... Ash entered his first League Tournament, where he
ended up in the top 16 after been defeated by his unresponsive Charizard who just sat
down and did nothing in front of Richie's Pikachu. Been
his first League tournament (and having his chance to
reach the finals ruined by Charizard) Ash went through a brief spell of
depression. But managed to snap out of it (Pikachu shocked him) to see Richie loss in the quarter-finals. after that battle the two meet up and discuss their losses, leading to
one of most touching moments of this era of the series - Ash realizes that he
was been "a big baby" about his loss. He should let what happened
hold him back. He's got to move on and try again if he wanted to be a Pokémon Master. A touching moment - until
Team Rocket show up and get blasted off (again).
After the end of the tournament (in something
that clearly looks like an after thought by producers who thoguht the series
was going to end there) Pallet Town held a massive outdoor party
celebrating Ash's "success" (only to
be ruined when Team Rocket showed up disguised as catering). After this
(and Ash releasing his Pidgeot to
help defend a flock of fellow Pidgey and Pidgeotto from the Fearow that
evolved from the Spearow Ash
threw a rock at back in episode one) the gang
took an informal tour of the Orange Islands (a
group of tropical islands that exist south of Kanto).
This anime (and manga)
unique adventure is well noted for one particular thing - the absence of Brock.
In the story, when the trio visit Professor Ivy's lab (after
a disastrous ride on a
blimp), Block instantly fell in love with her and volunteered to stay
behind and help out in the lab.
So it was now just Ash and Misty... and things didn't go well to
start off with. They were captured by Team Rocket on another blimp. That
blimp (thanks to a stowaway Jigglypuff)
then crashed into seemingly deserted territory. As Misty was beginning to contemplate the idea of living off bugs, a group
of tourists show up, revealing that their in Pokémon
Park on Tangelo Island.
After that the "couple" stroll down the beach and find a gang of youths abusing a stranded baby Lapras. They
confronted them and the battle was just about to kick off when someone shouted
"Hold it!" and begins to examine the participating Pokémon, like a vet examining patients. This odd guy was Tracey Sketchit, Pokémon
watcher, talented drawer and Professor Oak fan-boy (his original Japanese
name is Kenji, which can
mean "wise," "modest" and "research" and can be
seen as a direct reference to Ken Sugimori).
After the youths were beaten, the Lapras taken into a Pokémon Centre,
introductions to Tracey and the Orange League,
and a failed attempt by Team Rocket to kidnap that Lapras, everything was set
for this odd era of the anime - Tracey has replaced Brock, Ash knows there is a
League to win and the trio have gained a means of island-hopping transportation
- Lapras.
So why exactly did we get Tracey? According to this 2008
interview of then series
director Masamitsu Hidaka,
this is why it happened...
"I asked him why they dropped Brock like a rock in the Orange
Islands, and if they ever intended on his absence being temporary. He started
to explain that they like to “switch up” the cast once in a while, and
that was their first time doing it. Then I made sort of a “that’s obvious” face, and he started to talk for quite some time to the translator. The
translator began to explain that the Japanese crew felt that Brock might be
viewed as racist by the American people because of his eyes, and that they were
even fearful of it when Pokemon first came to America. I asked if anyone ever
complained, and he said no, but it was just that they were worried someone
might eventually. So, they brought in a tall, white, Anglo-looking character to
replace him, just to be on the safe side. Going back to the first interview
with Mr. Hidaka, he had said they had to consider other countries when Pokemon
started to go global, so this mentality fits even here, especially with the
whole Jynx incident. So then I asked, “Why did you bring him back?” and he responded that “we realized no one really cared about it and
liked Brock, so we brought him back.” It appears that if
they had not changed their decision, Professor Ivy might have been Brock’s true
soul mate."
Pokémon had become so global that the makers got worried that Brock may appear
"racist" to Americans and created a less-offensive Caucasian character (Tracey) to replace him, despite the fact America had
been exposed to Brock for a year by the time the Orange Islands arc was in production
and no one there had complained (so far). In fact, Brock was a fan favourite. Just look at this slide
show by Jake Young of Dorkly.
This interview is pretty much the only concrete evidence we have of this
decision (as far as I know). But, considering who was been interviewed, we have
to take these words as the truth. Fortunately for us all, common
sense prevailed in the
end and, at the end of this tropical adventure, Brock came back
(heartbroken?).
Brock's
return has created another mystery. What happened between Brock and Ivy? There
is a significant amount of speculation
in the world of TraumaShipping fan
fiction, but in the official canon
the only thing we fans have
to work with is....
"Don't mention that
name..."
Brock's reaction to any mention of
Professor Ivy.
(still from episode 'A Tent Situation' (1999))
A picture is worth a thousand words...
Oh, do any of you remember the reason why Ash and the gang were in
Professor Ivy's lab in the first place? Let me remind you. The original reason
they were there was because Professor Oak sent them
there to retrieve a
mysterious item from Ivy's lab -
the GS Ball. A
mysteriously indestructible gold and silver-coloured Poké ball that no one
could open. It couldn't be sent by teleport like a regular Poké ball,
which is why it had to be sent to Oak the old-fashioned way. But why Ash and
his friends? Why couldn't Ivy send it by courier? Maybe it proved so mysterious
(and possibly valuable) that they couldn't trust regular couriers carrying it.
Would you use Fed Ex to transport the Mona
Lisa? I don't think so. With that logic, it makes perfect sense for Oak to
send to Ivy someone he knows and trust to retrieve this precious
cargo. He could send his grandson Gary, but he was busy at the moment of need.
So the job went to Ash.
Or course, Ash and
Friends got distracted when they reached Valencia Island (especially Brock),
which Oak understood, knowing Ash. They were (technically) in a
new region. And a new region means new Pokémon, new
trainers to battle, new adventures, and... of course... the Orange League (not
to be confused with the Orange Order, which is a very different separate
thing altogether).
During their
island-hoping adventures (after rescuing a baby Lapras and
encountering Tracey) many things happened including....
- The return of Cassidy and Butch and the
great Pokémon revolt on Mandarin
Island North.
- The Crystal Onix.
- The island of the
pink Pokémon.
- This voice dub job.
- Misty encounters the "Pokémon
version of Brock."
- Danny
- The Snorlax infestation of the Seven
Grapefruit Islands.
- Meowth becomes
something of worship on Golden Island.
- Prima (or is it
Lorelei).
- Romeo and Juliet.
- Rudy
- Meowth and Pikachu get
cuffed together.
- Ash's Charizard
finally learns to obey him.
- Team Wartortle
- The challenge of
transporting a Snorlax without a working Pokéball.
- The first ever
official double battle.
- Groucho
Marx.
- Ash vs Drake.
- And the Electrode infestation of Hamlin Island.
Oh, and the incident with
the legendary
birds at Shamouti Island.
And in all that time they
had the GS Ball in their procession. When Ash and Misty finally returned
to Pallet Town (with the very
eager Professor Oak fan-boy) they were (surprisingly) reunited with Brock.
After this reunion the GS Ball was finally given to Professor Oak.....
Then the lab is engulfed
by a circus tent/net by Team Rocket (it did happen watch the episode). They
sucked up every Pokéball in the lab (including the GS Ball). But a
man with a Nidoqueen shows up, tears off the tent/net, and
sends them blasting off again. This guy was Gary. Soon after his freedom, Ash
challenges Gary to a battle.
Oak did all he could and
came up with nothing. After hearing that Gary was heading to Johto (and Ash was
thinking of following suit) he decided to give it to Ash again. They were
sent off to Johto to Kurt, the Poke Ball smith. After a number of adventures in Johto, including...
- Meeting Casey.
- The Haunted Forest.
- The crime-fighting Spinarak
- The Stantler stampede.
- When a Quagsire stole the GS Ball!
- This episode containing a subliminal message.
- Jessie's past as a
nurse.
- Ash's battle against Falkner
- When the ArboTank went walk
about.
- Charicific Valley
- Gligarman
- Shingo and his laptop.
- And that nasty trainer who wanted a Cyndaquil
.....they finally reach Azalea Town and give Kurt the GS
Ball, and in return the trio were each given a Fast Ball for saving a few
drought-preventing Slowpoke from Team Rocket....
And the GS Ball was
never mentioned again....
(except
in one flashback).
By this point, the GS
Ball became a Serperior's vestigial
leg - a leftover plot device that
lost its purpose, and we all forgot about it.... except me (and many others like
me)!
So
what happened? What was inside the GS Ball?
In the same 2008 interview referenced
earlier, Masamitsu Hidaka said this.....
"What’s the deal with the GS Ball? As I said “GS Ball,” he shook his head and started to laugh, embarrassed. He stated “You’re very sharp (for us remembering that, I guess)” and began to explain it contained a Gold and Silver monster. I asked him if Celebi was in the Ball (since you use it to summon Celebi in the Japanese games), and at first he paused, as if he shouldn’t say, but then said “Yes.” He explained that the writers were originally going to have a whole story about Celebi in the show with Ash and crew, and he made it sound as if the story was more important than the Ball’s function of getting Ash to move around (in fact, he only briefly mentioned the latter part; he was emphasizing the existence of the story more than anything). But, they decided to save Celebi for the movie instead, which is why that plot hole was just left there. He said the writers didn’t know what to do with the Ball after they made their decision, so they were hoping fans would just forget about it all together when Ash and crew left it with Kurt. My impression of what he was saying was that it was all just poor planning. I asked if we would ever see the GS Ball again, and he said no. I think we can safely say the GS Ball case is closed now."
Inside that GS Ball was Celebi. At least that's one mystery solved once and for
all.
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