296: A Mudkip Mission
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Considering he is walking behind Ash and not May, that's even more disturbing than usual!
Max comments that there is a good chance they could find some new, rare Pokemon on their trek today as well, and that's the kind of thing Ash was hoping for. Their mission today is to find new Pokemon, they're on...
A Mudkip Mission
They walk along the river, May continuing to narrate the adventures of "May's Expedition" before they reach an impasse there is a waterfall blocking their path. Ash asks what they should do now and Brock replies that past the waterfall is just the kind of location they could find some new Pokemon. He calls out Lotad before starting to swing a rock with a rope tied around it (he just happened to have one), and then he throws it into the air and has Lotad blast it with Water Gun, which sends it flying higher up into the air, wrapping around a tree branch on the cliff where the waterfall spills over. Brock pulls it tight to make sure it is secure, and then begins climbing up with Lotad on his shoulder and Ash and Max behind. Reaching the top, Brock is helped up by May, who then helps up Ash and Max. Ash thanks May for the help, then suddenly realises... hey, how'd she get up ahead of them?
May explains that a newscaster is ALWAYS in the front, then giggles and sticks out her tongue as she explains that she actually used Silcoon's Stringshot to get up. Well this was clever and also a creative use of her Pokemon's powers, so Max shits all over it by saying a real journalist wouldn't give away her secrets. Ash has already forgotten this though, as he turns around and comments that now he knows what a waterfall looks like.
It looks oddly like the top of the waterfall you were on three episodes ago, Ash.
The water is calmer than May expected, and the forest and river are shrouded in a pretty fog that lends a nice atmosphere to the area. Max checks his PokeNav and explains that the river they're now walking by is an offshoot away from the main current, which explains the calmness of the water. They continue along, Brock noting the ground underfoot is muddy, and finally reach walk along but find some muddy ground underfoot. They reach the end (or beginning, depending on your perspective) of the off-shoot, a small pool of water with a tiny rock/island in the middle of it, and on the banks around the river-head are a number of little Mudkips, including two on the tiny "island" in the centre of the little lake.
"Mudkip, the mudfish Pokemon," says Dextina,"Mudkip uses the sensitive radar receptors on its head fins to determine whatıs going on around it. In a pinch, it can brandish enough power to crush rocks."
The crap with that, Dextina forgot the most important thing!
THEY'RE WATER KITTIES! >^__^<
Yes, two wickle baby Mudkips that look more like kittens that haven't opened their eyes yet are "kipping" at each other on a rock in the middle of the head of the river. Brock suggests they have only just hatched from their shells, while May admits she isn't particularly enamoured after her first encounter with a Mudkip. She remembers trying to help ACTION PROFESSOR Professor Birch by calling out a Mudkip when she had just begun her Pokemon Journey (and we'd just discovered she wasn't 16!) and it blasted her in the face with Water Gun. May admits the kitties (WATER KITTIES! >^__^<) are cute though, and Brock explains that they're rare Pokemon (despite being starters in the Hoenn Region) and their natural habitat is unknown. May decides they should capture them, which apparently involves her charging forward with little dainty steps and running right into the path of a much large, angry Mudkip (Mama Mudkip?) that blasts her in the face with Water Gun.
Meanwhile as the other Mudkip play on the riverbank, including two tussling (>^__^<), one of the baby Mudkips fall into the water and get dragged away towards the main current. The twerps cry out in horror and Brock sends in Lotad to help, the game but slightly retarded Pokemon swimming after the struggling Mudkip and then getting it safely onto its lilypad-sombrero.... but now Lotad is caught in the current!
Brock runs to help, but the Mama Mudkip rushes up and leaps in first, grabbing Lotad by the lilypad-sombrero and pulling it to the riverbank. Brock rushes up and congratulates it, and when it begins barking angrily, he tells her he knows she was just trying to protect the wickle Mudkip babies (>^__^<) when she Water Gunned May in the face.
Besides, he wouldn't mind hitting May in the face with HIS Water Gun, KNOWWHAMSAYING!?!?!
YA KNOW!?!?!
The other twerps rush up and the Mama Mudkip runs off, leaving the baby Mudkip behind in Lotad's lilypad-sombrero. Brock picks the tiny little thing up, then a man with hair surprisingly like a Mudkip's fins pops up out of the bushes in front of them with a confused look on his face.
"AHH! A MUDKIP MONSTER!" screams Ash.
"So what should next confront May's expedition?" narrates May, throwing her hand camera up again, "But a Mudkip transformed into an aged monster!"
The man storms forward, angry at being called a monster which causes May to ponder the oddness of encountering a TALKING monster! Max fumes that it is a MAN! while the man in question is more interested in accusing them of trying to steal the Mudkip he has worked so hard to raise.
They explain they weren't stealing, just trying to help a baby Mudkip in trouble, and the hasty words of this group of young strangers is all this old man needs to hear and he's their new best friend. The twerps introduce themselves and he introduces himself as Swampy, though some call him Old Man Swamp!
"Old Man Swamp!" declares Ash with a glint in his eye, leaning conspiratorially against Swampy, then rushing around to his other side and rocking back on his heels, "Been in these here parts a long time, eh Swampy? Old man Swamp!"
"Ehhh," grunts Swampy as Ash returns to his original leaning pose, peering at Swampy smugly, "Hey kid, you don't know me that well."
"Sorry sir," mutters Ash, lowering his head in shame.
Swampy's demeanour suddenly changes as he angrily demands that there is no trespassing, how'd they get by the fence? They explain they came up past the waterfall which astonishes him, and when Ash apologises Swampy has another bi-polar shift in moods and declares they're all right and he'll make them some tea.
Better than Jonestown Kool-aid, I guess.
In his creepy cabin in the middle of the forest, Old man Swampy explains to the twerps that he's been raising Mudkips for years. Brock notices some blue and orange eggs in a small glass case in the corner and asks for - and gets - confirmation that they are Mudkip eggs. May "films" them with her hands, and Brock asks where Swampy got them, leading to another Bi-polar episode where Swampy grits his teeth, mutters that his Grandmother always told him to be quiet, then roars out that he won't be quiet any longer! He asks them if they've ever wondered why all three Starter Pokemon a new trainer gets are always raised to the same level.
"I've wondered about that!" cries Brock, who has lots of time to think about things like that on a Friday night when he's sitting in a tent darning Ash's socks and not out dancing, drinking and getting laid.
"You know...." mutters Ash carefully, in what shouldn't really be a surprise, "I don't think I've ever thought about that."
"Yeah," agrees May, "I've never thought about it either?"
"WHAT?" gasps Max, who can't believe trainers DON'T think about this. Poor Max, when he gets to about 12-13 he's going to realise MOST boys (not Ash) spend all their time thinking about the intricacies of breeding all right, but it isn't Pokemon Breeding on their minds.
Swampy explains that certain Pokemon Trainers are given eggs by the Official Pokemon League, then take them away and hatch and train them to a particular level before giving them to Professors who then give them to new trainers. Word on the street (the Pokemon Egg-Hatchers Street! Word!) is that Professor Birch is such an ACTION PROFESSOR that he both catches and raises Pokemon himself.
Max thinks it is a little like Pokemon breeding, but Brock says it is a little different.
"What's this, are you telling me that you're a breeder, Brock?" asks Swampy.
Snicker.
Swampy shows Brock something very special (not his Grandmother's preserved corpse), a Mudkip hatching from its egg. This doesn't involve the usual battle to get through the shell, then pulling itself out before making little mewing noises and getting licked clean by its mother. Instead, the egg glows, changes shape and turns into a baby Mudkip.
Still, it probably means we were spared the horror of watching Swampy lick a baby Mudkip clean.
May in enamoured with the wickle water kitty (<^__^>) until it spits water into her face, which reminds Brock of their earlier encounter with the bigger Mudkip. He explains to Swampy that it wasn't actually him who saved the babies earlier but one of the Mudkip, a bigger one than the others. Swampy replies that this isn't actually one of his Mudkip (nor is it a Mama Mudkip) but a wild one, and he is worried that it is getting too big for any trainer to want to take it, and all of its friends being raised by Swampy will soon depart to different Professor's labs to be picked by trainers, and the big Mudkip will end up alone and friendless.
But friendless Team Rocket is not, as the three friends stare through long blades of grass elsewhere in the forest, trying to figure out where the twerps are. James claims that with their little twerpy legs they couldn't have gotten too far.
"Heeey, what's dis?" asks Meowth as they reach a fence.
"It's a fence, genius," mutters Jesse.
"I mean what's it doing here?" snaps Meowth.
"What do you THINK it's doing here!" Jesse snaps at Meowth, then turns to James, "What's it doing here?"
"I'd say someone doesn't want us on their property?" suggests James. "OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE DOESN'T WANT US ON THEIR PROPERTY!" Jesse yells at Meowth.
"But how come?" asks Meowth.
"Of all the dumb..... hold on," grunts Jesse, then turns to James, "How come?"
"They must have something of value," ponders James, "That needs protecting."
"Dey got somefing of value?"
"Well then that would mean..." gasps Jesse,"Beyond this fence lies a treasure just waiting for us to claim!"
"YIPPY YAY!" cry James and Meowth, oddly.
"Which leaves us no choice," says Jesse, "Goooo Seviper!"
Seviper pops out, and James decides to get in on the action too, "Cacnea, go!" he cries, then gets face raped by the loving Cacnea. Seviper uses Poison Tail on the fence (that is only about four feet high and could be climbed over) but it has no effect. James tells Cacnea to use Needle Arm and it does.... on him! James is pounded of his feet and sent crashing through the fence, which handily enough is just what they wanted!
"Allıs well that ends well, right?" he moans, lying on his back, fingers twitching.
"WOBBBBBB-UFFET!" cries Wobbuffet, leaping up with a salute and pressing against a rope that jangles cans elsewhere, acting as a VERY cheap and poor quality alarm for Swampy. He hears the noise and rushes off, and when Max asks what this means May declares action packed adventure for her expedition!
The twerps follow, Brock bringing up the rear then pulling up short when he spots the big Mudkip watching him. He asks if it wants to help, but it turns and runs away so he follows, then inexplicably loses it. He calls out for it, and it appears from behind a bush (way to look, Brock) and he asks it to come with him. It looks scared, so he drops to a knee and offers it some food, but it still looks scared, which doesn't surprise Brock since they just meet.
You need to REALLY know him to find out how creepy he is.
Swampy and the other twerps arrive at the fence and Ash notes it has been totalled, while Swampy discovers some bent and broken cans that were his cheapo alarm system.
"Prepare for trouble now you've seen what we can do" cries Jesse, leaping out of the bushes.
"Make it double, we've kicked the can and now you!" adds James, jumping out as well.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"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."
"Jesse."
"James."
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light,"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"
"Meowth! Dat's right!"
"Who'd they say they are?" asks a confused Swampy, and Ash explains they're the bad guys.
Swampy angrily asks if they're here to steal the super secret Mudkip he raises for the Pokemon League.
Well they are now you moron!
Knowing now it is Mudkip the fence was guarding, Jesse imagines waves of joy will cover the Boss when she gives them the Mudkip, and James imagines waves of promotions, and Meowth declares they'll finally be Executives. They start a little standing squirmy dance of joy, singing, "CEO! CEO!"
"Something wrong with those three?" asks Swampy, confused.
May tells him this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't of given them so much information, and he goes all bi-polar again, first humbly apologising and mumbling about his Grandmother telling him he had a big mouth, then having a sudden mood swing to furiousity and declaring being secretive was never in his nature. In fact, he probably shouldn't mention that if they break the dam walls over there - he points to the dam walls - it'll let the river flow through, flood the Mudkip's habitat and leave them with no place to live!
"YOU DID IT AGAIN!" cries Max.
Swampy grabs at his mouth and his eyes grow comically wide as Ash mutters he should learn to break the habit. Meanwhile Jesse's ear grows to twice the size of her head (honest!) and she asks if they heard about the dam just then? James and Meowth did and they're all for going ahead with the plan, James calling out Cacnea, getting hugged and then getting hit with Needle Arm again and smashed through the damn wall, blubbering in the water,"All's well that ends well!"
Swampy realises he may have murdered all of the Mudkip with his big mouth and he and the twerps rush to try and save the day. Brock meanwhile is still trying to entice Mudkip with food when he hears the approaching water, then sees it round the bend and menace in a giant wave over the baby Mudkip. Thinking quickly, Brock sends up Forretress which uses Rapid Spin to hold back the wave. Then he sends in Lotad, which jumps into the water and helps out baby Mudkip while Brock grabs the rest and gets them onto the shore. But the two little Water Kitties (>^__^<) from earlier are still on the little island, and Mudkip rushes in and saves them. Brock calls for Forretress to stop using Rapid Spin, which lets the wave crash down as Brock and the others run to higher ground and safety.
Brock thanks them all but one of the baby Mudkip wasn't saved after all, it's still in the water struggling against the current. Mudkip jumps in and grabs it with its mouth by the scruff of the neck (Water Kitty! >^__^<), but the current is too strong for it to fight against. Swampy and the twerps arrive just in time to see the two Mudkip go over the edge of the fall, and they rush to the edge in time to see Mudkip barely holding onto a rock about halfway down the waterfall, still holding the baby in its mouth.
Brock spots the rock rope from earlier, ties it around his waist and leaps into the water, going over the side and pulling up away from the cliff about halfway down, close to Mudkip. He reaches out to Mudkip and tells it to jump into his hand, it has to trust him or it'll die (or get washed away as he says), and finally Mudkip acquiesces and reaches out with its tail, allowing him to grab it. Swampy, the twerps, Pikachu and Lotad then pull him and the Mudkips to safety.
Swampy thanks him for helping again and Brock insists it was all Mudkip, then a crashing noise from the swamp catches their attention and they rush to see.....
HORROR!
Something is wreaking havoc, tearing down trees and clomping through the dirt. It is some kind of bizarre robot with a face like an iron in a maids outfit with spades for hands!
HORROR!
Controlled by Team Rocket, Meowth introduces it as their Mechanised Mudkip Maiden, designed to dig up every Mudkip ever raised. It dances around bizarrely and scoops up Mudkip with its spade like hands, throwing them into a sack on its belt. Ash tells them to stop but oddly enough he still hasn't figured out a way to force changes to reality with spoken word even after all these years of trying. Team Rocket pay him no mind, continuing to capture Mudkip while Brock shouts that this isn't right.
No, that freaky robot ISN'T right, and stealing Mudkip is bad too!
Brock notices the robot is walking around in the mud he saw earlier and calls for Mudkip and Lotad to blast water around the robots feet, and Meowth thinks they're watering them? Jesse says they might be trying to make them grow and James says they're big enough, thank you. But then the robot begins to sink into the mud, and a furious Jesse demands that Meowth does something! But what can poor little Meowth do? Make a mudpie?
Mudkip leaps up and breaks the sack off of the robot (apparently the sides of little kitten like Mudkip are razor sharp), then Pikachu Thunderbolts the robot and sends Team Rocket blasting off again. Meowth cries out that alls well that ends well and James accuses him of stealing his line, the ultimate indignity after what has been a bad day for the blue haired lad.
Brock congratulates Mudkip and the twerps comment on how it has come out of its shell with him, and Swampy finally has a way to alleviate his fears about Mudkip being left alone. He asks Brock would take the Mudkip with him, which the twerps thinks is a cool idea and Brock agrees. Then it occurs to Brock at least that someone should probably check what Mudkip thinks about this and asks if it wants to come along with him. It looks unsure, then smiles and agrees and jumps up for a hug.
Yay, the Water Kitty loves Brock! >^__^<
It'll be spending most of its time in a Pokeball within an episode!
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