Episode Thirty-Nine
Following a Christmas that our heroes will remember forever, they find themselves heading towards Cinnabar Island once again. This time around, though, they have an adorable new friend joining them for the ride.
"Assuming that there's no more setbacks, we should be arriving at Cinnabar Island shortly." Said Mark.
"That's awesome news." Said Michelle. Just then, some waves started forming in the ocean. Luckily, Lapras was able to jump over them. However, the waves were loud enough that the baby Elekid started to cry. Amanda tried to calm him down.
"It's okay, sweetie, don't cry." She said. "Those waves are just water. They can't hurt you." Elekid felt better and stopped crying instantly.
"Wow, Amanda, you really do have the skills to be a good mother." Said Michelle.
"I would hope so." Said Amanda. "Although, this Elekid's just a few days old, so I'm sure I'll really get tested eventually." Ten minutes later, the gang started to see Cinnabar Island in the distance.
"There it is!" cried Mark.
"All right, we're here!" cried Michelle.
"I can't wait to face the gym leader here." Said Amanda.
"You're really going to heads to the gym first?" asked Mark.
"I wouldn't I?" asked Amanda. "I haven't gotten a badge in a while, so I'm anxious."
"I think the first place we should go to is the Pokemon Center." Said Michelle. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that Lapras is going to want a rest after all that sailing."
"Michelle's right." Said Mark. "Plus, I want something to eat first. I'm kind of hungry."
"Well, it is just about lunchtime anyway." Said Michelle.
"I suppose having some food first wouldn't hurt." Said Amanda.
"Looks like it's the Pokemon Center first." Said Mark. They got to the island a few minutes later, and Mark got out Lapras' Poke Ball.
"Lapras, return!" he cried. Lapras got absorbed into the ball via red light. "Thanks for getting us here. You can take a nice rest now." The three of them immediately darted over to the Pokemon Center so that they could have their Pokemon looked at. Nurse Joy then noticed the cute baby Elekid that Amanda had.
"Well, it looks like your egg hatched." She said.
"That's right." Said Amanda. "This little guy came into the world just a few days ago." Elekid looked around curiously.
"Elekid?" it asked, which meant 'Where are we?'
"This is a Pokemon Center, Elekid." Michelle explained. "Trainers come here to get their Pokemon looked after." The three of them handed their Poke Balls over to Joy and then went over to the video phone.
"I bet Professor Oak would love to hear about my new baby Pokemon." Said Amanda. She dialed the number excitedly, but the person who answered the video screen wasn't the professor. Instead, it was a girl slightly older than Gary. She wore a bright yellow polo shirt, a satin blue skirt and bright pink boots.
"Hello, this is the Oak laboratory. Daisy speaking." The girl said.
"Hi, Daisy. Is Professor Oak around?" Amanda asked.
"I'm sorry, but my grandpa isn't home right now." Said Daisy. "He had to go away to a convention with some of his fellow colleagues and he won't be back for another couple of days. He asked me to look after things in the lab during his absence, hence why I'm here. Is there something important you wanted to tell him?"
"There is, actually." Said Amanda. She held up Elekid for Daisy to see. She looked at the Pokemon with curious interest.
"Oh my gosh, that is the cutest thing ever!" she cried. "Although, I don't know what Pokemon it is or where it's from."
"It's name is Elekid." Said Michelle. "We don't know where it's from either, though."
"My grandpa's computer might be able to help with that." Said Daisy. She quickly looked something up, and once she had gotten her answer, she went back to the video monitor.
"Okay, according to the computer, your Elekid is from the Johto region." Said Daisy.
"That's probably why your Pokedex couldn't give any information on it." Said Mark.
"Thank you very much for your help, Daisy." Said Amanda.
"You're welcome." Said Daisy. "I'll also make sure to tell my grandfather that you called. Take care now." She hung up the phone, and Elekid gave a smile.
"You liked meeting Daisy, didn't you?" Amanda asked. Elekid nodded. Just then, their stomachs growled.
"I think it's definitely time to eat." Said Michelle. They went off to the cafeteria and helped themselves to some chicken and potatoes. Pikachu and Eevee, at the request of both Amanda and Michelle, shared some of their Pokemon food with Elekid. By the time they finished eating, they heard a ding from the lobby.
"Looks like our Pokemon can be picked up." Said Michelle. They went back to the counter in the lobby and picked up their Poke Balls before heading back outside. The next place they went to was a building that had a bright red color and some fake flames serving as the roof.
"This place is a Pokemon gym, Elekid." Said Amanda. "It's right here that I plan to win my Volcano Badge." Michelle tried to open the door but found that the gym was locked.
"I don't think you'll be winning a badge right now." Said Michelle. She found a note attached to the door.
"You know, these gyms really need to stop being closed when we get into a new place." Said Amanda. "I think that's the fourth time in a row now where this has happened and it's getting annoying."
"Yeah, I definitely agree." Said Michelle. She unwrapped the note and read it aloud.
"Currently away at the Pokemon Mansion tending to some business. I will be back at three o'clock to take challengers. Signed, Blaine."
"Who's Blaine?" asked Mark.
"I think he's probably the gym leader here." Said Amanda.
"Where's the Pokemon Mansion, though?" asked Michelle.
"Maybe that note has some directions." Said Mark. Michelle turned over the note to the back page and saw some directions written down.
"To get to the mansion, go the opposite way in which you came to the gym and turn right." She said. "You'll find the mansion near the edge of the water."
"Well, let's not waste any time." Said Mark, and they hurried off to the mansion. Meanwhile, Conrad and Sally swam up to the shore and crawled onto the island. They shook off the water and sand that had gotten on them.
"I could've sworn I just heard those kids say something about a Pokemon mansion." She said.
"How would you know that when it's literally impossible to hear anything in the water?" Conrad asked.
"Because I have superpowers, that's why." Said Sally in a sarcastic tone. "Anyway, there's probably a lot of rare and valuable Pokemon we can grab that I'm sure the boss would love to have." They went over to a small spot to make their plan. Meanwhile, the trio slowly made their way inside the mansion.
"Is anyone here?" Amanda called out.
"I don't see anybody." Said Michelle. Mark noticed the patterns on the walls.
"Look at how the walls are decorated." He said. "That means this place is likely hundreds of years old."
"It's also pretty scary." Said Michelle. Elekid started to try again.
"Don't be scared, little one." Said Amanda. She gently rocked Elekid back and forth to sooth it and he immediately stopped crying.
"There we go." Said Amanda and the group continued onward. While they didn't find any Pokemon in the room, they did find some old diary pages.
"I'm not sure what these are about, but they mention a legendary Pokemon named Mewtwo." Said Mark.
"I hear that Mewtwo is the most powerful Pokemon in the entire world." Said Michelle.
"My mama once told me the same thing when I was little." Said Amanda. "Even if I don't get a chance to capture it, I'd still love to meet it."
"As nice as that would be, the chances of finding a Pokemon like that are about the same as finding one of the legendary birds." Said Mark. "In other words, not very high."
"We still got to see Articuno, though, didn't we?" asked Amanda.
"That was by complete circumstance." Said Michelle. "Otherwise, that encounter wouldn't have happened."
"Valid point." Said Amanda.
"Anyway, let's keep going." Said Mark. However, they didn't get too far before a Weezing got in their way. Naturally, Elekid was scared of it.
"Don't worry, Elekid, I have this under control." Said Amanda. "Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed its attack and quickly zapped Weezing, sending it down to the ground.
"Poke Ball, go!" Amanda cried. As she was about to throw the empty ball, however, a voice was heard from behind Weezing.
"Hold it!" cried the voice. It belonged to that of an older man who was wearing a lab coat. He had white hair, and a stern look on his face.
"Is something wrong?" asked Michelle.
"This mansion is like my second home." Said the man. "I love all of these Pokemon very much, so I would appreciate it very much if you would refrain from catching them."
"We understand, sir." Said Amanda.
"By the way, my name is Blaine." Said the man. "I not only run the gym here on this island, but I'm also the primary caretaker for all of the Pokemon that live in this mansion."
"I guess that's why you don't want us catching any of them." Said Mark.
"That's correct." Said Blaine. He took the three of them into another room and explained.
"I have strong bonds with all of these Pokemon that live here in the mansion, and they're like family to me. If anything were to happen to one of them, it would bring down the morale of the rest of the Pokemon." He said. Elekid gave out a delightful cry.
"Well, you're certainly a cute one." Said Blaine. "If you were a fire type, I'd love you even more. But this one's not too bad, though."
"Blaine, exactly how did you become a fire type trainer?" Michelle asked.
"I think the story you're about to hear will answer that question." Said Blaine. "I was exploring a treacherous mountain range once when I got lost. It was so cold up in those mountains that I started to freeze. I honestly thought I would die out there. But then, much to my good fortune, a Moltres found me and guided me out of the mountains. Moltres was the first Pokemon that I grew a strong connection to, and it's because of Moltres that I chose to become a fire type gym leader."
"That was certainly a touching story." Said Mark.
"What exactly is a Moltres?" asked Michelle.
"It's one of the three legendary birds of this region." Said Blaine. "It's a very cool Pokemon, but one that you'd have a hard time meeting. I was lucky enough to see it, but no other trainer has been able to come across it."
"Blaine, do you know where Moltres lives?" asked Amanda.
"I'm sorry, I don't." said Blaine. "If you do happen to see it, though, tell it that Blaine says hello."
"We will." Said Mark.
"By the way, I never asked you kids what brings you to Cinnabar Island in the first place." Said Blaine.
"I'm here because I want to challenge you in a gym match." Said Amanda. She had a look of determination in her eyes.
"I can tell by that fire in your veins that you're determined to win one of my Volcano Badges." Said Blaine. "I'll happily accept your challenge. It just so happens that it's almost three o'clock anyway, which means I need to start heading back to my gym." They were about to leave the room when an alarm went off.
"What's happening?" asked Mark.
"We have intruders!" Blaine cried.
"I bet I know who they are, too!" cried Amanda. Elekid started crying again. It didn't like the loud noise.
"Calm down, little guy." Said Amanda. She wiped Elekid's eyes with a tissue and then then ran into the other room. They gasped in horror at what they saw. It was Conrad and Sally loading Pokemon into big, burlap sacks.
"Team Rocket!" cried Michelle.
"I knew it was those two again!" cried Amanda.
"You have some nerve breaking in here uninvited!" Blaine cried. "I demand you to give those Pokemon back this instant!"
"These Pokemon don't need you." Said Sally. "They'd much rather be with us. Can't you see how wonderfully happy they are to be members of Team Rocket?"
"It's hard to see anything with those bags closed." Said Mark.
"Those Pokemon will never listen to you." Said Blaine. "I'm pretty sure they like me more over a bunch of crooks like the two of you!"
"What do you think, Conrad?" Sally asked.
"I say we keep them. Just think how much fun the boss would have with all of these Pokemon." Said Conrad.
"That wouldn't be fair to him." Said Sally.
"Okay, your call, you decide." Said Conrad.
"Thank you." Said Sally. "Okay, you can have these back."
"Really?" asked Blaine surprisingly.
"No." muttered Sally in a sarcastic tone. "Come on, Conrad, time to make our escape." They started running off, but Blaine and the three heroes were on them.
"You won't get away with this!" Blaine shouted. He quickly grabbed a ball and threw it. "Arcanine, stop them with your Take Down attack!" Arcanine appeared in a quick blaze of red light and started running towards the two Team Rocket criminals. They tried to speed up, but Arcanine was too fast and tackled them from behind.
"Ow!" Sally cried. "Conrad, was that you?"
"No way!" Conrad cried. "Even if it was, I wouldn't do that on purpose." They turned around and saw Arcanine growling at them angrily.
"Nice doggie." Sally said in a sweet voice. Arcanine growled at them again, causing Conrad and Sally to drop the sacks and run for their lives. Arcanine stayed on their tail.
"Maybe breaking in here wasn't a good idea after all!" said Sally.
"You said it, not me." Said Conrad.
"Looks like we're being chased off again!" they cried. They ran farther and farther until they were out of the building and well out of sight. Arcanine scooped up the sacks and brought them over to Blaine.
"Good work, Arcanine." He said. He recalled his Pokemon and opened up the sacks. There were Weezing, Muk, and even a Ditto among the pile.
"I'm so relieved you guys are okay." Said Blaine. He hugged each and every one of the Pokemon.
"Ditto!" the pink transformation Pokemon cried.
"It looks like they're thanking you for saving them from Team Rocket." Said Mark.
"It was mostly Arcanine that did the work." Said Blaine. "Now then, let's get to the gym so we can battle." Blaine led the group out of the mansion and into the gym. He then took them down a secret path of stairs.
"My gym is located down here in the basement." Said Blaine. "That means all of you are underneath a volcano."
"That's definitely cool." Said Michelle.
"I do warn you, though, that it can get extremely hot down here." Said Blaine. "Are you absolutely sure that you want to battle in this type of environment?"
"I'm very sure." Said Amanda.
"All right." Said Blaine. He led them through the doors and onto the battlefield.
"We'll battle with four Pokemon each." Said Blaine. "You can substitute, but I cannot. As usual, there are no time limits."
"Use a water Pokemon, Amanda." Said Michelle.
"I know that." Said Amanda. Blaine grabbed a Poke Ball and readied it.
"My first Pokemon should be a beautiful sight for a young lady like yourself." He said and he threw the ball. "Ninetales, go!" A canine Pokemon covered in thick and luxurious golden-white fur appeared on the field in a blaze of light. Amanda took out her Pokedex.
"Ninetales, the Fox Pokemon. Legend has it that this Pokemon can live for as many as one thousand years."
"A thousand years?!" Michelle cried.
"I don't think I could live that long." Said Mark.
"None of us could." Said Michelle.
"Legend or not, it's still a fire type." Said Amanda. Elekid hopped out of Amanda's arms and started running onto the field.
"Elekid, no!" Amanda cried. She quickly grabbed her small baby Pokemon.
"You're still a little too young to do any battling." She said. She handed him over to Michelle.
"Can you keep an eye on him while I battle?" she asked.
"Sure thing." Said Michelle. Amanda quickly ran back over to her spot. She grabbed a Poke Ball off her skirt and threw it.
"Wartortle, I choose you!" she cried. Wartortle appeared in a blaze of light and went into battle stance.
"That Wartortle of yours looks tough, but let's see how well it can handle the heat." Said Blaine. "Ninetales, Fire Spin now!" Ninetales gave its cry and then shot a circle of fire at the water type starter.
"Quick, Wartortle, use Withdraw to hide in your shell!" Amanda cried. Wartortle got into the shell just before the Fire Spin hit, resulting in the turtle Pokemon taking little damage. He then popped right back out.
"Great job! Now, use your Water Gun attack!" Amanda ordered.
"Double Team yourself, Ninetales." Blaine ordered. Illusions of Ninetales appeared and formed a circle, leaving Wartortle confused.
"Use Water Gun on all of them until you find the real one." Said Amanda. Wartortle fired a line of water at the copies and knocked them out one by one, leaving only the actual Ninetales standing.
"That's the way to do it, Wartortle." Said Amanda. "Bubblebeam attack!" Wartortle shot a large group of bubbles at Ninetales, all of which hit the fox Pokemon so quickly that it didn't have time to get out of the way.
"Ninetales!" Blaine cried. The fire fox laid down on the ground for a bit before getting back up.
"Way to be tough, Ninetales." Said Blaine. "Use Ember." Ninetales shot a small rope of fire at Wartortle, which the water type was easily able to dodge by jumping over it.
"Nice dodging!" Amanda called. "Hydro Pump time!" Wartortle spun around and pumped out a barrage of water at Ninetales, sending it back down to the ground for good.
"Well, looks like your Wartortle won that round." Said Blaine. "Good battle, though." He recalled Ninetales and grabbed another ball.
"In all the years that I've been running this gym, that's the first time a challenger's Pokemon took the first round." Said Blaine. "That doesn't necessarily mean that you'll win the match, though, especially with this next Pokemon!" He threw the ball and out came a red dual fire and flying type with large wings. Amanda had never seen that Pokemon before, so she took out her Pokedex once again.
"Charizard, the Flame Pokemon. Its fiery breath can melt boulders and massive glaciers."
"Woah, that looks really powerful." Said Michelle.
"Wartortle, are you good to keep going?" Amanda asked. Wartortle gave a nod.
"All right, go!" Amanda cried. "Use Water Gun!" Wartortle shot a line of fire toward its target.
"Fly up high, Charizard!" Blaine ordered. Charizard flew as high as possible and dodge the water attack.
"Okay, go in close on Wartortle and use Slash!" Blaine commanded. Charizard flew close range into Wartortle and gave it a hard slash, causing the turtle Pokemon to cry in pain.
"Are you all right, Wartortle?" Amanda asked.
"Wartortle!" the Pokemon shouted. It stared down Charizard angrily.
"Your Wartortle's got guts, kid. But guts alone won't be enough to win this for you." Said Blaine. "Flamethrower attack!" Charizard launched its powerful fire attack right at Wartortle.
"Withdraw again!" Amanda countered. Wartortle got back into its shell, but not before some of the fire from the Flamethrower got onto Wartortle's tail.
"Wartortle!" the water Pokemon cried in horror. It ran around trying to get rid of the fire spot, but it caused him to collapse onto the ground in a knocked out state.
"And this match is all tied up." Said Blaine.
"Poor Wartortle." Said Michelle. Amanda grabbed Wartortle's ball off her waist.
"Wartortle, return!" she cried. Wartortle got absorbed back into the ball in a beam of light.
"Great job. You've earned a rest now." She said.
"I have to give credit to your Wartortle. It put up a very good fight." Said Blaine. With Amanda's type advantage gone, she had to think a bit before making her next choice.
"Looks like I'll have to fight his fire type with my own." She said. She grabbed her next ball and threw it.
"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The legendary fire dog appeared on the field.
"Ah, two powerhouse fire types going head to head with each other. That's what I like to see." Said Blaine. "Charizard, go! Use your Flamethrower!"
"Arcanine, use your Flamethrower too!" Amanda called out. Both Pokemon shot out their attacks at each other, only for them to collide and vanish.
"A dead heat." Said Michelle.
"Keep up the heat, Charizard!" cried Blaine. "Use your Fire Blast attack!"
"You use Fire Blast too, Arcanine!" Amanda called. Both Pokemon shot huge fire stars at each other, but once again, the attacks collided and cancelled each other out.
"Another tie." Said Michelle.
"I think these two Pokemon are going to go at it until they can't battle anymore." Said Mark.
"You may be right." Said Michelle. Arcanine and Charizard kept firing the same attacks at each other repeatedly, until finally, Charizard was ordered to fly directly at Arcanine.
"Use your Agility!" Amanda called. Arcanine used its speed to avoid Charizard's flying. This got Charizard angry and he shot out a Flamethrower. Arcanine shot one right back. The two of them continued to exchange Flamethrower attacks until both of them finally started panting and breathing heavily.
"Both of them look pretty tired." Said Michelle. "Looks like whichever one of them can get the next attack in will win." Both Charizard and Arcanine were determined to beat the other.
"Go in for a close range Hyper Beam!" Blaine ordered.
"Arcanine, try and stop it with take Down!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine charged hard and managed to knock down the dual fire and flying type just as he got off the Hyper Beam attack, which hit Arcanine in the leg. The force of both attacks sent both Pokemon to the ground. They struggled to get up but remained motionless.
"That looks like a tie." Said Michelle.
"Neither Charizard nor Arcanine can continue on." Said Blaine. "That means the round is a draw."
"Wow, what a battle between those two." Said Mark. Blaine grabbed Charizard's ball and aimed it at the strong fire type.
"Charizard, return." Blaine called. Charizard got absorbed into the ball in a beam of red light. Amanda also got a ball out.
"Arcanine, return." She said. Arcanine got absorbed into its own ball.
"That was one heck of a battle you had, Arcanine. You deserve a nice rest." Said Amanda.
"Now they only have two Pokemon left." Said Michelle.
"You're certainly right in that Arcanine gave Charizard a terrific battle." Said Blaine. "This next one's really going to heat you up, though." He threw another ball and Flareon popped out. Amanda had to think even harder now.
"I can't send out Weepinbell." She thought. "It would easily get roasted." After a bit more thinking, her mind was made up.
"Go, Venonat!" she cried. She threw the ball and her small bug type appeared. With how intense the battle was starting to get, Amanda began to sweat a little bit.
"Flareon, Flamethrower now!" Blaine called out. Flareon shot out the powerful attack, but Venonat jumped out of the way to dodge it.
"Great job." Said Amanda. "Use your Confusion!" Venonat's eyes glowed blue, and Flareon suddenly found itself being sent into the air. Venonat then used the psychic ability to send Flareon flying into a wall.
"Flareon!" Blaine cried. Luckily, Flareon was all right and ran back onto the field.
"Good boy." Said Blaine. "Time for Fire Spin now!" Flareon shot a circle of fire at Venonat.
"Try to dodge it!" Amanda cried. Venonat tried to jump out of harm's way, but it got trapped in the vortex. Amanda gasped.
"Oh no!" Micelle cried.
"Venonat, try to find a way out of there!" Amanda cried. Venonat looked around but couldn't find a safe way to get out of the fire wheel.
"This isn't looking good." Said Mark.
"Okay Flareon, Skull Bash!" Blaine cried. Flareon lowered its head and ran into Venonat, sending it out of the fire wheel that had been trapping it. The bug type quickly got back up.
"Unleash your Sleep Powder!" Amanda cried. Venonat sprayed blue powder all over Flareon, sending the fire type to sleep.
"Good. Now to finish it." Said Amanda. "Psybeam!" Venonat shot a powerful psychic beam at the fire type, sending it crashing into another wall and knocking it out.
"Way to go, Venonat!" Amanda cried. She started to sweat more as she felt the arena getting hotter. Blaine recalled Flareon and put its ball back on his belt.
"Well, you're just one win away from defeating me." He said. "I'm impressed that you've made it this far, but if you thought Charizard was powerful, wait until you see this!" Amanda gulped, and more sweat started to form on her head. Fire bubbles began to form in the pit below.
"Magmar, come on out!" Blaine called. A bipedal Pokemon with a red body and yellow flame designs came out of the pit and jumped onto the field. Amanda took out her Pokedex.
"Magmar, the spitfire Pokemon. It blows out intensely hot flames from all over its body to intimidate its opponent."
"Magmar, use your Fire Punch!" Blaine called. Magmar quickly shot out its flame covered fists and punched Venonat repeatedly, leaving serious burns on the bug type.
"Venonat!" Amanda cried. She quickly took out Venonat's ball and recalled it.
"I think you better stop battling before you get burned to a crisp." She said.
"A wise decision on your part." Said Blaine. "Therefore, that round goes to Magmar." Now it was down to just a single Pokemon each.
"Pikachu, it's up to you now." Said Amanda. Pikachu jumped off Amanda's shoulders and gave Magmar an angry stare. Likewise, Amanda stared intensely at Blaine. She started sweating even more.
"Do you think Pikachu can beat a powerful fire type like Magmar?" mark asked.
"I'm not sure." Said Michelle. "It's already pretty strong as it is." And so, it comes down to a battle between Pikachu and Magmar. Will little Pikachu be able to survive Magmar's flames and get Amanda her coveted Volcano Badge? Find out in the next fiery episode!
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Wartortle, Weepinbell, Arcanine, Venonat
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, Abra, 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