Episode Sixteen
Last time, our heroes competed on a Pokemon game show with the chance to win a Master Ball. It was there that they met Sabrina, the leader of the Saffron City gym. The game show was close, but Mark came out victorious and won a Master Ball, which Conrad and Sally of Team Rocket tried to steal. However, a quick thinking security guard foiled their scheme and kicked them out. As for our heroes, their journey continues.
Amanda, Mark, and Michelle were all in the Pokemon Center telling Professor Oak about their experience on the game show.
"Well, it seems like you kids had a great time." Said Professor Oak.
"We sure did, Professor." Said Amanda.
"Well, not all of us competed." Said Michelle.
"What do you mean, Michelle?" Oak asked.
"I chose not to do it because I was worried that I would embarrass myself." Michelle answered.
"Ah, I see." Said Oak.
"I won a Master Ball, though." Said Mark, and he held it up for the Professor to see.
"That kind of Poke Ball is very rare, my boy." Said Oak. "When it's used, though, it will capture any wild Pokemon you see."
"That means I wouldn't have to battle if I were to use it." Said Mark.
"Correct." Said Oak.
"The trouble is, I'm not sure which Pokemon I would want to use it on." Said Mark.
"If you're unsure right now, then I do have a suggestion." Said Oak. "Leave the Master Ball with me for safekeeping for a while. Not only that, but I can also study it so I can find out why something like that is so valuable."
"That's not a bad idea." Said Mark. He placed the Master Ball on the transporter and a white beam of light instantly sent the ball to Oak's lab.
"There, I've got it." Said Oak.
"Thanks, Professor." Said Mark.
"Not a problem." Said Oak.
"Since we have you, Professor, I'd like to make a switch to my Pokemon team if you please." Said Amanda.
"Of course, Amanda." Said Oak. "Which Pokemon would you like to change?"
"I'd like to have Haunter with me, please." Said Amanda.
"That's not a problem; however, you'll need to send one that you have right now over to me." Oak said.
"I'll give you Pidgeotto for now." Said Amanda. They both put the Poke Balls on the transporter, and both Pokemon traded places instantly.
"There we are." Said Oak. "Well, I have more work to do, so you all have a good day." He hung up the phone to end the call.
"That was a smart decision to get Haunter." Said Michelle. "After all, ghost types have a huge advantage over psychic Pokemon."
"Which is exactly why I decided to make the change." Said Amanda. They left the Pokemon Center when Michelle mentioned something important.
"When was the last time any of us bought any supplies?" she asked.
"I'm not sure." Said Amanda.
"Good question." Said Mark.
"I bring this up because it's been some time since any of us have bought anything." Said Michelle.
"I'll go to the store and get us some things." Said Mark.
"Okay, and while you do that, Michelle and I can check out some of the other things here in the city." Said Amanda.
"Sounds like a plan." Said Michelle, and the three of them went off in different directions.
"I hope the shopping malls here are good." Said Amanda.
"They should be." Said Michelle. "After all, Saffron is a pretty big city." Pikachu's stomach growled, as did Eevee's.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm hungry.'
"Eevee." Squealed Eevee, which meant 'I'm hungry too.'
"Don't worry, you guys will get food soon." Said Amanda. "Mark's getting stuff for us at the store, so just wait until then." They continued walking around, when they suddenly spotted a basket full of food just sitting on the sidewalk. Pikachu and Eevee were delighted and started to run up to it, only to be stopped by their respective trainers.
"Hold on a second." Said Michelle. "Something feels very odd. Who would just leave a basket of food lying out in the middle of the road?"
"I don't know, but I know that we have two very hungry Pokemon with us, so I don't think we should keep them waiting any longer." Said Amanda.
"Good point." Said Michelle. The girls ran up to where the basket was sitting, only for the ground to suddenly fall apart underneath them. They both screamed as they fell down.
"This definitely wasn't here before." Said Amanda.
"It can't be, can it?" Michelle wondered. They heard evil laughter behind them.
"Oh yes it can." Said Sally.
"It's Team Rocket!" Both girls cried in unison.
"It's a shame we couldn't get the Master Ball, but I think these two will do nicely." Said Conrad.
"You two had better let us out of this trap right now!" Michelle demanded.
"Yeah, I have a gym battle to get ready for!" Amanda protested.
"If you want us to let you out, then just hand over your precious little Pokemon and you can be on your way." Said Sally.
"You're never getting Pikachu!" Amanda yelled.
"And you're certainly not getting Eevee!" Michelle cried. Both girls hugged their Pokemon tightly.
"You leave us with no choice, then." Said Conrad, and he pressed a button on the remote control he was holding. Meanwhile, Mark had finished in the store and was on his way to meet back up with the girls when he saw Conrad and Sally's balloon floating away with Michelle, Amanda, Pikachu, and Eevee trapped in a net.
"Oh no they don't." said Mark. He ran after the balloon as fast as he could while holding his shopping bags.
"You let my friends go right now!" he cried. However, the balloon picked up speed and floated further away, making it useless for Mark to run. He went the other direction and headed back towards the Pokemon Center. Meanwhile, the balloon touched down behind a building that the girls had never seen before.
"I'm not sure if I like this." Michelle said.
"Quit complaining and get inside, both of you." Conrad ordered. He and Sally took the girls into a room that was near the basement area. Pikachu and Eevee were both placed into small cages in the corner of the room, and the girls were both forced to sit in the chairs that were in the middle of the room. Conrad and Sally put their hands behind the backs of the chairs and tied them up tight with rope.
"Now then, I'm going to make this simple." Said Sally. "You'll both hand over your Pokemon or else."
"We'll never give them to you!" Amanda yelled.
"Yeah, we know how you'd treat them!" Michelle exclaimed.
"Fine. Then you'll both stay in this room until you surrender one or both Pokemon." Said Conrad, and the two Team Rocket grunts left.
"What do we do now?" asked Amanda.
"One thing's for sure. They're not getting their hands on our precious little Pokemon." Said Michelle.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, which meant 'Amanda, what's going on?'
"We've been captured by Team Rocket." Said Amanda.
"Where exactly are we, anyway?" wondered Michelle.
"I think this might be the famous Silph Company building." Said Amanda. "As in, the company that makes the Master Balls."
"I think I might know what they want, then." Said Michelle. "They want the Master Ball that we have and they're trying to use us and our Pokemon as leverage to get what they want, and I don't think they'll leave us alone until we actually give them the Master Ball."
"We don't have that right now, though." Said Amanda. "Mark sent it to Professor Oak."
"Speaking of Mark, we need him to help us get out of this situation." Said Michelle. Meanwhile, Mark was on his way back to the Pokemon Center when he passed by the gym. He watched Sabrina send off a challenger that had just won a badge, and then ran up to her as fast as he could.
"Sabrina!" he called.
"Hey Mark, what's up?" she wondered.
"Something happened to the girls." He said. "Something bad."
"How bad is it?" Sabrina asked.
"Amanda and Michelle were both captured by Team Rocket." Mark said. Sabrina gasped.
"That's terrible!" she cried.
"I'll tell you exactly what happened at the Pokémon Center." Said Mark.
"Well, I do have to go there to get my Pokemon healed after the battle I just finished." Said Sabrina. "We'll go there together, and you can tell both me and Nurse Joy what you witnessed." The two trainers both walked down the street.
"I wonder how Joy is going to react when I tell her what I saw." Said Mark.
"She's not going to like it." Said Sabrina. "Since a crime has clearly been committed, though, that likely means Officer Jenny will need to get involved too." They both headed to the Pokemon Center as fast as they could; Amanda and Michelle, however, were still trapped in the building that they had been taken to.
"I'm scared, Amanda." Said Michelle.
"Don't worry, Michelle, I'm confident that Mark can help us." Said Amanda.
"How do you figure that?" Michelle wondered.
"The ropes that are holding us together to these chairs can easily be burned away by his Charmander." Said Amanda.
"That's a valid point, but what if there's other Team Rocket members here and they catch him?" said Michelle.
"If that happens, then we're screwed." Said Amanda.
"Eevee." Eevee squealed from her cage, which meant 'I don't like it in here.'
"Don't worry, Eevee, everything is going to be all right." Said Michelle. "At least, I hope everything will be all right." Mark and Sabrina had arrived at the Pokémon Center, and Nurse Joy was about to go on a break when she saw the two trainers burst through the door.
"Nurse Joy, we've got an emergency!" Mark cried.
"What is it?" asked Joy. "Does it involve one of your Pokémon?"
"No, not that kind of emergency." Said Sabrina. "Although, I do need to heal my Pokemon."
"Of course." Said Joy. She took Sabrina's Poke Balls and put them on the healing machine. She then turned her attention back to the two of them.
"Now, what sort of emergency are you both talking about?" she asked.
"Both of my friends were kidnapped by Team Rocket." Said Mark.
"That's definitely no good." Said Joy.
"Do you think my friends will be fine?" asked Mark.
"I hope so, but I think Officer Jenny can shed more light on this situation." Said Joy. She picked up the phone and called Jenny's number at the police station. Jenny was in the process of writing out paperwork when her phone rang. She picked up and was greeted by Nurse Joy's voice, which was a bit louder than usual.
"Jenny, you've got to get down here right now. We have an emergency situation!" Joy cried.
"Okay, slow down there a bit." Said Jenny. "What's the trouble?"
"Two young trainers have been abducted by Team Rocket." Said Joy. "Thankfully, their friend is safe here. He can tell you everything."
"I'll be there in no time at all." Said Jenny, who gave a wink.
"Please hurry." Said Joy, and she hung up.
"I suppose I better get over there right away." Said Jenny. She hopped onto her motorcycle and sped down to the Pokemon Center as fast as she could. However, she went a little too fast and ended up knocking the door down before parking it.
"A little on the speedy side, eh, Jenny?" said Joy. Jenny laughed sheepishly before getting down to business.
"Okay Mark, exactly what happened?" asked Jenny.
"I had gone to buy some food and potions because my friends and I hadn't had anything to eat in a while and our Pokemon needed some food too." Said Mark. "As I was on my way to meet back up with the girls, I saw them being taken away in a balloon. I tried to chase after it, but the crooks were too fast, and that's what led me to come back here and tell you what I had witnessed."
"It's a good thing you did that." Said Officer Jenny.
"Do you think they're going to be okay, officer?" asked Mark worriedly.
"Your friends will be all right, but Team Rocket will be in serious trouble." Said Jenny. "Come on, let's get a move on."
"Be careful out there." Said Joy. Once Mark, Jenny and Sabrina had left the Pokemon Center, Joy went to put the door back in place.
"Okay, if I were a member of Team Rocket, where would I take two young trainers in a big city like this?" Mark asked.
"I think I might know." Said Sabrina. "Mark, you still have that Master Ball that you won, right?"
"I did, but I sent it to Professor Oak for safekeeping." Said Mark.
"Okay, that's good." Said Sabrina. "Who knows what Team Rocket would've done with it if they had gotten their hands on that ball."
"They probably wouldn't have done very good things with it." Said Mark. Sabrina visualized in her mind where such a strong Poke Ball would be made. And then, a few minutes later, it hit her.
"I think I know where your friends are." Said Sabrina.
"You do?" asked Mark. Sabrina nodded.
"My dad took me to this particular building once when I was little." She said. "It's the Silph Company headquarters."
"Quick, we don't have a moment to lose." Said Jenny, and the three of them ran off. In the building, Michelle and Amanda were still feeling scared.
"I hope we get rescued soon." Said Michelle.
"Eevee?" Eevee asked, which meant 'Will Mark be able to pull through for us?'
"I hope so, Eevee." Said Amanda. Mark, Jenny, and Sabrina were standing outside the entrance to the Silph building figuring out their plan.
"I'm not sure if I like this." Said Mark. "There could be grunts everywhere."
"Just trust us." Said Sabrina. The three of them calmly made their way inside, and sure enough, there were Team Rocket grunts surrounding the entire main floor.
"There's no way we're getting past all of them." Said Mark.
"Don't worry, we will." Sabrina said confidently. "Jenny and I will distract them, and when I give you the signal, you go find the girls." They calmly strolled around the floor looking at all the surroundings.
"This is so cool!" Mark exclaimed. "Jenny shushed him.
"Keep your voice down." She whispered. It was too late, though, as a grunt had heard the commotion and approached them.
"What do you three think you're doing here?" he asked them.
"We can't tell him the truth, or he'll kick us out." Mark whispered.
"Relax." Jenny whispered. She then changed into a deep male voice. "I'm a special advisor, and I'm here for a very important meeting."
"Oh, my deepest apologies. Please go right ahead." Said the grunt.
"Thank you." Jenny said in the male voice. Sabrina then gave Mark the signal, and he took off down a flight of stairs. Jenny and Sabrina went into the elevator.
"Where could the girls be?" he wondered. Then, he heard Pikachu trying, once again, to use an electric attack to get out of his cage.
"They're definitely in there." Mark said, and he opened the door. Needless to say, the girls were incredibly happy to see him.
"See Michelle, I knew he'd come through for us!" Amanda cried.
"You can thank me later. Right now, let's get you two out of here." Said Mark. He tried to untie the ropes but found that they were very tight.
"This is no good." He said, and he sent out his Charmander.
"Charmander, use Flamethrower on the ropes. But be careful because I don't want you to hurt the girls." Charmander nodded and shot out a normal stream of fire at the bindings that were holding the girls together. The ropes disappeared instantly, and the girls were able to get up.
"I was worried about the two of you." Mark said, and the three of them hugged each other.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'What about us?'
"Oh yeah, we don't want to forget about our other friends here." Mark said. "Charmander, you know what to do." Charmander obeyed and used Flamethrower to destroy the cages that Pikachu and Eevee were in, thus freeing the two Pokemon. They immediately ran up to their respective trainers and gave them a hug.
"I'm glad everyone's okay." Said Amanda.
"So am I." said Mark. He recalled Charmander and turned his attention to the girls.
"Come on, let's go find Team Rocket." He said. The elevator wasn't too far, so they took it up to the seventh floor. Once they got out, they saw Conrad and Sally having a discussion with someone. The moment the two of them saw the trio, however, they weren't too impressed.
"So, you girls managed to escape." Said Sally. "Well, if you want to get out of here, you'll have to get through us first."
"Fine with us." Said Amanda. Mark grabbed another Poke Ball and threw it.
"Let's do this, Bulbasaur." He said. The grass starter immediately materialized, and at Mark's command, used Vine Whip to tie up the two of them.
"What is this?" Conrad demanded.
"A little something called karma." Said Amanda, and she threw a ball out. "Nidoran, I need you now." The small male Pokemon appeared and glared angrily at the two team Rocket agents.
"Poison Sting now!" Amanda commanded. Nidoran shot sharp needles from its horn, each one more painful.
"Ow! Stop that!" cried Sally.
"Electabuzz, give them a good electric punch!" Michelle commanded, throwing one of her Poke Balls. Electabuzz materialized and shot powerful punches at the two of them, paralyzing them.
"What else could go wrong?" Conrad wondered.
"Growlithe, Take Down now!" commanded a voice from behind them. The voice, of course, belonged to Officer Jenny. The small fire puppy ran full speed and sent Conrad and Sally blasting through the ceiling and into the sky.
"Great work, everybody." Said Sabrina.
"Thanks, Sabrina." Said Mark.
"Most very impressive, kids." Said a gentleman from behind his desk. "I am an official Silph employee, and I have a special gift for the three of you." He took out a Poke Ball from his desk and presented it to them.
"Inside this Poke Ball is a special water Pokemon called Lapras. It can take you anywhere in the ocean. I would like for you to take it as a reward for getting rid of Team Rocket." He said.
"A Lapras would be lovely to have." Said Amanda.
"Both of us have full parties, though." Said Michelle.
"I don't." said Mark. "I'll be glad to take it."
"Well then, this Lapras is yours, my friend." Said the employee and he gave the ball to Mark. "Take very good care of it."
"I will." Mark said with a smile. The next day, after the girls had a chance to rest from the kidnapping ordeal, they headed to the gym so that Amanda could finally have her battle.
"This will be a three on three match." Said Sabrina. "No substitutions will be allowed from me, but you may switch out at any time. Any questions?"
"No. I'm more than ready." Said Amanda.
"In that case, let's get started." Said Sabrina, and she sent out her first Pokemon, which had magenta colored circles on both of its cheeks. Amanda took out her Pokedex to scan it.
"Mr. Mime, the barrier Pokemon. This Pokemon is an excellent pantomime. As it matures, it gains the ability to solidify air molecules by vibrating its fingertips. This ability allows it to create invisible objects with its gestures."
"Very interesting." Said Amanda. She took out a ball from her waist and sent out Nidoran.
"Okay Nidoran, this is going to be your first gym battle. Give it your best shot." Said Amanda.
"You can make the first move." Said Sabrina.
"Nidoran, Poison Sting." Said Amanda. Nidoran shot its needles out, but Mr. Mime countered with Barrier, which put a screen up and caused the needles to be sent back at Nidoran.
"Ouch." Said Michelle.
"Try Double Kick." Amanda ordered. Nidoran complied, but all the attack did was hit the screen. Nidoran was getting visibly frustrated.
"Amanda, call it back!" called Mark. "This is a clear mismatch!" Amanda recalled Nidoran and sent Squirtle out.
"Well, that's a better choice than Nidoran, that's for sure." Said Michelle.
"Squirtle, go with Water Gun." Amanda ordered. Squirtle took a deep breath and opened its' mouth, and with the screen now broken from Nidoran's kicks, the attack was easily able to hit Mr. Mime.
"Quite impressive." Said Sabrina. "Mr. Mime, use Body Slam on Squirtle." Mr. Mime jumped up and got ready to lay its' body down, but Squirtle quickly countered by using Withdraw to hide in the shell and lessen the impact.
"Good job, Squirtle." Said Amanda. "Bubblebeam now!" Squirtle shot a stream of bubbles and although the attack hit, Sabrina didn't look too worried.
"Use Recover." She said. Mr. Mime quickly shook off the damage, making it feel slightly better.
"Skull Bash, Squirtle!" Amanda ordered. Squirtle lowered its head and sent Mr. Mime up to the ceiling. Upon landing on the floor, he fainted.
"Great job, Squirtle!" Amanda called. Sabrina recalled Mr. Mime and got another Poke Ball out.
"You did well against that Mr. Mime, but now let's see how you do with this." She said. She threw the ball, and a Slowbro popped out. Amanda was a little surprised.
"But I thought Slowbro was a water type." She said.
"It is, but Slowbro also has psychic type characteristics, which is probably why Sabrina chose it." Said Mark.
"Your friend there is correct." Said Sabrina. "Okay Slowbro, use Swift." Slowbro shot rainbow stars from its body, hurting Squirtle but not doing too much damage. Amanda then ordered another Water Gun, but Slowbro countered with Teleport to avoid the attack. Squirtle looked all around for the Slowbro, and then heard Amanda's voice.
"Squirtle, it's right behind you!" she called. Squirtle turned around and was greeted by a Thunder Wave attack, paralyzing it, and making it unable to attack.
"Now Slowbro, Psywave." ordered Sabrina. Slowbro used a series of psychic waves to make Squirtle float in the air and then force it to bounce up and down while in the shell.
"This isn't looking good for Squirtle." Said Michelle.
"Slowbro, you can stop now." Said Sabrina. The glow from Slowbro's eyes disappeared and Squirtle slammed so hard onto the floor that it fainted.
"Good try, Squirtle." Said Amanda and she recalled the small turtle. She sent out Nidoran again and had it use Take Down. This time, it was able to do a good amount of damage, but then Nidoran suddenly fainted.
"What happened?" Amanda asked.
"Nidoran was still a bit tired from its battle with Mr. Mime, and the recoil from Take Down made it knock itself out." Said Michelle.
"Correct again." Said Sabrina. Amanda sighed and recalled Nidoran.
"It's a good thing I made this change." She said and threw her last ball. "Haunter, I choose you!" The ghost Pokemon appeared, and Slowbro was slightly scared.
"Night Shade." Said Amanda. Haunter complied, and the attack did heavy damage on Slowbro.
"Try another Swift." Said Sabrina. However, the stars went right through Haunter and didn't affect it at all.
"Thunderbolt." Said Amanda. Haunter fired a yellow bolt from its mouth, and the attack caused a very tired Slowbro to faint.
"Oak must've taught Haunter an electric attack while it was at the lab." Amanda thought. Sabrina recalled her Slowbro and gave Amanda a smile.
"I must say, I'm quite impressed with our battle so far." She said. "Now, there's only one more hurdle for you to clear to get the badge." She threw her last ball and Kadabra popped out.
"I don't know if I've seen this one yet." Said Amanda and she took her Pokedex out.
"Kadabra, the Psi Pokemon. It emits alpha waves strong enough to induce headaches, and can even cause clocks to run backward, machines to malfunction, and delicate devices to cease functioning altogether. The waves increase further in strength the more danger Kadabra faces."
"Okay Haunter, let's do this." Said Amanda. "Psybeam, now!"
"Kadabra, you do the same." Sabrina ordered. Both attacks hit each other at the same time.
"Night Shade." Said Amanda.
"Teleport." Sabrina called. Haunter let out its attack, but Kadabra moved itself far away.
"Try another Psybeam, but long range this time." Said Amanda. Haunter unleashed another attack, but Kadabra teleported again. This time, it was a few feet in front of Haunter.
"Go for Hypnosis." Said Amanda. Haunter quickly closed its eyes and moved its hands around like a pendulum. Kadabra had been about to teleport again, but quickly focused itself on Haunter, and ended up falling asleep on the floor.
"Now then, Dream Eater." Said Amanda. Haunter unleashed a special beam, and with Kadabra fast asleep, Haunter was easily able to land the attack and suck up energy from Kadabra. When the psychic type Pokemon woke up and was wondering what had happened, he collapsed and fainted.
"Great job, Haunter!" cried Amanda. Sabrina recalled her Pokemon and walked over to Amanda.
"You gave me quite the battle, young lady, and that Haunter of yours is quite good." She took out an orange circular shaped badge and handed it to Amanda.
"This is the Marsh Badge, which is your evidence of defeating the Saffron City gym."
"Thanks a lot, Sabrina." Said Amanda.
"You're quite welcome." Said Sabrina. The trio walked out of the gym with their heads held high.
"Look at that, Pikachu. Our very own Marsh Badge." Said Amanda.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'Congratulations, Amanda.'
"That Marsh Badge means you're now halfway to qualifying for the league competition." Said Michelle.
"So, where do we go now?" asked Amanda.
"I think our next stop should be Celadon City." Said Mark.
"That seems fine with me." Said Amanda, and they made their way out of Saffron. Well, that was quite the ordeal the girls had in this episode. But with Amanda, now a little closer to being able to compete in the Pokemon League, the future is brighter than ever for her.
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Haunter, 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, Spearow, Magikarp, Butterfree, Zubat, Abra, Tentacruel, Pidgeotto
Michelle's Spare Pokemon in Storage: Gengar