Ash begins the Triple Challenge with an unexpected surprise: May is in town for the tournament, so she challenges Ash for a duel! Although May puts up a good fight, Ash ultimately triumphs, inching him one step closer to a rare card.
What will happen next in the challenge? Stay tuned!
The Heart of the Cards, part 15: A Shocking Personality
"That was quite a duel you fought against May!" Brock smiled as he took his own cards from Ash's deck. "I knew that Lotad and Mudkip would help!"
"Lotad did a good job, but I didn't get a chance to use Mudkip." Ash replied as he relaxed in a nearby chair and watched the passersby.
"That's okay..." Brock assured his friend, putting an arm around Ash's shoulder. "If you ever want to use my cards, just ask me, okay?"
"Okay..." Ash stooped down and cradled Pikachu in his arms. "How do you think I did, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika pi, pikapi..." Pikachu began, gesturing to the scoreboard to prove his point, "pika pi pi pikachu!" With that, he gave Ash a playful static shock.
"You thought I was going to lose when May took the lead?" Ash mused. Pikachu nodded. "Do you think we'd be celebrating if I lost?" Pikachu shook his head no. "Then come celebrate with me!" Pikachu squealed with delight as Ash hoisted him in the air.
"Aww..." Misty commented. "They look cute when they play together."
"I'll say..." Brock started, and was about to say more until he noticed a nearby lounge close to one of the portable arenas, where Nurse Joy was sitting, apparently engrossed in a novel.
Misty noticed Brock's thoughtful expression and glanced over at the lounge window. "What is it, Brock?
"Hmmm..." Brock thought a little bit longer, then turned towards the grand hall exit. "Excuse me for a moment...." and he disappeared into the crowd.
"What's he doing?" Ash wondered.
"Probably left to concoct some elaborate scheme to woo Nurse Joy...but who knows...He could've gone back to get something from the room or take a bathroom break...who knows..." Misty sighed. "We'll just wait here...
---------
After an hour, Ash and Misty were still waiting for Brock to return. Ash paced the floor by his chair, and Misty just watched some of the other duels. Finally, Ash collapsed in his chair. exhausted. "What's taking him so long? You'd think he'd be back by now..." No sooner had he said this, the lights on a makeshift stage went up, and a catchy melody began to play over the speakers. Then, Brock appeared in a sparkling red jacket, sparkling black pants, and black shoes to match. A top hat with a red stripe on it sat on his head, completing the look.
Misty then heard a clack-clack-clackety-clack noise coming from the stage as Brock danced to the music. "What's that?"
"Pika pi!" Pikachu replied, pointing at Ash's shoes.
"It's his shoes making all that noise?" Misty asked, puzzled.
Ash watched the dance with interest. "I didn't even know Brock could tap dance!"
"He is quite good..." Misty mused as Brock began to sing as he danced:
Oh-wo-over and over...
I try to prove my love to you...
Over and over...
What more can I do?
Over and over,
My friends say I'm a fool...
But oh-wo-over and over...
I'll be a fool for you!...
Just then, Misty got an idea. "Come on, Ash!" She grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him to the stage.
"Hey, wait, Mistyyyyyy!!!!!" Ash protested as he tripped over stray rocks, catches in the carpet, and whizzing past other people, all the way to the stage behind Brock, just as Brock sang 'Cause you've got...
Personality... Misty sang, kicking up her legs.
"Misty...I can't dance!" Ash complained, trying his hardest to kick up his legs like Misty was.
"Quit complaining and kick!" Misty ordered. With that, she began to sing a backup melody to Brock's song:
"Walk.... Brock sang.
"The personality... Misty and Ash echoed.
Talk.... Brock continued, skipping across the stage as he danced.
"The personality..." the others echoed.
"Smile...." Brock twirled a little as he ascended a small stairway in front of the makeshift chorus line, which had now grown to include some curious bystanders.
"The personality..."
"Charm..." Brock continued, doing some kicking along with his chorus line.
"The personality..."
"Love..." Brock struck a pose among the line....
"The personality..."
"Plus you've got a great big he-ah-art!" Brock sang, dancing down the stairway on the stage towards Nurse Joy, who had come out of the lounge to see what was going on. She giggled as Brock sang "So over...
"Over and over..." Misty and Ash echoed.
"And over..." Brock continued, halfway skipping as he danced.
"Over and over..." Misty and Ash echoed again.
"Oh, I'll be a fool for you..." Brock sang, pointing at Nurse Joy on the word 'you'. Nurse Joy stifled a giggle as she continued to watch the show.
"Over and over..." the chorus line echoed.
"Now over..." Brock was approaching his starting point.
"Over and over..."
"and over..." Brock waved to Officer Jenny as she entered the room, interested.
"Over and over..."
"What more can I do?" Brock sang, smiling at the two girls.
Officer Jenny turned to Nurse Joy. "So, what inspired Mr. Lovebird here to do this?"
"Well, I have to admit, this is quite a show!" Nurse Joy laughed as Brock sang "Cause you've got..." again, restarting the chorus.
"Hmm...the chorus line's a nice touch...and Lover-boy looks good in sparklies...." Officer Jenny noted as the music went into a dance break, allowing Brock to dance solo.
----------
Meanwhile, in a backstage area, Team Rocket waited, listening to the show going on out on the stage. "Okay, guys...you know the plan?" James asked everyone.
"And you also know why we're here?" Jessie asked.
"Yeah, I know!" Meowth exclaimed, confident in the latest plot the team had concocted.
"Okay, why are we here?" James asked with a sly smirk.
"'Cause we've got..." Meowth began. "Da personality!"
"The personality?" Jessie and James looked at each other, confused.
"Da personality...da personality....da personality...." Meowth continued to sing and kick up his legs. "Everybody now!...da personality...."
"Wobba! Wobba!" Wobbufett also joined in the dancing.
"Okay, besides the personality, why are we here?" Jessie sighed, exasperated as Meowth's sudden burst into song.
"Quiet down! I'm trying to watchda dancer onda stage!" Meowth shushed as Brock continued his dance, mesmerized by the steps.
James looked out on the stage. "You know...I have a better idea..." and he dragged Jessie and Meowth into a costume storage closet, slamming the door behind him. "We'll dress up and blend into the chorus line...then when the song's over, we'll take Pikachu!"
"Great idea!" Jessie called as she rummaged through the various suits, dresses, hats, masks, and other props. She emerged from the pile wearing a pale yellow dress. "How's this?"
"Perfect, darling!" James replied as he threw on a pinstripe shirt and small hat, also grabbing a cane from the pile of props. "Okay! Let's go!" The three Rockets raced onto the darkened part of the stage and squeezed into the chorus line.
"Hey!" one girl complained as Jessie squeezed herself in.
"Pardon me, sir..." James scrunched himself in between two boys, right as the music concluded the solo.
---------
Brock posed as the music paused for a moment, then sang again:
Wo-wo-wo...
Oh-wo-over and over,
I said that I love you... He tapped a step in rhythm to the music as he descended the stairway.
Over and over...
Honey, love, it's the truth! Officer Jenny couldn't resist laughing at this.
Over and over...
They still say I'm a fool! Some curious girls giggled as they watched the unfolding routine.
But oh-wo-over and over...
I'll be a fool for you!
'Cause you got... Brock skipped over to a spot facing Officer Jenny as he started the chorus again.
Personality... sang the chorus line, which had now swelled to over 100 people.
"Walk....
"The personality...
"Talk..."
"The personality...
"Smile..."
"The personality...
"Charm..."
"The personality...
"Love...
"The personality...
"Plus you've got a great big he-ah-art! So over...
"Over and over..."
"And over..."
"Over and over..."
"Oh, I'll be a fool for you..." Brock pointed at Officer Jenny this time, causing her to smile a little, but she was also somewhat embarrassed.
"Over and over..."
"Now over..."
"Over and over..."
"And over..."
"Over and over..."
"What more can I do? 'Cause you've got..."
Personality...
"Walk....
"The personality...
"Talk..."
"The personality...
"Smile..."
"The personality...
"Charm..."
"The personality...
"Love...
"The personality...
"Plus you've got a great big he-ah-art! So over...
"Over and over..."
"And over..."
"Over and over..."
"Oh, I'll be a fool for you..."
"Over and over..."
"Now over..."
"Over and over..."
"And over..."
"Over and over..."
"What more can I do? 'Cause you've got..."
----------
James could feel the sweat forming on his head as he continued to kick up his legs. He, Jessie, and Meowth had been only kicking for a few minutes, but to him, it felt like several hours. "Hey, Jessie?" he whispered.
"What?" Jessie asked.
"Please remind me why we're kicking our legs like this..." James sighed. "My legs are getting tired...
"We're supposed to! Now quit complaining and sing!" Jessie retorted as the chorus began again.
-----------
Brock smiled as he danced, apparently pleased with himself. Not only had he gotten the attention of two girls, but he had also attracted an entire crowd that liked him, too. Pleased with this thought, he belted out another chorus. But when he got to "Plus you've got a great big he-ah-art!", there was a sudden crash from offstage, causing the entire chorus line to gasp.
"What's going on?" Ash asked, apparently panicked. Everyone else fled the stage as Jessie and James appeared on the stairwell behind Brock.
"And you've got a great big mouth!" Jessie chided Brock.
"That's not how the song goes!" Brock protested.
"Who cares how the song goes? We're taking the stage now!" and Jessie stuck out her foot, sending Brock falling to the ground with a thud.
Misty hurried over and tended to Brock's injuries. "Are you okay? Anything feel broken?"
"Not really..." Brock brushed himself off and eased himself to his feet. "But I'm quite steamed because Team Rocket ruined my show!" He reached for a Poke Ball and got ready to throw it, but before he could, his music suddenly started again! "Huh?"
"Oh-wo-over and over...we've tried to crash this show..." Jessie taunted, still doing the chorus line kick.
"Over and over...we want the cards and dough...." James continued the taunt.
"Over and over, you'll regret calling us fools...."
"And over and over...we'll see who's the fool!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket! Dancing on at the speed of light!"
"You want to two step with us? Then prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth added, bounding down the starway with a net.
"Pikachu!" Ash commanded, "Thunderbolt, now!"
"Not so fast!" and Meowth threw the net around Pikachu, rendering him unable to attack or escape.
"No!" Ash cried as Meowth brought the net with Pikachu closer to the stairway. He watched, panicked, as Pikachu inched closer and closer to capture....
"Hold it right there!" a voice called.
"Huh?" Jessie turned and saw a black haired boy running in their direction from the sound booth, with Maya not very far behind. "How dare you interrupt our work?"
"Try saying that to Blaze!" the boy taunted, readying a Poke Ball...
"Wait, Michael!" Maya called to the boy. "Try putting on some music for a distraction! We need to free the Pikachu first!"
"Okay!" Michael hurried up to the sound booth and began experimenting with the different tapes, CDs, and other equipment.
Ash scratched his head, puzzled. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Maya..."
"Oh, Michael's one of my colleagues on the circuit...he chairs the Junior circuit, where kids can battle." Maya explained. "We met when he was coaching a team at one of their tournaments, where I happened to be doing an exhibition. Since then, we've been good friends!"
"How sweet..." Brock smiled as he changed back into his casual clothes, then grabbed a few Poke Balls in preparation for battle. Just then, a jazzy melody began to drift over the speakers...
Jessie gasped when she heard what was playing over the speakers. "Oh no..."
"ANYTHING but the Mexican Hat Dance!" James cried, shocked.
Wobbufett, meanwhile, grabbed all the hats in the immediate vicinity, laid them out in a row, and began to stomp all over them, all the while crying "Wobba, Wobba!" with immense delight.
"Hey, dat looks like fun!" Meowth cried, apparently amused by how much fun Wobbufett was having. He dropped the net containing Pikachu, hurried over to some of the hats that had been spared the stomping treatment, and started to jump all over them as well, all the while crying "Arriba! Arriba! Arriba!".
"Oh, no...not you too, Meowth!" Jessie sighed, unamused by all the hat-stomping and yelling.
----------
Maya smiled as Michael worked on cutting Pikachu free. "How did you find that song?"
"Oh, it just so happened to be the next song on the tape that was in there." Michael laughed as he cut the last piece of rope. "There you go, little guy!" he cooed as Pikachu wriggled free of the ropes.
"Pika!" Pikachu replied as he skittered back to Ash's side, where was welcomed with a huge hug.
"Thank you so much, Michael...how can I ever repay you?" Ash smiled as he cuddled Pikachu.
"Don't mention it!" Michael replied, grabbing the Pokeball he had brought from the sound booth. "Go, Blaze!" With that, he hurled the Poke Ball in the Rockets' direction, revealing a Blaziken.
Jessie looked over and studied the hefty bird Pokemon. "Oh, it's a challenge you want?" she growled. "Fine! Let's duel!" She grabbed one of her own Poke Balls and tossed it to the floor. "Go for it, Seviper!"
"Hissss!!!!" the Seviper replied as it warily eyed its opponent.
"You too, Cacnea!" James also hurled a Poke Ball to the floor, revealing Cacnea.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu began to charge up for the attack...
"Cacnea, Doubleslap!" James commanded. Cacnea's prickly hands sent Pikachu flying to the floor, dazed.
"Seviper, Bite the Pikachu!" Jessie commanded. The Seviper lunged for Pikachu's neck, but Pikachu ran out of the way, causing Seviper to leave a mark in the floor.
"Blaze! Take out Cacnea with Blaze Kick!" Michael commanded.
"Ken..." The Blaziken focused its power until flames appeared on its feet, then kicked Cacnea in the face! Cacnea fell to the floor with a thud, defeated.
"We're not through yet!" Jessie yelled. "Seviper...!"
"Pikachu, you know what to do?" Michael whispered.
"CHUUUUUU!!!!!" Pikachu unleashed a giant Thunderbolt.
Blaze struck a victory pose as Team Rocket went flying into the air. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off AGAAAAAINNNN!!!!!"....ping
---------
"Thank you for helping us out today, Michael." Maya began as the group returned to their room for the evening.
"Anytime!" Michael laughed. "In fact, if you need me to bust Team Rocket again, give me a call!" Everyone laughed as Michael settled in on the couch. "I hope that's the last we'll see of them..."
"Oh, Maya, you'll never guess what Brock did today..." Ash began as he made himself a sandwich.
"What?" Maya looked up from a magazine, interested.
"Brock can tap dance!" Ash chuckled. "He did an entire song and dance routine to impress Nurse Joy, complete with a chorus line!"
"Pika pika chu, pika pika chu...." Pikachu sang, kicking up his legs to prove his point. Togepi noticed Pikachu dancing and tried to follow along, but soon lost his balance and fell to the floor with a plop.
"He did? I would've loved to see that!" Maya laughed. "In fact, I wonder what it might have looked like if YOU were dancing!"
"Well, I've had dancing lessons before, when I was little..." Ash mused as he grabbed a second pair of tap shoes from his bag and put them on. "...and I got to be pretty good, but before I could seriously pursue dancing, they got too expensive for Mom and Dad to afford."
"How sad..." Michael mused. He was about to say more when Brock entered the room carrying a piece of paper and a pencil. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at the paper.
"Oh...this is a song I'm writing about Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy...at least the lyrics, anyway..." Brock replied as he sat down at a nearby desk and began to write. "I'm having trouble writing the verse about Nurse Joy, though..."
"Maybe I can help!" Michael pulled up his chair next to Brock and looked at the paper. "Jenny, oh Jenny....Joy, oh Joy...a one woman man's what I wanna be...but there's two perfect girls for me...that's a pretty good chorus, and I like the Officer Jenny verse..." he commented.
"My problem..." Brock pointed out the first line of the second verse. "is that I can't think of a good word that rhymes with 'please'...all I've come up with is 'freeze', 'breeze', and 'sneeze'."
"Hmm..." Michael studied the first line of the verse. "Nurse Joy, won't you please.....how about disease?"
"Yeah!" Brock grabbed the paper away from Michael and wrote down his suggestion. "Cure...me....of...this...bad disease....oh Joy, the diagnosis please..." he mused as he wrote, then hummed in thought some more. "Now what?"
"How do you usually feel when you see Nurse Joy?" Micheal asked.
"Well, I feel sick to my stomach, and I feel like I can't stand..." Brock explained. Then, he smiled. "That's it!" and he furiously wrote some more. "When I see your face, my knees get weak!" he exclaimed as he wrote the phrase down.
"Hey, guys...Ash wants to do a tap dance!" Maya called from the piano, getting everyone's attention.
"This I gotta see, wonder if it's anything like my routine?" Brock wondered as he folded up the paper with his lyrics on it and shoved it in his pocket.
"Ready, Ash?" Maya asked, playing a slow piano chord.
"Yeah..." Ash replied. "I call this little number 'An Ode to Pokemon Channel'..." he told the others as he struck a pose.
"Channel 11? Pokemon Channel?" Michael was interested.
Maya picked up the tempo, and Ash began to dance across the floor and sing:
"Everybody do the Pikachu rag...."
Look up and simile and don'tcha even get lag....
Look in my eyes and repeat after me, he sang, kneeling down in front of Pikachu
Channel 11 and the moment you see..."
Those Pokemon dancing in the chorus,
How they're doing so much for us,
And we'll never leave'em, not even for money bags!!!! He struck a pose to finish.
"Pikapi! Pika! Pika!" Pikachu cried as he led the applause.
"Encore!" Michael agreed.
Ash took another bow for his audience, then decided to show off his moves, starting with easy steps, then working his way up to steps hard enough for professional dancers.
"Wow!" Misty watched, impressed as Ash continued...
Who will the Pokepals' next challenger be? Stay tuned!