Episode Fifty
Last time, Amanda had what proved to be her easiest match yet, defeating Brandon by a count of three to one to advance to the fourth round of the tournament. Prior to that, however, Team Rocket tried yet another plan to get their hands on Pikachu by setting up a clothing shop. But as usual, their plan failed and Conrad and Sally were both sent blasting off. On the battlefield, Arcanine showed off his feats of strength to take down Brandon's Magneton. Naturally, he didn't take too kindly to the defeat and walked off the field in a sour mood. But for Amanda, it's off to round four as her Pokemon League run continues.
"I tell you, Pikachu, it felt so good to beat Brandon today!" Amanda exclaimed. "If I can beat him, I can beat anybody!"
"She's really fired up, isn't she?" asked Michael.
"I'll say." Said Michelle. "This is the most excited I've ever seen her." The foursome, as well as Gina and Cassie, made their way over to the reception building.
"I already know that my next match is on the ice field since that's the only one I have left." Said Amanda. "What I don't know is who I'm going to be up against."
"Let's just hope it's somebody good." Said Gina. As they headed inside, they heard a lot of chatter from the other trainers that remained.
"There can't possibly be too many left." Said Amanda.
"Well, you and Michael are going to have your round four matches tomorrow." Said Mark. "As ide from the two of you, there would only be thirty other trainers left."
"For your first ever League tournament, making it this far is pretty good." Said Michelle.
"It is, but I want to go even further." Said Amanda.
"I know you do, but you can't get too overexcited." Said Michael. They soon went over to the desk where they were greeted warmly by the receptionist.
"Well, miss Cooper, it seems you made a bit of history in your win today." Said the receptionist.
"I did?" wondered Amanda.
"How did she do that?" asked Cassie.
"From what we have on file regarding Brandon, he hadn't lost a single battle this season until you defeated him earlier today." Said the receptionist.
"Woah, with that kind of record, it's no surprise that he was a tough trainer." Said Cassie.
"Those kind of skills are exactly why he made it to the league in the first place." Said Michael.
"Now then, miss Cooper, since your last preliminary match is on the ice field, all we need to do is determine who you'll be facing." Said the receptionist. "Oh, and while we're at it, we need to determine your friend's opponent too." She typed both of their names into the computer as normal, and it didn't take very long to get the results. Amanda drew a young boy just three years older than her, and his picture showed him having a rough hairstyle. He also had a bit of a strict look on his face.
"Looks like we have another tough one on our hands, Pikachu." Said Amanda. Michael's opponent was another boy that was a year older than Amanda. He sported a bright blue shirt and a light windbreaker.
"Mine looks tough also, but I think we can beat those guys." Said Michael.
"Both of you also have a little something at stake for your battles." Said Michelle. "If you both win, your matches from that point on will all be in the stadium."
"Won't that be exciting, Pikachu?" Amanda asked. Pikachu happily nodded his head.
"Just don't think ahead and assume it'll be an easy battle, otherwise, you're unlikely to get the outcome you're looking for." Said Mark.
"He's right." Said Gina. "Always focus on what's in front of you instead of what's ahead of you."
"I'll definitely remember that." Said Amanda. The six of them left the reception area and were on their way back to Amanda's cabin when Brandon unexpectedly ran up to her.
"Hi there, Brandon." Said Amanda. "Have you come to criticize my Pokemon trainer abilities again?"
"Actually, I wanted to apologize for my actions at the end of the match today." Said Brandon. "I kind of walked away without congratulating you or anything. But I can rectify that now. What you showed me in that battle was that you're an excellent trainer. I'll be rooting for you in your next match."
"Thanks a lot, Brandon. And I accept your apology." Said Amanda.
"What did make you storm off the field anyway?" Cassie asked.
"I guess I'm just not used to losing a battle." Brandon answered. "I know people need to lose sometimes, and I guess I didn't handle that very well. But moving forward, I'll try to do a better job of that. Well, I should probably get going." He ran off toward the cabin area, with Amanda and her friends following suit.
"I think it was nice of Brandon to apologize to you." Said Gina.
"Do you think maybe the two of you will be friends now instead of rivals?" Cassie asked.
"I don't know about that." Said Amanda. "I do want to know about what kind of Pokemon my opponent has so I can plan my strategy."
"That's really clever thinking on your part." Said Michelle. Once they were back inside the room and Pikachu, Eevee and Elekid had settled down, Mark logged onto the computer to get information on Amanda's opponent.
"From what I see here, your opponent's name is Ricky, and it appears that he's got a pretty good selection of Pokemon." Said Mark.
"Exactly what does he have?" Amanda wondered.
"It looks like he has an Exeggutor and a Jynx for two of his Pokemon." Mark answered. Michelle had a look at the screen herself.
"He's also got a Dewgong." She said.
"Jynx and Dewgong would definitely be appropriate Pokemon to use on an ice field." Said Cassie.
"If he uses one of those, I'll be ready with Arcanine." Said Amanda.
"That's all fine and dandy for Jynx since it's main typing is ice, but Dewgong is both ice and water." Said Michelle.
"Maybe Arcanine wouldn't be the best choice for a Dewgong then." Said Amanda.
"I wouldn't think so, but you're the one competing here, so it's your call." Said Michelle.
"Let's see what else he's got." Said Mark. "I see a Ditto here. That might be tough since Ditto is known to copy everything. He's also got a Dugtrio, so that's five. That only leaves one more." He had a look at the last Pokemon on Ricky's list, and he was surprised at what it turned out to be.
"Hey Amanda, take a look at this!" Mark cried. Amanda rushed over to the screen.
"What is it, Mark?" she asked.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'I'm curious about this myself.'
"Look at what Ricky's last Pokemon is." Said Mark. Amanda had a good look at the Pokemon in the picture, and when she saw what it was, she just about flipped out.
"That's not…." She stammered.
"It is." Said Michelle. "The one and only Zapdos."
"Is that one of the legendary birds that roams around the region?" asked Cassie.
"That's exactly what it is." Said Gina.
"Amanda, take out your Pokedex and see what it has to say about Zapdos." Said Michelle. Amanda took her device out and opened it to Zapdos' page.
"Zapdos, an electric Pokemon. The glittering wings of this Pokemon release electricity that have the potential to cause major thunderstorms."
"Legendary Pokemon like that are usually impossible to see, let alone capture." Said Mark.
"I thought legendaries aren't allowed to be used in major events like this." Said Michelle.
"They're not, and fortunately, this guy hasn't used it in any of his matches." Said Mark.
"I guess that's certainly one bit of good news." Said Michael.
"However, if he ends up using it in this match, that can cause major issues." Said Michelle.
"Then we'll just have to hope that he doesn't bring it out." Said Amanda. She felt a little nervous as she slept that night. Pikachu was nestled comfortably beside her, but when he saw Amanda tossing and turning, he gave her a light tap on the shoulder.
"Pika?" he asked, which meant 'Is something wrong?'
"I'm just a little worried about something, that's all." Amanda whispered.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'It's Zapdos, isn't it?'
"Yes, that's exactly what it is." Amanda said softly. "Because of its' status as a legendary Pokemon, it'll likely be very powerful if we have to go up against it. That's why I'm hoping we don't have to battle it."
"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'You know that's not for us to decide. Our opponents decides which of their Pokemon they use against us.'
"I know, but I still have that concern." Said Amanda. "Anyway, let's not worry about it right now. Let's just go back to sleep."
"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Good night, Amanda.'
"Good night, Pikachu." Said Amanda. The two best friends closed their eyes again and slept comfortably for the rest of the night. The following morning, Michelle, Mark, Cassie, Gina and Michael all awoke to find Amanda's bed empty.
"I wonder where she could've gone so early in the day." Said Cassie. Gina found a small piece of paper on the computer desk.
"Maybe this note will tell us." She said. Michelle picked up the note and read it.
"Pikachu and I have gone off to the lake for some reflecting. Back soon. Signed, Amanda." She said.
"Well, at least she had the common courtesy to let us know where she was going." Said Mark.
"That's true, but I just hope she doesn't stay out too long. Her match starts in a couple of hours." Said Michelle. The lake Amanda and Pikachu had gone to was a short walk from the Pokemon League village, and that's where the two of them were sitting. They smiled as they looked out at what was in front of them.
"Pikachu, what do you see when you look out at the world?" Amanda asked.
"Pika." Pikachu answered, which meant 'I see a lot of trainers for us to battle.'
"I see the same thing." Said Amanda. "Speaking of trainers, the one we're facing today is all that's standing between us being able to battle in stadium or going home. Out of those scenarios, which would you prefer?"
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'I want us to win!'
"So do I, Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Even if we lose, though, we've still had a lot of fun." The two of them stayed at the lake for another thirty minutes before getting up.
"Well, we should start making our way back so we can get ready for the match." Said Amanda. "I'll race you if you want." Pikachu shook his head
"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'We should save that kind of energy for the match.'
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Said Amanda. They made their way back to their room and helped themselves to a snack from the fridge.
"What did you and Pikachu do out there?" Michelle asked.
"Not too much, really. We just talked about stuff, that's all." Said Amanda.
"At least you made it back for your match." Said Gina.
"So, how confident do you feel?" Cassie asked.
"Right now, I feel pretty good about my chances." Said Amanda.
"But if Zapdos comes out, those chances aren't going to look too good." Said Mark.
"Let's not even think about that right now." Said Michelle. "I'm sure Amanda wants to focus on the match ahead of her." They all made their way to the ice field, with the exception of Michael.
"Aren't you coming?" asked Michelle.
"My own match is about to start soon, so I need to get to that." Michael answered. "Good luck, Amanda."
"Thank you." Said Amanda. A little while later, Amanda and Pikachu were in the locker room by themselves.
"This is the last field we have to battle on for the preliminary rounds." Said Amanda. "A lot is riding on this match, and I don't want to mess it up."
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, which meant 'We'll do fine.'
"I sure hope so, buddy." Said Amanda. They both took deep breaths to get themselves calmed down, and before Amanda knew it, the time had come. Both of them got off the bench and got ready to make their entrance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, and Pokemon fans of all ages, we'd like to officially welcome you to this fourth round Pokemon League match here on the ice field!" cried the announcer. "This match is between Ricky Miller of the Seafoam Islands, and Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City!" Both trainers made their way to the center of the arena and shook hands with each other.
"I've heard about you from some of the other trainers, and they all say that you definitely know what you're doing." Said Ricky. "You may be very skilled, but none of that is going to help you beat me."
"We'll just see about that." Said Amanda. The two trainers took their spots in the respective boxes and looked at each other.
"This may be the most determined set of trainers so far as they're both feeling very confident." Said the announcer. "Only one of them can win, though, so hold on to something and buckle down because this match is about to begin!" The referee raised both flags and commanded the two trainers to start.
"Poliwrath, go!" Ricky commanded. He threw his Poke Ball and a blue, bipedal amphibian Pokémon with a round body and muscular arms appeared. It had a black and white swirl on its body and white gloves on its hands. Amanda, mark and Michelle were all surprised.
"Poliwrath?!" Michelle cried.
"That definitely wasn't one of the Pokemon that I saw on his list last night." Said Mark.
"He must've made a last minute change." Said Michelle. Amanda took out her Pokedex.
"Poliwrath, the tadpole Pokemon. It is able to swim vast distances with very minimal breathing."
"Poliwrath must be a pretty strong swimmer." Said Cassie. "I'd love to have a Pokemon like that."
"Well, maybe your big sister who loves you and cares about you a lot will find a way to get you one." Said Gina, and she gave a slight wink at Cassie. Amanda got one of her own Poke Balls and threw it.
"Weepinbell, I choose you!" she cried. The small grass and poison type appeared and started bouncing up and down on the ice.
"And it's going to be a duel between Poliwrath and Weepinbell to start off this match." Said the announcer.
"Weepinbell, Razor Leaf attack!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell shot green leaves out of its body and hurled them towards Poliwrath. Ricky was ready for this, however.
"Poliwrath, punch the leaves away." He instructed. Poliwrath used his Mega Punch attack to bat the leaves into thin air.
"I don't think I've seen Mega Punch used that way before." Said Michelle. "This Poliwrath is going to be hard to beat."
"Use your Ice Punch!" Ricky ordered. Poliwrath readied his fist, formed ice on it, and got ready to hit Weepinbell with it.
"Jump out of the way, Weepinbell!" Amanda ordered. The grass type obeyed perfectly and bounced out of the attack's range right as it was about to strike.
"Excellent jumping. Now, use Vine Whip!" Amanda ordered. Weepinbell spat its vines out and hit Poliwrath on his head repeatedly with them. However, the water type didn't take any damage at all.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing here!" the announcer cried. "None of Weepinbell's attacks are working against Poliwrath!"
"I just can't figure out why a water element like Poliwrath, who's supposed to be weak against a grass element like Weepinbell, isn't taking any damage at all." Said Mark.
"Either there's some sort of invisible shield around it that we don't know about, or its skin is somehow made of steel." Said Michelle. "Whatever's going on, it's refracting any type of attack that comes near it."
"That Poliwrath is practically built like a tank." Said Gina. "I don't know how Amanda can possibly get past it."
"She's going to have to or her run could end." Said Cassie.
"Water Gun attack." Ricky instructed. Poliwrath shot a stream of water from its belly right at Weepinbell's body, hitting the grass type but not doing much damage.
"Way to hang in there, Weepinbell." Said Amanda. "Let's try a Stun Spore attack!" Weepinbell shot out some gold powder, which Poliwrath easily avoided by ducking his head.
"I don't know what's going on with that Poliwrath but it has to be pretty strong." Said Amanda.
"Poliwrath, go for Ice Beam." Said Ricky. Poliwrath shot an ice cold beam Weepinbell's way.
"Dodge it!" Amanda cried. Weepinbell jumped right as the beam was about to hit.
"These two Pokemon clearly don't want to give in, folks." Said the announcer.
"Hypnosis attack." Ricky instructed. Poliwrath concentrated on Weepinbell and used a special power to make Weepinbell fall over and drift to sleep.
"Weepinbell!" Amanda cried. "Please wake up, Weepinbell." Amanda tried to shake the grass type awake, but the referee had already raised the red flag.
"Weepinbell is unable to battle. Poliwrath is the winner!" he cried.
"Well, that does it for the first battle." Said the announcer. "Weepinbell is sent to slumber land and now miss Cooper has only two Pokemon left." Amanda recalled Weepinbell and grabbed another ball.
"Poliwrath is part fighting, so it should be weak against air attacks." She thought. She then got ready to throw the ball.
"Fearow, I choose you!" she cried. She tossed the ball and the powerful flying type appeared.
"Amanda has chosen Fearow for her second Pokemon, but she has work to do in order to defeat Poliwrath." Said the announcer.
"Good move on Amanda's part." Said Michelle. "With Fearow being a flying element and Poliwrath being part fighting, Fearow should have an advantage."
"It should, but keep in mind that it just took out Weepinbell without being damaged once." Said Mark.
"Battle hard, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Wing Attack!" Fearow screeched loudly and spread its wings out. It flew at Poliwrath so fast that the water type didn't have a chance to react, and it got knocked over.
"Yes! We finally got a hit on it!" Amanda cried. Ricky didn't look the least bit concerned, however.
"Use your Water Gun again." He instructed. Poliwrath shot out another stream of water.
"Fly up and dodge it!" Amanda instructed. Fearow flew up just high enough to avoid the attack.
"Very good." Said Amanda. "Time for a close range Peck attack!" Fearow kept its beak ahead of him and went for the water type's head.
"Don't let it get near you. Disable attack." Ricky ordered. Poliwrath's eyes glowed a dark blue and the Peck was stopped in its tracks.
"Looks like Fearow's attacks don't seem to have too much of an effect either." Said Michelle.
"If Ricky's plan is to outsmart Amanda with every attack, then it's definitely working right now." Said Mark.
"Come on, Fearow, you can beat Poliwrath!" Cassie cried.
"That might be a bit of a problem if it keeps absorbing whatever attack gets thrown at it." Said Gina.
"Try for a Whirlwind!" Amanda ordered. Fearow whipped up a tornado to try and blow Poliwrath away with, but the water type stuck his arms out and caught it with his hands. He then turned the attack into a ball and threw it out of the arena.
"You should consider yourself lucky that you made it this far because this is where the luck runs out." Said Ricky. "Poliwrath, use the Metronome!" Poliwrath wagged his fingers back and fourth repeatedly.
"Oh boy, the Metronome." Said Gina. "Whatever comes out of this is completely random." Poliwrath continued wagging his fingers a few more times before stopping. A Thunderbolt came out of his body and struck Fearow with a lot of force.
"Oh no!" Michelle cried.
"Fearow's trying to hang in there, but with it being weak to electric attacks, Fearow better find a way to fight back or it's going to find itself back in its Poke Ball nest." Said the announcer.
"Fearow, hang in there!" Amanda cried.
"Fearow's a flying type, which means electric attacks are deadly for it." Said Mark. "Things don't look very good." The Thunderbolt then stopped, and Fearow was somehow still able to fight.
"Great job to tough it out, Fearow." Said Amanda. "Now, go for the Leer!" Fearow's eyes glowed red, and Poliwrath was overcome with red waves..
"I don't know how your Fearow managed to survive that Thunderbolt, but it's not surviving this next attack." Said Ricky. "Poliwrath, use Mega Kick!" Poliwrath used its leg strength to kick Fearow's body repeatedly, with the last one sending Fearow to the wall. Amanda quickly ran over and saw that the powerful flying type had been knocked out. The referee raised the red flag once again.
"Fearow is unable to battle. Poliwrath wins." He said.
"And just as we expected, Fearow's been grounded and Amanda only has one Pokemon remaining while Ricky still has all three." Said the announcer.
"Tough break for Fearow." Said Gina.
"It battled so hard, too." Said Cassie. Amanda grabbed Fearow's Poke ball and held it out.
"Fearow, return!" she cried. The beam of red energy absorbed the flying type back into the ball.
"You did great." She said, and turned to Pikachu.
"It's all on you, buddy." She said. Pikachu jumped from Amanda's shoulder onto the field.
"Amanda's last Pokemon is a Pikachu. Miss Cooper has to find a way to turn this match around to avoid elimination." Said the announcer.
"Let's go for some speed to start this off." Said Amanda. "Quick Attack, now!" Pikachu nodded and ran quickly at Poliwrath. So quickly, in fact, that the water type got knocked down before it could react.
"Mega Punch!" Ricky ordered. Poliwrath tried to use its powerful punching ability.
"Agility now!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu ran circles around Poliwrath, avoiding the punches and confusing the water type.
"Thunderbolt!" Amanda cried. Pikachu drilled Poliwrath with an electric bolt of energy from close range, knocking Poliwrath out.
"Woah, a one shot Thunderbolt." Said Cassie.
"It helped that Fearow weakened Poliwrath's defense with Leer a minute ago." Said Gina. The referee raised the green flag.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!" he cried.
"Yes! Just two more to go." Said Amanda. Ricky recalled his Poliwrath.
"That Pikachu's powerful, but let's see if it's powerful enough for this next one." Said Ricky. "Dewgong, I choose you!" He threw another Poke Ball and a pinniped Pokémon with a snowy white, furry body appeared.
"Ricky's second Pokemon is a Dewgong. This is one of the more elegant Pokemon that one can find around here." Said the announcer. Amanda took her Pokedex out again.
"Dewgong, the sea lion Pokemon. Dewgong thrives in cold environments, and is more active the colder the weather."
"Dewgong is so pretty, isn't it?" asked Cassie.
"It's certainly one of the prettiest Pokemon I've ever seen." Said Gina.
"Wow, look how adorable Dewgong is." Said Michelle. She started to have a fantasy about the dual water and ice type before Mark gave her a reality check.
"Daydreaming can wait for later. We're supposed to be cheering Amanda on here." He said.
"Dewgong, use your Headbutt!" Ricky ordered. Dewgong crawled up toward Pikachu and used its head to nudge Pikachu backwards.
"That Headbutt doesn't seem to bother Pikachu too much at all." Said Gina.
"Pikachu, go for your Thunder Punch attack!" Amanda cried. Pikachu absorbed yellow energy on its fist, and used that energy to give Dewgong a hard punch. The water type was sent back and would've gone into the wall if not for landing on the ice right before it.
"Way to hang in there, Dewgong." Said Ricky. "Aurora Beam attack!" Dewgong got a rainbow coloured beam ready from its horn and got ready to fire.
"This could be bad." Said Michelle. Dewgong fired the beam, but Pikachu jumped out of the way to avoid any sort of impact.
"What?!" Ricky cried.
"Your Poliwrath may have been tough earlier, but that's nothing compared to Pikachu." Said Amanda. "Thunder attack!" Pikachu unleashed its strongest bolt of electricity and hit Dewgong hard. The super effective move resulted in Dewgong collapsing and fainting. The referee raised the green flag.
"Dewgong can no longer battle. Pikachu is the winner!" he cried.
"My goodness. I thought this would be a clean sweep by Poliwrath, but Amanda has shown her toughness as well as the ability to get back into this match. Both trainers are now down to one Pokemon aside." Said the announcer. Ricky recalled Dewgong and reached for a certain Poke Ball.
"Michelle, I have a bad feeling about which Pokemon's going to be coming out now." Said Mark.
"I actually have that same feeling." Said Michelle.
"Gina, you don't suppose he's going to bring out that certain Pokemon, do you?" Cassie asked.
"I think he could, and it seems like he's going to." Said Cassie.
"Pikachu, whatever he brings out next, be ready." Said Amanda. Eevee and Elekid, who had been watching the match from the sidelines, were also curious as to what Ricky's final Pokemon would be.
"It's time." He said. He grabbed the ball and threw it towards the ring. When it popped open, the legendary Zapdos appeared.
"I was afraid of this." Said Michelle.
"Well, I guess Amanda may as well kiss her chances of winning goodbye because a Pokemon like that is almost impossible to defeat in battle." Said Mark.
"You say this despite the fact that we took out an Articuno once, remember?" Michelle reminded him.
"I kind of forgot about that." Mark said sheepishly.
"Here's something we don't see very often, folks. A legendary Pokemon making an appearance in an official League battle. Can little Pikachu overcome this giant bird?" said the announcer.
"It sure can, because my Pikachu's a winner!" Amanda cried.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, which meant 'That's right!'
"I thought Zapdos wasn't allowed to be used in a League battle." Said Cassie.
"It isn't but I don't think the referee even noticed that." Said Gina. "Somebody else probably will, though." On the field, the referee signalled for the final battle to begin.
"Drill Peck, now!" Ricky ordered. Zapdos tried to use his beak to drill some damage onto Pikachu, but Amanda had other ideas.
"Use your Agility!" she cried. Pikachu used its speed to dodge all the pecks that were coming towards it.
"Great use of speed. Now, Thunderbolt!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu unleashed a bolt of yellow electricity and struck Zapdos.
"Great hit!" cried Amanda. Zapdos, however, simply shook off the hit.
"Zapdos is using an air lens." Said Mark.
"What does that mean?" asked Michelle.
"It's using the air around it to keep its body warm." Said Mark.
"But that means Pikachu can't use his electric attacks then." Said Michelle.
"Exactly." Said Mark.
"Zapdos, use your Thunder Shock." Said Ricky. Zapdos fired an electric shock at Pikachu, which the little mouse avoided with ease.
"Swift attack!" Amanda called out. Pikachu fired yellow stars from his tail.
"Zapdos, use your own Swift attack!" Ricky ordered. Both sets of stars hit the other to cancel each other out.
"Both of these Pokemon are showing a terrific power display." Said the announcer.
"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" Amanda cried. Pikachu shot a wave of yellow electricity at Zapdos.
"Reflect attack, now." Ricky instructed calmly. Zapdos put up a reflective shield to block the Thunder Wave. Meanwhile, an Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy were stationed beside the announcer's booth observing what was happening in the battle. Joy couldn't believe her eyes.
"Jenny, you have to see this!" she cried. Jenny took a peek out the window and gasped.
"Is that Zapdos? Here?! At the Pokemon League?" she asked.
"The one and only." Said Joy.
"But legendary Pokemon aren't supposed to be used in a tournament of this magnitude." Said Jenny. "I wonder who's using it."
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt now!" cried Amanda. Pikachu started firing another electric bolt.
"Zapdos, use your own Thunderbolt too!" Ricky ordered. Both Pokemon launched their attacks at the same time and hit the other, negating the effect.
"Looks like it's the boy that's using Zapdos." Said Joy.
"We have to put a stop to that." Said Jenny. She started to head down the hall before being stopped by Joy.
"Hang on." She said. "It wouldn't be polite to interrupt an official match that's in progress."
"Okay. How do you propose we handle this, then?" asked Officer Jenny.
"We'll wait until the match is over and then we go onto the field." Said Joy.
"It's an ice arena, so we'll have to be careful that we don't slip and fall down." Said Jenny.
"Pikachu, try a Quick Attack!" Amanda ordered. Pikachu ran full speed at Zapdos.
"Dodge!" Ricky ordered. Zapdos used his Agility to avoid the battering ram that was Pikachu's attack. Both Pokemon repeated the same set of attacks they had already tried and got nowhere. That was when Amanda got a creative idea.
"If a far away Thunderbolt won't work, maybe one that's close up will." She said. "Pikachu, run towards Zapdos and climb onto his back!" Pikachu ran full speed at Zapdos again.
"What could Amanda be cooking up this time?" Michelle wondered.
"Whatever she's planning, she certainly knows how to be creative." Said Mark. However, Ricky wasn't about to be fooled by Amanda's creativeness.
"Oh no you don't. Zapdos, grab Pikachu with your talons!" he ordered. Zapdos flew down at Pikachu and used the claws on its feet to pick up Pikachu and fly away with it.
"Pikachu, no!" cried Amanda.
"Pikachu's in some serious trouble!" Michelle cried.
"Zapdos has Pikachu firmly by the talons and won't let go no matter how hard Pikachu tries to escape." Said the announcer. "This could be bad news for miss Cooper."
"Come on, Pikachu, hang in there." Said Amanda. "Try your Thunderbolt." Pikachu tried to unleash energy, but the firm hold Zapdos had on the small electric mouse prevented the move from being performed. The powerful legendary flew three laps in the air before Ricky gave the command.
"Drop the Pikachu." He said. Zapdos finally let go and Pikachu started falling down.
"I've got you!" Amanda cried. Pikachu happily fell into his trainer's arms.
"Are you okay, buddy?" asked Amanda. Pikachu slowly nodded and jumped back onto the field.
"I admire your Pikachu's guts, but now it's time to put an end to this." Said Ricky. "Hyper Beam attack!" Zapdos fired a powerful orange beam from the inside of his mouth directly at Pikachu, who was too tired from the ordeal with Zapdos to move. The powerful attack knocked Pikachu out and made it faint.
"It's time." Said Joy. Both her and Jenny ran to the nearby elevator and hurried down as fast as they could. On the field, the referee raised the red flag.
"Pikachu is unable to battle." He said. "The match goes to Ricky Miller!" The word CONGRATULATIONS appeared below Ricky's picture. Amanda scooped up Pikachu and gave him a smile.
"You did your best." She said. "You almost took down the legendary Zapdos. I'm very proud of how you battled today." She went to the center of the field to greet Ricky again, but before she could congratulate him, both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy ran onto the field.
"Hold it right there!" Jenny cried.
"Why are Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny here?" Mark wondered.
"Whatever the reason is, I don't think it's a good one." Said Michelle.
"Nurse Joy. Officer Jenny. Is something wrong?" Amanda asked. Both Joy and Jenny nodded their heads.
"Something is definitely very wrong, but it's not with you." Joy said to Amanda.
"Thank goodness." Said Amanda.
"The way you battled was well within the rules, so you're fine." Said Jenny. Both of them turned to Ricky and gave him angry faces.
"Okay, young man, what's the big idea?" Joy asked in a raised voice.
"What are you talking about?" Ricky asked.
"Hold on just a moment, folks. It appears Ricky's win might not count." Said the announcer." Jenny pointed up towards the sky.
"Does that Zapdos that's flying around right now belong to you?" she asked firmly.
"Yes. I caught it fair and square." Said Ricky. "Is it against the law to catch a Zapdos or something?"
"Whatever Pokemon you decide to catch is your right as a trainer, but using a legendary Pokemon like that Zapdos in an official Pokemon League match is against the rules." Said Joy.
"What rules?" Ricky asked.
"The rules in the Pokemon League handbook that every trainer competing here gets at the start of the tournament, but it's obvious that you didn't read the part that says no legendaries allowed." Said Jenny. She took out her own copy of the book and pointed the page out to him.
"Oh." Ricky shrugged.
"You see, young man, I'm not just a Pokemon doctor. I also happen to be a Pokemon League official." Said Nurse Joy.
"Did she just say that she's an official?" Cassie asked.
"That's what I heard." Said Gina.
"Using a legendary Pokemon isn't allowed here because of the fact that they're way too powerful." Said Joy. "It's also not fair to the opposing trainer as it significantly reduces their chance of winning, like the example we just saw here in the battle between Zapdos and Pikachu."
"The good news is that since a crime technically hasn't been committed, I'm not going to press any charges against you." Said Jenny.
"Here's the bad news." Said Joy. "Because you used a Pokemon that's not allowed to be used, you are officially disqualified!" The crowd was stunned at the unexpected development.
"Well, this just took a big twist." Said Michelle.
"No! You can't do that!" Ricky protested.
"We can, and we did, and if you try to argue any further, you will be arrested." Said Jenny. "Now, call your Zapdos back and leave." Ricky had no choice but to comply. He recalled Zapdos and left the field, but he wasn't very happy about it. Joy, Jenny and the referee both walked up to Amanda.
"Because your opponent used an illegal Pokemon, he has been disqualified and you are moving on." The referee said. The word CONGRATULATIONS disappeared from Ricky's picture and reappeared under Amanda's.
"There you have it! In a stunning turn of events, miss Cooper advances due to a disqualification!" the announcer cried. Michelle, Mark, Eevee and Elekid came running up to their friend.
"That means she won on all four fields." Said Michelle.
"It also means that from this point forward, her matches will be in the actual stadium." Said Joy. "Battle hard and do your best."
"I will." Said Amanda. Later, after all the round four matches were finished and the Poke gang had reconvened in the reception area, Michelle was still in shock over what had transpired.
"I still can't believe your opponent got disqualified." She said.
"I didn't hear about this." Said Michael. "What exactly happened?"
"Ricky, the trainer I was battling, used a Zapdos against me even though he wasn't supposed to, and so his win got overturned and I'm moving on to the fifth round." Amanda answered.
"Well then, congratulations." Said Michael. "I also won my fourth round match, but unlike yours, there were no disqualifications."
"Now that we both won on all four of the element fields, I wonder who we'll be up against next in the tournament." Said Amanda.
"That's what we're about to find out." Said Michael. They went over to the desk where the receptionist told Amanda how her next opponent would be decided.
"You'll fish a Pokemon out of this pond, and whatever number comes up is who you face next." She said.
"All right, sounds simple enough." Said Amanda. The receptionist handed her a rod and she dipped it into the rectangular shaped pond. She moved the rod about five paces before pulling out a Seaking and handing it to the lady.
"The number on it is seven four two." Said the lady. She typed that into the computer, and the results left everyone in shock. Michael's picture popped up beside Amanda, while her own picture popped up beside Michael. He was quite surprised too.
"Looks like they're both facing each other for round five." Said Michelle.
"Yeah, and I don't think either one of them is going to give in." said Mark. Well, Amanda's run at the tournament has taken some unexpected twists and turns. First, she wins her fourth round match because of a disqualification and now, she finds herself up against one of her friends in round five. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that this battle will really test the friendship that Amanda and Michael have formed since their first meeting. The only question that remains now is which of them will come out on top. The answer awaits in the next exciting episode!
TO BE CONTINUED
Amanda's Party: Pikachu, Fearow, Blastoise, Weepinbell, Arcanine, Seaking
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, Kadabra, Dragonair, Snorlax, Machamp, Horsea, Seadra, Electrode
Michelle's Spare Pokemon At Oak's Lab: Gengar, Sandshrew, Nidoran Female, Poliwhirl, Tangela, Chansey, Shellder