Wednesday 14 May 2014

[#11] Charmander - The Stray Pokémon (1/2)

"With Bulbasaur as his newest Pokémon, Ash and friends are making their way triumphantly to Viridian City... Aren't they?"

We're still lost folks, and from the name of this episode, it's pretty obvs what Ash's newest Pokémon will be. It starts with C and ends with Harmander.

"Our friends have gotten off track... just a bit."

Yeah, I gathered. Thanks for telling us what we already know, Narrator guy. Jokes about Misty hating bugs and some slapstick presides until Misty comes face to face with a large, silhouetted object.



Looks kind of like a sock puppet on top of a dustbin.

Ash, Brock and Misty approach the object, which on closer inspection appears to be a Charmander resting upon a rock.




Cue slide!



Ash immediately identifies the Charmander using his Pokédex "Dexter", which tells him that when a Charmander's tail flame goes out, it dies. This will be an important plot point later so remember it. Ash attempts to capture the Charmander so that they can take it to a Pokémon Center, as it looks very weak. The Charmander knocks back Ash's Pokéball, and refuses capture a second time. 


Pikachu climbs the rock to have a chat with Charmander, and then relays the message to Ash. After a moment's consideration, the gang leave Charmander alone, because it is waiting for someone and will be taken care of later.


The gang continue onward and find the Pokémon Center on Route 24... The non-existent Pokémon Center on Route 24. And although the cartoon calls this and the nearby area Route 24, the actual Route 24 is the world famous "Nugget Bridge", where a suspicious man tries coercing you into joining Team Rocket.

It starts raining and it's pretty dark outside, so they head for the PokéCenter. But if it's raining, and rain is water, and Charmander's all alone, gasp, what about his tail flame!? You can't just leave him out there, what the hell! You feeling that? It's called emotions. You has it.

So the gang are inside the PokéCenter, assuming that the Charmander's trainer had picked the Charmander up by this point. However, they start to overhear a trainer with a horrid stereotypical British accent (the Brits are always the bad guys) who starts bragging about leaving his poor defenseless Charmander outside in the rain to die. Hate him already. Guy sounds demonic, doesn't he. Guess what. His name is Damien, like, the son of the big S. Yep.



Brock does what any ordinary person would do in this situation - start a fight with the senseless c**t. What a complete gobshite; leaving your Pokémon to die!? The worst. The absolute worst. The argument heats up until the two crews are ready to lock horns in a no holds barred Pokémon murder brawl... Joy steps in.

"Pokémon are never to be used in personal fights! It is disrespectful to the Pokémon and their trainers!" You said it, Joy. And you said it well. Brock makes a comment on how he's never seen a woman so beautiful, to which Misty and Ash draw attention to all Joys looking the same. The most quotable line of the episode comes from Ash; "It's a joy-full... world..."



Damien buggers off and the crew are left concerned about the Charmander. They go out and brave the storm to rescue the Charmander and bring it to the Pokémon Center.


They succeed in bringing Charmander to the PokéCenter and Nurse Joy takes--WHO'S THAT POKéMON!?


What, already? That was barely any time at all. If you don't get this one, we can never be friends.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Who's that Pokémon!? It's Comment Box!