Episode Twenty-Three
In the last episode, Amanda battled a trainer named Jessie, who had all three different Eevee evolutions that one can get. Right after the battle, however, both Pikachu and Eevee got unexpectedly sick and had to be rushed to a Pokemon Center. The gang then had a mystery to figure out and discovered that the partner Pokemon had gotten sick due to Team Rocket putting poison on some mushrooms that Pikachu and Eevee had consumed. Our heroes got angry at Conrad and Sally, who were sent blasting off by an Electabuzz Thunder Punch. With Pikachu and Eevee now feeling better, though, our heroes head off toward their next adventure.
"That was certainly a scary experience with you two being sick." Amanda said to both Pikachu and Eevee.
"At least both of you are better now, though." Said Michelle.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'I never want to get sick that way ever again.'
"Eevee." Eevee agreed, which meant 'Me either.' The group kept walking down the path and were unexpectedly greeted by a girl around Michelle's age.
"Hello there, Michelle." She said. "It's been a while." Michelle was left speechless and didn't know what to say.
"Michelle, what's going on?" Mark asked.
"Uh…. uh…" Michelle stammered.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu wondered, which meant 'Why is Michelle acting strange?'
"I have no idea, buddy." Said Amanda. Michelle quickly got out of her little trance and smiled at the girl.
"Gina!" Michelle cried. "I didn't think I'd run into you here."
"That's what I thought at first." Said Gina. "I was out here looking for some apples in order to make a pie when I noticed you coming up and I had to take the chance to say hi."
"Gina, I'd like to introduce you to my friends, Amanda and Mark." Said Michelle.
"Hello there." Said Amanda.
"It's nice meeting you, Gina." Said Mark. Gina then noticed the two partner Pokemon beside Michelle and Amanda.
"Who are these little cuties?" she wondered.
"This little guy beside me here is Pikachu." Said Amanda. "He and I have been pals for a long time."
"And this one is my Eevee." Said Michelle. Gina took a closer look at Eevee.
"She's so adorable." She said. "You've done very well to take care of it."
"Thanks." Said Michelle.
"Michelle, how exactly do you and Gina know each other?" Amanda asked.
"She and I used to play together a lot." Michelle answered. "Basic kid games like tag, hide and seek and all of that. That was all before I met Eevee."
"I actually moved away from the street we used to live on right before Michelle got her Eevee, so I've never had a chance to meet it until now." Said Gina. "Now that I've seen it, I think it's one of the cutest things ever." Eevee smiled at hearing the compliment.
"Eevee." She squealed, which meant 'I think I like her already.'
"Say Michelle, how about you and I play with each other right now, just like old times?" Gina suggested.
"If you mean one of the games we used to play, I think we're a little too old for that now." Said Michelle.
"Not that kind of game, silly." Said Gina. "I want us to play with each other in the form of having a Pokemon battle."
"You're in luck because I just got my trainer license from Professor Oak not too long ago." Said Michelle.
"Oh, my goodness, I've always wanted to meet Professor Oak!" Gina cried. "I've heard about him. He's the most famous researcher in the entire world."
"I first met him back in the Safari Zone." Said Amanda. "That was actually where I first met Pikachu."
"Pikachu." Pikachu confirmed, which meant 'That's right.'
"Professor Oak isn't just a researcher; he also helps take care of our Pokemon." Said Michelle.
"He must seem nice based on what you're saying about him." Said Gina. "Now then, let's battle."
"You're on." Said Michelle. They both stared at each other and readied some Poke Balls.
"Since we haven't seen each other in a while, how about we battle with just two Pokemon each?" Gina suggested.
"That's fine with me." Said Michelle. "Mark, can you be the referee for this one?"
"Sure thing." Said Mark, and he stood in the middle of the two trainers. "This is a two on two match between trainer Gina and trainer Michelle. There will be no time limits and no substitutions. Let the battle begin!"
"I'll start with this one." Said Gina, and she threw her first ball. A pink Pokemon that was shaped like a small blob with two short arms appeared in a blaze of light.
"There's something I haven't seen yet." Said Amanda, and she took out her Pokedex.
"Ditto. This Pokemon has the ability to change into any Pokemon that it battles against. Its only attack is Transform."
"This one's going to be tough, but I think I can manage it." Said Michelle, and she threw the ball she was holding.
"Poliwag, I need you!" she yelled. The tiny water type appeared in a blaze of light.
"Oh, that Poliwag is adorable too." Said Gina.
"Okay, Poliwag, Ditto is capable of copying anything we do, so be careful." Said Michelle.
"Ditto, time to Transform." Said Gina. Ditto instantly turned into the little Poliwag.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'I can't tell which one of them is which.'
"Neither can I." said Amanda.
"That's the whole idea with Ditto." Said Gina.
"Okay Poliwag, start with your Water Gun attack." Said Michelle.
"Ditto, you use Water Gun too." Gina ordered. Both Pokemon launched their attacks, only for the water streams to hit each other instead of the Pokemon.
"A dead heat." Amanda observed.
"Poliwag, go for Double Slap!" Michelle called out. Poliwag started to run up to the fake Poliwag.
"Ditto, you use Double Slap as well!" Gina commanded. Ditto used its tail to give Poliwag a hard slap. Michelle's own Poliwag was doing the same thing.
"Eevee!" Eevee squealed from the sidelines, which meant 'Try another attack.'
"I don't know if that'll do any good." Said Michelle. "Ditto will just copy whatever we throw at it. I appreciate the suggestion, though." Suddenly, an idea came to her.
"Maybe Eevee's right after all." Michelle thought. "Okay Poliwag, go for Bubblebeam!" Poliwag fired a stream of bubbles at Ditto, and the attack finally hit.
"It's about time." Said Michelle. Gina wasn't too concerned at all, however.
"Go for Hypnosis." She said. Ditto concentrated carefully on Poliwag and sent the little Pokemon into a deep sleep.
"Oh no!" Michelle cried.
"Now use Psychic!" Gina ordered. Ditto unleashed the powerful move, and with Poliwag unable to move because of the sleep, it fainted.
"Poliwag is unable to battle." Mark declared. "The round goes to Ditto." Michelle sighed and recalled her Poliwag.
"You did well, so you can have a rest now." She said. "Well, Eevee, it's your turn." Eevee happily ran into the battle area and readied itself for action.
"Let's go, Eevee. Swift attack." Michelle ordered. Eevee fired yellow stars at Ditto, scoring a hit.
"Yes!" Michelle cried.
"Ditto, Bubblebeam now!" Gina ordered.
"Quick, Eevee, use your Agility!" Michelle cried. Eevee nodded and outmaneuvered every single Bubblebeam that Ditto fired at it.
"Don't give up, Ditto." Said Gina. "Take Down now!"
"Eevee, you do the same thing." Said Michelle. Both Pokemon charged hard and hit each other with brute force. Eevee's attack was more powerful, however, and Ditto changed back into its proper self. It lay perfectly still on the ground.
"Ditto is unable to battle. Eevee wins." Mark declared. Gina recalled Ditto and put the Poke Ball back on her waist.
"Good work, Ditto." She said, and she grabbed another ball.
"All right, Ivysaur, you're up." Said Gina, and a grass type slightly bigger than Bulbasaur appeared. It had some grass leaves on the top, with a large tulip covering it. Amanda took out her Pokedex.
"Ivysaur, the seed Pokemon. When the flower on its head is ready to bloom, it gives a distinct, sweet smelling aroma and begins to swell."
"That's what my Bulbasaur is going to become eventually." Mark thought. He then got out of his mind and yelled "Begin the battle now!"
"Eevee, go for a Quick Attack!" Michelle ordered. Eevee ran full speed at Ivysaur, but the grass type was fairly bulky and didn't receive too much damage.
"Ivysaur, Vine Whip now!" Gina commanded.
"Ivy!" Ivysaur yelled at shot out green vines from its tulip bulb.
"Eevee, Agility again." Michelle ordered. Eevee built up speed and dodged the vines Ivysaur shot out.
"Ivysaur, try Stun Spore." Said Gina. Ivysaur sprayed gold powder toward Eevee, but the small normal type carefully got out of the way to avoid being paralyzed.
"That's it, Eevee." Said Michelle. "Swift attack, now!" Eevee released yellow stars, which Ivysaur and did a fair amount of damage to it.
"We're getting close to a win, Eevee." Said Michelle. "I can feel it."
"Not so fast there, Michelle." Said Gina. "Ivysaur, get ready to fire a Solar Beam." Ivysaur opened its mouth, and a bright white glow started to form.
"Solar Beams take a while, so that gives us a free shot." Said Michelle. "Double Edge." Eevee charged hard and rammed right into Ivysaur's head. The grass type took some more damage, but it continued to stand tall.
"Okay, Ivysaur, fire the Solar Beam now!" Gina ordered. The white glow had formed fully, and Ivysaur spit it out. Eevee tried to use Agility to avoid it, but the beam was too powerful, and she screamed as she was sent flying into the air.
"Eevee!" cried Michelle. Once her partner landed back on the ground, it was left with a lot of damage marks.
"Can you try to keep going?" Michelle asked. Eevee struggled to get up, and it almost succeeded, but the normal type collapsed onto the ground.
"This match is over!" Mark declared. "Eevee can no longer battle, and that means the winner is Gina."
"We did it, Ivysaur!" Gina cried. Ivysaur let out a loud cry in triumph. Michelle was a bit disappointed, but nonetheless, she went to check on her partner.
"Eevee." Eevee squealed weakly, which meant 'I'm sorry I couldn't win that one.'
"You did really well, Eevee." Said Michelle. "I'm very proud of you. You gave it your all and that's what counts most in a battle. Once we get you to a Pokemon Center, you can have a good rest." Eevee smiled at that thought. Gina recalled Ivysaur and shook hands with Michelle.
"Great battling, Michelle." Said Gina.
"Thanks. You did well, too." Said Michelle. "Come on, Eevee, let's get you to a center."
"There won't be any need for that." Said Gina. She reached into her bag and pulled out some potion bottles.
"Here, Eevee, this will make you feel a lot better." Said Gina. She sprayed some of the potions onto Eevee and the little Pokemon started to feel much better.
"Eevee!" it squealed excitedly, which meant 'Thank you, Gina.'
"You're welcome, Eevee." Said Gina. "Hey, do you guys think I could hang out with you for a little while? Michelle and I have some more catching up to do."
"Well, it would be nice to have my friend back with me again." Said Michelle.
"What do you two think?" Amanda asked Pikachu and Eevee. "Is it okay if Gina hangs out with us?"
"Pika!" Pikachu cried happily, which meant 'It's fine with me.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'She can definitely stay.'
"Thanks, you two." Said Gina. A fair distance away, Conrad and Sally had their binoculars out and were keeping a close eye on them.
"Looks like the twerps met someone new." Said Conrad.
"You're not exactly right." Said Sally. "She's new for two of them, but the other one has known her for a while."
"How do you know that information when things like that are supposed to be private?" Conrad asked. "Have you been eavesdropping again?"
"It's not a crime to listen in on other people's conversations, you know." Said Sally.
"Fair point." Said Conrad, and then he muttered to himself. "Idiot." Sally heard him, however.
"What did you call me?" she asked.
"N-nothing." Conrad stammered.
"That's what I thought." Said Sally. Just then, an idea popped into her head. "Say, Conrad, how would you feel about not trying to go after Pikachu and Eevee today?"
"Why would you even consider that?" Conrad asked. "We're Team Rocket members, we have to steal something regardless of whether it's a Pokemon or not."
"Here's what I'm thinking." Said Sally. "Did you see that Ditto that was battling earlier?"
"I did, and it was something." Said Conrad.
"Pokemon like that are hard to obtain." Said Sally. "I don't know where that temporary twerp got hers from, but frankly, I don't care. Since Ditto has the ability to transform into anything, we can have them change into those kids and make them look like the bad guys."
"That's not a bad idea at all." Said Conrad.
"We'll wait until it's dark, and then we swipe it from whatever campsite they have." Said Sally.
"We don't even know how many Pokemon she has." Said Conrad. "How will we know if we have the right one?"
"We'll just take one and hope for our sakes that it's the Ditto." Said Sally. Amanda, Michelle, Mark and Gina were all walking down the path toward a spot big enough for all of them to set up camp.
"So, Gina, how did you and Michelle become friends?" Amanda wondered.
"It all goes back to when both of us were just four years old." Said Gina. "The way we became friends wasn't exactly how any of you were probably expecting."
Flashback
A very happy four year old Michelle was out in the backyard of her home playing with a Pikachu she had come across in the park. Both of them were happily running around with each other when they heard the sound of her father on the phone.
"A sleepover? Tomorrow night?" he said. "I bet my daughter would love to come. Yes, I'll ask her and call you back." He went into the backyard where he saw Michelle and Pikachu running, jumping and skipping with each other. He let out a happy sigh.
"I'll wait until later. They look like they're busy having fun with each other right now." During dinner, Michelle's dad decided to take the opportunity to make the proposal to Michelle.
"One of our neighbors wants you to sleep over at their house tomorrow night." He said. "They even have a little girl that's about the same age as you. Her name's Gina, and according to her mom, she doesn't have any friends right now. That's one reason they're asking if you can do it. That way, you and their daughter can possibly become friends with each other."
"Well, I'm not sure." Said Michelle. "I mean, I don't even know them at all."
"I understand that, but sometimes when you meet somebody for the first time, you end up hitting it off." Said her dad. "That's how your mother and I met."
"That's not always the case for everybody, though." Said Michelle. "Some friendships work, and some don't."
"I know it doesn't always work out, but in most cases, it does." Her father said. "I'll tell you what, Michelle. If you do this for me, I'll treat you to as much ice cream as you want."
"Oh, thank you, Daddy!" Michelle exclaimed, and she wrapped her arms around him in a big hug."
"I guess that excitement means that you'll do it?" he asked.
"I sure will!" Michelle cried excitedly, and she bounced up and down. Her dad chuckled.
"Okay, I'll call them back and tell them you said yes." He picked up the phone to make the call, and the following evening, Michelle showed up at the house feeling nervous. She knocked on the door, and a smartly dressed little girl answered.
"Hi there." Michelle said.
"Hi yourself." Said the girl.
"You don't know me, but my daddy kind of urged me to accept the invitation, and so here I am." said Michelle, and she stepped inside. "My name's Michelle." The other girl held out her hand.
"My name's Gina." She said. "Do you want to see my room?" Michelle nodded, and the girls went upstairs to Gina's room.
"You have some really cool things in here." Michelle observed.
"Thanks." Said Gina. "They're mainly Pokemon stuff, but I can't go out on a journey of my own yet."
"Neither can I." said Michelle. "What's your favorite Pokemon?"
"Eevee." Gina answered. "I love the brown fur on its coat, and its bushy tail is so cute. What's your favorite?"
"I like Eevee a lot too." Michelle answered.
"Well, we already have something in common, then." Said Gina.
"You know what, I think this could be a very successful friendship." Said Michelle.
End Flashback
"If it hadn't been for that sleepover when we were little, Michelle and I would never have become friends." Said Gina.
"You know, the way you two met is kind of the same way that Michelle and I first met." Said Amanda. "In our case, we were having a friendly one on one battle with my Pikachu against her Eevee, which she won, and then I slept over at her cabin in the Viridian Forest. We've been friends ever since."
"And now the two of you are traveling together and having adventures." Said Gina. "I've always wanted to travel, but every time I would ask my parents, they would say no on the grounds of it being expensive."
"That may be true if you're flying by airplane, but when going on foot, it's much more convenient." Said Mark.
"Did you and Michelle hang out together a lot?" Amanda asked.
"We sure did." Said Gina. "We had a lot of sleepovers, and we even went to the same school together."
"It seems like you two have a lot of history with each other." Said Mark.
"We do." Said Michelle. "I guess you could say that we're besties."
"So, bestie, do you think there's room for me to camp out with you and your friends tonight?" Gina asked.
"There's plenty of room." Said Amanda. "We have to find a Pokemon Center first, though." The four of them continued walking along the path, and twenty minutes later, Gina got a bit curious.
"So, Amanda, how's your journey been going?" she asked.
"It's been going very well." Said Amanda. "I have five gym badges already."
"Pretty impressive." Said Gina. "How about you, Michelle?"
"I don't have any badges, yet." Said Michelle. "I want to try and win my own badges at some point, though."
"If you feel you're not ready yet, then there's no need to rush." Said Gina.
"We'll start getting our badges when we feel that we're ready, right Eevee?" Michelle asked.
"Eevee." Eevee squealed happily, which meant 'That's right.' Michelle and her partner wore happy smiles on their faces as the group continued onward. After another hour had gone by, they finally reached a Pokemon Center.
"Thank goodness we're here. I need a break from all of that walking." Said Gina.
"We should also get our Pokemon checked out." Said Michelle. She and Gina left their Pokemon with Nurse Joy, and then they went over to the video phone.
"I just remembered that Professor Oak promised me something for when I turned ten." Said Michelle.
"Oh yes, I do remember him saying something about that." Said Amanda. She dialed the number for the professor's lab, only to be greeted with a busy signal.
"I guess he must be talking with someone else." Said Gina. Amanda hung up the phone and said, "I guess we'll have to try again later." They went into the cafeteria to have themselves a snack, which they desperately needed after doing so much walking. When they returned to the lobby, they heard the video phone ringing.
"Maybe that's the professor calling back." Said Michelle. She picked up the call, and sure enough, there was Oak on the other end.
"Hello there, kids." Said Oak. "Sorry I missed your call, earlier, but I was dealing with official business that was kind of important. It's also quite private, so I can't disclose any of that to you. Now, Michelle, as I seem to remember, I did promise you a certain something for your birthday."
"To be honest, I kind of forgot about that promise." Michelle said sheepishly.
"I'll admit, I did kind of forget about it myself when I called you on your birthday not too long ago, but I think it's time we rectified that." Said the professor. He got a Poke Ball from a table and came back to the screen with it. "If you will recall, I did promise you a Charmander when you turned ten years old, and with you having had your birthday just recently, it's time I followed through on that. However, you'll need to send me a Pokemon you currently have since I believe you have a full party."
"I'll send my Nidoran over." Said Michelle. She placed her female Nidoran's ball on the transporter machine, and Oak did the same with Charmander. In a quick flash of light, both Pokemon instantly traded places.
"There you go, Michelle. Charmander is your new Pokemon." Said the professor. Raise it well."
"I will, professor." Said Michelle. "Thanks again!"
"You're very welcome." Said Oak. Before he could hang up, though, Gina put herself in front of the screen.
"Professor, I've always wanted to meet you." She said.
"And exactly who are you?" the professor asked.
"That's Gina, professor." Said Michelle. "She's an old friend of mine that I ran into earlier today."
"Ah, I see." Said Oak. "It's very nice to meet you, Gina."
"I've got a lot of thing I want to tell you." Said Gina, and she began to engage in a deep conversation. As she talked, Oak listened.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'This could take a while.' Mark, Amanda and Michelle all listened, but gave loud yawns after about thirty minutes due to how long Gina was taking.
"How can one person talk so much?" Mark wondered.
"I honestly have no clue." Said Amanda. "As long as she's happy, though." Finally, Gina finished.
"Well, your love for Pokemon is definitely very helpful." Said Oak. "It was very nice meeting you, and I hope we get to talk again soon."
"Same here, professor." Said Gina, and she hung up.
"What did you and Professor Oak talk about?" Mark asked.
"Quite a lot of things." Said Gina. "I even mentioned about how I had used to watch his weekly Pokemon lectures on television."
"I'm sure he must've been happy to hear that." Said Michelle. A ding sound was heard, and they went back to the counter in the lobby. Nurse Joy gave a warm smile.
"Here you go, Gina. Your Pokemon are fully healed." Said Joy. "Same for you, Michelle. All of your Pokemon are good to go as well."
"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Said both girls.
"You're welcome." Said Joy. The foursome left the center and started walking again.
"Where should we set up camp?" Amanda asked.
"Depends on how big some of these spots are." Said Mark.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, pointing to an opening in between two trees, which meant 'There's a spot.'
"That's not big enough." Said Mark. "We need something that's not only big enough for all four of us, but also without any obstacles in the way." They continued walking, and after twenty-five minutes, they finally found a spot to use. Mark set up some tents and sleeping bags, and Pikachu and Eevee ran off to play with each other.
"This is definitely the best spot in this whole forest." Said Michelle. "I just hope Pikachu and Eevee don't go wandering too far off." Both Pikachu and Eevee were happily running around with each other around the campsite and smiling at each other.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried happily, which meant 'This is such a great day to be playing like this.'
"Eevee!" Eevee squealed, which meant 'I don't think anything can go wrong.' They kept running and smiling at each other, but in their excitement, they ran into something with prickled thorns on it, and because Pikachu wasn't paying attention to where he was going, the thorn ended up scratching his arm a bit.
"Pikachu!" the little mouse cried in pain, which meant 'Ouch!'
"Eevee?" Eevee asked, which meant 'Are you okay, Pikachu?'
"Pikachu!" Pikachu shook his head furiously as he cried out, which meant 'No. This is a big scratch. Go get Amanda.' Eevee nodded and ran off back to the campsite.
"Eevee!" she squealed, which meant 'Come quick!'
"What's the matter, Eevee?" asked Amanda. "Did something happen?" Eevee nodded and then explained.
"Eevee." She squealed, which meant 'Pikachu and I were running around, and then a thorn scratched him and now he's hurt."
"Gina, you come with me." Said Amanda. "Mark and Michelle, you two continue to set things up. We shouldn't be too long." Eevee led the way over to the spot where Pikachu had gotten injured.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Help me, please!'
"It's okay, buddy, I'm here." Said Amanda. "Gina's good with first aid, so she'll take care of you."
"I need you to hold your arm out for me so I can see where it hurts." Said Gina. Pikachu obeyed, and Gina had a look at the scratch.
"That's certainly a bit of a big one." She said. "I think some super potions can fix that, though." She took out a couple of bottles and sprayed them on Pikachu. The potions did sting a bit, but the scratch was now gone as a result.
"There now." Said Gina. "Does that feel better?" Pikachu nodded.
"Let's go back to the others." Said Amanda. She, Gina, Pikachu and Eevee went back to where Michelle and Mark were.
"Good news, Pikachu is feeling much better now." Said Amanda.
"That's a relief." Said Michelle. Later, after everyone had eaten their dinner, they all fell fast asleep. The group laid their Poke Balls out beside the tent in the hopes that nothing would happen to them. Unfortunately for the foursome, Conrad and Sally were nearby.
"Now's our chance!" cried Conrad.
"Shush." Said Sally. "We can't be too loud or else they'll hear us."
"That would ruin our plan, wouldn't it?" Conrad asked. Sally nodded firmly.
"Try to find the Poke Ball that has Ditto in it." She whispered.
"It's dark out, though." Said Conrad.
"I don't care." Said Sally. "We're not leaving here without the Ditto." She then looked up into the sky and saw that Conrad did have a valid point.
"On second thought, this might be a bit of a challenge." She admitted.
"I don't want to be the one to say I told you so, but I told you so." Said Conrad. "Can't we just wait until the morning?"
"No, they'll be awake by then." Said Sally.
"You're not going to be satisfied unless we have the Ditto in our possession, are you?" Conrad asked.
"Nope." Said Sally. "It doesn't help that it's getting darker either. Just grab a ball and we'll hope that it's what we're looking for." Conrad grabbed a ball near the middle of the pile, and the two of them ran off. The next morning, Pikachu awoke before anybody else. He carefully checked to see that everyone's Pokemon was accounted for, but one of the Poke Balls was missing. He quickly ran back to alert the others.
"Pikachu!" he shouted, which meant 'Everybody up!' The foursome yawned as they opened their eyes.
"Pikachu, what is it?" Amanda asked.
"Pikachu." Pikachu answered, which meant 'One of the Pokemon is gone!'
"How can it be gone? They've been in their Poke Balls all night." Michelle said.
"They know they're not supposed to come out unless we tell them to." Said Mark. They checked the pile carefully, and saw that Pikachu was right.
"There really is a Pokemon missing." Said Michelle.
"Which one is it, though?" Gina wondered. Michelle looked over the pile carefully and then realized that one of hers was missing.
"Where's Poliwag?" she asked.
"It probably went for a walk or something." Mark answered, but Michelle disagreed.
"I think somebody took it." She said.
"And I think I know which somebody it was." Said Amanda. She grabbed one of her Poke Balls and sent out Fearow.
"Fearow, I need you to find Poliwag." She said. Fearow nodded and flew off. In another part of the campsite, Conrad and Sally were fast asleep with a Poke Ball placed beside them. They remained asleep for fifteen minutes before finally waking up.
"Nothing like a good night's sleep to get you energized for the next day." Said Conrad. Sally grabbed the ball that was beside her.
"First order of business is to open this thing and check on our new Ditto." She pressed the button in the middle of the ball to open it, but the Pokémon that came out wasn't what they expected.
"Poliwag?" the little tadpole Pokemon asked confusingly, which meant 'Where am I?' Sally was dumbfounded.
"That doesn't look like a Ditto to me." Said Conrad.
"I know it's not Ditto." Said Sally. "We just grabbed the wrong one." Sally then looked at the Poliwag.
"On the other hand, maybe we can have some fun with this little guy first." She said. "You are going to make the cutest Team Rocket member ever." Poliwag didn't like the sound of that and sprayed Sally with a Water Gun.
"Hey, that's no way to treat your fellow teammate." Said Conrad. They chased after the Poliwag but it kept escaping their grasp every time. Just then, they heard a loud screech.
"What was that?" They asked in unison. They turned around and saw a very angry Fearow looking at them.
"Fearow!" it screamed, which meant 'Give Poliwag back right now!'
"Lay off birdbrain, we don't have time to play with you right now." Said Sally. Fearow wasn't satisfied, and pecked her on the face repeatedly, causing her to scream.
"No need to be so aggressive." She said. "Poliwag, attack it!" However, Poliwag just stood there.
"What do you think you're doing?" Conrad demanded. "Attack the bird! Use Water Gun or something!" Again, Poliwag just stood there and shook her head.
"Poliwag!" she cried, which meant 'Nice try, Team Rocket, but I only listen to my trainer.' Poliwag hopped onto Fearow's back and the two Pokemon disappeared.
"After them!" Sally cried, and the two of them chased after Fearow. Meanwhile, Michelle was almost on the verge of tears.
"That Poliwag has been with me for as long as I can remember." She said. "What if something bad has happened to it?" She then broke down and started crying.
"Eevee." Eevee consoled her, which meant 'It'll be okay, Michelle.'
"I really hope so, Eevee." Said Michelle. Gina was keeping an eye out for air movement when she saw Fearow heading towards them.
"Guys, look!" she cried. Poliwag was happily riding on Fearow's back and having a good time. Fearow came down for a landing, allowing Poliwag to get off and run to Michelle.
"Poliwag! Thank goodness you're okay!" she cried out. "What happened?" She then heard the sound of two angry Team Rocket grunts, with Sally firmly holding an empty Poke Ball .
"We'll be taking that, thank you." Said Conrad. He reached for Poliwag but Michelle wouldn't let him get near the small water type.
"I had a feeling that you were the ones who took it!" Michelle exclaimed.
"If you don't mind, we'll be taking it back." Said Sally.
"We do mind!" Amanda yelled.
"Then we'll have to battle." Said Conrad. "If you lose, we not only get Poliwag, but Pikachu and Eevee too."
"You're on!" Michelle cried.
"Ekans, go!" cried Sally.
"Zubat, this is all you." Said Conrad, and the two of them sent their Pokemon out.
"Pikachu, let's do this!" Amanda cried. However, Michelle interjected.
"It's my Pokemon that they stole, so I'll be the one to battle them." She said. "Eevee, go!" Eevee squealed in delight and happily sprang into action.
"I'll help you out." Said Gina. "Clefable, I choose you!" She threw a Poke Ball and Clefairy's evolution came out. Amanda quickly took her Pokedex out.
"Clefable, the fairy Pokemon. Clefable likes to go for walks under the moonlight and the bounce in its step allows it to walk on water."
"Eevee, go for Quick Attack on Ekans." Michelle ordered.
"Clefable, use Metronome on Zubat." Said Gina. Eevee ran toward the pink snake and gave it a good hit. Meanwhile, Clefable waved its arms together.
"What attack do you suppose it's going to unleash on us?" Sally wondered.
"It's Metronome, so anything can happen." Conrad answered. Clefable kept waving its arms, and a beam of yellow lightning struck Zubat and did quite a bit of damage.
"That was a Thunderbolt." Said Conrad. Zubat was tough and showed willingness to keep fighting despite having taken so much damage.
"Swift attack, Eevee." Michelle called.
"Mega Punch, Clefable." Said Gina. Eevee fired stars at Zubat and Clefable gave Ekans a good punch.
"Ekans, Poison Sting now!" Sally commanded.
"Zubat, Wing Attack." Said Conrad. Eevee dodged the poison needles, however, but Zubat got a cheap shot in.
"Good try, Team Rocket, but not good enough." Said Gina. "Clefable, finish them with Hyper Beam!" Clefable opened its mouth and fired a big bright yellow beam and both Pokemon as well as the two Team Rocket grunts, sending them all into the air.
"We're blasting off again!" they cried.
"Well done, Clefable!" Gina praised.
"You too, Eevee." Said Michelle. Both Pokemon cheered excitedly. A bit later, the trio was getting ready to say goodbye to Gina.
"I appreciate you letting me hang out with you, but now it's time for us to go our own ways." Gina said. "Good luck on the rest of your gym challenge, Amanda."
"Thanks." Said Amanda. The trio waved goodbye to Gina and set off.
"It was certainly nice seeing my friend again." Said Michelle. "I hope we see her again soon."
"We'll have to see." Said Mark. And so, our heroes forge on ahead toward their next destination. Will they get any closer to Fuchsia? Will they find some new Pokemon to catch? Find out next time.
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Squirtle, Weepinbell, Flareon, Nidoran Male
Michelle's Party: Eevee, Electabuzz, Doduo, Poliwag, Ponyta, Charmander
Mark's Party: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Diglett, Gastly, Lapras
Amanda's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Rattata, Haunter, Magikarp, Butterfree, Zubat, Abra, Tentacruel, Pidgeotto, Dratini, Clefairy
Michelle's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Gengar, Sandshrew, Nidoran Female