AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 117 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as their unforgettable Johto journey is one step closer to the end. I decided to have three people who are dressed as zookeepers join the ever growing cast of characters of the day in this chapter, and I decided to have the names that rhyme with Bert. No apparent reason, of course, except to have a little fun. I hope you enjoy.

TEASER: Silveena is sick, and Hillary promises to take care of her. But zookeepers from Silveena's past attempt to recapture her, and a battle ensues for her safety and freedom!

Chapter 117: ADVENTURES TO REMEMBER, PART 2

(Music Cue: Adventure in Paradise (starting at 2:06 to the end))

"Come on, Hillary, we're late!" said Tristan as he ran into Hillary's room and then started running in place.

"What do you mean we're late?" asked Hillary grumpily as she slowly opened her eyes out of a sound sleep. "We have no hurry to be anywhere."

"We promised Lugia and Silveena that we'd be ready to go early so we can check out the Lake of Life," explained Tristan. "And Celebi's coming with us to check it out, too!"

"What?!" Hillary opened her eyes wide and checked the alarm clock on her PokéGear.

Sure enough, it was already eight o'clock, and she and Tristan were supposed to have been up at seven.

"Yikes!" she exclaimed. "We overslept!" And she quickly jumped out of bed and got herself ready for the day as quickly as she could.

Pikachu, Togepi, and Celebi had been awakened by the sounds of Tristan and Hillary frantically getting ready.

Tristan and Hillary, along with their Pokémon, rushed downstairs and got some breakfast.

"Well, well, there's our two little sleepyheads," smiled Eric.

"You're later than usual," added Veronica. "You must've been more tired than we thought after your long journey, not to mention the adventures you had yesterday."

"Yeah, we've been looking forward to our visit to the Lake of Life for quite some time," explained Tristan.

"We can't wait to go there," added Hillary.

Pikachu, Celebi, and Togepi were just about to agree when suddenly, there was a loud urgent tapping at the window.

"Hmm, it seems like Lugia needs something from you," remarked Veronica as she looked out the window.

"Lugia? What's wrong?" asked Tristan with concern.

Sure enough, Lugia was tapping hard and fast at the window.

"Why don't you two go outside and check it out, kids?" suggested Eric. "Lugia wouldn't be acting this way if it wasn't important."

Tristan and Hillary agreed, and they quickly came outside as fast as they could until they bumped into Lugia and fell to the ground; they weren't hurt by the impact however.

Boy, am I glad to see you! said Lugia as it met them.

"What's the matter, Lugia?" asked Tristan.

"Why do you look so worried?" wondered Hillary.

Lugia motioned them over to the big shed in the backyard.

But when they looked inside, they saw Silveena looking poorly, and her face was all red.

Oooh, I don't feel so good," she groaned.

"Silveena's sick!" gasped Hillary. "Quick, Tristan, check her out while I go get Grandma and Grandpa."

"Right!" agreed Tristan as Hillary ran back to the house to get them.

As our heroes continue relaxing at home in New Bark Town and think about going on some new adventures, they find themselves face to face with an emergency with a sick Silveena. But little do they know that people from Silveena's past will attempt to spoil their plans.

(Music Cue: The Enigma (full version))

A few minutes later, Tristan and Hillary told their grandparents the situation.

"This is terrible," said Veronica. "Silveena needs to rest today."

"Does that mean we can't take her on our adventure?" asked Hillary worriedly.

"I'm afraid so, kids," answered Eric sadly. "She needs to spend the day in the shed so she can get better."

Tristan and Hillary felt very sad.

So did Lugia. It knew how much Tristan and Hillary loved going on adventures, especially when Silveena was there with them.

"I'll call Nurse Joy and see if she can help," suggested Veronica.

"Good idea," agreed Eric. "Tristan, Hillary, you two try to help keep Silveena comfortable while we get Nurse Joy."

Tristan and Hillary nodded in agreement as their grandparents went back into the house.

Lugia was worried, too. I hope Silveena's going to be okay.

"Don't worry, Lugia, we'll help her get better," Hillary assured her. "Any idea where to start, Tristan?"

"First, we'll need to make an ice pack for Silveena," answered Tristan. "When I was sick on the Orange Islands, you helped make an ice pack for me. Then you gave me a full canteen of water."

"That's right," replied Hillary. "And you rested a lot that day."

"Now we'll see if we can make an ice pack for Silveena," continued Tristan. "I think I still have a small bag in here somewhere." And he opened up his backpack and took out a small bag.

"I don't know if that small bag will be enough, Tristan," said Hillary. "From the way things are going, we'd need an even bigger bag."

"You're right," agreed Tristan. "But where can we find an even bigger bag for Silveena?"

Silveena opened her eyes and sat up. She felt very miserable. I don't feel so great. What's going on? Why am I aching all over? And why is everybody gathering around me?

Take it easy, Silveena, Lugia said. Try not to move. You're sick.

Sick? What's that mean?

It means you're not feeling well, and you'll need to rest.

"Lugia's right, Silveena," agreed Hillary. "We'll take care of you."

Thank you, replied Silveena weakly as she half-closed her eyes and laid back down.

Presently, a jeep full of medical supplies arrived at the house.

Nurse Joy jumped out and met Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon. "I heard you have a sick Lugia."

"Thank goodness you came, Nurse Joy," replied Hillary. "Silveena's not doing so well, and we're trying to find a big ice pack for her."

"Well, it's a good thing I came," smiled Nurse Joy. "Let's see what the problem is."

(Music Cue: Pikachu Appears!))

A few minutes later, Nurse Joy completed her examination. "Well, there's no doubt about it: Silveena's got a fever. But it's not too serious, so let's see about making that ice pack for her." She opened a big bag as widely as she could. "First, let's put some water into it."

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

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

"Squirtle, would you pour some water inside this bag?" asked Hillary.

Squirtle complied and gently unleashed a stream of water from its mouth inside the bag.

"Next, we need to freeze it," said Nurse Joy.

"Feraligatr can help with that," said Tristan as he took out his Lure Ball.

"Hold on," interrupted Hillary as she took out a Poké Ball. "Let my Lapras help out with this one, okay?"

"Sure, but why?"

"I'm the one who started this whole thing off, and I want to try and help Silveena any way I can."

"All right, then it's all yours," agreed Tristan.

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

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

"Lapras, would you please gently freeze the water with your Ice Beam?" asked Hillary.

Lapras nodded and gently unleashed an ice-cold beam of energy from its mouth to freeze the water.

"Perfect, thanks, Lapras," commended Hillary.

Lapras nodded and gave a happy reply.

"Now let's seal up the bag and chop the ice into pieces," instructed Nurse Joy.

Everyone set to work to break up the big chunk into smaller pieces.

When the ice chunks were small enough, they gently placed the bag on Silveena's forehead.

"How does that feel, Silveena?" asked Hillary. "Any better?"

Silveena sat up slightly and replied, That does feel a little better.

"Now what else does Silveena need?" wondered Hillary.

"She needs water," replied Tristan. "I remember you helped give me nice cold water to help me cool down when I had my fever."

"I'll go for some water then." And Hillary ran inside the house. She came back out a moment later and gave a full pitcher of water to Silveena for her to drink. "Silveena, try drinking this."

Silveena slowly drank the water from the pitcher. Ah, yes, I do feel refreshed.

"Now what she needs is rest," suggested Tristan. "But I don't want to leave her alone if she's in danger."

"It's okay," replied Hillary. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Silveena."

Tristan and Lugia were surprised.

Are you sure, Hillary? asked Lugia.

"Yeah, sis, are you up to this?" added Tristan.

"Look, you taught me a whole lot on our journey together, and I want to prove that I can help," said Hillary. "I want to be there for Silveena, and I'm sure you would, too. But I know that you and Lugia have some more catching up to do. And Silveena would agree that you don't need to run yourselves ragged just to help take care of her. Of course, I have, but that doesn't matter. I've hatched Togepi all by myself before, and I'm sure I can help take care of Silveena and get her back to full strength. Besides, we don't all need to be here. And you can play and fly around as much as you want to. So what do you say?"

Tristan, Pikachu, and Lugia all looked at each other.

"So go play," continued Hillary. "Grandma and Grandpa can help me out, too. And we'll go on our next adventure tomorrow."

Finally, Tristan said, "Okay, sis, you convinced me. Just don't get too worn out. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will," promised Hillary as she and Tristan embraced one another.

Then Tristan and Pikachu climbed on Lugia, and they flew high into the sky all over New Bark Town.

Silveena closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Secret Strategy 1997-1998 M26 (full version))

Little did everyone know that not too far away, a group of three sinister people resembling zookeepers wearing khaki pants and matching shirts peered through the bushes. Their names were Blurt, Gert, and Bert.

"Could that be Silveena, the Lugia we've been searching for?" asked Blurt.

"You mean the one with the kid riding on it?" said Gert. "I don't think so."

"No, I mean, that unusually rare colored one," insisted Blurt. "What do you think, Bert?"

Bert, the mastermind, just grinned and said, "It's her, all right. She's the one we must recapture. The way she flooded our amusement park and caused us to go out of business...talk about being waterlogged!"

And they thought back to the time when they first worked at the zoo and mistreated Silveena so much that she had used Hydro Pump to flood out the park.

Everyone in the park had been forced to flee for their lives as the water rushed into the park like a flood.

A lady, who was Blurt, Gert, and Bert's boss admonished them severely. "Can't you three do anything right? Silveena's not a tool for us just to make money! She's a living Pokémon, too, you know! It's no wonder she flooded the park the way she did! I can see why she hates you! You three are as useless as a Magikarp's Splash attack! Now clean up the park and get out of my sight! And don't try to grovel, because as of this moment, you're fired!"

"What was with that grouch, anyway?" grumbled Gert. "She must've been watching us like a hawk just so she could scold us for one teensy mistake!"

"And because of that, we all got the boot from that park by that no-good boss of ours," put in Blurt. "And the way that she said that we didn't think of her enough. I hate thinking of others first!"

"Yes, I know, Blurt, there's no need to muse over the issue," reminded Bert.

"Oh, all right," grumbled Blurt. "I still don't see how it's fair, though. Got any bright ideas, Gert?"

"Yes, I think I have one," replied Gert. "But it wouldn't be right to recapture her when she isn't feeling well. We want her nursed back to health so she can try and fail to defeat us at her hardest. Then her moment of regaining her strength will all be for nothing, and we get to sell her on the Poké Market and prove our former boss wrong once and for all, sound good?"

"Yes, that's definitely a good plan, Gert," grinned Bert. "And there'll be nothing those kids can do about it. So let's begin our vigil and wait for that moment for that plan of ours to go into effect."

And the three villainous zookeepers hid behind the bushes to wait.

(Music Cue: Orchestral (American music as heard in the 4Kids dub))

Hillary and Togepi kept watch over Silveena all afternoon while Tristan, Pikachu, and Lugia kept on flying high in the sky, practicing all their aerial maneuvers and tricks.

Silveena slowly opened her eyes.

"You're awake, Silveena," said Hillary. "How do you feel?"

Well, I still feel unwell, but I think I'm getting better, answered Silveena. You've being so nice to me today, even though I'm sick. Why is that?

"it's what friends do," replied Hillary. "If one of your friends was sick, you'd take care of them, wouldn't you?"

I didn't have any friends, replied Silveena. Nobody was nice to me when I was in captivity. Nobody was nice to me, period.

Hillary listened to Silveena attentively as she explained why she wasn't used to the kind treatment.

But when you, Tristan, and Lugia helped me see the error of my ways, I knew I had a lot of making up to do, continued Silveena, especially when I caused you to feel tremendous pain in your arm when you fell to the ground. And now, look at us, we're talking to each other like we're two old friends.

"Yeah, and I feel like I've gotten closer and closer to every friend I meet along the way," agreed Hillary. "Including you, Silveena. And I always wanted to be here for you."

Now it was Silveena's turn to listen attentively to Hillary.

"Besides, I wanted to help you get better," continued Hillary. "Tristan wanted to help, too, but I told him I didn't need his help."

Why didn't you?

"Because I learned a lot from him on our journey together," explained Hillary. "I may not know what I want to do yet, but this is a good opportunity to see what I can do as a Trainer. And I think giving first aid for any situation is a good first step for me to prove that I can help any Pokémon. And maybe, just maybe, I can figure out what my dream is."

That's great, Hillary, smiled Silveena. I feel like I'm already getting better just by listening to you.

Hillary smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

Togepi agreed with her.

(Music Cue: Pokémon Center M77B 1997-1998 (full version))

"There you go, grand-sonny," smiled Eric at dinner that evening. "My famous homemade spaghetti and meat sauce on a big plate for you...and everyone else to share."

"Wow, thanks a lot, Grandpa!" replied Tristan as he and Pikachu happily dug in. He then invited Celebi to join them for the spaghetti, which it loved so contentedly.

"You certainly have healthy appetites," chuckled Veronica. Then she saw Hillary and Togepi weren't with them. "Where'd your sister go?"

"I think she's still with Silveena," answered Tristan. "She didn't want to leave her by herself. She's been with her ever since this afternoon."

"Why don't you help her?" asked Veronica.

"Hillary said she didn't need my help because she learned a lot from me on our journey together. But I often worry about her when she takes on big tasks all by herself."

Veronica smiled. "I know you're worried about her wearing herself out. But I wouldn't worry too much. She may have more strength than we realize. And knowing her, she won't rest until Silveena is back to full strength."

"Let's hope Hillary and Silveena both get enough rest," said Tristan as he continued eating his dinner with his friends and family.

Just then, Hillary came in. "Oh, boy! I knew I smelled Grandpa's delicious homemade spaghetti and meat sauce! Could I take some to go? I want to share some with Lugia and Silveena. And I promised Silveena that I'd stay with it until she gets better."

"Of course, dear," smiled Eric as he dished up two warm plates of spaghetti for her to take out. "I'll take a plate out for you, too." And he dished up another plate of spaghetti and went with Hillary to share the plates with Lugia and Silveena waiting outside.

Tristan felt better after seeing Hillary with as much excitement as she had ever since the beginning of their journey together.

That night, Hillary and Togepi slept with Silveena in the big shed with Lugia sleeping nearby.

Tristan slept comfortably in his bed with Pikachu and Celebi.

Blurt, Gert, and Bert kept their vigil on the sleeping Silveena just out of sight.

"I can't wait for sweet revenge," chuckled Blurt.

"I just want the money," added Gert.

"Well, revenge will be sweet when we recapture Silveena and show her to our former boss," put in Bert. "Then she'll treat us like real winners." And he snickered evilly.

The next morning, Hillary woke up and checked on Silveena; the fever had been going down during the night, and she'd been drinking plenty of water every now and then to keep herself refreshed.

Squirtle and Lapras helped make another ice pack for Silveena just in case she needed it.

Silveena slowly opened her eyes and saw Hillary and her Pokémon hard at work helping to get some more water for her.

Hillary turned to see Silveena slowly sitting up in the shed. "Hey, you're awake, Silveena! How are you feeling?"

I think I'm feeling better, answered Silveena. The water, the ice packs, and the rest all seemed to help. And you did it all for me. Thank you.

"Glad to hear it," replied Hillary. "Tristan will be very happy about that. Grandma and Grandpa, too, for that matter."

Silveena smiled. She felt happy to know that Hillary used so much of her time and energy just to help her get better.

"I'm going to go fix some breakfast for Togepi," said Hillary. "I'll be right back."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a net came and ensnared Hillary!

"Hey, what's going on here?!" she demanded.

Hillary! cried Silveena.

Then came maniacal laughter.

(Music Cue: Desperate Situation 1997-1998 (as heard in "Volcanic Panic"))

Hillary and Silveena turned to see Bert, Gert, and Blurt.

"Not exactly the way we'd planned things, but this could work out just as well," smirked Bert.

"So who are you jokers, anyway?" demanded Hillary.

Silveena gasped in shock. She knew who those three were. These are the bad zookeepers who had been forcing me to give rides to people of any size who wanted one!

"Wait, they are?" Hillary was surprised.

"Well, well, well, it seems that we've stumbled upon a nice catch, wouldn't you say, Gert?" smiled Blurt.

"Yup, we sure have," agreed Gert.

"All right, Silveena, we aren't leaving without taking you along for the ride," said Bert. "So I'll make a proposition for you: give yourself up and..."

But Bert's proposition was interrupted when Lugia suddenly flew in and rammed into him, sending him flying into a tree.

Blurt and Gert gasped in shock.

"Lugia!" cried Hillary excitedly.

You leave my friends alone! demanded Lugia. Or you'll be sorry!

Blurt and Gert were very angry.

"How dare you interrupt Bert's demand!" fumed Blurt.

"We'll teach you!" added Gert.

Bert slowly got up and rejoined them. He was the angriest of all. "You're gonna pay dearly for attacking me like that!" And he launched another net, but this one was aimed at Lugia, and it ensnared it in the net.

"Lugia!" cried Hillary and Silveena together.

There was worse to come, for electricity surged through Lugia's net and it started zapping it.

Not again! grunted Lugia.

Lugia! cried Silveena.

"Stop it!" yelled Hillary.

"No," replied Bert. "We're just getting started. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, my proposition for you, Silveena, is this: come with us quietly, and your friends go free. But refuse, and they pay the price."

"Tristan, dear, you'd better get up," said Veronica urgently as she tried to nudge him awake in his bedroom.

Tristan opened his eyes. "What's up, Grandma?" he said, still feeling a little groggy.

Pikachu and Celebi woke up to Veronica's voice soon after, confused about what was going on.

"We have an emergency," explained Veronica, "and your sister may be in trouble."

"What?! Hillary!" Tristan burst awake at once, got dressed, and hurried out of the bedroom as fast as he could with Pikachu and Celebi right behind him.

"So, Silveena, what's it gonna be?" asked Bert. "Come with us now, and maybe we'll go easy on your friends."

Silveena gave Bert, Blurt, and Gert a long stare. Then she looked at Lugia and Hillary ensnared in the nets. Then she turned back to Bert and his cronies and said, No. My answer is no. These are my friends, and they're the ones who will always be there for me...no matter how bad things get. Not a bunch of sick and greedy people like you!

This made Burt, Gert, and Blurt seethe with anger.

"That's it!" burst out Blurt. "No more Mr. Nice Guy!"

"Now we're gonna teach you a lesson you won't forget!" added Gert.

"Let's get her!" shouted Bert as he and the other two charged for Silveena.

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (full version as heard in "Mantine Overboard"))

But suddenly, Pikachu appeared out of nowhere and struck all three of them with Quick Attack, sending them flying, causing them to lose their grip on the remote control they had used to electrify Lugia's net, causing the electricity to stop surging through it.

"It's Tristan!" said Hillary excitedly. "And Grandma and Grandpa!"

Perfect timing! added Lugia.

"We're coming, guys!" shouted Tristan as he, Celebi, Veronica, and Eric came to the rescue.

"Hurry, protect Silveena!" yelled Hillary.

"All right, Espeon, it's time to use your Psybeam, go!" shouted Veronica as she threw her Poké Ball.

Espeon emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a mysteriously multi-colored beam of energy from the gem on its forehead, striking the three evil zookeepers, sending them hurtling toward the ground.

The three zookeepers groaned in pain as they struggled to their feet just as Veronica confronted them.

"You three should be ashamed of yourselves!" she scolded. "How dare you threaten the safety of a highly unusual legendary Pokémon and its friends and family, not to mention my family! Anyone who threatens my grandchildren has to deal with me!"

"And me, too!" added Tristan.

Pikachu and Espeon agreed.

"Who cares about what you two think?" retorted Bert. "We're the keepers of Silveena, and we're not gonna stop until she's ours again for good!" He turned to Blurt and Gert. "Get them!"

"Scizor, let's go!" shouted Gert as he threw his Poké Ball.

"You, too, Scyther!" yelled Blurt as he threw his.

Scyther and Scizor emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"All right, grand-sonny, you go free Hillary and Lugia while we deal with those three creeps," suggested Eric.

"Got it, Grandpa," agreed Tristan as he and Pikachu rushed toward the nets.

"Scizor, Metal Claw attack!" yelled Gert.

"Scyther, use Slash attack!" shouted Blurt.

Scyther and Scizor both charged in using their sharp claws to attack, though Scizor's claws were the only ones that glowed.

"Ready, dear?" asked Veronica.

"You bet," answered Eric as he took out a Poké Ball and threw it as he commanded, "Magmar, use Flamethrower, go!"

"Flareon, you, too!" shouted Veronica as she threw a second Poké Ball.

Magmar and Flareon emerged from the white lights that shot out of them and unleashed powerful streams of fire at Scyther and Scizor, scoring direct hits on them and giving them major damage.

"Are you two all right?" asked Tristan as he, Celebi, and Pikachu made their way to the nets.

"Yes, we're fine," answered Hillary.

Hurry and get us out of the nets! added Lugia.

"Okay, Meganium, use Razor Leaf to cut through those nets!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Friend Ball.

Meganium emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a flurry of razor-sharp leaves to slice the nets to ribbons, instantly freeing Hillary and Lugia from them.

"Let's go help Grandma and Grandpa," suggested Hillary.

"Good idea," agreed Tristan as he, Pikachu, Hillary, Celebi, and Lugia rushed over to join Veronica and Eric in the battle. "Go, Pikachu, Thunderbolt 'em!" he ordered.

Pikachu jumped high into the air and unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its body, scoring a direct hit on the evil zookeepers, plus their Scyther and Scizor.

Bert grew furious. "So, you think your Pokémon can defeat us, huh? Well, you're wrong, and now it's my turn to have a little fun! All right, Gyarados, put out their fire with Hydro Pump!" he shouted as he threw a Poké Ball.

Gyarados emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a powerful jet of water from its mouth, scoring direct hits on Magmar and Flareon, causing them to hit the ground hard.

"No, Flareon!" cried Veronica.

"Magmar!" added Eric.

"So, you thought you'd have the advantage over us, huh?" smirked Bert. "My Gyarados has been trained to make anyone who works at our zoo behave."

"You're sick men," fumed Veronica. "Only people like you would never think of somebody else's wellbeing ahead of their own."

"And besides, we made a promise to Silveena that we'd always protect her no matter what," put in Hillary.

"What she said," agreed Tristan.

(Music Cue: Fighting Spirit (full version))

It was then that Silveena, touched by Tristan and Hillary's devotion, particularly Hillary's, flew over to the battle and charged in, much to Tristan and Hillary's surprise.

"Silveena, what are you doing?" called Hillary.

But suddenly, Silveena became surrounded in red flames and flew toward Gyarados, Scyther, and Scizor.

"Hey, that's new!" smiled Eric. "What's that?"

"I think Silveena just learned how to use Sky Attack!" replied Veronica.

Whoa! gasped Lugia. I'm feeling jealous!

Silveena, feeling the power of all she had, flew faster and faster, and scored fiery hits on Gyarados, Scyther, and Scizor. Then, still surrounded in flames, she scored direct hits not only on them again, but the three zookeepers as well, sending them skyward, screaming as they went.

DING!

"Now that was hot," remarked Tristan. "That Sky Attack was super-strong."

Pikachu and Celebi agreed.

"Yeah," put in Hillary. "It really packed a wallop."

"That was awesome," remarked Veronica. "Talk about great power."

"And it was her first try, too," agreed Eric.

Incredible, thought Lugia. Who would've known that Silveena could learn Sky Attack? And she's still so young like I am. It almost puts my Aeroblast to shame...almost.

Silveena flew over and landed next to Hillary. Thank you, Hillary. And to all of you, too. You risked yourselves just for me. How can I ever repay you?

"You already have, Silveena, just by being our friend," answered Hillary. "Now you won't have to worry about those zookeepers ever hurting you ever again. And I told you along that something good would come out of your being sick yesterday."

Silveena smiled. And you were right, Hillary. I'll never doubt you or your friends' strength again. She knew now that Tristan and Hillary were her friends, and would always be there for her.

And I'll be here to help you, too, right, love? said Lugia.

Absolutely, agreed Silveena as she and Lugia embraced one another.

Everyone admired the two Lugia who had become closer than ever.

Presently, Tristan's stomach grumbled. "Whoops. I forgot that we haven't eaten breakfast yet."

Everyone gave a good chuckle.

Then Veronica said, "Well, everyone, you heard what Tristan said. Let's go have some breakfast."

And everyone agreed.

(Music Cue: To the Hopeful Sky (full version))

"Well, guys, we're on our way to the Lake of Life," said Tristan as he and Hillary prepared to fly off on Lugia and Silveena after breakfast.

"Yeah, and now that Silveena is fully recovered, she can journey along with us, too," added Hillary.

"You both just have a good time out there, and don't forget to be safe," said Veronica.

"We will," replied Tristan and Hillary together.

Pikachu and Togepi nodded in agreement.

And I'll make sure they're all safe, added Lugia.

Me too, put in Silveena.

"Oh, I know you will," said Veronica. "I always miss you so much when you go off on your adventures."

Lugia bent its neck down low so Veronica and Eric could hug Tristan and Pikachu from the ground.

Then Silveena did the same for Hillary and Togepi.

Celebi flew over and sat on Tristan's other shoulder.

Lugia and Silveena then stood back up to their full heights, spread their wings and took off into the air.

"Bye, kids!" called Veronica.

"Take care!" added Eric. "Come back soon!"

"We will! Bye now!" replied Tristan and Hillary as they waved.

Pikachu and Togepi said their goodbyes as well.

"We'll be back by dinnertime!" added Tristan.

"Just have fun out there, and take as much time as you need!" replied Veronica. And she and Eric continued waving until they were almost out of sight. "They've grown so much since their first journey together, haven't they, dear?"

"Yes," agreed Eric. "And they've learned so much along the way, too. And to us, Tristan and Hillary are both Pokémon Masters with so much to learn for many years to come."

Now that Silveena's recovery is complete and her captors have been defeated, our heroes will pursue more adventures as their journey continues!

As for Blurt, Gert, and Bert, they all crash-landed at the place where they used to work as they managed to get back on their feet.

"Boy, that was some flight," said Gert.

"But where did we managed to end up?" wondered Blurt.

"Oh, no, don't tell me..." Bert was most troubled.

"Don't tell you what?" asked Blurt suspiciously.

"We're back at that zoo again!"

"No, not again!" wailed Blurt and Gert.

Just then, a seemingly muscular woman with red curly hair came up behind them. "I told you not to bother with that rare colored Lugia again, didn't I?"

(Music Cue: Exeggutor and Oddish (as heard at the end of "Type Casting" and in the Japanese version of "Pikachu's Summer Vacation"))

"We're sorry, ma'am!" spluttered Blurt, Gert, and Bert at the same time. "We were just..."

But the lady wouldn't have any of it. "You're fired...AGAIN!"

And before the lady could admonish them even further, the three former zookeepers scurried away as fast as they could, never to be seen again.

"Some people," grumbled the lady. "I really wish those yahoos never worked at this zoo anyway." And she crossed her arms and went back to work.

► TO BE CONTINUED