Episode Twenty-Seven
Last time, Amanda battled a young girl named Rachael, who was new in town and needed friends to come to her birthday party. Fortunately, our three young heroes agreed to come, and the party was an immense success. Of course, team Rocket tried to crash the party, and of course, our heroes and their new friend put a stop to it. Plus, Squirtle evolved into Wartortle. Now, our three heroes continue their journey, anxious to see what else lies ahead.
As today's story begins, we find our group of three trainers finally entering Fuchsia City.
"Here we are, guys, my hometown." Said Amanda.
"It's so beautiful." Said Michelle.
"There's lots of nice beaches here too." Said Mark.
"Although, I think the ones in Vermillion are nicer." Said Michelle.
"I already know what I want to do first." Said Amanda, and she ran off toward the gym, with Michelle and Mark following behind her. Unfortunately, she was greeted with a closed sign.
"Not another one of these!" cried Michelle. The door then opened abruptly, startling the three of them a little bit.
"If you're here for a gym battle, this wouldn't be a good time." Said a man dressed in a ninja outfit.
"Excuse me, sir, but who are you?" asked Amanda.
"I am Koga, the leader of this gym." Said the gentleman. "However, we also do private meditation sessions once a week, and today happens to be the day where those sessions occur, which means no gym challengers allowed. I'm sorry, but you'll have to come back another time." He then closed the door, leaving the group stunned.
"Well, I guess we'll have to go someplace else for now." Said Mark.
"Let's go to the Pokemon Center first and we can figure it out there." Said Amanda.
"Good idea." Said Michelle. They found the Pokemon Center a short walking distance away from the gym, and when they arrived there, they sat down in the lobby.
"There has to be other things here besides the gym and the beaches." Said Mark.
"Amanda, didn't you tell me when you and I first met that you lived in the Safari Zone?" Michelle asked.
"I did indeed say that." Amanda replied.
"Well then, we can check that out." Said Mark.
"And Amanda can show us around." Said Michelle.
"That certainly sounds like a good idea, but I think I should let my mama know that we're coming first." Said Amanda.
"Yes, that would definitely be helpful." Said Michelle. Right as they were about to go to the phones, however, Nurse Joy called them over to the counter.
"By any chance, which one of you is Michelle Greenwood?" she asked.
"That would be me." Michelle answered.
"I have a letter here for you." Said Joy. "It was dropped off a couple of hours ago via Pidgeot Express." Michelle took the envelope that Joy was holding and opened it up so she could read it.
"I wonder what the letter says." Said Mark.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'I'm kind of curious too.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Me three.'
"Let's all find out together." Said Michelle, and she was about to start reading when Psyduck suddenly popped out of his Poke Ball and pointed to the paper that Michelle was holding.
"I guess Psyduck is just as curious as we are." Said Amanda. Michelle, however, wasn't exactly pleased.
"Psyduck, this is a private matter between me and my friends." Michelle said firmly, and she held out his ball. "Return!" Psyduck was absorbed into red light and Michelle put his ball away.
"Where was I?" Michelle wondered. "Oh yes, I was about to start reading this letter." She cleared her throat and began to read.
"My dearest Michelle. I want to let you know that I'm absolutely fine. I'm currently being held captive in a location that's top secret, which means that I'm not allowed to disclose exactly where I am. My captors have threatened to kill me if I say anything else, so I should probably do what they say and end this letter. Before I do that, though, I also want you to know that no matter what happens, I will always love you. Much love, Eric Greenwood."
"I guess that letter answers the worries you were having about your dad." Said Amanda.
"I still miss him, though." Said Michelle.
"Don't worry about that right now." Said Mark. "Right now, let's have some fun in the Safari Zone."
"Mark's right." Said Amanda. "But first, I need to make that phone call." She grabbed the video phone and dialed her house.
"I hope Mama's there." Said Amanda. The phone rang twice, and then there was an answer on the third ring.
"Kangaskhan?" Kangaskhan asked, which meant 'Hello?'
"Hi, Mama, it's me!" Amanda exclaimed.
"Kanga Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan cried, which meant 'Amanda! It's so great to hear from you!'
"It's great hearing from you too." Said Amanda. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm in Fuchsia City right now, which means you're going to have a visitor, and that visitor is me!"
"Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan cried, which meant 'That's definitely exciting.'
"That's not all, though." Said Amanda. "I'm also bringing my friends with me."
"Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan cried, which meant 'I can't wait to meet them.'
"You'll definitely like them." Said Amanda. "I'll see you soon, Mama." She hung up the phone and turned to her friends.
"Okay, guys, off to the Safari Zone!" Amanda cried excitedly.
"That's great and all, but exactly which way is the Safari Zone?" Michelle asked.
"I actually don't remember." Said Amanda. "I haven't been there since I left to start my Pokemon journey."
"Maybe Nurse Joy will have the answer." Said Mark, and the three of them went up to the counter.
"Nurse Joy, how do we get to the Safari Zone from here?" Amanda asked.
"It's very easy." Said Joy. "You just go a little bit north of here and you'll be there in no time at all."
"Thank you." The three of them all said, and they left the center.
"I can't wait to see Mama again." Said Amanda.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'It's been a while, hasn't it?'
"It certainly has, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "I still remember the day I first met you."
"Exactly how old were you when the two of you met?" asked Mark.
"I think I was about half the age that I am now." answered Amanda. "In fact, Pikachu was actually my very first Pokemon. And I also can't wait to show Mama all the neat gym badges that I've won."
"She'll be quite happy for sure." Said Michelle. They had to walk a bit further than they expected, but they reached the entrance after forty minutes. Usually, when a trainer enters the Safari Zone, they have to pay a fee of five hundred dollars to be able to wander around. Since Amanda was a resident, however, she and her friends were given free admission. When the group arrived at Kangaskhan's house, Amanda breathed a sigh of nervousness.
"Here we go." She said and knocked on the door. Kangaskhan answered, and when she saw Amanda, her eyes lit right up.
"I'm home, Mama." Said Amanda. Kangaskhan gave Amanda a big hug and looked over at Michelle and Mark.
"Kangaskhan?" Kangaskhan asked, which meant 'These are the friends you were telling me about on the phone?' Amanda nodded.
"These are Michelle and Mark." Said Amanda. "They're really good friends, and they're also Pokemon trainers just like me."
"I's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Kangaskhan." Said Michelle.
"Kangaskhan." Said Kangaskhan, which meant 'The pleasure's mine.'
"Hey Mama, how about I show you some of the Pokemon that I've caught." Amanda suggested. Kangaskhan gave an approving nod and let out her Flareon, Nidoran, Weepinbell and Wartortle. She avoided sending out Fearow for obvious reasons.
"Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan exclaimed, which meant 'These Pokemon are all so adorable.' She then looked at Wartortle and smiled even more.
"Kangaskhan." She said, which meant 'I see that your Squirtle evolved.'
"He became a Wartortle a couple of days ago." Said Mark.
"We had to deal with Team Rocket at a friend's birthday, and after we finished battling them, Squirtle evolved." Said Michelle.
"Team Rocket's tried to get in our way a few times, but we've stopped them every single time." Said Amanda.
"Kangaskhan." Said Kangaskhan, which meant 'Good for you.'
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Hey Kangaskhan, you remember me?'
"Kangaskhan." Kangaskhan said with a nod, which meant 'It's great seeing you again, Pikachu. You're looking nice today.'
"Pika pi Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'That's because Amanda's been doing such a great job taking care of me.'
"Kangaskhan." She said, which meant 'I'm very glad to her that.'
"Eevee!" Eevee squealed, which meant 'Don't forget about me!' Kangaskhan looked over at Eevee and asked "Kangaskhan?" which meant 'Who's this little cutie?'
"That's Eevee." Amanda explained. "She belongs to my friend Michelle and is best friends with Pikachu."
"Eevee." Eevee squealed again, which meant 'We're very good friends too.'
"Kangaskhan." Said Kangaskhan, which meant 'That's great to hear.'
"Hey guys, how about we go inside and I can show you a bit around the house." Said Amanda. Kangaskhan agreed and let them all in. Amanda recalled the Pokemon she had let out and led her friends into the kitchen.
"You certainly have a nice place here, Amanda." Said Michelle.
"It's not that big, but I like to call it home." Said Amanda.
"Kangaskhan?" Kangaskhan asked, which meant 'Would the three of you like a snack?'
"Yes, please, Mrs. Kangaskhan." Said Michelle. Kangaskhan gave them two cookies each, as well as some milk. Amanda then showed her friends her room.
"This is where I used to sleep before I left." She said. Michelle sat down on the bed.
"The bed looks nice." She said. Mark had a look at her bookshelf.
"You've got a lot of books here, Amanda." He said.
"A lot of them are Pokemon books, but others are children's books that Mama used to read to me when I was small." Said Amanda. She then led them back outside.
"One neat perk about living here is that I have the entire area as my backyard." Said Amanda.
"That's definitely helpful." Said Michelle. "I bet you got to play with a lot of the Pokemon here."
"You'd bet correctly." Said Amanda. One of those Pokemon chose that moment to come running up to her and give her a gentle lick on the face.
"Arcanine! It's been a long time since I saw you!" Amanda cried. "How have you been, buddy?" Arcanine just gave a playful bark, which meant 'I've been doing great. I've missed you, though.
"I've missed you too." Said Amanda. Kangaskhan came out to see what was going on.
"Kangaskhan." She said, which meant 'I see that you and Arcanine have gotten reacquainted with each other.'
"We sure have." Said Amanda. "Oh, I almost forgot. I have five badges now." She showed each of them to Kangaskhan one by one.
"Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan cried excitedly, which meant 'That's awesome, dear.'
"We mainly came here so that I could have a gym battle and win another badge, but it was closed when we got there." Said Amanda.
"Kangaskhan." Said Kangaskhan, which meant 'That's too bad.' She then suggested that the three of them spend the night and sleep outdoors.
"That definitely sounds like a great idea, Mrs. Kangaskhan." Said Mark. Arcanine gave a couple of barks.
"Yes, Arcanine, you can join us too." Said Michelle. Arcanine jumped onto Amanda and gave her another playful lick, which just made Amanda laugh. The group all went back to the house to get things ready, but they were completely unaware that Team Rocket had also made their way to the Safari Zone.
"Looks like the kids are having an outdoor sleepover tonight." Said Conrad.
"That means we strike while they're happily snoozing away." Said Sally.
"You know, I seem to recall us trying something like this already." Said Conrad.
"We failed last time because we grabbed the wrong Pokemon." Said Sally. "This time, though, I'm confident that we'll succeed. And I know how we'll make sure that happens."
"How?" wondered Conrad.
"Arcanine is likely going to be their guard dog, which means he'll likely be keeping a close eye on Pikachu and Eevee. We'll grab the dog instead so that he's out of the way."
"Good thinking." Said Conrad.
"By the time they wake up, they'll find Arcanine missing, but we'll be long gone by then." Said Sally, and she gave an evil snicker. Kangaskhan was rummaging through the closet trying to find a tent big enough to fit Amanda and her friends, and after fifteen minutes of looking, she found one.
"Kangaskhan." She said, which meant 'This should do it.'
"Thanks, Mama." Said Amanda.
"Kangaskhan?" she asked, which meant 'Do you need me to get you some sleeping bags too?'
"That won't be necessary. I always carry those with me." Said Mark.
"Kangaskhan." Said Kangaskhan, which meant 'All right, then.' The three of them went outside and let their Pokémon out so that they could enjoy the scenery as well. Fearow stayed in his ball because Amanda didn't want to take any chances with it getting out of control, but Pikachu, Eevee and Wartortle all enjoyed the view.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Isn't this view amazing?'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'It's very nice. I see now why Amanda loves it here.'
"Wartortle?" Wartortle wondered, which meant 'Where are all of the water Pokemon?'
"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu answered, which meant 'They're probably all busy enjoying themselves in the water.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Pikachu's right.' Wartortle was a bit disappointed, but he didn't want to bother any of the other wild Pokemon, so he sat back with Pikachu and Eevee and the three of them enjoyed the sunshine together. Later that evening as the sun was starting to set, Arcanine finally arrived.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'We were wondering where you were at.'
"Arcanine." Arcanine barked, which meant 'Sorry, I was a little busy.'
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'We're glad you're here now, though.'
"Pikachu." Pikachu said, which meant 'You're just in time. Mark's about to feed us.'
"Okay everyone, time for dinner." Said Mark. He took out some plates and put some hot dogs on it. Arcanine gave a bark, which meant 'Can I have some too?'
"Sorry, Arcanine, but our food isn't good for dogs." Said Michelle. Mark fed Arcanine some Pokemon food, so he was at least still satisfied. Later on, once it was dark, the three of them recalled their Pokémon and fell asleep in the tent.
"Good night, Pikachu. Good night, Eevee. Good night, Arcanine." Said Amanda. A few hours later, Team Rocket showed up where the tent was.
"It looks like everyone's asleep." Sally whispered.
"Quick, before they hear us." whispered Conrad. They quietly tiptoed to their balloon and hit a button on their remote control. A large net came down and covered up Arcanine, causing him to scream and howl.
"Cut it out with the noise there, you big crybaby!" Sally cried.
"If you get any louder, you'll not only wake up the other Pokemon but you'll wake up the twerps too." Said Conrad. "Now be a good boy and stop making so much noise."
"Yeah, before those kids hear you." Said Sally.
"It's a little late for that, Team Rocket!"
"Uh oh!" They looked down and saw Mark, Michelle, Amanda, Pikachu, and Eevee staring angrily at them.
"Aren't you up a little past your bedtime?" Sally asked.
"We were asleep until we heard a loud racket and we figured right away that it was you two!" Michelle cried.
"Let Arcanine go right now!" Mark demanded. "What did he ever do to you?!" Kangaskhan came out and gave a loud yawn.
"Kangaskhan?" she asked, which meant 'Just what is going on out here at this time of night?'
"Mama, Team Rocket's trying to steal Arcanine!" Amanda cried.
"Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan fumed, which meant 'That Arcanine is my daughter's friend. Give it back to her right now!'
"Since when do we take orders from a Pokemon?" Sally asked.
"We never have, and we're certainly not starting now." Said Conrad.
"Which means like it or not, this Arcanine comes with us." Said Sally, and they flew off.
"Kangaskhan!" Kangaskhan yelled, which meant 'They won't get away this this!'
"Especially not with my mama around." Said Amanda.
"What'll we do to stop them?" Michelle wondered. Kangaskhan got an idea.
"Kangaskhan!" she ordered, which meant 'Everyone into my pouch!' Amanda and Michelle climbed into the pouch, but Mark wasn't so keen on the idea.
"Are you sure there's enough space in that thing?" he asked.
"Don't worry, my mama's pouch is so big that all of us can fit." Said Amanda.
"Hurry up and get in before Team Rocket gets further away." Said Michelle. Mark still wasn't sold on the idea of riding in a Kangaskhan's pouch, but he got in and settled himself between Amanda and Michelle. Pikachu and Eevee got in as well, and Kangaskhan ran as fast as she could. The trio, as well as the Pokemon, held onto the top of the pouch tightly to make sure that they didn't fall out. Conrad and Sally were gloating in the balloon.
"Just you wait until the boss meets you." Said Sally.
"Just imagine all of the possibilities." Said Conrad. The two of them imagined the boss turning Arcanine's fur into jackets, rugs, and blankets. In the imagination, the boss said, "I'm willing to forget about all of your previous failures and pay you handsomely for bringing me this strong and powerful Arcanine." The boss then handed Conrad and Sally a check for one hundred thousand dollars each, making them smile. They then got out of their imagination sequence.
"We'll be so rich that we can have anything we'd possibly want!" Sally cried, and high fived Conrad. However, their excitement was short-lived.
"You're not turning Arcanine into anything!" Michelle cried from the ground.
"How did they catch up?" Conrad wondered.
"Never mind about that!" Amanda cried out. "Arcanine, try using your paws to break out of that net!" Arcanine tried to hack his way out of his confinement, but the net wouldn't budge.
"We figured you'd try and attack, so we made sure to not only make this net shock proof but dog proof too." Said Sally.
"That means Arcanine's Flamethrower and Pikachu's Thunderbolt won't do any good." Said Michelle.
"I know what could work, though." Said Mark, and he grabbed a ball.
"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" he cried. He threw the ball and the tough grass type appeared.
"Bulbasaur, try using Vine Whip to break the net down!" Mark ordered.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried, which meant 'Got it!' He shot his vines out and smacked the top of the net with them, but nothing happened.
"Vines are no good either?" Mark wondered.
"This thing is more sturdy than I thought." Said Michelle.
"Bulbasaur, return!" Mark cried. He recalled his Pokemon and put Bulbasaur's ball away.
"Since vines didn't work, maybe leaves will." Said Amanda.
"It's certainly worth a try." Said Michelle.
"Weepinbell, go!" Amanda cried. The small grass type appeared and awaited its instructions.
"Weepinbell, use your Razor Leaf on top of the net." Amanda ordered. Weepinbell obeyed and shot out a pair of green leaves toward the bottom of Team Rocket's balloon. The leaves successfully tore through the net, which sent it down to the ground and freed Arcanine.
"Great work, Weepinbell!" Amanda cried. Arcanine happily ran over to Amanda and hugged her.
"Don't tell me we're about to lose again!" Sally fumed.
"Okay, I won't tell you." Said Conrad.
"And now, the finishing touch." Said Amanda. She was about to command Pikachu to use Thunderbolt when Kangaskhan whispered something to her.
"You mean that you want to give them the finishing blow?" Amanda asked. Kangaskhan nodded.
"All right then, Mama." Said Amanda. "Mama, use your Mega Punch!" Kangaskhan readied herself by pulling her arm backwards, and then she gave the Team Rocket crooks a powerful punch to send both them and the balloon into the air.
"Now we'll never get rich!" Sally cried.
"There's always next time, though." Said Conrad. Sally just growled at him.
"We're blasting off again!" they both cried.
"You were impressive, Mama!" Amanda cried.
"Kangaskhan." Said Kangaskhan, which meant 'Thank you. Now, let's get the three of you back to your tent so you can go back to sleep.' Amanda recalled Weepinbell, and Kangaskhan returned the kids as well as Arcanine to their designated area. The next morning, Arcanine woke up Amanda with a playful bark.
"Did you sleep well, Arcanine?" Amanda asked. The huge fire dog nodded, and then Amanda held out an empty Poke Ball and put it beside Arcanine.
"Just to make sure Team Rocket doesn't try to attack you again, I think it would be in your best interest to be with me for the rest of my journey." She said. "I know Pikachu would love having you around, wouldn't you, buddy?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I sure would!' Michelle and Mark then woke up.
"That's a good idea, Amanda." Said Michelle. "I just hope that Kangaskhan agrees." Kangaskhan then made her way outside.
"Kangaskhan." She said, which meant 'Good morning, kids.'
"Mama, can I take Arcanine with me on my journey with me?" Amanda asked. "I want to protect him from any more possible Team Rocket attacks." Kangaskhan thought it over, and then she nodded.
"Good news, Arcanine, you get to come with us." Said Amanda. Arcanine happily barked at the good news, and tapped the button in the middle of the ball to open it and suck himself in.
"Welcome to the team, Arcanine." Said Amanda. She quickly took her Pokedex out and sent Flareon to Professor Oak's lab.
"You know, Mama, you're welcome to come along too." Said Amanda. Kangaskhan just shook her head.
"Kangaskhan." She said, which meant 'Thanks for offering, but I'd rather stay here and continue my role of caretaker.'
"That's fine." Said Michelle.
"Do you know what we want to do today?" Mark asked.
"I want to try and capture some Pokemon here." Said Amanda.
"That's a great idea, but I don't think we're allowed to do that in this part of the Safari Zone." Said Mark.
"Ranger Jenny would know for sure." Said Michelle. "Come on, let's go see her about it right now." The trio got out of the tent and started to walk off. Well, just when it looked like Arcanine would be a goner, our heroes step in to save the day once again. Gee, I wonder how many Pokemon Amanda and her friends will catch in the Safari Zone. I bet you're all wondering too. Well, you'll have to stay tuned for the next episode so we can all find out.
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Wartortle, Weepinbell, Arcanine, Nidoran Male
Michelle's Party: Eevee, Electabuzz, Doduo, Psyduck, 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, Scyther, Flareon
Michelle's Spare Pokemon at Oak's Lab: Gengar, Sandshrew, Nidoran Female, Poliwag