AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 17 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey on Dewford Island. Old Man Swamp (or Swampy) along with all the baby Mudkip make appearances in this chapter, but other than that, nothing really special here. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy. Oh, yeah, before I forget, we start to dig into the mystery of why Tristan's Mudkip is terrified of thunderstorms, but we don't dig too deep just yet. That will come in a future chapter.

TEASER: Tristan and his friends meet Old Man Swamp, an experienced man who raised Mudkip from eggs for Professor Birch to give to new Trainers. However, Taz is up to his old tricks and wants to steal all the Mudkip to make a quick buck! How can he be stopped this time?

Chapter 17: CLEAR AS MUDKIP

(Music Cue: Fortree City (full version))

Our heroes are still training on Dewford Island, but today, they've decided to explore one of Dewford Island's wettest and muddiest wetlands.

"I wonder what we'll see next," said Tristan as he led Hillary and their cousins, Wayne, Marc, and Lisa walked along a river.

"Do you think we'll see some rare Pokémon?" wondered Hillary.

Togepi trilled hopefully.

"I'd like to have a rare Pokémon of my very own someday," smiled Marc. "Although I do have a Mudkip, and that's pretty rare."

"And I have a Treecko," added Lisa.

"Well, whatever Pokémon we see, it'll be a surprise," put in Wayne.

Presently, they came to a waterfall and a high cliff beside it.

"Oh, man," said Wayne nervously. "How are we gonna climb this thing?"

"Look there! That's how!" Sure enough, Tristan saw that a strong rope had recently been fastened to a tree branch at the top of the cliff.

"Nice score, Tristan," smiled Wayne.

"I'll climb first, making sure the rope is secure," suggested Tristan. "Once I reach the top, I'll help the rest of you up." And he started climbing slowly and carefully climbing up the rope.

"Be careful, Tristan!" called Lisa.

Suddenly, Hillary began to smile. Then she giggled and whispered to herself, "Little does Tristan realize there's a much easier way to handle this." And she took out her Poké Ball and tossed it in the air.

Ralts emerged from the white light that shot out of it, much to everyone else's surprise.

"Hey, Ralts, think you can Teleport us to the top of the cliff?" asked Hillary quietly.

Ralts gladly nodded and soon everyone had disappeared; then they reappeared at the top of the cliff.

At that very instant, Tristan and Pikachu had almost reached the top.

"Quick, grab hold!" called Hillary as she stretched her hand out.

Tristan grabbed onto it, and soon, he and Pikachu made it to the top of the cliff safe and sound. "Thanks a lot, sis," he said. Then he suddenly gasped in surprise. "Hillary?! How'd you all get up here so fast?"

"Well, you didn't think we'd do something that's too dangerous, did you?" replied Hillary. "You see, I had Ralts Teleport us here."

"No fair," groaned Tristan. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked me," replied Hillary. "Besides, you and Pikachu decided to start climbing before I could stop you."

Tristan sighed. He had completely forgotten about Ralts being able to Teleport everyone.

Everyone examined their surroundings as they kept on walking.

Hillary checked her PokéNav. "Looks like that little island over there separates the flow of water," he said.

It was true; the water was flowing much more gently than on the other side.

Everyone kept walking as it got foggier and foggier.

Then Tristan noticed the ground getting softer and wetter. "Better be careful, everyone," he advised. "It's getting real soft here."

They slowly and carefully walked on the soft ground.

"Yuck!" exclaimed Wayne. "I'm not a real big fan of this soft ground."

"You could go back, you know," suggested Marc. "That is, if you think you can't handle it."

"No way!" retorted Wayne. "If there are rare Pokémon, I've gotta see them! I'd rather walk through the mud than miss out on a rare sight like that."

"Good show, Wayne," commended Lisa.

So everyone continued to walk slowly through the soft ground until suddenly they heard a frantic cry for help.

"Guys! Look there!" shouted Tristan.

Sure enough, a little blue Pokémon with fins was being dragged away by the current from the nearby river.

(Music Cue: Lugia Appears! (as heard in the Japanese version of "Revelation Lugia"))

"It's a baby Mudkip! And it's in big trouble!" exclaimed Wayne.

Pikachu and Togepi agreed worriedly.

"Tristan, Marc, send out your Mudkip!" advised Hillary. "I'll have Squirtle help them too." And she threw her Poké Ball.

"Mudkip, go!" shouted Tristan and Marc as they complied with Hillary's advice and threw theirs.

Squirtle and the two Mudkip emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.

"Go help the baby Mudkip!" ordered Tristan.

The three Water Pokémon nodded and rushed into the water to help the baby.

Then current was strong, but not strong enough to wash the three Pokémon away as they overcame it and helped the baby Mudkip to shore.

Quickly, Tristan checked the baby Mudkip.

"Is the baby injured?" asked Lisa.

"Uh-uh," replied Tristan. "It doesn't appear to be." He then turned to Squirtle and the two Mudkip. "Great job, guys."

All three Water Pokémon gave happy replies.

Presently, they saw a man with white hair peeking through some nearby bushes, although the hair on his face and head looked like a reasonable facsimile of a Mudkip.

"Look! It's another Mudkip!" gasped Marc. "And it's white! Maybe it's a genetic mutation or something."

"I'm not a Mudkip!" retorted the man. "And you have some nerve stealing those Mudkip over there!"

"We didn't steal 'em!" shouted Wayne angrily.

"Easy, Wayne," whispered Tristan. Then he turned toward the man. "I beg your pardon, sir, but did you say we stole the Mudkip?"

"Yes, I did," answered the man firmly.

"Well, you see," explained Tristan. "These two Mudkip belong to Marc and me. Professor Birch gave them to us, and they just helped rescue a baby Mudkip that was about to get washed down the river."

(Music Cue: Route 29 (as heard at the beginning of "Forest Grumps"))

"Oh, is that all?" The man was surprised and revealed himself to Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had Mudkip of your own. I hope you'll forgive me."

"No worries, sir," smiled Tristan. "I'm Tristan, and this is my sister Hillary."

"Hi," added Hillary.

Pikachu and Togepi introduced themselves warmly.

"My name's Marc," said Marc.

"And my name's Lisa," added Lisa.

"And I'm Wayne," put in Wayne.

The man introduced himself. "My name's Old Man Swamp, but sometimes I go by the name of Mr. Swampy. Thank you for saving that baby Mudkip." He gently picked up the baby and held it in his arms. "How would you all like to come back to my place for a little refreshment?"

A few minutes later, Old Man Swamp led everyone to a lodge for some tea. "So, Tristan, I understand you helped that Mudkip out of some serious trouble in Littleroot Town, and Professor Birch gave it to you after helping it out, right?"

"That's right," replied Tristan. "Actually, Mudkip chose me to be its new Trainer."

"And seeing how Tristan loves Pokémon and traveling with them, I decided I wanted a Mudkip, too," added Marc.

"Those Mudkip look like they've been raised well," smiled Old Man Swamp. "Professor Birch told me a lot about you and how much you care about Pokémon of every kind."

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning followed by a huge crack of thunder outside, causing everyone to jump.

Tristan's Mudkip instantly leaped up and buried itself in his shirt.

(Music Cue: Evil Ambition (full version))

"What's wrong with your Mudkip, big bro?" asked Hillary.

"For some reason, Mudkip has always had a fear of thunderstorms," explained Tristan. "Lightning and thunder give it a big scare." He held Mudkip gently in his arms. "Did that lightning scare you?"

Mudkip trembled and gave a scared response.

Just then, big raindrops began falling outside.

"That storm came out of nowhere," remarked Lisa.

"I guess that means we're not going anywhere anytime soon," put in Marc.

"So that means...no training?" said Wayne worriedly.

"I'm afraid not," replied Old Man Swamp sadly. "The rain makes the wetlands even softer, and that can cause everyone to get stuck in the mud."

"Hey, Mr. Swampy?" asked Tristan. "Do you know the reason why Mudkip's been so afraid of lightning?"

Old Man Swamp shrugged. "Well, I suppose it could be because of its weakness against Electric attacks, but I don't think that's the real reason. Professor Birch hasn't been able to get to the bottom of this perplexing mystery either."

"That's too bad. I wish I knew why a storm would scare Mudkip so much."

"You said that," reminded Marc.

Sure enough, Mudkip was still trembling in Tristan's arms, but he held it close to him to give it some comfort.

"A similar experience happened to me once before," said Tristan a few minutes later.

"Really? Why do you say that?" asked Hillary.

"I'm a little curious myself," agreed Old Man Swamp.

And as the rain continued to fall outside, Tristan began his story.

(Music Cue: Desperate Situation: Hoenn (as heard in the Japanese version of AG002 (Ancient Pokémon and the Mysterious Army"))

"It happened just as Pikachu and I arrived in Littleroot Town," explained Tristan. "Professor Birch was desperately trying to find a Mudkip that had gotten lost. That was when we saw this big storm come up and ran into Professor Birch.

"Then a few minutes after it began to rain, we heard Mudkip crying for help from under a nearby open tree root. We came to it just as a huge bolt of lightning struck close by.

Poor Mudkip was scared so much by the thunder and lightning that it tried to run away. We tried to go after it, but another bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, which toppled over right in front of us, blocking our path of escape.

"Then another huge lightning bolt crashed out of the sky toward Mudkip. I thought Mudkip was a goner, but Pikachu rushed to our rescue and took the full blast, causing it to overload on electricity.

"Luckily, Aunt Amy found us and we used one of Uncle Greg's absorption machines to get Pikachu's electricity levels back to normal," said Tristan. "And seeing how Mudkip liked me so much after I helped it out, Professor Birch gave it to me as a gift."

"Wow!" replied Hillary, who was very surprised.

"Wow is right," remarked Lisa. "I'm glad you all made it out of that. Wouldn't you agree, Marc?"

"Yeah, Lisa and I had to take shelter in the grocery store because of the lightning."

"That poor Mudkip must've been through an awful lot," put in Wayne. "No wonder it's scared of storms like that."

"If only I knew what was going on in Mudkip's mind from the moment it hatched," wondered Tristan. "Then maybe I'd know what caused Mudkip to have such a huge fear of lightning."

(Music Cue: Oldale Town (full version))

Just then, Old Man Swamp got an idea. "How would you like to see a Mudkip hatch right before your eyes?"

"I'd like that," smiled Tristan. "Hey, guys, wanna see?"

"You bet," everyone else replied.

Pikachu and Togepi were just as excited.

A pile of blue eggs with orange dots was seen before them.

Presently, one of the eggs started glowing and emitted a shimmering tone, making everyone excited.

"Look, it's hatching!" whispered Hillary.

And indeed, it was, for a cute little Mudkip hatched out of the egg and greeted them warmly.

"Aww, it's so cute!" remarked Lisa excitedly as she got a closer look.

And the cuteness was not to be denied, for it spat a gentle stream of water in Lisa's face.

Everyone had to chuckle at that, even Lisa, who didn't mind getting a little wet.

Tristan looked over the newly hatched Mudkip carefully. "Yep, looks like it's perfectly healthy to me."

Then Old Man Swamp examined it. "Well, there's no argument from me. That Mudkip's as perfect as can be. You know, Tristan, you seem to have the makings of a great breeder, like Brock."

"Brock taught Hillary and me a lot just as we started our journey together," replied Tristan. "But even though I appreciate the comment about being a good breeder, all I really want is to become a Pokémon Master."

"Just like Ash, right?"

"Hey, how'd you know about Ash?"

"Because he, Brock, and their friends recently came here and helped save the baby Mudkip from being washed away," explained Old Man Swampy. "Even Brock managed to befriend the bigger wild Mudkip that was their self-designated protector."

"That's great for Brock!" said Marc.

"Good for that Mudkip, too," agreed Wayne.

Pikachu and Togepi agreed.

Meanwhile, Taz had just scaled up the waterfall with great difficulty as the rain continued falling. "Arrgh!" he fumed. "Why can't those kids ever find some easier terrain for me to follow them in? And in the rain, too?" Suddenly, he found himself slowly lower and lower. "Hey, what's going on, and why am I shrinking?"

(Music Cue: Wreaking Havoc! (as heard in "The Totodile Duel"))

Then he soon saw that his feet went deeper in the ground. "Aaah! I'm sinking into the wet and muddy earth! What do I do?" He tried making a run for it, but it only caused him to get even deeper. "Why did I have to be such a stick in the mud?" Then he saw a fence and got an idea. He quickly took out his Poké Ball. "Come out, Poliwrath, now!"

Poliwrath emerged from the white light that shot out of it and awaited Taz's orders.

"Quick, throw me over the fence and get me out of this mud!" he instructed.

Poliwrath leaped over, picked up Taz, and threw him over the fence, causing him to land hard with a thud.

Taz was no longer stuck in the mud; the ground on which he landed was much, much harder and sturdy. "Not a bad throw, Poliwrath." Then he saw that Poliwrath was sinking in the exact same spot Taz stood just seconds before. "Quick, Poliwrath, return!" he shouted as he quickly recalled it back into its ball. He gave a sigh of relief. "Now what am I gonna try and take this time?" He took out his binoculars and looked through the window of Old Man Swamp's lodge. "Well, there are those kiddies, and I see an old man, and..." He then gasped, for he saw many Mudkip inside, including the baby Mudkip that Tristan and Marc helped save. "Well, look at this! It's a pile of Mudkip! These'll be great for the Boss. I can't wait to get started stealing them! Uh, but first, I've gotta get out of this rain."

Sure enough, it was still raining heavily, and Taz scurried away to seek shelter someplace dry while contemplating his next scheme.

Back in the lodge, Tristan still comforted his Mudkip from the thunderstorm outside. He didn't care how long it took just so long as Mudkip calmed down soon.

"That poor Mudkip's been in Tristan's arms ever since the storm started," remarked Hillary.

"I know," agreed Old Man Swamp. "It's a confusing mystery, which we all hope will be solved soon." He then looked out. "Oh, look! It stopped raining!"

"Ah, finally!" smiled Lisa. "Now we can go outside."

"I'm sure Tristan'll be relieved to hear that," agreed Marc.

As indeed, he did, for as soon as Tristan noticed everyone starting to head outside, he saw the sun shining again and decided to follow them with Pikachu close behind.

Everyone was enjoying the greenery that had gotten the refreshing drink.

"The air's so much cleaner now that the rain freshened it up a bit," remarked Wayne.

"Yeah, and the rain will help these wetlands stay, you know, wet," agreed Hillary.

Just then, there was a loud boom in the distance.

"What was that?" gasped Lisa.

"Sounds like an intruder," replied Old Man Swamp. "I'm going to go check it out." And he hurried off to the source of that sound.

"Hey, guys, let's follow him," advised Tristan.

Everyone else nodded in agreement as they all went after Old Man Swamp. When they arrived, they all gasped at what they saw.

"What is that thing?" wondered Old Man Swamp.

(Music Cue: Regirock, Regice, & Registeel Battle (as heard in the Japanese version of AG044 Togepi's Entrance and the King of Illusion))

There, standing in front of them and all the baby Mudkip, was a giant machine shaped like a Mudkip with a giant basket on the back.

Presently, the hatch on top opened, and Taz revealed himself. "Hello, kiddies. You like my surprise?"

"It's Taz again!" exclaimed Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins.

"Who's Taz?" asked Old Man Swamp.

"He's just a good-for-nothing criminal from Team Rocket who causes us trouble everywhere we go," answered Tristan.

"That so?" smirked Taz. "Well, I'm afraid you've got it all wrong, you little twerp, because today, I'm just gonna catch all the Mudkip on Dewford Island. Here goes!" And he got back into his machine and closed the hatch.

At that instant, two giant mechanical claws were activated, and they started grabbing the Mudkip!

"Oh, no, the Pokémon League entrusted me with these Mudkip, and now Taz'll steal them all!" exclaimed Old Man Swamp.

"Oh, no, he won't. Treecko, I choose you!" shouted Tristan as he threw his Poké Ball.

Tristan's Treecko emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"Use Pound attack on that giant Mudkip!" ordered Tristan.

Treecko charged in and used its thick scaly tail to try and attack Taz's machine.

But Taz was ready for it. "You're getting in my way! Now shoo, you little green pest!" And he activated his two claws and scored a direct hit on Treecko, sending it flying.

"No, Treecko!" cried Tristan just before Treecko flew into his face, sending them both falling to the ground.

"Are you both okay?" asked Hillary as she and the cousins rushed over to them.

"Don't worry, we're fine," replied Tristan, "but Taz must be stopped somehow."

Sure enough, Taz was still capturing all the Mudkip and landing them in the giant basket.

"This looks like a job for Taillow!" shouted Wayne as he threw his Poké Ball.

Taillow emerged from the white light that shot out of it.

"Hit that machine using Quick Attack!" commanded Wayne.

Taillow flew at the machine at top speed as a white line streaked behind it.

But Taz was ready for Taillow too. "So you wanna fight me too, birdbrain? Take this!" And he used the two claws and scored a direct hit on poor Taillow.

"No! Not Taillow!" exclaimed Wayne as he caught it safely in his arms.

"That guy is just begging to be taken down a peg!" fumed Hillary as she took out a Poké Ball. "It's time for Cyndaquil to take charge and use its Flamethrower."

"No, wait!" warned Tristan. "Flamethrower will hit all the captured Mudkip!"

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Lisa nervously.

"I know what, kiddies, you just stand there and watch while I continue my quest to capture every single Mudkip on Dewford Island!" smirked Taz. "Including both of yours!" And he activated the giant claws again.

"Dodge it now!" ordered Tristan and Marc.

Both Mudkip nimbly dodged the attacks, but the baby Mudkip weren't so lucky, for in a few moments, Taz managed to capture almost all the baby Mudkip.

Taz cackled triumphantly as everyone watched. "What's the matter? Too much for you to handle? Admit it, you've lost. It's over."

"Not a chance, Taz!" retorted Hillary.

"There's gotta be some way to stop Taz and his giant Mudkip!" said Marc urgently. "But that basket's too high for us to reach it! If we could just get that basket down to the ground, we could save the baby Mudkip, and Taz would be sunk."

"Marc, that's it!" said Tristan excitedly. Then he turned to his Mudkip, who was standing by. "Quick, Mudkip, use your Water Gun attack to soak the ground with water, right where Taz's machine is standing!"

Tristan's Mudkip eagerly nodded and complied by shooting a stream of water at the ground right at the giant Mudkip machine's feet.

Lisa was confused. "I don't get it. What's Tristan doing?"

Wayne was puzzled, too. "Is he trying to wash the machine or something? He's lost it."

"Maybe not," replied Hillary. "I think he's trying to sink the machine deeper into the earth."

"And once it does, Taz will lose his balance and start falling, and we can save the captured Mudkip!" Marc understood the plan. "Hillary, have Squirtle help Tristan's Mudkip!"

"You heard him, Squirtle," agreed Hillary. "Help out with your Water Gun!"

"You, too, Mudkip!" commanded Marc.

(Music Cue: Advance Adventure (Orchestra & Guitar (as heard in "The Lotad Lowdown")))

Marc's Mudkip and Hillary's Squirtle teamed up with Tristan's Mudkip and aimed their Water Gun attacks at the machine's feet.

Taz only cackled at their strategy. "Ha! You can't stop me with useless Water Gun attacks! It's gonna take a lot more than that to stop me! I might as well capture the three of youse, too!" But Taz reckoned without Marc and Tristan's quick thinking, for he soon found himself starting to tilt to one side. "Hey! What's going on here? I'm not moving fast at all! In fact, I'm sinking again! Why is it that youse guys always seem to stop me from reaching my nefarious goals?"

"It's really working!" smiled Old Man Swamp excitedly. "The combined Water Guns are softening the ground, making Taz lose his balance! Now we'll be able to save the Mudkip after all!"

"Now's our chance, Taillow! Save the babies with Quick Attack!" ordered Wayne.

"You too, Treecko!" added Tristan.

Taillow and Treecko charged at the basket as white lines streaked behind them, and scored a direct hit on the basket that was tied to the machine.

Sure enough, the rope on the basket broke, causing all the Mudkip to fall out and land safely back on the ground.

"Okay, your turn, Pikachu! Thunder, go!" commanded Tristan.

Pikachu leaped up and unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity at the now damaged machine, scoring a direct hit on it as everyone watched.

BOOM!

"You stupid stick-in-the-muds!" screamed Taz. "I'll get you for this!" And he and his wrecked machine blasted off into the sky.

DING!

(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting (full version))

Old Man Swamp smiled as everyone celebrated their victory. "You saved the baby Mudkip. I don't know what we would've done if you hadn't come along to help me out the way Ash, Brock, and their friends did."

"We were just happy we could help," replied Marc.

"That's right," agreed Tristan and Hillary together.

"It's quite obvious to me that you value your Mudkip just like I do these babies here," continued Old Man Swamp. "I know you'll raise your Mudkip to be great Pokémon."

"Well, we do our best, don't we, Tristan?" said Marc.

"Yeah," agreed Tristan.

"And Tristan, don't worry about your Mudkip being scared about thunderstorms too much," continued Old Man Swamp. "Yes, it can be very stressful for you, but knowing that you're very patient with your Mudkip tells me you're willing to do whatever it takes to make it happy and healthy."

"Yeah, I know," replied Tristan. "I just wish I knew why."

"Well, we may never know," put in Hillary. "All that matters is that you continue to raise your Mudkip to be healthy and strong."

"You're right. And I plan to do that no matter what it takes."

"That's the spirit!" smiled Old Man Swamp.

Tristan knelt down to Mudkip's eye level and said, "Well, Mudkip, ready to work hard and get stronger together?"

Mudkip gave a happy reply as Pikachu agreed with them.

"And with an attitude like that, Tristan, there's no way we'll lose an opportunity for a second badge!" put in Wayne as he excitedly raised his right fist in the air.

"That's right," added Hillary. "And I'll train hard so that I'll be a great Coordinator!"

Togepi trilled excitedly in agreement.

Thanks to our heroes, they were able to help Old Man Swamp stop Taz and save the baby Mudkip. And now it's time for our heroes to continue their training on Dewford Island for a chance for Tristan and Wayne to earn their second Hoenn League badge.

TO BE CONTINUED...