AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 89 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. Tammy, who owns a Politoed named Bean, makes an appearance in this chapter. You may recall her appearance on the Pokémon: Master Quest episode "I Politoed Ya So." Frieda of Friday from the Gold, Silver, and Crystal version games also makes an appearance in this chapter. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary meet a cheerleader named Tammy and her friend, Frieda of Friday, and watch Tammy compete in a cheerleading competition. But when Taz steals Tammy's Pokémon, it's up to our heroes to stop him and help the audience be of good cheer!

Chapter 89: FUN FUN FUN

(Music Cue: Opening Title 1999-2001 (as heard at the beginning of "Takin' it on the Chinchou"))

Our heroes are inching ever closer to Blackthorn City, but today, they've stopped in a clearing along the way. However, little do they know that they're in for some extra excitement.

Tristan checked his Poké Gear as he and Hillary walked along the road the next morning. "I think we're almost there."

"Oh boy!" said Hillary excitedly. "I can't wait till we get there. Then I can see you win your eighth badge."

Pikachu and Togepi eagerly agreed.

"You make it sound so easy, Hillary," said Tristan. "I didn't get those other seven badges for nothing. I had to work for them. And I have a feeling that getting this one won't be very easy."

"Oh, Tristan, stop being so negative. Besides, you're the one who's always wanting to challenge Gym Leaders to Gym battles, aren't you?"

"You're right, sis," chuckled Tristan. "I couldn't have gotten this far without my Pokémon working together with me. And of course, I can't forget about you. You've been a big help all along."

"Aw, thanks, Tristan," smiled Hillary. "That's sweet of you to say that."

Suddenly, they saw a girl running toward them at a high rate of speed.

"Yahoo! It's Friday! I love Friday!"

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Hillary with concern.

The girl stopped just inches away from Tristan and Hillary and said, "Hi, there! I just love Fridays, don't you? To me, Fridays are days where you get to have fun! And when I say fun, I mean REAL fun!"

Tristan and Hillary looked perplexed. They had never met someone who loved Fridays as much as the girl did.

(Music Cue: Route 29)

"Sorry about that," said the girl. "My name's Frieda. I'm one of the seven Week Siblings."

"Pleased to meet you, Frieda," replied Hillary. "I'm Hillary, and this is Togepi."

Togepi trilled warmly to Frieda.

"And that's Tristan and Pikachu," added Hillary.

"Hello," smiled Tristan.

Pikachu greeted Frieda warmly as well.

"So why do you like Fridays so much, Frieda?" asked Hillary.

"Oh, you know, it's the end of a long and tiring week in most cases," explained Frieda. "But on Fridays, it means the start of a long and relaxing weekend, although sometimes, they can be very short."

"I know what you mean, Frieda," replied Tristan. "When it comes to training Pokémon during the week, I always look forward to having a restful weekend."

"Oh, that reminds me," said Frieda. "I'd heard that you helped out my brother Arthur and his Scyther with that Scyther-in-the-Stone contest recently. He was very happy to be leading his friends in the valley and was relieved that his Scyther was okay."

"We were just glad we could help out," smiled Tristan. "Besides, we couldn't leave a Pokémon that couldn't defend itself."

"That's right," agreed Hillary.

"You know what?" said Frieda. "I should take you to the National Cheering Competition being held just over there!"

"Cheering Competition?" repeated Tristan and Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi were as confused as their Trainers were.

And Frieda pointed to a big city with a large building in the background. "That's where they'll be having the competition, which is today," she explained. "There had been a live performance of Brittney and her Pokémon, whom she calls the Looney Balloons, who are two twin Igglybuff just a few days prior.

"I've heard of them," said Hillary. "I've seen them in one of the concerts a few years ago."

"Yeah, you were just crazy for them," put in Tristan. "Even I had a blast watching them back then."

"The folks in this city know how to be flexible and plans for things like this," continued Frieda. "And I know a friend who'll be competing today. I'll take you to meet her and watch her compete."

"Awesome!" said Tristan. "Hey, sis, wanna check out the Cheering Competition?"

"I'm all for it!" agreed Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi were obviously excited to see the competition.

As Frieda led them to the ticket counter to get their tickets, a woman dressed in cheering attire along with a bunch of Bellossom, Jumpluff, and Sunflora, as well as green frog-like Pokémon, who had a red headband, came to them.

"Oh, hi, Frieda," said the woman. "Good to see you."

"Tammy!" replied Frieda excitedly. "It's been way too long. I'd like to introduce you to my new friends, Tristan and Hillary." Then she introduced them to the woman. "This is my good friend, Tammy."

"Hello there," said Tristan and Hillary together.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," replied Tammy. "My name's Tammy, and this is my cheering squad."

The Bellossom, Jumpluff, and Sunflora all waved their arms and greeted Tristan and Hillary warmly.

"And this is my Politoed, Bean," added Tammy.

Politoed clapped its hands and greeted Tristan and Hillary.

"So that's a Politoed," said Tristan as he scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Politoed, the Frog Pokémon. Politoed likes to expand its throat and sing out, drawing in Poliwag and Poliwhirl from all around."

Bean happily continued to clap its hands.

"Bean sure looks happy," remarked Hillary.

Tammy nodded. "Bean learned that clapping routine from another Politoed that belonged to my friend, Misty, just a few days ago," explained Tammy. "She helped me realize that I shouldn't be so caught up with winning a competition and remember about caring and compassion for others." She then turned to Tristan. "Come to think of it, you remind me of another Trainer named Ash, whom I've also met a few days ago."

"Well," laughed Tristan sheepishly, "I don't know if I'd go that far."

"Well, it's almost time for us to get to our seats," said Frieda. "Thanks for letting me invite my new friends, Tammy."

"We'll be cheering for you, Tammy," smiled Tristan.

Pikachu eagerly agreed.

"Thanks, guys," replied Tammy. "We'll do our best and show our spirit, right, team?"

Bean and her Grass Pokémon cheerfully nodded.

Little did they know that just a few people behind them, Taz, disguised in a long suit, was hatching still another plot to steal the competition. "Hmm, those cheering Pokémon look like they're easy pickings. I think I'll enter the competition, too, and cheer them into working for me." And he snickered evilly.

Fifteen minutes later, Tristan, Hillary, and Frieda eagerly watched as the competition began.

A female emcee came to the stage. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the National Cheerleading Competition, where today, you'll get to see various cheerleaders and their Pokémon hope to give us and all of you as much spirit as they can muster. So without any further ado, let's cheer for your friends competing today, and let the cheerleading begin!"

(Music Cue: Fighting Spirit (as heard in "Pallet Party Panic"))

Everyone cheered and applauded as contestants showed off their Pokémon cheering and giving the audience spirit. One by one, they clapped, they waved, they posed, and made formations.

After awhile, it was finally Tammy's turn.

The emcee came to the stage to introduce her. "And now, please give a big Pokémon cheer for Tammy, her Grass Pokémon, and her Politoed named Bean!"

The audience cheered and applauded as Tammy came to the stage.

"Go get 'em, Tammy!" shouted Frieda.

"You can do it!" cheered Tristan and Hillary together.

Pikachu and Togepi also cheered for their friend.

Bean led the cheers as it clapped.

The Jumpluff, Sunflora, and Bellossom all waved their arms and clapped in sync to Bean's clapping.

"Okay, you know what to do!" commanded Tammy.

The Pokémon all got into a pyramid formation with the Jumpluff on the bottom. Sunflora stood on the Jumpluff's arms while the Bellossom stood on top of the Sunflora's. Finally, Bean hopped on top the formation just like the top of the pyramid.

Everyone clapped and cheered as they watched.

"She's really good!" smiled Hillary.

"She sure is," agreed Tristan.

Pikachu and Togepi were just about to agree when suddenly, white smoke appeared on the stage, causing a lot of confusion.

"What's going on here?" gasped Tammy.

"Sorry to interrupt your so-called 'cheer,'" a voice echoed. "But I think my Pokémon and I could all lend a helping hand." A bearded figure came out of the smoke along with his Electabuzz and Magmar.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Tristan. "It's Taz again!"

"Not him!" exclaimed Hillary.

"We've got trouble, yes we do, with a Capital "T" and so do you!" cheered Taz as he and his Pokémon waved their arms and posed.

But the audience only booed and hissed at him.

"Hey, what's the matter, guys?" asked Taz, pretending to be innocent. "I only want to spread some cheer."

Tristan, Hillary, and Frieda rushed onto the stage to stop him.

"Hey, you, get outta here!" demanded Frieda.

"You're ruining Tammy's performance!" added Hillary.

"Now get off the stage!" put in Tristan.

"Ha!" laughed Taz. "I'll split, all right, as soon as those Pokémon are mine. Go, Electabuzz!"

(Music Cue: Raid!)

Electabuzz charged and prepared to battle.

"All right, then, if it's a battle you want, you've got one! Pupitar, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he took out his Poké Ball and threw it.

Pupitar emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" ordered Taz.

Electabuzz shot a thundering bolt of electricity at Pupitar, but Pupitar absorbed the attack like it was nothing.

"Hey, what gives?!" exclaimed Taz. "Thunderbolt didn't do anything!"

"Pupitar can take on any Electric attack your Electabuzz dishes out," explained Tristan. "Too bad, Taz."

"Okay, Squirtle, go!" shouted Hillary as she threw her Poké Ball.

Her Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"Water Gun now!" commanded Hillary.

Squirtle unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Electabuzz, scoring a direct hit.

But Taz wasn't finished yet. "It's your turn, Ariados!" he shouted as he threw another Poké Ball.

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

"Oh, yeah? Use Water Gun again, Squirtle!" ordered Hillary.

Squirtle prepared to launch another blast of water from its mouth.

"No, you don't!" retorted Taz. "Ariados, String Shot attack!"

Ariados shot a thick string of silk from its mouth and managed to tie up Squirtle and Pupitar, rendering them immobile.

"Pupitar!" gasped Tristan.

"Squirtle!" added Hillary.

"Now for these cheering beauties!" shouted Taz as he threw a net, which ensnared Tammy's Pokémon.

"No, not them!" cried Tammy.

"Now that's a net gain!" smirked Taz. "Okay, Magmar, Smokescreen!"

Magmar unleashed a thick, black cloud of smoke throughout the whole auditorium, causing their vision to be blinded as Tristan, Hillary, Frieda, and Tammy all coughed.

When the smoke cleared, they saw that Taz, his Pokémon, as well as Tammy's Pokémon were gone, including Bean.

"Bean? Bean!" cried Tammy.

But no response came.

"Taz must've gotten away, and taken Bean and the other Pokémon with him!" gasped Hillary.

The audience gasped in shock, too, for they had no idea that a heinous act would take place in the middle of the competition.

Tammy sank to her knees as tears trickled down her face. "My friends. What'll I do without them, especially my dear, sweet Bean?" She put her hands in her face and began to sob.

"Don't worry, Tammy," Frieda assured her. "We'll get your Pokémon back for you."

"That goes double for me and Pikachu," added Tristan.

"Frieda's right," agreed Hillary. "We'd better hurry and follow him!"

"But what about the crowd?" wondered Tristan.

The emcee quickly came to the stage and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be back with more of the National Cheerleading Competition after a brief intermission."

The crowd seemed to understand, but felt very sad about having to wait.

But that left Hillary puzzled. "What'll we do in the meantime?"

"Yeah, somebody has to stay and cheer the crowd up until we get back," agreed Tristan. Then he turned to Frieda. "Hey, Frieda, you can!"

"Me? But I don't know what to do!" protested Frieda. "All I know is being excited for Friday."

"But you know how to entertain as well as perform," replied Hillary. "Won't you please help excite the crowd for the next act?"

Freida instantly cheered up and said, "You're right. I can do it, and I will. I'll get the crowd excited for the big weekend premiere! And besides, today is Friday!"

"That's the spirit, Frieda!" said Tristan.

Pikachu and Togepi agreed excitedly.

"Hey, Togepi, would you like to help Frieda?" asked Hillary.

Togepi trilled and jumped for joy at the chance to help out.

"Aw, thanks, Togepi," smiled Frieda.

And together Tristan, Hillary, and Tammy set off to find Taz and the stolen Pokémon.

As Tristan and his friends searched, Tammy reminisced about her past with Politoed.

"Bean is one of my best friends," Tammy explained. "I remember a time not so long ago when I scolded it for not performing properly." And she told her story.

(Music Cue: Unconditional Love)

"All it did was wave its arms without getting in rhythm. It kept trying and trying, but it just couldn't get it right. That's when I got angry at it.

"'No, no, NO! Bad Bean! That's not what I wanted you to do! I wanted you to clap your hands, not wave your arms! You can go practice your cheering somewhere else until you learn to clap your hands and wave your arms in rhythm like everybody else!'"

"It then sadly left. I didn't realize at the time that my scolding was the reason why it didn't want to be with me. But a few days later, Misty and her friends came after I took her Politoed back to my dance school. At first, I thought it was Bean, but I didn't see its headband.

"Then, in the middle of one of our practice sessions, my team had gotten into formation, but then one of the Jumpluff lost its footing, and everyone fell to the ground. I scolded them all for messing up, and they cried. But Misty helped me realize that my Pokémon's feelings were much more important than winning a competition, especially when Bean came to my rescue. After our battle with Team Rocket, Bean learned how to clap and wave its arms in rhythm just like Misty's Politoed did, and I remembered that entertaining people all over the world was the real prize, not winning some silly competition. I owe Misty and her Politoed a great deal of thanks.

"I told Bean that I'd never scold it again and we'd always be together," finished Tammy.

"And you will," Hillary assured her. "We'll find Bean and your Pokémon."

Presently, Pikachu's ears pricked up, and then it ran ahead.

"It looks like Pikachu senses something," said Tristan.

"Let's hurry!" said Hillary as she and the others raced after it.

Meanwhile, Taz was in another area of the woods looking over his catch.

Sure enough, Bean and the Jumpluff, Bellossom, and Sunflora were entangled in a net.

"Now this will make a heap of money for me!" smirked Taz. "Now I just need to find a good bidder."

It was then that the Grass Pokémon began to cry.

Taz became very annoyed. "Hey, you stop this crying! Stop it right now!"

But the Pokémon cried even more loudly.

"Hmph! Crybabies," grumbled Taz. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a bunch of crybabies."

"The only one who's a crybaby is you!" said a voice.

Taz turned around to see Tammy, along with Tristan and Hillary. He was most offended by what Tammy had said. "What'd you say, lady?"

"You heard me!" retorted Tammy. "I said you were a crybaby! These Pokémon are only crying because you're yelling at them. And besides that, they're mine!"

"Now give them back!" put in Tristan.

"Never!" replied Taz. "If you want 'em, then you're gonna have to battle me for 'em! Electabuzz, Magmar, I choose youse!" He threw two Poké Balls.

Electabuzz and Magmar emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

Electabuzz and Magmar made intimidating glares at the captured Pokémon, but it only made them cry as loudly as they could.

"Not now, youse two!" barked Taz. "Save it for AFTER the battle! But for now, get THEM!"

Electabuzz and Magmar charged forward.

(Music Cue: Gym (version 2 (full version as heard in "Volcanic Panic")))

"Pupitar, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw a Poké Ball.

"Go, Squirtle!" added Hillary as she threw hers.

Both Pupitar and Squirtle emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"Magmar, Flamethrower!" yelled Taz.

Magmar unleashed a stream of fire from its mouth at Squirtle.

"Squirtle, Water Gun now!" commanded Hillary.

Squirtle unleashed a powerful stream of fire from its mouth at Magmar, cancelling out its Flamethrower and scoring a direct hit on it at the same time.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm just getting warmed up!" retorted Taz. "Electabuzz, zap that tiny turtle with a Thunderbolt!"

Electabuzz unleashed a yellow bolt of electricity at Squirtle.

"Quick, block it, Pupitar!" ordered Tristan.

Quickly, Pupitar leaped in front of Squirtle and took Electabuzz's attack, which did no damage to it.

"Hey, thanks, Tristan," smiled Hillary.

"Anytime," replied Tristan.

Tammy was impressed. "They sure make a great team," she said to herself.

"Bayleef, cut the net with your Razor Leaf!" commanded Tristan as he threw his Friend Ball.

Bayleef emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a flurry of razor-sharp leaves on the net, cutting it to pieces.

Tammy's Pokémon were free.

"Bean, everybody, now's your chance!" shouted Tammy.

"I don't think so," retorted Taz as he blocked their way. "There ain't no way you're getting past me."

"Pupitar, Tackle attack!" ordered Tristan.

Pupitar charged at Taz at high speed and sent him flying out of the way, yelling out as he went.

Bean and the Jumpluff, Sunflora, and the Bellossom ran over and happily reunited with Tammy.

"I'm so glad you're all okay," smiled Tammy as she embraced them. "Now, are you ready to show Taz what we can do?"

Bean and the other Pokémon nodded.

"All right, go!" shouted Tammy.

Bean and the Grass Pokémon all charged into battle.

"What attacks can your Pokémon use, Tammy?" wondered Hillary.

"Just wait and see," replied Tammy. "All right, everyone, let's do it!"

All the Pokémon got into battle position and awaited Tammy's orders.

Taz managed to pick himself up and got back into the fight. "Oh, yeah? We'll show you! Electabuzz and Magmar, go get 'em!"

Magmar and Electabuzz charged for the Pokémon.

"Jumpluff, Bellossom, use your Sleep Powder!" commanded Tammy.

The Jumpluff and the Bellossom unleashed silvery clouds of powder at Electabuzz and Magmar, who both took deep breaths of it and immediately fell fast asleep.

"Hey, get up, youse two!" barked Taz. "This is no time to take a nap!"

"You snooze, you lose," smiled Tammy. "Your turn, Sunflora, show them your SolarBeam!"

All the Sunflora's petals began to glow as they began absorbing sunlight. Seconds later, they unleashed powerful white beams of energy at Electabuzz and Magmar, scoring direct hits on both of them, and sending them blasting off.

"No, my Pokémon!" wailed Taz.

"Okay, are you ready, Bean?" asked Tammy.

Politoed nodded and clapped, signaling that it was ready.

"Go, Bean, hit him with your Water Gun!" commanded Tammy.

Bean unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth at Taz, sending him skyward.

"I'm all wet, and so are my plans!" yelled Taz. "I won't forget this!" And off he soared, higher and higher into the sky.

DING!

Tristan, Hillary, Tammy, and their Pokémon celebrated their victory.

Then, Hillary said to Tammy, "Let's go, Tammy. You have an audience to cheer."

"Right," agreed Tammy.

Back in the auditorium, Frieda wasn't her usual cheery self. "This is no fun. I wish Tammy and the others would get back."

The audience seemed to agree with her; they all had had enough of seeing Frieda on stage. They had come to see Tammy and her cheering Pokémon.

Just then, Tristan peeped his head from behind the curtain and whispered, "Frieda, we're back."

Frieda was overjoyed at the news, and instantly cheered up. She spoke loudly into the microphone. "Okay, intermission's over, ladies and gentlemen, and I'm happy to announce that Frieda and her cheering Pokémon are back and ready to spread some cheer! Are you ready?"

(Music Cue: Bellossom Dance (as heard in the English dub of "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure"))

The audience cheered and applauded even more loudly than they did at the start of the competition.

Tammy, her Jumpluff, Sunflora, and Bellossom, as well as Bean, her Politoed, came rushing back onto the stage.

"Okay, everybody, let's stand up and cheer together!" shouted Tammy.

Everyone rose to their feet, including Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu.

Hillary couldn't move her arms like everyone else because she was holding Togepi, but Togepi had a fun time waving its arms.

"Okay, now clap your hands!" said Tammy.

Everyone clapped their hands to Bean's rhythm.

Even the audience got into it, especially Frieda.

"Yay! Go, Tammy!" cheered Frieda.

"Hey, this is kind of fun," smiled Tristan.

"The most fun I've had in quite sometime," added Frieda.

"With an audience as entertained as this one, it's no wonder," agreed Hillary.

Even Frieda nodded. "It's always been Tammy's dream to entertain crowds with her cheering. Her Pokémon have always helped her along the way. Even people she met just recently helped her understand what it's like to show compassion, even when things are down."

Sure enough, Tammy saw that the crowd was having a good time. She had completely forgotten about the entire competition and just felt like herself. She smiled as brightly as she could; it seemed almost as big as the smiles on all her Sunflora.

"All right, everyone, finish up!" instructed Tammy.

All of Tammy's Pokémon began to form a pyramid with Bean sitting on top.

Bean happily clapped its hands, causing everyone to cheer and applaud.

"It's time to choose our winner of the National Cheering Competition!" said the emcee. "The judges have come to a final decision."

(Music Cue: The Day is Conquered)

Searchlights were all over the stage, shining lights on everyone at various times. Then, they all shone on Tammy and her Pokémon.

"And we have a winner!" declared the emcee. "Let's hear it for Tammy, her Politoed, Bean, and her Grass-type Pokémon Cheerleading Team from her dance school!"

The crowd gave a standing ovation and cheered loudly.

"Hooray!" cried Tristan, Hillary, and Frieda excitedly.

Pikachu and Togepi were also pleased to see Tammy win.

The emcee came to Tammy. "Congratulations, ma'am," she said. "You've trained your Pokémon to cheer with great enthusiasm. Please accept these brand-new gold-and-silver-colored pom-poms as a symbol of your victory." And she gave her a box, which Tammy happily accepted.

"Thank you very much," replied Tammy. "But it was my Pokémon that deserve all the credit. I couldn't have done it without all my friends, old and new, and especially, my Politoed, Bean."

Bean came beside Tammy and clapped happily.

"Let's give our winners here another big round of applause!" said the emcee.

The audience cheered and applauded again.

"It was great watching you, Tammy," said Tristan as evening came. "And Frieda, thank you for letting us watch her with you."

"Oh, it was my pleasure," replied Frieda.

"We know we have friends in the Johto League, so we'll be cheering you on as well," smiled Frieda.

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

"Keep on cheering!" added Hillary. "We'll be rooting hard for you, too."

"We will, thank you!" called Tammy as she, her Pokémon and Bean, and Tammy all waved a cheery good-bye to Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi, who all waved back.

A cheering competition that almost went down with boos and hisses has been saved by our heroes with Tammy being the big winner. Now, it's on to Blackthorn City and Tristan's final Johto League badge!

► TO BE CONTINUED