Best Wishes! Episode 1- To The Issu Region! Zekrom's Shadow!

Spoiler Alert! If you don’t want to have the Best Wishes series spoiled for you, read no further.


The story so far- Okay, so Ash enteres the Sinnoh League conference, but loses in the semifinals to a trainer whose team seems to be made up entirely of legendaries.

…Okay, so that’d never fly in reality! Las I checked, Ubers were banned in tournaments! Also, how'd he get a team full of legendaries? Someone's been hitting the Action Replay!

Anyway, The group heads back to Twinleaf Town, because Ash and Brock are going home to Kanto. Along the way, there's a mess with some injured Pokemon. Brock steps up to the plate, and actually does to doctor thing fairly well. Nurse Joy suggests that he make it a permanent thing, so, Brock being the lovestruck fool that he is, agrees, and writes himself off the show.

Ash leaves Dawn in Twinleaf Town with a shout of "Daijobu", Brock leaves to become a doctor, Team Rocket gets promoted, and everyone's happy.


And Now...

Okay. Pokemon DP ended on a low note, so let's all cross our fingers and pray that this season isn't as bad as- Hey! What was that? Did you see that? No human characters appear at all in the opening! And it's all in CGI! Wow! Do you hear that song?

Okay, so I can't do the new theme justice here, so I'll post a youtube link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdsN21AD7SY

Okay, so the series starts off with Satoshi (hereafter referred to as Ash) getting dressed into his new clothes. I have to hand it to Nintendo- they look a lot like his Kanto-Orange-Johto outfit, which is a good thing. On his way out the door, he almost forgets his hat, which, sadly, isn't the Pokemon League Expo hat that we all love, but it's fairly close. His mother, Delia, comes upstairs, and brings him out front, where Professor Oak is waiting for them in about the ugliest shirt I've ever seen him wear. If anybody knows why they're headed to the Isshu region, please feel free to let me know, because I don't speak Japanese. Are they moving? Is Professor Oak just going to hobnob with his fellow professors, and happened to invite Delia and Ash along? Or is this purely because Ash wanted to go?

Anyway, Team Rocket, newly promoted, is ordered to go to the Isshu region, and to leave all their old Pokemon behind except for Meowth. I can only assume that they're supposed to set up an Isshu branch, because that's what they were supposed to be doing in Hoenn and Sinnoh, and besides that, I just don't speak Japanese.

So, on the plane, Oak and Ash discuss the Isshu region, and how there are all kinds of unique Pokemon there. Team Rocket are seen on the plane, plotting to try and nab Pikachu. Old habits die hard, I guess. What's with their disguises? I mean, how were they allowed on a plane wearing overcoats, sunglasses, and hats that shade their faces?

Aaaaannyway, they soon land in Isshu, and Pikachu is distracted by dark, ominous thunderclouds. Ash, meantime, is distracted by a new Pokemon, Mamanbou. As Ash checks out the new Pokemon that looks suspiciously like a Luvdisc, Pikachu is grabbed by Team Rocket, who are using some kind of low-budget mecha-in-a-box to hold it in place. They reveal themselves to Ash, and- hey! They didn't recite the motto! This series just keeps getting better! Serious Team Rocket, and new region- this is going to be great!

So, Ash wrestles with the claw that has Pikachu, while Team Rocket activates the Pikaproofing. Pikachu tries to zap the box, but, like all their good mechas, it just blasts the attacks into the sky- intop the center of the ominous thundercloud from earlier. Team Rocket vanishes, and Pikachu has its electricity sucked out of it by whatever is in the cloud. Ash doesn't seem to grasp this, and, let's be honest, I wouldn't have if I didn't already know what was going to happen.

Meanwhile, outside town, we see Iris, who I guess is going to be the obligatory female companion of the series. Oh, boy, here we go- yet another of Ash's troupe who's going to become a contest-obsessed girly-girl- What?????? She just popped a dragon Pokemon into her enormous hairdo, and jumped out of a tree, and swung on a vine to go see what's happening!

I take it back. I may grow to like her.

Anyway, Pikachu appears to be okay, but its cheeks keep sparking for some odd reason (I wonder why?) This is overshadowed by the arrival of Oak's friend, Professor Araragi. Yes, Araragi is a woman. It''s about time.

So, she puts everybody in the back of her jeep (why do all the professors have jeeps? Do they buy in bulk and get a discount?), and drives to her lab. Pikachu's cheeks spark, and Araragi notes that it isn't normal. When they arrive art the lab, Pikachu is analyzed, but they can't figure out what specifically is wrong. Their investigation is cut short by a trainer arriving for his first Pokemon. Araragi and Ash go to check the newcomer out, and find that he's a photographer named Shooti. Yes, I see the pun. Photo shoot. Very original.

So, this guy is uber-polite to Araragi, but treats Ash like some backwoods hick when he finds out that Ash is from Kanto. So, he's a mix of Gary Oak and Pride from Fullmetal Alchemist? I guess he has a lot of... Isshus! There, I made the obvious pun. You're never getting that one again, so don't ask.

Anyway, Araragi shows him the starters, Pokabu, Mijumaru, and Tsutaja. I like how much effort each starter puts into their intro; Pokabu tries its best to look cool, Mijumaru looks cute, and then flattered when Ash calls it so, and Tsutaja just kind of shows up. I also like how Shooti draws out his choice as long as possible, takes a picture, and. like we all knew he would, picks Tsutaja. Mihumaru's face after finding out that it's been rejected? Priceless.

Anyway, Ash follows Shooti out, and Shooti is fascinated by Pikachu. You see, they aren't native to Isshu at all, so he takes an opportunity to take a few pictures. Ash and he decide to battle.

During the battle, it becomes very apparent that Shooti should be losing. Pikachu is the strongest Pokemon on a Sinnoh-semifinal team! There's no way that he can- why aren't Thunderbolt and Volt Tackle working?

Shooti responds to Pikachu's Iron Tail attack with a special move of his own- Grass Mixer, which Ash is surprised to see. Wait, back it up. You've been in other regions before, so why is it such a surprise that Isshu has some moves that you're unfamiliar with?

Anyway, Pikachu loses horribly, and Ash goes into the lab to get Pikachu healed. He doesn't notice that he's being watched by Araragi's Mijumaru, which seems to have taken a liking to him. Wonderful. Already we have this season's Kawaii.

So, while Pikachu is being analyzed, the ominous thunderclouds approach again. Iris is shown outside of town again, and lightning strikes the laboratory. Pikachu is electrocuted, while Ash, Araragi, Delia, and crouching-pokemon-hidden-Mijumaru watch in terror.

Will Pikachu be alright? Will team Rocket appear again? Will Mijumaru join Ash? Some of these questions will be answered, but first, we need to go to something much more important!

A cliffhanger.



My opinions on this episode? Pokemon is back, and I love them for it. We have a serious Team Rocket, a rival who isn't the stereotypical abusive trainer, and, while we still get the played-out "Pikachu is weak again" story, it makes more sense than it did in DP.

Until next time- Everyone, Pokemon GETTO da ze!