AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 13 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Hoenn region. Wayne, Marc, and Lisa appear to be magnets that just don't want to stay away, apparently, so I decided to add them back in this chapter, so they'll be sticking around for a bit. This chapter is somewhat based on the Pokémon: Advanced episode: "A Hole Lotta Trouble," but it features Taz instead of the Team Rocket Trio. Steven Stone also makes a guest appearance in this chapter.
TEASER: Tristan and Hillary get separated in Granite Cave thanks to Taz's pitfall trap while Wayne arrives to help and catch a powerhouse Pokémon.
Chapter 13: ROCK HARD ARON
(Music Cue: Kanto Route 1 (as heard in the Japanese version of "Mewtwo's Counterattack"))
Our heroes have made it to Dewford Island, site of Tristan's second Hoenn region Gym Battle. But before he challenges the Gym, he and Hillary decide to explore the island.
Tristan and Hillary found themselves in front of a huge cave.
"Wonder what this is?" said Hillary.
Tristan checked his PokéNav. "According to this, we're at the entrance to a place called Granite Cave."
"Granite Cave, huh? Well, it makes sense, seeing it's just a stone's throw away from where we are now. Come on, let's go in."
Pikachu and Togepi agreed in wonderment as Tristan and Hillary started inside while bantering each other with jokes.
"You know, Hillary, I have a feeling that things'll get rocky."
"Oh, chin up, Tristan, you need to be a little boulder on this journey."
"I guess I'm taking this journey for granite."
(Music Cue: Not Another Argument! (full version))
Meanwhile, Taz, Tristan and Hillary's old nemesis, was hard at work digging holes inside the cave. But this time, it wasn't he who was digging, it was his new Nincada. "Excellet job, Nincada," he smiled. "Slow and steady gets the job done."
Nincada gave a happy and evil reply as it kept digging.
"I know this is the Team Rocket Trio's specialty, but I figured I should give it a try, Nincada-style," continued Taz. It was then that he saw Tristan and Hillary approaching from not too far away. He gasped and said, "It's those kids!" And he grabbed Nincada pushed it out of the way, and filled in the hole as fast as he could. Then he ducked out of sight as they approached.
"Hillary, look at this!" said Tristan. It was then that he and Hillary spotted something on one of the cave walls.
"Looks like a marker, and it was left here just recently," remarked Hillary. "Hey, we can use it to help us find our way out of here in case we get lost!"
"Somebody must've had a sense of mind, since this is a big cave," agreed Tristan. He began to get nervous. "So let's see about getting out of here before we get too far."
"Now wait just a second, mister brave heart," scolded Hillary. "Are you a man or a coward?"
"I was just joking, Hillary," smiled Tristan sheepishly.
"I should hope so," retorted Hillary. "Pokémon Master, indeed."
Just then, a small quadrupedal Pokémon appeared behind them. It had stubby legs, blue eyes, and a large, round head. Its body was black with plates of gray armor.
"Who's that Pokémon?" wondered Tristan as it approached and he scanned it with his Pokédex.
(Music Cue: Hoenn Pokédex (as heard in the 4Kids dub))
"Aron, the Iron Armor Pokémon. Aron has an impressive defense power and eats iron ore in order to build up the metal in its body."
"Strong AND tough," said Tristan. "I'm gonna catch it!"
"Oh, please, Tristan, may I catch Aron?" begged Hillary.
"No way, I was the one who saw it first."
But before either of them could engage in a battle with it, they, Pikachu, and Togepi suddenly found themselves falling into the hole that Taz had dug up and groaned.
Nobody was hurt, but they were most annoyed.
"What's a hole doing here?" moaned Tristan.
"It was a pit trap!" replied Hillary. "And that could mean only one thing."
"Team Rocket!" they shouted together.
"Buzz!" said a voice imitating a buzzer. "I'm sorry, but you're incorrect." And he revealed himself.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Interrupted Motto)
"Taz?!" exclaimed Tristan and Hillary together. "What are you doing here?!"
"I saw you dropping in, so I thought I should check on youse," answered Taz. And he taunted Tristan and Hillary in a singsong voice that seemed to go on forever.
"All right, that's it! If you won't shut your yap, I'll do it for you!" shouted Hillary as she took out a Poké Ball. "All right, Ralts, get us out of this hole!"
The Poké Ball opened and Ralts emerged from it.
Wasting no time, Ralts glowed in a white light, and so did Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi.
An instant later, they found themselves out of the hole and confronted Taz, who gasped in surprise.
"How'd youse get outta that hole so fast?"
"What's the matter, Taz? Not psychic?" smiled Hillary. "You see, my new friend Ralts can Teleport us out of any situation whenever we need its help."
"Oh, yeah? Well, I also got a new friend I'd like you to meet," retorted Taz. "Oh, Nincada!"
Nincada slowly approached Tristan and Hillary in a threatening way, but Tristan and Hillary didn't back down.
"I wonder who that Pokémon is," said Hillary as she scanned it with her Pokédex.
(Music Cue: Hoenn Pokédex (as heard in the 4Kids dub))
"Nincada, the Trainee Pokémon. Nincada lives most of its life inside the earth and uses its sharp claws to dig into tree roots, extracting nutrients and moisture."
"When did Taz get that?" asked Hillary suspiciously. "I'm sure Taz stole it."
"So it must've been Nincada who used Dig to make that pit trap we fell into!" said Tristan accusingly.
"Very good," smirked Taz. "You catch on fast."
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "A Corphish Out of Water"))
"I don't care what attacks it uses, it won't get away with trapping us! All right, Ralts, send it flying with Confusion!" ordered Hillary.
Ralts' eyes began to glow in a blue light.
"Nincada, Sand Attack," instructed Taz.
Nincada used its claws to throw sand into Ralts' eyes, blinding it instantly.
"Ralts!" cried Hillary.
"Now hit it with Fury Swipes!" ordered Taz.
Without missing a beat, Nincada used its sharp claws to score multiple hits on poor Ralts, knocking it out instantly.
"Hold Togepi, Tristan," instructed Hillary as she gave it to Tristan to hold and carefully scooped up Ralts into her arms. "Are you okay, Ralts?"
Ralts gave a weak reply.
"You need a good rest." And she quickly recalled Ralts back into its Poké Ball and took out another one. "All right, Cyndaquil, I choose..."
But before she could send out her Cyndaquil, the Aron that had appeared before grew more and more upset and gave out a loud call.
(Music Cue: Crazy Bike Ride (as heard in "Now That's Flower Power"))
An instant later, multiple Aron appeared from all sides from the holes up above.
"Look at that!" gasped Tristan.
"It's a whole pack of Aron!" exclaimed Hillary.
Taz gave a girly scream as he scooped up his Nincada and fled for his life. "Every crook for himself!"
But the Aron weren't just angry with Taz, for they were angry at Tristan and Hillary, too, and they beat a hasty retreat right after Taz.
"But we didn't do anything!" cried Hillary as she and Tristan ran as fast as they could.
"They don't know that, so let's find a good hiding place until they blow over!" suggested Tristan.
"I can handle this," smiled Taz confidently. "All right, Magmar, Smokescreen!" ordered Taz as he threw his Poké Ball.
Magmar emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a black cloud of smoke from its mouth, enveloping every Aron that was chasing them.
But it also enveloped Tristan, Hillary, and Taz, too, causing them all to cough.
"I can't see a thing!" hacked Tristan.
"Good going, Taz!" choked Hillary.
"Relax, this'll be over soon!" put in Taz, who was coughing, too.
The smoke continued to envelop the surrounding area for what seemed like forever as everyone continued to hack and cough through Magmar's Smokescreen.
When the smoke cleared a few minutes later, all the Aron had disappeared.
Tristan opened his eyes. He saw that he was still holding Togepi in his arms. But he couldn't find a trace of Hillary or Pikachu anywhere. "Guys? Hillary? Pikachu? Where'd you go?"
Togepi seemed to wonder the same thing.
"Well, we'd better find them before they get much further," suggested Tristan as he and Togepi bravely searched Granite Cave.
Elsewhere, Hillary opened her eyes and saw that she didn't have Togepi in her arms like she normally did. "Togepi? Togepi? Where are you, Togepi? Hey, come to think of it, where are Tristan and Pikachu? Tristan? Pikachu? Where are you?"
It was then that Pikachu gave a reply to Hillary.
Hillary was greatly relieved to see Pikachu unhurt. "I'm glad to see you, at least. Any sign of Tristan?"
Pikachu shook its head.
It was then that they heard someone groan next to them. They quickly turned around and saw Taz, much to their surprise.
Taz opened his eyes and saw Hillary and Pikachu looking at them.
"Good grief," grumbled Hillary. "How'd I get stuck here with you of all people?"
"I'm not exactly thrilled myself," retorted Taz. "What happened? How did we get separated from that other kid?"
"Well, this wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for your Magmar's Smokescreen attack," huffed Hillary.
"Don't blame me," snorted Taz. "You're the one who engaged me in a battle."
"It was all because you and that stupid Nincada made that pit trap in the first place!"
"Well, it's your fault for not watching where you were going!"
Hillary was losing patience fast and clenched her fists. "You know, Taz, I'm getting sick and tired of you playing the blame game and throwing us under the bus! If you hadn't butted into our lives to begin with, we wouldn't be in this mess! Never mind! Let's just go find Tristan. Come on, Pikachu." And Hillary went off in a huff with Pikachu close behind.
"Hey, wait for me!" cried Taz as he hurriedly ran after them.
Meanwhile, Tristan and Togepi were still trying to find Hillary and Pikachu when suddenly, a mostly yellow bipedal Pokémon with a bulky build appeared in front of them.
"This one sure looks tough," remarked Tristan as he scanned it with his Pokédex.
(Music Cue: Hoenn Pokédex (as heard in the 4Kids dub))
"Makuhita, the Guts Pokémon. Makuhita never gives up, always getting back on its feet, no matter how many times it's knocked over. Each time rising to its feet builds up energy in its body."
"That sounds like the kind of Pokémon I'd like to have on my team," said Tristan excitedly.
Togepi trilled in agreement.
"Hey, Makuhita!" called a familiar voice.
Tristan turned to see his cousin Wayne approaching. "Wayne, good to see you!"
"Yeah, you too."
"So, I assume you got the Stone Badge from Roxanne's Gym already?"
"Yup, piece of cake." And he showed Tristan his Stone Badge safely inside his Badge Case. "So where's Hillary?"
"We got separated thanks to Taz."
"Oh, no. Him again? I can't stand that Taz!"
"So is this your Makuhita?" asked Tristan.
"Yup." And Wayne told his story.
(Music Cue: Reunion (as heard in "Once in a Blue Moon"))
"There was a ferry that headed to Dewford Island this morning," explained Wayne, "so I figured Lisa, Marc, and I should catch it. Then we decided to head on over to Granite Cave so I could catch some strong Pokémon. I was hoping to catch an Aron, but I managed to find a Makuhita, which really looked tough, but Taillow wouldn't give up, just like Makuhita. But we managed to catch it after we wore it down."
"It was thanks to Makuhita that we found you," finished Wayne.
"You're very quick, aren't you, Wayne?" smiled Tristan. "Thanks a lot, Makuhita."
Makuhita gave a happy reply.
Presently, one of the Aron from the pack that chased Tristan and Hillary earlier appeared in front of him and Wayne.
"Look, there's an Aron!" cried Tristan excitedly. "I've been waiting to catch you!"
"Oh, no you don't, I wanna catch it!" interrupted Wayne.
"No, me!"
"Me!"
Tristan and Wayne glared at each other until Tristan got an idea. "Let's take turns battling Aron using just one Pokémon, and whoever survives gets to catch it. Sound good?"
"Yeah, winner takes all!" agreed Wayne. Then he grumbled to himself. "Of course, knowing Tristan, he'll probably catch it anyway."
(Music Cue: Raid! (full version))
"Mudkip, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Poké Ball.
Mudkip emerged from the white light that shot out of it and readied itself for battle.
"Mudkip, Water Gun now!" ordered Tristan.
Mudkip unleashed a powerful blast of water from its mouth.
But Aron dodged the attack and charged forward at remarkable speed as orange streaks were seen behind it. It rammed into Mudkip and sent it flying, much to Tristan's surprise.
"That was a Take Down!" gasped Tristan.
But Aron didn't seem fazed by any recoil damage at all.
"Hey, what's the deal?" asked Tristan. "Aron didn't take any damage from Take Down?"
"That must've been because of Aron's Special Ability: Rock Head," replied Wayne.
"Ability? What's that?" wondered Tristan.
"It's a recently discovered mechanic that gives Pokémon an extra boost," explained Wayne. "I don't think anyone knew of this until now. Aron's Rock Head, for example, is an ability that negates recoil damage."
"So that means Aron can use Take Down as much as it wants to without taking recoil damage? This'll be tougher than I thought."
Aron charged toward Mudkip the same way it did last time.
"Okay, Mudkip, hit it with Mud-Slap!" instructed Tristan.
Mudkip used its hind legs to throw mud at Aron, but to no avail, for Aron quickly moved from side to side to dodge the attack and hit it hard with another Take Down attack, sending it flying.
"Mudkip, no!" cried Tristan as he caught the knocked out Mudkip in his right arm while still holding Togepi in his left hand. "You okay?"
Mudkip gave a weak reply.
"You were great. You get a good rest, okay?" And he recalled Mudkip to its Poké Ball. Then he turned to Wayne. "Okay, Wayne, as promised, it's your turn to take a shot. Give it your best."
"I intend to," replied Wayne. "Ready, Makuhita?"
(Music Cue: Hoenn Wild Pokémon Battle (full version))
Makuhita gave a hard nod and charged into battle, awaiting Wayne's orders.
"Makuhita, start by using Fake Out!" instructed Wayne.
Makuhita got right into Aron's face and clapped its hands, causing it to flinch. Then it gave Aron a kick, which sent it sliding backward.
Aron didn't back down, however.
"What's Fake Out?" wondered Tristan.
"Fake Out's an attack that works only on the first move, but it lets your Pokémon attack first and always makes opponents flinch," explained Wayne. "Now, Makuhita, use Tackle!"
Makuhita charged toward Aron full-body style, but Aron glowed in a white light and appeared to have sparkles all over its body. An instant later, Makuhita rammed into Aron, but Aron wasn't taking any damage at all.
"Aron must've used Harden!" remarked Wayne. "It really is something. I so want it!"
Tristan quickly took out his PokéNav and called Hillary.
Meanwhile, Hillary's PokéNav rang, and she quickly answered it. "Yes?"
"Hey, sis, you're missing a great battle. Wayne's Makuhita's battling really hard against a wild Aron."
"A wild Aron? No kidding? We'll be right over." She quickly hung up. "Come on, Pikachu, let's hurry!"
And together, they quickly made their way through the cave.
Taz gave a sinister smirk and said, "Perfect, and once the battle's over, I'll steal whatever Pokémon they manage to defeat." And he ran off to carry out his fiendish scheme.
"All right, time for something new," said Wayne. "Makuhita, use Arm Thrust!"
Makuhita charged toward Aron and using alternating hands, it struck Aron multiple times, giving it serious damage, even with Harden protecting it.
Tristan was most impressed. "Wow, what a powerful Arm Thrust. Keep it up, Makuhita!"
Togepi cheered for Makuhita as well.
"Tristan, we're here!" called a voice.
Tristan and Togepi were happy to see Hillary and Pikachu arriving on the scene. "Hey, sis, glad you're both okay." He handed Togepi back to Hillary, who was surprised to see Wayne.
"How'd Wayne get here so fast?" wondered Hillary.
"It's a long story," replied Tristan. "By the way, where's Taz?"
"Uh, I don't know. Last I checked, he was right behind us. Ah, whatever. We'll worry about him later."
Makuhita kept dealing damage to Aron using its Arm Thrust attack.
"What's that Pokémon doing?" asked Hillary.
"Makuhita's using Arm Thrust," explained Wayne. "It's a Fighting-type attack that scores multiple hits on opponents."
"And it seems to be the perfect choice against Steel-types like Aron," added Tristan.
Sure enough, Makuhita dealt Aron the decisive blow using Arm Thrust, knocking it out.
"All right, Poké Ball, go!" shouted Wayne as he took one out and threw it at Aron.
The Poké Ball hit Aron, who transformed into red energy and shot inside. Then it wiggled as its button flashed. Finally, it emitted a tone, signifying that Aron had been successfully caught.
(Music Cue: Fanfare! Got Pokémon!)
"Yes!" cried Wayne excitedly as he struck a victory pose. "We just caught an Aron!"
Makuhita happily posed with him.
But suddenly, a mechanical hand snatched the Poké Ball away from Wayne, much to everyone's surprise.
(Music Cue: Let's Run! (as heard in "Volcanic Panic"))
Everyone turned to see Taz laughing triumphantly. "Sorry, kiddies, this Pokémon's mine."
"Hey, you, gimme back my Aron!" demanded Wayne.
"No way, José, as they say," smirked Taz as he took out a Poké Ball. "Go get 'em, Nincada!"
Nincada emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
But just as it emerged, a huge bipedal Pokémon with a gray exoskeleton rammed into Nincada, knocking it into Taz and causing him to lose his grip on Wayne's Poké Ball, which landed safely in his hands.
Everyone was surprised at the turn of events, especially Taz.
"Hey, what happened? My Nincada's been squished like a Bug-type!" exclaimed Taz.
(Music Cue: Ash's Decision to Fight (Ash Appears!))
"Hey, Wayne!" called a voice.
"We're here!" added another.
"Hey, it's Marc and Lisa!" said Wayne.
Sure enough, Marc and Lisa, Wayne's brother and sister and two of Tristan and Hillary's cousins had come to the rescue with a tall thin young man with ice-blue hair and eyes.
"Who's that with them?" wondered Tristan.
"Beats me," replied Hillary.
The man didn't look too happy and confronted Taz. "So, you're the one who agitated the Aron earlier today. It's bad enough that three hoodlums disturbed them earlier, but now you come and awaken them again. Now you'll pay the price. All right, Aggron, Hyper Beam!"
"No, wait!" cried Taz as he tried to make a break for it.
But Aggron unleashed a powerful golden beam of energy which sent Taz and his Nincada skyward out of Granite Cave.
"We'll remember this!" screamed Taz as he and Nincada blasted off.
DING!
Everyone was most impressed.
"Wow," remarked Tristan. "That's strong." He scanned Aggron with his Pokédex.
(Music Cue: Hoenn Pokédex (as heard in the 4Kids dub))
"Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokémon. Aggron is the final evolution of Aron. It shows no mercy to anyone who disturbs its habitat."
The man turned to his Aggron to congratulate it. Then he recalled it back into its Poké Ball. Then he turned to Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins. "So, I understand that you were all exploring Granite Cave."
"Well, we wanted to..." Tristan began.
"I caught an Aron," interrupted Wayne. "But I didn't realize this cave was its home."
"I know you didn't, son," the man assured him. "But I'm sure that Aron would be very happy being with a Trainer like yourself. By the way, kids, my name's Steven."
"Steven...Wait!" Hillary suddenly realized. "Aren't you THE Steven Stone, the person Mr. Stone was talking about?"
"Yup, the one and only."
"That Aggron of yours was so awesome!" said Wayne. "Now I'm more excited than ever to train my new Aron!"
"Take good care of it, raise it well, and it'll be a really strong Pokémon in no time at all," smiled Steven.
"Oh, Steven, I have something for you," said Tristan as he handed him the letter from inside his backpack.
"A letter for me?" Steven read it and smiled. "Aw, it's from my dad, saying that he misses me, and is looking forward to spending some family time with me in the near future. Thank you, Tristan. Thank you all for this wonderful letter."
"You're welcome, Steven," replied Hillary.
"We're just glad we could help," added Tristan.
Pikachu and Togepi agreed.
(Music Cue: To the Hopeful Sky (full version))
"So, you're here on Dewford Island for a Gym Battle, right?" said Steven as he prepared to leave on his boat that evening.
"That's right," replied Tristan and Wayne.
"I just came here briefly because I thought I'd forgotten stones," explained Steven. "I enjoy searching for rare stones."
"We hear you there, Steven," smiled Marc.
"Oh, by the way, Tristan," continued Steven. "I hope delivering the letter to me wasn't too much trouble."
"No trouble at all," replied Tristan.
"That's a relief," said Steven. "As thanks for that wonderful letter, I'd like you to have this." And he took out a container, which contained a blue spherical object, and handed it to Tristan. "This is a Pokémon Egg containing one of my favorite Pokémon. This is for you."
"Wow, Steven, thanks so much!" smiled Tristan.
"I'm jealous," said Lisa.
"What a cool Egg!" remarked Marc. "I wonder what kind of Pokémon will hatch from it."
There was a pause. Then Steven whispered. "It's a secret." Then he said, "Tristan and Wayne, I wish you good luck in your upcoming Gym Battles."
"Thanks, Steven," replied Wayne. "I'll do my best."
Tristan turned to Pikachu. "And we'll do our best too, right, pal?"
Pikachu eagerly nodded in agreement.
Steven started up his boat and started to leave. "Take care of that Egg, Tristan! And be careful out there, everyone!"
"I will! Bye now!" called Tristan.
"Bye, Steven!" added Hillary.
"Take care!" put in Wayne, Marc, and Lisa.
Pikachu and Togepi waved their goodbyes as well.
Everyone waved until Steven and his boat were out of sight.
"Well, we've got a big day ahead," said Marc. "Let's head to the Pokémon Center and rest up."
"Yeah, I can't wait to get that second badge," replied Wayne excitedly.
"You're sounding just like me, Wayne," chuckled Tristan.
Although Tristan didn't catch an Aron and Wayne did, he ended up with a Pokémon Egg for his trouble of delivering the letter to Steven. Now it's time for he and Wayne to focus on their upcoming Gym Battle as they eagerly await their chances to earn their second badge.
TO BE CONTINUED...