AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 25 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Hoenn region. I decided to base this chapter on the events at the Oceanic Museum on the Emerald version games. As you know, in the anime, and in the Emerald version games, both Team Aqua and Team Magma are evil, but neither are friends with one another. Plus, Marius and Captain Stern from the anime make appearances in this chapter. Also, I inserted some more music from the 4Kids dub in this chapter as well as Shinji Miyazaki's music cues. As always, please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary have to protect the Devon Goods from Team Aqua again! But this time, they have to deal with many reinforcements, including Team Aqua's Field Commander Shelly!
Chapter 25: PROTECTING THE GOODS...AGAIN!
(Music Cue: Sunshine (as heard in the 4Kids dub on "Showdown in Pewter City 0:00-0:20"))
Following Hillary's latest Contest victory, our heroes prepare to leave Slateport City for Mauville City, where Tristan's third Gym battle awaits him!
"Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye to Slateport City," said Tristan.
"We had a great time here, but it sure was worth the trip," added Hillary. "And don't forget, we'll be back here when I earn four more Ribbons so I can enter the Grand Festival."
Pikachu and Togepi agreed with them.
Suddenly, Tristan's PokéNav rang from inside his backpack.
"That's strange," he said. "Who'd call me this early in the morning?"
"Must be important," replied Hillary.
Tristan quickly answered it. "Hello, this is Tristan."
"Tristan, this is Mr. Briney. Sorry to trouble you, but the same person from Team Aqua that you battled before decided to go to Rustboro City to try and steal the Devon Goods again."
"What?! Again?!"
(Music Cue: Lugia Appears! (Lugia's Explosive Birth! (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia")))
"I managed to retrieve them in time before he got there. I'm on my way to Slateport City to personally deliver them to you. Once you receive them, you must give them to Captain Stern immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. We'll be at Slateport Beach in just a few minutes."
"Good. I'll meet you there." And so saying, Tristan hung up.
"Does that mean that Team Aqua's here in Slateport City?" asked Hillary nervously.
"I don't know for sure," replied Tristan. "But one thing I do know is that they're always up to no good. Come on, let's hurry over to the beach so Mr. Briney can get those parts to us."
And with that, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi hurried over as fast as they could.
A few minutes later, they made it to the beach just as Mr. Briney arrived in the S.S. Wingull.
"Boy, am I glad to see the two of you again!" smiled Mr. Briney.
"So what about that person from Team Aqua that you mentioned?" asked Hillary.
"I'm not very sure right now," replied Mr. Briney. "I don't know what his objective is, but what I do I know is that he's on his way here. And worse, he's brought some reinforcements."
"There are more of those creeps?" gasped Hillary.
"What a surprise," added Tristan sarcastically.
"That's why I need your help to protect the Devon Goods and safely deliver them to Captain Stern. He's the head of the Oceanic Museum in Slateport City. Please do whatever you can to protect them from those thugs."
"We'll do that," promised Tristan.
"Thanks so much," said Mr. Briney as he gave the Goods to Tristan. "Peeko and I are counting on the both of you."
Peeko gave a happy call as Mr. Briney started the S.S. Wingull back out to sea again.
"Well, there's no time to waste," said Hillary. "We must get these Goods to the Oceanic Museum immediately."
"Right, let's go!" agreed Tristan.
And together, they set off toward the museum as fast as their legs could carry them with Pikachu running alongside.
(Music Cue: Disaster (full version))
Meanwhile, thousands of feet above, a large gray helicopter with a familiar "A" emblem was closing in on Slateport City.
Inside, at least a dozen people were receiving their latest instructions from a woman with red hair. Sure enough, it was Team Aqua.
"All right, team, listen up," said the woman. "We're nearing our target. Our objective is to steal those Devon Goods and give them to our Boss."
"Yes, ma'am," replied the Grunts.
"Remember, you have to be on your guard at all times," continued the woman. "The police have obviously been aware of our presence here in the Hoenn region and are doing everything they can to defeat us. And also, we have a few Trainers who have apparently decided to butt into our business as of late. Don't underestimate those kids, especially the boy with the Pikachu."
"But what do we do if we see the kid?" asked one of the Grunts.
"Do whatever you can to stop him before he stops you," replied the woman. "He may have protected the Devon Goods last time, but this time, he won't stand a chance against a whole army."
Presently, the helicopter was flying just above Slateport City.
"There's the Museum!" announced the pilot.
"Excellent," smiled the woman. "Decrease speed by 50 percent and prepare to deploy. Squad A, you do battle with anyone who stands in your way and take whatever measures you have to to steal those parts. Squads B and C, you stand guard and block entrances to the Oceanic Museum and all routes out of Slateport City."
"Yes, ma'am!" replied the Grunts as Team Aqua's helicopter began their descent towards the Oceanic Museum.
Meanwhile, just outside the Oceanic Museum, a boy was helping a man with some work.
"Marius, I'm going to do some research on the part of the rock that broke off when Team Magma broke in," said the man. "Why don't you stand guard for a little while?"
"Yes, sir," agreed Marius. "You can count on me."
The man then went inside while Marius looked around on all sides.
Presently, he heard whirring sounds from above. "That's weird," he said. "I don't remember seeing a helicopter like that before. I wonder what's going on."
Inside, the pilot of Team Aqua's helicopter descended lower and lower. "We've descended to our drop-off point," he announced.
"All right, deploy at once!" ordered the woman.
(Music Cue: Team Aqua Appears (full version))
An instant later, the hatches of the helicopter opened, and one by one, Team Aqua Grunts converged toward the museum by sliding down from the ropes with the woman bringing up the rear. They landed on the ground in front of a surprised Marius.
"Hey, who are you?!" he demanded.
"We're here for the Devon Goods," answered the woman. "So hand them over...unless you'd rather want to hand over what's left of the rock that Team Magma left behind."
"All right, how do you know about that?" asked Marius suspiciously.
"We'd rather do this peacefully, but if not..." began the woman.
"You don't scare me. I'll take you on. Spheal, I choose you!" shouted Marius as he took out his Poké Ball and threw it.
A chubby spherical seal-like Pokémon with a flat tail emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It happily clapped along.
"Not now, Spheal!" groaned Marius. "We don't have time for your clapping! Use your Blizzard attack on those crooks!"
Spheal unleashed a powerful cold blast of wind and snow from its mouth that seemed to stun the Team Aqua Grunts and the woman momentarily, but not for long.
"We can play rough, too, you know," grunted the woman as she and the Grunts threw their Poké Balls. "Go, Crawdaunt!"
Half a dozen Crawdaunt emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
Marius' Spheal became terrified.
"Six on one is completely unfair!" accused Marius.
"Bubblebeam, now!" ordered Shelley.
All six Crawdaunt unleashed a beam of bubbles from their pincers, which scored multiple direct hits on Spheal, knocking it out instantly.
"No, Spheal!" cried Marius as he tried to rush over. "Are you all...aah!" He was shoved to the ground by one of the Grunts and was soon bound and gagged.
"Squad A, follow me inside!" ordered the woman. "Squad B, guard the entrance to the museum! And squad C, block all routes out of Slateport City!"
"Yes, ma'am!" replied the Grunts as they split up for their assignments.
Marius struggled and strained helplessly as the Grunts and the woman ran inside.
(Music Cue: Travelling in a Rush 0:00-0:08 as heard in the 4Kids dub in "Mystery at the Lighthouse"))
Meanwhile, Pikachu had picked up on something as it pricked its ears up.
"What's up, Pikachu?" asked Tristan. "Do you sense something?"
Pikachu nodded and picked up speed.
"It must've found something, come on!" replied Hillary as she and Tristan followed it to the source.
They arrived at the Oceanic Museum just seconds later and saw Marius, who was bound and gagged.
"Look, a boy!" cried Hillary. "And he's all tied up!"
"Let's help him out," agreed Tristan.
"Hold it!" said a voice as two pairs of feet blocked their way.
(Music Cue: Team Aqua & Magma Grunt Battle (full version))
Sure enough, Tristan and Hillary's path was blocked off by several Team Aqua Grunts.
"Let that boy go!" ordered Tristan.
"We can't do that," replied one of the Grunts. "Not until our mission is complete."
"What mission is that?" wondered Tristan suspiciously.
"The mission to steal whatever's in your hands. Hand those Devon Goods over, and we'll leave."
"I have a better idea: you leave before we force you to leave!"
"What he said!" agreed Hillary.
Pikachu stood defiantly in front of Tristan and Hillary, ready to defend them as sparks crackled from its cheeks.
"Then you leave us no choice," said the Grunt as he and several others threw their Poké Balls.
Six Crawdaunt emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
"You don't scare us. We'll take you all on at the same time!" challenged Tristan.
"But how?" asked Hillary. "They have us outnumbered."
"We do what they do," answered Tristan. "Come on out, everyone!" He took out his Poké Balls and threw them.
Mudkip, Treecko, and Beldum emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
"Hey, that's a pretty good idea!" agreed Hillary as she took out her Poké Balls. "Let's go, everybody!"
Hillary's Squirtle, Cyndaquil, Pichu, and Ralts emerged from the white lights that shot out of hers.
"Looks like you're the ones who are outnumbered now," said Tristan confidently.
"You may have more Pokémon, but they're no match for ours," retorted the Grunt. "Crawdaunt, Bubblebeam attack, go!"
All six Crawdaunt fired a beam of bubbles from their pincers, combining them into a powerful blast.
"Dodge it, now!" shouted Tristan and Hillary together.
All of Tristan and Hillary's Pokémon successfully jumped out of the way of the combined BubbleBeam attacks.
"Hey, Tristan, let's team up and attack them together," suggested Hillary.
"Good idea," agreed Tristan. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Mudkip, Water Gun!"
Pikachu unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity from its body at all six Crawdaunt while Mudkip unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth at them.
"Squirtle, Water Gun! Cyndaquil, Flamethrower! Pichu, Thundershock!" commanded Hillary.
On Hillary's command, Squirtle unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth; Cyndaquil ignited the flame on its back and unleashed a powerful stream of fire from its mouth; Pichu unleashed a yellow bolt of electricity from its cheeks.
All the attacks combined together to form one big blast that scored a direct hit on all six Crawdaunt, knocking them out instantly.
"Now, Ralts, use Confusion!" shouted Hillary.
"Ha!" laughed the Grunt. "Your Ralts' attack won't hurt our Crawdaunt. They've been defeated already. Now charge!" And he and the other five Grunts charged for Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon.
Ralts' eyes lit up in a light blue light.
"I wasn't aiming for your Crawdaunt," smiled Hillary. "I'm aiming for you!"
Hillary was as good as her word, for instead of the Crawdaunt being attacked, it was all six of the Grunts, who were all telekinetically lifted up into the air and tossed back down like balls.
All the Grunts yelled out in pain as they landed hard on the ground over and over again.
"Wow," remarked Tristan. "I wouldn't want to mess with Hillary and Ralts on a bad day."
Pikachu agreed with him.
"Had enough?" asked Hillary.
"Okay! We give up!" yelled the Grunt.
Ralts then gently set the Grunts down on the ground.
Bruised and beaten, they recalled their Crawdaunt and beat a hasty retreat.
Inside, the woman heard the noises from outside. "What's going on out there?" she grumbled. She then spoke into her headset. "Squad B, come in."
But there was no response.
The woman grew even more impatient. "I said, 'Squad B, come in!'" But again she heard nothing. She then seethed with anger. "Blast those kids. I may have to deal with them myself the way things are going." And she hurried along.
Tristan and Hillary, along with their Pokémon rushed to Marius and freed him from his bonds.
"Thanks a lot, guys," said Marius. "Sorry I couldn't do anything."
"That's okay," replied Hillary. "We're just glad you're okay. My name's Hillary, and this is my big brother Tristan."
"Hi there," added Tristan.
Pikachu greeted Marius warmly.
"My name's Marius," said Marius. "It's nice to meet you both."
"Can you tell us what's going on, Marius?" asked Hillary.
(Music Cue: Scheming (as heard in the 4Kids dub in "The Whistle Stop"))
"I was surprised by several crooks who acted a lot like Team Magma," explained Marius. "But they were wearing black and blue uniforms instead of red ones. And there was a woman who led that team. They also had a Crawdaunt with them."
"That was Team Aqua," said Tristan.
"Team Aqua?" repeated Marius.
"Like Team Magma, Team Aqua also has plans, and they're all bad."
"So how did you get tied up in the first place, Marius?" asked Hillary.
"I tried to battle Team Aqua with my Spheal," explained Marius, "but those Crawdaunt were too much for it. The next thing I knew, I was bound and gagged."
"It's lucky we found you," said Tristan. "Oh, by the way, we were wanting to know if you know a person named Captain Stern."
"Yes, I know him. Why do you ask?"
"We were tasked to take the Devon Goods over to him," answered Hillary. "Apparently, Team Aqua decided to target the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City to steal them again, but Mr. Briney managed to retrieve them before they could get their hands on them."
"Huh? But I thought they were after the last part of the rock that Team Magma stole. Captain Stern is trying to research it right now."
"Do you know where Captain Stern is?"
"Yeah, he's inside." Then Marius gasped. "That means the evil woman who tied me up might be after him and that rock!"
"Then we have to get inside and help him right away," advised Tristan urgently. "Come on, let's go."
"I don't think so!" said a voice.
(Music Cue: Raid! (as heard in "Hokey Poké Balls!"))
Tristan, Hillary, and Marius turned around to see a familiar foe.
"I know you!" said Tristan disdainfully. "You're the Team Aqua crook we saw in Rustboro City!"
"Guilty as charged," replied the Grunt. "It's nice to see the two of you again. Now, hand those Devon Goods over to me."
"No way!"
"Fine, then I'll just take them. Crawdaunt, let's go!" shouted the Grunt as he threw a Poké Ball.
Crawdaunt emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
"I'll handle this," said Tristan. "Pikachu, go!"
Pikachu charged into battle against the Grunt's Crawdaunt.
"Crawdaunt, CrabHammer!" ordered the Grunt.
Crawdaunt's pincers lit up as it attempted to strike Pikachu with them.
Fortunately, Pikachu was too quick and easily dodged Crawdaunt's CrabHammer.
"Now, Thunderbolt!" commanded Tristan.
Pikachu unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity at Crawdaunt, scoring a direct hit on it and easily knocking it out.
"No!" cried the Grunt. Then he snarled. "You'll pay for this!" He recalled his Crawdaunt and beat a hasty retreat.
"Well, that was easy," smiled Marius. "Now what?"
"There's no time to waste," reminded Hillary. "We must get those Devon Goods to Captain Stern immediately."
"Right," agreed Tristan. "Here's the plan: Hillary, you and Marius go and find Officer Jenny as fast as you can while I go inside and deliver the Goods to Captain Stern. And if I see that woman, I'll be careful."
"I know you will, Tristan," replied Hillary as she briefly embraced him. "Now, let's go, Marius!"
"Right!" answered Marius.
And everyone split up for their assignments.
(Music Cue: A Building Anger (as heard in the 4Kids dub on "Charmander, the Stray Pokémon"))
Inside the main office, the woman from Team Aqua was confronting the man who Marius took directions from earlier.
Sure enough, the man was Captain Stern.
"The famous Captain Stern," smiled the woman. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"So, you're part of that Team Aqua I kept hearing about," said Captain Stern. "Why did you come here in the first place?"
"I brought you here so I could gather some information," answered the woman. "I heard that you had a recent run-in with Team Magma. They must've been after that rock just as we are. This will be easy if you hand it over."
"No."
"That rock is no more use to you than it is to Team Magma," said the woman. "What makes you think it provides sufficient information for you when in reality, it holds valuable information for us. Now I'll ask you once again to hand it over."
"I will not hand over what's left of that rock to you," he said insistently. "I'll say to you like I said to those thugs from Team Magma: This rock will be used for the good of Pokémon enthusiasts, and only them!"
"So you don't want to hand over that rock to me?" smirked the woman. "That's such a shame. Then that means I'll have to take it anyway, especially now that you've had experience with criminals like Team Magma."
Just outside, Tristan carefully made his way to the office door as his Pokémon followed closely. "This is it," he whispered. He quietly tried to open the door, but found it was locked. "Team Aqua must've taken Captain Stern hostage. Quick, Beldum, break down the door!"
Beldum charged full-body style toward the door and easily bust it open to Captain Stern and the woman's surprise.
(Music Cue: Johto Rival Theme as heard in the Japanese version of AG036))
"All right, let Captain Stern go right now!" demanded Tristan as Pikachu, Beldum, Mudkip, and Treecko stood in front of him.
"Captain Stern's not going anywhere until you hand over those Goods first," retorted the woman.
"And who are you to give me orders?"
"Well, I see no harm in revealing my identity," smiled the woman. "My name's Shelly. I'm the field commander for Team Aqua."
"Ready, guys? We can't allow Shelly to torment Captain Stern," advised Tristan.
Pikachu and the other Pokémon nodded in agreement.
"I'll show you torment!" yelled Shelly as she charged toward Tristan.
"Pikachu, Treecko, Quick Attack, now!" ordered Tristan.
Swiftly, Pikachu and Treecko charged toward Shelly as white lines streaked behind them, scoring a direct hit on Shelly and sending her careening into one of the walls.
"Sealeo, let's go!" shouted Captain Stern as he threw a Poké Ball.
A bright blue pinniped Pokémon with a beige chest emerged from the white light that shot out of it. It was bigger than Spheal, plus it had two short tusks and thick white whiskers.
"Now, Sealeo, use Blizzard!" instructed Captain Stern.
Sealeo unleashed a powerful cold blast of snow and wind from its mouth directly at Shelly, temporarily freezing her solid.
"Now that's cold," smiled Captain Stern. "Good work, Sealeo."
Sealeo gave a happy reply.
"Quick, now's our chance, Captain Stern!" encouraged Tristan.
"Right, let's go," agreed Captain Stern as he made his exit.
Tristan, his Pokémon, and Sealeo quickly followed him, making sure he was safely outside and Shelly didn't follow suit.
After Tristan and Captain Stern disappeared, Shelly slowly, but surely, broke through the ice and fumed, "You'll both pay for attacking me like that."
Tristan and Captain Stern managed to get outside a moment later.
"Just what is it that Team Aqua wanted anyway?" wondered Tristan.
"My guess is that they wanted this," answered Captain Stern as he took out a small rock out of his pocket.
"Wow, that's a cool rock. I wonder what it feels like."
"Now's your chance to find out." And Captain Stern handed the small rock to Tristan to hold.
Tristan was awed by the way it felt. "It feels so smooth, but it feels like it's old."
"It could very well be," agreed Captain Stern. "Team Magma got a large part of the rock when they infiltrated the museum not too long ago. I still often wonder what they're up to these days. But now that Team Aqua's in town, there's no telling what they're up to."
Tristan handed the rock back to Captain Stern. "I don't know much about either of them, but I know they're both up to no good. It's a good thing your Sealeo froze Shelly solid." He took out his Pokédex and looked up Sealeo's entry.
(Music Cue: Hoenn Pokédex (as heard in the 4Kids dub))
"Sealeo, the Ball Roll Pokémon. Sealeo is the evolved form of Spheal. Upon seeing something new, it tends to roll it on its snout, testing its smell and texture."
"I've had this Sealeo since it was a little Spheal myself," smiled Captain Stern. "I guess it inspired Marius to get a Spheal of his own. He hasn't had Spheal for very long, plus it hasn't been trained as long as he would like since it likes to clap a lot."
"Well, I know he'll get it well trained soon," replied Tristan.
"There you are!"
(Music Cue: Regirock, Regice, & Registeel Battle (full version))
Tristan and Captain Stern turned to see Shelly and her Team Aqua Grunts confronting them.
"It's Shelly!" exclaimed Tristan.
"And she just brought reinforcements!" added Captain Stern. He turned towards them. "What do you want?"
"I'm only going to ask you nicely one more time: Hand over the rock and those Devon Goods now, or I promise you, you'll live to regret it," ordered Shelly.
"We're not handing anything over to creeps like you!" retorted Tristan.
Shelly only smiled. "Then I guess it's time to bring out our secret weapons." And she and her Grunts threw several Poké Balls.
Several large primarily blue walrus-like Pokémon that had layers of blubber under their skin emerged from the white lights that shot out of them. They each had two long ivory tusks and large tufts of fur around their faces and necks.
"What are they?" gasped Tristan.
"They're Walrein!" replied Captain Stern.
"They sure look strong," remarked Tristan as he looked up their entry in his Pokédex.
"Walrein, the Ice Break Pokémon. Walrein is the final evolution of Spheal. Walrein's two massively developed tusks can easily shatter ice blocks weighing ten tons. Its thick layer of blubber protects it against enemy attacks."
"Ready, everyone?" asked Tristan. "This is a tough one, but we can't let Team Aqua take what they're after."
All of Tristan's Pokémon nodded in agreement.
"Sealeo, Aurora Beam!" ordered Captain Stern.
Sealeo fired a mysterious rainbow-colored and cold beam from its mouth at the Walrein, but true to their nature, the attack bounced off.
"Oh, no!" gasped Captain Stern. "That didn't affect them!"
"It's your turn, Mudkip! Try a Water Gun attack!" commanded Tristan.
Mudkip unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth at the Walrein, but unfortunately, it had the same result.
"Come on, do you really think your feeble barrage of Water and Ice-type attacks would hurt our Walrein that easily?" smirked Shelly. "Walrein, show them a real Water Gun attack!"
Under Shelly's skillful command, all the Walrein unleashed powerful blasts of water at Mudkip and Sealeo, scoring huge direct hits on them both.
"No, Mudkip!" cried Tristan.
"Sealeo!" added Captain Stern.
Unfortunately for Mudkip, the damage from the combined Water Gun attacks from the Walrein was too much for it to take, and it was knocked out instantly.
"Quick, Mudkip, return!" ordered Tristan as he quickly recalled it back to its Poké Ball.
"Is that all you've got, little boy?" taunted Shelly. "I'm just getting warmed up."
"This'll bring you some warmth! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" commanded Tristan.
Pikachu unleashed a powerful yellow bolt of electricity at the Walrein, scoring huge direct hits on all of them.
"Treecko, Quick Attack! Beldum, Take Down!" instructed Tristan.
Treecko sped toward one of the Walrein as a white line streaked behind it while Beldum flew full-body style into another.
One by one, both Pokémon scored direct hits on the Walrein while Pikachu assisted them with Thunderbolt.
"Sealeo, use Blizzard!" ordered Captain Stern.
Sealeo unleashed a powerful cold blast of wind and snow from its mouth at the Walrein, Shelly, and the Grunts.
Although the Walrein weren't bothered by the extreme cold, Shelly and the Grunts were, and they didn't like it a bit.
"Walrein, give them the powerful Water Gun, and do it now!" yelled Shelly.
"Now, Pikachu, Thunder!" shouted Tristan.
And before the Walrein could strike back, Pikachu leaped up and delivered a devastating yellow bolt of electricity at the Walrein from above, scoring a huge direct hit on them. And thanks to its Electric-type traits, it was a super-effective attack.
The Walrein, having taken too much damage from Thunder, all fainted on the spot.
"Walrein, return!" ordered Shelly as she and the Grunts recalled them all back to their Poké Balls. She turned to Tristan. "I see you're good. I underestimated you."
"We underestimated you," corrected a voice.
"Hey, who said that?" asked Tristan suspiciously as he and Captain Stern frantically looked around to find where the voice was coming from.
(Music Cue: Team Aqua & Magma Hideout (full version))
A tall muscular man wearing a blue bandana with Team Aqua's logo on it slowly made his appearance. He had black hair and a short black beard.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" demanded Captain Stern.
The man seemed calm, but he was actually not amused. He turned to the Grunts. "I came to see what was taking so long to snatch those Devon Goods, and you simps are held up by a mere child?!"
All the Grunts hung their heads low.
Even Shelly was ashamed.
The muscular man angrily turned to Tristan and Captain Stern. "We are Team Aqua, and we love the sea! And I am Team Aqua's leader, Archie! What makes you interfere with us?!" He saw that Tristan was wearing his regular clothes. "No. You can't be! You're not one of Team Magma? That can't be right. You're not dressed for the part."
"Of course I'm not Team Magma!" retorted Tristan. "How could you even think that?"
"I'll ask you again. What makes you interfere with us?"
"I did it to help Captain Stern," answered Tristan. "These Devon Goods are for the good of people and Pokémon alike. And the same goes for that rock, also!"
"Pokémon. People. Bah! All life depends on the sea. Don't you agree? What you are doing is a magnificent undertaking. Ah, fine. Whatever. You're still too young to understand our noble objective."
Presently, police sirens were heard in the distance.
"Archie, sir! The police are almost here!" warned Shelly. She spoke into her headset. "All right, pull out now!" And together, she and the Grunts beat a hasty retreat into their helicopter, whose blades began to turn faster and faster.
As Archie turned to leave for the helicopter, he turned to Tristan one last time. "You may have won this time, kid. But I warn you, don't even consider interfering with our plans again. The consequences will cost you dearly! And don't you forget it!" And he turned to follow Shelly and the Grunts into the helicopter as Tristan looked at them with a defiant look on his face.
Seconds later, the helicopter rose into the air, and a moment after that, it disappeared into the distance just as Officer Jenny, backed up by other officers, arrived on the scene.
Hillary and Marius arrived shortly thereafter.
(Music Cue: Sadness (as heard in the 4Kids dub of "Charmander, the Stray Pokémon" 0:00-0:35"))
That evening, Hillary and Marius turned to Captain Stern as the police began their investigation into the day's events.
"I'm really sorry, Captain Stern," said Hillary sadly. "We should've been quicker. If we'd gotten here just one minute faster, we would've captured Team Aqua."
"Don't be sorry," replied Captain Stern. "You actually timed out your entrance perfectly. And Tristan and I managed to hold off Team Aqua just long enough for you to arrive."
"Who was that guy, anyway?" wondered Marius.
"That was Archie, the leader of Team Aqua," answered Tristan.
Hillary and Marius were surprised.
"He's one tough customer," remarked Hillary.
"I can't stand evil people like him," continued Tristan as he shook his fists in anger.
"Don't worry, big bro," Hillary assured him as she put her hands on Tristan's shoulders. "We'll find a way to stop Team Aqua. And if need be, we'll stop Team Magma, too."
(Music Cue: OK! (Orchestra (full version)))
Tristan felt better after that. "Thanks, sis. You're the best." He then turned to Captain Stern. "Here you go, Captain. The Devon Goods, safe and sound."
"Tristan, thank you," smiled Captain Stern. "Thanks to all of you, I can keep on doing my research. The Devon Goods are just the delivery I've been waiting for. I'd been wanting to use some special tools to study the rock's origin. So I ordered the parts from Rustboro City and figured they'd do the trick."
"What are those Devon Goods anyway?" wondered Hillary.
"Even I want to know," added Marius.
"Okay, okay, I'll go ahead and tell you," chuckled Captain Stern. He slowly opened the case and revealed what was inside. "It's a special microscope. One I've been waiting for. Now I can use it to study the rock. Maybe this rock came from the ocean's depths, or perhaps, deep in the surface of the earth itself."
"That's amazing," said Hillary.
"I'll be setting out in my submarine very soon," continued Captain Stern. "I'll be sure to fill you in on what I find as soon as I know more."
"Thanks, Captain Stern," replied Tristan.
"So where are you two off to now, guys?" asked Marius.
"We're heading to Mauville City so I can get my third badge."
"No kidding. My friend Ash and all of his friends are on their way there right now."
"Really? Hey, sis, if we hurry, maybe we can catch up to him! Come on!" And Tristan started off with Pikachu close behind.
"Wait up, Tristan!" called Hillary as she started to follow Tristan. She then turned back to Marius and Captain Stern. "I guess we're leaving now. See you again soon!" And she hurried along after Tristan.
"Have a safe journey!" called Captain Stern.
"Bye! Good luck in Mauville!" added Marius.
"Thanks a lot!" replied Tristan as he and Hillary waved while running out into the distance.
And so, our heroes, with a little help from Marius and Captain Stern, have thwarted Team Aqua's latest plan. But who knows if it's really their last plan, especially now that they have to deal with Archie, leader of Team Aqua? One thing's for sure, Tristan and Hillary look forward to Mauville City and Tristan's third Gym Battle!
TO BE CONTINUED...