291: Brave the Wave
|
|
Brave the Wave
The Dewford Gym sits on a cliff top looking out over the ocean, and when the twerps arrive they see that the golden sign above the entrance gate bear images of Fighting Pokemon and a sign on the door proclaims, "Fight the Big Wave!"
Brock suggests that a Fighting Type Gym might mean a Pokemon Trainer like Chuck from Cyanwood Gym, a tough trainer who actually let his Machoke punch him in the stomach as part of his training. But Ash seems unconcerned as he steps up to the door and asks if anyone is in, then promptly gets run over by a bunch of surfers bursting out of the Gym. A tall, muscular surfer with blue hair, big forelocks and a mullet approaches Ash along with a surfer girl.
"What say we catch a ride on the surfboard of love?" Brock clumsily tries on her as the blue-haired surfer introduces himself as Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader. Well this is great news for Ash, who asks for a battle immediately and gets.... turned down! Yes apparently the waves are really awesome today so he's going surfing, but maybe Ash could come back tomorrow? With that he and the other surfer girls rush off, leaving behind a furious Ash while May tells him that it IS possible to be a Gym Leader and lead a life too (the last Gym Leader - Roxanne - actually put Ash off as well so she could teach) and she wouldn't mind surfing either!
Brock agrees... in that he wants to go see some surf girls! Ash and Max are left behind to commiserate that no one else wants to have a Pokemon battle and eventually head down to the beach themselves.
Well it does look like a good time! Held Cells of people surfing inanimate waves battle for dominance with trucking shots of people not moving on the beach. In the background of this scene we can see a small cafe, and inside two beachgoers enter and find that there do not appear to be any staff about.
"Prepare for trouble do you want fries with that?" cries a familiar voice as Jesse appears from behind the counter.
"Double delish with half the fat!" adds James.
"To protect the world from unhealthy food!"
"To give great service and never be rude!"
"To denounce the evils of high carbohydrates!"
"To extend our reach to the earth and all of its primates!"
"Jesse!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket gives great service at the speed of light!"
"Pay your bill and leave a tip or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth dat's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
The customers are taken aback and order a couple of super sodas, then run away in horror as Meowth spots the twerps on the beach and declares that they're done with this crappy job now. James agrees, pointing out that "We surfers know how to ride the waves of good luck!" despite never actually having been a surfer, as Jesse notes.
On the beach, May stares in joy at the scene before her and then to Max's horror (and the copyright infringement on hundreds of hentai artists) begins stripping! Desperate to protect his family honour, Max yells at her not to get changed right here on the beach, but as her clothes hit the sand, the camera shows her to have already been wearing a skimpy two piece bikini under her clothes while a sweat dropping Ash and Max look on.
As Brock asks some surfing girls if they'd like to come ride the waves of love with him when they've finished surfing, Ash watches as Brawly surfs along with a Pokemon, a Makohita. It looks like a sack of crap tied up around the head, a big round sumo looking motherfucker that - according to Dextina,"Never gives up, always getting back up on its feet no matter how many times it gets knocked over. Each time rising to its feet builds up energy in its body."
Ash is furious with Brawly for passing over battling so that he can surf and declares he will battle him right there on the beach. As Makohita and Brawly surf on a big wave, Ash yells at them from the shore to come and fight him. Brawly calls back that he isn't going to fight while beside him Makohita starts to lose balance, causing Brawly to turn his attention back to his Pokemon while Ash dives into the water and swims into the wave, popping up between the startled Gym Leader and Pokemon to beg for another battle. They all wipe out and crash onto the beach, Brawly giving Makohita chest compressions fearing that it has swallowed water and gotten even rounder. The other twerps ask Brawly if Makohita is all right - it is - and then Ash burrows his way through the sand and pops his head up (maybe he should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque?) still pleading for a battle.
On a rowboat out in the water Team Rocket see Pikachu and fire a rocket-propelled net and captures Pikachu in a shock proof net that electrocutes Pikachu instead whenever it uses an electric attack. With this capture, Team Rocket is convinced once more than Giovanni will make them the heads of the Hoenn Branch of Team Rocket (despite the fact they're technically speaking already the top ranking Team Rocket members in Hoenn). Brawly demands to know who they are and we are treated to a second rendition of the motto.
"Prepare for trouble all you dudes and dudettes!" cries Jesse.
"Make it double.... " starts James, before being interrupted by Meowth who snaps that they've already done their motto for the day and they should run now before they inevitably lose Pikachu! Seeing the logic in this despite going against their artistic flair, they begin to row away into the ocean (and probably their Magikarp Submarine. But Brawly sends in Makohita, which paddles at a tremendous rate on its surfboard after Team Rocket and crashes hard into their boat, knocking Pikachu free. Ash rushes up to Pikachu (whose net managed not to drown it AND landed it right by the shore) and frees it while Jesse and Meowth try to stop up holes in their boat (it has more holes than a donut factory!) while James proclaims that he doesn't want to run!
Which is sadly a moot point, since Pikachu then Thunderbolts them and sends Team Rocket blasting off again.... already!
Brawly is quite impressed with Pikachu, saying it is an amazing Pokemon with a Thunderbolt with oomph. Ash again pleads for a battle and to his delight, Brawly agrees!
Once back inside the Gym, Ash stretches in preparation, May noting that he seems super confident and wondering what his strategy will be. Brock and Max figure he probably doesn't have one and Brock tries to help by reminding Ash that Fighting Types usually use power moves, so if he uses a Flying Pokemon he can avoid most of them. Ash replies that he was already planning on using Taillow and when even May starts to think he is being a little "too" confident, he assures her that there is no way a casual surfer dude is going to be able to beat him.
One of Brawly's assistants announces the rules, each Trainer will use two Pokemon but only the challenging trainer - Ash - will be allowed to use substitutions. Ash sends out Taillow while Brawly sends out Machop, which May looks up with great interest, learning that Machop is capable of great feats of strength.
Ash is still confident, perhaps reassured by the Ric Flair-esque nature of Machop's horrible pectorals. He sends Taillow in using Wing Attack which knocks Machop off of its feet.... but it rolls with the hit and comes back to its feet looking pretty smooth. Taillow uses Wing Attack again with the same result, and when the same thing happens once again Brawly appears pleased and tells Machop it is doing a great job. Ash reacts stubbornly, insisting on more Wing Attacks which continue to knock Machop around, but Machop just keeps on rolling with the blows while Brock explains to May and max that Machop is making use of its high endurance to absorb the blows and basically negate the attacks.
Finally Machop seems to stumble a little following a Wing Attack and Ash uses the opportunity to attack, telling Taillow to use Quick Attack. But as it flies forward, Brawly instructs Machop to use Cross Chop and it smashes Taillow with two forearm chops that send Taillow crashing to the ground and knock Taillow the FUCK OUT!
What happened to the unstoppable drunken Scotsman? Was Taillow's tough guy rep in that forest built on getting so drunk on fermented apples that it couldn't feel pain?
Max is also surprised at Taillow's defeat, but Brock explains to the supposedly well-read kid that Machop's skills at surfing appear to have translated into battle techniques as well. It absorbed Taillow's power attacks and turned the energy against it, and Brock warns Ash not to rely on Power Attacks to take out Brawly's Fighting Pokemon. But stubborn Ash ignores him, sending out Treecko and insisting that he can out power Machop, telling the tough little Pokemon to use Pound Attack. Treecko does so, smashing Machop in the face with its tail while Machop rolls with the attack, then rolls with the next Pound as Brawly congratulates Treecko on the "awesome"ness of its Pound Attacks. Treecko keeps on Pounding and finally Machop starts to lose its footing, allowing Treecko to leap forward with a Quick Attack. Machop pulls itself out of the way, which leaves it open and exposed to another Pound Attack that this time Machop isn't prepared for.... and Machop is out and Treecko is the winner! Brawly calls Machop back and Ash asks him what he thinks of his Pokemon, but Treecko is panting and sweating hard while Brawly seems super-confident - after all, he still has a fresh Pokemon to use! May and Max aren't thinking of this though, they're excited about Ash's comeback and it takes Brock to be the voice of reason and point out Treecko's tired state.
Brawly sends out Makohita, which stomps like a sump wrestler. Treecko tries another Quick Attack but Makohita dodges and rolls aside and managed to keep dodging Treecko's attacks. Ash doesn't see this though, he sees Makohita "retreating" from his Pokemon urges Treecko on, having it use Pound again and again until Treecko is exhausted. Ash thinks he sees an opening and calls for Quick Attack, but Makohita is ready and catches Treecko around the chest, then hauls it up and smashes it into the ground in a kind of clothesline/Rock Bottom hybrid. Treecko is smashed down, then Makohita begins a series of Arm Thrust attacks matched in their ferocity only in the lameness of the animation.
Treecko falls and Brawly laughs, declaring victory..... and Treecko gets the fuck back up! Brawly is astonished at the tenacity of Treecko which launches another Quick Attack, but Makohita catches it and leaps into the air, spinning around into a Seismic Toss attack that smashes Treecko hard into the arena floor once more, knocking Treecko right out...... except Treecko gets the fuck back up!
OUR BITCH AIN'T GOING OUT LIKE THAT!
Brawly can't believe it and neither can the twerps, but as Treecko prepares to throw down, Makohita evolves into Hariyama!
"Hariyama," says Dextina, "The Arm Thrust Pokemon. The evolved form of, Makohita, by flexing its muscles, its body becomes hard as stone."
Brawly stares at his newly evolved Pokemon and the tough but exhausted Treecko, then makes a very sensible suggestion. He tells Ash to give up to avoid Treecko being hurt, but to his surprise Ash refuses and sends in Treecko to use pound. Hariyama - a massive fat, mouthless monster with giant ears, huge glove-like hands and swollen trunks for legs - blocks the Pound Attack, then smashes a defenceless Treecko out of the battle area and into the arena wall.
This time, Treecko does not get back up.
Brawly congratulates Ash on a good battle, then tells him he better get Treecko to a Pokemon Centre before turning around and walking away, leaving Ash the loser.
At the Pokemon Centre a shell-shocked Ash asks Joy if Treecko will be okay at it lies on a medical table being administered too. She tells him it will be okay after some rest, but she doesn't like to see a Pokemon being battled that hard and walks away from him. Brock, May and Max all tell him that he should know when it is time to quit and he reacts angrily, shouting at them that they don't know anything about it, he and his Pokemon trained so hard just to get beaten by some guy who would prefer to surf!
He rushes out of the Pokemon Centre, then trudges disconsolately along the beach with Pikachu, worrying about the damage he has done to Treecko. He hears a noise and looks around a rock to see Brawly and Hariyama surfing, the now larger Pokemon trying to get used to its new body. Brawly gives it advice on how to convert surfing techniques into battling, warning it that they only beat Ash because he was so stubborn and wouldn't change his strategy. Ash realises that Brawly is ALWAYS in training whether he is surfing or battling and rushes up to him to apologise. Brawly greets him, asking how Treecko is before admitting the horrible truth.
"I was surprised by that Treecko's spunk!" he proclaims.
Ash apologises for mistaking Brawly's training techniques for goofing off, and the other twerps arrive on the scene. Brawly explains that "playing in nature" can be pretty awesome training, pointing out that no matter where you go on Dewford you'll find nature. Ash apologises to the others as Brawly leaves them, telling them he wants to stick around on Dewford and so some intensive training if they don't mind sticking around. They all happily agree, and the episode ends with Ash having failed to attain his second Hoenn Gym Badge but Brock and Max gaining something even better.
They're on a beautiful island and May's going to "play in nature" with them!
Make of that, Gentle Dodgers, what you will.
| BEST QUOTES |
|
