ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
559: Losing Its Lustrous!	564: Ginga-Dan Shugeki! -Zenpen-	Attack of the Undercover Zombie Boss!			The twerps get caught in a terrorist heist, Croagunk gets murdered!	Even they're smarter than Officer Jenny!	Never trust maniacal Zombie-Businessmen who look like Akuma!

Today finds the twerps.... who cares, there's a great big fucking plane zooming through the sky over Celestic Town, manned by Officer Jenny and some police dudes. As they come in towards the city, Golbat swarm in front of the plane and a chopper swoops in from overhead. A Toxicroak is fired out of its Pokéball onto the nose of the plane! And inside the chopper? It's Team Galactic's Saturn, and they mean to have the Adamant Orb!

Oh my, this is exciting, I guess the normal twerps opening has been....



Inside the town and the Pokémon Centre, the twerps are packing their bags ready to leave - or at least Dawn and Brock are. Dawn goes to find Ash and discovers him training for his rematch with Fantina, not wanting to leave the town because he has actually gained an idea from watching Dawn's Contest Battle the previous night. His key is to find a dual offensive/defensive move AND work on a way around Fantina's Hypnosis, and he's been trying some new tactics with Pikachu and Buizel.

So Brock returns to the Pokémon Centre figuring they won't be leaving just yet, and Happiny takes him at his word and dumps his bag out over the floor. As he is repacking it, the news comes on regarding the hijacking of the Transport Plane carrying the Adamant Orb, though Officer Jenny has managed to make it sound like she came out as the hero. The Adamant Orb was enroute to be studied alongside the Lustrous Orb in Celestic Town at the Historical Research Centre. Nurse Joy comes by (Ash and Dawn have also returned) and mentions Cynthia is coming back soon too since she comes from this town and her Grandmother is in charge of the research. The twerps decide they should go see her too since obviously the busy, jetsetting Cynthia will want to take time out of her precious, rare free time in her own home town away from her family in order to see them.

Brock leaps forward to wax lyrical about Nurse Joy's "lustrous orbs" but then pauses as he realises his back hasn't been contorted and he is not in squealing agony. He turns to look, as do Ash and Dawn... what is Croagunk up to? It is simply STARING out of the window, perhaps at Team Rocket? They're outside, jealous and upset over Team Galactic shifting into high gear. James and Meowth are determined to steal the orb from them, while Jesse wants to get revenge for Team Galactic ruining her chances to win the Contest!

Wait... what?

The twerps head to the Research Centre, where Cynthia is hanging out with her wrinkled old Grandmother. Cynthia instantly recognises Ash but doesn't say a word about Dawn or Brock, even when Brock leaps forward with hearts in his eyes and lust in his pants. Cynthia introduces "the kids" to her Grandmother, Carolina, who has chosen an.... interesting.... choice of hairstyle.

Look into your withered, dried up future, Cynthia!

Team Galactic are nearby, not even bothering to hide themselves as they work away on their plan to steal the Lustrous Orb. Saturn spots the twerps and remembers them - REMEMBERS THEM! - and tells the others to proceed with Plan A but be ready in case things go wrong.

Down at the Research Centre, Ash is admitting that things didn't go too well for him when he last battled Paul, and Carolina laughs that this means he can't possibly beat Cynthia. She is impressed by his "spunk" though, and tells him they can't take that away from him.

Lord knows Misty would have tried.

Ash - Master of Timing - declares he wants a battle with Cynthia right now, and Cynthia has to point out that now really isn't the appropriate time or place.... which is when Akuma shows up!



Ready to tear his sleeves off at a moment's notice and pitch a fireball at people, this zombie-looking motherfucker is Cyrus, the Mogul of Sinnoh's Industrial Complex. What does that mean? It means he a rich son-of-a-bitch who owns everything! He also looks like a zombie and Akuma and someone who eats children. Cynthia says he is a big deal around these parts and he chuckles, coming across surprisingly friendly and nice despite his horrific appearance. Brock takes the cue to declare his undying love for Cynthia (or just a chance to get her smell onto his hands, for.... later......) but once again Croagunk fails to stab him in the ass, squatting by a car STARING off into the distance.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket show up in Police Uniforms, declaring they're back-up and then putting a beating on Meowth when he starts talking. The police stare on in confusion, but not enough to actually call it in.

Carolina takes the twerps to review the Research Centre's holdings, including an impressive triangular piece with a different Pokémon at each point. Dawn is delighted, she saw that Pokémon in the left corner at Lake Verity! And Ash saw the one on the right at Lake Valor! Cynthia, Carolina and Cyrus are speechless, these kids have just casually namedropped spotting Lake Guardians Mesprit and Azelf, leaving just Uxie from Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City..... and Brock remembers them hearing about that legend when they met up with May.

Now Ash just needs to casually mention seeing Ho-Oh, Lugia, Zapdos, Moltres, Dialga and Palkia on numerous occasions!

At the centre of the triangle is an orb, and there are two theories on what it actually is - the Adamant Orb or the Lustrous Orb. Cyrus suddenly speaks up, suggesting that they show the twerps the Lustrous Orb since they've seen Mesprit and Azelf, their reactions could be important. Carolina agrees, and as she leads the twerps away, Cyrus' grin becomes a bit less friendly.

Meanwhile, Team Galactic are once again showing up Officer Jenny's incredibly lazy and corrupt police force as Galactic Uniform wearing goons swarm all over the ruins behind the Research Centre planting explosives. What makes it worse is that James and Jesse have successfully gotten past the front door and all the way down to the door guarding the Lustrous Orb. They tell the guards they're being replaced and the guards just walk away.... they just WALK AWAY!

Just then the twerps show up with Jenny, Cyrus, Carolina and Cynthia. Jenny is saying that due to their heightened security (Team Galactic are RUNNING AROUND ON THE GROUNDS WEARING TEAM GALACTIC UNIFORMS!) they can't stay long, but she opens the door after telling James and Jesse to keep an eye out, and they all behold the Lustrous Orb.

Cyrus says its beauty is timeless, and Jesse thinks "Spike Hair" is right. They all step inside, and Cyrus asks them to say what they feel. Ash and Dawn check it out, but say they don't feel a thing.... and Cyrus screams at them they're not looking hard enough! Carolina tells him to relax, they're seeing it for the first time, and Cyrus sighs and admits that he has difficulty containing himself around the Orb, it's so important, it's linked to the dawn of time!

How do they know that? Is there a test you can do?

Cyrus - like Cynthia - has been researching a lot recently about myths and objects linked to the dawn of time. He goes over all maniacal again, cackling with laughter and declaring Sinnoh originated with Mount Coronet, a time of no war, a paradise of peace! Then with a shadowy face he leers over the kids and tells them that there is a difference between Pokémon Battles and war!

Something's.... something's not right about this Cyrus, can't quite place my finger on i-



Ahhh, that'll be it.

He checks his watch and tells them to give thanks for miracles, asking to hear more about what happened at the lakes. As his watch hits zero, outside Team Galactic blow their explosives and Golbat come swarming in. Officer Jenny sends in her troops to the area only a few feet from where they've been standing all this time to get at the Galactic goons, while Carolina tries to reseal the security structure and finds she can't, they're going to have to protect the Lustrous Orb personally from Team Galactic!

Outside, Saturn lands with his thugs and calls out Toxicroak, and inside the Research Centre Croagunk suddenly emerges from its Pokéball and heads away, Brock following it. The twerps, Jenny, Cynthia, Carolina, Cyrus (and Jesse, James and Meowth!) continue on with the Lustrous Orb on a trolley, only to run straight into Saturn. He and Cyrus share a quick nod, and then Saturn demands they hand over the orb. Smugly, he tells them that his Bronzor has put the police outside to sleep and his Toxicroak finishing off the job elsewhere. They've taken every eventuality into account, nothing can surprise them!

Except for.... Peter Lorre!



Brock arrives in time to see the face off and realises this explains Croagunk's odd behaviour earlier. Ash and Dawn get in Saturn's way, so he orders Hypnosis from Bronzor.... which by a stroke of luck is the one move Ash has been working on a counter for over the last few episodes. Before he gets a chance to see if his moves are effective though, Cynthia calls out Garchomp and orders Battle Dance and then Brick Break, and it shows the best counter to Hypnosis is just punching the Pokémon right in the fucking face!

Ash is impressed, as he should be, while Cynthia's Abomination screeches and prepares to tear the flesh from Galactic's faces. Cynthia tells Cyrus, Carolina and Jenny to cheese it with the Orb and Jenny tells Jesse and James to come with her (haha, Jenny is so awful at her job!) but then the rest of Team Galactic's Forces rush in... the twerps are surrounded! Jesse and James are horrified to be caught in the middle, but figure they'll wiggle out of this somehow, things can't get worse can they?

And then Croagunk gets murdered!



HOLY SHIT!

Tossed through the skylight, Croagunk is stabbed right in the belly by Toxicroak! It screeches in pain as Brock watches in horror through the window. Saturn tells them they have no wish for violence, just hand over the Orb and they'll leave them alone. Cynthia refuses though, and the battle is about to commence as the To Be Continued sign appears on the screen, leaving us to ask....

FUCK THE ORB! WHAT ABOUT CROAGUNK!?!

Previous Episode Next Episode Episode List