AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is Chapter 58 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. I was inspired by the two-parter on Yu-Gi-Oh! when Seto Kaiba duels against Maxamillion Pegasus. But you don't have to take my word for it. As always, please feel free to read, review, and provide any feedback.
TEASER: Blue continues his battle against Giovanni. But Giovanni proves to be a formidable opponent. Will Blue be able to defeat him? Or is Giovanni too much for him to handle?
Chapter 58: TRAITOR VS. BOSS, PART 2
(Music Cue: Victory Road (Last Road 1997-1998))
In our last episode, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu were awakened by a security alarm because a thief had tripped it. They soon discovered that the thief was Blue, Tristan's longtime rival. He had joined Team Rocket to steal all the Pokémon from all the losing trainers in the Pokémon League Competition.
Realizing that Blue had to be stopped, our heroes quickly went after him. They found him carrying the heavy bag of Pokéballs, but to their surprise, he only wanted to steal them so he could use them to defeat Tristan in a battle.
However, Giovanni, Team Rocket's leader, didn't take kindly to Blue's betrayal, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and flew directly to the Indigo Plateau. He arrived a short time later and challenged Blue to a battle with his Pokémon and the bag of Pokéballs at stake.
Our heroes were close to sneaking away with the bag of Pokéballs; close but not near enough, for Giovanni had an army of Team Rocket Grunts force our heroes out of the battle without it. They could only watch as Giovanni used Kingler first while Blue used his newly-evolved Exeggutor. Despite the type advantage, Exeggutor was no match for Kingler's sheer power.
Next, Blue sent out his Cloyster, hoping that its hard shell would be enough to defend against Kingler's claws. But even this turned out to be futile, for Kingler used its sharp claws to smash into its shell over and over, cracking it just enough to finish it off with a Crabhammer blast at close range.
Having lost two of his Pokémon already, he decided to use his Sandslash to try and even the score, but unfortunately, Giovanni used his ace-in-the-hole, Persian. Going against Tristan's warnings, Blue had Sandslash use an Earthquake attack. In doing so, however, Sandslash made itself vulnerable to Persian's next attack, so Giovanni had Persian jump into the air and it proceeded to pounce down on Sandslash. Will Blue find a way to turn this battle around? Stay tuned for the answer!
(Music Cue: Danger! Pikachu!)
Persian was closing in on Sandslash with its Slash attack.
"Look out, Sandslash!" shouted Tristan and Hillary together.
"Pikachu!" added Pikachu.
"Quick, Sandslash, use Dig!" shouted Blue.
Quick as a flash, Sandslash used its sharp claws to dig a hole underground and avoided Persian's Slash attack just in time.
"Very clever, boy," smiled Giovanni. "However, Persian can still use attacks like Doube Team to protect itself."
Sure enough, Persian quickly made illusory copies of itself surrounding the hole Sandslash dug.
Presently, Sandslash appeared from underground, but unfortunately, it only hit one of the copies of Persian.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Blue.
"Slash attack," instructed Giovanni.
Persian extended its claws and gave Sandslash a good scratching, scoring a direct hit in the process.
"Sandslash!" cried Blue.
The damage that Sandslash took was too much, and it collapsed and fainted.
Blue returned Sandslash to its Pokéball.
"This is bad," said Tristan. "The battle just started and Blue's already three Pokémon behind!"
"I've never seen Blue so shaken before," added Hillary.
Sure enough, Blue was starting to get more and more nervous as sweat began to drop down on his face.
Now you see how feeble your battling skills really are, little boy, thought Giovanni. I make you look like a novice.
This is absurd, thought Blue. Giovanni seems to know every strategy I think up. But there's no way I'll lose. My will to beat Tristan is strong, and with this next Pokémon, I'll prove it. "All right, Giovanni!" he shouted as he took out his next Pokéball. "I hope you enjoy this little surprise! Alakazam, go!" He threw the Pokéball.
Alakazam emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It looked a lot like Kadabra, but it had two spoons instead of one.
"Blue's Kadabra must have evolved, too," said Tristan.
"I guess you weren't the only one training Pokémon," replied Hillary.
"So, an Alakazam this time," smiled Giovanni. "I hate to admit it, boy, but I'm surprised to see a Psychic-type on your team. But then again, ever since I saw your battle against Tristan at the Trainer House Stadium, nothing you do surprises me anymore."
"What do you mean?" asked Blue suspiciously.
"Just listen," replied Giovanni as he began to tell his story.
(Music Cue: A Formidable Opponent Appears)
"When I saw your battle, I knew I had a pupil in the making," explained Giovanni. "And as I recall, you were seeking your revenge against Tristan after he beat you time after time. Your Jolteon had put up a remarkable fight against Tristan's Lapras, Blastoise, and Pikachu. You had battled mercilessly that day and gave Tristan a crushing defeat. You had broken his battling spirit. That gave me the chance I needed to take him out of the picture once and for all. So I contacted you to help me with my plan. It took a lot of effort on my part just to get you to say yes. Not only would you become famous as one of the best battlers in Team Rocket history, but you would also be rich beyond your wildest dreams. And your name would go down in Team Rocket infamy!
"But then, you had to take the Pokéballs all for yourself instead of Team Rocket," fumed Giovanni. "I was supposed to teach you the art of the double-cross when it came to meeting your enemies. Disguises, lies, deceit, everything I knew. But instead, you had already mastered it all, and used it to cheat me out of all the Pokémon I had put so much work into stealing! And if there's one thing I won't tolerate, it's being lied to by one of my own! And it's all your fault!"
"But you didn't do anything!" protested Blue. "You spent so much time hiding away from the action that you didn't have the nerve to do it yourself! And if anyone's to blame for this little mishap, it's you!"
Giovanni paused for a moment. Then he said calmly, "Well, I see you've made your point, little boy, so now, it's only fair that I make my point." Then his voice turned from cool and calm to anger and outrage. "I've listened to your nonsense for too long now! So now, it's time to raise the stakes! If I win, not only will I claim the Pokéballs and your Pokémon, but I'll claim you as my prisoner...forever! Now that should keep that big mouth of yours shut!"
(Music Cue: Desperate Situation (1997-1998 (as heard in "Bound For Trouble")))
This made Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu all gasp in horror. They never expected Giovanni to stoop this low. If Blue lost, not only would he lose his Pokémon, but he would also lose his freedom.
"Alakazam, use Psychic!" yelled Blue.
Alakazam's eyes glowed red, as did Persian's outline.
Persian was lifted into the air.
"Throw it now!" shouted Blue.
Alakazam used its telekinetic powers to toss Persian with all its might. Persian suffered a hard blow and lay on the ground.
"Persian!" gasped Giovanni. He was shocked at seeing Persian thrown around like that.
Persian struggled to its feet, but soon collapsed again. Apparently, the fall to the ground injured it enough that it couldn't stay on its feet for long.
Quickly, Giovanni rushed to Persian. "Are you all right?" he asked.
Persian gave a weak reply.
"You'd better get some rest," said Giovanni as he returned Persian to its Pokéball.
"That's what you get for making threats against me!" said Blue defiantly.
"All right!" said Hillary excitedly. "Now Giovanni's down one Pokémon!"
"Yes, but keep in mind, he still has five Pokémon remaining," reminded Tristan. "There'll be plenty of time to celebrate...later."
Giovanni faced Blue and said, "It's amazing what you can do when you've mastered the power of anger, Blue," he smiled. "However, anger has its limits, too. Let me prove it to you by sending out another one of my prized Pokémon." He took out a Pokéball.
(Music Cue: Real and Copy! Which are the Strongest?)
The Pokéball opened and a bipedal Pokémon with a drill-like horn emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"It's Rhydon!" gasped Hillary.
"I faced that same Rhydon in my Gym battle with this guy last time!" exclaimed Tristan.
Pikachu agreed with him.
Giovanni must have something big planned, thought Blue. I have to think of a way to distract that Rhydon somehow, and I'd better think fast!
"So, Blue," said Giovanni. "Let's see if your Alakazam has what it takes to defeat my Rhydon. Because if memory serves me correctly, it's your best and only shot of winning your freedom."
"Alakazam, Kinesis!" shouted Blue.
Alakazam bent a spoon as Rhydon watched it.
Rhydon became temporarily distracted as a result.
"Use your Psybeam!" yelled Blue.
Alakazam shot a mysterious colored beam from the two spoons in its hands. Its Psybeam scored a direct hit on Rhydon, but a few seconds later, Rhydon shook it off.
"Oh, no!" gasped Blue.
"Horn Drill!" commanded Giovanni.
Rhydon spun its drill as it charged for Alakazam.
Alakazam was so frozen with fear that it didn't have time to dodge Horn Drill.
Rhydon scored a direct hit so huge that it sent Alakazam up into the sky, much to Blue's horror.
"Aah!" screamed Blue.
A few seconds later, Alakazam hit the ground hard and fainted.
"Well, it looks like you know the drill now," chuckled Giovanni.
"Return, Alakazam!" shouted Blue as he called it back to its Pokéball. He was really starting to panic as he took out his fifth Pokéball and threw it. "Go Ninetales!"
Ninetales emerged from the white light that shot out of the ball.
"It looks like Blue got himself out of the fryer and into another hot situation," said Hillary nervously.
"Yeah," agreed Tristan. "Ninetales is a Fire Pokémon, and Rock-types like Rhydon have a huge advantage against it."
"Use Confuse Ray!" shouted Blue.
Ninetales's eyes glowed red.
Rhydon looked directly at them; soon it became confused.
"Now use your Fire Spin attack!" ordered Blue.
Ninetales shot a vortex of fire from its mouth.
Fire Spin scored a hit on Rhydon, leaving it trapped in the vortex.
Giovanni just stood there, still unconcerned.
"What's up with Giovanni?" asked Hillary suspiciously. "He's just standing there as if nothing's happening!"
"Rhydon may be trapped inside of Ninetales's Fire Spin," said Tristan, "but Rock-types like Rhydon are resistant against Fire-type attacks. Blue has to figure something out, or he'll lose this match."
Ninetales's Fire Spin attack continued to deal damage to Rhydon, albeit very little.
"So, Blue, you've managed to trap Rhydon in that Fire Spin," remarked Giovanni. "But you must have something else up your pathetic sleeve. Because if this is the best you can do, then I've already won."
"You haven't seen anything yet!" replied Blue. "Ninetales, Quick Attack!"
Ninetales sped off toward the vortex of fire with a white line trailing behind it.
Tristan and Hillary were shocked.
"What's he doing?" gasped Tristan. "He should know that Quick Attack won't do much to Rhydon!"
"I think the pressure's finally gotten to him!" added Hillary.
Just as Ninetales entered the fiery vortex and strike Rhydon with Quick Attack...
"Grab it," instructed Giovanni.
In a twinkling, Rhydon snapped out of its confusion and grabbed Ninetales.
"Ninetales!" cried Blue.
"Finish it off with Horn Drill," instructed Giovanni.
Rhydon spun its horn-like drill as Ninetales struggled to break free.
Unfortunately for Ninetales, Rhydon's grip was too strong, and Horn Drill connected with a vengeance.
"No!" exclaimed Blue.
Rhydon threw Ninetales out of the fiery vortex, causing it to land at Blue's feet with a hard thud.
"Ninetales!" gasped Blue as he gently held it. "Are you okay?"
Ninetales gave a weak reply.
(Music Cue: That Which Has Life)
Blue returned Ninetales to its Pokéball, even as more sweat started to drop down Blue's face. He had never been so scared in all his life.
"This doesn't look too good, Tristan," said Hillary nervously. "What'll we do?"
"As long as those thugs keep encircling that bag of Pokéballs plus Blue and Giovanni, there's not much we can do," replied Tristan.
"Well, we can't just sit idly by and do nothing," protested Hillary.
"Believe me, I know," replied Tristan.
"Well, Blue," said Giovanni, "it looks like your window of opportunity is about to close. With only one Pokémon left against my five, there's no way you can win. Unless you have a powerful Pokémon on your side that can stop all five of mine at once. My guess is that you don't."
The only Pokémon I have left is Jolteon, thought Blue. It's the only chance I have to beat Giovanni's five remaining Pokémon. If it doesn't, not only will I have lost this battle, I will have lost the only chance I have of battling Tristan again. I have to win! "If you think that I'm going to surrender just because my numbers have been better, you've got another thing coming!" he shouted as he threw his final Pokéball. "Jolteon, go!"
Jolteon emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"I was afraid he'd use Jolteon," said Tristan. "Jolteon's an Electric-type, and its Electric attacks are no match for Rhydon's Ground-type characteristics.
"You're right, big bro, this is bad," replied Hillary. "Plus Ground-type attacks are super-effective against Electric-types like Jolteon."
But suddenly, Giovanni returned Rhydon to its Pokéball.
"What's the big idea returning Rhydon when you know you have the advantage against me?" asked Blue suspiciously.
"Not to worry," answered Giovanni. "Rhydon just needs a good rest. Maybe you'll have an easier time with this Pokémon." He took out his third Pokéball.
"What's with Giovanni all of a sudden?" asked Hillary. "I thought he was going to use his Rhydon to clinch the match for him."
"You're right," replied Tristan. "It isn't like him to give up a type advantage like that. Perhaps he wants to give Blue an easier time by battling with Kingler."
Unfortunately, Tristan was wrong, for Giovanni's third Pokéball opened and a bipedal tortoise-like Pokémon emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It had plated green rocks as its shell. It had short arms and legs, and its head was at the very center of the shell.
"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Hillary.
"Let's see what Dexter has to say," said Tristan as he scanned Giovanni's newest Pokémon with his Pokédex.
"Golem: The Megaton Pokémon: The final evolution of Geodude," identified Dexter. "Golem can easily withstand blasts of dynamite without taking any damage. Its body is as hard as stone, and weighs over 660 pounds."
"Six hundred sixty pounds?!" exclaimed Hillary. "Gosh, that's heavy!"
"Not only that," added Tristan, "Golem's got the same characteristics as Rhydon, so Blue's really got his hands full now."
Blue took a good look at Giovanni's Golem. It looked really strong.
That Golem looks like it could really give me a hard time if I'm not careful, thought Blue. I don't know if there's much I can do at this point. But there's no way I'll give up this fight. For if I want to be the best and beat Tristan, I have to believe I can win. "Jolteon," said Blue. "We may be down five Pokémon, but we won't go down and out without a real fight. So I'm gonna need all the help I can get from you, okay?"
Jolteon nodded.
"And so, the end is here," smiled Giovanni. "Not only the end of our battle, but the end of your career as a Trainer as we know it. Why, with you as my prisoner for all eternity, your goal will never be realized."
"I'll battle until your last Pokémon is defeated!" said Blue defiantly. "Jolteon, use Pin Missle!"
Jolteon fired a barrage of spikes from its fur at Golem. However, Golem's hard shell just absorbed them.
"Come on," said Giovanni. "Can't you do any better than that? Obviously your feeble attack won't hurt my Golem."
Blue grunted. "All right, Jolteon, use Thunder!"
Jolteon fired a powerful stream of electricity at Golem.
"Golem, just stand there," instructed Giovanni.
Golem did so and took Jolteon's Thunder attack, but Thunder didn't hurt Golem at all.
"Blue should know that Electric attacks won't work against Golem!" said Hillary worriedly.
"But with Jolteon as his last Pokémon, there's not much he can do," replied Tristan.
"It's quite obvious to me that you don't have what it takes to defeat me, little boy," smiled Giovanni. "So, I'm afraid it's time to kiss your victory, your Pokémon, and your career goodbye. Golem, Tackle attack!"
Golem quickly spun into a ball and rolled right at Jolteon. Its Tackle attack scored a direct hit, giving Jolteon some damage.
"Jolteon!" cried Blue.
Jolteon got back on its feet.
"Golem, use Earthquake!" commanded Giovanni.
Golem jumped into the air and landed on its feet so hard that it sent out powerful shock waves that rattled everyone in the vicinity, especially Jolteon, who was trying to hang in there for all it was worth.
"What's going on?!" exclaimed Tristan.
"An earthquake?" replied Hillary.
"Now, another Tackle attack!" ordered Giovanni.
Golem once again spun into a ball and rolled right at Jolteon, but at a much faster speed.
Jolteon tried to dodge, but Golem's Earthquake attack had rattled it so much that it threw off its timing. As a result, Golem scored another direct hit on it, causing it to hit the ground hard.
"Come on, Jolteon, you've gotta to get up!" cried Blue. "You just have to!"
Jolteon struggled to get back on its feet; however, its legs were on the verge of giving out from all the damage it took from Golem's two Tackle attacks.
"Jolteon must be trying to win this for Blue," said Tristan. "But I don't know how much longer it can keep this up."
"I hate to say it, Tristan, but it looks like this battle may be just about over," replied Hillary.
"I would say that you put up a fine battle, Blue, only you didn't," smiled Giovanni. "Because you have a pitiful excuse for a Pokémon that would better suit me than you. And to think, you started out with the very Eevee that you have evolved into a Jolteon using a Thunder Stone. It's such a shame when you consider all that's at stake. All the training and the battles you've been in, and for what? Just to prove to Tristan that you're superior to him."
Blue stood there, seemingly ready to accept his fate as he thought about all the training he did with his first Pokémon, Eevee. Then he thought of all the battles he fought against Tristan. Next he remembered the moment when he used his Thunder Stone to evolve his Eevee into a Jolteon so he could be evenly matched against Pikachu's Electric attacks. Lastly, he thought back to the moment when he gave Tristan a crushing defeat in the Trainer House Stadium.
"It's time to finish this once and for all," said Giovanni. "Golem, get close to Jolteon!"
Golem quickly charged and rammed into Jolteon, causing it to collapse.
"Jolteon, get up, quick!" cried Blue.
But Jolteon couldn't stand up anymore as it lay next to Golem's feet.
Blue knew that Jolteon was in big trouble and couldn't take any more punishing blows from Golem.
"Aw, how sad," said Giovanni. "Looks like Jolteon can't even defend itself." He turned to the Team Rocket Grunts surrounding them. "Quickly, get away from here."
All of the Rocket Grunts scurried away.
"Why is Team Rocket running away?" asked Hillary.
"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling that we're about to find out," answered Tristan.
"Now it's time for the grand finale," said Giovanni as he stood back. "Golem, Explosion!"
As Blue stood there all panicky with sweat running down his face, Golem's entire body lit up, enveloping the vicinity in a bright white light.
Tristan and Hillary knew immediately what that meant and gasped in horror.
"Let's get out of here!" yelled Hillary at the top of her lungs.
Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu all tried to make a run for it, but it was too late, for an instant later, there was a tremendous explosion from Golem, causing the area to shake violently. The explosion was followed by a cloud of black smoke. It had sent Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu flying backward.
However, at the Pokémon Center, as Nurse Joy was trying to calm a crowd of angry trainers, they all heard the ground shake and saw the explosion.
"That must be Tristan and Hillary!" she gasped and immediately left to find Veronica and Eric.
(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (second part))
When the dust cleared, Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu lay unconscious on the street with some bruises. Golem had fainted from using Explosion. However, Blue and his Jolteon had been knocked out, too, with bruises and dust showing all over their bodies.
Satisfied with his victory, Giovanni returned Golem to its Pokéball. "That should take care of that traitor," he said. Then he called the Grunts back. "All right, my task is complete. Now complete your tasks and take Blue and his Pokémon."
"What about the other two kids?" asked one of the Grunts.
"Leave them alone," answered Giovanni. "But not to worry. They'll come to us soon enough."
Working in pairs of two, the Rocket Grunts took all of Blue's Pokéballs, put the bruised Jolteon into a cage, and finally loaded it, the bag of Pokéballs, and Blue into the helicopter. Wasting no time, they took off into the sky and flew directly to Team Rocket Headquarters.
And so, Blue's challenge against Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, ends in defeat. To make things worse, he and his Pokémon are now Giovanni's latest prisoners! Who is his next target going to be? And what of our heroes, Tristan and Hillary? The battle against Giovanni is only just beginning! So stay tuned!
TO BE CONTINUED...
