269: Johto Photo Finish
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Now it is going to be a....
Johto Photo Finish
Charizard and Blaziken smash Flamethrowers against each other, both attacks smashing into each other and creating a giant ball of smoke that covers the entire battlefield and when it clears.... both are glaring angrily at each other.
Charizard goes for another Flamethrower, but Blaziken easily avoids it by jumping high into the air, Harrison saying it can't fly but it can jump hugely high. Brock is impressed with the height that Blaziken is capable of, it is so high that Charizard's flying isn't really an advantage. Charizard quickly turns towards Blaziken and lets rip with Dragon Rage, but Blaziken avoids it then lets rip with a Flamethrower of its own, which Charizard quickly avoids. They spin by each other in the air, and then Blaziken comes directly at Charizard with a Quick Attack that Charizard sees coming and shifts out of the way of... but it was a trick! Blaziken shifts focus and hits Charizard with a direct Fire Punch right in the goddamn face!
Charizard takes the punch completely unprotected and.... oooh you just pissed it off now, motherfucker!
Roaring angrily, Charizard hits Blaziken directly in the face with a Flamethrower, and Blaziken fires back with another punch directly into Charizard's face who comes back with a tail swipe directly into Blaziken's face, then grabs it up and flies into the air to deliver a massive Seismic Toss! The crowd watches, enraptured as Charizard circles about and then crashes Blaziken into the ground, the other Pokemon letting out a desperate blast of Flamethrower just before it hits and... and....
Blaziken is down! Blaziken is down! The crowd roars and Ash congratulates Charizard on a great job as the referee checks and then cries out that Blaziken is unable to...
It gets up!
Harrison's bitch ain't going out like that!?!
Brock explains that just before they hit the ground, Blaziken released a Flamethrower attack to soften the landing. But it is still hurt from hitting the ground, and Charizard is panting from its exertions as well. Blaziken pushes through the pain with a Quick Attack on Charizard which takes the hit and then blasts Blaziken with Flamethrower before going for another Seismic Toss, but this time Blaziken is ready and doges aside, delivering a Roundhouse Blazing Kick right on Charizard's fucking face, sending it crashing backwards. As Charizard staggers up Blaziken fires a Flamethrower, but Charizard used Dragon Rage and the two attacks explode against each other, sending both Pokemon stumbling back and even staggering Harrison, Ash and even Misty and Brock.
The smoke clears and both Pokemon are down, seemingly out for the count. But then Charizard staggers back up... and then so does Blaziken!
Their bitches ain't going out like that!
Both Pokemon roar and glare at each other, the sacred flame burning in the background behind them. This battle isn't over yet, and Ash cries for a Flamethrower. Charizard opens its mouth wide to deliver, and then gasps breathlessly and.... and... crashes to the ground!
NO! NO! Blaziken wins! Harrison wins! It is al...
WAIT!
Charizard starts to lift itself back up, looking furious, looking ready to kill and..... NO! NO! Charizard IS down, the battle is over, Harrison wins!
Harrison wins! Ash stares gape mouthed in horror, he's lost! he's lost!
ALL THAT FUCKING TIME COMING TO THE JOHTO LEAGUE AND HE LOST!
NO! NO! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
But so it is, Gentle Dodgers, for Ash the Johto League finally began and has all ready ended. After months and months (YEARS!) of endless meandering, stopping at every possibly opportunity and squandering his time towards the "quickly impending" Johto League.... Ash has arrived and lost.
Yes he beat his record at the Indigo League, yes he defeated Gary, yes his match with Harrison was an epic one and far more deserving of praise than his terrible showing against the hated Richie.... but he has lost nevertheless, and one can't help but feel that if he was going to lose, he could have lost in the course of one season rather than three.
Goddammit, Ash.
An indeterminate amount of time later the twerps say their goodbyes to Officer Jenny and Squirtle, and as they drive off, Professor Oak and Delia say it is time for them to leave too. When Ash asks why they're so eager to BOTH be going, Delia explains Mr Mime was left in charge of the housework and Oak explains Tracey is looking after his Pokemon Lab, so both of them have to get going.
Yep, they're going home, and certainly not checking into a hotel for cheap, nasty, dirty, illegal in 48 states sex nor nothing neither.
As Ash says his goodbyes to his Mother and (unknown to him) Father, elsewhere Team Rocket are wishing they could be saying goodbye to their badges. Yes, they're in their new custom built warehouse, and outside is a huge crowd demanding they sell them badges, but their custom order hasn't arrived yet!
The twerps return to the Stadium - presumably the next day - and watch as John Dixon from Sento Cherry Town uses his final Pokemon - Rhyhorn - against Harrisonıs Houndoom. Rhyhorn tackles Houndoom down and Harrison.... loses!?!
Oh God it's Indigo all over again!
Yes, once again the person who beat Ash has himself been beaten; though the Announcer points out that had Harrison had Blaziken available things might have been different. It seems that the beating it took at Charizard's hands has put it out of the fight for a couple of days at least, and as a result Harrison has lost and John Dixon (he has his own last name, Gentle Dodgers!) gone on to the Johto League Final.
Later that night, the twerps find Harrison at the lake, and commiserate on his loss. He notes he is just happy to have made it to the Top 4, and Ash asks how Blaziken is doing. He says it will be fine; he just got it from the Pokemon centre, and then asks Ash if he is from Pallet Town where Professor Oak lives. When Ash confirms, Harrison tells about Hoenn's Littleroot Town and Professor Birch, another famous researcher with a love of field research. He explains it was Birch that encouraged him to get out into the world and find out about Pokemon first hand, then suggests that Ash should check out the Hoenn Region, meet Professor Birch and see a bunch of new Pokemon never seen before.
And you kids can buy the toys!
Then they hear a scream and run to find two girls scared by some "ghosts" floating around outside a building. The twerps are not convinced however, and Ash sends in Noctowl to use Foresight, discovering the "Ghosts" are Misdreavous, and they're looking for something. Gary shows up having heard the commotion, and they all head into the forest and find another Misdreavous stuck under a tree. They all set to trying to lift the heavy tree (if only they had some kind of Pocket Monsters they could use to lift this heavy tree!) and finally manage to get it free. Gary runs to check on it, saying it doesn't seem injured, and tells it will be just fine. It floats up with the others and they head into the forest.
Gary figures they were frightened by the noises coming form the Silver Conference, and says they are usually found up in Mt Silver. Ash is impressed by Gary's knowledge, and Ash's older nephew explains he wants to know more, on his travels he has seen amazing evolutions like Magikarp into Gyarados; Remoraid into Octillery; the Eevee evolutions etc, and he just wants to know so much that he's decided to give up being a Pokemon Trainer and will instead follow in his Grandfather's footsteps and become a Pokemon Researcher!
Wow, he's really taken getting his ass kicked by Ash hard.
He heads off after wishing Ash luck.
The next day is the final of the Johto League Silver Conference, with John Dixon successfully defeating his opponent and winning the Silver League Conference because he probably came straight to Johto and got his badges and registered and trained instead of helping Little Jimmy find his missing silver dollar that his Grandfather got from his wife when they met their first Pokemon! Dixon takes the trophy from Mr Goodshow as the crowd cheers, and finally the Johto League Silver Conference is in our past.
The next day finds the stadium empty, the streets deserted, and Team Rocket's warehouse full of badges as they eagerly try to sell but.... ummm.... no one is about! No customers!
But then they see a charging crowd of people and giggle happily, it's time to make MONEY!
Except those aren't customers, they're angry bill collectors, demanding due payment now dammit! Team Rocket retreat into the warehouse and hide as they despair that they're flat broke from their massive orders. Jesse has a plan however, and initiates Operation Rollout, turning the warehouse into a giant robot!
Oh like you wouldn't.
They scaring the billpayers away before they beat their retreat, flat broke but at least they're not blasting off!
Meanwhile, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock and Harrison stand together getting ready to go their separate ways. Harrison and Gary will be travelling together for a small period of time, while the twerps will make their way back to Pallet Town. Ash and Harrison promise to meet again, and then suddenly Team Rocketıs building-robot approaches, and the Team eagerly sees their chance to grab Pikachu after not having encountered the twerps at all over the last few episodes.
"Prepare for trouble and as a bonus you can shop!"
"And make it double as we shout from the rooftop (limited edition silver conference pins included)!"
"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 spins around the world at the speed of light!"
"Surrender to my pirouette or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, dat's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
They fire a missile that explodes with their collector pins, and then a net comes down towards Pikachu. But Gary sends out Blastoise which cuts down the net, and then Blaziken sets fire to the building! Pikachu Thunderbolts the towering inferno and it seems that Team Rocket ARE blasting off again!
Afterwards, Ash and Gary exchange handshakes as they stand at the crossroads and Brock and Misty say they look forward to hearing about his research. Gary and Harrison head off together and the twerps head their way, heading back to Pallet Town.
Yes, Gentle Dodgers, the Johto League is finally over and it has ended in a remarkably similar way to the Indigo League. Ash made it to the Top Eight this time but still lost to a new character who then lost to the next person he fought. Are we doomed into an endless cycle of the same old thing happening every season?
Well, not quite. Tune in next episode, Gentle Dodgers, to see EVERYTHING change!
| BEST QUOTES |
 "I can't believe that Ash lost."
 "Until we meet once more my love."
 "I added this moveable building super-feature incase we got stuck."
 "Surrender to my pirouette or prepare to fight."
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