651: The Brockster Is In!
Dodgy Synopsis
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657: Pokémon Dokuta - Takeshi!
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Pikachu sucks it up and pretends to be friendly and appreciative of Pichu, and then a young girl comes up and tells the Pokémon they shouldn't be up here alone as they could slip and fall... and promptly slips and falls herself. Brock slides in to save her, catching her before she can fall on her ass and helping her back up. She gives him a little bow of thanks and gets upset when the Pokémon start laughing at her. It turns out she is a Pre-School Teacher trainee at the Pokémon Nursery and it is her job to look after them all, but the problem is they all have a mind of their own (damn it, when will Pokémon babies learn to embrace Communism?) and it's hard to keep them in line. Brock tells her patience is the key and she just needs to find the right combination of discipline and caring to get them to do as she says. She gapes at him with admiration and declares he sounds like a Nursery School Teacher, and Dawn explains he is a Breeder (snicker). They all introduce themselves, her name is Norma Jean (ahahahaha!) while behind their ferry a trio who needs no introduction can be seen - Team Rocket are following in their Magikarp Submarine.
Their treasure detector goes off as they're pedalling and they eagerly forget about the twerps momentarily to track it down. On his monitor James is disappointed to see a bunch of Tentacruel (Jesse probably isn't best pleased either given she is a Japanese girl and they have tentacles), then magnifies and spots something gleaming that he considers treasure. Mechanical arms on the Magikarp toss Tentacruel aside, and when they get uppity about it he hits an emergency button that sends mechanical fists flying, clearing the area for them. They haul up the treasure and toss it into the submarines mouth, revealing that the treasure is.... a bottle cap! The Gourmet Curry-Flavoured Lemonade bottlecap only sold on ferries!
Meowth and Jesse aren't exactly over the moon about this crap, but James insists on holding on, it's his and he won't let it go. When the Tentacruel keep coming they try to pedal away as fast as possible and don't look where they are going, and crash into the back of the ferry. Team Rocket are thrown clear, clutching onto the railing as the twerps (and ONLY the twerps) run back to see what caused the collision. Spotting the Tentacruel swarming below like Beedrill of the Sea, they clamber over the top and prepare to get inside the ship, only to run into the twerps. They admit that they might have had something to do with the troubles, and then the Tentacruel vault over the side and onto the deck as well, waggling a tentacle obscenely in Jesse's direction (oh like you wouldn't). They blast Poison Sting at everyone but Pikachu knocks it clear with Iron Tail, taking poison damage in the process. Team Rocket thank them for saving them and then cheese it, chased by the Tentacruel and leaving Pikachu in pain. Brock tells Ash and Dawn to get after the Tentacruel and make sure none of the passengers and Pokémon get hurt while he tends to Pikachu.
Inside, the Tentacruel attack the passengers, Norma Jean protected momentarily by the baby Pokémon till the Tentacruel easily beat them aside, then gut-punch Pichu for good measure!
You know, those Tentacruel are alllllllllll right.
Meanwhile the Tentacruel have cornered Team Rocket and Jesse is demanding that James returning the bottlecap. Ash and Dawn show up, followed by Brock and a revitalised Pikachu, and demand to know what Team Rocket has done to piss off these sea-rape monsters. They insist they did nothing, James making it a big point that they especially did NOT steal an ultra-rare bottlecap that is the pride of the Tentacruel's treasure trove, and even goes so far as to show them the very bottlecap that he definitely did NOT steal.... dropping it out of his hands at the same time where it rolls to Brock's feet. He picks it up and shows it to the Tentacruel, telling them they can have it back before running away. They chase after (James complaining that his life wasn't just saved because that bottlecap WAS his life) and he throws it overboard, the Tentacruel following suit. The twerps show up and ask if he is okay, and then Norma Jean rushes up asking for help, saying all of her Pokémon are now sickly from the poison. They go to check on them and find they've all been poisoned, Pichu the worst of all because God hates it the most. Finally a member of the crew actually shows up and asks what is going on, because apparently this ferry is run by a bunch of drunk and professionally negligent morons. Brock warns that he is out of the berries that he used to treat Pikachu, and the terrible crew member reveals that the ferry has no infirmary. Brock suggests that he and his two underage unaccompanied minor friends be allowed to rifle through the cargo areas without supervision, and since the crew member is utterly useless and incompetent he agrees, mumbling that he'll go give Nurse Joy a call on the mainland. The twerps head down and with Happiny's help rifle through the crates of cargo looking for any Pecha Berries that might have been put onboard, but they don't find any till Happiny notices a door and takes them through it to discover..... aha!
They demand to know why Team Rocket are eating the Pecha Berries and they rather sheepishly admit it was purely because they were hungry. The twerps explain they need the berries to help the poisoned Pokémon, and Team Rocket see it as the perfect opportunity to haggle, saying they'll hand over the leftover berry in exchange for Pikachu. The twerps are outraged and say this is no time for deal making, but they insist it is the PERFECT time since they're crooks and all.... and Happiny bashes the shit out of them and sends them blasting off again. But there is only one berry, not enough for all of the Pokémon, so they split up and ask the various passengers for any help they can give. They're able to find two more berries and some heal powder, but it won't be enough for the sick Pokémon. An old woman approaches though and offers a Lava Cookie, something she used to grind up to heal poisons back when she was young. Brock cuts up the berries and mixes it with the potions, tending the various Pokémon including making up a baby bottle of formula for Pichu to drink from.
Soon the Pokémon appear to be improving, all except for Pichu since it has no soul and God has forsaken it. Brock can't figure out what to do, and when the incompetent crewmember arrives and tells him that Nurse Joy is on her way in a rescue boat, he asks to speak with her on videophone. Unfortunately she will be at least a couple of hours before arriving, and Brock begins to freak out, he's "only" a Breeder (snicker) and out of options. She tells him that he needs to calm down, she hates to say it but he really IS on his own so he is going to have to figure it out.
Dawn has Piplup and Buneary form a whirlpool of ice, and Happiny pounds it to make ice since apparently the incompetent crew can't even get ice together. They place ice packs on the sickly Pokémon’s heads, but Brock notes that Pichu is still having trouble breathing and asks Ash to raise the humidity to help. Ash uses Buizel's Water Gun and Infernape's Flamethrower to create steam and moisture that makes Pichu's breath easier. It's fever is still rising though, so Brock has Pikachu share some electricity from its cheek spots. Some of the other berries that the twerps found earlier can be useful too, Brock turns it into a form of energy drink, putting it in a baby bottle that Happiny tries to feed to the sick Pokémon.... but it refuses to drink. They beg it to take the drink in but it's too feverish and sickly to follow instructions, so Happiny does what needs to be done... and evolves!
No longer a super-strong baby, it is now a pink and helpful Chansey! Brock quickly checks Dawn's Pokedex to confirm moves and asks Chansey to use Soft-Boiled on Pichu. A warm glowing light emerges from Chansey and goes into Pichu, waking it up from its fever.
After the boats join up at sea and Nurse Joy gets on board to treat the Pokémon properly, they're reunited and happy. Brock thanks Nurse Joy but both she and Norma Jean insist that they must thank him, Norma Jean she'll always be grateful for what he did. Pichu jumps up to hug Brock, while Joy tells Brock that he has what it takes to be a Pokémon Doctor if he really wanted to be one. Brock seems surprised at the idea, and Dawn teases that if he did that then he'd always be in the presence of a Nurse Joy. Brock is enraptured with the idea, grabbing the surprised woman by the hand and beginning to spout poetic... till Croagunk remembers that it exists and pops out to asspunch the would-be Doctor and put him in his place.... which is being dragged away creepily by the hand. The twerps watch him carried away and joke that while he might say weird things sometimes; when it comes to Pokémon he really cares.
Apparently the care doesn't extend to other humans though, since Team Rocket are sitting becalmed out in the middle of the sea on a raft, miserably fishing for food without bait. The line gets a tug at last though and they try to pull it out of the water, only to find they've gotten hold of another Tentacruel, causing them to quickly paddle away at full speed back towards Twinleaf.
Speaking of which, the Ferry is now arriving. Brock stands looking out over the railing thinking about Joy's suggestion of becoming a Doctor. Ash and Dawn join him and tell him he was great today, and he tells them with a grin that he still has a lot to learn. They see the Seaport coming into view, and Dawn is delighted to see her mother waving to them as they approach. It's coming down to it, Gentle Dodgers, soon it will be time to part - will Dawn continue with Ash and Brock to wherever it is they're going next? Will Brock shift from breeding to Doctoring (which is an even better way to attract girls!)? Will Ash have another go at an older tournament or move on to a new one? Is this the last we will see of Piplup, the brave and proud little Pokémon? We'll find out.... next week!
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