421: Wheel of Frontier
Dodgy Synopsis
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425: Arina! Kakuto Taiketsu!
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Yes the mistakenly thought to be dead 80s Comedy Star is back, reprising his role as Scott. He grins up at the twerps from behind his sunglasses, eager to see Ash fight for his Second Battle Frontier Symbol. Of course Scott knows a little bit more than Ash (putting him in a minority of six billion), and knows that Ash has ahead of him a martial-arts epic along the lines of Enter The Dragon. It is time for Ash to spin the.....
Hey, all the twerps said the line together like the audience in Wheel of Fortune!
As Ash settles in with Scott to hear all about his opponent, we are given a sneak peek. At the Battle Dojo, arms are thrust in perfect, inhuman precision as an army of soldiers go through the motions and routines of your average, everyday evil army.
Yes it seems we have a Kanto Equivalent to Johto's Falconer and his evil army, all under the instruction of Greta - a smugly hard-faced woman with a blonde dominatrix's hairdo crossed with Princess Leia's. She roars instructions to her Nazi-like fighters, and her army is impressively well-functioning..... with just THREE slight problems.
Yes it seems Team Rocket have somehow gotten themselves mixed up in this evil army, all a part of Meowth's plan to not draw attention to themselves.... in order to get the twerps attention when they try and steal Pikachu! Unfortunately it is a lot of work and they've never been ones for strict regimented training and discipline. As all the soldiers are lined up and made to balance teacups on heads and shoulders (James complaining that his hair is aching!), all three are quick to collapse and create more clean up duty for them all.
Greta's Captain approaches to tell her that he's received word from Scott of a new challenger for the Battle Arena, and rather chillingly she reveals she already knows this - it seems her Evil Army also has evil Scouts that collect evil intelligence for her!
Meanwhile, Scott is telling Ash about Greta, who is a Fighting Pokémon Trainer who uses the likes of Medicham and Hariyama and hero-worships the likes of Chuck and Brawly. That's good news for Ash who has beaten both of them in the past, and they prepare to head out to make the challenge. But as Scott and the other twerps move along, Ash suddenly stops, causing them to turn around and see him do something he doesn't normally do.
ASH IS THINKING!
We'll find out what about soon, as the next we know despite telling the others to go ahead without him, Ash is with the other twerps at the Gates of Greta's Evil Base of Evilness calling out to see if anyone is home. Scott says that this isn't going to do it, and appears to wolf-whistle, although a quick edit allows his voice actor to scream out that he wants a challenge. The doors open and Ash enters to see Greta and her army waiting for him, Greta eager to finally face a challenger who has some spine. She poses in front of her Evil Army of Mind-Broken Soldiers and a live action explosion appears behind her to represent her battle spirit.... and Ash does exactly the same back!
Greta seems impressed, while the other twerps seem nonplussed by the melodramatics. Greta cries out to Ash to SPIN THE WHEEL and the ground rumbles as an Evil hatch opens and an Evil Wheel raises up out of the ground (the ground itself is neutral). The Wheel will use random chance (EVIL GRETA EMBRACES CHAOS! THE BATTLE WITH THE GUARDS WAS EXTRAORDINARY, AND I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU TO JOIN US!) to choose if the battle will be one on one, two on two or three on three. Ash spins the Wheel of Frontier and gets his random allocation, it's a two on two battle!
Jesse spots the twerps and tells Meowth that he was right, all this not attracting attention has attracted the twerps. James begins to point something out but is distracted by Mime Jr. popping out to happily mimic James scrubbing the floor as Jesse and Meowth are supposed to be doing. He giggles over how cute it is, then belatedly remembers his point - they can't stop polishing the floors to grab Pikachu and beat a hasty retreat because then the guy in the place where they aren't anymore will make them polish the ceiling too!
Wait... what?
Regardless, Jesse and Meowth sigh and agree to go back to cleaning the floors, being patient and waiting for the right time to strike.
Eager and willing to fight, Ash and Greta face off and the "Arena Tycoon" calls out her Pokémon - Medicham and Hariyama!
Well, wait, that's not actually a surprise....
Meanwhile, Ash is ready to call out his Pokémon - Grovyle (of course) and.... Snorlax! Guessing what Ash's delay earlier was, Brock figures that Ash called in to Professor Oak and had Snorlax transferred over, but is this a good idea? Max is worried though, since Snorlax is a Normal Type facing off against two Fighting Types, and Scott admits it is a bit strange, surely be at the disadvantage?
Ummm, it's a huge fatass that can take a licking and keep on ticking! Plus it has beaten up plenty of Fighting Types in the past... go back to what you do best, John Candy, making John Hughes' movies!
The battle kicks off between Grovyle and Hariyama, with Grovyle trying to use its speed to outmanoeuvre Hariyama. Hariyama tries it's punching arm thrusts but Grovyle is able to dodge, but the attacks seem to do little if nothing to Hariyama which blocks or dodges all of the attacks, then displays quickness of its own to get hold of Grovyle and slam it to the ground. Ash goes back to the well and uses Grovyle's Supreme Speed again, dodging around it and hitting a couple of good shots... but Hariyama takes it all and keeps on ticking, Focus Punching Grovyle flying high into the air and crashing into the ceiling before dropping back down to the ground and getting knocked the fuck out!
Not a good start with Ash, he's down to one Pokémon against Greta's two, and despite Ash's own stupid confidence, Greta is ready to end the match quickly without even having to use her Medicham.
Watching with the other Evil Soldiers of Doom, Jesse and James are getting fidgety, telling Meowth they don't want to wait any longer.
Back into the battle, Hariyama rushes for a series of quick, methodical strikes on Snorlax. The big fat happy Pokémon just uses Protect at Ash's command though and stands there taking it all, frowning slightly at the "little" Hariyama tapping it softly on the belly.
A final big blow pushes Snorlax back towards Ash though it hasn't taken any damage, and Greta is impressed by the defence and wants to test her Evil Training Powers by having Hariyama have another shot at Snorlax. This time Snorlax dodges though, head butting Hariyama and sending it skidding backwards towards Greta. She tells Hariyama to wrap things up with a Focus Punch and Ash goes for Protect again.... but the Focus Punch breaks through it and sends Snorlax bouncing backwards and crashing down on its face!
The twerps are horrified but Ash confidently tells Snorlax to get back up, and it does and it looks PISSED! Hariyama goes for another Focus Punch but Snorlax dodges, causing Hariyama to slam its fist painfully into the ground and leave it open for an Ice Punch that knocks it out AND freezes it in place!
DOUBLE KO!
Scott is impressed, Ash's strategy had nothing to do with Pokémon Types.... but now Medicham is in fresh and.... flipping the bird!?!
Well that's just rude!
Medicham tries a sneak attack and manages to push through Snorlax's protect, but amazingly it is able to kip-up... but it is looking wobbly on its feet! Scott smugly notes that Snorlax is at the end of its rope and Greta laughs that Ash won't win using nothing but defence. Medicham goes to land a killing blow and Snorlax tries to Hyper beam it, but it dodges and punches the massive Pokémon through the air, the watching Evil Soldiers of Evil scattering before it can land.... all except three! Yes Team Rocket are sent flying through the air.... and out of their "disguises"!
Well hell, they were tired of waiting anyway, and Jesse grins that they can see her fit physique better that way!
"But making it double can!"
"An evil as old as the galaxy!"
"Sent here to fulfil our destiny!"
"Wif Meowth dat's me!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jesse!"
"And James!"
"Meowth's da name!"
"Whenever there’s peace in the universe!"
"Team Rocket!"
"Is dere!"
"AHA!" adds in Jesse, thrusting a wild perspective into the camera.
"No duh!" adds James, doing the same.
"To make everything worse!" they finish together.
"WOBBBBBB-UFFET!"
"Mime Mime!"
Perhaps not surprisingly, Greta immediately recognizes another evil organisation and identifies them. They couldn't care less though, they're finally going to capture Pikachu! They leap up and....
They waited for THIS!?!
As they're blasted off again, Jesse and James complain bitterly about following Meowth's "dummy" plan, and he angrily retorts that the real dummies are those who listen to a dummy's plan.
Well... I guess that makes sense. I guess.
With Team Rocket gone, the battle kicks off again, and it is a pretty vicious affair, with both Pokémon attempting Ice Punches that Medicham dodges, leaving Snorlax frozen in a block of ice. Ash acts quickly, calling for Snorlax to use Rest, and as it settles into a slumber and restores its health and energy, Medicham attacks with Evil intensity of Evil, desperate to get through the ice to the crunchy Snorlax within.
Snorlax's head is exposed and Medicham charges to attack, Medicham hammers in on Snorlax again and again, the big Pokémon finally dodging aside as the ice is broken and cracked enough for it to move. Unfortunately when it attempts a Hyper-Beam it misses and finds itself tuckered out, and Medicham moves in for the kill. It beats in Snorlax's face brutally, smashing bone and gristle, crushing its face with punch after punch in then charges for one last blast to put Snorlax out as Greta gushes over finally facing a REAL challenger and revels in the Evil glee of Evilness that comes from vanquishing Bruce Le.... from vanquishing a worthy foe. But as Medicham approaches, Snorlax's Hyper beam reenergises and at Ash's instruction it blasts it into.... the ground!?! The blast sends Snorlax flying up into the air and Medicham skids to a stop and looks up, realising that it has left itself completely open to a very large, very fat Pokémon falling VERY fast towards it.
The results? Well as you can see, Gentle Dodgers, they're not pretty!
Yes, Ash has won! Greta's Evil Empire is crumbling down around her ears much as Falconer's did before her! And Scott seems suitably pleased, almost as if this was all part of his plan!
Or maybe he just had a really good lunch?
Suitably - or perhaps symbolically - when Ash is handed his second Frontier Symbol by Greta he learns it is called the Gut Symbol, which is just what Snorlax used to win!
Scott tells him that the next Frontier Brain is in the Battle Dome and can be found near Lavender Town. But who cares, because the simple fact is....
Ash has won his second Frontier Symbol!
| BEST QUOTES |
 "We're gonna rake in so much cash it'll knock ya socks off.... so hold on to dem socks!"
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