AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 42 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. It's a little shorter than most, but there will be more longer chapters as this story progresses. Blaine from the anime makes his appearance beginning in this chapter. He asks the same riddles in the episode, "Riddle Me This," but Tristan and Hillary get asked by the man. But don't take my word for it; just feel free to read and review, and remember, feedback of any kind is always welcome.
TEASER: Tristan is ready to find and challenge the Cinnabar Island Gym, but he and Hillary have to solve a few riddles first!
Chapter 42: RIDDLES AND ANSWERS
(Music Cue: Opening and Title Screen (as heard in "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon")
After their latest adventure in the Pokémon Mansion, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu are ready for the next challenge: the Cinnabar Island Gym, so Tristan can try to win his seventh Gym badge. But little do they know they are about to be quizzed by someone.
"This is going to be a hot match!" said Tristan excitedly. "I can't wait!"
"I think you'd better cool down before you crash and burn," replied Hillary.
"How can I cool down when I can't help it?" shouted Tristan. "I can't stand waiting!"
Pikachu agreed with Tristan, but Hillary wasn't sure.
"I think the girl's got a very good piece of advice," said a soft and deep voice.
Tristan and Hillary turned around to see a man dressed in a wig, sunglasses, and a fake mustache.
"Who are you?" asked Hillary.
"I'm just a friend who's ready to give you advice," replied the man. "If you have too much excitement, you may just hurt yourself, and crash and burn in the process. I have a riddle for you."
Tristan and Hillary looked at the man with puzzled looks on their faces.
"As you know, tourists have invaded the island for far too long," explained the man. "That brings me to my riddle: Blaine's Gym is where you put your glasses."
"We have glasses, right?" said Tristan.
"Yes, and they're in front of our eyes...and so is the Gym!" added Hillary.
"That's right!" replied the man as he pointed them toward the Gym, but it looked abandoned.
"It's a wreck!" gasped Hillary.
"That was the Gym?!" exclaimed Tristan. "Where are we supposed to find the real Gym? And how are we supposed to find the Gym Leader?"
"Now here's the next riddle," continued the man. "What do tourists think is hot and cool?"
Tristan and Hillary were confused at first, but Hillary came up with an answer almost immediately. "Is it a hot spring?"
"That is correct again!" replied the man. "You were quick in giving me a correct response."
Tristan was amazed at Hillary's ability to solve complex riddles in a matter of seconds. "How'd you do that, sis?"
"The hot springs are popping up because of the volcano," explained the man. "And because of that, tourists are flocking to this island like they're fleeing from Old Man Winter's wrath."
"Do you happen to know where Blaine is?" asked Hillary.
"I'm sorry, but I don't," replied the man. "However, I have something for you." He handed Tristan a business card.
Tristan took his eyes off the man and saw the card. "The Big Riddle Inn?" But when he took his eyes off the card, the man was gone.
"Where'd he go?" asked Hillary.
"Beats me," replied Tristan.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu noticed that the sun was starting to set.
"We'd better find a place to spend the night," advised Hillary.
"Good idea," replied Tristan.
His stomach grumbled at that moment. "Man, I'm so hungry."
"So am I," added Hillary. "What I wouldn't give for a cheeseburger."
"Let's try the Pokémon Center," suggested Tristan as he and Hillary continued to walk on the streets of Cinnabar Island.
(Music Cue: Goofball Alert as heard in "The Fortune Hunters")
However, once they reached the Pokémon Center, they were doomed to disappointment.
"I'm very sorry," said Nurse Joy. "All of the rooms have been taken. It's the busy season here on Cinnabar Island. A Trainer named Blue just took the last room."
"Blue?!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Why didn't we get here sooner?" groaned Hillary.
"Ha ha ha!" laughed a voice. Tristan turned around to see a spiky haired kid behind him. Sure enough, it was Blue.
"What are you doing here, mocking me?!" accused Tristan.
"Nope," answered Blue. "I'm just spending time on Cinnabar Island tonight and leaving tomorrow morning. Besides, I'm taking a break from training, anyway." And he smugly turned around and walked down the hallway to the bedroom.
"Hey, that's not fair!" complained Hillary. "These bedrooms have four beds, and he's not sharing?!"
"Come on, sis, let's find somewhere else to sleep," suggested Tristan. "We don't need Blue weighing us down."
Pikachu replied in agreement.
So they left the Pokémon Center to try and find a hotel to stay at for the night, but every time, they were turned down because there were no vacancies.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were very dispondent and very hungry as night fell.
"No food, no room, no place to sleep, and even no Gym Leader," grumbled Tristan. "Maybe the man was right. This is a tourist trap." He took out the business card the man gave him out of his pocket.
"Tristan, what's that?" asked Hillary as she pointed to the card.
"Oh, this? Just the business card that the man gave me," replied Tristan.
"May I see it?" asked Hillary.
Tristan nodded and handed the card to her
Hillary took a closer look at the card and saw the words "The Big Riddle Inn" with a question mark on it. There was also a picture of a building with a clock on it.
"Of course!" cried Hillary. "The Big Riddle Inn! Why didn't we think of it before?"
"What do you mean, sis?" wondered Tristan.
"Don't you see, Tristan? That's where we'll stay tonight!" replied Hillary.
"But how do we get there?" asked Tristan.
"Maybe this riddle will give us a clue," replied Hillary as she flipped the card over. Sure enough, there was a riddle written on the card that Tristan obtained. She read it aloud: "If you look near the swing, you'll see my hands, or at least my face."
Tristan looked around and saw a swing set with a swing on it. "There's the swing," he said. "But I don't see anyone's hands or face...besides ours."
"Hands and face...that's it!" cried Hillary.
"What's it?" wondered Tristan.
"Clock hands on a clock face!" replied Hillary. "The answer is a clock! The swing is over there, and the riddle stated that if we looked near the swing we'd see someone's hands, or at least their face." The clock is on that building, and that must be the Big Riddle Inn!" She pointed to the clock on the building, and sure enough, the Big Riddle Inn was in plain sight: hands, face, and all.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Tristan as he, Hillary, and Pikachu raced toward the Big Riddle Inn.
"I see you two have discovered the answer to my riddle," said the man as Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu entered the lobby. "Congratulations."
"I think Hillary was the one who thought of the answer," replied Tristan.
"Aw, shucks, Tristan," said Hillary.
"As a reward for figuring out the correct answer, I'll give you free rooms...and food...here at the Big Riddle Inn," said the man.
Just as the man said the word 'food,' Tristan and Hillary's stomachs growled loudly.
"Yup. I should've known," smiled the man. "You two want food."
"Yes, sir," replied Tristan and Hillary sheepishly.
Some time later, after dinner, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu relaxed in their dining chairs feeling full from all the delicious food they ate.
"I can't eat another bite," said Hillary.
"I'm so full I think I might do what Snorlax does, and that means catching some Z's," added Tristan.
"I'll show you to your bedrooms," said the man. "I'll give you two more riddles tomorrow. And if you solve them, I'll take you to see Blaine, the Gym Leader."
"I can't wait," yawned Tristan as he struggled to stay awake. He, Hillary, and Pikachu followed the man to the guest bedrooms and tucked themselves in for the night.
"I'll be waiting for you after you get a good night's rest," said the man. "Pleasant dreams." And he quietly closed the door.
"So, you'll get a chance to see Blaine tomorrow, Tristan," said Hillary. "Are you nervous? Tristan?"
Hillary turned around to see Tristan had already fallen asleep.
"No wonder you're exhausted," whispered Hillary. "Eating a heavy meal will definitely do that. But then again, so can lots of walking. And we did that all day." She yawned and fell fast asleep. Pikachu had gone to sleep right after Tristan did.
The next morning, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were up early. They got dressed and got ready to meet the man.
As promised, the man was patiently waiting for them. "Good morning, youngsters," he said. "I see that you two slept well."
"We did. Thank you," replied Tristan.
"You've been very nice to us," added Hillary. "So now, I think it's time for us to be nice in turn and listen for your next riddle."
"That's the spirit," said the man. "Blaine built a Gym that tourists never see. It's in a place where a firefighter could never win."
"Any ideas, sis?" asked Tristan.
"Let me think..." replied Hillary.
"I'll let you two figure it out," said the man. And he left Tristan and Hillary alone to think on the riddle.
Hmm...It's in a place where a firefighter could never win, thought Tristan. "I've seen firefighters in action fighting fires at the Vermilion Gym and on that ship below Cycling Road. I don't know if they won," he said aloud.
"I don't think that would be the correct answer, though, Tristan," smiled Hillary. "Most of the time, firefighters could win battles against raging fires at buildings or on ships. "Remember when your Blastoise was still just a little Squirtle, and it fought the fire at the Vermilion Gym with you by its side?"
"Yes, of course," replied Tristan. "After we fought the fire, Officer Jenny's Squirtle Squad took over fighting it for us."
"And then on the ship below Cycling Road, after your Squirtle evolved, Wartortle fought another fire," added Hillary.
"Maybe we can think of the answer in the hot springs," suggested Tristan.
"Good idea," replied Hillary.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu had arrived at the hot springs some time later.
"This might be a good way to get our brains in gear and solve that riddle," said Tristan.
"I'm in the mood for a refreshing dip," agreed Hillary.
Just then, Pikachu ran toward a Gyarados statue, just above the boiling water, and jumped on top of it. It kept jumping and jumping.
"Pikachu, get away from there!" warned Tristan. "The water's boiling! You might get burned if you're not careful!"
But Pikachu didn't fall into the hot springs. Instead, the force of Pikachu's jumping caused the Gyarados statue to go lower, causing a rock in the wall to move away. In doing so, a passageway opened, much to Tristan and Hillary's surprise.
"What's this?" gasped Tristan.
"Let's check it out," replied Hillary as she and the others went inside.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were deep inside the newly discovered passageway. There were lots of stairs inside. Candles were burning brightly, and it got hotter as they got deeper and further down.
"Is it just me, or is it getting hot down here?" asked Tristan.
"I don't think it's just you, Tris," complained Hillary. "It's definitely getting hot."
"Brutal," put in Tristan.
"Blistering," finished Hillary.
Presently, they came to a double door.
"Wonder where this leads to," said Tristan. He carefully touched the door handle, but quickly took his hand off it as it was hot to the touch. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" He quickly blew on his fingers to try to cool them off.
Just then, the doors opened, and Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were in for a scorching surprise. They saw a big thick cloud of steam over a huge battlefield. Then, they saw a pool of lava under it.
"This must be...Blaine's Gym," said Tristan.
"No firefighter could win here," added Hillary. "This must be part of...a volcano!"
"That's right, my young friends," said a soft and deep voice.
Tristan and Hillary looked up, and were very surprised to see the man with the sunglasses, wig, and mustache on the other side of the battlefield.
"Hey, how'd you get here before we did?" asked Tristan.
"I guess you were slow turtles," replied the man. "But it's obvious that you two correctly solved this riddle, too. Now here's the last one. It's not a hat, but it keeps your head dry. If you wear it, it's only because you already lost it. If you guess this one correctly, I'll go and get Blaine to battle you in a Gym match."
"I now what it is! It's a wig!" said Hillary.
"And Hillary, the riddle mistress has done it again!" smiled the man.
"How'd you guess, sis?" asked Tristan.
"A wig isn't a hat, but it keeps your head dry in the rain," explained Hillary. "And the only reason you wear a wig is if you already lost your hair."
"I sure hope I don't lose mine here," said Tristan.
"Since you got all my riddles correct, I'll go and get Blaine for you right away," smiled the man.
He started to turn away when Tristan shouted, "Wait a second!"
"What's the problem?" asked the man.
"I thought you were supposed to be running the Big Riddle Inn, but I see that you're here, and Blaine is not!" explained Tristan. "And you seem to be very comfortable with the heat down here."
The man nodded.
"If Blaine's not down here, but you are, then, ergo, you must be Blaine, the Gym Leader!" shouted Tristan as he directly pointed to the man.
The man smiled, and then took of his disguise. Sure enough, it was Blaine, the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader. He had a partially bald head and gray hair on the back of his head. "You are correct!" he said in a much higher-toned voice.
"It IS Blaine!" gasped Hillary.
"You two solved my riddles, and correctly guessed my true identity," smiled Blaine. "Now, who's ready to have a battle against me? We'll battle three on three!"
"I accept your challenge, Blaine, so let's do this!" replied Tristan eagerly.
"Good," smiled Blaine. "Before we start, I'd like to explain the rules of this match. As you know, this battle will be three on three. The battle will end when all three of one Trainer's Pokémon are defeated. When both of us are down to their last Pokémon, we'll battle in a different location."
"Different location?" asked Tristan. "What do you mean?"
"This is one of my two battlefields that the challengers and I use for our Gym battles," explained Blaine. "This will be our warm-up field. Then, in our final battle, we'll battle on top of a volcanic crater overlooking Cinnabar Island."
"You mean you and Tristan are going to be battling on top of the volcano?" gasped Hillary.
"That is correct," replied Blaine. He turned back to Tristan. "So, kid, are you ready to get started?"
"Yes, let's do it!" replied Tristan.
"I like your fiery attitude, young man," smiled Blaine as he took out his first Pokéball and threw it. "Ninetales, go!"
(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (second part)
A quadruped fox-like Pokémon materialized from the white light that shot out of the ball. It had nine orange-tipped tails and had thick, luxurious golden-white fur.
"What's that?" asked Tristan as he scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.
"Ninetales: The Fox Pokémon: The evolved form of Vulpix," identified Dexter. "It has nine tails and a shiny, golden fleece. Ninetales are said to live very long lives."
Hillary took a good look at Ninetales's nine tails. "I can see why Ninetales got its name," she said. "Be very careful, Tristan. Blaine's Ninetales is going to be tough to beat."
"I know who I'm going to choose," said Tristan as he took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Lapras, I choose you!"
Lapras materialized from the white light that shot out of Tristan's Pokéball. It wasn't used to the intense heat of the volcano, but it knew that Tristan needed its help.
"Don't let the volcano intimidate you, Lapras!" encouraged Tristan. "You have the heart of a Water Pokémon, and I know you can do it!"
Lapras wailed in eager agreement.
"So, you've chosen a Water-type," said Blaine. "Lapras may have Water-type characteristics, but it has Ice-type traits, too. So, if you're wanting to avoid a quick knockout, I'd suggest you think strategically."
"You can count on that, Blaine!" smiled Tristan.
And so, Tristan begins his Gym battle against Blaine, the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader, with his seventh Gym Badge at stake. Will Tristan find a way to keep his cool in the heat of battle? Or will he crash and burn right from the start? Don't miss this white hot match...next time!
TO BE CONTINUED...
