Episode Forty-Nine
Last time, Amanda battled in the second round of the Pokemon League tournament against Karen Brewster, a trainer who specialized in using water type Pokemon. The first match was a very intense one between Karen's Kingler and Amanda's Goldeen. Although Kingler put up a good fight, Goldeen managed to prevail and then it evolved into Seaking. However, Seaking was taken out by Karen's Psyduck, and then Weepinbell was sent into action. Despite Weepinbell's type advantage, Psyduck proved to be a bit tricky to deal with. But some out of the box thinking from Amanda sent Psyduck to the showers. Then, Tentacruel completely overpowered Weepinbell with its Wrap attack, leaving both trainers with one Pokemon each. Enter Pikachu, who gave Tentacruel a super display of electric attacks to secure the win for Amanda and send her into the third round of competition!
On the heels of her second round victory, we find Amanda and her friends celebrating the win by having dinner at a restaurant inside the Pokemon League village.
"How tough was that Tentacruel?" Cassie asked.
"It was certainly one of the tougher Pokemon I've faced so far." Said Amanda. "Luckily, I've got a Pikachu that's just as tough, right buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu happily cried, which meant 'Right!'
"You're not the only one who won their second round match." Said Michael. "I won as well, but it was a bit more of a challenge. It was one of those matches where it could've gone either way."
"The important thing, though, is that you both advanced." Said Gina.
"Do you know which field you two are on next or who you'll be facing?" asked Cassie.
"We'll find that out after dinner." Said Michelle.
"Whoever it ends up being, we're going to try extra hard to make sure we win." Said Amanda. "Aren't we, Pikachu?"
"Pika pi!" Pikachu chirped, which meant 'We sure are!' Just then, they heard some chatter at a table near where they were sitting. The group thought nothing of it aft first, but after a little while, the chatter got louder.
"What's going on over there?" Mark wondered.
"I don't know." Said Michelle. "From what I can hear, one of them seems to be bragging about something.
"I'm going to check it out." Said Amanda. "Come on, Pikachu." They went over to the table where all the chatter was coming from and started to listen in on the conversation.
"Great match that you had today, Brandon." Said one of them.
"You really showed that wimpy trainer who the real Pokemon Master is." Said another one.
"Well, that's what happens when you go up against one of the best trainers ever." Said Brandon.
"So, you know who you're facing next?" asked the first person.
"No, but whoever it ends up being, they better not be a wimp." Said Brandon. Amanda gasped and hid behind a nearby plant.
"We're not wimps, are we, Pikachu?" she asked.
"Pika." Pikachu answered, which meant 'Of course not. You're an awesome trainer.'
"Thanks, buddy." Said Amanda. "Come on, let's get back to the others." They went back to their own table, but as Amanda sat back down, a slight frown went across her face.
"What's wrong?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, who was over there?" Michelle asked.
"You won't believe this." Said Amanda. "Brandon was at that table."
"Didn't we run into him before?" Mark asked. Amanda nodded her head slowly.
"At that Pokemon car race we competed in a while ago." She answered. "You guys remember that?"
"How can I forget." Said Michelle. "Team Rocket tried to sabotage that race."
"But as usual, they failed." Said Mark.
"Who's this Brandon person?" Asked Cassie.
"yeah, I don't think I know who he is." Said Michael.
"He's a bit of an arrogant trainer that Michelle, Mark and I had a run-in with several months ago." Amanda explained.
"He's also one of the most competitive trainers in the world, and he hates it when he loses." Said Michelle.
"I really hope I don't have to face him in the next round." Said Amanda.
"Even if you do, don't let his arrogance get to you." Said Michelle.
"Michelle's right." Said Mark. "Come on, let's eat the rest of our dinner." As Amanda ate, she tried to block any and all images of Brandon out of her head. When they returned to the reception area of the main building earlier, the receptionist typed in the information for both Michael and Amanda to determine their next opponents.
"I hope I get somebody good." Said Michael. The computer screen beeped once all the info had been put in, and they both got to see who they would be up against. Michael drew a young girl whose picture showed her wearing a bright green dress and pink boots.
"That kid looks pretty." He said.
"Don't even get any ideas." Said Amanda.
"You'll be on the grass field for your third match." The receptionist said to Michael. Now it was Amanda's turn to see who she'd be up against. When she saw who was in the photo, however, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"No! It can't be! It just can't be!" she cried.
"What's she upset about now?" Cassie wondered.
"See for yourself." Said Gina. Cassie took a look at the picture and saw exactly what her sister had meant.
"Oh." Cassie said.
"I'm facing Brandon in round three." Said Amanda. "That's absolutely the one thing I didn't want!"
"Getting mad about that isn't going to help." Said Michelle.
"Besides, it's the computer system that decides the opponents, not the trainers." Said Mark.
"Mark is absolutely right." Said Gina. "Just try not to think about it too much or else you won't do well in your match." Said Gina. "By the way, which field is it being held on?"
"From what I can see, it looks like I'm on the rock field." Said Amanda.
"You know, there's one positive about you facing Brandon in the third round." Said Michelle. "You'll get a shot at redemption."
"What does redemption mean?" Cassie asked.
"It means Amanda gets another chance to beat the guy." Said Gina.
"That's right, and I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by!" Amanda cried. She was more determined than ever now.
"Now that's definitely the right attitude to have." Said Michelle. Amanda went to bed that night feeling fired up. She was determined to defeat Brandon no matter the cost. The next morning after breakfast, Gina had a surprise for Amanda.
"Cassie and I want to take you shopping for a little while before your match starts." Said Gina.
"Great, that sounds like fun." Said Amanda. "What gave you the idea, though?"
"Well, Cassie and I saw a new shop that just opened today and we thought that you'd like to have a look." Said Gina.
"Let's get going then." Said Amanda.
"Just make sure you're not late for your match." Said Michelle.
"Don't worry, Michelle, I'm always punctual." Said Amanda. She, Cassie and Gina went off into the Pokemon Village, while Michelle, Michael and Mark went off on their own.
"I wonder what kind of things this new shop sells." Said Amanda.
"Maybe they sell some cute little clothes that you can dress up onto your Pokemon." Said Cassie.
"That's entirely possible." Said Gina. Pikachu was looking around at all the different buildings, but in the process, he almost bumped into a few trainers by accident.
"You need to be more careful there, Pikachu." Said Amanda. They continued walking until they found the shop that Gina had mentioned.
"I don't remember this place being here when the tournament started." Said Amanda.
"Like I said before, it's brand new." Said Gina. "Come on, let's go inside." They made their way through the door, but Amanda was still feeling a little bit on the suspicious side.
"Look at all these cute sweaters!" Cassie cried. Each sweater on display had a different Pokemon on it. Amanda looked through all of them until she saw one that had a Pikachu on it.
"Look, buddy, that's you." Said Amanda. Pikachu gave an approving paws up.
"Here's an Eevee sweater that Michelle would probably like." Said Gina. Cassie then saw that there was nobody at the cashier stand.
"I wonder where the sales people are." She said.
"I'm sure they'll be here shortly." Said Gina. Right on cue, two people emerged dressed in attire suitable for working in a clothing store.
"Welcome to our brand new Pokemon clothing store." Said the woman.
"We see these places all the time at home." Said Cassie. "I didn't think they would open one up here at the Pokemon League."
"We just got approved yesterday." Said the man.
"Is there anything here that you'd like to buy?" asked the woman.
"I'd like the Eevee sweater for my friend Michelle, please." Said Amanda. She brought the sweater to the counter, but the two clerks shook their heads.
"No sale." They both said. Amanda was surprised.
"What?!" she asked.
"How are we supposed to pay for that?" asked Gina.
"In this store, the trainer is only allowed to buy the sweater if they have the corresponding Pokemon on them to match." Said the woman. Amanda, Gina and Cassie were all speechless.
"I've never heard of that payment method before." Said Gina.
"That's store policy." Said the woman. "Unless you have an Eevee on you, we can't sell you the sweater. Either choose something else or leave."
"That's a bit of a weird way to have to pay for something." Said Cassie. Amanda didn't want to leave empty handed, however, so she picked up the Pikachu sweater and brought it to the counter.
"How about this?" she asked.
"That depends." Said the male. "Do you have a Pikachu with you?"
"Of course." Said Amanda. She picked up her partner and placed him on the counter.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Don't do this, Amanda!' he waved his arms frantically to try and talk her out of it, but her mind was made up.
"Sorry, buddy, but if I want that sweater, I don't really have an option." Said Amanda. The woman handed her the sweater, but something still didn't sit right as they left.
"Something definitely looked off about that place." Said Gina as they started walking back.
"Worst of all, I had to hand over Pikachu to get this." Said Amanda. "If I can somehow get him back, do you think he'll forgive me?"
"I'm sure he will." Said Cassie.
"Maybe it's not too late to return this then." Said Amanda. They ran back to the shop and burst through the door.
"Hello? I'd like to get a refund for this, please." Said Amanda. The male and female turned around slowly to face her.
"There are no refunds." The woman said firmly. Before anything else could be said, she pressed a button on a remote control and the store suddenly transformed into a giant balloon. The two "clerk" then ripped off their disguises to expose their true identities. Amanda gasped when she saw who they were.
"Those aren't store owners!" Cassie cried.
"You guys are really Team Rocket!" cried Amanda.
"I knew something was fishy when they mentioned something about paying for the items with actual Pokemon instead of money!" yelled Gina.
"Where's my Pikachu?!" Amanda asked. Right behind Conrad and Sally was a small metal cage with Pikachu locked inside it.
"Pikachu!" the little electric rat called out.
"You give my Pikachu back to me right now you fakers!" Amanda demanded. She started running toward the cage, which was attached to the bottom of the balloon. Before she could grab hold of the cage, however, Conrad and Sally started ascending the balloon into the air.
"See you later, kids." Said Sally. The balloon went higher into the air before it started flying away.
"Come on, guys, after them!" Amanda cried. The three girls began to chase after the balloon. In the cage, Pikachu was angrily letting out some of his electricity. He tried using Thunderbolt over and over again to force the cage open, but to no avail.
"You can use your attacks all you want, Pikachu, but all you're doing is wasting your time and energy." Said Conrad.
"I guess it's a good thing we bought a cage that's invincible to electricity." Said Sally. Pikachu stopped, as he realized that the attacks wouldn't do any good. All he could do was grip the bars of the cage tightly and stare angrily at the two Team Rocket grunts.
"Chu!" he cried, which meant 'Give me back to Amanda right now!'
"You don't need that little runt." Said Sally.
"Instead, you can be a full time Team Rocket member with us." Said Conrad. "What do you say, short stuff?"
"Don't answer him, Pikachu!" Amanda cried. She, Gina and Cassie had caught up to the ballon.
"Pika!" cried Pikachu. The sight of Amanda made him smile.
"No! How did they catch up?" cried Sally.
"Who cares?" said Gina, and she threw a Poke Ball. Pidgeot appeared in a blaze of light and gave Team Rocket an angry look.
"Pidgeot, use your Peck attack!" Gina ordered. "Strike down that balloon!" Pidgeot flew fast at the balloon and used its' beak to drill a hole in it and send it falling down quickly to the ground. The force of the crash resulted in the cage breaking open, easily allowing Pikachu to run back to Amanda.
"Pikachu! Are you okay, buddy?" said Amanda.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm just fine.'
"Great. Now, time to get rid of these two." Said Amanda. "Thunderbolt attack!" Pikachu released his powerful lightning bolt, sending shockwaves through Conrad and Sally's body.
"Ow! Ouch!" they cried. Cassie grabbed a Poke Ball and tossed it.
"Vaporeon, use your Water Gun!" she ordered. The water type appeared instantly and soaked Conrad and Sally with a stream of water.
"And now for the finisher." Said Gina. She threw one of her own balls and an Electrode came out.
"Electrode, Explosion now!" she commanded. Electrode hopped in front of Team Rocket and gave an evil smile.
"Are we about…." Conrad started.
"To be toast?" Sally finished. Electrode unleashed a huge explosion, sending the two Team Rocket members flying into the air.
"We're blasting off again!" they cried. DING!
"You were all terrific!" Amanda cried, praising the Pokemon for their work. Gina and Cassie recalled their Pokemon to their balls.
"We don't need troublemakers like Team Rocket interfering with a big tournament." Said Gina. Amanda then gasped when she saw the time on her watch.
"Oh my goodness! My match is going to start soon!" she exclaimed. "Come on, we've got to get to the stadium quickly!" They started running the other way at top speed in order for Amanda to make it to the rock field on time. Michelle and Mark were casually wandering about when they saw Amanda, Gina and Cassie run right past them.
"Why are they going that fast?" Mark asked.
"It must be getting close to the start time for Amanda's match." Said Michelle. "Wait for us, you three!" They started running behind them, and everyone got to the field in record time.
"Talk about cutting it close." Said Mark.
"Good luck, Amanda." Said Gina.
"Thanks, Gina." Said Amanda. Gina and Cassie went to take their seats in the audience, Mark, Eevee and Michelle positioned themselves on the sidelines and Amanda and Pikachu headed into the locker room.
"You ready for another exciting battle, Pikachu?" Amanda asked.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'I'm all fired up!'
"So am I, buddy." Said Amanda. She took a deep breath and sat still on the bench as she waited for the match to start. Ten minutes later, the announcer's voice came on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are now ready to begin this third round match between Amanda Cooper of Fuchsia City and Brandon Hinkle of Saffron City!" he cried.
"Saffron City. That means it's possible he could have a psychic type on him." Said Michelle.
"Both trainers, please enter the field." Said the announcer.
"Here we go, Pikachu." Said Amanda. They got up from the bench and made their way into the arena.
"And here comes miss Cooper." Said the announcer. "Amanda's had some thrilling wins in each of her first two matches and she's hoping that her hot streak will continue today." Just then, Brandon entered the arena, and he had a smile of determination on his face.
"Here comes Brandon Hinkle, who had a very convincing win in the second round." Said the announcer. "He's looking very confident today, but confidence will only get you so far in this type of competition." Amanda and Brandon met at the center of the arena, although Brandon was certainly looking very smug.
"You're not going to beat me." He said with confidence.
"We'll see about that." Said Amanda. Both trainers went into their respective corners, red for Brandon and green for Amanda. The referee raised both flags and instructed for both trainers to begin. Brandon grabbed a ball from his waist and tossed it.
"Golem, I choose you!" he cried. A bipedal tortoise-like boulder Pokémon with a spherical body covered by a shell of plated, green rocks appeared in a blaze of light. Michelle and Mark were amazed.
"So that's what a Golem looks like." Said Mark. "It's pretty heavy."
"Golem's the second heaviest Pokemon in the world behind only Snorlax." Said Michelle. Amanda whipped out her Pokedex.
"Golem, the Megaton Pokemon. Golem grows bigger by shedding its skin once a year. The discarded shell immediately hardens when exposed to air, crumbling away and returning to the soil."
"That definitely looks quite heavy." Said Amanda. "Well, I know just how to deal with a rock type." She smiled and grabbed a ball off her waist.
"Hey, Brandon, remember this?" she asked. She tossed the ball and Blastoise came out in a blaze of white light.
"Brandon is starting the battle with Golem, while Amanda is going with Blastoise. Miss Cooper appears to have the upper hand here, but as we've seen so far in this tournament, type advantage doesn't necessarily matter." Said the announcer.
"Ah yes, I do remember this one." Said Brandon. "You battled me with it when it was a Squirtle."
"That's right, and you beat me that time." Said Amanda. "Now that it's evolved, it's much more powerful."
"Too bad that power isn't going to help you here." Said Brandon, and he let out a chuckle.
"Oh yeah?" Amanda retorted. "Blastoise, let's show Brandon how powerful you are now. Water Gun attack!" Blastoise shot streams of water from his cannons right at Golem.
"Golem, deflect that with your Defense Curl!" Brandon ordered. Golem lowered himself so that he was a rock, resulting in the water attack not doing as much damage.
"What does Defense Curl do?" asked Cassie.
"It's a defense increasing move that also softens the impact of incoming attacks." Said Gina. "That's why Water Gun wasn't as effective as it should've been."
"Tackle attack." Said Brandon. Golem rolled over to Blastoise to give it a hard tackle, but he only ended up bouncing off the water type's large shell.
"You might've been able to get away with that when it was a Squirtle, but it's not going to work now!" Amanda declared. "Blastoise, Bubble Beam attack!"
"Blastoise!" the water turtle yelled. He shot out streams of bubbles from his mouth, and with Golem too close to defend, the bubbles hit him instantly.
"There's a powerful Bubble Beam from Blastoise!" the announcer shouted.
"Golem's in some trouble." Said Mark.
"Some? More like a lot of trouble." Said Michelle. "Water attacks are super strong against rock Pokemon."
"Hang in there, Golem!" yelled Brandon. "Try a Mega Punch!" Golem fired up his fist and gave Blastoise a strong punch, only to bounce off the shell again.
"Still not going to work!" Amanda cried.
"Fine! We'll just have to try something else." Said Brandon. "Go for Earthquake!" Golem stomped his feet and unleashed a powerful quake. Blastoise jumped up to try and avoid the attack, but Golem shot the attack upwards, resulting in Blastoise still getting hit.
"Blastoise!" the water type cried out.
"Oh no! Are you okay, Blastoise?" Amanda asked. Fortunately, Blastoise was just fine and shook off the impact of the attack.
"That was one of the most powerful Earthquake moves that I've ever seen." Said the announcer. "Blastoise didn't seem to get affected much at all, proving himself to be one tough turtle."
"Go, Blastoise! Skull Bash!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise lowered his head and sent Golem backwards on impact. The rock type fell down and struggled to get back to his feet.
"Come on, Golem, get up!" ordered Brandon. Golem tried his hardest, and managed to get back up.
"Looks like Golem's a tough fighter himself." Said Michelle.
"Rock Throw!" ordered Brandon. Golem grabbed some rocks from the corner and threw them at Blastoise.
"Withdraw!" ordered Amanda. Blastoise dipped into his shell to negate the impact of the move. He then popped back out and glared at Golem.
"You can do this, Blastoise!" Amanda cried out. "Go for another Water Gun!" Blastoise fired another stream of water.
"Harden, now." Said Brandon. Golem hardened his shell, resulting in Water Gun having no impact.
"Now, time for the Seismic Toss." Said Brandon. Golem ran to Blastoise and tried to pick him up, but couldn't do it due to the water type's size.
"Amazing! With Blastoise being so tall, Seismic Toss fails entirely!" the announcer yelled.
"Time to finish it." Said Amanda. "Hydro Pump!" Blastoise fired its most powerful water blasts, which Golem had no defense for. The water sent him to the wall and when he tried to get back up, he collapsed. The referee raised the green flag.
"Golem is unable to battle. Blastoise is the winner!" he cried.
"A good try from Golem, but Blastoise was just too powerful for the rock type. Brandon now has just two Pokemon left to use." Said the announcer. Brandon recalled Golem and grabbed another ball.
"Kabutops, go!" Brandon cried. He threw the ball, and a bipedal prehistoric arthropod Pokémon with a skeletal, well-armored build appeared in a blaze of light.
"What kind of Pokemon is that?" Cassie wondered.
"I don't know." Said Gina. "I've never seen that one before."
"Well, this is a rare treat." Said the announcer. "Kabutops is Brandon's second Pokemon. We don't get to see something like this very often." Amanda quickly took out her Pokedex.
"Kabutops, the shellfish Pokemon and the evolved form of Kabuto. It uses its sharp scythes to slice enemies." Kabutops showed off one of his scythes to prove a point.
"Kabutops doesn't look like it'll be easy to beat." Said Michelle.
"We can do this, Blastoise." Said Amanda. "Hydro Pump!" Blastoise shot his powerful water streams.
"Kabutops, you use your own Hydro Pump!" Brandon ordered.
"Kabutops!" the fossil Pokemon cried, and he let out a powerful jet stream of water himself. Both attacks hit each other directly to cancel out one another.
"And that barrage of water results in a stalemate." Said the announcer. "Kabutops is certainly proving why this rate fossil Pokemon is a tough battler."
"Use your Slash attack!" Brandon ordered. Kabutops used his sharp scythes to try and make slash marks on Blastoise's shell.
"Withdraw, now!" Amanda called. Blastoise went into his shell once again, resulting in the slashes only hitting the top of the shell instead of the body. Blastoise then re-emerged looking completely unharmed.
"Blastoise is really demonstrating a tough display of defense today." Said the announcer.
"He's also showing why he's one of Amanda's strongest Pokemon." Said Michelle. Brandon grunted in frustration.
"Sand Attack! Make sure that turtle can't see anything!" Brandon yelled. Kabutops kicked up some sand and started to throw it.
"Blastoise, duck!" Amanda yelled. Blastoise lowered his head just as the sand was about to blind him, resulting in it hitting the shell.
"That's it, Blastoise! You're doing great!" Amanda cried.
"Amanda sure is determined to beat Brandon, isn't she?" asked Cassie.
"I'll say." Said Gina. "Even though Kabutops is faster, Blastoise has more power, and sometimes that can overwhelm even the quickest Pokemon." Kabutops was starting to get angry now. He had a look of frustration in his eyes.
"I know exactly how you feel, Kabutops." Said Brandon. "We've got to slow Blastoise down. Try your Leer attack." Kabutops gave a glow right at Blastoise and aimed it right at the turtle Pokemon.
"Don't look directly at it!" Amanda cried, but Blastoise was already starting to feel the effect.
"Leer doesn't confuse its' opponent, does it?" asked Cassie.
"No, you're thinking of moves like Confuse Ray and Supersonic." Said Gina. "Leer lowers the defense of the opposing Pokemon, which means whatever attack Blastoise gets hit with next will do more damage."
"There's a powerful Leer from Kabutops." Said the announcer. "Blastoise's defenses may have gone down, but he's still got more power to show."
"Go for Bite!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise grabbed hold of Kabutops' arm and clamped down on it, causing it to scream in pain.
"Kabutops!" cried Brandon.
"Now, Seismic Toss!" Amanda ordered. Blastoise used his other hand to pick up Kabutops and flung the fossil Pokemon all the way across the field. When Kabutops landed, his eyes had circular swirls around them. The referee ran over and raised the green flag.
"Kabutops is unable to battle. Blastoise wins!" he cried.
"Well done, Blastoise!" cried Amanda.
"Another sensational power display from Blastoise sends Kabutops out of the ring." Said the announcer. "Now Brandon has just one Pokemon left, while Amanda still has all three of hers. What will Brandon choose now?" Brandon recalled his Kabutops and grabbed another ball.
"Magneton, it's your turn!" he cried. He threw the ball and a robot-like Pokemon with three Magnemite attached together popped out. Amanda took out her Pokedex again.
"Magneton, the magnet Pokemon. Magneton's anti-gravitational powers enable it to fly through the air."
"Magneton looks so cool!" Cassie cried.
"Magneton is Brandon's final Pokemon, and this may be the ticket he needs to get back into the match." The announcer said.
"Blastoise did well against the first two Pokemon, but he's extremely weak against electric attacks." Said Michelle. "That puts Amanda in a bit of a bad spot right now."
"Let's get right to it, Magneton." Said Brandon. "Thunderbolt attack!" Magneton unleashed a huge yellow lightning bolt, which struck Blastoise and knocked it over onto the ground.
"Blastoise, no!" Amanda cried. The turtle Pokemon tried to get up, but the strong attack had rendered it knocked out. The referee raised the red flag.
"Blastoise is unable to battle. Magneton is the winner!" the referee declared.
"And folks, with just one hit, Magneton has zapped Blastoise out of the battle, leaving Amanda with just two Pokemon left." Said the announcer. Amanda recalled Blastoise and started to think.
"I could use Pikachu here and have an all electric battle." Amanda thought. "Although, since it's an electric type, Arcanine might be the better choice." She decided to consult the Pokedex one more time. She flipped it open to Magneton's entry in the hopes of getting some more helpful information.
"Magneton has just recently gained a secondary Steel typing." The Pokedex blurted out.
"Steel type?" Mark wondered curiously.
"It's a brand new type that must've just been discovered." Said Michelle.
"If it's a new typing, then I know just the Pokemon to use." Said Amanda. She put her Pokedex away and grabbed a ball.
"Arcanine, I choose you!" she cried. The powerful fire type appeared in a blaze of light.
"Amanda's second Pokemon is Arcanine. Will this puppy's explosive firepower be able to overcome Magneton's electricity?" asked the announcer.
"It sure will." Said Amanda. "Flamethrower attack, now!" Arcanine shot a powerful stream of fire that started making its' way toward magneton.
"Keep going." Whispered Amanda.
"Teleport." Said Brandon. Magneton vanished to another spot right as the Flamethrower was about to hit, making the attack miss.
"Go in for a Tackle." Said Brandon. Magneton started to float toward Arcanine for a full powered tackle.
"Agility, now!" Amanda ordered. Arcanine effectively used his speed to avoid each of the tackle attack attempts that came his way.
"Magneton's trying to land some powerful blows, but Arcanine's putting on a fine display of power and speed to make things rough for Magneton." Said the announcer.
"You're doing awesome, Arcanine!" cried Amanda.
"Supersonic, now!" Brandon ordered his Magneton. The electric type let out dark blue waves of energy, which went all over Arcanine's body.
"Hit Magneton with your best shot." Said Amanda. "Fire Blast attack!" Arcanine started running forward, but then made a beeline for one of the tall rocks and started grabbing at it with his paws. Michelle, Mark, Amanda, Cassie and Gina were stunned.
"It looks like…. It looks like Arcanine thinks the rocks on the field are toys!" the announcer cried.
"Gina, why isn't Arcanine battling?" asked Cassie.
"It's suffering from confusion from that Supersonic attack." Said Gina. "Although, if Arcanine's going to win this, it'll need to break out of it quickly."
"Arcanine, you can play later." Said Amanda. "Now, use your Fire Blast!" Arcanine heard the command, but instead tackled Amanda and gave her a Body Slam.
"What are you doing, Arcanine?" she asked. "You're not supposed to battle me! Magneton is your opponent!" Arcanine looked around and when he saw Magneton, he shook his head and glared.
"Okay, try again with Fire Blast." Said Amanda. This time, a big fire star was hurled right at the electric type.
"Dodge it!" Brandon yelled. However, the attack came in so quickly that Magneton couldn't avoid it. Instead, he was left charred with burn marks. He hadn't fainted yet, but he was now in rough shape.
"This is Amanda's big chance." Said Michelle.
"Fire Spin, now!" Amanda ordered. A big circular fire wall came out of Arcanine's mouth and spun around Magneton, leaving it with nowhere to go.
"Try as it might, Magneton can't seem to find a way out of that Fire Spin." Said the announcer.
"Time to wrap this up. Take Down attack!" yelled Amanda. Arcanine ran fast at Magneton, and with the electric type still trapped, the attack landed easily and knocked it out. The referee started to raise the green flag.
"Don't you dare!" cried Brandon, but he was too late.
"Magneton can no longer battle. Arcanine wins!" he cried. "The winner is Amanda Cooper!" For the third time in the tournament, the word CONGRATULATIONS appeared under Amanda's picture.
"And Amanda pulls off another thrilling victory to move on to the fourth round!" the announcer cried. Amanda ran up to her fire type and gave him a huge hug.
"That was her best match so far." Said Michelle.
"She only lost one Pokemon that time." Said Mark. "That's definitely the showings of an excellent trainer." Brandon angrily recalled Magneton and stormed off. Later on, Amanda, Mark, Michelle, Gina and Cassie were watching the end of Michael's match on a television monitor.
"Pidgeot wins the round and the match goes to Michael Jocks!" the referee on the screen cried.
"Well, Michael's also off to the fourth round." Said Amanda. "I still wonder if I'll get to face him before the tournament is over."
"You very well could." Said Michelle. Three matches for Amanda, and three victories under her belt. Will her next battle be as easy as the one she just had? Find out next time!
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
(Quick author's note: Next episode is another milestone one, as it marks the 50th episode of this series. It might be a bit before that gets released, however, as I lost a relative to cancer this evening. I will still be working on the episode at the very least)