"Go, Houndour!" shouted Cassidy.
"Go, Hitmontop!" added Butch.
Houndour and Hitmontop emerged from the white lights that shot out of the balls, but both had weird gadgets on their heads.
Houndour unleashed a much more powerful Flamethrower than normal at some of the employees while Hitmontop unleashed a much faster Rapid Spin.
Many of the employees at the radio station dodged the attacks and scurried out in a hurry as a flurry of Rocket Grunts stormed in.
The receptionist quickly hid behind the counter and dialed the telephone as the chaos continued to unfold. "This is the Goldenrod City Radio Station. We need help. Team Rocket has infiltrated our building. It's been like this since last night, but this morning, it's gotten worse! Please get someone here immediately. That's right, I said 'immediately!'"
And at that very moment, all of the police officers and S.W.A.T. teams in Goldenrod City were converging on the radio station outside, and waited for any developments.
On another floor, several Rocket Grunts were attempting to make use of the equipment, but they didn't know how to operate it, so they went upstairs to another studio and confronted a terrified engineer.
"All right, you, let us speak on the radio, and make it snappy!" ordered the Rocket Grunt.
"You can't just barge in here and do whatever you want to do!" replied the engineer defiantly. "I refuse to help you creeps in any way!"
"Do it or else!" demanded the Rocket Grunt as he took out a Poké Ball and threw it.
An Arbok emerged from the white light that shot out of it, and intimidated the engineer so much, that he was forced to obey their commands to let them speak on the radio.
A female Rocket Grunt spoke into the microphone. "This is a very important message to everybody in Johto. We are Team Rocket. And after three years of lying in wait, we are announcing our return today. Boss, Giovanni, if you are hearing this broadcast right now, please come join us!"
Meanwhile, at Rachel and Stuart's Daycare Center outside of Goldenrod City, it was much calmer.
(Music Cue: Radio Tower Takeover GSC (as heard from the Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal version games on the radio)
As the sun rose, Rachael and Stuart, Tristan and Hillary's great-grandparents, were startled to find that one of their radio programs had the creepy music instead of their regular Pokédex Show music.
"Nooooooo!" wailed Rachael. "You're ruining my favorite program! Get off the air this instant!"
"What's the matter, dear?" asked Stuart as he came into the room.
"That nasty Team Rocket has taken over all of the radio signals in Goldenrod City!" explained Rachael. "And they're ruining my taste in radio!"
"I'm sure it'll clear up soon, dear," replied Stuart. "Let's just sit back and watch the news." But as he turned on the T.V., he saw images of the scores of Team Rocket Grunts who had taken over all of Goldenrod City. "What's this?!"
A newscaster's voice was heard on their television set. "This just in. Team Rocket has taken control of all of Goldenrod City, and it's been that way since last night. No one knows for sure why that is, but sources say a security breach at the radio station may have led to the takeover."
"Those guys really make me mad!" exclaimed Rachael. "If I were 50 years younger, I'd take them all in a heartbeat!"
"All of the police officers are converging on the radio station as we speak," continued the newscaster. "But it appears that all their hands are tied waiting for them to surrender, which could take awhile unless something miraculous happens here and now."
There was a pause, then suddenly...
"Hold on, folks! We have two major breaking developments! It appears that a legendary Pokémon is seen at the top of the building, and it looks very miserable."
(Music Cue: The Mighty Mewtwo)
Sure enough, there was Silveena, the Lugia with the pink fins and underbelly along with the eyelashes.
"Whoa! A Lugia!" gasped Stuart. "It's a different color! And the poor thing's trapped in a cage!"
"That's insane!" added Rachael. "How could they do this to a sweet, innocent legendary Pokémon?"
"And the second breaking development that everyone should know is this!" continued the newscaster. "Two Trainers have bust in all by themselves to try and stop Team Rocket! Let's just hope they know what they're doing, folks, because for normal Trainers, this operation is strongly discouraged."
And when the newscaster stopped speaking, the image zoomed in on Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu rushing up the stairs of the radio station.
Rachael and Stuart gasped in shock. "It's Tristan and Hillary!"
"What do we do?" asked Stuart.
"We've gotta warn Veronica and Eric," replied Rachael as she quickly and carefully walked over to the telephone.
Meanwhile, back at the house in New Bark Town, Veronica and Eric, Tristan's grandparents, saw everything on their television set.
"Our grandchildren are getting themselves into real trouble this time," said Veronica nervously. "I hope they're okay."
"Me, too, dear," agreed Eric. "I can't help but worry about them myself."
Just then, the phone rang.
Veronica quickly rushed over to answer it. "This is Veronica."
"Veronica, it's your mother. Did you see the news?"
"Yes, Mom, I did," answered Veronica. "Tristan and Hillary are in the radio station right now, trying to stop Team Rocket all by themselves."
"They can't do it alone," cautioned Rachael. "You've gotta get over there and help them out."
"We'll be there as soon as we can," replied Veronica. And she put the receiver down. "Get your Pokémon, Eric. We're heading to Goldenrod City to help Tristan and Hillary stop Team Rocket."
"Yes, dear," agreed Eric. And he quickly gathered up his Poké Balls.
Veronica grabbed her Poké Balls and the car keys, and together, they left for Goldenrod City as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, Tristan and Hillary were still rushing up the stairs of the radio station.
"We just have to figure out a way to save Silveena," said Hillary as she and Tristan kept running.
"Yeah, but how?" wondered Tristan. "Those guys are everywhere! How are we supposed to defeat them all?"
Presently, they saw a familiar pink-haired person.
"Hey, look, it's Buena!" said Tristan. "Maybe she can help us!"
"Let's ask her to join us!" suggested Hillary.
And they quickly made their way to her.
"Hey, Buena!" said Tristan. "Remember us?"
"Yeah, we participated on your Password program," added Hillary.
Buena was shocked when she heard the word 'password.' "Huh? Today's password? HELP! Of course!" And she quickly darted off.
"Wait, Buena! Come back!" called Hillary.
But it was too late, for she disappeared from sight.
"Well, that was a lot of help," grumbled Tristan.
"Well, we might as well get going," said Hillary.
But just then, a smoke bomb went off right in front of Tristan and Hillary, forcing them to cough.
"What's going on here?" hacked Hillary.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Motto 1999 (as heard in "The Mystery is History"))
"Prepare for trouble and our rat trap."
"And make it double, you've fallen in our lap."
Tristan and Hillary knew those two voices. "Oh, no, not them."
"To infect the world with devastation."
"To blight all peoples in every nation."
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."
"To extend our wrath to the stars above."
"Cassidy."
"And Butch, of course!"
"We're Team Rocket circling Earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight, fight, fight!"
"Raticate!" chimed a rat-like Pokémon as it stood between the two people.
"It's Cassidy!" exclaimed Tristan.
"And Buzz!" added Hillary.
Butch was outraged. "The name's not Buzz! It's Butch! Didn't you hear me the first time?!"
"Get out of this station, or we'll remove you by force!" demanded Cassidy.
"Not on your life!" replied Tristan. "We won't let you take this station or the Lugia!" And he took out his Fast Ball and threw it. "Quilava, I choose you!"
(Music Cue: Legendary Birds Freed (second part (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))
Quilava emerged from the white light that shot out of the Fast Ball.
"Yeah, count me in!" agreed Hillary as she took out a Poké Ball of her own. "Go, Cyndaquil!"
Cyndaquil emerged from the white light that shot out of her ball.
Both Pokémon were ready to team up against Butch and Cassidy.
"You'd better get inside, Togepi," advised Hillary as she carefully put Togepi in her backpack.
"All right, but don't say we didn't warn you!" replied Cassidy. "Go, Houndour!"
"Go, Hitmontop!" added Butch.
And at their command, Houndour and Hitmontop appeared in front of them. They had devices on their heads, and they looked pumped for battle.
Tristan and Hillary were surprised.
"What are those things?" asked Hillary.
"That's for us to know and for you to find out," replied Butch.
"But seeing as how we're gonna defeat you anyway, I can see no harm in revealing it to you," smiled Cassidy. "But we'll wait on that. Houndour, Flamethrower!"
"All right, Hitmontop, Triple Kick!"
Houndour shot a powerful stream of fire at Cyndaquil and Quilava while Hitmontop spun at high speed right toward them.
"Dodge it!" ordered Tristan and Hillary.
Cyndaquil and Quilava narrowly avoided both attacks.
"I've never seen such power coming from those Pokémon, have you?" asked Tristan.
"No, those attacks were extremely strong, no joke!" agreed Hillary. "There's no telling how strong their attacks really are. It must have something to do with those devices on their heads."
"Do you suppose that's the reason why they wanted Silveena, to force it to attack all of Goldenrod City to make sure Team Rocket stays in power?"
"It's sure possible," replied Hillary. "We'd better be very careful. I'm afraid those things on their heads are just the tip of the iceberg if Silveena's involved."
But just then, Hitmontop unleashed a Rapid Spin attack directly at Hillary, who stood in fear.
"Watch out!" cried Tristan.
Cyndaquil, realizing that Hillary was in immediate danger, quickly stood in front of her and unleashed a Flame Wheel attack to stop Hitmontop, but Hitmontop's Rapid Spin proved to be too strong, and it pushed Cyndaquil back.
"Cyndaquil, are you okay?" asked Hillary.
Cyndaquil quickly got back onto its feet.
"Boy, that was close," smiled Tristan.
"You said it, Tristan," agreed Hillary. "Now, let's teach those guys a lesson!"
"Quilava, Flamethrower!" commanded Tristan.
"Cyndaquil, use your Flamethrower, too!" added Hillary.
Quilava and Cyndaquil both shot powerful streams of fire at Houndour and Hitmontop, who didn't seem fazed by their attacks.
"Impossible!" exclaimed Hillary. "That double Flamethrower didn't even scorch them!"
"Yeah," agreed Tristan. "All that did was make them even madder."
"You got that right," smirked Cassidy. "Houndour, let's show those wimps a real Flamethrower. And this time, let's show them some more power." And she turned up the dial on her control box.
Houndour's jewel on its forehead glowed bright red, and Houndour unleashed a much stronger Flamethrower at Quilava and Cyndaquil, scoring direct hits on both of them.
"Cyndaquil, no!" cried Hillary.
"Quilava!" exclaimed Tristan.
Both Quilava and Cyndaquil fell to the ground, seemingly immobile.
"Hitmontop, enraged Triple Kick now!" commanded Butch.
Hitmontop got into a handstand and quickly spun faster than normal speed toward Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu, who were quickly struck by its attack, and as a result, they fell to the ground, too.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu struggled to their feet.
"Now you see how impressive our power is," smiled Cassidy. "By making our Pokémon angry artificially, we can make our Pokémon's attacks more effective than ever."
"And thanks to Professor Namba, we managed to tap into our Pokémon's true power," added Butch.
"You couldn't be more wrong!" protested Tristan. "A true Trainer taps into a Pokémon's true power with love and trust, not rage!"
"Tristan's right!" agreed Hillary. "You'll never defeat us just because you're using those things to amplify your Pokémon's power!"
"Oh, yeah?" smiled Cassidy. "Take a look at this prized Pokémon." And she pressed a button.
(Music Cue: The Copy Pokémon Awaken (as heard in "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis"))
Instantly, a cage was presented in front of Tristan and Hillary, who gasped in horror, for they knew who was in there.
"That's Silveena!" they cried.
Cassidy gave a wicked smile. "Oh, so you know this Pokémon? Well, that makes things even more fun...fun for us, that is."
"How did you get her?" asked Hillary suspiciously.
"Ever since we learned a powerful Lugia was living on the Whirl Islands, we decided to catch it and see how powerful it really is," explained Butch. "So Professor Namba invented these devices to amplify the Pokémon's power."
"That's just sick!" exclaimed Tristan. "Don't you realize that Pokémon are supposed to live in peace and learn from humans, not serve them?!"
"That's right!" added Hillary. "That's interfering with nature!"
Pikachu protested in agreement.
"We thought if we caught Lugia and amplified the power of its Aeroblast attack, it would increase Team Rocket's power tenfold," continued Cassidy. "But thanks to another annoying group of kids and certain nitwits, our base was destroyed, and our operation was a failure. So we decided to leave the Whirl Islands and come up with another plan. But shortly after we did, we saw this Lugia, whom you call Silveena."
"Obviously, since Silveena was a Lugia of a different color, we thought that we should capture it," added Butch. "So Professor Namba used his Electabuzz's Electric attacks to immobilize her and put her in his possession. And thanks to Professor Namba's invention, we were able to take over all of Goldenrod City."
"How come?" asked Tristan suspiciously.
"We noticed that Silveena could use a powerful Hydro Pump, but for some reason, it couldn't use Aeroblast," explained Butch.
Tristan and Hillary were surprised. They never realized that Silveena couldn't use Aeroblast.
"But it was only a minor setback, so Professor Namba put that device on Silveena to increase her power," explained Butch. "And thanks to that, Silveena's Hydro Pump has a power equivalent to an Aeroblast, even without it."
"The residents knew that once Team Rocket came in scores and saw that Lugia would attack them if they resisted, they had no choice but to do what we commanded them to," put in Cassidy. "And that was to leave Goldenrod City."
Hillary clenched her fists in anger. She couldn't believe what Butch and Cassidy had done. "Forcing all the residents to leave Goldenrod City just because of Silveena and that contraption?! You've always been despicable, but this time, you've reached a new low!"
"Well, now that you know our little secret, I think it's time for you to be our prisoners," smiled Butch. "What do you think, Cassidy?"
"Why not? All right, surround them!"
And with a snap of Cassidy's fingers, an army of Team Rocket Grunts surrounded Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu on all sides.
"You're not going anywhere," smirked Butch. "Our four Rocket Executives will see to that, right?"
Seconds later, three of the Rocket Executives appeared.
Tristan and Hillary recognized two of the three Executives.
"Look!" gasped Tristan. "It's Petrel and Arianna!"
"But who's that with them?"
The new executive stepped forward. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Archer, the most powerful of the four Team Rocket Executives. Professor Namba insists that you come with us."
"ATTACK!" yelled Arianna and Petrel.
Quickly, all the Rocket Grunts rushed toward Tristan and Hillary and prepared to capture them.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu braced themselves for the impact.
Suddenly, a powerful blast of water shot all the Rocket Grunts down like bowling pins.
Butch and Cassidy gasped in shock. Then they became annoyed.
"Hey, what's going on here?!" demanded Cassidy.
(Music Cue: Opening M01B 1997-1998))
But before that question could be answered, a light blue Pokémon with a spiky ridge on its spine delivered a Quick Attack that knocked them down, too.
"What's going on?!" exclaimed Petrel, Ariana, and Archer.
"We're coming, kids! Are you okay?"
"It's Grandma and Grandpa!" said Tristan and Hillary together.
"What do we do?" asked Petrel.
"Hide the evidence!" answered Archer as he pressed a button.
(Music Cue: M01C 1997-1998))
As he did, the cage with Silveena slowly descended below the floor.
"Silveena!" cried Tristan and Hillary.
"Vaporeon, make sure you stop them cold!" ordered Veronica.
On Veronica's command, Vaporeon unleashed a powerful Ice Beam on Petrel and Arianna and instantly froze them solid.
Archer narrowly dodged the attack and grumbled. "We won't forget this! We'll settle the score later!" And he beat a hasty retreat upstairs.
Veronica and Eric quickly came to Tristan and Hillary.
"This way, kids!" called Veronica as she motioned them to follow her and Eric to a hidden room.
Everyone managed to catch their breath a few moments later as Hillary took Togepi out of her backpack.
"Are you two hurt?" asked Eric.
"We're fine, Grandpa, thanks," answered Tristan.
"Buena had given us emergency access to the radio station because all of Goldenrod City was dealing with this very crisis," explained Eric. "And not only that, this Lugia of a different color appears to be the source of all the trouble."
(Music Cue: The Pokémon Castle)
"Silveena," whispered Tristan to himself.
"We had just received word from Officer Jenny that the director was behaving very erratically," said Veronica. "Apparently, he's one of the four Team Rocket Executives that took over this radio station."
"That must've been Proton!" gasped Tristan.
"The one we met at the Slowpoke Well in Azalea Town!" added Hillary.
"The director upstairs would never say such horrible things about Goldenrod City and the whole Johto region," explained Veronica. "But the real director loves this city and this region, so the Executives decided to kidnap him and take him to a secret location."
"How do we get there, Grandma?" asked Hillary.
"I've asked Braden and Evan to come to Goldenrod City as fast as the traffic would allow so they can guide you through the underground," explained Veronica. "They'll give you a call on your Poké Gears once they get on the Magnet Train."
"Of course, we'll be able to handle some of the other creeps outside of the radio station," added Eric.
"But there are so many!" protested Tristan. "You won't stand a chance!"
"You should know by now that they're dealing with a former Champion Pokémon Trainer," reminded Veronica.
"She's right, grand-sonny," added Eric. "She and I will be just fine."
"If we all work together, we'll be able to drive Team Rocket out of Goldenrod City and save Silveena in the process!" put in Hillary.
"Precisely," said Veronica. "By the way, who's Silveena?"
"Lugia's love interest," answered Tristan. "She was the one who rejected Lugia in the first place, and is now being used by Team Rocket."
"Ah, so that's the Lugia I've been seeing on T.V. this morning," said Veronica. "That explains why Lugia was with you at Whirl Camp with you guys. The poor thing's been through a lot of turmoil in its life.
Just then, Hillary's Poké Gear rang from inside her backpack. "That must be Braden now," she said as she dug it out and pushed the button. "This is Hillary."
"Hillary, it's Braden. Grandma asked us to come to Goldenrod City and give you and Tristan a hand. We're on the Magnet Train right now. Meet us at the station in five minutes."
"Okay, got it, Braden. See you in a few." And she hung up and put her PokéGear back inside her backpack. "Braden and Evan are already on the train, Tristan, so we'd better hurry up."
"Okay, we'll deal all the Grunts outside," said Veronica.
Tristan and Hillary gave a nod.
"We'll go to the train station and meet up with Braden and Evan," said Tristan. "Just be careful, guys."
"We will," replied Veronica. "Just be safe yourselves. And Pikachu, don't forget to take care of them."
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu all nodded.
The group split up for their assignments, and exactly five minutes later, just as Tristan and Hillary made it to the Magnet Train Station, the Magnet Train came, and Evan and Braden emerged from it.
"Hey, guys!" said Evan. "You're right on time."
"Same for you," replied Tristan.
"We'd love to catch up with you, but we have a city to save," said Hillary.
"Grandma and Grandpa asked us to come and help because we believe there's something going on in the underground tunnels in the Goldenrod Galleria," explained Braden.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Tristan.
"Right! Follow us!" And Braden and Evan led Tristan and Hillary out of the station to the Galleria.
In just a few minutes more, they ran inside the Galleria.
Sure enough, it was full of Team Rocket Grunts who had taken over all the businesses one by one.
"Whoa! Those guys are everywhere!" exclaimed Evan. "I hope they don't see us coming."
"Never mind them," said Braden. "We've got to get to that tunnel."
They went through the Galleria and came into a secret hallway.
"Hey, there's a door up ahead!" said Tristan. "That must be the entrance to the tunnel!"
Sure enough, a door was seen at the end of the hall, but unfortunately, when Tristan and the others came to it, they found that it was locked.
"No good," said Tristan as he struggled in vain to open the door. "We can't go in."
"Now what do we do?" wondered Hillary. "We can't just ask those guys for a key or something."
Presently, Pikachu jumped off of Tristan's shoulder and discovered something under the doormat.
"Did you find something, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.
Pikachu nodded and pointed to a shiny object.
"That must be the key!" said Evan. "Now we can use it to try and get in!"
"Great work, Pikachu," commended Tristan as he stroked it. He then inserted the key into the lock, and sure enough, the door opened.
"It worked!" said Hillary excitedly. "Now we can go in!"
"Let's go!" agreed Braden as he and the others rushed in the doorway.
But as soon as they got in, a familiar adversary with red hair soon stood in their way. Sure enough, it was Silver, Tristan and Hillary's nemesis.
(Music Cue: Johto Rival Theme (A Formidable Opponent Appears)
"Looks like somebody's in quite a hurry. In fact, a lot of somebodies."
"Hey, how'd you get here?!" exclaimed Hillary.
"Look, what I said before was to deceive you," explained Silver. "I thought I'd tail you, thinking it'd lead me right to Lance. Well, guess what? He never showed up! Well, no matter, I'll take one of you on instead."
"You know how much I hate liars!" exclaimed Hillary. "Blowing our cover was bad enough, but now you have the nerve to step in our way again?! Ugh! I've had it with you, Silver!"
"Yeah, we don't have time for you right now!" added Tristan. "We have to rescue the director so we can save Goldenrod City from Team Rocket!"
"That's right!" put in Evan. "We have more important things to do than hang around with you!"
"Oh, are you scared?" smirked Silver. "Or are you afraid that your 'love and trust' philosophy won't work for you this time?"
This made Tristan, Hillary, and Evan all growl while clenching their fists in anger from that remark until Braden stood in front of them.
"I'll deal with you, Silver," he said.
Tristan, Hillary, Evan, and Pikachu were all surprised.
"Are you sure, Braden?" asked Tristan.
"Look, I don't know why this Silver keeps following you of all people, especially at a time like this," put in Braden. "Besides, you have a city to save. I'll deal with Silver and catch up with you three later."
Tristan, Evan, and Hillary all looked at each other. Then they gave a nod.
"All right, Braden," said Evan. "Whip this jerk."
"Show him what you're made of!" added Hillary.
Braden gave a thumbs-up as Tristan, Hillary, and Evan, along with Pikachu and Togepi, made their exit.
"A new person to mess with," smirked Silver. "This should be exciting. I'll pound your weak Pokémon back to the playpen where they belong."
"We'll see who's weak!" retorted Braden as he threw a Poké Ball. "Let's go, Feraligar!"
Feraligatr emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Ooh, a strong Feraligatr," smiled Silver, pretending to be scared. He threw a Poké Ball. "Sneasel, battle mode!"
A blueish black Pokémon resembling a cat and a weasel emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It had sharp claws as well as three pink tail feathers and one pink feather on its head.
"Let's see what you've got, Silver," said Braden.
"All right," replied Silver. "But you're gonna regret it."
Tristan, Hillary, and Evan proceeded through the room until they saw a pair of people wearing sunglasses.
"Quick, we've gotta hide!" said Tristan to Evan, Hillary, and Pikachu.
They quickly found a pillar and hid out of sight of the two people, who were conversing with one another.
"They ditched this place before they finished," said one. "I'm just here to pick up all the loot anyone leaves behind."
"Well, the loot ain't gonna pick itself up, you know," said the other. "Let's keep looking."
(Music Cue: You Have to Earn Respect)
Tristan, Evan, Hillary, and Pikachu peeked over at the two people.
"Do you suppose they're part of Team Rocket?" whispered Evan.
"I don't know," replied Hillary. "But knowing them, I'm sure they're suspicious."
"They must be burglars," put in Evan. "I'm sure they're working for Team Rocket. We have to stop them."
"No, let's keep watching them a little longer and see what happens, and then we'll step in if necessary," suggested Tristan. "We don't want to blow our cover prematurely again."
"Tristan's right," agreed Hillary. "Silver ruined our plan to get in the radio station last time, and we can't afford to have any more mistakes with so much on the line."
Presently, the two people found some gold ores.
"Hey, look, Duncan!" said the first one. I found some Nuggets! We can sell them and make plenty of money!"
The burglar, known as Duncan, replied, "That's great, Eddie. But maybe you'd better let me hold on to them. Why don't you take these Star Pieces I just found instead?"
"Star Pieces?!" Eddie could barely contain his excitement. "I've always wanted Star Pieces to add to my collection!" But in his excitement, Eddie threw the Star Pieces in the air and they hit Evan on the head.
"Ow! Oh! Oof!"
Eddie and Duncan turned around.
"Hey, did you hear something, Eddie?" asked Duncan.
"Sounds like it came from that direction," replied Eddie. "Let's go see what it is."
And they quickly rushed over to where Evan's voice was coming from.
Tristan and Hillary did their best to cover Evan's mouth while they saw Eddie and Duncan approaching them.
"I never knew Evan had such a big mouth," whispered Tristan.
"Or those guys are just clumsy oafs," put in Hillary.
"Pikachu, do something," said Tristan. He didn't want Duncan and Eddie to discover them without a surprise.
Pikachu quickly came out from behind the pillar and pretended to smile at the two burglars.
"Oh, I should've known," said Eddie. "It was only a Pikachu."
Unfortunately, as Duncan bent down to look at Pikachu, he didn't realize that sparks were sizzling from Pikachu's cheeks.
"Duncan, look out!" cried Eddie.
But it was too late, for Pikachu had delivered a Thunderbolt attack in Duncan's face, causing him to fall on his back.
"You nincompoop!" shouted Eddie. "Look what you've done!" He then saw Tristan, Hillary, and Evan holding the three Star Pieces.
"Looking for these, gentleman?" asked Evan.
"Fork over those goodies!" demanded Duncan as he quickly rose to his feet. "They're ours!"
"No way!" retorted Evan. "You're gonna have to battle me for them!"
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard the second time in "Talkin' Bout an Evolution"))
Hillary was surprised. "Evan, are you sure you wanna take them on?"
"Just watch me," smiled Evan.
"All right, kid, you asked for it!" said Eddie as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Growlithe!"
"You, too, Magmar!" shouted Duncan as he threw his Poké Ball.
Growlithe and Magmar emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
"Your Fire-types don't scare me!" said Evan as he threw took out a Poké Ball.
"What Pokémon do you think Evan will use?" wondered Tristan.
"I don't know," replied Hillary. "The only Pokémon that I know that he has is Cyndaquil. Let's just hope his Cyndaquil can take on those two Fire-types singlehanded."
"Go, Rocky!" shouted Evan as he threw his Poké Ball.
A large, rock snake Pokémon emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Whoa, an Onix!" gasped Tristan.
Evan smiled. "I got it from a good friend of mine in the Sprout Tower in Violet City. We've been training hard ever since."
"Do you think that you'll be able to hold off the burglars while Tristan and I rescue the director?" asked Hillary.
"You bet!" replied Evan confidently. "They won't stand a chance. I'll meet up with you guys as soon as I deal with them."
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Evan!" said Hillary excitedly. "As long as you believe in yourself and your Pokémon, then you'll never lose!"
"We'll do our best, right, Rocky?" said Evan.
Rocky gave a roar of approval to Evan.
"Okay, good luck!" said Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu raced ahead in the tunnel.
"We'll teach you, newbie!" shouted Duncan. "Magmar, use Flamethrower, go!"
"You, too, Growlithe!" added Eddie.
Both Pokémon shot streams of fire from their mouths at Rocky, scoring hits on it, but didn't seem to do any damage at all.
"Hey, what's up? Our Fire attacks aren't working!" gasped Duncan.
"Ha!" smiled Evan. "I guess I should've warned you that Rock-types like my Onix are resistant to Fire attacks. Rocky, Slam attack now!"
Rocky used its long tail to bash into Growlithe and Magmar, scoring direct hits on them both.
"Growlithe!" cried Eddie.
"Magmar!" added Duncan.
"Ha!" laughed Evan. "Who's the newbie now?"
Rocky growled in agreement as Eddie and Duncan seethed in anger.
Meanwhile, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu ran on and on.
"Look, there's the exit to the tunnel!" said Tristan.
"And the director's gotta be just ahead!" added Hillary.
So Tristan and Hillary yelled as loud as they could.
"Hey, Director, are you here?!"
"We've come to save you!"
A person who was bound and gagged heard their shouts and was delighted with their arrival.
But unfortunately, a Flamethrower attack suddenly stopped Tristan and Hillary dead in their tracks.
"What's going on?" asked Tristan as he and Hillary turned around.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Interrupted Motto (as heard in "A Parent Trapped"))
Butch and Cassidy snickered as their Pokémon, with rage crowns still on their heads, stood in front of them.
"That's as far as you go," smirked Butch.
"It's the end of the line," added Cassidy.
"Grr! It's you guys!" grumbled Hillary.
"You didn't really think that we'd let you rescue your friendly neighborhood director that easily, did you?" smiled Cassidy evilly.
"Let us go right now!" demanded Tristan.
"We won't let you ruin our plans again!" said Butch.
"As we speak, Professor Namba is getting ready for his master plan," added Cassidy.
"What's his master plan?" asked Hillary suspiciously. "And does this have to do with Silveena?"
"That's really none of your business, now isn't it?" retorted Cassidy. "Go, Houndour!"
"Go, Hitmontop!" ordered Butch.
Houndour and Hitmontop stepped forward and prepared to battle Tristan and Hillary.
"All right, Pikachu, let's go!" said Tristan.
Pikachu jumped in front of Tristan and prepared to face off against Butch and Cassidy.
"Okay, Squirtle, I choose you!" shouted Hillary as she threw her Poké Ball.
Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it and prepared to battle alongside Pikachu.
(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (first part 'Decision'))
Meanwhile, just outside, storm clouds were coming in fast.
But it wasn't a natural phenomenon, for Professor Namba stood proudly inside the radio station looking at Silveena, flying in circles in the sky as more and more storm clouds approached. "The time draws near, my friend," he said with an evil smirk. "Soon, we'll have all of Goldenrod City at our feet."
And so, as Professor Namba's master plan comes to fruition, our heroes and their grandparents have split up to help save Goldenrod City while thwarting several and familiar adversaries stand in their way. Will they emerge triumphant and save Goldenrod City and Silveena from the evil clutches of Team Rocket and Professor Namba? The exciting conclusion next time!
► TO BE CONTINUED