Pokémon Amanda's Kanto Journey (Re-title)

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty

Holy fireballs! Last time, our heroes met Blaine in the Cinnabar Island mansion. It was there that Blaine explained the story of how he became a fire type trainer and befriended all the Pokemon that live in the mansion. As usual, however, Team Rocket tried to steal all of them, and as usual, they were defeated. Following that, it was off to the Cinnabar gym so that Amanda could win a Volcano Badge. The first battle was Ninetales against Wartortle, with the water type taking the round. Next, Charizard came out, and although Wartortle battled hard, Charizard was just two strong. We then got a battle of two powerful fire types as Charizard squared off against Arcanine. The two fire Pokemon fought hard, but their battle ended in a draw. Next, Flareon came out to battle Venonat. Even though Flareon had the advantage, Venonat was able to use its psychic abilities to knock it out of the competition. That put Amanda one win away from earning her badge, but Blaine saved the best for the best for last as Magmar burst out of the fire pit and gave Venonat a pretty sore burn. Now it all comes down to Magmar against Pikachu, with the winner of this battle winning the match. How will Pikachu fare against the powerful Magmar? Let's find out now as we pick up from where we ended the previous episode.

The heat in the volcano was now at its highest intensity, making Amanda sweat even more.

"Magmar, Skull Bash attack!" Blaine ordered. Magmar lowered its head and charged right at the electric type.

"Pikachu, try to get out of the way!" Amanda called. However, the Skull Bash attack came in so fast that Pikachu didn't have time to react. It sent him to the ground but safe from danger.

"Pikachu!" Amanda cried. Pikachu quickly picked itself up.

"Great! Okay, time for Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu fired a strong yellow bolt at Magmar, scoring a direct hit.

"All right!" cried Amanda. However, her joy was short-lived as Magmar simply shook off the attack.

"What?!" Amanda cried.

"How did that not work?" Michelle wondered.

"Magmar's flame covered body also acts as a shield to protect itself against electric attacks." Said Blaine. Pikachu started aiming the same attack when he was stopped by Amanda.

"Electricity won't work." She said. "We have to change our strategy. Try your Quick Attack." Pikachu sped toward Magmar and hit the fire type, only to bounce off of him.

"I had a feeling Magmar would be strong, but I didn't think it would be this strong." Said Michelle.

"I didn't think so either." Said Mark. "Amanda needs to find a way overcome Magmar's strength or she's going to lose this battle."

"Magmar, Flamethrower now!" ordered Blaine. Magmar shot out a line of fire.

"Pikachu, use your Agility!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu nodded and started running around back and fourth, dodging all the Flamethrowers that came its way. While it was working at first, all the running was starting to take a toll on the small electric type.

"I don't think Pikachu can last very much longer." Said Michelle.

"It's not looking good, that's for sure." Said Mark. Pikachu started to noticeably slow down a bit, resulting in it getting scorched by one of the Flamethrowers.

"Pikachu, no!" cried Amanda.

"All right, Magmar, finish it with Fire Blast!" cried Blaine. Before Magmar could unleash the attack, however, Amanda ran onto the field so she could check on her partner.

"Pikachu, you need to stop." She said. "Magmar's much too powerful. You gave it a good try, but you can't handle something like that." Then, the volcano's intense heat finally got to Amanda and she collapsed onto the field, causing Michelle and Mark to gasp.

"Amanda!" Michelle cried. The two of them ran over to check on her.

"Magmar, return!" called Blaine. His fire type got absorbed back into the ball in a beam of red light, and he also went to see if Amanda was okay.

"Are you all right, Amanda?" Mark asked.

"Try to say something." Said Michelle. However, Amanda's eyes remained closed. The next time she opened them, she found herself inside a bed in the Pokemon Center.

"What happened?" Amanda asked.

"You collapsed from the heat." Mark answered.

"Oh." Amanda muttered. "How did I get here?"

"We flew you over here on my Charizard." Answered Blaine. "Right before you collapsed, however, I did notice that you were about to forfeit the match. Part of a trainer's job is to decide when it's no longer worth it to continue battling, and you definitely made the right call in that situation. Had the match continued, Pikachu could've ended up in real danger."

"Speaking of Pikachu, where is he?" asked Amanda.

"He's getting treatment from Nurse Joy, along with your other Pokemon." Said Mark. It was at that moment that Nurse Joy stepped into the room.

"According to my notes, Amanda suffered from heat exhaustion." She said.

"Heat exhaustion?" Mark repeated.

"I guess that's why she was sweating so much during the match." Said Michelle.

"Exactly." Said Blaine. "I did ask you if you still wanted to battle despite all of the heat, and you said yes."

"A Pokemon trainer has to adapt themselves to battling in all sorts of conditions." Said Amanda.

"Very true, but you should still consider yourself lucky that we got you here when we did." Said Blaine. "If we had waited any longer, the worst case scenario could've possibly happened. You need some rest, and once you're better, we'll have a rematch." Blaine then exited the room.

"Nurse Joy, how long will it take for Amanda to recover?" Michelle asked.

"It'll probably take until tomorrow at minimum before she's fully recovered, maybe a little longer than that." Said Joy. "Either way, no battles for you until you're better."

"You don't understand, Nurse Joy." Said Amanda. "I came to this island to win a Volcano Badge, and I'm not leaving until I get one."

"That part I understand." Said Joy. "However, your health is more important right now." She turned to Michelle and Mark.

"She needs to rest now." She said.

"Don't worry, Amanda, I'll look after Pikachu and Elekid for you until you're all better." Said Michelle.

"Thanks, Michelle." Said Amanda. She yawned and went to sleep.

"Let's go, Mark." Said Michelle. The two friends left Amanda's room, leaving the young girl on her own.

"I really hope Amanda gets better." Said Michelle.

"I'm sure she will." Said Mark.

"Don't worry you two, your friend will be just fine." Said Joy. She whisked them away to the lobby and the two of them headed outside.

"Elekid?" Elekid asked, which meant 'Where's my Mommy?'

"Amanda's not here right now." Said Michelle. "Something happened to her in the gym battle with Blaine, but she'll be fine." Elekid was relieved to hear that.

"I wonder what we could do later tonight." Said Mark. They kept walking along for a bit until they saw a billboard advertisement.

"Check this out." Said Michelle. "The Big Riddle Hotel is having a party here tonight for tourists."

"I guess it's that type of season again." Said Mark.

"We may be trainers, but since we're also passing by this island, that would also make us tourists." Said Michelle.

"Too bad Amanda won't be able to join in for that." Said Mark.

"I know." Said Michelle. "She loves parties like this. I would almost prefer that we not go without her."

"I can see how you feel, but this party is only for tonight." Said Mark. "If we don't go, we'll have to miss out too. Besides, there's going to be a lot more parties that Amanda can go to next time."

"I suppose you're right." Said Michelle. "Well, if we're going to attend this party, we should at least look good." They went off to get themselves changed. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally emerged from a nearby tree branch. They had heard everything.

"Did I just hear something about a party?" Sally asked.

"I heard the same thing." Said Conrad. "I also heard that it's only for tourists."

"We're tourists ourselves, aren't we?" Sally wondered.

"I think so." Conrad answered.

"That's perfect." Said Sally. "We'll go to the party and have some fun. Is there a dress code for this party?"

"Not as far as I'm aware." Said Conrad. "Remember, though, that our main purpose is to steal Pokemon. People will get suspicious if we show up there in our Team Rocket attire."

"Very true." Said Sally. "We'll have to disguise ourselves." They went off somewhere else to continue their discussion. Back at the Pokemon Center, Michelle and Mark were picking out their clothes for the party.

"I think I already know what I want to wear." Said Michelle.

"That's surprising. Most girls usually take forever making up their minds when it comes to clothing choices." Said Mark.

"I'm not like most girls." Said Michelle. She quickly grabbed something from the closet and went into the bathroom to change. Mark also grabbed a pair of good clothes and followed her.

"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'I wonder what they're going to be wearing.'

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'We'll see in a moment.' Once Mark and Michelle were ready, they emerged from the bathroom.

"Well, what do you two think?" Michelle asked. Pikachu let out a gasp.

"Pika…." He said, which meant 'Woah, Mama!'

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed excitedly, which meant 'She looks so gorgeous!' Michelle smiled at the two partner Pokemon.

"I'm glad you both like this." She said. In place of her regular clothes, she was wearing a flaming red dress with short puffy sleeves and gold colored boots. Mark was wearing a bright yellow polo shirt with a white collar, blue jean shorts, white socks and red sneakers.

"Your outfit looks great, Michelle." Said Mark. "I'm not so sure about mine, though. I kind of look like Christopher Robin from Winnie The Pooh."

"You'll be fine, Mark." Said Michelle.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'What about us?' Michelle chuckled at him.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you guys." She said. She went back into the closet and pulled out two small top hats and bow ties.

"These are for you and Eevee." She said. She put the hats on their heads and the bow ties around their necks.

"There you go. Now you both look ready to party." Said Michelle. Pikachu and Eevee both smiled at themselves.

"Well, let's make our way to the party." Said Mark. They both left the center and headed to the Big Riddle Hotel. Meanwhile, Amanda was still sleeping as she tried to get herself recovered from her collapse earlier in the day. Nurse Joy and Chansey both came into the room and Chansey gave Amanda a gentle nudge, causing her to open her eyes.

"I thought you might like some ice cream." Said Joy. She gave Amanda the bowl, which made her smile.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." She said.

"You know, I heard about a big party that's happening tonight at one of the hotels." Said Joy.

"I wish I could go." Said Amanda.

"I know, but rest is more important." Said Joy. "I'd go myself, but I have to run the center and look after you to make sure you recover properly." Amanda finished the ice cream and fell back asleep. Joy and Chansey took the empty bowl away.

"Come on, Chansey, let's let her rest some more." whispered Joy. Chansey agreed and they left the room. At the hotel, Mark and Michelle were surprised at how many other people were there.

"Wow, this party is definitely a popular attraction." Said Michelle. The music was playing at a decent volume, which was good news for Elekid. Even though he really shouldn't have been at the party, Michelle had no choice but to bring him along since he was too young to stay in a Pokemon Center bedroom on his own.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried at Eevee, which meant 'Do you want to dance with me?'

"Eevee." Squealed Eevee, which meant 'With pleasure.' Pikachu and Eevee started to dance together, causing Michelle to let out a smile.

"Those two definitely look like they're having a good time." Said Michelle. Conrad and Sally had managed to sneak in through the back door due to the bouncer rejecting them at the front. They were both wearing casual clothes so as not to draw any suspicions.

"Remember, act natural and go with the flow." Said Sally. They went to the front and started mingling with the crowd.

"Something about those two looks very familiar." Said Michelle.

"Don't worry about it for now." Said Mark. "We're here to have a good time." They made their way over to the dance floor where the disc jockey was about to speak into a microphone.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" he asked. Everyone in the room cheered.

"Lots of enthusiasm in here, I love that." He said. He cranked up the music and started to play a familiar tune.

I wanna be the very best

Like no one ever was

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause

I will travel across the land

Searching far and wide

Teach Pokémon to understand

The power that's inside

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

It's you and me

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon

Oh, you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

A heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you (Ooh, ooh)

Pokémon!

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

Every challenge along the way

With courage, I will face

I will battle every day

To claim my rightful place

Come with me, the time is right

There's no better team

Arm in arm, we'll win the fight

It's always been our dream

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

It's you and me

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon

Oh, you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

A heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you (Ooh, ooh)

Pokémon!

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

"This is what you call a good song." Said Michelle. She grabbed Mark's hand and they started dancing to the beat. Even Pikachu and Eevee liked the music. The two of them also began grooving along to the beat. Once the song finished and another one started, Michelle slowed down a little.

"What happened to all that grooving on the last one?" Mark asked.

"This is a slow dance song." Said Michelle. She made sure to match her movements to the song's pace. After the song, however, she felt her hand being touched.

"May I dance with you?" asked the voice.

"Uh, sure." Michelle answered, although she was a bit hesitant.

"Are you from this island?" Michelle asked.

"Oh no. I'm from out of town just like you." Said the voice. "I'm Hallie."

"I guess it's nice to meet you, Hallie." Said Michelle. She sounded a bit nervous as she said it, however.

"Something definitely smells fishy." She whispered to Mark. Before he could answer, his own hand was being touched.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You mean to tell me you don't remember your cousin Brad?" asked the other voice.

"I can't say that I have." Said Mark. He gulped nervously as he also suspected something. Nonetheless, they continued dancing for a little while. After about the fifth or sixth song, Michelle grabbed a hold of Mark and dragged him over to the snack table.

"What is it?" Mark asked.

"Something's definitely up with those two." Said Michelle. "I think those two supposed strangers we were dancing with are actually Team Rocket."

"What makes you so sure?" Mark asked.

"The way the girl I was dancing with identified her name." said Michelle.

"Yeah, it was the same with me." Said Mark.

"What do we do?" asked Michelle.

"Nothing right now except have a good time here and try not to think about it too much." Said Mark. He poured a drink into a paper cup and handed it to Michelle.

"Do you want some soda?" he asked.

"That would help take my mind off of things a bit." Said Michelle. She took a sip but was still feeling nervous. "Now I'm worried about Amanda."

"So am I, but Nurse Joy did say that she'd be okay." Said Mark. They finished their drinks and went back onto the dance floor. This time, however, the two of them switched partners. The entire time, however, bot of them still felt suspicious.

"This is a good party, isn't it?" asked Brad.

"The best one I've ever been to." Said Michelle. They danced to a few more songs before they decided that they needed a break.

"Let's go outside for a bit." Said Michelle. "I could use some fresh air, and we can also talk about things."

"Good idea." Said Mark. They were about to head out the back but they didn't get too far before Brad and Hallie caught up to them.

"We'll go outside with you." Said Hallie.

"There's no need for that." Said Michelle. "This is a bit private.

"That's right." Said Mark.

"We insist." Said Hallie. "And while you're at it, you can bring Pikachu and Eevee with you."

"What do you say, guys?" Michelle asked them. "You want to come outside with us?" Pikachu and Eevee happily nodded and followed them outside. Mark opened the door since Michelle also had to carry Elekid. The moment they got outside, however, Hallie and Brad took off their casual clothes and left them on the ground. They were now in their regular uniforms, making Mark and Michelle gasp.

"Those aren't strangers from out of town!" Michelle cried.

"And they're definitely not any cousin of mine either." Said Mark. "Besides, I don't even have a cousin. That means only one thing."

"Team Rocket!" they both cried together.

"I had a feeling that it was you two in there dancing with us!" Mark cried.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that we actually danced with Team Rocket?" Michelle asked. "Ew!"

"Now that you figured out our little disguise, it's time to take your Pokémon." Said Sally.

"Hold on a second." Said Conrad. "Those kids have something that you don't see very often in this region."

"I do believe that you're correct." Said Sally. "All right, new plan. Forget about Pikachu and Eevee, we'll take the baby instead."

"You can't!" Michelle protested. "This is a brand new Pokemon that just came out of its egg. It's still getting used to world."

"And it doesn't even know how to do anything yet." Mark added.

"You know how much we care about all of that information?" asked Sally. "Very little."

"In other words, we don't care one bit." Said Conrad. They quickly grabbed Elekid and locked him in a cage.

"Thanks for the Elekid, twerps." Said Sally. "Our boss would just love to meet him." They started to run, but Mark and Michelle quickly chased after them.

"They're not getting away with the baby." Said Michelle. Elekid started to cry. It was quite scared now.

"Don't worry, Elekid, we'll get you back!" Michelle cried. "Pikachu, use your Thunder attack on the cage." Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning, only for the cage to completely absorb the move.

"Let me guess, another shock proof cage." Said Mark.

"Ten points to the boy." Said Sally. They quickly got into their balloon and started floating up into the air.

"We'll never catch them now." Said Mark.

"If Amanda was here with her Fearow, this would be a lot easier." Said Michelle.

"No it wouldn't." Said Mark. "It would be a disaster because Fearow still won't listen to her."

"I completely forgot about that." Said Michelle.

"Pikachu Pika?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'Will Elekid be okay?'

"I hope so, Pikachu." Said Michelle. Up in the air, Team Rocket was gloating happily about their capture.

"We finally succeeded after all of this time!" cried Sally. "We're getting big raises after this!"

"Hang on a second." Said Conrad. "He'll want to know what it does first."

"Oh yeah." Said Sally. "Just what does Elekid do, exactly?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." Said Conrad.

"That's just great." Sally muttered. They were about to speed up when they heard a flying Pokemon coming towards them. A familiar gym leader was on board.

"Charizard, bring that balloon down with your Slash attack!" Blaine commanded. Charizard zeroed in on the middle of the balloon and punctured it with its claws, sending it down to the ground. Mark and Michelle quickly ran over to where the balloon had been forced down.

"It's Blaine!" Michelle cried.

"I figured you kids would need a helping hand." Said Blaine. "Charizard, use your Flamethrower!" Charizard unleashed a large flame line at Conrad and Sally, sending them running.

"Just when we thought we had a chance." Said Conrad.

"I guess that's the life of a story writer, always making sure the good guys win." Said Sally.

"Looks like Team Rocket got burned again!" they both cried.

"Terrific job, Charizard!" cried Blaine. He recalled his Pokémon and tried to open the cage.

"Do any of you have the key for this?" Blaine asked.

"We don't have a key, but I do have something else that we could use." Said Michelle. Just then, Psyduck popped out of his ball.

"Psyduck, how would you like to be useful right now?" Michelle asked.

"Psyduck!" the water type screamed in happiness.

"All right. I need you to use your Confusion attack on Elekid's cage to get it open." Said Michelle. Psyduck's eyes glowed blue and the bars instantly disappeared. Elekid ran over to Michelle where she scooped him up.

"I'm glad you're safe." She said. "Thanks for your help, Psyduck." Psyduck nodded before he found himself being recalled back to his ball.

"Come on, let's get back to the party." Said Mark.

"You kids mind if I join in?" asked Blaine.

"Not at all." Said Michelle. "The more the better." They went back inside and enjoyed the rest of their night. Back at the Pokémon Center, Amanda was still sleeping. Her eyes were closed heavily and she was snoozing away. As she slept, she thought about her baby Elekid.

"I hope he's all right." She thought. The next time she opened her eyes, she saw Michelle, Mark, Blaine, Nurse Joy and Chansey all standing in front of her bed.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Said Michelle.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'How are you feeling?'

"I think I'm feeling much better." Said Amanda.

"You certainly look and sound better." Said Mark.

"I have to agree." Said Joy.

"By the way, guys, how was the party last night?" Amanda asked.

"It was a lot of fun, for the most part." Said Michelle. "Team Rocket crashed the party and tried to steal Elekid, but Blaine stopped them."

"That's a relief." Said Amanda. "I wish I could've been there with you."

"Well, Amanda, since you seem to be recovered, I can discharge you right now." Said Joy.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Said Amanda.

"Now then, I believe we have to have a rematch for your Volcano Badge." Said Blaine. "If you're ready, we can do it right now."

"I'm definitely ready." Said Amanda. However, she said it right as her stomach growled. "At least, I will be once I have breakfast." Once everyone had eaten, Blaine led the group back to the gym.

"Before we go back down, I want the three of you to wear these." He said. He took out three plastic shields and placed one onto each member of the trio.

"What are these?" Michelle asked.

"They're heat shields." Said Blaine. "Wearing these will make sure that any sweat that comes out will go onto the shields instead of your bodies. This way, we won't have a repeat of what happened yesterday."

"That's actually very clever." Said Amanda. Once everyone had the shields on, Blaine led them into the underground volcano again.

"Let's make this rematch a simple one on one." Said Blaine.

"That's just fine with me." Said Amanda. Blaine threw a Poke Ball and Magmar appeared in a blaze of light.

"As you can tell, my Pokemon will be Magmar." Said Blaine.

"The Pokemon I choose for this battle is Wartortle." Said Amanda. She grabbed Wartortle's ball and threw it toward the field. The water starter appeared in a blaze of light.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu wondered, which meant 'Why Wartortle over me?'

"When you tried battling Magmar yesterday, it didn't go too well for you." Said Amanda. "Wartortle's a water type, which means he can withstand the heat more." Pikachu was disappointed to not get another chance at Magmar, but he understood the decision.

"Well, let's get this battle started." Said Blaine. "I'll let you make the first move."

"All right, Wartortle, Water Gun attack!" Amanda ordered. Wartortle shot a line of water at Magmar. The fire type got soaked from the attack, but it was okay.

"Magmar, use Skull Bash!" Blaine commanded. Magmar lowered its head once again and charged at Wartortle.

"Wartortle, withdraw into your shell. Now!" Amanda commanded. Wartortle quickly ducked inside the shell to absorb the damage from the Skull Bash.

"Good work. Now, use your Bite attack!" Amanda cried. Wartortle ran up to Magmar and bit it on its leg, causing the fire type to wince in pain.

"Are you all right there, Magmar?" Blaine asked. Magmar gave a thumbs up.

"It's going to make more than some leg pain to knock Magmar down." Said Blaine. "Use your Confuse Ray!"

"What?!" Amanda cried in a shocked tone. Magmar's eyes glowed brightly as it shot a confusion wave right at Wartortle. Michelle gasped.

"Oh no!" Mark cried. Wartortle kept running into the rocks and banging its head.

"I didn't think Magmar could use that attack." Said Michelle.

"Part of a gym leader's job in battle is to keep their challenger on their toes at all times, especially when it comes to surprises like this." Said Mark. Blaine grinned, but Amanda was concerned.

"Wartortle, try to shake it off." Said Amanda. Wartortle just kept running into rocks. Instead of banging itself on them, though, he now started jumping up and down on them.

"Just what is Wartortle doing?" Michelle asked.

"It's probably part of the confusion attack." Said Mark.

"Wartortle, this is no time for a bouncing stint." Said Amanda. "Try to shake off the confusion and use your Bubblebeam attack!" Wartortle stopped jumping and fired its attack but launched it toward Amanda. Fortunately, her heat shield absorbed the bubbles.

"Not at me!" Amanda yelled. "Aim them at Magmar!" Wartortle finally shook off the confusion and aimed another set of bubbles at the fire type. Despite taking a lot of damage, Magmar hung tough.

"Okay, Magmar. Her Wartortle's good, but you're much better. Fire Blast it now!" Blaine ordered. Magmar shot a fire star at Wartortle, who quickly got into his shell again. However, a bit of the attack still managed to hit the shell, leaving a small burn mark.

"Are you okay, Wartortle?" Amanda asked. Wartortle popped out and gave a tough guy smile.

"Great!" Amanda cried. "Hey, Blaine, now it's your turn to be surprised. Wartortle, go underground with Dig!" Wartortle burrowed its way underneath the field, leaving Magmar with nowhere to go.

"Wartortle could be anywhere down there, Magmar. Keep your eyes open at all times." Said Blaine. Magmar looked around so that it could pay attention to when the water type would re-appear.

"Okay, Wartortle, now!" cried Amanda. Wartortle popped up and hit Magmar's left foot just as it started to move out of the way, causing the fire type to fall down and take more damage. It quickly got back up, though.

"That's one tough Magmar." Michelle observed.

"Elekid!" cried the baby, which meant 'You can do it, Amanda!'

"Thanks for the encouragement, Elekid." Said Amanda.

"Fire Punch now!" ordered Blaine. Magmar started throwing fire punches at Wartortle. He was able to dodge the first few, but he couldn't quite dodge all of them, and he was left with more burn marks. Not only that, but he also collapsed onto the field.

"Wartortle!" cried Amanda. "Please, Wartortle, you have to try and get up!" Wartortle tried to pick itself back up but struggled to do so.

"Well, it looks like this match is just about over." Said Blaine. "Okay, Magmar, all you have to do is give it another Skull Bash."

"Hold on." Said Amanda. "Wartortle, we've come this far. You have the type advantage over him, so I know you can do it. Come on, Wartortle, please try to get up so that you can still have a chance to win." Wartortle hung onto every word Amanda had just said, and suddenly got up very quickly. It now had a very determined look in its eyes.

"There we go." Said Amanda. Wartortle let out a cry and started to glow a bright white.

"Oh my!" Amanda cried.

"Teleportation attack?" Mark wondered.

"No, it's evolving." Said Michelle. Once the glow stopped, a large, blue colored bipedal Pokemon with a pair of water cannons stood in its place.

"Woah, Wartortle just turned into Blastoise." Said Michelle. Amanda quickly whipped out her Pokedex.

"Blastoise, the shellfish Pokemon. The powerful water cannons on this Pokémon's back can produce water blasts that can pierce steel and concrete and be used for high-speed charges."

"That's such a neat feature." Said Amanda. "Okay, Blastoise, grab a hold of Magmar's arms and don't let go!" Blastoise ran up to the fire type and grabbed a tight hold on the fire type.

"Magmar, try to squeeze out of it somehow. Use your Fire Punch!" Blaine ordered. Magmar tried to punch Blastoise, but with how tight the grip was, it couldn't even move.

"Great job, Blastoise." Said Amanda. "Now, let's finish up this battle. Seismic Toss!" Blastoise picked up Magmar, spun him around a few times and launched him at the back wall, sending him to the floor. The powerful attack had knocked Magmar out.

"You did it, Blastoise!" cried Amanda. She ran up to her Pokemon and gave him a big hug. Blaine recalled Magmar and went up to Amanda.

"Congratulations, Amanda." She said.

"Thanks, Blaine. The two of them shook hands and then Amanda recalled Blastoise. Once they were out of the gym and the heat shields were off, Blaine held out his hand.

"You definitely surprised me a few times." He said. "I didn't expect an evolution during the match, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. You have rightfully earned this Volcano Badge." Amanda took the badge and held it up proudly.

"All right, I earned a Volcano Badge!" she cried. Pikachu struck its victory pose. The trio said goodbye to Blaine and headed on their way.

"Look at that, guys. I finally got my Volcano Badge." Said Amanda.

"And now, you just need one more badge to qualify for the Pokemon League." Said Michelle.

"Where do I get my next badge, anyway?" Amanda wondered.

"Gee, that's a good question." Said Mark.

"I remember my dad telling me about the Viridian Gym once." Said Michelle. "I've never battled in there, but he did tell me that trainers go there to earn their Earth Badges."

"Now that you mention it, I do remember passing the Viridian gym when I started my journey." Said Amanda. "I wonder if it's rebuilt by now."

"More importantly, I wonder who the gym leader there is now." Said Michelle.

"Professor Oak would probably know the answers to those questions." Said Amanda. "Let's go pay him a visit in Pallet Town."

"Good idea." Said Michelle. Well, it looks like our heroes are going full circle and heading to Pallet Town, where Amanda's journey first started. There may be other surprises in store there, too, but you'll have to tune into the next episode to find out for sure.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-One

In the previous episode, Pikachu tried to battle Magmar but couldn't take the heat. Amanda also suffered heat exhaustion, forcing her to spend the night in the Pokemon Center in order to recover. Meanwhile, Mark and Michelle both attended an exciting party for all the tourists that were visiting the island. As usual, though, Team Rocket found a way to interfere, and they also tried to steal Amanda's baby Elekid. Thankfully, Blaine stopped them with his Charizard. He and Amanda also had their rematch, which ended with Amanda winning a Volcano Badge. During the battle, Wartortle evolved into Blastoise. Our heroes now head back to the starting point of Amanda's journey to see Professor Oak.

With seven badges now in her possession, Amanda and her friends quickly find themselves approaching Pallet Town.

"I haven't been in the lab in quite some time." Said Amanda.

"I've never been in there at all." Said Mark.

"It'll definitely be a new place for me as well." Said Michelle.

"You guys are going to love it." Said Amanda. "It's a really big place where Professor Oak keeps a lot of Pokemon. I can't wait to see how mine are doing." After another five minutes, they reached the entrance.

"It feels so good to be here again." Said Amanda. "Come on, guys!" She started running off towards the lab, with Pikachu close behind.

"Slow down there, Amanda!" Mark cried as he started running in order to keep up.

"Yeah, wait for us!" Michelle cried. She and Eevee started running too. Inside the lab, Professor Oak was feeding lunch to all of the Pokemon there.

"Make sure you eat all of your bird food, Pidgeotto." He said. "And Abra, no using your psychic powers to throw food around. I had quite a mess to clean up yesterday, which I didn't quite appreciate." He was about to feed Nidoran when he heard a knock on the front door.

"I wonder who that could be." He said and went to answer the door. A young boy was standing there, and he looked very excited.

"You must be Thomas." Said Oak. "Your mother told me that you'd be coming by today to get your starter Pokemon. Are you excited about this?"

"Let me put it this way, Professor. This is the most excited that I've ever been in my life." Said Thomas.

"Follow me, please." Said Oak. He led the boy over to the table near his computer.

"I'm sure you already know this, but you get to choose from Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle." Said Oak. "Whoever you choose will be your partner for the duration of your journey. Of course, there's no right or wrong choice, so just pick the one that you like best." Thomas looked over all of the Pokemon carefully before making his choice.

"I think I'm going to choose Charmander." Said Thomas.

"A fine selection." Said Oak. He handed the boy six empty Poke Balls and a Pokedex.

"Here you are. Good luck on your journey." Said Oak.

"Thanks, Professor!" cried Thomas. He rushed out of the lab and zoomed right past the trio.

"Who was that?" Amanda wondered.

"Beats me." Said Michelle. Seeing as the door was already open, they walked inside.

"Hello, Professor Oak!" Amanda cried. The professor looked at them with a surprised look on his face.

"Hello there, Amanda." Said Oak. "I must say, I'm quite surprised to see you here."

"Well, my friends and I were on our way to Viridian City and we thought that we'd drop by for a visit." Said Amanda. "First, there's Michelle. You already met her on a phone call before."

"That's right, I do seem to recall that." Said Oak.

"It's such an honor to finally meet you in person, sir." Michelle cried.

"Same goes for me." Said Oak.

"Our other friend here is Mark." Said Amanda. "I don't think you've met him yet."

"Can't say that I have." Said Professor Oak.

"I feel privileged to finally get to see you. This has been a dream of mine!" Mark cried. Oak let out a chuckle.

"Your friend here is definitely quite excited." He said. "Anyway, all three of you come with me and you can see all of the Pokemon that I've been looking after for various trainers." He led them into his back room where the kids were immediately trampled by a Tauros stampede.

"What in the world was that?" Michelle asked.

"Those Pokemon were a herd of Tauros that belong to Ash." Said the professor.

"Tauros, huh?" Amanda wondered with curiosity. She had seen Tauros before when she was four, but she had been scared by them back then. This wasn't the case now, of course, but she had forgotten what they looked like. She quickly took out her Pokedex so she could find out more information about Tauros.

"Tauros, the wild Bull Pokemon. Tauros is very rowdy and has a high amount of stamina. Once it starts charging, it is unable to stop or change course until it hits something."

"They're also very fast, too, from what I saw." Said Mark.

"Yes, Tauros are known to be fast runners." Said Oak. He took them over to where Michelle and Amanda's Pokemon were being kept.

"Hi there, guys." Said Amanda. "How have all of you been doing?" Nidoran sped toward Amanda and gave her a playful lick, making her laugh. Michelle also took the opportunity to check in with her own Pokemon, which were very happy to see her. Chansey gave Michelle a big hug, and Clefairy greeted Amanda by showing off her Metronome attack.

"It's definitely been a while, Clefairy." Said Amanda. She then heard a sound from the pond in the backyard, so she rain to see where it was coming from. It turned out to be her Magikarp, which was splashing up and down in the water.

"Hey Magikarp, remember me?" Amanda asked. Magikarp quickly nodded and kept splashing around. Michelle, Mark and Oak soon joined her.

"It looks like my Pokemon have definitely been kept busy." Said Amanda.

"Some of them have even been training in all the time you've been traveling." Said Professor Oak. "For example, your Abra could only teleport before. But now, he's learned to use some actual psychic attacks."

"That's awesome news." Said Amanda. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally were walking dejectedly toward the entrance to the town.

"How can we possibly face our boss when we still haven't captured a single Pokemon for him?" Conrad whimpered. "Not to mention that we've had no luck in grabbing Pikachu and Eevee from those two girls."

"The boss isn't going to show you any sympathy, so stop whining and start thinking." Said Sally.

"Yes, sir." Said Conrad.

"And another thing. Don't call me sir." Said Sally. "We're not Marcie and Peppermint Patty, you know."

"Sorry." Said Conrad sheepishly. They sat on the ground for a bit and thought about how they would attack. Then, a lightbulb went off in Conrad's head and he grinned.

"What are you cooking up there in that mind of yours?" Sally asked.

"Allow me to show you." Conrad answered. He pulled out a kit that showed a whole bunch of parts for building a mechanical robot.

"Haven't we tried that already?" asked Sally.

"I'm sure we did at some point. "said Conrad. "That one we had before was already made. With this one, though, we have to put the parts together."

"What you're saying is that it's one of those build it yourself kits." Said Sally.

"That's exactly what it is." Said Conrad.

"And how much did this kit cost you?" Sally asked.

"Well, the amount of money I had in my own bank account didn't quite cover it, so I had to borrow some from yours to make it work." Said Conrad. Upon hearing this, Sally was furious.

"You did what?!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, look on the plus side. If this works, not only will I be rich, but you'll get an investment too." Said Conrad. "What do you say now?" Sally didn't know what to say, as she was still angry. She then lunged forward and tackled her partner.

"You get me my money back right now!" She cried.

"It's not that simple." Conrad protested.

"I don't care!" cried Sally. "In all the commotion, however, the kit that Conrad was in possession of got squished, which caused the two of them to stop so he could open it up. Now he was the one who was angry.

"My build it yourself robot kit. It's ruined!" he screeched. He gave Sally an angry stare. "You had better fix this right now!"

"If I knew how to fix things, I would." Said Sally. "However, I do have another idea."

"Okay, what do you have in mind?" asked Conrad.

"Come with me and I'll show you." Said Sally and she quickly led her partner away. At the lab, Michelle was starting to get a bit curious.

"Professor, how are you able to handle taking care of so many Pokemon at once?" she asked.

"That's a very good question, Michelle." Professor Oak answered. "I have a very thorough step by step process, which I'll be glad to explain to you. First, I wake up at the same time every morning, which is usually at around eight o'clock. Once I'm dressed and ready for the day, I go for my breakfast. After that, I let the Pokemon out of their Poke Balls and give them their own food."

"Do you buy their food for them?" asked Mark.

"Some trainers would do that, but I actually make their food from scratch." Said Oak. "It's hard work, but it's very rewarding."

"How are you able to keep track of which food goes to which Pokemon?" asked Michelle.

"That's easy." Said Oak. He opened up the fridge in the kitchen and showed them jars full of food. Each one had a different Pokemon's name on the label.

"Okay, now that makes more sense." Said Amanda.

"After the Pokemon have eaten, I lead them in their daily training and exercises." Said Oak.

"What kind of exercises?" asked Michelle.

"That depends on the Pokemon's type." Said Oak. "If it's a water type like Magikarp, then they practice their jumping in the pond out in the back. For a psychic type, I have them do yoga techniques so they can think about possible attacks to use in battle."

"I didn't think yoga would be of help for a psychic type." Said Amanda.

"I didn't think so either, but your Abra's an excellent student." Said Oak. "Let me play you one of the recent videos I filmed and you can see for yourself." He put a blank tape into his videocassette player and all three kids saw Abra looking poised and in full concentration mode.

"Okay Abra, let's see you use a Confusion attack." Said Oak on the tape. Abra glowed a bright blue and lifted the professor into the air gently before putting him back down.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but still, good job." Said Oak. The professor then stopped the tape and smiled at Amanda.

"I'm glad to hear that Abra's been doing well." She said.

"With all the training he's been going through here, he can easily evolve into a Kadabra at any time now." Said Oak.

"Professor, what do the Pokemon do after they've exercised?" Michelle asked.

"Oh yes, I should get back to my explanation." Said Oak. "After their exercises are finished, they have playful practice battles with each other to further hone their skills so that they can give it their best effort in actual matches. After that practice is finished, I feed them their lunch."

"Do they eat the same food every day?" Amanda wondered.

"Technically, yes, but I change up the ingredients as often as possible to make the food look different." Said Oak.

"That's certainly important." Said Michelle.

"After lunch ends, the Pokemon all have naptime for a couple of hours while I conduct my research." Said Oak.

"How much research do you have to do?" asked Mark.

"That all depends on any new discoveries that may happen." Said Oak. "If there's a big discovery that needs my attention, then I need to do lots of research on it. But regardless, the afternoon is my standard work time so that both the Pokemon and I can be left in peace. After my work is done, it's more training for them until dinnertime. And after dinner, they go back into their Poke Balls for the night so that I can have my own rest after a hard day's worth of work."

"It certainly seems like you're certainly busy a lot, Professor." Said Amanda.

"When it comes to researching and taking care of Pokemon, a professor's work is never done." Said Oak. "I always try to stick to a set schedule for my daily tasks. Of course, unexpected emergencies can pop up sometimes that you can't exactly prepare for." Just then, Clefairy bounced up to Oak and gave him a slight nudge.

"Clefairy." She said, which meant 'Time for my exercises.'

"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me about that, Clefairy." Said Oak. "You know, Amanda, since you're here, maybe you and your friends would like to participate in this session too."

"Well, it would be some good practice for the gym battle that I'm going to have when I get to Viridian City again." Said Amanda.

"That's the spirit." Said Oak. He led Amanda, her friends and Clefairy to a wide open spot in the yard.

"Normally, I'm the one that would lead the Pokemon in their exercises." Said Oak. "However, the three of you are in for a treat today."

"Why is that, Professor?" asked Michelle.

"I've lined up a special guest instructor for today's regimen." Said Oak. The guest instructor stepped forward, and as it turned out, Amanda had seen this certain individual before.

"Brock. It's good to see you again." Said Amanda.

"How have you been doing?" Brock asked.

"I'm doing great." Said Amanda. "I only need to earn one more badge to get into the Pokemon League."

"That's great news." Said Brock.

"How do you know him, Amanda?" Mark asked.

"I battled him for a Boulder Badge in Pewter City when I was starting my journey." Amanda explained.

"Nice to meet you, Brock." Said Michelle. Mark just looked at him in awe.

"You're taller than I thought you'd be." Said Mark.

"Well, that's to be expected since I'm a little older than you." Said Brock. "I take it that you and Michelle are Amanda's friends, right?"

"That's right." Said Michelle. "The three of us have been doing quite a bit of traveling together."

"I have plenty of traveling experience myself." Said Brock. "Most of it has been with Ash, but it still counts."

"Brock here just returned from a stay on Valencia Island in the Orange Archipelago as Professor Ivy's assistant." Said Oak. The mere mention of that name made Brock drop to the ground and curl up into a ball.

"Hey Brock, what exactly happened?" Amanda asked.

"I don't want to talk about that." He answered firmly.

"Fair enough." Said Amanda.

"She must've fired him or something." Mark whispered softly.

"Probably." Amanda whispered back. They were trying to be careful so that Brock wouldn't overhear them.

"I thought we were out here to exercise, not to talk." Said Michelle. Brock suddenly stood back up and smiled again.

"All right guys, we'll begin on my whistle." He said.

"Are you ready, Clefairy?" Amanda asked. Clefairy smiled and nodded to acknowledge that she was indeed ready.

"Places, everyone." Brock called out. He then took out the whistle that Oak had provided him and blew on it to begin the session.

"Jumping jacks, on the double!" he cried. Mark, Amanda, Michelle and Clefairy obeyed the command and started jumping.

"How many of these does he want us to do?" Michelle asked.

"I have no idea." Amanda answered. They got up to one hundred jumping jacks before brock blew the whistle again.

"Time for running exercises!" he called. However, Clefairy had never ran before, so she was a bit nervous.

"Clefairy." She said anxiously, which meant 'I don't know if I can do this.' Amanda wasn't worried in the slightest, however.

"Just try to do your absolute best, Clefairy." She said in a calm and reassuring tone. Even Pikachu gave her some words of encouragement. Brock blew the whistle and everyone started running. Since Pikachu was built for speed, he had no problem completing the exercise. Clefairy, however, was a little slow in trying to keep up with everyone.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Try to go a little faster, Clefairy!'

"Clefairy!" Clefairy called out, which meant 'I'm trying!' After running a total of five laps, the exercise changed again. This kept up for a full hour and a half before Brock finally ended the session.

"Great work, everybody." He said.

"Clefairy?" the small pink Pokemon asked, which meant 'How did I do?'

"I think you did just fine, Clefairy." Said Amanda. Michelle's stomach started to growl.

"All of that exercise has made me a little hungry." She said.

"You're in luck because my cooking skills are terrific." Said Brock. He mixed some ingredients together to produce a delicious stew for Amanda, Mark, Michelle and Professor Oak. He also put some special Pokemon food together for both Pikachu and Eevee.

"So Brock, what exactly led to you being let go by Professor Ivy?" asked Michelle. That mention caused Brock to shudder again.

"You're not supposed to mention that name around Brock." Said Amanda.

"Oops, sorry." Said Michelle. Brock stood up again and gave Michelle a smile.

"That's perfectly all right." He said, and they resumed their meal. As they ate, Brock noticed what Amanda was holding in her arms.

"I don't think I've seen that Pokemon before." He said.

"That's because it's a Pokemon that isn't usually seen here." Said Amanda. "It's an Elekid."

"It's very cute." Said Brock. He leaned over and smiled at the baby Pokemon, but Elekid burst into tears.

"I hope I didn't do anything wrong." Brock said.

"You're fine." Said Michelle. "Elekid doesn't know you yet, so it's a little shy. Maybe once it warms up to you a little more, it'll be more comfortable around you." Amanda dried off Elekid's tears and kept eating.

"By the way, Professor, there's something else I wanted to ask you while I'm here." She said.

"What is it, my dear?" said Oak.

"By any chance, you wouldn't happen to know who the leader of the Viridian City gym is, do you?" Amanda asked.

"I'm afraid I don't." said Oak. "I know the gym blew up in some explosion some time ago, but I'm pretty sure it's rebuilt by now."

"That's definitely a good sign." Said Mark.

"You wouldn't happen to know who it is, do you, Brock?" asked Michelle.

"I don't know either." Said Brock. "Even if I did know, though, I wouldn't be able to give that information anyway because it would violate the gym leader code."

"Well, if Oak doesn't know, and Brock can't say, then who would possibly know?" Amanda wondered. It was at that precise moment that a familiar figure wearing a long sleeve purple shirt, dark grey pants, a yin and yang necklace around his neck, brown boots with black straps and spiked hair on the top of his head walked into the room.

"I would." Said the voice. "If you'll turn around, you'll look right at him." They all looked at the figure, and who they saw surprised Amanda.

"Gary?" she cried.

"Hey there, Grandpa." Said Gary. "I just thought I would check in and see how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine." Said Oak.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just say that you're the Viridian gym leader?" asked Michelle.

"I did." Said Gary. "They actually opened the place up again after rebuilding work finished and Lance asked me to be the new leader, a job that I was more than happy to accept."

"In any case, it's good to see you here again." Said Amanda.

"How do you know Gary?" Mark asked.

"I ran across him in Viridian when I started my journey, and he was giving Ash a hard time like he always does." Said Amanda.

"Speaking of Ash, where is he right now?" Michelle asked.

"Last I heard, he, Misty and Tracey were all on Pummelo Island for Ash's big match against Orange Crew leader Drake." Brock answered.

"Since you're here, how about some lunch." Oak suggested.

"I am feeling a bit on the hungry side, so sure." Said Gary. Brock got out a bowl of Gary to serve him some stew and they all ate together.

"I still can't believe that your grandson is the gym leader." Said Amanda.

"I was a bit shocked myself when Gary first told me that he got the job, but I still have to support him in any way I can." Said Oak.

"When's your first official battle as the new gym leader supposed to be?" asked Michelle.

"Tomorrow." Answered Gary. "I came down here to see how some of my Pokemon are doing because I need to make sure that they're in top shape for that match."

"That's certainly very smart." Said Mark. After lunch, everyone got up from the table and started to go over to where Gary's Pokemon were being kept when they heard a loud noise from the backyard.

"What's going on out there?" Gary asked.

"I don't know!" Amanda cried.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Stop the noise, Amanda. It's too loud!'

"I'm sorry, Pikachu, but I have no control over that." Said Amanda. The loud noise caused Elekid to start crying again, and Amanda had to soothe him.

"We can't just stand around here!" cried Michelle. "Let's see what the noise is." Everyone ran outside and saw giant fake bombs falling onto the ground.

"What in the world?!" cried Gary. "Who's up there throwing those bombs?" Conrad and Sally gave a laugh and stepped forward from behind the smoke.

"Team Rocket!" cried Amanda and Michelle together.

"Don't you two know when to quit?" Mark asked them.

"We're not quitting until we have both Pikachu and Eevee." Said Sally.

"You're not getting them!" Amanda cried.

"Yeah, leave Pikachu and Eevee alone!" Michelle cried.

"You two have some nerve invading my laboratory like this!" Oak yelled. "Get out of here this instant!"

"Not a chance." Said Conrad firmly. He quickly grabbed a Poke Ball and threw it. "Go, Golbat!" The dual poison and flying type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Arbok, go!" cried Sally. The poison snake instantly appeared and started to glare at Elekid, only for Michelle to intervene.

"Don't you even think of going anywhere near that baby!" she yelled at Arbok.

"Gary, do something do get rid of these intruders!" Oak ordered.

"On it, Grandpa." Said Gary, and he threw one of his own Poke Balls. "Arcanine, go!" The strong fire type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Gary has an Arcanine too?" Amanda asked in a shocked manner.

"And by the looks of things, he's done a great job of taking care of it." Said Brock.

"Arcanine, use your Take Down attack!" Gary ordered. Arcanine ran at Golbat, but the flying type flew out of harm's way to avoid the attack.

"Arbok, use your Poison Sting attack!" Sally cried. Arbok shot purple needles straight in Arcanine's direction.

"Arcanine, Agility now!" Gary called. Arcanine used its' speed to avoid each one of the needles. He then ran circles around Arbok, confusing it.

"Arbok!" Sally cried.

"Time for me to step in." said Amanda. She quickly grabbed a Poke Ball off her waist and threw it.

"Fearow, go!" she cried.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'No! Bad idea!'

"I can't change Pokemon now!" Amanda cried. Her strong bird appeared in a blaze of light. Pikachu just shook its' head, as he knew exactly how this would turn out.

"Fearow, go for the Whirlwind! Blow Arbok and Golbat away!" She ordered. Fearow pondered for a moment before flying over to the top of the fence and fell asleep on top of it.

"Pika!" he cried, which meant 'I told you so!' Amanda let out a sigh.

"Fearow, return!" she exclaimed and recalled the Pokemon into its' ball. "Well, Pikachu, I guess it's up to you to deal with this." Pikachu was about to step forward when Abra suddenly appeared in front of her.

"What do you think you're doing, Abra? I want Pikachu battling." She said. Abra refused to move, however, and simply gave Team Rocket's Pokemon a stare down.

"I think your Abra's wanting to battle." Said Oak.

"Is that true, Abra?" Amanda asked. Abra nodded and looked ahead again.

"In that case, go for it!" Amanda cried.

"You've got to be joking." Said Conrad. "All Abra knows how to do is float around and cause trouble."

"Is that so?" Amanda said with a smirk. "Well, I think you'll find that my Abra is very different. Okay, Abra, use your Psybeam!" Abra fired a purple and pink beam at Arbok and shot it right into a tree.

"Ah! Arbok, no!" cried Sally.

"Golbat, use your Wing Attack!" cried Conrad. Golbat started to fly in toward the psychic type's head, but Amanda had another trick up her sleeve.

"Use your Disable!" she cried. Abra's eyes glowed blue, causing Golbat's attack to stop dead in its' tracks.

"And now for the finisher!" Amanda cried. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed the strong attack, creating an explosion and sending Golbat, Arbok, Conrad and Sally flying into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried. DING!

"Great work, Abra and Pikachu." Said Amanda.

"Your Fearow looks great, but if it's still not listening to you when you get to the Pokemon League, you could have a problem." Said Gary.

"Abra deserves a lot of the credit, though." Said Michelle. "He's the one who saved the day for us." Abra smiled, and then glowed white.

"Pika!" he cried, which meant 'Is he doing what I think he's doing?'

"He certainly is." Said Gary.

"Abra's evolving." Said Brock. Once the glow stopped, Abra was much taller and had a gold star on its' head.

"Amazing! It evolved into a Kadabra." Said Oak.

"Congratulations, Kadabra." Said Amanda. "You know, you could be very useful for me in my next gym match. Would you like to come with me to the Viridian City gym?" Kadabra nodded.

"I think that's a good choice that you made." Said Oak. "You'll have to leave one of your other Pokemon with me, though, in order to make room." This wasn't a hard decision at all, and Amanda handed over Venonat's Poke Ball.

"Do a good job looking after Venonat, Professor." Said Amanda.

"I'll do my best." Said Oak. One more Team Rocket attack thwarted, and one more new Pokemon for Amanda. Now, it's back to Viridian City for a full circle stop for her Earth Badge. I hope she gets it, don't you?

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Two

Last time, our heroes decided to pay a visit to Professor Oak at his lab. There, Amanda found out that Gary had just become the new leader of the Viridian City gym. Team Rocket also tried to attack with fake bombs, but their plans were once again thwarted, and Abra evolved as well. Now, Amanda has a new Pokemon by her side, which is certainly very exciting.

As Amanda's Pokemon travels continue, we find our three heroes casually on their way to Viridian City.

"This is certainly a familiar spot, isn't it, Pikachu?" Amanda asked.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'This is where we started our journey.'

"That's right." Said Amanda. "It feels nice walking down Route One again."

"What is it about this route that brings back memories for you?" Michelle asked.

"I caught my first few Pokemon on this route." Said Amanda. "This is where I got Pidgey, Rattata, Magikarp and Fearow back when it was a Spearow. I just wish that for once, Fearow would listen to me, though."

"Never mind that right now." Said Mark. "You have a huge gym battle coming up that's very important."

"That's right." Said Amanda. "If I win this match, I'll be able to get into the Pokemon League. I'll have to beat Gary in order to do that, though."

"We don't even know if Gary uses any specific types." Said Michelle.

"Which means we'll have to stay on our toes at all times." Said Amanda. Of course, every path that's walked on has its' fair share of challenges, and as they continued onward toward Viridian, they ran into a boy slightly younger than Amanda. He had a dark blue vest on over top of a white button shirt, khaki shorts and brown shoes.

"You look like a worthy challenger for me." He said. "I'd love it if you could have a battle with me."

"What do you think, Pikachu?" asked Amanda. Pikachu nodded in approval.

"How many Pokemon are we going to use?" Amanda asked.

"How does two each sound?" the boy asked.

"That's fine with me." Said Amanda. They took their positions to begin the battle.

"Try to make this quick, Amanda. We have to get to Viridian before the gym closes for the day." Said Michelle.

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Said Amanda. They boy nodded and threw his first Poke Ball.

"I choose you, Meowth!" he cried. The small scratch cat Pokemon appeared instantly.

"All right, Pikachu, let's do this!" Amanda cried. Pikachu jumped off her shoulder and onto the field ready for battle.

"Meowth, use your Scratch attack!" the boy ordered. Meowth's sharp claws appeared and he made a run at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Agility now!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu nodded and ran at lightning speed to avoid being hit with Meowth's claws.

"That Pikachu's pretty good." The boy observed. "But let's see how it handles what I'm about to do next. Meowth, Fury Swipes attack!" Meowth started to swipe at Pikachu's body.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Amanda yelled. Pikachu calmly moved back and fourth to doge the attack attempt.

"Pikachu's moving really well today." Michelle observed.

"I guess that Pokemon food that Brock gave it increased his speed a little bit." Said Mark. "That'll serve Amanda well when the time for the Pokemon League comes around." Pikachu and Meowth continued their battle, with both trying to get the upper hand on the other.

"Use your Slash attack now, Meowth!" the boy called. Meowth hissed and ran up to Pikachu ready to slash it.

"Pikachu, look out!" Amanda cried. Pikachu managed to jump out of the way in time and stood behind Meowth with a smirk on his face.

"Launch your Thunderbolt attack!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu got himself ready to unleash a lightning strike.

"Pay Day!" the boy called. Before the attack could be performed, however, Meowth was quickly zapped by Pikachu's electricity, leaving it completely dizzy and confused.

"Oh no!" the boy cried. Amanda gave a smile.

"Quick Attack, now!" she ordered. Pikachu ran at full speed and knocked Meowth onto the grass, causing the feline Pokemon to faint.

"Meowth, say something!" the boy cried. Michelle ran over and inspected Meowth before nodding her head.

"Meowth is unable to battle. Pikachu is the winner!" she called.

"Yes! One down and one to go." Said Amanda. The boy recalled Meowth and grabbed another Poke Ball.

"Looks like now's the time to send out my strongest Pokemon. Go!" he said as he threw the ball. A Venusaur popped out and hovered over Pikachu, causing the electric type to get intimidated.

"A Venusaur." Amanda observed. "Be careful, Pikachu! This one won't be as easy!" Pikachu nodded and stared down at the grass type.

"Venusaur, use your Razor Leaf attack!" the boy called. Venusaur shot green leaves out of his bulb and shot them at Pikachu. While he was quick enough to dodge most of them, a few of them still hit him.

"Pikachu, shake those leaves off." Said Amanda. Pikachu shook his body to get rid of the leaves.

"Great. Now use your Thunder attack at full power!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed a strong bolt of thunder at Venusaur, but the grass type ran fast to avoid the attacks. Pikachu kept aiming, but Venusaur was too quick.

"Electric attacks aren't working!" Amanda cried. "Pikachu, try something else!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Which attack should I go for?'

"Try a Mega Kick!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu nodded and gave Venusaur a swift kick. Unfortunately, the attack didn't do anything and Venusaur kept charging hard.

"Finish it!" the boy ordered. Venusaur rammed right into Pikachu and slammed the electric type onto the grass.

"Pikachu!" Amanda cried. Pikachu struggled to get up, but collapsed.

"And this battle is all tied up." Said the boy. Amanda scooped up her best friend and put him in front of a tree.

"You did your best, Pikachu, and I'm very proud of you." She said. She then placed Elekid beside him.

"You two can play with each other while I finish this match." She said. Michelle's Eevee ran up to them to keep them both company.

"Well, miss, what's it going to be for your last Pokemon?" the boy asked. Amanda quickly grabbed a ball off her waist.

"I don't know if you've ever seen this one before, but if not, then you're about to get a real treat." She said.

"I wonder what she could possibly mean by that." Said Michelle. It then dawned on her, and she and Mark quickly put their heads together.

"No, Amanda! Don't!" they both cried.

"I choose you, Fearow!" she yelled. The powerful bird Pokemon instantly appeared in a blaze of light and screeched loudly at Venusaur.

"Flying types have a strong advantage over a grass type. This should be an automatic win." Said Amanda.

"But Fearow doesn't do anything you ask it to." Said Michelle.

"Yeah, what makes you think this time will be different?" asked Mark.

"I just have a feeling." Said Amanda. "Okay, Fearow, charge in and strike for a Wing Attack!" While Fearow did fly in close as ordered, he tried to peck at Venusaur's head instead.

"What are you doing, Fearow? I didn't say to use Peck!" Amanda cried out.

"You must be a lousy trainer if your Pokemon won't even listen to you." The boy said.

"For your information, I have seven gym badges, and I've battled plenty of other trainers already!" Amanda retorted back. "That's not lousy in my book!"

"I beg to differ." Said the boy. "Venusaur, use your Vine Whip attack!" Venusaur shot out its vines and aimed them at Fearow, who effortlessly flew out of the way with Agility to avoid them.

"I guess that's a good sign, except I didn't tell you to do anything that time!" Amanda cried.

"Wow, Fearow is being completely disobedient." Said Mark.

"I keep telling her not to use it, but she's too stubborn to listen." Said Michelle, and she let out a sigh.

"Fearow, use Hyper beam!" Amanda cried. This time, however, Fearow ignored the instruction and fired bright yellow stars instead. Venusaur just absorbed the hit like it was nothing. Fearow screeched loudly and tried again, only for the same result.

"Fearow, that's not going to work! You have to try something else!" cried Amanda. "Use your Whirlwind!" Fearow continued to do what it wanted, however, and just flew circles around Venusaur.

"Fearow, please battle the way I'm telling you to." Said Amanda. "Hyper Beam right now, and that's an order!" However, Fearow flew down to the ground and just stood in front of the large grass type choosing not to do anything. Amanda growled, but the boy just sighed.

"I don't have time to just stand here and wait for that big bird of yours to get its act together." He said. "Venusaur, finish it with Solar Beam." Venusaur's bulb started to glow brightly, making Amanda gasp.

"Solar Beam is Venusaur's most powerful attack!" she cried. "Fearow, quick, fly out of the way!" However, Fearow turned its head away from Amanda and just stood where it was.

"Fearow, you need to listen to me right now!" she cried. "If that Solar Beam hits you, you're done for!" Fearow pretended that he hadn't heard and remained in place.

"Fire!" the boy cried. Venusaur launched the powerful beam and it scored a direct hit on Fearow, knocking it over and causing it to cry in pain.

"Oh no!" cried Amanda. She went to check on her powerful bird and saw that the attack had caused significant fire damage to its' left wing. Fearow screeched and screeched, which meant 'You have to do something!'

"Well, I guess this match is over." The boy said. "Great work, Venusaur." He recalled his grass type and looked at Amanda.

"I'll be glad to have a rematch with you when you learn to get that Fearow under control." He said and walked away. Amanda, Michelle and Mark just stared at Fearow with concerned looks on their faces. Conrad and Sally were watching them through their binoculars.

"So, looks like the twerp lost the match." Said Sally.

"It's all because her Fearow wouldn't listen to her." Said Conrad.

"Hard to win a battle with a Pokemon like that, but sometimes you have to lose like that to be taught a lesson." Said Sally. "Now, there's the matter of trying to steal Pikachu and Eevee. How should we go about that this time?" They looked around all over the route until they found a spot with a maze in it.

"I think we have our little plan for this one." Said Conrad. "We lure Pikachu and Eevee into the maze to separate them."

"That is one of the smartest ideas we've ever had." Said sally. "I'm glad I was the one who came up with it." Conrad cleared his throat.

"I suppose you're going to take all the credit again?" he wondered.

"Of course." Said sally. "After all, the best ideas usually come from women."

"What's that supposed to even mean?" asked Conrad.

"I'm not saying." Said Sally. "Come on, we've got work to do." Meanwhile, Amanda scooped Fearow up and started running down the road. Michelle, Mark, Pikachu, Eevee and Elekid were following close behind.

"Just hang in there, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Once we get to the Pokemon Center, I'll make sure Nurse Joy has a good look at your wing." Fearow was too weak to say anything. The trio arrived at the Pokémon Center in record time and found Nurse Joy on the phone.

"It looks like she's busy." Said Michelle.

"She can't be. This is important." Said Amanda. Joy looked at the three of them, and then back at the screen.

"I'll have to call you back later, sis." Said Joy. She hung up the phone and got back behind the counter.

"My goodness, what have we here?" she asked.

"Nurse Joy, I need you to treat my Fearow right away." Said Amanda, and she handed her Pokemon over. Joy inspected Fearow carefully and gasped when she saw the burn marks on it.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed. "How did this happen?"

"I was battling against someone's Venusaur with my Fearow, but Fearow wouldn't do anything I wanted it to do, and then it got hit very hard with a powerful Solar Beam attack." Amanda answered.

"That's why it has the burn marks." Michelle added.

"You just have to do something." Said Amanda. Joy carefully removed Fearow from Amanda's arms and placed it on a stretcher.

"I'll do whatever I can." Said Joy. "Chansey, get this Fearow into the emergency room, stat!" Chansey nodded and wheeled Fearow away. Mark, Amanda and Michelle all sat down in the lobby.

"I guess all we can do now is wait for Fearow to get better." Said Mark.

"What if the burn never goes away, though?" Amanda wondered. "What if Fearow is stuck with that permanently? What if….?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried.

"I'm trying to stay calm, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "I'm just really worried about Fearow, that's all."

"We all are." Said Michelle. Even Eevee had a worried look on her face. Although she didn't exactly know Fearow that well, she was also hoping for a full recovery.

"Ele?" Elekid wondered, which meant 'Are you okay, Mama?' Amanda smiled at her little baby Pokemon.

"Don't worry, I'll be okay." She reassured him. Joy worked hard to treat Fearow properly so that the damage could be repaired. She applied all sorts of potions as well as a few burn heals. A couple of hours later, she applied the finishing touches on the procedure.

"I think that should cover everything." She said. She went out through the automatic doors into the lobby and smiled at the trio.

"How's Fearow doing, Nurse Joy?" Amanda asked.

"Fearow is starting to recover." Said Joy. "The damage it suffered was a bit less severe than I thought, but otherwise, it should be fine by tomorrow morning."

"That's great, Nursey Joy." Said Amanda. "Thank you so much."

"No problem." Said Joy. "It also helped that you brought it here right away, which is exactly what a trainer is supposed to do." She disappeared back into the recovery room, leaving the three friends on their own.

"I hope what happened will teach Fearow a valuable lesson." Said Amanda.

"We'll just have to see." Said Michelle. Amanda then spoke a bit seriously to both of her friends.

"It's nothing personal against the two of you, but I want to be alone with Fearow right now." Said Amanda.

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'Can I stay with Fearow too?'

"Of course, Pikachu." Said Amanda.

"I guess that's okay." Said Michelle. "Nurse Joy, can Mark and I have a room key please?"

"Certainly, Michelle." Said Joy. She handed Michelle a key for room fourteen and she and Mark headed upstairs, with Eevee following behind. Joy allowed Amanda, Pikachu and Elekid into the recovery room and the young trainer sat down on a chair next to the bed that Fearow was resting in. Amanda sighed, and then cleared her throat.

"All right, Fearow, it's time for you and I to have a bit of a talk." She said. "First off, I'm glad your wing is starting to heal up following the attack that you took earlier. I want to preface, however, that if you had just listened to my orders, that wouldn't have happened."

"Fearow." Fearow squeaked out, which meant 'I'm sorry.'

"I accept your apology; however, I'm not finished talking yet." Said Amanda. "I remember how excited I was when I caught you as a Spearow. And then, right before you evolved, I had to save you from another Fearow because it mistakenly thought that you were its' child. Do you remember that at all?" Fearow weakly nodded his head.

"What I remember from that is that it tried to brainwash you into thinking that you weren't my Pokemon. Of course, my friends and I proved that Fearow wrong and showed it a thing or two." Said Amanda. "That was such a good day. After you became what you are right now, I thought I would have a powerful force by my side, but what I didn't expect was for you to stop taking orders. For the longest time, I just haven't been able to figure out whether it's your high level or the fact that I might not have as much trainer experience as I thought I did."

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Don't say that. You're an excellent trainer!'

"I know that, Pikachu, but I don't know if Fearow does." Said Amanda. Fearow turned its head toward his trainer so he could fully take in what was being said.

"I did a lot to help you out of that situation as a Spearow and this is the thanks I ended up getting. You know what that shows me, Fearow? It shows that I don't deserve to have you on my team." Said Amanda. "If you don't want to be my Pokemon anymore, I would understand, but I would also be very sad." She then let out another sigh. "Come to think of it, just the mere fact that I even brought up that topic is making me a little upset. Oh, Pikachu, what have I done to deserve all of this disrespect from Fearow?"

"Pika!" Pikachu answered, which meant 'You haven't done anything. Fearow's the one who's been mean to you.'

"I know, but I still feel like I don't deserve to have him." Said Amanda. "Where did I go wrong?" She then burst into tears and started crying.

"Pika." Pikachu thought, which meant 'She's being a little too hard on herself in my opinion, but who am I to judge?'. Fearow noticed how upset his trainer was and shook its head.

"Fearow." He said in a bit of a sad voice.

"Are you telling me to stop crying?" Amanda managed to blurt out. Fearow nodded and used his wing to wipe away the tears.

"Thanks, Fearow." Said Amanda. "I needed that."

"Pika pikachu." Pikachu added, which meant 'Not to mention, I don't think Nurse Joy would appreciate her floor getting wet from those tears.'

"You're right, Pikachu. She certainly wouldn't like that at all." Said Amanda. She hugged Fearow on his wing, but she made sure to be gentle so that she wouldn't accidentally re-injure him. She stayed in that exact position all night long and didn't move from her chair once. When the morning came, she was feeling much better. As she made and Fearow made their way out the doors to eat their breakfast, they ran into Michelle and Mark. Eevee was with them, and she gave Pikachu a high five.

"How did things go last night?" Mark asked.

"Well, things started off a little rough, but Fearow and I had a nice talk, and I think it went pretty well." Said Amanda. "We'll find out for sure later today, though." They all went to the cafeteria to have their breakfast, with Fearow perched on Amanda's shoulder the whole time. The friends even offered some bites of their food to Fearow, which he gladly accepted.

"That's certainly a good sign." Said Michelle.

"I just hope it'll finally start listening to me in battles now." Said Amanda. Once they finished the meal and left the center and Amanda had recalled Fearow to its Poke Ball, they found a sign pointing toward the west of the city.

"Funny, that sign wasn't here yesterday." Michelle observed.

"I wonder what's going on." Said Mark.

"Let's check this out." Said Amanda. They followed the arrow on the sign and found that a mini park had been set up.

"What's all of this?" Michelle wondered. Then, two people dressed in park uniforms came out to greet them.

"Welcome to the Poke Park!" they both exclaimed.

"Poke Park? What's that?" Amanda asked.

"It's a special park just for Pokemon to roam around and have fun in." said the male guide.

"And for the grand opening, we'd like to have two very special guests be the first to enjoy the park." Said the female guide. They both pointed to Amanda and Michelle's partners.

"You want Pikachu and Eevee to be your park's first guests?" Mark asked.

"That's right, young man." Said the male guide.

"What do you think, guys?" Amanda asked both Pikachu and Eevee. "Do you want to check it out?" Pikachu nodded excitedly and Eevee gave a delightful squeal.

"Looks like that's a yes." Said Michelle.

"Hold on a moment." Said Mark. "What if this is just another lame Team Rocket trap?"

"Team Rocket? Never heard of them." Said the female guide. "Now come on, Pikachu and Eevee, we don't have all day here."

"Pika pi." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Come on, Eevee, let's go.'

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed, which meant 'I'm right behind you.' The two Pokemon ran through the entrance and saw a giant maze that was shaped exactly like a Poke Ball.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'Are we supposed to run through this?'

"Eevee." Eevee answered, which meant 'I think so. Come on, I'll race you!'

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'You're on!' They both ran as fast as they could to try and make it to the end first, but a short while later, the paths of the maze suddenly split apart from each other, causing Pikachu and Eevee to get separated. They tried to run back to the entrance, but the paths continued to split. That was when Pikachu noticed that something was up.

"Pikachu!" he cried, which meant 'What's going on?'

"Eevee." Eevee squealed worriedly. 'I have no idea.' Then, the maze suddenly disappeared and a giant Whack A Mole style hole opened up underground, causing both Pokemon to fall inside. Amanda, Mark and Pikachu heard their loud cries.

"Pikachu and Eevee are in trouble!" Amanda cried.

"Quick, we've got to help them!" Michelle exclaimed. The three of them ran over to where the hole had formed.

"How did this get here?" Mark wondered. The trio then heard laughter from two figures that were very familiar. The figures then unraveled their park uniforms to reveal two different but familiar uniforms that they always wore.

"Team Rocket!" The three of them cried.

"I should've known you two had something to do with this set up!" Amanda yelled.

"You better give Eevee and Pikachu back right now!" Michelle cried.

"We'd like to do that, but you see, there's one small problem." Said Sally. Their hot air balloon started to ascend off the ground and into the air, with both Pikachu and Eevee tied to a giant baseball. The two Pokemon cried loudly for help.

"Eevee!" Michelle cried.

"Pikachu, try a Thunderbolt attack!" Amanda ordered. Despite being tied up, Pikachu started to load up.

"That's not a good idea." Said Conrad, stopping Pikachu's potential attack. "If your Pikachu uses electricity, it'll trigger combustible flames from the small metal holes on the side of the pipe, thus causing both it and Eevee to be burned to a crisp."

"He's right." Said Mark. "We'll have to think of another way to get those two down." Amanda then noticed that the top of the giant ball was being held together by a piece of rope, and that gave her an idea.

"Fearow, I choose you!" she cried. The powerful flying type quickly emerged and gave out its loud cry.

"Well, here comes the test." Said Michelle.

"Fearow, do you think you can break that rope with your beak?" Amanda asked. Fearow looked up and saw the spot where Pikachu and Eevee were tied together.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled, which meant 'Hurry!' Fearow took to the air and flew at top speed towards the baseball. A quick slash of the rope resulted in the ball dropping quickly onto the grass. Amanda and Michelle quickly untied their best friends.

"Are the two of you okay?" Amanda asked. Pikachu nodded. Fearow flew back to Amanda, and then the boy from the previous day came running onto the spot and threw one of his Poke Balls.

"Venusaur, go!" he yelled. The powerful grass type appeared and stood tall.

"I have a feeling that this isn't going to end well." Said Conrad.

"Solar Beam attack!" the boy yelled. Venusaur readied itself by starting to produce a bright light, giving Conrad and sally just enough time to scoop up the baseball. The plant Pokemon then unleashed the powerful attack at the two Team Rocket crooks, sending them upwards into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried. DING!

"Great work, Venusaur." The boy said. "I heard all the commotion that was happening and decided to help out."

"We appreciate the help." Said Amanda. "Fearow also played a role too."

"I'm guessing that means you have it under control now." Said the boy. "Well, I did promise you a rematch. If you want, we can do it right now."

"That's just fine with me." Said Amanda. "I'm confident that I'm going to win this time."

"We'll see about that." Said the boy. "Now, we'll have this rematch be a simple one on one battle. My Venusaur against your Fearow."

"What do you say, Fearow?" asked Amanda. "You up for another shot at Venusaur?" Fearow nodded and flew onto the field.

"Here we go." Said Amanda.

"Venusaur, start with your Razor Leaf attack." Said the boy. Venusaur shot dark green leaves from its back.

"Quick, Fearow, dodge it with your Agility!" Amanda cried. Fearow moved swiftly to avoid each of the leaves that were sent towards it.

"Look, Michelle, Fearow's finally listening to Amanda." Mark observed.

"What a relief." Said Michelle.

"Venusaur, try a Vine Whip!" the boy ordered. Venusaur shot dark green vines out, which Fearow tried to avoid, but it flew into one by mistake and got hit.

"Fearow!" Amanda cried. "Are you all right?" Fearow nodded and stared down at Venusaur.

"Give it all you've got, Fearow!" Amanda ordered. "Use your Whirlwind!" Fearow flapped up a shot of wind and whirled it around at the grass type, knocking it back slightly.

"Great! Now, try your Wing Attack!" Amanda ordered. Fearow spread its' wings out and gave Venusaur a powerful blow. It wasn't quite enough to knock it out, though.

"Tackle it!" they boy instructed Venusaur. Venusaur ran head first and gave Fearow a football player sized tackle, sending the flying type to the ground. Fearow breathed heavily a bit before getting back up.

"That's how you do it!" cried Amanda. "Peck attack!" Fearow stuck out its beak and hit Venusaur in the head with it. While the pecks did some damage, Venusaur was still very strong.

"Body Slam it!" the boy called out. Venusaur ran and started to jump onto Fearow to slam it down, but the flying type was just as strong and quickly dodged it as per Amanda's instructions.

"All right, time for Double Team!" she yelled. Fearow made copies of himself to try and throw Venusaur off.

"Venusaur, use Vine Whip on each of them until you see the real one." The boy ordered. Venusaur used its vines repeatedly and eliminated each copy one by one until only the actual Fearow remained. Before Fearow could fly up, the vines hit Fearow's wings with a bit of force.

"That's not good." Said Michelle. "If Fearow takes any more high damage like that, it'll lose."

"Amanda better have something up her sleeve if she wants to win this match." Said Mark.

"What could I possibly do to stop Venusaur?" Amanda asked herself. "Wait, I've got it. Fearow, use your Agility to fly circles above Venusaur." Fearow flew fast and furious above the grass type, causing it to get confused and lose track of where it was.

"Oh no!" cried the boy.

"I think we have him now, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Hyper Beam attack!" Fearow opened its' beak and unleashed a powerful orange beam from his mouth, which resulted in Venusaur collapsing to the ground. He struggled to get back onto his feet, but ended up fainting.

"We did it, Fearow!" Amanda cried. "I'm so happy that you're finally listening to me!" The boy recalled Venusaur and walked over to Amanda.

"That was some awesome battling." He said. "Your Fearow's an awesome Pokemon."

"Your Venusaur did really well too." Said Amanda. The two of them shook hands and the boy went on his way. The trio then started to walk back towards Viridian City.

"It's such a relief to see Fearow actually doing what I ask of it for once." Said Amanda.

"I would certainly agree." Said Michelle. "And now, you can put all your focus on winning your final badge."

"That's right." Said Amanda. With Fearow's disobedience issue now firmly in the past, an exciting gym battle looms ahead for Amanda. Will she be able to win it? Find out in the next exciting episode!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Three

In the last episode, Amanda got engaged in a battle against a young trainer's Venusaur. Pikachu battled bravely, but was cut down to size, resulting in Fearow being summoned into action. Unfortunately, it blatantly refused to listen to Amanda's commands and to make things worse, it suffered damage to one of its wings thanks to a powerful Solar Beam. During Fearow's recovery process, Amanda had a bit of a chat with Fearow, and after yet another failed Team Rocket scheme, Amanda used her Fearow in a rematch with the same trainer from before. This time, Fearow obeyed every one of her instructions, allowing Amanda to win the match in dramatic fashion. And this is where today's story begins.

As our three young heroes made their way towards the gym, Amanda had a bright smile on her face.

"Now that Fearow's on my side again, getting my last badge should be a piece of cake." She said.

"I'd watch what I say about that if I were you." Said Michelle.

"What do you mean?" asked Amanda.

"What Michelle's saying is that we don't want you getting too full of yourself." Said Mark. "Trainers often fall victim to being too overconfident."

"You also don't know how many Pokemon that Gary is going to use." Said Michelle. Not too long ago, Gary had revealed himself to be the new leader of the Viridian gym.

"That's very true." Said Amanda.

"And, seeing how this is your last gym match, it's likely going to be the toughest one you've ever had." Said Michelle.

"Also a valid point." Said Amanda. When they reached the gym, she noticed that the building had a drastically different design.

"I don't remember the gym looking like this the last time I was here." Said Amanda. "I guess this was part of the rebuild they had to do after the original gym got blown up."

"Blown up?" Mark repeated.

"Oh, you weren't with me yet." Said Amanda. "When Pikachu and I first came here at the start of our journey, we witnessed Ash having a match, which he won. But then a big explosion happened and the old gym ended up being destroyed beyond repair, so they had to build this new one that we're standing in front of. I think it looks pretty cool." Before she could continue talking, the doors opened up and Gary came out to greet them.

"Hello there again, Amanda." He said. "I guess you're here to challenge me for an Earth Bage, right?"

"That's right." Said Amanda.

"I thought so." Said Gary. "Seeing as this is your final gym, I feel I should tell you that this is going to be the toughest challenge you've faced. In fact, I have a simple question for you. Have you ever had a full battle before?"

"I haven't." said Amanda. Now she was getting curious about what Gary was talking about. "What's a full battle?"

"A full battle is when both you and your opponent use six Pokemon." Said Michelle. Her answer caused Amanda to give out a loud gasp.

"Six Pokemon?!" she cried.

"If you think that's too intimidating for you to handle, then you should just quit." Said Gary. "Of course, if you do that, you won't get the Earth Badge. And without the Earth Badge, you won't be able to get into the Pokemon League. What do you say now?" Amanda didn't have to think twice.

"We're not quitting!" she replied. "I'm here for a badge, and I'm not leaving without one!"

"Well then, follow me." Said Gary. He led the trio to the battle area, which looked slightly different than it had when he had attempted to earn a badge from this same gym as a trainer the previous year.

"It definitely looks a little cleaner than before." Said Mark.

"That's because we got rid of every last trace of Team Rocket from here." Said Gary. "Now that I run the show, I decided to decorate the place how I wanted. Well, Amanda, are you ready to get started?"

"I'm more than ready!" Amanda cried excitedly. "How about you, Pikachu?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm ready too!'

"That Pikachu of yours is definitely enthusiastic." Said Gary. "Six Pokemon each with no time limits. I can't substitute, but you can. First one to make the other trainer's entire team faint is the winner. Any questions before we start?"

"Nope. I'm ready when you are." Said Amanda.

"In that case, let the battle begin." Said Gary.

"With this being a full battle, this could definitely take a long time." Said Mark.

"It'll really just depend on which one of them is the better skilled trainer." Said Michelle. On the battle floor, Gary grabbed his first Poke Ball.

"Eevee, I choose you!" he cried. The small fox Pokemon appeared on the floor in a blaze of light.

"Pikachu, you're up first, buddy!" cried Amanda. Pikachu jumped off Amanda's shoulder and ran into the arena.

"So Pikachu's up first." Said Gary. "Interesting choice there. All right, Eevee, start things off with your Quick Attack!"

"Pikachu, use your Quick Attack too!" cried Amanda. Pikachu and Eevee ran right at each other and exchanged attacks.

"A dead heat." Said Amanda.

"Eevee." Michelle's Eevee squealed, which meant 'I hope Amanda can win.'

"I hope so too, Eevee." Said Michelle.

"Remember, Gary said that this battle would be tough." Said Mark. "In my opinion, I think he's right. The way both his Eevee and Amanda's Pikachu practically tied on that first attack shows that Gary's trained his Eevee very well."

"Pikachu, try a Thunderbolt attack!" Amanda ordered. Huge sparks emerged from Pikachu's cheeks as he got ready to aim the attack.

"Pika-chu!" he yelled and launched the big bolt.

"Eevee, use your Agility!" Gary ordered. Eevee used its' speed to dodge each of the electric bolts that came towards it.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked in a shocked voice.

"I told you this would be a tough battle." Said Gary.

"We'll have to try a different attack, then." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, use your Swift!" Pikachu fired bright yellow stars at Eevee, which scored a hit but Eevee didn't suffer too much damage.

"Way to hang in there, Eevee." Said Gary. "You use your own Swift attack too!" Eevee shot rainbow stars at Pikachu, hitting the electric mouse on the cheeks.

"Chu!" Pikachu cried.

"Pikachu!" Amanda yelled. Fortunately, Pikachu was able to shake off the attack.

"There you go, buddy!" Amanda cried.

"If they keep exchanging attacks like that, there's no telling who'll win." Said Michelle.

"Not many trainers can get this far, but Amanda is certainly determined to win." Said Mark.

"Okay, Eevee, Skull Bash now!" Gary ordered. Eevee lowered its' head and ran right at Pikachu.

"Quick, dodge it!" Amanda cried. Pikachu jumped out of the way just in the nick of time and landed behind Eevee. The electric mouse gave a bit of a smirk.

"Mega Punch!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu gave Eevee a powerful punch square on its' back, causing Gary's Pokemon to cry in pain.

"Eevee!" he cried. Thankfully, Eevee got right back up after being knocked down and smiled.

"Excellent." Said Gary. "Now, use your Take Down attack!" Eevee ran at its fastest speed and sent Pikachu flying backwards. The electric mouse shook it off, though, and got back up.

Pikachu, use Thunder now!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed an extremely powerful thunder blast toward Eevee.

"Use your Reflect!" Gary ordered. A gold shield appeared around Eevee to deflect the Thunder attack.

"Your Pikachu's very good, but Eevee is just a small step ahead." Said Gary. "Double Team time, Eevee!" Eevee made a circle of clones, leaving Pikachu and Amanda stunned.

"Pikachu, the real Eevee is somewhere in there. Use your Thunderbolt on all of them!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu fired powerful electric bolts on all of the copies, making them disappear. The last bolt scored a direct hit on Eevee, which made it fall to the floor.

"Eevee, try to get up!" cried Gary. Eevee struggled to get to its' feet, and although it did manage to stand up, it collapsed back onto the floor immediately. The electric attack had knocked it out.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Amanda cried. "That gives us the early lead." Gary recalled his Eevee.

"That was a great battle to start." Said Gary. "We still have a long way to go, though. Electabuzz, I choose you!" He threw another Poke Ball and Electabuzz appeared in a blaze of light.

"Pikachu, are you good to keep going?" Amanda asked. Pikachu nodded and smiled.

"A battle between two electric types." Said Gary. "This should be a real treat. Okay Electabuzz, use your Thunderbolt!" Electabuzz got ready to aim its' attack.

"Pikachu, use your own Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed the powerful lightning bolt as the same time Electabuzz did, and both attacks were cancelled out.

"Pikachu, give it a Mega Kick!" Amanda cried. Pikachu ran up to Electabuzz and kicked it in the belly. Electabuzz only nudged backward slightly.

"Looks like we have another strong one on our hands." Said Amanda.

"Electabuzz, use Metronome!" Gary ordered. Amanda gasped.

"I didn't think Electabuzz could use that." Said Michelle.

"Anything can happen from this, so Amanda's going to need to be prepared for whatever attack comes out." Said Mark. Electabuzz kept waving its fingers and when it stopped, it opened its mouth and shot out a Flamethrower attack.

"Pikachu, duck for cover!" Amanda cried. Pikachu lowered his head and just barely avoided the attack.

"There you go." Said Amanda. "Now then, time for Thunder!" Pikachu started to get the attack ready, but then he stopped and fell over. It wasn't knocked out, but it was definitely tired.

"Looks like Pikachu's batteries just ran out." Said Gary. "Take Down!" Electabuzz ran right up to Pikachu and sent the electric mouse flying backwards, fainting it.

"Well, that makes things all even now." Said Gary. Pikachu had just enough strength to run back over to Amanda.

"You did a great job, buddy." she said. Without a second thought, she grabbed a Poke Ball off her waist and started throwing it.

"I choose you, Weepinbell!" she cried. The small plant Pokemon appeared in a blaze of light.

"I'm counting on you, Weepinbell." Said Amanda. "Razor Leaf attack!" Weepinbell shot out its vines and aimed them at Electabuzz, but the electric type lowered his head to dodge them.

"Electabuzz, use your Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered. "That should give Weepinbell a jolt." Electabuzz pulled its fist back and a yellow ball of energy emerged from his hand upon landing the punch. Not much damage was done, however.

"Okay, Weepinbell, I know his Electabuzz is pretty tough, but so are we." Said Amanda. "Use your Wrap attack." Weepinbell used its leaf shaped arms to squeeze Electabuzz and prevent it from moving. The tall electric type let out a screech, causing Gary to gasp. Amanda smiled, however.

"We have him now, Weepinbell." She said with confidence. Gary just wagged his finger at her.

"Never count your Pidgey before they can fly." He said. "Electabuzz, try to get yourself free from Weepinbell's grasp!" Electabuzz struggled to get out, but the grass type was holding on way too tight.

"This doesn't look good for Electabuzz." Said Michelle.

"Weepinbell, spray your Sleep Powder." Said Amanda. With Electabuzz unable to go anywhere, Weepinbell was able to sprinkle blue dust all over the electric type to send him to sleep.

"Oh no!" cried Gary.

"Now, finish it with Mega Drain!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot rows of green light all over the sleeping Electabuzz, sapping his remaining energy and knocking it out.

"Great work, Weepinbell!" Amanda cried. "That's two down and four more to go." Gary recalled his Electabuzz and grabbed another ball.

"You're definitely putting up a tough fight so far." Said Gary. "But this next Pokemon's one of the stronger ones in my arsenal. Arcanine, I choose you!" he threw the ball and the tall fire type appeared. Amanda now had a choice to make.

"I can't keep Weepinbell out against a fire type like Arcanine." She thought. "He'll gest roasted for sure." She grabbed Weepinbell's ball and held it out.

"Weepinbell, return!" she called. A bright beam of red energy absorbed the grass type back into the ball.

"I might need you later on for something else." Said Amanda. She quickly grabbed another ball and threw it towards the battle area.

"Blastoise, I choose you!" she cried. The tall, fully evolved water type Pokemon appeared and stood tall.

"I didn't know you had a Blastoise with you." Said Gary.

"Your grandfather gave it to me at the beginning of my journey when it was a Squirtle." Said Amanda. "Let's go, Blastoise! Use your Water Gun!" Blastoise shot lines of water from its cannons right at Arcanine. The tall fire dog tried to avoid them, but he still got soaked on the leg.

"Wow, that Pokemon's pretty strong." Said Gary. Arcanine shook the water off of his leg and stared Blastoise down.

"Fire Blast attack!" Gary ordered. Arcanine shot a large fire star straight at Blastoise.

"Quickly, into your shell!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise dipped into the shell right as the attack was about to hit, causing it to miss. He then popped his head back out and smiled.

"All right, time to give his Arcanine a surprise." Said Amanda. "Earthquake!" Blastoise stamped his feet, making the ground shake and the tremor did powerful damage to Arcanine, sending him to the floor.

"Arcanine!" Gary cried. "Come on, buddy, try to get up!" Arcanine was tough and quickly got back onto all four of his hind legs.

"Take Down attack!" Gary ordered. Arcanine charged right at Blastoise with his blazing speed.

"Counter attack!" Amanda cried. A shining light glimmered over Blastoise, resulting in Arcanine's attack being reflected and sent back at him. Gary was left in complete shock.

"I certainly didn't expect that." He said. "We're not out yet, though. Use your Leer attack!" Arcanine's eyes glowed red, and the light ran down Blastoise's body. The tall water type cried out a bit, and now Amanda was the one that was shocked.

"Looks like he lowered your defense a little bit." She said. "It's okay, though, because I know you can do it. Bubble Beam attack!" Blastoise opened his mouth and shot large bubbles at Arcanine, drenching him and making him howl.

"Oh no!" Gary yelled. Arcanine showed his toughness by shaking off the water and giving his opponent a glaring look. That gave Gary an idea.

"She surprised us, so now it's time to surprise her back." He said. "Dragon Rage attack!" A bright blue fireball appeared from Arcanine's open mouth and was sent in Blastoise's direction. Amanda, however, was ready for the potential blow.

"Use Withdraw!" she ordered. Blastoise quickly dipped into his shell again just before the attack was going to hit, resulting in the fireball going right past him. He then popped out of the shell again.

"Water Gun once more!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise began shooting more water from the cannons.

"Use your Agility now!" Gary ordered. Arcanine used his speed to dodge all of the water lines coming toward him. This made Blastoise a bit frustrated.

"Keep firing your water!" Amanda called out. Blastoise obeyed, but Arcanine was still being fast and avoided the move again.

"This isn't over yet!" Gary called out. "Hyper Beam attack!" Arcanine got ready to fire a powerful yellow beam at the tall water type.

"Blastoise, you use your Hyper Beam too!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise prepared to fire the same yellow beam himself. Both Pokemon launched the attack at the same time, and the beams collided with each other to create a huge yellow circle.

"I can't see what's happening." Said Mark. "Which of them do you think won?"

"I don't know." Said Michelle. "It's hard to tell with the entire field covered." Both Gary and Amanda found it hard to see as well, so they had to wait for the smoke to clear. Once it finally did, they found both Pokemon breathing heavily.

"I think one of them is about to collapse." Said Michelle. Unfortunately for them, it was Blastoise that fell first.

"And just like that, we're back to even footing." Said Gary. Amanda grabbed Blastoise's ball and recalled the water type starter.

"You put up a great fight, Blastoise." She said.

"Well, the good news for Amanda is that Arcanine is tired out himself." Said Mark.

"And because of that Hyper Beam, Arcanine can't move on the next turn." Said Michelle. "With both of those factors in play, the next Pokemon Amanda sends out will likely finish off Arcanine." Amanda quickly reached for another Poke Ball and threw it.

"Kadabra, I choose you!" she cried. The powerful psychic type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Kadabra, you basically have a free shot here with Arcanine being tired." Said Amanda. "Use your Psybeam." Kadabra shot a pink beam from the star on its head and fired it at the helpless fire type. With Arcanine immobilized due to the previous attack it had used, Kadabra's attack scored an easy hit, officially making Arcanine faint.

"Good work." Said Amanda. Gary recalled Arcanine and walked over to Amanda.

"You've definitely made a good impression on this battle so far." He said. "But now, it's time for a little breather."

"I wonder what that could mean." Said Mark.

"In a full battle, whenever one of the trainers loses half of their team, both of them take a time out." Said Gary. "That means the first half of our match is over. We'll continue in a little while." Amanda recalled Kadabra and went to join her friends temporarily.

"This has been a great battle so far." Said Michelle. "You and Gary are practically even on skill."

"In terms of experience, though, he has the advantage in that category." Said Amanda. "Remember, he started his journey a whole year before I did."

"That's very true." Said Mark.

"What surprises me, though, is that Team Rocket hasn't tried to interfere with the battle." Said Michelle.

"Yeah, I wonder where those two are." Said Amanda. Conrad and Sally were out in the streets of the city looking for treasure thanks to the new metal detector that Conrad had purchased.

"Are you sure that new device of yours will help us get rich?" Sally asked.

"The way I see it, if we can't get Pikachu and Eevee away from those kids, we can at least try something else for a change." Said Conrad. He scanned the ground with the device, but nothing happened.

"You're supposed to make noise when you're near something!" Conrad cried.

"It's not going to detect anything on the road." Said Sally. "The ground is way too hard for that." They moved over to a grassy area and the metal detector started beeping like crazy.

"We have something!" Conrad cried excitedly. He bent down to pick up the object, but he wasn't too impressed.

"What is it?" Sally asked.

"A lousy quarter." Conrad answered. Sally just facepalmed.

"A quarter's not going to make us get rich!" Sally screamed. "Try again." Before Conrad could do that, however, a nearby video phone started ringing.

"I wonder what that's about." Said Sally. They ran into the booth and picked up the call. A man with dark grey hair appeared on the screen with a stern look on his face.

"Greetings, sir." Said Sally. "Listen, I know we don't have our hands on that Pikachu and Eevee you want so badly, but I promise that we'll have them to you soon."

"That's not what I'm calling about, you idiots!" the man thundered. "I have a special assignment for you. I'm sending both of you to Yellow Island."

"What for?" asked Conrad.

"Those three kids you've been after will likely be heading there after one of them has obtained her final badge." The man answered. "The father of one of those kids is there and they will likely be attempting a rescue mission. You two must keep a careful eye on him and make sure that the three of them don't succeed. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" both Conrad and Sally cried.

"Do not fail me or else!" the man boomed and hung up the phone.

"Well, looks like we'll have to grab the balloon and head to that island right away." Said Sally. "Come on, let's get ready." The two of them made their way back to the Team Rocket headquarters. Back inside the gym, Gary and Amanda had finished their break and were now ready to resume the match.

"Wait until you see the flying power on this next one." Said Gary. "I choose you, Pidgeot!" He threw the ball and the fully evolved flyer appeared in a blaze of light.

"Pikachu would've been perfect for this." Said Amanda. She grabbed another Poke Ball and threw it towards the ground.

"Fearow, I choose you!" she cried. Her powerful bird Pokemon appeared in a blaze of light and looked at Pidgeot intensely.

"First we had a battle between two electric types, now we have one between two flying types." Said Gary. "This should be a lot of fun."

"Do you think Amanda's Fearow can beat Gary's Pidgeot?" Mark asked.

"It's possible, but it won't be easy." Said Michelle. "Both Pokemon are at a pretty high level, so it's likely going to come down to which one of them is trained better."

"Pidgeot, use your Wing Attack!" Gary ordered. Pidgeot spread its wings out and flew toward Fearow.

"You use your own Wing Attack too, Fearow!" Amanda called. Both flying types sped toward each other with their wings open and hit each other for the same amount of damage.

"Another tie." Said Michelle.

"Use your Drill Peck move, Fearow!" Amanda ordered. Fearow's beak started revving up like an actual drill and he charged at Pidgeot once more.

"Agility now, Pidgeot!" Gary ordered. Pidgeot increased his speed and avoided all of Fearow's attempts to attack.

"Great job. Now, go for Take Dwon." Gary instructed. Pidgeot flew towards Fearow to get ready to strike.

"Fearow, use your own Take Down." Said Amanda. Fearow made a beeline towards Pidgeot, and they both hit each other again. Both of them ended up suffering a bit of extra damage, which caused Amanda to get a bit confused.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Recoil damage." Michelle pointed out. "It's one of the side effects of a take Down attack."

"Time to use Fly, Pidgeot." Said Gary.

"You use Fly too, Fearow." Ordered Amanda. Both Fearow and Pidgeot flew up high almost to the ceiling of the gym.

"Sky Attack!" both Gary and Amanda ordered. The two birds both glowed to charge up their bodies and then flew at each other to try and land the powerful strike.

"I can't look." Said Michelle, and she quickly turned away. The two flying types both hit each other again and took significant damage as a result.

"Pidgeot!" cried Gary.

"Fearow!" cried Amanda. Luckily for them, both flying types were okay and had enough strength to continue battling. Michelle turned back and let out a sigh of relief.

"Go for the Gust, Pidgeot!" cried Gary. Pidgeot flapped his wings to start forming a gust of wind.

"Fearow, counter it with Mirror Move!" Amanda ordered. Fearow repeated what Pidgeot was doing and both of the wind gusts cancelled each other out upon being hit.

"This is definitely a good battle." Said Mark. At the commands of both trainers, both Pidgeot and Fearow repeated the same attacks several more times until it got to the point where they were both very tired and collapsed onto the ground.

"Which of them do you think's going to land the final blow?" Mark asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if they even can." Said Michelle. "They both look dead tired to me. Both of them could fall over at any moment." Michelle was right as both flying types were breathing heavily.

"Don't give up, Pidgeot!" cried Gary.

"You can do it, Fearow!" cried Amanda. A few more heavy breaths later, both Fearow and Pidgeot fell to the floor and fainted.

"All of that and it ends in a draw." Said Amanda.

"The plus side of that draw is that it showed how strong both of our flying Pokemon are." Said Gary, and he recalled Pidgeot. Amanda recalled Fearow and both of them grabbed another ball.

"I only have two left, so I really need to think now." Said Gary. He double clutched the Poke Ball he was holding and then threw it.

"Nidoking, I choose you!" he cried. A large, bipedal, purple mammalian Pokémon with narrow eyes, large, spiny ears, fur-like tufts on its cheeks, and a short snout filled with pointed teeth appeared on the field. A long, venomous horn was attached to its head.

"What's that?" Amanda wondered. She quickly flipped out her Pokedex to get the answer to that question.

"Nidoking, the drill Pokemon. The large tail of this Pokemon can topple a metal transmission tower. It can also use its tail to smash, constrict, or break the bones of its prey and enemies."

"That thing looks quite powerful." Said Amanda. She threw her ball and hoped for the best.

"Kadabra, I choose you!" she cried. The psychic type re-emerged onto the field.

"I'm counting on you, Kadabra." Said Amanda. "If you win this round, then we'll have three chances to take out his last one."

"Nidoking, use your Horn Attack!" ordered Gary. Nidoking charged toward Kadabra with his horn sticking out.

"Teleport yourself, and fast!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra quickly changed his location and found himself in the spectator area.

"Um, I don't think you're quite supposed to be over here." Said Michelle.

"Kadabra, get out of there and teleport back onto the field." Ordered Amanda. Kadabra quickly re-appeared on the field behind Nidoking.

"Use your Confusion attack!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra's eyes and body glowed a bright blue, and the power of the attack lifted Nidoking off the ground and flung him into the wall.

"Woah, that's a powerful Confusion attack." Mark observed.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Kadabra's a strong Pokemon, isn't he?'

"He sure is, Eevee." Said Michelle.

"Nidoking!" cried Gary. Thankfully, Nidoking was just as tough and got back up.

"There we go. Now use your Poison Sting attack!" Gary ordered. Nidoking got ready for the move, but then he started thrashing around the gym and crashed into things.

"What's going on, Nidoking? What are you doing?" Gary asked. Amanda was smiling.

"It looks like Kadabra's Confusion attack left Nidoking confused." Said Michelle.

"That would explain why Nidoking was running around recklessly just now." Said Mark.

"Nidoking, try to shake it off!" Gary instructed. Nidoking looked at his trainer and gave him a thumbs up.

"Seismic Toss!" Gary cried. Nidoking grabbed a hold of Kadabra with one hand, spun him around a few times and flung him toward a back wall, making Kadabra cry out in pain.

"Yes!" Gary cried. However, Amanda didn't look too concerned at all.

"I think Gary may have gotten a bit too cocky just now." Said Michelle.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'I agree.'

"Recover." Amanda said calmly. In the blink of an eye, all of the damage Kadabra had suffered from Nidoking's attack disappeared, leaving Gary stunned.

"How?" he wondered.

"A good trainer never reveals their secrets." Said Amanda. Gary was agitated now.

"We'll show her!" he cried. "Nidoking, get ready for Tackle attack!" Nidoking charged towards Kadabra and got ready to give it a football sized tackle. Of course, Nidoking wasn't exactly the fastest Pokemon in the world, so it couldn't run as fast as Gary would've liked.

"Disable." Amanda instructed. Kadabra glowed brightly again, stopping Nidoking in place. It tried to move, but he couldn't. The Disable had frozen it solid.

"Great job. Now, go for Psybeam!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra shot a pink beam from its forehead, and with Nidoking unable to move, it took the powerful attack hard, causing it to fall over and faint.

"You did it, Kadabra!" Amanda cried. "I knew you'd come in handy here!" Gary recalled his Nidoking and grabbed one final Poke Ball.

"I have to commend you for getting this far, Amanda." He said. "Now I only have one Pokemon left to use, but I think it's one you should be familiar with. Like you, I also received this Pokemon from my grandfather."

"What does Gary mean by that statement?" Mark asked.

"You're about to find out." Said Michelle. Gary threw the ball and yelled out "I choose you, Blastoise!" The fully evolved water type appeared in a blaze of white light.

"Ah, so you have a Blastoise too." Said Amanda. "Kadabra, you can keep going, right?" Kadabra gave Amanda a thumbs up and stared down Blastoise.

"Blastoise, use your Hydro Pump now!" Gary ordered. Blastoise fired up his cannons and shot powerful blasts of water at Kadabra.

"Use your Reflect attack now!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra put up a gold shield around him and sent the Hydro Pump right back at Blastoise. The tall water turtle cried out a bit, but the water didn't doo too much damage to him.

"All right, Blastoise, use Bite!" Gary ordered. Blastoise opened its mouth and bit Kadabra on the arm.

"Kadabra!" the psychic type cried. The bite had done a fair amount of damage.

"Oh no! Kadabra looks like it's in trouble!" Michelle cried.

"Are you all right, Kadabra?" Amanda asked. Kadabra nodded, but then started to wince a little bit.

"That Bite attack left quite a mark here." Said Amanda. "I know how we can fix that up, though. Use Recover." Kadabra focused hard, and sure enough, his arm instantly looked good as new. It was as if the attack had never happened at all.

"Great job. Now, use your Psychic attack!" Amanda cried. Kadabra shot blue psychic marks right at Blastoise, but because he was so heavy, he couldn't lift the water type off the floor.

"That Kadabra's good, but wait until she gets a load of this." Said Gary. "Blastoise, use Dig and burrow yourself underground!" Blastoise nodded and disappeared under the floor.

"I didn't expect Gary to use that." Said Mark.

"Gym leaders do like to pull out surprises sometimes." Said Michelle. "Amanda better stay on her toes because Blastoise could appear from anywhere."

"Kadabra, focus on where you think Blastoise might re-emerge from." Said Amanda. Kadabra closed its eyes and looked around. He then heard a rumble, which meant Blastoise was close.

"He's about to come up, Kadabra!" cried Amanda. "Try to teleport yourself out of the way!" Before Kadabra could do so, Blastoise's head popped out and sent the psychic type upwards. Kadabra then went flying up to the ceiling before falling back down onto the floor. Kadabra hadn't fainted yet, but the Dig attack had done a lot of damage.

"Go for Skull Bash!" Gary ordered. Blastoise lowered his head and plowed right into Kadabra, officially knocking out the psychic type. Amanda pulled out a Poke Ball and recalled him.

"You did a great job, Kadabra." She said.

"Well, the good news is that she's still ahead." Said Mark.

"That's good, but she only has two Pokemon left. She'll need to really be careful with her strategy now." Said Michelle. Amanda grabbed another ball and threw it.

"Weepinbell, I choose you!" she cried. The grass type re-emerged onto the field.

"Weepinbell's back." Said Mark.

"That's a good move on Amanda's part." Said Michelle.

"Weepinbell, use your Razor Leaf attack!" Amanda cried. Weepinbell fired his leaves at Blastoise, but the water type's big body only absorbed the leaves, rendering the attack useless. Amanda gasped, but Gary smiled.

"You and I may both have a Blastoise, but it's clear that mine's a bit stronger than the one you have." Said Gary. "Double Team, now!" Blastoise made illusions of himself in an attempt to confuse Weepinbell.

"You can do this, buddy." Said Amanda. "Use your Vine Whip!" Weepinbell shot its vines out and fired them at each of the Blastoise copies. Once he found the real one, he wrapped the vines around the water type's neck.

"Blastoise!" the water type cried angrily.

"Looks like this one might be over." Said Mark.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, Mark." Said Michelle. "Gary did say his Blastoise was strong."

"I kind of forgot about that." Said Mark.

"Blastoise, try to shake yourself free from those vines!" Gary ordered. Blastoise turned his head several times but couldn't break out. The water type was frustrated now, but he didn't want to give up. He turned faster and faster until he finally managed to break the vines apart.

"Very good. Now, time for Ice Beam!" Gary ordered. Blastoise opened it's mouth a shot a frozen beam of snow right at Weepinbell. It tried to jump away, but the small little grass type still got hit by the attack. Although it didn't faint, it was now feeling cold from the damage that Ice Beam had done.

"Are you all right, Weepinbell?" Amanda asked. Weepinbell nodded, but then it started to sneeze. Amanda quickly pulled out Weepinbell's ball and recalled the grass type.

"You did your best, but I think you need to take it easy for now." She said.

"Poor Weepinbell." Said Mark.

"Now she only has one Pokemon left." Said Michelle. Amanda grabbed the only Poke Ball she hadn't used yet and threw it.

"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The tall fire type appeared on the field ready for action.

"Gee, this looks familiar." Said Michelle.

"Except now it's in reverse." Said Mark.

"Arcanine, use Take Down now!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine charged right at Gary's Blastoise and delivered a powerful blow, sending the water type back a bit, but it was still standing.

"Blastoise, use Water Gun now!" Gary ordered. Blastoise fired blasts of water lines right at the fire type.

"Use your Agility!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine took advantage of its' speed to dodge each of the water blasts that got thrown at it. Blastoise increased its firing speed, but Arcanine countered by increasing its own speed, allowing it to continue dodging.

"It's no good, Blastoise. Stop firing water." Said Gary. Blastoise obeyed, and Arcanine stopped running.

"Fire Spin!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a circle of fire around Blastoise, leaving the water type with no place to go.

"There's the big brain play." Said Mark.

"Arcanine just might have a chance despite being at a disadvantage over water type Pokemon." Said Michelle.

"Eevee!" Eevee cried, which meant 'Go Arcanine!'

"Blastoise blast!" the water type yelled. It tried to find somewhere to run, but it kept finding walls of fire around him, making escape impossible.

"Flamethrower time!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a huge line of fire at the water type, leaving it severely burned. Blastoise collapsed onto the floor.

"Blastoise, please get up!" Gary cried. Blastoise tried to get onto his feet, but the force of the Flamethrower was too much and he fainted.

"Blastoise, no!" Gary cried.

"You did it, Arcanine!" Amanda cried. She excitedly bounced up to her trusty fire type and gave him a big hug.

"I knew I could count on you! You really know how to come through in a pinch, and we won the match because of that!" Amanda cried. Arcanine gave her a playful lick, making her giggle.

"All right! She won the match!" Michelle cried.

"Eevee!" Eevee cried, which meant 'Way to go, Amanda!' Michelle, Mark and Eevee joined Amanda in the battle area.

"That was a great match." Said Michelle.

"You and Gary are both very good trainers." Said Mark.

"Your friends are right." Said Gary. "I'll let you know something right now. You were actually my very first challenger here in the revamped Viridian Gym. You kept me on edge and it ended coming down to both of us being down to just one Pokemon left. Your battle skills are impeccable, Amanda, and I have a feeling that you'll go far in the Pokemon League. I hereby award you the Earth Badge to show that you've beaten me." He handed the badge over, and Amanda held it up proudly.

"Thanks a lot, Gary." She said. "Yes, I got my Earth Badge!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Well done, Amanda!' The three friends left the gym, and as they walked down the path back towards Pallet Town, Amanda was still holding onto her badge.

"With this very important badge, I can finally enter the Pokemon League." She said proudly.

"We're both very happy for you, Amanda." Said Mark.

"I can't wait to tell Professor Oak about it!" Amanda cried and she started running ahead.

"Hey, wait for us!" Michelle cried, and she and Mark chased after her. With all eight badges secure, Amanda now qualifies for Pokemon League competition. Those battles are sure to be tougher than her gym battles were, and I bet you can't wait to see how she does.

Meanwhile…..

"All right, Greenwood, where is she?" asked a Team Rocket grunt in a firm and furious tone.

"Where's who?" he asked.

"You know very well who!" the other grunt yelled. "And you're going to tell us, or else!"

"I don't have to tell you anything." Mr. Greenwood said firmly.

"You know, maybe we shouldn't force him to give information out if he's not comfortable doing that." Said the first grunt. They both walked away and left Mr. Greenwood alone in his cell. Now he really wished that Michelle would find a way to save him.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Four

Last time, Amanda had a fierce battle inside the remade Viridian City gym, where she attempted to win an Earth badge. In order to win it, she had to get by Gary Oak, the newly appointed leader of the gym. The battle began with Amanda's Pikachu going up against Gary's Eevee, and after an intense opening round, Pikachu emerged as the winner. The match eventually came down to Gary and his Blastoise facing Amanda's Arcanine. Even though Arcanine had a type disadvantage, it found a way to take down Blastoise and win the match for Amanda, securing the final badge necessary in order for her to qualify for the Pokemon League tournament. With all eight badges in hand, Amanda and her friends then started to rush off to Pallet to inform Professor Oak of the news.

As we start things off today, we find Michelle's father locked up in a cell and looking disappointed.

"I just want to be able to see Michelle, even is he has to come here to do it." He said. "That's not too much to ask, is it? IS IT?!" As he was the only one in the cell, however, he was talking to nothing but thin air. His yelling had gotten the attention of the two Team Rocket grunts that had been assigned to guard him.

"Pipe down in there!" One of them yelled. Mr. Greenwood turned to face them.

"You just have to let me out of here and see my daughter, even if only for a little while." He begged.

"Not a chance." Said the female grunt. "And, if you don't stop with your whining, we'll make sure you never see her alive again. Is that what you want?" Mr. greenwood nervously shook his head.

"Then I suggest you keep your big Meowth shut and stay in your cell." Said the male grunt. They both walked away with firm looks on their faces.

"Oh, Michelle, I need you more than ever right now." He said. Meanwhile, Amanda and her friends had stopped to take a bit of a rest. Part of the reason was because they had been walking for a while, but another part of it was so Amanda could polish up her badges.

"A good trainer always has to make sure that their gym badges are kept nice and clean." She said. "Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" her partner cried, which meant 'You said it.'

"Just why are we going back to Pallet Town, anyway?" Mark asked. "I would've thought we would be off to the Pokemon League."

"The problem is that we don't know where it is." Said Michelle.

"I bet the professor does." Said Amanda. "We can always ask him when we get back to the lab."

"Good idea, Amanda." Said Michelle. "If anyone knows about that kind of thing, Professor Oak would."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Mark cried. Pikachu, Eevee and Elekid also gave delightful cries of their own and they resumed their trek. About an hour later, they had almost reached the entrance to Pallet Town when they saw a draconic, bipedal reptilian Pokémon with light orange skin flying out of the sky speeding towards the group.

"What is that thing and why is it flying so fast?" Michelle wondered.

"Beats me." Said Mark.

"Everybody, duck for cover!" Amanda cried. The three of them lowered their heads and the Pokemon flapped its wings furiously as it prepared to complete its descent. Once it had landed on the ground, Amanda and her friends raised their heads again and looked at the tall creature.

"Who's that Pokemon?" Michelle asked. Amanda quickly took her Pokedex out.

"Dragonite, the dragon Pokemon. Dragonite is capable of flying faster than the speed of sound, being able to circle the globe in sixteen hours."

"I don't think my Fearow or Pidgeotto are capable of flying that fast." Said Amanda. Dragonite reached into his pouch and pulled out a small hologram. He looked toward Michelle and handed the hologram to her.

"For me?" Michelle wondered with curiosity. Dragonite nodded and motioned for her to open it.

"I kind of wonder what this could be about." Said Amanda.

"I'm wondering the same thing." Said Mark. Michelle was about to open it, but held back, causing Dragonite to be confused.

"I don't understand. Why aren't you opening that up?" Amanda asked.

"For all I know, this could be something bad." Said Michelle.

"You won't know unless you actually find out." Said Mark.

"You two are right." Said Michelle and she opened the hologram up.

"Hello there, twerpette." The hologram started. "You're probably wondering about the whereabouts of that father of yours. Rest assured, he's perfectly safe with us. We won't lose him like you did." The look on Michelle's face changed from worry to anger.

"I don't think I like that look." Said Amanda.

"Pika pi." Pikachu said, which meant 'Me neither.'

"If you want to find your father, then you'll have to come to our base on Yellow Island." The hologram continued. "Of course, we won't tell you exactly where in the base he is. You'll have to figure that out for yourself. Toodles." The hologram ended, and Michelle quickly closed it up.

"Is there a rewind button for that?" Mark asked. Michelle was beyond angry now.

"I can't believe Team Rocket would stoop so low as to kidnap my father!" she screamed. "I swear, if they lay a single hand on him…"

"Now, Michelle, just calm down." Said Amanda.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Yeah, Amanda's right.'

"I'm trying to, Eevee." Michelle said gently to her partner. She then turned back to face Mark and Amanda and resumed her anger. "How can I be calm?! This is a very serious situation here! I have to find him, and you two are coming with me!"

"Okay, but I think Professor Oak should know about this." Said Amanda.

"Amanda has a point." Said Mark. Dragonite flew back up into the sky and took off as fast as a jet engine. The trio ran as fast as they could towards Professor Oak's lab.

"Does the professor even know about her dad?" Amanda asked Mark.

"If he doesn't, he'll know now after Michelle explains the situation to him." Said Mark. Inside the lab, Ash, Misty and Brock had given Professor Oak a brand new type of Poke Ball known as a GS Ball. It had a gold and silver coloring on the top and bottom half of the ball respectively, and the initials G.S. were inscribed in the center. Ash had been asked to collect the ball for the professor during his travels in the Orange Islands.

"I thought I would've known something about this, but I just can't crack the mystery." Said Oak.

"Well, if you can't solve it, then who could?" Misty wondered.

"My friend Kurt in the Johto region's Azalea Town would know more about this than I would." Said the professor. He was about to go into more detail when he heard his doorbell ring.

"Looks like I have more guests." He said, and he went to answer the door. When he opened it, he was greeted by Amanda, Mark and Michelle.

"Hi, professor!" Amanda cried excitedly. "I have all eight gym badges now."

"That's wonderful, Amanda." Said Oak.

"However, what I received isn't so wonderful." Said Michelle. She held up the hologram she had received in front of the professor.

"Where did this come from?" Oak asked.

"A Dragonite came up to us and gave it to her." Mark answered.

"I see." Said Oak. "I think the other visitors I have right now should hear about this." He led the group over to where Ash, Misty and Brock were.

"Hey, Amanda, it's good to see you again." Said Ash. "How has your gym challenge been going?"

"I just beat Gary to get the last badge I need in order to qualify for the Pokemon League." Amanda answered. Ash was a little jealous, but he was happy for her.

"Congratulations." He said. "Beating the Viridian gym isn't an easy task." The professor cleared his throat.

"All right, everyone, I think you all ought to hear the video message that Michelle received on this hologram earlier." He said. He opened it up and the video that the trio had heard on it earlier started playing again. But this time, Ash, Misty and Brock were able to hear it too. When the video concluded, they were just as shocked as Michelle was.

"So, Team Rocket's been behind your father's disappearance this whole time." Said Brock to Michelle.

"I thought Team Rocket only kidnapped Pokemon, not people." Said Ash.

"For the most part, yes, but sometimes they can capture humans as well." Said Professor Oak. "Now, this is an important mission that the six of you are about to embark on. It won't be an easy mission, however, since there will likely be plenty of Team Rocket members guarding the place. If you're successful, though, then Michelle will have her father back once everything is all said and done. Now, do any of you have a baby Pokemon on hand?"

"I have my Elekid." Said Amanda.

"And I've got Togepi." Said Misty. Both trainers allowed their respective babies to play with each other inside the lab as long as they didn't touch anything.

"I would suggest that both of the babies stay behind." Said Oak. "This mission is way too dangerous for them, and with both Elekid and Togepi still being very young, both of them could easily be captured or even worse."

"But Professor, if we leave them here, who's going to watch them?" Amanda asked.

"I will." Said the professor. "I still have my own work to do, but I don't mind a little babysitting. Plus, this'll give Elekid and Togepi a chance to get to know each other."

"He's right, you know." Said Brock.

"All right, Togepi, you be good for Professor Oak while my friends and I tackle a rescue operation." Said Misty. Togepi happily chirped its name, which meant 'I will.'

"That goes for you too, Elekid." Said Amanda. Elekid nodded his head.

"Now, in order to get to this location the hologram mentioned, it would be easier if you both used a flying Pokemon." Said Oak.

"I have my Fearow." Said Amanda.

"And I have Charizard." Said Ash.

"Excellent." Said the professor. "However, six of you would be too much weight for either of those Pokemon to handle at once. You'll have to split up into two groups of three. One group will use Fearow, and the other group will use Charizard."

"My group will fly on Fearow." Said Amanda.

"Brock, Misty and I will go on Charizard." Said Ash.

"Well then, I wish all of you the very best of luck on this mission." Said Professor Oak.

"Thanks, Professor." Said Amanda. Elekid ran up to its trainer and nudged her leg.

"Elekid." He said, which meant 'I wish I was coming with you.'

"I know, but you heard what the Professor said. It's way too dangerous for you." Amanda said gently. "We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Elekid nodded and ran back to Togepi. Amanda, Michelle, Mark, Ash, Misty and Brock all left the lab together.

"All right, guys, full speed ahead to Yellow Island!" Ash cried excitedly.

"Hold on a second, Ash." Said Misty.

"As much as I love the enthusiasm level in your voice, we don't even know where that place is." Said Michelle. Brock quickly flipped open his guidebook.

"According to this, Yellow Island is west of where Cinnabar is." He said. "Since we're starting from here, all we have to do is fly directly south and then make a right turn."

"That shouldn't be too tough, right, Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Team Rocket won't know what hit them!'

"What are we waiting for, guys? Let's get a move on." Said Misty. She then looked specifically at Ash and Amanda.

"Both of you call your Pokémon out so we can get going." She said.

"Right." Said Ash and Amanda at the same time. Both of them grabbed their Poke Balls and started to throw them.

"Fearow!" Amanda cried.

"Charizard!" Ash cried.

"I choose you!" they both cried at once. Both of the powerful flying types appeared in an instant flash of light. Fearow gave a loud screech, while Charizard gave his trademark roar.

"Your Charizard looks quite strong there, Ash." Said Amanda.

"Thanks, although there were a few bumps in the road." Said Ash.

"Correction, Ash, you've had quite a few issues with Charizard." Misty pointed out. "You lost to Ritchie at the Pokémon League because your Charizard refused to battle his Pikachu, remember?"

"That was a while ago." Said Ash. "Charizard's much more controllable now."

"You know, Ash, your Charizard isn't the only Pokemon that's had some obedience problems." Said Michelle.

"What do you mean, Michelle?" asked Ash.

"Amanda had the same issues herself with Fearow for a while." Michelle answered.

"But now, Fearow and I are real pals." Said Amanda.

"That's good." Said Ash. Brock then broke up the conversation by clearing his throat.

"Pardon my interruption, but we really need to get a move on to Yellow Island." He Said. Amanda, Michelle and Mark mounted themselves on top of Fearow while Ash, Misty and Brock carefully got onto Charizard.

"Okay, Fearow, we have no time to waste. I need you fly high into the air and chart a course for Yellow Island." Said Amanda.

"That goes double for you, Charizard." Ash instructed. "We have to get to that island pronto." Both Fearow and Charizard acknowledged their trainers and nodded. They then took to the sky and set off towards their destination.

"So, Ash, how did your trek through the Orange Islands go?" Amanda asked.

"It went quite well." Ash answered. "I had a tough battle with Drake at the end, but Pikachu and I came through in the clutch, didn't we, buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'We sure did!'

"Just who exactly is this Drake person?" Michelle wondered.

"He's the gym leader on Pummelo Island." Misty answered. "He was also the Orange League champion until Ash beat him."

"It came down to my Pikachu against Drake's Dragonite, and Pikachu ended up winning." Said Ash.

"Your Pikachu must be pretty strong if it was able to beat a powerful Pokemon like Dragonite." Said Mark.

"My Pikachu and I have been through a lot together, but it's won a lot of tough battles and I'm very proud of him." Said Ash.

"It seems like you definitely have something in common with Amanda, then." Said Michelle. "She's been through a lot of tough battles with her own Pikachu too."

"And just like yours, my Pikachu has gotten the job done a lot of the time too." Said Amanda. As Charizard and Fearow continued to fly high in the air, a Gyrados sub was swimming through the water. Occupying the submarine were Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Looks like the twerps aren't the only ones heading to Yellow Island." Said Jessie. "Full speed ahead, team!"

"But, Jessie, we've been pedaling all day trying to get to this place." James complained.

"And my paws could use some pausing." Said Meowth.

"Quit whining, both of you." Jessie said firmly. "We're supposed to prevent those kids from carrying out their mission, but if we can get Pikachu for the boss on top of that, it's an added bonus."

"All I want right now is a rest." Said James.

"Meowth too." Meowth added.

"Keep pedaling." Jessie ordered. "We'll take a rest once we get there." James and Meowth sighed, but did as they were told. Up in the air, Amanda and Ash were continuing their conversation.

"What kind of adventures have you had on your journey, Amanda?" Ash asked.

"I've certainly had some interesting ones." Amanda answered. "We've done Pokemon races a swell as other kinds of cool things. Of course, we've also had our fair share of run-ins with Team Rocket."

"Ah, so you've also encountered Jessie, James and Meowth." Said brock.

"No, not those clowns." Said Mark.

"Our run-ins have been with Conrad and Sally." Said Michelle.

"Who are they?" Ash wondered.

"They're also part of Team Rocket, and they've been after us for quite some time now." Said Amanda. "They've been trying to steal my Pikachu and Michelle's Eevee, but we make sure they come away empty handed every time."

"I guess I'm not the only one that's had problems with Team Rocket." Said Ash. Both groups continued onward via air to get to where they were headed. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally were already on the island and were keeping an eye on several television monitors in a control room.

"Once those kids get here, it'll be curtains for them and their Pokemon." Said Sally.

"How are they going to carry out their rescue plan if we ambush them?" asked Conrad.

"The simple answer is that they won't." said Sally. "They'll both end up prisoners like our little guest over there on the top monitor." The screen in question showed Mr. Greenwood getting more nervous with each passing second.

"Oh please, somebody help me before it's too late!" he cried. Conrad and Sally snickered.

"I hope he realizes that any attempt made at helping him won't end up well." Said Conrad.

"Especially considering that his daughter is among the twerps." Said Sally. "Come on, Conrad, time to give those kids a warm welcome to the island."

"How are we going to do that?" Conrad wondered.

"By using that warp tile right over there." Said Sally, and she pointed to a tile in the top right corner of the room they were currently in. "Although, there is one small flaw. That tile isn't like other warps where it takes you to a fixed spot. This one could take us anywhere."

"I suppose we'll just have to hope for the best." Said Conrad. Both of them stepped on the tile, and much to their relief, they ended up at the entrance of the base.

"That was definitely lucky." Said Conrad.

"Now all we do is stay here and await the twerp's arrival." Said Sally. Fearow and Charizard, meanwhile, continued soaring through the sky at their own pace. Misty, however, was getting a little impatient.

"Can't Charizard and Fearow go any faster?" she asked.

"Misty, if we try to do that with all of us riding them, they'll just get worn out quicker." Brock explained.

"Yeah, Brock's right on that." Said Michelle. "I mean, I want to get to Yellow Island myself, but the Pokemon are doing the best they can to get us there. We're just going to have to be a bit patient." In the lab, both Elekid and Togepi were watching Professor Oak conduct his work. Of course, since they were both just babies, they got bored really quickly.

"Elekid." Said Elekid, which meant 'What should we do now?' Togepi thought for a minute before getting an idea.

"Toge-pri!" Togepi cried, which meant 'Let's play tag!' The two baby Pokemon happily ran around the room, with both of them tagging the other. In their excitement, however, they ran right into a shelf that was full of books, some of which ended up falling to the floor.

"What was that?" Oak asked. He got up from his workstation and quickly ran over to where he kept all of his books. There, he found that a couple of them hand landed on the babies. He quickly picked up all the books that had fallen and put them back where they were supposed to go.

"Are you both all right?" he asked the two baby Pokemon.

"Elekid." Elekid answered, which meant 'We're both fine.'

"That's good, but both of you must be more careful if you're going to play around in here." Said Oak. "These books aren't toys, you know. They're all things that I need for my research, and I can't let anything happen to them." He returned to his work, but not before putting both Togepi and Elekid in a different part of the lab so that they wouldn't get into any mischief. In the sky, Fearow and Charizard were still hard at work carrying their passengers toward the island that they were supposed to end up at. Everything was going peacefully until both Pokemon suddenly put on the brakes.

"I don't understand. Why did we stop?" Michelle wondered.

"Look over there." Mark said. He pointed to a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto that were flying directly in front of them.

"I guess that's why both Fearow and Charizard stopped." Said Ash.

"We'll have to let them pass through first before we can continue." Said Brock. Thankfully, there weren't very many Pokemon in the flock, and they soon started on their way again. In the base, Mr. Greenwood's level of worry was getting higher and higher.

"Come on, Michelle, I'm counting on you." He said to himself. He was quite tired of being locked up and longed to be allowed out. For right now, though, all he could do was stare out the window on the wall into the outside world.

"My sweet baby girl, if you can hear me, please hurry and get to me as quickly as you can." He said. "I don't know if I can survive much longer in here." He let out a sigh of desperation as he slunk back into the corner he had been sitting in. Meanwhile, Charizard and Fearow were still flying high in the air. While everyone was excited about their upcoming mission, they were also feeling a bit nervous. Michelle, however, was the most nervous out of everybody.

"Is something wrong?" Misty asked her.

"What if something bad happens to my dad before we get to him?" Michelle asked. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Team Rocket may be bad people, but I highly doubt they would hurt your dad." Said Ash.

"I would certainly hope not." Said Michelle.

"Although, it's possible that they could be using him for some sort of evil plan of theirs." Said Brock.

"That would be the worst possible scenario." Said Mark.

"What if they did hurt him, though, Mark?" Michelle asked. "What if they did something so bad to him that I wouldn't even be able to recognize him?! I can't even imagine the kind of state he'd possibly be in." She then started crying, which caused Eevee to get concerned.

"Eevee." She squealed, which meant 'Don't cry, Michelle. Everything will be fine.'

"Do you promise, Eevee?" Michelle managed to ask through her tears. Eevee nodded and wiped her trainer's tears away with her tail.

"Thanks, Eevee." Said Michelle. A couple of hours later, both Fearow and Charizard started their descent towards Yellow Island.

"It looks like we're getting close, guys!" Mark exclaimed. Pikachu looked out through the binoculars Ash had given him and pointed excitedly.

"We're just about there." Said Ash. "Charizard, Fearow, get ready to land." Fearow and Charizard nodded and sped downward toward the island. They both landed very close to the base.

"Well, we're here." Said Mark. Ash and Amanda got out their Poke Balls.

"Thanks for the help, Charizard." Said Ash.

"You too, Fearow." Said Amanda.

"Return." They both ordered. The flying types were sucked into their balls via red light. All six of them looked at the base and gulped nervously.

"This is it, everyone. No turning back now." Said Brock.

"Are you ready to go in, Pikachu?" asked Amanda. Pikachu nodded, but he was feeling just as nervous as everyone else.

"Let's do this." Said Mark. They had only taken a few steps when they ran into Conrad and Sally.

"The only thing you twerps are doing is handing over your Pokemon." Said Conrad.

"No way!" cried Michelle. "You two had better step aside right now or else there's going to be trouble."

"Did I just hear one of the twerps say trouble?" came a voice.

"Who's there?" Amanda demanded. A small whirlpool formed in the water, and out came a Gyrados submarine. Jessie, James and Meowth popped out from the inside.

"Not you three again!" cried Misty.

"It just can't be." Sighed Ash.

"Oh yes it can, twerp, so prepare for trouble." Jessie declared.

"And with two groups of you, that makes the trouble double." James answered.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Conrad!"

"Sally!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Team Rocket!" all six trainers cried at once.

"What do you losers want this time?" Michelle asked.

"You know very well what we want." Said James.

"I got a little offer for ya, twerps." Said Meowth. "You all want to get into that base, right?"

"That's right." Said Amanda.

"And both of your groups have a Pikachu with you, right?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, that's right too." Ash answered.

"Well then, the offer is simple." Said James. "We'll be more than happy to let you inside our little secret area here for the price of both of the Pikachu."

"We'll also take the Eevee as a bonus." Meowth added.

"What do you say, kiddies?" Sally retorted.

"Don't do it, guys!" Brock warned.

"If you think you're getting your hands on Pikachu, you've got another thing coming!" Ash cried. "Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!" Pikachu got ready to start his attack but Brock put a stop to that.

"There's ten of us plus a Meowth all in close proximity to each other. If Pikachu uses an electric attack, we'll all get shocked, not just Team Rocket." he explained.

"I'm still not letting them get Pikachu, though!" Ash insisted.

"We'll just have to try a different attack." Said Misty. "Staryu, go!" She got ready to throw Staryu's ball, only for her Psyduck to emerge from his own ball.

"Psyduck!" he cried. Misty just let out a sigh.

"Why me?" she said.

"Don't worry, Misty, my own Psyduck is the same way." Said Michelle.

"Looks like we're battling." Said Jessie. "I choose you, Lickitung!" The pink normal type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Go, Victreebel!" cried James. The grass type appeared instantly, and immediately tried to take a bite out of James.

"Not me, you stupid thing. Attack them!" he cried.

"Aren't you ever going to train that thing properly?" Meowth yelled.

"Golbat, go!" Conrad cried.

"Arbok, come on out!" Sally cried. The flying type and poison type both appeared instantly.

"What do we do now?" asked Michelle.

"I have an idea." Said Ash. "Brock, Misty and I will handle Jessie, James and Meowth. Amanda, you, Michelle and Mark take care of Conrad and Hallie." Sally didn't take too kindly to the botched pronunciation of her name.

"It's Sally!" she cried.

"Yeah, whatever." Said Ash. Both groups turned toward their respective Team Rocket enemies and got ready to battle.

"Fearow, I choose you!" Amanda cried. "Fearow appeared in a blaze of white light.

"Wing Attack!" Amanda ordered. Fearow flew in towards Golbat and got ready to strike with his wings.

"Supersonic." Conrad commanded. Golbat shot white circles at Fearow, causing Wing Attack to stop and Fearow started circling around Amanda looking for food.

"Call it back, Amanda. That Supersonic has Fearow all confused!" Michelle cried. Amanda recalled Fearow and sent Kadabra out into battle.

"Poison Sting, Arbok!" Sally ordered. Arbok shot purple poison needles at Kadabra, striking the psychic type.

"Kadabra!" cried Amanda.

"Yes! Success at last!" cried Sally. The side effect of the attack caused Kadabra to be poisoned.

"I know how to get rid of that." Said Amanda. "Kadabra, use Recover!" Kadabra glowed brightly, and all the damage as well as the poisoning were removed. Sally grunted, but Amanda gave a smirk.

"Psybeam attack!" Amanda yelled. Kadabra gave Arbok a powerful Psybeam, knocking it out.

"Charmander, go!" Mark cried. He threw the fire type's ball, and Charmander instantly appeared.

"Wing Attack." Conrad ordered to Golbat. Golbat flew in for a direct strike, which Charmander dodged.

"Fire Spin!" Mark ordered. Charmander shot a circle of fire around Golbat, trapping it and engulfing it in flames.

"Electabuzz, time to finish it off." Said Michelle. Her own electric type appeared and gave a loud cry.

"Thunderbolt attack!" Michelle ordered. Electabuzz gave a powerful bolt, shocking Golbat, Arbok, Conrad and Sally and sending them flying into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried. DING!

"One more loss for their side and one more win for ours." Said Amanda. "Great work, everyone." The three of them returned their Pokemon and went to see how Ash's group was doing. Charizard had just launched a Flamethrower at James' Victreebel, burning the grass type.

"Victreebel!" James cried.

"Pikachu, send them flying with Thunderbolt!" Ash cried. Pikachu launched a powerful jolt of electricity to send Jessie, James and Meowth soaring.

"No matter how many times we try to take down those pesky twerps…" Jessie started.

"We always end up…" James continued.

"On the losing side." Meowth finished.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they all cried. DING!

"Let's hope we don't run into those three again." Said Ash.

"Okay, time to begin the rescue operation." Said Michelle. The six heroes started running off towards the entrance of the base to get ready to attack. What kind of danger lies ahead for both of our hero groups? Stay tuned to our next episode and find out!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Five

In the previous episode of Pokemon, Amanda and her friends made their way back to Pallet, where they ran into Ash, Brock and Misty. After telling them about the hologram that Michelle had received, both sets of heroes made their way to yellow Island, with Amanda's group flying on Fearow, and Ash's group on Charizard. Of course, Team Rocket tried to stop them, and as usual, they were thwarted in battle. Now, our six brave heroes stand in front of the entrance of the base ready to carry out their big rescue mission.

"This is it, guys." Said Brock. "The mission will be tough, and it's likely that we'll end up in a good amount of battles. No matter what happens, though, let's all try to stick together."

"Brock's right. If any of us get separated at any point, we could easily get captured." Said Michelle.

"And we don't want that happening, do we?" Amanda asked. Everyone in the group shook their heads.

"All right, then let's make our way in." said Ash. They all took a deep breath and were about to head inside when they ran into their first problem.

"The door's locked." Said Mark.

"Team Rocket must be trying to keep us out deliberately." Said Misty.

"We'll just see about that." Said Ash. He quickly grabbed a Poke Ball and tossed it toward the door.

"Squirtle, I choose you!" he cried. The small water type turtle appeared in an instant flash of light.

"Squirtle squirt!" he cried.

"Squirtle, use your Skull Bash to break down the door." Ash instructed. Squirtle nodded and faced the door. He backed up a few feet, then lowered his head and rammed toward the door. Unfortunately, he only succeeded in hitting the door with his head before flying backwards onto the ground. Squirtle sadly shook his head.

"Squirtle." He said in a disappointing tone, which meant 'It's too strong for me.' Ash sighed and recalled his water type.

"That's okay, Squirtle. You tried your best." He said.

"Looks like it's my turn to try now." Said Mark. "Bulbasaur, come on out!" The dual grass and poison type appeared instantly.

"Bulbasaur, grab hold of the doorknob with your Vine Whip to try and force it open." Said Mark.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried out. He shot out his vines and wrapped them around the knob. He pulled and tugged at the door but it still wouldn't open. Bulbasaur unwrapped the vines and sighed.

"It's all right." Mark said kindly, and he recalled the grass type to his ball.

"How do we get it open now?" asked Michelle.

"With some psychic power, that's how." Amanda answered, and she grabbed one of her own Poke Balls.

"Kadabra, I choose you!" she cried. The psychic type appeared in a flash of white light.

"Kadabra, I want you to concentrate on that door and try to use your telekinesis power to open it." Said Amanda. Kadabra closed its eyes and pointed at the knob. A blue glow emitted itself from his eyes and the glow resulted in the door opening.

"Wow, that actually worked." Said Misty.

"Great work, Kadabra." Said Amanda. She gave him a friendly head pat before returning him to his Poke Ball.

"In we go." Said Brock, and the six of them made their way inside in building. It didn't take long for Amanda to feel a chill going down her spine.

"It feels kind of scary in here, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Pika." Pikachu whimpered, which meant 'I'm feeling a bit scared myself.'

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'I don't like this place.'

"Don't worry, once we get my dad out of here, we'll all be able to go back home where it's safe and sound." Michelle assured her partner. Hearing that made Eevee feel a little better, but she and Pikachu were still frightened. Mark then pointed up to the video camera that were attached to the ceiling.

"I don't know about you, guys, but I feel like we're being watched." He said.

"Come to think of it, I'm feeling the same way." Said Misty.

"Well it's too late to turn back now." Said Brock. "Let's keep moving." They continued to walk down the corridor, but they did so slowly. Unknown to them, Conrad and Sally were indeed watching the group.

"So, the brats made it inside after all." Said Sally. She was clearly unimpressed.

"What do we do now?" asked Conrad.

"We'll need to make sure that they stay out of the way." Said Sally. She then took a quick glance over at the closet that was behind them. "I think I know just how to do it." She gave a smile, and then an evil laugh. The group of six were still exploring the first room when Pikachu noticed something that looked a lot like one of Amanda's Poke Balls.

"Pika!" he cried, which meant 'Check this out!'

"What is it, buddy?" Amanda asked. Pikachu pointed to what he had seen and led the group over into a corner.

"Who would leave an empty Poke Ball just sitting around on the floor?" Ash wondered.

"I don't know, but I'm not passing on the opportunity to get something for free." Said Amanda. "I'll just scoop this up and….." But before she could even finish her sentence, the "ball" jumped out of her hand and stared at her angrily.

"That's no Poke Ball!" Misty cried.

"That's a Pokemon!" Mark exclaimed.

"Which kind of Pokemon is it, though?" asked Michelle.

"Let's see." Said Amanda. She quickly flipped open her Pokedex for more information.

"Electrode, the Sphere Pokemon. Electrode's diet mainly consists of consuming electricity that is generated from the power plants where they live."

"This is no power plant, though." Said Ash.

"Maybe to Electrode it is." Said Brock.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack now!" cried Amanda.

"Pikachu!" yelled the electric type rat. He unleashed his powerful bolt and gave Electrode a powerful strike. Electrode responded by giving a white glow, which was followed by a powerful blast.

"What was that?" Amanda wondered.

"That was Electrode's Explosion attack." Said Brock. "While it's very powerful, it has an unfortunate side effect of knocking itself out." Sure enough, Electrode was sprawled out on the floor with swirls in its eyes.

"Poke Ball, go!" Amanda cried, and she threw an empty red and white sphere at the Electrode. The Pokemon got sucked into the ball via a beam of red, and after a few shakes, a ding was heard to indicate a successful capture.

"Great work, Pikachu." Said Amanda. She gave her best friend a high five, while the Poke Ball that had captured Electrode was teleported to Professor Oak's lab.

"I didn't think I'd be catching any Pokemon on this mission." Said Amanda.

"Sometimes surprises like that can be a good thing." Said Ash.

"You're certainly right about that, Ash." Said Amanda. They got out of the corner and made their way into the next room. It contained a few cells, but none of them were occupied, which gave Michelle a bit of a sigh of relief.

"I wonder how big this building is." She said.

"Based on what we saw on the outside, I would say that it's pretty big." Said Misty.

"That's not a lot of help." Said Amanda. "Her dad could literally be anywhere in here."

"What we know for sure is that he's not anywhere to be found on this floor." Said Brock. They kept walking, and as they explored the area, they made sure that no wild Pokemon were in the vicinity.

"Okay, the coast is clear." Said Amanda.

"That's what you think, twerp." Came a gruff voice in front of them. The group looked ahead and saw a Team Rocket grunt standing in front of the door that would lead to the next floor. Michelle gave a nervous gulp.

"I warned you guys that this would probably happen." Said Brock.

"Let us through!" Ash demanded.

"No chance!" the grunt cried. "Get out at once."

"We can't!" Misty protested. "We're on a very important mission here!"

"And this is where your mission ends, pretty lady." Said the grunt.

"This is no time for compliments!" Amanda cried. "Let us pass or else!" The grunt thought for a second before standing aside and unblocking the door.

"That was easier than I thought it'd be." Said Michelle. Right as they were about to go through the door, however, the grunt suddenly ambushed them again.

"Thought you just sneak past me, huh?" he yelled. He then grabbed a Poke Ball from his pocket.

"Sandslash, go!" he cried. The ground type appeared instantly in a blaze of light.

"Sandslash!" it cried.

"If you want to get past me, you'll have to beat this Sandslash." He said.

"I intend on doing just that." Said Amanda. Pikachu started to charge at Sandslash so that he could battle it, but Amanda stopped him.

"It's a ground type, Pikachu. Your electric attacks won't work." She said. She grabbed another ball off her waist and opened it.

"Kadabra, I choose you!" she cried. The powerful psychic type appeared instantly and readied itself for battle.

"Sandslash, use your Fury Swipes!" the grunt ordered. Sandslash stuck out its claws and got ready to swipe away.

"Kadabra, use your Teleport." Amanda ordered. Kadabra quickly disappeared right as Fury Swipes was about to land, leaving the grunt confused.

"If you think you can pull a fast one over on my Kadabra, you're mistaken." Said Amanda. "Kadabra, Psybeam attack now!" Kadabra shot a powerful pink beam right at Sandslash. The ground type took the hit, which knocked it down on the ground and resulted in Sandslash fainting. The grunt growled and recalled his Pokemon.

"Nice work, Kadabra." Said Amanda, and she recalled her Pokemon.

"Onward we go." Said Michelle. The grunt was so mad about losing the battle that he didn't try to stop the gang. When they got to the next floor, they saw a few more cells on the walls. Michelle checked each of them carefully so she could see if her dad was being held in any of them, but they were all empty.

"Nothing here either." She said. With nobody to get in their way this time, they made their way into the next room. Amanda just about gasped in horror when she saw what was in front of her. Two people were wearing security guard outfits and were patrolling the room for any intruders.

"Guys, I think we're dead meat." Amanda pointed out.

"She's right. If those guards spot us, we're done for." Said Ash.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, and she pointed to a pile of metal crates that were near the door.

"Good thinking, Eevee. We can hide behind there so that we don't get spotted." Said Michelle. They quickly ran over to the crates were and made sure that they were well hidden. The security guards were really Conrad and Sally in disguise, but the six trainers didn't know this.

"Any intruders in here?" asked Conrad.

"Not from what I can see." Said Sally.

"Excellent." Said Conrad. "Let's hope we don't run into those pesky kids." Said Conrad. They carefully walked up and down across the room to make sure that they didn't get spotted. Once they were sure that they didn't see or hear anything, they nodded affirmatively at each other.

"Everything looks good." Said Conrad. They were about to leave the room when they heard a sneeze.

"What was that?" asked sally.

"I don't know." Said Conrad. "It sounded like a Pokemon to me. I better have a look." He quickly ran over to where everybody was hiding and scanned his flashlight on Eevee. Michelle sheepishly waved at the pair.

"Is this Eevee yours?" Sally asked. She made sure to disguise her voice to make her sound like a guard.

"Yes it is." Michelle answered is a bit of a nervous tone. "Why is that important?"

"My partner and I are the number one security team in the entirety of the Kanto region." Said Conrad. "One of our rules is that absolutely no Pokemon are allowed to be in here unless they're in their Poke balls. If you have a problem with that, you can leave."

"Since when is it against the rules for a Pokemon to be outside of their ball willingly?" Ash asked.

"It's always been a rule in this place." Said Sally in her guard voice. She then looked over at Ash's Pikachu.

"Either that Pikachu goes in his ball or all of you leave." Said Sally.

"That goes for your own Pikachu as well." Conrad said gruffly to Amanda.

"For your information, neither of them like being in their balls. They like being out here with us." Amanda argued.

"Pika!" Her Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'That's right!'

"You can't just tell us what to do with our Pokemon." Brock protested.

"Last I checked, yes we can." Said Conrad. He pointed to the door, motioning for all of them to leave.

"Since you don't want to follow the rules, you're all getting out of here right now." Sally ordered.

"I don't know about you, but these are some of the strictest security guards I've ever seen." Misty whispered to Mark.

"You can say that again." Mark whispered back.

"Hold on a second, guys, let me see if I can reason with them." Said Amanda. "All right, if you two really are security guards, then let's see your badges as proof." This caused Sally and Conrad to freeze in place.

"Uh, well….." they stammered.

"I'm waiting." Amanda replied impatiently. Conrad and Sally struggled to come up with an explanation. And then, who should come charging into the room but Jessie, James and Meowth. The three of them were also wearing the same security guard outfits.

"Conrad, Sally, what's going on?" Jessie asked them.

"Yeah, how come you haven't kicked these brats out of here yet?" Meowth demanded.

"Because, Meowth, I know for a fact that the five of you aren't really security guards at all!" Amanda cried out. She yanked off the outfits on all five of them to reveal their true identities.

"Team Rocket!" All six of them cried.

"How did you even know it was us, anyway?" James demanded.

"We've run into Conrad and Sally more than enough times that we can practically outsmart them by now." Said Mark.

"Which means that the five of you are in for some trouble." Said Misty.

"Did she just say the word trouble?" said James.

"I think I know where this is headed." Said Mark. Jessie, James and Meowth started reciting their motto.

"In my opinion, the six of you should be the ones preparing for trouble." Started Jessie.

"And just for fun, let's make it quadruple." Said James.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Sally!"

"Don't forget about me, Conrad!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a big fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Now that your cover's blown, the least the five of you can do is let us pass through here!" Ash demanded.

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Said Jessie. "All five of us agreed that we had to do everything possible to keep you out of our way."

"On top of that, you ruined our best disguises!" Meowth cried.

"Oh please, those were the dumbest costumes I've ever seen in my life." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack on these losers!" Pikachu unleashed a powerful jolt on all five Team Rocket members in an effort to teach them a lesson. Unfortunately, the attack didn't seem to have any effect.

"We knew you'd try to shock us so we made sure to wear shock proof clothing." Said James.

"Which means your precious Pikachu is grounded." Said Jessie. Pikachu was more determined than ever, and he readied for another attack when Amanda held up her hand.

"Pikachu, that's not going to work." She said.

"How else are we going to deal with them?" asked Mark.

"We'll have to run for it." Said Ash.

"Hold on, Ash." Said Michelle. "Let me try to reason with them."

"I don't think there's any inch of reasoning that works when it comes to dealing with Team Rocket." Brock advised.

"That's not going to stop me in the slightest." Said Michelle. "Say, guys, I have a little deal to offer you. If you let us go through, I'll gladly hand over my Eevee that Conrad and Sally want to much."

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed in protest, which meant 'No, Michelle, don't do that!'

"Quiet, Eevee, I'm trying to bargain here." Michelle whispered to her partner. "What do the five of you say?"

"Well, we have been after both Pikachu and Eevee for the longest time." Said Conrad.

"I don't even remember the last time any twerp was willing to simply hand over his or her Pokemon to us." Said Sally.

"What'll it be, Team Rocket?" Michelle asked. All five Team Rocket members thought over the offer that had been made to them. Unfortunately, a short while later, Michelle, Amanda, Mark, Ash, Misty, Brock, Eevee and both Pikachu found themselves locked up in a cell on the next floor.

"Some bargaining, Michelle." Said Amanda.

"Hey, I tried my best." Said Michelle.

"Well apparently, that wasn't good enough." Said Mark.

"Now we're going to have to think of a way to bust out of this cell." Said Misty. A flash of light emerged from one of Michelle's Poke Balls, and Psyduck popped out.

"On the plus side, at least they didn't confiscate any of our Pokemon." Said Mark.

"That's a relief." Said Brock.

"How can your Psyduck possibly help, though?" Amanda asked.

"I know exactly how." Michelle answered. "Okay, Psyduck, see if you can use your psychic powers to bend those bars and get us out of here." Psyduck nodded and looked at the bars. He placed his hands on his head like he normally did and…..he just stood there.

"Come on, Psyduck, do something!" cried Michelle.

"Michelle, yelling at him isn't going to help." Brock said gently. Psyduck looked harder at the bars.

"Come on, you dumb duck." Michelle whispered. Psyduck tried his absolute hardest, but despite his best efforts, he just shook his head and turned to Michelle.

"Duck?" he said. Michelle let out a sigh.

"You are totally useless." She said and returned him to his Poke Ball.

"I guess your Psyduck definitely has something in common with mine." Said Misty.

"What's that?" Michelle asked.

"My own Psyduck is a bit useless itself." Said Misty.

"Hey Ash, I think I have an idea." Said Amanda. "How about having both of our Pikachu use an electric attack on the bars of the cell."

"Great idea, Amanda." Said Ash. "All right, Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt attack!"

"You too, Pikachu." Said Amanda. Both of them stared at the bars and unleashed their powerful electric bolts. Much to their disappointment, however, the attacks did nothing. Both Pikachu were left in complete surprise.

"It's no good!" Brock cried. "Those bars aren't affected by electricity."

"There must be something else we can try." Said Misty. Amanda walked directly across the front of the cell, touching each bar with her finger. Upon returning to the rest of the group, a lightbulb went off in her head.

"I think I've got the answer." She said. "From what I can tell, the bars are made of steel. Since that can easily be burned by fire, we'll need to use a flame type Pokemon to melt them."

"Good idea, Amanda." Said Misty. "You really have a knack for figuring out solutions to problems. Now if only a certain other trainer could do that effectively himself."

"You take that back right now!" Ash yelled. Mark grabbed a Poke Ball and opened it up.

"Charmander, I choose you." He said. The fire type starter appeared in a blaze of light.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash cried as he threw one of his own Poke Balls. The fully evolved fire and flying type instantly appeared.

"Smart thinking." Said Mark. "Two Pokemon are much better than one."

"Charizard, you and Charmander both need to use your Flamethrower attacks to burn the bars." Said Ash. Charmander and Charizard opened their mouths nice and wide before firing off the strong fire attack.

"That's it." Said Mark. "Let's hope this works." Sadly, despite the best efforts of both fire types, the bars just wouldn't budge at all. Both Mark and Ash gasped in surprise.

"Those bars must be really strong if they can't even be melted by fire." Said Michelle.

"Charizard, return." Said Ash.

"Same with you, Charmander. Return." Said Mark. Both trainers recalled their Pokemon back to their balls.

"My turn to try something." Said brock, and he grabbed a Poke ball from his backpack. "Onix, go!" The giant rock type appeared instantly.

"Onix, use your Bind attack around the bars to pry them apart." Brock commanded. Onix obeyed and tried to force the bars off the ground. Although Onix was strong, the bars were too strong for him.

"Keep trying, Onix!" Brock cried. Try as he might, Onix just couldn't pull the bars of the cell off the ground.

"Onix, stop. It's no use." Said Brock, and he recalled his Pokemon.

"Anyone have any more bright ideas?" asked Misty. Michelle started to yawn.

"The only thing I want to think about right now is having a small nap." She said. "I'm feeling a little bit tired."

"Maybe we can try thinking of something else after we all sleep for a little bit." Said Amanda. Everyone closed their eyes and fell asleep on the floor. An hour and a half later, all the group members as well as the partner Pokemon woke up feeling refreshed.

"That was a nice nap." Said Michelle. She rubbed her eyes to get sleep dust out of them.

"Now, there's still the matter of the next idea to try and get out of here." Said Misty. "We've tried electricity, fire and psychic abilities as well as force removal, and nothing has worked."

"There's one thing that we haven't tried yet." Said Amanda. She grabbed one of her Poke Balls and tossed it. "Kadabra, I choose you!" The psychic type appeared in a blaze of light.

"What can Kadabra do that our other Pokemon can't?" Ash wondered.

"It has teleportation abilities." Amanda answered. "We can easily get out of the cell that way."

"Now that's what you call a really bright idea, eh, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika." Pikachu answered, which meant 'It seems good to me.'

"Kadabra, use your Teleport attack to warp my friends and I out of this cell." Amanda instructed. Kadabra glowed, and everyone was suddenly whisked out of the cell. When the teleportation stopped, everyone found themselves on the second highest floor of the building.

"That was a really smart idea, Amanda." Said Misty.

"Thanks, Misty." Said Amanda. "Excellent work, Kadabra. Return." She recalled her Pokemon, which got absorbed back into the ball via red energy.

"I think we might be close to finding my dad." Said Michelle.

"Let's hope so." Said Amanda. They all hurried to the top floor and looked over the block of cells that were there. Sure enough, in one cell in the middle of the block, was somebody who was looking dishevelled from having been held captive so long. Michelle's face instantly lit up.

"Daddy!" she cried. "Hold on, Daddy, we'll get you out of there in no time!" The moment they took a step, however, they were confronted by Jessie, James, Conrad, Sally and Meowth. Everyone gulped.

"Uh oh." Said Brock.

"So, looks like you and your friends managed to escape." Said jessie.

"I don't know how you twerps did it, but you ain't getting past us." Meowth claimed.

"That's what you think!" Ash exclaimed, and growled through gritted teeth.

"Looks like it's battle time." Said Conrad. "Golbat, go!" Golbat appeared out of his ball in a blaze of white light.

"Pikachu, you're up!" Amanda cried.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled and readied himself for battle action.

"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!" Amanda commanded. Pikachu got ready to launch the powerful yellow bolt.

"Fly up high, Golbat." Conrad instructed. Golbat flew up just high enough to dodge the Thunderbolt.

"If you think you can easily avoid Pikachu's electricity like that, you're way in over your head." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, keep firing until you hit Golbat." Pikachu kept launching his bolts, with Golbat swiftly dodging the move each time. However, it then made the mistake of getting too overconfident and flew right into a Thunderbolt to knock itself out.

"Golbat!" Conrad cried.

"My turn now!" exclaimed Sally. "Go, Arbok!" She threw her Poke Ball and the poison snake came out, which caused Jessie to smile a little.

"Wait a second, you have an Arbok too?" she asked.

"Yes, and I think it looks pretty good." Said Sally. Jessie had a look at it.

"Not bad, but wait until you see mine." She said, and sent out her own Arbok. The two Arbok glared at each other angrily.

"Woah, those two look like they want to battle each other to see who's the superior Arbok." Said Michelle.

"Arbok, what do you think you're doing?" Sally demanded.

"I could ask the very same thing of my own Arbok." Jessie countered, and they both pointed to the trainers.

"Go after them, not each other." They both ordered at once. Michelle got in position to battle with Sally's Arbok, while Ash readied himself to face the one belonging to Jessie.

"Well, twerp, who are you going to send out?" Sally asked.

"I know just the one." Said Michelle. "A Pokemon that I haven't used very much since getting it, but I think this is the perfect opportunity. Go, Ponyta!" As she was about to throw Ponyta's ball, however, Psyduck popped out of his.

"Psyduck!" he shouted. Michelle was less than amused.

"Psyduck, we've gone over this several times. You don't come out of your ball unless I tell you!" she yelled. "But, since you're out now, I guess I have no choice. Go." Meanwhile, Ash sent out his Squirtle to face off against Jessie.

"Squirtle, use your Water Gun!" Ash ordered. Squirtle fired his water at Jessie's Arbok, which scored a hit.

"Arbok, Poison Sting now!" Jessie ordered. Her Arbok shot poison needles at Squirtle, which hit him with slight force. Squirtle cried out in some pain.

"Squirtle!" Ash cried.

"Okay, Arbok, use your Wrap attack!" Sally ordered. Arbok squeezed himself tight around Psyduck and held him firmly.

"Psy!" Psyduck yelled.

"Oh no. Psyduck's in some trouble." Said Michelle.

"What do you say about your puny little duck now, missy?" Sally taunted. Michelle was really angry now.

"Psyduck may be a lot of things, but puny isn't one of them!" she countered in a raised voice. The pressure of the Wrap attack was getting to Psyduck's head, which caused him to start getting a headache.

"That's it, Psyduck." Michelle whispered. Arbok started to squeeze harder, and then, Psyduck's eyes light up in a bright blue, causing Arbok to let go of his grip.

"Confusion attack!" Michelle commanded. Psyduck used the attack's power to send both Arbok flying backwards toward the cell behind them. A frustrated Sally and Jessie returned their respective Pokemon to their balls.

"Looks like I'm up." Said James, and he sent out his Victreebel. Naturally, it tried to eat him immediately.

"Attack those kids, not me!" he yelled in a muffled voice. Meowth let out a deep sigh.

"You just never learn, do ya Jimmy?" he asked.

"Fearow, let's go!" Amanda cried and sent out her powerful flying type.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash commanded. His ace fire type appeared instantly.

"Victreebel, Vine Whip." commanded James. Victreebel shot his vines out at both Fearow and Charizard. Of course, the attack didn't do much of anything.

"Wing Attack, Fearow!" Amanda ordered. Fearow flew directly toward the grass type and delivered a powerful strike with his wings.

"Charizard, use your Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Charizard opened up his mouth and launched a powerful fire attack, leaving Victreebel all black and crispy.

"Okay now, Amanda." Ash said. Amanda nodded and at the same time, they both yelled "Pikachu, Thunder attack now!" Both Pokemon fired their powerful electric strikes and sent all five Team Rocket members through the ceiling and into the air.

"So much for being security guards." Said Sally.

"Your only security was some insecurity!" Jessie countered.

"Hey, do we still get a bonus for this assignment?" Meowth wondered. Jessie, James, Conrad and Sally all just growled angrily at him.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they all screamed. DING! Michelle then noticed a circular metal keychain beside her on the floor.

"Team Rocket must've dropped this when we sent them blasting off." She said. She quickly looked through the chain to find the key she needed. Right at the end was a shiny, silver key.

"I think that's the one." Said Amanda. They recalled their Pokemon and rushed over to the cell.

"Your nightmare's over now, Daddy." Michelle said. She grabbed they key off the chain and used it to unlock the cell door. Mr. Greenwood gave a sigh of relief as he got out.

"I'm so glad to see that you're okay!" Michelle cried, and she gave her dad a big hug. Pikachu and Eevee were both happy to see the two of them re-united with each other.

"My sweet, Michelle, it's been practically forever since we last saw each other." Said Mr. Greenwood.

"You two can catch up on each other's lives later." Said Misty. "Right now, we have to get out of here and head back to Pallet." Amanda called out Kadabra to teleport them to the outside entrance. Once they got back there, both Charizard and Fearow were called into service to fly the group back home.

"What have you been up to, sweetie?" Mr. Greenwood asked.

"I've been traveling around the region with my friend Amanda." Michelle answered. "She and I met each other back in the Viridian Forest when she was starting out."

"It's great that you have a friend to travel with." Said Mr. Greenwood. The two of them talked during the entire flight back to Pallet Town. Professor Oak was waiting for them upon their arrival.

"I'm glad to see that you all managed to carry out the rescue mission safely." He said. "And, there's two certain Pokemon here that have been anxious to see their respective parents again." Elekid and Togepi ran up to Amanda and Misty respectively.

"Were you both good for Professor Oak while we were gone?" Amanda asked. Elekid and Togepi nodded.

"They were both well behaved." Said Oak. "Now that the missions' over, what's the next plan of attack for everyone?"

"Michelle, Mark and I were planning to head to the Pokemon League competition at the Indigo Plateau." Said Amanda.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that for a while." Said Oak. "The tournament doesn't start for another month, so you've got plenty of time to train."

"In that case, we're going to train hard, aren't we Pikachu?" Amanda asked. Pikachu firmly nodded his head.

"As for me, Misty, Brock and I are heading out to the Johto region." Said Ash.

"I wish the three of you could stay and watch me battle in the league here." Said Amanda.

"I know, but when you're a seasoned trainer, you always have to keep moving." Said Ash. "I'll be rooting for you, though."

"Thanks a lot, Ash." Said Amanda. "Maybe we might wind up running into each other in Johto."

"We could." Said Ash. "We'll have to see, though."

"All right, guys, I think we should take it easy for the rest of the day." Said Brock. "We'll head out tomorrow." The six of them had a big meal together at Professor Oak's that night, and the following morning, the two groups split up and went their separate ways.

"I think I'm going to head back to our house in the Viridian Forest." Mr. greenwood said to Michelle. "You can keep traveling with your friend if you want to, though."

"I most certainly do want to keep traveling." Said Michelle excitedly. Mr. Greenwood smiled at his daughter and began to make his way back home. Amanda, Michelle and Mark watched him leave together and waved goodbye to him. With the rescue operation now in the rearview mirror, Amanda can now focus on preparing for the Pokemon League competition. Will she be able to take home the coveted trophy? For the answer to that question, you'll have to tune in to the next episode!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Six

Last time, our heroes infiltrated the Team Rocket base on Yellow Island with the intention of rescuing Michelle's dad. Things certainly weren't easy as Team Rocket tried to pose as security guards to keep our heroes from succeeding. However, Amanda saw right through the disguise, and after an unsuccessful bargaining attempt from Michelle, our heroes ended up captured and being thrown into one of the base's jail cells. With the help of Kadabra, however, our heroes escaped from danger and sent Team Rocket blasting off. Michelle was then able to free her dad and he headed home safely. Now, our heroes can focus on the upcoming Pokemon League tournament as the journey continues.

After four weeks of intense training, which included some practice battles with Michelle and Mark, our heroes are headed to the Indigo Plateau so that Amanda can officially compete in her first ever Pokemon League competition.

"Well, Pikachu, we'll soon be competing in our first ever major event." Said Amanda. "We've worked really hard to get this far."

"You really have." Said Michelle. "You've done well in a lot of your battles, and I'm very proud of you."

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed.

"Eevee's also proud of you." Michelle added.

"And because of our little scrimmage battles, you helped my Charmander evolve." Said Mark.

"That would mean that it's a Charmeleon now, right?" Amanda asked.

"That's right." Mark answered. The three of them continued to walk along the path, and as they got closer to their intended destination, they came across a boy who was in the middle of an intense session. He was hard at work and looked like he didn't want to be disturbed.

"That's quite the round of training he's going through." Amanda said. "I wonder why he's doing that."

"Chances are that he's probably participating in the tournament himself." Said Mark.

"If that's the case, I'd love to battle against him." Said Amanda. The boy looked at the three of them and then turned back to his Pokemon.

"Take five, Pidgeot." He said. He then looked at the trio and smiled at them.

"Hi. I hope we're not bothering you." Said Amanda.

"Oh, not at all." Said the boy. "I was about to take a break from training for the league anyway."

"You mean you're competing in the tournament?" Michelle asked.

"I most certainly am." Said Michael. He showed the group his eight badges as proof.

"I have to say, there's definitely some badges there that I don't recognize." Said Amanda.

"That's because a couple of my badges came from gyms that you probably didn't know about." Said the boy. "Since you three are coming this way, I'm going to assume that all of you are competing too."

"Oh, Mark and I aren't competitors." Said Michelle. "The two of us don't even have any badges.

"They're coming to the league with me as supporters because I'm competing." Said Amanda.

"You know, since we could both use some training, how about we both battle each other?" said the boy.

"That seems like a good idea." Said Amanda. "What do you say, Pikachu? You up for one last bit of training?"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'Of course!'

"How are we battling?" Amanda asked.

"Two Pokemon each should do it." Said the boy. "Pidgeot, get in there!" His strong flying type took his battle stance.

"Pikachu, go!" Amanda commanded. Pikachu ran in front of his trainer and got ready to battle.

"Electric attacks are super strong against flying types." Said Mark. "Pikachu should win this one handily."

"I don't know." Said Michelle. "Pikachu may have the type advantage, but that Pidgeot looks like it's quite strong."

"First move is yours, my lady." Said the boy.

"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt attack!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning into the air and launched it towards his opponent.

"Pidgeot, use your Agility!" the boy commanded. Pidgeot moved quickly to avoid being hit.

"Keep firing, Pikachu!" Amanda yelled. Pikachu continued launching the strong attack, but Pidgeot continued to fly faster and faster to stay out of harm's way.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked with a shocked expression.

"I was afraid of this." Said Michelle. "Pidgeot's flying around much too fast for Pikachu to be able to land any sort of attack."

"Pidgeot, time for the Whirlwind!" the boy commanded. Pidgeot whirled his wings around to create a heavy burst of wind to try and blow Pikachu away.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Amanda yelled. Pikachu tried to defend himself from the wind, but he got sent flying backwards a fair bit.

"Pikachu!" Amanda cried. She ran over to her partner to check on him.

"Are you all right?" she asked. Pikachu nodded and shook off the wind effects. He then ran right back into the battle area.

"Use your Swift attack." Amanda ordered. Pikachu fired off bright yellow stars at Pidgeot, which hit the powerful flying type, but didn't do much damage.

"Counter with Quick Attack!" the boy ordered. Pidgeot flew in on Pikachu so quickly that the electric type didn't have a chance to react. Instead, he got sent into a tree and was knocked out.

"I should've mentioned this earlier, but my Pidgeot is the fastest in the entire region." The boy said.

"No wonder Pikachu was having problems." Said Mark. "That Pidgeot looks like it's at a pretty high level." Amanda ran over to the tree and scooped up her partner.

"You did your best." She said gently to Pikachu and placed him on the ground so that he could see the rest of the match.

"Amanda better find a way to counter Pidgeot's quickness or she's done for." Said Mark.

"What Pokemon could she possibly use to counter that speed?" Michelle asked.

"Hopefully one that's just as fast as Pidgeot." Said Mark. Amanda grabbed one of her Poke Balls and tossed it.

"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The tall fire type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Good call." Said Mark. "Arcanine's pretty fast himself."

"Is it fast enough to outlast Pidgeot, though?" Michelle wondered.

"We're about to see for ourselves." Said Mark.

"Pidgeot, use Wing Attack!" the boy ordered. Pidgeot opened up his wings and started flying in towards Arcanine.

"Agility, now!" Amanda cried. Arcanine used its fast speed to avoid all of Pidgeot's attacks.

"Great job. Now, go for the Take Down!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine charged right at Pidgeot, but the flying type was too quick and kept dodging Arcanine's moves. Not surprisingly, both Amanda and Arcanine were visibly frustrated.

"Don't give up, Arcanine!" Amanda cried.

"Face it, kid, your Arcanine is no match for my Pidgeot." The boy smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Amanda countered. "Arcanine, trap Pidgeot with your Fire Spin!" Arcanine made a circle of fire to try and lure Pidgeot into the trap.

"Don't fall for it, Pidgeot!" the boy ordered. Pidgeot tried to fly away from the circle, but Arcanine changed direction and aimed in a different spot. This time, Pidgeot was trapped and couldn't find any room to fly away.

"Oh no!" the boy cried.

"Flamethrower!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a powerful fire line at Pidgeot, and with the flying type unable to move, the attack hit easily, scorching Pidgeot and sending him down to the ground in a knocked out state.

"Nice one, Arcanine!" Amanda cried. The boy grabbed Pidgeot's ball and returned him.

"Nice work, kid." He said. "That was my strongest Pokemon too. But now, let's see how your Arcanine handles this." He threw another ball and a tall, pink Pokemon with a star shaped body, long pointed tail and a curled lock of fur on its head appeared. A pair of dark wings were attached to the Pokemon's back.

"What's that?" Amanda wondered, and she flipped out her Pokedex.

"Clefable, the fairy Pokemon. Clefable moves by skipping lightly as if it were flying using its wings. Its bouncy step allows it to walk on water."

"Looks like Clefairy's a bouncer, just like me." Said Amanda. "All right, Arcanine, Fire Blast attack!" Arcanine shot a powerful fire star at Clefable, leaving some burn marks on it.

"Clefable!" she cried angrily.

"I think that attack may have angered it." Said Michelle.

"Clefable, use your Pound attack!" the boy ordered. Clefable ran up to Arcanine and pounded him on his leg, causing the dog to wince in pain.

"Arcanine!" Amanda cried. "Don't worry, Arcanine, you've got this. Use your Flamethrower!" Arcanine aimed the powerful line of fire right at Clefable.

"Reflect attack now!" the boy ordered. Clefable put up a shield to deflect the attack and cause it to not do anything.

"Okay Clefairy, time for the Metronome." The boy ordered. Clefable started wagging its fingers back and forth.

"Amanda better be careful. Anything can happen from a Metronome attack." Said Michelle.

"Stay on guard, Arcanine." Said Amanda. Clefable was still wagging its fingers, and even Eevee was looking on now with curiosity. Once it finished the finger wagging, it dropped to the ground and fell asleep.

"Uh…" the boy stammered.

"Did a Rest attack just come out of that?" Michelle asked.

"I think so." Mark answered.

"That's good for us, because Clefable won't be able to attack while it's sleeping." Said Amanda. "Arcanine, use your Bite attack!" Arcanine ran up to the now sleeping Clefable and used his sharp teeth to bite the top of the normal type's arm.

"Ah!" the boy cried.

"Take Down attack!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine rammed at Clefable and charged hard at it to send it flying backwards. The force of the attack caused Clefable to wake up, and when she saw the bite mark on her arm, she got very angry.

"Time to get back at him, Clefable. Use your Double Slap." The boy instructed. Clefable used her hands to slap Arcanine loud and hard on his front legs.

"Arcanine looks like it's in real trouble now." Said Michelle.

"Now, the Mega Punch." The boy ordered. Clefable wound up to give a powerful punch. Right as it was about to strike….

"Agility!" Amanda countered. Arcanine still had the speed to dodge each of the punches, and then when Clefable wasn't looking, Arcanine gave it a powerful Body Slam. Clefable managed to crawl out from underneath the big dog, but when it tried to go for another attack, a spark of yellow paralysis covered its body, preventing it from moving any further.

"No!" the boy cried.

"Now to finish things up." Said Amanda. "Go, Arcanine! Full power Flamethrower, now!" Arcanine unleashed his most powerful stream of fire, and with Clefable unable to move, the attack easily hit and defeated it.

"Well done, Arcanine!" Amanda cried out in happiness. The boy recalled his Clefable and walked up to her.

"That was a great battle. Your Pikachu and Arcanine were amazing." He said.

"Thanks. Your Pidgeot and Clefable did awesome too." Said Amanda.

"Appreciate the compliment." Said the boy. "Listen, since all of us are headed to the Pokemon League anyway, would it be all right if I went with you guys?"

"It's certainly all right with Mark and I." said Michelle. "What do you think, Amanda?" Amanda didn't even have to give it a second thought. She smiled and shook the boy's hand.

"Welcome aboard." She said.

"Thanks." The boy said. With a new friend having been made, the four of them continued their trek towards the Indigo Plateau. As they walked, the boy introduced himself properly.

"My name's Michael." He said. He then had a look at Amanda's Elekid.

"That's a cute little Pokemon you've got there." He said.

"Oh, thanks." Said Amanda. "He hatched out of an egg that I came across earlier in my travels."

"Will he be battling in the tournament?" Michael asked.

"Probably not." Amanda answered. "He's still a little bit too young to do any sort of battling right now."

"Maybe he'll be able to compete once he gets a bit older." Said Michael.

"So, how long have you been traveling for?" Michelle asked.

"At least eight months." Said Michael. "I actually just got my eighth badge about two weeks ago. Any of you ever heard of Gary Oak?"

"We've certainly heard of him." Said Mark. "He's the grandson of Professor Oak."

"And, he's also the Viridian City gym leader." Said Michelle.

"I guess you battled him already?" Amanda wondered.

"I did." Said Michael. "He gave me a tough fight, but I managed to pull through and win."

"That's great." Said Amanda. "Gary's a really strong trainer."

"Certainly no doubt about that." Said Michael. "Although, the trainers that are going to be trying to win the Goodshow Cup will be even tougher."

"The Goodshow Cup?" asked Amanda.

"I thought for sure you would know about that, but I guess not." Said Michael.

"The Goodshow Cup is named after Charles Goodshow, the president of the Pokemon League Competition Committee." Said Michelle. "Each year, the winner of the tournament is awarded the trophy by Mr. Goodshow himself."

"I hope I can win that." Said Amanda.

"We'll just have to see what happens." Said Mark. The foursome continued onward, and for a good little while, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Pikachu and Eevee were both in good spirits, when the ground suddenly caved in underneath them, causing them to scream as they fell into the hole.

"Ow!" Amanda cried. Luckily, none of them appeared to be hurt.

"What in the world happened here?" Mark wondered.

"Yeah, why did a hole suddenly appear out of nowhere in the middle of the road?" asked Michelle.

"I was about to ask the very same question myself." Said Michael. Then, a giant rubber hand lowered itself into the hole and grabbed Pikachu and Eevee, causing them both to scream.

"Pikachu!" cried Amanda.

"Eevee!" cried Michelle.

"All right, whoever's there, I demand you to show yourselves right now!" Michael ordered. Loud laughter from two voices were heard as Pikachu and Eevee were both hoisted out of the hole.

"Team Rocket!" Mark, Michelle and Amanda all cried at once.

"So it was you two who dug this pit to stop us!" Mark yelled.

"I don't know who you two are, but you better give Pikachu and Eevee back to my new friends right now!" Michael demanded.

"Oh look, Sally, it appears that a new twerp has decided to join the other twerps we usually chase after." Said Conrad.

"We'd love to stay and introduce ourselves, but we have important business to do." Said Sally.

"And by important business, we mean taking these two to the boss." Said Conrad. The two of them laughed again and walked away with Pikachu and Eevee in tow, leaving the four trainers in the pit.

"Come back here!" Michelle screamed. Amanda scowled and gritted her teeth.

"They're not getting off that easy." She muttered. A short distance away, Conrad and Sally had set up a small picnic to enjoy some lunch. Pikachu and Eevee looked miserable in the cage, although Pikachu was more toward the angry side. He started using his Thunderbolt to try and break open the cage he and Eevee were trapped in. Sally just laughed and wagged his finger at him.

"Try and use Thunderbolt all you want, Pikachu, but you won't be able to get out of that cage." She said.

"All the materials on that are one hundred percent shockproof." Said Conrad.

"So you see, all you're doing is wasting your power." Said Sally. Pikachu stopped unleashing his attack and looked out at the blanket that had all the food on it.

"Eevee?" Eevee squealed, which meant 'Do you think if we ask, they'll give us some?' Pikachu shook his head.

"Pikachu pika pi." He answered, which meant 'This is Team Rocket we're dealing with. Anything you ask them to do, they won't do it.'

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Fair enough.' They sat and looked at the two Team Rocket members enjoying their meal.

"Nothing beats a good sandwich with sausage and mustard." Said Sally.

"Personally, I prefer banana and mayonnaise myself." Said Conrad.

"Ew. What kind of combination is that for a sandwich?" Sally asked.

"A combination that I've always like ever since I was a little boy." Said Conrad.

"You're disgusting." Sally muttered. Nonetheless, the two of them finished up their sandwiches as well as a few cookies for a snack. Pikachu's stomach started to rumble.

"Pika." He said sadly, which meant 'This is normally the time when Amanda would feed me.'

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Same with me. Michelle always gives me a small little treat after lunch.'

"Oh, don't worry about those two." Said Sally. "You belong to us now, and I know our boss is going to love having you around." She and Conrad packed up their empty dishes and picked up the cage.

"Come on, Conrad, onward ho to the boss." Said Sally. The two of them started marching off, but they had only gone forward about five steps when they heard a voice from behind them.

"Company, halt!" cried Amanda. Conrad and Sally gasped as they quickly turned around to see the foursome emerge from the pit courtesy of Fearow and Pidgeot.

"Hey, how did you kids get out of that trap?" Sally asked angrily.

"Never mind that." Said Amanda. She pulled out a Poke Ball and sent her Kadabra into action.

"Kadabra, get Pikachu and Eevee out of that cage with your Teleport!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra focused on the cage and used his psychic ability to transport the two partners over to where Amanda and Michelle were.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Amanda asked. Pikachu nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"How about you, Eevee?" Michelle asked.

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed happily, which meant 'I'm just fine!'

"You made a big mistake trying to mess with my friends." Said Michael. "Pidgeot, strike those two clowns with Wing Attack!" Pidgeot flew fast at the Team Rocket grunts, spread out its wings and gave them a hard strike.

"What do you say now?" Michael asked.

"I say it's time we battle." Said Sally. The two of them sent Arbok and Golbat into action.

"Pikachu, strike Golbat with your Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity on the dual poison and flying type, scoring a direct hit to knock it out.

"Great job, Pikachu." Amanda commended.

"Eevee, charge at Arbok with your Quick Attack!" Michelle ordered. Eevee ran at full speed towards the poison snake. Sally was ready for the move, however.

"Hit that Eevee with your Poison Sting!" she ordered. Arbok glared at Eevee and shot poison needles toward the little fox Pokemon.

"Try to dodge those with Agility!" Michelle commanded. Right as Eevee was about to increase her speed, however, the needles hit her in the head, causing her to wince in pain.

"Eevee!" cried Michelle.

"Don't worry, Michelle, I've got you covered." Said mark, and he threw one of his Poke Balls. Charmeleon popped out and stared Team Rocket down.

"Flamethrower attack at full blast!" Mark ordered. Charmeleon shot a big line of fire right at Arbok, scorching it and knocking it out.

"Now to try and cool Arbok down." Said Amanda. "Blastoise, I choose you!" She threw another ball and the fully evolved water type appeared instantly.

"Hydro Pump!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise shot powerful blasts of water from its cannons, not only drenching Arbok, but also soaking Team Rocket as well.

"And now for the big finish!" exclaimed Michelle, and she sent her Electabuzz into action.

"Pikachu, are you and Electabuzz ready?" Amanda asked. Both electric types nodded.

"All right then." Said Michelle. They nodded and then gave the command order together.

"Thunder attack!" Both Pikachu and Electabuzz sent extremely powerful electric jolts at Team Rocket, shocking them and their Pokemon and sending them into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried.

"Bye-bye!" Amanda yelled.

"You all were great." Said Michelle to the Pokemon. "Well done guys." Everyone cheered, and then the four trainers recalled their Pokemon before resuming their trek.

"I hope we don't come across those troublemakers again." Said Michael.

"Nobody likes it when those kind of people are around." Said Mark.

"They certainly don't." said Michelle. After walking for another couple of hours, they found a Pokemon Center right near the Indigo Plateau.

"We're almost there, guys." Said Amanda.

"It's a good thing this Pokemon Center is here because I need a break." Said Michelle.

"I think we all need a rest." Said Michael. "Especially considering that the opening ceremonies take place tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!?" Amanda gasped.

"We got here just in time, then." Said Mark. Michael quickly took out a book that had all the information about the league and flipped to a certain page.

"It says here that trainers may have up to two support people with them in the battle area at all times." Said Michael.

"That means Mark and I can watch you from the sidelines." Said Michelle.

"That's great news. I'll definitely need all the support that I can get." Said Amanda. The four of them checked into the center and retreated to the room that Nurse Joy had assigned them for the night.

"Well, Pikachu, we made it." Said Amanda. "When we march into that stadium tomorrow, we'll be doing so as first time competitors. How are you feeling about that?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm excited!' Michelle chuckled.

"You're certainly very happy right now." Said Michelle.

"She has every right to be." Said Mark. "She's worked hard to get here, and now, we're about to see if all of that will pay off."

"Just don't get too excited." Said Michelle. As the four trainers slept later that night, Amanda was feeling both nervous and excited.

"Our first ever League tournament." She thought. "I know the type chart like the back of my hand, and I feel confident that we're going to win this." At ten o'clock the next morning, the Indigo Stadium was packed with spectators, all of which were eager to see the trainers come out.

"This is about to be exciting, huh Eevee?" Michelle asked.

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed happily. She then turned and looked at the rest of the seats.

"Eevee?" she asked, which meant 'Where are Amanda and Michael?'

"They're both in the locker room getting ready to come out." Said Mark. Just then, the stadium announcer started speaking into the public address system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's Pokemon League competition!" he cried. "All of the trainers battling this year have done well to make it this far, but at the end, only one will be crowned our champion. Now, let's introduce our fierce competitors!" Right on cue, the trainers started making their entrance into the arena. Michelle had brought some binoculars with her and was using them to try and spot Amanda.

"Do you see her anywhere in that crowd?" asked Mark.

"Not yet." Said Michelle. She allowed Eevee to look through the binoculars too. Right near the end of the trainer line, a familiar Pikachu was spotted, which made Eevee cry out in excitement.

"Eevee!" she squealed, which meant 'There she is!' Sure enough, there was Amanda. Michael was walking in right beside her.

"Yay!" Michelle cried.

"She doesn't really look nervous at all." Said Mark.

"I kind of thought she would be feeling that a little bit considering that this is her first ever League tournament." Said Michelle. "Instead, she's staying calm and composed." Once all two hundred and fifty six trainers had entered, league president Charles Goodshow took to the center of the arena.

"It gives me great pleasure to officially welcome these fine battlers to this year's competition." He said. "The winner will receive the prestigious Goodshow Cup. This is a special trophy given to the trainer who is able to prove themselves to be the best in the region. Now, there is one other thing that we need in order for this event to be able to officially begin." The roar of a legendary Pokemon was heard overhead. Everyone looked up and saw that the Pokemon was a fire type. Amanda quickly took out her Pokedex.

"Moltres, the flame Pokemon. It flaps its wings to create a dazzling flash of flames. This Pokemon is rarely seen and only appears during League competition."

"Wow." She said. "This is certainly a sight to see, isn't it?"

"Pikachu." Pikachu answered, which meant 'It sure is.'

"Moltres is so cool." Said Michelle. Mark nodded in agreement. Moltres settled into the empty cauldron at the top of the stairs and disappeared, leaving only its' flames behind.

"Now that the flame of Moltres is present, I can officially declare this year's tournament open!" Mr. Goodshow cried. "I look forward to seeing some spectacular matches. Battle hard, trainers." Once the ceremony had ended, Amanda and Michael caught up with Michelle and Mark.

"That was so awesome." Said Michelle.

"It sure was." Said Michael. Amanda just gave a smile. The only thing on her mind right now are the tough battles that lay ahead. Those battles will begin in the next episode!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Seven

Previously, our young heroes finally headed off towards the Pokemon League. On the way, Amanda battled a trainer and became friends with him following the match. However, our heroes once again ran into Team Rocket. But once again, they were sent blasting off thanks to a powerful Thunder attack from Pikachu and Electabuzz. Now, after participating in the opening ceremonies, our young hero finds herself on the precipice of fighting in her first ever league battle.

The most exciting day on the Pokemon League calendar had finally arrived. For you see, it was the very first day of competition, and this got Amanda very excited.

"I can't wait to get into my first battle!" she cried. "I wonder who I'll be up against."

"You'll probably find that out later." Said Michelle. "Right now, we have to get you set up and ready." The foursome made their way towards the main building where all the competing trainers would be gathering before and after their matches. When they got inside, Amanda's mouth dropped open in awe.

"Look at all of these trainers, Pikachu!" she cried. "I hope we win against all of them.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I hope so too.' The four trainers made their way up to the main reception desk where they were greeted by a friendly young woman.

"Welcome to the Pokemon League village." She said. "Which of you youngsters will be battling in the tournament?"

"I am." Said Amanda. She then gestured to Michael. "My friend here is also competing."

"Well then, I'll need both of your Pokedexes so I can check both of you in." said the lady. Amanda and Michael both handed over their devices so that the woman could properly register them.

"Let's see. Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City and Michael Jocks of Celadon City." She said. She scanned their profiles on both devices and checked to make sure that both trainers had eight badges. Both Pokedexes came up green and the woman handed them back.

"Okay, you two are all set now." She said.

"Thanks." Said Michael. Although his excitement level was pretty high, Amanda's was even higher.

"Who do I battle first in the stadium?" she asked.

"Hold on there, Amanda. You don't start out in the Indigo Stadium right away." Said Michelle.

"I don't?" Amanda asked. Michelle shook her head.

"First, you have to battle on four different fields, each with a different element." She said. "One of the fields has a water element, another has an ice element, another has a rock element, and the last one has a grass element. You only battle in the stadium if you win on all four of the different fields. Did I explain all of that correctly to her?" The receptionist nodded.

"Yep, you got all of that down to a tee." She said.

"How will I know which field I battle on first?" Amanda asked.

"Just press this red button in front of you, and whichever section the screen stops on will be the field where your battle will take place." The receptionist answered. Amanda watched the screen go by for a few seconds before hitting the button. The light started to slow down before eventually landing on the green icon.

"That means I'm on the grass field first." Said Amanda.

"My turn now." Said Michael. The screen started up again, and he let it go a bit longer before hitting it. His spin ended up settling on the brown icon.

"Well, I guess I'm on the rock field to start." He said.

"Now, the computer system will select your first round opponents." Said the receptionist. She typed their names in again and two different trainers popped up. On Amanda's side was a trainer dressed in a purple hoodie, pink jeans and green sneakers, while Michael's screen showed a trainer wearing a bright red shirt, blue jeans and gold flip flop sandals.

"Looks like those are the ones we'll have to try and beat to get past round one." Said Amanda.

"I'll tell you right now, my opponent doesn't stand a chance against me." Said Michael.

"I wouldn't get so confident if I were you." Said Michelle. "In a big tournament like this, even the most skilled trainers could lose."

"Michelle's right." Said Mark. "A lot of matches are decided before they even begin when trainers choose the right or wrong Pokemon to battle with. Not only that, but you also only get to battle with up to three Pokemon in the first four rounds, so you have to make sure you pick wisely."

"How do you know all of that?" Michelle asked.

"It's all written in the Pokemon League handbook that Nurse Joy gave me yesterday at the Pokemon Center." Mark answered.

"Oh." Said Michelle.

"I think I might already know who I want to use for my first match." Said Amanda. "How about you, Michael?"

"I definitely know who I'm using." Michael answered.

"Your matches will both be starting at two o'clock this afternoon." Said the receptionist. "Good luck, you two."

"Thanks." Said Amanda. The foursome decided to take a walk outside.

"Since I'm battling in the grass arena first, it's possible that my opponent could end up using some grass type Pokemon." Said Amanda.

"That's very much a possibility." Said Michelle.

"You have to keep in mind, though, that your opponent may not necessarily use types that match the field element." Said Mark. "That's why you have to prepare for all sorts of possibilities."

"In that case, I might need to think about this." Said Amanda.

"You don't have too much time to do that." Said Michelle. "Remember, your match begins at two."

"I know, and I have a strong feeling that we're going to win it." Said Amanda. Pikachu nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally were walking around disguised as television reporters.

"There's got to be some valuable Pokemon here that we can swipe from unsuspecting trainers." Said Sally.

"Don't forget, if people find out that we're part of Team Rocket, they'll alert the police and we'll get blasted out of here." Said Conrad.

"You have a point." Said Sally. As they continued along, they found an enthusiastic young girl who was in the middle of doing some training exercises with her Pokemon so that they'd be ready to compete.

"And one and two and one and two and one and two and one and two." She said as she led her team in some jumping jacks. "You're all doing a great job, everyone."

"This girl looks like she's very focused." Said Sally.

"hopefully she doesn't mind a small break." Said Conrad. He lightly tapped the girl's shoulder.

"Time out, everyone." She said. She then turned around to face the two of them.

"How can I help you out?" she asked.

"Hello, we're reporters from TRTV, and we wanted to know if you'd like an interview." Said Sally.

"Well, I've never been interviewed on live television before." Said the girl. "Let me introduce you to my Pokemon. Guys, come over and say hello to these nice television people." The Pokemon all ran over at once and smiled for the camera.

"Your Pokemon certainly look clean and healthy." Said Conrad.

"That's because I take very good care of them." Said the girl. "I have a Raticate, a Golbat and Hitmonchan out with me right now, and the rest are all in my Poke Balls." The excitement on Conrad and Sally's faces immediately turned to frowns.

"Just great. A huge rat, something we already have, and Mike Tyson." Sally said in a disappointing tone. She wasn't impressed with any of the Pokemon that were with the trainer.

"Sorry, kid, but this interview's over." Said Conrad. He and Sally walked away, and the trainer turned her focus back to training.

"Okay, everyone, back to work." She said. Conrad and Sally continued going around to try and find someone else.

"Who do we go after now?" Conrad asked.

"It doesn't really matter, as long as we find someone with some Pokemon we can steal." Said Sally. They found another trainer beside a tree in the middle of the area. However, he was taking a nap as he wanted to make sure he was well rested before his match.

"I guess we shouldn't bother him." Said Sally and they continued on. Near the Pokemon Center, another young girl was just coming out of the Pokemon Center after having given her team a check up.

"Bingo." Said Sally. They ran up to the girl and got their equipment set up.

"Say, kid, how would you like to be interviewed by the best television network in the entire region?" Conrad asked.

"I highly doubt that." Said the girl. "How many viewers do you have?"

"We're a relatively new network that's trying to build up an audience." Said Sally.

"You won't get that with me." Said the girl. "I only do interviews with established networks. Now scram. I have a match to get ready for." She walked away with a firm look on her face.

"Suffice to say, this isn't going well." Said Conrad.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Said Sally. They decided to try a different approach and went into a booth that was out of the way of everyone. Fortunately, they had extra disguises on hand and so they changed into photographer outfits.

"If we can't videotape trainers' Pokemon, maybe we can ask to borrow them for a photo shoot." Said Conrad.

"Good idea." Said Sally. They changed into their new outfits and started walking around again. A short little while later, they found a trainer who specialized in training water type Pokemon.

"Hello, we're professional photographers from a new Pokemon magazine that just started up two weeks ago." Said Conrad.

"We'd like to ask if we can take a picture of one of your Pokemon for a magazine." Said Sally. The trainer rolled their eyes a little bit as she was getting a bit suspicious.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked.

"All trainers can trust people like us." Said Conrad. "We're professionals after all." The trainer then looked at the outfits that the Team Rocket members were wearing.

"If you're photographers, then shouldn't you be wearing brand new clothes?" she asked. "Those look a bit worn out to me."

"The last two people that wore these didn't really do a good job taking care of them." Said Conrad. "But enough about that. Are you going to let us take a picture or not?" The trainer thought for a second before reluctantly agreeing to the request.

"As long as there's no funny business, I'll allow the picture." She said, and brought her Psyduck out. This one was much more behaved than the one Michelle owned.

"That one certainly looks strong." Said Sally.

"Smile, Psyduck." Said the trainer. Psyduck obliged and gave a big, wide smile.

"On my count." Said Conrad. "One, two, three." Instead of snapping the picture, however, they grabbed the Psyduck and packed their equipment up.

"Thanks, kid, you've been very helpful." Said Sally, and she and Conrad started running off. The trainer was understandably upset and started crying out loud.

"Help! Somebody stole my Psyduck!" she cried. Fortunately, an Officer Jenny was nearby, and upon hearing the cry, she immediately ran over.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Those two crooks took my Psyduck!" she cried and pointed in a direction. "They went that way!"

"Thanks." Said Jenny, and she ran off.

"We finally have something worthy of giving to the boss." Said Sally.

"That poor kid never had it coming." Said Conrad. However, Jenny caught up with them and she was looking very stern.

"All right, you two, hand it over!" she ordered.

"Hand what over?" asked Conrad.

"Don't even think of playing dumb with me!" Jenny demanded. Conrad and sally sighed, but surrendered the Psyduck, who immediately sent them flying off into the air with Water Gun.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried. Jenny picked up the Psyduck and gave it back to his trainer.

"Here you go." Said Jenny. "I don't think those crooks will be bothering you anymore."

"Thanks, Officer Jenny." Said the trainer. Later that afternoon, Amanda was nervously sitting in the locker room near the entrance of the grass field.

"I'm a little worried, Pikachu." She said. "What if we lose right now? Then it'll be like all of our hard work was for nothing."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Don't be so down on yourself. Whatever happens, just do your best.'

"Pikachu's right." Said Michelle. "Just remember everything you've learned from all the battles you've already had and you should do fine. Just then, the arena announcer's voice was heard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time to begin this first round Pokemon League match between Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City and John Harrison of Lavender Town. Trainers, enter the field please." Amanda stood up from the bench.

"It's time, Pikachu." She said. She made the slow walk out of the locker room and onto the field to the roaring applause from the crowd.

"And here comes Amanda, who is competing here for the very first time. Accompanying her on the sidelines are her two supporters Michelle Greenwood and Mark McDavid." John came into the arena with a determined look on his face.

"There's John, who is also competing for the first time." Said the announcer. Both trainers met in the center of the field and shook hands.

"Best of luck to you." Said Amanda.

"Same with you." Said John. The referee for the match then came over to both trainers.

"Each of you will be allowed to use up to three Pokemon, and you will not be allowed to substitute your Pokemon out until it has fainted or been rendered unable to battle by a status condition. Any questions from either of you?" Both trainers shook their head.

"Then take your places." He said. Both trainers went to their respective sides of the field. Amanda's part of the scoreboard was marked in green, while John's was marked in red.

"You can do it, Amanda!" Michelle cried from the sidelines. Even Elekid, who Michelle was currently babysitting, cheered loudly for Amanda. The referee raised both flags to signal the start of the match.

"Begin!" he cried.

"Vileplume, I choose you!" John cried. An indigo, bipedal Pokemon with rudimentary hands and feet, beady red eyes and a small mouth appeared on the field. A massive red flower with five bulky petals and an orange-brown center was situated on its head. Amanda decided to check out more information with her Pokedex and quickly flipped it open.

"Vileplume, the flower Pokemon. Vileplume can shake, flap, or burst its petals into bloom with a bang in order to release clouds of pollen." Amanda put her Pokedex away.

"So he is using a grass type." She said with a high level of confidence. She grabbed a Poke Ball from her waist and tossed it. "Arcanine, I choose you!" The strong fire type appeared on the field ready for action.

"John's first Pokemon for this three on three battle is Vileplume, while Amanda is starting with Arcanine." Said the announcer. "Let's see who will score first."

"Vileplume, Petal Dance now!" John ordered. Vileplume started doing a bit of a dance and small leaves appeared.

"Petal Dance is Vileplume's signature attack." Said Mark.

"Amanda better be careful with that." Said Michelle.

"Arcanine, burn the leaves with your Flamethrower!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a line of fire right through Vileplume's leaves, burning them to a crisp.

"A spectacular display of Flamethrower!" the announcer cried.

"Okay, Arcanine, Take Down attack!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine started charging at Vileplume.

"Double Team!" John ordered. Vileplume countered by putting up illusions of itself, forcing Arcanine to stop in his tracks.

"Use Flamethrower on all the copies!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a line of fire at the fakes until only the real one was left standing.

"Amanda's definitely using her head right now." Said Mark.

"For this being her first ever Pokemon League fight, she's certainly showing that she knows what she's doing." Michelle agreed.

"Razor Leaf attack!" John ordered. Vileplume shot out green leaves from its bulb and the attack scored a hit on Arcanine. The fire type immediately shook the leaves off, however, leaving John stunned.

"What?!" he cried.

"Nice try with that." Said Amanda. "Arcanine, use your Fire Spin attack!" Arcanine unleashed a circle of fire right at Vileplume, trapping the dual grass and poison type.

"That's one powerful Fire Spin!" the announcer cried out. "Things are looking very bleak for Vileplume right now."

"Vileplume, you have to try and find a way out of there." Said John. Vileplume looked, but couldn't see an opening.

"Try as she might, there doesn't seem to be any room for Vileplume to move." Said the announcer. John gritted his teeth, while Amanda just smiled.

"Fire Blast attack!" she ordered. Arcanine shot a huge fire star right at Vileplume, making it scream even more. It ran like crazy trying to get rid of the fire, only to fall down and faint. The referee raised the green flag.

"Vileplume is out of the battle. Arcanine is the winner!" he cried.

"And Arcanine takes home the win without even breaking a sweat. Now John has just two Pokemon left as he tries to figure out how to deal with Arcanine." Said the announcer. John recalled his Vileplume.

"You tried your best." He said. He put Vileplume's ball away and grabbed another one.

"Beedrill, go!" he cried. A yellow Pokemon with black stripes, red eyes and long stingers appeared on the field.

"John's second Pokemon is Beedrill, and Amanda will be keeping Arcanine." Said the announcer. The referee raised both flags and yelled "Go!"

"Take Down now!" ordered Amanda. Arcanine started running fast towards Beedrill.

"Beedrill, use your Agility now!" John cried out. Beedrill utilized its speed to dodge Arcanine's attempts to hit it.

"Beedrill is moving very swiftly, folks." Said the announcer. "Arcanine's trying his best, but he can't seem to land a hit." Arcanine growled and got more aggressive, but all that did was make Beedrill increase its speed.

"Arcanine doesn't look too happy." Said Michelle.

"That Beedrill certainly looks like it has more experience." Mark observed. "Amanda might have to switch tactics here."

"Dragon Rage!" Amanda cried. Arcanine opened his mouth to reveal a huge, orange ball of fire. He launched the ball right at Beedrill, knocking it down onto the field.

"Beedrill!" John cried. The bug type was tough, however, and quickly got back up.

"There we go." Said John. "Now, use the Twineedle attack!" Beedrill tried using both of its large stingers to poke at Arcanine.

"Counter with Agility!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine built up speed to avoid the needles.

"Beedrill's needles can't seem to get through because of Arcanine's quickness." Said the announcer. "Hopefully John can find a way around this or his Beedrill will find itself stung."

"Come on, Beedrill." Said John. "Use Swords Dance." Beedrill stopped moving and started spinning around in a circle.

"What's Beedrill doing?" asked Mark.

"Swords Dance increases the Pokemon's attack power by a great margin." Said Michelle.

"That means whatever attack Beedrill lands could knock out Arcanine." Said Mark.

"It's certainly possible." Said Michelle.

"Pin Missile attack!" John ordered. Beedrill fired a barrage of sting missiles at Arcanine, hitting the fire type and causing him to cry out in pain.

"Arcanine!" Amanda cried.

"There it is, folks, one of Beedrill's signature attacks." Said the announcer. "How will Arcanine survive this one?" The missiles continued hitting Arcanine one by one until it finally dropped onto the ground.

"Arcanine, try to get up!" Amanda cried. Arcanine struggled to get back to his feet, and although he was able to stand back up, he was battered and bruised from Beedrill's attack.

"Take Down." John ordered. Beedrill charged at Arcanine, and with the fire type weakened from the battle, the attack easily hit, causing Arcanine to faint. The referee immediately raised the red flag.

"Arcanine is unable to battle. Beedrill is the winner!" he cried.

"Looks like Beedrill's stingers were too much for Arcanine and now both trainers have two Pokemon left." Said the announcer.

"Arcanine, return." Said Amanda. The fire type was absorbed back into the ball via red light and she was about to grab another ball when she heard a yell from her shoulder.

"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Can I go next?' Amanda smiled at her partner.

"All right, buddy, you're on!" she cried. Pikachu jumped down onto the field and stared at Beedrill.

"Amanda has chosen Pikachu for her second Pokemon. Does it have enough juice to drain Beedrill's batteries? We'll soon find out." Said the announcer. The referee raised both flags.

"Begin!" he cried.

"Pin Missile again!" John cried. Beedrill fired more missile stingers.

"Pikachu, use your Agility!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu built up speed to dodge all the missiles that were sent towards it.

"Great work!" Amanda cried. John wasn't too impressed, however.

"Beedrill, try Twineedle again." He ordered. Beedrill made a second attempt at poking its opponent with its needles.

"Keep up the Agility, Pikachu!" Amanda cried. Pikachu got faster and faster and continued to dodge the missiles. John was starting to get more mad.

"If missiles won't work, maybe poison will." He said. "Beedrill, Poison Sting!" Beedrill shot powerful poison needles at Pikachu, who was still running fast from the Agility. The issue now, however, was that he was running too fast and didn't see some of the needles hit him.

"Pika!" he cried, and flew backwards.

"Pikachu!" Amanda cried. "Hang in there, buddy! I know you can do it!" Pikachu quickly got up and focused hard on the Beedrill.

"Body Slam it!" Amanda cried. Pikachu ran with all its might and slammed Beedrill to the ground. The bug type tried to shake Pikachu off him, but he wouldn't let go.

"That's one of the most powerful Body Slam attacks that I've ever seen." Said the announcer. "The question is, did that do enough to knock out Beedrill?" Beedrill was a tough fighter and got back up.

"Look at that, folks. Beedrill can still go." Said the announcer. "Looks like it'll take a lot of strength to take out this Pokemon."

"Pikachu, use your Mega Punch!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu pulled back its right fist and attempted to punch Beedrill.

"Agility." John commanded as calmly as possible. Beedrill flew as fast as he could to avoid the punches, which made Pikachu start to sweat a little bit.

"Don't give up, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Go for the Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity, which Beedrill failed to notice as he was flying around, making him get shocked by the attack.

"Yes. I think that Thunderbolt might have done it." Said Amanda.

"Amanda seems to think that she has a knockout." Said the announcer. Beedrill lay motionless on the ground for a few seconds, with the referee watching closely. He was about to raise the green flag when Beedrill suddenly sprang up.

"Pika?!" Pikachu asked shocked, which meant 'What?!'

"No way! Beedrill shouldn't be able to keep battling after that." Said Michelle.

"That's certainly the toughest Beedrill that I've ever seen." Said Mark.

"Pin Missile with everything you've got!" John ordered. Beedrill continued to launch missiles, and Pikachu once again countered with Agility. However, it was going noticeably slower than before.

"All of that running around trying to dodge attacks seems to be wearing Pikachu down." Said Michelle. "Amanda needs to get rid of that Beedrill fast."

"Now's the time, Pikachu. Thunder!" cried Amanda. Pikachu unleashed its most powerful electric attack on Beedrill, sending it onto the grass terrain unconscious. This time, it failed to get up. The referee held up the green flag immediately.

"Beedrill is no longer able to battle. Pikachu is the winner!" he cried.

"Beedrill's batteries are finally dead and now John is down to his last Pokemon." Said the announcer. "Who will he pick?" John recalled Beedrill and grabbed one final Poke Ball.

"Aerodactyl, go!" he cried. A vicious looking Pokemon with gray skin and large violet wings appeared.

"John has chosen Aerodactyl. And this is truly a sight to behold as we rarely get to see this Pokemon in person." Said the announcer.

"Pikachu, can you keep going?" Amanda asked. Pikachu gave a quick thumbs up.

"All right, then I'm keeping you in." she said. "Thunderbolt, now!" Pikachu let out another powerful electric jolt, which hit Aerodactyl directly. However, the attack didn't seem to do anything.

"You're kidding me." Said Amanda.

"I don't understand. I thought Aerodactyl was supposed to be a flying type." Said Mark. "That Thunderbolt should've decreased its hit points quite a lot."

"It's true that Aerodactyl is a flying type, but it also has the characteristics of a rock type too." Said Michelle. "That means electric attacks are useless against it."

"That's not good for Pikachu." Said Mark.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Amanda cried.

"Aerodactyl, Rock Throw now!" cried John. The dual rock and flying type grabbed some spare rocks from the corner and hurled them right at Pikachu.

"Get out of the way!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu ran as fast as his body would let him, but some of the rocks hit him, knocking him down.

"No!" cried Amanda. "Come on, Pikachu, try to get up." Pikachu panted heavily, and managed to get back on his feet.

"Great. Now use…" Before Amanda could finish ordering an attack, however, Pikachu collapsed and fainted on the terrain. It was now completely knocked out. The referee saw this and raised the red flag.

"Pikachu is out of the battle. Aerodactyl wins!" he shouted.

"And folks, this is why rock type Pokemon have the advantage over electric types. Now both trainers are down to their final Pokemon." Said the announcer.

"Come on over here, Pikachu." Said Amanda. Pikachu got u and ran over to his best friend.

"I'm very proud of you, Pikachu. You were great out there." Said Amanda.

"I wonder who Amanda should choose for her last one." Said Mark.

"If I were Amanda right now, I'd go with Weepinbell for a grass field like this." Said Michelle.

"I would too, but the problem is that Weepinbell is weak against air attacks." Said Mark.

"Oh yeah." Said Michelle. "However, rock types are really bad against water. This might be a good time for Blastoise." Amanda paused, reached for a Poke Ball and began to throw it.

"Blastoise, I choose you!" she cried. The fully evolved water type appeared instantly on the field in a blaze of light.

"Blastoise!" the water turtle cried out.

"Amanda has chosen Blastoise for her final Pokemon. Will type advantage alone be enough to send Aerodactyl to the showers? We're about to find out as we begin the final round of this exciting match." Said the announcer.

"Let's do this, Blastoise!" cried Amanda. "Water Gun attack!" Blastoise shot streams of water from his cannons right at the dual rock and flying type.

"Aerodactyl, fly up high and dodge the water!" John ordered. Aerodactyl flew as high as he could to avoid the attack from Blastoise.

"Now to go in for the landing. Spread your wings out and strike." Said John. Aerodactyl flew downwards on a straight trajectory towards Blastoise.

"Use Withdraw!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise quickly dropped into his shell to avoid taking any serious damage. Aerodactyl was angry about his attack missing, and rightfully so.

"Bite attack!" John ordered. Aerodactyl opened his mouth and used his sharp teeth to dig into the water type's shoulder.

"Blastoise!" Amanda cried.

"Blastoise looks like he's in some trouble." Said Michelle worriedly.

"With Aerodactyl in close range like that, the match could end right now." Said Mark.

"Time for the win. Hyper Beam attack!" John ordered. Aerodactyl opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful orange beam right at Blastoise.

"This could be it, folks!" the announcer cried. The impact of the attack left a mark on the wall, and both John and Aerodactyl were certain that they had won. Much to their horror, however, Aerodactyl was sent flying backwards several feet.

"What?! How?!" John wondered.

"That was amazing!" Mark cried. Michelle was in agreement with him.

"It looked for a second like Blastoise would be done for because of how powerful Hyper Beam is." Michelle began to explain. "But at the last possible second, Blastoise used the top of his shell as a counter to send the attack right back at Aerodactyl with even more power."

"That was incredible, Blastoise!" Amanda cried. Aerodactyl lay on the ground dazed and surprised. It hadn't been officially knocked out yet, but it was very weak.

"Hydro Pump!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise shot powerful water blasts at Aerodactyl, drenching it and finally knocking it out. The referee quickly raised the green flag.

"Aerodactyl is unable to continue. Blastoise wins!" he cried out. "The winner of the match is Amanda Cooper!" The last green panel on Amanda's side of the scoreboard disappeared, leaving only the word CONGRATULATIONS underneath her picture.

"And this match is over! Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City will be moving on to the second round!" the announcer cried.

"We did it, Blastoise! We won our first round match!" Amanda cried. Blastoise gave his trainer a smile and a hug. Mark and Michelle ran out to her.

"Congratulations, Amanda!" Mark exclaimed.

"You were incredible out there, Amanda!" cried Michelle.

"Thanks, guys." Said Amanda. Shortly after they had left the field, Michael ran up to them.

"So, how did you do in your match?" he asked.

"I won." Said Amanda. "How about your match?"

"I won mine too." Said Michael. "Pidgeot swept my opponent's entire team."

"Great. Best of luck in your next match." Said Amanda.

"I wish you the same." Said Michael. With both friends having scored round one victories, their attention now turns to the second round. Who will they face? More importantly, will they win? Find out in the next episode as the Pokemon League tournament continues.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Eight

Last time, Amanda competed in her first ever Pokemon League match, doing so on the grass field. The first battle saw Amanda's Arcanine go against John's Vileplume, which Arcanine ended up winning. Beedrill came out next, and made good use of its stingers to score a knockout over Arcanine. Then, it was Pikachu's turn to battle, and thanks to some powerful electric attacks, Beedrill's batteries were quickly drained. The final Pokemon in John's lineup was Aerodactyl, who made good use of its rock typing to send Pikachu to the showers. Blastoise was the final Pokemon to come out, and gave Aerodactyl some quick showers to send Amanda to the second round of the tournament. Will she be able to have the same luck? We're about to find out as her run continues.

As our heroes made their way back to the lobby of the main building, the thrill and excitement of Amanda's first Pokemon League win was still fresh in her mind.

"I still can't believe we managed to pull that off, Pikachu." She said.

"Don't let that get to your head, though." Said Michael. "It's only going to get tougher from here."

"Michael's right." Said Michelle. "The further you go in the tournament, the harder the competition is."

"I wonder which field you two will be battling on next." Said Mark.

"That's what we're about to find out right now." Said Michelle. Once they arrived back at the reception area, they were given a warm greeting.

"Congratulations to both of you on your victories today." Said the receptionist.

"Thank you very much." Said Michael.

"How do our round two opponents get decided?" Amanda wondered.

"Just wait right here for a moment and you'll find out." Said the receptionist. She quickly disappeared into a different room.

"I wonder what she's getting." Said Michelle.

"I guess we're about to see." Said Mark. The receptionist returned a couple of minutes later with a large circular drum.

"What's that for?" Amanda asked.

"This drum has the names of all the trainers that won their first round matches." Said the receptionist. "You pull out a slip from here, and whichever name you pull out is who your opponent will be in the second round."

"That seems simple enough." Said Michelle.

"You pull first, Michael." Said Amanda.

"Oh no, I insist you do it." Said Michael. "Ladies first, after all."

"That's very considerate." Said Mark. Amanda closed her eyes and dug deep into the drum. After reaching around for a few seconds, she finally pulled out a slip of paper that had a blue color on it. The text was written in white.

"The blue color on the paper means that you'll be on the water field for your next match." Said the receptionist. She had a look at the text that was on the paper.

"It says B-6." She said. She typed the information into the computer screen and a picture of Amanda's next opponent popped up. The trainer in the photo was wearing a bright red shirt, a black skirt and silver flip flop sandals.

"Well, now I know who my opponent is." Said Michelle.

"Her name is Karen." Said the receptionist. "She's a pretty good trainer, too."

"I guess she'll be pretty tough to beat, then." Said Amanda. "But I know we can win no matter how tough the opponent is." Michael drew a slip next. His paper had C-4 written on it, and the color on it was a bright white.

"I have the ice field for my next battle." He said. "Let's hope it'll be more competitive than the first one was, though."

"Okay, Amanda, your match tomorrow starts at three o'clock." Said the receptionist. "Michael, yours starts at five."

"Got it." Michael said. That evening, the four of them went to check out some of the other activities that were happening around the Pokemon League village. On the way, they started discussing Amanda's next match.

"I kind of thought the reception lady would've hinted at any kind of type my opponent may use." Said Amanda.

"I don't think they're allowed to give that information." Said Michael.

"Why not?" asked Amanda.

"Probably because they don't want to give other trainers an unfair advantage." Said Mark.

"That would seem like a valid reason to me." Said Michael.

"Now, considering the type of terrain you'll be battling on, suppose your opponent were to use water types." Said Michelle. "How would you counter that?"

"That's easy." Said Amanda. "I'd use both Weepinbell and Pikachu."

"Those are both great choices for a water battle, but you should probably use a water Pokemon yourself." Said Mark.

"I do have Blastoise with me, so I could use him." Said Amanda.

"That wouldn't be a bad option, but I think you should have more than one water type with you just in case." Said Michelle.

"Do you have any water Pokemon other than Blastoise?" asked Michael.

"I do have some other ones back at the professor's lab." Said Amanda. "I have Goldeen, Horsea, Seadra and Magikarp."

"I have to recommend that you not bring Magikarp with you to that battle." Said Michelle.

"I would have to agree." Said Michael. "All Magikarp is good for is flopping around. You do have a few other good options, though." They soon arrived at the part of the village where carnival type games were all set up for League participants to try their luck at.

"Ready to play some of the games, Pikachu?" Amanda asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm ready!' The two of them started to bounce off excitedly, but Michelle stopped them.

"Phone call first, then we can do some of the games." She said. They went over to a block of video hones, and Amanda used one of them to place a call to Professor Oak. The professor was about to sit down to eat when he heard his phone ring.

"People need to learn not to call me during meal times." He grumbled. Nonetheless, he picked up the phone.

"Hello there, professor!" Amanda cried.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'Hi!'

"Elekid!" the baby Elekid cried.

"Hello, Amanda, Pikachu and Elekid." Said Oak. "How are you all doing?"

"We're doing just fine, professor." Said Amanda. "I won my first match earlier today!"

"I heard about that, Amanda. That's excellent news." Said Professor Oak.

"Thanks, Professor." Said Amanda. "I'm already looking forward to my next match."

"I know you are, but don't get too overconfident." Said Oak. "Trainer often fall victim to overexcitement and then don't do as well as they should. I don't want that to happen to you. Just make sure you keep doing your best."

"I will, Professor." Said Amanda. "By the way, would it be possible to switch out my Pokemon team for the next match?"

"Of course, my dear." Said Oak. "Which of your Pokemon would you like to swap?"

"I'm battling on the water field for the next match, so I'm wondering if I can have Goldeen with me." Said Amanda. "I'll send Kadabra your way."

"I think Goldeen's a fine choice for a water battle." Said Oak. He grabbed Goldeen's Poke Ball and put it on his end of the teleporter. Likewise, Amanda placed Kadabra's ball on her end, and within a few seconds, both balls were switched.

"Goldeen's here, Professor. Thank you very much." Said Amanda.

"No problem at all, my dear." Said Oak. "I have to go or else my dinner's going to get cold. Good luck out there!" He hung up the phone, and now Amanda was feeling even more excited.

"We're glad to have you with us, Goldeen." She said as she placed the ball on her waist.

"I don't think I've ever seen you use Goldeen in a battle." Said Michelle. "Let's hope it can perform well for you."

"Goldeen are known to be fast swimmers." Said Mark. "I think it'll be fine." Amanda's stomach started to growl.

"My appetite would also be fine if we ate something." She said.

"Good idea." Said Michael. "I'm getting hungry myself." They found plenty of food vendors and got their dinner from one of them. Since everything was free for competing trainers, they didn't have to worry about paying. All of them shared a cheese pizza and they each had a small salad to satisfy themselves for the rest of the evening. Pikachu looked out at all the other action that was happening in front of them.

"Pika?!" he asked, which meant 'Can we check out some of the games now?' Amanda smiled.

"Yes, we can look at the games." She said. The first game they checked out was a basketball shooting game where they had to make a certain amount of baskets within a sixty second time limit. Amanda, Michael and mark all failed, but Michelle put on a spectacular display and won herself an Eevee plush.

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed happily. She pointed at the toy and gave Michelle a thumbs up.

"I'm glad you like it, Eevee." Said Michelle. The next game they looked at was a ring toss game.

"I don't ever remember playing ring toss before." Said Amanda. Mark pointed out a specific prize he wanted.

"They have a handheld game console here." He said. "Maybe I can win that."

"Just try your best." Said Michael. Unfortunately for Mark, he failed on all his attempts and couldn't win the prize. He was a bit disappointed, but Amanda gave him some reassurance.

"You can't win all the time at games, just like I don't always win all my Pokemon battles." She said.

"That's certainly an interesting analogy." Said Mark. They decided to try a few more games, but none of the group members were successful on any of them.

"Well, that was a bit disappointing." Said Amanda.

"At least I have my Eevee doll, though." Said Michelle.

"That's certainly better than nothing." Said Michael.

"By the way, Michelle, how were so good at the basketball game?" Mark wondered curiously.

"My dad used to take me to some basketball games when I was little, and I studied the shooting mechanics of each player." Said Michelle. "That's how I was able to do so well."

"You'd make for a terrific basketball player." Said Amanda. As they continued walking back, they heard the sound of a Rhydon charging toward them.

"What in the world?!" Mark cried. Right beside Rhydon was a Vaporeon, who ran up to Eevee and gave her a playful lick.

"These Pokemon look a bit familiar." Said Amanda. "It's almost like I've seen them before."

"That's because you did see them before." Stated a voice from behind them. The group turned around, and much to their surprise, it was Cassie and Gina!

"Hey there, you guys!" cried Amanda. She ran up to the two girls and hugged both of them. "It's so great to see both of you again!"

"What are you both doing here?" Michelle asked.

"We saw Amanda's battle earlier on television back home, so we thought we'd com up here and surprise both of you." Said Gina.

"That's great." Said Mark. "How did you get here so fast, though?"

"We flew here on my sister's Pidgeot." Said Cassie. "It's a really strong flyer."

"Just who exactly are these people?" Michael asked.

"Oh, you haven't met them yet." Said Amanda. "These two are our friends Cassie and Gina."

"We met them near Cinnabar Island during the Christmas holiday last year." Said Mark. Michael stuck his hand out and greeted them.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you." He said.

"Are you competing in the tournament too?" Cassie asked him.

"He certainly is." Said Amanda. "We both have a match tomorrow."

"That's part of the reason why we came up here." Said Gina. "Cassie wanted to see you battle in person."

"Well then, you should be in for a real treat tomorrow for my match on the water field." Said Amanda. Cassie and Gina recalled their Pokemon, and with the group now increased to six people, they all started to make their way towards the cabins.

"So Cassie, how have things been for you since the last time we saw you?" asked Michelle.

"It's been going well." Said Cassie. "Ever since I got that Vaporeon, I've been wanting to become a trainer myself."

"That's a great goal to have." Said Amanda. "Being a trainer isn't as easy as it looks, though."

"What do you mean?" Cassie wondered.

"First off, you have to make sure your Pokemon are in top shape at all times." Said Michelle. "You have to feed them daily, and you also have to make sure that they're always in good condition."

"That's exactly what I've been doing with Vaporeon." Said Cassie. "I've been giving it a bath every single day, and she absolutely loves that."

"I would hope so considering that it's a water type." Said Michael. Once they arrived back at the cabins, they went into the one where Amanda, Michael, Mark and Michelle were all staying in.

"This looks completely different from where Gina and I live." Said Cassie.

"All the trainers that are competing get to stay here for the duration of the tournament." Gina explained.

"Do you think that could be me one of these days?" Cassie asked.

"We'll just have to see." Said Gina. All six of them went to bed early that night so that they would be well rested for what lay ahead of them. The next morning, Amanda woke up with a bright smile on her face.

"Another match day today, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "How are you feeling about it?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped, which meant 'I'm feeling great!'

"Amanda, Gina has a little something for you." Said Cassie.

"She does?" Amanda wondered. Gina stood in front of Amanda's bed and showed her the surprise.

"Since you're battling in a water themed arena today, I thought I'd make you a special skirt for you to wear for the match." She said. The skirt was a shade of cascade blue and had some water droplets stitched onto the front and back.

"This is so pretty." Said Amanda. She changed into the skirt, along with a bright yellow shirt to match. "What do you think, Pikachu?"

"Pika." Pikachu answered, which meant 'You look lovely.'

"Thanks, buddy." Said Amanda. Since she had plenty of time before her match started, she decided to spend the morning doing some training sessions with her team.

"That's a really smart idea." Said Michelle. "This way, her lineup will be ready to do whatever they're told." After a filling lunch, it was time to head to the stadium for the match.

"The water field looks so cool!" Cassie cried upon their arrival. "Do you think we'll get to see any water Pokemon during this match, Gina?"

"I hope we do." Said Gina. "Water Pokemon are some of the best ones out there." In the locker room, Amanda looked at Pikachu.

"Now that the first match jitters are past us, let's really do our best today." She said. "The announcer's voice then came on.

"Welcome to this second round match of competition here on the water field. We have two terrific battlers today who are anxious to get out there and show off their skills, so let's not waste any time. Trainers, please enter the arena!"

"Let's do it." Said Amanda. She got up from her spot and made her way into the stadium.

"And here come the competitors now." Said the announcer. "In the green corner is Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City. Amanda had a thrilling victory in her round one match on the grass field yesterday after her Blastoise took down the mighty Aerodactyl. And now, coming into the stadium and lining up in the red corner is Karen Brewster of Cerulean City." Both trainers went to the center of the field to shake hands and wish each other good luck. After lining back up in their respective spots, the referee raised both flags.

"Begin the battle now!" he cried.

"Kingler, I choose you!" Karen yelled as she threw one of her Poke Balls. A large, crustacean Pokemon that resembled a crab appeared in a blaze of white light. The Pokemon also had a strong shell on the outside of its body, featuring a red upper half and a light tan lower half. Amanda took out her Pokedex to find out more about the Pokemon.

"Kingler, the pincer Pokemon. Kingler has an enormous, oversized claw, which it waves in the air in order to communicate with others."

"That Kingler looks so cool!" Cassie cried.

"Looks can be deceiving." Said Gina. "See how big those claws and pincers are? That means it's been trained very well." On the sidelines, Mark and Michelle were a bit concerned themselves.

"That Kingler doesn't look like it'll be easy to beat." Said Michelle. "Do you think Amanda can somehow defeat it?"

"I think so, but it might take some teamwork to do that." Said Mark. Amanda took a deep breath before pulling off a Poke Ball off the waist of her new skirt.

"I choose you, Goldeen!" she cried. She threw the ball and the beautiful white piscine Pokemon appeared in a flash.

"Well, it looks like we're starting this match with a battle between two water types. Karen is starting off the battle with Kingler while Amanda has chosen a Goldeen. Let's see how this water battle unfolds." Said the announcer.

"Let's go, Kingler! Bubble attack now!" Karen ordered. Kingler shot a stream of bubbles from its mouth.

"Dodge it, Goldeen! Agility now!" Amanda cried. Goldeen swam swiftly and quickly to avoid the bubbles. Each time Kingler aimed in one spot, Goldeen would quickly move over to the other side. Michelle was surprised.

"For Goldeen's first battle, it seems to be holding its own right now." She said.

"True, but don't forget that the match just started." Said Mark.

"Goldeen's fast. Time to get on the more aggressive side." Said Karen. "Kingler, full power Bubble now!" Kingler shot more powerful bubbles out, but Goldeen continued to move quickly.

"I'm not going to let that fish win this easily." Said Karen. "Kingler, cover both sides! Make sure Goldeen doesn't have any room to move!" Kingler shot even more bubbles out of his mouth in an effort to stop Goldeen. Amanda had a counter of her own, however.

"Goldeen, move over to the middle of the pool!" Amanda ordered. "The bubbles can't hit you there!" Goldeen swiftly swam over to the only unguarded side.

"Nice try, but you're not getting off the hook." Said Karen. "Bubble Beam attack!" Kingler launched a more powerful barrage of bubbles, and this time, there was no escaping the move. Goldeen got hit hard and was sent flying into the air.

"Ah!" Amanda cried.

"Looks like Goldeen finally ran out of space and now it's just circling around in the air." Said the announcer.

"Goldeen looks like it's in some trouble." Said Michelle.

"I hope Amanda has some tricks up her sleeve." Said Cassie.

"I'm sure she does." Said Gina. "Otherwise, she wouldn't be here."

"Goldeen, drop down on top of Kingler and use your Peck attack." Said Amanda. Goldeen flew down quickly onto Kingler's head and gave it a hard peck, making Kingler wince in pain.

"Kingler!" cried Karen. Kingler was tough, though, and was still able to fight.

"I've got to get Goldeen out of here and I know exactly how to do it." Said Karen. "Okay Kingler, time for the Guillotine!" Amanda was horrified now.

"Guillotine?!" she cried.

"Guillotine isn't one of the most accurate attacks, but it's a straight knockout if it hits." Said Michelle.

"That's bad news for Goldeen, then." Said Mark. Kingler rammed towards the small fish and used its claws to try and strike. Soon, it found itself on the other side.

"That should do it." Said Karen. Unfortunately for her, Goldeen wasn't damaged at all.

"Excuse me?!" Karen cried.

"That was great jumping, Goldeen!" Amanda cried.

"Looks like Amanda pulled off another ace." Said Michelle. "Right as Guillotine was about to strike, Goldeen jumped high into the air just long enough to dodge the move before dropping pack into the pool."

"That was so awesome to see." Said Cassie. Gina silently agreed.

"Use Waterfall!" Amanda ordered. Goldeen sent a blast of water right at Kingler, doing a good chunk of damage to it.

"Come on, Kingler, hang in there." Said Karen. "Stomp that fish." Kingler raised one of his legs and used it to stomp down on Goldeen.

"Quick, Goldeen, try to squeeze out of there." Said Amanda. Kingler had a firm grip on Goldeen, though. Or at least, that was what he thought, as Goldeen managed to somehow roll out of harm's way right as Kingler lifted his leg.

"Horn Drill!" Amanda ordered. Goldeen used the power of her horn to drill right onto the top of Kingler's head. The attack was very powerful and left Kingler in a lot of pain.

"Oh no!" cried Karen. "Kingler, if you can still battle, try for Body Slam." Fortunately for Karen, Kingler was still able to fight and slammed his huge body onto Goldeen. However, because of Goldeen's small size, she was able to easily flop out of harm's way despite having taken some damage.

"Nice work, Goldeen." Said Amanda. "Now, go for Supersonic!" Goldeen shot blue circles from its horn.

"Kingler, don't look directly at those!" Karen cried. Kingler tried to dive into the pool to avoid the move, but he wasn't fast enough and got hit by the circles. He then found himself swimming up to Goldeen and giving it a hug.

"This is cute. Kingler and Goldeen appear to be sharing a moment with each other." Said Michelle.

"I thought those two were supposed to be battling each other, not be each other's friend." Said Mark.

"What just happened?" asked Cassie.

"Goldeen's Supersonic attack made Kingler confused and now it thinks Goldeen is his friend." Gina explained.

"Kingler! This is no time to be giving hugs!" Karen ordered. Use your ViceGrip!" Kingler tried to perform the attack, but the confusion effect made it do damage to itself.

"Why is Kingler doing that?" Cassie wondered.

"That's another effect of Supersonic." Said Gina.

"Finish it off, Goldeen! Horn Attack!" cried Amanda. Goldeen attacked Kingler repeatedly with her horn until the large Pokemon had fainted. The referee raised the green flag.

"Kingler has been defeated. Goldeen is the winner!" he cried.

"Simply amazing! In her first ever match, Goldeen showed a spectacular display of speed and power, both of which are keys to success at this level of competition. Now Karen has just two Pokemon left." Said the announcer. Karen recalled Kingler to his ball.

"You did well, now take five." She said.

"That was great, Goldeen!" cried Amanda. Goldeen happily jumped out of the pool and into the air in celebration, and when she landed, she began to glow a bright white.

"No way!" Cassie cried.

"Goldeen's starting to evolve." Gina observed. When the glow disappeared, Goldeen had become a bit bigger and its color was very different.

"In a stunning turn of events, the intensity of that first battle has resulted in Goldeen evolving into Seaking." Said the announcer. Amanda quickly took out her Pokedex again to find out about her new Pokemon.

"Seaking, the goldfish Pokemon. Seaking are known to be powerful swimmers and are capable of swimming up waterfalls as well as river currents."

"So it has more power than it did as a Goldeen." Said Amanda. "That's pretty awesome."

"Seaking!" her new Pokemon cried in agreement. Karen grabbed another Poke Ball from her waist and tossed it.

"I choose you, Psyduck!" The bright yellow colored duck Pokemon appeared in the pool in a blaze of white light.

"Karen has chosen a Psyduck for her second Pokemon." Said the announcer. "Seaking remains in for Amanda. Can the additional power give Amanda a two score lead or will the combination of Psyduck's water and psychic abilities help even the score?"

"Seaking, let's start this round with a Water Gun attack!" Amanda ordered. Seaking shot a stream of water right at Psyduck's body.

"Psyduck, block it with your Counter attack!" Karen ordered. Right as Seaking's move was about to strike, Psyduck held his hand up and sent it directly back at him with double the power. Seaking didn't even get a chance to react as the attack struck hard and the fish Pokemon was sent upwards before landing in the pool again.

"Wow, that Psyduck has certainly been trained well." Said Mark.

"It definitely knows how to listen to instructions a lot better than my own Psyduck." Said Michelle. Right on cue, a flash of light emerged from one of her Poke Balls and her Psyduck appeared.

"Psyduck!" it cried happily.

"You get back in your ball, mister!" Michelle yelled and quickly recalled him.

"I didn't know Psyduck could counter moves like that." Said Cassie. "I thought it was only a water type."

"It is, but it's also capable of using psychic attacks." Said Gina. "Karen has more options open to her because of that."

"Okay now, Psyduck, Confusion attack!" Karen ordered. Psyduck's eyes started to glow a bright blue.

"Horn Attack, Seaking, and quickly!" Amanda cried. Seaking started charging at Psyduck with its horn stuck out, but before the move could land, it suddenly found itself being bounced up and down like a ball.

"What's Psyduck doing to Seaking?" asked Cassie.

"That's the power of Confusion." Said Gina. "Psyduck's using the psychic portion of its power to control what Seaking does." Seaking continued bouncing up and down at Psyduck's command.

"You can let go now, Psyduck." Said Karen. Psyduck released Seaking from control and sent it splashing into the pool head first.

"Please be okay, Seaking." Said Amanda. Seaking emerged from the water safely, but it was officially knocked out. The referee raised the red flag.

"Seaking cannot continue. Psyduck is the winner!" he cried.

"An incredible display of psychic power from Psyduck has blown Seaking out of this match and now both trainers have two Pokemon left to play with." Said the announcer.

"Seaking, return!" exclaimed Amanda. The fish was absorbed back into its ball via red light.

"For your first battle, you did well. I'm very proud of you." Said Amanda. She put Seaking's ball away and grabbed another one.

"Weepinbell, I choose you!" she cried. She tossed the ball and the small plant Pokemon appeared.

"Amanda has chosen Weepinbell for her second Pokemon. It may look small, but size doesn't always matter here." Said the announcer.

"I hope Weepinbell has enough of an advantage to win this." Said Mark.

"Weepinbell may be strong against water types, but remember that Psyduck can use psychic attacks, and that could be bad news for Amanda." Said Michelle.

"Weepinbell, use your Razor Leaf attack!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot dark green leaves at Psyduck.

"Disable." Karen said calmly. Psyduck's eyes glowed again, stopping the leaves in their tracks and causing them to get shredded up.

"Psyduck's abilities sure are something." Said Gina.

"They're incredible." Said Cassie.

"Try a Vine Whip attack!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot green vines from its body, but each time the vines got near, Psyduck used his psychic power to send them in the opposite direction.

"Now Psyduck's playing mind games with Weepinbell." Said Mark.

"Amanda better think of a way to shut that down." Said Michelle. Weepinbell kept lashing its vines out, but Psyduck kept countering, resulting in a stalemate.

"Weepinbell's getting a bit antsy out there, and for good reason." Said the announcer. "No matter what it tries, Psyduck just seems to have the grass type's number."

"Gina, what does it mean to have a Pokemon's number?" asked Cassie.

"It means that whatever Weepinbell does, Psyduck has a way to outsmart it." Said Gina. "In other words, it's always a step or two ahead." Amanda was starting to feel a little frustrated herself.

"There just has to be a way." She said to herself. Just then, an idea popped into her mind.

"That's it!" she cried. "Psyduck's power has been coming through his eyes. But he won't be able to use his power if he can't see out of them. Weepinbell, spray a dose of Poison Powder directly into Psyduck's eyes!" Weepinbell aimed carefully, and shot out the purple powder so fast that Psyduck couldn't react to it.

"Psyduck, use Scratch to try and get that powder out." Said Karen. Psyduck scratched as hard as he could, but there was too much poison in front of his eyes.

"Vine Whip time!" Amanda cried. Weepinbell shot his vines out and wrapped them tightly around the neck of the now distracted Psyduck. Weepinbell flung the water type around in the air while still keeping a firm grip on the water type's neck.

"Psyduck!" cried Karen.

"What a unique strategy by miss Cooper to stop Psyduck and now Weepinbell has poor Psyduck by the vine." Said the announcer.

"Throw him now!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell tossed the helpless Psyduck down into the pool and knocked him out. The referee looked over carefully before raising the green flag.

"Psyduck is unable to battle. Weepinbell is the winner!" he cried.

"Looks like it's back to the bathtub for Psyduck, leaving Karen with just one Pokémon left." Said the announcer.

"Psyduck, return." Said Karen. The water type was sent back into his ball via red light.

"Good job, now take a rest." She said and she put Psyduck's ball away. She reached for another and tossed it.

"Tentacruel, it's your time to shine!" she cried. The fully evolved version of Tentacool appeared in the pool and gave Weepinbell an intimidating look, which slightly frightened Amanda.

"This could be problematic." Said Michelle.

"How do you figure that?" asked Mark.

"Tentacruel has the traits of both a water type as well as a poison type." Said Michelle. "Poison types have a tendency to get the upper hand on grass Pokemon, which means bad news for Weepinbell." The referee glanced at both trainers as well as both Pokemon before shouting "Begin!"

"Let's go, Weepinbell! Razor Leaf!" Amanda cried out. Weepinbell shot more leaves out, but they only deflected off of Tentacruel's big body and scattered into the corner.

"Why didn't that work?" Cassie wondered. "That attack should've done a lot of damage to Tentacruel."

"You're right, but you have to keep in mind that it's also part poison, so that played a factor into the attack being essentially negated."

"Tentacruel, Poison Sting attack now!" Karen ordered. Tentacruel opened up one of its tentacles and shot powerful poison needles at Weepinbell. The needles hit the small grass type repeatedly, leaving it in a severely weakened state.

"That can't be a good thing." Said Michelle.

"Weepinbell, try using Stun Spore!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot gold powder out of his bulb and aimed it at the large Pokemon. The powder slowly started to take effect.

"Yes! It's working!" Amanda cried. Karen let out a laugh in response.

"You silly kid." She said. "Tentacruel, under the water now!" Tentacruel managed to dive in before the attack could take full effect, and when it came back up, it looked perfectly healthy.

"You thought you could paralyze my Tentacruel with a basic attack like that, huh?" Karen taunted. "Too bad it doesn't work if you dive into the water to wash it off!" Amanda shook her head in disbelief.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was only going to be harder." Said Mark.

"Amanda's really going to need to try and think outside the box now." Said Michelle.

"Come on, Weepinbell, try to sap Tentacruel's energy with a Mega Drain attack." Said Amanda. Weepinbell spread its leaves out and shot green energy at Tentacruel in an attempt to weaken it.

"Tenta?" Tentacruel asked. It looked around itself and started to feel the green light on its body. It started to move a bit more slowly in the water.

"Keep it up, Weepinbell." Said Amanda.

"Wrap attack time." Said Karen. Tentacruel grabbed Weepinbell with another tentacle and wrapped it tightly.

"Weepinbell!" Amanda cried.

"Weepinbell's trying its hardest to get out of that tight hold, but Tentacruel doesn't want to let go." Said the announcer.

"Can Weepinbell still win?" Cassie asked.

"I'm not too sure, but we can only hope." Said Cassie. Weepinbell tried several times to squeeze out, but Tentacruel wouldn't budge. The grass type even started to cry a little bit.

"I'd be crying too if someone squeezed me tight like that and wouldn't release their grip." Said Michelle.

"Tentacruel, let go." Said Karen. Tentacruel finally stopped its wrap attack and dropped Weepinbell into the pool.

"Now, blow it away with Blizzard." Karen ordered. Tentacruel blew up a gust of strong ice pellets, the force of which resulted in Weepinbell being sent out of the pool and onto the ground in front of the wall behind Amanda. She ran to see if her Pokemon was okay, but when Weepinbell tried to get up, it collapsed and fainted. The referee raised the red flag.

"Weepinbell is out of the battle. Tentacruel is the winner!" he shouted.

"Looks like all of that ice completely froze Weepinbell and both trainers now have one Pokemon left." Said the announcer.

"Where did that Blizzard attack come from?" asked Cassie.

"Sometimes Pokemon can learn moves that don't match their type, which helps for coverage." Said Cassie. "Although, I don't think Amanda quite expected a surprise like that." Amanda took out Weepinbell's ball and recalled the grass type.

"That was a great try." She said. "Well, Pikachu, it's all up to you now. Get out there and do your best." Pikachu jumped off his trainer's shoulder and stared at Tentacruel from the trainer box.

"Amanda has selected a Pikachu for her final Pokemon." Said the announcer. "Can this little mouse's electricity power it to a win? Let's see."

"That's a great move." Said Gina. "Pikachu has a huge advantage over Tentacruel."

"Begin the final round now!" the referee yelled.

"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed a powerful electric bolt at the large water Pokemon.

"Barrier." Karen calmly instructed. Tentacruel put up a reflective shield around itself to deflect the attack, leaving Pikachu stunned.

"If electricity won't hit, maybe this will." Said Amanda. "Swift attack now!" Pikachu shot yellow stars from its body right at Tentacruel.

"Send those away with reflect." Said Karen. Tentacruel put up another shield, but the stars went right through it and hit the water type hard.

"Huh?" Karen wondered.

"Well, I guess somebody forgot that Swift attack always hits the target regardless of whatever defense it tries putting up." Said Amanda.

"Whatever." Said Karen. "Tentacruel, go for Supersonic." Tentacruel shot blue circles out of its head, and while Pikachu moved quickly to try and avoid them he still got hit by them.

"Try another Thunderbolt attack." Said Amanda. Pikachu launched the attack, but instead of firing towards his target, he fired the attack everywhere else, including towards Amanda, who had to jump out of the way.

"Hey! I'm not your opponent!" she cried.

"What's with Pikachu?" Cassie wondered.

"It's been hit with confusion and now it think it's battling Amanda when he's supposed to be battling Tentacruel." Said Gina.

"Come on, Pikachu, try to shake it off!" Amanda cried. Pikachu sat down for a second, shook his head, and tried launching another Thunderbolt. This time, it went where it was supposed to, which made Amanda smile.

"The confusion appears to have worn off and now Pikachu is back to his normal self." Said the announcer. Amanda then noticed the white steps that were in the pool and got an idea.

"Pikachu can't swim, but he can definitely run." She said. "Pikachu, jump onto each of those platforms to get on top of Tentacruel!" Pikachu moved quickly across and jumped with all of his strength onto the water type.

"Have fun trying to protect this." Said Amanda. "Thunder Wave!" Pikachu let out a wave of yellow electricity, completely paralyzing Tentacruel and leaving it immobilized.

"Tentacruel, no!" Karen cried. The referee raised the green flag before another command could be given.

"The match is over! Tentacruel is out and Pikachu wins it! The winner is the green trainer, Amanda Cooper!" The screen once again read CONGRATULATIONS below Amanda's picture.

"And that's it, folks! Amanda has once again scored herself a dramatic victory to make it to the third round!" the announcer cried. Pikachu ran back to Amanda and the two embraced in a hug.

"Yay! Amanda did it!" cried Cassie.

"I knew she could." Said Gina. Michelle and Mark came up to her.

"That was another fantastic match." Said Michelle. "Pikachu really came through in the clutch for you."

"That's why Pikachu's the best." Said Amanda. Karen recalled Tentacruel and walked up to Amanda.

"It's been an honor to battle you." She said. "You're a great Pokemon trainer."

"So are you, Karen." Said Amanda. The two trainers hugged each other before Karen left the stadium. Well, Amanda now has two wins under her belt, but can she make it three in a row? Find out in her third round match, which will be coming up in the next episode!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Forty-Nine

Last time, Amanda battled in the second round of the Pokemon League tournament against Karen Brewster, a trainer who specialized in using water type Pokemon. The first match was a very intense one between Karen's Kingler and Amanda's Goldeen. Although Kingler put up a good fight, Goldeen managed to prevail and then it evolved into Seaking. However, Seaking was taken out by Karen's Psyduck, and then Weepinbell was sent into action. Despite Weepinbell's type advantage, Psyduck proved to be a bit tricky to deal with. But some out of the box thinking from Amanda sent Psyduck to the showers. Then, Tentacruel completely overpowered Weepinbell with its Wrap attack, leaving both trainers with one Pokemon each. Enter Pikachu, who gave Tentacruel a super display of electric attacks to secure the win for Amanda and send her into the third round of competition!

On the heels of her second round victory, we find Amanda and her friends celebrating the win by having dinner at a restaurant inside the Pokemon League village.

"How tough was that Tentacruel?" Cassie asked.

"It was certainly one of the tougher Pokemon I've faced so far." Said Amanda. "Luckily, I've got a Pikachu that's just as tough, right buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu happily cried, which meant 'Right!'

"You're not the only one who won their second round match." Said Michael. "I won as well, but it was a bit more of a challenge. It was one of those matches where it could've gone either way."

"The important thing, though, is that you both advanced." Said Gina.

"Do you know which field you two are on next or who you'll be facing?" asked Cassie.

"We'll find that out after dinner." Said Michelle.

"Whoever it ends up being, we're going to try extra hard to make sure we win." Said Amanda. "Aren't we, Pikachu?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu chirped, which meant 'We sure are!' Just then, they heard some chatter at a table near where they were sitting. The group thought nothing of it aft first, but after a little while, the chatter got louder.

"What's going on over there?" Mark wondered.

"I don't know." Said Michelle. "From what I can hear, one of them seems to be bragging about something.

"I'm going to check it out." Said Amanda. "Come on, Pikachu." They went over to the table where all the chatter was coming from and started to listen in on the conversation.

"Great match that you had today, Brandon." Said one of them.

"You really showed that wimpy trainer who the real Pokemon Master is." Said another one.

"Well, that's what happens when you go up against one of the best trainers ever." Said Brandon.

"So, you know who you're facing next?" asked the first person.

"No, but whoever it ends up being, they better not be a wimp." Said Brandon. Amanda gasped and hid behind a nearby plant.

"We're not wimps, are we, Pikachu?" she asked.

"Pika." Pikachu answered, which meant 'Of course not. You're an awesome trainer.'

"Thanks, buddy." Said Amanda. "Come on, let's get back to the others." They went back to their own table, but as Amanda sat back down, a slight frown went across her face.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, who was over there?" Michelle asked.

"You won't believe this." Said Amanda. "Brandon was at that table."

"Didn't we run into him before?" Mark asked. Amanda nodded her head slowly.

"At that Pokemon car race we competed in a while ago." She answered. "You guys remember that?"

"How can I forget." Said Michelle. "Team Rocket tried to sabotage that race."

"But as usual, they failed." Said Mark.

"Who's this Brandon person?" Asked Cassie.

"yeah, I don't think I know who he is." Said Michael.

"He's a bit of an arrogant trainer that Michelle, Mark and I had a run-in with several months ago." Amanda explained.

"He's also one of the most competitive trainers in the world, and he hates it when he loses." Said Michelle.

"I really hope I don't have to face him in the next round." Said Amanda.

"Even if you do, don't let his arrogance get to you." Said Michelle.

"Michelle's right." Said Mark. "Come on, let's eat the rest of our dinner." As Amanda ate, she tried to block any and all images of Brandon out of her head. When they returned to the reception area of the main building earlier, the receptionist typed in the information for both Michael and Amanda to determine their next opponents.

"I hope I get somebody good." Said Michael. The computer screen beeped once all the info had been put in, and they both got to see who they would be up against. Michael drew a young girl whose picture showed her wearing a bright green dress and pink boots.

"That kid looks pretty." He said.

"Don't even get any ideas." Said Amanda.

"You'll be on the grass field for your third match." The receptionist said to Michael. Now it was Amanda's turn to see who she'd be up against. When she saw who was in the photo, however, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"No! It can't be! It just can't be!" she cried.

"What's she upset about now?" Cassie wondered.

"See for yourself." Said Gina. Cassie took a look at the picture and saw exactly what her sister had meant.

"Oh." Cassie said.

"I'm facing Brandon in round three." Said Amanda. "That's absolutely the one thing I didn't want!"

"Getting mad about that isn't going to help." Said Michelle.

"Besides, it's the computer system that decides the opponents, not the trainers." Said Mark.

"Mark is absolutely right." Said Gina. "Just try not to think about it too much or else you won't do well in your match." Said Gina. "By the way, which field is it being held on?"

"From what I can see, it looks like I'm on the rock field." Said Amanda.

"You know, there's one positive about you facing Brandon in the third round." Said Michelle. "You'll get a shot at redemption."

"What does redemption mean?" Cassie asked.

"It means Amanda gets another chance to beat the guy." Said Gina.

"That's right, and I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by!" Amanda cried. She was more determined than ever now.

"Now that's definitely the right attitude to have." Said Michelle. Amanda went to bed that night feeling fired up. She was determined to defeat Brandon no matter the cost. The next morning after breakfast, Gina had a surprise for Amanda.

"Cassie and I want to take you shopping for a little while before your match starts." Said Gina.

"Great, that sounds like fun." Said Amanda. "What gave you the idea, though?"

"Well, Cassie and I saw a new shop that just opened today and we thought that you'd like to have a look." Said Gina.

"Let's get going then." Said Amanda.

"Just make sure you're not late for your match." Said Michelle.

"Don't worry, Michelle, I'm always punctual." Said Amanda. She, Cassie and Gina went off into the Pokemon Village, while Michelle, Michael and Mark went off on their own.

"I wonder what kind of things this new shop sells." Said Amanda.

"Maybe they sell some cute little clothes that you can dress up onto your Pokemon." Said Cassie.

"That's entirely possible." Said Gina. Pikachu was looking around at all the different buildings, but in the process, he almost bumped into a few trainers by accident.

"You need to be more careful there, Pikachu." Said Amanda. They continued walking until they found the shop that Gina had mentioned.

"I don't remember this place being here when the tournament started." Said Amanda.

"Like I said before, it's brand new." Said Gina. "Come on, let's go inside." They made their way through the door, but Amanda was still feeling a little bit on the suspicious side.

"Look at all these cute sweaters!" Cassie cried. Each sweater on display had a different Pokemon on it. Amanda looked through all of them until she saw one that had a Pikachu on it.

"Look, buddy, that's you." Said Amanda. Pikachu gave an approving paws up.

"Here's an Eevee sweater that Michelle would probably like." Said Gina. Cassie then saw that there was nobody at the cashier stand.

"I wonder where the sales people are." She said.

"I'm sure they'll be here shortly." Said Gina. Right on cue, two people emerged dressed in attire suitable for working in a clothing store.

"Welcome to our brand new Pokemon clothing store." Said the woman.

"We see these places all the time at home." Said Cassie. "I didn't think they would open one up here at the Pokemon League."

"We just got approved yesterday." Said the man.

"Is there anything here that you'd like to buy?" asked the woman.

"I'd like the Eevee sweater for my friend Michelle, please." Said Amanda. She brought the sweater to the counter, but the two clerks shook their heads.

"No sale." They both said. Amanda was surprised.

"What?!" she asked.

"How are we supposed to pay for that?" asked Gina.

"In this store, the trainer is only allowed to buy the sweater if they have the corresponding Pokemon on them to match." Said the woman. Amanda, Gina and Cassie were all speechless.

"I've never heard of that payment method before." Said Gina.

"That's store policy." Said the woman. "Unless you have an Eevee on you, we can't sell you the sweater. Either choose something else or leave."

"That's a bit of a weird way to have to pay for something." Said Cassie. Amanda didn't want to leave empty handed, however, so she picked up the Pikachu sweater and brought it to the counter.

"How about this?" she asked.

"That depends." Said the male. "Do you have a Pikachu with you?"

"Of course." Said Amanda. She picked up her partner and placed him on the counter.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Don't do this, Amanda!' he waved his arms frantically to try and talk her out of it, but her mind was made up.

"Sorry, buddy, but if I want that sweater, I don't really have an option." Said Amanda. The woman handed her the sweater, but something still didn't sit right as they left.

"Something definitely looked off about that place." Said Gina as they started walking back.

"Worst of all, I had to hand over Pikachu to get this." Said Amanda. "If I can somehow get him back, do you think he'll forgive me?"

"I'm sure he will." Said Cassie.

"Maybe it's not too late to return this then." Said Amanda. They ran back to the shop and burst through the door.

"Hello? I'd like to get a refund for this, please." Said Amanda. The male and female turned around slowly to face her.

"There are no refunds." The woman said firmly. Before anything else could be said, she pressed a button on a remote control and the store suddenly transformed into a giant balloon. The two "clerk" then ripped off their disguises to expose their true identities. Amanda gasped when she saw who they were.

"Those aren't store owners!" Cassie cried.

"You guys are really Team Rocket!" cried Amanda.

"I knew something was fishy when they mentioned something about paying for the items with actual Pokemon instead of money!" yelled Gina.

"Where's my Pikachu?!" Amanda asked. Right behind Conrad and Sally was a small metal cage with Pikachu locked inside it.

"Pikachu!" the little electric rat called out.

"You give my Pikachu back to me right now you fakers!" Amanda demanded. She started running toward the cage, which was attached to the bottom of the balloon. Before she could grab hold of the cage, however, Conrad and Sally started ascending the balloon into the air.

"See you later, kids." Said Sally. The balloon went higher into the air before it started flying away.

"Come on, guys, after them!" Amanda cried. The three girls began to chase after the balloon. In the cage, Pikachu was angrily letting out some of his electricity. He tried using Thunderbolt over and over again to force the cage open, but to no avail.

"You can use your attacks all you want, Pikachu, but all you're doing is wasting your time and energy." Said Conrad.

"I guess it's a good thing we bought a cage that's invincible to electricity." Said Sally. Pikachu stopped, as he realized that the attacks wouldn't do any good. All he could do was grip the bars of the cage tightly and stare angrily at the two Team Rocket grunts.

"Chu!" he cried, which meant 'Give me back to Amanda right now!'

"You don't need that little runt." Said Sally.

"Instead, you can be a full time Team Rocket member with us." Said Conrad. "What do you say, short stuff?"

"Don't answer him, Pikachu!" Amanda cried. She, Gina and Cassie had caught up to the ballon.

"Pika!" cried Pikachu. The sight of Amanda made him smile.

"No! How did they catch up?" cried Sally.

"Who cares?" said Gina, and she threw a Poke Ball. Pidgeot appeared in a blaze of light and gave Team Rocket an angry look.

"Pidgeot, use your Peck attack!" Gina ordered. "Strike down that balloon!" Pidgeot flew fast at the balloon and used its' beak to drill a hole in it and send it falling down quickly to the ground. The force of the crash resulted in the cage breaking open, easily allowing Pikachu to run back to Amanda.

"Pikachu! Are you okay, buddy?" said Amanda.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm just fine.'

"Great. Now, time to get rid of these two." Said Amanda. "Thunderbolt attack!" Pikachu released his powerful lightning bolt, sending shockwaves through Conrad and Sally's body.

"Ow! Ouch!" they cried. Cassie grabbed a Poke Ball and tossed it.

"Vaporeon, use your Water Gun!" she ordered. The water type appeared instantly and soaked Conrad and Sally with a stream of water.

"And now for the finisher." Said Gina. She threw one of her own balls and an Electrode came out.

"Electrode, Explosion now!" she commanded. Electrode hopped in front of Team Rocket and gave an evil smile.

"Are we about…." Conrad started.

"To be toast?" Sally finished. Electrode unleashed a huge explosion, sending the two Team Rocket members flying into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried. DING!

"You were all terrific!" Amanda cried, praising the Pokemon for their work. Gina and Cassie recalled their Pokemon to their balls.

"We don't need troublemakers like Team Rocket interfering with a big tournament." Said Gina. Amanda then gasped when she saw the time on her watch.

"Oh my goodness! My match is going to start soon!" she exclaimed. "Come on, we've got to get to the stadium quickly!" They started running the other way at top speed in order for Amanda to make it to the rock field on time. Michelle and Mark were casually wandering about when they saw Amanda, Gina and Cassie run right past them.

"Why are they going that fast?" Mark asked.

"It must be getting close to the start time for Amanda's match." Said Michelle. "Wait for us, you three!" They started running behind them, and everyone got to the field in record time.

"Talk about cutting it close." Said Mark.

"Good luck, Amanda." Said Gina.

"Thanks, Gina." Said Amanda. Gina and Cassie went to take their seats in the audience, Mark, Eevee and Michelle positioned themselves on the sidelines and Amanda and Pikachu headed into the locker room.

"You ready for another exciting battle, Pikachu?" Amanda asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm all fired up!'

"So am I, buddy." Said Amanda. She took a deep breath and sat still on the bench as she waited for the match to start. Ten minutes later, the announcer's voice came on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are now ready to begin this third round match between Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City and Brandon Hinkle of Saffron City!" he cried.

"Saffron City. That means it's possible he could have a psychic type on him." Said Michelle.

"Both trainers, please enter the field." Said the announcer.

"Here we go, Pikachu." Said Amanda. They got up from the bench and made their way into the arena.

"And here comes miss Cooper." Said the announcer. "Amanda's had some thrilling wins in each of her first two matches and she's hoping that her hot streak will continue today." Just then, Brandon entered the arena, and he had a smile of determination on his face.

"Here comes Brandon Hinkle, who had a very convincing win in the second round." Said the announcer. "He's looking very confident today, but confidence will only get you so far in this type of competition." Amanda and Brandon met at the center of the arena, although Brandon was certainly looking very smug.

"You're not going to beat me." He said with confidence.

"We'll see about that." Said Amanda. Both trainers went into their respective corners, red for Brandon and green for Amanda. The referee raised both flags and instructed for both trainers to begin. Brandon grabbed a ball from his waist and tossed it.

"Golem, I choose you!" he cried. A bipedal tortoise-like boulder Pokémon with a spherical body covered by a shell of plated, green rocks appeared in a blaze of light. Michelle and Mark were amazed.

"So that's what a Golem looks like." Said Mark. "It's pretty heavy."

"Golem's the second heaviest Pokemon in the world behind only Snorlax." Said Michelle. Amanda whipped out her Pokedex.

"Golem, the Megaton Pokemon. Golem grows bigger by shedding its skin once a year. The discarded shell immediately hardens when exposed to air, crumbling away and returning to the soil."

"That definitely looks quite heavy." Said Amanda. "Well, I know just how to deal with a rock type." She smiled and grabbed a ball off her waist.

"Hey, Brandon, remember this?" she asked. She tossed the ball and Blastoise came out in a blaze of white light.

"Brandon is starting the battle with Golem, while Amanda is going with Blastoise. Miss Cooper appears to have the upper hand here, but as we've seen so far in this tournament, type advantage doesn't necessarily matter." Said the announcer.

"Ah yes, I do remember this one." Said Brandon. "You battled me with it when it was a Squirtle."

"That's right, and you beat me that time." Said Amanda. "Now that it's evolved, it's much more powerful."

"Too bad that power isn't going to help you here." Said Brandon, and he let out a chuckle.

"Oh yeah?" Amanda retorted. "Blastoise, let's show Brandon how powerful you are now. Water Gun attack!" Blastoise shot streams of water from his cannons right at Golem.

"Golem, deflect that with your Defense Curl!" Brandon ordered. Golem lowered himself so that he was a rock, resulting in the water attack not doing as much damage.

"What does Defense Curl do?" asked Cassie.

"It's a defense increasing move that also softens the impact of incoming attacks." Said Gina. "That's why Water Gun wasn't as effective as it should've been."

"Tackle attack." Said Brandon. Golem rolled over to Blastoise to give it a hard tackle, but he only ended up bouncing off the water type's large shell.

"You might've been able to get away with that when it was a Squirtle, but it's not going to work now!" Amanda declared. "Blastoise, Bubble Beam attack!"

"Blastoise!" the water turtle yelled. He shot out streams of bubbles from his mouth, and with Golem too close to defend, the bubbles hit him instantly.

"There's a powerful Bubble Beam from Blastoise!" the announcer shouted.

"Golem's in some trouble." Said Mark.

"Some? More like a lot of trouble." Said Michelle. "Water attacks are super strong against rock Pokemon."

"Hang in there, Golem!" yelled Brandon. "Try a Mega Punch!" Golem fired up his fist and gave Blastoise a strong punch, only to bounce off the shell again.

"Still not going to work!" Amanda cried.

"Fine! We'll just have to try something else." Said Brandon. "Go for Earthquake!" Golem stomped his feet and unleashed a powerful quake. Blastoise jumped up to try and avoid the attack, but Golem shot the attack upwards, resulting in Blastoise still getting hit.

"Blastoise!" the water type cried out.

"Oh no! Are you okay, Blastoise?" Amanda asked. Fortunately, Blastoise was just fine and shook off the impact of the attack.

"That was one of the most powerful Earthquake moves that I've ever seen." Said the announcer. "Blastoise didn't seem to get affected much at all, proving himself to be one tough turtle."

"Go, Blastoise! Skull Bash!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise lowered his head and sent Golem backwards on impact. The rock type fell down and struggled to get back to his feet.

"Come on, Golem, get up!" ordered Brandon. Golem tried his hardest, and managed to get back up.

"Looks like Golem's a tough fighter himself." Said Michelle.

"Rock Throw!" ordered Brandon. Golem grabbed some rocks from the corner and threw them at Blastoise.

"Withdraw!" ordered Amanda. Blastoise dipped into his shell to negate the impact of the move. He then popped back out and glared at Golem.

"You can do this, Blastoise!" Amanda cried out. "Go for another Water Gun!" Blastoise fired another stream of water.

"Harden, now." Said Brandon. Golem hardened his shell, resulting in Water Gun having no impact.

"Now, time for the Seismic Toss." Said Brandon. Golem ran to Blastoise and tried to pick him up, but couldn't do it due to the water type's size.

"Amazing! With Blastoise being so tall, Seismic Toss fails entirely!" the announcer yelled.

"Time to finish it." Said Amanda. "Hydro Pump!" Blastoise fired its most powerful water blasts, which Golem had no defense for. The water sent him to the wall and when he tried to get back up, he collapsed. The referee raised the green flag.

"Golem is unable to battle. Blastoise is the winner!" he cried.

"A good try from Golem, but Blastoise was just too powerful for the rock type. Brandon now has just two Pokemon left to use." Said the announcer. Brandon recalled Golem and grabbed another ball.

"Kabutops, go!" Brandon cried. He threw the ball, and a bipedal prehistoric arthropod Pokémon with a skeletal, well-armored build appeared in a blaze of light.

"What kind of Pokemon is that?" Cassie wondered.

"I don't know." Said Gina. "I've never seen that one before."

"Well, this is a rare treat." Said the announcer. "Kabutops is Brandon's second Pokemon. We don't get to see something like this very often." Amanda quickly took out her Pokedex.

"Kabutops, the shellfish Pokemon and the evolved form of Kabuto. It uses its sharp scythes to slice enemies." Kabutops showed off one of his scythes to prove a point.

"Kabutops doesn't look like it'll be easy to beat." Said Michelle.

"We can do this, Blastoise." Said Amanda. "Hydro Pump!" Blastoise shot his powerful water streams.

"Kabutops, you use your own Hydro Pump!" Brandon ordered.

"Kabutops!" the fossil Pokemon cried, and he let out a powerful jet stream of water himself. Both attacks hit each other directly to cancel out one another.

"And that barrage of water results in a stalemate." Said the announcer. "Kabutops is certainly proving why this rate fossil Pokemon is a tough battler."

"Use your Slash attack!" Brandon ordered. Kabutops used his sharp scythes to try and make slash marks on Blastoise's shell.

"Withdraw, now!" Amanda called. Blastoise went into his shell once again, resulting in the slashes only hitting the top of the shell instead of the body. Blastoise then re-emerged looking completely unharmed.

"Blastoise is really demonstrating a tough display of defense today." Said the announcer.

"He's also showing why he's one of Amanda's strongest Pokemon." Said Michelle. Brandon grunted in frustration.

"Sand Attack! Make sure that turtle can't see anything!" Brandon yelled. Kabutops kicked up some sand and started to throw it.

"Blastoise, duck!" Amanda yelled. Blastoise lowered his head just as the sand was about to blind him, resulting in it hitting the shell.

"That's it, Blastoise! You're doing great!" Amanda cried.

"Amanda sure is determined to beat Brandon, isn't she?" asked Cassie.

"I'll say." Said Gina. "Even though Kabutops is faster, Blastoise has more power, and sometimes that can overwhelm even the quickest Pokemon." Kabutops was starting to get angry now. He had a look of frustration in his eyes.

"I know exactly how you feel, Kabutops." Said Brandon. "We've got to slow Blastoise down. Try your Leer attack." Kabutops gave a glow right at Blastoise and aimed it right at the turtle Pokemon.

"Don't look directly at it!" Amanda cried, but Blastoise was already starting to feel the effect.

"Leer doesn't confuse its' opponent, does it?" asked Cassie.

"No, you're thinking of moves like Confuse Ray and Supersonic." Said Gina. "Leer lowers the defense of the opposing Pokemon, which means whatever attack Blastoise gets hit with next will do more damage."

"There's a powerful Leer from Kabutops." Said the announcer. "Blastoise's defenses may have gone down, but he's still got more power to show."

"Go for Bite!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise grabbed hold of Kabutops' arm and clamped down on it, causing it to scream in pain.

"Kabutops!" cried Brandon.

"Now, Seismic Toss!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise used his other hand to pick up Kabutops and flung the fossil Pokemon all the way across the field. When Kabutops landed, his eyes had circular swirls around them. The referee ran over and raised the green flag.

"Kabutops is unable to battle. Blastoise wins!" he cried.

"Well done, Blastoise!" cried Amanda.

"Another sensational power display from Blastoise sends Kabutops out of the ring." Said the announcer. "Now Brandon has just one Pokemon left, while Amanda still has all three of hers. What will Brandon choose now?" Brandon recalled his Kabutops and grabbed another ball.

"Magneton, it's your turn!" he cried. He threw the ball and a robot-like Pokemon with three Magnemite attached together popped out. Amanda took out her Pokedex again.

"Magneton, the magnet Pokemon. Magneton's anti-gravitational powers enable it to fly through the air."

"Magneton looks so cool!" Cassie cried.

"Magneton is Brandon's final Pokemon, and this may be the ticket he needs to get back into the match." The announcer said.

"Blastoise did well against the first two Pokemon, but he's extremely weak against electric attacks." Said Michelle. "That puts Amanda in a bit of a bad spot right now."

"Let's get right to it, Magneton." Said Brandon. "Thunderbolt attack!" Magneton unleashed a huge yellow lightning bolt, which struck Blastoise and knocked it over onto the ground.

"Blastoise, no!" Amanda cried. The turtle Pokemon tried to get up, but the strong attack had rendered it knocked out. The referee raised the red flag.

"Blastoise is unable to battle. Magneton is the winner!" the referee declared.

"And folks, with just one hit, Magneton has zapped Blastoise out of the battle, leaving Amanda with just two Pokemon left." Said the announcer. Amanda recalled Blastoise and started to think.

"I could use Pikachu here and have an all electric battle." Amanda thought. "Although, since it's an electric type, Arcanine might be the better choice." She decided to consult the Pokedex one more time. She flipped it open to Magneton's entry in the hopes of getting some more helpful information.

"Magneton has just recently gained a secondary Steel typing." The Pokedex blurted out.

"Steel type?" Mark wondered curiously.

"It's a brand new type that must've just been discovered." Said Michelle.

"If it's a new typing, then I know just the Pokemon to use." Said Amanda. She put her Pokedex away and grabbed a ball.

"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The powerful fire type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Amanda's second Pokemon is Arcanine. Will this puppy's explosive firepower be able to overcome Magneton's electricity?" asked the announcer.

"It sure will." Said Amanda. "Flamethrower attack, now!" Arcanine shot a powerful stream of fire that started making its' way toward magneton.

"Keep going." Whispered Amanda.

"Teleport." Said Brandon. Magneton vanished to another spot right as the Flamethrower was about to hit, making the attack miss.

"Go in for a Tackle." Said Brandon. Magneton started to float toward Arcanine for a full powered tackle.

"Agility, now!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine effectively used his speed to avoid each of the tackle attack attempts that came his way.

"Magneton's trying to land some powerful blows, but Arcanine's putting on a fine display of power and speed to make things rough for Magneton." Said the announcer.

"You're doing awesome, Arcanine!" cried Amanda.

"Supersonic, now!" Brandon ordered his Magneton. The electric type let out dark blue waves of energy, which went all over Arcanine's body.

"Hit Magneton with your best shot." Said Amanda. "Fire Blast attack!" Arcanine started running forward, but then made a beeline for one of the tall rocks and started grabbing at it with his paws. Michelle, Mark, Amanda, Cassie and Gina were stunned.

"It looks like…. It looks like Arcanine thinks the rocks on the field are toys!" the announcer cried.

"Gina, why isn't Arcanine battling?" asked Cassie.

"It's suffering from confusion from that Supersonic attack." Said Gina. "Although, if Arcanine's going to win this, it'll need to break out of it quickly."

"Arcanine, you can play later." Said Amanda. "Now, use your Fire Blast!" Arcanine heard the command, but instead tackled Amanda and gave her a Body Slam.

"What are you doing, Arcanine?" she asked. "You're not supposed to battle me! Magneton is your opponent!" Arcanine looked around and when he saw Magneton, he shook his head and glared.

"Okay, try again with Fire Blast." Said Amanda. This time, a big fire star was hurled right at the electric type.

"Dodge it!" Brandon yelled. However, the attack came in so quickly that Magneton couldn't avoid it. Instead, he was left charred with burn marks. He hadn't fainted yet, but he was now in rough shape.

"This is Amanda's big chance." Said Michelle.

"Fire Spin, now!" Amanda ordered. A big circular fire wall came out of Arcanine's mouth and spun around Magneton, leaving it with nowhere to go.

"Try as it might, Magneton can't seem to find a way out of that Fire Spin." Said the announcer.

"Time to wrap this up. Take Down attack!" yelled Amanda. Arcanine ran fast at Magneton, and with the electric type still trapped, the attack landed easily and knocked it out. The referee started to raise the green flag.

"Don't you dare!" cried Brandon, but he was too late.

"Magneton can no longer battle. Arcanine wins!" he cried. "The winner is Amanda Cooper!" For the third time in the tournament, the word CONGRATULATIONS appeared under Amanda's picture.

"And Amanda pulls off another thrilling victory to move on to the fourth round!" the announcer cried. Amanda ran up to her fire type and gave him a huge hug.

"That was her best match so far." Said Michelle.

"She only lost one Pokemon that time." Said Mark. "That's definitely the showings of an excellent trainer." Brandon angrily recalled Magneton and stormed off. Later on, Amanda, Mark, Michelle, Gina and Cassie were watching the end of Michael's match on a television monitor.

"Pidgeot wins the round and the match goes to Michael Jocks!" the referee on the screen cried.

"Well, Michael's also off to the fourth round." Said Amanda. "I still wonder if I'll get to face him before the tournament is over."

"You very well could." Said Michelle. Three matches for Amanda, and three victories under her belt. Will her next battle be as easy as the one she just had? Find out next time!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Fifty

Last time, Amanda had what proved to be her easiest match yet, defeating Brandon by a count of three to one to advance to the fourth round of the tournament. Prior to that, however, Team Rocket tried yet another plan to get their hands on Pikachu by setting up a clothing shop. But as usual, their plan failed and Conrad and Sally were both sent blasting off. On the battlefield, Arcanine showed off his feats of strength to take down Brandon's Magneton. Naturally, he didn't take too kindly to the defeat and walked off the field in a sour mood. But for Amanda, it's off to round four as her Pokemon League run continues.

"I tell you, Pikachu, it felt so good to beat Brandon today!" Amanda exclaimed. "If I can beat him, I can beat anybody!"

"She's really fired up, isn't she?" asked Michael.

"I'll say." Said Michelle. "This is the most excited I've ever seen her." The foursome, as well as Gina and Cassie, made their way over to the reception building.

"I already know that my next match is on the ice field since that's the only one I have left." Said Amanda. "What I don't know is who I'm going to be up against."

"Let's just hope it's somebody good." Said Gina. As they headed inside, they heard a lot of chatter from the other trainers that remained.

"There can't possibly be too many left." Said Amanda.

"Well, you and Michael are going to have your round four matches tomorrow." Said Mark. "As ide from the two of you, there would only be thirty other trainers left."

"For your first ever League tournament, making it this far is pretty good." Said Michelle.

"It is, but I want to go even further." Said Amanda.

"I know you do, but you can't get too overexcited." Said Michael. They soon went over to the desk where they were greeted warmly by the receptionist.

"Well, miss Cooper, it seems you made a bit of history in your win today." Said the receptionist.

"I did?" wondered Amanda.

"How did she do that?" asked Cassie.

"From what we have on file regarding Brandon, he hadn't lost a single battle this season until you defeated him earlier today." Said the receptionist.

"Woah, with that kind of record, it's no surprise that he was a tough trainer." Said Cassie.

"Those kind of skills are exactly why he made it to the league in the first place." Said Michael.

"Now then, miss Cooper, since your last preliminary match is on the ice field, all we need to do is determine who you'll be facing." Said the receptionist. "Oh, and while we're at it, we need to determine your friend's opponent too." She typed both of their names into the computer as normal, and it didn't take very long to get the results. Amanda drew a young boy just three years older than her, and his picture showed him having a rough hairstyle. He also had a bit of a strict look on his face.

"Looks like we have another tough one on our hands, Pikachu." Said Amanda. Michael's opponent was another boy that was a year older than Amanda. He sported a bright blue shirt and a light windbreaker.

"Mine looks tough also, but I think we can beat those guys." Said Michael.

"Both of you also have a little something at stake for your battles." Said Michelle. "If you both win, your matches from that point on will all be in the stadium."

"Won't that be exciting, Pikachu?" Amanda asked. Pikachu happily nodded his head.

"Just don't think ahead and assume it'll be an easy battle, otherwise, you're unlikely to get the outcome you're looking for." Said Mark.

"He's right." Said Gina. "Always focus on what's in front of you instead of what's ahead of you."

"I'll definitely remember that." Said Amanda. The six of them left the reception area and were on their way back to Amanda's cabin when Brandon unexpectedly ran up to her.

"Hi there, Brandon." Said Amanda. "Have you come to criticize my Pokemon trainer abilities again?"

"Actually, I wanted to apologize for my actions at the end of the match today." Said Brandon. "I kind of walked away without congratulating you or anything. But I can rectify that now. What you showed me in that battle was that you're an excellent trainer. I'll be rooting for you in your next match."

"Thanks a lot, Brandon. And I accept your apology." Said Amanda.

"What did make you storm off the field anyway?" Cassie asked.

"I guess I'm just not used to losing a battle." Brandon answered. "I know people need to lose sometimes, and I guess I didn't handle that very well. But moving forward, I'll try to do a better job of that. Well, I should probably get going." He ran off toward the cabin area, with Amanda and her friends following suit.

"I think it was nice of Brandon to apologize to you." Said Gina.

"Do you think maybe the two of you will be friends now instead of rivals?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know about that." Said Amanda. "I do want to know about what kind of Pokemon my opponent has so I can plan my strategy."

"That's really clever thinking on your part." Said Michelle. Once they were back inside the room and Pikachu, Eevee and Elekid had settled down, Mark logged onto the computer to get information on Amanda's opponent.

"From what I see here, your opponent's name is Ricky, and it appears that he's got a pretty good selection of Pokemon." Said Mark.

"Exactly what does he have?" Amanda wondered.

"It looks like he has an Exeggutor and a Jynx for two of his Pokemon." Mark answered. Michelle had a look at the screen herself.

"He's also got a Dewgong." She said.

"Jynx and Dewgong would definitely be appropriate Pokemon to use on an ice field." Said Cassie.

"If he uses one of those, I'll be ready with Arcanine." Said Amanda.

"That's all fine and dandy for Jynx since it's main typing is ice, but Dewgong is both ice and water." Said Michelle.

"Maybe Arcanine wouldn't be the best choice for a Dewgong then." Said Amanda.

"I wouldn't think so, but you're the one competing here, so it's your call." Said Michelle.

"Let's see what else he's got." Said Mark. "I see a Ditto here. That might be tough since Ditto is known to copy everything. He's also got a Dugtrio, so that's five. That only leaves one more." He had a look at the last Pokemon on Ricky's list, and he was surprised at what it turned out to be.

"Hey Amanda, take a look at this!" Mark cried. Amanda rushed over to the screen.

"What is it, Mark?" she asked.

"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'I'm curious about this myself.'

"Look at what Ricky's last Pokemon is." Said Mark. Amanda had a good look at the Pokemon in the picture, and when she saw what it was, she just about flipped out.

"That's not…." She stammered.

"It is." Said Michelle. "The one and only Zapdos."

"Is that one of the legendary birds that roams around the region?" asked Cassie.

"That's exactly what it is." Said Gina.

"Amanda, take out your Pokedex and see what it has to say about Zapdos." Said Michelle. Amanda took her device out and opened it to Zapdos' page.

"Zapdos, an electric Pokemon. The glittering wings of this Pokemon release electricity that have the potential to cause major thunderstorms."

"Legendary Pokemon like that are usually impossible to see, let alone capture." Said Mark.

"I thought legendaries aren't allowed to be used in major events like this." Said Michelle.

"They're not, and fortunately, this guy hasn't used it in any of his matches." Said Mark.

"I guess that's certainly one bit of good news." Said Michael.

"However, if he ends up using it in this match, that can cause major issues." Said Michelle.

"Then we'll just have to hope that he doesn't bring it out." Said Amanda. She felt a little nervous as she slept that night. Pikachu was nestled comfortably beside her, but when he saw Amanda tossing and turning, he gave her a light tap on the shoulder.

"Pika?" he asked, which meant 'Is something wrong?'

"I'm just a little worried about something, that's all." Amanda whispered.

"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'It's Zapdos, isn't it?'

"Yes, that's exactly what it is." Amanda said softly. "Because of its' status as a legendary Pokemon, it'll likely be very powerful if we have to go up against it. That's why I'm hoping we don't have to battle it."

"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'You know that's not for us to decide. Our opponents decides which of their Pokemon they use against us.'

"I know, but I still have that concern." Said Amanda. "Anyway, let's not worry about it right now. Let's just go back to sleep."

"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Good night, Amanda.'

"Good night, Pikachu." Said Amanda. The two best friends closed their eyes again and slept comfortably for the rest of the night. The following morning, Michelle, Mark, Cassie, Gina and Michael all awoke to find Amanda's bed empty.

"I wonder where she could've gone so early in the day." Said Cassie. Gina found a small piece of paper on the computer desk.

"Maybe this note will tell us." She said. Michelle picked up the note and read it.

"Pikachu and I have gone off to the lake for some reflecting. Back soon. Signed, Amanda." She said.

"Well, at least she had the common courtesy to let us know where she was going." Said Mark.

"That's true, but I just hope she doesn't stay out too long. Her match starts in a couple of hours." Said Michelle. The lake Amanda and Pikachu had gone to was a short walk from the Pokemon League village, and that's where the two of them were sitting. They smiled as they looked out at what was in front of them.

"Pikachu, what do you see when you look out at the world?" Amanda asked.

"Pika." Pikachu answered, which meant 'I see a lot of trainers for us to battle.'

"I see the same thing." Said Amanda. "Speaking of trainers, the one we're facing today is all that's standing between us being able to battle in stadium or going home. Out of those scenarios, which would you prefer?"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'I want us to win!'

"So do I, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Even if we lose, though, we've still had a lot of fun." The two of them stayed at the lake for another thirty minutes before getting up.

"Well, we should start making our way back so we can get ready for the match." Said Amanda. "I'll race you if you want." Pikachu shook his head

"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'We should save that kind of energy for the match.'

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Said Amanda. They made their way back to their room and helped themselves to a snack from the fridge.

"What did you and Pikachu do out there?" Michelle asked.

"Not too much, really. We just talked about stuff, that's all." Said Amanda.

"At least you made it back for your match." Said Gina.

"So, how confident do you feel?" Cassie asked.

"Right now, I feel pretty good about my chances." Said Amanda.

"But if Zapdos comes out, those chances aren't going to look too good." Said Mark.

"Let's not even think about that right now." Said Michelle. "I'm sure Amanda wants to focus on the match ahead of her." They all made their way to the ice field, with the exception of Michael.

"Aren't you coming?" asked Michelle.

"My own match is about to start soon, so I need to get to that." Michael answered. "Good luck, Amanda."

"Thank you." Said Amanda. A little while later, Amanda and Pikachu were in the locker room by themselves.

"This is the last field we have to battle on for the preliminary rounds." Said Amanda. "A lot is riding on this match, and I don't want to mess it up."

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'We'll do fine.'

"I sure hope so, buddy." Said Amanda. They both took deep breaths to get themselves calmed down, and before Amanda knew it, the time had come. Both of them got off the bench and got ready to make their entrance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and Pokemon fans of all ages, we'd like to officially welcome you to this fourth round Pokemon League match here on the ice field!" cried the announcer. "This match is between Ricky Miller of the Seafoam Islands, and Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City!" Both trainers made their way to the center of the arena and shook hands with each other.

"I've heard about you from some of the other trainers, and they all say that you definitely know what you're doing." Said Ricky. "You may be very skilled, but none of that is going to help you beat me."

"We'll just see about that." Said Amanda. The two trainers took their spots in the respective boxes and looked at each other.

"This may be the most determined set of trainers so far as they're both feeling very confident." Said the announcer. "Only one of them can win, though, so hold on to something and buckle down because this match is about to begin!" The referee raised both flags and commanded the two trainers to start.

"Poliwrath, go!" Ricky commanded. He threw his Poke Ball and a blue, bipedal amphibian Pokémon with a round body and muscular arms appeared. It had a black and white swirl on its body and white gloves on its hands. Amanda, mark and Michelle were all surprised.

"Poliwrath?!" Michelle cried.

"That definitely wasn't one of the Pokemon that I saw on his list last night." Said Mark.

"He must've made a last minute change." Said Michelle. Amanda took out her Pokedex.

"Poliwrath, the tadpole Pokemon. It is able to swim vast distances with very minimal breathing."

"Poliwrath must be a pretty strong swimmer." Said Cassie. "I'd love to have a Pokemon like that."

"Well, maybe your big sister who loves you and cares about you a lot will find a way to get you one." Said Gina, and she gave a slight wink at Cassie. Amanda got one of her own Poke Balls and threw it.

"Weepinbell, I choose you!" she cried. The small grass and poison type appeared and started bouncing up and down on the ice.

"And it's going to be a duel between Poliwrath and Weepinbell to start off this match." Said the announcer.

"Weepinbell, Razor Leaf attack!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot green leaves out of its body and hurled them towards Poliwrath. Ricky was ready for this, however.

"Poliwrath, punch the leaves away." He instructed. Poliwrath used his Mega Punch attack to bat the leaves into thin air.

"I don't think I've seen Mega Punch used that way before." Said Michelle. "This Poliwrath is going to be hard to beat."

"Use your Ice Punch!" Ricky ordered. Poliwrath readied his fist, formed ice on it, and got ready to hit Weepinbell with it.

"Jump out of the way, Weepinbell!" Amanda ordered. The grass type obeyed perfectly and bounced out of the attack's range right as it was about to strike.

"Excellent jumping. Now, use Vine Whip!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell spat its vines out and hit Poliwrath on his head repeatedly with them. However, the water type didn't take any damage at all.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing here!" the announcer cried. "None of Weepinbell's attacks are working against Poliwrath!"

"I just can't figure out why a water element like Poliwrath, who's supposed to be weak against a grass element like Weepinbell, isn't taking any damage at all." Said Mark.

"Either there's some sort of invisible shield around it that we don't know about, or its skin is somehow made of steel." Said Michelle. "Whatever's going on, it's refracting any type of attack that comes near it."

"That Poliwrath is practically built like a tank." Said Gina. "I don't know how Amanda can possibly get past it."

"She's going to have to or her run could end." Said Cassie.

"Water Gun attack." Ricky instructed. Poliwrath shot a stream of water from its belly right at Weepinbell's body, hitting the grass type but not doing much damage.

"Way to hang in there, Weepinbell." Said Amanda. "Let's try a Stun Spore attack!" Weepinbell shot out some gold powder, which Poliwrath easily avoided by ducking his head.

"I don't know what's going on with that Poliwrath but it has to be pretty strong." Said Amanda.

"Poliwrath, go for Ice Beam." Said Ricky. Poliwrath shot an ice cold beam Weepinbell's way.

"Dodge it!" Amanda cried. Weepinbell jumped right as the beam was about to hit.

"These two Pokemon clearly don't want to give in, folks." Said the announcer.

"Hypnosis attack." Ricky instructed. Poliwrath concentrated on Weepinbell and used a special power to make Weepinbell fall over and drift to sleep.

"Weepinbell!" Amanda cried. "Please wake up, Weepinbell." Amanda tried to shake the grass type awake, but the referee had already raised the red flag.

"Weepinbell is unable to battle. Poliwrath is the winner!" he cried.

"Well, that does it for the first battle." Said the announcer. "Weepinbell is sent to slumber land and now miss Cooper has only two Pokemon left." Amanda recalled Weepinbell and grabbed another ball.

"Poliwrath is part fighting, so it should be weak against air attacks." She thought. She then got ready to throw the ball.

"Fearow, I choose you!" she cried. She tossed the ball and the powerful flying type appeared.

"Amanda has chosen Fearow for her second Pokemon, but she has work to do in order to defeat Poliwrath." Said the announcer.

"Good move on Amanda's part." Said Michelle. "With Fearow being a flying element and Poliwrath being part fighting, Fearow should have an advantage."

"It should, but keep in mind that it just took out Weepinbell without being damaged once." Said Mark.

"Battle hard, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Wing Attack!" Fearow screeched loudly and spread its wings out. It flew at Poliwrath so fast that the water type didn't have a chance to react, and it got knocked over.

"Yes! We finally got a hit on it!" Amanda cried. Ricky didn't look the least bit concerned, however.

"Use your Water Gun again." He instructed. Poliwrath shot out another stream of water.

"Fly up and dodge it!" Amanda instructed. Fearow flew up just high enough to avoid the attack.

"Very good." Said Amanda. "Time for a close range Peck attack!" Fearow kept its beak ahead of him and went for the water type's head.

"Don't let it get near you. Disable attack." Ricky ordered. Poliwrath's eyes glowed a dark blue and the Peck was stopped in its tracks.

"Looks like Fearow's attacks don't seem to have too much of an effect either." Said Michelle.

"If Ricky's plan is to outsmart Amanda with every attack, then it's definitely working right now." Said Mark.

"Come on, Fearow, you can beat Poliwrath!" Cassie cried.

"That might be a bit of a problem if it keeps absorbing whatever attack gets thrown at it." Said Gina.

"Try for a Whirlwind!" Amanda ordered. Fearow whipped up a tornado to try and blow Poliwrath away with, but the water type stuck his arms out and caught it with his hands. He then turned the attack into a ball and threw it out of the arena.

"You should consider yourself lucky that you made it this far because this is where the luck runs out." Said Ricky. "Poliwrath, use the Metronome!" Poliwrath wagged his fingers back and fourth repeatedly.

"Oh boy, the Metronome." Said Gina. "Whatever comes out of this is completely random." Poliwrath continued wagging his fingers a few more times before stopping. A Thunderbolt came out of his body and struck Fearow with a lot of force.

"Oh no!" Michelle cried.

"Fearow's trying to hang in there, but with it being weak to electric attacks, Fearow better find a way to fight back or it's going to find itself back in its Poke Ball nest." Said the announcer.

"Fearow, hang in there!" Amanda cried.

"Fearow's a flying type, which means electric attacks are deadly for it." Said Mark. "Things don't look very good." The Thunderbolt then stopped, and Fearow was somehow still able to fight.

"Great job to tough it out, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Now, go for the Leer!" Fearow's eyes glowed red, and Poliwrath was overcome with red waves..

"I don't know how your Fearow managed to survive that Thunderbolt, but it's not surviving this next attack." Said Ricky. "Poliwrath, use Mega Kick!" Poliwrath used its leg strength to kick Fearow's body repeatedly, with the last one sending Fearow to the wall. Amanda quickly ran over and saw that the powerful flying type had been knocked out. The referee raised the red flag once again.

"Fearow is unable to battle. Poliwrath wins." He said.

"And just as we expected, Fearow's been grounded and Amanda only has one Pokemon remaining while Ricky still has all three." Said the announcer.

"Tough break for Fearow." Said Gina.

"It battled so hard, too." Said Cassie. Amanda grabbed Fearow's Poke ball and held it out.

"Fearow, return!" she cried. The beam of red energy absorbed the flying type back into the ball.

"You did great." She said, and turned to Pikachu.

"It's all on you, buddy." She said. Pikachu jumped from Amanda's shoulder onto the field.

"Amanda's last Pokemon is a Pikachu. Miss Cooper has to find a way to turn this match around to avoid elimination." Said the announcer.

"Let's go for some speed to start this off." Said Amanda. "Quick Attack, now!" Pikachu nodded and ran quickly at Poliwrath. So quickly, in fact, that the water type got knocked down before it could react.

"Mega Punch!" Ricky ordered. Poliwrath tried to use its powerful punching ability.

"Agility now!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu ran circles around Poliwrath, avoiding the punches and confusing the water type.

"Thunderbolt!" Amanda cried. Pikachu drilled Poliwrath with an electric bolt of energy from close range, knocking Poliwrath out.

"Woah, a one shot Thunderbolt." Said Cassie.

"It helped that Fearow weakened Poliwrath's defense with Leer a minute ago." Said Gina. The referee raised the green flag.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!" he cried.

"Yes! Just two more to go." Said Amanda. Ricky recalled his Poliwrath.

"That Pikachu's powerful, but let's see if it's powerful enough for this next one." Said Ricky. "Dewgong, I choose you!" He threw another Poke Ball and a pinniped Pokémon with a snowy white, furry body appeared.

"Ricky's second Pokemon is a Dewgong. This is one of the more elegant Pokemon that one can find around here." Said the announcer. Amanda took her Pokedex out again.

"Dewgong, the sea lion Pokemon. Dewgong thrives in cold environments, and is more active the colder the weather."

"Dewgong is so pretty, isn't it?" asked Cassie.

"It's certainly one of the prettiest Pokemon I've ever seen." Said Gina.

"Wow, look how adorable Dewgong is." Said Michelle. She started to have a fantasy about the dual water and ice type before Mark gave her a reality check.

"Daydreaming can wait for later. We're supposed to be cheering Amanda on here." He said.

"Dewgong, use your Headbutt!" Ricky ordered. Dewgong crawled up toward Pikachu and used its head to nudge Pikachu backwards.

"That Headbutt doesn't seem to bother Pikachu too much at all." Said Gina.

"Pikachu, go for your Thunder Punch attack!" Amanda cried. Pikachu absorbed yellow energy on its fist, and used that energy to give Dewgong a hard punch. The water type was sent back and would've gone into the wall if not for landing on the ice right before it.

"Way to hang in there, Dewgong." Said Ricky. "Aurora Beam attack!" Dewgong got a rainbow coloured beam ready from its horn and got ready to fire.

"This could be bad." Said Michelle. Dewgong fired the beam, but Pikachu jumped out of the way to avoid any sort of impact.

"What?!" Ricky cried.

"Your Poliwrath may have been tough earlier, but that's nothing compared to Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Thunder attack!" Pikachu unleashed its strongest bolt of electricity and hit Dewgong hard. The super effective move resulted in Dewgong collapsing and fainting. The referee raised the green flag.

"Dewgong can no longer battle. Pikachu is the winner!" he cried.

"My goodness. I thought this would be a clean sweep by Poliwrath, but Amanda has shown her toughness as well as the ability to get back into this match. Both trainers are now down to one Pokemon aside." Said the announcer. Ricky recalled Dewgong and reached for a certain Poke Ball.

"Michelle, I have a bad feeling about which Pokemon's going to be coming out now." Said Mark.

"I actually have that same feeling." Said Michelle.

"Gina, you don't suppose he's going to bring out that certain Pokemon, do you?" Cassie asked.

"I think he could, and it seems like he's going to." Said Cassie.

"Pikachu, whatever he brings out next, be ready." Said Amanda. Eevee and Elekid, who had been watching the match from the sidelines, were also curious as to what Ricky's final Pokemon would be.

"It's time." He said. He grabbed the ball and threw it towards the ring. When it popped open, the legendary Zapdos appeared.

"I was afraid of this." Said Michelle.

"Well, I guess Amanda may as well kiss her chances of winning goodbye because a Pokemon like that is almost impossible to defeat in battle." Said Mark.

"You say this despite the fact that we took out an Articuno once, remember?" Michelle reminded him.

"I kind of forgot about that." Mark said sheepishly.

"Here's something we don't see very often, folks. A legendary Pokemon making an appearance in an official League battle. Can little Pikachu overcome this giant bird?" said the announcer.

"It sure can, because my Pikachu's a winner!" Amanda cried.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, which meant 'That's right!'

"I thought Zapdos wasn't allowed to be used in a League battle." Said Cassie.

"It isn't but I don't think the referee even noticed that." Said Gina. "Somebody else probably will, though." On the field, the referee signalled for the final battle to begin.

"Drill Peck, now!" Ricky ordered. Zapdos tried to use his beak to drill some damage onto Pikachu, but Amanda had other ideas.

"Use your Agility!" she cried. Pikachu used its speed to dodge all the pecks that were coming towards it.

"Great use of speed. Now, Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed a bolt of yellow electricity and struck Zapdos.

"Great hit!" cried Amanda. Zapdos, however, simply shook off the hit.

"Zapdos is using an air lens." Said Mark.

"What does that mean?" asked Michelle.

"It's using the air around it to keep its body warm." Said Mark.

"But that means Pikachu can't use his electric attacks then." Said Michelle.

"Exactly." Said Mark.

"Zapdos, use your Thunder Shock." Said Ricky. Zapdos fired an electric shock at Pikachu, which the little mouse avoided with ease.

"Swift attack!" Amanda called out. Pikachu fired yellow stars from his tail.

"Zapdos, use your own Swift attack!" Ricky ordered. Both sets of stars hit the other to cancel each other out.

"Both of these Pokemon are showing a terrific power display." Said the announcer.

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" Amanda cried. Pikachu shot a wave of yellow electricity at Zapdos.

"Reflect attack, now." Ricky instructed calmly. Zapdos put up a reflective shield to block the Thunder Wave. Meanwhile, an Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy were stationed beside the announcer's booth observing what was happening in the battle. Joy couldn't believe her eyes.

"Jenny, you have to see this!" she cried. Jenny took a peek out the window and gasped.

"Is that Zapdos? Here?! At the Pokemon League?" she asked.

"The one and only." Said Joy.

"But legendary Pokemon aren't supposed to be used in a tournament of this magnitude." Said Jenny. "I wonder who's using it."

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt now!" cried Amanda. Pikachu started firing another electric bolt.

"Zapdos, use your own Thunderbolt too!" Ricky ordered. Both Pokemon launched their attacks at the same time and hit the other, negating the effect.

"Looks like it's the boy that's using Zapdos." Said Joy.

"We have to put a stop to that." Said Jenny. She started to head down the hall before being stopped by Joy.

"Hang on." She said. "It wouldn't be polite to interrupt an official match that's in progress."

"Okay. How do you propose we handle this, then?" asked Officer Jenny.

"We'll wait until the match is over and then we go onto the field." Said Joy.

"It's an ice arena, so we'll have to be careful that we don't slip and fall down." Said Jenny.

"Pikachu, try a Quick Attack!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu ran full speed at Zapdos.

"Dodge!" Ricky ordered. Zapdos used his Agility to avoid the battering ram that was Pikachu's attack. Both Pokemon repeated the same set of attacks they had already tried and got nowhere. That was when Amanda got a creative idea.

"If a far away Thunderbolt won't work, maybe one that's close up will." She said. "Pikachu, run towards Zapdos and climb onto his back!" Pikachu ran full speed at Zapdos again.

"What could Amanda be cooking up this time?" Michelle wondered.

"Whatever she's planning, she certainly knows how to be creative." Said Mark. However, Ricky wasn't about to be fooled by Amanda's creativeness.

"Oh no you don't. Zapdos, grab Pikachu with your talons!" he ordered. Zapdos flew down at Pikachu and used the claws on its feet to pick up Pikachu and fly away with it.

"Pikachu, no!" cried Amanda.

"Pikachu's in some serious trouble!" Michelle cried.

"Zapdos has Pikachu firmly by the talons and won't let go no matter how hard Pikachu tries to escape." Said the announcer. "This could be bad news for miss Cooper."

"Come on, Pikachu, hang in there." Said Amanda. "Try your Thunderbolt." Pikachu tried to unleash energy, but the firm hold Zapdos had on the small electric mouse prevented the move from being performed. The powerful legendary flew three laps in the air before Ricky gave the command.

"Drop the Pikachu." He said. Zapdos finally let go and Pikachu started falling down.

"I've got you!" Amanda cried. Pikachu happily fell into his trainer's arms.

"Are you okay, buddy?" asked Amanda. Pikachu slowly nodded and jumped back onto the field.

"I admire your Pikachu's guts, but now it's time to put an end to this." Said Ricky. "Hyper Beam attack!" Zapdos fired a powerful orange beam from the inside of his mouth directly at Pikachu, who was too tired from the ordeal with Zapdos to move. The powerful attack knocked Pikachu out and made it faint.

"It's time." Said Joy. Both her and Jenny ran to the nearby elevator and hurried down as fast as they could. On the field, the referee raised the red flag.

"Pikachu is unable to battle." He said. "The match goes to Ricky Miller!" The word CONGRATULATIONS appeared below Ricky's picture. Amanda scooped up Pikachu and gave him a smile.

"You did your best." She said. "You almost took down the legendary Zapdos. I'm very proud of how you battled today." She went to the center of the field to greet Ricky again, but before she could congratulate him, both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy ran onto the field.

"Hold it right there!" Jenny cried.

"Why are Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny here?" Mark wondered.

"Whatever the reason is, I don't think it's a good one." Said Michelle.

"Nurse Joy. Officer Jenny. Is something wrong?" Amanda asked. Both Joy and Jenny nodded their heads.

"Something is definitely very wrong, but it's not with you." Joy said to Amanda.

"Thank goodness." Said Amanda.

"The way you battled was well within the rules, so you're fine." Said Jenny. Both of them turned to Ricky and gave him angry faces.

"Okay, young man, what's the big idea?" Joy asked in a raised voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ricky asked.

"Hold on just a moment, folks. It appears Ricky's win might not count." Said the announcer." Jenny pointed up towards the sky.

"Does that Zapdos that's flying around right now belong to you?" she asked firmly.

"Yes. I caught it fair and square." Said Ricky. "Is it against the law to catch a Zapdos or something?"

"Whatever Pokemon you decide to catch is your right as a trainer, but using a legendary Pokemon like that Zapdos in an official Pokemon League match is against the rules." Said Joy.

"What rules?" Ricky asked.

"The rules in the Pokemon League handbook that every trainer competing here gets at the start of the tournament, but it's obvious that you didn't read the part that says no legendaries allowed." Said Jenny. She took out her own copy of the book and pointed the page out to him.

"Oh." Ricky shrugged.

"You see, young man, I'm not just a Pokemon doctor. I also happen to be a Pokemon League official." Said Nurse Joy.

"Did she just say that she's an official?" Cassie asked.

"That's what I heard." Said Gina.

"Using a legendary Pokemon isn't allowed here because of the fact that they're way too powerful." Said Joy. "It's also not fair to the opposing trainer as it significantly reduces their chance of winning, like the example we just saw here in the battle between Zapdos and Pikachu."

"The good news is that since a crime technically hasn't been committed, I'm not going to press any charges against you." Said Jenny.

"Here's the bad news." Said Joy. "Because you used a Pokemon that's not allowed to be used, you are officially disqualified!" The crowd was stunned at the unexpected development.

"Well, this just took a big twist." Said Michelle.

"No! You can't do that!" Ricky protested.

"We can, and we did, and if you try to argue any further, you will be arrested." Said Jenny. "Now, call your Zapdos back and leave." Ricky had no choice but to comply. He recalled Zapdos and left the field, but he wasn't very happy about it. Joy, Jenny and the referee both walked up to Amanda.

"Because your opponent used an illegal Pokemon, he has been disqualified and you are moving on." The referee said. The word CONGRATULATIONS disappeared from Ricky's picture and reappeared under Amanda's.

"There you have it! In a stunning turn of events, miss Cooper advances due to a disqualification!" the announcer cried. Michelle, Mark, Eevee and Elekid came running up to their friend.

"That means she won on all four fields." Said Michelle.

"It also means that from this point forward, her matches will be in the actual stadium." Said Joy. "Battle hard and do your best."

"I will." Said Amanda. Later, after all the round four matches were finished and the Poke gang had reconvened in the reception area, Michelle was still in shock over what had transpired.

"I still can't believe your opponent got disqualified." She said.

"I didn't hear about this." Said Michael. "What exactly happened?"

"Ricky, the trainer I was battling, used a Zapdos against me even though he wasn't supposed to, and so his win got overturned and I'm moving on to the fifth round." Amanda answered.

"Well then, congratulations." Said Michael. "I also won my fourth round match, but unlike yours, there were no disqualifications."

"Now that we both won on all four of the element fields, I wonder who we'll be up against next in the tournament." Said Amanda.

"That's what we're about to find out." Said Michael. They went over to the desk where the receptionist told Amanda how her next opponent would be decided.

"You'll fish a Pokemon out of this pond, and whatever number comes up is who you face next." She said.

"All right, sounds simple enough." Said Amanda. The receptionist handed her a rod and she dipped it into the rectangular shaped pond. She moved the rod about five paces before pulling out a Seaking and handing it to the lady.

"The number on it is seven four two." Said the lady. She typed that into the computer, and the results left everyone in shock. Michael's picture popped up beside Amanda, while her own picture popped up beside Michael. He was quite surprised too.

"Looks like they're both facing each other for round five." Said Michelle.

"Yeah, and I don't think either one of them is going to give in." said Mark. Well, Amanda's run at the tournament has taken some unexpected twists and turns. First, she wins her fourth round match because of a disqualification and now, she finds herself up against one of her friends in round five. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that this battle will really test the friendship that Amanda and Michael have formed since their first meeting. The only question that remains now is which of them will come out on top. The answer awaits in the next exciting episode!

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Fifty-One

Happy Pokemon Day to all Pokemon fans out there. In honor of the franchise's anniversary today, here's the episode featuring Amanda's fifth round match.

Last time, Amanda had her fourth round match of the Pokemon League tournament. Her opponent, Ricky Miller, sent out a powerful Poliwrath that managed to take out both Weepinbell and Fearow, two Pokemon that should've had an advantage on it. Pikachu came to the rescue yet again, finding a way to defeat both Poliwrath as well as Ricky's second Pokemon, Dewgong. Then, the battle took a huge turn as the legendary Zapdos made an appearance. Although Pikachu battled bravely against the powerful Zapdos, it was defeated by a strong Hyper Beam attack. However, in another surprising twist, Ricky was disqualified from the League. You see, legendary Pokemon aren't allowed to be used in a major tournament, as was pointed out by Nurse Joy. And as a result, Amanda earned her fourth win to move on to the round of sixteen. But in yet another twist, she found herself matched up against her friend Michael in the fifth round. Now, the friendship between the two trainers is on the line as Amanda's run in the tournament continues.

Nighttime had fallen, and Amanda was lying on her bed in deep thought. Even though she was happy she had won her battle with Ricky, she wished it had been a legitimate win instead of earning it via disqualification. As for what was going through her mind, well, a lot of it had to do with her round five match.

"Why does it have to be against Michael?" she said. "Plenty of other trainers left in this tournament and it has to be him." Elekid nudged her on the arm.

"Elekid?" he asked, which meant 'Are you okay?' Amanda smiled at her baby Pokemon.

"I'm all right." She said. "I'm just thinking about some things, that's all." Michael slowly approached her.

"You're feeling nervous about facing me in the next round of the tournament, aren't you?" he asked.

"No." Amanda denied. Michael gave her a bit of a look that indicated otherwise.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little bit nervous." Said Amanda. "It's just that you're my friend, and this is going to feel very awkward."

"I have the same opinion as you do." Said Michael. "But let's look on the positive side. You made it this far, and you're happy about that, aren't you?"

"Yes, but you're a better trainer than I am." Said Amanda. "What if I end up losing?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'You won't lose because I believe in you!'

"See, your Pikachu thinks you can win." Said Michael.

"We all believe that you can win the match." Said Michelle.

"What it basically boils down to here is which one of you proves to be the better trainer." Said Gina.

"I wonder when the match takes place anyway." Said Cassie.

"Tomorrow's supposed to be a rest day." Said Michelle.

"That's good." Said Amanda. "I kind of need a breather after having to battle each of the last four days."

"And with how hard Pikachu battled today, he can definitely use a break to recharge his batteries." Said Gina.

"We could all use a rest with how much we've been cheering her on lately." Said Mark. The next day, heavy rain poured down and splattered the window of the room.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that there weren't any battles scheduled today." Said Michelle.

"I know I have the support of all of you guys, but I'm starting to wonder now if I have any more besides that." Said Amanda.

"Oh trust me, you've got plenty of support." Said a voice from behind. The group turned towards the doorway and were surprised to see who was there.

"Professor Oak!" Amanda cried.

"Hey there, Professor." Said Michelle. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"With how well Amanda's been doing in the tournament, I thought I'd come by and see her." Said Oak. "By the way, I was quite surprised when I saw how your last match ended."

"You heard about Ricky's disqualification, then." Said Amanda. Oak nodded his head slowly.

"Everyone else in Pallet heard about it too." He said. "Word travels quickly in a town as small as that. Also, who are these other girls that are here?"

"These are Gina and Cassie." Said Mark. "We met them during the Christmas holidays."

"Nice to meet you, professor." Said Gina.

"Is it true that you know a lot about Pokemon, professor?" asked Cassie.

"Of course. I'm not the region's Pokemon expert for nothing, you know." He chuckled. "You know, Amanda, if you win your next match, you'll be able to battle with up to six Pokemon."

"I've had experience with that before." Said Amanda. "I had a full six on six battle when I took on your grandson at the Viridian gym."

"Ah, so you're familiar with full battles, then." Said Oak.

"That means we have a lot riding on our next battle, Pikachu." Said Amanda.

"About that." Said Michael. "How about we promise something. Let's promise that no matter what, we both agree to make this the best battle we've ever had."

"You've got yourself a promise, Michael." Said Amanda. Everyone continued talking, while out in the rain, Conrad and Sally were wearing rain ponchos over their clothes and peering through the window in their binoculars.

"Looks like the regular twerp is battling the newer twerp in the next stage of competition." Said Conrad. "That's really going to test the limits of their friendship."

"You just gave me a brilliant idea." Said Sally. "I know how we can test their friendship even more, while grabbing Pikachu at the same time." She whispered her idea to Conrad, who gave approval. Early the next afternoon, when it was sunny and clear again, the phone rang in the room.

"Who could be calling now when Amanda has a match soon?" Michelle wondered. She shrugged her shoulders and picked up the phone anyway.

"Hello?" she wondered.

"Is Amanda there?" the caller asked in a disguised version of Michael's voice.

"Yes, she's here." Said Michelle. "Who is this that's calling?"

"Hey, you're that girl with the Eevee, aren't you?" the voice asked gruffly. "Listen, lame wad, I didn't call for you. Just get me Amanda and get lost." Michelle got red in the face, and was about to chew out the caller when Amanda walked by.

"Here, Amanda, Prince Charming wants to talk to you." Michelle said angrily as she held up the receiver. "I thought his phone manners would be better than this. Come on, Eevee." While the two of them went to sulk, Amanda spoke into the phone.

"Can you meet me out in the village really quick before our match?" the fake Michael asked.

"Sure." Said Amanda. "And you want me to bring Pikachu with me? All right, I'm on my way." She hung up the phone and put her shoes on.

"Pikachu, we have to go." She said.

"Just make sure you're not late for your match." Said Mark.

"Relax, Mark, I'm never late for a battle, especially an important one." Said Amanda. She and Pikachu left the room and gracefully skipped toward the spot where she had been told to meet.

"That's weird, I don't see him anywhere." Said Amanda. A cardboard cutout version of Michael appeared, which Sally controlling him using a voice changer.

"Hello, Amanda, I'm glad you could make it." Said the cutout.

"What's this you wanted to say about Pikachu?" Amanda asked.

"Well, I don't think you're going to like it." Said the cutout. Amanda gasped, and then realized far too late that it was a trap. Before she could escape, however, a small net fell on top of both Amanda and Pikachu.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" she demanded. Laughter was heard and then Conrad and Sally came out from behind the bushes.

"You two again!" Amanda cried. "I bet you two were snooping around outside the window last night too."

"Excellent deduction, Watson." Said Conrad.

"And for your reward, you both get to meet our boss." Said Sally.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt the net to get us out of here!" Pikachu unleashed his powerful attack but nothing happened. Conrad and Sally laughed again.

"We had a feeling you'd try to shock your way out of there so we made sure to use a net that doesn't get hurt by electric attacks." Said Sally.

"Let us out of here! We have a Pokemon League match to get to!" Amanda cried.

"Yeah, about the Pokemon League…" said Conrad. The two Team Rocket members threw Amanda and Pikachu into the back of a large truck.

"You're out of it, twerp!" they both yelled. They laughed and took off down the road. Meanwhile, Michelle was sitting on the bed with both Eevee and Elekid. By now, Amanda had been gone longer than expected, and needless to say, Michelle was worried. Mark burst through the door.

"Amanda didn't come back yet, did she?" he asked.

"No, and she hasn't called or anything." Michelle said worriedly. "You don't suppose she and Michael decided to go to the stadium together, do you?"

"Maybe that's what she did." Said Mark. He then took a quick glance at the clock. "At least, I hope that's what she did. Her match starts in an hour." On the road, Conrad and sally were driving at a pretty quick pace, only to find a lot of water in front of them.

"What's going on?" Sally screamed.

"The truck is flooding!" Conrad yelled. In the back, Pikachu and Amanda had gotten out of the net and were floating in the water.

"You're doing a great job, Blastoise. Keep spraying." Said Amanda. Blastoise complied, and soon the truck got filled with so much water that it hit a guardrail and flipped over, allowing Amanda, Pikachu and Blastoise to jump out.

"Come on." She said. "We have to hurry!" Amanda recalled Blastoise and took off on foot, with Pikachu beside her. Right behind them, however, Conrad and Sally had gotten their hands on some unicycles and were using them to follow the pair.

"Yoohoo! Come on over here, sweet little Pikachu." Said Sally.

"Don't go to them, Pikachu." Said Amanda. Pikachu saw through Sally's fake sweetness and glared at her.

"The only way you're getting to your match is by getting through us." Said Conrad.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" Amanda cried, and she tossed a Poke Ball.

"Weepinbell, use Vine Whip on Team Rocket!" she cried. The grass type appeared and lashed out its vines in Conrad and Sally's faces.

"See ya later!" Amanda cried in a taunting voice. "I think we should be in the clear now, Pikachu." The two of them continued running, but Conrad and Sally refused to give up. A short while later, they appeared behind Amanda on a pair of bikes.

"You think you're in the clear, do you?" said Sally.

"How is that possible?! I thought Weepinbell just beat you." Said Amanda.

"That's not important. What's important is that you have two options." Said Conrad. "You can hand over your Pikachu and we'll let you get to your battle, or you can miss the match entirely."

"Choose wisely." Said Sally. Amanda growled in anger and frustration.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt them!" she cried. Pikachu unleashed a powerful electric attack, zapping Conrad and Sally and leaving them immobilized.

"I'll be taking this." Said Amanda. She hopped on the bike and pedalled away. Meanwhile, in the stadium, all the seats were filled and the crowd as electric.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this fifth round match between Michael Jocks and Amanda Cooper!" Michael entered the stadium to the roar of the crowd.

"One of the trainers has arrived and is anxious for this battle to start." Said the announcer. Michael scanned over the arena for Amanda but didn't see her.

"I wonder where she is." Michael said. The crowd was starting to wonder too.

"Gina, what happened to Amanda? Why isn't she here?" asked Cassie.

"I don't know." Said Gina. "Something likely did happen, though, because she should've been here by now." About twenty minutes after the time the match was supposed to have started, the announcer spoke again.

"There's some serious drama unfolding here at the Indigo Stadium." He said. "This fifth round match is ready to begin, but Amanda Cooper is nowhere to be seen. If she doesn't show up within an adequate amount of time, she will forfeit this match, therefore making Michael the winner." Michelle glared at him angrily.

"That little weasel!" she cried and ran out onto the field.

"Wait, Michelle, where are you going?" Mark asked, but Michelle didn't respond. Instead, she ran t the center of the arena and grabbed the top of Micheal's shirt.

"All right, what did you say to Amanda on the phone earlier?!" Michelle demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.

"You were trying to scare her so that she wouldn't show up." Said Michelle. "Oh, and let's not forget the rude names that you called me."

"I would never say anything rude to Amanda." Said Michael. "And furthermore, I never called you names either."

"Are you sure?" Michelle asked.

"Yes!" Michael cried out. "I swear to you that I never called on the phone earlier. Honest I didn't." Michelle let go of him and started to calm down.

"You really are being honest, aren't you?" she asked. Michael nodded.

"But if you didn't make that phone call, then who did?" Michelle wondered. Meanwhile, the bike Amanda was riding on was suddenly being lifted into the air. Conrad and Sally had attached a claw to their balloon and were chasing Amanda on it. She screamed as she found herself being dragged toward the balloon.

"All right, you win. You can have the bike back." She said.

"But now we have you and your little Pikachu too." Said Conrad.

"I have to do something!" Amanda cried. She grabbed another Poke Ball and threw it.

"Fearow, I choose you!" she cried. The flying type appeared and gave a loud screech.

"Fearow, fly Pikachu up to the balloon!" she ordered. Pikachu hopped onto Fearow, who flew straight towards the basket.

"I think we're in for a shock." Said sally. Pikachu hopped onto the edge of the balloon's claw and unleashed another Thunderbolt on the two of them, sending them tumbling down towards the forest below them.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried.

"Great job, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Now, I need you to tow us right towards the Indigo Stadium." Fearow nodded and started pulling the balloon. Meanwhile, the crowd in the stadium was getting restless. Even Michael was getting impatient.

"Well, it appears that miss Cooper has been deemed a no show, and now it looks like this might end up being called after a lengthy delay." Said the announcer. The referee came over to him to explain the situation.

"Your opponent has failed to appear for the match, so I officially declare you to be the winner." He said.

"No. Don't do that." Said Michael. "Amanda and I are good friends, and I know she wouldn't be late like this. I just have a feeling that this is going to be a great match between us. We even promised to make this the best battle we've had and I don't think she would break that type of promise. So just wait some more. I know she'll be here." The referee looked over at Michael clearly.

"I don't think I've ever seen this happen before." Said the announcer. "One of the trainers has asked the judge to wait for the other." The referee looked at his watch and granted the request.

"We'll wait fifteen minutes, but no more." He said.

"Thank you very much, sir." Said Michael.

"I hope Amanda gets here soon." Said Cassie.

"I'm hoping the same thing." Said Gina. Fearow was working hard to get Amanda to where she needed to be. She saw the stadium start to come into clear view.

"There it is, Fearow." She said. "I think we're going to make it!" Once the agreed upon time had passed, the referee went back to Michael.

"I'm sorry, but the fifteen minutes are up. I have to call it." He said. Before he could do so, however, he saw the balloon flying above the battlefield, followed by Amanda standing on top of the now charred bike.

"Hello down there!" she cried. "Sorry I'm so late!" Michael smiled.

"You finally made it!" he cried. Amanda and Pikachu jumped down onto the field.

"A funny thing happened on the way here." She said sheepishly. Before she could explain, however, Fearow tumbled down and looked very worn out from all the work it had done.

"Fearow!" Amanda cried. She checked on the flying type and held up his Poke Ball.

"Thank you very much, Fearow. You can take a nice, long rest now." She said. Fearow was recalled and Amanda turned to Michael.

"Let's get the battle started." She said. Both trainers hurried to their respective boxes.

"Well, they say that good things come to those who wait, so hang on to your seats because this fifth round battle is finally going to begin!" the announcer cried. Michelle was less than satisfied, however.

"Amanda, you had better apologize to everyone right now for being late!" she cried.

"I think you should take it easy right now." Said Mark.

"She finally made it." Said Cassie.

"Now let's hope the delay in her arrival doesn't affect her performance." Said Gina.

"I don't know what kept you, but I'm glad you finally made it." Said Michael. "Now, I hope you're ready for the biggest battle of your life."

"Let's do this!" Amanda cried. The referee raised both flags and yelled "Begin!" Both Michael and Amanda reached for a Poke Ball, but Michael threw his first.

"Venusaur, go!" he cried. The tall grass and poison type appeared on the field in a blaze of light and had a confident look in his eyes.

"Fearow's too tired out from carrying me here, so he can't go. I know what I can use, though." Amanda thought. She threw the ball and hoped for the best.

"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The strong fire type appeared on the field in a blaze of light.

"And it's a battle between Venusaur and Arcanine to start this match. Both of these powerful Pokemon look poised to take down the other, so let's see who comes out on top." Said the announcer.

"Venusaur, Razor Leaf attack!" Michael called.

"Arcanine, use your Flamethrower!" Amanda ordered. Venusaur shot out dark leaves right at the same time Arcanine unleashed a powerful fire stream. As a result, the leaves from Venusaur's attack were burnt to a crisp.

"An amazing start from Arcanine!" the announcer cried. "This powerful fire type is looking to show Venusaur who the real power is.

"Venusaur, Vine Whip attack!" Michael commanded. Venusaur shot out his vines, but Amanda was ready.

"Arcanine, use your Agility!" she ordered. Arcanine made good use of his speed to avoid each of the vines.

"Arcanine's certainly moving very quickly out there." Said Mark.

"Its' advantage over grass Pokemon definitely helps." Said Michelle.

"You're doing well, Arcanine." Said Amanda. "Take Down attack, now!" Arcanine charged hard at Venusaur and slammed into its large body. It wasn't enough damage to knock the grass type out, though.

"Way to hang in tough, Venusaur. Tackle attack!" Michael ordered. Venusaur went for a football sized tackle and rammed into Arcanine. All that did was nudge the fire type backwards only slightly.

"Venusaur may be strong, but Arcanine's just as strong." Said Cassie.

"I can definitely tell." Said Gina. "Ever since Amanda's had him, she's done a very good job of training it."

"Arcanine, fight back with a Double Edge attack!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine ran hard at Venusaur and rammed into him to send the grass type into the air a bit. Venusaur was tough, though, and landed on his feet easily.

"Double Edge is supposed to do quite a bit to the opponent." Said Michelle. "I don't think Venusaur felt anything from that at all, though."

"That must mean that Venusaur's been very well trained." Said Mark. Michael smiled at his Venusaur before issuing the next attack.

"Vine Whip again!" he ordered.

"Arcanine, counter it with Double Team!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine spit out multiple copies of itself, resulting in Venusaur's vines only hitting the copies instead of the actual Arcanine.

"Great work so far, Arcanine, keep that up!" Amanda ordered. "Fire Spin!" Arcanine shot a circle of fire around Venusaur's body.

"A powerful Fire Spin from Arcanine means that Venusaur has been completely immobilized." Said the announcer. "Michael better come up with a counter move or it'll be burnt toast for Venusaur." Michael had a grin on his face, because even though Venusaur couldn't attack directly, he did have another plan in mind.

"Sleep Powder!" Michael ordered. Venusaur shot blue dust out of his bulb, but Amanda was ready.

"Not so fast." She said. "Arcanine, Fire Blast!" Arcanine shot a huge fire star to block the dust from hitting, but at the same time, the attack also scorched Venusaur.

"Oh no!" Michael cried.

"Finish it with Flamethrower!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot another stream of fire from his mouth, and with Venusaur now very weak from the fire damage, he was rendered helpless as the attack defeated him. The referee raised the green flag.

"Venusaur is unable to battle. Arcanine is the winner!" he cried.

"Well, we expected that Arcanine would get the win over Venusaur, and sure enough, the fire type does indeed take the round and Michael now has just two Pokemon left to use." Said the announcer. Michael held out Venusaur's Poke Ball and recalled the grass type.

"You served me well, buddy." He said. He reached for another Poke Ball and tossed it.

"Clefable, I choose you!" he cried. The normal type appeared in a blaze of light and gave a smile.

"Michael's second Pokemon will be Clefable." Said the announcer. "Arcanine is still in for Amanda."

"Arcanine still looks strong, but it'll need to watch out for Clefairy's Metronome attack." Said Michelle.

"Arcanine, Take Down now!" ordered Amanda. Arcanine ran quickly and slammed into the normal type.

"Arcanine's going to pay for that." Said Michael. "Double Slap attack, now!" Clefairy used its hands to slap Arcanine repeatedly on his legs, forcing it to suffer in pain a bit.

"Arcanine!" Amanda cried. "Are you able to keep going?" Arcanine nodded.

"Great. I need you more than ever right now." Said Amanda. "Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot a stream of fire at Clefairy, but the normal type immediately jumped out of the way to avoid the attack.

"Excellent work, Clefairy." Said Michael. "Now, it's Metronome time." Clefairy started wagging her fingers back and fourth.

"Michael's wasting no time in calling for the Metronome." Said the announcer. "As you all know, anything can happen from this attack, so both trainers need to be prepared for whatever move comes out." Clefairy continued wagging her fingers, with Michelle, Mark, Eevee, Elekid, Gina, Cassie and everyone else looking on with curiosity.

"Stay on guard and be ready for anything that comes out of Clefairy's Metronome." Amanda said to Arcanine. The fire type nodded and kept his eye on the normal type. Clefairy stopped wagging her fingers and a blue set of waves encompassed Arcanine, putting him to sleep.

"I think that was Hypnosis, wasn't it?" Cassie asked.

"It was." Said Gina. "Arcanine's out cold now."

"Arcanine, you have to wake up!" Amanda cried. She tried to shake the fire type awake, but it was no good. The referee immediately raised the red flag.

"Arcanine is out of the match. Clefairy is the winner!" he cried.

"Well, we did say that anything could happen from metronome and a powerful Hypnosis ended up emerging to send Arcanine off to slumber land." Said the announcer. "Amanda now has just two Pokemon remaining."

"Tough luck for Arcanine." Said Michelle. Amanda held out the ball that belonged to the fire type.

"Arcanine, return!" she ordered. Arcanine got sucked back into the ball via red light.

"You were great out there." Said Amanda. She was about to reach for another ball when Pikachu jumped off her shoulder and ran onto the field.

"I thought Pikachu would be too tired out to battle after what happened earlier today." Amanda thought. "I guess it still has some energy left over."

"Amanda's second Pokemon is going to be Pikachu. This electric power has been with Amanda from the very beginning of her journey, but it's up against a formidable foe here." Said the announcer.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu ran super quick at Clefable and pushed it down.

"Not bad." Said Michael. "Clefable, use your Mega Punch!" Clefable got her fist ready and gave Pikachu a hard type to send the electric type backwards.

"Pikachu!" Amanda cried. Pikachu was tough, of course, and picked himself back up.

"Great job." Said Amanda. "Now, Thunderbolt it!" Pikachu unleashed its yellow beam of electricity at Clefable.

"Teleport!" Michael ordered. Clefable vanished from her spot right as the electric attack was about to strike. Pikachu looked around and saw that Clefable was now standing behind him.

"Try another Thunderbolt." Said Amanda. Pikachu unleashed another powerful bolt.

"Teleport away again." Said Michael. Clefable moved again, and when Pikachu looked around again, he saw that Clefable was standing right in the center of the ring.

"Go for the Pound attack!" Michael ordered. Clefairy ran up to Pikachu and gave the electric type a light pounding, sending Pikachu down. He got back up, however.

"Use your own Mega Punch!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu gave a powerful punch of his own, but not powerful enough to knock Clefable down.

"You don't think Pikachu could be tiring already, do you?" Mark wondered.

"Well, his attacks don't seem to be doing as much damage as they should." Said Michelle. "Although, every Pokemon has their off day once in a while."

"Come on, Pikachu. I know you're a bit tired after what happened to us today, but I still need you to do the best you can." Said Amanda.

"Mega Kick, now!" Michael ordered. Clefable lifted up her leg to kick Pikachu, but the electric type countered by grabbing the leg with his hand. He spun Clefable around a bit before throwing her back.

"Awesome, Pikachu!" Amanda cried.

"That little Pikachu's going to pay for that." Said Michael. "Double Slap!" Clefable slapped Pikachu so hard that it started screaming in pain.

"Pikachu's taking quite a beating, but Clefable's not letting up at all." Said the announcer.

"Come on, Pikachu, hang in there." Said Amanda.

"All right, time to change tactics." Said Michael. "Metronome." Clefable stopped slapping Pikachu and wagged her fingers.

"Here we go again." Said Michelle. Once Clefable's fingers stopped wagging, a Flamethrower spat out of her mouth and she started firing it.

"Pikachu, use your Agility!" cried Amanda. Pikachu ran as fast as he could to dodge the flames, but he started tiring out after a few jumps and dodges.

"This is no good. Pikachu's too tired to keep up with its speed." Said Michelle. Pikachu tried to run as fast as he could with limited energy, but ended up running into the attack due to how tired he was and collapsed onto the floor. He struggled to get back up to his feet, but fainted.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Clefairy wins!" the referee cried as he raised the red flag.

"Pikachu gave it his all, but his batteries were just too low to keep up and now Amanda is down to her final Pokemon." Said the announcer. Amanda scooped up Pikachu and gently placed him in front of Michelle.

"Keep an eye on him for me, please." Said Amanda.

"Sure thing." Said Michelle. "You were great out there, Pikachu. Pikachu was too tired to respond, so he simply gave an approving thumbs up. Amanda then returned to her spot.

"I only have one Pokemon left, so I really need to make this count." She said. She reached for another Poke Ball and tossed it.

"Blastoise, you're up!" she cried. The tall water type appeared in a blaze of light.

"Amanda has chosen a Blastoise for her final Pokemon. Can this powerful turtle earn the two wins Amanda needs to move on?" the announcer asked.

"I sure hope so." Said Amanda. "Okay, Blastoise, let's do this. Water Gun!" Blastoise shot streams of water from his cannons, splashing Clefable and sending her down to the floor.

"Clefable, Hyper Beam!" Michael ordered. Clefable unleashed a powerful orange beam from her mouth.

"Withdraw!" Amanda countered. Blastoise quickly ducked into his shell right as the attack was about to strike, causing it to bounce off the shell and hit the ground. Blastoise then came back out of the shell.

"All right! Now, use your Ice Punch!" Amanda ordered. A sliver of ice formed on Blastoise's hand as he got ready to punch. Clefable jumped to try and avoid the move, only to mistime the jump and she got struck by the force of the attack.

"Clefable, no!" Michael cried. Clefable did get up, but she was suddenly feeling too cold to move. Michael held out her Poke Ball.

"You better rest." He said, and Clefable was absorbed back into the capsule via red energy. The referee raised the green flag.

"Clefable is out of the match. Blastoise is the winner!" he cried.

"I guess that Ice Punch was too cold for Clefairy to handle, and now both trainers only have one Pokemon remaining." Said the announcer.

"It all comes down to this." Said Mark.

"I wonder which Pokemon Michael's going to use to finish this battle." Said Cassie.

"That's up to him to decide." Said Gina. Michael thought hard about what his final choice would be before throwing the Poke Ball.

"Alakazam, assume battle position!" he cried. The fully evolved psychic type appeared in a blaze of light. Michelle was a bit surprised at the choice, as was Mark.

"I thought Pidgeot would be the one to come out here since he's done so well for Michael in his previous matches to this point." Said Michelle.

"He might be saving Pidgeot for the next round if he gets to that point because of the fact that it's full battles after this." Said Mark.

"That's a bold strategy." Said Michelle.

"Okay, Blastoise, here we go." Said Amanda. "Bubble Beam attack!" Blastoise shot powerful water bubbles from his mouth.

"Reflect attack now!" Michael ordered. Alakazam put up a bright orange reflective shield to block the bubbles from getting through.

"Nice. Now, use a Thunder Punch!" Michael commanded. Amanda, mark and Michelle all gasped.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried form the sidelines, which meant 'Be careful, Blastoise!' Alakazam fired a punch filled with electric energy at Blastoise and hit the water type, making him cry out in pain.

"I can't believe it! Alakazam can use electric attacks." Said Michelle.

"That spells bad news for Blastoise." Said Mark.

"Blastoise, withdraw into your shell before that attack completely drains you!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise dipped into the shell to reduce the effect of the attack, which made Alakazam back off. When Blastoise came back out, he looked a little beaten up but he was still able to fight.

"Excellent. Now, it's Hydro Pump time!" Amanda commanded. Blastoise shot powerful water streams, which came at Alakazam so fast that he couldn't react. The psychic type was sent to the wall and got knocked down.

"Yes!" Amanda cried. "I think the win might be ours."

"Is that so?" Michael said. "Alakazam, use Recover." Alakazam slowly erased the effects of the water attack and was suddenly perfectly healthy again.

"A Recover attack does what again?" Cassie asked.

"It makes it so that the Pokemon that uses it will get back any and all health points it had lost from their opponent's attack." Said Gina.

"Use your Bite attack!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise opened his mouth to try and clamp down on Alakazam's shoulder.

"Disable." Said Michael. Alakazam flashed blue light from his eyes to stop the bite and freeze it.

"We'll have to try something else." Said Amanda. "Ice Beam attack!" Blastoise started shooting an ice ball at Alakazam in the hopes of doing big damage.

"Teleport." Said Michael. Alakazam disappeared instantly and when Blastoise looked around, he saw that the psychic type was on the water type's back.

"Shake him off, Blastoise!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise started waving his shell around, but Alakazam was holding on tightly and wouldn't let go.

"Psybeam!" Michael ordered. Alakazam jumped off the back of the shell and got ready to fire a huge, pink beam.

"Blastoise, run away!" cried Amanda. Blastoise started to run, but he wasn't exactly known for being fast, and the attack hit him as he was still running, sending him to the ground.

"Blastoise, please be all right!" Amanda cried. She waited to see if the water type would get back up, which he did, but the Psybeam had left him with little to no energy.

"Confusion attack." Said Michael. "Alakazam's eyes glowed blue again, and he used the energy to lift Blastoise off the ground and send it into the wall. He collapsed onto the floor again, but this time, he didn't get up. The referee checked him over to make sure, and then made the call by raising the red flag.

"Blastoise is unable to battle. Alakazam is the winner!" the referee cried. "This match is over, and the winner is the red trainer, Michael!" The word CONGRATULATIONS appeared below Michael's picture. Amanda's mouth dropped open in shock. It was really and truly over. She slowly held up Blastoise's ball and pointed it at him.

"Blastoise, return." She said softly. The water type was absorbed back into the ball via red light.

"You were awesome." She said before looking over at Michael.

"And after another thrilling battle, Michael Jocks has taken out Amanda Cooper to advance to the quarterfinals!" the announcer cried. Amanda and Michael both made their way to the center of the field.

"I guess you won!" Amanda cried happily. "Congratulations, Michael."

"Thank you very much." Said Michael. "This was a tough battle, and I'm very proud of the way we competed." Mark and Michelle were also smiling.

"I know Amanda's a bit disappointed, but I'm very proud of her." Said Michelle.

"She's certainly come a long way in her progress." Said Mark.

"I wanted Amanda to win." Said Cassie. She was a bit disappointed with the outcome.

"I did too, Cassie, but the fact that she got to the round of sixteen is still a very good accomplishment." Said Gina. "Wouldn't you say, Professor?"

"Indeed." Said Professor Oak. He smiled, knowing that Amanda had accomplished a lot as a trainer to this point. The crowd continued to cheer on both trainers for a good five minutes before everyone finally left. Well, Amanda's time in the Pokemon League may have come to an end here, but her loves of Pokemon is still stronger than ever.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode Fifty-Two

In the previous episode, Amanda found herself pitted against Michael Jocks, a friend she had recently made, in the fifth round of the Pokemon League tournament. The two promised to make the battle an exciting one, but Team Rocket intervened as usual and tried to prevent Amanda from making it to her match. But a Pikachu Thunderbolt sent the two blasting off and Amanda finally made it to the stadium just as she was about to be disqualified! After an exciting match, Michael came out on top to advance, and at the same time, ending Amanda's run in the tournament. Where does she go from here? Let's find out as this episode begins.

Amanda wasn't just feeling sad. She was in a state of depression. It was now the day after her match with Michael, and although she hadn't shown it initially, it was clear that Amanda was very upset. Only Pikachu and Elekid were cuddled up beside her on the bed, with everyone else outside the door, as Amanda had locked them out.

"She's just been lying there since her loss last night?" Gina asked. Michelle nodded her head.

"That's right." She said. "She won't let anyone near her except for Pikachu and Elekid."

"I know she's feeling down because she lost, but she can't be like this forever." Said Mark.

"Mark's right." Said Professor Oak. "One of you needs to go in there and try to snap her out of it."

"Well, since I'm the first non Pokemon friend that she made, I'll have to be the one to do it." Said Michelle. She tried to open the door before remembering that it was locked. Fortunately, she had her own key to the room on hand. She took the key out of the pocket of her skirt and gently placed it into the lock. She turned the key to the left to open the door carefully and slowly made her way towards her friend.

"Hey, Amanda?" she said in a soft voice.

"Go away." Amanda responded gruffly. But Michelle wouldn't go away. She continued making her way over to the bed and stood beside her.

"I know you're sad because you lost your battle with Michael, but that doesn't mean you have to be a grouch about it." Michelle said firmly. She then changed to her usual more friendly tone.

"I know what might make you feel better." Said Michelle. "How about if we go for a little walk in the Pokemon Village."

"No thanks." Amanda said sadly.

"Well, how about we go shopping for some Pokemon League souvenirs." Michelle suggested. "They might have some cool shirts that you might like." Amanda shook her head to reject the idea.

"Right now, I just want to be left alone." She said. Michelle didn't really know what else she could possibly do.

"Look, Amanda, you can't stay cooped up in this room forever." She said. "I'm just trying to help you feel better."

"What I want right now is to be left in peace!" Amanda yelled. Michelle sighed and left the room.

"Well, what's the situation?" asked Mark.

"She won't listen." Said Michelle. "I feel like a failure of a best friend."

"Nonsense, Michelle, you're a very good friend." Said Gina. "She's just having a hard time accepting the fact that she lost."

"If this was a regular trainer battle, she'd probably get over it relatively quickly." Said Mark. "Because this happened in a major tournament, though, it's possible that it's taking her a bit longer."

"I didn't even consider that." Said Michelle.

"I think it's going to take a group effort to get Amanda out of her depressed state." Said Professor Oak.

"You're probably right, professor." Said Mark. The group all entered the room, and when Amanda saw them, she got even more mad.

"I thought I said not to bother me!" she exclaimed. Michelle decided to try speaking up again.

"You can't be grouchy about this forever." She said. "And besides, even though you lost, you should still be proud of yourself for what you managed to accomplish." Amanda realized that Michelle had a point, and she changed the tone in her voice.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"For starters, you made it all the way to the round of sixteen." Answered Michelle. "That's quite an accomplishment, especially for somebody who's only eleven years old."

"I have to agree with Michelle." Said Oak. "You and your Pokemon worked hard in those battles and you should be very proud of yourself."

"I'm very proud." Said Amanda. Her eyes slowly started to swell up with water. "It's just that…."

"What? What is it?" Cassie wondered. The water in Amanda's eyes started flowing down as tears.

"I was hoping to win that match with Michael." She cried. Oak dried her eyes with some tissues.

"I know you were." He said. "I was watching that match, and I was rooting for you. That's the way things go sometimes, though."

"So, now that you're out of the tournament, what do you think your next plan of attack is going to be?" Cassie asked.

"I haven't really decided yet." Said Amanda. "All the traveling I've done so far is a lot of fun, but there might very well be a region out there that I haven't seen yet."

"Allow me to suggest something if I may." Said Professor Oak. "If you want to further hone your skills and train even more, then I would recommend checking out the Johto region."

"I think I remember Officer Jenny telling us about that when we stopped by the Safari Zone." Said Mark.

"I know she did mention it to us, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't anything more than that." Said Michelle.

"I bet that the Johto region will have some brand new Pokemon that I haven't seen yet." Said Amanda.

"They certainly do." Said Professor Oak. "A hundred new ones to be exact."

"Do you think you could tell us what kinds of new Pokemon live in Johto?" Michelle asked. Oak shook his head.

"I think it would be better for you to discover all the new Pokemon for yourself so that way you can be surprised." He said.

"Maybe Michael will want to come to Johto with us." Said Amanda.

"That's up to him to decide." Said Mark.

"Speaking of Michael, his sixth round match is going to be starting any minute." Said Michelle.

"If we hurry, we can just make it." Said Gina. The group all quietly left the room and ran to the stadium as fast as their legs would allow them. Fortunately, they were able to get there with ten minutes to spare. In the locker room, Michael was holding his Poke Balls tightly.

"Just three more wins and we'll be the champs." He said. He then heard footsteps running into the room, which belonged to Amanda, her friends, and Professor Oak.

"Hey there, Michael." Said Amanda.

"Oh hi, Amanda." Said Michael. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We decided to come and watch your battle for this quarterfinal round." Said Mark. "You're our friend, and friends should support each other."

"And don't forget, you get to use six Pokemon in this match." Said Michelle. "Pick your best ones."

"I will." Said Michael.

"Well, good luck." Said Gina.

"Thanks. At this stage of the competition, I'm going to need all the luck that I can get." Said Michael.

"We'll be in the stands rooting for you." Said Amanda. Her group left the locker room and made their way into some empty seats so they could watch the battle from there.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to begin this round six battle between Michael Jocks of Celadon City and Daniel Quinn of Cherrygrove City!"

"Cherrygrove?" Cassie and Amanda wondered.

"I've never heard of that place before." Said Mark.

"I think that's a city in the Johto region." Said Michelle.

"It is indeed." Said Professor Oak.

"Then that means he could have a new Pokemon with him that we haven't seen before." Said Amanda. The referee raised both flags to signal the start of the match. The very first Pokemon that Daniel sent out was indeed a new one. The Pokemon had light blue coloring, a round and broad head, a wide mouth and small black eyes. A wavy, purple stripe ran down the Pokemon's back.

"That looks pretty cute." Said Michelle. "I wonder what that Pokemon's called. Amanda took out her Pokedex to try and scan it, but was greeted with a message that she wasn't expecting.

"This Pokemon is not native to Kanto, and thus, there is no information available."

"That doesn't help." Said Amanda.

"Go, Venusaur!" Michael called out. The dual grass and poison type appeared and gave the new Pokemon a stare down.

"Let's go, Quagsire!" Daniel cried. "Use your Rollout attack!" Quagsire curled up into a ball and rolled towards Venusaur.

"Venusaur, jump and use Vine Whip!" Michael ordered. Venusaur obeyed and dodge the Rollout perfectly. He then shot out his vines at Quagsire.

"So, Quagsire's the name of the new Pokemon." Said Mark.

"It certainly looks like a strong battler to me." Said Gina. Quagmire and Venusaur were both determined to not give in to the other, but after what seemed like forever, Quagsire finally went down, resulting in Michael winning the first round. Daniel's second Pokemon was a Charizard, but with Venusaur worn out from the first fight, a single Flamethrower knocked out the grass type to even up the battle. For Michael's second Pokemon, he sent out a Jolteon. Despite the powerful electric attacks that were sent out, Charizard was able to dodge most of them due to his flying power. Michael was getting frustrated, but then he came up with an idea.

"Jolteon, wait until Charizard takes off again and then jump onto him." He said. "Now then, Quick Attack!" Jolteon ran full speed at Charizard, and as the electric type was about to land the attack, Charizard started to fly upwards again.

"Now!" Michael ordered. Jolteon hopped onto Charizard's back, which left Daniel quite surprised.

"How?" he wondered.

"Thunderbolt!" Michael ordered. Jolteon unleashed a powerful shot of energy, zapping Charizard and sending the dual fire and flying type to the ground in a defeated state.

"Charizard is unable to battle. Jolteon wins!" the referee called.

"All right, that's two ins for Michael!" Amand cried. "Only four more to go." Daniel's third Pokemon was a Butterfree, and seeing that out a smile on her face.

"That was one of the first Pokemon that I ever caught." She said.

"Where is your Butterfree now, Amanda?" asked Cassie.

"It's chilling at Professor Oak's lab." Amanda answered. Jolteon fought hard, but a powerful Sleep Powder rendered the electric type out, which tied the match at two. Michael's third Pokemon was a Sandslash, which looked quite tough. It tried to scratch up Butterfree with a Fury Swipes attack, but the dual bug and flying type kept dodging it every time. And then, a powerful Psybeam sent Sandslash to the ground.

"Come on, Sandslash, get up." Mark whispered. Despite the ground type's best efforts to get back to its feet, it collapsed and fainted.

"Sandslash it out of the match. The victory goes to Butterfree!" the referee cried.

"There goes Sandslash, who is no doubt one of Michael's best Pokemon in his arsenal. Now with three of Pokemon knocked out, the trainers will take a ten minute time out to adjust their strategies." Said the announcer. Michael went over to the sidelines and sat down to think.

"Just three Pokemon left." He said. "The margin of error's getting smaller with each defeat, so I need to be careful." Once the ten minutes had expired, both trainers returned to the field for the second half of the match. Michael sent out Clefable next, and she proved herself to be able to withstand anything Butterfree threw at it. And then, a powerful Thunder attack courtesy of Metronome sent Butterfree down onto the field.

"Butterfree is out. Clefable wins!" the referee cried. The match was once again tied and both trainers now had three Pokemon left. Pokemon number four for Daniel was a Gengar, and with normal type moves unusable against ghost types, Micheal had to change things up a bit.

"Clefable, use your Ice Beam!" he ordered. Clefable started aiming the powerful ball of ice.

"Dodge it, Gengar!" Daniel ordered. Gengar jumped out of the way as the attack was about to strike.

"Now, Hypnosis." Daniel ordered. Clefable tried to counter it, but the Hypnosis overwhelmed her and caused her to fall asleep.

"Clefable, no!" Michael cried.

"Dream Eater." Daniel instructed. Gengar hovered over Clefable and sapped away at the normal type's energy by scaring away any and all of its dreams. Clefable tried to wake up in time, but the referee was already making his ruling.

"Clefable is unable to battle. Gengar wins!" he yelled. This left Michael with only two Pokemon remaining.

"Alakazam, I choose you!" he cried. The psychic type appeared instantly and made clever use of his moves to defeat Gengar. It took several turns to do it because of how powerful both Pokemon were, but once the ghost type had fallen, both trainers were left with two Pokemon each. Pokemon number five for Daniel was a Wigglytuff.

"Well, it's not very often you see one of those." Said Gina. Amanda took out her Pokedex again so she could get some information.

"Wigglytuff, the balloon Pokemon. Its soft and rubbery body allows it to inflate itself to an enormous size to scare away its opponents."

"That Wigglytuff looks pretty big as it is." Said Michelle. "Daniel's done a great job of raising it." Alakazam and Wigglytuff were pretty much each other's equal. Anything Alakazam tried to do to it was either countered or dodged by Wigglytuff. Likewise, Alakazam had an answer for anything that the normal type tried to go. However, there was one specific thing that Alakazam had no counter for.

"Use your Sing attack!" Daniel ordered. Wigglytuff let out a peaceful tune, which Alakazam tried to block out. However, he fell victim to the singing and fell asleep.

"Alakazam, please wake up!" Michael ordered. However, the referee ruled Alakazam unable to battle, leaving Michael with just one Pokemon left. That Pokemon, of course, was Pidgeot. The flying type started things off with Wing Attack, but Wigglytuff countered with a Pound to send Pidgeot flying backwards a bit. Both Pokemon went at it for a good while, until the flying type was also put to sleep by Wigglytuff's Sing. Michael tried to shake him awake, but it did no good. The referee raised up the red flag.

"Pidgeot has been defeated. Wigglytuff wins." He said. "The winner of the match is Daniel Quinn!"

"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Daniel will be moving on to the semifinals!" the announcer cried. The majority of the crowd clapped, but Amanda was disappointed.

"No! I can't believe he lost too." She said.

"Tough break." Said Michelle. The group all left the stadium, and although they were disappointed in the outcome, they were also happy that they had gotten to see a thrilling match. The following day, both Michael and Amanda met up at the lake.

"Well, I guess we both have something in common from this tournament." Said Michael. "We both ended up losing before the finals."

"I think you did great in your match." Said Amanda. "I'm a little jealous that you made it farther than I did, but you still did very well."

"Yeah, but I still think I could've gone the distance." Said Michael. "If I had know how tough the competition here would be, I would've trained even harder than I did before it started. Now I know what to do next time so that I can be an even better trainer."

"So, what do you think you're going to do now?" Amanda asked.

"I think I might head to the mountains to do some training before I plan my next move." Michael answered. "What's your plan?"

"I'm probably going to take Professor Oak up on the suggestion that he gave me and check out the Johto region." Said Amanda.

"I wish you the best of luck with those plans." Said Michael. "I hope we get to see each other in Johto."

"I'm sure we will." Said Amanda. The two of them continued to discuss their plans further, and twenty minutes later, Michelle and the rest of the group came up.

"Hey guys." Said Amanda. "Michael and I were just talking."

"Yes, I can certainly see that." Said Mark.

"We're going to get some dinner and then head back to the stadium for the closing ceremonies." Said Michelle.

"You're welcome to join us, Michael." Said Professor Oak. "That's entirely up to you, though."

"You know what, I think I'll do that." Said Michael. They all headed off to get dinner together. Amanda helped herself to some fried chicken wings and potatoes, and then once dinner was finished, all the trainers walked into the stadium.

"As this year's Pokemon League tournament comes to a close, we want to take this time to recognize all of the trainers for their accomplishments this year." Said Mr. Goodshow. "We saw some exciting battles, some thrilling victories, and some heartbreaking defeats. But you all did your very best, and that's what counts. Therefore, I have a special badge for all of you to take home." He gave each trainer their badge, which was shaped like a Poke Ball but slightly bigger.

"Look at that, Pikachu." She said. "Our very own commemorative Pokemon League badge." She held it up high so that Mark, Michelle, Gina, Cassie and Professor Oak could see it from the stands.

"Great going, Amanda!" Michelle cried. Her friends all clapped and cheered for her, as did Professor Oak. He let out a smile as he looked out at the field full of trainers.

"She'll do quite well in Johto." He thought. Once all the badges had been handed out, Mr. Goodshow went to the stage and held up the Goodshow Cup.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to award this trophy to the winner of this year's competition, Daniel Quinn!" He handed the trophy to Daniel, who held it up high enough so that the crowd could give their proper reactions.

"Congratulations, Daniel." Said Mr. Goodshow. "And now, to close things off, we have one little musical number for you that I think you'll all recognize." He pressed a button and a very familiar tune began playing.

"I wanna be the very best

Like no one ever was

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause

I will travel across the land

Searching far and wide

Each Pokémon to understand

The power that's inside

(Pokémon!)

(Gotta catch 'em all), it's you and me

(Pokémon!)

I know it's my destiny

(Pokémon!)

Yeah, you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

(Pokémon!)

(Gotta catch 'em all), a heart so true

(Pokémon!)

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me, and I'll teach you

Po-ké-mon!

(Pokémon!)

(Gotta catch 'em all)

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all!

Every challenge along the way

With courage I will face

I will battle every day

To claim my rightful place

Come with me, the time is right

There's no better team

Arm in arm, we'll win the fight

It's always been our dream

(Pokémon!)

(Gotta catch 'em all), it's you and me

(Pokémon!)

I know it's my destiny

(Pokémon!)

Yeah, you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

(Pokémon!)

(Gotta catch 'em all), a heart so true

(Pokémon!)

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me, and I'll teach you

Po-ké-mon!

(Pokémon!)

(Gotta catch 'em all)

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all!

(Gotta catch 'em all)

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all!

Pokémon!" Once the tune had finished, the trainers and crowd all gave another cheer before filing out. The following morning, everyone checked out of the Pokemon Village.

"Well, we're heading back to Cinnabar Island." Said Gina. "It was really nice seeing you again Amanda."

"I hope we get to meet again sometime." Said Cassie. The two girls waved as they walked away. Michael departed to head to the mountains, while Professor Oak led Amanda, Mark and Michelle to his car.

"It would be a lot faster for me to drive us all back to Pallet Town compared to the three of you walking back." He said. As he started driving down the road, Amanda thought about her experience in the Pokemon League.

"We had such a great time competing, didn't we Pikachu?" she asked.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'We sure did!' Upon arriving back at Professor Oak's lab, he led the three of them inside and reached for something in his drawer.

"Where did I put them?" he asked.

"I wonder what he could be looking for." Said Amanda. After fumbling around a little more, he finally found what he was looking for.

"Here's a brand new Pokedex for you, Amanda." He said. "It's completely updated to record any information on the new Pokemon that you'll be encountering in Johto."

"That's great, Professor. Thank you." Said Amanda.

"And Michelle, since you can start earning gym badges yourself now, I would also recommend that you try out the Johto league yourself." Said Oak.

"I certainly will." Said Michelle.

"Of course, you'll need your own Pokedex since you don't have one right now." Said Oak. "However, I do have a colleague in New Bark Town who can help you out with that. His name is Professor Elm. I'll give him a call and have him arrange everything for you."

"Thanks, Professor." Said Michelle.

"What about you, Mark?" said Amanda. "Are you going to come to Johto with us?"

"Actually, I have a different plan in mind." Said Mark. "I've been thinking about this during the drive here from the Indigo Plateau, and I kind of want to learn more about Pokemon and their natural habitats as well as their behaviours."

"What are you saying, then?" Michelle asked.

"I'm saying that I'm going to stay here with Professor Oak and be his assistant." He said.

"I think you'll be a terrific help for me." Said Oak. "After all, I'm getting older and I can't exactly do everything by myself anymore. It'll be great to have some help."

"So that means you'll be helping the professor to look after any Pokemon that Michelle and I catch in the Johto region." Said Amanda.

"That's right." Said Mark.

"Speaking of which, do you girls know which of your Pokemon you'll be taking with you to Johto?" said Oak.

"I know I'm taking Pikachu with me for sure, as well as Elekid." Said Amanda.

"And it wouldn't be fair for me to leave Eevee behind, so she's coming for sure." Said Michelle.

"As for the rest, we want to only carry Pokemon that we catch in Johto." Said Amanda.

"That seems to make perfect sense to me." Said Professor Oak. Amanda and Michelle opened up their Poke Balls and told their Pokemon what was going on.

"I want all of you to be good for both Mark and the professor while Michelle and I are off adventuring in Johto together." She said.

"That goes double for you guys too." Michelle said to her own Pokemon.

"Well, I guess the two of you are all set then." Said Oak.

"Look out Johto region because Amanda Cooper is on her way!" Amanda cried.

"That's nice, Amanda, but maybe we should take today to rest." Said Michelle. "After all, you did just finish competing in a big tournament."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Said Amanda. That night, both girls stayed over at the lab since it was the most convenient option for them.

"Pikachu, we leave for the Johto region first thing in the morning." She said. "Are you feeling as excited as I am?"

"Pikachu." Pikachu answered quietly, which meant 'Super excited.'

"I'm excited too, but if we don't get any sleep, we won't be at our full strength when we leave in the morning." Said Michelle. The girls closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. The next morning, after having a healthy breakfast, both girls stepped out of the lab and got ready to depart. Professor Oak and Mark were standing right behind them.

"Well, I guess this is it." Said Oak. "Have fun in the Johto region, and try to catch lots of Pokemon."

"We will." Said Amanda. The two girls said goodbye to Mark and the professor before walking off down the road.

"It's going to be weird not having Mark with us." Said Amanda.

"I know, but he's doing what he feels is best for him, so we can't stand in his way." Said Michelle.

"We could make some new friends in Johto." Said Amanda.

"Chances are that we probably will." Said Michelle.

"The Johto region's going to be awesome." Amanda said confidently. And so, both Amanda and Michelle find themselves heading off towards the Johto region together. New trainers for them to battle, new friends to meet and new Pokemon to catch. I think she'll do well in the new region, so stay tuned as her adventure continues.

NEXT TIME, OFF TO JOHTO!