AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 86 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. I'm basing this chapter on King Arthur pulling a sword from a legendary stone in medieval times. Plus, I'm having Arthur of Thursday from the games appear in this chapter, so this should be good. Plus, I'm also having Taz join forces with the Team Rocket Trio. As always, please read and review responsibly, and enjoy.
TEASER: Tristan, Hillary, and their grandparents meet Arthur of Thursday, but after Scyther gets stuck in a stone, Taz and Team Rocket team up to make Scyther and Pikachu theirs! But is the Scyther-in-the-Stone contest really their idea? And is the stone an ordinary stone?
Chapter 86: THE SCYTHER IN THE STONE
(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard in "Once in a Blue Moon"))
With the crisis in Goldenrod City now behind them, our heroes have returned to Mahogany Town so they can continue their journey from where they left off. Their next destination is Blackthorn City, where Tristan hopes to earn his eighth and final badge to qualify for the Johto League.
"Thanks, so much, guys," said Tristan to his grandparents, Veronica and Eric the next morning.
"Anytime, kids," replied Veronica. "We're just glad we could help."
"It's too bad you have to go back home soon," sighed Hillary. "We would've loved it if you came along with us."
"Well, we did agree that we'd get back home as soon as the sun rose," began Eric.
"Oh, what's wrong with spending a little extra time with the people we care about?" smiled Veronica. "That adventure in Goldenrod City makes me want to go on adventures again myself."
"Awesome!" said Tristan excitedly. "Isn't this great, Pikachu? Grandma and Grandpa are gonna stay with us for a little while longer."
Pikachu happily agreed, and Togepi did, also.
(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveilled)
But just then, they heard the sound of slashes followed by an enormous crash in the distance.
"What was that?" asked Hillary.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, I don't like it," replied Veronica.
"Let's check it out," suggested Tristan.
And together, they made their way out of Mahogany Town towards that very sound.
A green mantis-like Pokémon was practicing its Slash attacks on some nearby branches.
A male Trainer roughly Tristan's age was watching. "You're doing great, Scyther. Keep it up."
Scyther gave a nod and continued to practice its Slash attacks.
Just then, Tristan and his friends arrived.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked.
The Trainer turned around. "Oh, hi there."
(Music Cue: Pikachu Appears!)
"We were wondering what those sounds were, so we came here to investigate," explained Hillary. "Our grandmother doesn't like strange sounds like that."
"I apologize," replied the Trainer politely. "I didn't mean to make you all nervous. I was just practicing some attacks with my Scyther." He motioned for Scyther to come and introduce itself to them.
Hillary looked up Scyther's entry in her Pokédex.
"Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. It's very proud of its speed. It moves so fast that its opponent doesn't know what knocked it down."
"That's one strong Scyther," remarked Tristan.
"Thanks," replied the Trainer. "My name's Arthur. I'm one of the seven Week Siblings. I'm the second oldest."
Tristan and Hillary were amazed.
"My name's Tristan, Arthur," said Tristan. "And this is Pikachu."
Pikachu greeted Arthur warmly.
"I'm Hillary, and this is my Togepi," said Hillary.
Togepi chirped happily.
"I'm Veronica, and this is my husband, Eric," said Veronica.
"We're Tristan and Hillary's grandparents," added Eric.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," replied Arthur. Suddenly, the name Veronica struck Arthur like a chord. "Whoa! Aren't you the same Veronica who used to be the Champion of the whole Johto region?"
Veronica gave a chuckle. "I thought you'd figure that out. Yes, I was the Champion back in the day, but I had to leave that position to someone else because I had other responsibilities to deal with."
"But all the same, Grandma's a very talented Trainer," put in Hillary. "So she decided to get back into training Pokémon part-time."
"Well, I can't take all the credit, dear," said Veronica sheepishly. "Ever since you began your journey together, I was missing my glory days as a Trainer. So I decided to train my Pokémon back at home until I could be the Trainer I once was."
"Sounds like you've got spunk, Veronica," smiled Arthur.
"Say, Arthur, what do you say about having a match?" asked Veronica.
"I accept, ma'am," replied Arthur. "I've been wanting to battle you for so long."
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Dueling Heroes"))
A moment later, Veronica and Arthur positioned themselves in a clearing and faced each other as Tristan and Hillary watched.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you, Veronica," warned Arthur. "My Scyther and I have been working together for quite awhile."
"Just give it all you've got, okay?" replied Veronica.
"Wow, this ought to be good," smiled Tristan excitedly.
"Yeah, Grandma battling Arthur is as good as it gets," added Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi agreed.
Eric came to judge the match. "Both Trainers will use one Pokémon with no time limit. Begin!"
"Flareon, let's go!" shouted Veronica as she threw a Poké Ball.
A mammalian quadruped Pokémon emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It had red fur, a fluffy yellow tail, and a yellow tuft on its forehead.
"Looks like Grandma was able to get one of her Eevee to evolve into Flareon," remarked Hillary.
"All thanks to the Fire Stones you won at the Fire Pokémon Tournament you won recently," replied Tristan. "And not only that, Flareon's Fire attacks will work well against Scyther.
"Let's go, Flareon, Flamethrower!" commanded Veronica.
Flareon shot a fiery stream from its mouth at Scyther.
"Scyther, use Swords Dance!" instructed Arthur.
Scyther spun round and round, faster and faster, creating a windy barrier to block Flareon's attack.
Everyone who was watching gasped in shock.
"Whoa, did you see that?!" exclaimed Hillary. "That Swords Dance just cancelled that Flamethrower attack out!"
"Normally, Swords Dance greatly increases Scyther's Attack power," explained Tristan. "But using Swords Dance to defend against Flareon's Flamethrower was great, too. I can see why Arthur and Scyther are very formidable. Grandma could have a difficult go at this if she's not careful."
"Well, Arthur, that wasn't bad at all," commended Veronica. "You raised that Scyther of yours extremely well. But now, it's time for us to fight back. Flareon, Sand-Attack now!"
Flareon kicked up its hind legs and tossed sand in Scyther's direction.
"Scyther, use Slash attack!" instructed Arthur.
Scyther used its scythes to slash against the sand Flareon kicked up.
Sure enough, Sand-Attack was cancelled out, too, just like Flamethrower was.
"Go, Scyther, Fury Cutter!" ordered Arthur.
Scyther slashed Flareon using its scythes over and over again, and the strength of Fury Cutter doubled with each hit, causing Flareon to take more and more damage.
"Flareon's in big trouble!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Hang in there, Flareon!" shouted Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi cheered for Flareon as loudly as they could.
Veronica, however, didn't seem too worried, for she commanded, "Flareon, Fire Blast!"
Flareon unleashed a five-pointed flame from its mouth, and scored a huge direct hit on Scyther, causing it to hit the ground hard.
"Excellent, Flareon!" commended Veronica.
Flareon gave a nod.
"Scyther, are you okay?" asked Arthur.
Scyther struggled back to its feet and retained its stance.
"Yeah, way to go!" commended Arthur. "Now, let's give it all we've got, Scyther. Use your Slash attack at full power!"
Scyther flew in toward Flareon and used both of its scythes to attack.
Flareon stood its ground and awaited Veronica's next command.
"Jump, Flareon!" she ordered.
Flareon jumped into the air and avoided Scyther just as it was about to strike, but unfortunately, Scyther kept flying and one of its scythes struck a huge stone.
Scyther pulled hard to try and get it out, but it was wedged in too tight, and it couldn't move.
"Scyther, what's wrong?" asked Arthur.
"Looks like Scyther got its scythe wedged tightly in that rock," said Hillary nervously.
"All right, timeout!" called Eric as he raised his arms in the air.
Everyone rushed over to Scyther as it furiously struggled in vain to get unstuck.
"It's okay, Scyther," said Arthur. "Just stay calm and I'll get you out." Arthur pulled and pulled and tugged on Scyther with all his might. But he couldn't get it unstuck from that rock. "It's no use. Scyther's stuck but good."
"Let me give it a try," said Tristan. He, too, pulled on Scyther as hard as he could, but he had little more success than Arthur did. "I should've had more milk."
Hillary tried to pull, then Pikachu, then Togepi, then Veronica and Eric. But nobody could get Scyther unstuck.
Everyone sat down to rest a moment later.
"Boy, Scyther's wedged in big time," said Veronica. "Even at my best, I couldn't get it out."
"We did all we could, Grandma," replied Hillary. "But that rock is just too tough to break through, even with scythes as sharp as Scyther's are."
Scyther felt depressed.
"Don't worry, Scyther," Arthur assured it. "We won't give up until you're free from that rock."
"I have an idea," suggested Tristan. "Why don't you get Scyther back into its Poké Ball?"
"Good idea, Tristan!" agreed Hillary. "Why didn't I think of it?"
"There's just one problem," said Arthur. "I don't have a Poké Ball."
Everyone hung their heads down low.
"Well, it was a good idea, anyway," sighed Hillary.
Meanwhile, Taz spied through the bushes and saw Tristan and the others figuring out out to solve their current predicament. "Well, now there's a Pokémon that's worth my time," he smirked. "Now I just have to figure out how to get my hands on it."
On the other side of the bushes, Jessie, James, and Meowth were cooking up a plan of their own.
"There are those other Twerps again," smiled Jessie.
"And Pikachu, too," added Meowth.
"Oooh, and a strong Scyther," put in James. "But it appears to be stuck to something."
Sure enough, as Jessie and Meowth looked through their binoculars, they saw that Scyther was still stuck to the rock.
"This is perfect," said Jessie. "With Scyther unable to defend itself, it should be easy to capture it."
"Let's go!" said James and Meowth as they dashed posthaste to the scene.
Taz chose that moment to close in, too, and they all ran into one another, causing them all to crash into a heap.
All of them moaned in pain as they rubbed their heads.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" barked Taz as he rose to his feet.
Jessie came over and retorted, "You should watch where you're going! You ran into them!" Then she saw Taz and said, "Hey, I don't think we met before. Who are you?"
"Well, if you must know, the name's Taz," replied Taz grumpily. "Just who are you three?"
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Kanto Motto 1997-1998 (as heard in "Get Along Little Pokémon"))
"Well, if you're interested in us, then I'd suggest you prepare for trouble," smirked Jessie.
"But if you want to work with us, make it double," added James.
Then they went into their motto.
"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, blast off at the speed of light."
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight."
"Meowth, dat's right!" chimed Meowth as he stood between Jessie and James.
"Wobbuffet!" added Wobbuffet as it popped out of its Poké Ball and stood beside them."
"Say, this is perfect," smiled Taz. "You guys got an amazing team there. Why don't we join forces?"
"Well, the thing is," shuddered Jessie, "we haven't been able to capture Pikachu yet, including one from that stuck-up Twerp who always seems to get in our way."
"So we tried to steal this one," put in James. "But sadly, we haven't had luck with that one, either."
"I just though of a brilliant idea!" said Meowth excitedly.
This seemed to excite Jessie, James, and Taz.
"We'll convince da twoips to participate in a contest," explained Meowth. "Whoever can pull Scyther from outta dat rock gets to keep Scyther and Pikachu, too!"
"A perfect plan!" replied James.
"It's genius!" smiled Jessie.
"Sounds fair to me," agreed Taz. "Let's do it."
"Yeah!" said Jessie, James, and Meowth excitedly.
Wobbuffet agreed to the idea.
Meanwhile, Tristan, his friends, and Arthur kept pondering their problem.
"We've just gotta get Scyther out of there," said Arthur worriedly. "I can't stand to see it so unhappy."
Sure enough, Scyther was feeling very miserable.
"Don't worry, Arthur," Veronica assured him. "We won't give up until Scyther is free."
"Hello, Twerps."
Tristan and the others turned around to see Jessie, along with James and Meowth, come into view.
"It's Team Rocket!" gasped Hillary.
Then Jessie and James started their motto again.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Interrupted Motto (as heard in "A Parent Trapped!"))
"Prepare for trouble, we have some news."
"Make it double, you're going to lose."
"You know da rest," put in Meowth.
Then Jessie said, "We have a new friend who's going to help us get exactly what we want."
"Oh, yeah, and who might that be?" asked Tristan suspiciously.
"Hello, kiddies!"
Sure enough, a familiar bearded man came into view and stood beside Team Rocket.
"It's Taz!" gasped Tristan.
"You bet your Poké Balls, it's me," smirked Taz. "Now I've come to take your Pokémon!"
"You're not taking anything without a fight!" retorted Tristan as he took out a Poké Ball.
"Who is this Taz?" wondered Eric.
"He's a rotten troublemaker who's always getting in our way," answered Hillary.
"Relax, we're not gonna just take your Pokémon," said Taz innocently. "Okay, little guy, explain it to the newcomers in case they're too stupid to understand."
"Stupid?!" exclaimed Hillary, getting riled up. "I'll show you stupid!"
"Whoa, take it easy, Hillary," advised Veronica. "Let's hear what Meowth has to say."
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Secret Strategy (as heard in "Playing with Fire"))
"We understand dat you got a stuck Scyther on your hands," explained Meowth. "So I propose we take part in a competition to see who has da best way to get Scyther unstuck. I call it, 'The Scyther in da Stone Contest.'"
"The Scyther in the Stone Contest?" repeated Arthur.
Everyone seemed to be confused by the name.
"We'll take toins trying to pull Scyther from outta dat stone," continued Meowth. "You can use any and all means necessary, and da winner gets to keep Scyther, and as a bonus, keeps Pikachu."
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu scoffed at the idea.
"Brilliant, Meowth," smiled Jessie.
"They sure didn't expect that," put in James.
"I should've thought of that idea," added Taz.
"Aw, shucks, it was nuttin', replied Meowth.
But Tristan didn't like that idea at all. "There's no deal! Leave Pikachu out of this!"
"But it could be Scyther's only hope," reminded Jessie.
Tristan grumbled. He couldn't believe that Taz and Team Rocket would try something that sneaky.
But Veronica put her hand on Tristan's shoulder and said, "We can do it, Tristan. Remember, there's no way they're gonna take Pikachu away. And we won't let 'em."
"She's right," agreed Hillary. "We'll make sure that Pikachu's safe. You have our word."
Tristan gave a nod, then said reluctantly, "All right, you have yourselves a deal. But I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Taz and Team Rocket jumped and shouted with glee.
(Music Cue: Adventure in Paradise from 1:58 to the end)
A few minutes later, everyone gathered on opposite sides of Scyther and the stone.
"Now we'll begin da contest to see who can pull Scyther from da stone!" announced Meowth. "Begin!"
"This'll be a breeze!" said James as he rushed over to pull Scyther from the stone. He pulled and pulled as hard as ever he could, but he could not pull it out and fell flat on his back. "This is hard work!"
"Stand aside, this is a woman's job," said Jessie as she came to the stone. She pulled and tugged on Scyther as hard as she could, but she had no better luck than James did. "I guess I should've had something bigger to eat for breakfast."
"I'm sure I can do it!" said Hillary as she came to the stone. "If you say that this is a woman's job, then I'll prove that a girl can do it, too!"
"Yeah, go Hillary!" cheered Veronica.
"We're rooting for you!" added Eric.
Hillary then put both her hands on Scyther. "Don't worry, Scyther, you'll be out soon." Then she pulled and strained as hard as she could. But she didn't have any success, either. "I give up."
Then Tristan tried, then Eric, then Veronica, then Taz, then Pikachu and Togepi, and finally Arthur. But none of them had any success with removing Scyther from the stone.
"It's no use," panted Tristan. "It's wedged in but good."
"Aw, dat's too bad," smirked Meowth. "If you had as much talent as I did, den maybe you'd be able to get Scyther from outta dat rock like I can."
But Meowth's big mouth had gotten the better of him for Jessie seized him and shouted, "All right, smarty cat, let's see if your talent can get that Scyther from out of that stone!" And she tossed him like a javelin toward the stone at lightning speed, causing him to scream as he went.
But all Meowth did was bash himself into the stone as everyone gasped in shock.
"Now that was brutal," said Tristan.
"I'll say," agreed Veronica.
Meowth fell to the ground in a heap while Scyther still remained stuck to the stone.
James quickly rushed over to Meowth. "Meowth, pull yourself together. You don't appear too badly injured."
"Yeah, but da damage is only psychological in nature," replied Meowth.
Hillary and Taz looked at the dazed Meowth, then at each other.
"Boy, you sure don't wanna mess with her," remarked Taz.
"For once, we agree," replied Hillary.
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Hocus Pokémon"))
"All right then, we'll just have to remove that Scyther by force!" said Jessie. "Go, Arbok!" And she threw a Poké Ball.
"Okay, Weezing, get out there, too!" yelled James as he threw a Poké Ball.
Arbok and Weezing emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
"Hey, you're not allowed to use your Pokémon to remove Scyther from the stone!" accused Tristan.
"Remember, Tristan, they said by any means necessary," reminded Hillary.
"And for them, anything goes," added Veronica.
"Arbok, use your Headbutt attack and destroy that rock!" instructed Jessie.
Arbok lunged forward and used its head, but all it did was ram into the rock, and it took the damage itself.
"Arbok!" gasped Jessie.
"Weezing, use Tackle attack!" ordered James.
Weezing charged forward and used its full body to attack, but like Arbok, it, too, rammed into the rock, and it only took damage.
"Poor Weezing," groaned James. Then he shook himself and shouted, "All right, rock, if you won't remove that Scyther, then we'll remove it from you! Go, Victreebel!" And he threw another Poké Ball.
Victreebel emerged from the white light that shot out of it and gave a loud shriek, then it attempted to devour James as usual.
"Get that rock, you blockhead!" yelled James.
"That thing needs some serious training," grumbled Taz disdainfully.
"Victreebel, Vine Whip!" commanded James.
Victreebel extended its brown vine and whipped the rock as hard as it could, but it had no success.
"Unfortunately, Victreebel's the one who's getting whipped," groaned Jessie.
Meowth sighed in agreement.
"Now it's my turn," said Taz as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Magmar!"
Taz's Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Use Fire Punch and destroy that stone!" commanded Taz.
Magmar made a fiery fist, and proceeded to punch the stone, but even that wasn't strong enough to smash through the rock.
"Come on, Magmar, use some elbow grease!" barked Taz. "Use that momentum to your advantage with back-to-back Fire Punch attacks!"
Magmar made fiery fists using both of its hands, and using all the frustration that it and Taz had, attacked the stone again and again.
Everyone watched in wonder as Magmar kept going at it, anxiously waiting to see if it could break through.
With one final Fire Punch, Magmar attacked the stone with all its might, creating a fiery explosion, causing everyone to shield their faces from the ensuing smoke that followed.
But when the smoke cleared, everyone was surprised to see that the stone had survived the onslaught without a scratch.
"Not even Magmar's Fire Punch could break through that stone," remarked Tristan. "No wonder it couldn't break so easily, especially when people should call it legendary."
"Tristan, that's it!" exclaimed Arthur.
"What's it?" asked everyone else.
Arthur quickly came to the stone and saw an inscription. It read:
"He who has the kindest heart.
Shall be the one to split apart
The sword-like scythe from this stone here
And be the king for the next year."
"I think I can remove Scyther from the stone!" said Arthur excitedly. "I just remembered that we were planning to have a Scyther-in-the-Stone Contest in this valley to see who would be able to remove a Scyther from this stone!"
Team Rocket and Taz groaned in embarrassment.
"You mean dis contest wasn't my idea?" asked Meowth.
"No," answered Arthur. "Don't you see? They were short one Scyther, so when I was battling with Veronica and Flareon, this stone just happened to be the perfect way to get Scyther stuck into it! I mean, it wasn't intentional, but it seems to have worked out."
Taz and Team Rocket knew what this development meant.
"If he removes Scyther, we're done!" whispered Taz.
"And we'll lose our chance to get it and Pikachu!" added Meowth.
"What do we do?" asked James.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "Pop Goes the Sneasel"))
"We'll do this!" replied Jessie as she tossed an electric-proof net directly over Pikachu, and snatched it in her grip, much to the horror of Tristan and his friends.
"Pikachu!" cried Tristan.
"Nifty netting," smiled James.
"What are we getting?" put in Jessie.
"Da catch o' da day!" finished Meowth.
"Hey, that's against the rules!" added Arthur.
"Rules are for fools," smirked Taz. "Now let's get outta here!"
And together, Taz and Team Rocket beat a hasty retreat into a Meowth-shaped hot-air balloon as they gloated over their latest triumph.
"Hey, gimme back my Pikachu!" demanded Tristan.
"Ha!" laughed Jessie. "Sorry, Twerp, but Pikachu belongs to us now, so tough luck."
"But if you really want to be lucky, then you should see this!" added James as he tossed a Poké Ball. "Go, Weezing!"
Weezing emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Well, James, shall we smoke 'em out?" asked Taz.
"Gladly," smiled James. "Weezing, use your Smokescreen!"
"You, too, Magmar!" ordered Taz.
Magmar shot a gray cloud of smoke from its mouth while Weezing unleashed a thick, green cloud of smoke from its two mouths.
But Tristan wouldn't have any of it. "We won't fall for that trick. Quick, Feraligatr, use your Water Gun to shoot their balloon down before they get away!" And he quickly threw his Lure Ball.
"You, too, Squirtle, Water Gun!" added Hillary as she threw her own Poké Ball.
Feraligatr and Squirtle emerged from the white lights that shot out of them, and unleashed powerful blasts of water from their mouths, demolishing the double Smokescreen, and the balloon, causing it to pop and run out of air.
Taz and Team Rocket let out a scream as the balloon crashed to the ground near Tristan and his friends.
The crash sent Pikachu flying safely into Tristan's hands.
"Pikachu, you're not hurt, are you, little buddy?" asked Tristan.
Pikachu happily replied, indicating that it was okay.
Taz and Team Rocket groaned as Arthur came to them.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" he scolded. "How could you even think of stealing somebody else's Pokémon?"
"Listen, kid," grumbled Jessie. "Stealing is our specialty, and we'll do whatever it takes to get what we want."
"I heartily agree," put in James.
"Me, too," added Taz and Meowth.
(Music Cue: Gym 2 (as heard in "Houndoom's Special Delivery"))
"Arbok, go get them!" shouted Jessie as she threw her Poké Ball.
Arbok emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Weezing, Victreebel, get in there, too!" ordered James.
Weezing and Victreebel charged into battle against Squirtle and Feraligatr.
"All right, if it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!" said Hillary.
"Count me in, too, Hillary," agreed Tristan.
Feraligatr and Squirtle stood by each other, ready for battle.
Feraligatr and Squirtle nodded in agreement.
"Arbok, Poison Sting!" yelled Jessie.
Arbok unleashed a barrage of poisonous needles at Squirtle and Feraligatr.
"Feraligatr, stop them with your Slash attack!" commanded Tristan.
Feraligatr charged in and used its sharp claws to block Arbok's Poison Sting from getting any closer.
Weezing, Victreebel, use Tackle attack!" ordered James.
Weezing and Victreebel charged in full-body style toward Squirtle.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!" instructed Hillary.
Squirtle unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Weezing and Victreebel, scoring a direct hit on them both.
But suddenly, Taz and Magmar burst onto the battlefield.
"You ain't gettin' past us, kiddies!" smirked Taz.
"Feraligatr, Water Gun now!" ordered Tristan.
Feraligatr quickly unleashed a burst of water from its mouth at Taz and Magmar, blasting them into the fallen balloon and knocking each other out.
"Tristan and Hillary make quite a team," remarked Eric.
"When it comes to teamwork, nobody comes close," agreed Arthur.
Veronica proudly looked on. "They've sure grown up a lot together on their journey, haven't they?" she said to herself.
Of course, Jessie was most annoyed as she turned to Taz and Magmar. "What are you two sad sacks just sitting here for? Go and get them!"
But Taz and Magmar were in no condition to answer her.
Jessie angrily turned to her two teammates. "All right, those two are obviously out of it. It's up to us now, team."
"Dey can't beat us if we attack 'em together!" put in Meowth.
"Yeah!" agreed James.
And together, they and their Pokémon, plus Wobbuffet, who had just emerged from its Poké Ball, came charging for Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon.
"Ready, sis?" asked Tristan.
"Yeah!" agreed Hillary. "Squirtle, finish 'em off with Skull Bash!"
"Feraligatr, give Squirtle a boost with your Water Gun!" commanded Tristan.
Feraligatr shot another powerful stream of water from its mouth toward Squirtle, sending it charging in.
Squirtle began to glow in a silver aura and flew directly at Team Rocket and their Pokémon, and thanks to the added power boost from Feraligatr, it scored a huge direct hit on them, sending them careening Taz, Magmar, and the balloon, causing a tremendous explosion that sent them all skyward.
BOOM!
"Looks like we're blasting off again!" screamed Jessie, James, Meowth, and Taz as they and their Pokémon disappeared into the sky.
DING!
A little while later, a crowd of people came to the valley to see the Scyther-in-the-Stone Contest.
An emcee came to the microphone. "It looked like this contest wouldn't happen, but thanks to this happy accident, we were able to get a contest after all. We have not had a king in this valley for several years, but it seems like a young Trainer named Arthur may already have something in mind to free his own Scyther from that stone. Arthur, would you demonstrate for us, please?"
"I'd be happy to, sir," replied Arthur. He came to Scyther, who still felt sad about being stuck. "Don't worry, Scyther, you'll be out of there in just a moment."
(Music Cue: The Day is Conquered (full version as heard in "The Fire-ing Squad"))
And he thought hard about the inscription on the stone.
Tristan and the others were on the edge of their seats, anxiously waiting for something to happen.
"You can do it, Arthur," whispered Hillary.
Arthur gently put his left hand on Scyther's scythe. Then he gently put his right hand over his left. He hardly put in any effort to pull Scyther from the stone, but his kindness and patience were rewarded, for just as he put his hands on Scyther's scythe, it moved slowly, but surely, and then, out it easily came to the cheers of the populous.
"He did it!" cheered Tristan.
"Scyther's free!" added Hillary.
Veronica and Eric nodded.
"His kindness paid off," smiled Veronica.
The emcee came to Arthur. "Congratulations, young man," he said. "You showed us what patience was all about. And your Scyther seems to agree as well. The people in the medieval period would be very proud of you today after what you've done. I now crown you King of the Valley." And he took out a crown and fit it neatly on Arthur's head.
The crowd cheered as they looked on at their new king.
"So what are you going to do, Arthur?" asked Hillary later that evening.
"Well, I'm responsible for making decisions for the people of the valley," answered Arthur. "But there actually aren't that many, and being a king here won't be very hard at all. As long as I have Scyther freed from that stone, right, Scyther?"
Scyther nodded.
"Well, congratulations, King Arthur," smiled Tristan.
"Thanks, Tristan," replied Arthur. "You guys made it all happen."
Veronica and Eric turned to Tristan and Hillary.
"Well, kids, we should be getting back home," said Veronica. "And you still have one more Gym waiting for you."
"Go get that last bade, grand-sonny," added Eric.
"I will," replied Tristan. "And then, I'll be ready to compete in the Johto League tournament!"
Pikachu happily agreed.
As Tristan, Hillary, their grandparents, and their new friend, Arthur, go their separate ways, they're all reminded that kindness and patience go a long way. And so, with that lesson fresh in their minds, our heroes continue their journey to Blackthorn City and the Johto League.
► TO BE CONTINUED