by Howard Dewin
I want to be the very best there ever was
To beat all the rest, yeah, that’s my cause
Catch ’em, Catch ’em, Gotta catch ’em all
Pokémon I’ll search across the land
Look far and wide
Release from my hand
The power that’s inside
Catch ’em, Catch ’em, Gotta catch ’em all Pokémon!
Gotta catch ’em all, Gotta catch ’em all
Gotta catch ’em all, Gotta catch ’em all
At least one hundred and fifty or more to see
To be a Pokémon Master is my destiny
Catch ’em, Catch ’em, Gotta catch ’em all
Gotta catch ’em all, Pokémon! (repeat three times)
Here’s the next 32 Pokémon.
Catch the next book, Scyther, Heart of a Champion,
for more of the Poké Rap.
Alakazam, Goldeen, Venonat, Machoke
Kangaskhan, Hypno, Electabuzz, Flareon
Blastoise, Poliwhirl, Oddish, Drowzee
Raichu, Nidoqueen, Bellsprout, Starmie
Metapod, Marowak, Kakuna, Clefairy
Dodrio, Seadra, Vileplume, Krabby
Lickitung, Tauros, Weedle, Nidoran
Machop, Shellder, Porygon, Hitmonchan
Words and Music by Tamara Loeffler and John Siegler
Copyright © 1999 Pikachu Music (BMI)
Worldwide rights for Pikachu Music administered by Cherry River Music Co. (BMI)
All Rights Reserved Used by Permission
Contents
Title Page
Chapter 1: Full Speed Ahead!
Chapter 2: Water-type Pokémon Challenge
Chapter 3: The Coral-Eye Badge
Chapter 4: Sky-high Gym
Chapter 5: Into the Clouds
Chapter 6: Charizard Gets Busy
Chapter 7: Geodude to the Rescue!
Chapter 8: The One and Only Prima
Chapter 9: Electabuzz Attack
Chapter 10: Squirtle vs. the Dancing Pokémon
Chapter 11: Friends
Sneak Peek
Copyright
“Go, Lapras!” Ash Ketchum shouted to his Water-type Pokémon. The big blue creature sped across the sparkling ocean waters that surrounded the Orange Islands.
Ash and his friends rode atop Lapras’s sturdy, round back. His longtime friend, Misty, held her baby Pokémon, Togepi. His new friend, Tracey, drew in a sketchbook. And Pikachu, Ash’s Electric-type Pokémon, smiled and enjoyed the ride.
“I think Lapras is having fun!” said Misty. Her orange hair blew in the ocean wind. She gave Togepi an affectionate squeeze. “And I should know! It is a Water-type Pokémon, after all.”
Misty loved Water-type Pokémon. Even Ash had to admit, she knew more about them than anyone else he’d met.
“What’s not to like?” Ash replied as he felt the warm tropical breeze on his face. “Being a Pokémon Trainer is a great life!”
Sometimes he couldn’t believe how far he’d come since his tenth birthday. That’s when he left his home in Pallet Town and began his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. He’d met a lot of people and had many adventures. But most important, he’d captured a lot of Pokémon since then.
“Pika-a-a-a!”
Pikachu’s cry snapped Ash out of his daydream. The little yellow Pokémon was flying through the air, thrown off balance by a surprise wave. Ash dove after Pikachu, holding onto Lapras with his legs. He caught Pikachu just before it hit the water.
“That was a close one,” he said.
“Pika,” agreed Pikachu, its eyes still wide with surprise.
“We’re not in a hurry, Lapras. You don’t have to rush,” said Misty.
“That’s true,” said Ash, “although I wouldn’t mind getting something to eat.”
“I’m kind of hungry, too,” Misty agreed.
“Pikachu!” added Pikachu.
“Well, we’re not that far from Mikan Island,” said Tracey, a Pokémon watcher. “I’m sure we can get some food there. And — there’s an Orange League Gym on the island.”
“An Orange League Gym?!” Ash sat up, suddenly forgetting his hunger.
He came to the Orange Islands on an errand for his hometown mentor, Professor Oak, the famous Pokémon expert. The Professor wanted Ash, Misty, and their friend, Brock, to pick up a mysterious Poké Ball called the GS Ball from his old friend, Professor Ivy. Ash picked up the GS Ball, but he lost a friend. Brock decided to stay and help Professor Ivy.
Ash missed Brock but he soon found another friend, Tracey, and a new Pokémon, Lapras. And then he heard about the Orange League.
“I guess this is it, huh, Ash?” Misty said, knocking him with her elbow. “The beginning of a whole new challenge!”
Ash knew she was teasing him but he didn’t care. He’d done pretty well in the Pokémon League back home. He couldn’t wait to win the Orange League’s four badges and then compete for the championship trophy in their league tournament. Misty could tease all she wanted!
“You just wait and see! I’m gonna be the greatest Pokémon Trainer the Orange Islands have ever seen!” Ash said.
“Pika pika!” Pikachu squeaked in agreement.
“See? Pikachu knows I’m right!” Ash said. “We’re going to challenge every Gym Leader on these islands!”
Misty laughed and shook her head. “Too bad you don’t have any confidence, Ash Ketchum.”
Ash smiled at Pikachu. How could he not feel confident? He and Pikachu made a great team.
“Full speed ahead!” Tracey shouted. “Next stop, Mikan Island!”
“Look!” cried Ash, “There it is!”
“Mikan Island,” said Tracey.
Ash and his friends climbed down off Lapras’s back onto the white sandy beach. It was a lush green tropical island and Ash couldn’t wait to explore.
“Good work, Lapras,” Ash said. “Return!” He held out a Poké Ball and with a puff of light, Lapras disappeared into the little red-and-white ball. Ash hooked it securely on his belt alongside his other Poké Balls. Only Pikachu traveled outside its Poké Ball because it absolutely hated to be inside one.
“They say Mikan’s Gym Leader is one of the toughest Trainers in the Orange Crew,” said Tracey, already starting his next sketch.
“Wow!” exclaimed Ash. “A match with one of the toughest Trainers in the Orange League! Now I really can’t wait! Come on, let’s go!”
“Nobody loves a Pokémon challenge more than Ash,” Misty said, running to keep up.
“Kachu!” Pikachu was on Ash’s heels, happy and excited to help him win his first Orange Islands badge.
They hiked through the jungle until a red-domed building appeared.
“There it is!” announced Tracey.
“All right!” shouted Ash, his pace quickening.
Suddenly, a young boy jumped out from behind a tree. “What are you doing here?” he asked accusingly.
“I’m a Pokémon Trainer,” Ash explained. “I’m looking for a gym battle.”
The boy laughed. “You don’t look like a Pokémon Trainer.”
“Oh, yeah?” snapped Ash. “I was good enough to compete in the Indigo League.”
“Ha! The Orange League’s way tougher than that!”
“Are you making trouble again?” a woman’s voice came from behind the boy.
Ash, Misty, and Tracey looked up and saw a tall, young woman.
“No,” the boy protested. “I just saw this guy sneaking around — ”
“I was not sneaking,” Ash demanded, “I’ve come to challenge the Gym Leader!”
“Is that so?” the woman asked. She smiled at Ash. “Well, I’m the Mikan Gym Leader and I accept y
our challenge.”
Ash gasped. Pikachu stared with wide eyes.
“I’m Cissy, and this is my brother,” she said. “Since you’re just a little squirt, let’s use Water-type Pokémon.” She started to walk toward the gym.
“Hey! Who are you calling ‘squirt’?!” Ash shouted as he ran to catch up.
The inside of the gym felt huge and empty to Ash. “Okay,” he said, “how many Pokémon do you want to use?”
“That’s not the way we do things around here,” Cissy said. “In the Orange Island Gyms, we do a lot more than just have our Pokémon battle each other.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ash asked.
“You’ll see,” said Cissy. “We’ll decide the match with two challenges.” She turned to her kid brother. “Hit it!”
“Right!” the boy said. He punched buttons on a remote control in his hands. Suddenly, everything was moving. Wall panels slid back and Ash saw a line of old tin cans lined up on a ledge. Then, part of the floor started to move.
“Yikes!” exclaimed Misty.
In the middle of the gym, a slide-away floor revealed a full-size swimming pool.
“Wow,” Ash said. He was impressed but tried to hide it. “So what are the tin cans for?”
Cissy didn’t stop to explain. She already had a Poké Ball in her hand. She hurled it forward, shouting, “Seadra! I choose you!”
From out of the Poké Ball came a blue Pokémon that looked like a seahorse. Its tail curled around in a coil and its mouth was like a long nozzle. It dove into the pool.
“What is that?” Ash asked under his breath.
He grabbed his Pokédex, a handheld device that stored a lot of information about Pokémon.
“Seadra,” said the electronic voice over, the Pokédex, “a Dragon Pokémon. The evolved form of Horsea. It is known for its horrible disposition but possesses both strength and speed.”
“We’ll start with a Water Gun Challenge,” Cissy announced. “Pick whatever Pokémon has the best Water Gun attack. In my gym, the Pokémon compete like athletes do, using their skills head-to-head, one-on-one.”
Ash glanced at Pikachu, a little worried. The Orange League was really different.
Ash tried to appear confident, “Squirtle! I choose you!”
He hurled a Poké Ball and a small turtlelike Pokémon appeared. Squirtle looked tough and ready for battle.
“Squirtle,” he whispered, “this isn’t like any battle before. I’m counting on you.”
“Squirtle,” replied the Water-type Pokémon.
“I hope your Squirtle’s a good loser!” Cissy laughed and turned to Seadra. “Water Gun now!”
Seadra leaped into the air, spitting furious shots of water from its snout. Bing! Bang! Ping! Pong! Faster than lightning, Seadra shot and hit every one of the tin cans off the ledge.
Tracey started sketching wildly. “That’s impressive!”
“I don’t know if Squirtle can match that,” Misty said quietly.
Ash didn’t hesitate.
“Okay, Squirtle. Ready, aim, fire!” Ash shouted.
Squirtle jumped into the air and spit out one blast of water after another. Bam! Slam! Crash! Wham! Every one of the cans went flying off the ledge!
“All right!” cheered Ash.
“Not bad,” Cissy muttered. “Let’s try moving targets.”
“Here they come!” shouted her brother. He pushed more buttons on his remote control.
Whizzz! A flying disk sailed over Ash’s head.
“Fire!” shouted Cissy. Seadra sailed up into the air and sent out a speeding column of water from its nozzlelike mouth. It hit the disk dead center. The target exploded into pieces.
“Triple!” Cissy shouted.
Three more disks sailed into the air. Seadra spit three fast spouts of water at the targets. Bang! Bang! Bang! All three disks shattered in midair.
“Whoa … ” Ash was amazed. “Okay, Squirtle — give it your best shot!”
One disk flew into the air. Bang! Squirtle didn’t miss a beat.
“Good work!” Ash shouted. “Now go for three.”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Squirtle was unstoppable!
“Next is a quick-draw contest,” Cissy said. “Whoever hits the disk first, wins.”
The gym went silent. Everyone looked up at the ceiling and waited for the disk to appear. Tracey looked through binoculars, ready to call the winner.
“Go!” cried the boy. A disk flew across the gym. Seadra and Squirtle both leaped out of the water. They each aimed powerful shots of water at the target. One enormous bang rang out as the disk exploded. It was impossible to tell which Pokémon had hit it first. Everyone looked at Tracey.
“They hit at the same time,” he announced. “It’s a draw!”
“Then,” Cissy said slowly. “The outcome is going to depend on the Pokémon Wave Ride.”
Ash looked at Cissy, hoping she would explain. But she was already walking out the door, headed down to the beach.
“Wave Ride?” Ash asked.
Ash didn’t know what to expect. This was turning out to be his toughest match yet!
“What’s Wave Riding?” Ash asked. He stood on the beach and stared at the water.
“The Pokémon just have to swim around that flag out there,” Cissy said.
Ash squinted to see the distant marker.
“The first to come back wins!” Cissy looked very confident.
“This’ll be easy!” Ash crowed.
“Blastoise! I choose you.” Cissy called forth the huge Pokémon. The evolved form of Squirtle and Wartortle, Blastoise looked like a giant turtle with two water cannons coming out of its shell.
“I know the way to beat Blastoise,” Ash whispered to Tracey. “Lapras! I choose you!” he called.
In a swirl of white mist, Lapras came flying out of its Poké Ball. It looked gentle and sweet next to Blastoise. But Ash knew it was a really strong swimmer.
“Let’s get going!” Cissy commanded.
Her brother held the starting gun in the air. Ash stood tensely by Lapras, ready to command its every move. Blastoise stood rock solid, waiting for the sound of the gun.
Suddenly, a giant submarine shaped like a Magikarp exploded to the surface of the water. Standing on top of the sub were a teenage girl, a teenage boy, and a Scratch Cat Pokémon.
It was Jessie, James, and Meowth, a trio of Pokémon thieves known as Team Rocket.
“Prepare for tropical trouble!” shouted red-haired Jessie.
“Make it desert-island double!” James joined in. “To protect the world from devastation — ”
Ash and Misty shook their heads. They were tired of hearing Team Rocket’s nasty chant.
“It’s the same thing every time,” sighed Ash.
“Are these friends of yours?” Cissy asked.
“Hardly!” Misty sneered.
“We want that Pikachu and we want it now!” Jessie shouted.
“You’ll never get Pikachu!” Ash shouted back.
“Weezing, go!” James threw a Poké Ball up into the sky and a Pokémon belching smoke came pouring out. A black haze filled the air and Ash couldn’t breathe. Everyone on the beach gasped for air.
“Fire the net!” Jessie shouted. Suddenly, a gigantic net fell inches from Ash’s face. He dove to protect Pikachu but the net missed his Pokémon. Instead, it landed on Blastoise. Team Rocket jumped into their submarine.
“Blastoise!” Ash yelled.
The submarine pulled Blastoise through the water. Ash looked at Cissy, who stood calmly watching.
“We have to save Blastoise!” Ash cried.
“Blastoise can handle those three,” she said in a steady voice.
Ash looked out to sea. Blastoise was sinking beneath the water, pulled down by the weight of the sub. Then it was gone!
Ash, Misty, Tracey, and Pikachu stared in shock, hoping to see the giant Pokémon reappear. But there was nothing.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t try to d
o something?” Misty asked.
“I’m sure,” said Cissy.
At that very moment, the waters exploded. Blastoise came hurling up out of the sea, pulling the submarine and Team Rocket with it. The net ripped away as if it were made of paper. Blastoise was free!
“I guess you were right!” Ash exclaimed.
“Told you!” Cissy smiled.
“Those guys never learn,” Ash said, shaking his head. “Pikachu, go!”
Pikachu dashed to the water’s edge. It turned its lightning bolt tail to the water and dipped it into the tide. Ccrraaaccckk! Electricity shot across the water’s surface and lit up Team Rocket like a Christmas tree! Then Blastoise fired off a round of cannon blasts. The blasts blew the electrified team sky-high. They were nowhere to be seen.
“Looks like Team Rocket blasted off again!” cheered Misty.
Cissy frowned impatiently. “Let’s start this race!” she demanded.
“Okay!” said Ash, “Get out there and do your best, Lapras!”
Cissy climbed on top of Blastoise. “Well, get on already, Ash!”
“On?”
Cissy grinned. “The Trainer stands on the Pokémon in the Wave Ride. If you fall off, you lose.”
Ash stared at her in disbelief. Standing on the Pokémon? He hadn’t realized he was supposed to ride on Lapras.
Ash took a deep breath and climbed on Lapras’s back.
Bang! The starting gun fired.
Ash almost immediately lost his balance, but he held himself steady.
“Try to move to the inside, Lapras!” Ash shouted. He knew the inside track was the best place to be in a race. If he could get it, he’d round the marker faster.
“Don’t let them, Blastoise!” Ash could hear Cissy shout. Suddenly, Lapras shook as Blastoise crashed into its side.
“Try for the inside again!” Ash shouted to his Pokémon. This time, Lapras smashed into Blastoise.
“You’ve got guts, squirt! But we’ve got strength!” Cissy’s voice sailed over the crashing waves, “Bash ’em, Blastoise!”
The Pokémon came at Lapras from the side with a fury. The power of the impact threw Ash off his feet and into the air.