323: Cheer Pressure
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326: Purasuru to Mainan! Oen no Michi!?
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They continue on towards the town where Ash will have his next Hoenn Gym Battle, until they're distracted by the sound of drums and follow the noise up a steep set of stairs set into a hill. Up top they find a series of tents, and then a stand where the drumming is taking place while men and women dressed in cool looking trenchcoats stand at the read, amongst them a small boy. He rushes up to them when he spots them, grinning that it is good to see them again... and the twerps just stare at another face lost in the endless procession of characters of the day. Finally it is - of all people - Ash who remembers him, it's Thatcher, the Ash-worshipping kid with the Plusle and Minun from the Mountain Lighthouse who mistook Ash for a Great Master.
Plusle and Minun run up to Pikachu to excitedly tell him that they're soulless carbon copies of him created in an effort to capture "lightning in a bottle" and recreate the massive marketing potential of the Pikachu merchandise line. While this goes on, Thatcher explains that he is here for the "Pep Squad" and when that receives some confused looks, further explains that after Ash left he went on a Pokemon Journey of his own, and while practising Plusle and Minun's Cheer, attracted the attention of a middle-aged man in a trenchcoat...
Oh Dear.
Apparently this was Sheridan, the Master of a Pep Squad School that trains people to cheer at big Pokemon Events, and he was impressed enough by Thatcher and his Pokemon to offer to teach him to become a Cheer Master.
The second most sought after position of all young boys behind High School Janitor.
As he talks on, Team Rocket watch from a distance and James seems VERY excited at the thought of a male cheerleader squad. Meowth says cheerleaders are all stuck up, but James says he had a great experience with his squad!
What, all at once or one at a time?
"And I hear you looked great in your uniform," grins Jesse, and when Meowth suggests they need their own Cheerleading squad, she excitedly gasps, "I could be the beautiful Team Captain that everybody's jealous of!"
Meanwhile, Max is asking if it is against the rules for Plusle and Minun's Helping Hand to assist in a battle, but when he asks Brock for confirmation, he finds Brock is not there!
Yep he's coming on to two of the female cheerleaders, lying that he's always admired cheerleaders. He starts his own (terrible) cheer and gets dragged away by Max as Thatcher explains to Ash that the cheering helps vitalise BOTH sets of Pokemon, so it isn't against the rules.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket have approached Sheridan in disguise (Meowth in a little hat and suit) and told him they've constantly failed (300+ times!) so could he please cheer for them and help them win.... perhaps against those trainers that only just arrived. Sheridan is pleased to help, but his eye glints as he says that he does require payment.
Meanwhile Pikachu stands staring at Plusle and Minun's attempts to be as cute as him, apparently not entirely impressed, almost appearing to laugh at them. Then one of the cheerleader girls shows up with Thatcher and tells the twerps that Sheridan would like to use them to help some people in a test battle, and they eagerly agree.
Out comes Team Rocket (unrecognised by the twerps due to their oh-so-clever disguises) but Jesse asks why they have to start against Brock, and then insists that James goes in first. When the girl asks his name, he says,"James...." and Jesse slams her foot down on his, "STER! Jamester!"
So the Cheering Test Battle between Brock and Jamester begins, Jamester sending in Cacnea which hugs him happily as Brock sends in Forretress. Cacnea uses Pin Missile which is deflected back by Forretress and knocks Cacnea down, much to Jamester's horror. The twerps say that this battle is over, but Thatcher says it isn't over yet, and Sheridan throws on a mask and orders a cheer drum beat to start.... then whispers, "Helping Hand" into a tiny microphone on his collar. A zap of energy bursts out of one of the drums and into Cacnea, and Max blinks in confusion, sure he just saw something weird.
Jamester is amazed to see Cacnea back up, and it smashes in with Needle arm and.... takes down Forretress!
Ash can't believe it, Cacnea was out and got revived? Jamester orders Sandstorm and Cacnea kicks up a blast of sand before another Pin Missile which hits as Forretress uses Rapid Spin... but somehow the attack is stronger than before and Forretress goes down.
Jamester wins!
"Yahoo! I won, I won! I can't believe I actually won!" squeals James in delight, and then Cacnea leaps up to hug him, "Ow! Ow! That hurts but I won, I won, I won!"
Max can't figure out how things can suddenly turn like that, but Ash says he'll figure it out and announces he'll go in with Pikachu. Jesse tells Meowth that she'll beat down Pikachu and then he has to run in and get it, and when James asks what will happen if she loses, she points out that Sheridan knows that if she DOESN'T Win he won't get his money.
As they prepare to fight, Max snoops about, sure he saw something coming from that drum, while Jesse is introduced as Jessica, which is one hell of an uncrackable code for her real name.
Jesse sends in Seviper and Ash STILL doesn't seem to think there is anything odd or familiar about this, while Jesse imagines her victory over Ash and then James and Meowth riding in on their newest robot and running off with Pikachu while Ash cries like a little bitch.
And then she looks up and sees Seviper taking a Thunderbolt!
Ash orders a Quick Attack right in Seviper's face and then an Iron Tail, and Seviper looks pretty much done... and Jesse orders a cheer, saying they could use a little pep! Sheridan tells her the secret of a good cheer is timing, while Max - disguised in a Cheer Trenchcoat - prepares to discover the "real" secret of what he saw earlier.
HEY TRAINERS, WHICH ONE OF THESE POKEMON IS THE BEST CHOICE TO FIGHT SHIFTRY? SWAMPERT, TAILLOW OR TORKOAL? THE ANSWER IS WHICHEVER ONE SHIFTRY ISN'T GOING TO RAPE.... SO NONE OF THEM!
Pikachu fires off a Thunderbolt on the blllpppping Seviper while Jesse DEMANDS a cheer and Sheridan tells his Pep Squad to prepare for a cheer, and Max notices the microphone on his collar as he whispers,"Aromatherapy" and Max wonders what is going on. Aromatherapy is used by a Roselia or a Vileplume to cure Confusion or Paralysis. And indeed, inside the drum is a Roselia and Vileplume that use Aromatherapy to get Seviper up.
Sheridan orders another drum, then whispers for a Helping Hand, and Max figures out what is going on as he overhears Sheridan call for Helping Hand from Shroomish and Makuhita. Seviper, completely rejuvenated, hits Pikachu with an extremely strong Poison Tail and Thatcher says that this shows the power of cheering, while Seviper is cured of another Thunderbolt by Aromatherapy, and Pikachu tries again and again, and each time Seviper is cured by Aromatherapy and Helping Hand until Pikachu is exhausted and Seviper seems completely unhurt.
Sheridan waffles on about how anything is possible when a Pokemon and its Trainer are working together with a cheering squad behind them, and Max is determined to prove him a liar. Seviper hits a Poison Tail and an exhausted Pikachu can't dodge it as Thatcher says that not even Pikachu can beat great cheering.
Seviper Wraps Pikachu and Sheridan calls for Helping Hand, but then Max shoves the drums over and sends them crashing into Seviper and Pikachu and reveals the Pokemon inside.. much to Sheridan's horror!
Max reveals the horrible truth and the twerps (and Thatcher) are horrified, and so are all the cheerleaders as Thatcher moans that his beautiful scheme is ruined, and they moan in horror that they believed in him and trusted him and.... paid a lot of money!
Oh yeah, about that, well....
HE CHEESES IT!
Jesse growls his cheering was annoying anyway but she still has a chance to grab Pikachu, and uses Wrap on him. Ash yells out that they were only winning by cheating, and they have more power due to their friendship and trust, and Jesse responds by having Seviper use Haze on Ash. Ash cries out for Thunder and Pikachu lets rip with what power it has left, causing Seviper to bllpp in horror and crash to the ground beaten, Ash wins!
"I don't know what's worse, the cheering or that friendship he blathers about," grunts Jesse,"The only good strategy is the original Team Rocket strategy of evil, soo.... prepare for trouble and now listen to our cheer!"
"MAKING IT DOUBLE MAKES IT PERFECTLY CLEAR!" roars James as he and Meowth lower down in the Happy Buddha Face Meowth Balloon in the background, darting about through the air to keep in frame as Jesse takes up camera space.
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all peoples within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Aha! Jesse."
"Hmm... HOO HOO HOO HOO HA, James," cries James, zooming up next to Jesse clutching a loudspeaker.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light,"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight and fight!"
"Meowth! Dat's right!"
"WOBBUFFET!"
Jesse gloats and then realises they don't have the supercool robot from her earlier imaginings, and Meowth explains they spent all their dough on paying Sheridan.... but they don't need a robot, Pikachu is exhausted from the fight! They grab Pikachu with a mechanical arm and it doesn't have the energy to blast clear, so Thatcher has Plusle and Minun use Helping Hand to jack Pikachu back up, and it releases such a big blast that it changes the weather, brings down lightning and Team Rocket realise that even their standard electricity protection isn't going to protect them from a lightning blast.
"I should have known something like that would happen once we got involved with all of those stuck-up cheerleaders," sighs Jesse.
"Cheerleaders are NOT stuck-up!" growls James.
"WOBBUFFET!" agrees Wobbuffet, and then lightning strikes and they're sent blasting off again!
Plusle and Minun celebrate with Pikachu by rubbing their asses all together (seriously!) and Ash thanks Thatcher for lending a helping hand with Helping Hand. Thatcher says that he got it wrong by focusing on helping others instead of working to develop a relationship with his Pokemon and rely on that bond to get them through.
"I'm gonna get out of here and make a whole new start myself," says one Cheerleader.
"Speaking of that, how about a whole new start on romance with me?!?" cries Brock, and Max drags him away. Thatcher tells Ash that he'll always consider him to be his true Master, but as the sun sets, Ash heads on towards his next Pokemon Gym Battle while Thatcher stays behind with an emotionally vulnerable cheerleader in a short skirt looking for some kind of validation in her life.
It looks like Thatcher has all ready learned a few things that Ash hasn't!
| BEST QUOTES |
 "I could be the beautiful Team Captain that everybody’s jealous of!"  "I've always had a great admiration for women in the business of pep." "That guy's just a big fat liar!""How about a whole new start on romance with me!?!
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