The Perfect Match
(Bart and Lisa, along with their companions Haunter and Rapidash, race across town, keeping their eyes open for any other mysterious creatures. As they pass by the Aztec Theater they see Ralph sitting outside with a dopey pink salamander in his arms.)
Ralph: Hi Lisa! Hi Bart! Hi fire horsie! Hi purple ghostie!
Bart (mildly amused): Hello Ralph. What are you doing here?
Ralph (holds up creature): This alien flew into my house in his spaceship so I'm trying to help it get back home!
Bart: Okay...
Ralph: It was a really small spaceship. A teeny tiny spaceship. It looked like a red and white baseball.
Bart: That's good to hear Ralph. But how does sitting in front of the movie theater help your, uh, 'alien' get home?
Ralph: I heard Daddy say Space Mutants 5 is here.
Bart: ... and?
Ralph (with a blank smile): And what?
Bart: What does Space Mutants Five have to do with your- what did you call it?
Lisa: He called it a Slowpoke.
Bart: They make a cute couple. Dumb and Dumber. (waves hand in front of Slowpoke's eyes) Hello? Anyone in there?
Ralph (smiling and not all there): My Slowpoke's pink.
Lisa: I'm happy to hear you like your Slowpoke so much Ralph, but what does Space Mutants 5 have anything to do with getting it home?
Ralph: What's a mutant?
Bart: Forget it Lisa, he's as dense as his 'alien'. (Haunter floats down and talks to the Slowpoke in Ralph's arms, who just stares back blankly. Haunter gives up and starts tugging Ralph holding Slowpoke and Bart down the street. But Bart shakes free of Haunter's grasp) Whoa, whoa! Where are you taking us? (Haunter tries to explain but, of course, Bart doesn't understand)
Lisa: Do you want us to follow you?
Haunter (grinning): Haunter!
(The three follow Haunter and soon they notice the entire town is walking along with them! And everyone has a creature!)
Lisa: This is incredible! I wonder what's going on.
Bart: Hey, look! There's Dad. Well, his Snorlax at least.
(Bart and Lisa leave Ralph and head over to the towering Snorlax and Homer and the rest of their family. Homer is being carried in Snorlax's hand, while Maggie and Marge are walking alongside their Mr. Mime and Togepi.)
Homer: There you are. Where have you kids been? Boy (pointing to Bart), I better not get a call from Chief Wiggum tonight saying you were up to your hooliganism.
Bart: Chill out Homeboy, I didn't do nothing.
Homer (shaking fist): You better be telling the truth boy. Or else.
Bart: Or else what? You'll get your Snorlax to sleep me to death? (laughs)
Homer: Why you little- (pries himself out of Snorlax's grasp and falls to the ground with a shout. Then he gets up and runs to throttle the boy, but Haunter intercepts him with a happy grin) Out of my way ghost!
Haunter: Haunt haunt haunt! (Picks Homer up by the head and strange colours shine from it's eyes. Suddenly Homer is asleep. Snorlax picks up Homer and carries him again.)
Marge: Bart! What did your Haunter just do?!
Bart: I don't know!
Lisa: It's almost like he hypnotized Dad to go to sleep.
(Haunter claps his hands and zooms to Bart's side)
Bart: I think you're right Lisa.
Marge: What I would like to know is why our creatures are making us go to Springfield Gorge.
Lisa (surprised): Hey, you're right Mom! We're all going to Springfield Gorge!
Bart: And that's where that glowing energy ball thing was!
Lisa: Maybe there's something there that will help us figure out why all this is happening. I'm going to ride ahead and see what's going on.
Bart: I'm going too.
(Lisa on Rapidash and Bart on skateboard with Haunter flying next to him race ahead of the crowd)
Marge (shouting): Be careful! Don't talk to any creatures I wouldn't talk to. And steer clear of strange energy outburst! (Notices Mr. Burns flying above the crowd next to a rather scary humanoid purple and white cat flying as well)
Burns (to crowd): Come on you lolly-gagging troglidites! Pick those poor excuse for feet up! One two, one two!
Someone in crowd: Hey Burns! Why don't you shut up!
Creature: You should know better than to talk to your superiors like that.
Burns: Thank you for supporting me Mewtwo. You're a much better companion than that perpetually infuriating Smithers.
(Somewhere in the distance Mr. Smithers yells "NOOOOO!" While a sympathetic Jynx pats his shoulder. A murmur goes through the crowd when they see a creature that can talk)
Marge: Excuse me, Mr. Burns? Could you or your Mewtwo explain to us what's going on?
Mewtwo: You will understand in time. But we must move quickly to the Gorge or you will face a problem most horrible...
TO BE CONTINUED...