AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is Chapter 23 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. Shinji Miyazaki's music cues are in this chapter like these chapters, and as you may or may not know, I've also added some references from episodes in the anime where the cues took place. Some of these cues are edited while others are not. Those of you who watched the series from the beginning and listen as carefully to the music as I do probably know what they sound like, but if you have questions, feel free to ask, and I will answer them. As always, please feel free to read and review. And remember, feedback of any kind is welcome.

TEASER: Tristan and his friends have finally made it to Fuschia City. But on the way, they find an injured Articuno, which is a Legendary Pokémon! What's worse, Team Rocket is after this rare and valuable Pokémon! Will Tristan and his friends stop Team Rocket and save Articuno at the same time?

Chapter 23: SOME LIKE IT COLD

(Music Cue: A Fight! Real vs. Copy Pokémon (as heard in "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis"))

On a very steep, snowy mountain, a Pokémon was frantically flying through a huge blizzard. It had blue plumage and wings like thin sheets of ice. Several weatherproof helicopters were flying after it despite the harsh blizzard conditions. The helicopters each had a red letter R on them and were piloted inside by Team Rocket Grunts. They were standing by, waiting for their commands from the lead pilot, who was also a Grunt.

"Begin the attack now!" he commanded on his radio.

A hatch opened on the bottom of the first helicopter, and what should drop out but a sphere-like Pokémon that was red on the bottom and white on the top.

The ball dropped onto the Pokémon, and once it did, it exploded. The flying Pokémon didn't seem to take a lot of damage.

"Attack together!" commanded the lead pilot on his radio.

Instantly, the hatches of the other helicopters opened and many more of the same sphere-like Pokémon fell from them.

The blue flying Pokémon swerved from left to right trying to avoid the falling Pokémon as they exploded, but one of them fell onto the defenseless Pokémon and exploded as it fell, and dealt it major damage, particularly to its wings. Despite that, the Pokémon was still flying.

"Launch the electric net!" commanded the lead pilot.

This time, a net was launched from the helicopter, and was aimed at the flying Pokémon. Even though it narrowly missed it, it still felt the damage from the electricity. It managed to fly away from the mountains as fast as its wings could carry it and disappeared out of sight.

"Rats!" fumed a Rocket Grunt. "We missed it!"

"Don't worry about it," replied another. "Once it lands somewhere, we'll find it and capture it once and for all."

And the Grunts, still inside the helicopters, continued to fly through the blizzard in the cold, snowy mountains.


Tristan and his friends are now on the outskirts of Fuschia City where Tristan hopes to earn his fifth Gym Badge. Right now, they're enjoying the view, but little do they suspect that there is an adventure they will have to think warm thoughts about.

"You can see for miles from here!" remarked Tristan as he and Hillary stood on a hilltop.

"I know!" agreed Hillary. "It sure is beautiful."

"Maybe I can get an even better view using my telescope," said Tristan as he began to look through it. Sure enough, he could see further away with it.

"Are you seeing anything good?" asked Hillary.

"Pika?" added Pikachu.

"Not yet, but I...wait!" said Tristan as he spotted a blue flying Pokémon with tiny ice crystals trailing behind it.

"What is it?" wondered Hillary.

"I see a Pokémon!" replied Tristan, who was completely awestruck by the way it flew.

Hillary saw it, too. "It's sure looking beautiful flying fast and free," remarked Hillary.

"I sure wish I could fly like that," said Tristan.

"Don't worry, Tristan," replied Hillary. "I know how you feel, and I'm sure we'll be able to fly along with Flying Pokémon in the sky. Remember, in the world of Pokémon, anything is possible."

Tristan and Hillary continued to see the blue flying Pokémon soar through the skies, but suddenly, it wings gave out and it went into a nasty nosedive, much to their horror.

(Music Cue: Desperate Situation 1997-1998 (as heard in "The Pokémon Water War"))

"Oh, no!" gasped Tristan. "That flying Pokémon's in trouble!"

"It's headed straight down!" exclaimed Hillary. "It's going to crash!"

"Come on, we've got to help!" called Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu raced off, hoping to make it to the Pokémon before it crashed into the ground.


The blue Pokémon was having trouble straightening out as it continued to lose altitude. It was still feeling the pain in its wings from its earlier ordeal. It, then, shut its eyes and lost consciousness.

Tristan and Hillary were still running toward the Pokémon as it hurtled toward the ground at tremendous speed.

"It's falling too fast!" exclaimed Hillary. "We aren't going to make it in time!"

"Oh, yes, we are," replied Tristan as he took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Butterfree, I choose you!"

Butterfree materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball as it flew overhead, awaiting its instructions.

"Quick, Butterfree, fly on ahead and use your Confusion on that falling Pokémon to help it land safely!" ordered Tristan.

Immediately, Butterfree flew ahead of Tristan and Hillary, who were still running as fast as they could, and rushed to the falling blue Pokémon. Butterfree's eyes and the Pokémon's outline glowed in a purple color. Butterfree strained as it held on to the blue Pokémon using its telekinetic powers. It was very heavy, indeed.

"You can do it, Butterfree! Don't give up!" encouraged Tristan.

"I don't know how much longer Butterfree can keep this up," said Hillary nervously.

"Let's just hope it can hang on long enough for the Pokémon to land safely on the ground," replied Tristan as he and Hillary continued to run.

Sweat was dropping down Butterfree's face as it continued to hold on to the blue Pokémon.

"Just a little more, Butterfree! Hang in there!" shouted Tristan as he continued to race toward the blue Pokémon's location.

Butterfree slowly landed as the blue Pokémon gently touched the ground. Butterfree collapsed from exhaustion.

Tristan and Hillary quickly rushed to Butterfree.

"Are you okay, Butterfree?" asked Tristan.

Butterfree nodded weakly.

"Butterfree used up all its energy helping the Pokémon land safely," said Hillary. "I think it needs to take a break."

"You're right," replied Tristan as he took out Butterfree's Pokéball. "You did a great job, Butterfree. You deserve a nice long rest." A red energy beam shot from the Pokéball's button and hit Butterfree, transforming it into red energy, which disappeared inside.

Tristan and Hillary were curious about the blue Pokémon that had just fallen out of the sky.

"I wonder what this is?" asked Hillary.

"Let's check it out," said Tristan as he took out his Pokédex.

"Articuno: The Freeze Pokémon," said Dexter. "This Legendary Pokémon freezes water that is contained in winter air and makes it snow."

"Wow," whispered Hillary in awe. "I never knew a Pokémon had the power to do that." Then she noticed the wounds on Articuno's wings and gasped. "Tristan, it looks like Articuno's been injured!"

"But how?" asked Tristan.

"I don't know, but we need to help it and fast!" replied Hillary.

"But what can we do?" wondered Tristan.

Just then, Articuno opened its eyes. It glared at Tristan and Hillary and prepared to attack, much to their surprise.

"Wait, Articuno!" cried Tristan. "You've been hurt!"

"You need to rest!" added Hillary.

Articuno was still all tensed up.

Pikachu jumped in front of Tristan and prepared to defend him as sparks sizzled from its cheeks.

"Easy, Pikachu," advised Tristan as he stopped it. "Articuno doesn't know our intentions yet."

Pikachu then stopped its electricity.

Articuno was still glaring at Tristan and Hillary.

"I wonder why it's mad at us?" wondered Hillary.

"Maybe I can talk to Articuno," said Tristan as he walked slowly toward it. "Please, Articuno, we won't hurt you. All we want to do is help you get better."

Articuno was still feeling nervous.

"We know your wings are hurt, and we may not know what caused this to happen," continued Tristan, "but we promise we will do everything we can to help you."

Articuno stared at Tristan for a few seconds, and then, it collapsed to the ground from its injuries.

"Articuno!" gasped Tristan.

"This is bad," said Hillary. "We've got to do something."

"Then we need to do it fast," said Tristan. "Hillary, I'm going to need you to go to the Fuschia City Pokémon Center and get Nurse Joy out here as fast as you can."

"What? Me?" gasped Hillary.

"You don't have any medicine on hand, but I do," said Tristan. "And we can't just leave Articuno here alone. I'll stay behind to take care of its injuries."

"Please be careful," said Hillary.

"Pikachu, I want you to go with Hillary to keep her out of danger," advised Tristan.

"Pikachu!" replied Pikachu.

Tristan took out another Pokéball and threw it. "Pidgeotto, I need your help!"

Pidgeotto materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball. It eagerly awaited its instructions.

"I need you to go with Hillary and Pikachu and see if you can help them find the Pokémon Center," said Tristan.

Pidgeotto squawked happily.

Pikachu jumped onto Pidgeotto's back as it prepared to take off into the sky.

"Good idea," said Tristan to Pikachu. "With an extra set of eyes, you'll be able to help Hillary from the air, too."

"What do I do now?" asked Hillary nervously.

"Just follow Pikachu and Pidgeotto," answered Tristan. "They'll help you find the Pokémon Center."

Pikachu and Pidgeotto nodded and took off into the sky.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, Tristan!" called Hillary as she followed them.

As soon as they were out of sight, Tristan whispered, "Best of luck."


Hillary kept a close eye on Pikachu and Pidgeotto as she ran and they continued to fly overhead.

"I sure hope they know what they're doing," thought Hillary.

Just then, Pikachu pointed down to a building with a yellow letter P on it and motioned Pidgeotto to go in front of Hillary. Pidgeotto descended from the sky to guide Hillary in that direction.

"You're saying the Pokémon Center is straight ahead?" asked Hillary.

Pikachu and Pidgeotto nodded and pointed in that direction

"All right, let's go!" said Hillary as she raced after them.

A moment later, Pikachu and Pidgeotto landed on the ground and followed Hillary inside the Pokémon Center.

"Nurse Joy!" panted Hillary as she raced inside. "Please, you've got to help!"

"What's the matter?" asked Nurse Joy, who was waiting at the reception counter.

"There's an Articuno out on the road, and it's hurt!" replied Hillary.

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Nurse Joy.

"My brother, Tristan, sent me to find you so you could help," continued Hillary.

"There's no time to lose," replied Nurse Joy. "I'll grab my medical supplies and then we'll go."

Nurse Joy wasted no time getting her supplies for handling Ice Pokémon.

Hillary was getting anxious. "Come on, Nurse Joy, hurry!" whispered Hillary under her breath.

Nurse Joy was all packed a minute later. "All right, let's go in the jeep!" she advised. She turned to a Chansey, who was standing by. "Chansey, I need you to prepare the operating room for an injured Articuno. It needs to be ice-cold when we get back."

"Chansey!" replied Chansey happily as it went inside the operating room to make adjustments.

Hillary followed Nurse Joy to her jeep with medical supplies in hand as they prepared to meet Tristan and Articuno. The jeep had an ice-cold flatbed attached to it for just such an emergency.

"Do you know where Articuno is?" asked Nurse Joy to Hillary.

"Yes, I do," answered Hillary. "I'll show you the way. Pidgeotto and Pikachu will help, too."

"Hold on tight," advised Nurse Joy as she and Hillary buckled themselves in and sped off in the jeep. Pikachu and Pidgeotto followed close behind.


Tristan dug out a Super Potion from his backpack. Articuno was still on the ground, hurting.

"Hang on, Articuno," said Tristan as he aimed the nozzle at Articuno's left wing first. "This'll sting a little, but it will help your wings heal." He squirted a gentle spray from the Super Potion's nozzle.

Articuno winced in pain from the spray for a second. An instant later, the wounds on its left wing disappeared.

Next, Tristan sprayed the potion on Articuno's right wing. It winced in pain again for a second, but sure enough, the wounds on its right wing disappeared, too.

"How do you feel, Articuno?" asked Tristan.

Articuno gave a weak reply, but then, closed its eyes and fell unconscious, much to Tristan's worry.

"Articuno!" gasped Tristan. "Please, Articuno, you've got to hold on!" He put his right hand on Articuno's head. It felt very hot. "This is not good. Articuno's got a very high fever. I've got to do something before it's too late."

Presently, a car horn sounded a few yards away from where Tristan and Articuno were. It was Nurse Joy and Hillary with Pikachu and Pidgeotto close behind.

"We're here, Tristan!" called Hillary.

"Is everything okay?" called Nurse Joy as she applied the brakes in her jeep.

"I'm glad you're here, Nurse Joy," said Tristan as he sighed with relief. "Articuno's burning up big time!"

"Let's hurry and get it on the flatbed," advised Nurse Joy.

She, Hillary, and Tristan gently lifted Articuno and put it on the flatbed behind the jeep.

Tristan's hands felt very chilly after touching the ice-cold flatbed. "Brrrrrrrrr!" shivered Tristan as he quickly rubbed his hands against one another to warm them up. "Talk about getting a cold treatment. No wonder Articuno likes it ice-cold."

"Nurse Joy came well equipped for this occasion," replied Hillary.

Just then, an explosion rocked the ground where everyone was standing.

"What's going on here?!" exclaimed Hillary as she and the others covered their faces from the dust that followed.

Two people in black uniforms emerged from the dust and smiled evilly. They both had a red R on them. "Hand over that Articuno!" they demanded.

"Team Rocket!" said Tristan disgustedly. "Something seemed rotten."

"Leave Articuno alone!" shouted Hillary. "What's it ever done to you?"

"Articuno's been a real money maker since it can easily turn summer into winter with just a flap of its wings," said the first Grunt.

"It's a Legendary Pokémon, after all," added the second Grunt. "They're very hard to come by. Our Boss asked us to find one and capture it. And this one just happened to be the lucky one, or not so lucky one as the case may be."

"So kindly hand over that Articuno and we'll be on our way," finished the first Grunt.

"So it was you who was responsible for hurting Articuno!" fumed Tristan as she clenched his fist. "Do you have any idea how much pain and suffering you creeps put it through?!"

"Articuno's got a really bad fever because of you, and if we don't get it to the Pokémon Center fast, who knows what might happen?" added Hillary.

"Maybe we can persuade you to hand ovrr Articuno another way," said the second Rocket Grunt as he snapped his fingers.

At his command, more Rocket Grunts appeared and threw multiple Pokéballs.

The first bunch of Pokémon that shot out from the white lights looked like Pokéballs themselves, except that they had eyes.

"Those are Voltorb!" gasped Hillary.

"We've dealt with those things before," added Tristan as he scanned them with his Pokédex.

"Voltorb: The Ball Pokémon," identified Dexter. "This mysterious Pokémon uses strong Electric attacks and is primarily found in power plants. "Use extreme caution; Voltorb may explode without warning."

"Did he s-say explode?" trembled Hillary.

The second bunch of Pokémon that materialized from the white lights that shot out of the Grunts' Pokéballs looked like reverse-colored Pokéballs, plus their eyes looked different from Voltorb's eyes.

"Those look even badder than Voltorb!" exclaimed Hillary.

"Let's see what Dexter has to say," said Tristan as he scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Electrode: The Ball Pokémon: The evolved form of Voltorb," identified Dexter. "Highly concentrated energy causes this Pokémon to explode unpredictably. Also known as the 'Bomb Ball.'"

"Electrode!" smiled Electrode in a robotic voice.

"The Bomb Ball?!" gasped Tristan and Hillary together.

"Get that Articuno, boys!" said the first Rocket Grunt. "Let's play ball!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "The Fourth Round Rumble"))

Without hesitation, the Rocket Grunts threw the Voltorb and Electrode at Tristan and Hillary. As the Ball Pokémon landed on the ground, they exploded.

"The Voltorb and Electrode are exploding everywhere!" cried Nurse Joy. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Those guys are nuts!" exclaimed Hillary. "They just don't quit!"

"Well, this is one ball game I don't want to play," said Tristan. "Pidgeotto, blow them away with your Gust attack!"

Instantly, Pidgeotto furiously flapped its wings, creating a huge gust of wind, which blew the Voltorb and Electrode back.

"That ought to do it!" said Tristan.

"Not so fast!" shouted the Rocket Grunts as they threw more Pokéballs. More Voltorb and Electrode materialized from the white lights that shot out of them.

The new Voltorb and Electrode were thrown at Tristan and Hillary and exploded near them.

"This is awful!" cried Nurse Joy.

"Those Pokémon are exploding on all cylinders!" added Hillary.

"Pidgeotto, give them another Gust attack!" ordered Tristan.

Once again, Pidgeotto flapped its wings furiously, creating a gust of wind from them. The second batch of Voltorb and Electrode were blown away, but several fresh ones appeared in their place.

"It's no good!" grunted Tristan. "No matter how many of these Pokémon we get rid of, just as many new ones take their place!"

Nurse Joy put her hand on Articuno's head and noticed that it was getting even hotter. The ice on the flatbed was starting to melt. "Articuno's fever is getting hotter than it was before!" she gasped. "If it keeps rising, its life could be in danger!"

"Hey, Tristan!" shouted Hillary. "Articuno's getting worse! Let's get out of here!"

"Right! Charmeleon, Smokescreen attack!" ordered Tristan as he threw Charmeleon's Pokéball.

Charmeleon materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball and immediately shot a black cloud of smoke from its mouth at the Rocket Grunts.

The Grunts coughed as they tried to catch their breath.

"I can't see!" exclaimed one Grunt.

"I'll find them!" replied another Grunt.

Unfortunately, because he couldn't see through the thick smoke, he accidentally stepped on a nearby Electrode, causing it to explode. That explosion caused all the other Voltorb and Electrode to explode in a wild chain reaction. The Rocket Grunts were caught in all the explosions.

When the dust from the explosions cleared, the dazed Grunts saw that the children, Nurse Joy, and Articuno were gone. The Grunts who initiated the attack were very angry with the Grunt who stepped on the Electrode.

"You blithering idiot!" they screamed. "You let that Articuno get away!"

"I couldn't see! What can I say?" protested the other Grunt.

Then, the three Grunts collapsed with the others and fell into a gigantic heap.


(Music Cue: Calm After the Storm)

At the Pokémon Center, Tristan and the others wasted no time getting Articuno in the operating room. Sure enough, it was ice-cold, which was just perfect for Articuno. Nurse Joy and Chansey had to wear their heavy winter coats to keep warm while treating it.

Tristan and Hillary exchanged information.

"While you were away, sis, I used some Super Potion to help its wings heal," said Tristan. "Just as I was getting ready to bandage it up, that was when I saw it burning up. Unfortunately, I didn't have any ice on hand to make an ice pack. I was glad you showed up when you did."

"You did everything you could, Tristan," said Hillary. "Nurse Joy would have said the exact same thing."

"But now what do we do?" asked Tristan.

""I think the rest is up to her now," replied Hillary.

They both looked through the window of the operating room where Nurse Joy and Chansey were working as fast as they could to get Articuno's fever stabilized.

"Hang in there, Articuno," whispered Tristan. "I promise you're going to be okay."

"I know you're worried, Tristan, but maybe Professor Oak knows a thing or two about Articuno," suggested Hillary. "Let's talk with him while we wait. Besides, it'll help take your mind off of things for awhile.

Tristan agreed to the idea.


"What's that? You encountered the Legandary Pokémon Articuno?" asked Professor Oak on the video phone.

"Yes, we did, Professor Oak," replied Hillary. "It apparently was injured after avoiding capture by Team Rocket."

"Then we saw it develop a high fever," added Tristan.

"We decided to put it on an ice-cold flatbed and took it here to the Pokémon Center," finished Hillary.

"Very interesting," remarked Professor Oak.

"Why is Articuno considered a Legendary Pokémon, Professor?" asked Tristan.

(Music Cue: The Pokémon Castle)

"Legendary Pokémon, like Articuno, are very rare and very valuable Pokémon," explained Professor Oak. "They are prominently featured in legends and myths of the Pokémon World."

Tristan and Hillary listened in amazement.

"Most of these Pokémon are very hard to come by," continued Professor Oak, "but sightings of these creatures is not unheard of."

"Hey, Tristan, do you think that's the reason why Team Rocket tried to capture Articuno?" whispered Hillary.

"It's sure possible," replied Tristan. "And if what Professor Oak said about Articuno is true, I'm sure Team Rocket will still be after it."

"You two saved its life by keeping its body as cool as possible," said Professor Oak. "That was just the right thing to do."

"I just can't bear to think what would happen if Legendary Pokémon fell under human control," said Tristan nervously. "Those Pokémon would never be happy being cooped up in Pokéballs all the time. Even I wouldn't want to catch them if they didn't want it."

"I wouldn't worry, Tristan," assured Professor Oak.

"Why not, Professor?" asked Trisran.

"Because you're absolutely right," answered Professor Oak. "Legandary Pokémon, like Articuno, have lives of their own, and need to be free as birds, so to speak."

"You see, Tristan," said Hillary, "Professor Oak totally understands your feelings. And so do I."

Tristan felt better after that.

"I'll let you two get back to taking care of that Articuno for now," said Professor Oak. "Bye for now!"

"Bye, Professor Oak," said Tristan and Hillary together as the video screen turned off.

Presently, Nurse Joy came out of the operating room. "Brrrrrrrrr!" she shivered as she quickly rubbed her hands against one another to try and warm them up.

Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu rushed over from the video phone to her.

"Nurse Joy, how's Articuno?" asked Tristan hopefully.

"Articuno's stable, but it will need a lot of rest," advised Nurse Joy.

"That's good news," said Hillary.

"The Super Potion really helped in healing its injuries," added Nurse Joy. "So its wings should be healing very soon."

"See, Tristan?" said Hillary. "You did the right thing by using that Super Potion."

"I guess that's true," replied Tristan. "I just wonder how Articuno feels about humans, especially after the rough experience it had to go through."

"It's hard to say for sure," said Hillary. "Anyway, it's almost time for dinner. Feel free to join us soon."

"Okay," replied Tristan. He paused to look through the glass at Articuno, who was sleeping. Then, he followed Hillary to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria.


Tristan and Pikachu kept a close vigil on Articuno as night fell. They were hoping Articuno would be back to full strength soon. They fell asleep on the waiting bench after looking for such a long time.

The next day, they watched Articuno, who was still sleeping in the freezing operating room. As the hours rolled by, they kept watching to see what would happen.

Hillary was amazed. "I can't believe it," she whispered to herself. "Tristan's been watching Articuno around the clock." She then left the room.


A few hours later, Tristan and Pikachu were dozing off in the waiting room as Articuno continued to recover nicely.

Suddenly, the ceiling in the operating room collapsed as a net scooped up Articuno, who screeched loudly.

(Music Cue: Real and Copy: Which are the Strongest? (as heard in "Pikachu Re-Volts"))

Tristan and Pikachu woke up instantly.

"Articuno!" cried Tristan.

Just then, Hillary and Nurse Joy burst in.

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

"Articuno just got scooped up in a net!" answered Tristan.

"I'll bet that's Team Rocket!" fumed Hillary.

They all dashed outside the Pokémon Center and saw a huge net being lifted into the air with Articuno trapped inside.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Tristan.

Then, Tristan and the others heard cackling from the helicopters' loudspeakers.

"Articuno's ours!" the voice cackled. "It's now the property of Team Rocket!"

"Let Articuno go!" shouted Hillary. "It doesn't belong to you!"

"Oh, please!" begged Nurse Joy. "Articuno's really sick and weak! You have to put it down right away!"

"Sorry, but we only take doctors' orders," replied the Rocket Grunts. "Articuno's going to the Boss because that's just what the doctor ordered!" And the helicopters started racing away.

"I choose you...Ivysaur!" shouted Tristan as he took out a Pokéball and threw it.

Ivysaur materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball.

"Use your Razor Leaf on that net and hurry!" ordered Tristan.

A flurry of razor sharp leaves shot out from the bud on Ivysaur's back, but the leaves only bounced off the net.

"Oh, no!" gasped Hillary. "Razor Leaf didn't cut it!"

"All right, then," said Tristan. "It's time for Plan B." And he ran after the helicopter. "Don't worry, Articuno, I'll save you!"

Articuno watched as Tristan continued to run after it.

He continued running until he came to the edge of a cliff. He noticed that he was in jumping distance of the net. "Here I come!" he cried as he made a huge leap toward it.

Nurse Joy and Hillary gasped in surprise at Tristan's jump.

Tristan grabbed on to the net and held on tight, despite the helicopter climbing higher and faster. "Hang on, Articuno, I'll get you out of this thing somehow," he said.

Articuno was seeing how much Tristan cared about it and was awestruck at how far he was willing to go to save it.

"What's that kid doing? He doesn't belong on this ride!" fumed the lead pilot, who was a Rocket Grunt.

"Let's shake him off!" added the second Rocket Grunt.

The helicopters swerved from side to side in an attempt to force Tristan to let go, but he hung on to the net for all it was worth.

Hillary and Nurse Joy were getting very concerned for Tristan's safety.

"Tristan, don't give up!" yelled Hillary.

"Be careful!" cried Nurse Joy.

The Rockets saw Tristan desperately holding on to the net, and attempting to untie the rope that held it.

"That's it! I've had enough!" fumed the Rocket Grunt. He opened the hatch below the helicopter and tossed a Pokéball.

The Pokéball opened and a Voltorb materialized from the white light that shot out of it.

Tristan gasped as Voltorb appeared behind him.

"Voltorb, electrify that pest!" commanded the Grunt.

Voltorb zapped Tristan with a yellow bolt of electricity. His grip slackened with every second because of it.

Hillary and Nurse Joy were getting scared and angry at the senseless act.

"Stop that!" shouted Hillary.

Voltorb continued to shock Tristan with its Electric attacks. Then, it tackled him with such force that he completely lost his grip on the net, and began to fall at high speed.

Hillary, Pikachu, and Nurse Joy watched helplessly.

"Oh, no!" cried Nurse Joy.

"Tristan!" yelled Hillary at the top of her lungs.

Articuno was horrified at seeing Tristan fall. It began to rock the helicopters violently.

One Rocket Grunt was watching the whole thing unfold. "I think it's mad!" he cried.

Articuno continued to wiggle inside the net. Then, as it saw Tristan fall closer to the ground, Articuno, out of rage at how the Rocket Grunts knocked him off, launched a beam of cold energy from its beak toward the rope and broke it into pieces, freeing it from Team Rocket's grip. Not only that, thanks to that attack, the blades of the helicopters were frozen solid, causing the engines to fail.

Hillary, Pikachu, and Nurse Joy were shocked in amazement.

"What was that?" gasped Hillary.

"That was a powerful Ice Beam!" replied Nurse Joy.

(Music Cue: Gym 1997-1998 (as heard in "Misty Meets Her Match"))

Articuno dove after Tristan to catch up to his descent. After carefully flying below him, it managed to catch him safely on its back.

"That was great!" remarked Nurse Joy.

"Articuno just saved Tristan's life after he worked so hard to save it!" added Hillary.

Articuno flew away from the helicopters as they fell towards the ground.

"Wow, Articuno," said Tristan. "Thanks a lot."

Articuno nodded as it continued to fly toward Nurse Joy and Hillary.

As for the Rocket Grunts, they had their own problems with the frozen blades.

"Our blades are stuck!" one Grunt cried. "We've completely lost control!"

All the Rockets braced themselves as the helicopters crashed on the ground.

Articuno landed safely on the ground, allowing Tristan to dismount. Hillary, Pikachu, and Nurse Joy were greatly relieved to see them safe and sound.

"Are you okay, Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"I'm fine now, thanks to Articuno," answered Tristan.

Articuno agreed with him.

The Rocket Grunts crawled out of the wreckage and prepared to counterattack. "Give us that Articuno this instant!" they demanded as they charged forward.

"You're not taking anything!" countered Tristan. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt'em!"

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Pikachu as a yellow bolt of electricity shot out from its body at the Rocket Grunts. They all screamed as they got zapped.

Articuno then fired another Ice Beam from its beak at the Rocket Grunts. The icy beam struck them directly, freezing them solid.

"That was awesome, Articuno!" commended Hillary.

"Yeah, that was the coolest Ice Beam attack I've ever seen!" added Tristan.

Articuno nodded happily at the two remarks.

"I'll contact Officer Jenny right away," said Nurse Joy.

As she made the call, Hillary said. "Talk about giving those guys the cold shoulder."

"And frozen assets," added Tristan.

Everyone laughed at the back to back jokes, including Articuno, who stood proudly with its friends before its fallen adversaries.


A short time later, Officer Jenny came and arrested the Rocket Grunts, who were all put in a patrol wagon.

"Thanks to you, we were able to capture those thugs with no problem," said Officer Jenny to Tristan and Hillary.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan, "but Articuno deserves most of the credit."

"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "If Articuno hadn't come along and saved Tristan the way it did, we'd still have our hands full trying to defeat those crooks."

"I guess that's true, too," said Officer Jenny. She turned to Articuno. "They don't call you a legend for nothing, Articuno, so I salute your hard work."

Articuno chirped happily. Then, it flapped its wings and began to take off into the sky.

Tristan, then, felt sad as it rose into the air.

"What's the matter, Tristan?" asked Hillary as she walked up to him.

"It's just that..." he paused for a second. "I didn't get a chance to let Articuno know how we feel about Pokémon. And now, I don't think I'm ever going to see it again."

"You can let it know before it flies away," encouraged Hillary. "Go on. I'm sure it's eagerly wanting to know."

Sure enough, Articuno stayed where it was in the sky, as if it was waiting for something.

Tristan quickly ran toward Articuno and called out, "Articuno!"

Articuno looked at him with trusting eyes.

(Music Cue: To the Hopeful Sky)

"I just wanted to let you know that Hillary and I love Pokémon," he said. "And we always want to be friends with them. We'd really like it if you could be friends with us, too."

Articuno thought hard about what Tristan just said, and then it nodded.

"Does that mean we're friends?" asked Tristan hopefully.

Articuno nodded again.

"Oh, thank you, Articuno," he said. Then, tears streamed down his face as he called out, "I'll see you soon, okay?"

A single tear fell from Articuno's left eye. It chirped and then departed as it flew over the horizon into the sunset.

Hillary then walked up to Tristan. "You weren't thinking of catching it, were you?" she asked.

Tristan shook his head. "Articuno needs to be a free Pokémon. I don't think it wants to be caught. Besides, if Articuno's happy, then I am, too."

Nurse Joy walked up to Tristan and she said, "It sounds to me like you were putting Articuno's needs ahead of your own. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan.

Just then, a rainbow-colored Pokémon flew overhead as a rainbow appeared in the sky.

"What's that?" asked Tristan as he tried to scan the flying Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Pokémon unknown. No available data."

"No data?" asked Tristan. He was clearly surprised.

"I guess there are still Pokémon yet to be discovered," added Hillary.

"You're right," replied Tristan. "Besides, I have a Gym Battle coming up, and I'm looking forward to earning Badge number five!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" added Pikachu.

Thanks to Tristan and his friends, a Team Rocket scheme has been foiled, and the legendary Articuno is flying free as a bird. Now, Tristan is eagerly awaiting his chance to battle for his fifth Badge in the Fuschia City Gym.

► TO BE CONTINUED