AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is Chapter 12 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue on their journey through Kanto. It's a little shorter, and it may be just a little predictable, but as always, please read, review, and enjoy. Feedback is welcome, too.
TEASER: Blue has come back to challenge Tristan to another battle. Will Tristan be able to defeat him again or will he suffer defeat himself?
Chapter 12: A RIVAL RETURNS
(Music Cue: Route 1: The Road to Viridian City M18A)
After welcoming Charmander to the ever-growing Pokémon family, Tristan and his friends, Hillary and Pikachu, have decided to make one last visit to Cerulean City before making their way to their next destination, Vermilion City, by making their way through the underground tunnel between Routes 5 and 6.
"Wow, Tristan, you should be very happy now," remarked Hillary. "You not only have a Bulbasaur, but now you have a Charmander, too. That's two more Pokémon you weren't expecting to get."
"I agree," replied Tristan. "But the only reason why these two came along with me is because we were willing to help them out. It's always been a team effort."
"I guess that's true," said Hillary.
"And I also have Butterfree, Pidgeotto, and Pikachu to thank for helping me get this far," added Tristan.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" implored Hillary.
"That's all the Pokémon I have, sis," said Tristan. "I can't think of anyone else to thank."
"Like your little sister?" said Hillary, getting closer to Tristan.
"Oh, that's right," said Tristan, who suddenly remembered. "I guess I should thank you as well."
"That's more like it," chuckled Hillary.
Tristan and Hillary were just about to leave Cerulean City when suddenly...
"Yo, Tristan! You're still struggling along back here?"
Tristan could think of only one person who would say that. "Don't tell me it's Blue," he groaned to Hillary.
"It's Blue," replied Hillary.
"I asked you not to tell me that," sighed Tristan.
"I'm doing great!" said Blue excitedly. "I caught a bunch of strong and super smart Pokémon! Let's see what you've got, Tristan!" He threw his first Pokéball.
A Spearow materialized from the white light that shot out of it.
Tristan was very surprised. "That's the same Spearow I battled when we were near Pewter City!" he said.
"Yep!" replied Blue. "Now, have you gotten any stronger or are you too chicken to battle me?"
Tristan couldn't take Blue's insults any longer. "All right, you're on!" he shouted.
"Ha ha ha ha!" laughed Blue. "I knew you couldn't resist battling me!"
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," said Tristan as he took out his first Pokéball.
"What's the matter, Tristan?" taunted Blue. "Are you afraid of using your puny little Pikachu to battle my Spearow because its beak will give it some real damage?" He laughed again.
Pikachu growled at that insult while some electric sparks sizzled on its cheeks.
"Take it easy, Pikachu," said Tristan, patting its head. "Blue's just trying to get to us, but we'll show him how much stronger we've gotten."
"That's the spirit, Tristan," said Hillary.
Tristan turned to Blue. "No, Blue," he replied. "I'm saving Pikachu for later."
"Show me what you will use, then," said Blue, who was still being cocky.
"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his first Pokéball.
Pidgeotto materialized from the white light and squawked, awaiting Tristan's directions for battle.
Blue was intrigued by Pidgeotto. "Looks like your Pidgey evolved," said Blue, "but I bet it's still a disobedient birdbrain! Spearow, Peck attack now!"
(Music Cue: Raid!)
Spearow charged in toward Pidgeotto with its beak out in front, ready to peck Pidgeotto.
"Now, Pidgeotto, climb up!" ordered Tristan.
Instantly, Pidgeotto gained altitude and dodged Spearow's attack, much to Blue's surprise.
"Not bad, so you got it to obey you," said Blue. "I'm not impressed. But maybe you'll be impressed with this! Spearow, Fury Attack!"
Spearow flew up and started diving down on Pidgeotto, once again with its beak as the driving force of its attack, ready to peck Pidgeotto repeatedly.
"Pidgeotto, get out of the way!" commanded Tristan.
Again, Pidgeotto dodged Spearow's attack, causing it to miss.
"Okay, Pidgeotto, let's show Spearow your Gust attack now!" instructed Tristan.
Pidgeotto furiously flapped its wings, causing a big gust of wind to blow towards Spearow. Spearow found it difficult to maintain its position in the air and was blown to the ground, much to Blue's worry.
"Quick, Spearow, get up!" yelled Blue.
Spearow struggled to get on its feet, but found it to be very difficult because of the damage taken from Pidgeotto's Gust attack.
"Now's our chance, Pidgeotto, Quick Attack now!" he shouted.
Pidgeotto sped towards a defenseless Spearow, leaving a white trail behind it. It successfully rammed into Spearow, scoring a direct hit.
As for Spearow, it crashed into the ground and had fainted on the spot.
"No, Spearow!" cried Blue.
Pidgeotto came to a safe landing on the ground.
"Way to go, Pidgeotto," said Tristan. "You really showed him what you can do."
Pidgeotto squawked happily.
Blue returned Spearow to its Pokéball and put it in his pocket. He then took out his second Pokéball. "Go, Sandshrew!" he shouted as he threw his second Pokéball.
A yellow mammalian Pokémon with a white underbelly materialized from the white light that shot out of it.
"Pidgeotto, return!" called Tristan as he aimed the Pokéball's button toward it.
Pidgeotto transformed into a red field of energy and disappeared inside the ball.
"Return?" asked Blue. He was very confused.
"That's right, Blue," answered Tristan. "I caught a Pokémon I think you're going to find very interesting."
"You're just bluffing," said Blue.
"I'm not bluffing, Blue," replied Tristan as he took out another Pokéball. "I choose you...Bulbasaur!" He threw Bulbasaur's Pokéball.
Bulbasaur materialized from the white light that came out of it.
"When did you get that?" asked Blue.
"I just got it," answered Tristan. "It needed someone with love and care to take it along for the ride."
"Bulba," added Bulbasaur.
"Love and care. Bah!" scoffed Blue. "No matter. Sandshrew, Scratch attack now!"
(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle)
Sandshrew lunged toward Bulbasaur with its claws stretched out.
"Bulbasaur, give it a Vine Whip now!" ordered Tristan.
Immediately, Bulbasaur shot two green vines from the bulb on its back and repeatedly whipped Sandshrew with them, giving it some real damage.
"Don't be whipped by the vines, Sandshrew!" shouted Blue. "Sand-Attack now!"
Sandshrew used its hind paws to hurl sand toward Bulbasaur's eyes.
"Quick, Bulbasaur, jump!" commanded Tristan.
Bulbasaur stopped using Vine Whip on Sandshrew and made a huge jump to avoid Sandshrew's Sand-Attack.
Tristan quickly looked at his Pokédex to see what attacks Bulbasaur knew. He knew that Bulbasaur knew Tackle and Vine Whip, but didn't know that there was one other attack that Bulbasaur knew, so he decided to give it a try. "Okay, are you ready, Bulbasaur?" he called.
"Bulbasaur!" replied Bulbasaur.
"Use your Leech Seed now!" ordered Tristan.
A brown seed sprouted from Bulbasaur's bulb. Bulbasaur shot the seed toward Sandshrew and was successfully planted. The seed began to sprout and grow thin vines and leaves.
"What's going on with Sandshrew?" asked Blue, who was beginning to worry.
The leaves and vines began to grow red, giving Sandshrew a shocking feeling. It began to grow weaker while Bulbasaur got stronger.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" shouted Tristan.
Bulbasaur shot its two green vines from its bulb and wrapped them around Sandshrew. Then it repeatedly tossed Sandshrew up and down, giving it a lot of pain. Then with one full-throttle toss, Bulbasaur thrust Sandshrew toward the ground, knocking it out. As a result, the green leaves and vines from Bulbasaur's Leech Seed disappeared.
"Awesome job, Bulbasaur!" said Tristan.
Bulbasaur replied happily.
"Return, Sandshrew!" called Blue as he aimed the Pokéball's button at Sandshrew.
It transformed into a red field of energy and disappeared inside.
"Now who's doing great, Blue?" asked Tristan.
"No fair, that's my line!" complained Blue. Then he got upset. "There's no way I'll let you make a fool out of me! Rattata, go!" He threw his third Pokéball.
A purple rat with oversized front teeth and a curvy tail.
Tristan thought about whether he wanted to keep Bulbasaur out or switch with another Pokémon, despite Bulbasaur taking no damage so far. Then he made his decision.
"Bulbasaur, return!" called Tristan as he aimed the Pokéball's button toward Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur transformed into a red field of energy and disappeared inside.
"Why did you do that, Tristan?" asked Hillary. "Bulbasaur was doing well."
"I know that, sis," said Tristan. "I know Bulbasaur did well against Blue's Sandshrew, but I'm introducing my new Pokémon to battling gradually. And besides, I haven't had a chance to use Charmander yet, and I've been wanting to see how well it does in battle."
"I guess that makes sense," said Hillary, but she was still puzzled.
Tristan took out another Pokéball. "Charmander, I choose you!" he called as he threw Charmander's Pokéball.
Charmander materialized from the white light that shot out of it.
Charmander happily stood in front of Tristan, ready to battle Rattata.
(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "Tracey Gets Bugged"))
"Rattata, Tackle attack!" yelled Blue.
Rattata charged toward Charmander with its full body as its driving force.
"Charmander, Ember attack now!" ordered Tristan.
Charamnder shot multiple little fireballs from its mouth as Rattata charged at it.
Rattata got hit by every one of them and fell backward.
"Don't take that lying down, Rattata!" commanded Blue. "Hyper Fang attack!"
Rattata got back up and charged toward Charmander again, but this time, its big teeth glowed, ready to bite Charmander.
"Charmander, look out!" shouted Tristan.
Charmander got out of the way at the last second, causing Rattata to get its teeth stuck in the ground.
"Looks like Rattata's hanging in there by the skin of its teeth!" remarked Hillary.
"Pika Pika," replied Pikachu.
"Charmander, use your Ember attack again!" ordered Tristan.
Charmander shot another barrage of little fireballs from its mouth.
Rattata struggled in vain to get free from its predicament as it got hit by Charmander's attack. It collapsed and fainted.
"Good job, Charmander," said Tristan.
Charmander seemed to be very happy with its first win and jumped up and down.
"It looks like I lead three battles to none, Blue," said Tristan.
"Oh, yeah?" said Blue. "Rattata, return!" He aimed the Pokéball's button toward Rattata, which transformed into a red field of energy and disappeared inside.
"Maybe you should quit, Blue," suggested Tristan.
"Are you suggesting that I quit right in the middle of a battle?" asked Blue, who by this time was getting a little upset. "My Grandpa says it ain't over till it's over, and for you, it's all over. Go, Eevee!" He threw Eevee's Pokéball.
Blue's Eevee materialized from the white light that shot out of it.
It seemed to Tristan that it got stronger since the last time they battled. Tristan quickly thought about a strategy.
"It looks like Tristan's in a bind," said Hillary to Pikachu.
"Pika?" asked Pikachu.
"Well, Tristan's won three battles in a row so far," replied Hillary. "He could go with any one of his five choices, with you included. But I'm sure that as much as he would like to use Charmander or Bulbasaur, neither of them may be strong enough to beat Blue's Eevee. It could come down to you, Pidgeotto, or Butterfree, although he used Pidgeotto earlier in the battle to defeat Blue's Spearow."
Hillary's got a point there, thought Tristan. But so far, none of my Pokémon have taken any damage from the last three Pokémon Blue used against us. And Charnander seems to be on fire, so to speak.
"So, are you going to stick with your Charmander or is it too weak to battle my Eevee?" taunted Blue.
"I'm keeping Charmander in, Blue," replied Tristan.
This took Hillary and Pikachu by surprise.
"But why?" asked Hillary.
"It's true that I have spent a lot of time with Pikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto already," explained Tristan. "However, I haven't spent as much time with Bulbasaur and Charmander since I just got both of them. And both of them need the experience in battling. It's true that Eevee may have gotten stronger, but my Pokémon have heart. And we're going to show Blue and Eevee just what we're made of."
"Well, let's just see how well this goes for you," said Blue. "Eevee, Sand-Attack!"
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne"))
Eevee used its hind paws to kick up sand in Charmander's direction.
However, Tristan remembered the same scenario from last time. "Jump, Charmander!" commanded Tristan.
Charmander jumped out of the way just as the sand was about to reach it.
But Blue seemed unfazed by it because he had a surprise. "Eevee, Tackle attack!" yelled Blue.
Eevee charged toward a descending Charmander. Eevee's timing was on the mark for just as Charmander landed on its feet, it successfully scored a direct hit, sending it flying.
"Charmander!" cried Tristan.
Charmander slid backward and almost fell down, but it maintained its balance and got back on its feet.
"Way to hang in there, Charmander," said Tristan.
"Eevee, give it another Tackle attack, and make it hit hard this time!" commanded Blue.
Eevee charged at Charmander and rammed into it again, but faster and harder.
This surprise threw Charmander for a loop as it fell onto its back. It wasn't expecting Eevee to use two Tackle attacks in a row.
"You can do it, Charmander!" shouted Tristan. "Don't give up!"
"Ha!" laughed Blue. "Do you honestly think that you can encourage Charmander enough to win this battle? Then you're more of an amateur than I thought you were. I've heard enough of that flame, so let's douse it and Tristan's chances of winning with your Sand-Attack, Eevee!"
Eevee kicked up sand using its hind paws. The sand started to hit Charmander.
"Tris, you'd better do something before it's too late!" called Hillary.
"Charmander, try an Ember attack!" ordered Tristan.
Charmander shot another barrage of little fireballs from its mouth toward Eevee. But Eevee saw the attack and dodged it.
"This is bad!" said Hillary. "If Eevee connects with Charmander one more time, it's all over!"
"Eevee, use your Tackle attack!" yelled Blue.
Eevee charged toward Charmander at full velocity.
"Stay strong, Charmander!" shouted Tristan. "Remember that you have the heart of a Fire Pokémon!"
Just as Tristan said that, Charmander's tail flame got hotter and hotter. Charmander opened its mouth to unleash an attack, but instead of a barrage of fireballs, it turned out to be a powerful stream of fire. Tristan was surprised. So were Hillary and Pikachu.
"What's that?" asked Tristan as he took out his Pokédex.
"Flamethrower: One of Charmander's most powerful attacks," it said. "A red orange stream of fire is shot from its mouth toward its opponents."
Just as the Pokédex said that, Charmander's Flamethrower attack connected with Eevee, much to Blue's shock.
"Eevee!" exclaimed Blue.
Eevee struggled to its feet, but it was breathing heavily and its legs wobbled. Eevee collapsed and fainted, causing Blue to lose the battle.
"We did it, Charmander!" shouted Tristan excitedly.
"Charmander, Char!" cried Charmander as it happily ran to Tristan and jumped into his arms.
"You're the hottest and the coolest!" said Tristan as he carefully hugged it while taking care not to touch Charmander's flame.
"Hey, take it easy, Tristan, you've won already!" said Blue as he returned Eevee to its Pokéball.
"I can't believe that Charmander learned Flamethrower on its own, and it's only been with Tristan for a short time!" said Hillary.
"Pika, pika!" said Pikachu happily.
"Hey, guess what, Tristan?" said Blue/
"What?" replied Tristan.
"I went to Bill's lighthouse and got him to show me some of his rare Pokémon!" answered Blue. "I got a lot of new information about those Pokémon on my Pokédex!"
"How come I didn't see any?" asked Tristan, who was getting suspicious of Blue's statement.
"Maybe because they were outside?" answered Blue nervously. "Anyway, Bill is famous for being a Pokémaniac."
"So we hear," said Hillary.
"Well, I'd better be going, Tristan. Smell ya later!" said Bill as he raced away.
Tristan was losing patience for Blue's continued rudeness. "I really don't like him," he grumbled.
"Forget him," said Hillary. "Now you have more firepower thanks to Charmander's new Flamethrower attack."
"Yes!" replied Tristan. "And that will help us be victorious at anything that comes our way!"
"But first, we should stop by the Pokémon Center one last time before we leave Cerulean City," suggested Hillary.
"That's a good idea," replied Tristan as he, Hillary and Pikachu made their way to the Pokémon Center.
Nighttime came a few hours after Tristan and Hillary made it to the Pokémon Center. It was there that he made a call to Professor Oak on the video phone.
"Guess what, Professor Oak?" said Tristan to Professor Oak. "I caught a Bulbasaur and a Charmander!"
"Well, well!" said Professor Oak. "You should be quite proud, young man. These two Pokémon are very hard to come by."
"And I got Pidgeotto to listen to me as well!" added Tristan.
"That's even better news!" replied Professor Oak. "You must be progressing along as a trainer quite well."
"Well, I've been getting a little help from my sister," said Tristan.
"And I've been keeping him out of trouble!" added Hillary.
"You two make quite a team," remarked Professor Oak. "Your grandparents should be pleased, too."
"Thanks Professor Oak," replied Tristan.
"So where's your next Gym battle going to be?" asked Professor Oak.
"We're on our way to Vermilion City so I can get another badge," answered Tristan.
"I wish you and Hillary the best of luck on your already successful journey,"
"Thanks, Professor!" said Tristan and Hillary together.
The video screen then turned off as Tristan hung up the phone.
Nurse Joy came out of the examination room with Pikachu and four of Tristan's Pokéballs. "Your Pokémon are all rested up and are good to go, Tristan," she said.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan.
"We heard from Bill that we're supposed to take the underground tunnel on Route 5 to Vermilion City," said Hillary. "Is that right?"
"Yes it is," answered Nurse Joy. "All of the entrances to Saffron City are closed because all the officers are guarding it for some strange reason."
"That's weird," said Tristan.
"Also, the S.S. Anne will be stopping in Vermilion City tomorrow," explained Nurse Joy. "There's going to be a party for all Trainers who got a ticket to go to the S.S. Anne."
(Music Cue: To Be Continued (sample))
"Okay, then I think I know what we should do," announced Hillary. "Tristan and I will get a good night's rest and start for Vermilion City first thing in the morning."
"Right!" agreed Tristan.
As Tristan and Hillary prepare to leave for Vermilion City, they think about the many adventures that lie ahead in Vermilion City and the S.S. Anne, but little do they know that another friendly Pokémon is watching them through a window.
"Squirtle!"
► TO BE CONTINUED
