AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! I know it's been awhile, but here is Chapter 18 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they make their way across Kanto. Several members of Team Rocket make an appearance in this chapter, including Jessie, James, and Meowth. Plus, you won't want to miss Giovanni in action, too. As you know, I don't own Pokémon. Pokémon, Pikachu, and all other characters are trademarks of Nintendo. As always, please read, review, and provide feedback.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have finally made it to Celadon City, but Trouble with a capital T is brewing! And that T is for Team Rocket!

Chapter 18: BATTLE IN THE HIDEOUT, PART 1

(Music Cue: Team Rocket Boss Theme)

The moon peaked high above Celadon City one calm night. A group of men were awaiting instructions just outside the city limits, out of sight of every resident in the city. They were wearing black uniforms with a red letter R on them. Presently, a man in an orange suit appeared in front of the men as they all stood in attention. It was Giovanni himself.

"All right, listen up," he said. "As you know, we've been calling the shots at the Rocket Game Corner, and the residents don't suspect that there is a hideout underneath. However, I will need someone to guard the entrance to our hideout. I will be expecting company, and it won't be friendly company."

"Yes, sir!" said the men.

"Any volunteers?" asked Giovanni.

"I volunteer my services to squash any Trainer that tries to enter the hideout!" replied one man.

"Excellent," said Giovanni. "All right men, let's move out!"

"Yes, sir!" said the men as they dashed for the Rocket Game Corner.

Meanwhile a short distance away, four Pokémon fell from the sky and crashed into the ground. They consisted of a purple cobra Pokémon, a purple two-faced Pokémon with holes, a pink Pokémon with a long tongue, and a bell-shaped Pokémon with a gaping mouth and two sharp teeth. They were an Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung, and Victreebel.

Soon after, three figures fell from the sky and crashed to the ground. They weren't seriously hurt, though. The three figures turned out to be a woman with big red hair, a man with periwinkle hair, and a Pokémon with whiskers and a gold charm on its forehead. They were Jessie, James, and Meowth.

(Music Cue: Not Another Argument)

"Not only did the twerps defeat us and ruin our plan, but that Totodile's Water Gun got us all wet," moaned James.

"Now I'll never get my hair back to the way it was before that Pokémon messed it up," complained Jessie.

"Dis wouldn't have happened if you let me make dat phone call to da Boss to let him know we got a new Pokémon in da foist place," accused Meowth.

"Don't blame me, Meowth!" countered Jessie. "You were the one who started this whole argument!"

"Can't you two just get along for once?!" demanded James.

"All right, you fools," said a voice as Giovanni himself came forward.

"Aaah! It's the Boss!" screamed the agents.

"What did you lose THIS time? Let me guess, you lost a rare Pokémon AGAIN!"

"Uh, we seem to have lost a Totodile," said Meowth nervously.

"You three buffoons had the chance to bring me a new rare Pokémon and you LOST IT?!" fumed Giovanni. "You are a complete disgrace to this team!"

The three agents cringed in fear at Giovanni's reprimands.

"However, I won't fire you because I have a new job for you," continued Giovanni. "You come with me to the Hideout. I'm expecting two kids and a Pikachu to come sometime tomorrow."

"What does he mean?" asked Jessie.

"I don't know," replied James.

"He means dee utter two kids who beat us on Mount Moon some time ago!" answered Meowth.

"I'm glad you remembered, now let's go," said Giovanni as he led the three agents to the hideout inside Rocket Game Corner.


(Music Cue: Pokémon Center M77B)

Our friends have finally made it to Celadon City. It's here that Tristan hopes to earn his fourth Badge. But for right now, they're enjoying the nice fragrance of the sweet scents. Even the smell of perfume comes into the Pokémon Center.

"It's amazing that this city smells so good," remarked Hillary.

"I like the scents, too," replied Tristan. "Grandma wears a perfume that I really like, but this perfume isn't bad either."

Pikachu agreed with them.

"Speaking of Grandma, we should probably give her a call," suggested Hillary.

"Good idea," said Tristan as he and Hillary made their way to the video phone to call their grandmother, Veronica.

The screen turned on and Veronica's face appeared. "Well, hello, kids," said Veronica.

"Hi, Grandma," replied Tristan. "We've made it to Celadon City!"

"Oh, is that right?" said Veronica. "That happens to be one of my favorite cities. I remember visiting it many times in the past."

"Was it because of the scents?" asked Hillary.

"Yes, it is," answered Veronica. "I just love the sweet scents that Celadon City has to offer. I always get the deliveries straight from them, especially whenever I run low."

"Wow!" said Tristan. "No wonder Celadon City is famous for its scents."

"By the way, Grandma, how are things with you?" asked Hillary.

"Well, it's been interesting to say the very least," answered Veronica.

"Why do you say that, Grandma?" asked Tristan.

"Well, let's see...it all started earlier this afternoon...


"I was helping your grandfather do some gardening outside the house when suddenly, we heard an explosion."

(BOOM!)

"We couldn't tell what the explosion was about, but just before it occurred, we saw four different Pokémon blasting off into the sky someplace to the east. I couldn't believe that they flew right over our house! They looked like an Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung, and Victreebel. Then a few seconds later, we were surprised to see a big stream of water going toward the sky. After that, we saw three other figures doing a little bickering, and I heard them yelling something..."

"Team Rocket's messed things up again!"

"They flew in the same direction the Pokémon were going."


"You've seen them before, Grandma?" asked a surprised Hillary.

"Well, I've never actually seen them face to face," replied Veronica, "but it's like I said, they were sent flying by a huge stream of water."

"Two of the Pokémon sound familiar to us," said Tristan.

Arbok and Weezing... thought Hillary. Then she turned to Tristan and whispered, "You don't suppose that was Team Rocket, do you, Tristan?"

"It's sure possible," answered Tristan. "Anyway, Grandma, at least they didn't bother you."

"I'm just as glad that they were sent flying because Officer Jenny came by earlier this evening and told me about three other Trainers who fearlessly faced them in battle and retrieved a lost Totodile," said Veronica.

"What''s a Totodile?" asked Tristan.

"Your Pokédex probably doesn't have that information yet," answered Veronica.

"I sure hope we meet these trainers someday," said Hillary.

"I'm sure you will if your paths ever cross," replied Veronica. "Well, it was nice talking with you kids. I love you."

"We love you, too, Grandma," said Tristan and Hillary together.

Pikachu replied happily as the video screen turned off.

"We'd better get some sleep, sis," said Tristan.

"You're right," agreed Hillary.

Suddenly, the children heard an urgent cry.

"HELP!"

It was a young boy, a Celadon City resident approximately eight years of age, and he entered the Pokémon Center in a panic.

Nurse Joy was alerted to the cry and came to the front desk in an instant. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Men in black have taken over the entire town, and now my little Pidgey is hurt thanks to them!" he panted.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Nurse Joy. She turned to a nearby Chansey, who was standing by. "Okay, Chansey, we've gotta act fast. Rush it to emergency care!"

"Chansey!" it replied happily as it wheeled a stretcher with Pidgey on it into the emergency care room.

Tristan and Hillary rushed over to the front desk.

"What's going on, Nurse Joy?" asked Hillary.

"A Trainer tells me that a group of men in black uniforms has now taken over all of Celadon City," answered Nurse Joy.

"What did they look like?" asked Tristan.

"This is just terrible!" cried a voice as a familiar woman in police attire came into the Pokémon Center.

"Officer Jenny!" said Tristan and Hillary together. They were happy to see her, especially after she escorted them to Celadon City earlier in the day following their experience in the underground tunnel.

"They just came out of nowhere and took over," continued Officer Jenny. "They all had red letter Rs on their fronts."

Tristan and Hillary were most shocked at that revelation. "I knew it! That's Team Rocket!"

"You've heard of them?" asked Officer Jenny.

"We've battled many of these crooks before, and they don't know the first thing about being friends with Pokémon!" said Hillary.

"They steal them and use them only for their evil purposes!" added Tristan.

"That's an interesting way of talking about it," said Officer Jenny.

"You two aren't thinking about battling with those thieves, do you?" asked Nurse Joy nervously.

"We have no choice but to drive them out of here, especially since they beat that Trainer and his Pidgey," said Tristan.

"Tristan's right," added Hillary. "We have to show them that it's wrong to use Pokémon to achieve their own selfish goals."

Pikachu agreed with them.

Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny completely understood what Tristan and Hillary were saying.

"If that's what you want to do, it'd be wrong to stand in your way," said Nurse Joy.

"I strongly suggest you be careful, however," cautioned Officer Jenny. "Who knows how strong they really are? Their stronghold is at the Rocket Game Corner."

"Got it," said Tristan. "Come on, Pikachu!"

Pikachu followed them out of the Pokémon Center, but just then, several Rocket Grunts stopped them.

(Music Cue: The Rockets Unveiled)

"Isn't it past your bedtimes, kids?" asked one Rocket Grunt.

"No, but it will be too late for you!" answered Hillary.

"Why, you little!" shouted another. "Get them!"

They started charging toward the two children, much to Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy's horror.

"Oh, no, watch out!" shouted Officer Jenny.

"Okay, Pikachu, Thundershock 'em!" ordered Tristan.

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Pikachu as a stream of electricity shot out of Pikachu's cheeks and body toward the Rocket Grunts.

They screamed as they got hit by Pikachu's attack. They fell down to the ground and collapsed.

"Good job, guys," said Nurse Joy. "Go ahead and stop Team Rocket!"

"Let's go, guys!" said Tristan as he motioned Hillary and Pikachu to follow him to the Rocket Game Corner.


(Music Cue: Sneaking from the Shadows)

It wasn't long before they reached the center of the city. Normally, it bustled with residents, but instead, it crawled with men in black uniforms.

"Boy, those creeps really make me mad!" exclaimed Tristan.

"You said it, Tristan," agreed Hillary.

As they walked through Celadon City, they saw many buildings, including a hotel, but they were all full of men in black uniforms.

"That Team Rocket!" exclaimed Tristan.

Just then, Hillary pointed to the Rocket Game Corner in the distance. "There it is!" she said. "Let's go in!"

They went inside, completely unaware of the nasty surprises awaiting them. They saw people playing on the slot machines. Eventually, they saw a strange poster with a man standing in front of it.

"There's someone over by the poster," said Hillary. "Let's ask him if he knows anything about what's going on with Team Rocket."

"Good idea," replied Tristan as he and Hillary quickly made their way to the man.

"Excuse us," said Hillary politely, "but could you please move away from the poster and tell us what Team Rocket is doing here?"

The man suddenly turned grouchy and mean. "I'm guarding this poster!" he fumed. "Get out!"

Tristan and Hillary jumped back at the sudden change in the man's attitude.

"Hey, we just wanted to ask you a question about Team Rocket!" persisted Hillary.

"I don't know nobody or nothing about Team Watchamacallit, now go away or else!" he shouted as he pushed Hillary into Tristan, causing them both to fall to the ground.

Neither was hurt, but Tristan was very angry. "How dare you...How dare you!" exclaimed Tristan, clenching his fists. "Nobody pushes my sister and gets away with it!" He turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, give him a Quick Attack!"

(Music Cue: Let's Run!)

Pikachu charged toward the man with a white line trailing behind it. It rammed into the man in quick succession, causing him to crash into the wall. As he did, his clothes fell off, revealing a black uniform with a red letter R on it.

"Ugh! Team Rocket!" exclaimed Tristan.

"I figured you were hiding something!" added Hillary.

"I'll crush you both so I can please the Boss!" said the Rocket Grunt as he threw two Pokéballs. "Zubat and Raticate, go!"

The two Pokémon materialized from the white lights that shot out of the Pokéballs.

"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack now!" shouted Tristan as he threw Pidgeotto's Pokéball.

Instantly upon materializing from the white light that shot out of it, Pidgeotto rammed into Zubat and Raticate with a white line trailing behind it.

They never stood a chance, much to the Rocket Grunt's dismay.

"Now use Gust attack!" commanded Tristan.

Without hesitation, Pidgeotto furiously flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind from them. Zubat and Raticate were sent flying into the Rocket Grunt, who crashed into the poster. Just as he crashed, a tile on the floor slid open, revealing a flight of stairs.

Tristan and Hillary couldn't believe their eyes.

"It looks like you and something else have been exposed," smiled Hillary.

"You think you're funny, huh?" shouted the Rocket Grunt. "Guess what? I don't!" He took out his two Pokéballs. "Zubat and Raticate, return!"

The two Pokémon transformed into red energy and disappeared inside them.

Then, the Rocket Grunt started to panic. "The hideout may be discovered! I'd better tell the Boss!" And he ran down the stairs and disappeared.

"Hey, come back here!" demanded Tristan as he and his friends ran down the stairs after him, never suspecting of the danger that awaited them.


Meanwhile in another part of the hideout, Giovanni was waiting patiently for a report with several Rocket Grunts standing by.

"Soon, we will have the entire city at our feet," he smiled evilly.

"Master Giovanni, Master Giovanni!" shouted a voice.

Giovanni turned around and saw a Rocket Grunt rushing toward him. It was the same one who was just defeated by Tristan.

"What are you doing down here?" asked Giovanni impatiently. "I thought I told you to guard the poster, now get back up there!"

"It's too late for that, Boss!" he panted wearily. "The kids defeated me and discovered our hideout!"

"What?!" exclaimed Giovanni. "Let me see..." He turned his attention to one of the security monitors and sure enough, there were Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Pidgeotto just entering the hideout.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Tristan nervously on the camera. "I think we're being watched by Team Rocket."

"Nonsense, Tristan," replied Hillary. "Why would they want to watch us?"

"You are pathetic," grumbled Giovanni to the Grunt. "Those meddling kids have seen too much already." Then, he smiled. "However, I would like to see how he does in battle against us, especially if there's a rare Pikachu in his possession." He turned on the PA system which was broadcast all over the hideout. "Attention, all Team Rocket members: Be on the lookout for two kids in our hideout. Repeat: Be on the lookout for two kids in our hideout. Find them before they find you, and kick them out immediately."

Tristan and Hillary gasped in surprise at the announcement they just heard over the intercom.

"You were right, Tristan," said Hillary, finally realizing the danger. "Now we're in for it."

"But that voice...Where have I heard that voice?" wondered Tristan suspiciously. He had heard that voice once before when a disguised Giovanni and a mysterious Pokémon came to his former home in Pallet Town to forget the terrible incident he had experienced, but thanks to the Pokémon's powers, he hadn't a clue who he was. All he remembered was his voice.

"We've got to find a place to hide before these crooked men find us!" advised Hillaey.

"You're right, Hillary, so let's go!" replied Tristan.

(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon)

But it was too late for just then, two Rocket Grunts stopped right in front of them.

"Who are you and how did you two get in?!" demanded the first Grunt.

"You broke into our operation?!" fumed the second Grunt.

"What do you want?" asked Hillary.

"And who is your boss, anyway?" added Tristan.

But they didn't answer, for they each took out two Pokéballs and threw them.

"Go, Raticate!" shouted the first Grunt.

"Go, Drowzee! Go Machop!" yelled the second Grunt.

The first Grunt's two Raticate materialized from the white lights that shot out of them.

The second Grunt's two Pokémon materialized from the white lights that shot out of them. They resembled a tapir with sleepy eyes and a trunk and a gray-skinned muscular bipedal Pokémon with a short stubby tail.

"Who are those two Pokémon?" asked Hillary.

"Let's check them out," replied Tristan as he scanned them with his Pokédex, Dexter. He scanned the muscular Pokémon first.

"Machop: The Superpower Pokémon," it identified. "Machop's body is pure muscle. Its mastery of many types of martial arts makes it very tough.

"Drowzee: The Hypnosis Pokémon. It is said to feed on the dreams of its opponents. It is also known for its powerful Psychic attack."

"You'd better be careful, Tristan," advised Hillary. "Those creeps aren't known for playing fair. They just sent out four Pokémon to try and mop the place with us."

"Then let's even the odds," replied Tristan as he took out two Pokéballs and threw them. "Butterfree, Charmander, I choose you!"

Butterfree and Charmander materialized from the white lights that shot out of them and prepared for battle.

"Pikachu, Pidgeotto, go help them!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu and Pidgeotto readied themselves for battle alongside Butterfree and Charmander.

"Well, at least they're not going to outnumber us anymore...it's four on four!" said Tristan as he prepared for battle himself.

"Drowzee, Pound attack! Machop, Karate Chop!" commanded the second Rocket Grunt.

Drowzee and Machop charged toward Butterfree and Charmander with the sides of their open hands, ready to smash into them.

"Charmander, hit Drowzee with your Flamethrower attack! Butterfree, use your Confusion on Machop!" ordered Tristan.

Charmander shot a stream of fire out of its mouth toward Drowzee while Butterfree's eyes and Machop's outline glowed purple.

Drowzee was hit by Flamethrower while Machop was lifted into the air, and tossed back down to the ground.

"Raticate, show the losers how it's done with your Hyper Fang attacks!" yelled the first Rocket Grunt.

Both Raticate charged toward Pikachu and Pidgeotto with their sharp glowing fangs, but Tristan wouldn't have any of it.

"Pikachu, Pidgeotto, use your Quick Attacks together!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu charged toward the first Raticate while Pidgeotto charged toward the second; both of them had white lines streaming behind them. They both scored direct hits on the Raticate, but it was clear that they weren't out of the battle yet.

"What do we do?" asked the first Rocket Grunt. "This kid's good!"

"He can't beat us if we attack him together!" answered the second Rocket Grunt.

They both commanded their Pokémon to attack Tristan's Pokémon with every ounce of strength they had. The Pokémon charged as quickly and as forcefully as they could.

"Okay, everybody, let'em have it!" ordered Tristan.

Pikachu fired a Thundershock at the first Raticate; Pidgeotto furiously flapped its wings for a Gust attack at the second Raticate; Charmander shot another Flamethrower at Drowzee; and Butterfree used another Confusion attack on Machop. All four scored direct hits, knocking their opponents out.

"What? We lost?! No!" exclaimed the first Rocket Grunt.

"We got burnt!" added the second Rocket Grunt.

They both returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and fled the scene.

"What a bunch of losers!" said Hillary. "They just run away as soon as they lose!"

"Let's not get overconfident," advised Tristan. "There may still be more of them, so let's go."

And they both went down the stairs to the second basement, hoping they could find some answers on why Team Rocket had taken over Celadon City.


When Tristan and his friends got down the stairs, they were shocked to see a maze full of strange arrow tiles on the floor with a labyrinth of walls between them.

"What's this?" wondered Tristan.

"It appears to be some kind of maze," answered Hillary.

"That's because it is a maze, you fools," laughed a sinister voice over the intercom.

(Music Cue: The Mighty Mewtwo)

Little did the kids know that the voice belonged to Giovanni.

Tristan was furious at the sinister laugh. "Who are you?!" he demanded. "Show yourself, whoever you are!"

"What's the matter, boy?" taunted Giovanni. "Tired of me already?"

Tristan lost patience. "Enough games! Where are you?!"

"All right, I'll give you a hint," replied Giovanni over the intercom. "I'm closer than you think I am. But you will need special tools to find me."

"What tools do you mean?" asked Hillary suspiciously.

"You'll soon see," replied Giovanni calmly, "but for now I'll let you deal with the maze. Signing off." Then he laughed maniacally.

"Hey, come back!" shouted Tristan.

But it was no use. The intercom turned off, and Giovanni's voice couldn't be heard anymore.

Well, we might as well try and navigate through the maze," said Hillary. "But what do you suppose we need to stop Team Rocket?"

"It's hard to say," replied Tristan. "But maybe we should start heeeeeeere!" He stepped on one of the tiles, causing him to spin around and around in the direction of the wall. He crashed into it face first.

"Tristan!" cried Hillary. She rushed into the maze to help Tristan, but stepped on another tile, causing her to spin into a different wall. She and Tristan were on opposite sides of the maze.

Butterfree and Pidgeotto saw what happened and spoke with Charmander and Pikachu. They all decided that Hillary was defenseless without having any Pokémon, and Team Rocket could show up at any moment.

Tristan would be worried about her, too as well as them. So the Pokémon split up into two groups to find their friends. Charmander and Butterfree went in one direction to try and find Hillary while Pikachu and Pidgeotto went in the other to find Tristan.

"Hey, Tristan can you hear me?" called Hillary.

"I can hear you, but I can't see you!" Tristan called back.

"Are you okay in there?"

"I've felt better."

Presently, on Hillary's side, Butterfree and Charmander appeared. She was glad to see them.

"Thanks for coming, guys," she said. "I'd be lost without you."

At that moment, on Tristan's side of the maze, Pidgeotto flew in with Pikachu on its back.

"Hey, guys," said Tristan. "It's good to see you." He called to Hillary on the other side. "Let's meet at the end of the maze, okay?"

"You got it, bro!" called Hillary.

"Butterfree, Charmander, keep Hillary covered!" called Tristan.

Butterfree and Charmander happily called their responses.

"Okay, guys, let's go!" said Tristan as he led Pikachu and Pidgeotto through the maze, hoping he would meet Hillary, Butterfree, and Charmander at the end of it.


(Music Cue: We Won't Give Up on Pikachu)

Meanwhile, back at Giovanni's location, he was watching Tristan and Hillary go through the maze of tiles and walls on his security camera.

"That's right, my friends," he said to himself. "Get lost in the maze so my men can find you." He chuckled evilly as he stroked the pale tan fur of a purring feline Pokémon with a red jewel on its head. Then he looked up to see Jessie, James, and Meowth standing in front of him. "What do you want?" he grumbled. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"We're sorry," said Jessie. "It was our mistake."

"Uh, what do you want us to do?" asked James nervously.

"I want you fools to prepare for the kids' arrival," instructed Giovanni. "Grab that Pikachu and present it to me."

"But da twoips are still lost in da maze, right?" asked Meowth.

"Yes, but I expect them to regroup and find their way out soon," replied Giovanni. "Now go guard the entrance to the elevator."

"Yes, sir!" said the three agents as they made a mad dash to the elevator out of Giovanni's sight.

Then Giovanni said to himself. "They'll be defeated again for sure. Why did I instruct them to do that?"

The feline Pokémon just purred as it kept getting petted.

As the three agents made their way to the elevator, they thought about the so-called promotions they would get should they succeed in their task.

"As soon as we grab dat Pikachu and give it to da Boss, we'll be da top o' da heap!" said Meowth excitedly.

"We'll be glad when those twerps weep," added James.

"And then, we'll get a good night's sleep," finished Jessie.

"And the dough will be so deep, we'll have too much to keep!" they said together.

"You three, be quiet over there!" shouted Giovanni's voice from the distance.

"Sorry!" the agents called back as they prepared for Tristan and Hillary's arrival.


On Hillary's side of the maze on second floor, she, Butterfree, and Charmander were making good progress in the second basement floor, despite the spinning tiles and the many walls that were in it. She found some unused medicine items in great shape and put them away in her backpack for safekeeping.

Tristan's side of the maze was somewhat different, but ended up the same way. Tristan, Pikachu, and Pidgeotto kept getting turned around in the maze thanks to the spinning tiles and the many walls. He also found unused medicine items in great shape and put them away in his backpack.

They both made it to the end of the maze where they met up, just as they planned.

Everyone got in a group hug and rejoiced, but not for long, though, for just as they rejoiced at the reunion, Giovanni's voice came on the intercom again.

"Attention all Team Rocket members on the second basement floor: The kids are headed your way. Find them and crush them."

(Music Cue: Enter Mewtwo)

Just then, several Rocket Grunts came up out of nowhere, and surrounded the kids and the Pokémon.

"Hey, where did you all come from?!" gasped Tristan.

"We were ordered to crush anyone who stands in our way," answered one of the Grunts.

Hillary and Tristan had their backs against each other, preparing for the worst.

"This is bad," whispered Hillary. "Now, what do we do? They've got us surrounded."

"I don't know, sis," replied Tristan. "But there's no way we'll ever give up. There's got to be a way out of this, and we'll find it!"

"Pika, Pika!" agreed Pikachu.


With the kids and Pokémon surrounded, Team Rocket has gained control of the situation! What is Giovanni's nefarious plan? And will our heroes be able to stop Team Rocket from succeeding in their evil plot? Find out next time!

► TO BE CONTINUED