AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 101 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu (and Togepi, of course), as they continue their journey through the Johto region. This time, they briefly go through Tohjo Falls, known as the link between Kanto and Johto. Not only that, Butch and Cassidy make appearances in this chapter. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have begun their journey to the Silver Conference, but are confronted by the legendary Pokémon, Entei, who believes they're the ones cooling the hot springs down. Butch and Cassidy are also on the hunt for it, and have a plan to extinguish and capture its power for themselves!

Chapter 101. PROTECTING A VOLCANO, PART 1

(Music Cue: The Caves of Mount Moon)

Our heroes have left the comforts of New Bark Town behind them, and are now on their way to Silver Town, site of the Johto League Silver Conference. Right now, they're passing their first stop, one of many, along the way.

Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi entered a little cave where they could hear water rushing.

"It sure is loud in here," said Hillary. "I can barely hear myself think."

Tristan checked his Poké Gear map. "This must be Tohjo Falls," he replied. "People say that this cave is the link between the Kanto and Johto regions."

"I've never even heard of Tohjp Falls," said Hillary.

"Neither have I," agreed Tristan. "Mom and Dad never told us about it while we were living with them in Pallet Town."

"I guess we must be on the right track," said Hillary as a small flock of Zubat passed overhead. "But what concerns me is what we'll encounter next."

Just then, they came to a towering waterfall.

"Oh, no," said Hillary, who was now more concerned. "How do we get over this?"

Hmmm, thought Tristan. That's a good question. Grandma and Grandpa never told us about this part. Suddenly, he got an idea. He threw his Friend Ball in the air.

Meganium emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball and appeared at the top of the cliff overlooking the falls.

"Hey, that's a great idea, Tristan!" said Hillary excitedly. "We can use Meganium's Vine Whip to help us get over the falls!"

"True, but there's one problem with that," replied Tristan. "Meganium can only lift us up one at a time. So I'll go first, and I'll use a rope to assist you and Meganium."

"It's worth a try," agreed Hillary. "Let's do it."

"All right, Meganium, use your Vine Whip to pull us up," instructed Tristan.

Meganium nodded and extended two green vines from the petals around its neck. Then it wrapped them around Tristan so it could hold him steady while he climbed up the waterfall.

Tristan, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, slowly began climbing up the watery falls while holding on to Meganium's vines.

"Now where have I seen this before?" wondered Hillary as she looked up at Tristan. Then she remembered that she had seen something similar on the news several months prior.

Presently, Tristan reached the top of the wall. Then he took out a strong rope out of his backpack. "Okay, sis, now it's your turn!" And he threw the rope down so Hillary could use it to climb up after him.

Hillary put Togepi in her backpack to keep it dry, then she grabbed onto the rope and began climbing up.

Tristan pulled on the rope to assist her climb.

Meganium used Vine Whip again to help Tristan pull her up.

A few minutes later, they made it to the top.

"Thanks, Meganium, you did a great job," commended Tristan as he stroked it.

Meganium was happy that it could help.

Then Tristan returned Meganium to its Ball, and he, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi hurried out to the other side of the cave.

Sure enough, when they came out, it was quieter again.

"Ah, it's much nicer out here where it's nice and quiet," said Hillary.

Tristan nodded. He enjoyed experiencing quiet conditions as much as she did.

"You know, we could've used your Lapras to take us over those waterfalls," suggested Tristan.

"Well, it would've been nice," replied Hillary. "But I don't think my Lapras would've been strong enough to take us over the falls."

"I guess you're right," chuckled Tristan. "We would've been all wet."

Hillary laughed. "Good one, Tristan."

Pikachu and Togepi also gave a chuckle.

They didn't go much further when they suddenly saw a familiar purple humanoid cat-like Pokémon sitting all by itself.

"Hey, it's Mewtwo!" gasped Tristan as he and Hillary rushed over.

(Music Cue: The Pokémon Castle)

True enough, it was Mewtwo, the Pokémon they had befriended early on in their journey, although it didn't look very happy. It had its eyes closed and sighed.

"It looks very sad and lonely," whispered Hillary to Tristan. "I wonder why."

"Let's ask," suggested Tristan as he, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi walked over. "Hey, it's us, Mewtwo. Why do you look so sad?"

Mewtwo gave another sad sigh and said, I haven't seen you in a long time, and I really missed you. You two seemed to be having fun on your journey together, and never thought once about seeing me.

Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were surprised.

"That's not true at all, Mewtwo," protested Hillary. "We'd never forget about you. You could always come and see us. And we're always willing to see you."

"Hillary's right," agreed Tristan. "You've always been a good friend to us, even if you don't completely trust humans."

Mewtwo sadly turned its head away from Tristan and Hillary and gave another sigh.

Tristan walked over and sat next to Mewtwo. "Mewtwo, are you acting a little...jealous?"

Mewtwo blushed a little. Then it defiantly replied, No, how could I be? Then it stopped and thought. Well, maybe a little.

"Why?"

Well, it seems to me that you spend more time with Lugia than with me, and that means you don't care as much about my wellbeing.

"Oh, Mewtwo, of course I do," insisted Tristan. "Hillary and I both do. We care about all Pokémon, including the legendary Pokémon we befriended. Lugia just likes coming to visit me because it likes me a lot."

"Yeah, you can do that, too. Anytime you want," added Hillary. "We always like it when a legendary Pokémon comes to us, including you."

Mewtwo opened its eyes and slowly turned toward Tristan and Hillary. Do you mean that? Really?

"Of course," answered Tristan. "You can visit with us anytime you want to."

Mewtwo slowly gave a small smile. Thank you. I do feel a little better.

"We're glad to hear it," replied Hillary.

Now that we straightened that out, I have some important information to share with you. And Mewtwo opened its eyes and used its psychic powers to lift everyone into the air, including itself. We're in an area that's full of hot springs, which are popular places for Pokémon to relax and calm down.

"Hot springs, huh?" said Tristan, who was excited. "I could sure use a hot bath."

"Me, too," agreed Hillary.

But lately, the Pokémon haven't been coming to these hot springs because something or someone has been cooling them down for some reason, continued Mewtwo. It might have something to do with a very special Pokémon that lives around here, roaming around whenever and wherever it wants to.

"I wonder what Pokémon that could be," said Tristan.

We'll fly there, and I'll show you. And Mewtwo led the way to the hot springs.

They landed at the springs a moment later.

Tristan walked over to the springs and put his hand in, but immediately took his hand out. "That's cold! This hot spring isn't hot at all!"

"Cold?" Hillary couldn't believe her ears when she heard Tristan say that, so she put her hand in the water, but she, too, quickly took her hand out. "It's not even warm!"

I was afraid of this, sighed Mewtwo. For some reason, these springs haven't been hot at all. I'm afraid there's a power at work here to try and accomplish something big.

"What do you mean?" wondered Tristan.

I'm not sure, replied Mewtwo. But whatever it is, it can't be a good thing.

Suddenly, a massive growl could be heard from a short distance away.

(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (Decision)

"What was that?" asked Tristan.

"I bet it's a pretty big Pokémon," replied Hillary.

You're right, agreed Mewtwo. And I bet it doesn't sound too friendly.

Just then, the same growl was heard nearby.

"Whoa! It's louder!" exclaimed Hillary.

"That means it's getting closer," added Tristan.

Get ready, everyone, warned Mewtwo. This could be tough.

Sparks crackled from Pikachu's cheeks as the threat got closer to Tristan and Hillary.

Tristan and Hillary held each other's hands tightly as they watched and listened for whatever it was that was coming their way.

(Music Cue: The Mighty Mewtwo)

Presently, a massive leonine quadrupedal Pokémon appeared at the top of a nearby cliff. It had brown fur and had a long, thin gray cloud of smoke all over its back. A gray plate, resembling a mustache covered its muzzle and it had a red face plate. It had a small yellow crest on its forehead resembling a kabuto. It gave a loud growl and looked down on Tristan and Hillary.

"Let's check it out," said Tristan as he scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Entei, the Volcano Pokémon. This brawny Pokémon courses across the earth, spouting flames hotter than a volcano's magma. An Entei is born whenever a new volcano appears. It is also said that when this massive Pokémon barks, a volcano erupts somewhere around the world."

Just then, Entei gave a mighty roar towards the sky, one that was so loud it was almost deafening.

Everyone covered their ears.

"Now that's one mighty roar," shivered Hillary. "That makes the bark of a Houndoom seem tame."

"Wait a sec," said Tristan. "I think I heard that roar somewhere before."

Mewtwo and Hillary were surprised.

You have? Where? asked Mewtwo.

"Just after I got my Volcano Badge, I remember hearing that same roar when Hillary and I were on Cinnabar Island," explained Tristan. "I can't explain why, but something tells me that I've heard it."

"Of course!" exclaimed Hillary. "That was when the volcano had a massive eruption, and the entire island was destroyed as a result. I thought Tristan was imagining things, but it sounds like that roar really did happen!"

That's right, agreed Mewtwo. It makes perfect sense.

There was a brief pause.

(Music Cue: Entei's Theme (as heard in the Japanese version of "The Lord of the Unknown Tower: Entei))

Suddenly, Entei leaped from the top of the cliff, stretched out its claws, and proceeded to pounce on Tristan and Hillary.

"Look out!" cried Tristan as he, Hillary, Pikachu, Togepi, and Mewtwo narrowly avoided Entei.

Hillary turned to Entei. "Hey, you! Why'd you attack us like that?!"

Entei gave another growl.

It must think that you two are the ones who cooled the hot springs down in the first place, explained Mewtwo.

"Us? But why?" asked Tristan and Hillary worriedly.

Entei then unleashed a massive stream of fire from its mouth directly at Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi.

Fortunately, they had quick reflexes and ducked under Entei's attack.

It just used Flamethrower, warned Mewtwo. Be careful. This Entei looks like it's a tough customer.

"We'll see about that! Come on out, Squirtle! I choose you!" shouted Hillary as she threw a Poké Ball.

Squirtle emerged from the white light that shot out of it and readied itself for battle against Entei.

But Entei gave a roar that caused Squirtle to tremble and hide behind Hillary's legs.

"Hey, what's the matter, Squirtle?" asked Hillary.

"Squirtle must've gotten scared because of Entei's size," replied Tristan.

"Don't worry, Squirtle," Hillary assured it. "We'll do it together."

Squirtle nodded and walked nervously walked in front of Hillary.

"Tristan, maybe you could send out a Pokémon that has a type advantage over Entei," suggested Hillary.

"That's a good idea," agreed Tristan as he took out a Poké Ball. "Go, Pupitar!" And he quickly threw it.

Pupitar emerged from the white light that shot out of it and stood alongside Squirtle.

"Listen, Entei," said Hillary. "We're not the ones who froze the hot springs. All we were doing is just passing by here on the way to Silver Town."

But Entei wouldn't listen, for it unleashed another hot stream of fire from its mouth at Tristan and Hillary, who ducked out of the way just in time.

"Now that's a hot temper," grumbled Tristan.

"Well, I don't care how hot it gets!" retorted Hillary. "We'll have to cool it down! Okay, Squirtle, Water Gun attack!"

Squirtle unleashed a blast of water from its mouth at Entei.

However, Entei easily leaped out of the way and unleashed another Flamethrower attack.

"Dodge it, Squirtle, quick!" shouted Hillary.

Squirtle leaped out of the way of Entei's attack.

Entei then turned its attack toward Pupitar.

"Go, Pupitar, charge in!" ordered Tristan.

"Charge in? But why?" Hillary was confused at first.

At Tristan's command, Pupitar jumped in and took the full force of Entei's Flamethrower without taking damage.

Hillary was amazed. "That's awesome! Pupitar isn't getting hurt at all by that super-hot Flamethrower. But why?"

That's because Pupitar's Rock-type characteristics allow it to withstand Fire attacks, explained Mewtwo. Its hard shell is a match for any flame that comes its way.

"That's right, and now, we'll go on the attack!" said Tristan. "Pupitar, Take Down now!"

Pupitar charged in full-force and landed a clean hit on Entei.

"Bullseye!" said Tristan excitedly. "Way to go, Pupitar!"

Pikachu was just as happy as Tristan was as Pupitar gave a cheerful response.

But suddenly, Entei roared loudly and black waves were emitted from its body toward Squirtle and Pupitar.

Squirtle and Pupitar trembled, and were instantly transformed into red energy, which quickly shot back inside Tristan and Hillary's Poké Balls.

Tristan and Hillary were shocked. "Whoa! What happened?!"

This is bad, said Mewtwo with concern. They were sent back with Roar, which forces opposing Pokémon to flee the battle or, in your case, send your Pokémon back to their Poké Balls.

"That Entei's strong," remarked Tristan. "There's gotta be some way to convince it that we're not its enemies."

Entei growled and glared threateningly at them, preparing to attack again.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Appears (as heard in "The Bug Stops Here"))

But just then, a powerful blast of water out at Entei, who jumped out of the way of the attack.

"What's going on?" gasped Hillary.

Something bad, replied Mewtwo.

Just then, Tristan and Hillary saw a bivalve Pokémon with a hard shell with a black smiling face inside it.

"That's a Cloyster!" exclaimed Tristan.

"But whose is it?" wondered Hillary worriedly.

Then they turned around to see two people descending down ropes from a helicopter flying right above them; they were a woman with gold hair and a man with turquoise hair.

"You should know better than to play with fire," smirked the woman.

"Somebody could get hurt," added the man.

"I'll betcha that's Team Rocket!" said Tristan as he clenched his fists.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Motto 1999 (as heard in "Beauty is Skin Deep"))

And it was, for the man and woman snickered and landed on the ground right in front of them. Then they recited their motto.

"Prepare for trouble and a legend-catching game."

"And make it double. It's our claim to fame."

"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 in Raticate as it landed between Butch and Cassidy.

"Hey, you're Cassidy!" fumed Tristan.

"And you're Boone!" added Hillary.

Butch, as usual, was offended. "The name's not Boone, you idiot! It's Butch! Don't you listen?!"

"What do you want with Entei?" demanded Tristan.

"For your information, we'd been wanting its power," explained Butch. "We figured these hot springs were kept warm by this elusive Pokémon."

"So we decided to cool things down a bit," added Cassidy. "It seems like Cloyster's Ice Beam attacks have lured Entei right here to us, and our trap worked."

Tristan and Hillary were shocked.

So they're the ones responsible for cooling down the area's hot springs, said Mewtwo.

"Thank you for weakening that Entei for us, kids," smiled Cassidy. "Now, we'll just take it off your hands."

"That's not gonna happen, Cassidy!" retorted Tristan.

"Yeah, that Entei doesn't wanna have anything to do with the likes of you," added Hillary.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?" replied Butch. "Go, Cloyster, attack again with Water Gun!"

(Music Cue: Raid!)

Cloyster shot another powerful blast of water at Entei.

"Dodge it, Entei!" shouted Tristan.

Entei easily jumped out of the way of Cloyster's attack, but not because it listened to Tristan.

"So you wanna jump, huh?" smiled Butch. "Then we'll just do this. Cloyster, aim your Ice Beam attack at the ground now!"

Cloyster unleashed an ice-cold beam of energy at the ground, freezing it up on the spot, even as Entei jumped from side to side.

However, Entei landed on the ice, and when it did, it slid and lost its balance, and it fell to the ground hard.

"Entei!" cried Hillary.

"Now's our chance to weaken it!" said Cassidy. "Tentacruel, Water Gun!" And she threw a Poké Ball.

Tentacruel emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a powerful stream of water at Entei, scoring a direct hit on it.

"Leave it alone!" cried Hillary.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt 'em!" ordered Tristan.

Pikachu leaped into the air and unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its body at Tentacruel and Cloyster, scoring clean hits.

Tentacruel and Cloyster were knocked out instantly.

"Tentacruel!" cried Cassidy.

"Cloyster, no!" added Butch.

"All right, that's it!" snarled Cassidy. "Get them, Raticate!"

Raticate charged forward and proceeded to attack Pikachu.

"Go, Quilava! Use your Flame Wheel!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Fast Ball.

Quilava emerged from the white light that shot out of it and rolled into a giant wheel of flames, and it struck Raticate with it, causing it to be engulfed in flames, and it careened into Cassidy, Butch, and their Pokémon, causing them to suffer minor burns.

"Ha! In your face!" said Hillary excitedly.

Togepi trilled in agreement.

"You'll pay for this, you stuck-up Twerp!" fumed Cassidy.

"We'll retreat this time," added Butch.

And together, Butch and Cassidy grabbed the ropes below the helicopter and they ascended up toward it. "We'll be back!" they shouted.

The helicopter rose into the air and disappeared from view.

"Well, they're gone," said Hillary. "Hopefully they won't come back again."

(Music Cue: Sad (as heard in the 4Kids Dubbed version of the anime))

"Hold on," said Tristan. "I think Entei's still hurt." And he walked slowly toward it.

Entei quickly turned and roared at him, ready to attack again.

Pikachu jumped in front of Tristan to defend him as electric sparks crackled from its cheeks.

Quilava stood alongside Pikachu as flames ignited from its back and forehead.

"Relax, guys," said Tristan calmly. "I'll take care of this." And he kept walking slowly toward Entei, who was still tense.

I hope Tristan knows what he's doing, whispered Mewtwo nervously.

"Me, too, Mewtwo," agreed Hillary. "Those Fire attacks that Entei has could seriously burn him to a crisp."

"Listen, Entei," said Tristan. "We're not your enemies. We're your friends. All we wanna do is help you get better. I promise. We don't want to hurt you; we just wanna help you."

Entei gave a low growl as it glared at him. Then suddenly, as it let down its guard, it collapsed to the ground.

"Entei!" cried Tristan as he, Hillary, and the Pokémon rushed over to it.

"Is it all right?" asked Hillary worriedly.

Entei must've used up all its energy to fight off Team Rocket and collapsed, said Mewtwo, who was now full of concern.

"Hillary, is there a Pokémon Center around here?" asked Tristan.

"Let's see." Quickly, Hillary checked the map on her Poké Gear. "There it is! Right there! And it's not too far from here."

"Excellent," replied Tristan. "All right, Hillary, I'll need you and Quilava to stay here and keep an eye on Entei. Mewtwo and I will fly over to the Pokémon Center as fast as we can."

Mewtwo was a little surprised. Are you sure she's up to this?

"Leave it to me, Tristan," agreed Hillary. "You taught me a lot about giving first aid to Pokémon when they're sick or injured. And that's to stay calm and make sure to give the Pokémon whatever it needs. And besides, you and Mewtwo have a lot of catching up to do. After all, you're the one that Mewtwo respects the most, right?"

Both of you, corrected Mewtwo as it turned to Tristan. Well, Tristan, what do you say? Hillary does have a few good points.

Tristan thought about it, then said, "It's a deal. You've convinced me, sis. And we'll keep in touch using our Poké Gears. Just be careful."

Hillary nodded. "You can count on me."

"You might want to make a fire for Entei just in case it's too cold," advised Tristan. "Having a warm fire near it might help it warm up."

"Got it, Tristan," agreed Hillary. "What do you say, Quilava? Are you ready to help us out?"

Quilava nodded; it was always willing to help get the job done.

Mewtwo used its telekinetic powers to lift Tristan, Pikachu, and itself into the air.

Let's go, advised Mewtwo. The nurse is waiting.

"Don't worry, sis!" called Tristan. "We'll be back as soon as we can!"

"Okay, Tristan! Be careful!" replied Hillary.

Tristan, Pikachu, and Mewtwo rose higher and faster into the air.

"Good luck, Tristan," whispered Hillary as she looked up. "Good luck." Then she sadly looked at the unconscious Entei. Poor Entei, she thought. Battling us and battling Team Rocket for control of the hot springs. No wonder it's so wiped out. Then she slowly walked over to Entei. "Just hang in there, Entei," she whispered. "Tristan and Pikachu will be back to help you get better. You'll be good as new and free as a bird in no time. You'll see."

The unconscious Entei seemed to understand what Hillary was saying.

Meanwhile, inside the helicopter, Butch and Cassidy were recovering from their injuries while Professor Namba.

"What?! You let Entei get away?!"

"Professor Number, if you'll just understand," Cassidy began.

"IT'S NAMBA!" yelled Professor Namba.

"But please, sir," interrupted Butch. "It's those meddling kids that messed up our plans."

"What meddling kids?" asked Professor Namba impatiently. "Spit it out!"

"Ugh!" grumbled Cassidy. "Tristan and Hillary!"

Professor Namba was surprised. Then he snarled. "Those meddling kids. They ALWAYS get in our way!"

(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (Ash Appears!)

"What are your orders, sir?" asked Butch.

"Wait until Entei has recovered and you two have recovered from your burns," instructed Professor Namba. "Then get out there and use this ice machine to capture it."

"Yes, sir," replied Butch and Cassidy as the helicopter flew on.

Meanwhile, Tristan, Pikachu, and Mewtwo flew on in the sky, passing a small surprised flock of Pidgey along they way. Then they saw a building with a letter "P" on it in the distance.

"There's the Pokémon Center!" said Tristan. "I can see it up ahead!"

So can I, replied Mewtwo. So let's hurry.

Tristan nodded in agreement. Then he thought, Hang in there, Entei. Help is on the way.

And they kept flying quickly toward their destination as fast as they could.

With Entei's power greatly diminished, our heroes are, even now, coming up with a plan to make sure that it's fully recovered. But even so, Butch and Cassidy are hatching still another plot to seize the legendary Entei, and claim its power for themselves. What is their plot? And will our heroes be able to stop them? This adventure is only just beginning, so stay tuned!

► TO BE CONTINUED