AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 47 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. The Trainer House from the Gold, Silver, and Crystal version games makes an appearance, but it also has a stadium just like the ones you see in the anime. As always, please feel free to read and review, and remember, feedback of any kind is always welcome.

TEASER: Blue challenges Tristan to a battle in a location that is known to Pokémon Trainers the world over...the Trainer House!

Chapter 47: FACE OFF, PART 1

(Music Cue: Opening & Title Screen 1997-1998 (as heard in "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon"))

After winning his eighth badge from the Viridian Gym Leader, Tristan, along with his friends, Hillary, and Pikachu, are finally getting ready for the Pokémon League Competition.

"I finally earned all eight badges, so now I can finally compete in the Pokémon League!" said Tristan excitedly as he and Hillary talked to their grandmother, Veronica, on the video phone in the Pokémon Center.

"That's wonderful, dear," smiled Veronica. "You should be very proud of yourself."

"I am," replied Tristan. "I have my Pokémon to thank for all their hard work."

Presently, Eric, Tristan and Hillary's grandfather, appeared next to Veronica. "Hi, kids!" he said.

"Grandpa!" said Tristan and Hillary together.

"I just thought I'd let you know that your grandmother and I spoke with Professor Oak a little bit ago," explained Eric. "And he says that the Pokémon League Competition will take place at the Indigo Plateau."

"The Indigo Plateau?" repeated Tristan. "Where's that?"

"It's northwest of Viridian City," answered Eric. "You should be able to find it on the map."

Tristan took out his map from his backpack. Sure enough, the Indigo Plateau was on the top left corner. "Okay, I think we can get there," he said as he held his map close to the camera lens on top.

"That's lovely, dear," replied Veronica, "but don't you think you're holding the map a little too close? I'm afraid we can't see you now."

Tristan suddenly realized what he was doing. "Oops! Sorry." He folded the map and put it away in his backpack.

"They must be very excited," remarked Eric.

"Oh, I know they are, Eric," replied Veronica. "Well, we'll let you go, kids. Good luck!"

"We love you," added Eric.

"We love you, too," replied Tristan. "Goodbye, Grandma."

"Bye, Grandpa." added Hillary.

The video screen turned off and the transmission ended.


When Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu emerged from the Pokémon Center half an hour later, Tristan and Hillary were thinking about the upcoming Pokémon League Competition at the Indigo Plateau.

Hillary was most impressed at Tristan's skills as a Trainer so far. It all paid off for Tristan, she thought. Earning eight badges, plus having a fully-evolved team, besides Pikachu. I think Tristan has what it takes to be a real champ!

However, Tristan was thinking of other things besides the Pokémon League. Something's not adding up, he thought. Why would Giovanni challenge me to a Gym Battle and then disappear after my latest victory? What's he really after? And why is he so interested in me?

"Hey, Tristan?" said Hillary as she waved her hand in front of Tristan's eyes. "Earth to Tristan!"

Tristan immediately snapped out of his trance and looked Hillary in the eye. "Did you say something?"

"All right, spill it. What's wrong?" asked Hillary. She seemed quite concerned.

Pikachu felt concerned, too.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," lied Tristan.

"Come on, big bro, I know you," insisted Hillary. "You're not acting like yourself today. Something's on your mind and you don't want to tell me what."

Tristan let out a small chuckle. "You're right, sis. Nothing gets by you."

"Then tell me what's up," said Hillary.

"It's just that I'm worried about what Giovanni plans to do," replied Tristan. "Maybe he wants to steal the Pokémon from every trainer in this region."

"That may be something he wants to do," said Hillary. "But that doesn't mean he's really going to go through with it."

Tristan had his doubts, but he nodded. "I'll take your word for it." Then he thought to himself, If only Mom and Dad were here journeying with Hillary and me. They'd be proud of my accomplishments as a Trainer. We'd have a whole lot of fun together as a family.

"Hey, Tristan!" called a voice.

Tristan and Hillary turned around to see a spiky-haired kid approaching him.

"Oh, no. Not Blue!" complained Hillary.

"Yup! It's me!" replied Blue. "What a surprise to see the both of you here!"

"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked Tristan suspiciously.

"I was just on my way to the Indigo Plateau," answered Blue. "Are you on your way there, too?"

"Yes," replied Tristan.

"Then how many badges do you have?" asked Blue. "I bet you don't have enough!"

Tristan opened up his vest and showed him his eight badges.

"Whoa, no way!" exclaimed Blue. "You got all the badges, too? That's cool!"

"What do you mean?" asked Tristan.

"I'd like to challenge you to a full battle!" declared Blue.

"What's a full battle?" asked Tristan.

"It's where two Trainers battle each other using six Pokémon," explained Blue.

"Six Pokémon?!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Using six Pokémon can make battles extremely long," continued Blue, "but whichever Trainer knocks out all six of the opposing Trainer's Pokémon first wins the match."

"That sounds really long to me," remarked Hillary.

"I don't want to interrupt you, Blue," said Tristan, "but you may be in danger here. There's someone out there that's going to steal every Trainer's Pokémon in this region."

"Come on, Tristan, blah, blah, blah," replied Blue. He clearly wasn't interested in Tristan's warning. "So, are you going to battle me or not?"

Tristan thought about it, and he immediately smiled. "All right, Blue, I accept your challenge!" he said eagerly.

"I have a special place in store for our battle," said Blue. "Follow me." And he led Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu through Viridian City to another location.


Everyone arrived at a big building a few minutes later. It looked brand new, much like the Viridian Gym.

"This is the Trainer House," explained Blue. "This is where the best Trainers gather from all over to compete against one another in Pokémon battles."

"That's awesome," remarked Hillary.

"The Trainer House also resembles a real stadium," continued Blue. "Even though no major events occur here, Trainers are welcome to challenge each other in there with as many or as few spectators as they want. It's also a convenient place to train because it's built near the Indigo Plateau, which is the final destination for most Trainers who are hoping to compete in the Pokémon League. It's free and open to the public in case they want to see some real good battles."

"I want to see a good battle!" said Hillary.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Tristan. "Let's go inside!"

Everyone walked inside the building into a lobby.

"This is where trainers rest before their big battle," explained Blue. "And Trainers who win a battle here have automatic entry into the Champion League. They don't even have to enter the Pokémon League Competition if you don't have to."

"We don't?" asked Tristan.

"That's right," replied Blue. "And even if you don't have to, you still can if you want to, but I don't see what the whole point of it is other than to waste my time. So I'd say this is a perfect opportunity to see if my dream of being the Champion will finally come true."

Everyone walked over to the reception desk.

A female receptionist greeted them warmly. "How can I help you today?" she asked.

"I'd like to use the battlefield in the stadium," answered Blue. "I'm going to be battling Tristan in a full battle and beating the pants off of him."

"Showoff," whispered Tristan to himself.

"Very well," replied the receptionist. "How many Pokémon will you be using?"

"We'll both be using six," answered Blue.

"I'll just need to see your IDs using your Pokédexes," replied the receptionist.

Tristan and Blue handed her the Pokédexes.

She pushed a few buttons on the machine and handed them back to them. "You're all set," she said. "Follow me to the stadium." And she led everyone away from the lobby.


A few minutes later, they arrived at a battlefield. Surprisingly enough, it was packed with many spectators. There were benches near the battlefield where family and friends can watch the battles up close. There was also a giant board where there were six green lights and six red lights, signifying the number of Pokémon each Trainer had.

"Wow, it sure is loud here," remarked Tristan.

"I'm a little surprised by it myself," added Blue.

"Is that bench where I can sit?" asked Hillary, pointing to one of the benches.

"Yes, it is," replied the receptionist. Looks like we've got a full house today, so I hope you all enjoy this battle." And she left the stadium.

"This is just like what we'll be experiencing in the Pokémon League, Pikachu," said Tristan. "Let's show these guys what we can do."

Pikachu replied with enthusiasm.

(Music Cue: Ending 1997-1998 (as heard in "Fowl Play!"))

The crowd roared as they looked at Tristan and Blue taking their places on opposite sides of the field.

"Welcome, one and all to the Trainer House Stadium!" boomed an announcer's voice. "This is where you can see all kinds of battles between trainers from around the world! And we've got a place that's filled to capacity!"

The crowd cheered as they waited for the battle to begin.

"The air in the Trainer House Stadium is filled with excitement, so fasten your seat belts!" boomed the announcer. "This battle is about to begin!"

Hillary waited patiently on the bench as Tristan and Pikachu faced Blue on the battlefield.

"This battle will be between Tristan from New Bark Town and Blue from Pallet Town!" boomed the announcer. "Each Trainer will use six Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all six of one Trainer's Pokémon will be left unable to continue. In addition, both Trainers may make substitutions freely. This is a special battle, folks, because whoever emerges victorious here at the Trainer House Stadium will be able to enter the Champion League, where the victorious Trainers can challenge the Elite Four!"

That's going to make this even more difficult, thought Tristan. There's no way I can easily predict what moves Blue will do. I have to emerge victorious here.

Presently, a referee came to the platform overlooking the battlefield. He had a red flag in his right hand and a green flag in his left hand. "This battle between Tristan from New Bark Town and Blue from Pallet Town will now begin!" he said.

"Exeggcute, I choose you!" shouted Blue as he threw his first Pokéball.

A Pokémon resembling six light pink eggs materialized from the white light that shot out of it. They each had a face, and five of the six eggs huddled around the sixth.

"I've never seen that Pokémon before," said Tristan as he scanned Exeggcute with his Pokédex.

"Exeggcute: The Egg Pokémon," identified Dexter. "The heads attract each other and spin around. There must be six heads for it to maintain balance."

"I know who I'm gonna choose," said Tristan as he took out his first Pokéball and threw it. "Pidgeot, I choose you!"

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

"Let the battle begin!" announced the referee.

(Music Cue: Raid!)

"Pidgeot, start off with your Wing Attack now!" commanded Tristan.

Pidgeot's wings glowed in a white light as it charged toward Exeggcute at a high rate of speed. Sure enough, Pidgeot scored a direct hit on Exeggcute, but Exeggcute didn't seem fazed one bit by the attack.

"Pidgeot starts out with a Wing Attack!" boomed the announcer, "but Exeggcute is back in the game!"

"Exeggcute, use Leech Seed!" yelled Blue.

Exeggcute fired a flurry of brown seeds at Pidgeot, and soon they sprouted and tangled it up.

"Pidgeot!" cried Tristan.

"Wow, talk about a turnaround!" boomed the announcer. "Exeggute's Leech Seed has scored a direct hit, causing problems for Pidgeot!"

Sure enough, the shock of the Leech Seed attack was draining Pidgeot of its energy at a rapid rate.

"Now use your PoisonPowder!" commanded Blue.

Exeggcute fired a purple cloud of powder at Pidgeot, who couldn't dodge it in time, and was fully enveloped in it.

"Exeggcute's PoisonPowder attack has poisoned Pidgeot!" boomed the announcer. "This battle is intense right from the start!"

"Tristan had better do something fast, or Pidgeot's a goner!" cried Hillary.

"Pidgeot, try to break yourself free!" shouted Tristan.

Pidgeot tried, but the thick vines and the shock of the Leech Seed combined with the PoisonPowder really gave it a hard time.

"Okay, Exeggcute, finish it off with SolarBeam!" ordered Blue.

Exeggcute absorbed light from the sun's rays as the eggs began to glow in a white light one by one.

"Aim and fire now!" yelled Blue.

Exxegcute fired a powerful white beam at a defenseless Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot, return now!" commanded Tristan as he took out Pidgeot's Pokéball.

The Pokéball's center aimed a red beam of red energy at Pidgeot, transforming it into red energy as it shot back inside just as Exeggcute's SolarBeam attack was about to strike it head on.

The SolarBeam attack missed the target and dissipated, and the vines that tangled it disappeared.

"Phew!" said Hillary. "That was close."

"Just when he had the type advantage, Tristan was forced to call back his Pidgeot!" boomed the announcer. "Exeggcute is a very powerful Pokémon, indeed!"

Tristan put away Pidgeot's Pokéball and took out his second Pokéball. He threw it immediately. "Charizard, go!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "Good 'Quil Hunting"))

Charizard materialized from the white light that shot out of the Pokéball.

"Tristan's second Pokémon will be Charizard!" boomed the announcer. "Once again, that puts Tristan at a huge advantage when it comes to Pokémon type. But this match is just beginning to heat up, folks! Believe me!"

"Exeggcute, Stun Spore attack!" commanded Blue.

Exeggcute launched a golden powder at Charizard.

"Charizard, use your wings to blow the Stun Spore away!" ordered Tristan.

Charizard flapped its mighty wings and instantly made the Stun Spore disappear.

"Charizard's wings have created a big gust of wind, which neutralized the Stun Spore!" boomed the announcer.

"Charizard, Flamethrower attack!" shouted Tristan.

Charizard shot a red-hot stream of fire from its mouth, scoring a super-effective hit on Exeggcute.

"Charizard's Flamethrower attack strikes Exeggcute like a volcanic eruption!" boomed the announcer.

"Exeggcute!" cried Blue.

Exeggcute collapsed on the ground and fainted.

"Exeggcute is unable to battle...Charizard is the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag in the air.

The crowd roared in excitement at the announcement.

One of the red lights on the board turned off.

"Charizard's type advantage over Exeggcute gave it an easy win, scoring an early lead for Tristan!" boomed the announcer. "Charizard's Flamethrower has certainly helped make the action white-hot!"

"Yeah, go, Tristan!" cheered Hillary.

"Well, well," said Blue as he returned Exeggcute to its Pokéball. "I wasn't expecting you to have a Charizard, especially since I battled Charmeleon last time. However, it's time for my Cloyster to take over this time." He took out Cloyster's Pokéball and threw it.

(Music Cue: Chaos)

Cloyster materialized from the white light that shot out of the Pokéball.

So, Cloyster's up next, huh? thought Tristan. I may be at a disadvantage this time, but that doesn't mean I can't try attacking.

I know you want to challenge yourself, Tristan, thought Hillary. But maybe you should think about switching Pokémon. That Cloyster looks more powerful than it did last time, especially since it has the advantage.

"Go!" shouted the referee.

"Charizard, use your Flamethrower attack!" commanded Tristan.

Charizard shot another hot stream of fire from its mouth at Cloyster.

"Ha!" laughed Blue. "You'll never learn. Cloyster, Withdraw!"

Cloyster immediately closed its shell, causing the Flamethrower attack to get cancelled out.

"Keep going with that Flamethrower, Charizard!" commanded Tristan.

Charizard continued to use its Flamethrower attack to try and make progress on Cloyster, but Cloyster's hard shell prevented it from making contact.

"Cloyster's rock-hard shell is doing the job. Charizard's Flamethrower is causing no damage at all!" boomed the announcer.

"All right, Charizard, we'll have to try something else...use your Slash attack!" yelled Tristan.

Charizard charged at Cloyster using its sharp claws to attack Cloyster with.

"Charizard flies at Cloyster at a great rate of speed!" remarked the announcer.

"Gotcha!" said Blue. "Cloyster, Clamp attack!"

Cloyster opened up its hard shell and used it to clamp tightly on Charizard's scaly neck.

"Charizard!" cried Tristan.

"Cloyster, finish it up with Aurora Beam!" commanded Blue.

Cloyster shot a close-range rainbow-colored beam from the barb-like spike on the top of its head and scored a huge hit.

"Whoa, that had to hurt!" boomed the announcer. "Charizard got caught up in Cloyster's Clamp attack and got pummeled by that close range Aurora Beam!" boomed the announcer.

"Hang on, Charizard!" shouted Tristan.

Charizard tried to hang on, but the combined Clamp and Aurora Beam attacks were too much for it to take. It fell backwards and fainted.

"Charizard is unable to battle...Cloyster is the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his red flag.

"That's a shame," said Hillary sadly. "Charizard lost."

The crowd roared in excitement again as a green light turned off. The spectators were clearly enjoying the battle.

"Cloyster acted as a giant mousetrap waiting for its prey!" boomed the announcer. "Cloyster's victory over Charizard has tied up this match one to one!"

Tristan returned Charizard to its Pokéball and held it close. "I'm sorry, Charizard," he said. "I should have known Cloyster would do a Clamp attack." For some reason he could sense that Charizard was forgiving him. Even though it lost, it knew that as long as Tristan was a good trainer, he would it and his other Pokémon's well-being ahead of his own.

"What will Tristan's next Pokémon be?" boomed the announcer.

Tristan took out his next Pokéball and threw it. "Venusaur, I choose you!" he shouted.

Venusaur emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.

"So, Venusaur's evolved, too," said Blue. "I thought as much. Okay, Cloyster, let's get in there with a Clamp attack!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Tunnel Vision"))

Cloyster charged at Venusaur, intending to clamp on it hard.

"Battle back with your Razor Leaf attack, Venusaur!" ordered Tristan.

Venusaur fired a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Cloyster, catching it by surprise.

"Talk about great power!" boomed the announcer. "Venusaur's Razor Leaf attack sideswipes Cloyster!"

"Okay, a minor setback, but let's see how you handle this!" said Blue. "Cloyster, Supersonic attack!"

Cloyster emitted ultra-sonic blue waves from its shell, making Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu cover their ears. Venusaur couldn't cover its ears because it was on four legs.

"Cloyster's Supersonic attack is loud!" boomed the announcer. "I don't think this place will quiet down anytime soon!"

"Venusaur, we've gotta beat 'em, so use your Vine Whip attack!" bellowed Tristan.

Venusaur shot two powerful vines from the flower on its back.

"Clamp 'em, Cloyster!" commanded Blue.

With precision timing, Cloyster clamped down hard on Venusaur's vines.

"Now reel it in!" yelled Blue.

Cloyster reeled Venusaur in as Blue prepared to make his next move.

But Tristan knew what to do. "Venusaur, use Cloyster's power to give it a Tackle attack!"

Using the momentum of being reeled in, Venusaur charged at Cloyster at tremendous speed and rammed it hard, giving it major damage.

"Venusaur turned Cloyster's Clamp attack into its own advantage by using a Tackle attack!" boomed the announcer.

"Yeah, that's the way!" cheered Hillary.

"Okay, Venusaur, time for Leech Seed!" commanded Tristan.

Venusaur fired multiple seeds from the flower on its back. They surrounded Cloyster and sprouted, growing vines. The vines tangled up Cloyster as they began to shock it.

"Oh, no!" cried Blue.

"Venusaur's Leech Seed is beginning to drain all the energy out of Cloyster!" boomed the announcer.

"This is our chance, Venusaur, use your SolarBeam attack!" ordered Tristan.

Venusaur's flower began to glow in a white light as it began to absorb sunlight.

"SolarBeam may take awhile, but we can't take any more chances," said Blue. "Cloyster, finish it up with Aurora Beam!"

Cloyster fired a cold rainbow-colored beam from the spike above its head at Venusaur just as Venusaur's SolarBeam was fully charged.

"Venusaur, SolarBeam now!" shouted Tristan.

Venusaur fired a powerful white beam at the Aurora Beam.

The two attacks had collided, creating a big explosion that enveloped the entire battlefield.

The force of the explosion knocked both Pokémon back, but it was hard to tell because the smoke was so thick.

When the smoke cleared, it was apparent that Venusaur had collapsed to the ground, but Cloyster managed to hang in there.

"Venusaur is unable to battle...Cloyster is the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his red flag.

The crowd cheered as the announcement was made.

Tristan and Hillary were shocked.

"The collision of SolarBeam and Aurora Beam created explosive results!" boomed the announcer. "However, the brunt of the explosion seemed to be closest to Venusaur, causing it to get blown out of the match!"

"Venusaur, return!" called Tristan as a beam of red energy shot from Venusaur's Pokéball and turned it into red energy, which shot back inside it. Tristan held the Pokéball close to him and said, "You were great, Venusaur. Take a nice, long rest."

"Now we wait for Tristan's choice for his next Pokémon!" boomed the announcer.

Tristan turned to Pikachu who stood right next to him. "All right, pal, are you ready to go?"

Pikachu nodded and jumped onto the battlefield, ready to face Cloyster in battle.

"Tristan's fourth Pokémon will be Pikachu!" boomed the announcer.

"Pikachu's got the advantage this time," remarked Hillary. "It may be small, but it can sure pack a powerful shock."

"Go!" shouted the referee.

(Music Cue: Flying Pokéball Chaos (as heard in "Shell Shock"))

""Pikachu, Thunderbolt now!" ordered Tristan.

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Pikachu as a yellow bolt of electricity shot out from its body at Cloyster.

"Cloyster, use Withdraw now!" commanded Blue.

Cloyster immediately closed its shell, nullifying the damage Thunderbolt would have done.

But Tristan was quite unconcerned. I know Cloyster has taken a lot of damage from its battles with Charizard and Venusaur, and I'm sure Cloyster can't last much longer anyway, he thought. So let's finish this. "All right Pikachu, show Cloyster a Thunder attack!" he shouted.

"Pikaaaaaaaaaaa-chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" yelled Pikachu as a bigger yellow bolt of electricity shot out from its body at Cloyster. Just as Tristan figured, it scored a direct hit.

"Oh, no!" cried Blue.

"Smart move!" said Hillary. "Tristan must have known that Cloyster would lose its strength after taking enough hits from multiple attacks!"

Cloyster opened its shell and collapsed on the ground, knocked out.

"Cloyster is unable to battle...Pikachu is the winner!" declared the referee as he raised his green flag to the sound of the roaring crowd.

"Despite Cloyster's hard shell protecting it from one attack after another, Tristan found a way to make use of the type advantage Pikachu had to tie this match up yet again!" explained the announcer. "What will Blue choose as his third Pokémon?"

Blue returned Cloyster to its Pokéball and put it away. "You may have gotten a lucky shot against Cloyster," he said as he took out his third Pokéball. "But let's see how you handle this! Sandslash, go!" He threw the Pokéball.

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

Sandslash materialized from the white light that shot out of it.

"Blue's third Pokémon will be Sandslash!" boomed the announcer.

Sandslash, thought Tristan. Just great.

"Come on, Tristan, I know you can do it!" cheered Hillary.

"Go!" shouted the referee.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt attack now!" commanded Tristan.

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Pikachu as a yellow bolt of electricity shot out at Sandslash.

"Just stand there, Sandslash," said Blue.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack struck Sandslash directly.

"Yeah, nice work, Pikachu!" said Tristan.

However Sandslash seemed unfazed by the attack.

"Pikachu's Thunderbolt may be hitting Sandslash, but the attack has zero effect!" boomed the announcer.

"What?" gasped Tristan.

"Sandslash is a Ground-type, Tristan!" shouted Hillary. "Electric attacks won't work!"

"That's some sisterly advice," said Blue. "I guess you'll have to learn the hard way. Okay, Sandslash, Poison Sting!"

Sandslash spun like a wheel and fired poisonous darts from the quills on its back and aimed them straight at Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" cried Tristan.

Pikachu was in big trouble.


And so, Tristan and Blue continue to launch one powerful attack after another as they battle it out in the Trainer House Stadium to see who will gain entry into the Champion League. But will Tristan's team be powerful enough for him to emerge victorious? Stay tuned!

TO BE CONTINUED...