ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
564: Barry's Busting Out All Over!	569: Raibaru Torena, Jun Tojo!	I'm With Stupid			The twerps meet a boy even stupider than Ash. Seriously!	They can't... dance?	Strength isn't everything (except for when it is)

Today finds the twerps back in Hearthome, with Ash FINALLY getting another shot at the long absent and now seemingly unbeatable Fantina, who hypnotises with both her Pokémon AND the sure knowledge that there is an adam's apple underneath her choker.

Ash is determined that the waiting is over and rushes ahead of Dawn and Brock, but you all know how these things work, Gentle Dodgers. The inevitable is always put off, and we're all just waiting to find out how they'll delay it this time. In this case it will be because....



Ash arrives at the Gym and up the stairs.... directly into the opening door which smashes him on his ass and down the stairs. On the other side, also knocked on his ass, is a young (but tall) skinny boy with blond, terrible hair. He demands that Ash watch where he is going and starts counting down to Ash either making an apology or otherwise.... reparations! When Ash just sits staring at him in dumb confusion (his default look) he shouts out at Ash not to just sit there, tells him he's going to be the strongest trainer ever and then runs away, leaving behind an even more confused Ash than usual.

He noticed the kid left his badge case - and three badges! - on the steps, and as he looks at them Brock and Dawn finally catch up, and then in soirees Fantina, arousing poor confused Brock who doesn't realise why she always wears that choker and the wide dresses. He lunges at her but she spins out of his way uncomprehending, then spots the badge case Ash is holding and tells him it belongs to her latest challenger - full of life from Twin Leaf Town but no match for her! Ash believes that he is though, he's ready for his challenge! And Fantina tells him.... today isn't a good day.

Told ya!

A little later Ash is despondent over still having to wait for a challenge, apparently Fantina has been having Gym Battles all day (making up for lost time) so they decide to go to the Pokémon Centre to rest their own Pokémon and try to find Fantina's previous challenger and return his Badge Case. But as Ash checks it out again, once again the blond haired boy runs full bore into him, complaining about a second klutz running into him until he realises that Ash is the same person from before.... and "stole" his Badge Case!

But then he re-recognises Ash! He was in the Tag Battle with Paul.... and can't hold a candle to him! He was laughing out loud at how inept Ash was! Ash is slow to comprehension but is just figured out he is being insulted when Dawn suddenly remembers... he's Barry!

Huh?

Dawn is also from Twin Leaf and remembers him from some duet he did at a Talent Show with an Exploud. He, however, hasn't got a clue who she is despite the fact she is the daughter of a former Grand Festival winner plus all the other boys MUST have been talking about her skirt for years. Then he remembers, she's.... the geeky trainer who got beaten by Paul! Brock shouts out he was in the Tag Battle as well but Barry hasn't got a clue who he is even after a furious Brock tells him his name.... until he remembers that Brock was the guy who couldn't keep up with.... Paul!

He's... he's not really making the best impression on the twerps right now.

Barry wants a Pokémon Battle and tries to count down from ten using his new PokéTch, only Dawn starts fawning over it and he gets overexcited and starts telling her about how he got it in Jubilife City until he suddenly realises he's lost count, inadvertently insults her again and the battle is on!

Ash sends out Chimchar and Barry recognises it as Paul's and asks if Ash traded, and he reveals Paul abandoned Chimchar. Barry doesn't believe it though, thinking that Ash is lying and was lucky to get a trade and Ash obviously wants to be strong like Paul! Barry does too, it's why he's been going around battling as much as he can, and he's already got THREE badges, what about Ash? Ash reveals that he has 4 (not mentioning all the others he got in multiple other regions) and Barry is momentarily horrified before declaring that actually numbers don't mean anything! And it is time to battle so he grabs at his belt and..... he left his Pokéballs in storage!

Oh good Lord.

He tells Ash not to move from that spot and rushes off, so the twerps chase after him (naturally) as we discover just where he left the Pokéballs in storage... and with whom. Team Rocket are operating a "storage service" in a side street telling stupid trainers they can leave their Pokéballs with them, an unofficial unlicensed trio of strangers standing in front of an obvious fake backdrop of Pokéball shelves!

Is it possible Barry is even stupider than Ash?

But just as they're getting ready to pack up and cheese it, Barry returns with the twerps in tow and asks for his Pokémon back. Jesse, not the most onto it herself, snaps back to ask if he knows what finders keepers, losers weepers means and James and Meowth have to hurriedly shut her up. Barry starts using his countdown again and Meowth insists they'll get his Pokémon and he and James escort Jesse out back.

Just then, Piplup spots Fantina and Mismagius approaching, she's shopping for a feast for her Pokémon when she spots the "storage service" and thinks it's weird, she never heard of it before. Barry yells at them to hurry up, and the storage service promptly falls apart as Team Rocket's Happy Buddha Face Meowth Balloon lifts into the air, Team Rocket laughing at Barry's stupidity (and rightly so!).

"Yet another twerp who doesn't know what's real!"
"You'd think by now this would be no big deal!"
"On the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"Lookit 'em squeal!" screams Meowth.
"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"
"Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place."
"A rose by any other name's just as sweet."
"When everything's worse, our work is complete."
"Jesse!"
"And James!"
"Meowth, dat's a name!"
"Putting the do-gooders in thei-
"Stop, enough already, I've got it," sighs Barry, waggling his hand like something smells,"Jesse, James and Meowth. Wow."

He's managed to insult and irritate EVERYBODY in less than 10 minutes!

So of course a big rumble kicks off, Ash sending in Gliscor while Carnivine attempts to eat James' head away and Jesse sends Seviper plummeting through the air. Fantina finally catches up to everyone else when Dawn explains that Team Rocket are Pokémon Thieves, and has Mismagius blast the shit out of Seviper and leave it conked out on the ground after a crash landing. Gliscor punctures the balloon and it crashes into the ground as Barry dives into the knocked loose sack and fishes out the balls inside.

(snicker)

Jesse calls Fantina "large" and Fantina responds with a laugh, telling Jesse it is obvious that she doesn't know how to... dance....? For some reason this infuriates Jesse, and the battle is on again as Piplup and Pikachu suddenly forget how to fight Seviper (who they've beaten a million times before and who is currently half dead from its previous crash) and stand in horror as it lunges at them, just in time for Barry to step in and get to show off his Pokémon.

Although, as Pokémon go, it is worth showing off!



His Empoleon knows Hydro Cannon, which is how he won the Forest Badge from Gardenia, a name that catches James' attention, especially when Barry discusses how tough the Cacnea he fought was, causing a surprising reaction.



Oh James, have some standards!

He begs to know if it was healthy and well fed and if it is making new friends, and Barry admits he kind of was too busy to check in on how a random Pokémon he met was getting on in its everyday life. Meowth drags James away and the battle is back on, Pikachu and Piplup remembering how to fight and setting up Team Rocket to be blasted off again by Empoleon. James could care less, now he can live vicariously through Cacnea's success!

Fantina is drag queen delighted and announces they need to return all of the Pokéballs, and hilariously seconds later we see the twerps and Barry wandering about sans Pokéballs or Fantina, just doing their own thing. Barry is interested to hear Ash is challenging Fantina and says that he'll have another go as well, and if Empoleon isn't strong enough he'll get a stronger Pokémon, and if THAT isn't strong enough he'll get a stronger one, and so on and so forth ad infinitum until he's strong enough to beat anyone.

Ash pulls him up short though and tells him that having a bunch of strong Pokémon doesn't automatically equal victory. He needs to bond with his Pokémon, become their friends and THEN they'll gain strength, no matter how weak they are. Barry looks at Ash and..... doesn't get it.

He IS stupider than Ash!

How does he breathe!?!

Barry explains that he doesn't want to be strong and victorious at some later point down the road, he wants to be strong and victorious RIGHT FUCKING NOW! Just like Paul! Ash goes over all glassy-eyed and Barry, completely oblivious, tries to figure out why he isn't responding until Dawn explains that he and Paul have fought several times before. Barry wants to know if Ash won and then laughingly says that OF COURSE Paul must have won (that's a half-truth!) and he wants his battle with Ash now! And Ash is happy to give it to him.

Brock judges it, 3 on 3, Chimchar starting against Barry's.... Staraptor! Ahahaha, it's an Emo-Bird! Barry sends Staraptor in against Chimchar and is freaked out by Chimchar's speed, and gives some great advice when it looks like Staraptor is going to be burnt alive - "DO SOMETHING!"

Staraptor manages to dodge and get in close to Chimchar, and the battle is on! They swipe and kick at each other, Emo-Staraptor getting the upper hand and coming in with Wing Attack, only for Chimchar to dig underground making Barry think it disappeared, then popping out and burning Staraptor to a crisp!



Barry reacts fast despite his horror though, sending in Roserade which Poison Jabs the fuck out of Chimchar, and Barry gibbers like a spastic in delight, calling for more Poison Jabs! More Poison Jabs!

Chimchar dodges as Roserade starts kicking, pummelling Chimchar and uppercutting it unconscious. Ash recalls it and sends in Gliscor which uses X-Scissor against Poison Jab, and the two batter away at each other and pummel the fuck out of the other, knocking each other out!

That's what the "KEEP HITTING EACH OTHER!" strategy will get you!

Ash knows he'll never beat Fantina if he can't beat a moron like Barry, so he sends in his big gun of Pikachu, so Barry sends in.... Empoleon!?!

Holy shit, he IS stupider than Ash!

Dawn can't believe it and Brock is just purely agape. Barry insists that type disadvantage means nothing against power. Empoleon does indeed bring the pain to Pikachu, beating its quickness with massive Steel Wing punches and then a Hyper-Beam that sends Pikachu sky-high as Barry celebrates his succes.... and Ash remembers (he REMEMBERS!) that after a Hyper-Beam, Empoleon temporarily can't move.... ladies and Gentlemen, here come the pain!

He Thunderbolts the hell out of Empoleon then smashes it over with Volt Tackle, knocking Empoleon out cold as Barry drops to his knees in disbelief. As the twerps celebrate and Brock declares bonding is more important than strength (Empoleon was at a Type AND Level disadvantage and still hammered the fuck out of Pikachu!) after all. Barry declares that Ash just got lucky though and that Ash can't handle that Barry is clearly a stronger Trainer is or will ever be. Pissed off, Ash tells him to come watch him battle Fantina, the Gym Leader that Barry couldn't beat, and Barry tells him he'll make the time to watch Ash fail.

So next episode Brock and Dawn can wear "I'm with Stupid ->" t-shirts while standing next to Barry. But more importantly, finally, FINALLY, Ash gets his Fifth Gym Battle rematch! So it seems appropriate given this episode aired at Easter to declare....

Thank Christ!

BEST QUOTES

"I've already got three badges, what about you?" "Just three? I've got four." FOUR!?! ....whatever, numbers don't mean a thing!"

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