AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 118 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue to wrap up their journey in the Johto region. You may recall Rico as a character of the day in the Pokémon: Advanced episode "A Poached Ego!" I decided to add him as a character in this story because since he's a Pokémon Hunter, he could be dangerous to anyone who stands in his way. You may also recall that he has a Fearow as well as a Pupitar that evolves into a Tyranitar and becomes very dangerous. But what if he wanted to follow in the Iron Masked Marauder's footsteps since he wanted a strong Tyranitar as well? Let's see what happens when he goes after Celebi at the Lake of Life in this chapter. I hope you enjoy.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary at last embark on their journey to the Lake of Life. But a dangerous Pokémon Hunter named Rico attempts to capture Celebi because he wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero, the Iron Masked Marauder!
Chapter 118: ADVENTURES TO REMEMBER, PART 3
(Music Cue: Route 38 (as heard in "Charizard's Burning Ambitions"))
With fond memories of the Johto League Silver Conference still fresh in their minds, as well as the adventures they've had the last few days, our heroes go on still another adventure while figuring out what their next move is going to be. Today, as they soar through the air with Lugia, Silveena, and Celebi as the three perfect escorts, they decide to take their next adventure to a deep forest in a place called Arborville.
"I wonder where the Lake of Life is," said Tristan.
"According to the map on my Poké Gear, we should be close to it," replied Hillary. "But I don't know we can see it from here."
"I don't either, can you, Lugia?" asked Tristan.
Well, there should be a big opening on the forest floor with a lake a clear as clear as crystal, answered Lugia.
But how can we see if there are all these trees down below us? wondered Silveena.
"That's how! Look there!" Tristan pointed down to a large lake surrounded by big trees.
"Look, that must be the place!" said Hillary excitedly. "It sure looks beautiful from up here."
Pikachu and Togepi seemed to agree.
Suddenly, Celebi flew off of Tristan's shoulder and quickly dove toward the ground below.
"Wait for us, Celebi!" called Tristan. "Let's follow it!"
Right! agreed Lugia and Silveena as they dove after Celebi to try and catch up with it.
"This place is awesome," said Tristan as he and his friends landed safely on the ground a short time later.
Celebi flew all around him excitedly.
"Celebi seems excited to be here," remarked Hillary.
"According to what Grandma said, Celebi normally lives deep in forests," explained Tristan. "This is one of them where Celebi is known to visit. I bet it could see and feel all kinds of familiar things around it when we first saw the Lake of Life from the sky. Even though this isn't the Ilex Forest where we first saw it, I bet it recognized the happiness of being at home right away."
"That makes sense," replied Hillary. "We had seen news of a really evil person wreaking havoc here in this forest a few months ago when we were journeying from one place to the other. I remember it was the Iron Masked Marauder."
"The Iron Masked Marauder?" repeated Tristan. "Who's he?"
"He was the most evil person you'd ever want to avoid," explained Hillary. "He captured a Celebi just so he could rule the world and take over as Team Rocket's leader. Boy, if you think Giovanni's bad, just think of how much more evil Team Rocket would be if the Iron Masked Marauder actually succeeded in his evil plot."
"Boy, I don't even want to think about it," shivered Tristan.
Whoa, it sounds like he'd be a dangerous one to mess around with, remarked Lugia. But believe me, if any of my friends were in danger, I'd use all the power I have in the world to defend them...and the both of you if I had to.
I can believe that, agreed Silveena. And I would, too.
Celebi was flying all around the lake with a happy expression on its face when suddenly, a net was launched directly at it.
(Music Cue: Mewtwo's Awakening)
"Celebi, watch out!" shouted Tristan.
Quickly, Celebi dodged the net and flew back to Tristan.
"Boy, that was a close one," sighed Tristan. "Are you all right?"
Celebi gave a nod.
"All right, who did that?!" demanded Hillary.
Then Tristan and Hillary turned to see who or what was coming as sparks crackled from Pikachu's cheeks.
"Something's coming!" exclaimed Tristan as he heard the sound of a loud engine in the distance.
Suddenly, a jeep came into view and screeched to a stop just feet away from Tristan and Hillary.
Get ready, guys, warned Lugia. There may be a creep in that jeep.
Don't even joke, grumbled Silveena. This is no time for poetry.
A man with green hair stepped out of the jeep. He was wearing khaki pants and a red jacket and slowly walked over. He didn't seem at all friendly. "All right, you two, hand over that Celebi."
"Who are you?" demanded Tristan.
"My name is Rico," answered the man. "I'm a Pokémon hunter. I've been asked to catch a Celebi for my latest client. He says that Celebi are small and relatively easy to catch."
"You're not making a lot of sense, Rico," said Hillary, who was confused and angry at the same time. "Why do you want it?"
"You see, I've been inspired to follow in the steps of the Iron Masked Marauder," explained Rico. "He was after Celebi for quite some time. He had an extremely powerful Tyranitar that cause a lot of devastation inside this forest. And ever since then, I had always wanted a Tyranitar of my very own to be as powerful as his was. So I became a Pokémon hunter in the hopes of attaining one so that nobody can match my unparalleled strength against anyone who tries to stop me. Now I'm only gonna ask you nicely one more time. Hand over Celebi, or else."
"Yeah? Well we've got news for you, Rico, you're not taking anything!" retorted Tristan.
"You'd better watch your mouth, kid," ordered Rico. "In fact, you've already crossed the line. Go, Pupitar!" He threw a Poké Ball.
(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon (as heard in "Hello, Pummelo"))
Rico's Pupitar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
Tristan and Hillary were shocked.
"He has a Pupitar, too!" gasped Hillary.
"Don't be fooled by Pupitar's small size," warned Rico. "This Pupitar can take on anything that its opponent can dish out with strength to match. And once it evolves, you will have met your match."
"Well, my Pupitar can easily take yours," replied Tristan as he took out his Poké Ball and threw it.
Tristan's own Pupitar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"I'm counting on you, Pupitar," said Tristan. "We've gotta protect Celebi."
Tristan's Pupitar nodded. It knew that it had to help out, and it was ready to battle.
"All right, Pupitar, use Take Down attack!" ordered Tristan.
Tristan's Pupitar charged forward toward Rico's without hesitation.
"Stop it now," instructed Rico.
Rico's Pupitar matched Tristan's Pupitar in strength.
Neither one let up.
"They're even!" gasped Hillary.
"Don't give up, Pupitar!" encouraged Tristan.
Tristan's Pupitar grunted as it tried to push Rico's back.
Rico smirked. "You don't seem to realize that I've got you just where I want you." And he took out his weapon and fired another net at Celebi, who gasped in fear.
"Celebi!" cried Tristan and Hillary together.
Tristan's Pupitar saw that Celebi was in danger and rushed to intercept the net, but instead it found itself ensnared in the net.
"No, Pupitar!" exclaimed Tristan.
Rico laughed triumphantly. "That was way too easy. I knew I'd be able to defeat your Pupitar."
"Quick, Meganium, use Razor Leaf to cut through the net!" ordered 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 cut Rico's net to shreds.
An instant later, Tristan's Pupitar had been freed.
"Hey! That was a good net you just destroyed!" growled Rico.
"I think we'd better retreat for now, sis," suggested Tristan.
"Good idea," agreed Hillary as she threw a Poké Ball.
Her Cyndaquil emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"Cyndaquil, Smokescreen attack!" ordered Hillary.
Cyndaquil unleashed a cloud of black smoke from its mouth.
Tristan snuck in under the cover of smoke to grab his Pupitar, then he and Pikachu quickly scrambled onto Lugia and flew off with Hillary, Togepi, Silveena, and Celebi just before the smoke cleared.
Rico had seen that Tristan and Hillary had made their getaway. "Arrgh! That Celebi escaped with those troublemakers. But it'll be the last time they did! For when I find them, those kids'll be sorry."
Rico's Pupitar agreed.
Tristan and his friends flew over the forest until they came to a village of houses on treetops.
"I wonder if that's the town of Arborville like the map says," said Hillary.
"Let's go check it out," replied Tristan. "Maybe someone there can help us."
And they flew over the trees and carefully landed in an open area just outside one of the houses.
A young girl came out to meet them. "What's going on here?"
"We just encountered a Pokémon Hunter near the Lake of Life," explained Tristan. "We thought maybe you could help us."
The girl gasped when she saw Celebi in Tristan's arms; it had been trembling with fright ever since their encounter with Rico. "Oh, my! Is that a Celebi?"
Tristan and Hillary nodded.
"We first met it in the Ilex Forest near Azalea Town," explained Hillary. "It's become really good buddies with us, especially Tristan."
"I'll take you to my grandmother's house," said the girl. "She's really gonna love this." And she motioned them to follow her.
"Does she mean 'love it' love it, or 'hate the fact that we have a Legendary Pokémon' love it?" wondered Hillary.
"Beats me," replied Tristan.
(Music Cue: Strange Weather (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))
Inside the house, an elderly woman with green hair and a Hoothoot cane didn't seem at all angry, but she gasped in surprise. "Is that a really a Celebi?! How in the world were you able to hold it, let alone befriend it?"
"It had actually been released from the mysterious G.S. Ball at the Ilex Forest Shrine after being trapped inside for years," explained Tristan.
"Kurt, the Poké Ball expert in Azalea Town was with us when it happened," added Hillary.
"Kurt's a very good friend of mine, and knows a thing or two about Celebi," said the woman. "My name's Towa, and my granddaughter, Diana, and I also know a few things about it."
"What?" asked Hillary and Tristan together.
"According to legend, Celebi is known as the Voice of the Forest, the spirit that protects it," explained the woman. "It can even travel through time."
"You know, Tristan, that's what happened with us," said Hillary. "We traveled five years into the past and you battled Team Rocket."
"Yeah, and I met my...er, this kid, and helped him and his Eevee out." Tristan didn't want to give away the secret of meeting and helping his younger self.
"It sounds to me like you had a taste in time traveling," smiled Diana. "We had actually met a boy named Sam, and he'd accidentally gone through a trip in time with another Celebi 40 years into the future."
"Forty years?" gasped Hillary.
"Sam was in real trouble and had protected Celebi from another hunter," explained Towa. "Then we encountered somebody much worse: The Iron Masked Marauder."
"Luckily, Ash and his friends stopped him and saved Celebi, even though it was in great danger," added Diana. "The Legendary Pokémon, Suicune, helped clean the lake and several other Celebi from the past and future helped their friend by sharing their infinite strength."
"But unfortunately, we've had trouble with another Pokémon hunter named Rico, who thinks nothing of injuring Pokémon in order to catch them," put in Towa.
"That's the guy we just ran into, wasn't it, Hillary?" gasped Tristan.
"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "He wanted to follow in the Iron Masked Marauder's footsteps and have a Tyranitar of his very own. And he wants to try and capture Celebi."
"Then he must be stopped before that happens," said Towa. "We can't expose Celebi to any more harm."
Presently, Tristan's Pupitar gave a sad sigh.
Everyone turned around to see Pupitar sitting all by itself.
"What's the matter, Pupitar?" asked Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu walked over to it.
But Pupitar just sighed.
"I know," said Hillary. "Pupitar must still be feeling low after it nearly got captured trying to protect Celebi."
"It must've lost a lot of confidence after that battle," added Diana. "Pupitar must've wanted to protect Celebi just as much as Tristan and Hillary did, and didn't know about the net."
Tristan gently put his hand on Pupitar's head. "Don't worry, Pupitar, you'll have another chance, and next time, you'll be able to win. We'll even help you out and beat Rico at his own twisted game."
"That's right," added Hillary. "You're one of the strongest Pokémon out there, and one of our greatest friends. And I have a feeling that you're only going to get even stronger."
Pikachu and Togepi also agreed
Pupitar nodded and felt better after Tristan and Hillary's encouraging words.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Rico was driving along in his jeep. "Where is that thing?" he growled. "I need it for my client. That Celebi shouldn't be this tough to find." Presently, he saw two large figures in the distance, patiently waiting outside Diana's house; they were Lugia and Silveena. "Aha! Now I know those kids are nearby." He took out a Poké Ball and threw it.
A large avian Pokémon with a sharp beak emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It looked as mean as Rico was.
"All right, Fearow, it's time to blow those treehouses down!" commanded Rico.
(Music Cue: Lugia Appears! (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))
Fearow furiously flapped its wings, creating a huge gust of wind, which was so strong that Lugia and Silveena had to cover their faces.
It feels like a hurricane! bellowed Silveena.
You're telling me! replied Lugia.
Inside the house, everyone felt the huge wind gust.
"What's that?" asked Tristan.
"This can't be just a big windstorm, can it?" added Hillary.
"No, that's a Whirlwind attack," answered Towa.
Just then, an even stronger wind gust outside blew the windows in, smashing them to pieces.
"We have to get outside before this place falls down to the ground," advised Diana.
Quickly, Tristan scooped up Celebi and Pupitar as everyone made their way outside of the house.
They turned to see Rico standing smugly as Fearow continued to use Whirlwind. "I knew I'd find you troublemakers here."
"It's Rico!" exclaimed Hillary.
"I'll be taking my Celebi now, if you don't mind," smirked Rico.
"No way," replied Tristan defiantly. "We promised to protect Celebi from evil greedy people like you."
"Fine, so be it," said Rico. "Then I guess I'll have to steal it the hard way. Now, Fearow, Drill Peck!"
(Music Cue: Real & Copy! Which are the Strongest? (as heard in "In the Pink"))
Fearow flew in for the attack as its beak acted like a drill.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack!" ordered Tristan.
Pikachu leaped up and unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity at Fearow, scoring a direct hit on it and instantly knocking it out.
"What? Fearow, no!" Rico was shocked as he recalled his Fearow. "So you wanna play rough, little boy? Then I choose Pupitar!" he shouted as he threw his second Poké Ball.
His Pupitar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
Tristan's Pupitar hopped in front of him.
"All right, go get it, Pupitar!" commanded Tristan.
Tristan's Pupitar hopped into the battle and got ready to attack.
"Remember, Pupitar," reminded Tristan. "You're one of our greatest friends, and there's nothing we wouldn't do for you. You have courage and you have heart. We all believe in you. And Celebi does, too."
Pikachu and Celebi nodded in agreement.
Tristan's Pupitar stood still and thought about what he just said. Then it gave a hard nod and turned to face its opponent.
"Ugh! Please, your stupid speech about friendship and trust is making me sick to my stomach. I'm here to make money, not make friends! Go, Pupitar!"
Rico's Pupitar charged into the battle and prepared to attack.
"Pupitar, Take Down attack!" commanded Tristan.
Tristan's Pupitar charged full-body style to intercept Rico's.
Both collided without giving an inch.
"Don't give up, Pupitar!" encouraged Tristan.
"Yeah, you can do it!" added Hillary.
"Come on!" growled Rico. "Get in there and topple that imposter over!"
Both Pupitar still tried to push the other over, but their strength was tied.
"It's a standoff," remarked Towa.
"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "Tristan's Pupitar is doing its best to protect its friends, just like he said. And if they can keep it up, then Celebi will be safe."
"Not for long! Look!" exclaimed Diana as she pointed to Rico, who had just drew his weapon and prepared to launch another net to capture Celebi.
Everyone turned to see Rico about trigger another net. "You see, this is what happened last time: You battle against me, and I capture my targets. Now say goodbye to your friend."
"Tristan! Look out!" cried Towa.
Tristan and Celebi gasped, for they knew that they wouldn't be able to avoid Rico's net if it fired.
But Tristan's Pupitar, seeing its Trainer and Celebi in danger, jumped up from the head-to-head battle against Rico's Pupitar and struck Rico hard in the chest, forcing him to drop his weapon to the ground before he could use it.
Rico groaned in pain as he clutched his chest. "You're gonna pay for that!" he fumed.
Tristan's Pupitar landed neatly on the ground, ready to face off against its opponent again.
"Thanks, Pupitar, that was a close one," sighed Tristan.
Celebi thanked it as well.
Tristan's Pupitar gave a hard nod, knowing that it kept its promise to protect him. Then suddenly, it was bathed in a bright white light.
(Music Cue: OK! Orchestra & Guitar (as heard in "Can't Beat the Heat"))
"Whoa, what's going on?" gasped Tristan.
"Hey, check out Tristan's Pupitar!" added Hillary.
"It's starting to evolve," remarked Towa.
Tristan's Pupitar began to get bigger and bigger as it grew long arms, long legs, and a long, armored tail. When the light dissolved, it had green armored skin; the blue shell on its chest remained, and it roared mightily at its adversaries.
"Whoa, now that's what I call a big roar," shivered Diana.
"Tristan's Pupitar just evolved into Tyranitar," added Towa. "And it looks like it's got a whole lot of power to match its ferocity."
"That's an understatement," agreed Hillary. "Tyranitar must've evolved to help protect Tristan and Celebi after what happened just a minute ago, and because of the encouraging words he and I gave it."
"You know, I think you're right, Hillary," replied Towa.
Tyranitar turned to Tristan and gave a smile.
"I knew you could do it, Tyranitar," said Tristan as he gave a thumbs-up to it. "Now let's show Rico what you're made of."
Tyranitar nodded as it turned back to Rico and his Pupitar.
"Grr! That's not fair," grumbled Rico. "I was supposed to have a Tyranitar first, but you had to butt in and evolve yours instead. You're making me look like a novice at my own game! Pupitar, get him!"
Rico's Pupitar charged in for Tristan, but Tyranitar just stood in its path, using its heavy body as a shield against it, causing it to just bounce off.
Wow, Tyranitar just protected Tristan and Celebi by using its body! remarked Lugia.
Now that's what I call a protective build of armor, added Silveena.
Celebi, not wanting to feel left out, flew out of Tristan's hands and joined the battle.
"You wanna get in there, too, Celebi?" asked Tristan.
Celebi gave a hard nod and turned to Tyranitar.
Tyranitar turned toward Celebi and growled in agreement.
"All right, you," growled Rico. "You asked for it, now prepare to be crushed!"
Rico's Pupitar charged in for the attack again.
Suddenly, Celebi gathered energy from the sun as a white orb formed between Celebi's antennae.
Tyranitar, seeing Celebi power up its attack, formed a golden yellow orb of energy in its mouth.
"Whoa, Celebi just learned how to use SolarBeam!" gasped Diana.
"And Tyranitar just learned how to use Hyper Beam," added Towa. "I don't see how Rico and his Pupitar are gonna get out of this."
"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "That's what I call a daily double."
Togepi happily trilled in agreement.
Then at the same time, both Pokémon launched their attacks at Pupitar, scoring direct hits on it and sending it flying right into Rico and sending them both to the ground.
Rico groaned in pain as he tried to get back on his feet. He recalled his defeated Pupitar and grumbled. "You're better than I expected. But that Celebi is mine!"
But just then, Rico's radio rang.
"Rico, this is your client," said a voice on his radio. "You've taken way too long to capture that Celebi. And the commotion is frightening. Our deal is officially cancelled."
"What?! But I...you can't just...!"
"I said it's over, Rico! My decision is final!"
And the radio gave nothing but static after that.
"Curses!" grumbled Rico. "That blasted client was useless to me anyway." He turned to Tristan. "You listen here, kid. You've interfered with my plan, and you're gonna pay. I may have lost. But the next time things will be different. As soon as my Pupitar evolves, I'll be back. You haven't seen the last of me." And he jumped back into his jeep and roared off.
"Wait, come back!" yelled Tristan.
"Let him go, Tristan," said Hillary. "Celebi's safe. That's all that matters now."
And it was too late anyway, for Rico had disappeared into the distance.
"Boy, if that guy hadn't had a weapon launching capture nets, he would've been sorry," said Tristan. "People like that make me so angry."
Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure Officer Jenny will catch up to him one of these days," said Towa. "She and her fellow officers have set up wanted posters all over the Johto region."
"Grandma's right," added Diana. "He won't be getting away that easily."
(Music Cue: Route 26 (as heard in "Mild 'n Woolly"))
Tristan felt better after that, especially since he knew how things turned out for him, Celebi, and his newly evolved Tyranitar. He walked over to Tyranitar and said, "Thank you, Tyranitar. You and Celebi did a really great job."
"Yeah, that Hyper Beam and SolarBeam combination was awesome!" added Hillary.
Togepi happily trilled in agreement.
Lugia and Silveena both nodded as Celebi and Tyranitar smiled at each other.
"Say hi to your grandmother for us!" called Towa as Tristan and Hillary prepared to fly off with Celebi, Lugia, and Silveena.
"Have a safe journey home!" added Diana.
"Thank you! We will!" replied Tristan and Hillary as they waved goodbye to their friends below.
"What do you say, sis? Shall we go?"
"You bet!"
And together, Lugia and Silveena took their friends up higher into the sky and headed back for New Bark Town.
"Sounds like you had another big adventure today," remarked Veronica as Tristan and Hillary sat down to dinner that evening.
"We sure did," replied Tristan. "We ran into a hunter named Rico, but my Pupitar evolved into Tyranitar and learned Hyper Beam in the process."
"And Celebi learned SolarBeam," added Hillary. "And we sent that guy packing."
"Wowee!" said Eric. "That's a lot of excitement for one day."
"Yeah, and now I'm excited for our next adventure together," said Tristan. "Are you up for one more, sis?"
"You bet I am, big bro!" smiled Hillary. "But first, let's eat."
"Okay," chuckled Tristan as he, Pikachu, Togepi, and Hillary ate their dinner.
"You know, dear," said Eric, "those kids have big appetites for adventure just like they do for my homemade spaghetti."
"I know," agreed Veronica. "And I have a feeling that hunger won't ever go away."
Veronica's Espeon agreed with her and nodded.
And so, our heroes have stopped a Pokémon hunter and protected Celebi in the process. And after having gone through another adventure at the Lake of Life, what new adventure awaits our young heroes next? Stay tuned!
► TO BE CONTINUED