AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 19 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu as they continue their journey through the Hoenn region. Well, it's time for Tristan's egg to hatch, and it's going to be really good! But I won't reveal it here. You'll just have to see for yourself which one it is. I decided to base part of this chapter on one part in particular in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode: "Friendship is Magic, Part 2," where Twilight Sparkle hangs from a cliff and is told by Applejack to let go and truthfully tells her that she would be safe, although I'm not sure the writers intended to have her say that she'd be caught safely by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Plus, I also wanted to base one other small part of this chapter on the first episode of MegaMan: NT Warrior where Lan Hikari gets a custom-burned disc and his P.E.T. tells him the download time to program his NetNavi is three hours. "Aww. That's it?" "That's it." At any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please feel free to read and review responsibly at your leisure.
TEASER: Tristan's egg hatches and he puts its abilities to the test in a practice battle against Wayne and his Torchic. But when Taz tries to cause trouble, a precarious situation occurs, and it's up to Tristan's newly hatched Pokémon to overcome its self-doubt and come to Hillary's rescue! Plus, it must also rescue Pikachu, Togepi, and Ralts from Taz's grip!
Chapter 19. PLAYING BELDUM
(Music Cue: The Moon Stone (full version as heard in "Enter the Dragonite"))
After the hurricane raged all through the night, the sun rose early the next morning with no wind or clouds to speak of.
All the Pokémon had gone back to their homes after taking shelter from the storm, and everything seemed to be back to normal.
Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins had taken shelter inside the Secret Base that Keanu gave them the day before, and had slept soundly through the night.
But suddenly, a glow came from Tristan's backpack.
Pikachu's ears pricked up, and soon after, it woke up to the glow. It nudged Tristan until he woke up.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" asked Tristan, still feeling a little groggy.
Pikachu pointed to his backpack.
Tristan burst awake at once. "I know that glow!" He opened up his backpack to reveal that the glow came from the Egg that Steven Stone had given him earlier. He knew what that meant. "Wow! I think it's gonna hatch soon!"
Hillary and the others woke up.
"What's gonna hatch soon?" yawned Hillary.
Togepi also gave a big yawn as it woke up.
"Check it out! My Egg's going to hatch!" said Tristan excitedly.
"Your Egg? This is exciting!" squealed Hillary.
"The birth of a new Pokémon is always exciting," put in Marc.
"And stressful," added Lisa. "But some things are worth waking up for."
"Nevertheless, we should take it to the Pokémon Center so Nurse Joy can check on it," suggested Wayne.
"Great, then let's pack up and go there right away," replied Tristan.
Our heroes wake up to see Tristan's Pokémon Egg suddenly glowing! What Pokémon will hatch from Tristan's Egg? And what abilities will it have?
Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins rushed out of their Secret Base inside the cave and rushed over to the Pokémon Center in Dewford Town as fast as their legs would carry them. Soon, they came to the Pokémon Center and Tristan handed the Egg to Nurse Joy for her to examine.
She checked every detail. Then she said, "Looks like your Egg's perfectly healthy. That's a sure sign that a healthy Pokémon will hatch from it."
"I wonder what kind of Pokémon will hatch from it," said Wayne. "I hope it's a Ground-type or even a Rock-type."
"No, I don't think it'll be a Ground or Rock-type, Wayne," interrupted Marc. "I think it's gonna be a Poison-type. Poison-types may be poisonous, but that's a good sign that they're healthy."
"I want it to be an Ice-type," smiled Hillary. "I'd love the challenge of raising one."
"But you do have one sis," replied Tristan. "Your Lapras, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right," chuckled Hillary. "But you can never have too many of one type of Pokémon."
"Oooh, I hope it's a Psychic-type," said Lisa. "Those are the best types to raise. What type of Pokémon are you hoping for, Tristan?"
Tristan was indecisive. He felt that he really couldn't favorite one type over another. So he said, "I don't care what type it is. I just want it to be happy and healthy."
"An honest-to-goodness, no-nonsense answer," smiled Marc.
Everyone had to laugh after that.
(Music Cue: Team Rocket's Theme (as heard in the Japanese version of "Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei"))
Meanwhile, just outside the Pokémon Center, Taz was thinking of another fiendish plan. "So, those kids have an Egg today, eh? Well, just wait until I get my hands on it. I hope it's a rare Pokémon, 'cause I'm hoping for a big bonus on it. Heh heh."
Just then, the Egg began to glow even more brightly.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Tristan. "I think the Egg's gonna hatch!"
And everyone came to have a closer look.
Then suddenly, the Egg began to emit a shimmering tone. It was time for it to hatch. And once it did, it revealed a blue robotic Pokémon with a long body and claws at the end. It opened its one red eye in the middle of its spherical head and floated in midair.
"Wow! Look at that!" said Wayne excitedly. But then he realized he didn't know the name of the Pokémon. "Uh, what is it?"
"I'm kind of clueless on it myself, Wayne," replied Hillary.
"Let's see what Dextette says," suggested Tristan as he looked up the new Pokémon in his Pokédex.
"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon. Beldum floats by emitting magnetic waves from its body to repel the Earth's magnetic field. They lodge their claws into cliffs where they sleep."
"So it's a Beldum then," said Marc. "Looks a lot like it's made of steel, indicating it's a Steel-type."
Tristan turned to his new Pokémon. "Hello, Beldum. My name's Tristan. How are you?"
Beldum gave a happy reply and gave him playful headbutts.
"Okay, okay, Beldum, I'm glad you're happy, but could you take it easy with that hard metal body?" laughed Tristan.
"Tristan, why don't you see what attacks Beldum knows?" suggested Hillary.
"I'll bet it knows some good ones," replied Tristan as he looked up Beldum's attacks on his Pokédex.
"Beldum's only known attack is Take Down."
Everyone but Tristan groaned. "Aww...that's it?"
"That's it."
Everyone but Tristan gave a sigh.
"Some attacks, indeed," huffed Hillary. "It knows only ONE attack. What good can a Pokémon do with just ONE attack? Certainly not a useless Pokémon like Beldum."
Hearing that, Beldum slowly floated down and sadly closed its eye. It felt like crying.
"Now look what you've done, Hillary," scolded Tristan. "You've gone and hurt Beldum's feelings."
Pikachu protested in agreement.
"It is weird that Steven would give Tristan a Beldum that only knows Take Down," remarked Lisa. "Perhaps there's something he knows that we don't."
Tristan turned to Beldum and comforted it. "Don't worry, Beldum, you'll always be good enough for me, and I know you'll prove to Hillary and everybody else how awesome you really are. Hey, I know what. Why don't you try battling and we'll see how we do together?"
Beldum opened its eye and gave a happy reply to Tristan's suggestion.
"Okay, and I'd like to battle with the two of you!" put in Wayne.
(Music Cue: Johto Champion Battle (as heard in "Wired for Battle"))
Everyone arrived at the beach a few minutes later.
Tristan and Wayne faced each other as everyone else, including Pikachu and Togepi, watched.
Wayne took out a Poké Ball and said excitedly, "Since Beldum's a Steel-type Pokémon, I might as well warm up with this! Torchic, I choose you!" He threw the ball.
Torchic emerged from the white light that shot out of it and readied itself for battle against Beldum.
"Ready, Beldum? This'll be a tough one," advised Tristan.
Beldum nodded and got into position in midair.
Marc came to judge the practice battle. "So, it's Beldum vs. Torchic. Begin!" he shouted as he raised his arms in the air.
"All right, Beldum, Take Down, let's go!" commanded Tristan.
Beldum flew toward Torchic full-body style and prepared to strike it.
"Torchic, dodge it!" commanded Wayne.
Torchic jumped out of the way and evaded Beldum's attack, causing it to crash into the sand.
"Now use Ember attack!" ordered Wayne.
Torchic unleashed a fiery stream of fireballs at Beldum, giving it some damage.
But Beldum managed to get itself out of the attack.
"You're doing great, Beldum, just hang in there," encouraged Tristan.
Beldum nodded and got back into position again.
"I wonder what Tristan's gonna do," said Lisa. "He knows how to give good lessons to any Pokémon he trains."
"Please," replied Hillary. "The only lesson Beldum's gonna get is the defeat of a lifetime."
"Remember, Hillary, just because Beldum only knows Take Down doesn't mean it's useless. I think Beldum's gonna do just fine."
"Torchic, use Ember one more time!" commanded Wayne.
Torchic unleashed another stream of small fireballs from its beak at Beldum.
"Okay, Beldum, here it comes," advised Tristan. "Wait till the last second, then dodge it when I say."
Beldum nodded, then it waited, concentrating on Torchic's Ember attack closing in on it. Then when the attack was close...
"Dodge it!"
At Tristan's command, Beldum quickly floated higher to dodge Torchic's Ember.
"Wow, that's fast!" gasped Hillary.
"Not a bad dodge, Tristan," smiled Wayne. "I see your Beldum has quick reflexes. And I also see that this practice battle is part of our training for our Gym matches against Brawly, right?"
"That's the idea," replied Tristan. "I'm imagining Torchic's attacks as big waves about to strike the shore and waiting till the last second to dodge. Just imagine Beldum as a big wave and learn to be patient until the last second, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Now get ready, 'cause we're going to take this up a notch. All right, Beldum, let's do another Take Down, faster this time!" instructed Tristan.
Beldum charged at Torchic full-body style toward Torchic, but this time, it increased its speed.
"All right, Torchic, get ready to dodge!" advised Wayne.
Torchic nodded and waited.
However, Beldum appeared to go too fast for Torchic to react in time, and scored a direct hit on it, sending it flying.
"Torchic!" cried Wayne.
"That was a direct hit!" exclaimed Hillary.
"That Beldum's much stronger than it looks," remarked Lisa.
Torchic crashed to the ground, but it slowly struggled to its feet and awaited further directions.
"Aw, man," groaned Wayne. "This waiting till the last second thing's harder than I thought."
"I know, Wayne," replied Tristan. "It's not always easy, is it? But with practice and persistence, I'm sure you'll get the timing down. Remember, Brawly plays by his own rules, and uses nature to his advantage in battle."
Wayne nodded, then said, "Well, Torchic, are you ready to try?"
Torchic eagerly nodded. It was wanting to succeed just as much as he did.
"I see now!" gasped Lisa.
"See what?" asked Hillary.
"Tristan's not only training with Beldum, he's also training himself and Wayne the art of being patient. So when they go up against Brawly, they'll be fully prepared to deal with whatever Brawly throws at them when they face him in their Gym battle."
"So that's what he's up to," whispered Hillary to herself.
"All right, Beldum, let's use Take Down attack one more time!" instructed Tristan.
(Music Cue: Hoenn Elite Four Battle (as heard in the Japanese version of AG029 "The Startling Sableye"))
Once again, Beldum flew at Torchic full-body style.
"Stay alert, Torchic," advised Wayne. "Watch Beldum's every move and get ready to dodge when it's time."
Torchic nodded, then closed its eyes.
Wayne closed his eyes, too.
Tristan was surprised. Both of them have their eyes closed. I wonder why. He soon found out, for just as Beldum was within striking distance, he saw Wayne and Torchic open their eyes at the very same instant.
"Dodge it!" ordered Wayne.
Instantly, Torchic jumped high into the air, successfully dodging Beldum's Take Down.
"Yeah, great dodge, Torchic!" commended Wayne excitedly.
Torchic landed neatly on the ground and gave a happy reply.
"Yes, Wayne, that was great," agreed Tristan. "You and Torchic were in perfect sync, sensing Beldum coming and dodging at precisely the right time. But it's time to witnesss the element of surprise. Go, Beldum!"
On Tristan's command, Beldum suddenly did a 180-degree turn, flew past Wayne and got ready to strike Torchic from behind.
"Quick, Torchic, behind you!" shouted Wayne.
But Wayne's warning came too late, for just as Torchic looked behind it, Beldum struck it hard, sending it flying again.
"Aah! Torchic!" cried Wayne.
Torchic slid and fell to the ground, seemingly defeated, even though it wasn't knocked out.
"This match is over!" declared Marc.
Wayne quickly rushed to his Torchic. "Torchic, are you okay, pal?"
Torchic opened its eyes and gave an exhausted, but happy, reply.
"That was great work, Torchic. You did an awesome job."
"I'm pleased with how hard you battled during that practice match," smiled Marc. "With the way you sensed your opponent's attacks coming, you're bound to get that second badge in no time."
"Thanks, but I know I still have some work to do," replied Wayne. "I know we'll get there, though. Right, Torchic?"
Torchic chirped happily in agreement.
"And we'll be successful, too," put in Tristan. "Isn't that right, guys?"
Pikachu and Beldum eagerly agreed.
"That's the spirit!" smiled Marc. "With an attitude like that, you'll both get that second badge for sure!"
(Music Cue: A Devious Plot)
Meanwhile, not too far away, Taz, who had seen Tristan's battle, figured out his latest plan. "So, a Beldum, eh? Well, I heard through the grapevine that Beldum are pretty rare Pokémon. So I'm gonna catch it and give it to the big Boss Man! I'll betcha he'll give me a big fat raise for sure." And he snickered evilly as he set to work.
"So, Hillary, what do you think of my Beldum so far?" asked Tristan as he and the others had lunch a few hours later.
"Well, I still don't know," replied Hillary. "That Beldum's Take Down attack was strong, stronger than I had originally thought. But I still don't know how it'll do in future battles, seeing as how it can only learn that one attack."
"So you're still unsure, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know if you're gonna use it in your Gym battle against Brawly yet?" asked Lisa.
"I'm still not sure," answered Tristan. "We've still got some work to do before we're fully prepared to take him on. But once we do, I know we'll get that second badge."
Pikachu eagerly agreed with him.
"And that goes double for Torchic and the rest of my team," put in Wayne.
(Music Cue: You Have to Earn Respect (full version))
Suddenly, a disguised elderly man came into the picture. "Excuse me, kids, but I noticed that you just had lunch. Was it good?"
"Yes, it was," everyone else replied. Little did they know it was really Taz in disguise.
"I know of a good fishing spot that's nearby," said the man. "I'm sure you'll be able to find some really rare Pokémon."
"Okay, I'm in," smiled Tristan. "Well, wanna do it?"
"Yeah!" everyone else agreed.
The disguised Taz led everyone to the edge of a high cliff overlooking the ocean.
"I'm not so sure we should be fishing on a place this high up," said Marc nervously.
"Oh, don't worry, it's perfectly safe," replied the disguised Taz as he handed Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins fishing rods. "Hope you land a biggie!"
"Well, then I'm gonna believe him," smiled Hillary as she cast her line out into the ocean.
Togepi trilled in agreement.
"I think I'll send out my Ralts to enjoy the fresh air," said Hillary as she took out Ralts' Poké Ball.
"And Beldum should, too," added Tristan as he took his out too.
Both Ralts and Beldum emerged from the white lights that shot out of them.
But that was the opportunity Taz had been waiting for, for when everyone's back was turned, he launched a net that ensnared them in it.
"What's the meaning of this?!" demanded Hillary.
Taz immediately threw off his disguise. "Hello, kiddies."
"You again!" exclaimed Tristan disdainfully.
"What do you want?!" demanded Wayne, Marc, and Lisa.
"All I was after today was that Beldum," smirked Taz. "But I managed to catch all of you inside my net instead. Ha-ha!"
"Not for long," retorted Tristan. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail to cut the net."
Pikachu's tail lit up and it sliced through Taz's net, enabling everyone to escape.
"What the?! How'd you...?!" spluttered Taz.
"All right, Taz, it's game over!" declared Hillary.
"It'll be 'game over,' all right, but for you, not me," retorted Taz.
Suddenly, everyone felt the edge of the cliff rumble beneath their feet.
(Music Cue: Kanto Champion Battle (full version as heard in "Jump for Joy"))
"What's going on?!" exclaimed Wayne.
"An earthquake!" replied Marc. "We'd better make a run for it before the edge breaks off!"
"Earthquake, schmearthquake," retorted Taz. "Big deal." But due to the intense rumbling he soon lost his balance and fell off the cliff toward the ocean, screaming as he went, with a big SPLASH 100 feet below.
"Come on, we've gotta get off the cliff before it's too late!" advised Tristan.
Everyone made a mad dash further inland, but it was too late for Hillary, Togepi, and Ralts, for the edge of the cliff broke off, causing them to lose her footing and fall off, much to their horror.
"Hillary, no!" cried Wayne, Marc, and Lisa.
Pikachu cried out desperately for Hillary and her two Pokémon.
Nobody could see her from where they were standing.
"Where is she?" asked Tristan as he frantically searched for her.
"Tristan! Everyone! HELP!"
"Look! Over there!" cried Marc as he pointed out.
Sure enough, they saw Hillary hanging onto the edge of the cliff by her hand as she struggled desperately to hang onto Togepi and Ralts to prevent them from falling.
"Come on, we've gotta help them!" advised Lisa urgently as she and everyone else ran back to the edge.
Tristan tried to reach out to her with his own hand. "Quick, Hillary, grab on!"
"I can't!" she cried. She couldn't let go of the cliff while holding onto her Pokémon.
"Come on, you can do it!" pleaded Wayne.
"No way," interjected Marc. "If Hillary takes her hand off the cliff, she and her Pokémon will fall into the ocean!"
Beldum, seeing the dire situation from a short distance away, saw Hillary in trouble and floated over to Tristan.
"What's up, Beldum?" asked Tristan.
Beldum explained what it was doing and floated down between Hillary and the ocean's waves.
"I think Beldum wants to help us out," said Wayne.
"Well, let's hope it has a good plan," added Lisa.
"Tristan, what do I do?" trembled Hillary as she started to lose her grip.
Tristan saw Beldum as it called out to him, readying itself for something. At last he replied, "Let go."
Everyone was surprised, especially Hillary.
"Are you CRAZY?!" exclaimed Hillary.
"No, I'm not," replied Tristan, who was determined to save her and to prove something some way or another. "You're going to have to trust me on this, but Beldum will catch you."
"Beldum? But how?"
"I promise, you're going to be okay. Just let go, and Beldum will catch you."
Hillary turned her head around and saw the raging water below. Then she saw Beldum at the ready. She gulped and said, "If you say so." She closed her eyes and reluctantly let go of the edge of the cliff and fell 100 feet below with her Pokémon, screaming as she and her friends went as they awaited their fate.
Then suddenly, they found themselves being caught by Beldum just before they hit the ocean.
Hillary slowly opened her eyes and saw herself and her Pokémon floating higher and higher. She gave a huge sigh of relief. "Wow, I can't believe it. Beldum, you saved our lives. Thanks so much."
Beldum gave a happy reply as Hillary and her Pokémon grabbed onto it. Then slowly, but surely, it lifted them back onto the cliff.
A few minutes later, everyone managed to catch their breath far away from the cliff.
"That was close," sighed Tristan. "Are you all okay?"
"We are now, thanks to you and Beldum," answered Hillary. "Boy, that wasn't fun."
Wearily, Togepi and Ralts agreed with her.
"See, I told you you can trust me, sis," reminded Tristan.
"Yeah," agreed Hillary. "I should listen to you, you know."
"Then I think now would be a good time for you and Beldum to make a fresh start."
Hillary turned to Beldum and saw it feeling happy, yet sad. "I'm sorry I said you were useless, Beldum. If it hadn't been for you using your magnetic waves to float, I wouldn't be here. Won't you please forgive me?"
Beldum happily nodded. It was happy that Hillary was okay and that its functions saved her.
"Oh, thank you, Beldum!" cried Hillary happily as she embraced it. "From now on, I'll try to understand your feelings a little bit more."
Beldum nodded in agreement and understood her.
"Well, I'm glad that's over," remarked Marc.
"Me, too," agreed Wayne. "I always knew that Beldum was useful. I almost wish I had one."
Suddenly, just as Hillary and Beldum let each other go, a pair of mechnical claws swooped down and grabbed Pikachu, Togepi, and Ralts!
"Pikachu!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Ralts! Togepi!" added Hillary.
There was worse to come for a cage suddenly dropped down and trapped everyone in it!
However, the only one who did escape was Beldum.
"What's going on here?!" cried Lisa.
(Music Cue: A Formidable Opponent Appears (full version))
Suddenly, a loud triumphant cackle was heard as an Electabuzz-shaped balloon floated overhead. "Ha! You didn't really think I'd be sunk that easily, did ya?"
Sure enough, Taz had trapped Pikachu, Togepi, and Ralts inside a miniature cage.
"All right, let us go, Taz!" demanded Wayne.
"And give our Pokémon back!" added Tristan.
"As soon as you hand over your Beldum, kiddies," replied Taz. "'Cause if you don't, then that's too bad, for it's time to fly and say buh-bye." And he started to rise higher in the sky.
"We'll just see about that! Taillow, let's go!" shouted Wayne as he readied his Poké Ball, which opened and unleashed a white light just outside the cage.
Taillow emerged from it and awaited Wayne's orders.
"After him, Taillow! We can't let him take the Pokémon away!" ordered Wayne.
Quickly Taillow flew up toward the balloon.
But Taz was ready for it and took out a Poké Ball. "Oh yeah? Go, Electabuzz, send that birdbrain crashing down with your ThunderPunch!"
The Poké Ball opened and Electabuzz emerged from the white light that shot out of it.
Then without missing a beat, Electabuzz made an electrified fist and struck Taillow with it, sending it crashing into the ground right in front of everyone.
"Taillow, no!" cried Wayne.
"You amateur," smirked Taz. "You should know that Flying-types are weak against Electric attacks."
"Now what do we do?" groaned Lisa. "If we don't do something, Taz is gonna get away with our Pokémon."
"Right now, our only hope is Beldum, and it can only use Take Down," added Marc.
"Then that's what's gonna happen," replied Tristan.
"What do you mean, Tristan?"
Beldum turned to Tristan. It seemed very nervous.
"Okay, listen up, Beldum, I need you to get us out of the cage using Take Down."
But Beldum only shook its head.
"Of course you can. You may not know any other attacks yet, but don't forget that you saved Hillary's life with your magnetic waves."
"He's right, Beldum," agreed Hillary. "Your Take Down attack can get us out of the cage. Your body is as hard as steel. And you're a Steel-type."
Beldum thought about the words Tristan and Hillary said.
"I know you can do it," added Tristan.
"We all do," put in Wayne.
Beldum, now feeling confident, charged toward the cage full-body style and struck it head-on, but the cage didn't break. It began to lose confidence.
"Don't give up, Beldum," encouraged Tristan. "Remember what we told you. Just believe in yourself, and you'll get the job done."
(Music Cue: The Day is Conquered (full version as heard in "The Fire-ing Squad"))
Beldum nodded and made another attempt on the cage, striking it. Again and again it charged, but the cage seemed indestructible.
But suddenly, after one of Beldum's Take Down attacks struck the cage, the bars began to bend.
"Look!" cried Hillary. "The cage is starting to break!"
"Yeah, Beldum, that's the way!" commended Tristan.
"Good job, Beldum, keep it up!" added Lisa.
Beldum continued smashing into the cage using Take Down, causing the bars to bend more and more.
"All right, Beldum, this is it! Full-power Take Down attack!" shouted Tristan.
Beldum floated back and rocketed toward the cage as fast as it could; it rammed into it so hard that the cage broke open, freeing Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins.
Taz saw the whole thing and began to get worried. "Uh-oh. That cage wasn't strong enough to withstand that."
"You did it, Beldum!" cheered Tristan.
Beldum was so happy that it flew into Tristan's arms and they embraced.
"I'm so proud of you, Beldum. I knew you could do it."
Beldum gave a happy reply.
"Hate to spoil the moment, but we've still got problems," reminded Marc.
"No problem," replied Tristan. "Hey, Beldum, think you can take that balloon down?"
Beldum nodded. Then it floated higher into the air and flew straight at the balloon using Take Down.
Taz and Electabuzz shrieked as Beldum flew closer and closer to the balloon.
Beldum struck the balloon basket causing Taz and the cage to fall. Then it quickly broke the cage, freeing all the Pokémon.
Pikachu safely landed on Beldum while Ralts used Confusion on itself and Togepi to land safely in Hillary's hands. Then when Pikachu was low enough, it leaped into Tristan's arms.
"Are you okay, Pikachu?" asked Tristan.
Pikachu nodded happily.
As for Taz and Electabuzz, they gave screams as they fell to the ground with a crash. They slowly got back up and turned to see Tristan, Hillary, and their cousins confronting them.
"Looks like your flying days are over, Taz," smiled Tristan.
"Yes, but yours aren't!" retorted Taz. "Go, Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt on that stupid Beldum!"
Electabuzz unleashed a yellow bolt of electricity from its body straight at Beldum.
"Beldum, dodge and use Take Down!" commanded Tristan.
Beldum flew toward Electabuzz full-body style, dodging Electabuzz's Thunderbolt. Then it rammed into Electabuzz, sending him careening into Taz.
"How about a little payback, Taillow? Hit 'em with your Peck attack!" instructed Wayne.
Taillow flew at Taz and Electabuzz, using its beak to peck them repeatedly.
"Ouch! Ow! Stop that insidious pecking!" barked Taz. "You know we hate that!"
Tristan and Pikachu stood in front just as Taillow flew back to Wayne, having avenged its honor. "I guess you should've thought of that before you tried stealing our Pokémon, Taz. Let 'em have it with your Thunderbolt attack, Pikachu!"
Pikachu jumped up and unleashed its own powerful bolt of electricity at Taz and Electabuzz, scoring a direct hit on both of them and causing an explosion that sent them skyward.
"You little rats!" screamed Taz. "We'll remember this!" And he and Electabuzz disappeared into the sky.
DING!
Everyone cheered and celebrated their victory.
(Music Cue: Meeting and Parting (full version))
Tristan turned to Beldum and said, "You were awesome, Beldum. You overcame your doubts and saved everyone. I'm very proud of you."
Beldum gave a happy reply as it floated into Tristan's arms to embrace with him.
"How about that," said Lisa. "It seems like Beldum has its confidence back."
"Yeah, it seems like they've become real good buddies, even though it's only a few hours old," added Wayne.
"Well, I've learned my lesson," put in Hillary. "Never judge a Pokémon by the way it looks, or how many attacks it can do."
"Yeah," agreed Marc. "It doesn't really matter what attacks a Pokémon knows. All that matters is how well a Trainer and his Pokémon work well together. Right, Tristan?"
"You said it, Marc," agreed Tristan.
Pikachu and Togepi also agreed.
"Well, Beldum," continued Tristan, "I'm going to be counting on you a lot from now on. Will you help me and everyone else make our dreams come true?"
Beldum had to answer with a nod. It was always willing to help people, especially after the way it saved Hillary.
Tristan held Beldum in his arms and proudly proclaimed, "I got a Beldum!"
"Pi-Pikachu!" added Pikachu as it happily posed next to Tristan.
Beldum also gave a happy reply.
Having gone through an extraordinary time with an extraordinary rescue operation together, Tristan and his newly hatched Beldum mark the beginning of another beautiful friendship. And he focuses on his upcoming Gym Battle, he knows he has to work hard to earn his second badge.
TO BE CONTINUED...