AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 5 of the adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu. This one is a little shorter than some of my other chapters, but this one has plenty of action in it. There will be longer chapters in this story as it goes. As always, please review and leave any feedback.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have met up with Brock, and are on their way to Pewter City. After avoiding a sting of defeat, will Tristan be able to avoid another one from his archrival, Blue?
Chapter 5: OUT OF THE FOREST
(Music Cue: Opening & Title Screen (as heard in "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon)
Our heroes, along with their new friend, Brock, are getting ready to face another day on the road, as they continue on to Pewter City and Tristan's very first Gym Battle.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and their new friend, Brock, woke up and had breakfast before continuing their way through the Viridian Forest. Brock was headed toward Pewter City just as Tristan and Hillary were, and so they made plans to hold Tristan's first Gym Battle there.
Just then they saw a little brown larva Pokémon with a venomous stinger on its head and a barbed one on its tail. Tristan scanned it with his Pokédex, named Dexter.
"Weedle: The Hairy Bug Pokémon," it said. "The stinger on this Pokémon's head guarantees that its opponents will get the point right where it hurts."
(Music Cue: A Creeping Threat)
"We'd better be careful, guys," advised Brock. "Weedle can be very dangerous, especially if they're near any nests."
"What do you mean by 'nests?'" asked Hillary, trembling. As she spoke, she saw some yellow cocoon Pokémon with dome shaped heads and black triangular eyes.
"Are those...?" Tristan asked as he scanned them with his Pokédex.
"Kakuna: The Cocoon Pokémon: The evolved form of Weedle," it said. "Kakuna remains inactive until its next evolution."
"Let's just be quiet and sneak past them," whispered Hillary. "And let's hope that they never evolve."
"That's not going to happen, I'm afraid," replied Brock. "Once Weedle evolve into Kakuna, they wait until their next evolution. And when that happens, they attack nearby enemies. But you're right on wanting to get past them as quickly and quietly as possible."
"I'd hate to think what would happen if those things evolved right now," said Tristan nervously.
Just as he said that, the Kakuna began glowing in a bright white light. They were all starting to evolve. Tristan and the others cringed in fear.
"Me and my big mouth!" he exclaimed quietly as the Kakuna evolved into what appeared to be bipedal yellow wasps with large red eyes. Tristan scanned the new creatures with his Pokédex.
"Beedrill: The Poison Bee Pokémon: The evolved form of Kakuna," it said. "Beedrill has three poisonous stingers on its forelegs and tail. They are used to jab its enemies repeatedly."
"This is bad!" said Brock. "This must be the time of year when all the Beedrill in the Viridian Forest evolve! And you know what happens when that happens!"
(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "Tracey Gets Bugged"))
"RUN!" yelled Tristan as he, Hillary, Brock, and Pikachu ran as fast as they could through the winding maze of the Viridian Forest with the Beedrill flying in hot pursuit. The fleeing friends continued to flee until they came to a dead end.
"We're trapped like Rattata!" shouted Brock.
"Speak for yourself!" added Hillary.
Tristan and the others braced for the inevitable sting from the charging Beedrill, but he quickly ordered Pikachu to hit them with a Thundershock.
"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
A large yellow lightning bolt shot from Pikachu's body and zapped the Beedrill in one shot. They turned around and flew back to their nest in the opposite direction.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close. Thanks, Tristan," said Hillary.
"Don't thank me, sis. Thank Pikachu," said Tristan. He turned to Pikachu. "As for you, Pikachu, thanks a lot."
"Pikachu!" it replied happily.
"Pikachu seems like it's been trained well, even after your first few days," remarked Brock. "Now that that's done, let's see if we can get out of here."
Tristan and the others found their way out of the Viridian Forest and away from the Beedrill an hour or two later. They found themselves on the northern end of Route 2. They were just about to go further when suddenly…
"Hey, Tristan!"
Tristan turned around to see that the voice who called his name belonged to Blue, Tristan's archrival. He looked similar to Gary, but was slightly younger.
"Why are you stopping us, Blue?" Tristan asked him.
"Are you going to the Pokémon League? Forget it! You probably don't have any Badges!" he taunted.
"I just started, Blue, and so did you!" countered Tristan.
"Have you at least gotten any stronger?" asked Blue as he threw his first Pokéball.
A white light shot out of it and materialized into a small avian Pokémon with three brown tail feathers and pinkish red feathers on its wings.
"That's a Spearow!" exclaimed Brock.
"Spearow?" asked Tristan as he got his Pokédex out and scanned Blue's newest Pokémon.
"Spearow: The Tiny Bird Pokémon," it said. "Spearow has a terrible attitude. It is very wild and can fly around very fast to protect its territory."
"I hope you know what you're up against, Tristan," said Hillary nervously.
"Relax, Hillary," said Tristan. "I know what I'm doing. As you know, Electric-Type Pokémon have the advantage against Flying-Types like Spearow, so I choose Pikachu!"
Pikachu leaped in front of Tristan, ready to battle against Spearow.
(Music Cue: Raid!)
"Okay, Spearow, use Peck attack!" commanded Blue.
Spearow charged at Pikachu and pecked it repeatedly with its beak.
Pikachu endured peck after peck after peck. Even though Pikachu had the type advantage, Spearow seemed to be powerful enough thanks to its beak.
Tristan had to think of something fast. "Hang in there, Pikachu! Thundershock!"
Pikachu's electricity sparked from its cheeks, then it shot a lightning bolt from its body toward Spearow. But at the last second, Spearow dodged the attack.
"Spearow, Leer attack!" shouted Blue.
Spearow's eyes glowed red and it gave Pikachu an intimidating glare.
"Now use your Peck attack again!" commanded Blue.
Spearow's Peck attacks seemed to be more powerful thanks to its Leer attack. Pikachu was taking on more and more damage.
"That Spearow seems to be well trained," Tristan said to himself. "However, there's no way I'm going to lose that easily." He then told Pikachu to give Spearow a Thunder Wave. Pikachu sent out a weaker stream of electricity from its cheeks around Spearow, giving it paralysis. It couldn't move.
"Not bad, Tristan," said Blue.
"Pikachu, Thundershock!" shouted Tristan.
"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" A bolt of electricity shot out of its body.
Spearow got zapped from the attack and fainted.
"Spearow, return!" commanded Blue as he aimed the Pokéball's button toward Spearow.
A red beam shot out of the ball and formed around Spearow, which de-materialized into a red field of energy and disappeared inside.
"That was a shocking ending to that part of the battle," joked Hillary.
"Very funny, sis," said Tristan, who was being very sarcastic. He cringed at that joke. He then faced Blue and said, "Okay, Blue, I'm ready for round two."
"Let's go, Eevee!" shouted Blue as he threw his second Pokéball.
A bright white light shot out of it and materialized into what looked like a mammalian quadruped fox with a bushy tail.
Tristan remembered his last battle with Eevee, and it almost defeated Pikachu, but thanks to Pikachu's powerful Thundershock attack, he had emerged victorious in his first battle. However, this time, Pikachu was getting worn out from its battle with Spearow, and Tristan wasn't sure if it could defeat Eevee a second time.
"Pikachu, come back over here, buddy!" called Tristan as Pikachu came back to his side for a well-deserved rest. He decided to choose Pidgey for his next Pokémon and threw its Pokéball, even though last time it was totally disobedient.
(Music Cue: Chaos)
A bright white light came out of it and materialized into what looked like a small plump bodied bird.
However, Pidgey just stood there, preening its feathers, totally uninterested in battling.
"Come on, Pidgey," begged Tristan. "I need your help!"
"Ha!" laughed Blue. "Do you honestly think that you can defeat my Eevee with that thing? It doesn't do a thing you say!"
"We'll see about that!" countered Tristan. "Pidgey, Tackle now!"
But Pidgey wouldn't comply.
"Told you!" taunted Blue. "Eevee, let's show them who is better at obeying orders. Use your Sand-Attack!"
Eevee quickly turned around and used its hind legs to kick dirt toward Pidgey.
"Look out, Pidgey!" shouted Tristan.
Pidgey evaded the attack just in time. Would it obey Tristan now?
"Use your Tackle attack, Pidgey!" ordered Tristan.
This time, Pidgey flew toward Eevee and did some damage to it. However, Eevee recovered and waited for its next command.
"Lucky break, Tristan," said Blue, "but not lucky enough. Eevee, Tackle attack!"
This time, Eevee did a full body charge toward Pidgey, which dodged the attack just in time.
"Pidgey, Quick Attack!" commanded Tristan.
Pidgey did a full body charge and used Tackle instead! Still, it managed to make contact with Eevee again.
"That was a nice hit, Pidgey, but I told you to use Quick Attack," said Tristan.
Pidgey just turned away from Tristan. It clearly wasn't interested in what he was saying.
"Eevee, Tackle attack now!" ordered Blue.
Eevee charged at Pidgey to finish it off, but at the last second...
"Pidgey, return!" commanded Tristan as he aimed the Pokéball's button towards Pidgey.
A red beam shot out of it and surrounded Pidgey, which de-materialized into a red energy field and disappeared inside just in time.
"Hmph! grumbled Blue. "I guess retreating's better than losing."
Tristan then held the Pokéball close to him as if he were talking to it. "I really wish you'd listen to me, but I appreciate what you've done," he said. "Your part won't go to waste."
"It looks like Tristan has a disobedient Pidgey," said Brock. "This is just like Ash, who has a disobedient Charizard."
"Wow," said Hillary. "Does that mean that at least one Pokémon on one person's team will always be disobedient?"
"Not necessarily," Brock replied. "Trainers and Pokémon need to understand one another. I'm sure that if Tristan and Pidgey listen to one another, they will be battling side by side in no time."
"Metapod, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw its Pokéball.
A bright white light shot out and materialized into what appeared to be a green chrysalis. It looked very confident.
"Metapod, use your Tackle attack now!" commanded Tristan.
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "The Fourth Round Rumble"))
Metapod charged straight toward Eevee, but Eevee held its ground as it waited for the next order from Blue.
"Eevee, Sand-Attack!" ordered Blue.
That was the signal Eevee was waiting for. When Metapod got close, Eevee once again turned around and threw sand, this time at Metapod, using its hind legs. The sand flew right into Metapod's eyes, which were completely covered.
"Not good," said Tristan. "Metapod can't see."
"Eevee, Tackle again!" yelled Blue. Eevee sprinted forward toward Metapod.
"Metapod, Harden!" shouted Tristan.
Metapod's body flashed white, and then turned as hard as steel.
Eevee rammed into Metapod, but Metapod didn't seem to get hurt too much. Eevee still looked ready for battle, though.
"Metapod may not be able to see because of the sand, but it can still use attacks like Harden to defend itself," said Brock.
"I hope Metapod can hang in there and defeat that Eevee," said Hillary nervously.
"Yeah," agreed Brock. "That Eevee looks like it's been well trained and seems to be ready for any attack Tristan throws its way."
"Metapod, Tackle attack!" ordered Tristan.
Metapod sprung forward, but headed in the wrong direction. It crashed into the ground, completely missing its mark. Again and again, it charged, but Eevee just kept standing there, and even on occasion when Metapod went in the right direction, it still couldn't see, and Eevee got out of the way just in time every time.
"Listen, Metapod, you have to stay calm!" advised Tristan.
But Metapod just kept charging at Eevee to no avail. It was starting to panic because it couldn't see. It really couldn't stay in one place because it was moving around so much while trying to avoid Eevee's attacks.
Blue decided that he had had enough with this dance. "Eevee, it's time to use your Tackle attack at full power now!" he shouted.
Eevee charged toward Metapod at full speed as Metapod desperately tried to see where it was going.
"Metapod, behind you!" exclaimed Tristan.
But Eevee was going so fast that it was too late for Metapod to dodge the attack. Eevee hit Metapod so hard that it flew right into a nearby rock, which cracked its shell.
"Metapod, NOOOO!" yelled Tristan.
Metapod lay motionless next to the rock as Blue just stood there, feeling arrogant.
Hillary and Brock watched with worry.
"Looks like I win this time around, pal," snickered Blue.
Suddenly, Metapod started to glow in a bright white light. This meant only one thing.
(Music Cue: Gym 1997-1998 (as heard in "Fit to Be Tide"))
"Is Metapod evolving?" Hillary wondered.
"It is!" gasped Brock.
Tristan watched in amazement as Metapod transformed into what appeared to be a butterfly with a purple body and two red compound eyes.
"No way!" exclaimed Blue.
"It's so beautiful!" said Tristan as he got his Pokédex out to scan the new Pokémon.
"Butterfree: The Butterfly Pokémon: The evolved form of Metapod," it said. "Butterfree's wings, which are covered with poisonous powders repel water. This allows it to fly in the rain."
"Awesome!" said Tristan. He turned to Butterfree. "Okay, Butterfree, are you ready to show Blue and Eevee your new strength?"
Butterfree nodded. Then its eyes began to glow in a purple color. As they did, Eevee was outlined in that same color and was lifted into the air.
No matter how much it struggled, Eevee couldn't break free from Butterfree's grip.
"What's happening with Eevee?!" exclaimed Blue, who was now getting nervous.
"Hey, I think Butterfree just learned how to use its Confusion attack!" said Brock excitedly.
"Cool!" said Tristan. He turned to Butterfree and said, "All right, Butterfree, Confusion!"
Butterfree turned its head from side to side. As it did, Eevee's body moved along with it. Next Butterfree moved its head up and down.
Eevee's body was tossed to and from the ground again and again. Then with one final forward thrust of its head, Butterfree caused Eevee to fly right past Blue and crash into a tree right behind him.
"Eevee!" exclaimed Blue as it fainted. He returned Eevee to its Pokéball.
"Is your Eevee okay?" asked Tristan.
"Yeah, it just needs a good rest," replied Blue. "But as for you, you just lucked out."
"Well, you may be right since Butterfree evolved during the battle," admitted Tristan. "But I try to gain knowledge and interpret it into my battles."
"Well, I heard the Pokémon League is full of many tough Trainers," explained Blue. "You should quit dawdling and get a move on!"
"But I wasn't dawdling!" retorted Tristan, who was raising his voice. "I was just getting out of the Viridian Forest! Did you not see the dangerous experience we just had with those Beedrill?!"
"Whatever," said Blue. "Anyway, I have to get going." He left Tristan and the others behind and headed off for his next destination.
"That Butterfree of yours is amazing!" said Brock.
"Beautiful!" added Hillary.
"And strong, too," finished Tristan.
"Pikachu!" replied Pikachu.
(Music Cue: To Be Continued (sample)
Tristan turned to Butterfree. "As for you, Butterfree," he said to it, "you were just awesome."
Butterfree replied happily.
Now, with a newly evolved Butterfree on his side, Tristan feels more determined than ever to get to Pewter City and his first Gym Battle.
►TO BE CONTINUED
