Pokemon Episode 159: The Fortune Hunters

Scenario:
Ash and co. have finally arrived in Goldenrod City, where Ash plans on challenging the Gym Leader for a Plain Badge. The group stops off at the Pokémon Center, and Misty spots a group of kids, huddled around a book on fortune telling. She asks them to please let her see it (in her usual way, which is "Gimmee! Gimmee! Gimmee!"), and they tell her to get her own copy, they're giving them away at the local breeding center. Misty drags Ash and Brock to the breeding center, and speaks to the owners, a nice old man, and a nice old woman. They give her a copy of the fortune telling book, and return to checking Pokémon guests into their center. Later, while walking through the Nature Park, Misty reads her friends their horoscopes. Ash is disappointed to learn that his zodiac Pokémon is a pitiful Bellsprout. Brock is an Onix, which suits him just fine. Misty then looks up her own birthday, hoping she'll end up with a cute Pokémon like Vaporeon for her zodiac. Then she finds out she's a Gyarados...which upsets her to no end, and she explodes, crying, "I'm nothing like Gyarados!!!" Ash whispers aside to Brock that she's performing her Dragon Rage attack. ^_^; Team Rocket chooses that rather inopportune moment to attack the kids, and Misty's so angry, she hurls the fortune telling book at them, sending them flying! After shaking off their injuries, the Rockets begin to page through the book. Jessie is delighted to learn that she's an Eevee. Meowth asks for his zodiac, and Jessie snatches the book away from him, saying that he's already a Pokémon, so he doesn't need a Pokémon zodiac as well. Then she looks up James' zodiac, and learns that he's a Moltres...which causes her to sweatdrop violently, because James is nothing like Moltres! She reads aloud Moltres' attributes, and James decides that if he's Moltres he's Moltres; and like the fire bird, he'll rise from the ashes of his defeats, and become a stronger person. So saying, he dubs himself "Moltres-James," and storms into the breeding center, proclaiming, "All of these Pokémon will become the property of Moltres-James!" The old lady responds by hurling him up against a wall. Jessie and Meowth are flabbergasted, and cry, "Who are you people?!?" The old lady and the old man remove their costumes, revealing themselves to be Butch and Cassidy! They're quick to tie up the other three Rockets, and lock them up in the storeroom, where they can't do anything foolish, like switch sides and alert the cops. Moltres-James won't stand for that sort of treatment, he breaks through the ropes, and busts through the storeroom door, leaving Jessie and Meowth in shock. Annoyed by their hesitance to act, he picks them up roughly, and carries them to safety. Around the same time, Misty storms back to the breeding center, to demand an explanation for her Gyarados zodiac. She and her friends find Butch and Cassidy standing amidst a store of stolen Pokémon, in full Rocket garb. Naturally, a fight ensues. Misty, screaming at them for distributing phony fortune telling books, sends out Staryu; Ash uses Totodile. Butch and Cassidy send out Primeape and Raticate, who start beating up on Ash and Misty's Pokémon. Just then, the other Rockets reappear, James dressed in a Moltres costume. "Stand aside, little brats--this is a job for Moltres-James!" James sends out Victreebel, who tries to glomp him...but when it does, it receives a kick upside the head! James tells Victreebel that it may have gotten away with trying to eat him before, but he's Moltres-James now, and Moltres-James don't play that.Victreebel nods shakily, and proceeds to beat up Primeape and Raticate. James laughs, and tells the other Rockets that they'll never defeat him, because he's Moltres James! Butch scowls, and cries, "That zodiac was fake, you moron!" James is instantly deflated, Victreebel loses the battle, and he, Jessie, and Meowth are sent rocketing off into the sky. As he's soaring through the air in his burning costume, James exclaims that he really is a fire bird. Jessie and Meowth just sigh. Ash and co. finish off Butch and Cassidy, and as they're being carted off to jail, Officer Jenny presents Misty with a real Pokémon Fortune Telling book. The Rockets find a legit copy as well, but we don't get to hear what their true zodiacs are.

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Pokemon Episode 158: The Psychic Sidekicks

Scenario:
Our three heroes are walking through a wood, and notice a sign that warns about ghost Pokemon in the woods and they should use a psychic Pokemon to keep them away. They don't have any psychic types, but Brock remembers that Psyduck can use psychic attacks. Misty releases Psyduck and tells it to use its Confusion attack if they meet a ghost Pokemon, but it doesn't seem to understand her.
The bushes rustle and something peeks out. Misty orders Psyduck to use Confusion but it returns to its Pokeball. Ash and Brock examine the thing in the bush, it doesn't look like a ghost type. A girl walks up and says it isn't, it's her Girafarig's tail. Ash consults Dexter, a Girafarig is a psychic Pokemon with a second face on its tail.
Ash introduces himself. The girl is Cherrie, she picked a Girafarig to train because it's different. It's tradition in her home town to raise psychic Pokemon because of the ghosts in the woods.
Team Rocket is listening to this and they make a plan to go to town and steal all the psychic Pokemon. Wobbuffet comes out, annoying Jessie. Meowth says psychic types are tricky to catch but he has a secret weapon.
The kids are eating lunch together. Cherrie says she wants to compete in the Johto League. She notices that Ash and Pikachu know each other very well, and says that it's thought if a trainer and their psychic Pokemon are very close they can communicate psychically. She challenges Ash to a battle and he accepts.
Pikachu starts with a Quick Attack that knocks Girafarig down, but Girafarig gets up and uses Future Sight. Nothing seems to happen, so Pikachu continues with Thunderbolt and Agility when Girafarig tries to stomp him. Suddenly a wind rustles through the trees and a tremendous blast comes out of nowhere! Pikachu is thrown back but he's not out of the fight yet. Cherrie explains that this is Future Sight: a time delayed psychic attack. Now Girafarig uses Psybeam, Pikachu counters it with Thunderbolt, creating an explosion that raises a cloud of dust. Before Girafarig can attack again, Pikachu leaps out of the cloud and uses Thunder to win the match.
All of them congratulate Cherrie for a great match, but she's worried because she can't communicate psychically with with Girafarig. Ash reassures her that she's still a good trainer. Cherrie invites them all to her town to see all the other psychic Pokemon.
In town, Misty is impressed with the psychic Pokemon everywhere. A woman trainer chases after her playful Abra which keeps teleporting around. Then an exhausted man comes running up the street and warns them about a giant ghost Pokemon that was immune to psychic attacks! He and his Mr.Mime were fishing when a giant Gengar appeared. He had Mr.Mime do a Psywave but the attack bounced off the Gengar and hit them instead. Then the Gengar captured Mr.Mime with its tongue. Brock and Ash decide to check it out.
J&J drink a toast to their mechanical ghost, but Meowth says they should go back to town and catch the rest of the psychic Pokemon. The woman trainer finds her Abra in a tree, then they both see the Gengar. She tells Abra to use Psychic but the attack bounces off the Gengar's eyes and hits the Abra. The giant tongue comes down and grabs the Abra. TR gloats, this time they're unstoppable!
Cherrie's Girafarig indicates that something is wrong, just as the giant Gengar is seen at the town limits. The man with them recognizes it as the same one that ate his Mr.Mime, and the woman returns with the same story about her Abra. All the townsfolk grab their Pokemon and run inside, but Cherrie believes that her Girafarig can take on this thing despite its size.
As TR prepares to capture Pikachu, Cherrie tells Girafarig to attack with Psybeam. The attack bounces off the Gengar's eyes and hits, knocking it down. TR appear and say their motto, then explain that the Gengar works by using mirrors to reflect the psychic attacks. Brock admits that this time they've been pretty smart. Misty grabs his ear and demands to know whose side he is on.
Cherrie gets angry. She and her Girafarig glow for a moment, then she orders Confusion. The attack is reflected and Girafarig gets stunned! Not giving up, Cherrie encourages her Pokemon to get up and use Psybeam. This attack is bounced back as well, and to protect Girafarig both Ash and Cherrie stand in front of it and take the blast themselves.
Ash tells a weakened Cherrie to leave TR to him, but she tells Girafarig to use Future Sight. Team Rocket watches the Girafarig just stand there and wonder if Future Sight will tell them what their future is going to be.
As Pikachu runs forward to attack, Cherrie suddenly has a vision of the Gengar trying to lick up Pikachu. She realises that this is Girafarig's vision and warns Ash of the attack, so Pikachu is able to avoid the robot's tongue at the last second. All attempts to catch Pikachu fail, because he's now flying high thanks to Girafarig's Confusion ability. Eventually the robot's tongue can't stretch any farther, and Pikachu uses a Thunder attack which disables the robot and frees the Abra and Mr.Mime that were inside.
Team Rocket are about to get out their Pokemon to continue the fight, but a wind rustles the trees and the Future Sight attack goes off, sending TR blasting off again. Cherrie is happy, she and her Pokemon finally connected psychically. Ash and friends depart, and Cherrie vows that she and Girafarig will become as good a team as Ash and Pikachu are.

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Pokemon Episode 157: Forest Grumps

Scenario:
Ash and his friends take a break next to a river and let out all their Pokemon. Chikorita is a little intimidated by the active Totodile. Everyone is relaxing when a giant net appears out of the air and catches all of the Pokemon! Team Rocket flies up in their balloon and carries off the Pokemon. Just as they think they'll actually get away with it this time, an energy beam blasts out of the forest and shoots them down. The net falls and the Pokemon escape.
A group of large and fierce bear-like Pokemon that have rings on their stomachs emerge from the woods, and Brock recognizes them as Ursaring. They all fire Hyper Beams and cause a huge explosion! In fright, the kids recall their Pokemon and run as the Ursaring charge. Everyone runs into the forest while the Ursaring keep firing their beams, and in the confusion they are separated. Eventually it's discovered that Jessie has ended up with Brock and Ash, while Misty is with James and Meowth.
Jessie sends Arbok to attack and Ash prepares to fight with Pikachu, but more Ursaring appear, forcing them to run again. James and Meowth are about to attack Misty when another Ursaring scares them.
Ash suggests that they have to work together to escape the Ursaring and Jessie agrees to a temporary truce. Misty and James also agree to a truce. Brock and Ash call out for Misty as they wander through the forest, and Jessie realizes how much they care about Misty. She wonders if James and Meowth are worried about her.
In fact, James isn't worried at all, he believes that Jessie can take care of herself. He, Meowth and Misty come to a crossroads, and each of them point in a different direction. They play rock paper scissors to decide which way to go; Meowth wins and leads them on. Night falls. Brock says they should stop and camp for the night. Perhaps if he starts to cook, Misty will follow the smell to them. He cooks a stew and Jessie stares hungrily at the pot before grabbing the ladle from Brock and tasting it. She thinks it's delicious, Ash says that Brock cooks good food for them every day. Brock asks if Team Rocket eats very well, and Jessie doesn't want to tell him that they live on instant noodles most of the time, so she lies and says yes.
James and Meowth want to stop for a bite, they share a small biscuit and wish there was more. Then they see Misty take a submarine sandwich out of her backpack and are shocked. They ask if that's all hers, and she replies that Brock makes sandwiches for them every day. James laments that it's not fair that TR has to scrounge for food while the kids always have sandwiches. Misty notices James and Meowth staring at her (and drooling!) so she shares her sandwich with them. They say it's the best-tasting sandwich they've ever had. Later, they're looking for a place to bed down. Meowth finds a hollow tree but it turns out to be full of Ursaring, who chase them out.
Ash, Brock and Jessie are camped in a cave. As Ash reassures Pikachu that they'll find Misty in the morning, Jessie remembers some of the strange places that Team Rocket had to sleep in. Brock gives her a blanket and she settles down.
Meanwhile, James, Misty and Meowth do rock paper scissors again and Meowth wins a second time. They end up climbing down a cliff onto a small ledge, hoping the Ursaring won't find them there. Not trusting her companions, Misty draws a line in the dirt with a stick and threatens to sic her Pokemon on them if they cross it.
In the middle of the night, Jessie wakes up and decides to take the opportunity to sneak off with Pikachu. She doesn't get far when she bumps into some Ursaring and high-tails it back into the cave. In the morning, they're on the move again, and Jessie is grumpy because she didn't get Pikachu or much sleep.
Misty, James and Meowth discover that their ledge is only a few feet off the ground. Meowth says that he and James could have just taken Misty's Pokemon during the night and she gets angry. Rock paper scissors, and Meowth wins for the third time!
Ash, Brock and Jessie meet an Ursaring. Thinking it easier to take them on one by one, they release Cyndaquil and Onix. The Ursaring barely flinches at Onix's Tackle attack and becomes enraged at Cyndaquil's Flamethrower. Jessie notes that the kids are always confident because they have well-trained Pokemon, and TR is pathetic in comparison. More Ursaring show up, so Ash and Brock recall their Pokemon and flee. Misty, James and Meowth are surprised by another Ursaring.
The two groups finally reunite, both being pursued by angry Ursaring. They spot a rope bridge across a gorge, it looks rickety but they have little choice. They start to run across and the bridge begins to fall apart. Two of the Ursaring slash the ropes, and everyone holds on as the bridge falls! They're now hanging below the cliff edge.
Ash holds on one-handed and throws two PokeBalls up to the top of the cliff, releasing Chikorita and Bulbasaur. James lets out Victreebel which chomps him before leaping up, and Onix and Arbok join them. Psyduck comes out, and Misty yells at it that they don't have any use for it at the moment. All the Pokemon work together to pull the bridge up. They've almost done it when the remaining ropes break and the kids fall. Chikorita and Arbok catch Ash. Brock is caught by Victreebel, Misty by Onix (with Jessie and Meowth hanging onto her legs) and James by Bulbasaur. They all celebrate and congratulate each other, when Jessie realizes they ought to be fighting. The truce over, they separate into their proper teams. Various Pokemon battles ensue but Togepi puts an end to the fighting by using its Metronome to cause a huge explosion that sends Team Rocket blasting off.
Misty is glad to be back with her friends, but Brock doesn't understand why the Ursaring attacked them. However Ash finds a sign next to the bridge and reads it: it's currently the Ursaring mating season and they are using this area as their breeding grounds. Don't disturb them if it's the last thing you do! Unfortunately for Team Rocket, they have landed back in the breeding grounds and are surrounded!

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Pokemon Episode 156: Fowl Play

Scenario:
Our friends are walking through a dark forest one afternoon. Pikachu hears something and they look up to see a large birdhouse in a tree. As they watch, Pokemon lands on a branch and looks it over. The Pokedex identifies it as a Noctowl, the evolved form of HootHoot. These are supposed to be nocturnal Pokemon, but Misty theorizes that because the forest is so dark, the Pokemon think it's night when it isn't.
The branch moves and the Noctowl is scared away. Soon after, another Noctowl lands on the branch, this one is a different colour. Another small branch with berries on it appears, but the Noctowl kicks it away and butts the tree. A man who had been sitting in the tree wearing a disguise falls down, and everyone runs to help him.
His name is Doctor Wiseman, he's trying to catch the unusually coloured Noctowl but it keeps outsmarting him. This particular Noctowl is smaller, has a different colour, and seems more intelligent than average, which makes rare and valuable.
Ash wants to catch it and throws a Pokeball, but it kicks the Pokeball back at him. The Noctowl stares at him for a moment, then suddenly Ash begins to talk to a rock, believing it to be Pikachu! Dr. Wiseman explains that the Noctowl used its Hypnosis ability to put Ash under a spell so he wouldn't be able to capture it.
Later they are all at Dr. Wiseman's cabin having tea (Ash has recovered by this time). The doctor says he came to this forest because he is devoted to catching rare and unusual Pokemon. Misty claims she has a rare and unusual Pokemon and brings out Psyduck, but the doctor isn't impressed. Both he and Ash insist that they're clever enough to catch the Noctowl, but he has a new trap that's guaranteed to work. Brock tells him that it's a bad idea to use a trap because the Pokemon won't respect him as a trainer, and it's better to be honest. Ash agrees and determines that he'll capture the Noctowl fairly. Team Rocket has been eavesdropping from the roof and decide to capture the Noctowl for the boss.
Dr. Wiseman climbs a tree and prepares his trap. The kids are hiding in the bushes close by. Dr. Wiseman is convinced that the Noctowl will show up because it likes to test its wits against his. As expected, the Noctowl lands on the branch where the trap is hidden. The doctor pulls a rope to reveal the trap: a mirror. The Noctowl uses its Hypnosis but the rays bounce off the mirror and it ends up hypnotizing itself! The Noctowl falls from the tree and Dr. Wiseman runs to catch it, and for some reason picks up a rock instead! Brock realizes that the Noctowl must have used its Hypnosis on the doctor just before it fell. Ash is worried that it might be hurt and goes to help it.
Suddenly a huge wind blows, Dr. Wiseman is hit by a branch and the spell is broken. A giant robot that looks like a Noctowl appears, it's Team Rocket! Dr. Wiseman tells off Team Rocket for interfering, and Brock adds that honest trainers should only use their own Pokemon to catch new ones. Team Rocket laughs and says they'll do whatever it takes to get what they want. Ash tells Pikachu to use Thunderbolt but the robot is unaffected by electricity. Then Ash releases Cyndaquil and Totodile but TR uses the robot to unleash another gust of wind.
While everyone is distracted, Dr. Wiseman grabs the still-woozy Noctowl and runs away. TR sees him and uses a metal claw to grab the Noctowl from him, then the robot starts to fly away. Ash tells Bulbasaur and Chikorita to hold the robot down with their Vine Whip. Recklessly he climbs a tree and jumps onto the claw, and tries to pull it open so the Noctowl can escape. TR gloats that he can't do anything.
Misty's Psyduck comes out on its own, she thinks it's trying to help Ash with its Confusion attack. Unfortunately nothing happens. After a valiant effort, Ash frees the Noctowl and it flies away. The robot shakes the claw and Ash falls, Misty and Brock run to help him.
The Noctowl talks to the other Pokemon. Cyndaquil fires a Flamethrower attack at the robot, and Totodile follows it up with a Water Gun. Team Rocket laughs but stops when they hear a cracking noise. The cold water on the hot metal has caused the robot to crack open! Ash tells Pikachu to aim a Thunderbolt at thecracked area, and the robot explodes, sending TR blasting off.
Noctowl lands in a tree and hoots at Ash. Dr. Wiseman explains that it's challenging Ash to a battle. The doctor admits that he's had his chance to catch it, and now it's Ash's turn to try.
Ash accepts the challenge and tells Pikachu to attack, but Noctowl hypnotizes Pikachu and the lightning goes wild. However, a stray blast shocks Pikachu back to normal. Noctowl dives down and Pikachu runs, but Ash tells him to wait until he hears the Noctowl coming. Pikachu closes his eyes and listens carefully, and when the Noctowl gets close, he zaps it. The Noctowl is brought down, Ash throws a Pokeball and captures it! Dr. Wiseman congratulates Ash on a fair capture, and the three friends head off into the sunset toward Goldenrod City.

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Pokemon Episode 155: Love, The Totodile Style

Scenario:
En route to Goldenrod City, our friends pass by a lake. Misty lets out all her Pokémon so they can swim, but Psyduck can't remember how to swim and has to be lifted out of the water. Ash releases Totodile too, it spots some Magikarp and uses its Water Gun to toss them into the air. Misty comments that Totodile is talented.
As everyone is having lunch, Totodile sees a female Azumarill sitting on the shore, singing. At once Totodile falls in love and runs over to dance in front of the Azumarill. She isn't impressed and blasts him with a Water Gun before walking away. Totodile follows her. At the table, the kids see a Golduck in the bushes. Misty wants to catch it but Brock says to wait, it seems to be looking for something. Shortly a girl with a Pidgey on her shoulder comes along, looking upset. Brock gives her a long-winded introduction of himself, and she tells him her name is Trixie. Brock flirts with her and Misty drags him away.
Ash asks Trixie what she's looking for, and she says she has lost her Azumarill. As if on cue, the Azumarill appears and hides behind Trixie's legs. Ash consults Dexter: Azumarill is the evolved form of Marill and can hear for great distances, even underwater. Now Totodile comes out of the bushes and blows kisses at Azumarill but she turns up her nose at him.
Later, they all gather at a circus tent. Trixie has always enjoyed the circus and taught her Pokémon to do tricks. Lately she's had trouble with Azumarill, who has been acting strangely since the Golduck joined the troupe
. Brock is helping set up for the show. Totodile helps too by filling a wading pool with water. He picks up Azumarill and puts her in the pool, only to be blasted with her Water Gun again. Ash doesn't understand why Totodile is acting this way, and Misty tells him that he'll understand when he's older and more mature.
The show starts. Trixie does a a magic act first, then Azumarill comes on and juggles coloured balls with her Water Gun. Totodile gets away from Ash and jumps up on the stage, showing off his own water tricks with fruit tossed to him by the audience. Annoyed, Azumarill walks away. Ash climbs up on the stage to try to catch Totodile and ends up having to catch the fruit when Totodile runs after Azumarill. Fortunately the audience think it's all part of the show. Brock decides to do something about the problem - he'll teach Totodile how to be successful in love!
Team Rocket has been watching the show, they plan to steal Azumarill and Pikachu so they can start their own travelling circus and get rich. Meowth isn't too happy with the idea, he doesn't want his tail to be Totodile's chew toy.
Ash apologises to Trixie for Totodile's behaviour. Misty wonders where Brock is, it turns out he's outside with Totodile. He gives Totodile a jar of his homemade Pokémon treats and suggests that Totodile give them to Azumarill. Totodile does so, but is rejected again.
Suddenly a net comes down, captures Azumarill and drags her away! Totodile chases after Azumarill as Brock watches from the bushes. Ash and Misty hear Brock's yell and come to investigate. Totodile chases the captive Azumarill and tries to grab the net but misses. Team Rocket appear in their balloon, with the net dangling below it. Ash orders Pikachu to attack but Meowth uses a device to catch Pikachu in an electric-proof cage! A Smokescreen attack from Weezing allows TR to escape, but Totodile runs after the departing balloon. Azumarill struggles and loses the ribbon that was tied to her tail. Totodile catches it, and as TR floats away, Totodile jumps into the lake and resumes the chase by water, ignoring Ash and Brock's yells to come back.
The three of them tell Trixie that Azumarill and Pikachu are gone. Misty isn't about to give up and suggests they search the forest on the other side of the lake.
Team Rocket is hiding out in a log cabin. J&J try to persuade Azumarill to do tricks for them but she refuses. They even make her a meal fit for a king but she still won't do as they ask. Eventually they resort to using force, but they are stopped by a Water Gun attack from Totodile, who has found them. Meowth muzzles Totodile and ties him up.
Meanwhile, Ash and company are searching through the forest with Trixie and Golduck. It'll be dark soon, so they decide to continue in the morning. Ash is upset but there's nothing much he can do.
Later that night, TR is sleeping in their cabin. The three Pokémon are all in cages now. Azumarill looks out the window at the moon and starts to cry, but Totodile gives her ribbon back and cheers her up by dancing.
In the morning, Team Rocket prepares to leave. Instead of their circus plan they'll take the Pokémon to the boss for a reward. As they lift off in the balloon, they are spotted by Trixie's Pidgey, which pokes a hole in the balloon and they crash. The cages fall out, Ash gets Pikachu and Totodile back but TR is holding onto Azumarill. Trixie sends Golduck to attack, and its powerful Water Gun makes short work of Weezing and Arbok. Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf easily takes care of the cages, and Totodile uses its Water Gun to knock TR over so that Bulbasaur can grab Azumarill's cage with Vine Whip. Then Pikachu's Thunderbolt sends them blasting off again.
Bulbasaur frees Azumarill and she's very happy. At Brock's urging, Totodile runs to her, but to everyone's surprise Azumarill runs right past Totodile and hugs the Golduck! Now Trixie understands why Azumarill has been acting strangely, she was lovesick over the Golduck. Brock tells the disappointed Totodile that although you can't win every time, love is worth fighting for.
The three friends depart. Brock flirts with Trixie one last time and has to be dragged away. Ash calls Totodile, who is sitting on the shore of the lake watching a female Quagsire. He runs to the Quagsire and dances for her, but gets rejected. Misty sighs, all they need is a Pokémon that behaves just like Brock! Ash is forced to chase Totodile with his Lure Ball, as he tries to get him to return.

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Pokemon Episode 154: Hot Matches

Scenario:
Ash and friends are exiting a Pokémon Center when they bump into a younger trainer who has brought his Growlithe to be treated. He warns them about a strong trainer in the woods who has been challenging everyone who passes by.
As our friends leave town, they are watched from the bushes by Team Rocket. They plan to follow them and capture Pikachu, and Wobbuffet comes out of its PokeBall again, much to Jessie's annoyance.
Brock, Ash and Misty come to a rope bridge across a small gorge. Standing nearby is a pretty girl, and Brock immediately goes to flirt with her. She introduces herself as Mickey and challenges a surprised Brock to a Pokemon battle! Ash realizes that she must be the trainer they had been warned about.
Mickey's Pokémon turns out to be a Skarmory, a metallic bird-like Pokemon. Skarmory is a steel-type with razor-sharp wings. For some reason, steel types are weak against fire so Mickey and her Skarmory have been training out here in the wilderness and challenging any trainers with fire Pokemon. Brock accepts her challenge and releases his Vulpix.
In the bushes, Team Rocket says that Skarmory is rare and valuable, so they'll steal it.
The Skarmory's first move is to fly by and stir up a cloud of dust so Vulpix can't see. When the dust clears, Brock tells Vulpix to use Flamethrower but Skarmory uses Agility to avoid it. Seeing that he's at a disadvantage, Brock tells Vulpix to use its own Agility to get away but Skarmory is too fast and knocks Vulpix out with a Steel Wing attack.
Brock admits defeat. Ash rises to the challenge and lets out Cyndaquil. Skarmory swoops in but Cyndaquil can't get its flame started and is forced to dodge. Mickey commends Cyndaquil's defense. Getting desperate, Ash begs Cyndaquil to start its fire but it can't, so he has it use Agility to keep ahead of Skarmory's attacks until the flame finally lights. Then Cyndaquil uses Flamethrower but Skarmory dodges and uses a Swift attack which weakens Cyndaquil severely. The Skarmory swoops down for a Steel Wing attack when suddenly two metal claws appear and capture both Skarmory and Cyndaquil!
It's Team Rocket in their balloon. They gloat and say their motto (and Wobbuffet appears again). Everyone runs after the balloon, and the captive Skarmory manages to use its Swift attack to cut the cable that's holding it. It falls, Brock runs to catch it, and is almost crushed under its weight. However TR still has Cyndaquil. Ash and Pikachu pursue the balloon on foot until they get tired, but the Skarmory appears and slashes a hole in the balloon. The cage holding Cyndaquil drops into Ash's hands as TR goes blasting off. The others catch up to him and Mickey congratulates Skarmory for saving the day.
That night, they're all having dinner at Mickey's cabin. Mickey likes Brock's cooking, and Brock suggests that she join them on their journey so he could cook for her every evening, but is silenced when Misty pinches his ear. Ash asks about her training techniques, and she explains that she and Skarmory did everything together. If you want your Pokemon to be strong you have to be willing to do the same thing. Ash vows that he and Cyndaquil can become strong too.
Early the next morning, Ash trains with Cyndaquil. They run up a hill and Ash reminds Cyndaquil that they have to work on getting its flame to light faster or they'll always be at a disadvantage. Then they work on Cyndaquil's Tackle and Agility moves for a while.
Back at the house, the others realize that Ash is gone and Brock says he must be serious about this because he left without breakfast. Ash and Cyndaquil take a break and Ash reaches up into a tree to pick some apples. Unfortunately he disturbs a bunch of Beedrill! He and Cyndaquil run, with the Beedrill in pursuit. When Ash trips and falls, Cyndaquil jumps between him and the Beedrill and drives them away with a fire attack. Ash is happy that it finally got its fire to light. Later they do some target practice, Ash tosses sticks into the air for Cyndaquil to shoot at.
At about noon, Mickey is outside brushing her Skarmory when Ash returns and asks her for a rematch. Brock volunteers to be the referee as they face off. Cyndaquil gets its fire burning right away, surprising the others.
Skarmory's swoops and stirs up a cloud of dust just like before. Ash tells Cyndaquil to do a Smoke Screen to blind the Skarmory, but this isn't enough to stop the Skarmory from dodging a Flamethrower. Skarmory uses its Steel Wing attack but Cyndaquil's Agility keeps it one step ahead. So far the battle isn't getting anywhere and they can't keep dodging forever, so both trainers agree to use their Pokemon's strongest attacks.
Mickey orders a Steel Wing, Ash orders a Flamethrower. Cyndaquil hits Skarmory dead center but Skarmory ploughs through the flames and barrels into Cyndaquil! Cyndaquil is injured and Skarmory loops around for a second hit. Refusing to give up, Cyndaquil slowly stands up. Mickey is impressed, this is the first time a Pokemon has taken two Steel Wing attacks and is still willing to battle. Ash gives Cyndaquil the chance to quit but it won't, and the flames on its back flare brighter than before!
Flustered, Mickey tells Skarmory to use Fury Attack but Cyndaquil just keeps dodging. Seeing one last chance she orders a final Steel Wing attack but Cyndaquil leaps up and the Skarmory crashes into a rock. Cyndaquil uses Flamethrower at maximum to weaken it further, then Tackles it to win the match! Mickey recalls Skarmory and Ash celebrates his victory.
Before our friends depart, Mickey tells them that she feels she's trained enough and plans to go to challenge the Gym Leaders. Perhaps she'll end up in the Johto League and she and Ash will battle again.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is hanging in a tree, all tangled up in the ropes of the balloon. Wobbuffet comes out of its PokeBall but won't help when Jessie tells it to.

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Pokemon Episode 153: The Totodile Duel

Scenario:
Ash, Misty and Brock are sitting on the bank of a river, fishing. Ash says this is a boring way to catch Pokémon, and Brock thinks perhaps they're using the wrong kind of bait. Misty and Ash trade barbs about not being quiet enough, then Misty gets a bite! When she reels it in, her "catch" turns out to be a teakettle and Brock jokes that she should try for a coffeemaker. She gets mad and tells them that she'll do whatever it takes to get a water Pokémon and produces a fishing lure that looks like a miniature of herself wearing a cape. She casts it into the water and goes into a long speech about how beautiful water Pokémon are and that as a girl she made herself a promise to learn all she could about them.
Suddenly, what should pop out of the water but a Totodile! It stands on a rock and does a little dance. Misty goes starry-eyed but Ash vows that he'll catch it. She beats him to the punch by throwing out her lure, which the Totodile snaps up, but spits out in the next moment. Ash gloats and has Pikachu Thundershock the Totodile before throwing a PokeBall. Totodile has been captured - or so it seems. As Ash and Misty argue about his underhanded tactics, the Totodile comes out of the PokeBall and continues to dance around as before. Ash won't have any more of this and orders Pikachu to shock it again, but Misty shoves him out of her way and throws her own PokeBall. By now the Totodile has had enough and sprays them all with a Water Gun and jumps back into the river. Both Ash and Misty run off to search for it and Brock follows: looks like this one is going to need a referee.
Totodile climbs back onto the shore; it's hungry. It hears voices and goes to investigate. Team Rocket is nearby having a snack. Meowth is worried that the boss will boot them off the team if they keep messing up. J&J try to cheer him up by dancing, but it doesn't help. Then Jessie offers him a snack, and the Totodile jumps out of the bushes and chomps it, hand and all! Jessie freaks out (and has to put her escaped Wobbuffet back into its PokeBall again). Totodile eats the rest of their snacks in one gulp, and when they all try to grab it, it sends them blasting off with its Water Gun. Pikachu spots it and runs to tell Ash. Both he and Misty are determined to catch it, but Misty plans to increase her chances by using the Lure Ball that Kurt made. Ash gets his own Lure Ball out and they argue over who's the better trainer. (Totodile is still dancing merrily during this whole thing.) They throw their Lure Balls at the same time and the Totodile is finally captured, but the trouble is they don't know whose Lure Ball actually caught it! Both of them grab the one containing the Totodile and begin to fight over it, and Brock finally intervenes, saying that the only way to settle this is with a Pokémon battle.
Brock decides on a best-of-three match. Ash knows that Misty uses only water Pokémon, so he chooses Pikachu. However, Misty sends out her "secret weapon": Togepi! Pikachu becomes very nervous, not wanting to attack his friend. Misty tells Togepi to use its Charm attack, and Pikachu retreats and hides behind a rock. Round One goes to Misty.
Next Ash chooses Chikorita, a grass type which is stronger than a water type. Misty chooses Staryu and tells him not to make any more predictions about who's going to win because her Staryu has more experience than Chikorita. Staryu dodges Chikorita's Vine Whip and proceeds to give Chikorita a hard time. Chikorita manages to Tackle but Staryu retaliates with Water Gun. Chikorita digs in its heels; although the Staryu dodges its Vine Whip again, it leaps high and wraps the vines around the Staryu and slams it into the ground. Round Two to Ash.
Both adversaries are confident that they'll win, because they both have reputations on the line. Third round is Bulbasaur versus Poliwag. Team Rocket is floating down the river on a log, hoping they won't meet the Totodile again. Meowth has a plan to catch the Totodile and bring it to the boss. They see Misty and Ash on the shore having their battle, and decide to wait until their Pokémon are tired, then grab them.
On shore, Bulbasaur and Poliwag seem to be evenly matched. Poliwag blows a Razor Leaf attack away with its Water Gun but Bulbasaur jumps up and takes Poliwag by surprise and knocks it down. Brock is about to declare Ash the winner when Poliwag suddenly evolves into Poliwhirl! Ash still believes he can win and sends Bulbasaur in for a Tackle but Poliwhirl's Body Slam puts it at a disadvantage. A quick Razor Leaf gets Poliwhirl off but Bulbasaur is tired. Ash orders it to use Solar Beam but Misty knows this takes a while and tells Poliwhirl to use Bubble to keep the pressure on. Finally though, Bulbasaur powers up its Solar Beam and takes out the Poliwhirl. Misty consoles her Poliwhirl while Brock awards the Lure Ball containing the Totodile to Ash.
At this point they are interruped by Jessie and James in disguise, but Wobbuffet comes out again and blows their cover. TR threatens to steal Pikachu but Ash releases Totodile which immediately grabs onto Jessie's hair! Furious, she tells Arbok to attack it, but it bites Arbok's tail and whips it around, sending it crashing into Meowth. Then James sends Weezing but Totodile easily takes care of it with a Scratch attack, then uses its Water Gun to send TR blasting off a second time.
As Totodile dances around with Pikachu, Brock comments that it looks as happy and energetic as Ash is. Misty gracefully concedes defeat and fawns over her new Poliwhirl.

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Pokemon Episode 152: Hour of the Houndour

Scenario:
Our heroes take a lunch break after passing through Onix Tunnel. Misty and Brock set up a table while Ash goes to get some water. However when he returns he notices that his backpack is missing! He thinks someone has stolen it, but the others tell him that they hadn't seen anyone. Brock sees Pokemon footprints in the dirt, and Ash vows that he'll find whatever took his backpack.
In town, Nurse Joy and Chansey leave their bag of groceries on a bench so they can buy some ice cream. Team Rocket peeks over a wall behind the bench and James uses a fishing rod to lift a packaged ham out of the bag. When Joy finishes her cone, she realizes that the ham is gone. Behind a nearby building, Jessie pulls the wrapper off the ham. A hungry Meowth tries to chomp it, then the three of them fight over the ham. During the fight the ham gets dropped, and a mysterious Pokemon picks it up and takes it away. Team Rocket runs and hides as Nurse Joy comes around the corner, having heard the commotion. She sees the empty wrapper on the ground and wonders who could have stolen her ham.
Just then, Ash and his friends arrive and ask her what happened. Before she can reply, Brock flirts with her and has to be dragged away by Misty. Joy tells them about her missing ham, and Ash says that the same thing happened to his backpack. Misty suspects that Team Rocket might be behind this, but Joy insists that she hadn't seen anyone.
Pikachu sees more footprints on the ground like the ones from before, and they lead into the woods. Team Rocket follows them, hoping to get the ham back. They follow the footprints until they end in the middle of nowhere, and Brock announces that they'll spend the night here because the way the wind is blowing makes it an ideal place. Ash doesn't understand but Brock assures him that he knows what he's doing.
Brock carves a stick to look like a sausage and "cooks" it over a fire along with a real sausage. Later, after dark, they leave the fake sausage on a tree stump and hide in the bushes. Brock says that the wind will carry the smell of the food, and hopefully the Pokemon will come to take it. It gets late and the fire goes out. Pikachu hears something but before they can all get out of their hiding place, the decoy has already been taken. Brock isn't worried; soon the Pokemon should realize that they have a fake and come back for the real meat.
The plan appears to work a little too well. Growls precede the appearance of a pack of four black dog-like Pokemon. These are Houndour, dark Pokemon. A fifth Houndour, obviously the leader of the pack, is sitting on a nearby ledge. Ash yells at it that he wants his backpack, but the Houndour all attack. Ash releases Cyndaquil and Chikorita, Misty calls Staryu (but gets Psyduck instead), and Brock get out Onix. They defend themselves admirably against the pack and gradually get the upper hand. Soon the leader leaps down and calls off the pack - it wants a one-on-one battle with Ash!
Ash accepts the Houndour's challenge and sends out Pikachu. The Houndour starts off with a Leer attack, but Pikachu's own Leer attack is enough to render it ineffective. Then Houndour tries a Flamethrower and misses, Pikachu is too fast to hit. Ash tells Pikachu to use Quick Attack, but the Houndour is fast also.
Houndour attacks again, Pikachu leaps out of harm's way and uses Thunder, which the Houndour manages to dodge. Now both of them are tired. Ash is trying to think of what to do next when suddenly all the Houndour use a Smog attack and run away. When the smoke clears, Ash and friends take off after them.
They come to a cave where an injured Houndour is being attacked by a Golem. The stolen items are here too, and Brock realizes that the Houndour were taking the stuff to help their friend. The Houndour all use Flamethrower on the Golem but fire attacks don't work on it. The Golem then attacks the pack leader, but Ash runs down, grabs the Houndour and carries it to safety. Chikorita's Razor Leaf attack sends the Golem running.
Brock kneels next to the injured Houndour to check it out. The wound isn't deep but it's infected. However when Brock gets out a spray bottle the other Houndour growl at him and he drops it. Ash picks up the spray and reassures the Houndour that they're trying to help. When he uses it, the hurt Houndour yelps and the rest become more suspicious. Ash tells everyone to chill out and recalls his Pokemon as a show of good faith.
Brock checks on the injured again, it's burning up with fever. Ash promises the pack that he'll get their friend to the Pokemon Center and asks them to trust him. He picks up the Houndour on his back and is about to leave when Team Rocket shows up and demands to have Pikachu, the Houndour and the ham. Misty realizes it was they who had stolen the ham from Nurse Joy.
The pack blocks TR's way, giving the kids the chance to escape with their hurt friend. TR lets out all their Pokemon (Victreebel chomps James before obeying orders) but the Houndour use their Leer to stop them in their tracks. TR orders the Pokemon to attack, but the powerful Flamethrower attacks of the Houndour are too much and they flee.
Our heroes run until they are tired. Ash is determined to keep going but even he finally collapses. The pack appears, and the leader takes the injured one on its back for the rest of the way. They all make it to the Pokemon Center, where Ash alerts Nurse Joy. She rushes the Houndour into the operating room. After a while Joy comes out and pronounces that the Houndour will be fine.
A noise from outside brings them all running. It's TR again, in their balloon. They shoot down a large net that Pikachu and the pack leader manage to avoid, but the rest of the Houndour are caught. Ash chases after the balloon but it's too high up for Pikachu to shock! He tells the Houndour to jump as high as it can with Pikachu on its back, and use Flamethrower to cut down the net. The plan works, and Pikachu leaps off the Houndour's back and finishes TR with a Thunderbolt. Ash cheers and the Houndour all jump on him and lick his face.
In the morning the injured Houndour has fully recovered, and to celebrate Brock gives it the sausage he cooked earlier. Ash and friends bid farewell to the Houndour pack and continue on toward Goldenrod City. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is dangling from a tree branch on the edge of a cliff, and Wobbuffet isn't doing much to help.

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Pokemon Episode 151: Tunnel Vision

Scenario:
Ash, Misty and Brock are on course for Goldenrod City. Their map says that they can take the Onix Tunnel through a mountain to make the journey a bit shorter. Many Onix are said to live in this cave, but Ash knows that Onix are weak against water types. Then he remembers that he no longer has Squirtle, but Misty reassures him that she can use her water Pokemon. Brock suggests that they go through the tunnel in the morning because it's getting dark.
Unbeknownst to them, they are being followed by both Jigglypuff and Snubbull. In the morning, Team Rocket comes to the tunnel. Meowth complains about going in, but James says it's the shortest route to the next town. No sooner to they enter the tunnel they meet a bunch of Onix. James has Victreebel use its Razor Leaf but it has no effect on them. The Onix start to bash the sides of the tunnel, causing rocks to fall down. Angry, Jessie sends Arbok out but it gets caught by one of the Onix. So she throws Meowth, but his Fury Swipes doesn't work either. The Onix continue to cause rocks to tumble down, so Team Rocket runs away.
They lament about not having any water Pokemon. Wobbuffet comes out and Jessie has to put it back. Jessie remembers that Misty has water Pokemon, so they'll steal hers. Ash and Misty are washing up while Brock does exercises with his Pineco, which explodes in his face when he picks it up. Pikachu sees Snubbull walk by and alerts the others, they recognize it as the one from the rich lady's house. What's it doing so far from home? The Snubbull runs off, and they follow it.
They turn a corner and encounter Jigglypuff, who hops up onto a tree stump and sings. Ash mutters that they're taking their afternoon nap a little early, and they all fall asleep. Team Rocket, who has been sneaking through the bushes nearby, also hears Jigglypuff's song and dozes off. Snubbull finally sees Meowth and runs forward, but flops onto the ground inches from his tail.
Snubbull is the first to wake up, and when she sees her reflection in a puddle she gets mad. When she sees Jigglypuff angrily scribbling on a sleeping Pidgey, she grabs its marker/microphone and runs away.
Our three friends are continuing on their way. Misty comments that Ash's mother would be happy to hear about them washing up twice in one day. Jigglypuff shows up again and they're afraid that it will sing, but Brock notices something different about it: it doesn't have its microphone any more. They decide to help Jigglypuff find it.
Team Rocket grumbles about Jigglypuff ruining their plan. Jessie has another plan to dig a pitfall trap. James is skeptical but she produces her secret weapon, a combination spade and pogo stick. They start to dig. Snubbull finds them and chomps Meowth's tail. Jessie picks her up and makes her let go, hoping Snubbull's teeth didn't get damaged. She thinks Snubbull has been following them because she's in love with Meowth (much to Meowth's dismay). James wants to give Snubbull to the boss, but Jessie wants to keep it. Jessie is jealous, everyone thinks Misty is sweet because she goes around hugging her Togepi, so if Jessie keeps Snubbull she will become as popular.
Meowth gets angry and says he doesn't want his tail to get chewed off, but Jessie isn't giving him any choice. (Wobbuffet comes out again, just to be annoying.) Meowth says either Snubbull goes or he goes, but Jessie and James welcome Snubbull to the team and Meowth is devastated and wanders away.
Back on the road, Ash sees a basket of fruit and wants to check it out but the others stop him, saying this looks too familiar. However Jigglypuff runs forward and falls into a hole. Ash has Bulbasaur rescue it, but Jigglypuff falls into a second hole, then a third. After the third rescue, Jigglypuff gets angry and runs away.
In the bushes, J&J are angry that Jigglypuff ruined their plan. James wonders where Meowth is, whereupon Snubbull squirms out of Jessie's arms and goes to search for Meowth. J&J have little choice but to follow. A dejected Meowth is wandering along the road. He hopes that J&J will come to look for him, especially since they need him to say "Meowth that's right!" in the team's motto. He looks back but nobody is there, so he keeps walking.
Ash and friends are still looking for the microphone in the woods but they agree they'll never find it at this rate. Jigglypuff is sad and walks up the road. Meowth has stopped at the entrance to Onix Tunnel, unwilling to go through. Jigglypuff sits down beside him and tells him about its lost microphone. Meowth complains that nobody seems to care about Pokemon's feelings any more. Still, they have to follow their dreams. Jigglypuff tells him about its dream to have an audience listen to its song all the way through, and Meowth realizes that Jigglypuff looks like the full moon that he likes. He suggests that they form their own team, the Dream Team, and they won't stop until their dreams come true!
In the middle of a sentence, something bites Meowth and he panics. It's Snubbull! J&J arrive and Meowth asks them if they had been looking for him but they tell him they were looking for Snubbull. Jigglypuff sees that Snubbull has its microphone and tries to grab it, but Snubbull won't let go so they start to slap each other around. Pikachu sees this and runs to get Ash.
J&J tell Meowth to help Snubbull but Meowth has been hoping that Jigglypuff will slap Snubbull silly. He reluctantly tries to break up the fight but ends up getting drawn into it himself. Ash and company arrive and stop the fighting. Team Rocket threaten to steal Misty's water Pokemon and say their motto; Meowth prepares to jump in and say his line but gets interrupted by Wobbuffet! Jessie says that has a nice ring to it, and Meowth gets upset.
Now Jessie releases Arbok. Misty gets a Pokeball but Psyduck comes out by itself and she has to recall it before releasing Poliwag, which makes short work of Arbok with its Water Gun. James releases Victreebel but it tries to chomp him. Ash gets out Chikorita which easily takes care of Victreebel. Jessie throws Wobbuffet into the action and it counters Chikorita's attacks, but Poliwag uses a full power Water Gun to push Team Rocket back. Pikachu finishes the job with a Thunderbolt, sending them blasting off.
Snubbull tosses the microphone aside and runs after Team Rocket. Jigglypuff is happy to have it back and immediately sings. Ash's last comment before falling asleep for the second time today is that this is getting tiring. After scribbling on their faces, Jigglypuff heads into the tunnel and puts all the Onix to sleep.
Later, the three friends walk through the tunnel to discover all the Onix are sleeping and have been scribbled all over. They consider themselves lucky and pass safely through the tunnel. Team Rocket go through the tunnel themselves, but Jessie trips over a rock and falls. The noise wakes up all the Onix! They're trapped here for a while...

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Pokemon Episode 150: No Big Woop

Scenario:
Our friends are en route to Goldenrod City, and pause at the top of a bluff when they see a cute little house down below. Something jumps onto Brock's back and he panics, loses his balance and tumbles down the bluff. A girl sees him fall and comes running to see if he's okay. The girl picks up the small blue Pokemon from his back and apologises. Her name is Alicia, and her Wooper sometimes runs off and causes trouble. Brock forgets about the fall and begins to flirt with her, but Misty grabs him by the ear.
Now it's Ash and Misty's turn to apologise for Brock's behaviour, and learn that the cute building is a preschool just for Wooper. Alicia's Wooper hops into a pond with a bunch of others as she explains that she has always loved taking care of Wooper and felt that this place was perfect for training them. Ash uses his Pokedex to find out that Wooper is the pre-evolved form of Quagsire and remembers the time that the Quagsire stole the GS ball. Misty wants to see Alicia teach, so Alicia takes out a little tambourine and plays it, and the Wooper start to sing. They all agree that Wooper are cute (although Brock is staring at Alicia when he says this).
Team Rocket is lost and hungry. Jessie finds a mushroom and is about to eat it but James tells her it's a poisonous one. She gets upset, she hates scrounging for food like this. James suggests to call the boss and have him send some money, Meowth reminds them that they already spent their money and still haven't sent back any rare Pokemon. As if to add insult to injury, Wobbuffet comes out of its Pokeball by itself and Jessie has to put it back.
Ash and everyone are having tea and cookies by the pond. Suddenly Alicia gets a phone call; her mother has broken her leg. She wants to go and visit her but can't leave the Wooper. Brock volunteers them to take care of the Wooper while Alicia goes to see her mom. Relieved, Alicia gives Brock a booklet about teaching Wooper and rides away on her motorbike.
Brock then turns around and sees that all the Wooper are no longer in the pond! He's devastated. However Pikachu finds a trail of water leading into the house, so they go inside to find the Wooper up to a great deal of mischief. Brock reads the book, which says Wooper will behave when shown food. He gets out his special Pokemon food, and all the Wooper jump onto him.
The next thing the book says to do is to play a tambourine. Misty finds Alicia's little tambourine and plays it, but the Wooper don't seem to like it. Misty is disappointed and drops the tambourine. Togepi picks it up and plays,
and the Wooper happily follow Togepi back to the pond. Unfortunately, Alicia's favourite Wooper is still missing! Brock is devastated again. He and Togepi stay with the Wooper while Misty and Ash go to look for the missing one. It's in the kitchen, but it keeps one step ahead of Ash and Misty's efforts to catch it, jumping everywhere and knocking things over, including a stack of dishes. The chase continues outside, and they end up climbing up the cliff after it.
The next obstacle is a very rickety rope bridge across a gorge. Ash and Misty start across carefully, and the Wooper hops up and laughs at them. Misty encourages it to go home but it jumps on the bridge, making it sway, then runs to the other side with Pikachu following it. By now Misty is angry, the Wooper doesn't seem to care what happens to them. She and Ash run for the other side but the bridge finally breaks and they are forced to hang onto the ropes for dear life! Ash orders Pikachu not to worry about him and catch the Wooper.
Meowth is boiling a pot of water while waiting for Jessie and James to return with some mushrooms to make a soup. He spots the Wooper in the bushes and mistakes it for a giant mushroom, but it slips out of his grasp when he tries to get it. When J&J get back he tells them about it, so they all go to look, leaving their basket of mushrooms behind. The Wooper sees it and eats the mushrooms.
When they get back they discover that the Wooper has eaten all their mushrooms. Jessie wants to punch it but she can't bring herself to hit something so cute, and says they should take it to the boss and get a reward. Jessie tries to use a PokeBall but it doesn't work. Pikachu shows up and defends it, so Team Rocket tries to bribe Pikachu with Pokemon food so it'll tell the Wooper to get into the PokeBall. Pikachu refuses.
Ash and Misty come running, saying the Wooper already has a trainer. TR gets out nets and they all try to catch it that way but it's too slippery. Jessie releases Wobbuffet and tells it to attack before remembering that it can only do counterattacks. She calls Arbok instead, and James has Weezing do Smoke Screen so they can get away in their balloon with the Wooper that has finally been netted.
There's a yell from below, Alicia arrives on her motorbike with Brock. Ash wants to get out his Pokemon, but Alicia says she can get Wooper back another way and calls it. The Wooper happily slips out of the net and leaps down from the balloon.
Arbok and Weezing attack, but Alicia has her Wooper do Tackle and Slam attacks which take them out! Everyone is surprised at how strong it is. Then it grabs Arbok by its tail and flings it at the balloon, sending Team Rocket blasting off again.
Back at the school, Togepi is keeping the rest of the Wooper happy with the tambourine. Alicia's mother is feeling better, and Brock is glad that they could help out. He's very impressed with the Wooper, and Alicia tells him that people don't expect something so small to be so powerful. He wants to stay and learn more about her teaching but Misty drags him away.
The three friends depart, and Alicia tells them they're welcome to visit any time.

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Pokemon Episode 149: The Fire-ring Squad

Scenario:
Our friends have stopped at a Pokémon Center. Ash calls Professor Oak, he's going to send his Tauros back. Professor Oak says that's okay, but he wants to keep Heracross a while longer. Ash tells Heracross to do whatever the Professor tells it.
Nurse Joy complements Ash on taking such good care of his Pokémon. Brock flirts with her, but she says she has to examine more Pokémon for the upcoming Fire and Rescue Grand Prix and she goes, leaving Ash wondering what the Grand Prix is. Later they stop by an arena and they see a poster advertising the Grand Prix. It's a firefighting competition for water Pokémon. Ash wants to sign up but Misty points out he only has one water Pokémon: Squirtle. Ash isn't worried, he'll just borrow Misty's Staryu and Psyduck, which she isn't too thrilled with.
They go to sign up and meet an old friend, Captain Aiden and Team Wartortle. Brock comments that the Wartortle look well-trained, and Misty tells him about the time they met Team Wartortle in the Orange Islands. It turns out they're the returning champions. Next they go to a training area, where there are teams of Polywhirls, Quagsires, Marills, Vaporeons and Golducks practicing. Misty is surprised that Ash was allowed to join at such short notice but Captain Aiden had told the officials that Ash's Pokémon had proven themselves to be good firefighters. Brock says it'll take more than luck to win this competition, but Ash and his team are confident. Squirtle looks around and sees Officer Jenny and the Squirtle Squad! The team isn't looking happy. Jenny gives them a pep talk but they're still nervous. Squirtle runs over and greets them, and the others say hello to Jenny. Although the Squirtle Squad is obviously intimidated by Team Wartortle, they shake hands, and everyone is looking forward to the match.
Team Rocket is watching with binoculars. They'll capture all the water Pokémon and give some to the boss, keep some, and sell the rest for the money. The Squirtles chat for a bit, it's good to see old friends. Jenny asks Aiden if they can share the practise time and Aiden says okay. Each team lines up in front of a series of targets. Team Wartortle works together and blasts each target square on with their Water Guns, but the Squirtle Squad can't even hit the targets. Ash's Squirtle gets frustrated by this, stomps on all their tails to get their attention and takes charge. With their former leader giving the orders, the Squad improves dramatically and shoots down the targets. Captain Aiden is impressed that the Squad pulled together so well and Brock says that no matter how long they've been apart, the leader is still the leader.
The competition begins in the arena. Two small wooden houses are set on fire, and two teams compete to put the fire out first. It's Team Ketchum (Squirtle, Staryu, Psyduck, Pikachu) against a team of four Muks. Ash's team does well until Psyduck gets in Staryu's way and is thrown into the burning house. Squirtle rescues Psyduck but the delay costs them time and the Muks smother their fire to win. Ash is disappointed. Next the Squirtle Squad go up against a Golduck team. Captain Aiden is concerned that the pressure of the competition will break the Squad's concentration.
The houses are lighted. The Golduck team gets off to a strong start, but the Squirtle Squad just stand there, unable to do anything. Jenny encourages them and they run forward, but trip over each other. Finally they get their act together but the Golduck team is way ahead. Squirtle and Ash run out onto the field, Jenny tells them the Squad isn't listening to her. Pikachu Thunderbolts them to get their attention, and Ash tells Squirtle that the team needs their leader. With Squirtle in charge, the Squad rallies and catches up to the Golducks, eventually beating them. Jenny tells Ash that his Squirtle is a natural-born leader.
Suddenly the house erupts in flames again, and Team Rocket appears in a giant robot with flamethrowers in its arms. They spout fire at Ash, Jenny and the Squirtles. Captain Aiden orders Team Wartortle to use their Water Gun attacks against the robot, but TR turns up the power and the team is hard-pressed to stop it.
Other teams arrive on the field to help. The robot captures all the Pokémon with nets (including Pikachu) and pulls them inside. Ash wants to help Pikachu but Jenny pulls him back as TR begins to shoot fire all over the place.
Ash tells his Squirtle that he has to lead the Squirtle Squad to beat Team Rocket, and Squirtle agrees. The Squad makes a plan, and they all put on their sunglasses before attacking the robot. The robot tries to stomp on them but they jump out of the way. Eventually they get the robot to lose its balance and fall over. Squirtle uses a Skull Bash attack to get inside the cockpit and short circuit the controls. All the captured Pokémon escape and Squirtle jumps out safely. Despite the damage to their robot, TR tries to attack again. Squirtle and Pikachu attack together, causing the robot to explode and send TR blasting off.
As the field is being repaired, Ash congratulates Squirtle and says that the Squirtle Squad needs a good leader - him. Squirtle agrees. The competition resumes. The Squirtle Squad and Team Wartortle both do very well. The last event has the Squad against Team Wartortle in a timed match where they have to rescue a Clefairy from a burning house. After a very close race, the Squirtle Squad wins it by just one second! The Squad celebrates and Captain Aiden congratulates them on a job well done.
Soon it's time to say goodbye. Ash tells Squirtle to be careful while fighting fires. Squirtle wants to shake hands with Bulbasaur; it hesitates before using its vines to shake with. Jenny drives away on her motorbike with the Squirtle Squad. Ash calls out that they'll always be friends no matter what, and remembers some of the adventures they shared together.

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Pokemon Episode 148: Tricks Of The Trade

Scenario:
Ash and friends are passing through a seaside town, and notice a boy who is giving advice to his Pokemon. This Pokemon is a Wobbuffet, the "patient" Pokemon who likes to live in dark areas.
Introductions are made and the boy says his name is Benny. He's taking his Wobbuffet to the Pokemon Swap Meet, which is an annual event where trainers trade their Pokemon. Misty wonders why he wants to trade and he says he trained the Wobbuffet hard but now wants to train a different Pokemon. He takes them all to the meet.
Team Rocket is in town as well; James waters his Victreebell and Jessie washes her face only to get messed up again when Lickitung licks her. Meowth tells them about the swap meet and they decide to go and steal some Pokemon. They run off, but are being followed by a familiar Snubbull... In the street, people are running away from a herd of rampaging Tauros. Brock asks someone what's happening and learns that this is a tradition called the Running of the Tauros, and the person brave enough to run in and touch the horns of a Tauros is awarded a prize by the mayor. Ash thinks about trying it, but as the herd runs closer he changes his mind.
The Tauros all enter a stadium where their trainers battle them against each other. Ash wants to battle too, and calls Professor Oak to tell him to send his Tauros. Prof. Oak tells him he already has six Pokemon and needs to send one of his other ones back, and asks to have Heracross to study. So Ash trades Heracross for Tauros, and heads back to the arena to challenge a trainer who has been unbeaten.
Jessie and James are in the arena disguised as waiters, selling food and watching out for Pokemon to steal. Ash's Tauros defeats its opponent, and Ash and friends go out on the town. Two young trainers trade their Pokemon with the help of an exchange machine. Benny wants to see if Ash will trade his Tauros for Wobbuffet, but several people also ask Ash if he wants to trade his Tauros, and he refuses. Then Benny tries to trade his Wobbuffet to a trainer with a Scyther but is turned down. Ash and the others offer to help him find someone who is willing to trade.
TR is disguised as scientists and saying that their Pokemon exchange machine will raise the levels of the Pokemon that are traded with it. A large crowd of people gathers, all wanting to use it. Meowth is inside the machine, swapping the Pokeballs with empty ones. Snubbull passes by, still searching, but doesn't see TR in the crowd.
As Misty is looking for someone to help Benny, her Psyduck comes out of its Pokeball on its own. She tells it to get back in before she gets any ideas to trade it. A few people ask her to trade but she refuses and runs away. Meanwhile, Ash and Brock have persuaded a trainer with a Stantler to trade for the Wobbuffet.
James is looking for a place to buy lunch, when a pushy salesman tries to sell him a Magikarp. He realizes that this seems familiar and remembers the time he bought the Magikarp on the Saint Anne... from the same salesman! Furious, he chases the salesman down the street.
Benny and the Stantler trainer are at an exchange machine and are about to trade when the other trainer sees someone walk by with a HootHoot and changes his mind about the trade, saying he would prefer a flying Pokemon. Benny is very disappointed.
Still chasing the salesman, James bumps into Jessie, knocking her back. She falls on the exchange machine, one of her Pokeballs lands in the machine and gets swapped with Benny's Wobbuffet! Unaware that this happened, she grabs her Pokeball back and runs off to find James.
Meowth finds Jessie and James, and tells them that the people have realized their machine was a phony. The crowd, including our heroes, approaches them but Meowth uses a device that ties them all up. Then TR gets their balloon and uses a vacuum to suck up the rest of the trainers' Pokeballs. Ash gets an idea and tells everyone to use their Tauros. The Tauros attack TR, throwing them away, and a bag with the Pokeballs in it drops out of the balloon. Unfortunately the Pokeballs all turn out to be empty; TR still has all the real ones.
Ash confronts TR and Jessie throws a Pokeball, expecting it to be Lickitung, but gets Wobbuffet instead! She realizes that it had been swapped by the machine, and tries to get it to attack but it won't. James reads from a book that Wobbuffet can't initiate attacks, and she gets angry.
Ash attacks with Chikorita but Wobbuffet has a Counterattack ability that reflects the attacks back at Chikorita. Ash recalls Chikorita and sends in Pikachu. Wobbuffet is unable to deflect Pikachu's Thunderbolt and TR (plus Wobbuffet) goes blasting off again.
Our heroes return to town and give the Pokeballs back to their owners. Benny finds them, he's very happy and wants to thank the lady who traded the Lickitung for his Wobbuffet. Misty says they haven't seen her, so Benny just yells out that he promises to take good care of Lickitung. Meanwhile, TR is stuck in a tree. Jessie consoles the Wobbuffet by saying that they'll beat those kids someday, they'll just have to be patient.

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Pokemon Episode 147: A Farfetch'd Tale

Scenario:
Our friends are walking through the Ilex Forest. Brock is following the map but Misty thinks they're lost again. Team Rocket is lost too, and very hungry. They see the three friends and immediately want to follow them and steal their food. Ash and company come upon a boy who's trying to get a Farfetch'd to do a Cutting Attack but it refuses. When they say hello, the boy gets embarrassed that he was being watched. Ash tells him that the proper name is Cut Attack, so the boy asks the Farfetch'd again, but it still won't do it. He sits down with them, says his name is Sylvester, and he just started training with his Farfetch'd but keeps forgetting the attack names. He wants to learn how to make purifying charcoal like his father.
Brock says that purifying charcoal can purify water as well as being an excellent fuel, and this forest is famous for it. Sylvester explains that the trees have to be cut perfectly, so he and Farfetch'd were trying to practice, but had a hard time. Ash reassures him, saying he had a hard time with Pikachu at first too. You're only a loser if you're a quitter.
At the local Pokémon Center, Ash calls Professor Oak to tell him that he gave the GS Ball to Kurt and won a Hive badge. Brock looks at the map, the next closest Gym is in Goldenrod City. They start to make plans to leave when Sylvester runs into the center and asks Nurse Joy if she has seen his Farfetch'd. He had been practicing with Farfetch'd but forgot the attack names again, and the Farfetch'd ran away. Joy suggests he go and look at his father's house, but Sylvester is worried that his father will be angry. Ash suggests that they can train together after they find Farfetch'd to see if that will help.
They all go to Sylvester's house, to find his father making charcoal with the help of a Magmar. He tells his father what happened, and his dad gets angry, saying he needs to learn how to handle Farfetch'd and Magmar properly in order to make the charcoal. Ash butts in and introduces himself, and the father says that as a Pokémon trainer, Ash should know that you can't train a Pokémon just by telling them what to do; you have to work as a team. He sends them all out to find Farfetch'd.
Team Rocket is still lost and hungry. Meowth smells food nearby and they find a small shrine where two dumplings have been left. Jessie snatches one, Meowth the other, leaving James empty-handed (and empty-stomached). They spot the Farfetch'd wandering around, and knowing that it's very rare and valuable, plan to catch it and sell it to the highest bidder. They surround the Farfetch'd and surprise it. Everyone is out looking for Farfetch'd. They come to the shrine, and Sylvester says it's a shrine to the spirit that watches over the forest. They let all the Pokémon loose to help look for the Farfetch'd; Brock's Pineco powers up to explode so he returns it to its PokeBall. They all run in different directions, and will meet back at the shrine in an hour.
TR is still trying to catch Farfetch'd but it uses its leek to cut branches down on them and deflect their Pokemon's attacks. Jessie wises up and has Lickitung take its leek away. The surprised Farfetch'd tries to fly away but Meowth captures it with a net. As they carry it away, Heracross sees them and flies back to Ash.
Ash and friends confront TR, and they send out Arbok and Lickitung to provide a distraction so they can escape. Both Bulbasaur and Chikorita use Razor Leaf to get Farfetch'd out of the net, but Lickitung grabs Farfetch'd with its tongue. James lets out his Pokémon now, Victreebel chomps him but Weezing does its Sludge attack to disable everyone. Then Arbok fires its Poison Sting at Ash, but Onix bursts out of the ground and saves him. Brock and Misty come running, Misty has Poliwag do Water Gun to wash them all off. Ash is ready for a fight now! Weezing and Victreebel attack but Squirtle's Hydro Pump takes care of that. Then Ash has all his Pokémon attack together. Sylvester wishes his Farfetch'd would obey him like Ash's Pokémon do, and Misty tells him that Ash and his Pokémon work as a team.
Heracross tackles TR and the leek goes flying. Sylvester beats Jessie in the run to catch it, and he throws it back to Farfetch'd who whacks Lickitung with it. Jessie, James and Meowth all tackle together, but Farfetch'd does Fury Swipes which lays them flat out, and they run away. Not content with this, Farfetch'd does the Cut attack to bring down a tree which blocks their way, and Pikachu sends them blasting off with Thunderbolt. Sylvester has learned a lot about teamwork today, and realizes that he finally got Farfetch'd to do the Cut attack. He asks Farfetch'd to cut the fallen tree into logs and it does, making a perfect stack.
Back at his house, his father is proud of him. He gives Brock a supply of the purifying charcoal as a thank-you gift, and our friends head off for Goldenrod City and the next Gym.

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Pokemon Episode 146: Gettin' The Bugs Out

Scenario:
Ash and friends have delivered the GS Ball safely to Kurt and are heading to the Azalea Town Gym for the next badge. Misty thinks Ash will have a tough time with without Charizard but Ash is confident that Cyndaquil has the firepower he needs.
The Azalea Gym is a large dome with a forest-like environment inside. Misty becomes nervous, then a Caterpie drops down in front of her and she freaks. A boy standing up on a tree branch says that this is in fact the Gym and that bug Pokemon are the best. Misty isn't thrilled. Ash introduces himself and the boy says he's Bugsy, the Gym leader. Bug Pokemon are his specialty.
Team Rocket is watching, decide to grab Pikachu while Ash is distracted by his match. They go into the gym disguised as a flower, tree and clump of weeds, but they are noticed by a number of bug Pokemon who tie them up with their silk. This match is a three-on-three battle. Bugsy begins with a Spinarak and Ash brings out Cyndaquil. It looks tired but Ash thinks it'll get warmed up soon enough. Spinarak uses a series of String Shots which Cyndaquil dodges, but then Bugsy has it cover the whole field and Cyndaquil eventually gets caught. Ash has it try to use Flamethrower but it's not warmed up enough yet. Spinarak uses Poison Sting and Cyndaquil is hurt, forcing Ash to recall it. Brock is concerned, because Cyndaquil is the only Pokemon Ash has that's strong against bug types. Ash takes a gamble with Chikorita, which surprises Bugsy. Chikorita dodges Spinarak's attacks easily and retaliates with Vine Whip but the Spinarak begins to swing around from the trees on a silk line, and it's difficult to hit. Ash tells Chikorita to use its Sweet Smell and the Spinarak gets paralyzed, giving Chikorita the chance to Tackle it and knock it out. Chikorita is very happy, this is its first Gym win.
TR is watching again (they got out of the cocoon somehow) and plan to dig under the arena and grab Pikachu from beneath. For the second round, Bugsy brings out a Metapod. Chikorita uses Vine Whip and Razor Leaf but Metapod Hardens which renders the attacks ineffective. Then in a surprising move, Metapod hops up into the air and tackles Chikorita to win. Ash recalls Chikorita and sends in Pikachu.
Metapod Tackles Pikachu, stirring up a cloud of dust so Pikachu can't see it. However, Pikachu can still hear it, and dodges its attacks. Pikachu uses Agility to get close enough, then jumps onto Metapod and Thunders it to knock it out. Bugsy congratulates Ash, he's the first person in a long time to last until the third round. But Bugsy has saved his best Pokemon for last: a Scyther. TR is underground, listening. The movement above has stopped, so it must be time to dig up. James pokes his head out right behind where Scyther is standing, just as Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt! All of them get shocked and they fall back into their tunnel.
Scyther does multiple Slash attacks which Pikachu is unable to avoid and gets knocked out. Ash brings out Cyndaquil again, and it dodges Scyther's attacks until its flame finally lights. Scyther's Double Team move only serves to make the flame burn brighter. Now Ash tells it to use Flamethrower but Scyther performs a Swords Dance and spins, and the fire is spread away from it. Bugsy says he and Scyther have developed counter moves to all the fire-based attacks.
Ash isn't giving up. He anticipates Scyther's next move, tells Cyndaquil to leap overhead and blast Scyther from above with Flamethrower. The Scyther is greatly weakened, and Cyndaquil uses a Tackle to finish it. Bugsy is impressed, and awards Ash a Hive Badge for the victory. He and Ash agree to have a rematch the next time Ash passes through town.
The friends plan to depart. Kurt's granddaughter catches up to them and gives them new PokeBalls: Lure Balls for Ash and Misty, a Heavy Ball for Brock. She says her grandfather is still working on the GS ball, and they are all welcome to come back and visit on their way back to Pallet Town. That night, Team Rocket is still trapped in their hole under the Gym, surrounded by lots of bug Pokemon.

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Pokemon Episode 145: Goin' Apricorn

Scenario:
Ash and his friends are having lunch at Kurt's house. Kurt's granddaughter Mazie thanks them for helping the town. Ash tells Kurt about his errand for Professor Oak and gives him the GS Ball, but unfortunately Kurt can't tell them much about it. He promises he'll be able to tell them more once he has looked at it more closely.
They call Professor Oak to tell him the news and Prof. Oak wants to be informed the moment they find out anything. Ash asks what's so special about Kurt, and Prof. Oak says that Kurt is an expert craftsman at making PokeBalls from Apricorn. This type of PokeBall has special qualities. Ash wants to get one for himself and runs off to see Kurt. He goes to where Kurt is working in a forge, but Mazie stops him and tells him not to interrupt. As Kurt works on a PokeBall, Mazie explains that they use water from the Slowpoke Well in the process and they would have a big problem had the well not been saved.
Kurt finishes his work and tells the kids he needs more time to look at the GS Ball. Ash asks him if he can have an Apricorn ball. Misty tells him he is being rude but Kurt gets three PokeBalls and gives one to each of them as a thank-you for helping him. Mazie says these are Fast Balls, made from white Apricorn, and are used to catch Pokemon that can run away quickly.
Apricorns come in seven colours: white, red, blue, black, pink, green and yellow. Each Apricorn Pokeball has its own colour, name and uses. Kurt will make more if they bring him some more Apricorns, which grow in the hills behind the house.
Team Rocket has been listening to all this and plans to swipe the Apricorn balls and sell them to get rich. Out in the hills, Mazie points out a pink Apricorn tree. Pink Apricorns are used to make Love Balls which catch Pokemon of the opposite gender. Brock gets his ear pinched when he asks if one of these would help him catch Joy or Jenny. However these Apricorns aren't ripe enough, so they walk some more.
Next they find yellow Apricorns, which yield Moon Balls that catch Pokemon that evolve with a Moon Stone. This tree is also the home of several Pineco, which will self-destruct if disturbed. Brock sees the challenge of trying to capture one, but as he approaches the tree he trips on a rock and falls into the tree trunk. The Pineco drop down and explode, leaving Brock breathless.
Later they cone across a grove of green Apricorn trees. These are ready, but when Ash goes to pick some he comes face to face with a swarm of Beedrill! The Beedrill chase them, and Mazie apologises, saying that the Beedrill hadn't been here before. They all fall down an embankment and the Beedrill pass overhead and fly away. That was a close call.
Ash, Misty, Brock and Mazie are walking through the woods again, Mazie explains that getting PokeBalls is a lot more complicated than people think. They approach a large Apricorn tree but fall into a covered hole. Team Rocket comes and Meowth lassos Pikachu with a rope, then Jessie puts him into an electric-proof jar. Their plan is simple, to use a vacuum cleaner to scoop up the Apricorns.
Mazie is afraid they'll hurt the tree and tries to climb out of the hole but she can't. Ash has Bulbasaur lift them all out with Vine Whip. They run after TR, who is using the vacuum, but then TR falls into another hole and drops Pikachu as they fall. Ash catches him and lets him out of the jar. They look down into the hole but TR is gone. It turns out that this hole was dug by a colony of Diglett, and Brock says that the Diglett protect the trees. The Pokemon in this area rely on each other to keep nature in balance.
Team Rocket gets lost in the Diglett tunnels. They finally get out to discover that they're in mid-air above a cliff, and plunge down into the trees below. Back with our heroes, Mazie is pointing out different trees. Blue Apricorns are used to make Lure balls for catching water Pokemon and brown ones are used to make Heavy balls for Pokemon that weigh a lot. Ash approaches a tree but gets surprised by a bunch of Pineco. Brock runs forward to see, when a sharp wind blows the Pineco out of the tree and Brock scrambles to catch them.
Team Rocket is back, using a giant pedal-powered fan to blow the Pineco away. Brock keeps saving the Pineco that fall out of the tree, until one of them hops up the hill toward TR, and he tries to stop it. TR pedals harder and the wind gets stronger, threatening to blow the Apricorns away. Ash tells Pikachu to Thunderbolt but the machine absorbs the electricity.
The Pineco that Brock is holding gets away from him, hops up the hill and knocks TR off the machine, and the wind stops. They send Arbok and Victreebell to attack it, but it dodges. Brock gets worried that the Pineco will self-destruct, and Mazie tells him to use his Fast Ball. He does and captures the Pineco just as Arbok attacks again. Arbok misses and knocks into TR instead.
Now TR sends their Pokemon to attack Pikachu but he dodges them and knocks them both out in one blow with Quick Attack. Then he shorts out the fan machine with Thunder attack, and it explodes, sending TR blasting off. Mazie is happy and wants to tell her grandfather about everything that happened. Brock lets out the Pineco, saying that he'd like to be friends, and it happily blows up in his face.
They return to Kurt's house with the Apricorns and he says he will make them new Pokeballs. He hasn't found anything out about the GS ball yet; he doesn't know who designed it and it's protected by a powerful lock. He asks to keep it for a while and Ash says it's okay. Now that the drought is over the Azalea Gym is open again, and Ash heads for it, determined to win a badge.

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Pokemon Episode 144: A Shadow of a Drought

Scenario:
Ash, Misty and Brock are walking along a road. It's a very hot day, and Brock notices that the plants next to the road are all drying up. Misty gets out Staryu and has it use its Water Gun like a fountain, and they play in the water for a while.
Team Rocket is on the road also, and very thirsty. Jessie and James want their share of water from their canteen, but Meowth drank it all already. They get mad at him, but lucky for him he spots a well nearby, its base is carved to look like a Slowpoke. Meowth pumps for a bit, but the pump spouts sand instead of water, hitting J&J in the face. Next, Meowth tries a pair of divining rods. He finds a likely spot and tells J&J to dig, but they get tired quickly in the heat. So he brings out a remote control, and a giant machine appears that looks like a cross between a tank and a Diglett. Jessie angrily hits him with her shovel before they all climb aboard and dig into the ground.
Eventually they tunnel into a large underground chamber which contains a sparkling pool of water! They get out of the machine and run to take a drink, then notice that they're surrounded by many Slowpoke. Meowth finds a sign that says this is Slowpoke Well, and local legend has it that Slowpoke have the power to make it rain when they yawn. TR makes a plan to capture the Slowpoke and get rich by charging the townspeople to have them make it rain. Meanwhile, our friends have finally reached Azalea Town. The river has run dry because of the drought. Ash wants to go to the Gym, but Misty reminds him about his errand to give the GS ball to Kurt. They argue for a bit, then Brock reads a sign that says the Gym is closed because of the drought. So they all go to look for Kurt.
The town seems strange, there are signs depicting Slowpoke everywhere, plus there are Slowpoke everywhere. Ash accidentally steps on a Slowpoke's tail, and the townspeople get angry and chase the three of them down the street! They manage to lose the crowd temporarily in a park, then a man wearing a Slowpoke costume tells them to put on some Slowpoke costumes and sit still. The people reach the park only to see four Slowpokes sitting on the ground, and they give up their search and leave.
Brock asks the stranger why Slowpoke are so important, and the man explains that a long time ago there was a drought just like this in Azalea Town. One day a Slowpoke came to the town, and when it yawned it started to rain and the town was saved. Since then, Slowpoke have been treated with respect. Suddenly the man remembers that he had an errand to run and leaves.
At the Slowpoke cave, the man hears something happening and goes to investigate. He sees TR in their machine chasing the Slowpoke and yells at them to stop, but they mistake him for a large Slowpoke (he's still wearing his costume) and chase after him. He hurts his back trying to run away. In town, Ash and his friends are looking for Kurt. A little girl who turns out to be Kurt's granddaughter tells them that Kurt isn't home, he went to check out something at the Slowpoke Well. The three friends go to the well and enter the cave, and find the man inside. He tells them about the giant machine. Ash and Misty run ahead while Brock helps the injured man to stand up.
Ash realizes that the machine belongs to Team Rocket. TR captures more Slowpoke with nets, and Ash vows to stop them, but James points out that the floor of the cave is wet and any electric attacks will shock the Slowpoke. So Ash gets Heracross instead, and it throws the tank up into the air! However TR fires a missile at Heracross, which knocks it out, and Ash has to return it to its PokeBall. TR gloats and escapes by digging a tunnel into the floor of the cave. For some reason, the remaining Slowpoke all stand up and begin to walk out of the cave. Everyone follows them, and watch them line up on the edge of the cliff that surrounds the well. One by one they yawn, storm clouds gather and it starts to rain! The four are forced to climb up onto the roof of the well as the area around the well floods.
Water pours into the cave and down into the tunnel that TR's machine dug. The machine is washed out of the tunnel, and it breaks in half when it lands on the ground. TR crawls out of their wrecked machine to see Ash and Pikachu, and there's no escaping this time as Pikachu uses a Thunder attack to send them blasting off. The rest of the Slowpoke that had been captured are freed.
Brock wonders if the Slowpoke really made it rain. Ash believes they did, and the man simply says that the world of Pokemon is full of mysteries. Back at the town, the river is running again and the crops are recovering. The man has explained to the townspeople that Ash's stepping on the Slowpoke was only an accident, so they're off the hook. Then the man offers to take them on a tour of the town, but Misty says they have to find Kurt. The man takes off his costume head and tells them that he is Kurt!

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Pokemon Episode 143: Good 'Quil Hunting

Scenario:
Our heroes are walking through a thick forest, Brock thinks there's something wrong with his map but Misty thinks they're just lost again. A tall kid comes up to them and asks if they've seen any Cyndaquil around, which are supposed to be all over this area. Ash gets excited and starts to look around for one. The kid tells him to stay away from the Cyndaquil but he's not listening.
Brock and Misty tell the kid that he has no right to say things like that; anyone who catches a Pokemon fairly gets to keep it. The kid leaves in a huff. Misty and Brock turn around and realize that Ash isn't with them any more, and go off to search for him. Unknown to them, Team Rocket has been watching. They still want to get Pikachu, they had even taken jobs to earn enough money to build their latest secret weapon. Their dream is to be the stars of Team Rocket.
Misty and Brock get confronted by a giant Meowth robot, it's Team Rocket! However when TR realizes that Ash and Pikachu aren't with them, they run back into the forest. Meanwhile Ash is wandering through the woods looking for a Cyndaquil. Suddenly the Meowth robot lands in front of him! He has Pikachu do a Thunderbolt attack but the robot absorbs the electricity and gets powered up. Then James has the robot shoot bubble-gum blobs at Ash, but Ash runs between the robot's legs, causing it to bend over too far and fall down. Ash runs into the forest to hide but the robot has a special viewer that helps TR find him. TR tries to follow him but the robot slips on a tree root and falls again, giving Ash a chance to escape.
Soon Ash comes to a cliff with lots of caves in it. At the opening of one of the caves is a Cyndaquil! Ash uses Dexter to find out that Cyndaquil is usually mild-tempered but emits flames from its back when upset. He wants to catch it, and begins to climb up the cliff. Unfortunately the tall kid comes and sees him, and tells his Sandslash to climb ahead of Ash and use its Sand Attack. Ash gets showered with sand and falls back to the bottom of the cliff, and yells at the kid that he's being unfair. The kid climbs up and says he'll catch the Cyndaquil himself but the Cyndaquil runs into a cave. The kid and his Sandslash run after it.
Ash is determined not to lose to this creep. He starts to climb again and the Meowth robot appears, but he ignores it and continues into the cave. He chases after the Cyndaquil but the Sandslash trips him up, and the kid runs ahead. Outside, James makes the robot shoot a giant bouncing ball into the cave. Ash sees it coming and runs. In the meantime the tall kid has cornered the Cyndaquil and orders his Sandslash to attack it, but Ash runs by just at that moment and scoops the Cyndaquil up and runs away with it. The kid starts to chase him but gets squashed by the ball as it rolls by.
Ash keeps running. The ball hits a sharp edge in the tunnel and explodes, blowing Ash and his two Pokemon right out of the cave. TR is there waiting for him in the Meowth robot. Team Rocket fires the bubble-gum weapon again, Ash and Pikachu get stuck to the cliff. They notice he has a Cyndaquil and decide to steal it too. Ash tells the Cyndaquil to escape and tosses it away with his free arm. It climbs up the cliff but the robot takes aim at it. Ash yells at it to go but it doesn't, and as the robot prepares to attack, fire sprouts from its back and it attacks the robot with a Flamethrower attack.
At first TR laughs but then they realize the robot is badly damaged and will explode. Ash notices that the Cyndaquil is too close to the robot and will get caught in the blast, so tells Pikachu to use his Thunderbolt to free them even though he'll get shocked too. Pikachu does, and the gumball breaks apart. Ash grabs a PokeBall and captures the Cyndaquil just as the robot blows up and sends TR blasting off.
Then he lets the Cyndaquil out, it's okay. Brock and Misty come running, and Ash explains that he just wanted to help the Cyndaquil but used his PokeBall without thinking. The tall kid emerges from the cave, still after the Cyndaquil but Ash tells him he has already caught it. The kid challenges him to a match, with the winner getting the Cyndaquil. Brock says that's crazy since Ash already caught it, but Ash accepts the challenge and will use Cyndaquil as his Pokemon.
The kid starts the match off strongly, and his Sandslash cuts down trees with its Slash attacks while the Cyndaquil just keeps dodging. Ash is surprised at how good the Cyndaquil's defense is and encourages it to keep dodging. Eventually the Sandslash gets tired and Ash wants Cyndaquil to use its Flamethrower attack, but it can't: it needs to warm up first before it can use it.
The Sandslash starts to get the upper hand, but Ash advises his Cyndaquil to watch its opponent carefully and dodge its moves. Sandslash tries one last attack, and when Cyndaquil dodges the Sandslash gets its claws stuck in a tree. This gives the Cyndaquil the chance to Tackle and knock it out. Ash has won!
The kid, however, won't accept defeat and chases the Cyndaquil with a net. Ash says he's cheating. At last the Cyndaquil fires up and blasts the kid, who runs away. Ash rejoices that he has a new Pokemon!
As for Team Rocket, they go back to their jobs and dream about the stars again.

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Pokemon Episode 142: Wired For Battle

Scenario:
Ash and his friends are walking through a forest, unaware that Team Rocket is watching them. The plan for the day is to make a pitfall to capture Pikachu with. However they're interrupted by a tall man who challenges them to a Pokemon battle. They accept and get out their PokeBalls, then a red shape leaps at them from the trees, and they scream.
Ash stops, he heard the screaming and wonders what's going on. Team Rocket's Arbok, Weezing and Meowth have all been defeated, and they run away. The man says to himself that Pokemon trainers aren't what they used to be.
Again Ash hears something and sends Pikachu to check it out, when a large red bug type Pokemon lands on the path in front of them. Pikachu and Ash prepare to attack but Brock tells them that their opponent looks strong and is waiting for them to make the first move. The tall trainer appears and the Pokemon returns to him; Pikachu collapses from the stress. Misty berates the trainer for letting his Pokemon run loose, and Brock has to drag her away. The trainer introduces himself as Mr. Muromasa, and his Pokemon is a Scizor, the formidable evolved form of Scyther. He is impressed with Ash and Pikachu and invites them to the training center that he runs, where trainers from all over the world come to strengthen themselves and their Pokemon. Brock is impressed by the school, and one of the students tells him that Mr. Muromasa was once a top trainer and he created the school to pass on what he had learned. His Scizor was known as The Crimson Streak because it was so fast.
Another boy comes out, it is Shingo, the school's top student. Ash introduces himself and Shingo uses a laptop to get the relevant data. Shingo says his laptop contains data on all worthy trainers, their Pokemon and their strategies. Team Rocket is listening in, and they plan to steal the laptop so they can use the data.
Shingo doesn't think much of Ash's profile but Ash insists that he's a much better trainer now than he was and challenges Shingo to a match. Shingo declines, saying his data predicts that Ash would lose. There is no point for him to battle any more because his computer can help him learn more about Pokemon than battling can. He will only battle someone who can teach him something he doesn't already know. Mr. Muromasa is disappointed with Shingo's attitude; all he studies are statistics and he has forgotten about the spirit of Pokemon training. Ash vows that he'll get Shingo to battle him somehow.
Ash goes up to Shingo's room and finds him using his computer. He challenges Shingo again but is turned down. As long as Shingo has his computer he doesn't need to battle. Ash insists and grabs his arm. While the boys are distracted, Meowth peeks in the window and hooks a data cable to the laptop so James can download the information. However Jessie is impatient and hauls on the cable, pulling the laptop out the window. Meowth grabs it and gets dragged along the ground until the cable is cut by the Scizor. Ash and Shingo hear their screams and run outside. Everyone confronts Team Rocket and they release all their Pokemon. Shingo runs to get his computer, Arbok attacks him but he's saved at the last moment by the Scizor. Then Shingo looks up Team Rocket in his database but there's nothing there. TR acts haughty and says that his data is incomplete if it doesn't include anything about the great Team Rocket, therefore it isn't worth stealing.
Shingo gets angry and opens a Pokeball, he has a Scizor that he calls Blade, and he claims it's better than Muromasa's Scizor. Then he opens his laptop again and activates a built-in camera that scans TR and their Pokemon. All the Pokemon attack, including Meowth, but his laptop informs him that their reaction time is too slow. His Scizor defeats them all in one move and sends TR blasting off. Ash goes to Shingo and tells him it's a waste for him not to battle since only data can predict neither the outcome of a match nor the effect on the Pokemon and their trainers. Finally Shingo agrees to a match. This is a one-on-one match, Blade vs. Ash's Heracross. Shingo starts off with a Quick Attack, Ash has Heracross try a Leer attack but Blade is moving too fast for Heracross to see and Heracross gets dealt a lot of damage. Then Blade tries a Metal Claw move and tries to throw Heracross into the air but Heracross successfully counters it, much to Shingo's surprise. Then Heracross does a Horn Attack and while Blade manages to dodge it gets injured. Shingo is amazed at Heracross' quick defense and Brock says that many trainers battle on instinct, which makes most battles unpredictable.
Heracross attempts a Take Down and Blade responds with Agility. Ash tells Heracross to relax and let Blade come to him. Shingo gets confused as to why Heracross is just standing there and tries to do a search on his computer, but can't keep his attention on the computer and the battle at the same time - he's putting his trust in the data instead of himself.
Eventually Blade gets worn down and Heracross goes in with a Fury Attack. Shingo tries to counter by having Blade do Metal Claw again but he's not quick enough and Blade goes down hard. Blade struggles to stand, Heracross Fury Attacks again and Shingo notes that it is faster than his data had predicted. He finally sets his computer aside and starts to call the shots on his own. The spectacular battle continues and Heracross eventually wins with a few unexpected moves.
Shingo realizes now that he doesn't need his computer any more. He says he's learned a lot from Ash and the two boys promise they'll battle again someday. Facts and figures don't give the real story about Pokemon, only experience does.

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