AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is Chapter 8 of Tristan and Hillary's adventures through the Kanto region. Misty's sisters are in this one, just so you know. They had been showing The Magical Mermaid at the Cerulean Gym for quite awhile, even with Team Rocket's interference on their first day. The story of The Magical Mermaid will be slightly different than what it is in the anime partly because Team Rocket won't be in it, but they have been mentioned. As always, please feel free to read, review, and ask questions. Enjoy yourselves in the meantime.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have finally made it to Cerulean City. But when they show up at the Gym, the Sensational Sisters tell them that they're a few actors short. Will our young heroes be able to help?
Chapter 8. THE MAGICAL MERMAID
(Music Cue: Opening &Title Screen 1997-1998 (as heard in "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon"))
After their latest adventure on Mount Moon, Tristan and Hillary have finally made it to Cerulean City. Of course, there is only one thing on Tristan's mind.
"I can hardly wait to earn another badge!" said Tristan excitedly. "Let's go to the Gym now!"
"Hold it, Tristan," advised Hillary. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Tristan suddenly remembered. "That's right," he said. "Thanks to our battles with Team Rocket, my Pokémon are exhausted. They need a good rest."
So Tristan and Hillary decided to head over to the Pokémon Center to give his Pokémon a well-deserved rest.
Nurse Joy greeted them warmly when they got inside.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center," she said.
"Could you take care of my Pokémon for me please?" asked Tristan.
"Sure, I'll take care of them," answered Nurse Joy.
Tristan handed his Pokémon to her, and then, he and Hillary grabbed a bite to eat in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. It was there that they saw a poster advertising the performance of an underwater ballet called The Magical Mermaid.
The poster contained a photo of three beautiful women wearing swim suits. The first woman had pink hair, the second had violet hair, and the third had yellow hair. They were known throughout the world as the Sensational Sisters. There was also a picture of a woman dressed in a mermaid costume.
"These women in the poster sure look beautiful," said Tristan. "Even though I want to have a Gym Battle now, it would be worth it to see the show before then."
"I agree," said Hillary. "I've never seen an underwater ballet before. Besides, the performance might give you some ideas on how to take on the Gym Leader's Pokémon in your next Gym battle."
"I assume that there will be Pokémon swimming along with them," added Tristan.
"The ballet takes place at the Gym, which is the same place you want to have your Gym Battle," said Hillary.
"So as soon as we get finished eating, let's get tickets," Tristan advised.
"Okay," said Hillary.
Just then, the recovery signal rang.
Nurse Joy came out with Pikachu and Tristan's other two Pokémon.
"Here are your Pokémon, Tristan," she said.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Tristan. He then asked her about the performance times for The Magical Mermaid and where to get tickets.
"Oh, it's easy," answered Nurse Joy. "You just get them at the Gym. The tickets will show your seat numbers. The last performance of the day begins at four, so be sure to be at the Gym half an hour ahead of time."
"We will," said Tristan and Hillary together. It was already three o'clock, and they needed to get to the Gym. Fortunately for their efforts, it was close to the Pokémon Center. And they dashed over to the gym so they could enjoy the show.
The Cerulean City Gym looked like a brightly colored dome with a gigantic painting of a Dewgong at the top of it. At the Gym, the three Sensational Sisters were facing a problem. Even though they had been enjoying their success for the past five months, they were a few cast members short for their last performance of the day, and they needed to find new guest stars, and fast.
The pink-haired woman spoke first. "Ever since our sister Misty came to the Gym and help defeat that awful Team Rocket, we've had our shows sold out until next month," she said.
"I know," the blonde-haired woman replied. "But now that it's just us, we've been taking turns playing the magical mermaid, the villains, and the prince."
"But there's too much repetition and not enough people to help us," added the violet-haired woman. "We need to have at least one more person in our play, or we're sunk."
Just then, Tristan and Hillary appeared.
"Hello, there. We'd like two tickets for The Magical Mermaid, please." said Tristan.
"Welcome to the play!" said the blonde-haired woman excitedly. She dashed to the two surprised children. "We're so glad you're here because we need your help."
"Need our help?" asked Hillary. "What for?"
"We've been searching for two guests to perform the protagonist and the prince," replied the pink-haired woman.
"We'd like to help, but we don't know our lines," said Tristan.
"Tristan's right," added Hillary. "It would be impossible to memorize our lines in a limited amount of time. And besides, the last show of the day is in one hour."
"Don't worry about that," assured the violet-haired woman. "I may have been the scriptwriter for the play, but you can just make up your lines as you go."
"Oh, I get it," said Tristan. "Use improvisation."
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the blond-haired woman said. "My name's Daisy. I'm the oldest of the three Sensational Sisters."
"My name's Violet," the violet-haired woman said. "I'm the second oldest."
"I'm Lily," the pink-haired woman said. "I'm the third oldest."
"It's nice to meet you all," said Hillary.
"Could you please tell us how the play is supposed to work?" asked Tristan.
"I'll explain it to both of you since I'm the scriptwriter," she replied. She began to tell the story's plot.
"Once, there was a mermaid swimming along with her Water Pokémon friends. That's you, Hillary," she said to her, then continued the story. "But one day, while playing underwater with her friends, two villains appear and capture the mermaid. They demand to know where the coveted underwater treasure is, and when she doesn't tell them, they get really rough with her.
"Just when the villains appear to have won, a handsome prince appears and comes to her rescue. That's you, Tristan," said Violet, who turned to Tristan. She continued the story. "The prince and mermaid settle their differences, raise a family of Seel and live happily ever after."
"It sounds like a good story," said Hillary, "but how in the world am I going to be able to breathe underwater?"
"You'll use this, of course," replied Daisy, holding what looked like a mini-propeller in her hand.
"What's that?" asked Hillary.
"It's a mouthpiece," replied Daisy. "It's worn between the wearer's lips and will help them breathe underwater."
"So Hillary will be able to breathe underwater like a mermaid, but what about being an actual mermaid?" asked Tristan.
"We've got that covered," answered Lily. She dug out a mermaid costume from her costume trunk.
"This costume will help you not only look like a mermaid, but also swim like one," said Violet. She handed the costume to Hillary.
"Come on, Hillary. Let's try this costume on," suggested Daisy. She took Hillary into a dressing room.
"As for you, Tristan," said Lily, "you get to wear this handsome costume." She handed it to Tristan, along with a crown.
"I'll take you into the second dressing room, Tristan, but you'll have to dress alone," advised Violet.
"It's just as well, Violet," said Tristan. "I'd rather dress without needing any help, anyway." Violet led him to the second dressing room.
Two minutes later, Tristan and Hillary came out dressed as the prince and mermaid, respectively. Hillary was wearing makeshift waterproof flippers on her feet and a bikini. Tristan's costume was full of royalty and came equipped with a plastic sword in a makeshift sheath along with a plastic crown on his head. Both costumes fit them perfectly.
"Well, what do you think, ladies?" asked Daisy to Violet and Lily.
"Perfect!" squealed both ladies together.
Tristan felt somewhat honored. "Well, I do want to be a royal cast member and treat my audience as my friend," he said.
Hillary, on the other hand, felt embarrassed. "I never thought that I would look like a person with fins before," she said.
"That's what mermaids look like," said Daisy.
"Wait a second!" said Tristan. "Who's going to watch Pikachu?"
"Pika!" agreed Pikachu.
Violet suddenly had an idea. "We'll have Pikachu be your partner who electrocutes the villains after you save the magical mermaid!" she said.
"But, you'll get hurt!" stumbled Tristan.
"Don't worry," said Lily. "We've got rubber gloves and other drying equipment, so as soon as we're dry, we'll be fine."
"That's right," added Daisy. "We'll just pretend to be shocked by Pikachu's Electric attacks."
"Well, in that case, are you ready to act, Pikachu?" asked Tristan to Pikachu.
"Pika-Pikachu!" answered Pikachu excitedly.
"Then let's get to the stage because it's almost show time!" shouted Violet happily.
The main part of the Cerulean Gym contained a pool. The bleachers were full of spectators, who were anxiously waiting for the show to begin. Hillary was waiting on top of the diving board behind the curtain. Tristan and Pikachu were standing by backstage, waiting for their cues later in the show.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience!" announced Daisy over the public address system. "Our underwater ballet, The Magical Mermaid, performed by the exciting and talented Cerulean Sensational Sisters and two guest stars is about to begin!"
After the announcement, the audience applauded, the house lights dimmed, and the pool rose up, transforming into a glass aquarium. The people in the audience were amazed at the transformation of the pool and the underwater floodlight.
(Music Cue: Surf (The Sea) M40)
As the stage lights came on over the many Water-type Pokémon and the curtain opened, Daisy began narrating the story.
"Once upon a time, in a beautiful peaceful lagoon, there lived happy water Pokémon, who spent many playful hours with their friend, the Magical Mermaid."
At that cue, the spotlight came on Hillary, who gracefully jumped off the diving board and dove underwater. Thanks to her mouthpiece, she was able to breathe underwater just like a fish. She began to swim and dance along with the other Water-type Pokémon, who thought she was a good dancer.
Tristan and Pikachu were filled with awe. "I wish I could swim and do a ballet dance as gracefully as Hillary does," he whispered to Pikachu.
"Pika," whispered Pikachu in agreement.
The audience was just as awestruck about Hillary's graceful underwater dance as Tristan and Pikachu were. Daisy continued her story as Hillary and the other Pokémon played underwater. The stage light turned orange and eventually dark blue.
"Everyone in the calm lagoon passed day after day in joyous song and dance, and in happy frolic and play, before drifting off in peaceful sleep."
Hillary yawned and pretended to fall asleep in a clam shell, which she closed herself. The other Water-type Pokémon yawned and acted in the same way as Daisy continued the story over the P.A. system.
"The magical mermaid's Water Pokémon all lived their lives in peace and harmony…until one day, two terrible villains appeared."
(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveiled)
Another spotlight came on over the diving board and shone on Lily and Violet, who were dressed as villains in water costumes. They also wore mouthpieces so they could breathe underwater. They jumped off the diving board and swam toward the clam shell.
A Horsea alerted Hillary to the approaching "villains" on cue. "Sea! Sea!" it cried.
"What is it?" asked Hillary as the "Magical Mermaid" to the Horsea. She saw the villains approach the shell and trembled.
"Greetings, Magical Mermaid," said Violet as the "first villain."
"We have a little demand for you to follow for us," said Lily as the "second villain."
"Word has it that you know about the mysterious and powerful treasure called the magical orb," said "the first villain." "It has the ability to unite humans and mermaids like you together. And after that happens, they can raise as many Pokémon as they want as friends and family."
"Now tell us where that treasure is!" demanded the "second villain."
"I will never tell you who the treasure is!" shouted the "Magical Mermaid."
"Do it or else!" ordered the "first villain."
"Never!" shouted the "Magical Mermaid."
"Then it's time for us to take you away!" shouted "both villains."
(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster)
Daisy continued the story over the P.A. system.
"The Magical Mermaid was forced to aid the villains in the search for the magical orb, which had the remarkable ability to unite mermaids and humans together, allowing them to raise as many Pokémon as friends and family as they wanted. If that orb fell into the wrong hands, then the orb would destroy itself, causing everyone in the sea and on land to fight against one another in undersea wars, in which, there would be no humans left. In other words, they would all drown and cease to exist."
The audience was on the edge of their seats, watching in excitement and wonder to see how the Magical Mermaid would get out of this predicament. All the while, Daisy's voice continued to tell the story on the P.A. system.
"The Magical Mermaid and the villains finally found the orb. Then, the villains grabbed it with such force, that the Magical Mermaid had to grab on to it in order to try and foil the villains' plans."
"Now, let go of that orb and be on your merry wet way!" said the "first villain."
"Yeah, get your hands off that magical orb and drift off, like a good little mermaid!" demanded the "second villain."
"Not on your life!" countered the "Magical Mermaid." "This jewel and these Pokémon don't belong to you, and you don't belong here!"
Daisy's voice continued on the P.A. system. "But just when all hope seemed to be lost, a charming and handsome prince arrived to save the day."
Tristan learned that cue from reading the script just before the play and motioned Pikachu to stay backstage until its cue was heard. With that, he put on his own mouthpiece and dove into the water from the top of the diving board, waterproof prince costume and all.
"Okay, hold it right there!" shouted the "prince."
"And who in the ocean are you?!" demanded the "first villain."
"I am the 'handsome prince' the narrator was talking about," he replied, "and I'm here to stop you and save the entire world from your evil!"
Daisy was watching the underwater ballet play from backstage. She was impressed with Tristan and Hillary's acting skills. "For two kids who say they couldn't memorize their lines in an hour, they're sure doing a great job of improvising," she whispered.
"Please help me, 'handsome prince,'" pleaded the "Magical Mermaid." "If you don't, an unstoppable war between the land and sea will consume the entire world! And pure-hearted humans like you will cease to exist in this world!"
"What do you mean, 'Magical Mermaid?'" asked the "prince."
"I'm trying to keep this magical orb from the greedy hands of these villains," grunted the "Mermaid" as she struggled desperately to keep ahold of the magic orb. "Please…you've gotta help me!"
(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "Good 'Quil Hunting"))
Daisy continued the story over the P.A. just as the audience was on the edge of their seats. "With that desperate plea, the 'prince' dove into the pool with no thought for his own safety. He used his trusty sword to battle the villains. However, they were equal to the occasion as they used their own swords. But they were no match for the 'prince's' excellent swordsmanship and he used it to slacken the villains' grip on the magical orb. He chased them up to the surface and motioned the mermaid to follow him up there and out of the water. After he and the 'mermaid' made their way out of the water, he called for his trusty Pikachu."
"Okay, Pikachu, give them your Thundershock!" commanded the "prince."
"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Pikachu as it shot a yellow bolt of electricity from the sacs on its cheeks toward the "villains." Lily and Violet took extra precautions by wearing rubber gloves and drying themselves off before they were hit by Pikachu's attack. So they screamed and acted like they were getting shocked when in fact they were not.
"Let's get out of here!" shouted the "first villain."
"Right behind you!" replied the "second villain."
The two "villains" ran as fast as they could off the stage.
Daisy continued on with the story from the P.A. "Thanks to the 'prince's' act of heroism, the mermaid instantly fell in love with him. They shared their first kiss. As they did, the mermaid transformed into a human."
(Music Cue: I Got a Victory Badge! (as heard in "The Battle of the Badge"))
A spotlight shone on Hillary, giving her the transformation effect. Her fins became legs and feet. She slipped out of her flippers and walked toward Tristan. The audience gasped in awe.
"The 'prince' and 'former mermaid' were married while a family of Seel came up to the surface to watch the ceremony," continued Daisy.
"Seel!" they exclaimed joyously as they clapped their fins.
The other Water Pokémon cried out in joy.
Daisy concluded the story over the P.A. "With the Seel and the other Water Pokémon celebrating along, the newly-wed couple raised a family of Seel and the other Water Pokémon like a family and lived happily ever after. As for the two 'villains,' they had run away from that general area and were never seen again. The end."
The audience cheered and gave a big round of applause for the actors and guest stars.
Daisy, Lily, and Violet came to the front of the stage first and took their bows. Next, Tristan and Pikachu came to the front of the stage and took their bows. Then, Hillary came to the front of the stage and bowed. And finally, the Water Pokémon came up and cried out in joy. It was one of the best shows since Team Rocket came to it on the opening day.
(Music Cue: To Be Continued)
Tristan, Hillary, and the three Sensational Sisters were back in their regular clothes again after the underwater ballet was over. They were all enjoying burgers and fries at the Pokémon Center's cafeteria when night fell.
"Thank you so much for acting in our underwater ballet," said Daisy. "We totally couldn't have done it without you."
"You two were like totally amazing!" added Lily.
"And you were totally brilliant!" finished Violet.
"Aw, shucks, ladies!" said Tristan, who blushed. "We were just happy it all worked out."
"Tristan has a point there," said Hillary. "I never thought that this play would be so easy to learn in just an hour."
"Now before we go any further," said Daisy, "we were all just curious on why you two came to Cerulean City."
"We came here in the first place so I could compete for another Gym badge," replied Tristan. "Will you have a battle with me?"
"We'd be happy to accept your challenge," said the three Sensational Sisters together.
"Do you know what the rules are for this match?" asked Hillary.
"This Gym match will consist of three one-on-one matches," explained Lily. "The first trainer to win the best two out of three matches will be the winner."
"Got it," said Tristan.
"Let's have our Gym Battle tomorrow and attract some more people," suggested Violet.
"That way our Pokémon will be fully rested and ready for more action," added Lily.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," replied Tristan.
"Pikachu!" agreed Pikachu excitedly.
"Then it's decided," said Daisy. "We'll get a good night's rest and have our Gym battle tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll set up posters for tomorrow's battle."
Daisy, Lily, and Violet bid Tristan and Hillary goodnight and went back to the Gym to set up for the next day.
After a short stint as actors, Tristan and Hillary make new friends in the process. Now with one good night's sleep, Tristan will be ready to face the Sensational Sisters in his second Gym Battle.
► TO BE CONTINUED
