[#14] Electric Shock Showdown (1/2)

The face of sheer happiness. Do you know what this means, people?

"After two weeks of being lost..."

"...our heroes reach Vermillion City!"

Thank mercy for that.

"Congratulations! You finally made it!"

The gang are far too hungry to get a bath / hit the laundromat / challenge the gym so that needs taking care of. Cue title-card, monsieur!

Pizazz, motherfrogger, do you speak it?



We start the episode with a joke about how every Nurse Joy looks the bleedin' same, well, 'cause it's cool for cats. No, because why design different nurses when you can just change their outfit slightly and pretend you did?

Trainers are bringing in their Pokémon all beat up, thanks to Vermillion City Gym Leader Lieutenant Surge, an ex-Army vet with a taste for electrical Pokémon. Misty eggs Ash on to compete, because she secretly has feelings for him she's a bit of a tease she's a woman she's I DON'T KNOW WHY OK.

"They say if two people fight, they really care about each-other."

"Me care about him? Hmph!"

"Me care about her? Hmph!"

U MAD BRO

Ash forces Pikachu to compete because reasons. Pikachu clearly doesn't want to. Anyway, each gym looks unique in the series, here is Surge's gym.

Now to just waltz in there and get a Thunder Badge, right Ash? Because you're totally going to beat an Electric-type gym with an Electric-type Pokémon. After Ash and Misty have another little quarrel like a married couple, the gang finally enter the gym.

Lieutenant Surge shows himself. He's tall, and creepy. He also calls Misty, a ten year old, "a cute one" and says he "won't go easy on her". Just making sure you're aware of that.

Yep, massive.

He calls Ash a "baby". It pisses him off.

Surge makes fun of Pikachu, and Ash is not amused. But Surge has reason to find Ash's Pikachu scoffable, as after all, Surge is the leader of an Electric-type gym, and he is packing heat.

Raichu's face is all like "YOU WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHING, BRO?"

Ash uses Dexter to tell him what a Raichu is, and therefore, we are also told. Keep in mind that if Ash is asking his Pokédex about Raichu, it just might end up being this episode's "Who's That Pokémon" entry.

"It can shock with more than one-hundred thousand volts, enough to render a DRAGONITE unconcious."

THERE IT IS. AN EPISODE LATER. THE ONLY ONE OF IT'S KIND. AN UNKNOWN POKéMON. THERE IN THE GOSHDARNED HIPPAMAFLIPPIN' GLOBETROTTING GLUE-SNIFFING SHIMBAZZLE'IN POKéDEX IN PURE PLAIN ENGERLISH

A DRAGONITE

WE'RE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS HERE PEOPLE

THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND. WHAT A CLUMP OF HOARSE WASTE.

Surge gives Ash some talk about how Electrical Pokémon are only good once they've learned all their attacks, and-- sorry, but, just a second...

A DRAGONITE IS REFERRED TO BY NAME IN THE POKéDEX BUT NOBODY IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE EVER SEEN ONE WHY WOULD YOU MAKE SUCH A GLARING MISTAKE WHY WOULD YOU HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN

Electrical shock puns abound.

Raichu wipes the floor with Pikachu. It's an embarrassing defeat, but respectably, Ash doesn't accuse his opponent of cheating. He accepts his failure, and that is something that proves he has learned and will continue to learn.

Pikachu refuses to return from battle! Pikachu wants to die!

Team Rocket watch from outside, commenting that if Pikachu loses, perhaps they've wasted their time trying to capture it. Meowth suggests capturing Raichu instead, but is met with a violent response. Jessie and James affection for Pikachu and their longing for it to win are signs that they are warming to Ash and his friends, and there is another sign of this 'weird admiration' beginning to blossom in this same episode.

Rather than show us Pikachu being defeated, they leave whether he will or won't behind an advertisement break, where... hold on, why haven't I been interrupted yet? I mean my flow should be stopped by a sudd--WHO'S THAT POKéMON?

Late. Bizarre. Anyway, I wonder who it could be. Maybe it's a DRAGONITE because apparently NOBODY KNOWS WHAT ONE OF THEM IS