Episode Twenty

Previously, our heroes made it to Celadon City, where Amanda was eager to earn her fifth badge. However, just like when they had first gotten to Saffron, they found the gym closed, so they decided to head to the department store. There, they met the city's gym leader Erika, who also runs the city's perfume shop. Our group then spent the rest of the day doing some shopping and exploring the city. The journey continues, so let's see what happens in today's episode.

It was nighttime, and all was quiet. All the stores were closed, and in the Pokemon Center, Mark, Amanda, Pikachu and Eevee were all sleeping peacefully. Michelle, however, was tossing and turning quite a bit, and so Eevee decided to see if her trainer was all right.

"Eevee?" she wondered curiously, which meant 'Are you okay, Michelle?'

"I'm fine, Eevee." Michelle said groggily. "Just go back to sleep, please." Eevee just stood there watching her trainer, however. Michelle gave her another look.

"I promise you I'm just fine." She said in a sleepy voice. "Please, go back to bed." Eevee went back to the makeshift bed that she and Pikachu were sharing and closed her eyes. A part of Michelle was feeling a bit nervous on the inside, though.

"I hope they remember what day it is tomorrow." She whispered and she drifted back to sleep. The next morning, Amanda and Mark woke up bright and early. The first thing they did upon getting dressed was look over at Michelle, and they saw that she was still sleeping comfortably with Eevee nestled beside her.

"Come on, let's get out of here quietly." Mark whispered. Amanda and Pikachu slowly followed him out the door, but they made sure to not wake up their friend. However, Eevee heard them and went over to the door herself.

"Leave them alone for now, Eevee." Michelle ordered in a still sleepy voice. Eevee obeyed and went back over to her bed. Meanwhile, Mark, Amanda and Pikachu had gone to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria for some breakfast. Mark had some pieces of toast and cereal, Amanda had some scrambled eggs and light sausage, and Pikachu had some apple pieces. Amanda made sure to cut them up as small as possible so that her trusty partner wouldn't choke.

"What's our plan for today?" Mark asked.

"I was hoping to go back to the gym and finally try to get my fifth badge today." Said Amanda.

"I think we might want to hold off on that a little bit longer." Said Mark. "I'm not sure if you heard Michelle's little whispering last night, but it's her birthday today."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." Said Amanda. Five months had now gone by since the two girls had first met back in the Viridian Forest, and today was the day that Michelle was finally turning ten.

"For that reason, I think we should go back to the department store that we visited yesterday and get Michelle some presents." Said Mark. "Do you remember that store we saw that had those Pokemon for sale?"

"I certainly do." Said Amanda. "I think she might like one from there."

"I have to agree." Said Mark. "If you remember, she was very curious about a lot of the Pokemon that were available in there."

"I do recall that." Said Amanda.

"Not only that, but I noticed that she's been wearing the same dress the entire time that I've been traveling with the two of you." Said Mark. "I think she could use some different clothes."

"That would be nice, but those are expensive." Said Amanda.

"I know, but sometimes you have to splurge a little bit." Said Mark.

"There's one other thing we're going to need." Said Amanda. "Actually, I should say one other set of things."

"What would that be?" Mark asked.

"We need to get some food for the party that we're going to throw for her." Said Amanda. "That means we'll need to get a cake."

"What kind of flavor does Michelle like?" asked Mark.

"I don't know." Said Amanda. "I never really asked her that."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I might have an idea.'

"Oh yeah? What is it, Pikachu?" Amanda asked her little buddy.

"Pikachu pika pi Pikachu." Pikachu answered, which meant 'Since her Eevee is brown, how about a chocolate cake?'

"That's not a bad idea." Said Amanda. "I think she'd like that a lot." They finished their breakfast and headed outside. Back in the room, Michelle and Eevee were still asleep. Both of them were dreaming about all the different kinds of Pokemon that they had yet to meet. Eevee woke up a short time later and went over to Michelle's bed. She saw her trainer still fast asleep, but she knew that Michelle couldn't stay asleep all day. She started to jump onto the bed, but then stopped after realizing that it would likely wake her up. So, she gently climbed onto the bed and nudged her shoulder. Michelle opened her eyes and smiled at her partner.

"Good morning, Eevee." She said in a now more cheerful tone. "Did you sleep well last night?" Eevee nodded and then she pointed to the clock. Michelle glanced over and gasped when she saw the time.

"It's after eight thirty." She realized. "Well, Eevee, I suppose we had better get our day started." She got out of her nightgown and took a quick shower in the bathroom. Eevee stood outside the door waiting for her. Once Michelle had finished, and dried herself off, she changed into her clothes and combed her hair.

"Let's have some breakfast." Michelle said, and they headed to the cafeteria. Michelle had a toasted bagel with butter, but she made sure to feed Eevee her Pokemon food.

"Eevee?" Eevee asked, which meant 'What do you think Amanda and Mark are doing today?'

"I'm not sure." Said Michelle. "I think it's probably a surprise. You see, Eevee, it's my birthday today." This news got Eevee very excited.

"Eevee!" the little Pokemon squealed excitedly, which meant 'Happy birthday, Michelle!'

"Thanks, Eevee." Said Michelle. "I'm glad that you remembered. I just hope the others did the same." Mark and Amanda were on their way back to the department store.

"Pikachu, do you think Michelle's going to like what we have in store for her today?" Amanda asked.

"Pikachu." Pikachu answered, which meant 'I hope so.'

"I hope so too, buddy." Amanda replied. Once they got back to the store, they saw that it was already open and bustling with people.

"I didn't think people would be out shopping this early in the day." Said Mark.

"I didn't think so either." Said Amanda. "Come on, let's get our shopping done." They went to the perfume shop first.

"This looks familiar." Said Amanda.

"That's because we were just in here yesterday." Said Mark. They had a look at all the perfumes again to see which one Michelle would like best. They even saw some fragrances that they didn't have a chance to look at before. Pikachu sniffed at one that was a brighter yellow than normal.

"This one looks like it has a hint of Bellsprout in it." Said Amanda.

"That's exactly what it has." Said Erika. "Hello there again. What brings the two of you back so soon?"

"Erika, our friend is having a birthday today, and we're trying to find a suitable present for her." Said Amanda.

"I think this perfume bottle would be a fine gift for your friend." Said Erika. She rang it up on the cash register, and Amanda paid with her card.

"Thank you very much. Please come again." Said Erika. Amanda carefully placed the small bottle in the bag that had been provided and they left the store.

"I guess it's time to get Michelle some new clothing." Amanda said. She looked at the directory and found the clothing store on the sixth floor. On the way there, however, they ran into another familiar face.

"Hey there, you two!" said the voice. Mark and Amanda turned around and knew right away who it was.

"Abby!" Amanda cried. "I didn't think we'd see you again so soon after our first encounter."

"I didn't think so either." Said Abby. "What brings you two here?"

"It's Michelle's birthday today, so Mark and I are doing some shopping for her presents." Said Amanda.

"You two are such good friends for doing that." Said Abby.

"How's your magic practice been going?" Mark asked.

"It's been going very well." Abby answered. "I've even learned a few new tricks. Here, I'll show one to you." She cupped her hands together and was able to make an empty Poke Ball appear out of thin air.

"That's very good, Abby." Said Amanda.

"Thanks." Said Abby. "I'd show you the other ones, but I don't want to risk losing anything in this crowd of people."

"That's probably a good idea." Said Mark.

"If it's all right with you guys, could I join you two for the rest of the day?" Abby asked.

"Sure." Said Amanda. The three of them took an elevator up to the sixth floor and found the clothing store not too far away from where the elevator was. When they got inside, they found a variety of clothing in different colors.

"Here's some neat dresses you could use, Amanda." Said Mark. The dresses he was talking about were different types and had various patterns. Some had long sleeves, which would be more fitting for winter, some had short sleeves, but most of them were sleeveless and had big colorful circles on some of them.

"They do look nice, but we're shopping for Michelle, not me." Amanda pointed out. There was another section that had plain tee shirts, but there was one shirt that really stood out.

"Look at this, Abby." Amanda said. The shirt that she was looking at was a bright pink color with a brown stripe in the middle.

"That stripe matches the color of her Eevee." Said Abby.

"That's right." Said Mark. "I think this would be a great present for her." Amanda grabbed the shirt off the rack, and they went to a different section of the store. This one had some cute skirts that ranged in both color and pattern.

"That blue one might be nice." Abby said.

"It's not just any blue, though." Said Amanda. "This one looks like cerulean blue."

"I guess we know where that likely came from." Said Mark. Amanda grabbed the skirt and looked for one more item that would complete the look.

"Oh, here are some cool boots." She said.

"I wonder if they have any boots that match her Eevee's color." Said Abby.

"Let's have a look and see." Said Amanda. There were boots in red, yellow, blue, orange and other colors, but none in brown.

"Well, that's a bit disappointing." Said Mark.

"Hey Amanda, do you think Michelle would like this color?" Abby asked. Amanda had a look at the boots that Abby was talking about. This pair was a beautiful silver color and even had some small black dots on it.

"She'll definitely love this for sure." Said Amanda. She took all the items to the counter to pay for them. Meanwhile, Michelle and Eevee had finished their breakfast and were now enjoying a walk outside.

"This is perfect weather for a birthday." Said Michelle. "Do you agree, Eevee?" Eevee nodded her head, and they continued onward with their walk. Fifteen minutes later, Eevee started sniffing around and motioned for Michelle to follow her. To their surprise, they found an ice cream truck.

"This is certainly my lucky day today." Said Michelle. "What do you say, Eevee? Do you want to get some ice cream?"

"Eevee!" Eevee squealed happily, which meant 'Yes please!' Michelle smiled at the little fox Pokemon.

"We'll both get some together." Said Michelle, and they skipped up to the front of the truck.

"Two vanilla cones, please." She said. Inside the department store, Mark, Amanda and Abby had finished in the clothing store and were now walking around in the crowd.

"I can't wait to see the look on Michelle's face when I give her those clothes." Said Amanda.

"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'She'll be surprised for sure.'

"I guess the next stop is that place we went into yesterday that was selling Pokemon." Said Mark. On the way to that particular store, however, Abby spoke up.

"I've never heard of a place where Pokemon can be bought." She said.

"We hadn't either until yesterday." Said Mark.

"I wonder what kind of Pokémon she would want from there." Said Amanda.

"Maybe she'll want a psychic type." Said Abby.

"I'm not really sure about that." Said Amanda. "I've never really seen her have a psychic Pokemon."

"Has she ever flat out said that she didn't like those kinds?" Mark asked.

"Not to my knowledge." Said Amanda.

"The decision is ultimately up to you, but psychic type is my suggestion." Said Abby. When they got into the store, Amanda went up and down the rows looking for the right Pokemon to give to her friend. She had a hard time deciding, but then she saw one that looked like it would suit Michelle perfectly.

"Yep, this is the one." She said. Speaking of Michelle, she and Eevee had finished their ice cream and were walking down the street again.

"I think I'm in the mood to go to the department store again." She said.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'What if we see Mark and Amanda in there?'

"Good point." Said Michelle, and they continued walking. Soon, they arrived at a section of the street that was closed to traffic due to a festival that was going on. There were plenty of food vendors, but they decided to save those for later since they had already eaten ice cream. Eevee spotted a Whack A Diglett game and jumped excitedly.

"Eevee!" she cried, which meant 'Michelle, you have to see this!' Michelle ran up to the game and got a bit excited too.

"You want me to play this?" she asked. Eevee nodded her head.

"All right." Michelle said, and she whacked the Diglett as hard as she could. Meanwhile, Amanda was in the process of paying for the Poke Ball.

"I hope she'll love this one." Amanda said. She finished paying and they left the store.

"Well, it looks like we have everything we need." Said Amanda.

"Not quite." Said Mark. "We still have to get the cake and the food."

"You two can go ahead." Said Abby. "There's a magic store somewhere in here that I need to go into. Tell Michelle that I said happy birthday to her."

"We will." Said Amanda. They went back to the Pokemon Center first and wrapped the gifts they had purchased. They then made their way to the bakery and chose a cake with a chocolate inside and brown icing on the top. Finally, they went to the grocery store and picked up some burgers, buns and soda. They then brought the food back to their room in the Pokemon Center and placed it in the fridge.

"We'll keep the food there until it's time for the party to start." Said Mark. They sat down on the bed and had a rest so that they'd be in top shape. About an hour later, however, there was a knock on the door.

"Mark, Amanda, are you two in here?"

"It's Michelle." Whispered Amanda. Then she called out "Nobody's here!"

"Someone has to be in there." Michelle said. "I should know because one of you said nobody's there." She knocked on the door again, but Mark and Amanda still didn't answer.

"Those two are sure acting weird today, Eevee." Michelle said. The moment she was gone, Mark and Amanda breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one." Mark said.

"I was worried she was going to see her surprises before she was supposed to." Said Amanda.

"Where do you think we should have her party?" Mark asked.

"There's a nice open spot behind the Pokemon Center." Said Amanda. "We can set everything up there." They got the food out of the fridge and took the presents out of their hiding spots.

"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'Shouldn't we leave Michelle a note?'

"Good idea, Pikachu." Said Amanda. She quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper, and she and Mark took everything outside.

"This is going to be the best birthday she's ever had." Said Amanda.

"It's also the first one that she's spending with us." Said Mark.

"That's why we have to make this one extra special." Said Amanda. Meanwhile, Michelle and Eevee were sitting on a bench in the park.

"I'm really starting to think that they forgot." Said Michelle.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'You shouldn't jump to conclusions. They're probably preparing something really nice for you.'

"You're right, Eevee. Making assumptions doesn't get us anywhere." Said Michelle. "Anyway, let's go back to the room." They returned to the Pokemon Center, and they found a note waiting for them on the windowsill.

"What's this?" Michelle wondered.

"Eevee." Eevee said, which meant 'Read it.' Michelle picked up the paper and started reading what it said.

"Dear Michelle. Please come outside to the back of the center. There's a nice surprise waiting there for you. Your friend, Amanda."

"Eevee!" Eevee cried, which meant 'I told you they didn't forget.'

"Okay Eevee, you were right after all." Said Michelle. "Come on, let's see what kind of surprise they have for us." They hurried out of the room and ran to the back of the center.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Michelle observed. "Hello? Amanda? Mark? Pikachu? Where are you guys?" Right at that moment, their friends popped out from behind the table.

"Surprise!" Mark and Amanda shouted.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Surprise!' Michelle let out a big smile.

"You guys did remember after all!" she cried.

"Of course we remembered, silly." Said Amanda. "What possibly made you think that we forgot?"

"For one thing, you guys were acting a bit strange earlier." Michelle answered.

"We were doing that because we didn't want you to see this surprise before it was ready." Said Mark.

"Okay, that makes sense now." Said Michelle. Mark served the hamburgers, as well as some fries and salad.

"You guys are truly the best friends that I've ever had." Michelle said.

"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'May I have a bit of the burger?'

"Yes you may." Said Michelle, and she gave Eevee a small bite.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Can I have some too?'

"You sure can." Said Amanda, and she fed her starter a bite of the burger. The fries and salad were delicious as well.

"I hope the cake will be good." Said Michelle.

"You'll find out a little later." Said Mark. "First, it's time to open your presents." He handed Michelle a small box, and when she opened it, she saw a lovely bottle of perfume. She sniffed it and gave another smile.

"This is terrific. Thanks, Mark." She said.

"You're welcome." Said Mark. Next, it was Amanda's turn to present her with a gift.

"Do you remember when we were in that store yesterday that was selling Pokemon?" she asked. Michelle nodded.

"I think this is one that you'll really like." Amanda said and gave the Poke Ball to Michelle.

"I guess you can't tell me what Pokemon is in here before I open this." Said Michelle. Amanda shook her head.

"If I did that, then it would ruin the surprise." She said. Michelle aimed the ball toward the grass and threw it.

"Whoever you are, come on out!" she cried. A small, yellow Pokemon with a brick pattern appeared in a blaze of light.

"Oh, this thing is so cute!" Michelle cried. "What is it, though?"

"That's what the Pokedex is for." Said Amanda. She took it out and pointed it at their new friend.

"Sandshrew, the mouse Pokemon. Sandshrew spends much of its time hidden underground in deep burrows. It can quickly curl into a tight ball to protect itself from great falls and opponents but may also throw sand at attackers."

"So, Sandshrew is its name." said Michelle.

"Isn't it a cutie?" asked Mark.

"It's so adorable." Said Michelle. She picked up the small Pokemon gently so that it wouldn't be frightened.

"Hi there, Sandshrew. I'm your new trainer." Said Michelle.

"Sandshrew." Said the little Pokemon, which meant 'Pleased to meet you.' It gave Michelle a smile.

"Look at that, the little thing likes me." Said Michelle. She recalled her new Pokemon back to its' ball so that both Amanda and Mark could give out the last present.

"We both felt that you could use a new clothing style." Said Mark. Michelle opened the bag and found the shirt, skirt and boots that the two of them had bought earlier.

"I love these!" Michelle cried, and she showed the shirt to Eevee.

"What do you think?" she asked. Eevee gave a thumbs up.

"I'm glad you like it." Said Michelle. She put the clothes back in the bag, and they were about to cut the cake when Nursey Joy came up to them.

"I hate to interrupt a birthday party, but there's someone who wants to talk to Michelle on the phone." She said. They went inside to see who it was, and of course, it was Professor Oak.

"Happy birthday, Michelle." Said Oak.

"Thanks, Professor." Michelle said. "Mark and Amanda are great friends. They gave me some cool presents already."

"That's wonderful, but you have one more present coming, courtesy of me." Said Oak. "Now that you're ten years old, I can officially license you as a Pokemon trainer. That means you get your very own Pokedex. I'll send it over right now." Oak placed a device similar to Amanda's in a small slot, and within a few seconds, Michelle had received it.

"It's here, Professor!" Michelle cried excitedly.

"Very good." Said Oak. "This means you can also go for gym badges now. Not only that, but you can also start keeping some Pokemon with me."

"That's good, because I do have some that I want to send you." Said Michelle. She got Gengar's Poke Ball out of storage, as well as the one Amanda had gotten her, and sent them to the professor.

"I think you'll find one of them to be a cutie." Said Michelle. The Poke Balls arrived at the lab, and Sandshrew popped out of one of them.

"This Sandshrew is certainly very nice." Said Oak. "How did you obtain it?"

"Amanda bought it for me at one of the shops in the Celadon department store." Michelle answered.

"A store that sells Pokemon? I must admit, that's unheard of." Said Oak. "Nonetheless, Amanda is a very nice friend to have."

"She certainly is." Said Amanda. "Take good care of the Sandshrew for me."

"I will." Said Oak, and he hung up the phone.

"Well, I think it's cake time." Said Mark. They went back outside, but first, they sang happy birthday to Michelle. They then had the cake, which Michelle loved a lot. Later that night, Michelle slept very happily.

"This was the most fun I've ever had on a birthday." She whispered to Eevee.

TO BE CONTINUED

Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Squirtle, Weepinbell, 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, Dratini

Michelle's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Gengar, Sandshrew