AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 107 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Johto region. Parts of the Pokémon: Master Quest episode: "Love, Pokémon Style" appear in this chapter, but from Tristan and Hillary's perspective. There will come a point sometime in the near future where Tristan finally meets Ash, so this will be exciting stuff. Stay tuned for that. Also, you may recall Satchel from the Pokémon: Master Quest episode: "You're a Star, Larvitar!" This time, Tristan faces off against him. Please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: Tristan faces off against a Trainer named Satchel in the Silver Conference. He may be an experience Trainer, but will Tristan come out on top?
Chapter 107: THE ROUND ROBIN, PART 1
(Music Cue: Opening M01B & M01C 1997-1998 (as heard in "One Trick Phony"))
Last time, Tristan began competing in the Silver Conference of the Johto League. The battling was fierce as he went up against three Trainers in the Athlete Screening. But our young hero managed to make it through and on to the semifinals.
The next day, after witnessing two suspicious characters go after his hero, Ash Ketchum, Tristan decided to speak up and asked Gary to help him.
It was then that Team Rocket revealed their true identity and kidnapped Ash's Pikachu, but Ash was soon free of his bonds, and he and Gary gave chase, causing Team Rocket to crash into the torch runner.
Luckily, Ash recovered his Pikachu and helped deliver the sacred Ho-Oh flame into Silver Stadium, thus saving the Silver Conference.
And now, with that interruption out of the way, Tristan can now finally start preparing for the big battles that lie ahead.
(Music Cue: Viridian City, Pewter City, Saffron City 1999-2001)
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, Togepi, and Celebi came into the big Pokémon Center and looked at the board.
There were 16 divisions of three Trainers totaling 48 altogether.
"Look at all the different Trainers we're seeing here," remarked Hillary. "They all must've trained their Pokémon really hard to get this far."
"Yeah? Well, so have I," replied Tristan. "We'll just have to show them all who's the best, right, Pikachu?"
Pikachu agreed.
"So which division am I in, sis?"
"You're in Division 'G' right there," answered Hillary as she pointed up.
There was Tristan's picture along with two other Trainers.
Hillary opened the guidebook and read it. "According to this, those two Trainers are your opponents. You'll get a chance to battle both of them in three-on-three battles, and you'll score points depending on how well you do. A win is three points, a loss is zero points, and a draw is one point for both Trainers. Whoever earns the most points will move on to the Victory Tournament. But you should be careful not to let your Pokémon fight outside of the arena because you could actually lose points or be disqualified if you're caught doing it. Sparring, however, is permitted."
Tristan somehow felt a little nervous about the 'disqualification' part.
"Don't worry, Tristan," Hillary assured him. "You've trained your Pokémon very well, and as long as you play by the rules, you'll be sure to come out on top no matter what the outcome."
Tristan felt better after that. "Well, I'm gonna show them all what real battling's all about."
"But first, let's prepare for your first battle against your first opponent," suggested Hillary.
Presently, Nurse Joy came to them. "Excuse me, Tristan, but Professor Oak asked me to have you call him on the video phone."
"Hmm, I wonder why," replied Tristan. He wasted no time and called Professor Oak.
"Ah, there you are, Tristan," smiled Professor Oak. "It's been quite a while, but I heard that you were competing in the Silver Conference, too. So I thought I'd send you all the Pokémon that you've entrusted to me to the Pokémon Center in Silver Town, and you can use them when you need to."
"Great, Professor, thank you!" replied Tristan. "I'm sure the other Pokémon are looking forward to battling together again."
A few minutes later, Tristan had received the extra Pokémon from storage and gave them to Nurse Joy to look after. Then he and Hillary made their way to their room to prepare for Tristan's first battle in the round-robin tournament.
"Tristan, take a look at this!" said Hillary. "This Trainer has a pretty strong Magmar, as well as a Croconaw and a Nidorino. He's your first opponent."
"What's the Trainer's name?" asked Tristan.
"His name is Satchel, and from what I've heard, he's pretty good," answered Hillary.
"So who's the other Trainer I'm battling against?"
"According to this, his name's Cal. He's supposed to have a variety of Pokémon. He has a Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr. You'll be battling him second. So let's focus on Satchel first."
Tristan carefully looked over his choices, then he looked at Satchel's Pokémon. He then made his selections and clicked on the three Pokémon he'd use in his first battle. "Looks like I'm good to go."
"All right, then let's do some exercises before your first match," suggested Hillary.
"Why now?" wondered Tristan.
"Well, you've always been better prepared before important Gym battles, right? So it's the same for here, too."
"Oh, silly me," chuckled Tristan. "How could I forget that. So let's go and warm up!"
Pikachu agreed.
A few minutes later, they saw all of their Legendary Pokémon friends standing beside Celebi, Lugia, and Silveena. They were pleasantly surprised.
"Wow, guys! What are you all doing here?" asked Tristan.
We wanted to come and wish you well in the tournament, explained Mewtwo. They all flew by your grandmother's house yesterday and wanted to watch, so I'd set up a huge screen just out of sight of everybody else so they wouldn't be discovered for their own protection.
"This is great, Mewtwo, thanks a lot," smiled Tristan. Then he turned to Hillary. "Well, sis, are you ready?"
(Music Cue: Route 38 (full version))
"Let's do it!" agreed Hillary as she and Tristan started running along the river and warming up.
Togepi was enjoying the nice ride inside Hillary's backpack as she ran.
Lugia and Silveena watched from a distance along with all of the Legendary Pokémon.
So why are Tristan and Hillary running together? wondered Silveena.
They're training for the match, so they're going out on a run to warm up and increase their stamina, answered Lugia. I've learned that the best way to succeed in battling is to loosen up as much as possible so that we can be prepared for any situation.
That's wonderful, Lugia, replied Silveena. I can see why you wanted to choose Tristan as your friend.
Lugia nodded. He's taught me so much, and I owe him my gratitude.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu continued running along the river.
"How're you doing back there, sis?" asked Tristan.
"I'm doing fine," answered Hillary. "Just remember that this is a tournament and you're here to do your best and have fun."
"Yeah, do my best and have fun," agreed Tristan.
"Just pretend that you're running with the Pokémon League torch, and you refuse to stop until you've reached the goal."
Tristan remembered those words and continued running. He then raised his right arm and imagined himself as the torch runner in the next big competition with Pikachu running alongside, supporting him all the way.
Hillary saw Tristan's arm in the air and got confused. "Maybe I'm just imagining it, but I think Tristan's imagination is getting a little out of hand."
Meanwhile, a red-haired Trainer wearing a green jacket was watching them run. It was Satchel, Tristan's first opponent. "That must be Tristan. He kind of reminds me of Ash," he said to himself. "I wonder how good he really is." And he walked over to one of the smaller stadiums to prepare for his match.
"Tristan, hold on!" called Hillary. "Remember, you're not really running with the torch!"
"I know that, but I'm just imagining it!" replied Tristan as he and Pikachu continued running.
Hillary gave a sigh. "Oh well. Even Trainers like you and me can be imaginative," she said to herself as she continued running.
An hour later, everyone had made it to one of the stadiums.
"Welcome to the 'A' Stadium where the first round of the 'G' Division is about to begin," said the announcer. "The athlete making the first move will now be decided."
The red and green computer wheel spun round and round. Then it slowed down to the green icon with Tristan's picture lighting up.
"And the first move will be Tristan from New Bark Town with Satchel from Silver Town making the last," said the announcer.
"I hope you're ready, Tristan, 'cause I'm giving it all I've got," said Satchel.
"Bring it on, Satchel," replied Tristan.
The judge raised both flags and said, "Let the match begin!"
(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster (full version))
"Dragonair, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Poké Ball.
Dragonair emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"So, a Dragon-type, huh?" smiled Satchel. "A great choice, but let's see how you deal with my Magmar!" He threw his Poké Ball.
Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"The battle will be between Tristan's Dragonair and Satchel's Magmar," said the announcer.
"Dragonair, Twister!" ordered Tristan.
Dragonair spun its tail round and round, faster and faster, creating a huge tornado that enveloped Magmar.
"Dragonair gets things rolling with a powerful attack," said the announcer.
"Don't give in, Magmar," encouraged Satchel. "Break free with Flamethrower!"
Magmar unleashed a powerful stream of fire, turning Dragonair's Twister into a tornado of fire, which Magmar broke out of and enveloped Dragonair instead, scoring a direct hit.
"Incredible!" said the announcer. "Magmar turned Dragonair's own attack against it and sent it back where it came from."
"Dragonair's in big trouble!" exclaimed Hillary.
"Don't give up, Dragonair!" encouraged Tristan. "Put out the fire with Rain Dance!"
Dragonair's crystal orb on its neck glowed brightly.
Seconds later, the sky turned from blue to gray and huge drops of rain fell from the sky onto the entire field.
"Oh, look," said the announcer. "There is a sudden downpour. Better pack an umbrella, folks."
Sure enough, it was raining so much that Magmar's tornadic inferno was put out.
"Not bad, Tristan," smiled Satchel. "You managed to find a way to overcome that fiery tornado, but don't think this'll be the end. Magmar, Dynamic Punch!"
Magmar made a fist, and it glowed brightly as it charged forward and struck Dragonair with such force that it was sent skyward.
"That Dynamic Punch scores big time!" said the announcer.
"Don't give up, Dragonair!" shouted Tristan. "Hit it with another Twister attack!"
Dragonair had retained its balance in the air after it was sent skyward. Then when it was so high it could barely be seen, it unleashed another tornado, which was so wet and came down so fast that Magmar didn't have time to react to it.
"That Twister attack coming from high up with the added boost of rain is doing some serious damage," said the announcer.
"Magmar!" cried Satchel.
Magmar had a dazed expression in its eyes as it spun round and round from Dragonair's attack. Then it fell on its back in defeat.
"Magmar is unable to battle...Dragonair's the winner!" declared the announcer as he raised his green flag in the air.
"Dragonair's Twister dealt Magmar the finishing blow," said the announcer.
"Great job, Dragonair!" commended Tristan.
Dragonair gave a happy reply and nodded.
Satchel recalled Magmar and held it close. "You were great, Magmar. Now get a good rest in there, okay?" He then looked up to Tristan. "You're better than I expected, Tristan. I can see why you trained hard to be here in the Silver Conference. But don't think this is the end...not by a longshot." He took out his second Poké Ball and threw it. "I choose Croconaw!"
(Music Cue: Raid! (full version))
Croconaw emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Satchel chooses Croconaw as his second Pokémon," said the announcer.
"Dragonair should have the advantage against Water-types like Croconaw," remarked Hillary. "Water attacks won't do that much damage to Dragon Pokémon. That means Tristan should have the edge here."
But Tristan didn't seem so sure. I'd better not underestimate this Pokémon, he thought. It might have a nasty surprise. "Dragonair, use Thunder Wave now!" he commanded aloud.
Dragonair unleashed a blue wave of electricity from the horn on its head straight at Croconaw.
"Croconaw, use Hydro Pump now!" instructed Satchel.
Croconaw shot a powerful blast of water from its mouth to block Dragonair's Thunder Wave.
"Those two attacks are perfectly matched," said the announcer.
"Now use Bite!" ordered Satchel.
Croconaw shot forward and used its powerful jaws to clamp down on Dragonair's scaly body.
"Ouch!" said the announcer. "Dragonair is trapped by Croconaw's powerful jaws!"
"Hang in there, Dragonair!" encouraged Tristan. "Break free with your Twister attack!"
Dragonair spun round and round, faster and faster, creating another huge tornado, forcing Croconaw to lose its grip on Dragonair and sent it skyward.
"That Twister frees Dragonair from Croconaw's attack," said the announcer.
"Let's try this on for size," said Satchel. "Croconaw, Ice Beam, go!"
Croconaw unleashed an ice-cold beam of energy from its mouth at Dragonair and struck it big-time.
"Croconaw's Ice Beam makes a direct hit," said the announcer. "This could be it."
"Dragonair!" cried Tristan.
Dragonair slid to the ground with a dazed expression in its eyes; it had been knocked out.
"Dragonair is unable to battle...Croconaw wins!" declared the judge as he raised his red flag in the air.
"Dragonair was taken out by an Ice-type attack, a Dragon Pokémon's greatest weakness," said the announcer.
"No wonder Tristan was unsure about facing a Croconaw," gasped Hillary. "He must've figured that Croconaw knew an Ice-type attack, trying to make sure to keep Dragonair away from it as much as possible."
Tristan held Dragonair's Poké Ball close to him as he recalled it. "Thanks, Dragonair, you were great. You deserve a rest." Then he turned to Pikachu. "Are you ready, pal?"
Pikachu nodded and ran onto the battlefield.
"Tristan chooses Pikachu as his second Pokémon," said the announcer.
"Okay, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" ordered Tristan.
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "A Shipful of Shivers"))
Pikachu unleashed a yellow bolt of electricity from its body at Croconaw.
"Croconaw, block it with Hydro Pump!" instructed Satchel.
Croconaw unleashed a blast of water from its mouth to prevent Pikachu's attack from getting closer.
"Look at that!" said the announcer. "Croconaw's using Hydro Pump to block Thunderbolt!"
"Now, Croconaw, use Ice Beam!" commanded Satchel.
Croconaw unleashed another ice-cold beam of energy at Pikachu in an attempt to score a second knockout in a row.
"Dodge and use Quick Attack now!" ordered Tristan.
Quickly Pikachu got out of the way and streaked towards Croconaw as a white line shot out from behind it, scoring a direct hit in the process.
"You're pretty good, Tristan," commended Satchel. "But you know we won't give up. All right, Croconaw, Hydro Pump!"
Croconaw unleashed another blast of water from its mouth at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, jump and grab onto Croconaw!" shouted Tristan.
Pikachu leaped as high as it could to dodge Croconaw's Hydro Pump and landed on Croconaw's back, holding on as tightly as it could.
"Yeah, Pikachu!" commended Tristan. "Hang on tight and don't let go!"
"Quick, Croconaw, shake Pikachu off!" yelled Satchel.
Croconaw tried, but Pikachu's grip was too tight for it to let go.
"Finish it off with Thunder, Pikachu!" commanded Tristan.
Pikachu unleashed a big yellow bolt of electricity from its body, instantly hitting Croconaw with it.
"Whoa!" said the announcer. "A close-range Thunder attack is doing some damage!"
"Yeah! That's the way to do it!" cheered Hillary.
Togepi trilled in agreement.
Croconaw, with a dazed expression on its face, fell backwards on its back as Pikachu nimbly landed on its feet.
"Croconaw is unable to battle...Pikachu wins!" said the referee as he raised his green flag in the air.
"Pikachu's Thunder attack did the trick," said the announcer. "Now Satchel has only one Pokémon remaining with Tristan still holding two."
"You were great, Croconaw," said Satchel as he held his Poké Ball close to him. Then he looked back to Tristan. "I can see why you made it this far, Tristan. But don't expect me to give up so easily. I choose Nidorino!" He then threw his third Poké Ball.
(Music Cue: Johto Trainer Battle (as heard in
A purple quadrupedal Pokémon with a large horn on its forehead emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Satchel's final Pokémon is a Nidorino," said the announcer.
"Whoa," whispered Hillary nervously. "That Nidorino looks like it's been trained well. Tristan had better be extra sharp because that horn could do a whole lot of damage to Pikachu."
That Nidorino looks strong, and I don't think it's just the horn that I have to worry about, thought Tristan. I have to finish this up fast. "All right, Pikachu, give it a Thunderbolt attack!" he shouted aloud.
Pikachu unleashed another yellow bolt of electricity from its body at Nidorino.
"Quick, Nidorino, dodge then use Poison Sting!" commanded Satchel.
Nidorino jumped out of the way and shot a barrage of poisonous needles from its mouth, striking Pikachu.
"Nidorino's Poison Sting scores a direct hit," said the announcer.
Pikachu fell to the ground, but stood back up.
"Yeah, that's the way, Pikachu!" commended Tristan. "Show him that we never give up!"
Pikachu nodded in agreement. But suddenly, its face started looking more and more purple, and Pikachu struggled to stay up.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?" asked Tristan worriedly.
"Ah, now I see," said the announcer. "Poison Sting's added effect of poisoning the opponent has also worked, causing even bigger problems for Pikachu."
"That's not good!" exclaimed Hillary. "That poison's gonna do more and more damage to Pikachu the longer it stays on the field!"
"We're not done yet!" shouted Tristan. "Go, Pikachu, try a Thunder attack now!"
Pikachu tried to muster up a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its body at Nidorino, but the attack failed to reach its target, for the poison had weakened it enough for Thunder to be useless.
Tristan gasped in shock. "No way! Thunder ran out of power!"
"This is looking bad!" exclaimed Hillary. "With Pikachu's attack not firing on all cylinders thanks to the poison, Pikachu could be in serious trouble!"
"Nidorino, finish it off with Horn Attack!" ordered Satchel.
Nidorino ran as fast as it could toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu, watch out!" shouted Tristan.
But it was too late, for Nidorino used its horn to score a direct hit on Pikachu, sending it flying.
"Pikachu!" cried Tristan.
Pikachu careened into one of the stadium walls and fell to the ground with a dazed expression in its eyes; it had been knocked out.
"Pikachu is unable to battle...Nidorino wins it!" declared the referee as he raised his red flag in the air.
Tristan quickly ran to Pikachu and gently took it in his arms over to the bench. "You did a great job, Pikachu. You deserve a nice rest."
"Yeah, great battling, Pikachu," commended Hillary.
Togepi agreed as Pikachu sadly looked on.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," Tristan assured it. "I'll turn this around in no time." He then ran back to the field and took out his third Poké Ball. "Okay, I choose Pupitar!" He then threw his ball.
(Music Cue: Johto Champion Battle (as heard in "The Psychic Sidekicks"))
Pupitar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Tristan's final Pokémon is a Pupitar," said the announcer. "But we'll have to see if its hard shell is strong enough to withstand the power of Nidorino's deadly horn."
"So it comes down to a battle between a Pokémon with a horn that can break almost anything and a Pokémon with a steel-hard shell that can stand against almost anything," remarked Hillary. "We'll have to see how it all plays out."
"Nidorino, Poison Sting now!" instructed Satchel.
Nidorino unleashed another barrage of poisonous needles from its mouth at Pupitar.
But Pupitar just stood there, as if nothing was happening.
"That Poison Sting didn't have much of an effect at all," said the announcer. "That hard shell is doing a great job of protecting Pupitar."
"That explains it," grunted Satchel. "That Pupitar's Rock-type characteristics make it a super-tough opponent. Okay, Nidorino, try a Horn Attack!"
Nidorino charged forward and tried to score a hit on Pupitar, but its shell was too strong to be damaged so easily.
"That's no good either," grunted Satchel.
"Pupitar, Take Down!" ordered Tristan.
This time, it was Pupitar's turn to charge forward, and it rammed into Nidorino, sending it flying backward.
"Pupitar's Take Down scores big time!" said the announcer.
"It's not over yet!" said Satchel defiantly. "Nidorino, Double Kick!"
Nidorino used its hind legs to kick Pupitar twice and scored two direct hits on it.
"Nidorino's Double Kick hits hard," said the announcer.
Pupitar crashed to the ground.
"Hang in there, Pupitar!" cried Tristan. "Don't give up!"
Pupitar managed to get back up.
"Go, use another Double Kick!" ordered Satchel.
Nidorino charged forward again and proceeded to use its hind legs to kick Pupitar and finish it off.
"Quick, Pupitar, Sandstorm!" shouted Tristan.
Pupitar's eyes glowed blue, and a volley of sand was unleashed from its body.
The force of the sand hit Nidorino, causing it to be sent flying backward.
"Would you look at that!" said the announcer. "That Sandstorm attack created a huge wallop for Nidorino."
"Now's our chance, Pupitar, finish it off with Take Down!" ordered Tristan.
Pupitar flew forward and rammed Nidorino with such force that it was sent careening.
"Incredible!" said the announcer. "That Take Down attack struck home, just like a bat at a baseball game!"
"Nidorino!" cried Satchel.
Nidorino crashed into one of the stadium walls and fell to the ground with a dazed expression on its face; it had been knocked out.
"Nidorino is unable to battle...Pupitar's the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag in the air.
(Music Cue: Ending 1997-1998 (as heard in "Fowl Play"))
"And the victor is Tristan from New Bark Town!" said the announcer to the roaring crowd.
"We did it, Pupitar!" cried Tristan excitedly.
Pupitar smiled in agreement as Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi celebrated Tristan's victory.
All of Tristan and Hillary's Legendary Pokémon friends were pleased to see Tristan win as they saw the big screen just out of sight of the competition.
"And with that battle over, Tristan takes control of the first battle in the 'G' Division of the semifinals," said the announcer.
Satchel recalled Nidorino and walked over to Tristan. "Hey, Tristan, thanks for that great battle. I learned a lot from you. You sort of remind me of a Trainer named Ash, whom I met before coming here. I think you and Ash may have a lot in common."
"Well, I..." replied Tristan sheepishly.
"Keep up the good work, Tristan," smiled Satchel. "I know you'll keep on doing great. Oh, and hey, if you do see Ash, could you tell him I said hi for me?"
"I'll do that, Satchel," agreed Tristan as he and Satchel shook hands.
"Hey, Tristan, I just realized that Ash is battling in the 'B' Stadium now," suggested Hillary. "If we hurry, maybe we can get there before the battle ends," suggested Hillary.
"Good idea, sis, let's go," agreed Tristan.
"That's it for Electabuzz. Now Macy has only one Pokémon left," said the announcer as Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi arrived in the 'B' Stadium a few minutes later.
"Hey, look, Tristan, that's Macy!" said Hillary.
"You're right," agreed Tristan. "She's the Trainer we saw at the Fire Pokémon Tournament. And look, there's Ash opposing her! And there's his Squirtle, too!"
Sure enough, Ash and Squirtle were anticipating Macy's last Pokémon as she sent out her Quilava.
(Music Cue: Kanto Champion Battle (as heard in "Love, Pokémon Style"))
"Both Trainers are down to their last Pokémon. This is it!" said the announcer.
Squirtle unleashed a Water Gun attack, but Quilava quickly defended from the attack using Flame Wheel.
Then Quilava unleashed a Swift attack at Squirtle; however, Squirtle countered by shooting a Bubble attack at Quilava's Swift, causing an explosion to take place.
"Those two attacks were so powerful, they actually exploded on contact!" said the announcer.
"What's Ash gonna do now?" wondered Hillary.
"Hey, look there!" gasped Tristan.
Out of nowhere, Squirtle unleashed another Water Gun through the smoke, scoring a direct hit on Quilava seemingly without having to see it.
"Impossible!" exclaimed Hillary. "How were Ash and Squirtle able to see Quilava through all that smoke?"
"They must've trained really hard to get here," replied Tristan. "That Squirtle of Ash's must've gone through some serious training."
Little did they know that Ash's Squirtle had been fighting fires for so long with the Squirtle Squad that it could see well through smoke as thick as that.
Squirtle unleashed another Bubble attack, but Quilava easily dodged and used Quick Attack to send it toppling onto its back where it was most vulnerable as it flailed in vain.
"What's this?" said the announcer. "It appears Squirtle has fallen on its back and can't get up."
(Music Cue: Lugia Appears! (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))
"You can do it, Squirtle!" cried Tristan.
"Come on, get on your feet!" added Hillary.
Quilava then charged at Squirtle with another Flame Wheel in an attempt to finish it off.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if Squirtle doesn't get up soon, this could be over!" said the announcer, who was half-excited, half-alarmed.
Tristan closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact.
(Music Cue: OK! Orchestra & Guitar (as heard in "Love, Pokémon Style"))
But to everyone's surprise, Squirtle withdrew into its shell and powerful blasts of water launched it into a spin that rammed into Quilava with such force that its flame was doused and it was sent flying.
"Incredible!" cried the announcer. "That Hydro Pump just transformed Squirtle into a spinning projectile!"
Quilava had been knocked out.
"Quilava is unable to battle...Squirtle's the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag in the air.
"And the victor is Ash from Pallet Town!" said the announcer as the crowd roared.
"Now that was awesome," smiled Tristan as he and Pikachu looked on.
"So Ash has taken control of the first battle in the 'H' Division of the semifinals," said the announcer.
"That was unbelievable!" said Hillary. "I've never seen a Hydro Pump used that way before. Maybe Ash trained it to become one of those spinning projectiles that the announcer was talking about."
"I don't know if that was what Ash was planning, sis, but whatever it was, he came out on top," replied Tristan. "And now, he's scored a victory, too. I can't wait to see how well he'll do in the next battle."
Pikachu agreed.
"Don't forget, you're battling too," reminded Hillary. "There's still a long way to go before you and Ash face off, so don't lose focus now."
"Don't worry, sis, I won't," Tristan assured her. "We'll do our best and win, no matter who we face next. Right, Pikachu?"
Pikachu flexed its muscles and agreed excitedly.
After winning his first match in the semifinals, Tristan has some downtime before his next battle. How will he fare against his second opponent, Cal? Find out as the excitement of the Silver Conference boils to a fever pitch.
► TO BE CONTINUED