Episode Forty-Three
In the last episode, Amanda got engaged in a battle against a young trainer's Venusaur. Pikachu battled bravely, but was cut down to size, resulting in Fearow being summoned into action. Unfortunately, it blatantly refused to listen to Amanda's commands and to make things worse, it suffered damage to one of its wings thanks to a powerful Solar Beam. During Fearow's recovery process, Amanda had a bit of a chat with Fearow, and after yet another failed Team Rocket scheme, Amanda used her Fearow in a rematch with the same trainer from before. This time, Fearow obeyed every one of her instructions, allowing Amanda to win the match in dramatic fashion. And this is where today's story begins.
As our three young heroes made their way towards the gym, Amanda had a bright smile on her face.
"Now that Fearow's on my side again, getting my last badge should be a piece of cake." She said.
"I'd watch what I say about that if I were you." Said Michelle.
"What do you mean?" asked Amanda.
"What Michelle's saying is that we don't want you getting too full of yourself." Said Mark. "Trainers often fall victim to being too overconfident."
"You also don't know how many Pokemon that Gary is going to use." Said Michelle. Not too long ago, Gary had revealed himself to be the new leader of the Viridian gym.
"That's very true." Said Amanda.
"And, seeing how this is your last gym match, it's likely going to be the toughest one you've ever had." Said Michelle.
"Also a valid point." Said Amanda. When they reached the gym, she noticed that the building had a drastically different design.
"I don't remember the gym looking like this the last time I was here." Said Amanda. "I guess this was part of the rebuild they had to do after the original gym got blown up."
"Blown up?" Mark repeated.
"Oh, you weren't with me yet." Said Amanda. "When Pikachu and I first came here at the start of our journey, we witnessed Ash having a match, which he won. But then a big explosion happened and the old gym ended up being destroyed beyond repair, so they had to build this new one that we're standing in front of. I think it looks pretty cool." Before she could continue talking, the doors opened up and Gary came out to greet them.
"Hello there again, Amanda." He said. "I guess you're here to challenge me for an Earth Bage, right?"
"That's right." Said Amanda.
"I thought so." Said Gary. "Seeing as this is your final gym, I feel I should tell you that this is going to be the toughest challenge you've faced. In fact, I have a simple question for you. Have you ever had a full battle before?"
"I haven't." said Amanda. Now she was getting curious about what Gary was talking about. "What's a full battle?"
"A full battle is when both you and your opponent use six Pokemon." Said Michelle. Her answer caused Amanda to give out a loud gasp.
"Six Pokemon?!" she cried.
"If you think that's too intimidating for you to handle, then you should just quit." Said Gary. "Of course, if you do that, you won't get the Earth Badge. And without the Earth Badge, you won't be able to get into the Pokemon League. What do you say now?" Amanda didn't have to think twice.
"We're not quitting!" she replied. "I'm here for a badge, and I'm not leaving without one!"
"Well then, follow me." Said Gary. He led the trio to the battle area, which looked slightly different than it had when he had attempted to earn a badge from this same gym as a trainer the previous year.
"It definitely looks a little cleaner than before." Said Mark.
"That's because we got rid of every last trace of Team Rocket from here." Said Gary. "Now that I run the show, I decided to decorate the place how I wanted. Well, Amanda, are you ready to get started?"
"I'm more than ready!" Amanda cried excitedly. "How about you, Pikachu?"
"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm ready too!'
"That Pikachu of yours is definitely enthusiastic." Said Gary. "Six Pokemon each with no time limits. I can't substitute, but you can. First one to make the other trainer's entire team faint is the winner. Any questions before we start?"
"Nope. I'm ready when you are." Said Amanda.
"In that case, let the battle begin." Said Gary.
"With this being a full battle, this could definitely take a long time." Said Mark.
"It'll really just depend on which one of them is the better skilled trainer." Said Michelle. On the battle floor, Gary grabbed his first Poke Ball.
"Eevee, I choose you!" he cried. The small fox Pokemon appeared on the floor in a blaze of light.
"Pikachu, you're up first, buddy!" cried Amanda. Pikachu jumped off Amanda's shoulder and ran into the arena.
"So Pikachu's up first." Said Gary. "Interesting choice there. All right, Eevee, start things off with your Quick Attack!"
"Pikachu, use your Quick Attack too!" cried Amanda. Pikachu and Eevee ran right at each other and exchanged attacks.
"A dead heat." Said Amanda.
"Eevee." Michelle's Eevee squealed, which meant 'I hope Amanda can win.'
"I hope so too, Eevee." Said Michelle.
"Remember, Gary said that this battle would be tough." Said Mark. "In my opinion, I think he's right. The way both his Eevee and Amanda's Pikachu practically tied on that first attack shows that Gary's trained his Eevee very well."
"Pikachu, try a Thunderbolt attack!" Amanda ordered. Huge sparks emerged from Pikachu's cheeks as he got ready to aim the attack.
"Pika-chu!" he yelled and launched the big bolt.
"Eevee, use your Agility!" Gary ordered. Eevee used its' speed to dodge each of the electric bolts that came towards it.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked in a shocked voice.
"I told you this would be a tough battle." Said Gary.
"We'll have to try a different attack, then." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, use your Swift!" Pikachu fired bright yellow stars at Eevee, which scored a hit but Eevee didn't suffer too much damage.
"Way to hang in there, Eevee." Said Gary. "You use your own Swift attack too!" Eevee shot rainbow stars at Pikachu, hitting the electric mouse on the cheeks.
"Chu!" Pikachu cried.
"Pikachu!" Amanda yelled. Fortunately, Pikachu was able to shake off the attack.
"There you go, buddy!" Amanda cried.
"If they keep exchanging attacks like that, there's no telling who'll win." Said Michelle.
"Not many trainers can get this far, but Amanda is certainly determined to win." Said Mark.
"Okay, Eevee, Skull Bash now!" Gary ordered. Eevee lowered its' head and ran right at Pikachu.
"Quick, dodge it!" Amanda cried. Pikachu jumped out of the way just in the nick of time and landed behind Eevee. The electric mouse gave a bit of a smirk.
"Mega Punch!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu gave Eevee a powerful punch square on its' back, causing Gary's Pokemon to cry in pain.
"Eevee!" he cried. Thankfully, Eevee got right back up after being knocked down and smiled.
"Excellent." Said Gary. "Now, use your Take Down attack!" Eevee ran at its fastest speed and sent Pikachu flying backwards. The electric mouse shook it off, though, and got back up.
Pikachu, use Thunder now!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed an extremely powerful thunder blast toward Eevee.
"Use your Reflect!" Gary ordered. A gold shield appeared around Eevee to deflect the Thunder attack.
"Your Pikachu's very good, but Eevee is just a small step ahead." Said Gary. "Double Team time, Eevee!" Eevee made a circle of clones, leaving Pikachu and Amanda stunned.
"Pikachu, the real Eevee is somewhere in there. Use your Thunderbolt on all of them!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu fired powerful electric bolts on all of the copies, making them disappear. The last bolt scored a direct hit on Eevee, which made it fall to the floor.
"Eevee, try to get up!" cried Gary. Eevee struggled to get to its' feet, and although it did manage to stand up, it collapsed back onto the floor immediately. The electric attack had knocked it out.
"Great job, Pikachu!" Amanda cried. "That gives us the early lead." Gary recalled his Eevee.
"That was a great battle to start." Said Gary. "We still have a long way to go, though. Electabuzz, I choose you!" He threw another Poke Ball and Electabuzz appeared in a blaze of light.
"Pikachu, are you good to keep going?" Amanda asked. Pikachu nodded and smiled.
"A battle between two electric types." Said Gary. "This should be a real treat. Okay Electabuzz, use your Thunderbolt!" Electabuzz got ready to aim its' attack.
"Pikachu, use your own Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed the powerful lightning bolt as the same time Electabuzz did, and both attacks were cancelled out.
"Pikachu, give it a Mega Kick!" Amanda cried. Pikachu ran up to Electabuzz and kicked it in the belly. Electabuzz only nudged backward slightly.
"Looks like we have another strong one on our hands." Said Amanda.
"Electabuzz, use Metronome!" Gary ordered. Amanda gasped.
"I didn't think Electabuzz could use that." Said Michelle.
"Anything can happen from this, so Amanda's going to need to be prepared for whatever attack comes out." Said Mark. Electabuzz kept waving its fingers and when it stopped, it opened its mouth and shot out a Flamethrower attack.
"Pikachu, duck for cover!" Amanda cried. Pikachu lowered his head and just barely avoided the attack.
"There you go." Said Amanda. "Now then, time for Thunder!" Pikachu started to get the attack ready, but then he stopped and fell over. It wasn't knocked out, but it was definitely tired.
"Looks like Pikachu's batteries just ran out." Said Gary. "Take Down!" Electabuzz ran right up to Pikachu and sent the electric mouse flying backwards, fainting it.
"Well, that makes things all even now." Said Gary. Pikachu had just enough strength to run back over to Amanda.
"You did a great job, buddy." she said. Without a second thought, she grabbed a Poke Ball off her waist and started throwing it.
"I choose you, Weepinbell!" she cried. The small plant Pokemon appeared in a blaze of light.
"I'm counting on you, Weepinbell." Said Amanda. "Razor Leaf attack!" Weepinbell shot out its vines and aimed them at Electabuzz, but the electric type lowered his head to dodge them.
"Electabuzz, use your Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered. "That should give Weepinbell a jolt." Electabuzz pulled its fist back and a yellow ball of energy emerged from his hand upon landing the punch. Not much damage was done, however.
"Okay, Weepinbell, I know his Electabuzz is pretty tough, but so are we." Said Amanda. "Use your Wrap attack." Weepinbell used its leaf shaped arms to squeeze Electabuzz and prevent it from moving. The tall electric type let out a screech, causing Gary to gasp. Amanda smiled, however.
"We have him now, Weepinbell." She said with confidence. Gary just wagged his finger at her.
"Never count your Pidgey before they can fly." He said. "Electabuzz, try to get yourself free from Weepinbell's grasp!" Electabuzz struggled to get out, but the grass type was holding on way too tight.
"This doesn't look good for Electabuzz." Said Michelle.
"Weepinbell, spray your Sleep Powder." Said Amanda. With Electabuzz unable to go anywhere, Weepinbell was able to sprinkle blue dust all over the electric type to send him to sleep.
"Oh no!" cried Gary.
"Now, finish it with Mega Drain!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot rows of green light all over the sleeping Electabuzz, sapping his remaining energy and knocking it out.
"Great work, Weepinbell!" Amanda cried. "That's two down and four more to go." Gary recalled his Electabuzz and grabbed another ball.
"You're definitely putting up a tough fight so far." Said Gary. "But this next Pokemon's one of the stronger ones in my arsenal. Arcanine, I choose you!" he threw the ball and the tall fire type appeared. Amanda now had a choice to make.
"I can't keep Weepinbell out against a fire type like Arcanine." She thought. "He'll gest roasted for sure." She grabbed Weepinbell's ball and held it out.
"Weepinbell, return!" she called. A bright beam of red energy absorbed the grass type back into the ball.
"I might need you later on for something else." Said Amanda. She quickly grabbed another ball and threw it towards the battle area.
"Blastoise, I choose you!" she cried. The tall, fully evolved water type Pokemon appeared and stood tall.
"I didn't know you had a Blastoise with you." Said Gary.
"Your grandfather gave it to me at the beginning of my journey when it was a Squirtle." Said Amanda. "Let's go, Blastoise! Use your Water Gun!" Blastoise shot lines of water from its cannons right at Arcanine. The tall fire dog tried to avoid them, but he still got soaked on the leg.
"Wow, that Pokemon's pretty strong." Said Gary. Arcanine shook the water off of his leg and stared Blastoise down.
"Fire Blast attack!" Gary ordered. Arcanine shot a large fire star straight at Blastoise.
"Quickly, into your shell!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise dipped into the shell right as the attack was about to hit, causing it to miss. He then popped his head back out and smiled.
"All right, time to give his Arcanine a surprise." Said Amanda. "Earthquake!" Blastoise stamped his feet, making the ground shake and the tremor did powerful damage to Arcanine, sending him to the floor.
"Arcanine!" Gary cried. "Come on, buddy, try to get up!" Arcanine was tough and quickly got back onto all four of his hind legs.
"Take Down attack!" Gary ordered. Arcanine charged right at Blastoise with his blazing speed.
"Counter attack!" Amanda cried. A shining light glimmered over Blastoise, resulting in Arcanine's attack being reflected and sent back at him. Gary was left in complete shock.
"I certainly didn't expect that." He said. "We're not out yet, though. Use your Leer attack!" Arcanine's eyes glowed red, and the light ran down Blastoise's body. The tall water type cried out a bit, and now Amanda was the one that was shocked.
"Looks like he lowered your defense a little bit." She said. "It's okay, though, because I know you can do it. Bubble Beam attack!" Blastoise opened his mouth and shot large bubbles at Arcanine, drenching him and making him howl.
"Oh no!" Gary yelled. Arcanine showed his toughness by shaking off the water and giving his opponent a glaring look. That gave Gary an idea.
"She surprised us, so now it's time to surprise her back." He said. "Dragon Rage attack!" A bright blue fireball appeared from Arcanine's open mouth and was sent in Blastoise's direction. Amanda, however, was ready for the potential blow.
"Use Withdraw!" she ordered. Blastoise quickly dipped into his shell again just before the attack was going to hit, resulting in the fireball going right past him. He then popped out of the shell again.
"Water Gun once more!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise began shooting more water from the cannons.
"Use your Agility now!" Gary ordered. Arcanine used his speed to dodge all of the water lines coming toward him. This made Blastoise a bit frustrated.
"Keep firing your water!" Amanda called out. Blastoise obeyed, but Arcanine was still being fast and avoided the move again.
"This isn't over yet!" Gary called out. "Hyper Beam attack!" Arcanine got ready to fire a powerful yellow beam at the tall water type.
"Blastoise, you use your Hyper Beam too!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise prepared to fire the same yellow beam himself. Both Pokemon launched the attack at the same time, and the beams collided with each other to create a huge yellow circle.
"I can't see what's happening." Said Mark. "Which of them do you think won?"
"I don't know." Said Michelle. "It's hard to tell with the entire field covered." Both Gary and Amanda found it hard to see as well, so they had to wait for the smoke to clear. Once it finally did, they found both Pokemon breathing heavily.
"I think one of them is about to collapse." Said Michelle. Unfortunately for them, it was Blastoise that fell first.
"And just like that, we're back to even footing." Said Gary. Amanda grabbed Blastoise's ball and recalled the water type starter.
"You put up a great fight, Blastoise." She said.
"Well, the good news for Amanda is that Arcanine is tired out himself." Said Mark.
"And because of that Hyper Beam, Arcanine can't move on the next turn." Said Michelle. "With both of those factors in play, the next Pokemon Amanda sends out will likely finish off Arcanine." Amanda quickly reached for another Poke Ball and threw it.
"Kadabra, I choose you!" she cried. The powerful psychic type appeared in a blaze of light.
"Kadabra, you basically have a free shot here with Arcanine being tired." Said Amanda. "Use your Psybeam." Kadabra shot a pink beam from the star on its head and fired it at the helpless fire type. With Arcanine immobilized due to the previous attack it had used, Kadabra's attack scored an easy hit, officially making Arcanine faint.
"Good work." Said Amanda. Gary recalled Arcanine and walked over to Amanda.
"You've definitely made a good impression on this battle so far." He said. "But now, it's time for a little breather."
"I wonder what that could mean." Said Mark.
"In a full battle, whenever one of the trainers loses half of their team, both of them take a time out." Said Gary. "That means the first half of our match is over. We'll continue in a little while." Amanda recalled Kadabra and went to join her friends temporarily.
"This has been a great battle so far." Said Michelle. "You and Gary are practically even on skill."
"In terms of experience, though, he has the advantage in that category." Said Amanda. "Remember, he started his journey a whole year before I did."
"That's very true." Said Mark.
"What surprises me, though, is that Team Rocket hasn't tried to interfere with the battle." Said Michelle.
"Yeah, I wonder where those two are." Said Amanda. Conrad and Sally were out in the streets of the city looking for treasure thanks to the new metal detector that Conrad had purchased.
"Are you sure that new device of yours will help us get rich?" Sally asked.
"The way I see it, if we can't get Pikachu and Eevee away from those kids, we can at least try something else for a change." Said Conrad. He scanned the ground with the device, but nothing happened.
"You're supposed to make noise when you're near something!" Conrad cried.
"It's not going to detect anything on the road." Said Sally. "The ground is way too hard for that." They moved over to a grassy area and the metal detector started beeping like crazy.
"We have something!" Conrad cried excitedly. He bent down to pick up the object, but he wasn't too impressed.
"What is it?" Sally asked.
"A lousy quarter." Conrad answered. Sally just facepalmed.
"A quarter's not going to make us get rich!" Sally screamed. "Try again." Before Conrad could do that, however, a nearby video phone started ringing.
"I wonder what that's about." Said Sally. They ran into the booth and picked up the call. A man with dark grey hair appeared on the screen with a stern look on his face.
"Greetings, sir." Said Sally. "Listen, I know we don't have our hands on that Pikachu and Eevee you want so badly, but I promise that we'll have them to you soon."
"That's not what I'm calling about, you idiots!" the man thundered. "I have a special assignment for you. I'm sending both of you to Yellow Island."
"What for?" asked Conrad.
"Those three kids you've been after will likely be heading there after one of them has obtained her final badge." The man answered. "The father of one of those kids is there and they will likely be attempting a rescue mission. You two must keep a careful eye on him and make sure that the three of them don't succeed. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" both Conrad and Sally cried.
"Do not fail me or else!" the man boomed and hung up the phone.
"Well, looks like we'll have to grab the balloon and head to that island right away." Said Sally. "Come on, let's get ready." The two of them made their way back to the Team Rocket headquarters. Back inside the gym, Gary and Amanda had finished their break and were now ready to resume the match.
"Wait until you see the flying power on this next one." Said Gary. "I choose you, Pidgeot!" He threw the ball and the fully evolved flyer appeared in a blaze of light.
"Pikachu would've been perfect for this." Said Amanda. She grabbed another Poke Ball and threw it towards the ground.
"Fearow, I choose you!" she cried. Her powerful bird Pokemon appeared in a blaze of light and looked at Pidgeot intensely.
"First we had a battle between two electric types, now we have one between two flying types." Said Gary. "This should be a lot of fun."
"Do you think Amanda's Fearow can beat Gary's Pidgeot?" Mark asked.
"It's possible, but it won't be easy." Said Michelle. "Both Pokemon are at a pretty high level, so it's likely going to come down to which one of them is trained better."
"Pidgeot, use your Wing Attack!" Gary ordered. Pidgeot spread its wings out and flew toward Fearow.
"You use your own Wing Attack too, Fearow!" Amanda called. Both flying types sped toward each other with their wings open and hit each other for the same amount of damage.
"Another tie." Said Michelle.
"Use your Drill Peck move, Fearow!" Amanda ordered. Fearow's beak started revving up like an actual drill and he charged at Pidgeot once more.
"Agility now, Pidgeot!" Gary ordered. Pidgeot increased his speed and avoided all of Fearow's attempts to attack.
"Great job. Now, go for Take Dwon." Gary instructed. Pidgeot flew towards Fearow to get ready to strike.
"Fearow, use your own Take Down." Said Amanda. Fearow made a beeline towards Pidgeot, and they both hit each other again. Both of them ended up suffering a bit of extra damage, which caused Amanda to get a bit confused.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Recoil damage." Michelle pointed out. "It's one of the side effects of a take Down attack."
"Time to use Fly, Pidgeot." Said Gary.
"You use Fly too, Fearow." Ordered Amanda. Both Fearow and Pidgeot flew up high almost to the ceiling of the gym.
"Sky Attack!" both Gary and Amanda ordered. The two birds both glowed to charge up their bodies and then flew at each other to try and land the powerful strike.
"I can't look." Said Michelle, and she quickly turned away. The two flying types both hit each other again and took significant damage as a result.
"Pidgeot!" cried Gary.
"Fearow!" cried Amanda. Luckily for them, both flying types were okay and had enough strength to continue battling. Michelle turned back and let out a sigh of relief.
"Go for the Gust, Pidgeot!" cried Gary. Pidgeot flapped his wings to start forming a gust of wind.
"Fearow, counter it with Mirror Move!" Amanda ordered. Fearow repeated what Pidgeot was doing and both of the wind gusts cancelled each other out upon being hit.
"This is definitely a good battle." Said Mark. At the commands of both trainers, both Pidgeot and Fearow repeated the same attacks several more times until it got to the point where they were both very tired and collapsed onto the ground.
"Which of them do you think's going to land the final blow?" Mark asked.
"To be honest, I'm not sure if they even can." Said Michelle. "They both look dead tired to me. Both of them could fall over at any moment." Michelle was right as both flying types were breathing heavily.
"Don't give up, Pidgeot!" cried Gary.
"You can do it, Fearow!" cried Amanda. A few more heavy breaths later, both Fearow and Pidgeot fell to the floor and fainted.
"All of that and it ends in a draw." Said Amanda.
"The plus side of that draw is that it showed how strong both of our flying Pokemon are." Said Gary, and he recalled Pidgeot. Amanda recalled Fearow and both of them grabbed another ball.
"I only have two left, so I really need to think now." Said Gary. He double clutched the Poke Ball he was holding and then threw it.
"Nidoking, I choose you!" he cried. A large, bipedal, purple mammalian Pokémon with narrow eyes, large, spiny ears, fur-like tufts on its cheeks, and a short snout filled with pointed teeth appeared on the field. A long, venomous horn was attached to its head.
"What's that?" Amanda wondered. She quickly flipped out her Pokedex to get the answer to that question.
"Nidoking, the drill Pokemon. The large tail of this Pokemon can topple a metal transmission tower. It can also use its tail to smash, constrict, or break the bones of its prey and enemies."
"That thing looks quite powerful." Said Amanda. She threw her ball and hoped for the best.
"Kadabra, I choose you!" she cried. The psychic type re-emerged onto the field.
"I'm counting on you, Kadabra." Said Amanda. "If you win this round, then we'll have three chances to take out his last one."
"Nidoking, use your Horn Attack!" ordered Gary. Nidoking charged toward Kadabra with his horn sticking out.
"Teleport yourself, and fast!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra quickly changed his location and found himself in the spectator area.
"Um, I don't think you're quite supposed to be over here." Said Michelle.
"Kadabra, get out of there and teleport back onto the field." Ordered Amanda. Kadabra quickly re-appeared on the field behind Nidoking.
"Use your Confusion attack!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra's eyes and body glowed a bright blue, and the power of the attack lifted Nidoking off the ground and flung him into the wall.
"Woah, that's a powerful Confusion attack." Mark observed.
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'Kadabra's a strong Pokemon, isn't he?'
"He sure is, Eevee." Said Michelle.
"Nidoking!" cried Gary. Thankfully, Nidoking was just as tough and got back up.
"There we go. Now use your Poison Sting attack!" Gary ordered. Nidoking got ready for the move, but then he started thrashing around the gym and crashed into things.
"What's going on, Nidoking? What are you doing?" Gary asked. Amanda was smiling.
"It looks like Kadabra's Confusion attack left Nidoking confused." Said Michelle.
"That would explain why Nidoking was running around recklessly just now." Said Mark.
"Nidoking, try to shake it off!" Gary instructed. Nidoking looked at his trainer and gave him a thumbs up.
"Seismic Toss!" Gary cried. Nidoking grabbed a hold of Kadabra with one hand, spun him around a few times and flung him toward a back wall, making Kadabra cry out in pain.
"Yes!" Gary cried. However, Amanda didn't look too concerned at all.
"I think Gary may have gotten a bit too cocky just now." Said Michelle.
"Eevee." Eevee squealed, which meant 'I agree.'
"Recover." Amanda said calmly. In the blink of an eye, all of the damage Kadabra had suffered from Nidoking's attack disappeared, leaving Gary stunned.
"How?" he wondered.
"A good trainer never reveals their secrets." Said Amanda. Gary was agitated now.
"We'll show her!" he cried. "Nidoking, get ready for Tackle attack!" Nidoking charged towards Kadabra and got ready to give it a football sized tackle. Of course, Nidoking wasn't exactly the fastest Pokemon in the world, so it couldn't run as fast as Gary would've liked.
"Disable." Amanda instructed. Kadabra glowed brightly again, stopping Nidoking in place. It tried to move, but he couldn't. The Disable had frozen it solid.
"Great job. Now, go for Psybeam!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra shot a pink beam from its forehead, and with Nidoking unable to move, it took the powerful attack hard, causing it to fall over and faint.
"You did it, Kadabra!" Amanda cried. "I knew you'd come in handy here!" Gary recalled his Nidoking and grabbed one final Poke Ball.
"I have to commend you for getting this far, Amanda." He said. "Now I only have one Pokemon left to use, but I think it's one you should be familiar with. Like you, I also received this Pokemon from my grandfather."
"What does Gary mean by that statement?" Mark asked.
"You're about to find out." Said Michelle. Gary threw the ball and yelled out "I choose you, Blastoise!" The fully evolved water type appeared in a blaze of white light.
"Ah, so you have a Blastoise too." Said Amanda. "Kadabra, you can keep going, right?" Kadabra gave Amanda a thumbs up and stared down Blastoise.
"Blastoise, use your Hydro Pump now!" Gary ordered. Blastoise fired up his cannons and shot powerful blasts of water at Kadabra.
"Use your Reflect attack now!" Amanda ordered. Kadabra put up a gold shield around him and sent the Hydro Pump right back at Blastoise. The tall water turtle cried out a bit, but the water didn't doo too much damage to him.
"All right, Blastoise, use Bite!" Gary ordered. Blastoise opened its mouth and bit Kadabra on the arm.
"Kadabra!" the psychic type cried. The bite had done a fair amount of damage.
"Oh no! Kadabra looks like it's in trouble!" Michelle cried.
"Are you all right, Kadabra?" Amanda asked. Kadabra nodded, but then started to wince a little bit.
"That Bite attack left quite a mark here." Said Amanda. "I know how we can fix that up, though. Use Recover." Kadabra focused hard, and sure enough, his arm instantly looked good as new. It was as if the attack had never happened at all.
"Great job. Now, use your Psychic attack!" Amanda cried. Kadabra shot blue psychic marks right at Blastoise, but because he was so heavy, he couldn't lift the water type off the floor.
"That Kadabra's good, but wait until she gets a load of this." Said Gary. "Blastoise, use Dig and burrow yourself underground!" Blastoise nodded and disappeared under the floor.
"I didn't expect Gary to use that." Said Mark.
"Gym leaders do like to pull out surprises sometimes." Said Michelle. "Amanda better stay on her toes because Blastoise could appear from anywhere."
"Kadabra, focus on where you think Blastoise might re-emerge from." Said Amanda. Kadabra closed its eyes and looked around. He then heard a rumble, which meant Blastoise was close.
"He's about to come up, Kadabra!" cried Amanda. "Try to teleport yourself out of the way!" Before Kadabra could do so, Blastoise's head popped out and sent the psychic type upwards. Kadabra then went flying up to the ceiling before falling back down onto the floor. Kadabra hadn't fainted yet, but the Dig attack had done a lot of damage.
"Go for Skull Bash!" Gary ordered. Blastoise lowered his head and plowed right into Kadabra, officially knocking out the psychic type. Amanda pulled out a Poke Ball and recalled him.
"You did a great job, Kadabra." She said.
"Well, the good news is that she's still ahead." Said Mark.
"That's good, but she only has two Pokemon left. She'll need to really be careful with her strategy now." Said Michelle. Amanda grabbed another ball and threw it.
"Weepinbell, I choose you!" she cried. The grass type re-emerged onto the field.
"Weepinbell's back." Said Mark.
"That's a good move on Amanda's part." Said Michelle.
"Weepinbell, use your Razor Leaf attack!" Amanda cried. Weepinbell fired his leaves at Blastoise, but the water type's big body only absorbed the leaves, rendering the attack useless. Amanda gasped, but Gary smiled.
"You and I may both have a Blastoise, but it's clear that mine's a bit stronger than the one you have." Said Gary. "Double Team, now!" Blastoise made illusions of himself in an attempt to confuse Weepinbell.
"You can do this, buddy." Said Amanda. "Use your Vine Whip!" Weepinbell shot its vines out and fired them at each of the Blastoise copies. Once he found the real one, he wrapped the vines around the water type's neck.
"Blastoise!" the water type cried angrily.
"Looks like this one might be over." Said Mark.
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, Mark." Said Michelle. "Gary did say his Blastoise was strong."
"I kind of forgot about that." Said Mark.
"Blastoise, try to shake yourself free from those vines!" Gary ordered. Blastoise turned his head several times but couldn't break out. The water type was frustrated now, but he didn't want to give up. He turned faster and faster until he finally managed to break the vines apart.
"Very good. Now, time for Ice Beam!" Gary ordered. Blastoise opened it's mouth a shot a frozen beam of snow right at Weepinbell. It tried to jump away, but the small little grass type still got hit by the attack. Although it didn't faint, it was now feeling cold from the damage that Ice Beam had done.
"Are you all right, Weepinbell?" Amanda asked. Weepinbell nodded, but then it started to sneeze. Amanda quickly pulled out Weepinbell's ball and recalled the grass type.
"You did your best, but I think you need to take it easy for now." She said.
"Poor Weepinbell." Said Mark.
"Now she only has one Pokemon left." Said Michelle. Amanda grabbed the only Poke Ball she hadn't used yet and threw it.
"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The tall fire type appeared on the field ready for action.
"Gee, this looks familiar." Said Michelle.
"Except now it's in reverse." Said Mark.
"Arcanine, use Take Down now!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine charged right at Gary's Blastoise and delivered a powerful blow, sending the water type back a bit, but it was still standing.
"Blastoise, use Water Gun now!" Gary ordered. Blastoise fired blasts of water lines right at the fire type.
"Use your Agility!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine took advantage of its' speed to dodge each of the water blasts that got thrown at it. Blastoise increased its firing speed, but Arcanine countered by increasing its own speed, allowing it to continue dodging.
"It's no good, Blastoise. Stop firing water." Said Gary. Blastoise obeyed, and Arcanine stopped running.
"Fire Spin!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a circle of fire around Blastoise, leaving the water type with no place to go.
"There's the big brain play." Said Mark.
"Arcanine just might have a chance despite being at a disadvantage over water type Pokemon." Said Michelle.
"Eevee!" Eevee cried, which meant 'Go Arcanine!'
"Blastoise blast!" the water type yelled. It tried to find somewhere to run, but it kept finding walls of fire around him, making escape impossible.
"Flamethrower time!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine shot a huge line of fire at the water type, leaving it severely burned. Blastoise collapsed onto the floor.
"Blastoise, please get up!" Gary cried. Blastoise tried to get onto his feet, but the force of the Flamethrower was too much and he fainted.
"Blastoise, no!" Gary cried.
"You did it, Arcanine!" Amanda cried. She excitedly bounced up to her trusty fire type and gave him a big hug.
"I knew I could count on you! You really know how to come through in a pinch, and we won the match because of that!" Amanda cried. Arcanine gave her a playful lick, making her giggle.
"All right! She won the match!" Michelle cried.
"Eevee!" Eevee cried, which meant 'Way to go, Amanda!' Michelle, Mark and Eevee joined Amanda in the battle area.
"That was a great match." Said Michelle.
"You and Gary are both very good trainers." Said Mark.
"Your friends are right." Said Gary. "I'll let you know something right now. You were actually my very first challenger here in the revamped Viridian Gym. You kept me on edge and it ended coming down to both of us being down to just one Pokemon left. Your battle skills are impeccable, Amanda, and I have a feeling that you'll go far in the Pokemon League. I hereby award you the Earth Badge to show that you've beaten me." He handed the badge over, and Amanda held it up proudly.
"Thanks a lot, Gary." She said. "Yes, I got my Earth Badge!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Well done, Amanda!' The three friends left the gym, and as they walked down the path back towards Pallet Town, Amanda was still holding onto her badge.
"With this very important badge, I can finally enter the Pokemon League." She said proudly.
"We're both very happy for you, Amanda." Said Mark.
"I can't wait to tell Professor Oak about it!" Amanda cried and she started running ahead.
"Hey, wait for us!" Michelle cried, and she and Mark chased after her. With all eight badges secure, Amanda now qualifies for Pokemon League competition. Those battles are sure to be tougher than her gym battles were, and I bet you can't wait to see how she does.
Meanwhile…..
"All right, Greenwood, where is she?" asked a Team Rocket grunt in a firm and furious tone.
"Where's who?" he asked.
"You know very well who!" the other grunt yelled. "And you're going to tell us, or else!"
"I don't have to tell you anything." Mr. Greenwood said firmly.
"You know, maybe we shouldn't force him to give information out if he's not comfortable doing that." Said the first grunt. They both walked away and left Mr. greenwood alone in his cell. Now he really wished that Michelle would find a way to save him.
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Blastoise, Weepinbell, Arcanine, Kadabra
Michelle's Party: Eevee, Electabuzz, Doduo, Psyduck, Ponyta, Charmander
Mark's Party: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Jolteon, Gastly, Lapras, Nidorino
Amanda's Spare Pokemon At Oak's Lab: Rattata, Gengar, Magikarp, Butterfree, Zubat, Venonat, Tentacruel, Pidgeotto, Dratini, Clefairy, Scyther, Flareon, Nidoran Male, Rhyhorn, Goldeen, Dragonair, Snorlax, Machamp, Horsea, Seadra
Michelle's Spare Pokemon At Oak's Lab: Gengar, Sandshrew, Nidoran Female, Poliwhirl, Tangela, Chansey, Shellder