AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 28 of the continuing adventures of Tristan and Hillary as they continue their journey through the Kanto region. Shinji Miyazaki's music cues are in this chapter. As always, please feel free to read and review. Feedback of any kind is always welcome.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have a wheel good time when they start pedaling on Cycling Road, but they have to get to the Pokémon Center to help an ailing Poliwag. What worse, a stalled ship turns into a certain calamity! Will Tristan and Hillary find a way to make the best out of a bad situation?

Chapter 28: THE ROAD TO SAFFRON CITY, PART 1

(Music Cue: Route 1 The Road to Viridian City (M18A) (as heard in "The School of Hard Knocks"))

Having left Fuschia City, Tristan and Hillary have now arrived in Sunnytown. They hope to take the Cycling Road as the first part of their journey to Saffron City, where the next Gym awaits.

"Sunnytown sure looks sunny, doesn't it, Pikachu?" said Tristan as he took in the sights.

"Pika!" answered Pikachu.

"Good one, Tristan," smiled Hillary, "but let's stop by the Pokémon Center first."

"Good idea," replied Tristan. "My Pokémon could use a checkup anyway."


"Welcome to the Pokémon Center," smiled Nurse Joy as Tristan and Hillary walked in.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Hillary.

"Could you take care of my Pokémon for me?" asked Tristan. "I have a Gym Battle coming up in Saffron City, and I want to make sure that my Pokémon are in tip-top shape."

"Sure, I can take care of them," smiled Nurse Joy as she took Pikachu and Tristan's four Pokéballs into the examination room.

Hillary turned to Tristan and suggested, "Let's give Grandma a call."

"That's two good ideas in one day, sis," replied Tristan. "Besides, Grandma's been wanting to know how we've been doing."


"Hi, kids," smiled Veronica on the video screen. "How are things going?"

"We're doing great, Grandma," replied Tristan. "I've already earned five badges so far."

"That's great news," said Veronica. "Where's your next Gym going to be?"

"Our next Gym is in Saffron City," answered Hillary. "Tristan's planning to go for his sixth badge there."

"That's quite interesting," said Veronica. "The Gym Leader there will be using Psychic Pokémon. They'll be difficult to handle."

"Psychic Pokémon?" said Tristan. Then he thought, Great. Without Butterfree around, my next Gym battle won't be as easy.

"Do you think Tristan will be okay in his next Gym Battle?" asked Hillary nervously.

"Don't worry, you two," replied Veronica. "Tristan didn't get his other five badges for nothing. I'm sure that Tristan will be just fine if he keeps his focus on the big picture."

"Thanks, Grandma, we'll remember that," said Hillary.

"Well, your grandfather's been outside doing a little bit of gardening, so I have to check up on him," said Veronica. "I'll let you go for now, but I'll tell him you two said hi."

"We love you Grandma, and thanks," said Tristan.

"Good luck, kids," smiled Veronica as the video screen turned off.

Tristan then sighed.

"What's wrong, Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"I never thought I had to deal with Psychic Pokémon," answered Tristan. "If I had Butterfree with me, my next Gym battle wouldn't 't be as difficult."

"But remember, Tristan, just because Butterfree could use Psychic attacks like Confusion and Psybeam, doesn't mean that it's a Psychic Pokémon," advised Hillary. "You're going to have to think of a way to avoid getting caught by those attacks yourself."

"You're right," said Tristan. He was filled with determination. "I'm going to train harder than ever, and we'll beat those Psychic Pokémon!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" said Hillary excitedly.

Just then, the healing chimes rang. Tristan and Hillary smiled.

Nurse Joy came out of the examination room. "Good news, Tristan," she smiled. "Your Pokémon are in tip-top shape, and they're ready to go."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan as Pikachu happily jumped into his arms and climbed on his shoulder.

"You've obviously been taking good care of them," continued Nurse Joy. "They must all be happy to have a Trainer like you."

"Well, I try, Nurse Joy," replied Tristan.

"By the way," said Hillary, "we're trying to get to Saffron City. We were wondering if this is one of those places where you take the Cycling Road to get to the other side."

"Well, you're right on course," smiled Nurse Joy as she pointed to a map. "The Cycling Road has a bike rental. Use a bike to take the path out of Sunnytown. Crossing the bridge will get you across the Cycling Road. It's a very long bridge. And once you do, the bikes will be stored for the next people who want to ride across to Sunnytown and vice versa."

"Awesome!" said Tristan. "I can't wait to get going!"

Just then, the video phone rang.

"Hmm...I wonder who that could be?" said Nurse Joy as she answered the phone. "Hello, Sunnytown Pokémon Center?"

The video screen turned on and another Nurse Joy appeared on the video screen. She seemed very worried. "Sis, we have a problem, big time!"

"What is it?" asked the first Nurse Joy.

"I'm trying to treat a seriously injured Poliwag, but I don't have the medicine for it," replied the second Nurse Joy.

"I have plenty of the medicine you need on hand," said the first Nurse Joy, "however, I have to run my own Pokémon Center. I wish I could do something to help you out..."

"We can go!" interrupted Hillary.

The first Nurse Joy turned toward Tristan and Hillary.

"Yeah," added Tristan. "We were planning to head over to the Cycling Road anyway."

"Pikachu!" finished Pikachu.

Then, Nurse Joy turned back to the screen. "It looks like help is on the way, sis," she said. "I have two kids that will help get the medicine to you in no time."

"Thanks. Try and have them hurry," said the second Nurse Joy as the video screen turned off.

Nurse Joy then turned to the children. "I'm going to need your help," she said. "I need you to take this special medicine to an injured Poliwag at the Pokémon Center at the end of the Cycling Road."

"What's a Poliwag?" asked Tristan. He took out his Pokédex and pushed a few buttons.

"Poliwag: The Tadpole Pokémon," said Dexter. "It has no arms, but its tail makes it a strong swimmer."

Nurse Joy put the medicine in a waterproof sack and gave it to Tristan.

"My sister and I are counting on you two to get that medicine to that Poliwag as fast as you can," said Nurse Joy.

"We're on the job, Nurse Joy!" said Hillary as she and Tristan dashed out of the Pokémon Center as fast as they could.

"Be careful out there!" called Nurse Joy as the doors closed.


It didn't take Tristan and Hillary long to get to the Cycling Road entrance.

"Come on, let's get those bicycles and zoom on down the path!" said Hillary as she and Tristan made their way to the bicycles.

However, a voice ordered, "Stop right there!"

Tristan and Hillary stopped dead in their tracks. They were surprised. They didn't expect anyone to stop them like that.

"Who said that?" asked Tristan.

Out stepped a woman in blue police attire.

"It's Officer Jenny," said Hillary.

"You kids had better have a good reason for being in a hurry," warned Officer Jenny.

"We're sorry, Officer," said Tristan, "but there's an injured Pokémon at the Pokémon Center on the other side of Cycling Road."

"And we've been asked to deliver medicine there," added Hillary. "And we don't have a second to lose."

Officer Jenny immediately understood what Hillary and Tristan were saying. "Follow me," she said.

Tristan and Hillary quickly followed her into the building as she gave them each a helmet and a bicycle to ride on.

"Just pedal across the long bridge, and you'll be on the other side in no time," advised Officer Jenny. "Be extremely careful in stormy weather, though, because winds on the bridge can be quite strong."

"We'll be careful, Officer Jenny," replied Tristan.

"I'll let the other officers know that you two are crossing the bridge," said Officer Jenny. "You two go on ahead."

"Thanks," replied Hillary. And she and Tristan pedaled off posthaste.


(Music Cue: Bicycle 1997-1998)

The sun was shining and the winds were calm as Tristan and Hillary pedaled on the Cycling Road. They enjoyed it so much that they felt invigorated by it.

"This is great!" said Tristan. "We'll be able to get to the Pokémon Center in no time!"

"And Nurse Joy will be able to nurse that injured Poliwag back to good health!" added Hillary.

Pikachu agreed with them.

They continued to pedal for what seemed like hours. They went past people and bikers of all shapes and sizes.

The bikers they passed waved friendly hellos. Tristan and Hillary waved back.

"Now this is the way things should be," smiled Tristan. "Trainers and Pokémon being friendly to whomever they meet no matter where they go."

"Even if they don't formally introduce themselves?" asked Hillary.

"Definitely," replied Tristan. "Come on, I'll race you!" And he sped up.

"Hey, wait for me!" called Hillary as she raced after him.

They went faster and faster as they tried to outrace one another in friendly competition. But suddenly, they saw the road ahead being raised into the air, much to their surprise.

"What's going on?" asked Hillary.

"I don't know, but I think we've just been blocked," replied Tristan. "Look!"

The road ahead lifted higher and higher into the sky until it tilted in almost a 90-degree angle.

"This must be a drawbridge," said Tristan.

"And look what's trying to cross!" added Hillary.

Just below, a big ship was seen, and was heading in the direction of the drawbridge so it could cross.

"That ship must not have been small enough if the drawbridge had to be raised," said Hillary.

"Just great," grumbled Tristan. "Now we'll have to wait until the drawbridge is back down again, and we can't go to the Pokémon Center on the other side with that gigantic ship coming through. Things can't get any worse."

As he said that, the ship suddenly made a spluttering noise.

"That couldn't have sounded good," said Hilary.

Then the ship's motor stopped, causing it to sail to a halt.

"Oh, no!" gasped Tristan. "Now we'll never get across!"

"Let that be a lesson, Tristan," said Hillary. "Never say 'things can't get any worse;' things will always find a way."

"Now, what are we going to do?" asked Tristan. "There's got to be a way to help the people on that ship get across the drawbridge."

Presently, Hillary got an idea. "Maybe Pidgeotto can get Officer Jenny out here to help the ship's passengers."

"It's worth a try," replied Tristan as he took out a Pokéball and threw it.

Pidgeotto materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball and awaited Tristan's instructions.

"Fly to the end of the Cycling Road and get Officer Jenny as fast as you can," ordered Tristan.

Pidgeotto squawked and flew off like a shot.

"I hope Pidgeotto hurries," said Hillary. "We've got to get that medicine to the Pokémon Center and fast."

"Nurse Joy is counting on us," added Tristan, "and we can't let her down."

Presently, Tristan and Hillary heard Pidgeotto's squawking followed by the roar of a motorcycle engine.

"Wow, it sounds like Pidgeotto already found Officer Jenny," said Hillary.

"Officer Jenny, over here!" called Tristan as he and Hillary waved their arms.

Officer Jenny saw them and immediately came to a stop. "What happened?" she asked.

"This big ship wanted to get under the drawbridge, but it got stuck for some reason," answered Hillary. "And we don't know what the problem is."

"We heard the ship emit a noise that didn't sound good," added Tristan. "Then we saw it stop just as it was about to cross the drawbridge."

"I'll report it right away," said Officer Jenny as she took out her radio. "Dispatch, this is Officer Jenny. We have a raised drawbridge on Cycling Road blocking the road due to a stalled ship. Have any available units meet me on tag two."

"Ten-four, Officer Jenny," replied the dispatcher.

A few seconds later, six voices reported in on Officer Jenny's radio.

"This is Officer Jenny," she said. "We have a road block on Cycling Road. A ship is stalled and can't get through. Units one through three, report to my location. Units four through six, set up barriers on both sides until the road block is cleared."

"Roger," replied the six voices.

Officer Jenny put her radio away. "The six units will be here to address the situation in no time," she said to the kids. "In the meantime, we'll just have to wait for the ship to get through so the drawbridge can go back down."

"But we don't have time to wait," insisted Tristan.

"Tristan's right," added Hillary. "Nurse Joy is waiting for that medicine she needs to treat that sick Pokémon." Then, an idea struck her. "Tristan, come here a minute," she said to Tristan as she took him aside.

"What's up?" asked Tristan.

Hillary whispered in Tristan's ear for a few seconds.

Tristan smiled. "That's a great idea!" he said.


A few minutes later, Tristan and Hillary made adjustments to the waterproof medicine sack. They tied a thin strong rope through the holes and turned it into a necklace.

"Pidgeotto, come over here," called Tristan.

Pidgeotto flew over to Tristan and waited for instructions.

"I'm going to put this medicine sack around your neck," instructed Tristan. "We're going to need you to take it over to the Pokémon Center so Nurse Joy can treat the injured Poliwag. We can't get there right now because the road is blocked."

Pidgeotto nodded and squawked.

"Now hold still, Pidgeotto," instructed Tristan as he carefully put the sack around Pidgeotto's neck.

"Are you feeling okay, Pidgeotto?" asked Hillary hopefully.

Pidgeotto nodded.

"That's good," said Tristan. "The last thing I need is to have a Pokémon feeling uncomfortable." He turned to Pidgeotto. "Now, fly over to the Pokémon Center as fast as you can."

Pidgeotto squawked its response and flew off to the other side of Cycling Road.

"Good luck, Pidgeotto," whispered Hillary.

Presently, Tristan and Hillary heard a small boom that sounded like an explosion coming from the ship.

"What was that noise?" asked Tristan.

Officer Jenny looked at the ship. "I didn't hear anything," she said.

Then another small boom was heard.

"Don't tell us you didn't hear anything that time," said Hillary.

"I heard it, but I'm not sure where those booms were coming from," replied Officer Jenny.

Then, a third boom was heard, and seconds later, smoke could be seen rising from the ship into the sky.

(Music Cue: The Copy Pokémon Awaken! (as heard in "Shell Shock!"))

"Oh, no, a fire!" gasped Hillary.

"Those booms must have occurred after the ship stalled out!" added Tristan.

"I'll get the fire department," said Officer Jenny as she took out her radio again. "Dispatch, this is Officer Jenny. We now have a ship on fire under the Cycling Road bridge. Get as many firefighting units as you can to my location and hurry."

"Ten-four, Officer Jenny," replied the dispatcher.

Officer Jenny turned to Tristan and Hillary. "I need you to try and get the passengers off the ship safely and help put the fire out until reinforcements arrive," she said.

"We're on it, Officer Jenny," said Tristan as he and Hillary surveyed the ship.

Down below, the passengers screamed for help as the smoke spread.

"We've gotta help the passengers," said Hillary.

"Ivysaur, Wartortle, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw two Pokéballs.

Ivysaur and Wartortle both materialized from the white lights that shot out of the balls.

"I need you two to help," said Tristan. "Wartortle, jump onto the ship and help put the fire out."

Wartortle happily complied as it jumped off the bridge and made a perfect landing on the ship's deck. Then it set off looking for the fire so it could put it out.

"Ivysaur, I need you to use your Vine Whip and get the passengers up onto the bridge as fast as you can," continued Tristan.

Ivysaur shot two vines from its bud and extended them to the ship's deck.

Down below, the passengers were still panicking as the fire got closer. Then they saw the two vines and heard Tristan shout, "Quick, grab the vines!"

Ivysaur wrapped its two vines around the passengers, two at a time, while Tristan and Hillary pulled on the vines to get the passengers on the bridge.

"You're doing great, Ivysaur," said Tristan. "Keep up the good work."

"That's it, everyone!" called Hillary. "Get to Officer Jenny and fast!"

The passengers ran away from the scene of the burning ship as fast as their legs would carry them.

Back on the ship, the fire was raging out of control. Wartortle blasted its way through the fire with its Water Gun attack to keep it at bay. Eventually, it arrived at the source of where the fire started. Then it used a full-force Water Gun attack on the fire.

Meanwhile on the bridge, Tristan, Hillary, and Ivysaur were making good progress getting the passengers off the ship safely. Some of the passengers, mainly young ones, were trembling as they got on the bridge, and understandably so, because of the raging fire on the ship.

Just as Ivysaur lifted the last of the passengers onto the bridge, a powerful explosion on the ship rocked the bridge.

"Quick, everyone, get away from here now!" shouted Officer Jenny.

"What about Wartortle?" gasped Tristan.

"Come on, Tristan, we've gotta go!" insisted Hillary as she and Pikachu dragged Tristan away from the ship's vicinity with Ivysaur not far behind.

Seconds later, there was a final tremendous explosion followed by a cloud of black smoke.

"Wartortle!" yelled Tristan at the top of his lungs as the smoke continued to rise in the air.

Suddenly, a silhouette flew through the smoke and flames and quickly emerged with something on its back.

"What's that?" asked Hillary.

(Music Cue: Opening (1997-1998-M01B)

The silhouette came into view as Pidgeotto proudly flew over the smoke with Wartortle safely on its back.

"It's Pidgeotto!" said Tristan.

"And Wartortle, too!" added Hillary.

Pidgeotto landed on the ground, allowing Wartortle to dismount.

"Are you okay, Wartortle?" asked Tristan.

Wartortle had a little smoke on its body, but it nodded.

"Thank goodness," sighed Hillary.

"Thanks a lot, Pidgeotto," said Tristan.

Pidgeotto nodded.

"But what about the medicine?" asked Hillary.

It was then that she and Tristan noticed that the medicine wasn't around Pidgeotto's neck anymore.

"It looks like the medicine got to its destination," said Tristan. "Isn't that right?"

Pidgeotto nodded again.

"That's good news, too," said Hillary.

Many fire trucks and firefighters arrived on the scene a moment later to assist in fighting the massive fire.

"We came as fast as we could, Officer Jenny," said one of the firefighters.

"Did anybody get hurt?" asked another.

"Everyone's present and accounted for, thanks to these kids and Pokémon," replied Officer Jenny.

"That's great, Officer," said the firefighters as they motioned everyone to stand away from the scene.

Officer Jenny turned to Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon friends. "You two were great today," she said. "Thanks to you, there were no injuries today. I salute your hard work."

"We're just glad that we could help," replied Tristan.

"Pikachu!" added Pikachu.

"But what about the ship?" asked Hillary.

"I'm afraid that the ship is a total loss," replied Officer Jenny sadly.

"That's too bad," said Hillary sadly.

"I'll let the folks at the end of Cycling Road know that you need to get across, so I'll tell them as soon as the situation dies down," added Officer Jenny.

"Thanks, Officer Jenny," replied Tristan and Hillary together.


(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)

Hours later, after the firefighters left, the drawbridge was lowered.

"Now we can get across to the other side," said Hillary.

"Then, let's go," said Tristan as he and Hillary pedaled their bikes to the end of the Cycling Road.

It didn't take them long to reach the Pokémon Center. They ran inside to check with Nurse Joy.

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

"Is it going to be okay?" added Hillary.

"Poliwag will be just fine," answered Nurse Joy.

"That's great, Nurse Joy," said Tristan.

"When I heard what happened on the bridge, I was afraid that you weren't going to make it in time," explained Nurse Joy. "But you were clever enough to send your Pidgeotto here to drop the medicine off here. Then it flew off again to see if it could help out on the bridge. So if it hadn't been for your Pidgeotto, Poliwag would have been in worse shape."

"We're just glad things worked out," said Hillary.

"Why don't you two stay here tonight?" suggested Nurse Joy. "You must be exhausted, and the sun will be setting soon."

"Great," replied Tristan. "We'd like that." Then, his stomach growled, making him feel embarrassed.

Nurse Joy chuckled. "I guess you need sustenance, too."

Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu joined in the laughter.


Thanks to Tristan and Hillary, a bad situation has a happy ending. And after a good night's sleep at the Pokémon Center, they will once again be on their way to Saffron City.

► TO BE CONTINUED