A Shockingly Cheeky Friendship!
799: A Shockingly Cheeky Friendship!
808: Pikachu to Dedenne! Hoppesurisuri!
Pokemopolis Title: Fat Rat Roadtrip
Story: Pikachu befriends Dedenne
Team Rocket: A new low, beaten up by a jelly-bean mouse
Today's episode starts off where the last ended - Serena is about to choose her first Pokémon, and she has a choice between Fennekin, Chespin and Froakie. She's enthralled by all three, but before she can make her choice Professor Sycamore interrupts to offer her a Pokédex, explaining what it does in case she has been living inside a rock blindfolded for her entire life. She approaches Fennekin first, whose POV provides a rather disturbing look up her skirt and points the Pokédex at it. She learns that it can produce a flame of close to 400 degrees and has a diet of mostly twigs (well that.... kinda makes sense... I guess?), but more importantly than that it's cute as a button, sneezing which causes its ears to light up red with heat. Next is Chespin, which flexes and bounces about, knowing this is its big chance to get a regular paycheck as part of the twerp-crew, showing off the green spikes on its head. Finally is Froakie, which smiles and shows off its frubbles (getcha minds outta da gutta!), even though it is a lost cause, the twerps already have a Froakie!
Serena is impressed by the Pokédex, noting that the marvel of technology reduced to a cataloguing agent for lazy school dropouts will "come in handy". So which Pokémon will she choose? Well she already has, her mind hasn't changed from the decision she can to before leaving the show. Kneeling down in front of Fennekin, which stares right up her skirt, she introduces herself, telling it that she picks it - this will be her Pokémon.
The twerps have stopped in the forest by a fallen tree to enjoy a quick meal. Who made it is a mystery (maybe Clemont has a meal-making machine in his backpack?), but they enjoy it nonetheless. As they eat, they're watched from the bushes by Dedenne, who apparently isn't done with the strangers it initially thought had stolen a berry from it.
Pikachu is sitting in Bonnie's lap, apparently enjoying it a great deal as she wipes his face clean with a flannel after their meal. Ash thanks Bonnie for cleaning Pikachu up, and she insists she loves doing this kind of stuff, because she's fascinated by Pokémon. As she sits there beaming up at her brother and Ash, she strokes Pikachu's tail and notices how much he enjoys it (well duh!) and asks Ash if that is okay. Being a terrible role-model, he tells her to please feel free and go ahead because Pikachu loves it. Hopping from foot to foot in excitement (the writers really get the fact that Bonnie is a little girl) she hugs Pikachu close and strokes his tail some more. Clemont comes over to try as well (scandalous!) and Bonnie asks Ash if he can bring out Fletchling for her to play with. He does, the little bird surprisingly large compared to how it usually looks. She asks the bird very politely if she can clean its wings with her flannel (covered in Pikachu's crumbs and spit!) and it agrees, spreading its wings for her (lewd!). Ash tells her that Fletchling loves this too (hasn't he only had Fletchling for line one day?) and she scrunches up into a little delighted ball and kicks her feet in excitement - this is little girl paradise, getting to pet cute animals!
Ash brings out a little jar of Pokémon food to feed them treats, watched from a surprisingly close spot by an adorable looking Dedenne. Bonnie hands out the treats, but as she goes to give Pikachu another, Dedenne intercepts it and rushes away with the little morsel. Jumping up onto the roots of the fallen tree, it nibbles hungrily at the pellet as the twerps look on in surprise, is this the same Dedenne? Eager, Bonnie asks Clemont to please capture it for her, but it zips away into the greenery and she quickly gives chase. Ash sends Fletchling on ahead to keep an eye on things from above, and he and Clemont follow after the little girl.
Unfortunately Fletchling fails in the one task it is in the show for, and loses track of Dedenne. The twerps draw to a stop, Clemont panting roughly, if he's gonna haul all that crap around he needs to get in better shape! Bonnie turns in circles as she walks about, looking for the little Pokémon, and trips on a hole in the ground and falls back, landing right on her head!
Thank goodness she's a small child, which are designed to survive all kinds of these horrific physical calamities. She quickly forgets the pain when she spots Dedenne grinning at her from out of another hole. Unfortunately there are a number of them, Dedenne has been busy digging in the 4.5 seconds since they lost sight of it. Clemont brings out Bunnelby to help in the search, and Pikachu heads down a hole too, all of them looking through the quickly dug tunnels for Dedenne. Clemont thinks he has struck paydirt when he finds a small rodent in one hole, but it turns out to be Pikachu who blasts him with electricity in his surprise. As Clemont sits smoking from the mouth (filthy habit) and a smiling but embarrassed Pikachu pets him apologetically, Dedenne laughs from the safety of another hole. Bonnie is starting to show the less fun side of having a small child constantly about though, as she pouts and grumbles and stamps her foot and demands that she wants that Dedenne and she wants it NOW!
Pikachu heads down another tunnel and zips along through it, passing other entrances until he runs right into Dedenne coming the other way. Surprised to having been rumbled, Dedenne affects a,"Yeah, what the fuck ever!" attitude but Pikachu pounces on him to keep him from getting away. Unfortunately all that tunnelling has caused the ground to be less than secure, and it collapses under them into another tunnel which slopes downwards. They roll on down and out of the rocks of the hillside, finding themselves on a lower level too far down to get back up. Dedenne is hostile at first, until he and Pikachu manage to communicate through electric zaps from their electric sacs (ewwww). As they zapmunnicate, they're watched from above by Team Rocket through their binoculars. They're unsure what Dedenne is, so James uses that little electronic catalogue of his, Team Rocket's far less effective version of the commonly available Pokédex. He has to manually hunt through entries to find an image of Dedenne, but that gives him the information he needs. Jesse notes the "buzzfest" passing between them and they guess they're communicating by electricity. Hilariously, Jesse grumpily demands that Meowth translate for them, and he has to explain that he doesn't speak electricity. One thing Jesse can tell though... there are no twerps to be seen.
Where are they? Still back at the holes, having had no luck finding Dedenne and now realising that Pikachu is missing too. Clemont politely asks Bunnelby to go back down the holes and look, while Ash starts to comprehend that something not-good is going on.
Meanwhile, Pikachu and Dedenne wander along the trail together for lack of anything better to do. Dedenne is having trouble keeping up though, its fat little belly is rumbling, apparently that little nibble of a Poke-treat was all it has had to eat. It stops in place, looking like a jelly-bean with ears, tired and unable to keep going. Pikachu figures out what is wrong and spots some fruit up in a tree above, and blasts one down with an expertly aimed blast of electricity. But as Dedenne happily prepares to eat, Pikachu spots trouble and knocks it aside just before a net of energy can capture them. Looking up angrily, it spots - of course - Team Rocket!
"Prepare for trouble, my prize Pikachu!"
"And make it double with Dedenne too!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jesse!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare for a fight!"
"Meowth, dat's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
But with their motto and regulation gratuitous ass-shot out of the way, they are actually surprised when Pikachu and Dedenne... just turn and run off in the other direction! Shocked and complaining of rudeness they give chase, blasting net after net at the two Pokémon who manage to keep ahead. Pikachu skids about and tries to take the offensive, blasting a Thunderbolt at the trio. But Jesse has Wobbuffet counter the move, blasting it back at them, though this also kicks up enough dust and smoke for them to rush on ahead with Team Rocket unable to aim their neat. Panting and struggling to keep up (maybe they and Clemont can go to the gym together!), they give pursuit, asking the Pikachu to give up.... for the trio's sake!
Bunnelby has still had no luck finding Dedenne or Pikachu in the tunnels. Clemont tells Bonnie that he thinks Pikachu got lost, and Ash - standing blankly in the background even though it is his best friend missing - finally seems to figure out exactly what that not-good thing was now that Clemont has said it - Pikachu is missing! He asks Fletchling to fly on ahead and try to find him, and it heads off to try and redeem itself for its earlier failure.
Pikachu and Dedenne rush up the steep rocky ledges near a stream, Team Rocket realizing they're going to lose them if they can't stop them before the top. Jesse throws another net that Dedenne dodges, but this causes the fat little mouse to tumble backwards through the air. Pikachu moves fast, catching Dedenne's tail as it falls past, struggling to hold the little ball of fluff-n-fat in place. Tantalizingly close to Team Rocket now, Jesse leaps and swipes angrily at the dangling Pokémon, always just a little too far away.
Pikachu hauls Dedenne back up and they rush on up the cliff, Dedenne delighted by Pikachu's assistance. Jesse warns James that they're going to lose the Pokémon, so he brings out Inkay to intercept them, having it tackle Dedenne and knock it aside, at least stalling its progress. Pikachu rushes to help it, and Inkay blasts at them both Psybeam, shattering the ground beneath them so that they fall.... into the stream! To Team Rocket's horror, the current carries them swiftly away, this is even worse than the cliff! James is unconcerned though, hauling out a small box and throwing it into the air. Out of it pops, of all things, a small self-inflating raft, that will carry them safely downstream. They all leap in and James enthusiastically paddles forward, though Jesse and Meowth become less enthused when they realise just how cramped the raft actually is. Wobbuffet still seems delighted though, happily saluting nothing and letting Inkay ride on his head, which is cute as anything you're likely to see.
They look about as they sail on downstream, and are surprised to spot Pikachu clutching onto Dedenne with one paw and a tree with the other, halting its forward progress but not attempting to get out of the water. Unfortunately for Team Rocket, Pikachu not moving means that THEY quickly pass him by, the current is quite powerful. Even more alarming, spotted at first only by Inkay, is a big ol' rock jutting out of the water. Too late to swerve, they ramp off the rock and tear the raft, which sends them careening through the air and disappearing into a glint of light... but NOT declaring that they're blasting off again.
With Team Rocket gone for now, Pikachu drags Dedenne out of the water and stumbles on through the grass. Dedenne collapses though, too exhausted to move on any further, and Pikachu becomes alarmed, has it all been too much for the roly-poly beanbag? To his great relief, he is spotted by Fletchling who has flown far in an effort to make up for its mistake. It quickly brings the twerps to them, Pikachu rushing with relief to rejoin Ash, but their attention quickly turning back to Dedenne, what can they do to help it?
Gathering around, Bonnie in particular is concerned, and Ash suggests they take it to the Pokémon Center. Clemont can see the problem requires urgent action though, and says they need to get Dedenne some electricity. Ash Ketchum, who I have often accused of not being all that intelligent, then asks perhaps the dumbest question in the history of the show. He, Ash Ketchum, trainer of Pikachu, asks Clemont where they might get some electricity.
He asks this. Ash asks this question.
Clemont is delighted to answer Ash's amazingly stupid question, declaring that science is the answer. I'm unaware of any language on earth where Pikachu's name is pronounced science, and indeed it turns out not to be the case. From within the small confines of his backpack, Clemont brings out a device that is even taller than he is! What is it? An electricity generator! Bonnie sighs at how boring the name is, while Ash swoons with delight as he usually does at the sign of Clemont's ridiculous contraptions. Bonnie changes her tune though when Clemont takes the small sheet of plastic from the machine and rubs it under his arm then places it over her head. The static electricity causes the hairs on her head to rise up, and with delight she turns about in circles, giggling at the feeling.
That then is what Clemont's device does, it rubs a sheet of plastic continuously to generate static electricity, channelling it down to a small bubble that he places Dedenne against. Slowly the electricity builds and runs through into Dedenne's fat little body, perking it back up. They're all ecstatic and Ash tells Clemont he can turn the device off now, and with a smile Clemont apologetically shows them the lever to the device. Apparently he doesn't build these things very robustly, as the lever came off in his hand when he turned it on and now he can't turn it off. With alarm they tell Dedenne to get clear and it scampers away, while the device appears to gain sentience in the last moments of its life and rears up in alarm before exploding the excess electricity everywhere, killing the twerps in the process.
Oh. Or slightly messing up their hair!
Dedenne returns all fired up again though, and it runs happily around first Clemont and then Bonnie. Fascinated, Bonnie peers happily at the fat little thing and tells it she is happy to see it is feeling better. It chatters gratefully up at Clemont and Ash redeems himself slightly by guessing it is thanking him for the electricity. Overcoming her initial cuteness-awe, Bonnie remembers that she wanted Clemont to capture Dedenne for her, and he belatedly recalls too. He prepares to do so, but a shadow falls over them, Team Rocket have returned in their Happy Buddha Face Meowth balloon, still determined to capture Pikachu.
Ash declares the whole thing was their fault the whole time (wait, how is that in any way accurate?) and James brings out Inkay to fight, and to the twerps surprise Dedenne steps up to fight as well. It rushes forward to tackle Inkay, but it uses Foul Play to spin Dedenne around with its flaps and crash it into the ground. Dedenne recovers well though and manages to dodge Inkay's Psybeams, and Clemont orders another tackle, this time smashing Inkay without any qualifiers. Clemont is impressed, and tells Dedenne to use Nuzzle next.
What follows is so cute it may give you diabetes, as Dedenne rubs its own cheek sacs joyously and then bounds up to... rub its cheek against a shocked Inkay, little pink hearts flying around in the background!
The built up static electricity paralyzes Inkay, while Bonnie's head grows five sizes larger and hearts fill her eyes and blood rushes to her cheeks - she LOOOOOOVES Dedenne!
To finish things off, Pikachu joins Dedenne and they use a Thunderbolt/Thundershock combo to blast Team Rocket. Rubbing their cheeks together as they jump (dawww!), they blast Inkay back into the balloon, igniting the gas keeping it afloat and causing it to explode,
and this time Team Rocket really are blasting off again!
Pikachu and Dedenne rejoin the twerps who congratulate them on their efforts, and Dedenne rushes happily between Bonnie and Clemont's leg. Ash again slightly redeems his earlier idiocy by figuring out from Dedenne and Pikachu's communication that Dedenne wants to travel with them. Bonnie is thrilled, and Dedenne is thrilled by her being thrilled, both of them out-cuting each other with their glee. Clemont tests the theory by throwing out a Pokéball, and within moments (which feels like an eternity to Bonnie) Dedenne is captured. Clemont caught a Dedenne.... to keep for his little sister!
Bonnie thanks Clemont and asks if Dedenne can come out right away. He agrees and she hugs the fat little ball of mouse happily, introducing herself. Sitting down to groom Dedenne, she discovers it likes getting its tail stroked too (hey, who doesn't!?!) and Pikachu rushes in to get in on a little of that tail-stroking action too. Both nuzzle against her cheeks as she ODs on the cuteness, only to get blasted by Dedenne's nuzzle as Clemont has to remind her that it is a move, and she manages to get out between gritted teeth that now she can experience paralysis too. To her surprise, Dedenne yawns and wraps up in a fat little bundle and falls asleep, and Clemont explains that Dedenne fall asleep a lot in order to conserve energy.
Also because they're really fat.
Quietly she places Dedenne into her travel-bag and beams with joy down at the little sleepy loaf of bread. She prepares to let out a squeal of pleasure but Ash and Clemont quiet her, reminding her that Dedenne needs his sleep. She giggles, then struts on ahead with the boys bringing up the rear. All is right with the world, because she has something cute to nuzzle! What more does any other little girl need?
Another not-quite-as-little girl could answer that question, she has a cute Pokémon to nuzzle but is really more concerned with finding shelter right now. Serena and Fennekin are moving through the forest as the sun sets, and she is concerned that there is nowhere to stay. Spotting two Venipede on a nearby rock off the path she comments that she really doesn't like the idea of "slumming it" in the forest, but there is no Pokémon Center nearby. Why, it's almost as if she is utterly unprepared for the responsibilities of traveling alone and being in charge of providing food and shelter not only for herself, but a small semi-sentient animal! To her relief, she spots somebody standing beneath a tree in the distance and decides approaching a stranger lurking in the bushes of a forest at night is a great idea. She rushes up and asks if they know where a Pokémon Center is, and the person turns around to reveal.... it's a Vespiquen! Both of them leap back in shock, the Vespiquen as horrified by the intrusion of this strange pink thing going,"WAW WAW WAW WAW WAW!" at it as Serena is by the alien appearance and unfathomable insectoid mind of the big ol' bug. It lashes out in alarm with an attack, and Serena is only saved by Fennekin's quick actions, blasting the attack out of the sky. The Vespiquen rushes away and Fennekin dutifully brings Serena her hat in its mouth. She thanks it and puts the hat back on, and then to her relief is discovered by Nurse Joy and her Wigglytuff. They were walking down the path when they heard her scream, and she assures the nurse that she was just startled by a Pokémon. Nurse Joy says she can understand that, and explains the Pokémon Center is just a little further up the path. Serena is relieved, she would have kicked herself if she HAD stayed the night in the forest and discovered the Center only a few hundred yard down the path afterwards. Excited, she asks Fennekin to race to the Center, and they rush on up the path. That's great, no need to be polite and walk with Nurse Joy or anything! Just rush on ahead and wait for her to show up and look after you because you can't do anything for yourself! That's not a dig at Serena either, that's the way this whole system works in the Pokémon World, so it is a wonder that these kids haven't gotten themselves killed yet, and that after all these years, this story is still...
Moral Learnt: Guys like getting their tails stroked
BEST QUOTES
Jesse: "Don't you ever get tired? Take a break!"
James: "For our sake!"
