Episode Fifteen
Last time, our heroes ran into a Gastly that liked to play tricks. But after convincing him to change his trick playing ways, they were invited for a one night stay over at the Pokemon Tower, that was hosted by Gastly, Haunter and Gengar. The stay was fun, and our heroes all got a new Pokemon each. Now, it's off to the next adventure.
Upon our heroes' arrival in Saffron City, they were impressed with the city's size.
"Look at all of these tall buildings!" Michelle cried out.
"They certainly do look very nice." Said Mark.
"What would be nicer is heading to the gym so I can have a match with this city's gym leader." Said Amanda.
"If you win here, I think you get a Marsh Badge." Said Michelle.
"That's right." Said Amanda. "Now that I have Haunter on my side, we should have no problem getting that badge."
"I wouldn't get too confident yet." Said Mark. "Psychic type Pokemon aren't easy to beat."
"Even though Haunter has the type advantage, it's not necessarily a guarantee." Said Michelle. "Remember what happened when we battled that Fearow kid a few days ago?"
"I remember very well." Said Amanda. "That Fearow was way stronger than we all thought, which was why Pikachu lost against it even though it had the type advantage."
"Exactly." Said Mark. "What we're trying to tell you, Amanda, is to not put all of your eggs in one basket."
"But if you're that confident, we can head to the gym right now." Said Michelle. It took a while to get there because of how big Saffron City was, but when they finally arrived, they found that the door was locked.
"It can't be closed!" Amanda cried. "I have to get in there so I can get a badge."
"There must be a reason why we can't go inside." Said Mark. Michelle then noticed a piece of paper that was taped to one of the doors.
"Maybe this note will tell us." She said and removed the paper from the door.
"What does the note say?" asked Amanda.
"It says 'Dear trainers: I'm sorry I can't have any battles today. I'm in another part of town for a Pokemon game show. I'll return to the gym tomorrow. Signed, Sabrina.' You know, I'm kind of curious about this game show now."
"Maybe Nurse Joy knows something." Said Mark, and they headed to the Pokemon Center. What they didn't know, however, was that Team Rocket was spying on them from nearby through their binoculars.
"So, the twerps are going to compete on a TV game show." Said Sally.
"Did you ever watch that kind of stuff growing up?" asked Conrad.
"No, but my parents did." Said Sally. "Every night, they would see which of them was smarter than the other. Of course, they would brag about it afterwards. They also forced me to watch the shows with them. I tried to tell them that I wasn't interested, but they wouldn't listen, so I had to sit with them as they watched. They always got excited whenever someone won a big prize, but I just sat there with my arms crossed angrily. 'Big deal.' I would say. 'They give away this kind of stuff all the time.' My mom would tell me to be quiet, and after that, I knew better than to give unnecessary comments if I wasn't interested."
"Your parents must've been huge game show nerds." Said Conrad.
"They were." Said Sally. "Then, as I got older, I slowly started to show an interest in the genre. So now, I want to compete on this myself."
"If you're doing it, so am I." said Conrad, and they disappeared so that the two of them could get themselves ready. Meanwhile, the trio arrived at the Pokémon Center, but couldn't find Nurse Joy anywhere.
"I wonder where she is." Said Michelle.
"Maybe she's in a back room." Said Amanda.
"We can't check there." Said Mark. "We're not allowed to look in that area unless we work here, which we don't. I know where we can go, though." They went to the center's cafeteria and found Joy taking a snack break.
"Nurse Joy, we need to ask you something." Amanda said.
"It's about this game show that's apparently going on here." Said Michelle.
"I guess you saw the note that Sabrina left at the gym." Said Joy. "They started taping this last week, so it's still relatively new. It's called the Pokemon Quiz Attack."
"That sounds interesting." Said Mark. "What kinds of questions do they ask?"
"Just about anything possible." Said Joy. "There's even the occasional word puzzle that needs to be solved. It's a very exciting experience, and if you win the whole thing, you get a Master Ball as a prize."
"That certainly sounds exciting to me." Said Mark.
"I wonder if Professor Oak knows anything about this." Said Michelle.
"Let's call him and ask." Said Amanda.
"Oh, one more quick thing." Said Joy. "If you want a chance to compete, I suggest getting over there as soon as possible."
"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Said Amanda. They went back to the lobby and dialed Professor Oak's number. Amanda told him about what Nurse Joy had said to them.
"A game show, huh? That sure sounds fun." He said.
"You know about this too, Professor?" asked Amanda.
"Of course." Said Oak. "It's the hottest new thing on television, so of course everyone's talking about it. I've even seen the show myself, and I think it's quite interesting."
"You know, Professor, with your wide knowledge of Pokémon, you should complete." Said Mark. "I think you'd do quite well."
"I think so too, my boy." Said Oak. "As much as I'd like to do it, all the work I have to take care of here unfortunately prevents me from coming out there to participate. You three have fun, though."
"We will." Said Amanda, and the call ended.
"I think it's time that we make our way over to the show." Said Mark. "If we get there too late, we might not get a chance to play."
"Speaking of that, I'm not entirely sure that I want to do it." Said Michelle.
"Eevee?" Eevee asked, which meant 'Why not?'
"Well, there's a good chance that this is going to be taped, right?" Michelle wondered.
"A lot of game shows are taped." Said Mark.
"So, what's the problem then?" asked Amanda.
"I haven't told any of you this, but I'm a little camera shy." Said Michelle.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'What does that mean?'
"It means she doesn't like being on screen." Mark whispered to Pikachu.
"I'll tell you what, Michelle." Said Amanda. "You can just watch from the audience, and Mark and I will compete."
"That'll work a lot better." Said Michelle.
"Well, off we go guys." Said Amanda. They left the center and made their way down the street. They passed lots of houses and buildings, but none of them were the location they were looking for. Then, they spotted a building in the center of the city that was much bigger than the other ones they had seen.
"That has to be the one." Said Mark. Sure enough, they saw a sign on the door that read 'Game show registration inside.'
"This is it all right." Said Amanda. "Come on, let's go get ourselves registered." They made their way inside the building and saw a huge crowd of people.
"Wow, looks like this is more popular than I thought it would be." Said Amanda.
"Well, Professor Oak did say that it was the hottest new thing, so of course the interest level is going to be high." Said Michelle. Fortunately, there were multiple lines to handle the high volume of applicants.
"This one looks like it's the least crowded." Said Mark, pointing out a line on the far left.
"That's certainly comforting." Said Michelle. After a twenty minute wait, the trio finally got to the front of the line.
"Hi, are you three here for Pokémon Quiz Attack?" asked the gentleman at the counter.
"We sure are." Said Mark.
"Well then, I'll need the three of you to fill out these forms." Said the man. "It's not anything to complicated. All I need is your name, where you're from and what your favorite Pokemon is."
"Uh sir, I'm just here to watch. Is that okay?" Michelle wondered.
"Of course." Said the man. "Not everybody that comes chooses to play."
"Well then, that means more chances for us." Said Mark. He and Amanda filled out their forms with the required information and gave them back when they were finished.
"Very good." Said the gentleman. "Once all forms have been processed, we will call out the lucky three that will get to participate today." He led them over to the waiting area where all three of them sat down.
"I hope I get to play." Said Amanda.
"I hope so too." Said Mark.
"If you want my opinion, I think there's a high likelihood of both of you getting picked." Said a woman's voice.
"Who said that?" wondered Mark.
"I did." Said the voice. "Look behind you." They turned around and saw a woman wearing a white shirt, red coat and black pants.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, miss." Said Amanda.
"No problem." Said the woman. "My name's Sabrina."
"It's nice meeting you, Sabrina." Said Michelle. Both Pikachu and Eevee gave Sabrina a warm introduction as well.
"These two are some of the most adorable Pokemon that I've ever seen." Said Sabrina. "You know, I recall seeing another Pikachu almost exactly like this one. If I recall, it belongs to a trainer named Ash Ketchum. I'm sure you've heard of him."
"We have." Said Michelle. "We even talked to him on the phone when we were in Vermillion City."
"I guess that's why you're not as frightening as I thought you'd be." Said Mark.
"I used to be." Said Sabrina. "But last year, when Ash battled me for my badge, he and the Haunter he had with him showed me how wrong I was to abuse my psychic abilities. Now, I only use those abilities in a good way instead of scaring people with them."
"Ash certainly showed you a thing or two then, didn't he?" said Michelle.
"He certainly did." Said Sabrina.
"You mentioned something about a Haunter earlier." Said Amanda. "It just so happens that I caught one not too long ago."
"That's very good." Said Sabrina. Just then, the loudspeaker came on.
"Attention potential contestants. The registration area is now closed. Please stand by in the waiting area." Said the voice.
"I guess that means they'll be choosing names soon." Said Amanda. She and Mark were both a bit anxious, as they both wondered whether or not they would get chosen. Thirty minutes later, the three names appeared on the screen.
"I see my name up at the top!" Amanda cried.
"Look, there's mine in the middle." Said Mark.
"It appears that I will be joining the two of you as well." Said Sabrina. Her name was shown very clearly at the bottom of the screen. Five minutes later, the same man from registration came up to them.
"Would the three selected contestants follow me to the stage please." He said.
"Come on, Pikachu." Said Amanda. However, the man shook his head.
"I'm sorry miss, but your Pokémon aren't allowed to be on the stage during the show." He said. "I'll have to ask you to put him in a Poke Ball and leave it with me, along with any other Pokemon you have on you."
"I would, but Pikachu prefers being with me." Said Amanda.
"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded in response, which meant 'That's right.'
"Very well, but he still isn't allowed to be on the set." Said the gentleman.
"Sir, since I'm not competing, may I watch Amanda's Pikachu for her?" asked Michelle.
"Yes you may." Said the gentleman. Pikachu ran over to Michelle and fist pumped her.
"Now you be good for Michelle and do whatever she says." Amanda told her partner.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a thumbs up, which meant 'Got it.' Amanda and Mark handed their Poké Balls over.
"You'll get them back when the show is over." Said the gentleman, and he led Mark, Amanda and Sabrina onto the stage.
"We'll watch from out here, okay?" Michelle said to Pikachu. The little mouse nodded.
"Pikachu." He said, which meant 'I hope Amanda does well.'
"I'm sure she'll do just fine." Said Michelle. Meanwhile, an argument was ensuing over by the registration line.
"What do you mean we can't sign up?" Sally asked in an angry tone.
"I'm very sorry, but the registration process closed about thirty-five minutes ago." Said the lady. "I can't do anything at this point. If you wanted to play that badly, you should've gotten here much earlier."
"My friend and I were busy earlier." Sally protested.
"Well then, that's your problem." Said the lady. "If you're still interested, then come back next week."
"I can't wait until then. I want in now!" Sally demanded.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing else I can do." Said the lady. "If you still want to watch, you can go into the audience area. Otherwise, I'll have to ask you to leave." Sally attempted to speak again, but the lady gave her a look that meant don't push your luck. Reluctantly, both Sally and Conrad left the building.
"Well, what'll we do now?" asked Conrad.
"There has to be a back way inside." Said Sally. "If we can sneak in, then we can steal the prize that they're supposed to give the winner."
"Do you even know what the prize is?" said Conrad.
"I don't." said Sally. "I know how we can find out, though." She took out two portable television sets and put them onto the station that would be airing the show. On the stage, Amanda was feeling nervous.
"I've never been on TV before. What if I mess something up?" she asked.
"Relax, you'll do just fine." Said Mark.
"Your friend here is right." Said Sabrina. "I predict that you'll do extremely well."
"I hope you're right." Said Amanda. Just then, the lights came on and the show's theme started playing.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the hottest new show on television, Pokemon Quiz Attack. And here's the Pokemon Master himself, Lance Proton!" Lance walked onto the stage to a tremendous applause.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to today's edition of Pokemon Quiz Attack." Said Lance. "I have a feeling that today's show is going to be very exciting, but first, let's meet our three players for today. First, we have the lovely Amanda."
"Hello, Lance, it's great to be here." Said Amanda.
"Tell the people watching a bit about you and who your favorite Pokemon is." Said Lance.
"I'm from Fuchsia City, and my favorite Pokemon is Pikachu." Said Amanda. Out in the audience area, Pikachu got excited when he heard his name mentioned and clapped his hands together.
"Settle down there, buddy." Said Michelle.
"How many Pokemon do you have in your possession right now?" asked Lance.
"I have fourteen." Said Amanda.
"Impressive." Said Lance. "Best of luck to you today. Our second contestant here is Mark."
"Hi, Lance." Said Mark. "I've always wanted to meet somebody like you."
"I'm glad we could fulfill that." Said Lance. "How do you think you'll do today?"
"I'm just hoping to do the best that I can." Said Mark.
"That's the spirit." Said Lance. "Finally, we have Saffron City's own, gym leader Sabrina."
"Hello, Lance." Said Sabrina. "I sense that today's show is going to be quite exciting."
"That's what I'm hoping." Said Lance. "The one of you who comes away as today's champion will receive the holy grail of Poke Balls, the Master Ball!" This got the players and audience very excited. Outside, Sally and Conrad got a bit excited too.
"A Master Ball, huh? Those things are more rare than a shiny Pokemon." Said Sally.
"We'll show them a thing or two for not letting us in just because we were a little late." Said Conrad, and they started plotting. Inside the studio, Lance started explaining the rules.
"We will be testing your knowledge of Pokemon over the course of three rounds." He said. "The first round will consist of straight forward trivia, and only the player who rings in will have a chance to answer. If you're correct, you earn one hundred points. If you're wrong, then don't worry because there's no penalties for incorrect answers. If all of you are ready, then let's begin. First question is true or false. Pikachu is considered a starter." Amanda hit her buzzer.
"True." She said.
"Correct." Said Lance. "You get the first hundred points and here's the next question. How many different Pokemon can Eevee evolve into?" Mark rang his buzzer this time.
"Three." He answered.
"Right." Said Lance. "Depending on what stone you use, Eevee can change into Flareon, Jolteon or Vaporeon. Question number three coming up. How many types of Pokemon current exist?" Sabrina hit her buzzer.
"Fifteen." She said.
"Correct." Said Lance. "Question number four. What three types usually consist of the starter Pokemon?" Amanda rang in.
"Grass, water, fire." She said confidently.
"You're right." Said Lance. "In the case of Kanto, which is where we are now, your starter choices would be Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander."
"I have both Bulbasaur and Charmander." Said Mark.
"And I have a Squirtle." Said Amanda.
"So you two managed to get all three starters." Said Lance. "Not many trainers can say that they've done that, so I'm very impressed that you were able to do it. Here's question number five. What effect does Thunder Wave have?" Amanda rang in.
"I believe it paralyzes your opponent." She said.
"That's right." Said Lance. "Once a Pokemon is paralyzed, regardless of which move it is, they may not be able to make a move. Question number six. What is the fully evolved form of Dratini?" Mark rang in.
"Dragonair?" he guessed.
"Oh, you're very close, but the correct answer is Dragonite." Said Lance. "I should know because I have one. Question number seven. Which Pokemon is the only one that can devolve?" This question stumped Mark, Sabrina and Amanda, and so none of them rang in. After five seconds, a buzzer went off.
"The correct answer is Slowbro." Said Lance. "Usually, when a Shellder latches onto a Slowpoke's tail, it triggers the evolution of Slowpoke to Slowbro. But if the Shellder is removed at any point, Slowbro will revert back to its original form."
"I actually didn't know that." Said Amanda.
"Now you'll have that information ingrained into your memory banks." Said Lance. "Question number eight. Which of these legendary Pokemon is NOT a bird? Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos or Mewtwo." Amanda was about to ring her buzzer, but Sabrina beat her to it.
"Mewtwo." She said.
"That's right." Said Lance. "Question number nine. What effect does a rare candy have?" Mark rang in.
"It levels your Pokemon up." He said.
"Yes." Said Lance. "Specifically, it increases their level by one. Question number ten. If you come across a Snorlax in the middle of the road and it's sleeping, how would you wake it up?" Mark buzzed in again.
"You give it food?" he guessed.
"No." said Lance. "You would wake it up by using a Poke Flute. And at the halfway point of this round, Amanda is currently in the lead with three hundred points, Mark and Sabrina each have two hundred points. All three of you are doing well so far, but we'll give the three of you a chance to breather for a bit as we go to a break. More of Pokemon Quiz Attack after this." The lights went off, and Amanda breathed a sigh of relief.
"I think I'm a little less nervous now." She said. In the audience area, Michelle and Pikachu were both very happy with how things were going.
"Amanda's doing well so far." Said Michelle.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'I hope she wins.'
"I hope so too, buddy." Said Michelle. Mark was feeling a little pressure on him.
"I'm not sure if my mom's watching." He said.
"With how popular this show is right now, I guarantee that there are plenty of people watching." Said Sabrina. Even Kangaskhan was watching back at Amanda's home.
"Maybe my girl will be a TV star someday." She thought. In the studio, it was almost time for the show to continue.
"Are you three just about ready to continue playing?" he asked.
"I think so." Said Amanda.
"All right." Said Lance, and he went back to his podium. After another thirty seconds, the lights came back on and the show resumed.
"Welcome back to Pokemon Quiz Attack." Said Lance. "Before we proceed, I want to find out some additional information about some of our players. Amanda, at the beginning of the show, you said that Pikachu is your favorite Pokemon. Why is that so?"
"Pikachu was the very first Pokemon I ever met." Said Amanda. "He and I have been best friends ever since I was a very little girl. He loves me and I love him. It's because of that bond that I decided to start my journey with Pikachu instead of one of the usual starters."
"It seems to me like you and your Pikachu have an electrifying friendship together." Said Lance.
"We certainly do." Said Amanda.
"We wish you well over the rest of the game." Said Lance. "Now Sabrina, how did you become the leader of this city's gym?"
"When I was little, I was born with psychic abilities that were more powerful than even the strongest Pokemon in the world." Said Sabrina. "Those abilities helped me defeat the dojo that we used to have here, and from that moment onward, I have served proudly as the city's official gym leader."
"You've been doing a very good job as the gym leader in my opinion." Said Lance. "You're also doing well in the game so far, so keep it up. Now then players, in the second half of round one, we're going to switch up the question style a little bit. I'm going to give a Pokedex number, and you have to tell me which Pokémon belongs to that number. Again, there's no penalty for a wrong answer. Unlike the first half of the round, an incorrect guess will give one of the other players a chance to buzz in. Good luck, and let's proceed with more Pokemon Quiz Attack. Okay contestants, to start off this half of the round, which Pokemon is number three in the Pokedex?" Amanda hit her buzzer.
"Would that be Venusaur?" she asked.
"It is indeed Venusaur." Said Lance. "For the next question, I need you to tell me which Pokemon is number twenty-five in the Pokedex." Amanda hit her buzzer again.
"That has to be Pikachu." She said.
"And that is absolutely correct." Said Lance. In the audience area outside, Pikachu gave a cheer.
"You would've been upset if she'd gotten that wrong, wouldn't you?" asked Michelle.
"Pikachu." Pikachu answered, which meant 'Just a little bit.'
"Next question." Said Lance. "Which Pokémon has a Pokedex number of one hundred and twenty three?" Amanda hit her buzzer again.
"Oh dear, I don't think I know." She said.
"Just take a guess." Said Lance.
"Jynx?" Amanda asked hopefully.
"I'm sorry, that's not right." Said Lance. Mark rang in.
"Scyther?" he guessed.
"That's the one we're looking for." Said Lance. "Okay, which Pokemon would you find in your Pokedex with a number of one hundred and twelve?" Sabrina rang in.
"Rhydon." She said.
"Yes." Said Lance. "Here's another fun fact for the three of you. Rhydon was one of the first Pokemon to ever be discovered."
"Then why does it have a later number instead of an earlier one?" Mark asked.
"I'm actually not too sure." Said Lance. "Anyway, here's the next question. Which Pokemon has the number sixty in the Pokedex?" Mark rang in.
"Poliwag?" he responded.
"Correct." Said Lance. "Next question. Which Pokémon would you find at number one hundred and thirty-two?" Amanda rang in.
"Ditto." She said.
"Correct." Said Lance. "Next question is this. Which Pokemon has the number one hundred and twenty in the Pokedex?" Amanda rang in.
"Magikarp?" she said.
"Right type, but wrong Pokemon." Said Lance. Mark rang in.
"Vaporeon?" he guessed.
"No, that's also wrong." He said. Sabrina rang in.
"Staryu." She said.
"Staryu is correct." Said Lance. "Three questions remain in this round, and here's the next one. Which Pokemon has a Pokedex number of one hundred and thirty-seven?" None of the three players knew which Pokemon it was, so the buzzer went off after five seconds.
"We were looking for Porygon." Said Lance.
"I don't think I've ever seen that one." Said Amanda.
"Very few people have been able to see it, which makes it very rare." Said Lance. "Next question, players. Which Pokemon has the number twenty-four?" Mark rang in.
"Arbok." He answered.
"That is correct." Said Lance. "Now for the last question in this round. Which Pokemon can be found at the very end of the Pokedex at number one hundred and fifty?" Sabrina rang in.
"Mewtwo." Said Sabrina.
"You're correct, and that concludes our first round." Said Lance. "Here's where we sit in terms of scores. Mark and Sabrina are neck and neck with five hundred points each, but it's Amanda who retains the lead with six hundred points. We'll see what happens in round two after this." The lights went off again, and the show went to another commercial break.
"This is a very exciting game so far." Said Amanda.
"I would have to agree." Said Lance. "The person that won last week completely dominated the competition and didn't give the others much of a chance. You three seem to be on equal footing, though, and that's what an audience likes." Outside, Conrad and Sally were at a back door.
"Since they're at a break, we have to be quick about this." Said Sally. She tried to open the door normally, but it was locked. She then tried to force the door open, but it still wouldn't budge.
"You're doing it all wrong." Said Conrad. "Let me try." He tugged and pulled at the door, but it still wouldn't open.
"Maybe if we try together." Said Sally. They both yanked on the door handle as hard as they could, until the door finally opened.
"Grand prize, here we come." Said Sally. But before either of them could take another step, a security guard blocked their way.
"And what do you two think you're doing here?" he asked. Both Conrad and Sally stammered out an excuse, but the guard wasn't buying it.
"You both know the rules. Only contestants are allowed in here. Let's go." He picked both of them up and threw them into an open grass area. The guard went back to his post and closed the door. Amanda and Mark both heard the commotion and sighed.
"Those two just never seem to give up." Said Amanda.
"Who were those two weirdos?" Sabrina asked.
"They're Team Rocket." Mark said. "They always have some sort of plan."
"My psychic sense tells me that they were going to steal the Master Ball." Said Sabrina.
"Fortunately, the security guard by the door made sure that they wouldn't succeed." Said Lance. "Otherwise, we would've had a huge problem."
"Ten seconds until we come back, Lance." Said the producer.
"I wonder what they're going to have us do for the next round." Said Mark.
"I guess we'll find out shortly." Said Amanda. The lights came back on and the show continued again.
"It's time now to proceed with Pokemon Quiz Attack. Amanda still has a one hundred point lead over the other two players, but in this next round, we increase the point value to two hundred. Just like in round one, you won't be penalized if you give me a wrong answer. This round is a little something that we call Who's That Pokemon? I'll show a silhouette of a Pokemon on the video screens on your podiums as well as three answer choices. You'll lock in your choices with your buzzer and then once I call on you, you'll tell me your answers. Whoever is correct will earn the points. Good luck to all three of you, and here is the first Pokemon for you three to figure out." A silhouette image of a fire type with a flame tail appeared on the screens.
"This looks like a tough one to start." Amanda thought. She and Mark both locked in their answers, but Sabrina took a little more time. She then locked in her answer just as the buzzer went off.
"All right, let's see what answers you came up with." Said Lance. "Amanda, what did you say?"
"I said Ponyta." Said Amanda.
"Not a bad guess." Said Lance. "Mark, what did you say?"
"I said Charmander." Said Mark.
"And how about you, Sabrina?" asked Lance.
"I said Rapidash." Said Sabrina.
"Three different answers, which means that only one of you is correct." Said Lance. "The right answer is Charmander, so Mark gets the points." Mark smiled but didn't gloat because he didn't want to anger Amanda.
"Okay, here's your next Pokemon." Said Lance. A silhouette image of a small normal type appeared on the screens, and Amanda wasted no time locking in her choice. Mark and Sabrina both locked in their answers as well, and then Lance spoke again.
"Let's see your choices this time." He said. "Amanda, your answer please."
"I went with Ditto." Said Amanda.
"Mark, what was your answer?" said Lance.
"Ditto also." Said Mark.
"Finally, miss Sabrina." Said Lance.
"I went with Ditto." Said Sabrina.
"And this time, all of you are correct!" cried Lance. That means two hundred points for all of you, and here's the next silhouette." A silhouette of a flying type showed up on the screens, and Amanda was a little stumped at first. She did finally lock in her answer after about ten seconds, along with Mark and Sabrina.
"All right, let's see if any of you were able to identify this Pokemon. Amanda, what did you say?"
"I said Pidgey." Said Amanda.
"How about you, Mark?" asked Lance.
"I said Spearow." Said Mark.
"And what was Sabrina's answer?" Lance wondered.
"I also said Spearow." Said Sabrina.
"Spearow is the correct answer." Said Lance. "Mark and Sabrina both pick up the points there, and here is Pokemon number four." A silhouette of a Pokemon in a circular shape showed up on the screens.
"I'm not sure about this one." Amanda thought. She looked at the three answer choices and let out a sigh.
"It could literally be any of these." She thought. She locked in her choice, as did Mark and Sabrina. Then, Lance started the answer checking process.
"Amanda, what answer did you give?" he asked.
"I said Jigglypuff." Said Amanda.
"Mark, your answer please." Said Lance.
"I went with Voltorb." Said Mark.
"And now for your answer, Sabrina." Said Lance.
"I said Electrode." Sabrina answered.
"One of you has the correct answer, and it is Amanda with her answer of Jigglypuff." Said Lance. "Here is Pokemon number five." A silhouette of a flying type with large wings appeared on the screens.
"I wonder what this one could be." Amanda thought. She chose her answer, and a few seconds later, Mark and Sabrina chose their answers as well.
"Okay, let's see what you chose this time." Said Lance. "Amanda, what was your answer?"
"I chose Pidgeot." Said Amanda.
"Mark, what was your answer?" asked Lance.
"I also said Pidgeot." Said Mark.
"Sabrina, your answer." Said Lance.
"I picked Pidgeot as well." Said Sabrina.
"All of you are correct." Said Lance. "At the halfway point of this round, we have Mark in first place at thirteen hundred points, Amanda at twelve hundred and Sabrina at eleven hundred. We'll get into the second half of the round right now with this next image." A silhouette of a Pokemon with some stripes appeared. Amanda, Mark and Sabrina locked in their answers relatively quickly.
"Fast button presses there lead me to believe that all of you have this." Said Lance. "We shall see if I'm correct. Amanda, what answer did you give?"
"I said Beedrill." Said Amanda.
"Mark, what was your guess?" asked Lance.
"I also went with Beedrill." Said Mark.
"And how about Sabrina?" Lance pondered.
"I also said Beedrill." Said Sabrina.
"I guess those quick buzzers meant something after all because the three of you are correct." Said Lance. "Here's the next image." A silhouette of a Pokemon showing some fierce teeth showed up. Amanda, Mark and Sabrina thought for a few seconds before locking in their answers.
"Okay Amanda, let's see what you chose." Said Lance.
"I went with Raticate." Said Amanda.
"Mark, your answer." Said Lance.
"I chose Gyrados." Said Mark.
"Sabrina, your answer." Said Lance.
"I also said Raticate." Said Sabrina.
"The answer we needed is Gyrados." Said Lance. "Here's the next image to identify." A silhouette of a Pokemon with webbed feet appeared on the screens, and Amanda had to do a bit of thinking again. She put in her answer, along with Mark and Sabrina, and Lance started checking again.
"Okay Amanda, what did you choose?" he asked.
"I said Poliwag." Said Amanda.
"Mark, what was your answer?" asked Lance.
"I said Psyduck." Said Mark.
"Sabrina, what was your answer?" asked Lance.
"I said Psyduck.
"The answer is Psyduck." Said Lance. "Good job Mark and Sabrina, and here is your next image." This time, a silhouette of a Pokemon with its tongue sticking out showed on the screens.
"I'm not sure if I've seen this one either." Amanda thought. She took about ten seconds before locking in her answer, which was also the same moment Mark and Sabrina locked in their answers.
"I was getting a bit worried there for a moment." Said Lance. "But let's see how you did. Amanda, what did you say?"
"I went with Lickitung." Said Amanda.
"What did you guess, Mark?" said Lance.
"I also said Lickitung." Said Mark.
"And finally, Sabrina." Said Lance.
"I chose Lickitung." Said Sabrina.
"Lickitung is the correct answer." Said Lance. "One more image to go, so let's see how you do with it." The last silhouette showed a Pokemon with leaves for arms. Amanda pondered, and then choose her answer. Mark and Sabrina chose their answers as well, and then lance started checking.
"All right, let's see how you did with this one." Said Lance. "Amanda, what did you guess for this last one?"
"I said Bellsprout." Said Amanda.
"Mark, what did you say?" asked Lance.
"I went with Weepinbell." Said Mark.
"Finally, Sabrina's answer." Said Lance.
"I went with Victreebell." Said Sabrina.
"The answer is Weepinbell." Said Lance. "That means at the end of this round, the scores stand as follows. Amanda has sixteen hundred points, Mark has twenty-three hundred points, and Sabrina has seventeen hundred points. It is still very much anyone's game, however, as we head to our final question. On this question, you get to decide how many of your points you want to put at risk. You can wager as little as a hundred or as much as what you have. Whoever has the most points after this will be today's winner. Here's how the final will work. I'll give a Pokedex entry on a Pokemon as well as one additional hint, and you will have to guess the Pokemon from there." Amanda, Mark, and Sabrina both wrote down their wagers on the tablets in front of them.
"Okay, here is the final question." Said Lance. "The Pokemon that I'm looking for is a dual rock and flying type. This Pokemon died out during ancient times but was resurrected using DNA taken from amber. This Pokemon does not evolve. Taking all of that information into account, write your answers down as fast as you can." Amanda, Mark and Sabrina all had to think for a bit, but they wrote down their answers with confidence.
"All right, we'll begin with Amanda since she was in third place going into this round." Said Lance. "First off, what was your answer?"
"I said Aerodactyl." Replied Amanda.
"And that is correct." Said Lance. "How much did you risk?"
"I wagered fourteen hundred points." Said Amanda.
"That brings you up to three thousand." Said Lance. "You have the lead for now, but let's see what Sabrina said."
"I also said Aerodactyl." Said Sabrina.
"We know that you're right, but how much did you risk?" said Lance.
"I wagered a thousand points." Said Sabrina.
"You now have twenty-seven hundred, but that's not enough for the lead." Said Lance. "Mark, everything hinges on you. What was your answer?"
"I said Aerodactyl as well." Said Mark.
"You're correct, of course, and unless you wagered more than seven hundred points, you'll win the game. What was your wager?"
"I bet twenty-two hundred points." Said Mark.
"A big wager, but it pays off because your new total of forty-five hundred points makes you today's winner!" cried Lance. "Stand by for your bonus round in a moment. Amanda and Sabrina, you both put in a really good effort today, but Mark got hot at the end. I hope you had fun with us."
"I had a lot of fun, Lance. Thank you very much." Said Amanda.
"You're very welcome." Said Lance. "Sabrina, we have some nice things for you backstage as well. When we return, Mark will try his hand at the bonus round." The lights went off, and Sabrina and Amanda were escorted back outside to the audience area.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'How did you do?'
"I lost." Said Amanda. "I had fun, though."
"Pikachu." Pikachu agreed, which meant 'Having fun is what counts the most.'
"I'll admit, you did a lot better than how I would've done." Said Michelle.
"What do you mean?" asked Amanda.
"I probably would've tensed up and not done as well." Said Michelle.
"I hope Mark wins the bonus round." Said Amanda.
"So do I." said Michelle. In the studio, Mark was trying to stay calm.
"I've never really won anything in my life before." He said to Lance.
"There's always first times for everything, son." Lance said. A minute later, the lights came back on.
"We're back to conclude this edition of Pokemon Quiz Attack, and I'm here with today's winner, Mark. Son, how do you feel after becoming the champion?" Lance asked.
"I'll feel even better if I can conquer the bonus board." Said Mark.
"Let's hope that you do." Said Lance. "For this bonus round, there will be sixteen squares on the board. What you want to do is find five moves that are super effective against the gym leader and their respective Pokemon that you'll see. Each time you find a move that is not as effective, you'll earn a strike. Three strikes and your round is over. Do you have any questions?"
"No." said Mark.
"In that case, we will begin." Said Lance. "First, let's show the gym leader and their Pokemon." A picture of Blaine and his Magmar showed up on the screen. "And now, I will ask you to select a number."
"Let's start with seven." Said Mark. Square number seven revealed.
"Water Gun, that's one." Said Lance.
"Number two." Said Mark. Square two revealed.
"Vine Whip, no good." Said Lance.
"Number ten." Mark said. Number ten revealed.
"Hydro Pump, that's two." Said Lance.
"Number thirteen." Said mark. Number thirteen revealed.
"Bubblebeam, that's three." Said Lance.
"Number nine." Said Mark. Number nine revealed.
"Razor Leaf, no good." Said Lance.
"Number eleven." Said Mark. Number eleven revealed.
"Rock Throw, that's four." Said Lance. "This is it, son."
"Number five." Said Mark. Number five revealed.
"Ice Beam, no good." Said Lance. A buzzer went off to indicate the loss. "Very sorry about that, Mark. However, you do get a Master Ball for winning the main game, and that's not bad." Lance presented Mark with the Master Ball.
"Thank you very much, sir." Said Mark.
"You're quite welcome." Said Lance. "That does it for our time today, but we'll have three new people try their hand at Pokemon Quiz Attack on the next show. See you then, folks." The lights went off again, and Mark left the studio with his prize.
"Well, I couldn't win the bonus round, but that was still a really fun game." Said Mark, and the three of them left the building.
"What are you going to do with the Master Ball that you won?" asked Amanda.
"I'm not sure." Said Mark. "I know I'll need to think carefully, because I don't want to waste this."
"Yeah, that wouldn't be good." Said Michelle, and the three of them happily made their way down the street. Meanwhile, team Rocket was sulking over their latest failure.
"I hate when those kids get the best of us." Said Conrad.
"We'll just have to plan better so that we can finally get our hands on both Pikachu and Eevee." Said Sally.
"Maybe it would've helped if we hadn't gotten thrown out of that game show." Said Conrad.
"Team Rocket's feeling left out again." Said both Conrad and Sally together.
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Squirtle, Dratini, Clefairy, Nidoran Male
Michelle's Party: Eevee, Electabuzz, Doduo, Poliwag, Ponyta, Nidoran Female
Mark's Party: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Diglett, Gastly
Amanda's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Rattata, Spearow, Magikarp, Butterfree, Zubat, Abra, Tentacruel, Haunter
Michelle's Spare Pokemon in Storage: Gengar