EP041

## Summary

Alex, Nikki and Salvadore watch Harry's quarterfinal match against a Trainer named Ryan and his Weezing. Alex checks Weezing's data on his Pokedex. Harry told his Exeggutor to use Hypnosis, but Weezing stopped Hypnosis with Smog. Weezing then used Tackle on Exeggutor, defeating it and winning the match for Ryan. This leaves Alex worried about his own chances during the quarterfinal, though Salvadore and Nikki cheer him on. He later learns from Professor Oak that all of Pallet Town is cheering him on, which only makes him more nervous. Meanwhile, Team Rocket opens up a souvenir stand with the intent of luring in and stealing Pokemon from Trainers.

Overnight, Salvadore and Nikki research Sean to gain some insight into his battling style, and are surprised to see that he did not lose any Pokemon during the previous four rounds of competition. Nikki notes that Alex is in trouble. However, Alex is unfazed by his friends' comments and remains confident in his abilities.

The following day, Alex goes to pick up his Poke Balls and encounters Sean along the way. Like Alex, he is also a little shaken from the prospect of going up against a friend. Nurse Joy points out that Alex is lucky that he gets to battle a friend, and he and Sean vow to make it their best battle. Later, Team Rocket lures him into meeting them with a fake phone call, using a voice changer device to sound like Sean. They kidnap him and load him into the back of their truck. Faced with the threat of missing his battle, Alex uses Poliwag to flood the entire truck, and escapes when it hits a roadside guardrail. Team Rocket returns, but Alex uses his Wartortle's Skull Bash to defeat them.

At the stadium, as Sean makes his entrance onto the Indigo Plateau battlefield, Nikki confronts him over the morning's rude phone call, suspecting he scared Alex off with his words to win. He denies making the call, and Nikki realizes something is amiss.

As everyone waits impatiently for Alex's arrival, the referee approaches Sean to inform him that Alex will be disqualified for not turning up and Sean will win the match by default. Sean tells the referee that he and Alex promised each other a great battle, that Alex must have a good reason for not being there, and that he is certain Alex will turn up. The referee agrees to give Alex ten more minutes. Eventually, Alex appears overhead on his Farfetch'd.

Soon after, Alex starts his quarterfinal match with Sean. Sean sends out Graveler, and Alex uses Wartortle. Graveler is about to hit Wartortle with Tackle, but Wartortle dodges it. Wartortle uses Tackle, and Graveler counters with Tackle. Wartortle dodges the attack again, before finishing Graveler off with Water Gun. Sean then sends out his next Pokemon, Dewgong. Alex checks Dewgong's data on his Pokedex. Wartortle uses Tackle, but Dewgong dodges. Wartortle uses Skull Bash, knocking Dewgong out.

Unwavering, Sean calls on his third Pokemon, an Arcanine. Alex remembers that it's the same Arcanine Sean used yesterday. Wartortle uses Water Gun, but Arcanine dodges the attack with ease. It then bites Wartorte, repeatedly slams him into the ground, and knocks Wartortle out, shocking Alex. Salvadore realizes that Sean's Arcanine must be exceptionally trained. Alex sends out Tangela, and it uses Vine Whip, but Arcanine dodges the attack and uses Take Down. Tangela dodges it and tries to use Constrict, but Arcanine dodges. Tangela tries to attack with Vine Whip again, but Arcanine bites it, slamming him to the floor and defeating it.

Down to his third Pokemon, Alex pauses for a second and then sends out his Poliwag, surprising his friends. Poliwag is able to dodge Arcanine's Bite and Take Down attacks with ease, then uses a Water Gun. Arcanine dodges and uses Take Down and Poliwag counters with Double Slap. After the dust clears, both Pokemon emerge standing. They both smirk at each other before collapsing on the battlefield, which means that both Trainers have each 3 Pokemon left.

## Major Events

* Harry is revealed to have obtained an Exeggutor
* Harry loses his quarterfinal battle against Ryan, placing him in the Top 8
* Harry heads back to Pallet Town
* Alex begins his quarterfinal battle against Sean
* Sean's Arcanine is revealed to know Bite

## Characters

### Humans

* Alex
* Nikki
* Salvadore
* Harry
* Ryan (debut)
* Professor Oak
* Butch
* Cassidy
* Sean
* Nurse Joy

## Pokemon

* Exeggutor (Harry's)
* Weezing (Ryan's, debut)
* Chansey (Nurse Joy's)
* Poliwag (Alex's)
* Wartortle (Alex's)
* Farfetch'd (Alex's)
* Tangela (Alex's)
* Graveler (Sean's)
* Dewgong (Sean's, debut)
* Arcanine (Sean's)