Episode Eighteen
Last time, Amanda's Spearow was taken away by the wild Fearow, as it was under the assumption that it was identical to the baby Spearow that the Fearow had lost. But through careful convincing, and trying to refresh Spearow's memory a bit, it evolved into a Fearow itself, and the wild Fearow had to let go. The wild Fearow then apologized to Amanda and her friends and wished them well on their adventure. The road lies open for our heroes as their journey continues on.
Today, we find our young trio still en route towards Celadon City. Pikachu and Eevee were happily walking side by side with each other when Pikachu saw something that looked interesting.
"Pikachu!" it cried, which meant 'Check this out!'
"I wonder what Pikachu found." Said Amanda.
"I wonder the same thing myself." Said Michelle.
"Let's have a look." Said Mark. Amanda, Mark, Michelle, Pikachu, and Eevee all ran toward what the little electric mouse was talking about. Much to their surprise, they found a stage that was in the process of being set up.
"It's very odd to see a stage being built in the middle of nowhere like this." Said Amanda.
"Normally, you'd see these in performing centers." Said Michelle.
"I wonder whose stage this is, anyway." Said Mark.
"That would be mine." Said a voice from the side. The trio turned around and saw the person who had spoken.
"Eevee?" Eevee pondered, which meant 'Who are you?'
"My name's Abby. I'm a magician." The girl said.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'What does a magician do?'
"A magician performs magic tricks and other cool things." Amanda explained.
"Well, that's what they're supposed to do." Said Abby. "However, I haven't been able to get anything right. Just watch this." She took her magic wand out and waved it to try and make some flowers appear, but nothing happened.
"See, I can't even do the most basic of tricks." Abby said dejectedly. "How am I ever going to perform my act in front of big audiences when I can't get a single trick to work?" And then, she started crying.
"I know we just met her, but I already feel sorry for her." Amanda whispered to Michelle.
"Same here." Said Michelle.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'Why is she crying?'
"She's just upset because no matter what she does to perfect her act, it's not working." Said Mark.
"I say we help her out." Said Amanda suggested. Mark and Michelle agreed, and Amanda went over to console the girl.
"Cheer up, Abby." She said. "Nobody's perfect."
"Who asked for your opinion?" said Abby flatly.
"Nobody, but I want to try and help you." Said Amanda. "First off, let's compare performing magic to Pokemon battling. Not everyone's good with battles at first, but the more they try, the better they get. It's the same thing with magic. You're not going to get every trick right the first time, but if you really work at it, you can perfect your act so that your tricks will be really good. Now, let's see if I can make those tears of yours disappear. Can I borrow your wand for a second?" Abby sadly nodded and gave the wand to Amanda.
"I wonder what kind of spell I could use." Amanda said. She thought for a second before coming up with a solution. She waved the wand and started saying the spell. "On this beautiful sunny day, make our new friend's tears go away!" She pointed the wand at Abby, and she suddenly stopped crying. Her tears were no longer visible either.
"Hey, it worked!" Amanda cried. She gave the wand back to Abby and asked. "Do you feel better now?"
"A little bit." Said Abby.
"If I can do a simple magic trick, then so can you." Said Amanda. "Try doing the flower trick again." Abby tried waving her wand, but once again, nothing happened.
"I can't do it!" Abby cried. "I know I can't!" That was when Michelle decided to give her opinion.
"You can, and you will." She said. "To me, it sounds like you're ready to give up and quit cold turkey, and we're not going to let you do that because quitting never gets you anywhere."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'Michelle has a point.'
"That's why we're all going to do our best to make sure that you get good at what you're trying to accomplish." Said Mark.
"I think what you need is a specific Pokemon to help you out with your magic tricks." Said Amanda.
"What type of Pokemon would possibly fit that qualification?" Abby wondered.
"A psychic type would be my best guess." Said Mark.
"Well then, let's go find one." Said Michelle, and off they went. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally were sitting on a branch at the top of a nearby tree watching them with their binoculars.
"Looks like those kids found a magician." Said Sally.
"And one that's not very good either." Said Conrad.
"How would you know?" Sally asked.
"I saw that kid crying her eyes out after failing at her flower trick." Conrad answered.
"If you were watching her, then why didn't you say anything?" said Sally.
"She was already upset as it is, and I didn't want to make things worse." Conrad countered.
"Good point." Said Sally. "When those kids get back, we have plenty of tricks in store for them."
"What kind of tricks?" Conrad wondered.
"Oh, mainly the one where we steal both Pikachu and Eevee." Said Sally. "Come on, time to conjure up some spells." They got down from the tree and Sally started walking away.
"While we're conjuring, do you think I could get a burger and fries somewhere around here?" Sally growled and gave him a light smack.
"Ow!" Conrad cried. Sally dragged him away with her.
"Let's go." She ordered. Michelle, Amanda, Mark, and Abby reached a small forest that had a bit of a darker background.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said in a slightly frightened tone, which meant 'This place is a little scary.'
"We shouldn't be in here too long, buddy." Amanda reassured her partner. "We just need to find a psychic type Pokemon for Abby so that she can improve her magic skills."
"In a forest like this, chances are pretty high that we'll be able to find what you're looking for." Said Michelle.
"I hope you're right." Said Abby. They continued to search but couldn't find anything. After about twenty minutes, a wild Paras jumped out at them.
"I hate bug Pokemon." Abby said. "Please do something about that Paras."
"Don't worry, I've got you covered." Said Amanda, and she sent out her Nidoran.
"Poison Sting." Amanda called out. Nidoran shot sharp needles from its horn, all of which kept hitting Paras before it could do anything. Once the needle barrage was done, Paras fainted.
"Thanks, Amanda." Said Abby.
"No problem." Said Amanda. She recalled Nidoran and they continued on their way. Ten more minutes went by before encountering another Paras. Amanda once again sent Nidoran out to battle it, and just like the first time, a single Poison Sting knocked it out. Amanda recalled Nidoran again and they went down a different path.
"We're zero for two in finding what you want." Said Michelle.
"They say the third time's the charm, though." Said Mark. They kept walking, and after another fifteen minutes, they finally came across a Hypno.
"There you go, Abby." Said Amanda. "Hypno's a psychic type, so this could help you out."
"Do you have any Pokemon on you that can do well against Hypno?" Michelle asked. Abby nodded.
"I've got just the one." She said and threw a Poke Ball.
"I choose you, Charmeleon!" she cried. The fire type, which was a bit larger than Charmander, as well as a darker shade of red, appeared in a blaze of light. Amanda took out her Pokedex and aimed it at Charmeleon so she could scan it.
"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. Charmeleon mercilessly destroys its enemies using its sharp claws. If it gets into an excited state, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white color."
"With that kind of power, Charmeleon should be able to give Hypno a good fight." Mark said.
"Let's see what happens." Said Amanda. Abby readied herself and began the battle.
"Charmeleon, start with a Slash attack!" Abby ordered. Charmeleon used its claws to leave powerful scratch marks on Hypno's body. Hypno's eyes briefly glared blue and aimed at the fire type's claws.
"Go for another Slash." Abby ordered. Charmeleon readied himself again, but instead of attacking, it just stayed where it was.
"Why aren't you doing what I'm telling you to do?" Abby asked.
"Because Hypno used its Disable attack." Said Michelle. "That means the last attack your Charmeleon used, which was Slash, can't be performed for a little while."
"We'll have to do something else then." Said Abby. Hypno used its fist to pound Charmeleon and send it to the ground. The fire type was tough, though, and got back up immediately.
"Use your Flamethrower attack." Abby said. Charmeleon shot a line of fire right at Hypno, but it countered with Reflect to block the attack.
"That didn't work very well." Said Amanda. Hypno then powered up for a Mega Punch, but Charmeleon was able to get out of the way before the attack could land.
"Not only is her Charmeleon powerful but it's fast too." Said Amanda. Mark had his Charmander come out to watch the rest of the battle.
"I want you to take mental notes of all of this because you're going to be a Charmeleon yourself someday." Said Mark. On the field, Abby was in full concentration mode.
"Let's go, Charmeleon." She said. "Use your Leer attack." Charmeleon glared at Hypno and was able to lower its defense just a little bit. Hypno's eyes glared blue again, but this time Charmeleon felt it with his whole body.
"I wonder what that did." Said Michelle.
"We're about to find out." Said Abby. "Go for another Flamethrower!" Charmeleon got ready to shoot another line of fire at the psychic type, but instead, Charmeleon started bouncing up and down.
"Huh?" asked Abby.
"A jumping jack attack?" Amanda wondered.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'I'm puzzled too.' Abby sighed.
"Oh no. Charmeleon thinks it's a Magikarp." She said.
"Looks like that last attack Hypno used caused Charmeleon to get confused, which is why it's jumping so much." Said Mark.
"Pikachu pi." Pikachu said, which meant 'That's embarrassing.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed in agreement. Abby tried to get Charmeleon to snap out of its confusion.
"Listen to me, Charmeleon." She said. "You are NOT a Magikarp. So, stop hopping around like that and attack!" Charmeleon stopped jumping and opened up its mouth. It used Ember to do more damage, and then, a large, yellow ball with small red flames started forming.
"What's Charmeleon doing now?" Michelle wondered. Amanda took out her Pokedex to check.
"This attack is called Rage. It is one of Charmeleon's most powerful moves."
"Wow, that's pretty awesome!" Amanda cried.
"Okay Charmeleon, unleash that Rage attack!" Abby ordered. Charmeleon sent the huge ball of fire right at the Hypno, which did major damage upon hitting it.
"Finish it with Mega Punch." Abby called. Charmeleon moved its fist backward, and then gave Hypno a powerful punch that sent it to the ground completely knocked out. Abby fired a Poke Ball at Hypno, and the psychic type got sucked inside. The ball wiggled for a bit, with all four trainers looking on to see if the catch would be successful. A few seconds later, the ball stopped wiggling and dinged, which meant a successful catch.
"We just scored ourselves a Hypno!" cried Abby as she picked up the ball. Charmeleon struck a victory pose.
"Well done, Abby." Said Amanda.
"Great catch." Said Mark, who recalled Charmander.
"Thanks, guys." Said Abby, and she recalled Charmeleon. "Now that Hypno's on my side, I should be able to perfect my act."
"Let's get back to that stage area so you can do a bit of practice, just to make sure." Said Michelle.
"Good idea." Said Mark. The group made their way out of the forest, but when they got back to the stage, they were in for a surprise. Conrad and Sally were already there, and they were dressed in special costumes.
"Welcome to our special magic show." Sally said in a cheerful voice.
"Our show is unique in which all of our tricks involve the audience's Pokemon." Said Conrad.
"I've never heard of that kind of show." Said Amanda.
"My act is supposed to be just generic tricks, without any Pokemon involvement except for my own." Said Abby.
"I guess that's what makes these two different." Said Michelle.
"That's correct, young lady." Said Conrad.
"Now, if you'll take your seats, we can begin the show." Said Sally. Abby, Michelle, Mark, and Amanda all sat on the ground and the show began.
"Welcome one and all to our special show." Said Sally. "We perform our magic with a bit of a twist, and my partner here will explain."
"All of the tricks that you see today involve Pokemon that belong to the audience." Said Conrad.
"For our first act, I'm looking for two certain Pokemon." Said Sally. She looked around the whole audience and zoned in on Pikachu and Eevee.
"You two will do very nicely." Sally said. "Please come up to the stage."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said nervously, which meant 'I don't know about this.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed with the same hint of nervousness, which meant 'I feel the same way right now, Pikachu.'
"Relax guys, it'll be fine." Michelle whispered to both partner Pokemon. Pikachu and Eevee made their way onto the stage and noticed a box in the middle of the floor.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu wondered, which meant 'What's that for?'
"A master magician never gives away their secrets." Said Sally. "Now both of you hurry up and get in the box. We don't have all day, you know."
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'I still think this is a trap.'
"Us? Trap two adorable Pokemon like you? Never." Said Conrad.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'Come on, Eevee, let's get this over with.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Whatever you say, Pikachu.' The two Pokemon carefully stepped into the box and waited to see what would happen next.
"This is what we like to call our special vanishing act." Said Sally. She placed a cover over the box and took out her wand. "With a simple wave of this wand, these Pokemon will disappear." She cleared her throat, said some magic words, and waved her wand. The box instantly disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Wow, that was so cool!" Abby cried.
"I don't think it was that cool." Said Amanda. She got up from where she was sitting and started going up onto the stage.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Conrad asked.
"Unless you're a Pokemon, get back into the audience." Said Sally. Amanda ignored their orders and stood in front of them with her arms folded.
"Since you two are so good at making Pikachu and Eevee disappear, let's see how well you do with making them re-appear." She said flatly. Conrad and Sally quickly shooed her off the stage and quickly packed up their things.
"Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we unfortunately have to cancel the rest of today's show." Sally said sheepishly, and the two of them dashed off.
"Those two definitely looked very familiar to me." Said Amanda.
"They were also suspicious too." Said Michelle. Mark pointed to an object that was near the left side of the stage.
"Guys, look over there!" he yelled. Sure enough, there was Conrad and Sally's balloon, and it was just starting to take off.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Help!' Then, they heard evil laughter from inside, followed by the sound of Conrad and Sally throwing away their costumes.
"I knew it!" Amanda cried. "Those so called 'magicians' were really Team Rocket this whole time!"
"Team Rocket? Never heard of them." Said Abby.
"They're bad people who are up to no good, and right now, they have both my Pikachu and Michelle's Eevee!" Amanda cried.
"Don't worry guys!" Michelle called out. "We'll save you!"
"Pikachu, try using your Thunderbolt." Said Amanda.
"Eevee, ram the side of the box with your Tackle attack." Michelle ordered. Both Pokemon did as they were told, only for the electricity to be ineffective. Eevee's tackle was also no good. Conrad and Sally both laughed.
"I'm glad we made this box super strong." Said Conrad.
"Not just strong, but shockproof too." Said Sally.
"They're going to get away." Michelle said sadly.
"Not on my watch they won't!" Abby cried and threw a ball.
"Hypno, front and center now!" she called out. Hypno, who had recovered from the earlier battle, appeared in a blaze of light.
"Hypno, use Confusion!" Abby commanded. Hypno calmly closed its eyes and placed a bright blue glow on the balloon to bring it down.
"What's happening?" Conrad wondered. He tried to steer the balloon upwards, but Hypno wouldn't let him. He slowly used his attack to make the balloon land on the ground.
"Good work, Hypno." Said Abby. "Now, make them open the box with Hypnosis." Hypno swung its yo-yo back and forth at Conrad and Sally. Their eyes shut halfway, and they moved over to the box so that it could be opened.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled, which meant 'We're free!' The two Pokemon ran over to their trainers, who scooped them up into a big hug. Then, Amanda got out a Poke Ball.
"Oh Team Rocket, we have a little magic trick of our own to show you." She said and threw the ball. Fearow popped out and used its beak to peck at them.
"Ow! Ouch!" They both cried. Mark and Abby then sent out their respective fire types.
"Charmander!" Mark called.
"Charmeleon!" Abby called.
"Double Flamethrower!" they both yelled. Both fire Pokemon sent large lines of fire at them, giving them a good scorching.
"Now for something to cool down that fire." Amanda said and sent out her Squirtle.
"Water Gun now!" she cried. Squirtle aimed a line of water at the two crooks, making them completely drenched.
"And now for the grand finale." Said Amanda. "Fearow, use your Hyper Beam!" Fearow opened its beak and prepared to fire the yellow laser beam. Conrad and Sally panicked.
"I can't watch!" Sally cried, and she closed her eyes. Right at that moment, Fearow shot the beam right in Team Rocket's direction, sending both them and the balloon flying into the air.
"We're blasting off again!" they cried. DING!
"Way to go, guys!" Amanda cried. Pikachu, Eevee, Hypno, Squirtle, Fearow, Charmander and Charmeleon all gave happy cheers as well. The gang recalled their Pokemon and went back over to the stage.
"Thanks to you, guys, I feel more confident in my ability to perform my act." Said Abby.
"We're glad that we could help, Abby." Said Michelle.
"To show my gratitude, I want to try one last trick on you." Said Abby.
"I hope it's not one that'll get Pikachu and Eevee kidnapped again." Said Michelle.
"Don't worry, this one doesn't involve any Pokemon at all." Said Abby, and then she looked at Amanda's dress.
"As cool as that looks, I think it needs some touching up a bit." Said Abby. "It could use a little 'spark' if you know what I mean." She waved her wand, and some yellow hand painted thunderbolts instantly appeared on the skirt of the dress.
"Hey, it worked this time!" she cried.
"You see, Abby, I knew you could do it." Said Amanda.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I knew you could do it too.'
"With a little more practice, as well as that extra confidence boost, you can make the big time just like you always wanted." Said Mark.
"That's right." Said Abby. "Well, I should get to work on rehearsing. I hope we see each other again soon."
"I hope so too." Said Amanda. The trio said their goodbyes to Abby and went on their way. One more adventure finished, and one more new friend made along the way. Sometimes a little shot in the arm is just what a person needs to be confident in their abilities. Team Rocket, on the other hand, had landed in a Pidgeotto nest.
"Well, our magic show certainly went up in a puff of smoke." Said Sally.
"I guess we're just not cut out to be magicians." Said Conrad. Their loud complaining, however, had woken up the group of Pidgeotto that had been sleeping.
"Uh Sally, any chance you have another trick up your sleeve to make these birds disappear?" Conrad wondered. The lead Pidgeotto glared angrily at them and started pecking them extremely hard.
"Ouch! Ouch!" They both cried. "Hey, leave us alone! Someone stop these Pidgeotto!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Squirtle, Dratini, Clefairy, Nidoran Male
Michelle's Party: Eevee, Electabuzz, Doduo, Poliwag, Ponyta, Nidoran Female
Mark's Party: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Diglett, Gastly, Lapras
Amanda's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Rattata, Haunter, Magikarp, Butterfree, Zubat, Abra, Tentacruel, Pidgeotto
Michelle's Spare Pokemon in Storage: Gengar