Episode Guide #305 - #312 Now That’s Flower Power! Having a Wailord of a Time Win, Lose or Drew! The Spheal of Approval Jump for Joy! A Different Kind of Misty A Poké-BLOCK Party Watt’s with Wattson Now That’s Flower Power! Pokémon seen: Poochyena, Butterfree, Mudkip, Zigzagoon, Shroomish, Kecleon, Pikachu, Beautifly, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Dustox, Taillow, Lotad, Treecko, Corphish, Forretress, Mudkip, Torchic, Roselia Story: The group stops at Slateport’s Pokémon Centre where May sees many other trainers preparing for the Contest. The group head to the beach where May attempts to train her Beautifly but the gusts very much disturb the bystanders so the group moves to a secluded area where May attempts to perfect her Gust and Silver Wind techniques. Three frisbees are deflected but one goes off course and is caught by an arrogant co-ordinator called Drew who insults May’s skills and informs the group they must train elsewhere since this is a private beach. Team Rocket spy on the group while Jessie is attempting to prepare Dustox for the Contest but it goes overboard with poison needles. Ash has Taillow train with Beautifly who traps it in a mess of string and hits it with Gust before it escapes, May fails again to pull off an effective Silver Wind and Taillow’s Wing Attack fails to become dodged and the match is ended. A man known as Mr Big congratulates the group on their skills and was once a Pokémon Co-ordinator himself and has three ribbons to show for it. May begs him for advice and information and he begins by telling May the co- ordinator must be calm or else it will rub off on the Pokémon. While Big tells the group about feeding Pokémon Pokéblocks (and gives May a case to hold them), Torchic wanders away from the sleeping Pokémon and enters Big’s warehouse where he makes fireworks that explode into the shapes of Pokémon. Torchic is found to have eaten Bluk Berries and stained its mouth black but the supply it ate were meant as an ingredient for the sample fireworks Big has to show some potential buyers. May is very sorry for this and promises to find some replacement Bluk Berries for Big in time. Team Rocket overhear that Bluk Berries give Pokémon a shiny coat and Meowth has a plan to get the Bluk Berry juice for the Boss (despite the fact it stains the consumer’s teeth) but Jessie plans on giving the berries to her Dustox instead. The group lose sight of Torchic who has found Bluk Berries on a tree some height up growing out of the mountainside, it falls a few times but gets up to the top and Beautifly catches it as the branch breaks. The berries fall into Drew’s possession who promises to give them back on the condition May battles him, Team Rocket are happy since this will be a distraction for them to swipe the berries. Drew’s Pokémon is a Roselia and Beautifly’s Silver Wind is countered hard by Petal Dance which stops and deflects it completely, leaving it weak, Roselia uses Stun Spore and it falls to the floor. May begs for Beautifly to stand as Roselia prepares the finishing blow Magical Leaf, the group urge May to calm herself, she does so as Silver Wind is used effectively to block the attack and deal a big hit to Roselia; surprising Drew greatly. Team Rocket snag the berries on a fishing rod and rise in their balloon, May abandons the battle to join the group in chasing them and retrieving the berries. Pikachu’s Thunderbolt is once again blocked by a protective device, Ash has Pikachu attack again but it fails, Drew has his Roselia blast the metal dish with Solarbeam and joins Pikachu’s assault to decimate the balloon. The berries fall but Torchic makes an impressive catch despite falling off a cliff and having to be caught again by Beautifly. Drew is thanked for his help and agrees to meet May in the Contest should she get far enough to face him. That night Big shows the prospective customer a display to guarantee a sale and as the group watch in awe May is driven to go all the way in her upcoming Contest. My favourite Quote: Jessie: “This couldn’t have worked out better if we’d planned it.” James: “If we’d planned it, it wouldn’t have worked out at all.” Things I’d like to point out: Since when did Ash start waiting two weeks for someone else’s engagements when there are Gyms he wants to go to? Even though May did the same for him by waiting around Dewford while Ash trained for his Gym Battle. When May is comically held back by Drew and her rushing legs are seen as a blur shouldn’t there be some of the black colour of her shorts in it instead of only her skin tone? What is it that Dustox is producing when stationary, it’s certainly not Tackle, Psybeam or Poison Sting (the only attacks Jessie knows) and Dustox doesn’t use attacks like Stun Spore or Sleep Powder. However, the Pokédex states Dustox produce poisonous spores so I guess the series is suddenly remaining true to that trait. Isn’t it extremely dangerous for a human to be hit with Poison Sting? Considering the only curative items appear to be for Pokémon use only. In the book along with the illustration of a Bluk Berry is writing in the style of hieroglyphs that are featured in the games’ ancient tombs. Bluk Berries are an existing berry from the games and the series is true to the original in look and description in that it blackens the mouth, the shiny hair thing is an original feature though. Another Dream Moment as the Boss downs some Bluk Berry juice to give him shiny hair, but if he was going into town like Meowth suggests would he really want his teeth to be stained or does he not notice this though looking in the mirror? Would the berries even produce shiny hair when used on humans? It’s definitely been assumed they do so like they do on Pokémon without any real proof. In the games, Roselia is one of a few Pokémon I feel are smaller than I imagined when compared to humans and are a bit too small, luckily the animators have enhanced Roselia to a reasonable size. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon can circle the globe in just 16 hours!) Dragonite Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Having a Wailord of a Time Pokémon seen: Wingull, Azurill, Aggron, Pikachu, Forretress, Mudkip, Lotad, Corphish, Torchic, Treecko, Taillow, Beautifly, Onix, Slakoth, Wailord, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Cosbusken Story: The group observe some trainers training for the Contest and May recalls the event that occurred with Drew and wishes to train some more in order to beat him. Torchic is saddened that May wants to focus all her attention on Beautifly while leaving it behind with the others and Max notices this. He voices this as the group eats and is worried that May doesn’t like Torchic anymore and would rather be with Beautifly, Ash explains there’s a bond since Torchic is her first Pokémon. Ash and Brock comment that Max’s first Pokémon will probably be the most important to him, Ash explains the trouble he used to have with Pikachu and Brock recalls an event from his past when his father gave him an Onix on his tenth birthday. Nurse Joy passes through and notices the group’s Pokémon, she explains a new trainer is coming to choose and collect her first Pokémon and the group end up offering their help in her check-up of them. Beautifly’s Silver Wind seems about satisfactory, before it trains again Beautifly and May notice a Wailord washed up on the beach. Joy wants to let the three Starter Pokémon run free and suggests the ones the group own can educate them a little, the Torchic appears a little mischievous, the Mudkip is a bit of a cry-baby and the Treecko is very feminine. May sends a message to the Centre about the Wailord and Joy sees to it, she requests the group look after the Starters and keep them inside the building, however Brock follows Joy and leaves Ash and Max on their own, Team Rocket are nearby and wish to capture the huge Wailord. The tough Torchic flees towards the exit, May’s Torchic fails to stop it and Mudkip is kicked aside, Pikachu is about to strike but the Torchic pretends to be innocent and then uses Ember on it. Treecko blocks the path but the Torchic escapes Max’s grasp and manages to get to the door, Ash has Corphish block the doorway but Torchic dodges its attack, claws at it and escapes. Outside, Corphish catches up and deals a hit but is attacked and surprisingly bested, meanwhile Joy is healing the Wailord. Corphish continues to battle Torchic but is defeated again which triggers the Torchic’s evolution to Combusken. The pair worry about what will happen and their interpretation isn’t good, Max considers switching the Combusken with May’s Torchic and claiming it has evolved but even in his vision of it, May figures it out. Ash thinks they should have May’s Torchic pose as a Starter and simply convince the trainer to pick something else. Max distracts May while Ash sees to the new trainer Stephanie who has arrived with her father, Ash complements her when she considers Treecko or Mudkip but makes up several reasons not to choose Torchic. Cosbusken meanwhile is locked in a closet but attempts to break free throughout this and a suspicious May leaves Max to find Torchic, upon entering the room with the Pokémon Torchic runs to her and Combusken escapes and is clearly heard and seen by all. Ash apologises and he and Max explain this was the Torchic they were watching over, he is startled as the Wailord floats past the Centre, airlifted by Team Rocket in the balloon. The group get outside to confront Team Rocket and Cosbusken leaps into attack, first blasting Team Rocket with fire and then clawing through the ropes to drop Wailord into the ocean, Team Rocket are propelled up and fall back down where Pikachu shocks them into defeat. Stephanie and her father are inspired and Mudkip is chosen by her, the Treecko is saddened which provokes her father into wanting to adopt it as his Pokémon. Max is happy for this while Cosbusken is disappointed but Joy wishes for it to stay here as a guard. Having seen Starter Pokémon being picked first hand Max is hopeful for the day he gets his own. My favourite Quote: Ash (lying to a trainer): “Torchic is probably the worst Pokémon that a trainer would Ever want to start off with; they’re trouble, they’re noisy, they don’t learn well, they run away, and they smell like something ya left in the fridge too long.” Brock: “Er, Ash, are you feeling alright?” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun is obviously from the phrase “Having a whale of a time”. Ash tells Max that a long time ago Pikachu wouldn’t do a thing he said including get in its Pokéball, um, technically it Still refuses to do that. Hmmmm, Brock as a boy has little marks on his cheeks much like Ash does, I guess he’ll grow out of those zigzag shapes then. A lot of good the first Pokémon theory does and that Onix would always be Brock’s partner considering he left it at home with his brother and took Forretress along to Hoenn instead. Max is suddenly a lot more diverse in that all of a sudden he would consider all three Starter Pokémon unlike his decisive liking to Treecko earlier in the series. I’m surprised this was thought through in that the girl in Ash and Max’s visual prediction is not exactly what the girl looks like when they later see her, however her voice in their vision is exactly the same as the one voicing the real-life girl, oh well. Ash is biased in calling Treecko his favourite, it’s the only one he’s managed to catch, if he owned all three Starters or if he had chosen a Starter from a choice of all three Hoenn Pokémon then he could name a favourite fairly. Stephanie’s father claims all three Starter Pokémon look the same to him, I think there could have been a better choice of words considering they’re different Pokémon and that he was supposed to comment more on the fact Torchic looked as able and worthwhile as the other two, that or the man needs better glasses. The way Wailord calls out straight after Max calls out for his apparent future Pokémon makes it comically seem like it might want to be that Pokémon, to be honest however the Pokémon Max will get probably hasn’t been born yet since they are raised from eggs briefly before being given to trainers. I doubt we’ll ever see a trained Wailord unless there are more full-on Water Pokémon Battles to come, I’m worried myself of how to incorporate a trained Wailmer that evolves into practical battling. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon lives in ponds and lakes where it floats on the surface!) Lotad Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Win, Lose or Drew! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Ponyta, Poochyena, Numel, Makuhita, Marill, Azurill, Shroomish, Aron, Psyduck, Bellossom, Beautifly, Wingull, Roselia, Milotic Story: The group hurry to get May registered for the Contest and barely make it in time, Ash wishes to eat again since the run tired him out, Team Rocket arrive but have missed the deadline, they notice several trainers and observe them using Pokéblocks and plan to set up a business. A woman named Vivian hosts the Contest and the judges are more or less the same people from the Rustboro Contest, Vivian shows the winner’s prize of a Slateport Ribbon and informs everyone that any co-ordinator who earns five ribbons in the region can enter the Pokémon Grand Festival. May is nervous about her first Contest and witnesses Drew before his preliminary round with Roselia, using Petal Dance and a combination of Stun Spore and Magical Leaf to produce a beautiful effect. One final Petal Dance conceals it and it uses Magical Leaf as a finale, receiving the highest score yet. Team Rocket are greeted by an old man but have no Pokéblocks to sell as yet, he offers advice and the secrets of Pokéblocks which Team Rocket are eager to hear and learn. Drew greets May in the locker room and wishes for May to at least get to the next round, they and the rest of the group witness a trainer with a Milotic; considered by some to be the most beautiful of Pokémon. Team Rocket hear about the berry aspects of making Pokéblocks while May is the final participant to show her skill. She slips before releasing Beautifly but makes up for it with a mostly skilful passing of a frisbee between them and a beautiful spinning Silver Wind to finish up, it gets her an admirable score but it’s not the best. Drew offers a rose for May’s Beautifly but still insults May for her lack of skill, Team Rocket continue to listen and take notes but are getting bored and tired. Drew and the Milotic’s trainer Robert progress to the next round as does May but barely, the rest of the group worry that battling is May’s weak link considering she hasn’t trained in that aspect very much. May’s Contest Battle is against Drew, Roselia begins with Magical Leaf but Gust deflects them, or so it seems; the leaves soon navigate around the winds and Drew claims Magical Leaf will normally always hits its mark, all the while May’s points are lowered. Stun Spore is used and Beautifly attempts to use String Shot but it’s torn by Magical Leaf. Silver Wind is used but it’s completely deflected by Petal Dance which Beautifly dodges, however Roselia charges a Solarbeam. Ash reminds May to attack now but it unleashes the attack before String Shot gets close and Beautifly wearily falls to the floor, before the timer ends the judges rule the battle is over with a term called Battle Off. May is upset by her loss and blames herself rather than her Beautifly, the group are alerted to Drew’s battle against Robert’s Milotic, Roselia is hit by Iron Tail and its Magical Leaf is stopped by Twister and Drew has much less points than Robert when the countdown reaches zero. Sunset comes and most of Team Rocket have fallen asleep while James bravely continues taking notes, Robert goes on to win the Contest and May catches up with Drew outside and promises she’ll do a lot better the next time they meet. The group promise to help May do better in the battle aspects of Pokémon Contests and she aspires to work a lot harder from now on, and at night the old man is Still going on and James finally succumbs to sleep like the rest of Team Rocket. My favourite Quote: May: “Hurry up you guys! I can’t miss this! I’ve gotta make it!” Ash: “It wouldn’t have been a bad idea to check the deadline a little Earlier!” Max: “That would have been too obvious Ash; May’s an expert only forgetting the most important things.” Brock: “Remind me while we’re all running along With her...” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun is based on the game show “Win, Lose or Draw”. The judges from the last Contest are here and attend every Contest May witnesses and competes in, the only thing that ever changes is the town’s relevant Nurse Joy takes the third judges’ seat each time. Why did Drew answer “Oh yeah?!” straight after May questioned his skills as if to reply to her? They weren’t anyway near each other. There doesn’t appear to be a set system in Contests as the Rustboro Contest allowed thirty trainers to compete and four to qualify for the battle rounds while this one qualifies eight trainers. I thought the trainer’s dancing or grace wasn’t that big a factor or remotely important in Contests (according to Brock and Max in “Gone Corphishin’”), but twice May’s own skills in the performance are questioned as if they are as important as the Pokémon’s skill, one of them before Beautifly is even out of its ball. I think this is the first time a Bug-type’s advantage over Grass-types has been mentioned, although it has to be said that Bug-type attacks weren’t all that powerful until the second and third sets of games. Why do the group suddenly notice (or hear) the match going on via the monitor in the locker room minutes into Drew’s match? Surely May would have even stopped weeping and moaning at the mention of Drew so unless the set was on mute until that moment it’s an odd occurrence or just a light error. When the timer runs out in Drew’s battle, his black shirt sleeves disappear in one shot (or to put it correctly are mistakenly coloured in his skin tone). Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon is instinctively drawn to the bright lights of cities!) Dustox Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Slateport City in general is seen from Chapter 143 onwards though the Slateport Contest may or may not be seen unless I feel it’s needed. The Spheal of Approval Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Spheal, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Groudon, Remoraid, Goldeen, Mightyena, Corphish, Cacnea, Seviper, Sealeo, Growlithe Story: The group are still in Slateport and now sightseeing, Brock and May go shopping again for accessories and supplies while Ash and Max head towards the marine museum but discover it’s closed. Max attempts to climb over a high fence but is spotted by a boy called Marius and accused of wrongdoing. He releases a Spheal but its Water Gun is directed at him and its Body Slam is easily dodged so that it bounces into its trainer. Its Ice attack is deflected by Pikachu’s Electric attacks and it’s immediately beaten, Max lectures Marius on this obvious mistake on Marius’s part and he returns his Pokémon. A man called Captain Stern arrives and things are cleared up in that Max only wanted to see inside the museum which should have been open. Stern is curator of the museum and something important made him decide to close for the day, the pair are invited to the museum where Stern’s marine biology findings are displayed. Marius’s knowledge of Water Pokémon is deeply flawed but he wishes to travel in a submarine someday that Stern is working on. The two are shown a rock that has been blackened by heat and there are possibilities a Pokémon’s actions are behind it. Team Rocket pose as ice cream salespeople and the kids are attracted outside to get one while a figure breaks into the museum with advanced technology. The group eat their snow cones and experience brain freeze from eating too fast, Max suspects something is off since the museum is closed and sales wouldn’t be too effective on a day like this. Pikachu is easily snatched and the group finds it hard to move and are caged, meanwhile members of Team Magma led by Harland shut the power off and snatch the case with the rock sample. His Mightyena’s Shadow Ball masks their escape and as Team Rocket leave with Pikachu, the Magmas escape is noticed by the group and soon by the Rockets. Spheal fails Marius again but Corphish breaks the cage, Seviper and Cacnea are released to combat the Magmas. They’re easily beaten by the lone Mightyena and blasted off, Pikachu’s cage is dropped but it’s ignored by the Magmas until Ash catches up to it and challenges them. Stern arrives to assist by bringing out his Pokémon Sealeo to briefly knock back the Mightyena, but two others join it soon enough. Brock and May are done shopping and head off to meet the others while Ash’s Corphish and Pikachu along with Sealeo fend off the enemies’ attacks with their own while Max, Marius and Spheal escape to notify Officer Jenny. Marius assures Max it’ll be okay as long as Spheal is with them since they must leap into the water from a great height; they are forced to do so regardless as Harland’s Mightyena shoots a Shadow Ball attack at them. The two end up on the beach where they find Brock and May while at the museum Stern gives Ash the case and tells him to escape while his Sealeo uses Blizzard; a Shadow Ball explodes in front of him and the case going flying. The rock snaps against the ground and the bigger piece is reclaimed by Mightyena, the Magmas’ air vehicle arrives to take them away and the police arrive a little too late to catch them. Luckily, the small piece that broke off can still be researched by Stern though the group have concerns about what Team Magma will accomplish with the rock they stole. Max and Ash say goodbye to Marius who promises to become stronger so that he can battle with him again in the future. My favourite Quote: James: “Come on, don’t you think we’ve figured out that whole Electric thing by now?” Meowth: “So what if it took a few thousand shockings, we finally got the gist of it!” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun is based on the term “The seal of approval”. Spheal’s Water Gun is used on Marius like the Mudkip May ordered in kind back in “Get the Show on the Road!”. If Marius really is a new Pokémon Trainer, his Spheal should not have Blizzard attack already, maybe Powder Snow or even Icy Wind would have been a more appropriate dub for the attack it uses. If the imagery of Groudon has any truth to it, the fact it is underwater even though it’s a Ground-type means it’s a lot more resistant to what should be a weak point and credits this legendary Pokémon. That’s not a typo; the word ‘in’ is incorrectly used twice in a row during the Pokémon clue. Ash’s Pokémon aren’t exactly doing a great job in distracting the Magmas and Mightyena while the boys escape, all three Mightyena are clearly not engaged in battle and have plenty of opportunity to stop Max and Marius in their tracks. Why does Marius assure Max of their safety what with Spheal being with them when his concern was getting squished on the rocks from their dive, Spheal doesn’t do a thing to help them until they’re in the water and only serves as a float. The dive they take is less than satisfactory and they could easily have hit the cliff face on the way down rather than the rocks seen below. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon lives in in the forest and enjoys startling people!) Nuzleaf Cameos in Pokémon Journey: A much older Stern makes a couple of appearances in Series 3. Jump for Joy! Pokémon seen: Shiftry, Pikachu, Meowth, Seedot, Wobbuffet, Nuzleaf, Oddish, Beautifly, Torchic, Taillow, Treecko Story: At a local Pokémon Centre the Nurse Joy here is confronted by a dark-looking Pokémon and abducted. The group come across this very Centre surrounded by a beautiful forest and the group is eager to speak to Joy. Pikachu senses something and leads the group to the upstairs office where there is a mess and something is causing anyone who enters to fall asleep. Team Rocket relax in the treetops but are brought down to earth as Shiftry flies by and a group of Seedot are briefly conversed with before it carries on with the unconscious Joy. Max notices a security camera in the room and they play back the tape and discover the Pokémon that abducted Joy. The Shiftry carries on with Nuzleaf covering its route as the group head towards a large tree where Shiftry is going, Oddish attack with powder but May quickly has Beautifly blow it away so they can move on. The Shiftry arrives at the giant tree while the group are next assaulted by Seedot and their Bullet Seed attack. The Oddish are also here and the group figure the Oddish’s powder was what the Shiftry used on Nurse Joy. Torchic’s Ember attack is used to scare away the little Grass Pokémon and the group move on with Team Rocket not far behind waiting for the route ahead to be cleared for them. Joy is petrified as she wakes up to Shiftry while the group are getting closer but Nuzleaf now strike with more powerful Bullet Seed attacks. Joy is petrified of Shiftry and attempts to run before discovering how high she is and the low possibility of escape. Ash uses Taillow’s Wing Attack to scare away the latest obstructions and Max figures this and the other attacks were ambushes to prevent them from getting to Shiftry. The Shiftry confronts Joy who questions its reason for kidnapping her before the Grass Pokémon return to the tree and Joy is led towards a sick Nuzleaf who needs help. Shiftry leaves after being warned of the group’s proximity and swiftly confronts them, Treecko battles it but the enemy is much too fast for it and very powerful. All but Ash and Treecko stay behind while everyone else heads towards the tree, Treecko’s Quick Attack dodges some of the hits but it is outbattled on almost every level. The fight is interrupted by Team Rocket who have decided to strike now and consider Shiftry to be weak from its battle, the group find Joy in the tree as she nurses the Nuzleaf but the Grass Pokémon block their way to her. Joy hears about the battle and requests the group’s help in treating the Nuzleaf before going to halt the unnecessary fight. Team Rocket are easily defeated by Shiftry’s tornado and it resumes its battle against Treecko with the same attack; though it’s dodged Treecko is blasted into defeat by Bullet Seed from a great height. Joy arrives to halt the battle and the situation is also explained to Ash but Joy still needs some supplies from the Pokémon Centre. Brock suggests Shiftry can quickly get him to the Pokémon Centre and back but regrets this choice as he’s subjected to sheer heights and speeds of the Shiftry leaping high over the treetops. The medicine is brought back and Nuzleaf is healed completely, everyone returns to the Pokémon Centre and the group soon continue on their way. My favourite Quote: Brock: “My name’s Brock and I’m here to rescue you, for wherever there’s a pretty girl in distress; I will be there.” Joy: “I’m not in distress.” Brock: “But you’re pretty, right?” Things I’d like to point out: At the beginning of the episode Joy’s windows appear to be very much closed but when she turns to look at it, they’ve opened slightly on their own. Worse is that later on when the group watch this event from the security camera, the windows are wide open before the Shiftry bursts in and the curtains and glass window panels are missing from a shot. Meowth dubs what I’ve been calling his Dream Moments as a Boss Idea, I think I’ll be calling them this from now on since it becomes more and more common for Meowth to come up with this stuff. What with Shiftry being as strong (and no doubt as proud) as it is I’m sure it would never degrade itself to point of serving simply as somebody’s fan as Meowth imagines. Brock, Ash, the so-called well-informed Max and then May mistakenly dub Sleep Powder as Stun Spore throughout the episode, is everyone forgetting that Stun Spore paralyses and Sleep Powder induces sleep? I love the shades and background during Brock’s heroic speech; he looks completely different like a more action-based character. Max phrases things incorrectly if by Shiftry being the evolved form of Seedot is taken literally; Shiftry is the final evolution but Seedot evolves into Nuzleaf and then to Shiftry. Shiftry and Treecko’s battle animation is said to be influenced by the Dragon Ball series since all of a sudden there’s a lot of projectile attacks, explosions, aerial movement, acrobatic movement and super-fast dodges, not to mention Treecko’s getting slammed into the ground which then bursts during a delayed follow-up to the destruction. There’s probably a lot wrong with Meowth’s statement, for the sake of a bad chain of rhymes he claims he has a cousin called Larry who looks like a Shiftry, Meowth was born all alone and therefore shouldn’t know any family. This could be a reference to the TV sitcom “Perfect Strangers” but still makes little sense in Meowth’s case. For once in a long time, James’s red rose remains in reality instead of just being a prop in the motto, it’s comical that Wobbuffet ends up with it in the blastoff and appears to be doing the Tango, so much so that it’s heard continuing these motions instead of its usual yelling. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon attaches itself to tree branches to suck out the moisture!) Seedot Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. A Different Kind of Misty Pokémon seen: Meowth, Wobbuffet, Pikachu, Cacnea, Magnemite, Plusle, Minun Story: A boy called Thatcher in a tower is robbed of a special rock called the Light Stone by Team Rocket. The group cross a foggy terrain and Ash takes a fall and gets his jacket dirty so the group decide to stop since the path ahead could be dangerous in this climate, by chance Team Rocket are right next to the group and both were concealed in fog until now. This could be a good thing since they state an Electric attack is needed to charge the stone, they lose it in the fight and Pikachu stands on the stone while blasting Team Rocket to take a fall. The stone glows briefly and the group is accused of being the thieves by Thatcher’s sister Alyssa and attacked by her Magnemite followed by Thatcher’s Plusle and Minun who use cheering attacks to boost Magnemite’s recovery. Ash willingly gives back the stone upon discovering it’s what the two want but Team Rocket get back up and make it clear they were the thieves. Pikachu easily Thunderbolts them into the air and the group receive apologies for the error in judgement, the Light Stone is the treasure of the siblings’ village and used in the lighthouse to help people in this foggy terrain. Plusle and Minun charge the stone with electricity and when Ash puts his jacket back on Thatcher suspects Ash is linked to a legendary hero in blue who originally gave the Light Stone to the village and owned a Pikachu. Thatcher leads the group to the village treating Ash like royalty, Alyssa whispers to her grandfather of the misunderstanding so that he plays along with the whole thing. While resting Thatcher requests help in being able to battle since all he’s been able to do is use Plusle and Minun’s cheering and assistance techniques. Ash teaches Thatcher some of the values of Pokémon Training as well as a bunch of made up stuff regarding being a hero. Alyssa explains that Thatcher wasn’t confident in training Pokémon to begin with and is happy that this idolisation with Ash is inspiring him with confidence but hurries to the lighthouse soon enough to recharge the Light Stone. Team Rocket appear soon after in a Zapdos robot and savagely cut through the lighthouse’s structure with saw-blades to provide a space for them to snatch the stone and even Alyssa’s Magnemite. Pikachu’s electricity is useless and Thatcher is about to have his Pokémon cheer to assist Pikachu when Alyssa scolds him, wanting him to battle with them instead. Pikachu is grabbed and Magnemite is discarded before Team Rocket escape with the fog clouding their getaway, Thatcher is upset about his and Ash’s loss and Ash chooses now to admit he’s not the hero he’s been made out to be but that the Pokémon must be trusted. Ash calls out for Pikachu to shock the Light Stone, his message is heard (apparently due to their bond) and the glow of the relic reveals Team Rocket’s location. The group quickly hurry while Team Rocket stop for a celebratory break and the group inevitably catch up; Thatcher has his Plusle and Minun act, using Helping Hand to recharge Pikachu so that its Thunder attack breaks through the protective defences and frees itself while the Zapdos robot crashes. Plusle and Minun are directed to use Helping Hand on each other to boost their own attacks; they charge forward with an Electric attack and send Team Rocket on their way. Thatcher continues to think of Ash as his hero and master, the group says goodbye and continue on their journey after Ash promises to battle his new friend in the future. My favourite Quote: (Having captured Pikachu, the previously captured Magnemite is tossed aside) Jessie: “Well, looks like we won’t need Magnemite, I don’t like it anyway...” Meowth: “Ooh, that’s harsh.” Things I’d like to point out: Not a title pun as such but true none the less that despite the slightly misleading title, Misty makes no appearances in this episode. Why does Thatcher go along with attacking Ash and the group when he clearly saw the real thieves? Helping Hand is made out to be an Electric-based attack used only on Electric Pokémon but it’s a Normal attack that helps boost the attack of a Pokémon’s partner in Double Battles. After all the brave actions Ash has taken during the past six movies, I wouldn’t say he’s no hero like he does, just not the specific one Thatcher thinks he is. The bond Ash and Pikachu share doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Pikachu hearing his instructions, we heard Ash’s voice from Pikachu’s viewpoint so his voice was within range and the timing seems way too coincidental for them to have connected on a psychic level. The rushing Electric attack used by Plusle and Minun is dubbed as Charge but traditionally it’s only a technique to boost the power of Electric attacks; the use that Helping Hand has been dubbed as doing, maybe Volt Tackle would have been a better naming of the assault. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s round ears serve as loudspeakers!) Loudred Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. A Poké-BLOCK Party Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Jigglypuff, Whismur, Corphish, Seviper, Cacnea Story: The group (close to Mauville) find an advert for an event in the Trick House and head towards it followed by Team Rocket and then Jigglypuff. They team up with a girl called Alana who owns a Whismur, the King of Tricks, a wild man in charge of the place and event introduces himself and explains the rules and the prize of a year’s supply of Pokéblocks for the first person to traverse and reach the end of the Trick House. The group splits in two and Team Rocket enter unnecessarily in costumes; Alana explains her priority here is to improve her teamwork with Whismur. The first obstacle Ash, May and Alana come across as do Max and Brock elsewhere is a large maze, the King of Tricks appears and explains some of the doors lead to traps and demonstrates by walking into a large wet sponge on the other side of a door. Team Rocket are nearby and Meowth has another foolish idea for a Pokémon’s use in the Boss’s life in the case of Whismur. Alana and Whismur split at a fork but Team Rocket bag it, Jessie attempts to grab Pikachu but Jigglypuff gets to her and the group with the old song and pen routine. Alana is worried about her Pokémon and the two groups meet up together where Max uncovers a secret door by accident so the group move on to the next area. Team Rocket cross paths with the group but aren’t recognised, Alana just thinks they were returning her lost Pokémon. Jigglypuff appears again and does its usual thing but there’s a difference; Whismur is left standing after the song much to its delight. Max later explains a natural ability of Whismur which prevents it from falling victim to sound-based attacks. The next area is made of several logs over water, after the King of Trick’s explanation (and demonstration of making the wrong choices) Jessie cheats and shifts the log so the group take a fall anyway and get ahead of them. In the next room, several ropes hang above a large hole and the King of Tricks demonstrates some ropes will lower in mid-flight. The group swings across but James uses an extendable glove to punch the group and drop them into the water below. The next room has many ropes which must be climbed up and again King of Tricks demonstrates the hitch of this place in that some routes lead to devices which will knock them down to the ground. The group chooses a correct rope but again James takes action by cutting the rope so they plummet. The next obstacle are hidden pitfalls in a dirt covered room and though they claim to be able to recognise pit traps Team Rocket fall in, the King of Tricks demonstrates again to the group and though Ash claims his experiences will help him recognise pit traps he too falls in. The next area has Team Rocket posing as staff members and they have the group jump a skipping rope ten times but then tie them up with it, they reveal themselves and bag Pikachu and Whismur. Ash squeezes his hand out and uses Corphish to tear up the ropes, Seviper and Cacnea are called into battle but Cacnea is beaten without too much trouble by Corphish. Cacnea is deflected into Meowth who drops the sack with the captives and Alana decides it’s time for her to take action with Whismur, Seviper wraps it up but doesn’t stop it from using Screech and then Supersonic with the powerful Hyper Voice to finish, Corphish deals the final blow with Crabhammer. A trainer called Ivan from Mauville City ends up winning the race and receives a certificate along with the Pokéblocks (which he struggles to carry by himself). May apologises to Alana for the trouble she had with Team Rocket but Alana is thankful for the battling experience though Whismur is now tired out from it all. Jigglypuff takes over on the stage and everyone is put to sleep, it checks on Whismur again but it falls asleep due to its exhaustion rather than the song, Jigglypuff doesn’t know that so Whismur and everyone else is subject to the usual punishment from Jigglypuff’s wrath. My favourite Quote: (After a demonstration of the latest course the King of Tricks swings slap bang into a wall) King of Tricks (singing): “Old King Trickster’s hit the wall, E-I-E-I-O!” (laughs maniacally and then screams as he plummets into the water below) May: “Maybe he’s hit that wall a few too many times.” Things I’d like to point out: Oh... Dear... God! Jigglypuff caught up! I was a nice run without her while it lasted but thankfully its appearances in Hoenn are few and far between. The title pun is based on the term “A block party”. Meowth claims James has a wardrobe malfunction; that’s one way to put James’s past problems in his costume choices (by which I mean the female ones). These Boss Ideas of Meowth get worse and worse, surely it would take a lot of training to turn Whismur into a living alarm clock to sound off at set times in the morning and noon, especially since the Pokédex claims a Whismur’s own screaming startles it and causes it to scream even more. Brock and Max argue about which way to go but at the angle the dead end is seen from it seems apparent Brock could easily have seen that from his vantage point and should have said straight out he could see it was a dead end. Alana claims she’s here to improve her teamwork with Whismur but then she has it and her split up; that kind of defeats the point of her goal. Jessie claims Pikachu is her favourite Pokémon even though it’s more because catching it is her goal, I’d say Arbok or Dustox were Jessie’s favourite Pokémon. It’s unclear whether Jessie ran so as not to be seen by Pikachu or if she noticed Jigglypuff before it did. Is it against the rules to use Pokémon in the Trick House? I just reckon Taillow could have made things easier by flying over the walls and guiding the group. I think it’s unlikely the group really are the first out of the maze; they entered virtually last, no other people are seen wandering around the maze and then there’s the fact that falling asleep would surely cost valuable time and give the others plenty of opportunity to get ahead. If Ash and the others had won despite the several naps and Team Rocket sending them back to the start of several rooms I’d be angry since this would be biased and very unlikely. Sound Proof is a wild card in its meaning but it seems logical to think that Whismur isn’t deaf to Jigglypuff’s song, only immune considering it seems to sing along to Jigglypuff’s theme during the celebration. Max is quick to explain the uses of Sound Proof but there’s an error in that Sound Proof is a natural ability of Whismur, not an attack; the brand new Ability traits in the games range from skills that are always in effect to ones that activate under certain conditions. After the King of Tricks hits the wall in the swinging rope room, the viewpoint seems odd, as if the wall on the side of the hole towers above the group though we saw it was level with where they are. Good aim James, how else can you explain his hitting all members of the group in one punch, especially since they ride different ropes. The rope room’s height is stupidly dangerous, the series has used heights of this length in past episodes as a danger that are said to threaten Ash’s life yet the entire group takes a fall from the very top. Twice in the maze, once in the log room, once in each of the two rope rooms and again in the pitfall area; doesn’t it seem strange that the King of Tricks gives warnings and gives Ash’s group all his attention? Unless he’s rushing around really fast to offer the same service to other competitors. It’s one thing to have experience from recurring events (in this case Ash’s falling into traps); it’s another to Learn from them which Ash clearly hasn’t done. The skipping rope is plainly not long enough to tie up the group to the length and height that it does; it changes from a thin wire cord to thick ropes. All throughout the episode the group get angry at Team Rocket’s cheating but somehow don’t realise it’s actually them until they reveal themselves, even though Meowth is blatantly seen with them without a costume. Seviper is called into attack but does nothing during the entire fight involving Corphish and Cacnea who get all the attention, Seviper is next seen beside Jessie after the first battle is over and only after Alana decides to fight it out with Whismur. Not that the sound effect for it isn’t really cool but Whismur’s Supersonic looks different and more like a damaging physical attack than its traditional use even in the series for only inducing confusion. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon attacks using its sword-edged tail!) Seviper Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Of course the Trick House will be seen but being into the future of Hoenn, Trick Master’s daughter takes over the duties of running the Trick House, I doubt he could go through all he does here for another twenty years. Watt’s with Wattson Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Meowth, Magneton, Magnemite, Voltorb, Wobbuffet, Electrike, Forretress, Torchic, Seviper, Cacnea, Dustox Story: The group arrive at Mauville City and head straight to the Gym, the old Gym Leader is a fun loving old man who sets the door to land on some tracks and turn into a transport which acts like a roller coaster. His assistant Watt is concerned about Wattson’s raising of the power levels before a Raikou robot is placed before the group which fires lightning bolts at them. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt and Iron Tail on it, this causes an overload and the destruction of the robot and Pikachu looks even more charged up for its battle. Wattson congratulates Ash for this while Team Rocket wander into the abandoned power plant on an island near the city. They claim it as their base but it’s filled with Electric Pokémon and decide to walk away, Meowth has an idea to collect the Pokémon for the Boss and take the base as well. Ash’s battle is ready and Wattson confidently announces the Pokémon he’ll be using before any are brought out, Ash starts out with Pikachu and Wattson his Magnemite. Swift is dodged but to everyone’s surprise, one Thunderbolt completely wipes out the Magnemite, Wattson uses Voltorb with Ash sticking with Pikachu, Screech is used but Thunderbolt halts it and devastates Voltorb’s health. Lastly is Magneton who lets loose with Zap Cannon, Pikachu turns up the juice with Thunder, blasting through the attack and defeating Magneton in one blow. Ash is awarded the Dynamo Badge but Wattson seems different as he departs, Pikachu suddenly begins to get a fever while Wattson leaves his Pokémon at the Centre but won’t wait for them to heal, his change in character is noticed by Joy. Wattson sits by his own on the island near Mauville and recalls his utter defeat in disbelief, he’s unsure about his future as a Gym Leader until a friendly Electrike appears and cheers him up. Pikachu’s electricity level is higher than usual and it’s realised the overcharge occurred during the Raikou robot’s destruction which caused Pikachu’s electricity to rise to high levels but has put an enormous strain on it. Watt arrives looking for Wattson and reports he has left the Gym and decided to quit being the Gym Leader. The group announce the misunderstanding that has caused Wattson to doubt himself and head out with Watt to Wattson’s favourite spot where he used to train. Meanwhile Wattson has the Electrike demonstrate an Electric attack and he’s pleased it knows Thunder Wave, Team Rocket strike in a Pokéball/Voltorb shaped vehicle with a vacuum to suck up the Electric Pokémon and place them in a shockproof cage. Wattson challenges them and the group arrives, they are unable to explain things to Wattson before Team Rocket strike again; sucking up Pikachu and Electrike and then throwing a net on the group to slow them down. Wattson’s Raikou robot blocks them off and Forretress and Torchic attack in their own ways, while Pikachu has the captives stop shocking the cage and attack it physically, it uses Iron Tail and Electrike bites the bars. Seviper and Cacnea are summoned and Seviper cuts the Raikou robot to pieces, the cage is broken and the Electric Pokémon escape. Seviper continues to fight with Poison Tail and Cacnea its Pin Missile but a simple Thunderbolt beats them both and Quick Attack hurls them into the machine. Jessie gets desperate and brings out Dustox as a last resort, it uses Gust to blow Pikachu away followed by Psybeam but Electrike attacks first with Thunder Wave which somehow reflects the confusing effect unto Dustox. It’s blasted and propelled into Team Rocket and Pikachu’s Thunderbolt continues to shock until the machine is destroyed and Team Rocket defeated. Pikachu doesn’t take full credit for the win and is thankful for Electrike’s help, the group explain to Wattson how Pikachu was supercharged and Ash wishes to give back the badge because he feels the battle wasn’t fair. Wattson declines, having seen Pikachu’s skill and strength in freeing the Pokémon and its bond with Ash he thinks they deserve to keep it but requests that Ash comes back someday to face him again once Electrike has grown stronger under his training. My favourite Quote: Jessie: “Just great; this place is filled with a mob of freeloading Pokémon squatters.” Things I’d like to point out: If Wattson’s corridor is meant to act like a roller coaster ride, there should at least be fences on all sides of the platform, if anyone fell off the slate they could seriously hurt themselves falling from such a speed, what if some challengers had heart conditions and has Max even been let onto a ride like this considering his height? Meowth’s Boss Idea of the day is to use light shocks from Voltorb to wake him up gently and to use Magnemite as a power source for his appliances, the latter was suggested already but with an Elekid back in “Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid” and again I must ask; what use is free electricity to a rich man? I disagree with Brock’s advice; Corphish has shown much more stamina than Taillow ever did lately (despite its once apparent ability to endure all damage including electricity-based), between these two I’d put my money on Corphish doing a better job against Electric Pokémon considering its strength. Once again Swift is dodged which in the games would never happen in normal circumstances. Wattson is the third Hoenn Gym Leader to use the same Pokémon as he does in the games, regardless if he adopts and uses an Electrike/Manectric against Ash in the future. I can’t vouch for Electrike and especially the solid Magnemite but surely Pikachu could have squeezed out from the large gaps in the cage, we’ve seen before it has a rubbery body and it could easily have gotten out if it tried. How did the Team Rocket vehicle intend to get off the island? It doesn’t show signs of any underwater abilities and the caged Pokémon might have drowned if they simply tried to drive through the river. Also, how did Wattson get the Raikou robot from his Gym to the island so quickly? Especially considering Pikachu destroyed its head not long ago. The Team Rocket robot doesn’t appear to have a screen protecting them at all, so why are they so confident Electric attacks will do them no harm and why doesn’t Forretress just attack them rather than the machine? Jessie seems to incorrectly phrase her dialogue by telling Forretress it can’t come in. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon undertakes vigorous mental training in the mountains!) Meditite Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Sadly Wattson will not be joining us for the Series 3 Gym Battles; that duty is served by his daughter Zelda. Episodes #297 - #304 Episodes #313 - #320 Back to the Episode Guide Movie and Mini-movie Guide Back to the Pokézone