Pokémon Pokemon Do-Over

[MarkL1987]

Episode 58: The Ultimate Test

"Let's eat!" the gang cried. It all began with an innocent question from Misty.

"You know, you and Lucy haven't gotten a badge in a long time, Ash." She said. "Think either of you will ever get another one?" Ash started choking on his sandwich.

"Uh, Misty, you do realize that Cinnabar Island is off the coast of the mainland, right?" said Lucy. While she continued to chastise Misty, Brock and Todd tended to Ash.

"Take it easy, Ash. Drink this!" cried Brock. Ash drank the water Brock had given him and saved himself.

"It's all skill!" cried Ash. "I win matches with skill!"

"How much skill does it take to win a match against Team Rocket?" asked Misty.

"Not very much at all, really." answered Lucy. "But either way, we've both beaten six gyms out of eight, which means we only need two more to qualify for the Pokemon League. Still doubt us now?"

"All right, Misty, if you want real skill, I'll show that to you!" cried Ash. "I challenge you to a match right now!"

"That goes for me too!" cried Lucy.

"Pika pi!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Change your mind, please!'

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'Same for you, Lucy!'

"No, we will NOT change our minds!" cried Ash. Todd's shutter was soon heard.

"Hold it." He said.

"Why should we hold it?!" cried Lucy.

"Not you." Said Todd. "Pikachu and Eevee. Those are perfect expressions!"

"Pika?" asked Pikachu, which meant 'It is?'

"Hey, cut it out!" cried Ash.

"Yeah, this is no time to try and add to your photo album." Said Lucy.

"Okay, fine." Said Todd. "You both want to prove that you have skills somehow, right?"

"That's EXACTLY what we want to prove!" cried Ash.

"What are you suggesting, Todd?" asked Lucy.

"Well, why don't you both get yourselves admitted?" suggested Todd.

"Admitted to where?" Ash wondered.

"Take the Pokemon League Admissions Exam." Said Todd.

"The Pokemon League…" said Ash.

"Admissions Exam?" said Misty.

"Pika?" asked Pikachu, which meant 'Do either of you know what that is?'

"Pi." Answered Little Pikachu, which meant 'I've never heard of it.'

"Eevee." Replied Eevee, which meant 'No clue.'

"Togepi." Added Togepi, which meant 'I don't know anything about it either.' The group soon made their way to the location of the Pokemon League Admissions Exam. To get into the Pokemon League, trainers have to travel from one Pokemon gym to another and collect badges to prove that he or she has defeated each gym master. However…

"Here at the Pokemon League Admissions Center, we evaluate applicants based on the combined written and practical skills exam." The head instructor explained. "Those who are able to pass receive a special badge that qualifies them for the Pokemon League." He showed the badge, which amazed the group.

"Both of you take these." Said the instructor. He handed Ash a tag with the number seven on it, and Lucy a tag with the number eight on it.

"Those are your testing numbers." The instructor added.

"Lucky seven!" cried Ash.

"And a crazy eight for me!" cried Lucy.

"See, Misty? We have skills, and luck!" cried Ash.

"A little modesty wouldn't hurt." Misty muttered.

"Oh no! I wanted number seven!" cried a familiar female voice. Ash and Lucy noticed the female that was watching them and thought she looked familiar, but they couldn't quite put their fingers on it.

"Let's see." Said the female voice. "Age, seventeen. Profession, diva."

"That girl definitely looks familiar." Said Lucy.

"Wow! Look at all the different kinds of people showing up for the exam!" cried Misty.

"Yeah. Nobody that I'm not better than." Said Ash. Nurse Joy soon walked by and caught Brock's eye.

"Nurse Joy!" he cried.

"Yeah, but which one?" said Lucy.

"Just a minute!" cried the instructor. "You'll both have to leave your Poke Balls here with me."

"Why?" asked Ash.

"You're not allowed to use your own Pokemon during the exam." The instructor answered.

"What?" cried Ash.

"It's essentially to prevent cheating." Said Lucy.

"That's exactly right, miss." Said the instructor. Ash and Lucy handed their Poke Balls over.

"Can I take care of their Pikachu and Eevee during the exam?" asked Misty.

"Of course!" cried the instructor.

"You'll also need to keep an eye on Togepi." Said Lucy.

"No problem." Said Misty. Lucy handed the infant over to Misty.

"Good luck, Mr. Ketchum!" cried the instructor. "You too, Ms. Peters!"

"I'd wish you luck too, but you're both so skilled." Said Misty.

"You got that right!" cried Ash.

"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Good luck, Ash.'

"Eevee." Added Eevee, which meant 'Good luck to you, Lucy.' The gang approached and talked to Nurse Joy prior to the start of the exam.

"So you want to become a Pokemon master too, Nurse Joy?" asked Ash.

"Well, it always has been a dream of mine." Answered Joy.

"So, uh, where are you from, Nurse Joy?" asked Brock.

"I'm Nurse Joy from Fuchsia City, sister to the Vermillion City Joy." Answered Nurse Joy.

"You're the most beautiful one yet." Said Brock.

"That's what you always say, Brock." Said Misty.

"Togepi!" Added Togepi, which meant 'Every time!'

"I came here for the exam because my work keeps me too busy to travel very much." Said Joy.

"This exam is a really good idea then." Said Lucy.

"Yes. It's perfect for people whose age or health keeps them from traveling around." Said Joy. "And it's also nice for people like me who can never seem to be able to get away from work."

"I can feel it! I'm sure you're going to pass the test!" cried Brock.

"I hope you're right." Said Joy.

"That'd make a nice human interest shot." Said Todd.

"Hey! Save your film for Pokemon!" cried Ash.

"Last I checked, you specialized in taking Pokemon photos, not people photos." Added Lucy. The group then noticed another familiar looking person walk in the building. He spotted them, got nervous, and walked away nervously.

"That's weird. That guy looked familiar too." Said Ash. The male stranger turned in his exam form.

"Here's the exam form." He said.

"Fine." Said the instructor. "Let's see. It says here that your name is James." James panicked a bit.

"Will you please keep it down?" he cried. His reaction got the attention of the girl that was standing next to him.

"Is that?!" she cried.

"Hey! Get lost, old bat!" cried James. The female was offended by that comment.

"Old?!" she yelled. The mad woman dragged James outside.

"What are you?!" cried James. "Unhand me, you! Please, let me go! Come on!" The female removed her glasses.

"So I'm an old bat, am I?!" she cried.

"You're Jessie!" cried James. "That outfit is atrocious!"

"And what are you doing here?" asked Jessie as she put her glasses back on.

"What am I doing here?" said James. "Truth to tell, I, not unlike many other people, dream of becoming a Pokemon master. Make fun if you must!" He laughed.

"No, you're doing just fine on your own." Said Jessie.

"I want to live my dream instead of my reality." Said James.

"I can see why." Said Jessie.

"What's your reason for being here?" asked James.

"I simply wanted to add another talent to my very impressive and very extensive resume." Answered Jessie. "As you know, I'm already an accomplished hostess, florist, costume designer, wine expert, beautician, style consultant. In fact, one of the only things that I'm not…."

"Is a Pokemon master!" Meowth butted in.

"Meowth!" cried Jessie and James.

"What are you doing here, furball?!" cried Jessie.

"Looking for you." Meowth answered. "The one who suddenly remembered an important engagement." He turned to Jessie. "This seems suspiciously unlike a visit to your sick uncle's beside." He then focused on James. "And I thought you had a dental appointment."

"Well, uh, it was just such a beautiful day….." started James.

"That we decided to have a picnic." Finished Jessie.

"Don't try to fool me!" cried Meowth. He used his Scratch attack on both of his teammates.

"Come clean, what are you both doing here?" he asked.

"Mind your own business!" cried Jessie. James took out a ball of string.

"Take this and leave us alone!" he cried. Meowth chased after the ball while Jessie and James ran back toward the building.

"Hurry up!" cried Jessie.

"The exam's about to start!" cried James. Soon, the first part of the exam was ready to begin.

"This first test will measure your overall knowledge of Pokemon." Said the instructor. "Ready? Begin!"

"I can't wait! This'll be easy!" cried Ash. A picture of a Pokemon appeared on each computer monitor, and the testers had to listen and figure out the answer to the questions that they were given.

"Lickitung's tongue is twice the length of its body." Said the computer. "True or false?"

"I'm pretty sure it was longer than that." Said Ash. He pressed the false button.

"To me, that tongue looks like it's the right size." Said Lucy. She hit the true button below her monitor. A picture of Vulpix appeared next.

"Ninetales evolves from Vulpix only by use of the Fire Stone. True or false?"

"Oh, this is too easy." Said Ash. "True, true!"

"I know Brock has a Vulpix, and he still has that Fire Stone should he ever decide to use it someday." Said Lucy. "But nonetheless, that's definitely true." They both hit the true button. A picture of Hitmonlee came up next.

"Hitmonlee is also known as the Punching Demon."

"Let's see, it's either Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan that's the puncher." Said Ash. "I think it's true!" He hit the true button for his answer. Lucy shook her head.

"Ash should know that Hitmonchan is the one who punches." Said Lucy. "Hitmonlee is the kicker. I know because I have one." She pressed the button marked false. Magikarp was the next picture that came up.

"The only attack Magikarp originally knows is Splash. True or false?"

"That is most definitely true." Said Lucy.

"Gah! Magikarp! Just hearing that name makes my blood boil!" cried James.

"True." Said Jessie. She was answering her questions without even thinking.

"That's true too." She said, and hit the true button.

"Caterpie is the world's smallest Pokemon. True or false?"

"True, but only because it weighs slightly less than Weedle." Said Lucy. She hit the true button.

"Yeah, that's true." Said Jessie.

"Look at her! She's so good!" cried James. A picture of a Koffing appeared next.

"Koffing was first discovered in a public bathhouse. True or false?"

"I actually don't know." Said Lucy. She guessed false.

"True." Said Jessie. She pressed the same button multiple times for every question that was left.

"All I have to do is guess, and I'll get half of them right." Said Jessie. Soon, the second test was about to begin.

"We will now measure your ability to recognize Pokemon!" cried the instructor. "Please name the Pokemon by identifying its silhouette or any part of its body as it's displayed here!"

"All right! This is going to be a piece of cake!" cried Ash.

"You say this now." Said Lucy.

"Here's the first question." Said the instructor. A large, black circle appeared on the front screen.

"Identify this Pokemon." He answered.

"This is going to be a breeze for me!" cried Ash. "It's a Voltorb!"

"Ah, how simple." Said James. "It's a Poke Ball without a doubt."

"Obviously, it's an Electrode." Said Jessie.

"I'm pretty sure that's a Jigglypuff." Said Lucy.

"The correct answer is…. Jigglypuff seen from above!" cried the instructor. Everyone but Lucy fell over in disbelief.

"How did you figure that out, Lucy?" Ash wondered.

"If you view Jigglypuff on top, it looks exactly like the shape of a Voltorb, and that one is known to trick us into thinking it's Voltorb." Lucy explained. "I also have a Jigglypuff myself in case you forgot!"

"Next question. What Pokemon displays this pattern?" asked the instructor.

"I swear I've seen that Pokemon, but I don't quite remember." Said Ash.

"It must be an Omanyte shell." Said James.

"It's an Arbok when it's all coiled up." Answered Jessie.

"Hey! It's a Poliwhirl!" cried Ash.

"That has to be another trick." Said Lucy. "I think that's a Poliwag."

"The correct answer: Poliwag." Said the instructor. Lucy smiled, but Ash, Jessie and James fell over in disbelief again.

"As any master would know, when Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, the swirl on its stomach reverses direction." Said the instructor. Brock and Misty watched what was happening through the glass window.

"Hey, this is hard." Said Misty.

"And it's getting harder by the minute!" cried Brock.

'Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'No joke.'

"Question fifteen: What Pokemon does this tail belong to?" asked the instructor. The tail of a fire Pokemon was on the screen.

"It's either Charmander, Charmeleon or Charizard." Said Ash. "It's got to be Charmander!"

"I don't think so." Said Lucy. "Charmander's tail is much smaller than that. I think that's Ponyta."

"The answer is…..Ponyta." said the instructor.

"No, it can't be." Groaned Ash. Jessie finally lost her temper.

"Can't you ask me a question that I know the answer to?!" she cried.

"Please take your seat!" yelled the instructor.

"This is a joke!" cried Jessie. "These stupid questions won't make you a Pokemon master!"

"For your information, young lady, a Pokemon master must understand all aspects of their Pokemon's life in order to achieve oneness with their Pokemon!" cried the instructor.

"You're not making any sense at all! I'm done with this!" cried Jessie.

"Get out!" yelled the instructor. Jessie angrily threw her test number down.

"I can't wait to go!" she cried, and left the room.

"But, Jessie, I…" said James.

"Dear, what a shame." Said Joy. "That's too bad."

"That girl's attitude seems familiar too." Said Ash.

"Not to mention her temper." Added Lucy.

Meanwhile, Meowth was sleeping next to his ball of yarn outside when Jessie angrily approached him.

"Hey!" she cried, and kicked Meowth. "Let's go!"

"Where am I going?" wondered Meowth.

"You're going with me to help me get my revenge!" yelled Jessie.

Meanwhile, inside the building, the scores had been counted and were now being displayed for everybody to see.

"Here comes the scoreboard." Said Misty. "The one on the right got the lowest scores, and the ones on the left got the highest."

"Look, Nurse Joy's near the top!" cried Brock. Lucy almost jumped for Joy when she saw her picture in the top spot.

"There's me!" she cried. "And I got a perfect score, too!"

"Well done, Lucy!" cried Misty.

"Thank you." replied Lucy.

"Where's your picture, Ash?" asked Todd.

"It must be where they put the highest scorer." Said Ash.

"That's not possible because I was the one who got the highest." Said Lucy. She pointed to the opposite screen. "Your picture is down there." It turned out that Ash, Jessie and James had all gotten the lowest scores.

"But that's impossible!" cried Ash. Todd started taking pictures of Ash's embarrassing score.

"Quit it!" cried Ash.

"Well, Ash, I guess you didn't have enough skill or luck to pass the test." Said Misty.

"Pokemon isn't about tests, it's about battles!" cried Ash.

"Not entirely." Said Lucy. "They're also our partners, just like how Pikachu and Eevee are our partners."

Meanwhile, James was standing in a corner by himself.

"Jessie's been expelled." He said. "Now I'll have to do my best for her!"

Later, outside, the third and final test was about to start, which was a battling test. The first battle was Nurse Joy's Squirtle against a Charmander that belonged to a different instructor.

"All right, Squirtle, Water Gun attack!" commanded Joy. The attack landed right on target.

"Squirtle, give it the Skull Bash, now!" cried Joy.

Meanwhile, Brock, Misty and Todd were watching from the bleachers, and they got embarrassed when Brock started cheering for Joy.

"Nurse Joy, you're doing great! Yeah!" he cried before directing his attention to Todd. "All right, shoot away! I want eight by ten glossies, and wallet sizes too!"

"Yeah, sure." Said Todd.

Meanwhile, Ash, Lucy and James were selecting which type of Poke Balls to use during the test.

"Feel free to select whichever one you like." Said the instructor.

"I don't really know which set I should pick." Said Ash.

"I guess you can't tell us which kind of Pokemon are inside them, huh?" said Lucy.

"That's what makes it a test." Replied the instructor. "All of these Pokemon are trained for battle so that they'll obey your commands. This test determines whether a trainer can adapt, regardless of which Pokemon comes out."

"With whom do we have to battle?" asked James.

"With me." Answered the instructor.

"Right! Then I'll take these." Said Ash.

"I'll take these." Said James.

"I call dibs on these ones over here." Said Lucy. "Learn from my battle, Ash, because I already know I'm going to ace this test!"

"Your friend here is a very confident young lady, isn't she?" chuckled the instructor.

"Sometimes a little too confident." Muttered Ash. The bell soon rang and Lucy took the field as the head instructor brought out a Kadabra for his first Pokemon.

"Kadabra, psychic type." Said Lucy.

"Are you ready, miss?" asked the instructor.

"Ready and willing, sir!" Lucy replied. "Poke Ball number one, go!" A Gastly materialized, which made Lucy sweat drop.

"Just her luck." Said Misty. "She's afraid of Ghost Pokemon, and she ends up getting a Gastly to start."

"Okay, Lucy, just stay calm." Lucy said to herself. "Sorry, sir, but I'm kind of afraid of Ghost types."

"Gastly Gast." Said Gastly, which meant 'You don't have to be. Just order me to use any of my attacks.'

"What attacks does Gastly know?" Lucy thought to herself.

"Kadabra, Psybeam." Ordered the instructor. The attack zoomed towards Gastly.

"Quick, Gastly. Double Team!" ordered Lucy. Gastly obliged and dodged the attack by making multiple copies of itself. The Psybeam hit one of the fakes, and the copies circled around, which left Kadabra with nowhere to run.

"Night Shade attack!" Lucy ordered. Gastly struck Kadabra with Night Shade, knocking it out.

"Amazing! You beat my first Pokemon!" cried the instructor.

"Way to go, Gastly!" cried Lucy. "Maybe using a Ghost type Pokemon isn't so scary after all."

"Is it possible that Lucy may have gotten over her fear of Ghost types?" asked Misty.

"It seems that way, but she can't let her guard down yet." Said Brock. "Remember, she still has two Pokemon left to deal with." The instructor brought out his next Pokemon, which was a Weepinbell.

"Bell!" cried Weepinbell.

"A grass type." Said Lucy. "I hope this next one can counter it. Poke Ball number two, go!" A Ponyta materialized.

"A fire type! That's perfect!" cried Lucy. "I should win this one easily!" The bell rang to start the next battle.

"Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!" ordered the instructor. Weepinbell sharpened its leaves like blades and charged towards Ponyta.

"Use Agility to dodge!" cried Lucy. Ponyta dodged effortlessly.

"Now use Ember!" cried Lucy. Ponyta spit out pieces of fire at Weepinbell.

"Stun Spore." Said the instructor.

"Jump and dodge it." Said Lucy. Ponyta jumped over the oncoming attack.

"Now for Fire Spin!" cried Lucy. Weepinbell became engulfed in the flames and was unable to move due to the circle of Fire Spin. Weepinbell coughed up some soot and fainted.

"That's two down." Said Misty. "Lucy's really good."

"She might be able to ace this." Said Brock. The final Poke Ball that the instructor used materialized a Hitmonlee.

"My final battle." Said Lucy. "I just have to win this to pass the test. Poke Ball number three, go!" A Hitmonchan materialized.

"That's a Pokemon that Ash has!" cried Lucy.

"Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!" cried the instructor. Hitmonlee charged.

"Counter with Mega Punch!" cried Lucy. The attacks collided.

"Now use your Mega Kick!" cried Lucy. The attack landed, sending Hitmonlee slightly upwards.

"You certainly know what you're doing, Lucy." Said the instructor.

"Thanks." Said Lucy.

"Use High Jump Kick!" cried the instructor. Hitmonlee jumped into the air.

"Wait for it." Said Lucy. Hitmonlee started coming down.

"What's Lucy trying to do?" asked Misty. Hitmonlee got closer to its target.

"Dodge it!" cried Lucy. Hitmonchan dodged the move, causing Hitmonlee to hurt itself.

"That's why she did that." Said Brock.

"What do you mean, Brock?" asked Misty.

"High Jump Kick may be a powerful fighting type move, but it's also very risky." Brock answered. "If it misses, the user takes damage instead of the target!"

"Now, finish it with a Comet Punch!" cried Lucy. With one final powerful punch, Hitmonlee skidded back to the instructor's side. It tried to get up, but collapsed.

"Yes! I did it!" cried Lucy.

"Very impressive. She called the right shots at the right time!" cried Brock. "She can definitely go far in the Pokemon League." James soon took the field for his battle test.

"Come on, James. Beat that ignoramus!" cried Jessie.

"Right. Really beat the guy." Said Meowth.

"This one's for you, Jessie!" cried James. He threw the Poke Ball, and to the shock of Brock, Misty and Team Rocket, a Pikachu materialized.

"With this, I can't lose!" cried James. "Thunder Shock, Thunderbolt. I've been destroyed by Pikachu's attacks so many times that I know them all by heart!"

"That's kind of pathetic when you think about it." Said Jessie.

"Yeah." Said Meowth.

"Now we begin." Said the instructor. "Go!" A Graveler materialized out of the Poke Ball that was thrown.

"It's a Graveler!" cried James. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" cried Pikachu.

"Ooh, that feels good to say!" cried James. Pikachu attacked, but Graveler was unfazed. It charged forward and knocked Pikachu backwards right into James' face.

"I don't get it! How come the Thunderbolt attack didn't work?!" he cried.

"You should've known that electricity doesn't work on rock type Pokemon." Said the instructor. "Minus one point!"

"Well then, how about this!?" cried James. He threw his other two Poke Balls, which revealed an Ivysaur and a Charizard.

"With these I can win." Said James. "Now what do you say?!" He laughed triumphantly.

"Goodbye!" cried the instructor. "It's against the rules to use two Pokemon at once!"

"I never play by the….." James started, but he realized at that moment that he had screwed up.

"You're expelled, now get out!" the instructor ordered.

"He failed again." Groaned Jessie.

"Don't think of it as failing, think of it as not succeeding." Said Meowth. Finally, it was Ash's turn to battle.

"Now we'll see if Ash can win one." Said Misty.

"Go get 'em, Ash!" cried Brock.

"Pika Pi!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Ash!'

"Thanks, just leave it to me!" cried Ash. "Hey Todd, make sure you get some great shots!"

"Don't worry! Just make sure you win!" cried Todd.

James, on the other hand, was sulking.

"I'm such a loser!" he cried. Jessie and Meowth soon showed up.

"James, I have a plan that will make us all winners." Said Jessie.

"Yeah!" cried Meowth.

Meanwhile, Ash's battle was starting.

"Are you ready, Ash?" asked the instructor.

"Ready!" cried Ash.

"Poke Ball, go!" cried the head instructor. A Flareon materialized.

"Okay, I need something that can beat a Flareon." Said Ash. "First Poke Ball, go!" To the surprise of the heroes, a Weezing materialized.

"I got a Weezing?!" cried Ash.

"That's bad." Said Team Rocket.

"I gotta get this! His face looks just like Weezing's!" cried Todd. He started snapping the photos, a sound that Ash heard.

"Not now!" he cried.

"It's time to start the battle." Said the instructor. "Flareon, go! Flamethrower, now!" Flareon fired, but Weezing dodged, giving Ash an idea.

"I know!" he cried. "Weezing, give 'em your Smog attack, now!" Weezing released the attack as Flareon fired another shot, but the flame hitting the smog caused an explosion and sent Flareon flying back, but it landed on its feet as the heroes watched on.

"Now, Flareon, the Leer!" cried the instructor. Flareon's eyes glowed due to the Leer attack.

"Come on, Weezing, fight back with Smokescreen!" cried Ash. Weezing spread the smoke, making Flareon temporarily lose sight of it.

"Hey, not too shabby." Remarked the instructor.

"Go, Weezing! Tackle attack!" cried Ash. Through the smoke, Weezing struck and knocked Flareon out.

"All right! My first victory!" cried Ash.

"I guess Ash is a pretty good battler after all." Said Misty.

"Even Team Rocket could win if they fought like that." Said Brock. Jessie and James were scribbling down how to battle like Ash, much to Meowth's embarrassment.

"Hurry! Take notes, take notes!" cried James.

"Now for round two!" cried the instructor. He tossed his second Poke Ball, which revealed a Jolteon.

"Okay, a Jolteon." Said Ash. "Next Poke Ball, go!" An Arbok materialized.

"Ash got the Pokemon that Jessie has!" cried Misty.

"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'Odd.'

"Let's see, what are Arbok's attacks?" said Ash.

"Jolteon, Agility attack!" cried the head instructor. Jolteon started running so fast that it disappeared and then reappeared.

"I remember!" cried Ash. "Arbok, Glare!" Arbok's eyes glowed, which stopped Jolteon dead in its tracks.

"Squeeze it with your Wrap attack, now!" cried Ash. Arbok coiled around Jolteon, but the spikes made it jump up in pain.

"That was no good. I forgot all about Jolteon's spikes!" cried Ash.

"Quick, Jolteon! Use the Thunder attack!" cried the instructor. The attack landed.

"Arbok, no!" cried Ash.

"Too bad you overloaded Jolteon's spikes." Said the instructor. "Sizing up your opponent before an attack is a fundamental rule!"

"Arbok, return!" cried Ash. Arbok was recalled to its Poke Ball.

"Okay, third Poke Ball, go!" cried Ash. To the surprise of Team Rocket, Brock and Misty, Ash's final Pokemon ended up being a Meowth.

"Meowth?" Ash chuckled.

"This ought to be interesting." Said Brock.

"Hey, Meowth! Good luck!" cried Team Rocket's Meowth.

"Let's see, Meowth's attacks are…." Said Ash

"Use the Fury Swipes!" cried Team Rocket's Meowth. The test Meowth reacted to the voice of Team Rocket's Meowth, as did Ash.

"Poke Ball, go!" cried the instructor. A Vaporeon materialized.

"A Vaporeon." Said Ash. "Okay Meowth, use the Fury Swipes!" Meowth charged into battle.

"Vaporeon, use your Ice Beam, now!" cried the instructor. The attack hit and the test Meowth was frozen solid.

"Meowth!" cried Ash.

"Looks like another victory for me." Said the instructor. He recalled Vaporeon.

"That was fast." Said Ash.

"Look what you did!" cried Team Rocket's Meowth. He started scratching Ash's face.

"How could you treat a fellow Meowth that way?!" he cried. He then kicked his frozen counterpart free.

"Sorry you had to go through that." Said the Team Rocket Meowth. His ability to talk intrigued the instructor.

"Say, I'd love to catch that talking Meowth there." He said. "Poke Ball, go!" But a Flamethrower, Vine Whip and Thunderbolt knocked the Poke Ball back to the instructor, much to his shock. Jessie and James were standing on the battlefield with their test Pokemon.

"Return those Pokemon immediately!" he cried.

"We're not taking orders from you anymore, mister exam man!" cried jessie.

"Now we're the ones who are going to test YOU!" cried James.

"What?!" cried the instructor.

"Prepare yourself for trouble!" cried Jessie.

"I suggest you make it double!" cried James.

"It's Team Rocket!" cried Ash.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!" They removed their disguises.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Don't interfere with my test!" cried Ash.

"I'm lucky I already finished mine." Said Lucy.

"Just go home and study harder and you can try again next time!" cried the instructor.

"Unfortunately for you, there won't be a next time." Said Jessie. "But now that we've rounded up these Pokemon, it's payback time!"

"Pikachu, Ivysaur, Charizard, go!" cried James. "Are you ready?!" The Pokemon responded.

"And I'm going to teach you a lesson for picking on a Meowth!" cried Meowth. The head instructor just looked confused.

"We won't let you do it!" cried Misty.

"Go, Pikachu!" cried Ash.

"Eevee, front and center!" cried Lucy.

"Ivysaur, the Vine Whip, now!" cried Jessie.

"Charizard, Flamethrower, now!" cried James.

"Pikachu, Thunder, now!" cried Meowth.

"Listen up, Charizard, Ivysaur, Pikachu! About face, now!" ordered the instructor. The Pokemon obeyed immediately and went on the attack.

"How did you?" said Misty.

"Oh, I get it." Said Ash. "They obeyed you because you're the one who raised all of them."

"Very good, Ash." Said the instructor.

"You handle this one, Ash." Said Lucy.

"With pleasure, Lucy." Said Ash. "Meowth, Weezing, Arbok, stop Team Rocket!" The three Pokemon attacked, with Jessie getting caught up in Arbok's coils.

"Stop it, Arbok! That hurts!" cried Jessie.

"Cut it out!" cried Meowth.

"Weezing, I can't breathe!" cried James.

"Okay, Weezing, Explosion, now!" cried Ash. Weezing self-destructed, making a huge hole in the battlefield and sending Team Rocket away.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" cried Jessie and James.

Later, the instructor had bad news for the test takers.

"I'm terribly sorry, everyone." He said. "But Team Rocket's intrusion has interfered with the entire examination. We have to start over from the very beginning." To say that Lucy didn't take too kindly to this news would be an understatement.

"WHAT?!" she cried.

"You mean after all that hard work we did?" said Joy.

"Of course Team Rocket would have to ruin everything." Said Lucy. "Well, there goes my perfect score."

"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'I'm sorry, Lucy.'

"It's not your fault, Eevee." Said Lucy. "It's Team Rocket who's to blame for this."

"Well, Ash, you did a fine job of getting rid of Team Rocket." Said the instructor. "What do you say? Do you want to give the test another try?"

"No thanks, sir. I don't think so." Said Ash.

"I'm sure you'll pass this time." Said the instructor.

"Oh, it's not that." Said Ash. "I just think I'm better off getting badges my own way for now."

"Oh, speaking of badges…." Said the instructor. He pulled out the special badge he had talked about upon the group's arrival.

"This badge is for you, Lucy." He said. "Despite Team Rocket interfering, you did finish your test before that happened, so we can record your score as official. Congratulations, this badge is yours."

"Thanks, sir." Said Lucy. "Ash has a good point, though. We both want to win badges our own way. Can I still keep this one, though?"

"Of course." Said the instructor. "Feel free to take it as a souvenir. And Ash, I want to reward you with something too." He held out the Poke Balls Ash had used for the battle test.

"I want you to have the Arbok, Weezing and Meowth that are in here." He said. "I think you deserve them after getting rid of the enemies for us."

"Thank you, sir." Said Ash.

"You proved that you're a great battler after all, Ash." Said Misty.

"I guess so." Said Ash.

"If you learned that lesson, then I guess the test really was worth taking." Added Misty.

"That test also helped me get over my fear of Ghost type Pokemon." Said Lucy.

"I suppose that's true." Said Ash. "It was sure awesome to battle with all those different Pokemon, though."

"Especially with a Gastly." Said Lucy.

Later, the group was departing the testing facility. Many roads lead to the Pokemon League. Ash and Lucy's chosen path is to win all eight gym badges. Only then can they fulfill their dream of reaching the ultimate goal. Becoming Pokemon masters.

Todd soon ran towards the entrance of the facility holding an injured Meowth in his hands.

"Where's Ash and the others?" he asked.

"They already left." Joy answered. "They're on their way to the next gym." Joy and the instructor noticed the Meowth that Todd was holding, which made Joy gasp.

"What's wrong with that Meowth?" she cried.

"It got hurt in the explosion!" cried Todd. The Meowth that was in his arms turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth.

"Where am I?" Meowth wondered.

"This must be…." Said the instructor. He took Meowth into his own arms.

"Huh? Meowth! What's going on?!" he cried. "Where's Jessie? Where's James?" He then saw who was holding him.

"I finally got my talking Meowth!" cried the instructor.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Meowth screamed. He jumped out of the instructor's arms. Uh, I think there seems to be a little mix up here.

Meanwhile….

"We'll show those twerps the next time!" cried Jessie.

"The next time Team Rocket triumphs!" cried James.

"Meowth, don't you have anything to say?" asked Jessie. She then noticed that Meowth wasn't there, as did James.

"Where did he go?" James asked.

"Meowth!" they cried. "Meowth?! Where are you, Meowth?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Ash's Current Party: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Hitmonchan

Lucy's Current Party: Eevee, Ivysaur, Pikachu, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, Butterfree (Pink)

Egg: Togepi (Joint ownership with Misty)

Ash's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Spearow, Clefairy, Krabby, Butterfree, Primeape, Muk, Scyther, Diglett, Voltorb, Rapidash, Kangaskhan, Tauros, Rhyhorn, Nidorino, Dratini (three), Gyrados, Exeggutor, Kabuto, Kabutops, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Growlithe, Arbok, Weezing, Meowth

In Rotation: Scyther, Rapidash

Lucy's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Beedrill, Cubone, Hitmonlee, Staryu, Dugtrio, Voltorb, Ponyta (shiny), Kangaskhan, Chansey, Tauros, Dragonair, Clefairy, Exeggcute, Arcanine, Kabuto, Aerodactyl

In Rotation: Aerodactyl, Arcanine, Staryu, Dragonair

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode 59: The Breeding Center Secret

As our heroes take a break in their journey, Todd, their photographer friend, decides to take a few Pokemon pictures.

"Come on, turn around, Togepi!" cried Misty.

"Don't be shy." Said Lucy. "Turn around and look at the camera and say Togepi!"

"Togepi!" cried Togepit, which meant 'Hi! I'm Togepi!' Todd snapped the photo.

"Great! That was a cool shot." Said Todd.

"More like a cute shot to me." Said Lucy. "Remember, Togepi's still a newborn." Suddenly, the voice of a weather anchor was heard on a television screen.

"Now, a Pokemon weather update." She said. The group looked at the screen so they could watch.

"Our area will remain clear and sunny today with highs in the upper seventies." The weather anchor." Said proudly.

"Sounds like good weather." Said Ash.

"Pika pi." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Pretty.'

"Eevee." Added Eevee, which meant 'Gorgeous.'

"It should be great for taking pictures." Said Todd. A commercial appeared after the weather.

"Pokemon love power!" cried a female voice. "Find it at our Five star Breeding Center, where every Pokemon is treated like a loved one." She showed a Charmander on screen.

"This guest evolved into a Charmeleon, and then a Charizard, in just a few short days." She continued. "At the Five Star Breeding Center, a little pampering goes a long way. So why go through all the fuss, when you can just bring your Pokemon here to us?"

"What's that?" wondered Ash.

"Looks like someone opened a new breeding center." Answered Brock.

"Breeding Center?" said Ash.

"It's the newest thing." Replied Todd. "Breeding Centers raise Pokemon for kids who can't do it themselves. It's like a Pokemon spa."

"A really good breeding center can even help your Pokemon evolve." Said Lucy.

"Wow! Let's go check it out!" cried Ash. When the five of them arrived at the center, they found a line of people already ahead of them.

"There's no need to push!" cried the lady. "We have plenty of rooms left in our luxury suites! We guarantee your Pokemon will soon be like new, and some may even evolve!"

"She seems really nice." Misty commented. Brock took a closer look.

"And do you know why we're so popular?" the female asked. "It's because we believe in love." She picked up someone's Sandshrew. "We feel every Pokemon is loveable. We believe in Pokemon love power!"

"Love power!" cried the female and male together.

"Love. Power." Brock repeated. Misty shook her head.

"Lucy, do something about mister lovesick puppy over there." She said.

"Pleasure's all mine, Misty." Said Lucy. She shoved Brock out of the way.

"You need to stop this, Brock." Said Lucy. "This behavior's unhealthy for you."

"Wow! She certainly knows how to attract customers." Said Todd.

"Yeah." Misty replied, although she was a bit suspicious. The line of trainers went inside.

"Our next guest." Said the female.

"Right this way!" cried her male partner.

"I have a Pokemon too!" cried Misty.

"Well you're certainly in the right place." Said the female.

"What do I have to do in order to check my Pokemon in here?" asked Misty.

"You're actually going to leave one here, Misty?" said Ash.

"Yep. I'll give it a try." Answered Misty.

"But which one? Not your Staryu." Said Todd.

"Togepi and my Pikachu are too little." Said Lucy. "And Eevee's way too cute to leave here." Misty brought out her Psyduck and put it on the desk.

"My Psyduck!" she cried. "I want to leave my Psyduck here with you!"

"It's so cute." Remarked the female worker. "Don't you just love those eyes? They're bright and bouncy as ping pong balls!"

"Yeah, and I wish I had a paddle." Muttered Misty.

"So then, is there anything special you'd like us to do?" asked the female worker.

"For starters, you might try knocking some common sense into its big ugly head." Said Misty. "There's a lot of unused space in here!"

"Strange, it looks intelligent to me." Said the female worker. Almost everyone fell over.

"And you have to change this clueless looking face." Misty added.

"That'd take a miracle." Said Ash. Lucy gave him a bonk on the head.

"YOU stay out of this!" she yelled.

"Funny you should say that." Said the female worker. "Our motto here at the breeding center is: A little Pokemon love power works miracles." Psyduck was given a tag with a number twelve on it and put on a conveyor belt leading to the back of the center.

"Have fun, Psyduck." Said Ash.

"Bye, Psyduck. Good luck." Said Misty. Psyduck soon disappeared from view.

Later, the group was walking down the street.

"Psyduck will prove if that place is any good." Said Misty.

"Is it just me, or did those to people in the white coats look familiar?" asked Lucy.

"I bet you're just going to leave Psyduck there and never go back for it." Said Ash.

"No way!" cried Misty. "I'd never abandon Psyduck like that!"

"I sure hope not." Said Lucy.

"Well I think that Psyduck has some good points." Said Ash. "Want me to take it off your hands?"

"I was the one who caught Psyduck, and I plan to keep it." Said Misty. "Even if it's still annoying when I get it back."

"Whatever you say, Misty." Said Lucy. The group soon stopped at a restaurant door and noticed the poster that was on it.

"Hey, look, a restaurant!" cried Brock.

"Come to think of it, Ash and I are pretty hungry." Said Lucy. "I wouldn't mind stopping here for a bite to eat."

"Hey, look at this." Said Ash. They looked at the writing that was on the poster.

"All you can eat, for free?!" cried Misty. "All right! I'm heading right for the dessert bar!"

"I'm right behind you!" cried Lucy.

"It can't really be free, though, can it?" wondered Ash.

"There has to be some sort of catch, like you have to eat ten dinners to get one free." Said Todd.

"Well I'd eat ten dinners if they came with ten desserts." Said Misty.

"As would I." said Lucy. "Let's see, there's five of us, so two dinners each…..Oh dear. Only one of us would be able to claim the free meal." The door to the restaurant soon opened and the head chef came out.

"No need to eat that much!" he chuckled. "Unless you all really want to. The buffet's free on one condition."

"What's the condition?" everyone asked.

"All you have to do is show me my favorite Pokemon and I'll treat you to all the food you can eat!" cried the chef. "Plus all the desserts you can eat too!"

"I'm sure one of us will have your favorite." Said Lucy.

"Okay, come on out everyone!" cried Ash. With the exception of Charizard, all of the other Pokemon Ash was carrying materialized. The chef looked closely at all of Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Hitmonchan before shaking his head.

"None of these." He said. Ash fell in disbelief, while everyone else stumbled.

"Well then, how about Pikachu?" said Ash.

"Pikachu!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'It has to be me!'

"I'm afraid not." Said the chef. Ash and Pikachu lowered their heads in disappointment.

"I'll try next." Said Lucy. Out of her group that she sent out, Squirtle remained in its ball due to Ash's being already out and due to the chef having already rejected it. Her Ivysaur, Jigglypuff and Butterfree all came out. Jigglypuff was about to sing, but Lucy covered up her mouth.

"This isn't the time to do your song, Jigglypuff!" she cried.

"That pink Butterfree of yours is unique, young lady, but it's not my favorite, nor are any of these other ones." Said the chef.

"Maybe Eevee's your favorite." Said Lucy. She held up her Eevee, who squealed happily.

"Sorry, kid, but it's not Eevee." Said the chef. Lucy and Eevee frowned.

"Maybe your favorite is Onix, or Geodude, or Zubat. Or maybe, just maybe, it's Vulpix!" cried Brock.

"Nope." Said the chef.

"Well, how about Goldeen, Starmie, Staryu, Horsea, Oddish, Vaporeon, or Omanyte?" said Misty. "Or maybe…." She and Lucy held up Togepi.

"Our Togepi!" the girls cried. The chef shook his head.

"None of them are my favorite." He said.

"Maybe it's a Pokemon that we haven't caught yet." Said Ash. The chef held up another picture.

"My favorite Pokemon is this one right here." He said. The group was shocked at what they saw, as Psyduck was in the picture.

"Psyduck?!" they cried.

"You're a Psyduck fan?" asked Brock.

"That looks like a picture that I took!" cried Todd.

"I think Psyduck is the greatest thing since the invention of the microwave oven!" cried the chef. "I'm such a big fan that every time someone comes in with a Psyduck, I let them eat for free.

"Sir, if we come back in a couple of minutes, will you still be here?" asked Misty.

"Sure. I have to wait on a delivery of fifty gallons of ice cream." Said the chef.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" cried Misty. "Back in a flash!" The group followed Misty as she ran off.

"It figures that Psyduck isn't around the one time I actually need it!" she cried.

"You're the one who left it at that center in the first place!" cried Lucy. They reached the breeding center as fast as they could, however…

"Oh no, it's already closed!" cried Misty.

"Guess we'll just have to come back tomorrow." Said Lucy.

"We won't get that free buffet today." Said Todd.

"No way! I'm getting into that dessert bar now!" cried Misty. "There might not be any ice cream left tomorrow! Let's see if there's a back way!" She stomped off angrily.

"When Misty's mad, she's really mad." Lucy remarked. The group soon found a back door.

"Hello?! Anybody there?! I need to get the Pokemon I left here!" cried Misty. "Please open up the door so I can get back to that dessert buffet!" The door was left unlocked, much to the surprise of everyone.

"It's open." Whispered Misty.

"How very odd." Added Lucy. The group entered the building but found nobody there.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home." Said Lucy.

"Is there anyone here who can help us?" said Misty. "It's so dark in here that I can't see."

"Hey, I've got a light." Said Brock.

"So do I." said Lucy. She and Brock flipped on their flashlights and spotted something.

"Are those…cages?!" cried Todd.

"No breeding center I know of would have cages in them." Said Lucy. "Something's definitely not right."

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'I'm scared now, Lucy!'

"You're not the only one, Eevee." Said Lucy. "I'm getting creeped out myself." They all looked inside the cages and were shocked to see Pokemon in them. All of them were looking miserable.

"What's this?!" cried Misty.

"It's the Pokemon!" cried Brock.

"This doesn't look like any luxury hotel to me!" cried Ash.

"They're all crammed into cages!" cried Todd.

"How cruel!" cried Lucy.

"These Pokemon definitely don't look like they want to smile for the camera." Said Todd. Brock soon spotted Psyduck's cage.

"Hey! Here's your Psyduck, Misty!" cried Brock. Everyone looked at Psyduck and saw that his eyes were different.

"I have to say, it definitely looks a little smarter compared to when I dropped it off." Said Misty.

"Take a closer look." Instructed Brock. "They just pulled its eyes back with tape."

"That's terrible!" cried Misty. She removed the tape from Psyduck's eyes.

"Psy-y-y." said Psyduck, which meant 'I don't like it in here.' Everyone soon heard and saw a crane arm carrying another cage and putting it on a conveyor belt.

"What's that?" said Ash. On the other side of the wall, the two employees were examining the Pokemon in the next cage that was brought in.

"The next Pokemon's a Sandshrew." Said the male.

"Looks like this one is in pretty good shape. It can be very useful, as long as we can teach it to use Fury Swipes." Said the female.

"We've got an awful lot of Pokemon piled up in this dump." Said the male.

"Just goes to prove that a lot of Pokemon trainers are suckers." Said the female. "Now all we have to do is pick out the choice Pokemon and send them out to the boss."

"We'll be his absolute favorites!" cried the male.

"And we'll be in for a big bonus!" cried the female.

"This breeding center was a great idea!" cried the male.

"We believe in love power! That's because we love power." They said, and both laughed evilly. What they didn't know was that Ash and friends had heard every word of the conversation.

"So, it's all a big fake." Whispered Ash.

"We have to do something to stop them!" whispered Lucy.

"We can't let them treat Pokemon like this!" cried Brock.

"Hey! I think I have an idea!" cried Todd.

"Eevee?" asked Eevee, which meant 'What's your idea?'

"Pika!" cried the two Pikachu, which meant 'Tell us!'

"I'll take pictures of this place so that everyone can know what's happening." Said Todd.

"Yeah, that's a great idea." Said Misty.

Meanwhile, the two employees were talking with their boss, Giovanni, indicating that they were members of Team Rocket.

"So, tell me. How is the breeding center scam going?" asked Giovanni.

"Very well." Said the female. "As planned, we've collected lots of promising Pokemon."

"Excellent. Send them to me immediately." Said Giovanni. "I want to pick the choices ones for myself."

"Yes sir!" cried the pair.

"I want to congratulate the two of you on your splendid work on this project." Said Giovanni. "Unlike those other blundering idiots."

"Just doing our job, but I fail to see how you put up with Jessie or her stupid partner James." Said the female. "They're an embarrassment."

"They are completely unreliable." Said Giovanni. "It's a good thing I didn't tell them about this plan. They would've ruined it. Butch, Cassidy, you know I'm counting on you."

"Yes sir!" cried Butch and Cassidy.

"We won't disappoint you." Said Cassidy. Giovanni ended the video call.

Meanwhile, Todd was taking pictures.

"Todd! Take a picture of that! There!" cried Misty.

"Okay." Said Todd. However, Butch noticed what was going on.

"Huh?" he said.

"What, Butch? Something wrong?" asked Cassidy.

"I thought I saw something back there!" cried Butch. "It looked like a flash. I better go check it out." The group overheard and started to worry as Butch's silhouette approached the door and prepared to open it. But when he did, he found the room completely empty. He saw a flash coming from the two Pikachu, who were trying to shock their way out.

"The light was only from these Pikachu." Said Butch. He left the room, while Ash and the others hid behind some cages.

"You both pulled it off." Whispered Ash.

"That was too close." Lucy whispered.

"I think I have all the shots I'm going to need." Whispered Todd.

"Good. We better get out of here, quick." Whispered brock.

"Wait! We can't!" Misty cried quietly. "Psyduck!"

"What's wrong?" whispered Ash.

"The cage is locked." Whispered Misty, who was trying to rattle it open. "I can't just leave Psyduck trapped in this awful place."

"Psy." Whispered Psyduck, which meant 'Thank you.' The nearby window soon began to shake.

"What's that?" said Ash.

"Probably more company." Said Lucy. "We'll have to hide again." Everyone hid as a familiar trio entered the building.

"Be quiet as a mouse!" cried Jessie.

"Did you say Meowth?" said Meowth.

"Ugh." Groaned Jessie. "Come on, this way!"

"This is so…. exciting!" cried James. He got whacked on the head by a mallet that Meowth was holding.

"Keep it quiet, James Bond." Meowth whispered. Ash's group watched them quietly.

"Breaking into this breeding center was genius." Said Jessie. "It's a burglar's dream.

"I told you this place was going to be packed with Pokemon." Said Meowth.

"And we're going to steal every last one." Said Jessie.

"That'll put us back on the boss' good side." Said Meowth.

"But we've never been on his good side before!" cried James. He started picking the lock of one of the cages.

"Almost got it." He said.

"All the Pokemon we could ever want!" cried Meowth.

"Hey!" cried Ash. His sudden appearance startled Team Rocket.

"What are the three of you doing here?!" cried Todd.

"I'd put that very same question to you!" cried Meowth.

"Keep it down! You'll get us all in trouble!" whispered Lucy.

"How did you even get in here, anyway?" Jessie asked quietly.

"That's not your concern!" cried Lucy quietly.

"Don't tell me you goody-goody twerps finally decided to become baddy baddies like us." Said Meowth.

"You better not try and take over our territory!" cried jessie.

"I knew all along that we couldn't trust you!" cried James.

"Will you shut up?!" cried Ash.

"This time, you guys are in way over your heads." Whispered Misty.

"She's right. We have to get these Pokemon out of here fast or we're all going to be in danger." Lucy whispered.

"I know what you're doing." Snickered Jessie. "You're trying to trick us into helping you steal all of these Pokemon for yourselves."

"Fine! Believe what you want!" cried Misty.

"This isn't the time for arguing, Misty." Said Lucy. The lights came on, and Butch and Cassidy spotted them.

"I knew there was something rotten back here!" cried Cassidy. "I was right! Looks like some rats have snuck in."

"What should we do with them?" asked Butch.

"We'll exterminate them!" cried Cassidy.

"We're not afraid of creeps like you!" cried Lucy.

"Let's mix it up!" cried Meowth.

"You don't know who you're dealing with." Said Cassidy.

"But we'll be glad to show you." Said Butch.

"Prepare for trouble and make it double!" they both cried. Both of them took off their lab coats to reveal their Team Rocket uniforms.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all peoples in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight!"

"That's right!" A Raticate dropped down in front of them and gave its cry to end their version of the motto.

"Did they say that their names were Cassidy…." Said Ash.

"And Botch?" finished Lucy. Butch got furious with that.

"I literally just said that it's Butch!" he cried. "Pay attention next time!"

"Copycat!" cried Meowth.

"Does this mean that you belong to Team Rocket too?" asked James.

"Jessie! It's been a while!" cried Cassidy. Jessie growled in frustration.

"Do you know her or something?" asked James.

"She used to hang around with me all the time." Answered Jessie. "She's just jealous because I'm so beautiful."

"Definitely more beautiful than Cassidy." Remarked Lucy.

"You haven't changed a bit, unfortunately for you." Said Cassidy.

"And you're still a selfish little brat!" roared Jessie. "How dare you use that motto!"

"It's an outrage! It took us months to find a motto that we could swipe!" cried Meowth.

"Steal your own slogan!" cried James.

"Save your arguments for the boss when he finds out that you're stealing his Pokemon." Said Cassidy. Meowth gulped, and Jessie and James went into a panic.

"We're in trouble!" Meowth cried.

"The boss is really ticked off that he hasn't heard from you!" cried Butch. "He thinks it's insulting!"

"But we can't call him until we do something wrong right!" cried James.

"He might throw us off the team!" cried Meowth.

"We got this mission because the boss couldn't trust you." Said Cassidy. "When he finds out that you managed to bungle it anyway, well I can't think of what might happen to you, but I suppose getting thrown off the team is the best you could hope for after this. Isn't that right, Jess?" Jessie simply growled as Meowth forced his two teammates to the ground.

"We'd be infernally grateful if you could forget this ever happened." Meowth begged.

"What's it worth to you?" said Cassidy. Ash, Lucy, Brock, Misty and Todd all attempted to slip out of the room, but Cassidy heard the door open.

"No so fast, children!" she cried, making Ash and Lucy gulp nervously. "Now that you know about out little secret, I'm afraid we can't let you leave!" Ash and friends started making a break for it.

"We don't know anything about any secrets!" cried Ash.

"We were just trying to get an all you can eat buffet!" cried Lucy. Cassidy wasn't having any of it.

"You kids can't get away from me!" she cried. "I'm no pushover like Jessie."

Speaking of…

"Let's make a run for it!" cried Meowth. However, James stopped at one of the cages.

"What's the matter?" asked Meowth.

"This is the breeding center where I left my Weepinbell the other day." James answered. He opened the cage, and was surprised at what he saw.

"It evolved into a Victrebell!" he cried "Isn't that just….." Victrebell chomped down on his head as Meowth and Jessie started to drag him away.

"I just wish his brain would evolve a little." Said Meowth. He then screamed as a cage came down and trapped him, Jessie and James.

Meanwhile, Ash's group quickly spotted the door.

"There's the exit!" cried Ash.

"I think we're going to make it!" cried Lucy. But she was wrong, as another cage came down. Misty, Eevee, Togepi and both Pikachu were fortunate to escape the cage. But Ash, Lucy, Todd and Brock were all caught.

"We're trapped!" cried Ash.

"What do we do now?" cried Misty.

"Misty, you'd better hide." Said Lucy. "And take Eevee, Pikachu and Togepi with you."

"Okay. Come on, guys." Said Misty. She, Pikachu, Eevee and Togepi hid in a nearby corner, while Cassidy and Butch surrounded the heroes.

"Our little rat trap worked!" smirked Cassidy.

"You crooks had better let us out of here right now!" cried Lucy. Butch noticed the camera hanging around Todd's neck and snatched it away.

"What's this?!" Butch demanded.

"That's mine!" cried Todd.

"Heh. You won't be needing this!" cried Butch. Ash, Lucy, Brock and Todd growled angrily at him.

Later…

"Burglars! Oh, I'm still shaking like a leaf!" Cried Cassidy. "Officer! Thank goodness our security system stopped them before they could hurt the poor Pokemon!"

"Don't worry, we'll make sure that these thieves are punished." Said Officer Jenny. "Thanks to you, our city's a little safer." A large cage containing Ash, Lucy, Brock, Todd, Jessie, James, Meowth and Victrebell was being wheeled out.

"I'm telling you, you're arresting the wrong guys!" cried Ash. "We're innocent!"

"Those guys are the crooks, not us!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Hey, speak for yourself." Said Meowth. An officer tossed the large cage into the back of the police truck.

"Just look in the warehouse, then you'll see." Said Ash.

"Save your story for the station house!" yelled Jenny. She closed the back door of the truck firmly, with Butch and Cassidy gleefully waving at them.

"This is the low point." Groaned Meowth. "Being turned in not by these brats, but by our own teammates!"

"Great. Now we're all going to jail." Groaned Lucy. The police truck drove off, and once it was far enough out of the way, Misty came out from her hiding spot in a nearby back alley.

"Oh no! Now we've got to convince Jenny that they're innocent!" she cried.

"Pika." Said Pikachu sadly, which meant 'I know.'

"Eevee." Added Eevee, which meant 'Poor Lucy. I know she's not a crook.'

"Pika pi." Said Pikachu, which meant 'And neither is Ash.'

"I know that myself too, guys." Said Misty. She nervously paced back and forth.

"Think, Misty. There has to be some way to prove their innocence." She said. A lightbulb then went off in her head.

"I have an idea!" she cried. "All we have to do is get a hold of the pictures that Todd took!"

"Pika pi." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Great idea, Misty!'

"Togepi!" cried Togepi, which meant 'Wonderful idea!'

"Eevee Vee?" asked Eevee, which meant 'But how are we going to do that without Butch and Cassidy noticing?'

"Just leave that part up to me." Misty answered.

The next day, she arrived back at the center wearing a disguise.

"Excuse me?" she said. "I left a Psyduck here yesterday?"

"We have a two day holding policy." Answered Cassidy.

"Uh, but you see, I have to take an emergency trip, and I really need my Psyduck to come with me." Misty lied.

"I understand." Said Cassidy. "Just a minute." She disappeared into the back room.

"Okay, Pikachu, Eevee, go for it." Said Misty. The two of them popped out of her jacket and ran off. Togepi and Little Pikachu also popped out.

"You two stay back here." Said Misty. Pikachu and Eevee started scanning every room looking for Todd's camera.

"Those two sure are taking a long time." Said Misty. "I wish they would hurry." Cassidy returned with Psyduck.

"Miss?" she said.

"Yes?" cried Misty.

Meanwhile, Pikachu and Eevee spotted the camera sitting on top of a pile of boxes.

"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Ah ha!'

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'There it is!'

"Pika Pi Chu!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Quick, let's get this over to Misty!' The two of them climbed up the box pile, grabbed the camera and ran back down and out of the room.

Meanwhile…...

"I'm afraid there wasn't enough time to give your Psyduck a proper facial, so there hasn't been much improvement." Said Cassidy. "Don't you have to leave?"

"Well, I'm not in that much of a hurry." Misty laughed sheepishly. Pikachu and Eevee nudged her leg.

"Pika." Whispered Pikachu, which meant 'We got it.' Misty bent down and saw Eevee and Pikachu holding the camera.

"Is something wrong?" asked Cassidy.

"On second thought, I got to run. Bye!" cried Misty. She quickly ran out of the center with Psyduck, Eevee, Pikachu and Togepi in tow, leaving Cassidy very confused.

"Great work, guys." Misty whispered. She ripped her disguise off.

"Time to bust our friends out of jail!" she cried.

Meanwhile, down at the police station….

"Let us out! We're not the crooks!" cried Ash.

"Those two at that breeding center are the criminals!" yelled Brock.

"That's right, not us!" cried Todd.

"Just go down there and see for yourself!" exclaimed Lucy. In another corner of the cell, James was admiring his new Victrebell.

"What a fabulous Victrebell!" he cried. "It's so strong, friendly looking, and healthy too!" The grass type chomped down on James' head again, causing Jessie and Meowth to shake their heads.

"Have you ever been to jail, Lucy?" asked Ash. Lucy shook her head.

"No, but I did get suspended from school once." She answered. "It wasn't even my fault, either. I better explain."

Flashback

"We were about to take a test on the different habitats that Pokemon live in." Lucy explained in voiceover mode.

"Okay, class, you will have one hour to complete this exam." Said the teacher. "Answer the questions the best you can, and good luck." Everyone started writing down answers.

"Of course, I had studied like I was supposed to, and so I knew a lot of the answers." Said Lucy in voice over form. "But someone right beside me who clearly hadn't studied thought it would be a good idea to try and look over my shoulder and copy my work. I didn't think anything of it at first, but as the test wore on, he kept doing it. 'Will you knock that off?!' I cried at him. Unfortunately, that got the attention of the teacher, and she wasn't too happy."

"I can only imagine." Said Ash in voice-over.

"Both of you up to my desk with those papers right now!" the teacher yelled. Lucy and the other kid gulped nervously, but obeyed. One quick glance at the paper later spelled bad news.

"These tests are exactly alike!" cried the teacher. "One of you was cheating, and I want to know who!" The boy glared at Lucy.

"Don't look at me like that!" she cried. "I never cheat!"

"Then how do you explain this test, young lady?!" the teacher demanded.

"Uh…" Lucy stammered. She was at a loss for words.

"No answer, huh?" Said the teacher. "Then I'm afraid I have no choice. Miss Peters, you are suspended for the rest of the week!"

"What?! That's not fair!" cried Lucy. "He cheated, not me!"

"Don't make this worse for yourself, young lady." Said the teacher.

"I was forced to grab my things and go home." Said voice-over Lucy. "And when my dad found out, he was livid! I ended up being confined to my room for the rest of that week. But the next day, the boy's conscience got the better of him. My teacher called us at lunchtime with good news."

"The kid that was copying your work yesterday admitted to cheating on the test." She Said. "He's being suspended, and you can come back to school right away."

"That news thrilled both myself and my dad." Said voiceover Lucy. "He canceled my punishment and hurried me to school as quickly as possible."

"I'm glad this all worked out." Said Lucy.

"So am I, pumpkin." Said Zack.

End Flashback

"Since then, nothing like that has ever happened to me." Lucy finished. She then turned and faced Jenny.

"Officer Jenny, please let us out!" cried Lucy. She gripped the bars of the cell tightly and tried to pull on them. "We already said that we're innocent! I don't even know how much longer I can stand being in the same cell as those three wastes of space in the corner over there!" But Jenny wasn't interested at all.

"If you're trying to win sympathy, it won't work." She said. "The judge is going to throw the book at you Pokemon snatchers!" Everyone groaned, but then Misty stormed into the room.

"You're making a mistake!" she cried. A smile lit up on Ash and Lucy's faces.

"Misty! Pikachu!" cried Ash.

"Eevee! Togepi! Little Pikachu!" cried Lucy. "I'm so happy to see all of you!"

"Eevee?" asked Eevee, which meant 'Are you okay, Lucy?'

"Now that you're here, I'm more than okay." Lucy answered.

"These guys have been telling the truth, Officer Jenny!" cried Misty. She took a set of pictures out of her bag. "And these photographs prove it!"

"Oh, what a cute little Pikachu!" cried Jenny. The pictures she was looking at consisted of Pikachu, Eevee, Squirtle and Staryu having fun on a beach.

"Oops, wrong pictures." Said Misty. She quickly switched photo sets and took out the correct ones.

"Look at these!" she cried. Jenny was horrified when she saw the evidence photos, which consisted of some miserable looking Pokemon stuffed into cages.

"Oh no! That's terrible!" she cried.

"That place isn't a real breeding center at all!" cried Misty. "They just steal the best ones that are brought in!"

"Those two told me that place was like a Pokemon spa." Said Jenny.

"That was a lie!" cried Lucy.

"They crammed the Pokemon into cages!" cried Todd.

"Pika, Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'That's right!'

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'Pikachu and I saw everything with our own eyes!'

"That's why they told you that we were the crooks, because we found out about their plans!" cried Ash.

"They tricked me?" cried Jenny.

"When we heard what those crooks were up to, we went to stop then too." Added Meowth.

"It's true, honest." Said Jessie.

"Yeah, we're good guys for once." Said James. Lucy rolled her eyes at Team Rocket.

"Oh, please." She said. "You three only broke in there so you could steal all those Pokemon for yourselves!" Jessie, James and Meowth fell over in disbelief.

"By the way, which of you took these evidence photos?" asked Jenny.

"That would be me." Todd answered.

"Thanks a lot for doing that." Said Jenny. "This is more than enough to bust Cassidy and Butch." The police truck quickly made its way back to the center, and Jenny, Misty, Ash, Todd and Brock quickly surrounded Butch and Cassidy.

"So, you thought you could frame these kids when it was you who were stealing Pokemon!" cried Jenny. "You're under arrest!"

"But we're not…." Stammered Cassidy.

"We already know everything, so there's no use resisting!" cried Jenny.

"Raticate, go!" cried Cassidy. Raticate materialized out of the Poke Ball.

"Eevee, go!" cried Lucy. "Use your Take Down attack!" Eevee charged at Raticate and gave it a hard shove.

"Go, Pikachu!" cried Ash. "Thunderbolt attack!" Pikachu zapped Raticate with its powerful electric attack.

"Raticate got fried!" cried Cassidy.

"Tough break." Said Butch.

"Let's go!" cried Cassidy. They started to run.

"You crooks aren't going anywhere!" cried Lucy. "Ivysaur, I choose you!" Ivysaur materialized.

"Ivysaur, it's Vine Whip time!" cried Lucy. Ivysaur wrapped its vines tightly around Butch and Cassidy to prevent them from escaping. They were soon thrown into the back of the police truck.

"Love. Power?" they cried.

"The only thing that I love about this is you two getting your comeuppance after what you did to us!" cried Lucy. "Have fun in the slammer with your teammates!" The doors of the truck slammed shut and it drove away.

"Pikachu and Eevee were the ones who snuck into the breeding center and got Todd's camera back." Said Misty.

"Pikachu, you're the greatest!" cried Ash.

"So are you, Eevee." Added Lucy. "I'm very proud of you."

"All of you did a terrific job." Said Jenny. "Now we'll return all of the Pokemon back to their rightful owners."

"That's great, Jenny." Said Ash.

"Anyone hungry?" Jenny asked. She brought them to the restaurant the group had stopped at the previous day. Misty was happily chowing down.

"More ice cream, please!" she cried.

"Hey, take it easy there." Said Ash.

"Yeah, Misty, leave some for the other customers." Said Lucy.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of ice cream left, Misty." Chuckled Jenny. Psyduck and the chef were watching everything.

"And all of it is free since you brought this cute Psyduck to visit my restaurant!" cried the chef.

"You have good taste!" cried Misty. She kept devouring more food.

Meanwhile, Jessie and James were escaping from the jail by digging a tunnel underground.

"I can't stand it here!" cried Jessie. "There's not a single mirror in our cell!"

"I refuse to wear those horrible prison uniforms!" cried James.

"And I wouldn't give this food to a Muk!" cried Meowth.

"We never should've tried to steal from that friend of yours, Jessie!" cried James.

"I'll show her who's the queen of mean!" cried Jessie.

Meanwhile, Ash's group was getting ready to move on.

"I guess the four of you are all heading to Cinnabar Island, right?" Said Todd.

"That's right." Said Ash.

"I'm going to head into the mountains to get some new shots of wild Pokemon." Said Todd.

"That's great." Said Brock.

"We'll all miss you." Said Lucy.

"Bye! I hope we meet again real soon!" cried Misty.

"Same here." Said Todd. So, thanks to a few helpful photographs, getting out of jail was a snap for our heroes. As their journey continues on, who knows what adventures lie ahead? Or, below?

"James, watch where you're throwing that dirt!" cried Jessie.

"Watch?! I can't see a foot in front of my face!" cried James.

"If you don't quit squawking, you'll see a foot in front of your face all right!" cried Meowth. "Mine!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Ash's Current Party: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Hitmonchan

Lucy's Current Party: Eevee, Ivysaur, Pikachu, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, Butterfree (Pink)

Egg: Togepi (Joint ownership with Misty)

Ash's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Spearow, Clefairy, Krabby, Butterfree, Primeape, Muk, Scyther, Diglett, Voltorb, Rapidash, Kangaskhan, Tauros, Rhyhorn, Nidorino, Dratini (three), Gyrados, Exeggutor, Kabuto, Kabutops, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Growlithe, Arbok, Weezing, Meowth

In Rotation: Scyther, Rapidash

Lucy's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Beedrill, Cubone, Hitmonlee, Staryu, Dugtrio, Voltorb, Ponyta (shiny), Kangaskhan, Chansey, Tauros, Dragonair, Clefairy, Exeggcute, Arcanine, Kabuto, Aerodactyl

In Rotation: Aerodactyl, Arcanine, Staryu, Dragonair

 

[MarkL1987]

Episode 60: Princess Vs. Princess

"All right, my favorite holiday!" cried Misty. "Let the Princess Festival begin!"

"Today, the women rule!" cried Lucy.

"Listen up!" cried Jessie. "This is the one day of the year…"

"Where you have to do everything I tell you to do!" cried Misty, Lucy and Jessie.

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'This is the best day of the whole year!' Ash, Brock and James looked at the girls with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Everything?" said Ash.

"Pika?" said Pikachu, which meant 'Seriously?'

"How is that different from any other day of the year?" wondered James.

Every year….

"March 3rd, to be precise." Lucy interjected.

Thank you, Lucy. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Every year on March 3rd, the Princess Festival salutes women and girls everywhere. And our friends have found themselves in the center of the celebration.

"Oh, these stuffies are so cute!" cried Misty. She picked up a Poliwag stuffy.

"Look, Eevee, they have a stuffy of you here!" cried Lucy.

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'Please buy it!' Lucy chuckled.

"All right, if that's what you want, then I'll get it." She replied.

"Eevee!" replied Eevee, which meant 'Yay!' Togepi then spotted a stuffy of himself and got excited.

"Togepi!" he cried, which meant 'Get this one, please!' Lucy smiled at the infant.

"All right, Togepi. Then that way you and Eevee can play with those together." Said Lucy.

"Togepi!" cried Togepi, which meant 'Thanks!'

"We'll take these." Said Misty. "And, since it's Princess Day, we get a special discount."

"Even better!" exclaimed Lucy. During the Princess Festival, every store becomes a bargain hunter's paradise, with all kinds of beautiful new clothes and toys for sale at drastic discounts, if you're a woman. But if you're a male, well, you get to carry packages.

"I wish every day could be Princess Festival Day." Sighed Misty.

"That would be a dream come true for us, but it would be a nightmare for the boys." Said Lucy.

Later, the group was seated at a table at a restaurant.

"Look at all this food!" cried Misty. "Everything looks so delicious!"

"You're right, Misty!" cried Lucy. "It looks so good!"

"All it's all for us!" cried Misty.

"Little cakes with pink icing!" cried Lucy. "I can't resist!" She took a cake for herself and gave another one to Eevee. The guys were amazed at how much food the girls were consuming.

"Gosh. How much can you two possibly eat during this festival?" said Ash.

"Plenty." Misty answered. "Girls get to eat for free during the festival."

"My body's built so that I never gain any weight no matter how much I eat." Said Lucy.

"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'It's the truth.' The girls then saw that Brock and Ash were barely eating, as evidenced by the very small portion of lettuce on their plates.

"Is that all you're having?" asked Lucy.

"Unfortunately, guys have to pay." Said Ash.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Said Misty. Brock soon got the attention of a waitress.

"Excuse me, miss, would you allow me to be your prince on this Princess Day?" he asked. The waitress laughed.

"That is so cute." She said. "When you grow up big and strong, you'll meet a nice girl."

"Ah!" cried Brock. He started chowing down.

"Shot down again, huh, Brock?" said Lucy. Misty then spotted something.

"Look at that sign over there." She said. Everyone looked at the sign that they assumed Misty had spotted.

"What about it?" said Ash. "It's just an ad for an actor in some dumb movie."

"Not that one." Said Lucy. "The sign right next to it." They looked at the right sign.

"Looks like a great sale." Said Misty.

"We better hurry!" cried Lucy. The two Pikachu shook their heads.

"Pika pi." Said Little Pikachu, which meant 'Here we go again.'

Over in a clothing store….

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" Jessie laughed.

"Meowth, that's right!" Jessie placed all her clothing purchases on a cashier counter.

"Charge all of this to the Team Rocket account!" she cried.

Later, Team Rocket was relaxing in the park.

"Jessie, this is boring!" cried James. "I hate this silly Princess Festival!"

"Stop complaining!" snapped Jessie. "You don't think I'm doing all this shopping just for myself, do you?!"

Huh?" cried James and Meowth.

"You mean you bought stuff for us?" said Meowth.

"In your dreams!" cried Jessie. "No. I'm buying lots of great gifts for the boss so that he won't be mad at us for not catching Pikachu and Eevee."

"You think that'll work?" said James.

"Only if she can find a Pikachu and Eevee at half price." Answered Meowth. Team Rocket then heard some rustling nearby and saw a giant pink Pokemon.

"What in the world is that?" cried Jessie. The Pokemon sent out its tongue and ate all the food Jessie had bought, which shocked her.

"It's got good taste." Said James.

"That's one hungry Lickitung!" cried Meowth. The Lickitung then spat out the cans holding the food and ate the remainder of Jessie's purchases.

"Stop that!" cried Jessie. The Lickitung headed for the box containing the clothes that she had bought earlier.

"Hey, that was our present for the boss!" she cried. "Go get your own dinner!" The Lickitung spat out the clothes.

"No! Those are original copies of genuine designer fakes!" cried Jessie. Lickitung started to walk away as Jessie grabbed a Poke Ball.

"Don't think you're going to just eat and run, Lickitung!" she growled. "Go, Arbok!" The poison type materialized, but Lickitung used its Lick attack to paralyze Arbok, much to Team Rocket's shock.

"Arbok, is licked!" cried James.

"How DARE you?!" cried Jessie. She reached for another Poke Ball.

"I'll show you!" she cried. "Poke Ball, go!" The Poke Ball hit Lickitung and sucked it inside. The ball then wobbled and pinged. Meowth and James were surprised.

"She captured the Lickitung!" cried Meowth.

"What are you going to do with it?" asked James.

"I'll deal with this thing later." Answered Jessie. "Right now, I'm going to give my credit cards a good workout." She started walking out of the park.

"Uh oh." Said Meowth.

"The Princess Festival Shop-A-Thon continues." Said James. He and Meowth followed Jessie.

Later on, at a clothing store, the girls were at a clothing store where everyone was fighting.

"Let go of that!" cried Misty.

"Back away from the dress, sister!" cried Lucy. She somehow managed to pry the dress she wanted out of the other person's hand. The guys just sat back and watched the proceedings.

"Gee Brock, I never knew that shopping was such a dangerous sport." Said Ash. On another bench across the hall, James and Meowth were watching everybody go at it.

"I don't think I'm tough enough to be a woman." Said James.

"Yeah." Said Meowth. Lucy then saw a beautiful pink dress she wanted, but as she was about to get it, someone else charged toward it.

"Oh no you don't!" cried Lucy. She managed to grab hold of the dress just as the other person was about to reach for it. Misty then spotted some clothing that she liked.

"Ah, this is perfect!" she cried. "I'll take it!" Jessie spotted the same thing and noticed Misty.

"Not you again!" cried Misty.

"Let go of it, kid!" cried Jessie.

"You let go! I saw it first!" cried Misty.

"It wouldn't look good on you." Said Jessie. "It's for someone who has a sense of style."

"Well it can't be for you, then!" cried Misty.

"I know how we can settle this." Said Jessie. "How about we have a little battle to decide?"

"Okay with me!" cried Misty. They both took out a Poke Ball. Before they could start battling, another woman passed by and took the clothing that Misty and Jessie had both wanted.

"I'll take that." Said the woman.

"Hey, that's mine!" cried Misty and Jessie. The woman glared at them, which made them back off.

"Um, sorry, I must've been mistaken." Said Misty.

"Oh, that'll look divine on you." Said Jessie. The intercom then came on.

"Attention, Princess festival shoppers!" it cried. "Attention, Princess festival shoppers!" Everyone turned their attention to the intercom.

"In just a few minutes, we will be holding the main event of this year's Princess festival, the Queen of the Princess Festival Contest!"

"The contest!" cried Misty and jessie.

"A contest? Cool!" cried Lucy.

"That means tons of beautiful girls!" cried Brock.

"Pika Pikachu!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'And plenty of Pokemon for us to see!'

"The prize for the contest winner will be a beautiful collection of one of a kind princess dolls." Said the intercom.

"Princess dolls?!" cried Jessie, Misty, and Lucy.

"I don't know what those dolls look like, but I know I want them!" cried Lucy.

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'If you want them that badly, then enter the contest!'

"That's just what I plan to do, Eevee!" cried Lucy.

"And in addition to the dolls, the winner will also get their picture taken with screen sensation Fiorello Cappuccino!" cried the intercom.

"I want that too!" cried Lucy. With the exception of her, Misty and Jessie, all the other women started screaming and dashed right in front of the men and the rest of Team Rocket, trampling them.

"Say, kid. Why not use the contest to solve our little dispute." Suggested Jessie.

"And the winner gets to keep the doll collection?" said Misty.

"Fine by me." Said Jessie.

"You know, Eevee, since this contest is kind of an event, I should wear special clothes to make myself look like a princess." Said Lucy.

"Eevee." Agreed Eevee, which meant 'Good idea.'

Later, the other women in the grandstands of the contest were going crazy over Cappuccino, who happened to be in the announcer's booth.

"Wow! What a crowd!" cried the announcer. "It certainly looks like quite a princess Festival competition this year, doesn't it Fiorello?"

"Yes, it's very exciting." Said Fiorello.

"And the winner of our contest must be as poised as a Jynx, sit as serenely as a Jigglypuff, and possess the grace and charm of an Oddish. Now let's meet our Princess Festival contestants!" The curtain rose, and Jessie, Misty and Lucy, along with the other contestants, were revealed, and the guys were surprised at how beautiful they looked.

"Pika pi!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Misty looks so beautiful!'

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'So does Lucy!'

"Lucy looks so nice that I could practically kiss her." Said Ash.

"Well, we certainly seem to have a lovely group of young ladies assembled this year." Said the announcer. "Don't you agree, Fiorello?"

"Yes, they're all beautiful." Answered Fiorello.

"Being so smart and beautiful and talented, I shouldn't have a problem winning." Said Misty.

"I'm sure you'll win the contest, little girl." Said Jessie. "Or maybe your friend could. If they have a peewee division."

"Peewee division?!" cried Lucy. "I'll show her who the peewee is!"

"And now, let's take a look at the special prize they'll be competing for! Right here!" cried the announcer. The doll collection rose from the stage.

"There's no other like it in the world!" cried the announcer. "It's unique! It's antique! It's a beautiful, handmade, custom crafted, one of a kind, Pokemon Princess doll set! Batteries sold separately."

"Pikachu!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Wow!'

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'Those dolls are all so pretty!'

"I'd like one of those myself." Said Ash. Misty, Jessie and Lucy kept their eyes on the prize.

"Pokemon Princess dolls." Said Jessie.

"The only set in the world." Said Misty.

"They all look so cute!" cried Lucy.

"What a shame. Putting so much effort into a contest that you and your little friend are going to lose." Said Jessie.

"We'll see who loses." Said Misty.

"You tell her, Misty." Added Lucy.

"Now, would all contestants please prepare their Poke Balls?" said the announcer.

"You mean, you want us to battle?" said Misty.

"This isn't just an ordinary beauty contest, then?" asked Lucy.

"Oh no! The festival winner must also be a skilled Pokemon trainer." answered the announcer.

"Si." Added Fiorello. He held up a bracket sheet. "This is how the contestants match up."

"The rules are simple." Said the announcer. "The contestants are broken up into divisions, and they may use up to four Pokemon to battle!"

"Now we're talking!" cried Lucy.

"Okay!" cried Misty.

"May the best woman win." Said Jessie.

Later, Lucy was preparing her Pokemon for battle, while Misty and Jessie were asking their respective teammates to let them borrow some of their Pokemon.

"Please, guys." Said Misty. "I really need to borrow your Pokemon. Just for the contest?"

"Yeah, but Misty, the Pokemon won't just listen to any trainer." Said Ash.

"He's actually right for once." Said Lucy. "Only the trainer who catches the Pokemon will be the one that the Pokemon takes orders from."

"If you tell them to follow all my instructions, they will." Said Misty. "Please say yes."

"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'I'll help you, Misty!' He jumped into Misty's arms.

"Oh, thanks a lot, Pikachu!" cried Misty.

"You must really want that picture with Fiorello." Said Ash.

"I'm doing it for the doll set, just like Lucy is." Said Misty.

"The doll set?" said Ash.

"It's because it's one of a kind, isn't it?" asked Lucy.

"You and Ash are only children, so you wouldn't understand." Said Misty. "But when you're the youngest of four sisters, having something that belongs to only you is important. All my sisters had their own princess dolls, but all I ever got was their broken old hand-me-downs. Then they'd say "Isn't that great, Misty? You get three whole sets of dolls for yourself". But now, I'll win my very own princess dolls!"

"It must be a girl thing." Brock whispered.

"Maybe it isn't a girl thing, maybe it's just a Misty and Lucy thing." Said Ash. Lucy smacked Ash on the head for that remark.

"My reasoning for wanting the dolls is simple." Said Lucy. "When I was only four, I saw this set of dolls being advertised in a television commercial. I wanted them so badly, but when I told my dad about it, he said no. 'They're too expensive.' He would say. I tried to reason with him, but as you would expect with parents, he didn't budge. So I never had a chance to own those dolls. But now that I have an opportunity to win them here, I'm not letting this chance pass me by!"

"That's why I need to use your Pokemon!" Misty begged.

"Calm down there, Misty." Said Brock. "We'll help you. You can borrow our Pokemon."

"Yeah, we'll help." Ash said weakly.

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Said Lucy. She handed Togepit over to brock.

"You'll need to watch the baby while Misty and I are battling." Said Lucy.

"No problem." Said Brock. Misty was soon picking her Pokemon.

"Pikachu's an electric type, Bulbasaur's a grass type." She said. "Vulpix is a fire type, and with my Starmie as a water type, how can I lose? Thanks for your help, guys." Lucy had decided on who she was going to use.

"Let's see now. Eevee, you're definitely going to be one of my four." She said.

"Eevee!" cried Eevee, which meant 'I can't wait to battle!'

"For my other three, I think I'll go with Squirtle, Butterfree and Ivysaur." Said Lucy.

"Those are good choices." Said Ash.

"Thanks, Ash." Said Lucy.

"Now, Pikachu and Bulbasaur, you both do whatever Misty tells you to do." Said Ash. "But more importantly, make sure you give it your all. Go out there and win."

"Pikachu!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'You got it, Ash!'

"Bulba!" cried Bulbasaur, which meant 'I'll do my very best!'

"You too, Vulpix." Said Brock.

"Vulpix!" cried the little fox, which meant 'Got it!'

"Thank you, both of you." Said Misty. "Now, Lucy and I are ready to battle!"

Later, the tournament was officially underway.

"Go, Kingler!" cried a trainer. Kingler materialized.

"Hang in there, Misty!" cried Ash.

"Don't worry about me, guys!" cried Misty. "Go, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur charged onto the battlefield.

"In the Eastern Division, we have a match between Bulbasaur and Kingler!" cried the announcer.

"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip, go!" cried Misty. The attack wrapped up Kingler.

"The attack against Kingler has worked!" cried the announcer. "Kingler's been Vine Whipped and the poor Pokemon is powerless!" The trainer recalled Kingler, eliminating it from the match.

"Looks like it's back to the Poke Ball for Kingler!" cried the announcer. "What Pokemon will take its place? This is getting exciting, folks!" A Pinsir came out next, but Bulbasaur quickly disposed of it with a Tackle attack. A Cubone came out next, only for it to fall victim to Bulbasaur's Vine Whip attack. Finally, Raticate got taken out by Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf, securing a win for Misty.

"This Bulbasaur won't give its opponents even the slightest chance!" cried the announcer. "It's a real fighter, and Misty is off to a very strong start!"

"That's right! And I'm going to have a very strong finish too!" cried Misty. In another Eastern Division battle, Lucy's Squirtle was facing off against someone's Charmander.

"Squirtle, Water Gun attack!" cried Lucy. Squirtle's Water Gun doused Charmander and sent it to defeat.

"There goes the fire of that Charmander." Said the announcer. "Who will Lucy's opponent send out next?"

"I chose you, Dugtrio!" cried the trainer. Dugtrio materialized.

"Squirtle, Bubble!" cried Lucy. A stream of bubbles hit the ground type and before it could move, it was knocked out.

"And young Lucy is now two for two!" cried the announcer. "Can she make it three for three?" A Flareon came out next.

"Flareon, Flamethrower!" cried the trainer. Flareon shot out a stream of fire.

"Squirtle, use Withdraw!" cried Lucy. Squirtle ducked inside his shell just in time.

"Skull Bash attack!" cried Lucy. A powerful charge resulted in Flareon being knocked out.

"Now only one Pokemon remains for Carly, and she'll have to hope for four straight wins." Said the announcer. "But this tough turtle has shown excellent offense and defense so far.

"Go, Jigglypuff!" cried Carly. Her Jigglypuff materialized.

"Use your Bite attack, Squirtle!" cried Lucy. Squirtle ran up to Jigglypuff to bite it.

"Double Slap attack!" cried Carly. Jigglypuff slapped Squirtle very hard and it left some painful marks. Lucy had to recall it.

"There goes Squirtle, but it battled bravely in this match!" cried the announcer.

"Eevee, get out there!" cried Lucy. Eevee charged into action.

"Take Down attack!" Lucy ordered. Eevee really laid into Jigglypuff, sending it to defeat.

"And Lucy has her first win of the tournament, all thanks to some great work by Squirtle and Eevee!" cried the announcer.

Later, the next battle got underway.

"And in the Western Division, the challenger is using a Primeape!" cried the announcer. "What will her opponent, Jessie, use for her first attack?"

"What choice do you have?" said James. "All you've got is Arbok."

"That's not exactly accurate." Said Jessie. James looked up and was shocked to see Weezing beside her.

"Jessie, please! Don't take Weezing!" cried James.

"You'll never win with just two Pokemon!" cried Meowth.

"You seem to be forgetting something important, Meowth." Said Jessie. They both stared at each other until Meowth realized what she meant.

"Ah! I'm a Pokemon too!" he cried.

"Glad you remembered, now get in there!" yelled Jessie. She threw Meowth onto the battlefield.

"Jessie has chosen to start the battle with a Meowth!" cried the announcer.

"Listen here, banana boy, don't make me mad or I'll have to hurt you!" cried Meowth. One uppercut later, Meowth was sent flying.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot." Sighed Jessie. "Go, Arbok!" Primeape and Arbok charged at each other, but Arbok bit on Primeape's fists, which filled the fighting type's veins with poison.

"Could Arbok's poison be taking effect? It seems to be working!" cried the announcer. Primeape stumbled and fell over.

"Oh no! My Primeape!" cried Jessie's opponent.

"Woo! I'm going straight to the top!" cried Jessie.

"She might just win this thing." James remarked. In other battles, Lucy's Squirtle easily dispatched of a Bellsprout with an Ice Beam to clinch her another victory. Pikachu's powerful Thunderbolt brought down a Fearow, then a Graveler fell to Bulbasaur's Vine Whip. Vulpix then scorched a Tangela with Flamethrower.

"What a competition!" cried the announcer. "With a variety of impressive Pokemon, Misty and Lucy have been earning one victory after another!" The East division final ended up being Lucy against Misty.

Meanwhile, Arbok took down a Machoke with Wrap and Weezing beat a Parasect with its Poison Gas attack.

"And in the Western Division, Arbok and Weezing are bringing Jessie one victory after another!" cried the announcer. The tournament continued, with Jessie making it to the final round. As for who her opponent would be, that would be determined by whoever won between Misty and Lucy.

"The last time you and I battled each other was in Cerulean City, where I won that Cascade badge from you." Said Lucy.

"But this time, there's a more valuable prize at stake." Said Misty. "Let's give it our all!" The girls got ready to send out their first Pokemon.

"Pikachu, go!" cried Misty. Pikachu charged into action.

"Eevee, I choose you!" cried Lucy. Eevee charged ahead.

"Pikachu, go for the Thunderbolt!" cried Misty. Pikachu unleashed its electrical power and zapped Eevee. The small fox Pokemon wasn't too happy at all.

"Fight back with your Take Down attack!" cried Lucy. Eevee ran full speed at Pikachu and sent it flying.

"Skull Bash, Eevee!" cried Lucy. Eevee ducked its head and hit Pikachu with a powerful blow, forcing the electric type to retreat.

"Pikachu!" cried Misty. "You tried, but you'll need to rest up if we make the finals."

"That won't happen because I'm going to make the finals." Lucy insisted.

"We'll just see about that." Said Misty. "Bulbasaur, go!" Bulbasaur materialized and sprang into action.

"Eevee, use Quick Attack!" cried Lucy. But before Eevee had a chance to attack the grass type…

"Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!" cried Misty. Bulbasaur wrapped its vines around Eevee, trapping it.

"Eevee, no!" cried Lucy. Bulbasaur kept slamming Eevee around over and over again with the vines until the small fox Pokemon had been knocked out.

"Eevee, return." Said Lucy. Eevee went back over to her trainer.

"You did great, Eevee, thank you." Said Lucy. "Butterfree, I choose you!" Butterfree materialized next.

"Gust attack!" cried Lucy. Butterfree blew a gust of wind, which started to blow Bulbasaur away.

"Bulba!" cried Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, hang in there!" cried Misty. Once the grass type landed back on the ground, it was still standing.

"Bulbasaur shows once again why it's been a tough battler in this competition!" cried the announcer.

"Razor Leaf!" cried Misty. Butterfree easily flew out of the way of the leaves.

"Sleep Powder attack!" cried Lucy. Butterfree sprayed blue dust on Bulbasaur, which forced it back to the Poke Ball.

"Vulpix, go!" cried Misty. The small fire fox materialized.

"Use your Flamethrower!" cried Misty. The flames Vulpix unleashed badly damaged Butterfree and left scorch marks.

"Butterfree, you better rest." Said Lucy. "Great work, though." Butterfree was recalled, leaving Lucy with two Pokemon left.

"Okay, Squirtle, you're up!" cried Lucy. Squirtle materialized.

"Water Gun!" cried Lucy. Squirtle fired a stream of water at Vulpix, making it cry.

"Vulpix!" cried Misty.

"That blast of water might be too much for Vulpix, but we'll see if young Misty can come up with something crafty here." Said the announcer.

"Confuse Ray!" cried Misty. Vulpix shot a dark blue ray at Squirtle. The water type took it, and it started rolling on the ground.

"Uh, Squirtle?" said Lucy.

"Squirtle's completely confused, and now it doesn't know what's going on!" cried the announcer.

"Fire Spin!" cried Misty. Vulpix used a wheel of fire to trap Squirtle once it stopped rolling, and when the fire stopped, Squirtle was down and out.

"What?! How did…." Lucy wondered.

"You may be good at recognizing the element of type, but you have to also remember that trainers can sometimes throw an element of surprise at you, just like what I did with Vulpix." Said Misty. Lucy recalled Squirtle.

"You tried your best, Squirtle." She said. "It's all on you, Ivysaur!" Ivysaur materialized.

"Tackle attack, Ivysaur!" cried Lucy. Ivysaur went in for the tackle.

"Flamethrower!" cried Misty. Vulpix delivered a powerful blast of fire right before Ivysaur's attack could land.

"Ivysaur, no!" cried Lucy. "Try a Stun Spore!" Bulbasaur attempted to spray gold dust on Vulpix, but the fire type was ready.

"Fire Spin!" cried Misty. Another circle of fire trapped Ivysaur and knocked it out. Lucy was stunned.

"And young Lucy is out of the competition!" cried the announcer. Lucy gave a sigh.

"Ivysaur, return." She said. Ivysaur was recalled.

"You did great, friend." Said Lucy. "That was a great battle, Misty. Good luck in the finals."

"Thank you very much, Lucy." Said Misty. Lucy went to join brock and Ash on the sidelines.

"I tried my best, Ash." She said.

"You really wanted those dolls, didn't you?" asked Ash.

"Yes, but it's okay. I still had a great time participating here." Said Lucy.

"Well, now it's down to just Misty and Jessie." Said Ash.

"And neither one of them is going to give in." said Brock. He handed Togepi back over to Lucy.

"Honestly, Misty should be the one to shut Jessie up after that little argument they had in the store earlier today." Said Lucy.

"Just one more win, Pikachu!" cried Misty. She then saw Jessie staring at her, prompting Misty to stare back.

"Those princess dolls are mine!" cried Jessie.

"Is she getting in your hair?" asked James.

"You want us to take care of her?" asked Meowth.

"I can handle her." Said Jessie.

"Jessie, you don't mean you're actually going to play by the rules?!" cried James.

"This brings back bad memories." Said Jessie. She started to get teary eyed. "I hated those Princess Festivals so much!"

"Is there going to be a flashback?" asked James.

"Could be." Answered Meowth.

"I was the only girl who never had a princess doll." Said Jessie. "Every year, I used to get so sad when I knew the festival was coming."

"I always thought every girl loved the Princess Festival." Said Meowth.

"The Princess Festival just reminded me of what I never had." Said Jessie.

"Well, Jessie, I hope this year will be different." Said James. "I hope you win those dolls!"

"Meowth, too." Said Meowth.

"I'll do my very best." Said Jessie. The three of them started crying before the bell went off to start the last match.

"Well, we're down to the finals!" cried the announcer.

"Si. Finals are fantastic." Added Fiorello.

"Undefeated Eastern Division Champion Misty battles undefeated Western Division champion Jessie for the Queen of the Princess Festival title!" cried the announcer. "Who will be the victor?"

"I'm going to be the victor!" cried Jessie. "What kind of stupid question is that?!" The announcer was left at a loss for words as James and Meowth cheered on Jessie from the sidelines.

"Jessie! Jessie! She's the best!" cried James.

"Let's go, Jess!" cried Meowth.

"Arbok, go!" cried Jessie.

"Pikachu, go!" cried Misty.

"Misty is opening the battle with Pikachu, but Jessie's Arbok may have the advantage." Said the announcer.

"MAY have?!" roared Jessie.

"Uh, Jessie DOES have the advantage." The announcer corrected.

"What a temper." Said Lucy.

"No kidding." Said Ash. Arbok coiled around Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Thunder Shock, now!" cried Misty. The attack knocked Arbok out cold.

"Weezing, get that Pikachu!" cried Jessie. Weezing floated onto the battlefield, but was met with the same fate as Arbok.

"That was a lucky shot! Go, Meowth!" cried jessie.

"Meowth can handle anything!" cried Meowth. One electric attack later…

"Except a Thundershock from that Pikachu." groaned Meowth, who fell over in defeat.

"No! Jessie can't lose!" cried James.

"I can't believe it's over." Said Jessie.

"It's not over." Said Meowth. "Not yet. You still have that Lickitung you caught, Jess."

"I forgot! Lickitung!" cried Jessie.

"That's right! You can still win!" cried James. "It's not over as long as you have at least one Pokemon left!"

"I can almost taste victory!" cried jessie. "Go, Lickitung!" The large, pink Pokemon materialized, surprising Lucy, Ash and Misty.

"Team Rocket has another Pokemon?!" cried Misty.

"When did Jessie catch that?!" cried Lucy.

"She must've just got it recently." Answered Brock.

"Just look at the size of that thing's tongue!" cried Lucy.

"Looks like it's last licks for Jessie and her Lickitung!" cried the announcer.

"I have to know about this Pokemon." Said Lucy. She got out her Pokedex.

"Lickitung, the Licking Pokemon. It uses a tongue that is more than twice the length of its body to battle, as well as to gather food."

"That tongue is at least six foot six." Lucy pointed out. "That's two whole meters!"

"Pikachu, be careful and make sure that Pokemon doesn't give you a tongue lashing." Said Misty.

"You can lick Pikachu!" cried Jessie. "Lickitung, go!" Lickitung charged.

"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!" cried Misty. Pikachu charged but Lickitung's tongue prevented it from attacking and proceeded to lick and paralyze Pikachu.

"What's happening?!" cried Ash.

"Oh my!" cried Lucy. With Pikachu now stunned, Lickitung hit it with its tongue and sent it flying towards Misty.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" she asked.

"Pikachu is too dizzy to stay in the action!" cried the announcer. "Lickitung is leading Jessie to a major upset!"

"This is exciting." Said Fiorello.

"Misty's in trouble." Said Ash.

"Yeah. Jessie might pull it off." Said Brock.

"I can't believe I just saw that." Said Lucy.

"Hooray! I did it!" cried Jessie.

"You're almost there, Jessie!" cried James.

"They won't be able to stop you unless Lickitung gets tongue tied!" cried Meowth.

"Misty! Use Bulbasaur!" cried Ash. "Its Vine Whip can block the Lickitung's tongue attack!"

"Right, Ash!" cried Misty. "Bulbasaur, go!" Bulbasaur charged in with a Vine Whip, but Lickitung caught the attack and lifted Bulbasaur above the ground, licked it, paralyzed it and sent it back to Misty.

"Again?!" cried Lucy.

"Two down, and two to go!" cried Jessie.

"Bulbasaur can't beat it either?" said Ash.

"Togepi?" asked Togepi, which meant 'Is Misty going to lose?'

"She very well might." Said Lucy.

"If Misty doesn't think of something fast, she's going to lose this battle AND the contest!" cried Brock.

"That Lickitung is really strong!" cried Lucy.

"All right, Vulpix, go! Use your Flamethrower attack!" cried Misty. Vulpix charged, but Lickitung got to it first and paralyzed it.

"Vulpix, no!" cried Brock.

"I don't believe this!" cried Lucy.

"This could be one of the greatest comebacks in Pokemon history!" cried the announcer. "Now Misty has only one Pokemon left to try and stop this Lickitung, or else Jessie will walk away as Queen of the Princess Festival!"

"Okay, Lickitung, win one more and it's all you can eat on me!" cried Jessie.

"It's not over yet, Misty!" cried Lucy. "You still have one Pokemon left, and that Lickitung has to have a weakness somewhere!"

"Right, Lucy!" cried Misty. "I refuse to lose, so Staryu, it's all up to you! Go, Staryu!" Before Staryu could materialize, Psyduck popped out, much to Misty's shock.

"It's Psyduck!?" cried Ash.

"It's kind of disappointing to beat such a pathetic Pokemon, but a win's a win." Said Jessie. "Slurp that Psyduck and let's get going." Lickitung licked Psyduck, but it had no effect, which left everyone confused.

"It didn't work at all!" Lucy cried. "Misty might have a chance after all!"

"This is incredible!" cried the announcer. "Lickitung's Lick attack isn't working against Psyduck!"

"Wow! Just like in the movies." Said Fiorello.

"Lickitung, finish it off!" cried Jessie. Lickitung wrapped its tongue around Psyduck and squeezed it, but without much of an effect.

"Nice work, Psyduck. Now it's time to fight back!" cried Misty. "Use your Water Gun attack!" But Psyduck didn't do anything, much to Misty's shock.

"Oh no! I knew this was too good to be true!" she cried.

"I'm not going to let that little quack cost me this contest!" cried Jessie. "Lickitung, prepare for Tackle attack!" Lickitung didn't do anything either, however.

"I've never seen anything like it!" cried the announcer. "The Pokemon are totally ignoring their trainers!"

"This guy's obviously never seen Psyduck." Said Lucy. Lickitung tried to lick Psyduck again, but it got on the water type's nerves.

"Something's happening. Psyduck doesn't look so hot." Said the announcer.

"Looks like it's got a headache to me." Said Fiorello.

"We all know by now what happens when Psyduck gets a headache." Said Lucy.

"That's it! Psychic power!" cried Misty. "Psyduck, use your Confusion attack!" Lickitung tried another attack with its tongue, but Psyduck's power sent it back and made Lickitung roll backwards in a ball.

"Huh?" cried Team Rocket. They all got caught in the rolling Lickitung ball and were sent flying off the roof, out of the arena and into the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried.

"I won!" cried Misty.

"She did it! Misty has become our new Princess Festival Queen!" cried the announcer.

"Misty is so magnifico." Said Fiorello. The festival committee presented her with the collection of dolls.

"Finally! I have my very own doll set!" cried Misty.

"Pi Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Congratulations, Misty.'

"Good going, Misty." Said Ash.

"Congratulations." Said Brock.

"Yeah, Misty, congratulations indeed." Said Lucy.

"I couldn't have done it without Psyduck!" cried Misty.

"Uh, Misty, I get that you're happy, and we're all happy for you, but you're not going to carry all of those in your arms the rest of the day, are you?" asked Lucy.

"Don't worry. I have a plan for how to handle this." Said Misty.

Later, Misty was shipping a package destined for Cerulean City. By this point, Lucy had gotten out of the dress she had worn during the festival and was back in her regular shirt, shorts and boots.

"You're sending those dolls back home?" Ash wondered. Misty nodded.

"Right back to the Cerulean gym." She answered. "I'd love to see the look on my sisters' faces!"

"They'll be pretty jealous." Said Lucy.

"I bet that's the best prize of all." Said Brock. The Pidgeot Transport shipping truck soon picked up the package and drove off.

"Be careful with them!" cried Misty. So, Misty finally won her very own doll set. But she also won a valuable lesson. She never could've done it without the help of her friends.

Meanwhile, over in the park…..

"I lost, the dolls." Sighed Jessie. Lickitung used its Lick attack on Jessie, paralyzing her.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up." She said. James and Meowth approached her wearing costumes.

"Jessie?" said Meowth.

"Since you didn't win the real doll set…" said James.

"What are you?" said Jessie. "Oh no." Everyone in Team Rocket, including their Pokemon, were dressed up in princess dolls in an attempt to make Jessie feel better.

"You're all just a bunch of living dolls!" cried Jessie.

TO BE CONTINUED

Ash's Current Party: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Hitmonchan

Lucy's Current Party: Eevee, Ivysaur, Pikachu, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, Butterfree (Pink)

Egg: Togepi (Joint ownership with Misty)

Ash's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Spearow, Clefairy, Krabby, Butterfree, Primeape, Muk, Scyther, Diglett, Voltorb, Rapidash, Kangaskhan, Tauros, Rhyhorn, Nidorino, Dratini (three), Gyrados, Exeggutor, Kabuto, Kabutops, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Growlithe, Arbok, Weezing, Meowth

In Rotation: Scyther, Rapidash

Lucy's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Beedrill, Cubone, Hitmonlee, Staryu, Dugtrio, Voltorb, Ponyta (shiny), Kangaskhan, Chansey, Tauros, Dragonair, Clefairy, Exeggcute, Arcanine, Kabuto, Aerodactyl

In Rotation: Aerodactyl, Arcanine, Staryu, Dragonair