In the original games your rival (whoever he's called) is a bit of a
jerk. He has the relation with the Professor and he somehow always a few steps
ahead of you. So its no surprise that in the anime Okido Shigeru
(or Gary Oak as he is called in English) is
depicted as a cocky, privileged bastard (which is also why "Gary
F*&%in Oak" has become an internet meme).
Throughout the first few years of the series Gary was the bane of Ash's
existence. Been the grandson of the great Professor Oak, Gary naturally
developed some form of superior complex, making him think he is somewhat better
than other kids his age, including Ash. And his famous relation is something he
liked to boast about....
"It's good to have a grandfather in the Pokemon business, isn't it." - Gary Oak (from episode 1)
A brief note - according to the anime novelization by the show's main writer
at the time Takeshi Shudō, Gary Oak in the anime is not only
Prof Oak's grandson but also the grandnephew of the mayor of Pallet Town. His cheerleaders are in fact electoral
staff. So the next time you'll see Gary in this first series (the cheerleaders
disappear during the Orange Islands arc) or see a "Gary
F*&%in Oak" meme online, picture Freddy
Quimby from The Simpsons (another cartoon
mayor's nephew). Here's a visual aid I made to help you....
Back to the story. When finally faced with the choice of three poke
balls he discovers that they were all taken (Why were the empty poke balls
still on the table?). Ash was gutted, but Oak then remembered that he has
one Pokémon left, but was reserved about giving it to a new trainer....
"Think I should
warn you.There is a problem with this last one." - Prof Oak
"I have to have
a Pokemon." - Ash
Well... in that
case...." - Prof Oak (from episode 1)
In hindsight, we all see this moment as....
“A perfect match, dictated by the fickle finger of fate.” - Cilan, from episode "The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!" (2013)
Oak gave in and opened the poke ball.... resulting in a flashy-lightning
show that revealed the franchise's mascot - Pikachu. Their first meeting wasn't
harmonious (he shook him with a thunder-shock attack). A shockingly
funny start to the series.
Here's a thought. What if that alarm clock didn't get broken? What if
Ash woke up early and was able to select his first choice (Squirtle (Which Gary took)) instead of been lumbered with
Pikachu? It's an interesting thought. It's a question that is worth exploring
in revisionist fan-fiction. But its a question that get's more integrating when
you discover who Sam is in the fourth
movie. (I'm not going to tell you. Find out for yourself.)
After leaving the lab Ash is given a send off, where his mother
proceeded to embarrass him in front of a crowd (as all mothers do in such occasions).
After Pikachu refused to enter his poke ball and shocking the crowd after Ash's
mother described their relationship as "weird" (and the reminder to
wear clean "you-know-what" everyday), Ash's journey finally
began.....
And its here we are confronted with a truth our rosy retrospection cognitive bias has made us forget from
childhood - on his first day as a trainer Ash was a complete moron! He was
dragging a reluctant Pikachu along with him with a washing line. He didn't know
that Pokemon only spoke the syllables of their names (an anime-unique invention
- in the games the Pokemon speak with typical animal noises, which you might
have expected before watching the anime). And (because Pikachu refused to
listen to him) Ash's first ever attempt to catch a Pokemon (a Pidgey) was a disaster. It's very shocking,
compared to the Ash we know and love and travelling in Kalos in 2016. It will
even shock Ash himself if we were to show him a video of his first day as a
trainer.
But you have to remember that much of this early idiocy is because of
Gary "motherf*&^in" Oak. For a long time before their
journeys began Gary poked fun at Ash's "inferior" position, leading
to Ash to develop an inferiority complex and a will to beat Gary at his own
game. Also this is his first ever day as a trainer. He probably had little
experience before this catching and training Pokemon, so cut him some slack.
But we have to ask a few questions. If Ash was such a fan for Pokemon, how come
he didn't know about the language thing? Surely in this world they are
documentaries about Pokemon on TV (with a few where Professor Oak plays David Attenborough). I guess he didn't watch such
documentaries. I guess (knowing his nature) he preferred watching the battles.
But that's no excuse. He would have seen them in the wild outside his home (and
heard them speak). But all this is just speculation - created by the lack of
continuity. In the end of the day, Ash (on his first day as a trainer) was a
young idiot thrown into the deep end.
And (in the end) one final act of stupidity will change his fate forever
- when a rock he threw hit the head of a Spearow. That Spearow got mad (of course) and
because of their "jealousy toward's trained Pokemon" Spearow began
to target Pikachu. After Pikachu gave Spearow a shock, Spearow called out for
his/her friends and a chase ensues. Pikachu was attacked. Ash fended them off
to rescue him. He ran with Pikachu in his arms and jumped into a river,
where He was fished out by a red-haired girl.
Her name (in Japanese) is Kasumi. Her name comes form
"kasumisō" the name the Japanese give to the Gypsophila genus
of flowering plant. It's also a pun of the words "kasumi" (meaning
"mist") and "umi" (meaning "sea"), which is how
we get her English name - Misty. The name makes sense if you know these two
things about her - she loves the water (which is why she specialises in
water-types) and can get very angry very easily.
And we first saw this trait in her reaction to the state of Pikachu and
Ash's ignorance at that moment (which included a slap
in Ash's face, which 4Kids edited out in the English dub). After
suggesting getting Pikachu to a hospital, Ash (upon seeing the Spearow
flock approaching them) "borrows" her bicycle and rode into
the distance. But (as a thunderstorm began) they hit a bump and fall over. As
the flock come closer Ash begs Pikachu to return to his poke ball. But he still
refuses (despite his condition). What happens next has become legend. Ash stood
up and faced the flock to protect Pikachu and proclaims...
"Spearows, do you know who I am? I am Ash from the town of Pallet.I am destined to be the world's number one Pokemon Master. I can't be defeated by the likes of you. I'm going to capture and defeat you all! You hear me! ...... Come and get me!!!" - Ash Ketchum (to the Spearow flock, episode 1)
Inspired by his words, Pikachu leaped up into a bolt of lightning and
gave the flock a massive thunder-shock to remember. When the storm
cleared Ash and Pikachu looked at each other with loving eyes, and one of the
most iconic partnerships in history was made. Above them was a rainbow and
a golden bird that the Pokedex had "no
data" on. A cosmic blessing from the universe, most likely.... or a sign
that Ash has entered a coma.
In the next episode Ash runs into Viridian City with the still injured
Pikachu. As he entered Officer Jenny was announcing to citizens
through Tannoy on be on the look out for Pokemon
thieves. She mistakes Ash for said thief, until he provided his ID... and showed how bad Pikachu is. With the
help of Jenny's motorbike (which might need some work done, looking at its
exhaust) Ash is handbrake-turned into the Pokémon Center in front of Nurse Joy at the reception....
"We have a
driveway you know." - Nurse Joy (episode 2)
Pikachu was rushed into critical care. While he was getting treatment
Ash was in the waiting room thinking about his situation. He called his mother
to say he was okay. Although they say a lot at this exchange, the words that
sum up this conversation is these....
"Honey, you are growing up right before my eyes, spreading your wings and soaring like a Spearow." - Delia Ketchum"I feel more like a fallen Pidgey." - Ash Ketchum (episode 2)
A minute later Prof Oak called Ash to confirm the news that he got to
Viridian City so soon after beginning his journey ... and that he lost
$1million to Gary for betting that Ash would catch a Pokemon by the time he
reached there. Right after Oak hung up Ash was confronted by an angry Misty and
her (now destroyed by the thunder-shock) bike. But she cooled down soon after
hearing of Pikachu's condition.
But as Pikachu was moved from critical care to a place to rest an
announcement was made on the public Tannoy.....
"Your attention please. Our Viridian City radar sensors have detected an aircraft belong to a gang of Pokemon thieves. If you have a Pokemon in your procession, you exercise extreme caution." - Officer Jenny (episode 2)
That said aircraft was a hot air balloon, and it was hovering over the
Pokemon Center. The thieves dropped two poke balls into the center through a
skylight, revealing an Ekens and and Koffing. A smoke screen engulfs the reception and
the thieves finally introduce themselves with their motto .... which we have
all heard a billion times since. I know they jazzed it up a bit a couple of
times over the years with new words and graphics, but its still the same
motto.But hay. It has become a habit that they have trouble breaking, after
doing it every week for the past 20 years. All they need is for someone to say
the trigger words "prepare" and "trouble."
Top 10 Team Rocket Mottos
by Anouk van Waardenburg (2016)
This is our formal introduction to the Team Rocket team Musashi and Kojirō, or (as they are known in English) Jessie and James (and their talking Meowth).
Design-wise Jessie is a combination of an old girlfriend of Takeshi Shudō when he was at school
and Marjo from Time
Bokan, while James is a combination of Leonardo Medici Bundle from GoShogun (a
series Shudō had written for previously) and Benten Kozō Kikunosuke from
the kabuki play Benten Kozō. There back stories are both
tragic and typical for villains. Jessie was the daughter of a high-ranking Team Rocket member, who disappeared when she was
about 5. Because of this most of her childhood was spent in a foster home that
was so financially poor that sometimes she had no choice but to eat snow. When she
was old enough she left home to study to be a nurse, before giving up because she
was no Chansey. James (on the other hand) was born
into a rich family, but had to run away when he discovered how Christian Grey she is. (Try to deny this
metaphor after watching this edition of PokeSins. I dare you.)
Both eventually meet as students
of Pokemon Tech (where they flunked) and
joined a bike gang, before (separately) joining Team Rocket. So with such devilish pedigree, you'll
imagine that these two are good at their job as Pokemon thieves ... and
you were right. They were terrorising Viridian City and had a cool
wanted poster ....
That was until that night when they encounter
Ash's Pikachu.
To begin with they didn't see him as anything
valuable.
"We're not interested in your electric rat." - Jessie (to Ash)
"We only seek rare and valuable Pokemon." - James (from
episode 2)
You heard them.
They didn't see Pikachu as a worthy prize back
then. So what changed their minds?
Well, we can assume that until that night they were undefeated crooks.
As the group try to defend the center's store of poke balls from
them (with embarrassing results), Ash takes Pikachu away from them
until the trio catch up with them at the reception. It was at this point a
dozen Pikachu (who were acting as the center's back-up generators) show up and
shock them - with Ash's Pikachu standing on top to proclaim his fine
health, asking Ash for "Pika Power." With the aid of the
dynamo on the ruins of Misty's bike, Pikachu got a power boost that increased
their hit power so much that Koffing began to release gas which ignited. The
building exploded. The trio were charred and frazzled floating away
dangling from their balloon as it glided across the moon.
"Great. A cat
losing to a mouse." - Jessie
"That Pikachu is
no ordinary Pikachu." - Meowth
"It's certainly
very rare. A perfect prize." - James
"Let's catch
it!" - Jessie
"Perhaps we
well." - Meowth (from episode 2)
And then their balloon develops a puncture and are "blasted
off" for the first time ever. And thus, the downfall of Team Rocket (and
the other crime syndicates) began. One imagines that Wile E. Coyote went through a similar moment
when he first saw the Road Runner. What would have happened to them if
they hadn't decided to hit the Viridian City Pokemon Center that night? Could
have they remained top agents, who didn't spend ever single penny on traps and
machines? Who knows.
For the next two episodes (in Viridian Forest) Ash catches his first wild
Pokemon (a Caterpie that later became a Butterfree) and Misty (after we find out
about her Entomophobia) witnesses a side to Ash that'll
become significant in the future - his selfless caring heart for his fellow
creatures. A side that'll later cause a lot of worry for his friends and loved
ones, looking at his record for risking his life.
By episode 5 Ash was in Pewter City to face his first ever gym leader. Called Takeshi in Japan (maybe
as a reference to chief show writer Takeshi Shudō), in English he is known as Brock - because he specialises in rock-types. Ash's first attempt to earn a gym
badge (as you may work out now) was a shambles. Brock's Onix proved too tough to beat for
Pikachu. When Onix was using bind on Pikachu, Ash (upon seeing his
extreme pain) couldn't bear it anymore and forfeited the match.
That night, feeling dejected, Ash meets a mysterious man named Flint, who decides to help him - by attaching
Pikachu to a small disused hydroelectric plant. The scheme was a surprising
success, when Pikachu overloaded the generator and lit the night sky with high
amounts of electric power. The next day Ash returns to the gym. Misty (been a
water-specialist) offered her Pokemon to use, but Ash refused the offer,
wanting the defeat Brock with his own team. The rematch began with Brock's Geodude knocking out Ash's Pidgeotto (which he caught in Viridian
Forest). Then Pikachu entered the ring. The charging session made sure that
Geodude was out, forcing Brock to call in Onix. Pikachu tries to shock Onix,
but it fails, damaging the gym instead. Onix binds Pikachu, but this time
Pikachu gave off a massive Thunderbolt attack, hurting Onix ... but it
wasn't enough to win. Pikachu was a bout to pass out. Brock offers to end the
match for his sake. Ash refuses. Then the sprinkler system was triggered (from
the previous attack) seriously hurting Onix (rock-types don't like
water).
And it is here we see for the first time a significant trait in Ash -
his sense of fairness. He recalls Pikachu. He had a lucky advantage with the
sprinklers, but he choose to stop the battle, because he wanted to earn his
badges by his own strength and strategy alone (much to Misty's disappointment).
That last bracket is a surprise, considering that a number of
badges Ash "earned" wasn't earned due to a battle with a gym leader.
A fact Misty would made light of in the early parts of the series. A
fact especially true when it came to Ash's second gym (two
episodes later) - the Cerulean City Gym, where we are confronted
by Misty's "sensational" sisters. Long
story short, the sisters were just giving away badges and were about to give
Ash one, until Misty entered the scene and challenged him for it (as she
was technically a gym leader of that gym). The battle
was interrupted by Team Rocket. Ash saved the day and was given
the badge as a thank you by Misty's sisters (to Misty's dismay!!!).
Back to Brock. Just as Ash was about the leave Pewter City, Brock ran to
him to give him the badge anyway - for his kindness towards Pokemon he showed
moments ago. Ash initially refuses it, but Brock's reason to do
so convinced him to take it. Afterwards Brock confesses his ambition to become
a Pokemon breeder - but
family commitments prevent him from leaving the gym. He gave him the
badge so that Ash can fulfil his dream. But then a development -
Flint appears to reveal that he is in fact Brock's dad. He had left the family
a while ago to become a trainer. While he was away, Brock's
Mum left for the same reason some time later (but in
the original English dub it was said that she died looking after the
family (a typical anime trope), but this decision by the dubbers would come
to embarrass them when (years later) she
appeared on screen pretty much alive and well. But some
English-speaking fans think that the woman on screen is Flint's new girlfriend
or second wife (to try to rationalise the error.)). Things didn't
turn out well for Flint, so that is why he is back. Now that Brock no
longer needed to stay home (to look after his nine younger siblings), he decided to travel
with Ash. And the classic trio we all love came to been.
A life of a gym leader is tough. According to one source gym leaders work on a "three
strike" system. Loss three matches in a row and your loss your gym leader
status.So imagine the stress that could cause. So its no surprise that
(according that same source) the stress is the reason
Misty and her sisters are running the gym (their parents ran away
because of the stress) and the reason Brock's mother
is regularly "on the game." That last bit is cited as the
cause of one of Brock's most noted character traits - he falls in love with
every pretty girl he sees (especially every Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy).
Despite the serious reasons for this, this trait has given us multiple bits of
comedy, usually ending with him been dragged away by Misty (initially).
For the next 200-odd episodes Ash (whether he liked it or not) had the
experienced hands of two gym leaders following him (although one of them may
had ulterior motives for doing so (guess which one)). Without Misty and Brock's
guidance, Ash may not have become the trainer we know him today and (according to this review) "probably still in
the forest throwing rocks at random monsters."
Of course they are some out there who are going to point out that this
is a kids TV show cliché and it reeks of the often mocked meme "friendship is magic." However, I have found
a piece of evidence that proves that this isn't unique to kids TV shows and
fairy tales involving creatures not from this world. It can be found in the
world of high-brow "modern" literature....
"When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat." - from Sexus by Henry Miller
Henry Miller could have written about Ash when he typewritten this back
in the 1940s. Who would have thought that it was possible to reference Henry
Miller in a blog post about Pokémon.
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