AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 51 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Kanto region. This chapter is based on my battle against one of my siblings back in 2002 when I first got into Pokémon and played Pokémon Stadium 2 with him. I used my Pokémon Yellow team against his Pokémon Crystal team back then. As always, please feel free to read and review, and remember, feedback of any kind is always welcome.

TEASER: Tristan and Hillary run into their brothers, Braden and Evan. Braden challenges Tristan to a full battle to help each other train.

Chapter 51: TRAINING THE TRAINER

After conquering one harrowing adventure after another, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu are once again on their way to the Indigo Plateau, site of the Pokémon League Competition. And who better to lead the escort to this special occasion than their grandparents, Veronica and Eric? But today, they may be in for an even bigger surprise.

Tristan and Hillary were looking out the windows of their grandparents' car when Pikachu alerted them to something.

"What's the matter, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.

Pikachu was pointing to two people out in a clearing by a large lake. They didn't seem to be doing anything.

Tristan recognized them instantly. "Isn't that Braden and Evan?" he asked.

"You mean our brothers?" added Hillary. "What would they be doing here?"

"Let me see," said Eric as he took out his binoculars. He saw two people taking a break and recognized them at once. "You're right, Tristan, it is them." He turned to Veronica. "What do you say, dear? Shall we pay them a little visit?"

"Why not?" replied Veronica. "I always love to see friends and family."

Veronica turned onto the grass and gently rolled the car to a stop.

Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were the first ones out of the car.

"Hi, guys!" said Tristan.

Evan and Braden turned around and saw Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu.

"Tristan and Hillary!" replied Braden. "It's been awhile."

"It's good to see you again," added Evan. "Who's Pikachu is that?"

"It's mine," answered Tristan. "Pikachu likes it better when it's outside with me. Right, pal?"

Pikachu agreed.

"Is that your first Pokémon?" asked Braden.

Tristan nodded as he gently stroked it on the head. "Pikachu and I have been through so much together already. We've become really good buddies."

Pikachu agreed happily.

Veronica and Eric walked over.

"Why, Braden," said Veronica. "I think you've grown since we've seen you last."

"It's nice to see you again," added Eric.

"Hi, Grandma. Hi, Grandpa," replied Braden as he hugged them. "What brings you all here?"

"We were on our way to the Indigo Plateau so I could compete in the Pokémon League Competition, but we wanted to stop by and see how you were doing," explained Tristan.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I'm not doing very well at all," replied Braden.

Tristan and Hillary were surprised.

"Not well at all? But why not?" asked Hillary.

"As you know, Evan and I have been travelling for a long time now, but for some reason, I keep losing to the Elite Four," explained Braden. "They're this group of really tough trainers that I have to battle in order to challenge the Champion of the Elite Four. They're really good...most trainers wouldn't stand a chance against them. I remember taking first place in the Pokémon League Competition last year. That earned me the right to challenge the Elite Four, and I can try as many times as necessary until I become the Champion. But so far, I've suffered humiliating defeats, one after another. I just don't know how to proceed. Even my strongest Pokémon, my Feraligatr, wouldn't stand a chance."

"Did you say a Feraligatr?" asked Hillary. "May we see?"

"Sure, if you want to," replied Braden as he took out a Pokéball. "Come on out, Feraligatr."

A blue bulky bipedal crocodilian Pokémon emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball. It had powerful jaws, and it was really big.

"So that's what a Feraligatr looks like," said Tristan as he tried to scan Feraligatr with his Pokédex; however, it showed nothing but static.

"Pokémon unknown. No available data," said Dexter.

"No data?" asked Tristan. "But why?"

"Feraligatr must live in the Johto region," said Hillary.

Evan snickered. To him, it was very funny that an older brother of his couldn't scan a Feraligatr easily. Then, he burst out laughing. "That Pokédex is pathetic!" he laughed. "You must be a really weak trainer, Tristan."

Braden bonked Evan on the head with a toy hammer. "You know, Evan, how would you like to be the next target of Feraligatr's Water Gun?!" he asked.

"Sorry," replied Evan. He stopped laughing at once.

"So, Feraligatr's a Water-type, huh?" said Tristan.

Braden nodded. "If you have time, we could have a full battle. That way, we'll both get in a little training. We'll each use six Pokémon, and we can substitute any of ours at any time. What do you say?"

Tristan eagerly jumped up at this chance. Battling always got him very excited. Maybe defeating Braden will help him redeem himself, especially after his loss against his rival, Blue. "I accept," he said. "This'll be a good workout for me so I can be in tip-top shape for the Pokémon League."

"But Braden, what about your training?" protested Evan.

"This IS training, Evan," insisted Braden. "Maybe having a battle against Tristan will help me improve my skills and figure out what I need to do in order to become the next Champion. Plus, maybe you and Hillary can learn something together."

"Well, okay," said Evan doubtfully. "But no matter what happens, I'll be rooting for you."

"I'm rooting for Tristan!" replied Hillary.

"We're rooting for the both of them," finished Veronica and Eric together.


Tristan and Braden took their places on opposite sides of each other in the clearing a few minutes later.

"Okay, Tristan," said Braden. "I should warn you that just because you're younger than me doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you."

"I wouldn't want you to," replied Tristan. "Now, choose your first Pokémon."

"Raticate, go!" shouted Braden as he threw his first Pokéball.

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

Why is he using Raticate? thought Tristan. He must have something planned right from the start.

"What's the matter, Tristan?" asked Braden. "Does my Raticate look too tough for you to handle?"

"Not at all," replied Tristan as he took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Venusaur, I choose you!"

Venusaur emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball. It was prepared for battle.

"This is going to be good!" said Hillary excitedly. "I've never seen Braden and Tristan battle each other before."

"That Venusaur looks very big," remarked Evan. "I wonder if Raticate will do all right."

"Technically, Evan, Braden has a lot more experience as a trainer," replied Veronica. "However, I have to give the advantage to Venusaur."

"What do you mean?" asked Evan. He was puzzled.

(Music Cue: Wreakin' Havoc! (as heard the first time in "SHOWDOWN AT DARK CITY"))

"Let's begin!" said Braden. "Raticate, Tackle attack!"

Raticate charged at Venusaur full-body style.

"Go, Venusaur, push it back!" commanded Tristan.

Venusaur held steady as Raticate rammed into it. Its massive size successfully pushed Raticate backward.

"Ugh! That was no good! I forgot all about Venusaur's massive body!" grunted Braden.

"Venusaur, Razor Leaf attack!" ordered Tristan.

Venusaur fired a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Raticate. The leaves sliced and diced Raticate, giving it some damage.

"Okay, Venusaur, grab it and finish it off with Vine Whip!" ordered Tristan.

Venusaur shot two large vines from the flower on its back and used them to grab Raticate. Then, it hoisted it up into the air and thrust it down to the ground with such force that it knocked it out.

"No, Raticate!" cried Braden.

"No way!" exclaimed Evan. "Raticate lost already?"

"That's strange," said Hillary. "I was expecting more of a fight from Raticate. How'd it get defeated so easily?"

"Because Venusaur's mass outmatched Raticate's mass," explained Veronica. "When you face off against a bigger Pokémon with a smaller Pokémon, usually the bigger Pokémon comers out on top."

"Of course, you'll have to take level and type into account, too," added Eric. "And from the looks of things, I would guess that Venusaur was at a much higher level than Raticate was."

Braden returned Raticate to its Pokéball and took out another one. "You may have gotten lucky against Raticate, but let's see if my Pidgeot can even the score!" He threw the Pokéball.

(Music Cue: A Fight! Real Vs. Copy Pokémon)

His Pidgeot emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"I didn't know that you had a Pidgeot, Braden," said Tristan.

"Pidgeot is a trustworthy Pokémon that many trainers rely on," replied Braden. "We've been through some difficult battles together."

"Venusaur and I can take on whatever you throw at us, even at a disadvantage," said Tristan.

Venusaur agreed.

"Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!" commanded Braden.

Pidgeot sped toward Venusaur with a white line trailing behind it. It was much faster and had a little more mass than Raticate.

"Venusaur, use Tackle attack!" ordered Tristan.

Venusaur charged at Pidgeot full-body style.

The two collided with neither side giving an inch.

"I think we've got an even match," remarked Hillary.

"You're right," replied Evan.

Both Pokémon fell back and readied themselves for the next attack.

"Pidgeot, use Wing Attack!" commanded Braden.

Pidgeot's wings glowed as it charged at Venusaur. It successfully scored a direct hit, but Venusaur was still ready for more.

"Hang in there, Venusaur," encouraged Tristan. "Use your SolarBeam!"

Venusaur's flower started to glow as traces of sunlight were absorbed into it.

"I'm sure you know that charging up for a SolarBeam attack takes a long time," reminded Braden. "Go, Pidgeot, hit Venusaur with back to back Wing Attacks!"

Pidgeot used its glowing wings to score one hit after another on Venusaur.

All the while, Venusaur was still charging up sunlight, and it couldn't dodge Pidgeot's attacks. At last, it was all charged up.

"SolarBeam attack now!" shouted Tristan.

Venusaur fired a powerful white beam at Pidgeot.

"Quick, dodge it!" commanded Braden.

Pidgeot hurriedly dodged the SolarBeam, much to Tristan and Venusaur's surprise.

"That Pidgeot is really quick!" remarked Eric. "It can even dodge a powerful SolarBeam!"

"Now it's time for our little surprise," said Braden. "Pidgeot, use Mirror Move!"

"What's Mirror Move?" wondered Tristan.

Pidgeot flew higher and higher as the feathers on its head began to glow. Traces of sunlight were being absorbed into it.

"Is Pidgeot using SolarBeam, too?" asked Evan.

"But that's impossible!" replied Hillary. "Pidgeot can't learn SolarBeam!"

"Because it used Mirror Move," explained Veronica. "Mirror Move allows you to use the last attack your opponent used, just like a copycat mirrors whatever someone else is doing."

"Venusaur, use your Vine Whip attack to stop Pidgeot!" ordered Tristan.

Venusaur shot two large vines from the flower on its back. But as long and powerful as they were, Pidgeot was still too high for the vines to get even close to it.

"Oh, no!" cried Tristan.

"Dive down on Venusaur and attack!" ordered Braden.

Pidgeot quickly dove down on Venusaur at blinding speed and landed on Venusaur's back. Then, using the power of the sunlight it absorbed, it shot a powerful white beam on it at such a close range that Venusaur couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Venusaur!" cried Tristan.

Venusaur's legs gave out and collapsed. It had been knocked out from that one SolarBeam.

Tristan quickly rushed over to Venusaur. "Are you okay, pal?" he asked.

Venusaur gave a weak, but happy reply.

"Thank you, Venusaur," said Tristan as he took out its Pokéball. "You deserve a good long rest."

A red energy beam shot from the Pokéball's center, transforming Venusaur into red energy as it shot back inside.

"How could Venusaur lose to a SolarBeam?" asked Hillary. "It's a Grass attack, isn't it?"

"That's true," answered Veronica. "Grass attacks normally don't do that much damage against Grass-types, but since Pidgeot used in on Venusaur at close range, the damage from Pidgeot's attack had such an effect that it threw Venusaur for a loop...literally."

"Okay, Braden, let's take this up to the skies!" said Tristan. He took out his second Pokéball and threw it. "Pidgeot, I choose you!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (version 2 (as heard in "To Master the Onix-pected")))

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

"No way!" gasped Evan. "Tristan's got a Pidgeot, too?"

"It looks like you took my advice on Pidgeot, Tristan," remarked Braden. "But we came to have a battle, so Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!"

Braden's Pidgeot sped at Tristan's Pidgeot with a white line trailing behind it.

"Pidgeot, use your Quick Attack, too!" ordered Tristan.

Tristan's Pidgeot sped towards Braden's with a white line trailing behind it as well.

Both Pokémon collided against each other over and over again with neither side giving as much as an inch.

"They're both evenly matched," said Evan. "But I can't tell which Pidgeot's which!"

"Yes, it does seem that way," replied Veronica. "However, I think Tristan's Pidgeot will be the one likely to come out on top."

Both Pidgeot continued to collide over and over again.

"Both Pokémon are refusing to give up!" said Tristan. "This is great!"

"It's obvious that this battle is at a standstill," said Braden. "But I think it's time to turn the tide. Go, Pidgeot, use Wing Attack now!"

Braden's Pidgeot's wings glowed as it charged at Tristan's Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot, Gust attack!" shouted Tristan.

Tristan's Pidgeot furiously flapped its wings and blew bursts of white energy so strong that Braden's Pidgeot was blown out of the sky and crashed into the ground.

"Come on, Pidgeot! You can do it!" encouraged Braden.

Braden's Pidgeot struggled to its feet, then it flapped its wings and flew back up into the sky, but it seemed to be flying much slower than normal.

"Okay, Pidgeot, we need to keep the pressure on before they can recover," said Tristan. "Use a barrage of Wing Attacks!"

Tristan's Pidgeot flew at Braden's Pidgeot with glowing wings. It struck Braden's Pidgeot again and again without letting up.

"Why can't Braden's Pidgeot fly away?" asked Evan worriedly.

Hillary looked up and saw the problem. "Guys, look at that!"

Sure enough, Braden's Pidgeot had a big bruise on its left wing, causing its movements in the sky to go much slower than normal.

"Oh, dear," said Veronica. "Braden's Pidgeot has an injured wing. Now we know whose Pidgeot is going to win."

"Go, Pidgeot, finish it off with your best Quick Attack now!" shouted Tristan.

Tristan's Pidgeot flew even faster at Braden's Pidgeot with a white line trailing behind it. Its speedy Quick Attack landed a direct hit with such force that Braden's Pidgeot was sent crashing to the ground.

Braden's Pidgeot had been knocked out from the crash.

Braden ran to Pidgeot. "Are you okay?" asked Braden.

Braden's Pidgeot gave a weak reply.

"You did your best, Pidgeot," said Braden as he returned his Pidgeot to his Pokéball. He turned to Tristan. "It looks like you're giving me a harder time than the Elite Four ever did. But this battle isn't over yet." He took out his third Pokéball and threw it. "Let's go, Butterfree!"

Braden's Butterfree emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.

"Pidgeot, return!" called Tristan as he returned Pidgeot to its Pokéball.

Braden was confused. "Why are you switching Pidgeot out now? You still would've had the advantage."

"True," replied Tristan as he took out a Pokéball. "However, I think it'd be best if I went with somebody fresh this time. Charizard, I choose you!" He threw the Pokéball and Charizard emerged from it.

"A Charizard?" gasped Braden. "How in the world did you get that?"

"I got it from Bill near Cerulean City," answered Tristan. "I've trained it ever since it was a Charmander."

Charizard roared in agreement, then it hugged Tristan tightly to show its affection.

"Ugh! Charizard, you're squishing me!" strained Tristan.

"My, my," remarked Veronica. "Charizard seems to like Tristan very much."

"It sure does," added Eric

Evan and Braden were very confused.

Soon, Charizard put Tristan down and returned to the field to face Butterfree in battle.

"Next time, I should catch a Pokémon that knows about hugging more gently," said Tristan to himself.

"Butterfree, use your Sleep Powder!" commanded Braden.

(Music Cue: Raid!)

Butterfree scattered a silvery powder, which was headed for Charizard.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" ordered Tristan.

Charizard shot a powerful stream of fire from its mouth. Its Flamethrower attack not only neutralized the Sleep Powder, but also scored a direct hit on Butterfree as well.

"Butterfree!" cried Braden.

Butterfree had a dizzy expression in its eyes. It had been knocked out with just one attack.

"Wow, Charizard's really good!" remarked Evan. "That Flamethrower was red-hot!"

"That's because Fire attacks are super-effective on Bug-types like Butterfree," replied Hillary. "Charizard's Flamethrower didn't give Butterfree a chance to strike back."

Braden returned Butterfree to its Pokéball and took out his fourth one. "Go, Beedrill!"

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

"I'm glad that Beedrill has Braden for a trainer because most of the Beedrill we encountered have attacked us without a care," said Hillary.

"Beedrill, use Twineedle!" commanded Braden.

Beedrill lunged at Charizard as it used its long conical stingers.

"Charizard, move away!" ordered Tristan.

Charizard quickly flew into the air and gained altitude, moving out of Beedrill's reach.

"Wow, that's fast!" gasped Braden. "Charizard's too far away!"

"Good, use another Flamethrower attack!" shouted Tristan.

Charizard roared from above as it shot another hot flame from its mouth, scorching Beedrill.

"Beedrill!" cried Braden.

Beedrill crashed into the ground with a dizzy expression in its eyes. It had been knocked out in one attack, just like Butterfree.

"That Charizard's really strong," remarked Eric.

"Yes, it does seem well-trained, doesn't it," replied Veronica.

"Will Braden still be able to win, Grandpa?" asked Evan.

"Well, I'm not sure," replied Eric. "Braden's had much more experience as a trainer, but Tristan seems to have trained his Pokémon long and hard during his journey. Tristan may have a big lead now, but the outcome seems far from certain."

"Go, Feraligatr!" shouted Braden as he threw his fifth Pokéball.

Feraligatr emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball. It looked ready for battle against a tough opponent.

Tristan became a little concerned. "I was afraid he'd do that," he said to himself.

"I hope you're ready for this, Tristan, because I've had a lot more experience with Feraligatr than you've ever known," said Braden. "Let's go, Feraligatr, Water Gun!"

(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster)

Feraligatr shot a powerful stream of water from its mouth at Charizard.

"Fly, Charizard!" commanded Tristan.

Charizard flew up into the air, narrowly dodging Feraligatr's Water Gun.

"Now, Flamethrower!" ordered Tristan.

Charizard fired a hot stream of fire from its mouth at Feraligatr.

"Feraligatr, douse it with Water Gun!" commanded Braden.

Feraligatr fired a powerful blast of water at Charizard's Flamethrower. Sure enough, Flamethrower was getting pushed back.

Tristan had no choice but to have Charizard dodge it. "Get away, Charizard!" he shouted.

Charizard stopped its attack and quickly flew away from Feraligatr's attack.

"Great dodge, Charizard," commended Tristan.

Charizard roared in reply.

"Pretty good on defense, but I'm afraid you won't win the battle that way," reminded Braden. "Feraligatr, use your Water Gun to stop Charizard!"

Feraligatr fired one blast of water after another from its mouth at Charizard while Charizard flew from side to side, narrowly dodging every one of Feraligatr's Water Gun attacks.

"Looks like Feraligatr's left Charizard at a complete standstill," said Hillary. "Charizard can't seem to find any room for launching an attack without getting hit."

"Yes, it would appear that Charizard is in a tight spot," replied Veronica. "That Feraligatr seems to be well-trained, too. But knowing Tristan, I've got a feeling that the many weeks of training in Celadon City will put him ahead.

Charizard continued to dodge Feraligatr's blasts of water as it flew from side to side. All the while, Charizard seemed to be flying lower and lower, hoping it could get a clear shot at Feraligatr from close up.

That's it, Charizard, thought Braden. Come lower to the ground.

There has to be something I'm not thinking of, thought Tristan. But what? Then, he noticed that Charizard had flown lower to the ground as it wanted to get a hit on Feraligatr from a close distance.

"Okay, Charizard, move in and use your Slash attack!" commanded Tristan.

Charizard dove down toward's Feraligatr, but that was the chance Braden was waiting for.

"Feraligatr, Bite attack!" ordered Braden.

Feraligatr opened its powerful jaws and bit down on Charizard hard, causing it to crash into the ground.

"Charizard!" gasped Tristan.

"Now, Feraligatr, blast it with your Water Gun!" shouted Braden.

Feraligatr released Charizard from its jaws and Charizard began to fly away. Feraligatr shot a powerful blast of water at Charizard, scoring a super-effective hit on it.

Charizard fell to the ground from the blast and collapsed. It had been knocked out.

"Oh, poor Charizard," said Hillary.

"Feraligatr had the advantage that time," added Eric. "Charizard couldn't find any room to attack without getting blasted.

"Charizard, return!" said Tristan as he called Charizard back to its Pokéball. He then held it close and said, "Good, job, Charizard. You've earned yourself a good rest."

Pikachu ran over to Tristan and asked him if it could battle Feraligatr.

"Sorry, Pikachu," replied Tristan. "I know you wanted to battle, but I think I have something else in mind.

Pikachu groaned, but somehow understood what Tristan was planning.

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

Blastoise emerged from the white light that shot out of it. Compared to Feraligatr, it looked very strong.

"A Blastoise?" gasped Braden. "How in the world did you catch all three of those Pokémon?"

"It looks like Tristan is anxious to finish this up here and now," remarked Veronica. "Blastoise is one of the strongest Pokémon Tristan has."

"But why wait till now to use Blastoise?" wondered Evan.

"Well, Evan," replied Hillary, "I guess Tristan wanted to keep up the pressure just like the Elite Four have been doing."

Evan then understood what Hillary said.

"Oh, this is going to be such fun," said Eric. "Two fully evolved starter Pokémon going at it; that's what I call a great match-up.

"But remember, dear, that Blastoise could still have the advantage," reminded Veronica. "Feraligatr hasn't had as much training time with Braden as Blastoise has with Tristan."

"Feraligatr, Bite attack now!" yelled Braden.

(Music Cue: Kanto Gym Leader Battle)

Feraligatr lunged at Blastoise with its jaws bared.

"Blastoise, Withdraw!" instructed Tristan.

Blastoise's head and limbs disappeared into its shell.

As hard as Feraligatr tried to bite down hard on Blastoise, its shell proved to be a formidable match against it.

"Argh! That shell is too strong!" grunted Braden.

"Braden, you may have a Pokémon with good attacking teeth, but I have a Pokémon with a perfect defense," said Tristan.

"If using Bite attacks won't work, then, maybe this will!" said Braden. "Feraligatr, Water Gun!"

Feraligatr shot a blast of water from its mouth at Blastoise.

But Tristan knew how to counter that. "Blastoise, use Hydro Pump attack!"

Blastoise's head, limbs, and cannons shot back out of its shell, then using the cannons, it shot two powerful blasts of water from them, outmatching Feraligatr's Water Gun and scoring a direct hit on Feraligatr.

"Oh, no!" cried Braden.

Feraligatr collapsed to the ground from the Hydro Pump blast. It apparently was knocked out.

"I can't believe this!" exclaimed Braden. "Feraligatr's Water Gun was beaten by Hydro Pump! But how is that possible?"

"Blastoise's Hydro Pump has more power, for one thing," answered Tristan. "And another thing: we've been training for weeks without taking too much of a break."

Braden returned Feraligatr to its Pokéball and took out his last one. "I don't know if I'll be able to do this," he said doubtfully to himself as he threw his final Pokéball. "Go Gengar!"

Braden's Gengar emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"Gengar, Hypnosis!" commanded Braden.

Gengar's eyes glowed red as it tried to put Blastoise to sleep.

"Blastoise, use Dig!" instructed Tristan.

Blastoise quickly jumped up and dug its way underground.

Braden was getting frustrated. "Argh! Hypnosis missed!" he grumbled.

"Now, Blastoise, attack!" shouted Tristan.

Suddenly, Blastoise emerged from the ground right under Gengar, scoring a direct hit on it and giving it serious damage.

"Gengar, hang on and use your Shadow Ball!" yelled Braden.

What's Shadow Ball, thought Tristan. He had never seen one in action before, but he knew hat it was a dangerous Ghost-type attack.

Gengar recovered and put its hands together as they began to spark up with blue electricity. Then, using all the power it had, it created a black ball and shot it at Blastoise.

"Well, now I know what a Shadow Ball attack looks like," said Tristan. "Okay, Blastoise, blast it with your Hydro Pump at full power!"

Blastoise shot two blasts of water from its cannons, but with much more destructive power.

For awhile, it looked like Hydro Pump and Shadow Ball were evenly matched, but then, Blastoise increased its power, causing Gengar's Shadow Ball to break as the blasts of water struck Gengar full force.

"Gengar!" cried Braden.

Gengar had fallen on the ground from Blastoise's powerful Hydro Pump; Gengar, Braden's last Pokémon, had been knocked out, causing him to lose the battle.

Evan looked on sadly. "Braden lost to Tristan," he said. "But how could that be?"

Braden returned Gengar to its Pokéball and fell on his knees. It was such an embarrassment that he lost to someone younger than him, especially a younger brother who knew much less about Pokémon than he did.

Tristan looked at Blastoise with satisfaction. "Thanks a lot, Blastoise."

Blastoise replied happily as it was returned to its Pokéball.

Tristan walked over to Braden and said to him, "That was a good battle."

"Yeah, so what?" grumbled Braden.

Tristan now felt sorry for Braden.

(Music Cue: Prayer)

"Braden, you're being too hard on yourself," said Tristan. "Your Pokémon were really good. That Feraligatr was certainly a surprise. However, toward the end of our battle, I noticed that you were beginning to doubt yourself. Your Pokémon were beginning to sense that doubt. If your Pokémon sense that you doubt yourself, then they will doubt themselves, too. I believe that you'll be able to show a lot of potential if your clear your mind and trust in yourself, especially when taking on the Elite Four in the coming days."

"Tristan has a good point, dear," agreed Veronica to Braden. "I've had plenty of miserable battles back in my day, and I always got right back on my feet afterwards."

"Yeah, look at Tristan," added Hillary. "When Tristan lost to Blue in the Trainer House, he was beginning to doubt himself as a trainer, too, but a battle with Grandma helped him get right back into the action."

Braden looked up at Tristan. "You lost a tough battle, too?"

Tristan nodded. "Blue had trained his Jolteon well, and it was just a little too strong for my team to handle." He thought back to when his Blastoise, Lapras, and Pikachu were defeated by Jolteon's pulverizing Thunder attack. "When I lost that battle, I felt like a total loser, but I had a battle against Grandma the next day."

"How'd you do?" asked Braden.

"I used Pikachu against her Eevee, and I lost that one, too," answered Tristan. "But I didn't feel sorry for myself anymore. Do you know why? Because I knew Pikachu and I did our very best together, and we were having fun. We were battling as a team, and that's what every trainer needs to do, including you."

Braden understood what Tristan was saying.

"So it doesn't matter if anyone wins or loses a battle; you just have to do your best and have fun," said Evan.

Everyone agreed.

"Now, what do you say we take our Pokémon to the Pokémon Center?" suggested Tristan as he offered Braden his hand.

Braden took Tristan's hand and got right back up. "Okay," he said. "Thanks, Tristan."


(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting)

Later at the Pokémon Center, everyone was sitting in the lobby waiting for Nurse Joy to come out with Tristan and Braden's Pokémon. Presently, Nurse Joy came out of the examination room with Pikachu and the Pokéballs in hand.

"Your Pokémon are all rested up and fighting fit!" smiled Nurse Joy.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Tristan and Braden together as they took back their Pokéballs from her.

Piakchu happily leaped into Tristan's arms.

"You know what, Tristan?" said Braden. "I'm going to train harder than ever before, and someday, I'll beat the Elite Four and the Champion and become one myself."

"I think you've got what it takes Braden," replied Tristan. "Keep at it."

"We'll all be rooting for you," added Hillary.

"So will I," agreed Evan.

"And so will we," added Veronica and Eric together.

"Thanks, guys," replied Braden. "My Pokémon and I will do our very best."


And so, with a battle against a sibling behind him, Tristan has reminded Braden of what self-confidence and hard training are all about as he thinks about the upcoming Pokémon League Competition at the Indigo Plateau.

TO BE CONTINUED...