Episode 27 - "Pokémon Fashion Flash"
Ash, Misty and Brock take a walk down Scissor Street, also known as "Breeder's Lane," trying to find a salon that Brock is looking for. Along the way, they pass "Salon Rocké," a beauty parlor that puts Pokémon in outrageously bad yet trendy fasions. They find the place Brock's looking for, a salon run by world-champion Pokémon breeder Susan. An incredibly tense Brock shocks everyone by asking Susan if he could be her student, but Susan doesn't take students. Also in the salon is Susan's pet Vulpix (a fire-breathing fox with six tails) which doesn't like to be touched by strangers, as Misty found out the hard way.
They decide to have lunch (it's a slow day) and talk about Salon Rocké. Susan is surprised to see Vulpix eat some of Brock's home-made Pokémon food, since she only eats food that Susan has prepared for her. Returning to the main plot, Susan tells Ash and friends that Salon Rocké has started a fad. Trainers should care about what Pokémon is like on the inside, but lately trainers has been flocking to Salon Rocké for the latest fashion. Ash agrees its whats on the inside that counts, a
Pokémon's personality and abilities, but Misty thinks whats on the outside is important too. They get into an arguement and Ash suggests that if Misty's so sure, she should take Psyduck (who's definately no fashion model) down to Salon Rocké. Misty releases Psyduck and swears to return as the cutest things Ash has ever seen.
Susan says that these days trainers are going for looks instead of substance. Brock has a plan: give customers beauty and substance. Pretty soon, people are flocking to Susan's salon to see Susan's seminar on Pokémon health and beauty. If a Pokémon feels good on the inside, it'll look good on the outside. Meanwhile, Misty finds that the line outside Salon Rocké has gotten surprisingly short surprisingly fast. After getting a fashion make-over, Misty discovers that Salon Rocké is a front for Team Rocket (kinda obvious with the name and a large picture of Ekans and Koffing out front)! She gets tied up and commands Psyduck to attack, but the migrane-surplused duck has already made his way to Susan's salon, where she's having Ash demonstrate how to massage a Pikachu, and tells Pikachu who tells Ash that Misty's in trouble. Ash and Brock storm into Salon Rocké to find Misty looking absolutely ridiculous (actually, she likes her new look) and being held captive by Team Rocket. Ash refuses a ransom of Pikachu, and James introduces Ash and Brock to Salon Rocké's combat platform/fashion runway.
After saying Salon Rocké's fashion-inspired and Team Rocket parodied motto (Jesse and James are reeeally into fashion), Jesse and James unleashes a tutu-wearing Koffing and an Ekans that looks like a christmas tree. Ash and Brock defend with Pikachu and Geodude and the fight is underway. Pikachu gets knocked for a loop and retaliates with a devastating Thundershock and Geodude give Ekans the ol' seismic toss! Balerina Koffing gives the heroic Pokémon a sludge-attack make-over, effectively blinding them! Ekans and Koffing move in for the kill, but trip on their ridiculous outfits and fall on their faces. A sports jacket clad Meowth rallies his Pokémon compadres and Susan enters the fray with Vulpix. The cute little Vulpix dishes out a fire-tornado of justice and Team Rocket blasts off
again.
Susan has realized that she still has much to learn, so she still can't accept Brock as her pupil. They become friendly rivals and Susan gives Brock Vulpix. Ash, Brock and Misty stride off into the sunset and Team Rocket gets chased by rabid, refund-hungry and generally unsatisfied customers.
Episode 28 - "The Punchy Pokémon"
Our heroes go on their way as they stumble upon a wild Hitmonchan (a weird-looking Pokémon with boxer gloves). Ash decides to capture it so he teaches Pikachu his special punch to beat it. Pikachu jumps into the attack with a flurry of punches that don't land as Hitmonchan literally keeps him at arm's length. Ash commands Pikachu to use the special punch and with a blaze of pyrotechnic effects, Pikachu blasts off with the rocket punch! The punch lands but has little or no effect. Hitmonchan's trainer appears and tells him he let his gaurd down. The trainer's daughter, Rebecca, comes out from behind a tree and begs her father to give up his foolish dreams of Pokémon training and spend some time with his family. Her father ignores her and goes to his gym to take on challengers.
Rebecca's worried and Brock offers to help in any way possible. Rebecca's father wants to win the P-1 Grand Prix, and Rebecca wants Ash and Brock to enter the tournement and defeat Hitmonchan to bring her father to his senses. The P-1 Grand Prix is a tournement for fighting Pokémon and Team Rocket has their sights set on the championship belt and the prize money. Unfortunately, neither Jesse
nor James has a fighting Pokémon (or many other Pokémon), so the tie up a trainer and steal his clothes and Hitmonlee (a humanoid creature with no head, also known as the kicking fiend). Disguised as Hitmonlee's trainer, Jesse (sitting on James's shoulders under a trenchcoat) enters the grand prix.
The first match begins as Ash's Primeape faces off against Machop (a grey lizard-like thing with hands). A flurry of kicks and a seismic toss sends Primeape flying and Ash leaps to catch him as he flies out of the ring. Ash attempts to bring Primeape's spirits up before putting him back in the ring. Misty (in the audience next to Rebecca) notes that this is the first time Primeape has done as Ash
asked, as he usually does what he feels like. Apparently, trying to save Primeape has made him trust Ash. Primeape thrashes, bashes, and scratches and wins the match. Next up, Brock's Geodude takes on Team Rocket's Hitmonlee. Geodude gets kicked like a soccer ball into the back of Brock's Rebecca-gazing head but gets back in the ring. Hitmonlee's kicks wear down Geodude and Rebecca's father convinces Brock to throw in the towel. Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan and Primeape battle their way to the final rounds. The match between Hitmons lee and chan is sabatoged as Meowth, from beneath the ring, glues Hitmonchan's feet to the
floor. The only thing standing in the way of Team Rocket and the championship belt is Ash's Primeape, and Meowth has another trick up his kitty sleeve. Pikachu spies on Team Rocket as Meowth explains that when Hitmonlee jumps, they'll press a remote button and the device planted under the ring will electrocute Primeape and explode! Pikachu tries to warn Ash, but he's to busy directing Primeape. Hitmonlee jumps, but the device doesn't do anything. Hitmonlee now has to play fair and he and Primeape leap into battle. Once on the ground, Hitmonlee's flurry of kicks keeps Primeape at bay. Rebecca's dad says he can't beat Hitmonlee unless he gets on the inside of the kicks. Primeape ducks Hitmonlee's kick and gives him an uppercut that sends him flying! Primeape leaps up after him and slams Hitmonlee onto the mat with a seismic toss. Primeape and Ash won the P-1 Grand Prix! Rebecca's dad is impressed and offers to train Primeape to be a real P-1 championn.
Meowth can't figure out what went wrong. Pikachu crawls out from under the ring, hands Meowth the device and walks off. Meowth inspects the device which then electrocutes Team Rocket and explodes, throwing them from the stadium. In the end Rebecca's dad promises to train Primeape well and Rebecca promises to get her dad to spend more time with his family.
Episode 29 - "Sparks Fly for Magnemite"
Gringy City. Factories, pollution, and little life. That's the location of this episode as Ash and friends enter the grimy little burg. Pikachu doesn't look so well, so they rush him to the Pokémon Center. A somewhat indifferent Nurse Joy says that Pikachu just has a cold and he'll be better after a nights rest. Meanwhile, Team Rocket begins their dastardly plan. They try to sneak into the center by sewer, but a city-wide blackout shuts off the oxygen pump to their suits and they're forced to surface. This is bad news not only for Jesse and James stuck under a river of smelly sewer slime, but for the Pokémon in intensive care at the Pokémon Centre as well. Officer Jenny points Ash and company in the way of the electric plant. Although ill, Pikachu insists on tagging along. Once there, an unseen presence chills Misty to the bone and Brock soon sees it too. Ash challenges it to step forward so they can it, unless it's a monster or a ghost, in which case it could stay where it is. The presence is a Magnemite (a metallic orby-thingy with screws and magnets stuck to it) that is obviously quite attracted to Pikachu as it floats around, following him. (This Magnemite has been stalking Pikachu since he entered the city) Pikachu isn't too pleased to have a creepy metal ball float behind him and Ash tells it to buzz off. Magnemite zooms off, but most likely from the stench of the Grimers (living piles of smelly sludge) that drop down from the air ducts a moment later. Misty loudly expresses how bad they smell, and a Muk (a bigger pile of sludge, second-stage Grimer) whose apparently the leader orders an attack.
Ash and pals get chased down the hallways of the electric plant and run into the guys who run the place. They all run to the control room and lock the door. The plant technicians explain that the Grimers have blocked the pipes that lead to the generators, and without that water they can't run the plant. The Grimers knock down the door and Pikachu's thunder shock is practically useless (because he's ill). All hope seems lost, but it's Magnemite to the rescue! It brought along some Magnetons (three Magnemites stuck together, second-stage Magnemite) that electrocute the attacking Grimers and the herd the Grimers out the pipes. All that remains is an attacking Muck, which is weakened by a combined electric attack from Pikachu and Magnemite. Ash catches it in a Pokéball, but it still smells terrible.
The next morning, Pikachu feels alot better. When an electric Pokémon, like Pikachu, gets sick, it stores up a lot of energy and becomes magnetized. It could explain why Magnemite was "attracted", so to speak, to Pikachu, and why it's ignoring him now. Now Pikachu really feels better. Just then, Team Rocket splashes out of the bay with huge magnet on a submarine. Thinking Pikachu is still sick, they turn on the magnet and attract a ton of Magnetons. The weight of the Magnetons cause the submarine to sink, dragging them under water. Also, Professor Oak isn't too pleased when Ash sends him his new Muk.
Episode 30 - "Dig those Digletts!"
Like most of the time, our heroes, Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu are lost in the forest. Fumbling over his map, Brock tries to figure out where they are until he realizes that they're surrounded by mountains. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are planning to have a little picnic not far from Ash and the gang. James decides to go eat some crumpets as Jesse settles for some chinese food, while Meowth does some sit-ups. Just before they eat, a huge explosion causes the ground to shake and Team Rocket has their food flipped onto their heads. Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu feel the explosion too and run towards the sound to see what's happening.
The gang arrive at a narrow road that runs through the forest. There were some huge construction vehicles and trucks that were lining up on the road. The explosions were from the dynamite that was planted on the mountainside. Suddenly, the tire of one of the huge trucks fall into a hole and causes a chain reaction among the other trucks. Pretty soon, there was a huge pile of overturned trucks along the road. A worker with a funky accent jumps out of one of the trucks and starts complaining about Digletts (a weiner-looking Pokémon that lives in the ground). The worker tells Ash that some Digletts are creating havoc for the construction workers by making their trucks fall over. He says that they're going to build a dam, called the Giva Dam but it's pretty obvious that the Digletts don't like the idea of it and keep preventing the construction workers from doing their work. The worker offers Ash the reward of staying 7 days at a resort if he could get rid of the Digletts. Without warning, Gary shows up in a red convertible with some girls. With some sly talk, Gary tell Ash that he's a loser and that he'll be able to get rid of the Digletts for sure. Drooling, Brock asks who the girls are and Gary just tells him that they're just some friends of his. Brock desperately asks the girls for their phone numbers but they don't give it to him. After a while, Gary drives off.
A rally is held later on by the worker to address all Pokémon trainers about the Digletts. Meanwhile, Jesse, James and Meowth are watching from above. Jesse gets an idea and plans to take all the people's Pokémons from the rally but she soon realizes that Team Rocket can't go up against them with just Ekans and Koffing. Then, Jesse and James suddenly say talk about how much they'll miss their Pokémons (Ekans and Koffing) when they evolve. Crying, they huge their Pokémons and without warning, Ekans and Koffing begin to evolve. Back at the rally, some Digletts appear and all the Pokémon trainers, including Gary and Ash, start throwing their Pokéballs, but nothing happens. None of the Pokémons jump out of their Pokéballs. Pretty soon, a huge pile of Pokéballs form, but the Digletts give them back their owners (pretty polite creatures) and the pile is soon gone.
That night, Ash and company are enjoying themselves in a hot spring. Then, some Digletts appear from the rocks near them. Pikachu and the rest of them start following the Digletts as they form a huge line and head towards some place with branches and sticks on their heads. Some people are trying to hit the Digletts with some sledgehammers but they don't succeed. The worker, Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu follow the Digletts to a mountainside filled with working Digletts and Dugtrios (the evolved form of a Diglett) who help plant flowers and trees. The worker finally sees that the Digletts are trying to protect their land and which is why they're trying to stall the construction of the dam. As usual, Team Rocket show up but with a surprise this time. Instead of bring out Koffing and Ekans, they have Weezing (the second stage of Koffing) and Arbock (the second stage of Ekans). It wasn't long until there was a loud rumble. The Digletts formed a huge, moving pile of dirt towards Team Rocket. Jesse and James manage to stay on the top of the moving pile and pretend that they're surfing. Without realizing it until the last moment, the huge pile of dirt, as well as Team Rocket surfing on top of it, smash into the unfinished dam. (what a mess)
Pretty soon, it is over. The worker realizes that the habitants of the forest would be without a place to live if the dam was built, and that the water would be flooded over their former homes. He decides to stop the building of the dam (well, the dam is already destroyed anyway).
Ash and the rest of the gang happily leave on their way to becoming great Pokémon trainers.
Episode 31 - "The Ninja-Pokémon Showdown"
Ash and the gang are on their way to look for Fuschia Gym. They find themselves in a deep forest...and no big surprise, they're lost. Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu decides to take a break and rest near a stream. Psyduck stops to take a drink while Brock's Vulpix is being groomed. Misty is desperate to get rid of Psyduck because she thinks it's useless. she offers Unknown to them was there another person, or Pokémon, watching them from behind the trees. Soon, they're on their way again.
Soon, they find a huge house. The gang enters the building and looks around. Misty decides to lean on one of the walls and the wall moves on her. She falls behind it as Brock points out that it's a secret room. They see a Venonat around the corner. They decide to chase it. As Ash is running, gets electrocuted by a Voltorb, planted on the ground. After that incident, Ash and company go up the stairs. They turn and Ash slams into another invisible wall. Ash turns around and finds himself face-to-face with another invisible wall (what a bad day for him). Desperate to get out, Ash pushes one of the wooden walls and the wall falls towards a river far below. Misty and Brock manage to rescue him. Then, the Venonat appears from the house. Ash goes in to chase it but it pinned down by some star spikes. A ninja-looking girl shows up, introducing herself as Iya. Misty and Ash are angry at her for pinning Ash with dangerous things but Brock gets this crush on her. Iya doesn't allow Ash and gang to leave until she has a battle with them. Ash agrees to her challenge. He calls upon Bulbasaur against her Venonat. The battle ends with Bulbasaur winning! Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Voltorb appears and then smoke fills the room. A man steps out of the smoke and introduces himself as Iya's brother and master, Koga. He, too, tells the gang that they can't leave until they battle him. Again, Ash agrees to the challenge. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are spying on gym, not far away. Their plan: to steal all the rare Pokémon in the gym. Back in the gym, it's Pidgeotto against Koga's must experienced, Venonat. Just as it got out, it evolves to Venomoth. After losing the first round, Ash calls upon Charmander. Right in the middle of the battle, Team Rocket shows up, dressed in some funky costumes. James complains that the costumes are much to clumsy so they take it off. Team Rocket sends out their monsters as Charmander and Venomoth fights against them. Suddenly, Jesse throw some sticky string at Pikachu which sticks to him. Misty offers to send out her Pokémon but whenever she calls their names out, they don't come out. Only Psyduck remains. Koga thinks of an idea and sends in a group of Voltorbs. Using her sticky string again, Jesse throws it at the group of Voltorbs, catching them. Without warning, the house begins to tilt and goes in a slant. Ash tries to get the string off Pikachu and Charmander but it wouldn't work. Not even Pikachu's electricity could get it off. Team Rocket shows up again while Psyduck runs around the room like crazy. He goes faster and faster, despite Misty's calls to make him stop. She tries to call him back to his Pokéball but he was running to fast for her to aim at him. Team Rocket looks at Psyduck and decides that they don't want him. Misty goes over to Psyduck to calm him down, and unexpectedly, he stops and closes his eyes. As no one would think of it, Psyduck blasts out some powerful attacks called "Disable" and "Confusion" which sends Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light again. Psyduck also manages to get rid of the string. Misty finds out that when Psyduck's migraine gets so severe, his powers are way stronger. Koga and Iya offers to trade their Pokémon for Psyduck but Misty refuses. Wanting to get his badge, Ash battles with Koga. So, it's Koga's Gobat against Ash's Charmander. After a hilarious battle (which included Brock getting fried by Charmander), Ash and Charmander are victorious. For winning the battle and saving Koga's Voltorbs, Ash receives the Soul Badge. On their quest, Ash and the others continue down their path to their future adventures.... |