220: Throwing in the Noctowl
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Yes! Ash is actually going to get to fight for his Sixth Gym Badge to qualify for the quickly impending Johto League! And here we thought he was....
Throwing In The Noctowl!
But when they get to the docks, they discover the ferry isn't there, and Misty thinks they might have missed it. Brock - thinking of Jasmine perhaps - decides to be optimistic and suggests it might not be back yet. They approach a fisherman with a giant handlebar moustache and ask him where the ferry is, and he replies that he doesn't know its exact location at this very moment, but it left the dock about an hour ago. Misty was right, it seems, and when they ask him when the next ferry leaves they discover their optimism was misplaced.... it won't be till tomorrow!
Ash insists he HAS to get to Olivine City and ol' Mister HandleBar asks him what's the hurry. Ash explains he has a Gym Battle tomorrow morning, and the old man suggests they try the courier service down the road; maybe the Hoot-Hoot Express can get them there.
Ash kind of loses his train of thought (not surprisingly) and obliviously mentions he has a Noctowl, while the old fisherman chuckles to himself that dressing up like a fisherman and hanging around to wait for passengers who missed the boat is great for business. Unfortunately he spoke just a LITTLE too loudly, and the twerps ask him what he means. He quickly changes the subject, saying that the Hoot-Hoot Express flies to Olivine twice a day.
The twerps decide to hurry off and go to thank the Fisherman, but he's gone, running off down the way he pointed.... odd.
They head along the coast and spot Hoot-Hoot Express, a little dusty airfield that looks deserted, with the roof of the hangar falling apart. Misty says the place is creepy, and Ash calls out for anyone, and the door opens to reveal a pilot in goggles and.... a huge handle bar moustache!
The twerps (who constantly get fooled when Jesse and James put on brightly coloured bowties) realise immediately it is the fisherman and he introduces himself. His name is "Wings" Alexander, and since his pilots have the day off, he'll fly them to Olivine. Well Ash immediately forgets (perhaps literally) about all this weird duplicitous stuff and eagerly thanks Wings for helping them. He says they are in a hurry and asks if they can leave straight away, and the old man agrees nothing beats a Gym Battle..... but first they have to take care of some business! He rushes away with a wheelbarrow into another hangar which looks more like a converted zoo. Inside he feeds his Pokemon, which include a Dodrio, Sandshrews, Weepinbells and a Parasect.
Like many an old man, he suddenly dives into tales of his youth. Apparently he has devoted his entire life to Pokemon (wow, what an oddity in this world!) and has tales of adventures that would turn even THEIR hair white. Suddenly we see him as a young man again, before he tried to emulate Sam Elliot and had only a terrible pube-tache above his upper lip. He and his Hoot-Hoot beat up Machokes and Sycthers and there wasn't a Pokemon Trainer for miles who didn't fear them and their Machoke/Scyther beating up ways.
He comes out of his memory to see the twerps helping him with his chores, which includes Brock cleaning out a Ponyta's smelly stable... since apparently nothing gets him more in the mood to watch one of Ash's battles!
Oh dear, Brock, oh dear oh dear.
Wings thanks them (crafty old man! Gives them their only ticket of the island and then points out he can't leave until his messy, smelly and undesirable chores are done!) and says the airplane ride will be free, the very least he can do for a future Pokemon Master (and obvious freeloader with very little cash). With the chores done, he opens a hangar to reveal an old huge cargo plane with a Hoot-Hoot logo on the side. They climb on board and Ash moves into the cabin, where Wings tells him to wait a moment as they notice a Noctowl sleeping in the co-pilots chair. Apparently the Hoot-Hoot from his youth evolved into a Noctowl and is the best co-pilot he's ever had, but it is getting on in years now and sleeps a lot, perhaps dreaming of all the old gym battles it had.
Or perhaps all that fine Hoot-Hoot ass it used to hit.
Wings prepares to get them going and hits the starter.... and nothing happens! He chuckles he must have forgotten to fuel up, causing the twerps to collapse in the back and get up with a, "WHAT?!?!"
Not long after, the boat skims along the water and then takes off, lifting into the air as the twerps prepare to leave their Whirl Islands side adventure behind them, as well as the memories of their pathetic showing at the Whirl Cup League and the bad taste of having Richie along for three episodes. They lift into the air and fly higher and higher, Noctowl still sleeping as Wings notes a drop in pressure and suspects they're in for a nasty storm.
Black clouds fly by and a wind picks up, causing turbulence, and Misty demands to know what is going on.... but she wouldn't be complaining if she knew just how bad the turbulence is elsewhere for another trio. A little further off in the clouds, Team Rocket's Happy Buddha Face Meowth Balloon is caught up in the storm, with Jesse, James and Meowth clutching to whatever they can for stability.
"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE!" cries Jesse, "And..."
"Make it... woooah!" gasps James.
"Dis isn't really da time!" cries Meowth.
"No," gasps Jesse, like a true RRrrr-teeest! "We started it, now let¹s finish it!"
"So make it double..." moans James.
"Just give 'em da short version!" demands Meowth.
"Okay," agree Jesse and James, "Surrender now.... prepare to..."
"I'm surrendered already," sighs Meowth.
The balloon rocks in the wind as Meowth snaps to never trust internet weather forecasts.
"Oh don't blame the website! you're the pilot!" growls Jesse.
"A pilot should be counted on to guide their vessel through any squall!" complains James.
"Ya miscounted!" snaps Meowth.
Off to the side, they spot to their delight the Hoot-Hoot Express flying through the air and call for help.... and somehow over the noise of the storm and the engines, the twerps hear them!
They turn and look through the windows, spotting Team Rocket and exclaiming in surprise. Jesse (who can apparently hear them as well!) cries out that they HAVE to rescue them!
"We'd like to call a truce!" cries James, waving a white flag, "And put an end to this petty rivalry once and for all!"
Misty angrily snaps they're lying and Team Rocket insist they're not, Wobbuffet popping out and declaring its own name with a salute, and Jesse asks if could say anything more.
The twerps notice they seem to be genuine, at which point Wings points out what we all know. It doesn't matter what they've done in the past or whether they're lying, it is their duty to help people in distress!
You're goddamn right!
As the plane flies through the air though, there is something else out there.... something dimmer and darker than Team Rocket. A monster swimming with glee amongst the clouds? Some dark creature with a Togepi-like pleasure in the power and fury of the storm?
Not quite, it's JIGGLYPUFF!
Yes the little Diva-like Pokemon is enjoying being carried in the currents when it spots something it enjoys more.... a potential audience!
Inside the plane team Rocket are on their knees before the twerps (hey hey!).
"I really can't explain why we're so despicable," Jesse is saying.
"Mountains of therapists have tried and failed," admits James.
They beg forgiveness and Ash says he guesses it is okay, but as Togepi stares with interest at Jesse's hair (as well as her delicious, almost bottomless energy reservoirs of hate and bitter resentment) its recently re-energised host Misty warns Team Rocket she'll be keeping an eye on them, and Ash warns them to keep away from Pikachu.
Wobbuffet suddenly pops up with its arms crossed..... and the hatch beneath them falls open causing them and Togepi to fall out!
"TOGEPI!" screams Misty, who still hasn't associated her lack of holding Togepi recently with her fired up return to normal.
"All right, no cause for alarm!" insists James as he hangs from the plane by one arm, legs wrapped around Wobbuffet (never thought I'd write that!), Jesse clinging to one of Wobbuffet¹s legs while she grabs Meowth's tail and he holds up a beaming and excited Togepi. They're pulled back up and nail shut the open hatch while Misty hugs Togepi (oh dear, this doesn't bode well) and more turbulence rocks the plane. Wings asks them to look out the window and they see the propeller is falling off!
Well, Jesus!
Meowth asks in horror if this old pile of crap is supposed to be a rescue plane.... and Wings agrees it is and begins to enjoy memories of long past rescues with Noctowl and mutters cheerfully that soon it will be time for them to both retire.... and Jesse shakes him out of his happy reverie to point out maybe they can take a trip down memory lane when one of the propellers ISN'T falling off. Well the pilot seems ready for a "permanent" retirement, so Ash - who went back into action hero mode last episode - turns his cap backwards and insists that HE'LL handle this.
Oh Lord the boy has trouble getting dressed in the morning, how is he going to fix a propeller in a storm while in flight?!?!
Pulling the door open, Ash climbs onto the wing, kept in place with help from Crobat, and he calls out Bulbasaur which ties down the engine using Vine Whip.... but then the other Propeller starts to fall off too!
Well, Vishnu!
Ash sends out Bayleef and it secures the other propeller as the plane begins to lower towards the sea. Misty sends out Poliwhirl and Staryu. and they stand bravely on the front of the plane and blast Water Gun into the ocean, pushing them off of the sea and lifting the plane back up and flying again.
While all this excitement goes on, Wings watches with wide eyes and can offer no help, while his brave old Noctowl continues to sleep in the co-pilots chair, dead to the real world. Saved for the moment, Misty and Brock collapse in relief as Togepi dances with mad laughter, sensing perhaps that they are leaving the Whirl Islands behind and Misty's brief return to life as a fully fledged character is almost over. Bayleef and Bulbasaur continue to hold the propellers in place and Misty calls Staryu and Poliwhirl back, and Jesse warns they'll be fine until the next disaster.... and then Meowth joins the ranks of John Lithgow and William Shatner in fine Twilight Zone tradition, proclaiming, "There's something on the wing!"
Indeed there is, Jigglypuff!
Team Rocket cry out in fright and the twerps are horrified.... they'll fall asleep and die! Ash calls out in horror for the Diva not to sing, but it pays as much attention as Ash did to his failed schooling and begins to sing, sending first Bulbasaur to sleep, then Bayleef, causing their vinewhips to loosen around the propeller. Ash cries out no but then he and Crobat succumb to the sweet tone of Jigglypuff's song, followed by the twerps and Team Rocket inside the boat..... and then even Wings goes under, falling into sleep alongside his co-pilot, two old useless relics from the past fading away instead of burning out.
Lightning suddenly strikes the plane, sending Jigglypuff flying. It puffs up in fury, which only helps the wind as a gust blows it back to Johto, where it will be watching and waiting for a potential audience.
The plane continues to fall through the air, lightning striking around it and waking everyone up again, Bulbasaur and Bayleef realising they're close to death! They pull taut their Vine Whips again, Wings waking and looking at his impending death in startlement as he grabs the controls and tries to pull the plane straight. He turns and looks at his still sleeping Noctowl, then forgets he is the pilot and his passengers are relying on him not to let them crash. He pets the old, grizzled Noctowl on the head as says he has no doubt that it would help them if it were awake, and remembers it evolving from Hoot-Hoot to Noctowl. He smiles that they'll always have memories and we get a series of close ups on their closed eyes, Wing making this look ^ ^ while Noctowl's are closed with sleep. This goes on, and on, and on..... and on........ and on............. and..... NOCTOWL WAKES UP!
Yes the old bird with the awesome goatee is awake, and suddenly it is clear who was Simon and who was Garfunkel in this particular team. It flies through the plane holding a rope by the beak, tears outside and flies around the plane with the rope in tow, which is anchored in place by the twerps and Team Rocket as Noctowl flies in front and offers stability and guidance to the plane. Ash sends his Noctowl out as well and they both guide the plane through the air around the lightning. Brock is worried, warning that if the lightning was to strike it will be dangerous (lethally so!) but Team Rocket laugh it off, saying they get hit by electricity all of the time. The twerps suddenly realise that is it, electricity draws electricity! They send Pikachu up onto the top of the plane and it blasts a massive burst of Thunderbolt into the air that draws in all of the electricity and blasts it all away.
Well.... that was.... some kind of.... science.
They fly onwards, close to Olivine now..... but they can't see the lights of the city. Jesse and Meowth agree that it is time to cut off their nice ways now and grab Pikachu, but James moans that it's nice being nice! Wings notices a light to his side and realises that it is the Shining Lighthouse, they've been blown off course! He pulls up over the cliffside and Team Rocket falls backwards, landing on the boarded up open hatch. They moan at least they'll be landing soon, and Wobbuffet pops out to agree.... and they fall through the boards! "What happened to Team Rocket?" asks Misty, looking back at the empty plane.
"I guess it was their stop," quips Brock.
Haha oh that is hilarious, three people and two Pokemon just fell to their deaths! Oh you cad, Brock!
The sky clears as the approach Olivine city, and Jenina stands on the lighthouse waving to them with Jasmine and her Ampharos standing inside the lighthouse. An excited Ash can't wait for tomorrow¹s battle, and the plane flies in towards the city as Wings grins and stares up at his old partner, Noctowl, saying it was just like old times.
Well, except for the whole possible death of some passengers on the way thing!
| BEST QUOTES |
 "There's nothing like cleaning out a smelly Ponyta stable that gets me in the mod for one of Ash's matches!"
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