AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 61 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through Kanto. As always, please feel free to read and review.
TEASER: Tristan and Pikachu have finally made it to Team Rocket Headquarters and come face to face with Giovanni. Hillary makes friends with the Pokémon Professor Oak gave her. Will she win the Pokémon's trust in time to help Tristan and Pikachu?
Chapter 61: THE FINAL CONFLICT, PART 1
(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight! (first part)
Last time, Tristan got a blast from the past in Pallet Town, as he continued his difficult journey to Team Rocket Headquarters, in order to rescue his mother and father as well as his rival, Blue. Meanwhile, Hillary got more and more frustrated at the thought of not being able to help his brother because she wasn't a trainer. But Professor Oak, seeing Hillary so miserable, decided to give her a test. The objective: Work with the Pokémon to help Tristan and Pikachu in their rescue mission. Who will Hillary be working with? And will Tristan and Pikachu be successful in saving his mother and father? And Blue?
Giovanni was sitting in his office, eagerly awaiting any news.
Presently, one Rocket Grunt entered. "Giovanni, sir," he said. "The two people we just kidnapped are now securely locked up in the dungeon."
"Excellent," replied Giovanni. "This will make for the perfect bait. Keep standing by for a certain young trainer. I'm expecting him soon."
"Yes, sir," said the Grunt.
Giovanni smirked. "I'll be waiting patiently for him."
But Giovanni didn't have to wait long, for just then, a second Rocket Grunt burst into the room."Giovanni, a Charizard has been spotted flying into headquarters at full speed!" he cried.
"Hm? A Charizard?" asked Giovanni. He took out his binoculars and saw Charizard with Tristan and Pikachu flying on its back at a breakneck clip. "Hmm, I wasn't expecting to see Tristan this soon."
(Music Cue: Raid! (as heard in "Shell Shock")
Sure enough, Charizard was flying very fast directly toward the entrance of Team Rocket Headquarters. Tristan and Pikachu were filled with determination.
Hang in there, you guys, thought Tristan. I'll come and rescue you.
The guards who stood by saw them coming and sent out a flock of Golbat to attack them.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Charizard, Flamethrower!" ordered Tristan.
Pikachu and Charizard aimed their Thunderbolt and Flamethrower attacks respectively at the Golbat, scoring direct hits and easily knocking them out.
"Let's go, Charizard!" commanded Tristan.
Charizard flew over the defeated Grunts, who had to cover their faces from the strong gusts of wind from Charizard's flying. It then landed on the ground right next to the entrance.
Tristan and Pikachu immediately dismounted and ran inside with Charizard not far behind.
Meanwhile, Hillary and Pidgeot were flying toward the same place Tristan was.
"I wonder what Pokémon I'll be working with," said Hillary to herself. "Maybe a Water-type, or a Grass-type, maybe even a Fire-type. I just hope that whatever it is, it'll help us out." Presently, Hillary heard her stomach growl. "I'm getting hungry," she moaned. "I wish I ate before I left." Presently, she saw a clearing below. Then she remembered something else. "I almost forgot! Grandma and Professor Oak gave me some food before I left! Hey, Pidgeot, wanna stop for a quick bite and have lunch?"
Pidgeot nodded and began to descend toward the ground below. When it landed neatly on its feet, Hillary dismounted and checked out the contents in her backpack. She noticed a can of Pokémon food and some sandwiches.
"Grandma certainly knew what she was doing," said Hillary to herself as she thought back to just before she left to help Tristan.
"I packed some sandwiches for you and Tristan," said Veronica. "He's probably going to want them."
"And here's some Pokémon food for Pidgeot and the Pokémon you'll be working with," added Professor Oak.
"Thanks a lot, you guys," replied Hillary.
"Now I'll see what Pokémon I'll be working with," said Hillary as she took out the Pokéball that Professor Oak gave her. She remembered that she had to press the button to make it grow and make it easier to throw. "Go, Pokéball!" she shouted and threw it in the air.
A white light shot out, and a tiny blue turtle Pokémon materialized from it.
Hillary was amazed. "Wow, it's a Squirtle!" she said excitedly.
Squirtle didn't seem at all excited about being in new surroundings. As a matter of fact, it became nervous, let alone shy of Hillary. So it quickly hid behind a big rock.
"Aw, come on, Squirtle," said Hillary. "I'm really very friendly. Please come out."
But Squirtle just stayed behind the rock.
I sure wish Tristan was here right now, thought Hillary. "He'd know what to do. "I know!" she said aloud. "I'll use the Pokémon food as bait to lure it out! Pidgeot, do you think you could move back for me? I don't want anything big to accidentally scare Squirtle."
(Music Cue: Pikachu Appears!)
Pidgeot quietly replied and moved back slowly as Hillary put some pieces of Pokémon food on the ground in a straight line.
Squirtle became curious and came out of its hiding place. It began to eat the Pokémon food as it moved closer to Hillary. It was delighted with the taste.
"It's working," whispered Hillary. "Squirtle's getting closer."
Squirtle continued to eat the Pokémon food Hillary laid out.
Hillary got down on all fours and waited for Squirtle to approach.
When Squirtle got close enough to Hillary, it looked up and looked her in the eye. It slowly backed up.
"Hi, Squirtle," said Hillary as she introduced herself. "My name's Hillary. I want to be your friend. I have some yummy Pokémon food for you." She put some of the Pokémon food in her open hand.
Squirtle curiously examined the Pokémon food Hillary had. Then, it slowly took a piece of it and ate it. It had the same taste as the food that she laid out.
"Is that good, Squirtle?" asked Hillary.
Squirtle smiled. Hillary seemed to be friendly enough to it.
"Would you like to join me for lunch?" asked Hillary.
Squirtle nodded. It was excited to eat lunch with someone new.
"But before we start eating, I want to introduce you to someone," said Hillary.
Squirtle seemed to be interested.
"Okay, Pidgeot, you can come here now," said Hillary.
Pidgeot gently flew over to where Hillary was standing, but as gentle as it flew, it still scared Squirtle, who quickly hid behind her. It wasn't used to seeing anything so big.
"Don't be scared, Squirtle," said Hillary. "Pidgeot's a friend of mine." She stroked Pidgeot on the head.
Squirtle cautiously peeked out. Sure enough, Pidgeot seemed very content and friendly.
"Let's all have some lunch, and then we'll talk about what we should do next," suggested Hillary.
Pidgeot and Squirtle agreed to the idea.
Meanwhile, at Team Rocket Headquarters, Tristan, Pikachu, and Charizard were cautiously walking inside.
"Keep your eyes and ears open, guys," whispered Tristan to the Pokémon. "Blue, Mom, and Dad have to be here somewhere. And don't forget about Team Rocket."
Pikachu and Charizard nodded as they followed along.
Little did they know that Giovanni was watching them on one of the security cameras in his office.
"So, Tristan made it inside," smirked Giovanni. "Well, this time, he's in a battle he can't win. I think it's time I deal with him personally." And he left his office to find him.
Meanwhile, Tristan and Pikachu found an elevator leading down to the deepest basement of Team Rocket Headquarters. He noticed that Charizard couldn't fit in the elevator.
"Okay, Charizard, you'd better rest up for a bit," said Tristan as he returned Charizard to its Pokéball. He then pressed the down button next to the elevator, which promptly opened. He and Pikachu stepped inside, and the door closed.
The elevator car began to go down through the basement floors, faster and faster it went. But Tristan and Pikachu didn't have time to be scared, for they were on a rescue mission.
In no time, the elevator stopped at the bottom floor, and the doors opened.
What Tristan and Pikachu saw next shocked them. It was very dark with nothing but torches to guide them. But those weren't just any torches, they were torches that contained Moltres' flame.
"These torches are part of the central torch from the Indigo Stadium!" gasped Tristan. "Giovanni and Team Rocket must have taken them! Well, let's go get our friends and the flame." And he and Pikachu cautiously continued down the dark halls of the deepest basement at Team Rocket Headquarters.
A moment later, they came across a door at the end of the hall. A sign was posted on the door. It read, "RESTRICTED AREA! KEEP OUT! THIS MEANS YOU! PERSONAL PROPERTY OF GIOVANNI!"
"Personal property?" asked Tristan. "Well, let's see what he's hiding!" And he kicked the door open.
(Music Cue: You Have to Earn Respect)
Tristan and Pikachu were confused.
That's weird, thought Tristan. This seems to be too easy. I was able to kick the door open with no problem. Giovanni must want me to come down here and try to rescue my parents and Blue. They have to be in this room somewhere. For some reason, he's toying with me. What's he really after? And why?
But when Tristan and Pikachu entered the room, they were met with a dreadful sight.
There were cages everywhere: one on top of the other.
"What is this?!" gasped Tristan.
What he saw next shocked him even more.
There was a Sandslash, an Alakazam, an Exeggutor, a Cloyster, a Ninetales, and a Jolteon. And they were all in terrible shape.
"Those are Blue's Pokémon!" said Tristan.
Next, he saw a Venusaur and a Charizard in two separate big cages. They were in just as bad of shape as the other six Pokémon.
"This is wrong. This is terrible!" said Tristan.
"Tristan?" said a voice. "Is that you?"
"Blue!" shouted Tristan as he and Pikachu rushed over to a big cage.
Inside, he saw not only Blue, but his parents, Sarah and Bill, as well.
"Are you guys okay?" asked Tristan worriedly.
"How did you find us?" shivered Sarah.
"It doesn't matter," replied Tristan. "Pikachu and I need to get you out of here."
"Tristan, don't worry about us," said Bill.
"I won't leave you guys here," protested Tristan.
"Just worry about yourself and get out of here now," insisted Bill. "We'll be fine."
"No, I made a promise to save you all and your Pokémon and I intend to keep it," said Tristan.
But just then, another voice spoke up. "Now, isn't this a lovely sight?"
Tristan and Pikachu turned around and saw that they had come face to face with their greatest adversary.
"Giovanni," said Tristan disdainfully.
Meanwhile, back at the clearing miles away, Hillary, Squirtle, and Pidgeot had just finished eating their lunch.
"That was great!" said Hillary. She cleaned up her mess and put the remaining sandwich back in her backpack to save for Tristan later. "So, Squirtle, how did you enjoy eating together?"
Squirtle replied happily.
"Well, guys, we'll need to help Tristan. He's probably at Team Rocket Headquarters right now," said Hillary. "Hey, Squirtle, do you think you can help me with this? Tristan is my brother, and he's very important to me. I think he could use your help."
Squirtle was confused. It wasn't sure what it could do, since it was just a baby.
"You may be small, but you can make a big difference," explained Hillary. "I don't know exactly how yet, but I just know you'll come through somehow."
Squirtle thought about it for a moment. It thought about how it made friends with Hillary thanks to the Pokémon food, even though it wasn't used to her yet. But it eventually agreed to help Hillary and Pidgeot.
"Thank you, Squirtle," said Hillary. "I know you can do it."
Squirtle gave a thumbs-up to Hillary as she returned it to its Pokéball.
Then Pidgeot readied itself as Hillary climbed on its back. "Let's go help Tristan, Pidgeot," said Hillary. "Next stop, Team Rocket Headquarters."
Pidgeot squawked, and together it and Hillary took off into the sky.
"Well, Tristan, it appears that you've made it to my secret room in the deepest basement," said Giovanni. "And you got past all my guards with no trouble. I'm impressed."
"Release my friends and family, and give back the Moltres flame, Giovanni!" demanded Tristan. "They have nothing to do with this!"
"Pika, Pika!" added Pikachu.
"That's where you're wrong," smirked Giovanni. "Your mommy and daddy, as well as your friend, Blue, just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now, they belong to me."
"You've captured them on purpose, Giovanni!" fumed Tristan. "You must have some reason why you wanted to kidnap them as well as their Pokémon!" Then he gasped. "Unless...this has something to do with me, also!"
Giovanni smiled wickedly. "It sounds like you've been doing your homework. Allow me to explain why these events took place as well as why Team Rocket attacked your family and kidnapped you in Pallet Town."
"Go on, I'm listening," groaned Tristan. He clearly wasn't interested in any of Giovanni's ideal stories.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket Boss Meeting (as hear in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne"))
"You may not remember this, but a few years ago, Team Rocket participated in this huge Pokéball heist in Pallet Town," explained Giovanni. Their last destination was your house. They attacked your mommy and daddy using Beedrill's Twineedle attack, hoping that they had Pokémon to steal. Here's the interesting part about that. They didn't have any Pokémon to steal, but while your parents were kept occupied, two Grunts kidnapped you and took you inside the back of a big truck."
"Why are you telling me this?" asked Tristan suspiciously.
"Because I thought you should know about it," replied Giovanni calmly. "Unfortunately, the big thunderstorm that drenched Pallet Town drenched their plans as well. Their truck also had pedals that were out of order, and so they crashed their truck into big gas tanks at their rendezvous point, thus starting a fire. What's more unfortunate is that the two good-for-nothing Officer Jennys came and rescued you before the abandoned gas station was destroyed.
"The two Rocket Grunts who kidnapped you not only got burns, but are now also stuck serving a whole mess of years in jail for attempted kidnapping," continued Giovanni. "Knowing full well that the situation would be dire news for everyone involved, I decided to disguise myself as a man named Grover. I used the mysterious Pokémon's Psychic powers to erase all trace of that incident out of your memory. Of course, it decided to betray me after I told it that Pokémon were created by humans to serve humans."
"How could you do such a thing to an innocent Pokémon?" gasped Tristan in shock. "It trusted and respected you!"
"That's another story," replied Giovanni as he brushed it off. "Anyway, I knew that your parents didn't have Pokémon, so I told them to start a journey of their own. I decided to bide my time until they had Pokémon that were strong enough for Team Rocket to steal, but then, you came into the picture," said Giovanni. "So to prepare for my greatest triumph, I had decided to run the Viridian Gym for as long as possible; however, after my Gym battle with you, word got out that I had knocked Trainers out cold using that very Pokémon.
"Afterwards, I went to the Pokémon League headquarters and I was forced to resign and remain the leader of Team Rocket full-time, but not before taking all the Pokémon from all the members, who turned out to be all the members of the Elite Four. Nurse Joy's Chansey and Officer Jenny's Growlithe tried to assist, but they were far too weak."
"You stole all the Pokémon from the Elite Four, too?!" exclaimed Tristan. "Well, where are theY?"
"Relax, little boy, they're right there, too," answered Giovanni as he pointed to several more cages. Sure enough, a Slowbro, a Cloyster, and a Jynx were in one corner, a Hitmonchan and an Onix in the second, a Gengar and a Golbat in a third, and a Dragonite in the fourth. They were in such bad shape that they could barely move.
"But what does this have to do with me?" asked Tristan suspiciously. Then he realized what was going on. "You were just trying to lure me out so you could take my Pokémon, too! And you must have been the one who was responsible for carrying out the Pokéball heist in Pallet Town four years ago, weren't you?!"
This made everyone except Giovanni gasp in shock
"Guilty as charged," smiled Giovanni wickedly. "But that's the least of everyone's concerns, for I have something else I think you want." And he showed his latest possession, which just happened to be Moltres' flame from Indigo Stadium, in his giant lantern.
(Music Cue: The Mighty Mewtwo)
"Hey! That's another part of the flame from the central torch for the Pokémon League Competition!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Except that it now belongs to me," said Giovanni. "After, I took Blue and his Pokémon captive and went after your parents, some of my soldiers snuck undercover to steal the flame from the Indigo Plateau. It appears that without it, the competition can't continue." He then put the lantern away in his jacket. "So, I'm willing to make you a deal. Hand over all your Pokémon, including your Pikachu, and I'll consider giving you the flame back. Or keep them, and the imprisoned Pokémon will pay the price." He took out a small remote control and pressed a button.
At that instant, electricity surged through the Pokémon's cages, zapping them on the spot.
Blue, Bill, and Sarah just stood there, horrified that Giovanni would pull something so low.
"Knock it off, Giovanni!" demanded Tristan. "This is between you and me, so leave them alone!"
"Well, then, will you consider handing over all your Pokémon like a good little boy?" asked Giovanni. "Of course, with your Pokémon as powerful as they are, taking over the world will be a simple task. Of course, you're free to keep your Pokémon, but at what cost?"
"You coward!" fumed Tristan.
"Don't worry about the Pokémon! Just save yourself!" cried Sarah.
What am I gonna do? thought Tristan. If I hand over my Pokémon to Giovanni, then he'll be free to rule the world using them on anyone he wants with no one to stop him. But if I don't hand them over, then he'll just continue zapping the imprisoned Pokémon until they finally leave this world! There has to be a solution.
"Tick-tock, Tristan. We haven't got all day, let alone all night," said Giovanni. "For in just a few moments, those Pokémon will be no more."
Tristan couldn't bear to see the Pokémon getting any worse than they already were. "All right, Giovanni, you win," grunted Tristan. "You can have them. The Pokémon are all yours. Just don't hurt the others."
"No! You can't give the Pokémon to him!" cried Blue.
"Excellent, Tristan," smirked Giovanni as he released the button on his remote control. "So you do have a heart after all. Who knew that under that tough exterior beats a heart of a wimp? Very well, then." He started to put the remote control back in his pocket and proceeded toward Tristan. "Now it's your turn."
But suddenly, Tristan shouted, "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
(Music Cue: Danger! Pikachu! (as heard in "Mild 'n Woolly"))
Out of nowhere, Pikachu sped toward Giovanni with a white line trailing behind it and rammed directly into him, causing him to yell out in pain and lose his grip on the remote control.
"You blundering idiot!" screamed Giovanni.
"Now's your chance, Tristan!" shouted Blue.
"Quick, Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt attack and destroy that remote control!" ordered Tristan.
"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" yelled Pikachu as a yellow stream of electricity shot from its body and struck the remote control, obliterating it.
"No!" shouted Giovanni.
Pikachu landed neatly and stood by Tristan, ready to face Giovanni with him.
"It looks like the tables have turned," said Tristan. "Now release my friends and family!"
Giovanni slowly got back up on his feet. He was now very angry. "That was the last mistake you shall ever make, little boy! This I promise you," he growled.
(Music Cue: The Copy Pokémon Awaken! (as heard in "A Tent Situation"))
Just outside of Team Rocket Headquarters, the sun was starting to set, but storm clouds were fast approaching. This did not go unnoticed by Hillary and Pidgeot, who were in reality still miles away from their destination.
"I have a really bad feeling about this," said Hillary nervously. "At our normal speed, we'll never be able to get to Tristan and Pikachu in time. We'd have to fly at the speed of Mach 2 in order to get to Team Rocket Headquarters. Pidgeot, do you think you can fly faster?"
Pidgeot nodded.
"All right, then, it's time to use your Agility attack!" commanded Hillary.
Pidgeot squawked with determination and flew off like a shot with Hillary hanging on for dear life.
"Whoooaaaa!" bellowed Hillary. "I knew that Pidgeot could fly fast, but not this fast!"
Meanwhile, at the Chamber of Legends in another dimension, Mewtwo saw the storm clouds gathering over Team Rocket Headquarters on one of the screens. This looks like trouble. I need everyone here immediately.
Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres flew and landed next to Mewtwo and wondered what was wrong.
We have to go help Tristan and Hillary, explained Mewtwo. We must leave for Team Rocket Headquarters at once. Our friends could be in great danger.
Articun, Zapdos, and Moltres agreed, and together with Mewtwo, they flew out of the Chamber and the dimension, creating a hole in the sky in the real world. Then, they set off directly for Team Rocket Headquarters where more storm clouds were gathering. Soon they began to spread out all over the entire Kanto region.
And so, with the final confrontation against Giovanni set to begin at any moment, Hillary and Pidgeot are flying toward Team Rocket Headquarters as fast as they can go, while at the same time, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo are all headed to Team Rocket Headquarters to join forces with Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu. What will be the outcome of this conflict? And will Tristan and Pikachu be able to receive the assistance of friends and family alike to save friends and family alike? Stay tuned!
TO BE CONTINUED...
