418: Fear Factor Phony
Dodgy Synopsis
|
422: Esupa VS Gosuto! Mayonaka no Ketto!?
|
The episode begins with the twerps making their way through a dark forest, frightened by the storm clouds rolling in and blocking the stars and the moon. As they ponder how to find shelter or a Pokémon Centre somewhere within the next 3 feet, Pikachu's ears perk up and it races off ahead leaving them behind.
Maybe it was scared by their new voices, all of which sound very slightly off from normal now that there are new voice actors? Probably not, since the voices are far better than they were in the first Pokémon Special, especially Brock's. But I'm sure some people are still going to call them phonies. And since they're about to head into a veritable ghost town that will terrify them, we can make a gigantic segueway into today's title:
And oh God, oh God the new opening music is so bad! It's some guy kind of warbling on about "how it's the battle win or lose it's the friends you make it's the road you choose you got the right stuff so make your mind up find the courage inside of you if you're strong you'll survive and you'll keep your dream alive it's the Battle Frontier - Pokémon! - be the best you can be and find your destiny, it's the Master Plan, the power's in your hands! Pokémon!" while Ash screams at his Pokémon and May, Drew and Harley's Pokémon shoot laser beams out of their mouths. It's not really that baaaaaaaad but after the amazing Advanced Battle opening credits it's a bit of a letdown.
And speaking of let-downs, so is the town the twerps find themselves in as they chase Pikachu. There's nobody about, it appears to be a ghost town, and it's freaking May out till Max explains that the "Ghost" in Ghost-Town doesn't mean actually ghosts, just that nobody is living there.
They head on into the town and discover an old mine, peering in as Brock suggest they shelter from the coming bad weather in there rather than one of the perfectly serviceable and numerous deserted buildings! As they peer in, though, a GIGANTIC Haunter forms out of the darkness and chuckles and bubbles its own gurgling name up out of its spectral throat.
Screaming in horror at seeing a ghost (for the millionth time) they turn and run screaming, a scream heard and recognised by...... STONED TEAM ROCKET!
Yes complaining of the munchies and looking dazed and confused, Team Rocket have apparently gotten into Giovanni's secret stash and watch from a scaffolding down on the main street of the ghost-town as the twerps run off in terror. Bemused and a little confused, the stoned trio manage to saunter their way down to the mineshaft and take a look in; still completely hammered from whatever foul demon weed they've been smoking.
But then the giant Haunter appears before them too, and after a few delayed moments of smiling in a daze at the monstrosity, they finally forget they've seen plenty of ghosts in the past and freak out.... they've totally lost their buzz!
The twerps meanwhile have hidden themselves inside one of the abandoned cabins in the old mining town, peeking out the window and spotting that the threatening rain has finally arrived. Such rough weather means leaving the town isn't going to be possible, so they're going to have to spend the night in the haunted ghost town.
Team Rocket also awaken, having fainted from the sheer terror of the ghost. They also find it to be raining meaning they're stuck in the mineshaft, and they carefully discuss the ramifications of what they've seen.... a ghost? Well Jesse says not to be so ridiculous, there are no such things as ghosts.... a fact Wobbuffet happily agrees with, though unfortunately in a rather sudden and shocking fashion. After covering up her fright with anger, she furiously insists that they didn't see a ghost at all, it was just their hunger pangs given them a shared hallucination. Just then the last lingering effects of the drugs seem to kick in, and it is random dance party time!
Well this "new" version of Pokémon is at least still bat-shit insane!
As they dance though, the Haunter returns and terrifies them anew, but this time Team Rocket decide to stand and fight! Jesse and James call out Seviper and Cacnea, which have little to no effect on the giant Haunter, so Jesse sends in Meowth.... against his will! Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, she tosses him and he flies through the Haunter and smashes into a light fixture, and amazingly power is still running inside the place as sparks fly and the lights light up, terrifying the giant Haunter and causing it to disappear - though that is too late to save Wobbuffet from cowardice as it already turned and bolted out of there leaving its friends to die! Team Rocket look about and to their astonishment find a group of cowering Ghost Pokémon hiding behind a rock, and realise the giant Haunter was actually an illusion created by them. They're furious, and Meowth prepares to show them what for, until one starts talking and Meowth starts to listen.
Meanwhile, back in the cabin May lies in a near panic as the others sleep, too scared to nod off herself. But then she hears music coming from the next room and, terrified, she has three options to go to for comfort. One is her tiny, nerdish brother. The other is the obsessive sugar-daddy Brock; and the third is a moron with a talent for beating up Pokémon.
She macks on the Pokémon Beater.
Trying to shake him awake doesn't work, so her next strategy is to just scream at him till it finally permeates the thick, foggy depths of his brain and wakes him and the others up. Brock can also hear the music, and they head off to find the source of the music, moving down the empty and spooky corridors and slowly popping their head through a door to discover that Team Rocket weren't the only ones sampling some illegal substances today, there is a dance party going on! What is worse, it seems to be centred around a nasty little piece of Pokémon jailbait called Kirlia!
The twerps think this filthy depravity and overt hedonism is cute, and Max notices that an Abra is sleeping in an orb of green light off on a love seat in the corner. May wants to see too and tries to push past Ash and Brock to get a closer look. This tips them all over and knocks the needle off of the record as they crash into the floor and bring an end to the Psychic Pokémon Underage Dance Party.
The Pokémon take off, leaving behind the sleeping Abra inside of a Safeguard bubble that keeps the noise out. Ash stupidly tries to touch it and gets his hand zapped, and Max finds a picture on the floor of miners with the Psychic Pokémon. Brock thinks that they probably lived in the town and used the Psychic Pokémon to do the heavy lifting, and just then Abra's dream become visible inside the Safeguard Bubble and proves their theory. Brock surmises that the Pokémon were sad, and May guesses that the only way they could find to cheer themselves up was with chemically fuelled dance parties with underage Pokémon girls dancing on a table for them.
Works for the Russians!
They decide to cheer the Pokémon back up by setting up the table with some food and putting the music back on, and soon the dance party is back on, the music attracting the Psychic Pokémon and the dirty ass underage dancer Kirlia!
As the dance party continues, Team Rocket have discovered the Ghost Pokémon’s side of the story. Apparently they lived there in peace and quiet until the miners came, and after the miners left things got worse as the Psychic Pokémon started having loud parties. They created the fake giant Haunter as a way of scaring the Psychics off, but it hasn't worked. Well Team Rocket see opportunity in this, if they can capture the Psychic Pokémon with the Ghost Pokémon’s help, they can give the boss Pokémon with the ability to mine for gold! It is a brilliant plan with just one flaw, it doesn't take into account...... LOVE!
Yes the still frantically fleeing Wobbuffet finally stops and stands panting by a window, and looking through it spots Kirlia and falls in love and falls hard! Entering the cabin through the saloon doors and surprising the twerps, it stomps up blushing with one club-like arm behind its back and the other bravely saluting before giving Kirlia a flower and blushing with delight when she accepts.
But then suddenly.... the giant Haunter returns! And this time it has giant metal arms coming out of its mouth! All of the psychic Pokémon but Abra are grabbed, and Pikachu and Kirlia are caught as well! Wobbuffet is horrified and leaps into the mouth of the Haunter, causing it to go into paroxysms of shock before suddenly its visage fades to reveal.... a horrifying monstrosity of a robot! It's not a ghost at all, it's a Team Rocket robot with Ghost Pokémon providing an illusionary cover!
"Prepare for trouble, you think you're so smart!""And make it double, striking fear is an art!"
"An evil as old as the galaxy!"
"Sent here to fulfil our destiny!"
"Wif Meowth and dat's me!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jesse!"
"James!"
"Meowth's my name!"
"Wherrrrrrrrrever there’s peace in the universe!" moans Jesse, emerging as a ghost from a well for some reason.
"Tea Rocket!" moans James, similarly a ghost in their motto performance.
"Will be dere!"
"To make everything worse!" they finish together.
"WOBBBBBB-UFFET!" agrees Wobbuffet, saluting despite being caught up in one of the mechanical hands.
"Chiiiiime!"
Wobbuffet pulls clear and drops down to where the Pokémon are trapped in a cage inside the robot's belly, while the twerps demand that Team Rocket free the captured Pokémon. They laugh it off, though, saying that their Robot is designed to be protected from Electric and Psychic Attacks (that's awfully specific!) so the twerps might as well buy a battery and paint it yellow!
May wants to know why the Ghost Pokémon are helping Team Rocket, and gets a nasty lesson when it is explained that the Psychic Pokémon are ruining the Ghost Pokémon’s town. They're momentarily taken aback that Team Rocket are "kind of" in the right, but they're still pissed off at how they're treating the Psychic Pokémon... plus, you know.... they've kidnapped Pikachu! Wobbuffet is similarly outraged as it stares at Kirlia and the others behind their cage, and in a remarkable moment Wobbuffet actually uses physical attacks as it charges and smashes its way through the cage, freeing them all!
Team Rocket are horrified at this treason, while all the Psychic Pokémon except for Kirlia cheese it, running directly over the top of Wobbuffet's pudgy blue body. The Ghost Pokémon throw an attack at the retreating Psychic Pokémon and Pikachu, but Kirlia zips past Wobbuffet and up into the air, throwing up Reflect to stop the attack.
The Ghost Pokémon Attack is reflected back into Team Rocket, sending them blasting off again as James moans that he thought Wobbuffet liked him! Apparently Wobbuffet does, since out of nowhere it joins them in their blasting off, flapping its arms and screaming its own name with patient delight.
Back in the town, the Psychic and Ghost Pokémon face off while Kirlia stares sadly at the flower that Wobbuffet gave her. A Thunderbolt from Pikachu separates the two opposing forces, and the twerps note that Abra is STILL asleep thanks to Safeguard, which gives them the answer they need.
So as the new day dawns, we find the Psychic Pokémon still enjoying a chemical fuelled dance party while Abra sleeps with headphones on, Safeguard now surrounding all of them which also means no noise gets out. That means the Ghost Pokémon can also enjoy some peace and quiet, and the twerps head off once again safe in the knowledge that everybody is happy!
Well.... except Abra which still misses its former Trainer.
Oh, and Kirlia, who had her heart broken.
Oh yeah, and the Psychic Pokémon who are going to crash and burn any day now.
Other than that.... it's all good!
| BEST QUOTES |
 "We'd grab so much gold all my whiskers'd turn green!"
|
|
