AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 43 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. Blaine from the anime makes an appearance in this chapter. As always, please feel free to read and review, and remember, feedback of any kind is always welcome.

TEASER: Tristan finally faces off against Blaine, the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader, and it's a hot match right from the start! Will Tristan be able to keep his cool in the heat of battle, or will Blaine's Pokémon make him crash and burn?

Chapter 43: A FIERY SPIRIT

(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (second part)

Last time, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu met a man, who gave them riddle after riddle. During the evening, our friends found out that there were no vacancies at the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center, or anywhere else, for that matter. They soon solved the man's riddles, one after another, and ended up getting a good night's rest at his hotel, the Big Riddle Inn. The next morning, they commenced their search for the Cinnabar Island Gym, which turned out to be underneath the hotel. They found the Gym suspended a pool of lava. After solving more riddles and correctly guessing the man's identity, he took off his disguise and revealed himself as Blaine, the riddle-loving Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island. He sent out his Ninetales to face off against Tristan's Lapras. Will Tristan emerge victorious and earn his seventh Gym badge? One thing's for sure: this hot battle has barely begun!


"Go, Ninetales, Flamethrower now!" commanded Blaine.

(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster)

Ninetales fired a hot stream of fire from its mouth at Lapras.

"Lapras, Water Gun attack!" ordered Tristan.

Lapras fired a powerful stream of water from its mouth to counter the fire. Sure enough, the collision of the two attacks created a thick cloud of steam.

"Keep pushing, Ninetales! Don't let Lapras put you out!" encouraged Blaine.

Ninetales's Flamethrower pushed back against Lapras's Water Gun.

"Quick, Lapras, get out of the way!" commanded Tristan.

Lapras moved to its side to avoid Ninetales's Flamethrower.

"Choosing a Pokémon is more than selecting the right type," advised Blaine. "It takes wisdom to win a Gym Battle. That's what I've told every challenger."

He's right, thought Tristan. Just using Lapras's Water attacks won't be enough. I have to think of a way to douse Blaine's Fire Pokémon. "All right Lapras, Ice Beam!" ordered Tristan.

"Why use that?" asked Hillary.

Lapras fired an icy cold beam from its mouth.

"Ninetales, Flamethrower!" commanded Blaine.

Ninetales fired another hot stream of fire from its mouth to counter Lapras's Ice Beam, but that not only created another layer of steam, but it pushed Ice Beam back, giving Lapras some damage.

"Hang on, Lapras!" encouraged Tristan.

"You see, kid," said Blaine, "when it's fire against ice, fire always wins."

Now what? thought Tristan. Lapras's Ice Beam isn't working either.

"Ninetales, Confuse Ray!" commanded Blaine.

Ninetales's eyes glowed bright red, and Lapras looked directly into them, confusing it on the spot.

"Lapras!" cried Tristan.

"This is bad," said Hillary. "Ninetales's Confuse Ray confused Lapras, and now, Lapras can't seem to hear Tristan's voice at all.

"Lapras! Snap out of it!" cried Tristan.

"No use, boy!" said Blaine. "Ninetales, Quick Attack!"

Ninetales sped toward Lapras with a white line trailing behind it and successfully rammed into it, but Lapras was much bigger than Ninetales, so its weight advantage pushed it back.

"Urgh! Lapras's weight absorbed my attack!" grunted Blaine.

"That was a close one," said Hillary.

"Ninetales, Fire Spin now!" shouted Blaine.

Ninetales shot a fiery vortex of fire from its mouth and struck Lapras, trapping it in the vortex.

"Lapras!" cried Tristan.

"Big trouble!" grunted Hillary. "Lapras is trapped in Ninetales's attack! If Tristan doesn't do something and fast, it's all over!"

Lapras struggled against the combined might of Ninetales's Confuse Ray and Fire Spin, but once it realized that it was trapped and taking damage, it snapped out of its confusion.

"Way to go, Lapras!" commended Tristan. "Now use your Water Gun to jump as high as you can out of that vortex and give Ninetales a Body Slam!"

"Can Lapras even lift itself off the ground like that?" asked Hillary.

To everyone's surprise, it did, for thanks to the incredible force of Water Gun, Lapras was able to jump high over the field and out of the fiery vortex. Then, using all that it had, it used its full body weight to fall onto Ninetales hard.

"Ninetales!" gasped Blaine.

Lapras got off of Ninetales, and sure enough, thanks to Lapras's weight and the speed of the fall, Ninetales was knocked out.

"Ninetales, return!" said Blaine as he aimed the Pokéball's center button at Ninetales.

A red beam of red energy shot out, transforming Ninetales into red energy and it shot back inside.

"That was impressive," commended Blaine. "Using a Water Gun to jump high over Fire Spin and dealing a knockout over Ninetales at the same time using Body Slam was something I never expected. Well done."

"Thanks, Blaine," replied Tristan. "But we're just getting warmed up."

"I like your spirit, kid," said Blaine. "But now, it's time to move on. Go, Rhydon!" He threw his second Pokéball.

A large gray bipedal Pokémon emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It resembled both a dinosaur and a rhinoceros. It had a large cream-colored drill-like horn on its snout.

"What's that?" asked Tristan as he scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Rhydon: The Drill Pokémon," identified Dexter. "Its large horn gives it formidable attack power. Its armor-like hide repels molten lava."

Why did he choose a Rock Pokémon? thought Tristan. He must know that Rock Pokémon are weak against Water attacks, and it can take hear like other Rock Pokémon...unless Lapras's Ice-type characteristics give Rhydon the edge! "Lapras, you've gotta be careful!" warned Tristan aloud. "Rhydon's pretty powerful! Don't let your guard down!"

Lapras nodded in reply.

"Go, Rhydon, Horn Drill!" commanded Blaine.

(Music Cue: Danger! Pikachu!)

Rhydon's big horn spun like a drill as it headed straight toward Lapras.

"I don't like where this is going!" said Hillary.

"Lapras, use your Ice Beam attack fast!" shouted Tristan.

Lapras shot an ice-cold beam of energy from its mouth at Rhydon, scoring a direct hit and freezing it solid. However, thanks to the intense heat of the volcano, Rhydon thawed out instantly.

"Oh, no!" gasped Tristan.

"Rhydon, Rock Slide!" commanded Blaine.

Rhydon jumped high off the ground, despite its weight.

"I never knew Rhydon could jump!" gasped Hillary.

Rhydon's used its big feet to kick the rocky walls of the Gym, causing huge boulders to slide down directly toward Lapras. Lapras dodged a few of the boulders, leaving it at a standstill.

"Finish it off with Horn Drill!" shouted Blaine.

Rhydon's large horn spun hard and fast as it charged toward Lapras, and when it was distracted, it was struck hard by Rhydon's spinning horn.

"Lapras, no!" cried Tristan.

Lapras collapsed to the ground with a dazed expression in its eyes; it had been knocked out.

"Looks like it's the end of the line for your Lapras," said Blaine.

"I was afraid this would happen," said Hillary sadly. "That Horn Drill attack scored a one-hit knockout. Rhydon used Rock Slide to distract Lapras long enough for it to strike it down."

"Lapras, return!" called Tristan as a red energy beam shot out from Lapras's Pokéball, transforming it into red energy and disappeared into it. He held his Pokéball close to him. "You did your very best, Lapras, and for that, I'm proud of you. You deserve a nice rest."

"Well, what next, kid?" asked Blaine. "You no longer have Lapras to help you. What will you use as your second Pokémon?"

Tristan took out his second Pokéball and threw it. "Blastoise, I choose you!"

Blastoise emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball, and readied itself for battle.

"Ah, a Blastoise," said Blaine. "Another powerhouse. You must be a good trainer. But let's see how good your Blastoise really is."

Blastoise and Rhydon eyed each other warily as they waited for instructions from their Trainers.

"Blastoise has a huge advantage when it comes to type," said Hillary. "But when it comes to this battlefield, I'd have to give the edge to Rhydon."

"Let's continue," said Blaine. "Go, Rhydon, Take Down now!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle version 2)

Rhydon charged toward Blastoise with a full-body style attack.

"Blastoise, push it back with Hydro Pump attack!" ordered Tristan.

Blastoise's cannons came out of its shell, and two powerful blasts of water emerged from them. The blasts successfully scored a hit on Rhydon, pushing it back.

"Don't give in, Rhydon!" encouraged Blaine. "Use your Horn Drill to block the Hydro Pump blasts!"

Rhydon spun its drill at high speed, and sure enough, Hydro Pump was successfully blocked.

That Rhydon's pretty tough, thought Tristan. Despite the advantage, Blaine and Rhydon seem unfazed by whatever attack I throw their way. I'll just have to improvise a little bit.

"Well, Tristan," said Blaine, "your Blastoise has been raised well, but you should know you can't defeat me using type advantage alone. You'll have to find some other way of taking my Rhydon down. Because if you can't find a way to beat my Rhydon in this volcano, you may as well forget about earning a badge here."

"No way, Blaine," replied Tristan. "Blastoise isn't a quitter and neither am I."

"Then suit yourself," said Blaine. "Maybe by the time this battle's over, you will have learned that it takes more than type to win a battle. Knock it out of the match with Horn Drill, Rhydon!"

Rhydon charged toward Blastoise with its high-speed spinning horn as the driving force.

"Blastoise, Withdraw!" ordered Tristan.

Blastoise's head and limbs disappeared into its shell.

Rhydon tried to score a knockout blow on Blastoise with its Horn Drill, but the hard shell prevented it from doing any damage,

"Very clever," commended Blaine. "Using Blastoise's hard shell nullifies the damage Horn Drill would have done to it."

"Blastoise, use your Ice Beam on the battlefield!" instructed Tristan.

Blastoise's head and limbs emerged from the hard shell and an icy cold beam of energy was fired from its mouth. The Ice Beam attack struck the battlefield all around Rhydon, leaving it with nowhere to go.

"Perfect!" said Hillary. "With all that ice surrounding Rhydon, it has no place left to go! One misstep could mean a huge downfall!"

"Okay, Blastoise, use your Hydro Pump attack on it!" ordered Tristan.

Blastoise shot two more powerful blasts of water from its cannons, pushing Rhydon back with a lot of force. Rhydon slipped and fell on the ground thanks to the ice, but it was far from over.

"Go, Rhydon, Fury Attack!" commanded Blaine.

Rhydon charged toward Blastoise again with its horn as the driving force.

"Dodge it, Blastoise!" ordered Tristan.

Blastoise swerved from side to side as Rhydon's Fury Attack tried to connect with it. Again and again, it attacked, but it didn't land a single hit.

"All right, it's time to go head to head!" said Blaine. "Rhydon, Take Down!"

Rhydon did a full-body charge at Blastoise.

"Blastoise, Skull Bash attack!" shouted Tristan.

Blastoise lowered its head, which glowed in a silver aura. Then using all it had, it charged at Rhydon. Both Pokémon collided with one another, trying to push the other back. But the force of the attacks created a huge explosion of power, knocking back both Pokémon.

When the dust cleared, Rhydon and Blastoise had both collapsed on the ground. They both had dazed expressions in their eyes; they had both fainted from the force of the explosion of the two attacks.

"Blastoise!" gasped Tristan.

"Rhydon!" gasped Blaine.

"No way!" said Hillary. "It was a double knockout!"

Tristan and Blaine returned Blastoise and Rhydon back to their Pokéballs.

"Blastoise, you were great," said Tristan as he held its Pokéball close to him. "Take a long rest."

"I'm very proud of you, Rhydon," said Blaine as he held its Pokéball close to him. "You fought very hard."

"Now what happens?" asked Hillary.

"Well, as promised," said Blaine. "I'd like to take the last round of our Gym match to the top of Cinnabar Island's volcano. Are you ready?"

"I am, Blaine," replied Tristan.

"Good, then follow me," said Blaine as he led Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu out of the Gym and out of the Big Riddle Inn.


Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were relieved when they got outside.

"At last," said Hillary. "It's much cooler out here than it is inside the Gym."

"No wonder why Blaine likes it hot," added Tristan. "He does a great job of raising his Fire Pokémon."

"As you may have known," said Blaine, "this last battle will take place over the lava pit of Cinnabar Island's volcano. Any part of the volcano is fair game, including the pillars. You can battle under it and over it. Do you understand?"

"I do, Blaine," replied Tristan. "But why did you decide to battle over the volcano in the first place?"

"I discovered a Magmar in the volcano a long time ago," answered Blaine. "It lived in that volcano for a long time, and I'd visit it very frequently. It liked me so much, that it wanted me to be its Trainer. Plus, it was very strong. Since then, it's been a special place in my heart, and I've always liked battling up there. And Magmar and I have been good friends for a long time."

"That's a great story, Blaine," said Tristan. "I can hardly wait to battle your Magmar."


Pretty soon, they made it to the top of the volcano.

"Well, Tristan, I hope your last choice is a good one because I'm all fired up," said Blaine.

"And so am I, Blaine," replied Tristan as he took out his third Pokéball. "Charmeleon, I choose you!"

Charmeleon materialized from the white light that shot out of it. It looked as fired up as Tristan was.

"I'm counting on you, Charmeleon," said Tristan. "This is going to be a tough match. Let's win this battle together."

Charmeleon's flame on its tail grew more intense. It liked having tough battles. It was just the thing to boost its confidence.

"So, you've got a strong Charmeleon," said Blaine. "But let's see if you have what it takes to win. I choose Magmar!" He threw his Pokéball.

A red bipedal Pokémon with yellow flame designs materialized from the white light that shot out of it. Two lumps on the top of its head had yellow flames on them, plus it had a flame on its tail. It also had a puckered yellow beak.

"That must be Magmar," said Tristan as he scanned Magmar with his Pokédex.

"Magmar: The Spitfire Pokémon," identified Dexter. "Its body is like a furnace, making Magmar a living inferno. It has been discovered only near active volcanoes."

"Be ready for anything, Charmeleon," advised Tristan. "There's no telling how strong Magmar really is."

Charmeleon nodded in reply.

"Let's go all out right from the start!" said Blaine. "Magmar, use your Flamethrower!"

"Charmeleon, use your Flamethrower attack, too!" commanded Tristan.

(Music Cue: Kanto Champion Battle)

Charmeleon and Magmar each fired a hot stream of fire from their mouths at one another. The two attacks collided with explosive results.

"It looks like a stalemate," remarked Hillary.

"Okay, Magmar, we're going to try something different," said Blaine. "Give it a Fire Blast!"

"Fire Blast? What's that?" asked Tristan.

"Just watch," replied Blaine.

Magmar focused its power, then shot a fiery attack that looked like a star at Charmeleon.

"Charmeleon, use the pillars to dodge it!" instructed Tristan.

Charmeleon jumped from one of the pillars over the Fire Blast attack and perfectly landed on another.

"Quick, Magmar, let's try another one!" commanded Blaine.

Once again, Magmar shot another fiery star at Charmeleon.

"Jump onto the pillars, Charmeleon!" ordered Tristan.

Charmeleon jumped from pillar to pillar. Its speed proved to be a match even for Magmar's Fire Blast attack.

"Those Fire Blasts looked very powerful," grunted Tristan.

"That's because it's the most powerful attack a Fire Pokémon has," replied Blaine. "If your Charmeleon knew the attack, we'd be an even match. But it doesn't look like you've learned it yet."

"Don't be so sure, Blaine," said Tristan. "This battle's just getting started. Charmeleon, give Magmar a taste of your Slash attack!"

Charmeleon jumped from pillar to pillar and headed straight towards Magmar with its sharp claws as the driving force.

"Magmar, Skull Bash attack!" ordered Blaine.

Magmar lowered its head and charged toward Charmeleon with a silver aura on it. Charmeleon did its best to connect with Magmar, but Magmar's Skull Bash overpowered it, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Charmeleon, no!" cried Tristan.

"Magmar, Fire Punch now!" commanded Blaine.

Fire formed in Magmar's right fist as it prepared to strike Charmeleon.

"Dodge it now, Charmeleon!" ordered Tristan.

Charmeleon rolled with Magmar's fiery punch as it swerved from side to side, narrowly dodging it.

"Now hold it down!" instructed Blaine.

Using its other hand, Magmar held Charmeleon down on one of the pillars, giving it no chance of escape.

"Oh, no!" cried Tristan.

"Now let 'em have it!" shouted Blaine.

With Charmeleon immobilized, Magmar executed one Fire Punch after another on it.

"This is bad!" gasped Hillary. "If Charmeleon doesn't break free from Magmar soon, Tristan's going to lose this match!"

Magmar continued to strike one fiery hit after another on a defenseless Charmeleon.

"It's time to end this, Magmar," said Blaine. "Grab it and throw it into the lava!"

Using both hands, Magmar grabbed Charmeleon and dove down toward the hot lava.

"Charmeleon, hang on!" shouted Tristan. "I know you can do it!"

There was a mighty splash of lava as Magmar and Charmeleon both became submerged in it. At first there were bubbles coming from the lava, but then, they soon disappeared.

"Charmeleon," whispered Tristan. "Please don't give up. Stay strong." Then he broke into a loud encouraging cry toward the sky. "Now come on, and show me that fiery spirit!"

All of a sudden, the lava started to glow in an explosive white light. Everyone gasped in shock and wonder.

"Whoa, what's going on?" asked Hillary.

A powerful stream of lava emerged from the volcano, and with it, Magmar and Charmeleon in a glowing white light, and they seemed to rise higher and higher into the sky.

"Tristan, look up there!" exclaimed Hillary.

(Music Cue: Gym (Version 2)

Sure enough, there was Charmeleon, the source of the glowing white light, and as it and Magmar gained altitude, Charmeleon got bigger and bigger, and a pair of wings started to grow into it. When Charmeleon emerged from the white light, it looked like a big orange bipedal Pokémon with small blue eyes, a long neck, raised nostrils and two horn-like structures on the back of its rectangular head.

"Charmeleon just evolved!" said Hillary. She was very excited.

"Let's see what it is!" said Tristan as he scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Charizard: The Flame Pokémon: The evolved form of Charmeleon," identified Dexter. "Charizard can exhale powerful blasts of fire that are hot enough to melt boulders."

"So it's a Charizard now!" said Tristan. "That's awesome! All right, Charizard, let's show Magmar what you can do!"

Charizard roared in reply and thrust Magmar down toward one of the pillars. Magmar suffered a hard hit, but it didn't give up so easily. Charizard landed on another pillar and readied itself for battle against Magmar.

"Your Charizard is good, kid," remarked Blaine. "However, Magmar isn't finished yet. Magmar, Flamethrower!"

Magmar shot another hot stream of fire at Charizard. This one seemed to be much more powerful than its first one.

"Careful, Tristan!" warned Hillary. "That Flamethrower is stronger now!"

"And so is ours," replied Tristan. "One good Flamethrower deserves another, right, Charizard!?"

Charizard nodded and fired another hot stream of fire to counter Magmar's Flamethrower. Sure enough, the two attacks collided again, creating a bigger explosion.

"That lava must have given both Pokémon a major boost in firepower," said Hillary.

"Don't think you've won yet," said Blaine. "Magmar, give Charizard your best Fire Blast attack! Finish it!"

Magmar shot its most powerful Fire Blast attack from its beak at Charizard.

"Don't give up, Charizard!" encouraged Tristan. "Toss that Fire Blast into the sky!"

Using its newfound strength, Charizard grabbed Magmar's Fire Blast attack in its claws and tossed it up into the sky. The attack had disappeared into thin air, much to Blaine's shock.

"Now, Charizard, grab onto Magmar and finish it off with a Seismic Toss!" shouted Tristan.

Charizard roared and grabbed onto Magmar, carrying it into the air. Then using all the strength it had, it spun around and around, faster and faster, until at last, it thrust Magmar down toward the pillars, sending it into a crash landing, which created a big cloud of dust.

"Magmar!" cried Blaine.

When the dust cleared, Magmar appeared to be standing for a few seconds, but thanks to the damage it took from Charizard's attacks, it collapsed and fainted on the pillar it crashed into.

(Music Cue: I Got a Victory Badge!)

"Way to go!" cried Tristan excitedly.

Pikachu and Hillary cheered for Tristan's latest victory.

Blaine returned Magmar to its Pokéball as he proudly looked on. Now that was a hot match I won't forget for a long time, he thought.


Later, everyone stood outside the Big Riddle Inn with Tristan's newly evolved Charizard.

"Congratulations, Tristan," said Blaine. "You and your Pokémon showed outstanding teamwork in our Gym Battle today. Your Charizard was certainly very impressive. Using the power of the lava to boost your attacks, just like I did, plus the power of flight really made the difference. Those were great strategies. It reminds me of another trainer I battled about a year ago. If you show as much teamwork as you did here today, you can never go wrong in any battle no matter how big or small."

"Thanks, Blaine," replied Tristan. "I couldn't have done it without all my friends helping me out today. This victory is for them, also."

"Now, that's what I like: an honest trainer," smiled Blaine. "Now I have one last riddle for you: What is it that's always red, but has no words?"

"Is it a badge?" asked Tristan hopefully.

"Not just ANY badge," replied Blaine, "but a Volcano Badge! And this one is yours."

Tristan smiled and accepted the badge. "Thank you, Blaine," he replied. He then raised it into the air and proudly proclaimed. "I got the Volcano Badge! Number seven!"

"Pi-pikachu!" added Pikachu.

Charizard's roar added to the cries of victory. Then, just to show its affection to its happy trainer, it decided to give him a gigantic hug.

"I know you're happy about our win, too, Charizard, but you're squishing me!" strained Tristan.

Everyone laughed.

Charizard gently put Tristan back down on the ground. Then, it bent lower to the ground itself.

"What's up, Charizard?" asked Tristan.

"I think I know what it wants," replied Blaine. "Your Charizard wants you to check out the view of Cinnabar Island from the air. After all, you helped it grow wonderfully."

Tristan was confused. "Is Blaine right, Charizard?" he asked.

Charizard nodded.

"I may not have trained a Charizard of my own yet, but be sure to seat yourself between Charizard's neck and shoulders," advised Blaine. "That's where both Trainers and Pokémon will be most comfortable. That's a tip I learned from a friend of mine in Johto."

"All right, then. Are you ready for this, Charizard?" said Tristan.

Charizard nodded as Tristan carefully got on.

"I want to come with you!" said Hillary, not wanting to be left behind. She got on in front of Tristan.

"All right, then, just hang on tight," replied Tristan.

Pikachu wanted to get on, too, so it got on Tristan's shoulder.

"You can come, too, Pikachu," said Tristan. He turned to Charizard. "We're ready, Charizard."

(Music Cue: Ending 1997-1998)

Charizard roared its reply, flapped its new wings, and took off into the sky.

"Don't squeeze its neck too hard now!" called Blaine. "You don't want it to accidentally smoke you out and throw you off!"

Charizard went higher and higher as Tristan and Hillary held on to its neck, taking care not to squeeze it too hard.

They were enjoying the fresh air and the picturesque view of Cinnabar Island from the sky.

"This is great," said Hillary. "Now you have a Charizard and another badge."

"I know," replied Tristan. "And I ought to thank you for helping me out."

"Don't forget that your Pokémon deserve most of the credit," added Hillary. Then she chuckled. "Actually, I should be thanking you for letting me come with you on your journey. I may not be a trainer yet, but I know that I'm learning a lot from watching you in action all this time."

"Our journey," corrected Tristan.

"And now that you only have one more badge to go, will our journey be over soon?" asked Hillary. She had been having so much fun traveling that she thought the purpose of traveling in Kanto would soon be over.

"Not even close," answered Tristan. "No matter what happens, there's always more to learn in the world of Pokémon. So I'd say that our adventures together are far from over."

"Well, do you know what's next?" asked Hillary.

"Well, as we're flying today, remember this: the sky's the limit," answered Tristan.

Hillary understood what Tristan meant, and she smiled.

Pikachu agreed with them as Charizard continued to fly on.


Thanks to his newly evolved Charizard and the teamwork of Blastoise and Lapras, Tristan has defeated Blaine and earned himself his seventh Gym badge. What new adventures await Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu? And what new mysteries in the incredible world of Pokémon have they yet to discover? No matter what happens, you can only find out if you simply stay tuned!

TO BE CONTINUED...