487: Faced With Steelix Determination!
Dodgy Synopsis
|
491: Bakuso Haganeru! Bippa no Mura o Mamore!
|
Today's pre-episode teaser sees a VERY pissed off Steelix with three shovels jammed in its head roaring at the twerps and Team Rocket, then giving chase as it blasts at them with Hyperbeam, frightening a nearby colony of Bidoof - fluffy, beaver like Pokémon.
Welp, it looks like today we're being....
Team Rocket dig away in the middle of a forest, having created a series of pitfalls down the road. Jesse and James are exhausted by all their work and beg to stop, but Meowth snaps at them angrily that if they want to stop and rest, or afford food, they need to keep digging! So dig they do, until they wedge the shovels into the ground and get them stuck, and can't get them loose! They tug and pull, pull and tug to no avail, and then suddenly the dirt beneath them erupts up and they fall backwards, finding themselves faced with a VERY pissed off looking Steelix!
Meanwhile, the twerps continue along towards Floaroma Town, only to hear a cringing, weeping Bidoof hiding behind a rock. They note a bruise on its head, and Brock approaches with some super-potion, kneels down and sprays it (after Pikachu reassures it that Brock won't murder it) and then slaps a handy bandaid on its head, which would probably come in really handy if, for example, we needed to somehow identify it amongst a bunch of other Bidoof later in the episode!
Checking it out with the Pokedex, they learn to Bidoof hang around water, but there is no water nearby.... or is there? Brock checks his map and discovers there is a waterfall nearby, and they offer to take Bidoof to rejoin its family, which is presumably there. Before they can get going, however, Team Rocket come legging it around the corner screaming,"Move it or lose it!" only to pull up short when they realise they've encountered the twerps. Any thoughts of grabbing Pikachu, however, are cut short by the arrival of "Shovelhead" which roars in fury at all the gathered humans and chases them towards a fork in the road.
Bidoof leads them left (yes they take the advice of a beaver with a concussion) and Team Rocket prepare to follow them, only to be blasted by Hyperbeam which sends Meowth careening through the air towards the twerps.
He crashes to the ground in front of the twerps, then leaps up and angrily yells at Steelix that this wasn't necessary.... then realises that arguing with the giant pissed off iron snake with three shovels jammed in its head probably isn't the best idea. They take off together, followed by Steelix, and leave behind hiding in the bushes... Jesse and James! They belatedly realise they're "short by one Meowth", and gasp that he must be being stalked by Steelix!
Meanwhile the twerps have been lead near the waterfall and run through an underground rock path, leaving behind Steelix which can't dig beneath the hard rock surface. Temporarily relieved, the twerps look around and realise they've found a Bidoof village... the little beavers have their own little bush homes!
Brock wonders why none of the other Bidoof came to help their friend, and Meowth translates that the local Steelix prevents them from moving out beyond the village... and that rocky ground won't hold it in place forever. The twerps decide that interfering in the natural, cruel order of Mother Nature is a necessity, and clamber up over the rock walls to spy on the Steelix, Meowth telling them that with his strategy skills they'll be sure to figure something out. But just then, Jesse and James arrive looking for Meowth, calling for him to come out since Steelix is long gone now an..... Oh. There it is!
"We need to work on our timing," mutters Jesse.
They're blasted over the rock wall by Hyperbeam and land on their asses, Jesse making a comment that they just landed "right on the county seat" before finding themselves surrounded by Bidoof... and reunited with Meowth!
The twerps step up and angrily condemn Team Rocket for being the cause of all this, and Team Rocket react angrily by saying the twerps are only thinking of themselves! They'll be slaughtered if they head out of the little sanctuary.... in fact, the twerps wrote the book on being selfish!
The twerps' retort is that Team Rocket caused this all to happen with their shovels, and Jesse angrily snaps about them and their "details" before looking about and seemingly coming up with a plan all her own.... they're going to live in the Bidoofs' home!
Meowth happily declares he wants a piece of that (Jesse or James isn't made clear, but you can probably guess!) and moves to join them, but Dawn stops him, mentioning his earlier boosts about strategy skills, and Meowth moans that sometimes being able to talk is such a pain.
Outside, Steelix continues to smash against the wall, terrifying the Bidoof and pissing off Ash, who decides they need to block up the hole..... so all the Bidoof can starve to death over a period of days?
Piplup blasts Steelix with Bubblebeam to distract it as the Bidoof, Pikachu and Meowth get set rolling logs and rocks to form a "Steelix Shield". Ash steps up and asks Jesse and James to help, but they point out they're much too hungry to help, but not too hungry to nap.
Slowly they build up the barricade while Piplup blasts Steelix with Bubblebeam, but finally it wears itself out and Dawn has to recall it.... and Steelix immediately smashes through the rock wall and smashes against the less secure log wall, which immediately begins to crack.... and suddenly Dawn has a brilliant idea, they should get the shovels out of Steelix's head!
Brock grunts that it might just work, this idea of removing the three blades jammed into an angry Pokémon’s head that caused it to get angry in the first place (not explaining how come the Bidoof were apparently scared of it BEFORE all that happened), but how are they going to do it? Dawn points out the gully inside the village and says that if Meowth (MEOWTH!) can lead it in there, they can get at it from above. The little terrified cat is horrified, as the twerps and Pikachu loom over it looking entirely too enthusiastic about sending it in as bait.
Steelix bursts through the log wall with a roar and spots Meowth, which starts running towards the gully and right towards Jesse and James! They step out of their little hut as Meowth leaps into the gully and Ash sends in Staravia to grab him out of midair, leaving the Steelix to plummet towards the bottom of the gully and certain death!
The twerps rush down the side of the gully to the unconscious Steelix, while Meowth is lowered down beside Jesse and James who note that he's had a rough day. He starts screaming down at Steelix he's going to knock him down a few pegs and begins sticking out his tongue, joined by a delighted Jesse and James who enthusiastically take part in mocking and taunting the unconscious monster. The twerps stare up horrified, shouting at them to shut the hell up. Shut the hell up? Well if that isn't a request for a motto, then what is!?!
"It whines to me, loud and clear!"
"On the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"In yer ear!"
"Bringing forth chaos at a breakneck pace."
"Dashing hope, putting fear in its place."
"A rose by any other name's just as sweet."
"When everything's worse, our work is complete."
"RUHHHHH-GOOOOOOAR!" ruh-goar's Steelix, woken by the noise.
"Juh-Jesse?" asks Jesse.
"And it's.... James?"
"Yeah, who cares?" grumps Meowth as he realises too late what they've done.
“P-putting the do-gooders.... in their place?” stutters Jesse.
“Because we’re Team Rocket....” moans James, but it’s too late to finish.
Steelix has woken up PISSED off! It lifts itself up suddenly, the twerps falling to the ground as it lunges for Team Rocket and sends them blasting off again!
The enraged Steelix twists about blasting Hyperbeam around the little Bidoof Village, bringing down trees and shattering homes as the horrified Bidoof look about wondering what the fuck they did to deserve all this. Ash sends Staravia in to use Aerial Ace on one of the shovels, knocking it clear, but when it comes back for more, a wild flail of Steelix's tail knocks the bird, and Ash has to call it back. Pikachu charges up Steelix's back and uses Iron Tail to knock loose another shovel, but then as it prepares for a third, Steelix rolls backwards into a wall and smashes Pikachu to the ground, leaving it with still one last shovel in its head.
The bandaged Bidoof tells the big Daddy Bidoof that they need to do something, while the twerps try to reason with the enraged, pained Steelix to no avail - for some reason it's not in the mood to listen to these kids who tricked it into falling down a gully to knock it unconscious. But up above, Big Daddy Bidoof hears the inspiring words of,"Bidoof, bidoof, biiiiidoof," and proclaims,"Bidoof, BIDOOF!" back in a galvanising speech for the ages!
They all leap down into the gully, landing on Steelix's head and chomping at the wooden handle of the shovel as Steelix charges towards the waterfall.... which will probably kill IT!
Ash calls out Turtwig and has it race ahead of Steelix and blast it with Razor Leaf, giving it pause as the Bidoof tug and pull at the shovel to try and get it loose. Turtwig is blasted away by Hyperbeam and Steelix continues its destructive path onwards.... but then the Bidoof pull the shovel clear and Steelix hauls to a stop, only a few feet from certain death!
The Bidoof pose triumphantly holding up the shovel, and the worst fears of man are realised. A small society of mammals with powers can now not only build their own homes but ALSO use tools!
But luckily for the future of the human race, the Bidoof toss the shovel (and their own key to freedom from the enslavement to humanity) away. And as the sun sets, the Steelix moves away and the Bidoof celebrate as the twerps happily declare that their work is done and it is time to move on.
But we never get an answer to the question of why the Bidoof were afraid of the Steelix BEFORE the shovel incident. Is it just going to go home and sleep of its headache, then come back and eat them the next day?
| BEST QUOTES |
 "That's no fair, we're not done yet!" "If we can't tell them we're in their face, how will they know!?!"
|
|
