309: A Different Kind of Misty! | ||||||||
Dodgy Synopsis
A Different Kind of Misty The twerps walk through the fog along a mountain trail, Ash complaining that he can hardly see the path ahead of him. Brock warns him to watch his step, and an overconfident Ash declares that "Brocko" shouldn't worry about him.... and then trips over a root into a small puddle of water. Oh Ash. Brock says they should settle down and wait for the fog to lift, so Ash takes off his jacket and hangs it up over a branch to dry (in the fog?) while they settle down to wait. Max says the mountain lighthouse should be near but they can't see it, and then a familiar voice asks when the fog will lift. Ash mutters angrily that he isn't a weatherman, then looks around confused, who said that? Team Rocket drift through the mist holding onto the stolen Lightstone, saying they'll need an electric Pokemon to light it up. But where will they find one (gee, who knows?) and then they hear Pikachu calling out. "Don't tell me I just heard Pikachu?" gasps Jesse. "Okay I won't," agrees James. But what would Pikachu be doing up in the air asks Meowth, and then the mist parts slightly and Team Rocket find their balloon dangerously close to a mountain, and sitting on the corner of the path running through it are the twerps! Jesse is delighted by their brush with death though, declaring that Ash and friend's twerpy timing is perfect, now they can grab Pikachu! James calls out Cacnea to use Pin Missile, but a quick Iron Tail from Pikachu smashes the missiles right back at Team Rocket who drop the stone in surprise. Pikachu jumps up onto it and thunderbolts Team Rocket, the stone it is standing on glowing bright. The balloon explodes (in a nice piece of animation actually) and they fall far, far down to the river below, shouting, "PARTY POOPERS!" Pikachu notices the glowing rock as do the surprised twerps, but when Pikachu jumps off the light goes out. Ash picks it up, confused, and then the short-haired Lighthouse Girl and her tubby brother arrive on the scene and the girl shouts out that they're thieves. Ash is completely flummoxed by this accusation and says she is wrong, but she doesn't listen, simply calling out Magnemite that fires a quick Thunderbolt at the stunned twerps. Well if that is the way she wants it, growls Ash, and Pikachu charges forward with a Quick Attack that knocks Magnemite down and out almost immediately. The Lighthouse Girl is astonished, and to her fatass little brother - Thatcher and says she needs his help. He shouts back at her, not saying,"But these aren't the ones who stole the stone, besides which I said there were three of them and there are FOUR of these guys," but instead that he has never battled before. She nods and says in that case she needs his moral support, so he calls out his two Pokemon, Plusle and Minun. Ash stares at the tiny Pikachu-esque Pokemon and asks May what they are, but she hasn't got a clue so they both take out their Dextina's to find out. Here's betting it won't say they're a second crude attempt to cash in on Pikachu's popularity with soulless little clones, since they're basically redrawn Pikachu's with a positive/negative theme. It's like someone took a couple of aborted Pikachu foetuses and slapped some blue and red paint on them. "Plusle, the Cheering Pokemon," explains May's Dextina, "Plusle always supports its team-mates, emitting celebratory sparks when a team-mate does well. "Minun, the Cheering Pokemon," explains Ash's Dextina, "Minun cares more for its team-mates than it does for itself, sending out showers of sparks when cheering them on. May declares they're cute (and gets a $10,000 bonus from Nintendo Animation Concern for towing the company line). Thatcher asks them to cheer for Magnemite and they do a pathetic little dance, generating sparks before touching tails together (goddammit even their attacks are lame) and call down a burst of lightning that hits Magnemite and completely recovers its health! Magnemite blasts at them again and Ash yells for her to cut it out, since he told her they didn't steal anything. Brock yells at her to look at their innocent faces, do they look like criminals to her? "Yes!" she shouts. "Oh," they all mumble, staring down at the ground. She demands they hand back the Lightstone and Ash is happy too, now that he knows it is hers. He and the lady approach and she seems surprised, saying this seems easy enough, but then Team Rocket crawl over the edge of the cliff and demand that they hand the Lightstone back over to them, after all, THEY stole it and they want their promotion! Thatcher yells angrily at his sister that they're the real thieves (well yeah, you might have mentioned that to her before the battle?) and then charge at the girl and her brother, who cringe in fear before Ash jumps in front of them holding the stone. But he doesn't swing it and smash out Team Rocket's teeth, instead he calls for Pikachu which Thunderbolts them and sends them blasting off again. Thatcher stares in shock at Ash and Pikachu who are celebrating together, seemingly enraptured by the duo as he mutters to himself, "Can it be?" The sister apologises for misjudging them and the twerps say it is okay, it was just a mistake, and as Max points out if anyone knows about making mistakes it is his sister. When it comes to your parents, Max, we're pretty sure we know which sibling is considered the "mistake". Ash asks what the big deal with the stone is, and Thatcher's sister (Alica) explains they use it to operate the mountain lighthouse. They return it to the lighthouse and explain they use it so people are able to see in the fog. Plusle and Minun leap up and grab the stone, lighting it which Pikachu seems to find interesting (or maybe it's wondering why someone grabbed some discontinued pirated Pikachu plushies and slapped some red and blue paint on them). She thanks them and Brock begins to mumble it was nothing, and Max shouts of course it wasn't, Brock didn't do anything! Ash suddenly remembers his jacket and slides it back on, grinning that it is nice and dry as Thatcher stares in shock and then declares Ash is the hero! The outfit! He's the hero, the legendary hero! "Yeah... maybe," mutters Alica, looking embarrassed. Pikachu, Plusle and Minun are confused and so are the twerps, and Alica and Thatcher explain the legend of the blue-robed hero and his lightning Pokemon who in days of yore bestowed the village the Lightstone, promising to return one day in a time of dire need. Ashimus Prime? Thatcher guides his "great hero" to the village, Alica apologising to Ash for her imaginative little brother, while May chuckles she knows all about nutty little bothers. Ash could care less though, he's just happy to be considered the hero spoken of in prophecy for about the 7th time now. Thatcher cries out to his Grandfather when they arrive in the village that he has the legendary hero with him, and Alica whispers an explanation to the confused old man, who smiles and indulges his fat, friendless Grandson by saying they should show the hero respect. Thatcher invites the hero in, then smiles at May and Max and says his "followers" can come to. May and Max seem a little..... eh? about this, but Brock rushes to Alica. "No!" he gasps, "I am a follower and I'll follow my heart right down the road of love that leads to you!" "How... nice..." she mumbles. Out back of the house, Thatcher is telling his life story of desperation and disappointment to Ash, saying he always wanted to battle just like Ash but he's only allowed to use Plusle and Minun to help people. Ash spots Alica looking at him and for a wonder actually picks up on subtext, saying he'll help Thatcher train in battling. They head out into the forest where Ash begins to teach Thatcher the rules for being a "hero". "Rule 1!" cries Ash, "SMILE! You gotta keep smiling no matter how tough things are getting!" Thatcher repeats this, stretching a smile onto his fat little face. "Rule 2! Be quick on your feet!" cries Ash, which is repeated by Thatcher, "Final Rule! Build up your strength for battle and run to build up stamina!" He, Thatcher, Pikachu, Plusle and Minun start running about in circles, which is a pretty good way at looking at Ash's entire life so far. While they do this, Alica explains to Brock, May and Max that Thatcher has always had self-esteem issues (and eats to feel better? What a fatass!), but Ash has made him more confident. She notices the fog rolling in again and decides to head back to the lighthouse to get the Lightstone running again. Ash stops running and tells Thatcher they should go to. Back at the lighthouse Magnemite powers up the Lightstone and light shines through the fog as Ash and Thatcher approach it.... then a giant robot Zapdos swoops down out of the fog! Jesus Christ, ain't that always the way? "Prepare for trouble as we swoop down from the fog!" cries Jesse from within the robotic Zapdos. "Making it double is as easy as falling off a log!" adds James. "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!" "Wobba! Wobba!" cries Wobbuffet. Team Rocket are having another go at the stone, two giant buzz saws coming out of their Robotic Zapdos and cutting through the pillars on top of the lighthouse, the roof rolling off and collapsing to the ground in front of Ash and Thatcher, who quickly rush up to the top to help Alica where Jesse is telling her from the safety of the Zapdos that they can do this the easy way or hard way. Magnemite tries a Thunderbolt but it does nothing, and two hands reach out and grab Magnemite and the Lightstone. They quip with laughter that they have the stone and a lighter, they've won hands down! Groooooan. Pikachu tries a Thunderbolt as well but it does nothing, so Alica tells Thatcher to help! He calls out Plusle and Minun and tells them to cheer on Pikachu, and Alica yells at her useless fatass of a brother that they need to battle, not cheer! But he moans that he doesn't know how as Plusle and Minun become downcast.... not only are they useless attempts by Nintendo to recapture lightning in a bottle with new versions of Pikachu, but they've been saddled with a useless fat turd for a Trainer! "US AGAIN!" laughs Meowth, and another mechanical hand reaches down and grabs Pikachu, which tries another Thunderbolt that does nothing. James snaps that he already told them they were Electric Proof, and with a laugh Jesse has Magnemite thrown back to Alica, saying she doesn't like it anyway. "Oooh, dat's harsh!" laughs Meowth appreciatively. They turn the Zapdos about and begin flying away, Ash yelling at them to come back. But they just laugh, saying they can't hear him, but he hasn't heard the last of them. They disappear into the fog as the other twerps arrive, asking how can they follow them through the fog? Thatcher moans that it is all his fault, he didn't train hard enough and not even the hero could help, he thought the hero could do anything! Ash lowers his head, and then admits he isn't the hero, but he still thinks you should trust your Pokemon. He steps forward bravely and yells into the fog for Pikachu to blast at the Lightstone, and Thatcher says it can't hear him. Brock says not to be so sure, because friendship and trust is more important that physics and how sound travels. Apparently Pikachu subscribes to the same philosophy, because it hears Ash's voice bouncing through the fog and blasts a Thunderbolt at the Lightstone, creating a beacon far in the distance. Ash grins, telling Thatcher that it is all about trust in your Pokemon, who stares at Plusle and Minun as he repeats his lesson; you have to trust your Pokemon. Deep in the forest, Team Rocket have landed and are celebrating with a picnic as Pikachu and the Lightstone remain gripped in metallic, unfeeling hands. Pikachu keeps on zapping the Lightstone, and Team Rocket mock it, saying it is no good, they've caught it this time. Pikachu snaps back something in Pika-Speak at them and Meowth offers a (presumably cleaned up) translation, Pikachu says it ain't over till its over. Ash, Thatcher and Alica show up crying out that Pikachu is right, they know this mountain and forest like the back of their hands and there was no way Team Rocket was getting away from them. Thatcher declares he is ready to show how he trusts his Pokemon now and since it is only his best friend and first Pokemon at stake, Ash happily allows the fat kid with self-esteem issues to take over. Thatcher calls out Plusle and Minun and tells them to get the stone and Pikachu. Team Rocket (who took advantage of Ash and Thatcher's gabbing) have hopped back into their Robotic Zapdos and taken off again, and Plusle and Minun use Helping Hand, firing a little burst of electric energy up against the flying machine. Team Rocket laugh and says it did nothing, but it was never meant to affect their machine, it was supposed to charge up Pikachu. Pikachu lets loose with a blast of powered up Thunder, pounding into the Zapdos and overloading the electrical absorption unit, shorting out the hands which drop Pikachu and the Lightstone. The Zapdos begin to fall smoking out of the sky, Jesse complaining it was supposed to be electricity proof, and Meowth screeches that the guy said they could bring it back if they had a problem! "Oh goody," mutters James drolly. Plusle and Minun use Helping Hands on each other (like holding yourself in the air by the back of your own hair) and charge each other up, then use Spark Attack that fills them with electrical energy as they charge directly towards the downed, smoking Robotic Zapdos while inside James begs to know what they should do. "Get our money back?" suggests Meowth sadly, and then their warranty is voided as Plusle and Minun smash into the machine and explode it, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. Alica talks up her little brother, telling him he did great while he stares around wide eyed and says that in the adrenalin rush of the whole situation he wasn't even sure what he was doing. But the others tell him he did what he knew was the right thing, and a beaming Thatcher tells Plusle and Minun that they'll keep working on their battling together. The whole Plusle and Minun being crap thing might be beyond them, though. The sun sets as the twerps prepare to leave from the foot of the lighthouse, Thatcher asking if Ash will battle him one day before calling him Master. Ash is a bit taken aback by this, and May says emulating Ash as your mentor might not be the best idea, but Thatcher says Ash is his hero AND Master. "And you Alica," gasps Brock, "I declare you the master of my heart!" Alica stares in barely restrained dismay at the horny young man before he is dragged away by the waist by May, Ash and May laughing. But what of Plusle and Minun? Well it seems oddly apt that the episode ends with the little abortions making blubbing, incoherent rambling cries as the Pokemon they were designed to emulate heads out of their lives, knowing that they are forever destined to fail to live up to the potential of what they were created to copy.
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