AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings once again, readers! Here is Chapter 7 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue on their journey through Kanto. This is just a reminder that I DO NOT own Pokémon. Pokémon, Pikachu, and all other character names are trademarks of Nintendo. There are plenty of guest stars in this chapter, plus plenty of action. As always, please feel free to read, enjoy, and review. Ask me questions if you feel so inclined.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary make their way out of Pewter City and spend the night at Mount Moon. But unbeknownst to them the next morning, some fossil thieves are in their midst! Who could they be? And why is Pikachu a sudden target of three other "thieves?"

CHAPTER 7: FOSSIL THIEVES

(Music Cue: Route 1 The Road to Viridian City (M18A))

After winning a Boulder Badge from Brock, Tristan and his friends, Hillary and Pikachu have set off for their next destination: Cerulean City. But first, they have to make their way through the mysterious Mount Moon by way of Route 3.

"This clearing makes it a great place to collect your thoughts, isn't it, Tristan?" said Hillary.

"You're right, Hillary," replied Tristan. "It does make things peaceful around here."

"Pika pika!" agreed Pikachu.

"I wish we could stop in this clearing and have a little rest," said Tristan.

"Well, why not?" said Hillary. "I know we left Pewter City not too long ago, but it would be a good idea to stop for awhile.

And so it was decided that Tristan and Hillary would set up a picnic lunch in the clearing. Brock had made boxed lunches for them before they left. As always, they praised Brock's cooking and planning ahead.


As they continued eastward on Route 3 some time later, they went around small ledges and found themselves climbing up many hills. Then they saw that the path turned left from where they were going.

"Well, I guess there's only one direction we can take," said Tristan.

"And that's to the left," added Hillary.

"Pika," agreed Pikachu as they continued to the north.


(Music Cue: The Caves of Mount Moon (as heard in "The Mystery Menace"))

The friends arrived at the caves of Mount Moon an hour or two later.

"I heard through the grapevine that rare Pokémon live on Mount Moon," said Tristan. "I have a feeling that you're going to like these Pokémon, Hillary, especially when they do their moon dance."

"Moon dance?" asked Hillary.

"That's right," said Tristan. "It's a special ceremony where these Pokémon dance around the giant Moon Stone located on Mount Moon. And tonight's a full moon, so we may get a chance tonight."

They entered Mount Moon and presently came to a sign. It read:

WATCH OUT!

ZUBAT LIKE TO USE LEECH LIFE!

"What's Leech Life?" asked Hillary.

"I don't know, but stay close," advised Tristan.

Just then a flock of small blue bat-like Pokémon flew toward the friends. The Pokémon had pointy ears with purple insides and four pointy teeth. They had no eyes.

"Those must be Zubat!" said Tristan as he scanned them with his Pokédex.

"Zubat: The Bat Pokémon," it said. "Zubat emits ultrasonic waves while it flies. These waves act as sonar used to check for objects in its way."

(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "Volcanic Panic"))

The Zubat rushed in for the attack. Their teeth glowed white. They were about to use Leech Life.

Tristan acted fast. "Pikachu, ThunderShock!" he ordered.

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Pikachu as a yellow lightning bolt struck the flock of Zubat.

The Zubat flew away from their vicinity and flew elsewhere.

"Thanks, Pikachu," said Tristan.

"Pika!" it replied.

(Music Cue: The Moon Stone)

"Do you think those Zubat attacked us on purpose?" asked Hillary.

"I don't know," answered Tristan. "It must be close to nightfall outside. Maybe they just saw us and wanted to get by. Or, perhaps, the Zubat must have thought that we were obstacles and attacked us because we were in their territory."

"Well, let's keep going," said Hillary. "I want to see those Pokémon that you were talking about and Zubat wasn't on my list."

"Then let's forge ahead," said Tristan courageously.

Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu went deep within Mount Moon and came across a giant stone. There was a giant hole in the cave's ceiling just above the stone. A bright full moon was shining down through the hole.

"This must be the giant Moon Stone you were talking about, right?" said Hillary.

"That's right," answered Tristan. "And look at that full moon. Isn't it pretty?"

"Yes it is," said Hillary. "I've never seen one as beautiful as this one in a cave before. But I don't see any of those Pokémon. Are you sure this is the right spot?"

"It must be," replied Tristan. "Otherwise, where else would these Pokémon be than…right there!?" He pointed toward the approaching Pokémon.

They were small pink bipedal creatures with chubby vaguely star-shaped bodies with two small wings on their backs. He scanned them with his Pokédex.

(Music Cue: Dance of the Clefairy)

"Clefairy: The Fairy Pokémon," it said. "These impish Pokémon are friendly and peaceful. It is believed to live inside Mount Moon, although very few have been seen by humans."

"So those are Clefairy," whispered Hillary to Tristan.

"We're very lucky," agreed Tristan. "I think these Pokémon are very shy and get scared easily, so I'd suggest we watch their moon dance quietly. Clefairy have rarely been seen by humans as the Pokédex said."

"Right," said Hillary quietly.

The Clefairy jumped up and down around the giant Moon Stone while dancing the night away.

All the while, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu stayed up for hours quietly watching the Clefairy dance by the light of the moon. Eventually, they fell fast asleep.

After the moon dance, one of the Clefairy quietly dropped a fragment of the giant Moon Stone and left it next to Tristan's bag.


Tristan and Hillary woke up the next morning thinking about the last thing they remembered before they fell asleep: The moon dance. They saw the Clefairy dance around the giant Moon Stone by the light of the moon just before they fell asleep, but now the sun was shining through the cave roof and they were gone, and nobody knew where.

"I wonder where those Clefairy disappeared to?" wondered Tristan.

"I think they disappeared after the sun came up," said Hillary. "I just hope we didn't scare them."

"I don't think we scared them," said Tristan. "Besides, if we had scared them, they wouldn't have left this behind." He showed Hillary the fragment of the Moon Stone.

"Where did you get that?" asked Hillary with shock.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly," answered Tristan. "It wasn't there before we fell asleep. The Clefairy must have secretly trusted us enough to leave it in our care."

"May I see it, Tristan?" asked Hillary. "I've never touched a Moon Stone before."

"Sure, sis. Here's your chance," answered Tristan, as he handed the Moon Stone to Hillary to hold.

"This is amazing!" said Hillary. "I never knew that Clefairy could leave gifts for people, especially if they trust them."

"I didn't, either," said Tristan. "In the meantime, what do you say we have something to eat?"

"Pika!" agreed Pikachu.

"Okay," said Hillary. "I think we still have some leftover toast that Brock cooked for us."


After breakfast, Tristan and Hillary packed up and started finding their way out of Mount Moon. They didn't get very far when they spotted a woman with blue hair wearing blue police attire and white gloves.

"Is that a police officer?" asked Hillary.

"I think so," replied Tristan. "I want to see what's going on." He rushed over to the officer.

"No, Tristan, don't!" shouted Hillary. "She'll arrest you!"

But it was too late. Tristan was already halfway to the officer.

"He never listens," huffed Hillary. She followed Tristan.

Tristan met the officer, but she didn't arrest him. "Is something wrong?" he asked her.

"Well, yes there is," she replied. "My name is Officer Jenny, and I may need your help."

"What can we help you with?" asked Tristan.

"Well," replied Officer Jenny, "we've been getting reports of thieves stealing fossils from Mount Moon and they haven't left a clue."

"Hmmmm," thought Tristan. "This is going to be tough."

"I've been posting signs all over the routes near and inside Mount Moon," said Officer Jenny, "but so far, nobody has come forward with any new information. Either they're too scared of the thieves or maybe they just don't want to report it."

"What do the notices say?" asked Hillary.

"See for yourself," said Officer Jenny. She turned one sign around so Hillary and Tristan could read it. It read:

NOTICE!

THIEVES HAVE BEEN STEALING FOSSILS FROM MOUNT MOON!

PLEASE CALL OFFICER JENNY WITH ANY NEW INFORMATION!

"That makes me mad!" fumed Hillary. "Who in the world would do such a thing!?"

"I don't know, but would you two be willing to help out with this investigation?"

"We'll do it!" said Tristan, who was filled with determination. "The sooner we find the thieves, the sooner I can get to Cerulean City and earn another badge!"

"Pika!" added Pikachu.

"Then let the investigation begin!" said Officer Jenny.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Secret Strategy (as heard in "Charmander, the Stray Pokémon"))

Meanwhile, three figures were watching the friends from a distance. One was a woman with long red hair, another was a man with shoulder length periwinkle hair, and the third was a catlike Pokémon with whiskers and a gold charm on its forehead. The woman and man wore white uniforms with a red letter R on them.

"You know, it's been ages since we've been to Mount Moon. But now that there's a fossil heist going on, maybe we should get in on it, too," said the woman.

"We lost to those twerps not once, but twice here," said the man. "You and I were blown away by the Twerp's Butterfree last time. Then we lost our chance to steal the giant Moon Stone."

"Don't remind me," said the Pokémon. "I didn't have a nice 'drip.'" Not only was it able to talk, but it did so in a New York accent.

"Oh, that's right," said the woman. "You were hosed by that Staryu, weren't you?"

"But now, two more twerps and another Pikachu have shown up!" said the man.

"Not only will we make money selling all those fossils, we might get a bonus by stealing that Pikachu, too!" said the Pokémon.

"Let's hope so, especially after the Diglett and Dugtrio carried us from Hamlin Island back to this neck of the woods," said the woman.

"Let's get to work!" said the man.


Tristan, Hillary, and Officer Jenny went down to the deepest part of Mount Moon. They saw one person picking up fragments of Pokémon fossils on the ground. He was wearing a black uniform and cap with a red letter R on it.

"Do you know who that guy is, Officer Jenny?" whispered Tristan.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "That person is a member of an evil organization called Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket?" asked Hillary. "Who are they?"

(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveiled)

"Would you like me to tell you?" a voice asked. Another person had eavesdropped on their conversation and had snuck up behind them. He, too, was wearing a black uniform and cap with a red letter R on it. He was holding a fragment of a Pokémon fossil. "We, Team Rocket, are Pokémon gangsters!" he said. "You can just call me a Team Rocket Grunt.

"You must be one of the thieves Officer Jenny was talking about!" said Tristan, clenching his fist. "Just who are you, anyway?"

"Let go of that fossil!" demanded Hillary.

"Nope," said the Rocket Grunt. "I think I'll sell this treasure for a whole heap of money."

(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster)

Tristan had heard enough. "Butterfree, I choose you!" he shouted as he threw Butterfree's Pokéball. Butterfree materialized from the white light that came out of it.

"Okay, if that's how you want to play, then go, Sandshrew!" said the Rocket Grunt and threw his Pokéball.

A white light shot out and materialized into a yellow mammalian Pokémon with a white underbelly and triangular ears.

Tristan scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Sandshrew: The Mouse Pokémon," it said. "Sandsherew's body is dry. When it gets cold at night, its hide is said to be coated with a fine dew."

"Sandshrew, Scratch attack now!" ordered the Rocket Grunt. Sandshrew lunged forward with its front paws stretching out.

"All right, Butterfree, Confusion!" shouted Tristan.

Butterfree's eyes glowed light purple and so did Sandshrew's outline.

Sandshrew was lifted high into the air and couldn't escape.

Butterfree thrust its head downward causing Sandshrew to crash into the ground. Sandshrew had fainted.

"Sandshrew, return!" commanded the Rocket Grunt.

A red beam shot out of the Pokéball and surrounded Sandshrew, which de-materialized and disappeared inside.

The Rocket Grunt was getting mad. "Go, Ekans!" he shouted as he threw his second Pokéball.

A white light shot out and materialized into a purple serpentine Pokémon with a yellow rattle, eyes and a thick stripe around its neck.

Tristan scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Ekans: The Snake Pokémon," it said. "The older it gets, the longer it grows. It wraps its long body around trees to rest at night."

"Ekans, Poison Sting!" shouted the Rocket Grunt.

A barrage of darts shot out of Ekans' mouth toward the three friends.

"Send them all flying with Confusion, Butterfree!" commanded Tristan.

Butterfree's compound eyes glowed light purple.

All of the stingers were outlined in the same color. They stopped in midair, got turned around, and headed right back for Ekans. It got hit by its own attack.

"Now, Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" instructed Tristan. Butterfree flapped its wings and a shining blue cloud of powder was scatted from it. The powder landed all over Ekans, causing it to breathe it in, and soon, it was fast asleep.

"Ekans, return!" commanded the Rocket Grunt.

A red beam shot out of Ekans' Pokéball and surrounded it, causing it to de-materialize and disappear inside.

"Zubat, go!" shouted the Rocket Grunt, throwing another Pokéball.

A white light shot out of it and materialized into a blue bat with purple wings and no eyes.

"That Zubat looks just like the flock of Zubat we saw last night!" exclaimed Hillary.

"It's your turn, Pikachu," ordered Tristan. "Give it a Thundershock!"

Pikachu leaped from Tristan's shoulder and landed in front of him while facing Zubat. "Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" it shouted as a yellow lightning bolt shot out of its body and zapped Zubat. It fainted instantly.

"No! Zubat!" cried the Rocket Grunt. "I blew it!"

"You bet you did, Team Rocket Grunt!" replied Officer Jenny. "You're under arrest for stealing fossils from Mount Moon!"

Officer Jenny put her first pair of handcuffs on the Rocket Grunt, arresting him on the spot. She radioed the other officers for backup because she knew that there were more Team Rocket Grunts to look for.

"Darn it all!" fumed the Rocket Grunt. "My associates won't stand for this!"

"I have more officers on the way," said Officer Jenny to the kids. "As soon as they pick this guy up, I will catch up to you. You go ahead and take care of the other Team Rocket Grunts who are still on the loose."

"Right!" said Tristan and Hillary together. And they dashed off to find the second Rocket Grunt, who just happened to be right in front of them. He spied the two immediately and prepared for battle.

"We're pulling a big job here! Get lost, brats!" he demanded.

(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle)

"No way that's going to happen!" shouted Tristan. "Go, Butterfree!"

Butterfree, who had been racing with the kids, flew in front of Tristan and readied itself for battle.

"Okay, Ekans, get these kids!" shouted the second Rocket Grunt as he threw his first Pokéball.

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

"Butterfree, Confusion attack!" ordered Tristan.

Butterfree's eyes glowed in a light purple color, as did Ekans' outline. Butterfree's Confusion attack had Ekans in its grip. Butterfree thrust its head forward and caused Ekans to fly past the Grunt and crash into the ground. Ekans had fainted.

The second Rocket Grunt returned Ekans to its Pokéball. "Zubat, go get them!" he shouted as he threw its Pokéball.

Zubat materialized in front of the Grunt from the white light that shot out of it.

"Okay, Butterfree, Confusion now!" commanded Tristan.

Once again, Butterfree's eyes glowed light purple and so did Zubat's outline.

Zubat was hoisted into the air and was in the grip of Butterfree's attack.

Butterfree thrust its head forward, causing Zubat to fly into the Rocket Grunt. Not only did they knock each other out, but the battle caused a fragment of another fossil to fly into the air and safely into Hillary's hands.

"Way to go, Hillary!" praised Tristan. "You seem to be getting better at playing catch!"

An instant later, one of Officer Jenny's backup officers arrived on the scene and arrested the Grunt on the spot.

"So you are good," said the Rocket Grunt to Tristan. "If you find a fossil, give it to me and scram!"

"Like I said before, there's no way that's going to happen," said Tristan. "And besides, we have to find your other associates, wherever they are."

The officer thanked the kids for keeping the Rocket Grunt at bay. "Officer Jenny will be with you momentarily, kids," he said. "There are more officers on the way, also. We appreciate your assistance so far. In the meantime, you need to go ahead and get those thieves!"

"We will! Thanks very much!" called Hillary as she and Tristan raced away with Pikachu. Butterfree flew right behind them.

Meanwhile, the woman, man, and talking Pokémon were watching this turn of events a short distance away.

"Those other twerps are stealing back what we were planning to steal!" said the Pokémon.

"Oh, no, they're not!" said the woman, angrily.

"Then let's go after them!" said the man. And they rushed after Tristan and Hillary, who had no idea that they were following them.


Tristan and Hillary were rushing through one part of Mount Moon after another. All the while, they had no idea they were so close to the next thief. Just then, another person called right out to them.

"Hey! Boy and girl! Boy and girl! Come here!" he said.

"Are you addressing us?" asked Tristan.

"Greetings, my young athletic friends!" he said. "I am a salesman! I want you to have a look at this Pokémon!" He shoved what looked like a medium-sized fish with reddish orange scales, big round eyes, and pink lips close to Tristan's face.

"That's too close! Get it away!" said Tristan, whose voice was muffled by the Pokémon.

"What is that thing?" asked Hillary.

"The king of all carp: A Magikarp!" answered the salesman.

"So what are we supposed to do with it?" asked Tristan sarcastically.

(Music Cue: Goofball Alert (as heard in "Tricks of the Trade"))

"This Pokémon is one of the healthiest Pokémon in the world!" said the salesman. "Just see for yourselves!" He put the Magikarp in Hillary's hands, and it immediately started to flop around vigorously.

"It certainly feels like it's active!" said Hillary, who was surprised.

"Just between you and me," said the salesman, "this Magikarp is like a Pokémon gold mine!"

"Gold mine!?" asked Tristan, who was beginning to get suspicious. "Where's the proof?"

"A Magikarp lays 1,000 eggs at a time," he explained. "Each of these baby Magikarp lay another 1,000 more. That's a million Magikarp! And each of these one million Magikarp lays another thousand more eggs! That's a billion Magikarp!"

"I don't know if I want that many," said Hillary, nervously.

"Besides, what proof do you have that Magikarp is a Pokémon gold mine anyway?" asked Tristan.

"I've sold one Magikarp for a hundred dollars," explained the salesman. "In three generations, you will have tons of money! Billions and billions of dollars! You will be so rich that you will be on a Pokémon shopping spree! I normally charge a hundred dollars, but for you two, I will throw in an egg-laying set, child care set, and education set for only three hundred dollars. Okay?"

"You'd better check your Pokédex, Tristan," whispered Hillary. "I don't trust this guy."

"You're right," agreed Tristan. "He sounds like a con man to me." He got his Pokédex out and scanned Magikarp with it.

"Magikarp: The Fish Pokémon," it said. "Magikarp is famous for being unreliable. It can be found in seas, lakes, rivers, and shallow puddles."

The Magikarp salesman cringed upon hearing this information. His scheme had been found out by two kids and a high-tech piece of machinery.

"Pokémon gold mine, huh?" said Tristan, who was clearly annoyed. "Sorry, but we're not interested in Magikarp. Besides, Pokémon are to be caught by travelling trainers, not bought and sold by crooked salesmen like you!"

"Yeah, people like you shouldn't be in the business of selling anything, especially if they lie, cheat, and steal!" fumed Hillary.

"And besides, we have more important things to do, like chasing thieves!" added Tristan.

"So you can keep that Magikarp!" finished Hillary. And she threw the Magikarp back to the salesman, who caught it in his hand. Tristan and Hillary beat a hasty retreat and continued chasing after Team Rocket down the caves of Mount Moon.


Meanwhile, the trio of thieves, who had been chasing after the kids, had lost them because they ran so fast. The man seemed to be ahead of the other two members of the trio, but soon came across the Magikarp salesman.

(Music Cue: Goofball Alert as heard in "Tricks of the Trade"))

"Greetings, my blue haired friend," he said to the man. "Have you ever seen a finer looking Magikarp?"

"Why, no!" said the man. "It looks to me like Pokémon perfection!"

"Just between you and me, this Magikarp is like a Pokémon gold mine!" said the salesman.

"Gold mine?" asked the man.

"A Magikarp lays 1,000 eggs at a time," explained the salesman. Each of these baby Magikarp lay another 1,000 eggs. That's a million Magikarp! Each of those million Magikarp lay another one thousand eggs. That's a billion Magikarp!"

"A billion!?" said the man excitedly.

"I've sold one Magikarp for a hundred dollars," explained the salesman. "In three generations, you will have tons of money! Billions and billions of dollars! You will be so rich that you will be on a Pokémon shopping spree! I normally charge a hundred dollars, but for you, I will throw in an egg-laying set, child care set, and education set for only three hundred dollars. Okay?"

"I'll take it!" said the man. But just before he took the Magikarp from the salesman, he stopped and said, "Hey, wait a minute. This is like the scenario that came up in the St. Anne. And the crooked salesman looked a lot like…" He then realized who he was about to be conned by. "Aaaah!" he cried. "You're the same old swindler who tricked me before!"

The salesman cringed at being found out by the person who he conned in the past. "Bye now!" he said and dashed away.

"I'll get you!" roared the man as he started chasing after the Magikarp salesman. But soon after, he crashed into the woman and the talking Pokémon. They all rubbed their heads in pain and got back up.

"What happened?" moaned the woman.

"I think we all crashed into each other," groaned the talking Pokémon.

"Never mind that," said the man. "We left off with chasing the twerps."

"Then let's chase them already!" shouted the woman. And the trio dashed madly away to find Tristan and Hillary to attempt to steal the fossil fragments and Pikachu, too.


Tristan and Hillary were still running after Team Rocket even after escaping from one of the Magikarp salesman's nefarious schemes. They barely had enough time to catch their breath when yet another Rocket Grunt showed up in front of them.

(Music Cue: Let's Run!)

"Little kids should leave grown-ups alone!" he shouted.

"You need to leave those fossils alone!" countered Tristan.

"Are you trying to be mouthy, you little BRAT!?" screamed the Grunt. He threw his first Pokéball, which released a Zubat from a bright white light.

"Okay, Butterfree, use your Confusion!" shouted Tristan.

Butterfree flew in front of Tristan with its eyes glowing purple.

Zubat's outline glowed in the same color and was lifted into the air.

Butterfree thrust its head forward and caused Zubat to crash into the ground. Zubat had fainted.

"Ekans, get these brats now!" shouted the Grunt as he threw Ekans' Pokéball. A bright white light came out of it and materialized in front of the Grunt.

"Butterfree, use your Confusion attack!" ordered Tristan.

Once again, Butterfree's eyes glowed light purple.

Ekans' outline glowed in the same color and was lifted into the air.

Butterfree thrust its head forward and caused Ekans to fly into the Grunt, causing him to lose a fragment of yet another fossil.

Tristan caught the fragment and put it in his bag.

Ekans, however, was knocked out.

"I'm STEAMED!" the Grunt screamed as he was arrested by yet another backup officer.

"Thanks, kids. You've been a really big help to the police force," said the officer. "Officer Jenny will be here to escort the fossil fragments that you collected from the thieves to the Pewter Museum of Science. In the meantime, take this path to exit Mount Moon."

"Thanks! We will!" called Tristan as he and Hillary rushed away.


It wasn't long before Officer Jenny caught up with Tristan and Hillary.

"You two didn't have much trouble stopping the thieves, did you?" she asked.

"Nope, the last three battles were a piece of cake," answered Tristan.

"That's a relief," said Officer Jenny.

Presently, the three friends saw two fossils on the ground.

"Are those Pokémon fossils?" asked Hillary.

"They sure look like it," answered Tristan.

"They're a Dome Fossil and a Helix Fossil," said Officer Jenny. "Those are extremely rare and are very hard to come by."

"Hey, stop!" shouted a voice. It belonged to a skinny person with glasses and long hair. "I found these fossils! They're both mine!"

"What do you mean they're both yours?!" demanded Hillary. "We saw them first! What right do you have to claim both of them as your own?"
"She's right!" agreed Tristan. "Being greedy like this just isn't right or fair!"

"I'm a Super Nerd! You want to make something out of it?!" he shouted as he sent out his first Pokémon.

A white light shot out of the Pokéball and materialized into a spherical Pokémon that looked exactly like a Pokéball with eyes, minus the button.

"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Hillary.

"It's a Voltorb!" exclaimed Officer Jenny. "Be careful!"

"What's a Voltorb?" asked Tristan as he scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Voltorb: The Ball Pokémon," it said. "It is said to camouflage itself like a Pokéball. Voltorb may Self-Destruct without warning."

"You'd better be careful, Tristan," advised Hillary. "Who knows what we're in for if that thing Self-Destructs."

"Right!" said Tristan. "Go, Butterfree!"

(Music Cue: Chaos)

Once again, Butterfree flew in front of Tristan, ready for another battle.

"Okay, Butterfree, Confusion!" ordered Tristan.

"Voltorb, Self-Destruct now!" shouted the Super Nerd.

Voltorb's body began glowing in a white color. Electric yellow sparks were shooting out of its body. It was getting ready to explode!

"Butterfree, get out of there!" exclaimed Tristan as he and the others braced for the attack.

However, Voltorb's body exploded violently and caused the ground to shake.

Tristan and the others struggled to maintain their balance.

Butterfree seemed to take some damage from the shock waves of the explosion, but it was still in the battle.

As for Voltorb, using Self-Destruct caused it to faint instantly.

"Well, that was explosive," said Hillary.

"Are you okay, Butterfree?" asked Tristan.

Butterfree shook itself free of the soot and smoke from the explosion. It seemed to be shaken, but it nodded its response.

"What a relief," sighed Hillary.

The Super Nerd seemed to enjoy the first battle so much that he decided to do it again with his next Pokémon. "Go, Koffing!" he shouted as he threw his second Pokéball.

A white light shot out of the ball and materialized into what looked like a purple spherical Pokémon with vacant eyes and a big mouth with a cream-colored skull and crossbones below it. Tristan quickly scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Koffing: The Poison Gas Pokémon," it said. "In hot places, this Pokémon's internal gas could expand and explode without warning. Trainers beware!"

"Okay, Koffing!" said the Super Nerd gleefully. "If these guys liked the last explosion, they'll LOVE this one! Self-Destruct!"

"Not again!" exclaimed Tristan, Hillary, and Officer Jenny together.

Like Voltorb, Koffing glowed in a white light, but purple sparks shot out of its body. Then, Koffing exploded and covered everyone in soot and smoke.

Again, Butterfree took some damage, but remained in the battle.

Koffing fainted, too, however.

"That guy just loves to see things go boom!" mused Tristan.

"Let's go, Grimer!" shouted the Super Nerd as he threw his third Pokéball.

A bright white light shot out of the ball and materialized into what looked like an amorphous blob-like Pokémon with living sludge. It had beady eyes and a gaping mouth as well as two arms with three digits on each hand. The smell of that Pokémon was so potent that Tristan and his friends had to cover their noses.

"What's that smell!?" exclaimed Hillary.

"It's a Grimer!" answered Officer Jenny.

"So what's a Grimer?" asked Tristan as he scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Grimer: The Sludge Pokémon," it said. "Born from sludge, these Pokémon specialize in using Sludge attacks."

"That really stinks!" exclaimed Hillary.

"Agreed," said Tristan. "It's time to send that Grimer packing." Before the Super Nerd could order Grimer to use an attack, Tristan had Butterfree use Confusion on Grimer.

Once again, Butterfree's eyes glowed light purple, as did Grimer's outline. Grimer was lifted into the air and was tossed back into the Super Nerd, knocking each other out.

The Super Nerd woke up and returned Grimer to its Pokéball. Then he noticed Tristan and Hilalry glaring at him.

Officer Jenny watched from close by.

"Okay! I'll share!" he cried.

"Do you promise not to get greedy?" asked Hillary.

"I promise," he said. "And to prove it, I'll give these fossils to Officer Jenny to donate to the Pewter Museum of Science." He handed them over to her.

"Thank you very much," she said. "Because of your generous donation, the Pewter Museum of Science staff will be very happy."

"I'm just glad I could help, ma'am," said the Super Nerd. And he left the room.

"Well, that was easy," said Tristan.

"Hey, Tristan, you'd better take a look at Butterfree," advised Hillary.

Butterfree was panting heavily from all the battles it had fought and had sweat dripping all over its face.

Tristan was spending so much time thinking about the crisis on Mount Moon that he had forgotten about Butterfree's health. Tristan was shocked that he let it go this far.

"I'm sorry about that, Butterfree," he said. "You'd better rest in your Pokéball." He aimed the Pokéball's button toward Butterfree.

A red beam of energy shot out of it and surrounded Butterfree, which transformed into a red energy field and disappeared inside.

Just then, two mechanical claws grabbed the two fossils from behind the three friends and yanked them out of Officer Jenny's hands. To make matters worse, a rubber hand grabbed Pikachu from behind as well.

"Pikachu!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Who did that!?" demanded Hillary.

(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Motto (as heard in "The Totodile Duel"))

The response came from the man, the woman, and the talking Pokémon who laughed maniacally. They had followed them the entire time and had succeeded in stealing Pikachu and the fossils.

"Prepare for trouble!" said the woman.

"Yes, and make it double!" said the man. Then they both recited a motto.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" chimed the Pokémon, who stood between Jessie and James.

"So you three are part of Team Rocket, too!" exclaimed Tristan. "Give back Pikachu!"

"And give back those fossils, too!" demanded Hillary.

"You three are under arrest for stealing Pikachu and the fossils!" said Officer Jenny. "Those fossils don't belong to you!"

"Who says they don't?" asked Jessie.

"Besides, who wants to listen to two twerps and a demanding officer?" put in James.

"Maybe you can think about something else, okay?" finished Meowth.

"Pikachu, Thundershock!" ordered Tristan.

Pikachu tried shooting a yellow lightning bolt toward the Team Rocket trio, but the rubber glove just absorbed the attack. As a result, Pikachu's attack had failed.

The Team Rocket trio laughed.

Meowth cackled and said, "If you think we haven't prepared for ways to deal with Pikachu's attacks, you got another thing coming!"

"You see," said James, "we've been tailing another twerp and another Pikachu for a long time and we were hoping to capture it. But now that we've seen another Pikachu, we've decided to take a chance and steal this one just for the fun of it."

"You three are awful!" fumed Hillary.

Tristan had had enough. He had to save Pikachu, and quick! "Pidgey, I choose you!" He threw Pidgey's Pokéball.

Pidgey had materialized from the white light that shot out of it.

"Go, Arbok!" yelled Jessie.

"Go, Weezing!" commanded James. They both threw their Pokéballs at the same time.

The light from Jessie's Pokéball materialized into what looked like a purple cobra with scales. It had an angry face design on its hood, which was below its head. It had a wide black streak like a mouth and a V-shaped stripe about the face pattern.

The light from James' Pokéball materialized into two spherical heads connected by a thin tube with another sphere in the center. The left head was larger than the smaller one. It had a cream-colored skull and crossbones below the larger face but the smaller face had a bright yellow circle below it. Tristan quickly scanned both Pokémon on his Pokédex.

"Arbok: The Cobra Pokémon: The evolved form of Ekans," it said. "The frightening patterns on its body have been studied. Six variations have been confirmed.

"Weezing: The Poison Gas Pokémon: The evolved form of Koffing. It lives and grows by absorbing dust, germs, and poison gases that are contained in toxic waste and garbage."

Hillary was outraged. "Hey!" she shouted. "Two against one is unfair!"

"She's right!" added Tristan. "That's cheating!"

"All's fair in love and war," said Jessie, "but cheating is one of the lessons that we've taken in bad guy school."

"She's right," added James. "If we hadn't done that, we never would have succeeded in joining Team Rocket in the first place."

"Yeah!" agreed Meowth. "We've loined a lot of bad tings along the way. Now dat we got dat straight, let's go get dat tiny bird!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Showdown at Dark City"))

"Arbok, Poison Sting attack!" shouted Jessie.

"Weezing, use your Sludge attack!" ordered James.

A barrage of darts shot out of Arbok's mouth while dark brown sludge shout out from Weezing's two mouths. Both attacks were headed toward Pidgey.

However, Pidgey just stood there, unaware of the danger.

Tristan was getting worried. "Quick, Pidgey! Get out of the way!" yelled Tristan.

Pidgey just turned its head away from Tristan. It was still not obeying orders. But once Pidgey saw how fast the double attack was going toward it, it climbed up from the ground at the last second.

"Pidgey, Tackle attack!" commanded Tristan.

But instead of using Tackle, Pidgey used Quick Attack, leaving a white trail behind it. It just missed Arbok, but it managed to hit Weezing.

Tristan hit his face in embarrassment. "That's not what I wanted," he moaned. He turned to Pidgey. "Come on, Pidgey! If we want to win, you've got to listen to what I'm telling you!"

Pidgey just turned away from Tristan.

"Please, Pidgey," begged Tristan. "I need your help! Pikachu's in trouble and we need to get it back!"

"Weezing, Smokescreen now!" commanded James.

Dark green smoke was released from the holes in Weezing's body. It surrounded the entire room.

Everyone struggled to see, including Pidgey.

Tristan, Hillary, and Officer Jenny found it difficult to breathe in the smog and started coughing.

"Arbok, Wrap attack!" ordered Jessie.

Arbok got through the smog and wrapped its huge body around Pidgey. It squeezed its foe very tightly.

Pidgey couldn't move.

"Pidgey, no!" hacked Tristan, who was still coughing from Weezing's attack.

Pidgey struggled to break free, but it only seemed to get squeezed even tighter.

But just then, Pidgey was bathed in a bright white light.

This time, Arbok struggled to keep ahold of Pidgey, but soon lost its grip as Pidgey began to evolve and grow bigger in size.

Everyone was astounded, including Tristan. "What's going on with Pidgey?" he asked.

(Music Cue: Gym 1997-1998 (as heard in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne"))

As Pidgey evolved and grew in size, it grew more flight feathers on its wings. After it evolved it had pink feathers on its head and an alternating pattern of pink and yellow tail feathers. Tristan scanned the newly-evolved Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Pidgeotto: The Bird Pokémon: The evolved form of Pidgey," it said. "Pidgeotto is full of vitality. It constantly flies around its territory in search of prey."

"It sure looks powerful," remarked Officer Jenny.

"But will it obey Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"We're about to find out," answered Tristan. He turned to Pidgeotto. "Okay, Pidgeotto, let's show Team Rocket how powerful you are with your Quick Attack!"

This time, Pidgeotto charged toward Arbok and Weezing leaving a white trail behind it. It was obeying Tristan not because he had asked it to, but because it wanted to show off its newfound power. Tristan didn't realize it yet, however. Pidgeotto successfully rammed into Arbok and Weezing, scoring a direct hit.

Jessie was losing her patience. "Don't let that little birdbrain beat you, Arbok!" she shouted. "Use your Poison Sting!"

"Weezing, use your Sludge attack!" ordered James.

Another barrage of darts shot out of Arbok's mouth while dark brown sludge shot out of Weezing's two mouths, but Pidgeotto was ready for it.

"Pidgeotto, Gust attack!" commanded Tristan.

Pidgeotto flapped its wings furiously, causing a huge gust of wind to blow from them. Pidgeotto's Gust attack packed so much of a wallop that it blew Arbok and Weezing right into Team Rocket, releasing Pikachu from the rubber glove and the bag of fossils from Team Rocket's grip.

Pikachu ran toward Tristan as Hillary caught the bag.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.

"Pikachu!" it replied.

The Team Rocket trio cringed.

"I've got bad news!" said Jessie.

"It's a shocking feeling," added James.

"Looks like our chances at victory just got zapped," finished Meowth.

"Okay, Pikachu, give them your Thundershock!" commanded Tristan.

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" it shouted as a yellow lightning bolt shot out of Pikachu's body. Team Rocket screamed as they got zapped. Pikachu's attack caused an explosion, sending the trio flying through the cave roof into the sky.

"Another twerp beat us!?" exclaimed Jessie.

"It sure looks that way," answered James, "and he was only a beginner."

"Now it looks like we're blasting off at da speed o' light!" said Meowth.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted as they flew south and disappeared with a star to mark their flight.

DING!

Back on Mount Moon, Tristan congratulated his Pokémon.

"Great work, Pikachu and Pidgeotto. You two showed Team Rocket," he said. However, he turned to see Pidgeotto had fallen fast asleep.

(Music Cue: Route 3: The Road to Cerulean City)

"Oh, come on, Pidgeotto!" he complained. "Won't you ever listen to me?"

"It sounds to me like your Pidgeotto has some obedience issues to work out," said Officer Jenny.

"Well, let's look on the bright side, big bro," said Hillary. "At least we got those fossil fragments back."

"And Pikachu, too," added Tristan.

"We sure did," said Officer Jenny. "I salute you for your hard work and cooperation. Thank you both."

"Aw, shucks!" laughed Tristan nervously.


Officer Jenny guided Tristan and Hillary to the other side of Mount Moon a short time later.

"Take Route 4 to the east and you will reach Cerulean City," she advised.

"We will," replied Tristan.

"Thanks to you, my investigation on Mount Moon is now complete," said Officer Jenny. "And now we have the fossil fragments to donate to the Pewter Museum of Science. I have to get back to Pewter City for more of my own work, so take care."

"Thanks, Officer Jenny!" called Tristan and Hillary. "You, too!" They waved goodbye as Officer Jenny walked back into the cave on her way back to Pewter City.

Presently, Tristan noticed a sign.

"Looks like this sign points us to Cerulean City," he said. "But wait a minute…what does the other tiny print say?" He looked at the writing. It read:

GARY WAS HERE!

ASH IS A LOSER!

"It sounds like Ash and Gary have a fierce rivalry going, doesn't it?" said Hillary.

"It sure looks that way," replied Tristan. "That must have been made a long time ago, but I'm surprised that that sign hasn't been replaced yet."

"Come on, Tristan," said Hillary. "Let's get going."


After heading out of Mount Moon, Tristan and Hillary are happy in the knowledge that they defeated Team Rocket and got all the fossil fragments back in the right hands. And so these two friends continue on their way to Cerulean City and Tristan's next Gym battle.

► TO BE CONTINUED