Episode Seven
Well, our heroes had quite the adventure last time. They arrived in Cerulean City, but found that the gym was closed, so Amanda decided to find a Bellsprout. While she did catch one, she also "caught" a curious looking Abra. A vacuum was also stolen from a store where the girls had shopped, and the culprit was none other than Team Rocket. Not only did the girls foil the latest theft attempt, but Amanda had an intense gym battle with Misty's sisters that ended with her getting a win and earning a Cascade Badge. Now, our heroes continue their journey, curious to see what else is in store for them.
Today's episode begins with Amanda engaged in a battle against a trainer with a Growlithe. She had already battled thirteen trainers that morning and won all of those matches. Not all of the matches had been easy, though. Some had been quite intense, and she was hoping to add to that streak.
"Slam it, Pikachu!" she ordered.
"Dodge, quickly!" the other trainer called out. Pikachu readied for the move, but Growlithe got out of the way before Pikachu could hit it.
"Now use Leer." Growlithe's eyes glowed, and Pikachu started feeling a little numb. The electric mouse cried a bit.
"Pikachu, no!" cried Amanda.
"Finish it!" the other trainer commanded. Growlithe charged hard and sent Pikachu back with Take Down. Pikachu flew backwards a bit, and when it landed, both of its' eyes had a red X on them.
"That was a good try, Pikachu." Said Amanda. She picked him up and brought him over to where Michelle was.
"Can you watch him for me?" Amanda asked.
"Of course." Said Michelle. Pikachu regained a bit of strength and started chatting with Eevee. Amanda walked back over to her battle spot.
"What's it going to be next, miss?" the trainer asked. Amanda took a ball off of her waist and threw it.
"Let's go, Squirtle!" she cried. The little turtle appeared in a blaze of light and took its' position on the field.
"Start off with Water Gun, Squirtle!" Amanda called. Squirtle nodded and fired a stream of water.
"Agility, now!" the trainer commanded. Growlithe nodded and avoided every single Water Gun that came its' way. Squirtle was getting mad and kept trying. Growlithe kept dodging, but he got too full of himself and as a result, he got hit by a blast, causing him to yelp in pain.
"Growlithe!" the trainer called. Thankfully, his Pokemon was okay and stared down Squirtle.
"Bite that turtle." Said the trainer. Growlithe started rushing over.
"Quick, Squirtle, Withdraw!" Amanda called. Squirtle ducked into his shell, and as a result, Growlithe's bite marks didn't do anything. Squirtle popped back out and gave a smile.
"Excellent defense, Squirtle." Said Amanda.
"Don't be starting to count your Pidgey before they hatch." Said the trainer. "Double Team!" Growlithe sent out several illusions of itself, making Squirtle and Amanda confused.
"Which one is the real one?" she wondered.
"That's up to you to figure out." Said the trainer, who was now grinning from ear to ear.
"Squirtle, shoot your Water Gun until you find the real Growlithe." Said Amanda. Squirtle fired water at the Growlithe copies, eliminating them one at a time. The last shot hit Growlithe with tons of damage, causing him to scream.
"No!" the trainer cried.
"Time to finish the job." Said Amanda. "Skull Bash, now!" Squirtle ran at Growlithe with its head lowered and sent the small dog flying into the air a bit. Upon landing, Growlithe's eyes swirled, indicating that it had fainted.
"We did it, Squirtle!" Amanda recalled.
"Squirtle squirt." Said Squirtle, which meant 'I knew we could do it.' The two of them high fived each other, and the other trainer recalled Growlithe.
"I've got to say, your Pikachu and Squirtle were really good." Said the trainer.
"Thanks." Said Amanda. "Your Growlithe battled well, too." The two trainers shook hands, and Amanda recalled Squirtle back to his ball.
"Impressive match there, Amanda." Said Michelle. "But even the best trainers need a break now and then. Plus, it's almost time to eat." Amanda agreed, and Michelle set up a mini stove to cook some lunch for them. It was a simple lunch today, consisting of an all beef chili. Michelle had gotten the ingredients for it at the Poke Mart right before they had left Cerulean, and she made sure to follow the recipe's instructions very carefully.
"This lunch is going to be good, guys." Amanda said to Pikachu and Eevee. The two starter Pokemon squealed in delight, as they wanted to try some of it themselves. Michelle smiled at them.
"Don't worry, I'm making plenty for all of us." She said. Amanda sat on a nearby rock and contemplated what her plan of attack would be when they arrived at the next city. Fifteen minutes later, she found her thoughts being interrupted by a passing trainer.
"Hey kid!" he yelled, pointing to Amanda. "You want a match?"
"Sure!" Amanda cried eagerly.
"Wait a minute, I thought you were going to take a break." Said Michelle. "Plus, lunch is just about ready."
"This'll be quick, Michelle, I promise." Said Amanda. "Come on, Pikachu." Pikachu got up from its' rest spot, and they followed the other trainer.
"It better be quick." Michelle muttered to herself. Eevee agreed with her. Meanwhile, Amanda and the other trainer were locking eyes with each other, about to start their battle.
"Let's make this a quick one on one match, and we'll only use electric types." Said the trainer.
"An electric only battle." Said Amanda. "Sounds like an interesting concept to me. Okay Pikachu, let's do this." Pikachu took its' spot in the battle area and showed some confidence. It had recovered a bit from its' earlier defeat and was very determined.
"Pikachu, eh?" said the trainer. He reached into his bag and pulled out a ball. "Magnemite, let's go!" A gray Pokemon with two magnets for arms shot out of the ball, prompting Amanda to pull out her Pokedex.
"Magnemite, the magnet Pokemon. The magnetic units on this Pokemon's body generate an electromagnetic field that allows it to defy gravity and can potentially disrupt electrical equipment."
"Pikachu, don't let that Magnemite fool you." Said Amanda. "Start with a Thunderbolt attack." Pikachu shot it's electric bolt right at Magnemite, but due to it also being electric type, the attack didn't do too much damage.
"Magnemite, Sonic Boom." Magnemite shot a trio of white lines at Pikachu, hitting it and knocking it back a little.
"Hang in there, Pikachu!" Amanda called out. "Go for Quick Attack." Pikachu ran full speed, but Magnemite flew up a bit out of the way to dodge the attack.
"Tackle, Magnemite." Said the trainer. Magnemite gave Pikachu a hard tackle on its' body. It wasn't hard enough to knock it out, though.
"Swift attack, Pikachu." Amanda said.
"You use Swift too, Magnemite." Both Pokemon shot out yellow stars at each other, but both attacks collided and disappeared upon impact.
"Don't give up." Amanda said. "Double Kick." Pikachu lunged at Magnemite and started giving it some swift kicks.
"Bide, Magnemite." Magnemite stayed in place and absorbed the hits.
"I think we have this, Pikachu." Said Amanda.
"Think again." Said the trainer. Magnemite unleashed its Bide, and all the damage it had taken was sent back at Pikachu with even more power. When all was said and done, Pikachu had been knocked out.
"And that's that." Said the trainer. Pikachu ran back to Amanda and shook its' head, which meant 'I'm sorry I failed you.' But Amanda wasn't that upset at all.
"Don't worry about it, Pikachu." She said. "You did your best, and I'm very proud of you." She then faced the other trainer. "Your Magnemite was awesome."
"Thanks." He said, and he recalled his Pokemon. "By the way, I have a question to ask you. Have you heard of the Thunder Tournament?"
"I haven't." said Amanda. "What is that?"
"It's a tournament specifically for electric type Pokemon." He said. "If you win the finals, you get a Thunder Stone as a prize."
"Well, I don't know." Said Amanda.
"Just think about it." Said the trainer, and he left. Amanda went back over to where Michelle was.
"How'd your match go?" Michelle asked.
"We lost." Said Amanda.
"That's too bad." Said Michelle.
"Although, the trainer I battled did tell me about a tournament for electric type Pokemon." Amanda said. "The prize for winning the whole thing is a Thunder Stone according to what he told me. I want to enter, but I'm not sure if I want to go through with it."
"I think you should, and I'll tell you why." Said Michelle. "First off, the whole point of this journey is to become as strong a trainer as possible. From what I've seen, you've definitely been doing a very good job at fulfilling that purpose ever since you and I first met in the Viridian Forest."
"That's a very valid point." Said Amanda. "Go on."
"Second, taking part in this would give you a chance to meet other trainers that you haven't seen before." Said Michelle. "Not to mention that you have an electric type on you that would meet the tournament's requirements in Pikachu. Third, aside from the gyms, we've been doing a lot of things together on this journey. So if you enter the tournament, then so will I since I'd be able to use Electabuzz in it. What do you think now?"
"I think I'll do it!" Amanda exclaimed with determination.
"That's the spirit." Said Michelle, and she served their lunch. What the girls didn't know was that they were being watched by a familiar figure from Team Rocket.
"So, they're entering a tournament that's just for electric Pokemon." He said, and he started getting an idea. His partner, a woman with rainbow hair, quickly shot him down.
"One problem with your plan, Conrad." She said. "You don't have any electric types on you. Plus, I'm pretty sure there's a maximum age cap for that tournament."
"You're right, I didn't consider that." Said Conrad. "Okay then, Sally, what do you suggest instead?"
"We steal the Thunder Stone." Said Sally. "Before you ask, I overheard those kids talking about it, so that's how I know."
"We'll have to keep an eye on them." Said Conrad. After lunch, Michelle and Amanda went to work training both Electabuzz and Pikachu for the tournament. The training included practicing short and long range attacks, as well as a practice battle between the two Pokemon. The session lasted the whole afternoon, but when it was over, both girls gave their Pokemon friendly pats on the head.
"Very good work, both of you." Amanda said. "I think we'll definitely be ready for that tournament."
"One question." Said Michelle. "Do we even know when the tournament is taking place?"
"I forgot to ask that trainer about that part." Said Amanda.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure we can find out if we see an advertisement for it." Said Michelle. They had dinner and spent the evening looking at the stars in the night sky. A couple of hours later, they let out loud yawns and went to sleep. The next morning, they continued making their way down the route, and after an hour of walking, they found a big building that had electric handles on the doors.
"This must be the place." Said Amanda, and they made their way inside. Sure enough, there were all sorts of trainers there who were eager to take part.
"I guess we're not the only ones." Said Michelle, and they quickly made their way over to the registration desk. Nurse Joy was in charge of taking sign ups.
"Are you two here to register for the electric type Pokemon tournament?" she asked.
"We sure are." Said Amanda.
"Excellent." Said Joy. "I'll need your names as well as the Pokemon that you'll be using."
"Amanda." Said Amanda.
"Michelle." Said Michelle.
"I'll be using Pikachu." Said Amanda.
"And I'll be using Electabuzz." Said Michelle. Joy wrote the information down on her clipboard and gave them badges with numbers on them. Amanda's badge had a number eight on it, while Michelle's badge had the number twenty on it.
"You two are all set." Said Joy. "The matches begin in half an hour. Good luck to both of you."
"Thank you." Both girls said in unison and they went over to a rest area so that they could sit down and relax for a bit before the tournament started. However, Amanda had just barely sat down when she remembered something.
"I need to call Mama." She said. Luckily, there was a video phone near the registration desk. Amanda punched in some buttons to dial a number, and after two rings, Kangaskhan picked up the phone.
"Hi, Mama." Said Amanda.
"Hello there, dear." Said Kangaskhan. "Any updates since the last time you called me?"
"I got my second gym badge, and I also caught an Abra and a Bellsprout." Said Amanda.
"That's excellent." Said Kangaskhan. "Where are you calling me from now?"
"Michelle and I are at the Thunder Tournament." Said Amanda. "It's a special competition that's just for electric Pokemon, and if I win, I get a Thunder Stone."
"That would be great for evolving Pikachu." Said Kangaskhan.
"It would, but I'm not sure if I want to do that." Said Amanda. "Pikachu's been battling just fine as is."
"In any case, I do wish you the best of luck in that tournament." Said Kangaskhan.
"Thanks, Mama." Said Amanda. "I knew I could count on you for support."
"See you later, dear." Said Kangaskhan, and the call ended. Michelle and Amanda went over to the table where the grand prize was being kept.
"That Thunder Stone looks so awesome." Said Amanda. "We're going to do our best to win it, right Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said confidently, which meant 'That's right!' Ten minutes before the tournament started, all the trainers that were entered in the tournament gathered around a giant video screen to see which brackets they would be placed in. Amanda was placed in the Snorlax bracket, while Michelle was placed in the Magikarp bracket.
"Look at this, Michelle." Said Amanda. "If both of us make it all the way to the end, we could end up facing each other in the finals."
"That would be pretty cool." Said Michelle. "Let's see, each bracket shows sixteen trainers, including us. That means we both have to win four times to get to the finals."
"That shouldn't be too hard." Said Amanda.
"I don't know, Amanda. Some of these trainers look pretty tough." Said Michelle.
"But we're just as tough, aren't we, Pikachu?" Amanda asked. Pikachu nodded with high confidence. A short while later, the tournament's host came out and stepped into the arena containing all the mini fields.
"Greetings, trainers." He said. "I would like to welcome you all to our first ever Thunder Tournament. As I'm sure you all know, only electric Pokemon are allowed to take part. No other Pokemon are permitted to be used at any time. Further, all battles will be one on one matches with no time limits. If you win, you move on, but if you lose, you will be eliminated. Also, the Pokemon you registered upon your arrival will be the only Pokemon that can be used. Whoever successfully wins this tournament will receive a Thunder Stone. If there are no further questions, the tournament shall begin." The trainers took their places, all of them were looking determined to win. Since only one of them could win, however, they wanted to make sure that they gave it their all. Amanda's first opponent was a boy about two years older than her. He was wearing a plain yellow shirt, green shorts and bright blue gloves. He had a big smile on his face, but Amanda wasn't feeling intimidated at all.
"Let's do this, Pikachu!" she called. Pikachu sprang into the ring, ready for action. The boy steadied himself before throwing his Poke Ball.
"I'm counting on you, Voltorb!" he shouted. A Pokemon that was red on its' top half and white on its bottom half appeared, and Amanda scanned it with the Pokedex.
"Voltorb, the ball Pokemon. This Pokemon has a volatile temper and will explode if agitated or bumped by the slightest contact."
"We're not going to let that scare us, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Start off with a Quick Attack." Pikachu charged head on toward Voltorb.
"Light Screen, Voltorb." The boy commanded. Voltorb put up a screen to use as a shield, and that caused Pikachu to run into the screen instead of its' target. Pikachu got sent back a bit but wasn't out yet.
"Voltorb, Tackle." Said the boy.
"Pikachu, Agility." Called Amanda. Pikachu's speed resulted in Voltorb's tackles missing over and over again, but soon enough, the two collided.
"Hang in there, Pikachu." Said Amanda.
"You two, Voltorb." Said the boy. "Swift attack." Voltorb shot yellow stars from its sides, which struck Pikachu.
"Pikachu, fight back with your own Swift attack." Said Amanda. Pikachu nodded and bright yellow stars came out from its' tail. Voltorb got hit a bit hard by the stars and looked a bit weak now.
"Slam it!" Amanda called. Pikachu ran toward Voltorb, lunged up, and slammed it as hard as it could. Pikachu got off and stood in front of Voltorb with its' arms crossed, while Voltorb lay on the floor unconscious.
"That's a win for us." Said Amanda. The boy recalled Voltorb and shook hands with Amanda.
"Great battle." He said. "That Pikachu is awesome."
"Your Voltorb is great too." Said Amanda. There was a fifteen minute break period so that Pikachu could rest up. Meanwhile, Michelle's first opponent was a girl with blonde hair. Both Electabuzz and the other girl's Pokemon, a Jolteon, were staring down each other fiercely. Their battle had been intense, and it would come down to this next move.
"Hyper Beam, Electabuzz!" Michelle called. Electabuzz opened up its' mouth and fired a yellow laser beam right at Jolteon. The powerful beam sent Jolteon to the ground, having completely fainted.
"That's how we do it, Electabuzz." Said Michelle. She recalled her Pokemon and went over to the rest area.
"I won my first match." Said Michelle. "How did you do?"
"I won also." Said Amanda. "If we keep winning, we could battle each other."
"That would be amazing." Said Michelle. A bell rang at the end of the fifteen minutes, indicating that it was time for both girls to have their next match. For the second round of the tournament, Amanda was facing off against a young teenager with spiky hair. He grabbed a ball from his pocket and threw it. Out popped a Pokemon similar to Voltorb, but it was bigger in size, and both its' eyes and mouth were bigger. Amanda took her Pokedex out.
"Electrode. This ball Pokemon consumes the fresh energy that is generated in power plants. However, this causes blackouts to occur."
"It's a little bit bigger than the Voltorb we faced already, so we should stay on guard." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, start with Swift." Pikachu fired yellow stars right at Electrode.
"Light Screen." The stars ended up hitting the screen barrier instead of Electrode.
"We'll have to try something else, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Go for a Thunderbolt." Pikachu fired a yellow bolt at Electrode.
"Double Team." Said the teen calmly. Copies of Electrode appeared, making Pikachu surprised. The Thunderbolt ended up hitting a copy.
"Keep going until you find the real thing!" Amanda called. Pikachu nodded and kept aiming its' Thunderbolt. One by one, copies of Electrode disappeared, only leaving the actual Pokemon.
"Good work." Said the teen. "Now, Self Destruct!" Electrode readied himself, but then the teen realized what he had just done and wanted to change his command. He was too late, however, as Electrode exploded, and when the attack was done, Electrode found himself knocked out.
"I can't believe I did that." The teen said with a sad sigh.
"You still put up a good fight." Said Amanda. "Great work, Pikachu." Pikachu smiled, and they went back over to the rest area. Michelle's second match was just as intense as her first, but she pulled through, resulting in both of them making it to the quarter finals.
"You're doing great so far, Pikachu." Said Amanda.
"So are you, Electabuzz." Said Michelle. When the bell rang, both girls took their places for their next matches. Amanda was facing a girl trainer wearing a white sweater, red stripes, and a cerulean blue skirt. Pikachu readied itself for whatever Pokemon the other girl would throw at it.
"Let's go, Magneton!" she cried. Magneton was similar to Magnemite, except that it was a little bigger. Amanda took her Pokedex out again.
"Magneton. The anti-gravitational powers of this robot-like Pokemon allow it to fly through the air."
"This'll be similar to that Magnemite we faced yesterday, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Start with Swift." The yellow stars that came out of Pikachu's body hit Magneton with a bit of force.
"Teleport, Magneton." Said the other girl. Magneton instantly disappeared, and then re-appeared right behind Pikachu. Pikachu turned around to face Magneton again.
"Slam, Pikachu." Said Amanda. Pikachu jumped up and slammed the Magneton hard to the ground. Magneton quickly got up despite having taken decent damage from the attack.
"Magneton, use Rest now." Said the girl. "Magneton closed its' eyes and started to sleep. However, the damage it had taken was now completely undone.
"It can't attack when it's sleeping." Amanda said. "Quick Attack." Pikachu ran full speed at the resting Magneton, sending it to the ground.
"Now, Thunderbolt." Said Amanda. "Pikachu shot a yellow line of thunder right at Magneton, and although the attack hit, the jolt caused Magneton to wake up.
"Sonic Boom." Said the girl. Magneton fired some white lines at Pikachu, but it didn't do too much damage.
"Go for another Quick Attack." Said Amanda. Pikachu ran full speed at Magneton again and hit it with some good damage being dealt in the process.
"Take Down." The girl ordered. Magneton gave Pikachu a good tackle, but it took some more damage of its' own.
"Double Kick." Amanda called. Pikachu gave Magneton some powerful kicks, which finally knocked it out.
"Way to go, Pikachu!" Amanda cried. Michelle also won her third match, putting them both into the last four. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally were watching the proceedings from a window right near the roof of the building.
"They're almost at the finals." Said Sally.
"Which means whoever's left will battle for the prize." Said Conrad.
"Too bad there can't be a battle if there's no prize." Said Sally. She started to go up to the roof, but Conrad stopped her.
"Not yet." He said. "We wait until the final match is about to start, and then we make our move." They continued to watch from outside, and inside, Michelle and Amanda were resting up before their next matches.
"You've done really well so far." Said Amanda.
"So have you." Said Michelle. Amanda's next match was against a boy who already had six months of trainer experience.
"Let's do this, Pikachu!" Amanda called.
"A Pikachu." Said the boy. "This should be interesting, then." He threw his ball and out popped a Pikachu of his own.
"Let's see which of us has the better Pikachu." He said.
"You're on." Said Amanda. She then leaned toward the camera and started to whisper. "But just between you and me, I think mine's better." She then faced her opponent again.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack." Said Amanda.
"Pikachu, you use Quick Attack too." Said the boy. Both Pikachu ran toward each other and collided, with both attacks doing the same amount of damage to each other.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Amanda called. Pikachu shot its' familiar yellow bolt at the other Pikachu, but it didn't do too much damage.
"Pikachu, you use your own Thunderbolt too." The boy called. His Pikachu released a yellow bolt that was slightly more powerful, and thus, did a bit more damage to Amanda's Pikachu.
"Slam!" they both called out. Both of the Pikachu lunged at each other trying to slam the other one down, but to no avail as they both kept missing. Both of them soon got tired from trying to slam down the other one. Both panted heavily, knowing that whoever got in the next hit would likely end it.
"Use Swift, Pikachu!" Amanda called out. Although her buddy was tired, he had enough energy to shoot yellow stars at the other Pikachu. The boy's Pikachu went down but started to get back up.
"You can do it, Pikachu." He called. "I believe in you! Finish hers with a Mega Punch!" His Pikachu pulled his hand back ready to fire. But before the attack could be launched, the intensity of the battle caused it to faint. The boy let out a sigh.
"You gave it a good try." He said.
"We did it, Pikachu!" called Amanda. "We're in the finals!" They high fived each other, and Amanda walked up to the boy.
"Your Pikachu battled really well." She said.
"So did yours." He said. He picked up his Pikachu and left the arena. As for Michelle, her match was just about to conclude.
"Mega Punch, Electabuzz!" she called. Electabuzz pulled his hand back and the powerful punch sent its opponent all the way to the wall, officially knocking it out and ending the battle.
"Yes!" Michelle cried. "Great job, Electabuzz." She recalled him and went over to the rest area where she found Amanda.
"It looks like we're both facing each other in the finals." Said Amanda.
"Certainly looks that way, doesn't it?" said Michelle. The tournament host then announced that there would be a one hour lunch break before the championship match, so Amanda and Michelle lined up to get their food.
"No matter what happens in the last match, may the best electric Pokemon win." Said Amanda.
"Same to you." Said Michelle. Lunch consisted of finger sandwiches, granola bars and some juice. After they were done eating and had taken the rest of the hour to rest up, both girls headed back into the battle area for their championship match against each other.
"Our first battle against each other since the Viridian Forest." Said Michelle.
"But this time, I'm going to win." Said Amanda.
"We'll see about that." Said Michelle. "You already know who my Pokemon will be." She threw her ball and Electabuzz appeared on the field.
"Okay Pikachu, let's show her Electabuzz how much better we've gotten since the last time we battled her!" said Amanda. Pikachu stared down Electabuzz, ready to fight. The host decided to act as the referee for this match.
"Our grand finale, trainer Amanda against trainer Michelle, is about to begin. Amanda is using Pikachu and Michelle is using Electabuzz. This battle will be one on one and will end the instant either one of their Pokemon faints. The winner will not only become tournament champion but will also receive the Thunder Stone. Trainers, if you're both ready, begin!" Before either one could call out an attack, however, the host let out a gasp.
"Hold it! Don't start yet!" he called.
"Is something wrong with our Pokemon, sir?" Michelle wondered. Pikachu, Electabuzz and Eevee were all very confused.
"It's not that." The host said. "The Thunder Stone is gone!" He then looked toward the roof. "Someone must've cut a hole through the ceiling and stolen the stone during that lunch break. Without it, I can't award it to the victor of the match. And I can't allow a finals match to happen without a prize to go with it."
"Don't worry, sir. We'll get the stone back for you." Amanda said with confidence.
"Please do." The host said. "And try to make it quick."
"We'll do our best." Said Amanda. "Let's roll, Pikachu."
"You too, Eevee." Said Michelle. She quickly recalled Electabuzz and both girls and their partners ran out of the building and down a wide open grass area. Just ahead of them in the sky was a balloon that was being steered by Conrad and Sally.
"Wait until we tell the boss about our new Thunder Stone." Said Sally.
"Think of how rich we'll be." Said Conrad.
"And no pesky kids to stop us either, which is even better." Said Sally. Both of them laughed, but what they didn't know was that Amanda and Michelle were running right behind them keeping pace.
"We can't let them get away with that stone." Said Michelle. "Who knows what they might use it for?"
"Which is why we have to stop them." Said Amanda. Pikachu, of course, was anxious to jump into action, but Amanda denied him.
"You need to conserve your energy, mister." She said and plucked a ball off her waist. "Pidgeotto, I need some assistance!" Her trusty bird appeared instantly and let out its' standard cry.
"Pidgeotto, attack that balloon!" Amanda ordered. Pidgeotto nodded and flew full speed. The balloon wasn't too far ahead, so Pidgeotto was able to catch it easily and break it with its' beak. This caused the balloon to descend to the ground.
"We're being ambushed." Said Sally. "Quick, try to get this thing back in the air." Conrad tried his best, but it didn't matter as she soon found herself face to face with Amanda and Michelle. Both of them were staring at the Team Rocket members with angry looks on their faces.
"It's the twerpettes." Said Conrad.
"How do you know them?" Sally asked.
"They foiled my museum theft in Pewter City." Said Conrad.
"And we're foiling this one too." Said Amanda. "You crooks better give that stone back right now!"
"It's a very important item." Said Michelle.
"Sorry kiddos, but this stone is more important to Team Rocket than it is to you." Said Sally. "I see no need for a pair of kids like you to have something very valuable like this in your possession." Both girls growled.
"So you can forget about seeing this beauty again." Said Conrad.
"That thing of beauty is the prize for the tournament we're in." said Amanda. "If you want a Thunder Stone that badly, find your own!"
"Why do that when we can just take this." Said Sally, not having a care in the world.
"Okay, you asked for it!" Amanda called and threw another ball. "Dratini, go!" The small purple dragon type appeared instantly.
"I'll help you, Amanda." Said Michelle. "Ponyta, go!" The unicorn Pokemon appeared in a flash of light and stared angrily at the Team Rocket members.
"Zubat, you're up!" called Conrad.
"Ekans, get out here." Ordered Sally. Both of their Pokemon appeared instantly, and Amanda quickly checked her Pokedex for info about Ekans.
"Ekans, the snake Pokemon. It moves stealthily through the grass to try and avoid combat and preys on eggs that fall from nests belonging to Pidgey and Spearow."
"Zubat, Wing Attack." Ordered Conrad.
"Ekans, Poison Sting!" Sally commanded. Both Pokemon aimed their attacks at Dratini and Ponyta. Dratini screamed loudly, making Amanda nervous.
"Are you all right, Dratini?" she asked. Dratini nodded and stared down Team Rocket.
"Thunder Wave." Dratini shot a yellow orb right at Zubat and made contact, paralyzing it.
"Ack!" Conrad yelped.
"Okay Ponyta, Ember attack." Said Amanda. Ponyta shot small orbs of fire at the snake, scoring a hit. Ekans coughed a bit.
"How dare you!" Sally cried. "Ekans, Poison Sting." Ekans shot purple needles at Ponyta, hitting it but not poisoning it.
"That thing is stronger than I anticipated." Said Sally.
"Fire Spin." Michelle ordered. Ponyta sent out a circle of fire trapping the Team Rocket duo and their Pokemon.
"Looks like we've got you now." Said Amanda. "Pidgeotto, finish them with Wing Attack!" Pidgeotto spread its' wings out and hit Ekans, Zubat, Conrad and Sally at full force, sending them high into the air.
"Now we'll never be rich." Sally squealed.
"We could've gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids." Conrad grumbled.
"We're blasting off!" they both screamed together. DING! The Thunder Stone then fell from the sky and landed in Amanda's hands.
"I got it!" she shouted.
"Great!" cried Michelle. The girls recalled their Pokemon and headed back to the building as fast as they could. The tournament host was feeling worried, but a smile came onto his face when he saw Amanda and Michelle rush back in with the Thunder Stone.
"Well done, you two." He said. "Now then, both of you take your places." Both girls stood once again on opposite ends of the battle arena.
"Electabuzz, it's time for real now!" Michelle called and sent out her electric type.
"Pikachu, let's go!" cried Amanda. Pikachu sprang into the box and the host yelled "Begin!"
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" yelled Amanda. Pikachu ran full speed at Electabuzz.
"Electabuzz, dodge!" yelled Michelle. Electabuzz got out of the way just before the attack could hit.
"Swift attack!" Michelle called. Electabuzz shot yellow stars from its' belly, which hit Pikachu. The little mouse screamed a bit but was determined to push through.
"Keep going, Pikachu!" Amanda called. "Use your Mega Punch!" Pikachu readied for the attack by pulling its hand backwards.
"You use Mega Punch too, Electabuzz!" Michelle commanded. Electabuzz nodded and pulled its hand backwards. Both attacks hit each other at the same time, with one doing slightly more than the other.
"Go for a Body Slam, Electabuzz!" Michelle called. Electabuzz leaned forward and plopped itself on top of Pikachu. Amanda's partner tried to escape the attack, but instead, it found itself paralyzed.
"Oh no!" Amanda called. "Pikachu, try to get up!" Pikachu slowly got to its' feet and somehow managed to shake off the paralysis as if nothing was wrong.
"There we go." Said Amanda. "Double Kick." Pikachu gave Electabuzz some hard kicks right to the face, and it looked like Amanda had this in the bag. But Michelle had other ideas.
"Seismic Toss!" she called. Electabuzz scooped up Pikachu, pulled it back above its' head a little, and launched it across the room and into a wall. Amanda ran over to Pikachu immediately and saw that the powerful attack had knocked it out. The host had a look as well and confirmed it.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, which means the victory goes to trainer Michelle and her Electabuzz!" he called out.
"We did it, Electabuzz!" Michelle cried out. Electabuzz raised its' arms in triumph, and the two of them ran over to check on Pikachu.
"How is he?" Michelle asked.
"I'm sure he'll be fine with a good rest." Said Amanda. "You did great, buddy."
"Pika." Pikachu whimpered, which meant 'Thanks, Amanda.'
"Well, congratulations on the victory." Said Amanda.
"Thanks." Said Michelle. "You definitely have gotten stronger since our first match against each other. The host then brought over the coveted Thunder Stone.
"Here is your prize, Michelle." He said. "For winning the tournament, this Thunder Stone is yours." Michelle held the stone up high and smiled and cameras flashed and took her picture.
"Don't fret, Amanda." The host said. "You did very well, so you deserve a little something as well." He briefly disappeared into another room before returning with a small envelope as well as another Thunder Stone.
"I was saving this for next year's tournament, but I'd like for you to have it." He said. Amanda smiled as she took the stone.
"Thank you very much, sir." She said.
"That's not all, though." He said. "Look inside the envelope." Amanda took a quick peek and saw that the envelope was filled with ten thousand dollars in cash.
"This is awfully generous of you, sir." Said Amanda. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything." He said. "Think of this as a little bonus for helping to get rid of Team Rocket." Amanda went back over to where Michelle was. Needless to say, she was a bit surprised to see Amanda holding a stone.
"I thought that was only for the winner." She said.
"He had a spare, so he let me have this." Said Amanda.
"That was nice of him." Said Michelle. Once Pikachu had been all healed up, the girls made their way out of the building and down the road toward their next adventure. This has certainly been quite the day. Amanda may not have won the tournament, but she and Michelle did stop another Team Rocket attack. More adventures lie ahead, so come back to see what happens next.
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Current Party:
Pikachu (Thunderbolt, Agility, Quick Attack, Double Kick, Mega Punch)
Pidgeotto (Peak, Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Wing Attack)
Squirtle (Water Gun, Withdraw, Bubble, Bite, Skull Bash)
Dratini (Leer, Wrap, Body Slam, Thunder Wave)
Clefairy (Metronome, Mega Punch, Sing, Pound, Double Slap)
Bellsprout (Stun Spore, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip)
At Lab:
Rattata (Bite, Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack)
Spearow (Peck, Fury Attack)
Magikarp (Splash, Tackle)
Butterfree (Sleep Powder, Wing Attack, Stun Spore, Confusion)
Zubat (Supersonic, Wing Attack)
Abra (Teleport)
Michelle's Current Party:
Eevee (Quick Attack, Swift, Tackle)
Electabuzz (Thunderbolt, Swift, Mega Punch, Seismic Toss, Body Slam)
Doduo (Tri Attack, Take Down, Double Edge)
Poliwag (Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble)
Ponyta (Ember, Stomp, Take Down, Fire Spin)
