ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
749: Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!	755: Meroetta to Kaitei no Shinden!	Boss Giovanni-ator!			Giovanni comes to Unova, shit gets real!	Project: Tempest is a go!	Don't fuck with Giovanni!

Today finds the twerps.... who cares, because today finds Giovanni arriving in Unova and disembarking onto Team Rocket's submarine to begin the final stage of Operation Tempest. Jesse, James, Meowth and Zager are waiting for him, and he's pleased to see them - as he should be, they've been very effective so far in Unova despite all past performances.



But it is time to return to the twerps, who are still freeloading at Cynthia's place and getting in more training. Ash has Oshawott facing off against Cilan and Pansage, and Ash's Pokémon is happy with Ash's praise but more excited by Meloetta's attention. To everybody's surprise she suddenly floats down between Oshawott and Pansage and begins singing another variation of her song. As they all listen, up in the sky far away a rather surprising duo overhears it as well. A young man riding on the back of a flying Golurk hears the song and recognises it (and the feeling it creates) as the work of Meloetta, and heads down to find the source.

Meloetta has changed form (or forme, or formadalladingdong or whatever) and apparently... she wants to fight Oshawott! Oshawott is clearly less than thrilled by the concept; he had an entirely different concept of sweaty, hot and heavy pounding action in mind. Meloetta even does a little shuffle and gives a,"Just bring it!" and Ash eagerly orders an Aqua-Jet as Oshawott sweats a river. He backs up to hide by Ash's leg, blushing furiously and shaking his head as Iris giggles. Ash tries to convince him but he's having none of it, so Ash recalls him and Cilan does the same with Pansage (why?), and Ash brings out.... Krookodile!

Boss Gator will fight anyone!

Meloetta - miffed that Oshawott wouldn't fight - lets rip immediately with a Hyper-Voice that drives Krookodile back. But this won't hold him back, as he immediately fires back with Stone Edge... which Meloetta easily knocks out of the air with Close Combat. Now it is Krookodile's turn to sweat, though for different reasons to Oshawott, while Ash is just enthralled because he has discovered a great new special training opponent.

Inside where Jervis is cleaning up after these no-good freeloading lodgers, the phone rings. He answers and gets Cynthia, who informs him that the latest event she has attended (and didn't invite the twerps/Ash?) and will be home soon. He informs her what the kids are up to and that Meloetta is taking a part too, and she happily talks about Meloetta coming out of her shell while in the background poor minimum wage schlubs clean up the arena and carry out boxes for minimum wage while Ash is living it up at Cynthia's guest house rent free pursuing a career at the Government's cost.

Ash has Krookodile use Dragon Claw and.... A GIANT FUCKING LASER COMES NEAR TO BLASTING HIM IN THE FACE! The shocked twerps stumble back a bit as a giant goddamn fucking robot what the Christ lands before them with massive burning flames blasting from its legs to slow its descent. It's Golurk, and it lands between Krookodile and Meloetta as the young man we saw flying on it earlier comes running around the corner and calls out to Meloetta to ask if she (I know she's genderless. Fuck you. She's a she!) is okay. Seeing him, Meloetta is overjoyed and flies up to hug him, much to everybody's surprise... and even moreso when he accuses Ash of being a villain who stole Meloetta! The shocked twerps try to argue but he isn't hearing none of it, demanding that Golurk blast them with Flash Cannon. It prepares to fry the flesh from their bones, but before it can Pikachu runs up to try and reason with it and then Meloetta jumps in the way as well. Golurk powers down and Ash gets a chance to speak his piece, and a short time later the young man (Ridley) is inside Cynthia's house (another freeloader!) apologising profusely. The twerps cheerfully tell him not to worry about trying to flat out murder them, but do ask WHY he accused Ash of being a villain. Since Ridley has finally picked up on the fact that Meloetta likes Ash, he agrees to tell him the story.

He and Meloetta lived in hiding in a forest in Unova. Why in hiding? He doesn't explain, just says they were discovered one day by people (Team Rocket) who kidnapped Meloetta. Ridley arrived on the scene too late to save her - there were other people there too, it seems they were some kind of hippie commune or something - and has been looking for her ever since.

So does that mean that Meloetta is his Pokémon? Nope, she belongs to nobody, and Ridley's people are "The Protectors", dedicated to protecting the mythical Pokémon Meloetta. They're a group of people who can detect Meloetta when she is nearby, which is how he found them. But as he talks, Meloetta senses something herself and flies to the nearby window where a small floating camera darts away. Ridley saw it though, and realises that "the villains" are coming, so it is time for him and Meloetta to cheese it the fuck out of there. The twerps are dismayed, and point out that the villains knew where to find Meloetta before. He assures them that the Protectors have already up and moved to a new location, and heads outside straight away, the still dismayed twerps following in their wake. But as they leave Cynthia's house, Team Rocket strikes!

A blast of smoke covers them all and Ridley tries to make his escape anyway, climbing onto Golurk's back with Meloetta and ordering it to take off. Before they can, they're struck by a huge rock that... that isn't a rock, it's Golem! From Kanto! Pikachu rushes up to defend Ridley's giant fucking robot and a sudden blast of red energy blasts towards them, neutralised by Golurk's Flash Cannon. Golem is joined by a Rhydon, and from the smoke emerges.... Rocket Grunts! Not Jesse and James, but Rocket Grunts! Team Rocket have arrived in Unova in force!

Ash explains who they are ("they steal Pokémon and use 'em do bad stuff!"), and the Rocket Grunts order a Mega-Horn and Rock Blast against Golurk. Ridley has the twerps take Meloetta and get out of there while he holds the fort with Golurk, and Jervis puts through an emergency call to Cynthia. As Ridley fights to hold the Grunts back, the twerps rush out into the forest to make their escape, suggesting that Meloetta turn invisible again. But though she does, it won't do any good, as they're immediately attacked by Yamask and Woobat - and this time it isn't by Rocket Grunts, it's by the original and best trio!



Using their goggles they're able to see Meloetta and hit her with an attack instantly, and even Ash is able to figure out they can see her when she is invisible. Iris demands to know what their plans are but they aren't going to waste time telling them, saying it would just be a waste of time. They do, however, thank the twerps for all their hard work in coaxing Meloetta's song out of her, and blast Pikachu when he attempts to fight them. Axew uses Dragon Rage to blast Woobat and Pansage uses Bullet Seed to clear both Pokémon away, and Cilan and Iris tell Ash to run for it with Pikachu and Meloetta. They do as they're told, heading into the forest where a nervous Pikachu stops and flicks an ear nervously, sensing something he finds instinctually dangerous. Out of the bushes a large cat-like Pokémon pounces, with Ash and Pikachu jumping to the side to escape from... Persian!

Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

Ash checks it out with his Pokédex, learning that it's just as dangerous as it looks. Meloetta makes herself invisible at Ash's behest and he prepares to fight Persian... but then somebody else arrives on the scene, as Ash finds himself in a very rare situation - he's come face to face with THE big bad boss of Pokémon, the Boss of Team Rocket, Gio-motherfucking-vanni!

Wearing goggles and riding a floating disc, he can see Meloetta and smirks, telling her to come out. Ash tells Meloetta to run and has Pikachu use Iron Tail to prevent Persian's use of Shadow Claw on Meloetta. Giovanni isn't even slightly perturbed, on top of being the head of Team Rocket he's a qualified and dangerous Gym Leader after all. He knows exactly how to (unfairly) deal to Ash, having Persian use Power Gem to blast Pikachu backwards into Ash and send them both crashing down. This has the added benefit of causing Meloetta to become visible in her concern for Ash, and Giovanni takes instant advantage. Far above the Team Rocket helicopter blasts down beams of light which surround Ash and Pikachu in a light-cage.... which then begins to reduce in size, threatening to squeeze Ash and Pikachu to death, unless Meloetta does exactly as she is told!

This is an evil-ass motherfucker!

Ash tells Meloetta to run but she won't leave him, and then oddly she seems to start coughing like she is choking. Giovanni takes this odd behaviour as acceptance of her fate and recalls Persian. Cilan and Iris arrive on the scene just in time to see the caged Ash and Pikachu being drawn up into the helicopter, joined by Jesse, James and Meowth in their jetpacks who say a cheerful, mocking goodbye before departing, far too fast for Cilan and Iris to keep up. Ridley arrives soon after, panting roughly and looking much the worse for wear, and Iris has to tell him what has happened.

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket helicopter has flown out over the sea to the location Zager and the trio have been researching. They lower a sub into the water and sink into the depths, a happy Giovanni in the cockpit with Zager and the trio, while in the cargo Ash tells Meloetta (in another energy-cage) that she'll be all right and he'll get them out of this... somehow.

They approach what appears to be an underwater mountain/pyramid, and Giovanni's mouth gapes open in pleasure. Zager explains that the temple was thought lost forever beneath the seas and impossible to find, but for Team Rocket nothing is impossible. They enter a passage and sail into the center of the temple, emerging into an air pocket that has obviously been cleared out earlier by Zager and the trio, as it is let by portable lights already. They surface and emerge into the central circle, Meloetta and Ash/Pikachu's cubes lifting into the air. Meloetta despairs to see where they are, and Giovanni laughingly declares that she remembers the place, mocking her dismay. Her cube floats towards a hanging stone-diamond with what appears to be a star in the center, which begins to glow as she approaches. Giovanni warns her not to try to escape or Ash and Pikachu will suffer for it, so all she can do is float in her cage. It disappears and she is sucked into the star, and Jesse and James reveal that normally Meloetta would be required to willingly sing her song while inside the star/diamond in order for "the ritual" to take place. But they don't need her help, because they already have the song fully recorded. Playing it back, Meloetta's presence inside of the diamond is enough, kicking off a chain reaction inside the temple that causes a pillar to rise up high, a stairwell appearing around it as it climbs.

Out near the shore, a miserable Ridley senses Meloetta/her song and stares out to sea, informing Cilan and Iris that he knows her general whereabouts now... not that it helps them.

Inside the temple, Giovanni reveals that Meloetta's song wouldn't have worked if they'd forced her to sing for them, because it would have come from a place of fear. But thanks to her friendship with "this boy", they were able to get exactly the type of song they needed - one of peace and joy, and all that good work/bonding that Ash has done has enabled Giovanni to achieve his evil goals. He climbs the stairwell and approaches an opened circle of energy glowing light in the center of the pillar. The seal has opened, and Meloetta/the diamond glow bright as a pedestal raises with an ornately framed mirror placed on it. Giovanni sneers happily at his own reflection - he has finally gotten "The Reveal Glass".

Speaking of revelations, Cynthia has just had one of her own. Ridley, Cilan and Iris have returned to her home to tell her what is going on and where Ridley thinks Meloetta is. She tells Jervis to prepare her cruiser, then asks Ridley to explain exactly what Meloetta's power that Team Rocket wants is.

At the temple, Giovanni speaks the words of the ritual, summoning "the three great powers". This is Operation: Tempest, and the temple reacts to Giovanni's commands, breaking loose the bonds of rock that have formed around it and lifting the temple up out of the water, breaking the surface. What are the three great powers? Well it seems pretty obvious but we'll have to wait till next episode to find out, because for now this one is....

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