AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 15 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Hoenn region, specifically, Dewford Island. I decided to base part of this chapter on an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! because Yugi, who was sleeping, was transported to the inside of his and Yami Yugi's mind via the Millennium Puzzle. Let's pretend that Tristan's Silver Wing transports him and Hillary to the inside of his mind; yes, they both do it because Hillary wanted to come to his rescue. I really couldn't blame her, since, you know, they're brother and sister. Tristan's mind was restless, still thinking about the events from the last chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, and please review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: After being transported by the magical Silver Wing, Tristan and Hillary enter an unknown dimension inside his mind while their cousins, Wayne, Marc, and Lisa go on a desperate search to find them. But Taz has an extremely volatile and wet plan to steal from the weakest link, and that link...is Wayne!
Chapter 15: A MIND-BLOWING EXPERIENCE
(Music Cue: Movie Title 1998 (The Beginning of the Counterattack))
Our heroes are now on Dewford Island, and so are their cousins, Wayne, Marc, and Lisa. Wayne had his Gym Battle with Brawly first, but Brawly's Hariyama was too much for his Pokémon to handle, exhausting Makuhita in the process.
Then after Tristan tried to reason with Wayne after his defeat, he took his anger out on him, which left him completely crushed. But as he and Pikachu slept, Tristan's Silver Wing began to glow unexpectedly, causing them to be enveloped in its light. Hillary quickly rushed to his aid, and soon, they both disappeared!
Now everyone is wondering where they disappeared to. Who or what has taken them away, and where did they end up?
(Music Cue: The Moon Stone (full version as heard in "Enter the Dragonite"))
Hillary was the first to regain consciousness and slowly opened her eyes. Then she saw Togepi, who was next to her and aroused it. "Are you okay, Togepi?"
Togepi gave a happy trill as a response.
"That's good." Hillary looked all around and saw that she wasn't where she was before. "Where are we?" She saw that she was what appeared to be some sort of playroom. "Wait, those are Poké Balls. And there are our Poké Gears and PokéNavs. But that doesn't make sense since we have our PokéNavs with us." Then she saw Tristan and Pikachu, who were still unconscious. "Tristan, wake up! Pikachu!"
Pikachu quickly regained consciousness followed slowly by Tristan, who opened his eyes.
"Wait, where are we? Wait, this isn't the Pokémon Center. How'd we get here, anyway?"
"Calm down, Tristan, we'll figure a way out of here," Hillary assured him.
Then he saw all the stuff lying on the ground next to him and Hillary. "Wait a second. This stuff looks familiar. But how'd it end up here?"
"I don't know," replied Hillary. Then she saw a door. "Tristan, look there!"
"It's a door! Let's see if it takes us back." And he slowly opened it. But to his and Hillary's surprise, there was a hallway with another door across from it.
"Maybe this door will take us back," said Hillary.
"Be careful," cautioned Tristan. "Who knows what's on the other side."
Hillary slowly turned the knob and opened the door.
But what they saw was a big empty room with a beautiful starlit sky.
"What is this place?" wondered Hillary.
"You've got me, Hillary," replied Tristan. "I've never been in a room quite like this one before. But whatever it is, it's beautiful."
Meanwhile, back on Dewford Island, Wayne was still thinking about what led up to his defeat and what happened afterwards. "I let everybody down today," he sighed. Suddenly, he heard Marc call out to him.
"Wayne! Wayne!" He and Lisa quickly approached him.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Wayne.
"Please help us!" implored Lisa. "Tristan and Hillary have disappeared!"
"What?!" Wayne was surprised. "Well, we've gotta find 'em and help 'em out! Did you see where they went?"
"No, we didn't. The Silver Wing's light was too bright for us to get close to them."
"You know, none of this would be happening if you'd just kept your cool in the first place, Wayne," scolded Marc.
"Marc, that's enough!" said Lisa severely.
Wayne bent his head down low, shook his head, and gave a sigh. "It's okay, Lisa. Marc's right."
This made Lisa surprised. "What do you mean?"
"I shouldn't have yelled at Tristan and hurt his feelings. He was trying to warn me that my Gym Battle against Brawly was going to end in defeat, but because I didn't keep my cool and think with a level head, my Makuhita ended up in really bad shape. And because of me, Tristan and Hillary are both gone. I can't do anything right."
"Well, what do we do?" wondered Marc.
"I realize it's a longshot, but I'll have Taillow search from the air." But then he suddenly realized that Taillow was still getting treated. "Oh, man, if I hadn't used Taillow in my Gym Battle today, it'd be willing to lend us a hand. Taillow and Makuhita are the ones I let down today. But worst of all, I let my own cousin down. Augh! I wish I hadn't said those mean things to Tristan in the first place!"
"Well, let's split up and look for them anyway," suggested Lisa. "It'll increase our chances of finding them."
And so they did.
Back with Tristan and Hillary, they were still trying to figure out where they were when suddenly, a bright shining light appeared from above.
"What's that?" asked Hillary.
"I don't know," replied Tristan.
The light flew down and landed right in front of them. Then a familiar pale-silver white Pokémon emerged from the light as it faded.
"Wow, it's Lugia!" said Tristan excitedly.
"Awesome!" added Hillary. "But how'd you get here?"
You should know I'm always here to help you in spirit no matter how far apart we are from each other.
Tristan came to Lugia and said, "Sorry we disturbed you."
I'm not disturbed in the least. I'm always willing to lend a helping hand, or wing. So tell me, what's on your mind?
(Music Cue: Despairing Moments (original))
"Last I knew, I saw Tristan's Silver Wing glow in the Pokémon Center's bedroom on Dewford Island," explained Hillary. "I tried to get to him, but I was only enveloped by its light and brought here. He was fast asleep after a particularly rough day."
Lugia was confused. What do you mean?
"Well..." And Tristan thought back to earlier in the day with Wayne during and after his Gym Battle with Brawly as several voices, including his, echoed in his head.
"Wayne, listen! Makuhita's gonna get badly hurt! Hariyama's attacks are way too strong! Forfeit the match!"
"What?! Forfeit?! No way! I came to win, not to quit! And my Makuhita won't let me down!"
"Hariyama, Knock Off attack!"
Hariyama lifted its huge hand and slapped Makuhita with it, sending it spinning backwards and crashing hard into the wall, knocking it out.
"Makuhita is unable to battle...Hariyama is the winner! The winner of this match is Brawly!"
"We were so close to beating that Brawly! I just know I would've won if Brawly would realize that battling's much more important than surfing!"
"Please, Wayne, just give it a rest!"
"You shut up! I don't give a Hoothoot about what you or anyone else says!"
A couple of tears ran down Tristan's eyes when he finished telling his story.
So that's what happened, said Lugia.
"Don't worry, big bro," said Hillary as she gently put her hands on Tristan's shoulders. "It'll be okay."
Togepi trilled in agreement.
Pikachu assured him of Hillary's promise as it wiped the tears from Tristan's eyes.
"I know," replied Tristan, his voice breaking. "It's just that...it was the worst thing Wayne ever said to me. I was only trying to help prevent his Pokémon from getting seriously hurt."
It's obvious that you care about the wellbeing of your friends, family, and your Pokémon friends very much, said Lugia comfortingly. And for that, you have such a big heart. But sometimes, we have to let other people and Pokémon see for themselves just how much their actions, or inactions, can hurt them.
(Music Cue: Mystical Story (as heard the second time in "A Bout with Sprout"))
Then Hillary turned to Lugia. "So is that why Tristan's Silver Wing glowed and brought the both of us here to this room so that Tristan could have some time to calm down?"
It's sure possible. Lugia stared at Tristan's Silver Wing for what seemed like a long time. This may sound crazy, but I think your Silver Wing seems to be connected to your inner thoughts and feelings. Your mind must've been restless about Wayne to have brought you here. But I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
Tristan sighed. "I wish I could believe that."
Do you remember the time when you met the human named Kidd? asked Lugia.
"Yes, we do, but why do you ask?" replied Hillary.
Well, you may not realize this, but I can sense what's in a human's heart, even when they're far away. And I know how much Tristan's Silver Wing means to him because he values our friendship just as much as he values you as his sister.
"That's true," agreed Hillary. "We love each other very much."
You may recall that Kidd wanted to see your Silver Wing to get clues on Latios and Latias, but you were unsure if you should hand it to her.
It was then that Tristan realized what had happened. Back when Kidd just wanted to see the Silver Wing, he heard a familiar voice. "So it must've your voice that I heard, and let me know it was okay to share my Silver Wing with Kidd, right?"
Lugia nodded.
"Thanks a lot," said Tristan. "You really helped me out. I still don't know what to do about...you know, what happened."
I understand how you feel, but I think I know a way to help you feel better. In fact, Latios and Latias want to show you something back in the real world.
"But we don't know how to get back there."
Just tap into the Silver Wing's power. It can transport you back there any time you wish. Remember, I'll always be with you in spirit whenever you need me.
"Okay." He then turned to Hillary. "Ready to go back, sis?"
"Ready when you are," answered Hillary.
Pikachu and Togepi nodded.
Tristan gently put his hands on his Silver Wing hanging around his neck.
Instantly, the Silver Wing glowed, enveloping Tristan, Hillary, and their Pokémon in the same light that had brought them to the strange world.
In a few seconds, they all disappeared.
Back on Dewford Island, Wayne, Marc, and Lisa had just met back in the same spot where they began their search.
"Any luck finding Tristan and Hillary, Lisa?" asked Marc.
"I'm afraid not," answered Marc. "How about you, Wayne?"
"No, I didn't either," replied Wayne.
Lisa started to get concerned. "This is bad. I know they disappeared somewhere, but where on Earth could they be?"
"Let's try looking for them on the beach," suggested Marc.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Theme (as heard in "Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias"))
And they rushed to the beach as fast as they could. Little did they know that Taz was watching from his Electabuzz-shaped balloon.
"Ah, so it's just those three pathetic losers," smirked Taz as he spied on them through his binoculars. Then he spied on Wayne. "This'll be a cinch! With two of that newbie's Pokémon out of commission, his Pokémon will be easy pickings. And with the two strongest kids out of the picture, those three will all fall like rotten fruit. Look out, losers, 'cause here I come." And so he followed them to the beach.
As Wayne, Marc, and Lisa got to the beach, they saw that Tristan and Hillary weren't there.
"I guess they're not here," sighed Wayne sadly.
Marc looked all around. "I'm beginning to think we'll never see them again."
"Let's not lose hope just yet," said Lisa. "Let's try looking over there."
But just as they were about to start searching, they suddenly found themselves falling into a deep hole and all landed hard.
"Ow!" groaned Marc. "Remind me to prepare for hard landings."
Wayne got upset. "All right, who did that?!"
Suddenly, Wayne, Marc, and Lisa heard a cackle from above them.
"Thank youse for dropping in," smirked Taz. "And as I always say, if the hole ain't broke, don't fix it."
"Taz again!" exclaimed Wayne, Marc, and Lisa together.
"Wait, so you dug this hole?" gasped Marc.
"Guilty as charged," replied Taz. "But I can't take all the credit. I give credit to my wonderful Nincada friend standing beside me here."
His Nincada made its appearance beside Taz.
(Music Cue: Raid! (full version as heard in "Extreme Pokémon"))
Wayne was furious. "You've got some nerve trapping us in that hole, buster! Now you're gonna get what you deserve!" He took out his Poké Ball and threw it. "Torchic, I choose you!"
Torchic emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Wayne's instructions as it faced Nincada in battle.
"This is gonna be fun," smiled Taz. "Go get it, Nincada."
Nincada nodded as it charged straight at Torchic.
"All right, Torchic, Ember attack now!" ordered Wayne.
Torchic shot a stream of fireballs from its beak towards Nincada.
"Nincada, use Dig to dodge!" instructed Taz.
Nincada quickly dodged Torchic's Ember.
"Grr! growled Wayne. "Stop moving! Hold still!"
Taz chuckled as he watched Torchic trying in vain to get a hit on his Nincada, who dug multiple holes and popped out of one, then another, and then still another. I could let Nincada stop moving so that your Torchic could hit it," he smirked evilly, "but...I'm having too much fun!"
"Well, playtime's over, pal!" retorted Wayne. "Torchic, knock it out with your Peck attack!"
Torchic flew at Nincada as it tried to deliver a blow using its beak.
"Oh, Nincada, dear, give it a taste of your Fury Swipes," instructed Taz.
Nincada used its claws to score multiple hits on poor Torchic.
"My poor little Torchic!" exclaimed Wayne.
"And now, to finish it off! Go, Poliwrath, Hydro Pump!" shouted Taz as he threw a second Poké Ball.
His Poliwrath emerged from the white light that shot out of it and unleashed a powerful stream of water from the swirl on its chest, scoring a super-effective hit on Torchic, who fell into Wayne's arms in defeat.
"Are you okay, Torchic?" asked Wayne.
Torchic gave a weak nod.
Taz gave a chuckle. "That was way too easy."
Meanwhile, back inside the Pokémon Center's bedroom, a glow of light had enveloped.
Seconds later, Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi all emerged from it as the light dissipated. They found that they were right back where they started.
"Looks like we're back on Dewford Island," remarked Hillary. "Any idea how we got here?"
"The Silver Wing must've taken us back," replied Tristan.
Just then they heard quiet shrills from outside the Pokémon Center's bedroom window.
Tristan opened it and saw two familiar birdlike Pokémon with wings.
"It's Latios and Latias!" said Hillary excitedly. "Just like Lugia said!"
Latios quickly flew off into the night sky as Latias stayed behind with Tristan and Hillary.
"Where's Latios going?" wondered Tristan.
"And now, to claim my prize," smirked Taz. "But first, I hope you're all in the mood for a little swim that'll leave you all wet. Help out the losers with Hydro Pump!"
Poliwrath shot another stream of water from the swirl on its chest, but this time, it hit Wayne, Marc, and Lisa, causing Wayne to lose his grip on Torchic.
"Torchic, no!" cried Wayne.
Torchic fell to the bottom of the hole where it kept getting soaked to the feathers and struggled to stay afloat in the water.
"Stop it!" demanded Wayne. "Torchic can't swim!"
(Music Cue: Desperate Situation (Hoenn (full version)))
There was worse to come, for Wayne, Marc, and Lisa, suddenly found the bottom of the hole starting to get wetter and wetter.
"Look! The water!" exclaimed Marc. "It's getting higher!"
"Poliwrath's Hydro Pump is causing the water to fill up the hole!" exclaimed Lisa.
Just then, Latios flew high over the hole out of sight of Wayne, Marc, and Lisa. Then its eyes began to glow.
At that same instant, in the Pokémon Center's bedroom, Latias' eyes did too.
Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and Togepi were surprised as the scenery immediately changed to high above the beach.
"Wait a second! How'd we get onto the beach?" asked Hillary. "And in the sky, too?"
"Could this be one of Latios and Latias' powers?" added Tristan.
Lugia's voice was heard from Tristan's Silver Wing as it explained, This is sight-sharing. Using it with Latias at your location allows you to see exactly what Latios is seeing right now.
Tristan and Hillary were most impressed. But they didn't stay that way long, for they saw a familiar adversary with a Poliwrath using Hydro Pump inside the hole. "That's Taz!" Then they saw Wayne's Torchic desperately struggling to maintain its balance in the water as it filled up the hole. "Wayne's Torchic!"
Then three other voices were heard yelling out, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"
Latias' eyes stopped glowing and the scenery changed back to the Pokémon Center's bedroom.
Tristan and Hillary looked at each other in horror.
"Wayne and the others are in trouble!" cried Hillary.
"Come on!" said Tristan urgently. "We've gotta get there, and fast!"
And they raced out of the Pokémon Center as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, the water had just reached the top as Wayne, Marc, and Lisa reached it.
But as soon as Torchic reached the top, Taz immediately clutched it. "Gotcha!" he smirked.
"Give Torchic back, Taz!" demanded Wayne.
"No," replied Taz. But Taz suddenly found himself being hit by a Quick Attack from Pikachu, forcing him to lose his grip on Torchic and screaming, "Yes!" as he was sent hurling toward the sand.
Wayne managed to catch Torchic safely in his arms. "Torchic, are you okay?" asked Wayne.
Torchic gave a nod.
Just then, Wayne, Marc, and Lisa heard a welcome voice from Pikachu.
(Music Cue: OK! Orchestra & Guitar (as heard in "Wired for Battle"))
"We're coming, guys!" shouted Tristan. "We'll save you!"
"Are you all okay?" asked Hillary.
"Now we are!" replied Wayne.
"It's Tristan!" smiled Lisa.
"And Hillary's with him!" added Marc.
"Quick, climb out!" said Hillary as she grabbed each of them by the hand and helped them out of the waterlogged hole.
Taz slowly picked himself up from the sand and grumbled. "Oh, great, just my luck, the strongest kids are back."
"Boy, are we glad to see you!" said Marc to Tristan and Hillary.
"We're just glad you're all safe," replied Tristan. "But Taz won't be!" He, along with Hillary and Wayne glared angrily at Taz.
"Uh, we ain't in trouble, are we, guys?" asked Taz nervously to his Pokémon.
"Now you're gonna pay for what you've done!" added Hillary. "Ready, guys?"
"Yeah!" agreed Tristan and Wayne together.
"Yikes!" burst out Taz as he and his Pokémon cringed. "I think we're in really BIG trouble!"
"Torchic, let's get cooking, shall we? Warm 'em up with your Ember attack!" shouted Wayne.
Torchic unleashed a powerful stream of fireballs from its beak at Taz, Nincada, and Poliwrath, scoring multiple hits and singeing them in the process.
"YEOW!" screamed Taz. "I'm on fire! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot Hot! Ow! I can't take it! Yipe!"
Nincada and Poliwrath found themselves searing as they danced with fire on them.
"You're next, Tristan!" said Wayne.
"Okay! Go, Pikachu, Thunderbolt 'em!" ordered Tristan.
Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity from its body at Taz, Nincada, and Poliwrath, giving them all a big zap.
Taz found himself and his Pokémon super-scorched, just like a well-done steak.
"Now it's my turn! All right, Ralts, use Confusion to send them flying!" commanded Hillary as she threw a Poké Ball.
Ralts emerged from the white light that emerged from it as its eyes glowed in a blue color. Then, as Taz and his Pokémon glowed, it spun them round and round and tossed them high into the air telekinetically.
"Now WE'RE the one's who are all wet!" yelled Taz. "Wet, and burned, AND...we're blasting off agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!"
DING!
(Music Cue: Ecruteak City (full version))
A little while later, Tristan and Wayne faced each other on the beach as everyone else watched.
Wayne was struggling to find the right words to say. "Tristan...Well, uh...I, uh...I'm sorry, man."
"It's okay, Wayne."
"No, it's not okay. I was so mean to you today. Man, if I'd listened to you, I would've saved my Taillow and Makuhita from getting seriously hurt. And if I hadn't snapped at you, you and Hillary wouldn't have disappeared! I must be the worst person in the whole world! Man, how could I have been so stupid?!"
"Come on, Wayne, you're selling yourself short," replied Tristan. "Everyone has their bad days, even I do. And you can't keep pouting for the rest of your life. And if you're truly sorry, the best thing to do is to put this all behind you."
Wayne sighed. "I am sorry. I'm ashamed of the way I acted. I'll never say another mean thing to you ever again, and I'll work harder to be a better Trainer and person. Won't you please forgive me?"
"Of course, Wayne," smiled Tristan as he and Wayne shook hands and embraced.
"Looks like things are getting back to normal around here," said Marc.
"That's a relief," added Lisa.
Pikachu and Togepi nodded in agreement.
"Let's all head back to the Pokémon Center and have a hot dinner," suggested Hillary.
"Good idea," replied Marc and Lisa together as they followed her.
"I'm starving!" smiled Wayne as he followed them.
Tristan turned to the water. Then he looked up at Latios and Latias, who flew high above him and began to depart. He smiled and waved at them until they were out of sight. Then he looked down at his Silver Wing. Thanks, Lugia, he thought. I know you're not next to me, but I know that you'll always be with me in spirit. And whenever I'm upset about something, I know I can talk about my feelings to you...and my friends, of course. I hope you and Silveena continue to stay well. And I know that one day soon, we will see each other again.
Lugia's voice replied from the Silver Wing: Anytime, Tristan. I'm glad I could help.
"Hey, Tristan! Aren't you coming?" called Hillary.
"I'm coming!" replied Tristan. "Come on, Pikachu, let's join them."
Pikachu eagerly agreed as it raced after him.
The next morning, Wayne was the first one up as he came to check on his Pokémon.
Presently, Nurse Joy came.
"Nurse Joy, are my Pokémon gonna be okay?" asked Wayne worriedly.
"Don't worry, Wayne," replied Nurse Joy. "Your Taillow and Makuhita are back to full strength." And she handed him his Poké Balls.
"Thank goodness," sighed Wayne. "And thank you, Nurse Joy." He then let his Taillow and Makuhita out of their Poké Balls. "I'm sorry, guys. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. Next time, I'll think about your feelings first."
Taillow and Makuhita smiled. They were willing to forgive him.
"Thanks a lot," smiled Wayne.
"Wayne?"
Wayne turned to see Tristan and the others. "Morning, guys," he said. "Hey, listen, I was wondering if I could stay on Dewford Island for a while. You know, to help train me for my rematch with Brawly. And, Tristan, I know you and Hillary have a journey, too, but would you help give me some pointers on how I can do better at battling and judging my Pokémon's stamina and all?"
"Sure, I'd be happy to, Wayne," answered Tristan.
"It'd be an honor," added Hillary.
"We'll help you, too, Wayne, no doubt," put in Marc.
"Undoubtedly," agreed Lisa.
"Thanks, guys," smiled Wayne. "You're all the best. And I'll do my very best, too."
"Then let's start training!" said Tristan excitedly.
Pikachu and Togepi eagerly agreed.
And so, with Tristan and Hillary back where they belong, they have offered to help Wayne prepare for his Dewford Island Gym rematch while Tristan prepares for his own Gym Battle against Brawly. What exciting adventures await our heroes next? You'll just have to see for yourself.
TO BE CONTINUED...