Episode Guide #297 - #304 A Mudkip Mission Turning Over a Nuzleaf A Three Team Scheme! Seeing is Believing! Ready, Willing and Sableye A Meditite Fight! Just One of the Geysers Abandon Ship! A Mudkip Mission Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Lotad, Silcoon, Mudkip, Meowth, Seviper, Cacnea, Wobbuffet, Forretress Story: The group explore a river for new Pokémon and May acts out as if she’s hosting her own expedition TV show. The group find a high waterfall on the route but Brock and Lotad form a secure line to climb, they are surprised that May gets ahead of them and she reveals she used Silcoon’s thread to pull themselves up. The group wander into a muddy area full of baby Mudkip, May recalls her first experience with a Mudkip and is strangely interested all of a sudden in catching one but she is fired at with Water Gun. One of the Mudkip babies falls into the water and is dragged with the current, Brock has Lotad go after it but it can’t fight the pull, luckily a grown up Mudkip helps them to land (the same Mudkip that splashed May). An old man appears and accuses the group of trying to steal the Mudkip but is soon set straight, he’s known as Swampy and is surprised they got here from the waterfall since every other entrance is fenced up. Swampy raises Mudkip eggs and cares for the Mudkip that hatch until they’re old enough to be given to new Pokémon Trainers. As a Breeder, Brock is invited to see a Mudkip hatch and even it splashes May, Brock informs Swampy that a grown Mudkip assisted in saving a baby and the group learns it’s a Wild Pokémon that thinks of the little Mudkip as its friends. Swampy is concerned since the babies will all have to leave and the Mudkip will end up becoming lonesome. Team Rocket break one of the fences and Swampy hurries to investigate with most of the group, Brock finds the Mudkip but it soon runs off, Brock catches up with it and befriends it with Pokémon Food. Team Rocket make themselves known but Swampy shows his weakness in that he’s no good at keeping secrets and reveals there are Mudkip here. He also reveals that by breaking the dam, the Mudkip would be flushed out and Cacnea soon does just that and sends a huge wave flooding into the Mudkip area. Forretress’s Rapid Spin pushes back the water and Lotad and Brock get the Mudkip out of the lake, a couple are left stranded on a rock but the older Mudkip gets them back safely. Forretress can’t hold the water back any longer and Brock rushes the Pokémon to higher ground. One Mudkip is seen having been left behind and the older Mudkip struggles to save it but are headed for the falls. It goes over and clings to a rock, Brock quickly reacts using the rope from earlier, he dives over and lowers himself down to the Mudkip, he asks for Mudkip’s trust and it reaches out to be saved. The group pull Brock and the two Mudkip back up, Swampy offers his thanks but notices something before being interrupted by Team Rocket in a strange-looking robot which scoops up the Mudkip and places them in a large pot. Brock notices the robot is sinking slightly into the soft floor and enlists Lotad and Mudkip’s help to cause the robot to descend. Mudkip frees the babies and Ash takes over with Pikachu’s usual Thunderbolt to defeat the bad guys. The group comment on how close Brock and Mudkip have now become and Swampy requests Brock take Mudkip with him since it can’t make any lasting friends if it remains here. Mudkip gladly accepts to join Brock and he vows to take care of it well, the group soon say goodbye and will return to their camp for more training in the morning. My favourite Quote: Meowth: “Hey, what’s this?” Jessie: “It’s a fence Genius.” Meowth: “I mean what’s it Doin’ here?!” Jessie: “What do you Think it’s doing here?” (turns to James) “What’s it doing here?” James: “I’d say someone doesn’t want us on their property.” Jessie (to Meowth): “Obviously someone doesn’t want us on their property.” Meowth: “But how come?” Jessie: “Of all the dumb- Hold on...” (turns to James again) “ How come?” Things I’d like to point out: May did not say “How’d I do?” back in “Get the Show on the Road!”, I hate it when flashbacks are re-dubbed whether it be a replacement voice actor reciting old lines their predecessor said and especially flashbacks in which the words are altered from what they said originally. Surely Swampy can’t be that surprised that the group got by his fences, Team Rocket break them with little effort and they’re so low they could easily be climbed over. If Cacnea loves James, why does it use Needle Arm on him when he’s already told it to attack the fence? I know James’s body breaks the fence but surely Cacnea didn’t actually want to hurt James intentionally. Clearly James shouldn’t ask Cacnea to use Needle Arm as the second time he does so this episode it sends James through the dam instead of just plain attacking it. Just because it doesn’t trust Brock doesn’t mean Mudkip should have hesitated to accept his help, it would have been washed away or perhaps killed and the same for the baby it was holding had it slipped. Lotad doesn’t seem to be helping exactly; its feet are on the ground and it remains stationary while its beak is apparently used to grasp the rope but it’s such a subtle movement it really doesn’t seem to be contributing to the pulling. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon carries small items in its mouth!) Pelipper Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Turning Over a Nuzleaf Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Mudkip, Torchic, Corphish, Lotad, Treecko, Silcoon, Loudred, Forretress, Taillow, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Nuzleaf, Cacnea Story: The group finish training in a cave and head back to their camp, Corphish wanders off and starts poking at a Loudred. It charges on a rampage after being awakened by Corphish’s claw and Brock quickly has Forretress burrow an exit in the cave. Loudred crashes nearby which causes May to drop her Silcoon, the other Pokémon rush to it as it rolls down a slope, the Loudred digs itself out of the area and Silcoon ends up near a lake. Corphish fails to retrieve it and causes the group of Pokémon to fall into it and down a small waterfall. They end up in a forest and Corphish is stuck in the soil, Treecko helps by roughly catapulting Corphish into the air which starts an argument between them which must be broken up. The Pokémon team move forward in search of their trainers while Team Rocket are lost in the caves and Wobbuffet wakes up Loudred and gets them blasted out into the open air. Corphish finds some mushrooms but is stopped and warned that these are poisonous by Pikachu, Mudkip finds some berries and Corphish selfishly eats its share until it chokes, Treecko saves Corphish by roughly hitting it with its tail again. As the Pokémon continue on a Nuzleaf sits up in a tree and uses a leaf as a flute to send the group into a trance and walking in circles. When they come to they are annoyed at the troublesome Nuzleaf and Treecko provokes it to come down to their level, Corphish swiftly attacks and although it dodges Nuzleaf discovers its head leaf has been torn slightly. It angrily calls its fellow Nuzleaf and escapes into the trees, soon enough as the Pokémon continue on but traps are set to catch them one by one. Silcoon is noticed being abducted by the two remaining Pokémon Pikachu and Mudkip, Taillow finds them and reports back to Ash. The captured Pokémon are caged and the Nuzleaf are apparently angry enough to want the ones culpable to burn for their actions and even Treecko and Corphish can’t break their cage. Team Rocket watch as Pikachu and Mudkip arrive to save their friends, Pikachu is stopped from fighting by Mudkip who wants to peacefully talk things over but it appears the Nuzleaf can’t be persuaded, all of them are netted by Team Rocket and raised up, followed by Pikachu who is caught in a glove device. Mudkip’s water is ineffective against the cage but Taillow and Forretress attack it together and shatter it. Ash has Corphish use Crab Hammer on himself to catapult him up to the balloon; he first unties the Nuzleaf’s net. They land safely and Cacnea accidentally frees Pikachu but Ash is too high to let go, Brock quickly has the group and Nuzleaf use the net to catch Ash when he jumps and Treecko catapults Corphish up high enough to burst the balloon and get rid of the villains. It falls all the way down but this time, Treecko catches it with its tail, the two finally see eye to eye and seem to be friends now or at least respect each other. The Nuzleaf become nicer and befriend the Pokémon, and come the next day comes more training and surely more adventure. My favourite Quote: Jessie: “Meowth, you’re my hero; at least you would be if you weren’t short, fat and ugly.” Things I’d like to point out: Unless the entire group woke up very early or trained throughout the night, Ash can’t have done much training for the fact he claims they’re done for the day and will now have breakfast. This is the second time the phrase “Turning over a new leaf” has been used as a title pun; the first was “Turning Over A New Bayleef”. Apparently this similarity caused a TV guide to summarise the plot of the latter instead of this episode. Mudkip still does its duties in taking care of others, already it’s aware that Torchic doesn’t like the water and gives it a lift on its back (though personally Lotad would be a better choice for carrying passengers). Once again the Starter Pokémon seem to band together soon after they are all collected like in “Island of the Giant Pokémon” and “A Hot Water Battle” but another tradition appears to continue in that Taillow, the Flying/bird Pokémon of the group gets left out of the action and companionship. Once again, no subtitles like “Island of the Giant Pokémon” and probably no hope of such a feature ever being seen again in Pokémon. Corphish didn’t appear to be looking at Pikachu miming the consequences of eating the poison mushrooms, especially since either way it reaches for the mushrooms regardless. During the Nuzleaf’s hypnotic song, Lotad’s eyes change completely to little pupils and it’s not because it’s in a trance since the other big eyed Pokémon don’t change in appearance. Talk about anti-climactic; after the build-up of all the Nuzleaf being called to get the Pokémon before the break, afterwards they are continuing through the forest unhindered for a time and no longer worrying (regardless if they are then captured one by one). If Jessie is true about the fact she’d be willing to burn at the stake anyone who damaged her hair (setting aside Ash’s Pokémon who blacken and shock her hair on a fairly regular basis) she owes a certain Scyther (“Tracey Gets Bugged”) the apparent burning but more importantly her own Seviper who cut her hair short before she caught it in “A Tail with a Twist”. Again Pokémon are accused of not being able to understand humans (this time by Jessie), They Can Understand Fine given the evidence of their understanding strategies in battle and more so in that the group’s Pokémon help in all sorts of things unrelated to battle, they just can’t speak the language. I don’t recall Team Rocket ever having learned that Pikachu knew and used Iron Tail attack now, seeing as they weren’t around during its training or following battles when it was used, they only witnessed a failed version of the attack and one would assume they disregarded it, it felt completely unnecessary to point out Iron Tail wouldn’t work to free Pikachu along with the usual electricity prevention. Not that I should have to point this out but Meowth quotes the singer Ricky Martin by saying (not singing) “Livin’ La Vida Loca”. Silcoon is blatantly seen bouncing forward to get to its trainer, so why were the other Pokémon carrying it all day? Unless it gets tired easily (Wurmple looked a lot less energetic before evolving). Corphish’s Crab Hammer shouldn’t have worked in lifting Ash off the ground like he used to do with Heracross’s horn, Crabhammer clearly requires force to propel something; the only solution is if like Team Rocket Ash can easily be lifted extremely high off the ground with little action... or sense. Ash uses his teeth to assist in untying Team Rocket’s net which just makes me think he should carry around at least one cutting tool given the amount of nets Team Rocket has used on him over the years though it would obviously be a bad example to kids. Still, it should be an exception since most kids aren’t robbed of their pets virtually every day of their life. I feel it’s wrong for Ash to claim the Nuzleaf became good friends with Pikachu; they’re only being friendly because the Pokémon helped save them, the same can be said for other wild Pokémon of past episodes but the Nuzleaf are the first to ever consider burning Pokémon alive to punish them. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This grass type Pokémon can climb smooth vertical walls!) Treecko Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. A Three Team Scheme! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Taillow, Treecko, Corphish, Wingull, Loudred, Meowth, Nincada, Cascoon, Mightyena, Wobbuffet, Carvanha, Silcoon Story: The group train by jogging down the beach when Brock notices someone scaling a cliff; it’s Professor Birch looking inside a Wingull’s nest, its owner makes him fall onto a Loudred which screams at him before digging away. He’s happy to see the group and that Brock managed to find them without any trouble, he explains he’s here researching the Pokémon and explains that Wingull build their nests on high cliff walls. Ash explains his loss while Team Rocket suggest capturing the professor to make him lead them to Pokémon. Birch learns of May’s choice and allows the group to hang out with him for the day; meanwhile a red vehicle lands and members of Team Magma emerge from it. The group explore a cave and find a door leading to a room full of furniture, a young boy arrives and orders the group to leave his secret base. Team Rocket are nearby and soon capture Nincada and expel the boy, meanwhile a submarine emerges from the water with a group of divers from Team Aqua. Jessie’s Cascoon (though she still thinks it’s a Silcoon) has tied up Nincada in a web of string, and Jessie decides that Nincada will build them secret bases from now on. James and Meowth contact the Boss via the boy’s computer and report they now have a Hoenn base but he sees clearly that it looks like a child’s room. The group leave a different cave and find the boy Keanu who explains the situation with Nincada while it’s being forced to dig and expand the base. Team Magma members force their way in and quickly expel Team Rocket in order to bring in a large digging machine to burrow a path right through and deeper into the caves. Keanu explains he hasn’t won a single Pokémon Battle and now he hates battling and feels he’s a letdown to his Nincada. The base was built so they could hide away and train, May is angered and orders Keanu to snap out of this state, Ash offers to help train with Keanu after rescuing Nincada. Team Magma reach a strange artefact and figures it to be the Cave of Origin, the field commander Harland has the Magmas search for something and mentions something by the codename ‘G’. Keanu is shocked at the damaged done to his base; the group soon follow the destructive path to the ruins. The Magmas don’t find what they’re looking for and the Aquas who surface are met with Mightyena’s Shadow Ball attack which is countered by Carvanha’s Hydro Pump. The team of Aquas are free to look for what they are searching for while their tactical commander Isabel speaks with Harland. They speak cryptically about a power either group is seeking and mention items called the Rose Orb and the Indigo Orb which appear to be in either team’s possession (but the wrong way around) and of their beliefs in the superiority of the sea and of the land. Isabel receives word that codename ‘K’ isn’t here either and that this isn’t the Cave of Origin but a shrine built by ancient people. The Aquas and Magmas gather but the Pokémon out are returned and both groups leave, Team Rocket come out of hiding to search for treasure but are confronted by the group. Silcoon creates a line for the group to slide down to the shrine and Rockets while Ash convinces Keanu to be brave and help save his friend. While Ash threatens Team Rocket and they threaten back Keanu crashes into them and Pikachu uses Iron Tail to cut Nincada’s thread ropes. Keanu has Nincada use Hidden Power which blasts Team Rocket out of the caves and far away. Keanu is congratulated for his efforts and for his Pokémon’s power, Keanu cares not for his broken base and vows to build another but to train hard in order to get stronger. My favourite Quote: (After the Boss hangs up on Team Rocket they sign miserably) James: “I need a hug...” Things I’d like to point out: The reoccurring Loudred makes me start thinking the group and Team Rocket and everyone else for that matter encounter, awaken and infuriate the very same individual Pokémon, after all, the first time a Loudred was seen in an episode was here on Dewford Island where the group still remain and Loudred appearances seem to stop once they leave. The Secret Base aspect is an option in the games for trainers to customize their own little room in Hoenn, however a door in a cave isn’t very subtle at all so if the boy didn’t want intruders, he should have at least locked it (if it’s possible to build a lock that connects to a rock wall). This is the first time Team Rocket call the Boss/Giovanni by his real name in his presence. I used to figure it was a secret for the most trusted and more successful Rockets but that theory is out the window now that Jessie, James and Meowth know. It’s pointed out that May is in no position to lecture on battling but why is she so enraged at Keanu? All he did was build a secret hideaway to train in until he was ready to be a successful battler, he never said it was specifically to hide away from every opponent as May’s interpretation suggests. Two new songs debut this episode, the Team Magma theme for one, which is strange having it done now since Team Aqua’s theme was played the first time a solitary member was around and yet this is Team Magma’s second appearance from a named member; Harland (still, the song is repeated in “The Spheal of Approval” so it kind of balances out despite the majority of Magma appearance compared to Team Aqua’s). Anyway, the slightly slowed down version has good additions but seems mellow and not as dramatic compared to the game. Secondly, the Team base song (Magma or Aqua depending on the game) is also played which in the game is a level in which the player must infiltrate their relevant team’s base. The whole Field Commander and Tactical Commander additions to the names of the Magma/Aqua leading figures is very similar to the games in that every opponent has a description of themselves before their name, though seeing as Harland and Isabel clearly know each other (possibly before they joined the relevant groups) it seems pointless naming each other with the rank before their name. I’m not sure however if it’s an error when Isabel refers to Harland as the Tactical Commander, unless Field and Tactical are just names and are of equal value in rank. It’s obvious that the Magmas’ search for ‘G’ stands for Groudon for anyone who’s played the latest Pokémon games, Team Magma and Team Aqua are directly based on their original counterparts in looks, goals and beliefs (Team Magma want to create more land mass and Team Aqua want to provide an increase in water habitats). The Cave of Origin, the resting place of Groudon/Kyogre is referred to briefly but for some reason the Red Orb and Blue Orb have been dubbed the Rose Orb and Indigo Orb. Blatant mistake in that Hidden Power is not the official move for making bases; Secret Power is a completely different attack and the well known key to creating bases in the game. Besides, didn’t Team Rocket use Nincada’s Dig technique to expand a base instead? I’m surprised Keanu is so carefree after the destruction of his base considering what he lost; his TV and computer were completely crushed by the digging machine. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This curious Pokémon walks a zigzag path between things that interest it!) Zigzagoon Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Given the many appearances so far I decided to wait until both teams were present before stating that Team Magma and Aqua will definitely be seen in the fanfic, however the line-up and characters will be different. Seeing is Believing! Pokémon seen: Corphish, Taillow, Treecko, Pikachu, Silcoon, Mudkip, Lotad, Cascoon, Meowth, Seedot, Wobbuffet, Seviper, Beautifly, Cacnea, Dustox Story: Birch stays for a meal with the group and Ash is eager to show off his new Pokémon, Birch is surprised by Corphish’s strength and May shows him her Silcoon, followed by Brock and his Lotad and Mudkip. Jessie cleans her Cascoon still believing it’s a Silcoon while James and Meowth try to prove her wrong but she refuses to believe them. A trio of Seedot fall from their tree and Birch explains they are unhappy because they are thirsty but it’s apparent the trees they like to drink from have been brought down by a landslide. Birch informs Max how Seedot like to be polished with leaves and then plays with them by rolling around in the ground with them. Team Rocket are nearby and attack with Seviper and Cascoon (a fact Birch points out to Jessie), May’s Silcoon faces off against it and Birch explains the difference between the two similar Pokémon. They tackle each other and May’s Silcoon evolves into Beautifly, Jessie is eager for her Pokémon to evolve as well and has it battle, Corphish defends Beautifly and sends Cascoon into Seviper and it into Team Rocket; they go flying to the other end of the forest. May is congratulated by Birch and Brock hands her a special jelly for Beautifly to eat, May is told of some of Beautifly’s attacks and is given a frisbee by Birch to assist her in contests. It gets the hang of it fairly quickly and the group set out to continue searching for a new home for the Seedot. Team Rocket end up on a cliff and Jessie is infuriated, James and Meowth imagine how mad she’ll be once Cascoon evolves and think of a way to save their skin. Jessie wants her Silcoon (Cascoon) to have more battling experience and will use Meowth and the other Pokémon to do so. None of the trees so far suit the Seedot, while Cascoon overcomes Meowth with Tackle and wins, followed by Cacnea who also loses to Tackle attacks, Jessie soon decides it needs stronger opponents and plans an attack on the group. Finally the Seedot are found an appropriate area that’s good for the trees and the soil, Team Rocket land their balloon and challenge them to a battle. May has Beautifly battle and its Gust blasts Cascoon back, James calls Cacnea to help but Ash distracts it with Treecko who dodges Pin Missile but its Pound attack is dodged. Meowth tries to steal the Seedot but is stopped by Mudkip, Beautifly is tackled but tackles back, Cascoon tackles again but is kept at bay by Gust and it evolves during the assault. James and Meowth react and feebly cover it up while Meowth runs around in a Beautifly costume; Jessie sees through it all and uncovers a Dustox. She appears shocked and wonders how this could have happened, Birch informs her that it was her Wurmple’s decision to evolve differently; surprisingly Jessie is very positive about this turn of events and adores her new Dustox. She challenges the group with it and has it tackle Beautifly before the group are ready for battle; Beautifly tackles back and dodges Poison Sting by deflecting it with Gust. A double attack of Psybeam and Cacnea’s Pin Missile are aimed at Beautifly but Treecko leaps in the way to protect it and takes a fall. Ash replaces it with Corphish who dodges Pin Missile while Beautifly dodges Poison Sting, Dustox is tackled and Cacnea Crab Hammered into their respective owners. As usual Team Rocket are now grouped together and defeated by Ash’s Pokémon, only today it’s by Corphish’s Bubblebeam attack. Birch analyses the soil as nutrient rich and since the Seedot are definitely happy in the trees, this is now their new home. Ash is saddened that no training was done but Brock reckons he can catch up tomorrow, Birch decides to head back to Littleroot Town, he spurs the two trainers on to do their best and the group say their goodbyes. My favourite Quote: (Jessie’s Dustox is covered by a sheet while Meowth feebly imitates a Beautifly in costume) Jessie: “Meowth! Do ya mind telling me what you’re doing?!” Meowth: “I’m a Beau-ti-fly, I ain’t never heard a’ Meowth!” Things I’d like to point out: What’s with May only showing Silcoon to Birch when everyone else shows off their Hoenn Pokémon, is she ashamed of not having trained it since adopting it from him? The same goes for Brock and Forretress unless the group were only showing Birch Hoenn based Pokémon. However, didn’t Birch already see Silcoon last episode when it was out? Another bad Meowth idea; the Boss wouldn’t care for motivational exercise partners; he wants rare Pokémon or information on Team Magma or Aqua. Why is Birch asking who Team Rocket are? He saw them back in “Get the Show on the Road!”? How could he forget them so soon? What good does it do if Cacnea wins the battle? Jessie’s Cascoon needs to gain battling experience to evolve; unless of course the game mechanics come into play in that any conscious Pokémon who play any part in a battle receive experience and provided it was out in battle it doesn’t even need to make a move. Max should have phrased differently; Beautifly know how to use Tackle because they learned it as a Wurmple, but it’s an attack that hasn’t been used, only String Shot rather than Tackle and Harden. Technically the two Wurmple didn’t evolve at the same time; Jessie’s evolved a couple of seconds before May’s which is strange since Team Rocket aren’t known to train. At least May’s evolved into its final stage first since it’s got other kinds of experiences (I say this because it never battled until this episode as a Silcoon). Jessie is wrong; technically it’s May who has the advantage since Beautifly is part Flying-type, in the original Pokémon games though, Bug Pokémon were weak against Poison attacks, a trait which was removed before long though. What’s with the needle thing? Team Rocket keep winding up with needle-based attacks, first Arbok and Poison Sting, then Cacnea and Pin Missile, and now Dustox with Poison Sting. Who’s That Pokémon?: (The suction cups on the feet of this Pokémon keep it from slipping!) Wurmple Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Ready, Willing and Sableye Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Beautifly, Forretress, Lotad, Mudkip, Torchic, Treecko, Taillow, Corphish, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Sableye Story: Brock treats the group to some sandwiches; Corphish helps cut vegetables but gets carried away and dices the sandwiches into particles, the group end up having to eat them with a spoon. Corphish is ignorant of its wrongdoing and Ash feels he needs to do something to change its attitude. Team Rocket wander towards an old goldmine and figure there might be some undiscovered treasure somewhere. They ride a mine trolley down its track and it’s not long before their claims of the place being haunted appear true, Team Rocket quickly shift into reverse at the sighting of a ghost and Meowth is left behind but trips as he runs away and knocks himself out. The figure is a Ghost Pokémon called Sableye and Team Rocket quickly hide as the group arrive, Ash wants the group to test their courage and has a plan to scare Corphish so that it might settle down, May and Max go ahead in a trolley to dress up like a ghost and await Corphish. Meowth wakes up in a control room with where he realises the ghost is just a Sableye; it explains that it simply likes having fun and scaring humans and appreciates Meowth’s company. Meowth sees the two siblings on the monitor and schemes to use Sableye for his own selfish gains. Corphish is surprised it is not out of its Pokéball to battle and Ash attempts to trick it while Max and May appear in costume. The plan backfires in that it attacks them, knocking Max and May into a trolley and revealing them, angry at everyone for deceiving it Corphish also rams the trolley and sends it deep into the mine before running off. Sableye appears and scares May and Max but he figures it to be a Pokémon, May has Torchic attack with Ember but it easily crawls around the attack and licks Torchic into paralysis. Meowth joins him and brings a net down on the two while Ash makes it out of the cave and explains the situation to Brock, he is concerned that May and Max haven’t gotten out even though Corphish led him astray. Meowth and Sableye spot Ash and Brock entering the cave and Meowth continues to pretend to be Sableye’s friend, something that has not gone unnoticed by May and Max. Corphish is still mad at Ash and a trolley rolls towards the group but nothing is inside, Sableye sneaks around behind them and scares them with its tongue. Meowth joins in with black clothing to conceal himself and taunts Corphish who assumes this is Ash’s doing and attacks him and then Pikachu. May releases Torchic though it hasn’t fully recovered and has it break the net with Ember, it’s recalled and the siblings hurry to help out. Pikachu and Corphish continue to fight though they dodge each other’s attacks and Meowth swiftly captures to two in a net. May and Max arrive and warn Sableye of Meowth’s dishonesty, it’s torn over who to believe when the rest of Team Rocket arrive and grab the net with the Pokémon. Meowth swiftly abandons Sableye to escape with them but Taillow starts pecking at Jessie until she retaliates by throwing a small bomb which brings the tunnel crashing down, Sableye swiftly leads the group out of the tunnel before it caves in. Team Rocket are a little concerned and show a shred of remorse before the group appear at the top of the cave to confront them. Sableye is angry since its home has now been destroyed; it frees Corphish and Pikachu so that Crabhammer and Iron Tail along with Sableye’s Night Shade can do away with Team Rocket. The group are thankful of Sableye for keeping them safe including Corphish who looks to have settled down a little, the group say goodbye to Sableye who will now search for another place to hang out. My favourite Quote: (After Corphish’s knack for slicing food goes too far) May: “Well, I can say this is the first time I’ve ever eaten my sandwich with a spoon...” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun is based on the phrase “Ready, willing and able”. I wonder if Jessie’s statement of haunted places scaring James is a reference to the horrible time they had with Ghost Pokémon back in “The Tower of Terror”. When Max and May are in the net and Torchic is called out, for one shot the Pokéball disappears, May’s hand continues to remain in the position of holding it so this seems like a brief animation error. The dark outfit and veil Meowth wears is the same he wears in “Holy Matrimony!”, however using it in a dark cave is a heck of a lot more effective than when he and Jessie were under the impression it was concealing them in a colourful mansion. No one mentions it in the episode but technically Sableye is a ghost, if the classification of Ghost Pokémon has any meaning here (it’s also a Dark-type). I’d hoped given the narrator suggests the group might see Sableye again, coupled with the fact its home has been destroyed might open the possibility of another tradition continuing and Sableye becoming Hoenn’s running cameo Pokémon (like Jigglypuff and Snubbull), sadly this hasn’t come to pass. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s nose serves as an electromagnet and determines location!) Nosepass Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Considering it didn’t get the cameo it deserved in the series I might take pity and see it gets an appearance regardless of how much older it will have to be. A Meditite Fight! Pokémon seen: Corphish, Treecko, Taillow, Pikachu, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Shroomish, Seedot, Zigzagoon, Meditite, Wingull, Hariyama, Rattata, Seviper, Cacnea Story: Once again Ash trains by waiting and concentrating to dodge a tidal wave at the very last moment. Brock calls the group for breakfast and they soon see a surfing girl called Shauna who appears to them claiming to be Brawly’s top apprentice and girlfriend before challenging him. The battle is interrupted by both trainers being too hungry so Shauna is invited to eat with the group before the battle. Team Rocket wait in the submarine and get down to a meal of their own while discussing today’s scheme. Shauna is jealous of the positive comments Brawly said about Ash and that he might be a better trainer than her, Ash has to delay his battle further to wash the dishes and Shauna joins him to get it done faster while Max and May keep likening the two to each other. While picking up some firewood, Brock notices some wild Pokémon fleeing to safety before seeing some storm clouds approaching. Pikachu is distracted as Ash begins his battle and the pair are fighting on Team Rocket’s latest pitfall area, Shauna uses a Meditite and begins the battle with Focus Punch which is dodged, followed by Hi Jump Kick and more physical hits, all the while missing the holes as well as attacks. Brock comments on how the training has paid off for Ash while Shauna is trying to use muscle and sheer power like Ash did in his losing Gym Battle. Pikachu performs a great dodge with its training in mind and it’s about to counter-strike when Brawly interrupts the battle. He warns the group of a hurricane headed here (which Pikachu sensed earlier as did the wild Pokémon), he offers to lead them to safe ground and Shauna stops Brock from divulging the information she gave to the group. On the way to a cave Brawly knows of, the group pick up some wild Seedot and Shroomish on the way while Team Rocket moan about their traps being ruined before realising the hatch on the submarine is jammed and that a wave is about to send them flying. While crossing a narrow path across the mountains, Ash suggests everyone hold hands to stay safe, Shauna appears hesitant to do so with Brawly and her cover is blown in that she lied about being his girlfriend and apprentice. Rocks crumble but Hariyama is soon on hand and uses Arm Thrust to punch through the rocks and Pikachu decimates a falling tree before it crashes down on them. Team Rocket’s submarine flies into the mountain and they plead for shelter from the storm. Other Pokémon have found the cave as well and Brawly suggests they stay here for the night; Shauna doesn’t sit with the group around the fire because she’s embarrassed. Brock asks why Shauna isn’t Brawly’s apprentice and he explains she has a short fuse and doesn’t connect with her Pokémon as well as she could. Ash figures he can handle another Gym Battle against Brawly and Shauna is talked into sitting with the group and near Brawly. Brawly explains the power of nature and how one shouldn’t ever go against it, even Team Rocket are invited to get some warmth from the fire. Morning comes and all is calm, the Pokémon are already gone but Team Rocket block the exit, recite the motto and attack with Seviper and Cacnea. Ash is warned against using Electric attacks in case the walls crumble so Brawly has Hariyama punch Team Rocket out of the cave and far away. Shauna requests one more battle against Ash and they use the same Pokémon as before, she starts with Focus Punch and Pikachu waits until the last moment to dodge and attack, however Meditite uses Detect to see the attack coming and dodge it and then uses Meditate, Pikachu Quick Attacks and Meditite dodges. Shauna’s battle strategy has now changed and Brawly notices this, Hi Jump Kick is launched and Pikachu grounds itself and waits until the last moment to leap up and use Thunderbolt to win. Brawly is impressed and Shauna takes defeat well, she admits she was able to sense her Meditite’s emotions in battle and Brawly decides to take her on as his apprentice. Ash requests a rematch which is accepted by Brawly but he wishes to have it take place elsewhere, he leads them to an island to which the path is formed only when the tide recedes, the group will head over there and Ash is determined to win this time... My favourite Quote: Shauna: “I happened to hear from Brawly that you’re quite the trainer...” Ash: “Ya did? He said That?” Shauna: “... Suggesting you’re better than me!” Ash: “Well that’s not my problem.” Things I’d like to point out: The whole description thing continues on with Shauna calling herself a Battle Girl, this very classification is seen in the games, and more importantly, trainers who block the way in Brawly’s Gym are sometimes Battle Girls. Since there was no seat on the side of the table closest to the tent, Shauna probably stole Ash or Pikachu’s seat since she’s sitting in it after rushing to the table. I think Focus Punch was a bad choice of name for the attack used here since a real Focus Punch takes two turns to initiate (and which fails if the user is damaged between charge and punch). It’s a little too coincidental that the tide would recede only moments after the group reached the path to the island, unless Brawly is that in tune with nature and knew exactly when to arrive here for it to happen. What’s with the narrator? He claims Ash has the taste of defeat fresh in his mouth (a choice of words I’m not particularly fond of) but he just beat Shauna and Brawly’s victory over him took place a good ten episodes ago. I’m not happy with that scripting at all and the unnecessary build up in racking up the dramatics of a rematch, looks like the narrator is more the drama queen than Meowth is claimed to be this episode. Who’s That Pokémon?: (The fin on this Pokémon’s head acts as a sensitive radar of movement!) Mudkip Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Undecided as yet though Brawly and Shauna will get a mention. Just One of the Geysers Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Seviper, Cacnea, Machop, Treecko, Corphish, Hariyama Story: The group cross the path to Brawly’s secret training area on an island but Team Rocket have ended up there first where they discover berries and several refrigerators full of food; they announce this to be their new secret base. They recall how they just happened to land here after their latest blasting off, Meowth attempts to cook a meal but Jessie and James are quite happy to eat whatever doesn’t need heating up and Meowth gives in to their way of thinking. They are quickly discovered stuffing their faces and attack with their Pokémon, the attacks are dodged and Brawly warns Ash against reacting too brashly, likening the situation to surfing. He tells Team Rocket to leave calmly and they refuse, Brawly is certain something is about to expel them and a geyser soon rises up beneath them and blasts them out of the cave. Brawly leads the group past several exercise machines and weights to a special battlefield which is made of a rectangular cavern floor surrounded by water and rock spires with several scattered geyser holes scattered around. Brawly recalls Ash’s loss and wonders how much he’s developed; Ash begins the battle with Treecko to face Machop. Treecko dodges a powerful Karate Chop and lands on one of the rock spires surrounding the field as does Machop and Ash has it use them for climbing as if they were trees. Brawly’s Machop keeps attacking while Treecko dodges; a reversal of the strategies from last time, Machop becomes too tired to use Cross Chop effectively and Treecko strikes with Quick Attack. Though it looks like Machop is defeated, it gets up and prepares to use the geysers to its advantage. Machop uses Cross Chop as the geyser helps it forward and Ash decides to recall Treecko before the blow is struck. Ash substitutes Corphish and uses Bubblebeam followed by Crab Hammer, it is blocked by Karate Chop but Corphish quickly follows up with another and knocks Machop out. Hariyama is next and uses Arm Thrust, although Corphish uses Harden to increase its defence, it’s damaged and Ash hopes Hariyama will tire itself out by continuously punching, unfortunately it doesn’t seeing as Hariyama’s latest training has brought about a raise in stamina. Corphish escapes into the surrounding water and Hariyama jumps towards the lower area but is still surprised by Crab Hammer. Corphish dives into the water but Hariyama uses Arm Thrust on it to cut a gap and for Corphish to surface from the shockwave, it’s caught in a Seismic Toss and defeated. Treecko is returned to the battle and Ash recalls his last Gym Battle and vows not to make the same mistakes. Treecko dodges Arm Thrust and Ash orders Treecko to keep using Pound on Hariyama’s legs, it dodges Arm Thrust again and again, aiming for the legs every time in order to weaken them and lessen Hariyama’s abilities. Hariyama’s Vital Throw fails when its legs weaken and the attack misses while Treecko is tiring only a little. Ash has Treecko and Brawly his Hariyama stand on holes in the field deliberately in order to use the geysers to boost their strength. Hariyama uses Knock Off while Treecko uses Pound, the Pokémon land on opposite sides of the field after the final decisive hit and after a tense silence Hariyama collapses and Ash wins the match. He receives a Knuckle Badge from Brawly and is congratulated on his win and his development, and is commented on his potential skills for his future battles in Hoenn. My favourite Quote: Brawly: “In trying to fix their faults, many trainers end up losing their strengths too.” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun of this episode is based on the saying “Just one of the guys”. Meowth goes and quotes a well known line from the classic nursery rhyme “The Three Little Pigs” but strangely it’s the pigs’ line he quotes rather than the villainous wolf’s. What was Ash referring to when he inquired about the circle in the middle of the arena? Brawly replies by explaining the geysers here but there is no single hole in the centre, so was Ash questioning the Pokémon League design in the arena’s centre? All I can think is that there were many ‘holes’ in the scripting of this and maybe Ash was getting at why only the circle was present but not the usual rectangle that signifies the arena’s boundaries. Where is Hariyama standing?! It’s clearly on a rock about its size surrounded by water but when it’s hit by Corphish, Hariyama takes several steps back meaning it should have fallen into the water instead of magically appearing on another rock. Ash remembers his old Gym Battle wrong or phrases it wrong in that he falsely claims Treecko was defeated by just one attack; ahem, Treecko was dealt hits from Vital Throw, an Arm Thrust barrage and a Seismic Toss before Hariyama finished it with Knock Off. He seems to only recall Hariyama’s attack but not the first three before it evolved from Makuhita. Vital Throw fails to live up to its traits due to Ash’s alternative strategy of attacking Hariyama’s legs, since Vital Throw is usually always the second attack in a match but is guaranteed to get a hit, though it would obviously not work if the user fainted before then and not being able to stand is as feasible a reason to botch the attack. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon has six whiskers which help determine what surrounds it!) Persian Cameos in Pokémon Journey: This arena may make the odd appearance though not as often as Brawly’s traditional Gym. Abandon Ship! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Corphish, Seviper, Beautifly, Wingull, Torchic, Swampert, Marill, Azurill, Spinarak, Golduck, Mudkip, Wooper, Marshtomp Story: Ash revels on his latest badge win and the group are headed by boat towards Slateport City, Ash looks forward to his Gym Battle at Mauville City but May reminds him she’s got a Contest to attend in Slateport City. Unknown to them, Team Rocket are the drivers and soon enough they catch Pikachu after pretending to be friendly towards the group. Corphish frees Pikachu before they get away in their submarine and goes on to defeat Seviper, Beautifly appears and uses Gust to blow the entire group into the submarine so Pikachu can blast it. The boat runs low on fuel and there’s no radio, the group drift towards an abandoned ship that’s stuck on the rocks. On board the group notice another boat nearby before being met by a guy called Tommy, he explains the ship (now known as the Forsaken Ship) crashed some time ago and he was a passenger the night it did so. He lost his Marshtomp in the event and is searching for it now; he offers to help the group to the nearest port after he’s done here. The group wait for him but Torchic wanders into the sights of a dark Swampert and disappears with it before the group get to it. Team Rocket have ended up crashing here and the Swampert soon abducts Meowth, Max is next, dragged under the water and awakening next to Torchic and Meowth in thread bindings. Some Marill and Azurill suddenly appear and happily wander by and Brock concludes that this ship must serve as their home. Max feebly tries to escape and convinces Meowth to use his foot claws to cut him loose, while freeing Torchic, a Spinarak appears and Max is put back in his bindings, soon starting a fight with Meowth and poor Torchic between them being used to batter each other. James is caught next and Meowth agrees to free him but not Max who tries to intervene but gets the group tangled up. May is captured and dragged underwater and Brock sends Mudkip after her to no avail, James and Meowth gloat while a lonesome Jessie is added to the captives. She takes a swing and the group constantly slam into each other, Wobbuffet appears but is quickly tied up too. Pikachu notices Swampert as it next appears and shocks it out of the water, it confronts the group and Tommy has some suspicions but it runs away and dives into the water. Mudkip leads the group to its location and they find the large group of captives but Swampert is here, Mudkip is stopped from shooting through the threads by Swampert’s Mud Shot. Ash brings out Corphish to battle but a dodged Crabhammer is countered by Iron Tail to defeat it outright. Tommy notifies the group that he recognises Swampert as his old Marshtomp and attempts to talk with it, it uses Mud Shot and Tommy realises it hates humans because it feels betrayed. Tommy explains that there was panic on the night of the crash and that he couldn’t get to its Pokéball but thought it would be safe inside its Pokéball, seeing Mudkip and hearing Tommy speak of their past training including the Iron Tail attack they used to practice brings it back to its senses and it forgives him. The group is freed and Team Rocket immediately attack Swampert with Seviper but alongside Tommy it defeats it in one blow and uses Hydro Pump to blast Team Rocket out of the ship. Tommy sees that the ship is now home to Water Pokémon and a refuge for travelling Pokémon, he wishes to fix up the boat yet continue to let it serve this purpose but for now he escorts the group to Slateport City. My favourite Quote: James: “Well that was one blast off I could have done without.” Meowth: “Yeah since those ah’der ones are always So much fun, right?!” Things I’d like to point out: I beg to differ on the comment regarding no one ever accusing Team Rocket of being a couple, after they’ve been together for as long as they have, it’s been questioned by acquaintances of mine. Oh dear, ‘May’s Expeditions’ returns and looks to be a running theme, she even does the pretend camera frame with her hands in front of a complete stranger. This makes it the third time a character has been named Tommy (“The Kangaskhan Kid” and “Gonna Rule The School!”). When Max, Torchic and Meowth are shown tied up they are quite high off the ground, however this doesn’t seem to be issue later as the distance significantly changes in that Max can land safely and reach Torchic even though the earlier distance to the ground was three times Max’s size. Swampert shouldn’t have emitted a painful cry or angry roar when hit by Pikachu’s electricity, from the Marshtomp evolution onwards it also becomes a Ground-type. How come Tommy took so long to visit the ship? Unless his parents forbade him from going onto the dangerous wreck and he had to wait until he could afford a boat of his own. Ash mistakenly refers to a Slateport City Gym at the end of the episode but there is no Gym in Slateport, only a Contest Arena, if no one had mentioned maybe I could let a mistake like this go but at the beginning of the episode Brock and Max were talking about the next Gym in Mauville City and Ash jumped into the conversation as it he was well aware of this! Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon uses silk to attach itself to a tree branch while awaiting evolution!) Silcoon Cameos in Pokémon Journey: The abandoned ship will be seen, though not as repaired as Tommy made it out to become. Episodes #289 - #296 Episodes #305 - #312 Back to the Episode Guide Movie and Mini-movie Guide Back to the Pokézone