EP263: Difference between revisions

The group is still on their way to return {{AP|Larvitar}} back to its home at [[Mt. Silver]] before the start of the [[Johto League]] [[Silver Conference]], with Larvitar riding in Ash's [[bag|backpack]]. As they are walking up a hillside, Larvitar, {{TP|Misty|Togepi}}, and {{AP|Pikachu}} notice something above them in the sky. {{Ash}}, {{an|Brock}}, and {{an|Misty}} quickly turn to look upwards as well, where they see something quite odd: a dark, hole-like shape in the air. As they look at it, a Pokémon falls from it and hits Misty on the head. Brock recognizes the Pokémon as an {{p|Unown}}, which Ash then quickly scans with his [[Pokédex]]. Ash wonders where did it come from, but when he and Brock turn to look up at the sky, the hole-like gateway suddenly disappears. Ash picks up the Unown and feels that it is hot, indicating that it is sick. Surprisingly, Misty says that not only is Unown sick, it is also upset for getting separated from its friends. Brock asks how Misty could know about this, to which Misty replies that when the Unown hit her head, for a split second, she felt as if she could read its thoughts, seeing [[Unown Dimension|a place that is hard to describe]]. Misty tries to use words and gestures to explain herself, but her description of what she saw is so vague and unclear that both Ash and Brock think that she was "hit hard". Misty angrily protests that she wasn't hallucinating, but that she actually got a glimpse of the place where the Unown come from.

Ash and {{ashfr}} set up a camp, and, with the lack of a [[Pokémon Center]], decide to give Unown a good, long rest to recover from its fever. When the moist towel slips off Unown, Larvitar puts it back, showing that the two Pokémon are getting along well. As night falls, the group sets up a campfire. While sitting around it, Brock explains that a legend has it that Unown are said to be able to communicate with humans by using {{pkmn2|talking|telepathy}}, which is what must have happened when Misty got hit. Ash wants to help the Unown get back home, but Brock explains that it could prove hard, as no one exactly knows where they come from, although some scientists say that they live in the Unown Dimension. Just then, Unown shows a sign of recovery, as it wakes up and rises up from its blanket. Ash assures it that they will help it get back to its friends, no matter what. Misty tells Ash that he shouldn't make promises he couldn't keep, but Ash ignores her, assuring Unown that he will take it back home. Unown then falls back into its blanket, still not feeling completely okay. As Larvitar tucks Unown in, Misty says that Larvitar must know what Unown feels like, being separated from its family. Meanwhile, Ash and company are, once again, being observed by {{TRT}}. [[Jessie]] notices Unown, and although there is a little confusion within the trio whether they are talking about "an unknown" or "the Unown" Pokémon, they all agree that it is most definitely worth stealing and decide to grab it.

The sun rises to mark the beginning of a new day. Larvitar wakes Ash up to show him that Unown is now completely recovered, happily dancing in the air around them. Larvitar is happy with Unown getting better, but as Misty tries to congratulate Larvitar for helping Unown, it {{m|Harden}}s itself once again, and is pushed away by Pikachu. Brock points out that Larvitar must still be a bit shy towards most humans. Larvitar quickly relaxes and is thanked by Unown. Brock comments that as a return, Unown is now wanting to take care of Larvitar. However, the sweet moment is then cut short when {{MTR}} greets them, with a still sleepy Jessie and [[James]] on his side. While Meowth urges them to snap out of it, the group is more surprised by Team Rocket's sleepiness than their unannounced arrival. Team Rocket starts their {{motto}}, which slowly goes from slow motion to full speed as they do their morning duties and exercise while reciting it. With the motto completed, the trio turns their attention to Unown. Ash refuses to hand it over, to which Team Rocket responds to by pulling out their {{i|Poké Ball}}s, preparing for a {{pkmn|battle}}. Ash tells Larvitar to use {{m|Hidden Power}}, but Jessie cleverly calls her {{TP|Jessie|Wobbuffet}} to reflect the attack with a {{m|Counter}}. As the reflected and double-powered Hidden Power is blasting towards Ash and the others, Unown suddenly starts glowing brightly, creating a glowing energy field around itself. When the reflected attack hits it, a tremendous explosion occurs, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. However, when the smoke clears, Ash and {{ashfr}}, their Pokémon, and the Unown are no longer at the campsite.

Ash slowly regains his consciousness, noticing that he is not where he just was, but instead sitting on what looks like the top of a giant, green {{pkmn|Egg}} shell, which is floating in a green void, full of other floating fragments of green Egg shells. He looks around and calls for Pikachu and Larvitar. Brock and Misty quickly join him, also floating on Egg shell fragments. They wonder where they are, and Brock thinks that they must be in another [[Dimensions|dimension]]. He explains that right before Wobbuffet's Counter attack hit them, Unown had started glowing, which might have been a defense mechanism, which threw them into a different dimension. Misty is slightly confused, as this wasn't at all what she had seen in Unown's mind the previous day. Suddenly, they hear loud, ground-shaking footsteps, which seem to be getting closer. Misty points out into the distance, where a huge figure is walking towards them. Ash and the others are stunned as the figure reaches them, revealing itself to be Pikachu, now many times bigger than normal, towering above the trio. Togepi then also shows up, being giant as well. It is about to crush them with a giant hug, but luckily, Pikachu catches Togepi with his tail, saving the group. Now that Pikachu and Togepi have been found, the trio decides to go search for Larvitar.

Ash and the others take a ride on their giant Pokémon and start wandering around the extraordinary landscape, calling for Larvitar. Suddenly, without warning, two pairs of yellow horns stick out of the ground, raising them high into the air. Then a familiar song starts playing, which Misty recognizes as the {{p|Electabuzz}} [[baseball]] team theme song. They also see that multiple tops of {{p|Elekid}}'s head floating around them, making the scene even weirder. Suddenly, {{m|Fire Spin|spiralling flame}} swirls around them. At first, Ash and Brock flail in pain, before realizing that there is no pain, as the fire doesn't seem to burn at all. The flames then form a ring of fire before them, out of which a {{p|Magby}} looks at them and then shoots another flame at them, changing the scene yet again, this time making them float through a swarm of {{p|Shellder}}, which look like the spiral shells atop of the heads of {{p|Slowking}}. Ash and his friends realize that they have been seeing Pokémon that they've encountered recently, meaning that they aren't just in any dimension. A giant Slowking then appears before them and opens its big mouth wide open, swallowing everybody as they float into it.

Pikachu and Togepi fall through a dark space, finally landing on a hard surface. Ash, Brock, and Misty are in there too, but now Pikachu and Togepi have returned back to their actual sizes. This happy moment is cut very short, as the group witnesses a huge shape of a giant, mecha-like machine coming closer. The mecha sticks out its robotic hands, and its fingers extend into branches of black crystal, surrounding Ash and the others. As they wonder what is going on, they hear a familiar voice whispering that it is scared. The mecha in front of them grabs an Egg, and then images of [[Pokémon Poacher Brothers|three men]] appear behind it, one of them holding an Egg that is unmistakably Larvitar's. Brock understands that they are now witnessing the moment in which Larvitar was stolen from its mother as an Egg, and those three men are the {{pkmn|poacher}}s who stole it. A loud and desperate roar then rips through the air, and the pictures of the poachers vanish, only to be replaced by another figure. The voice in the darkness, undoubtedly Larvitar's, starts desperately calling for its mother. The figure turns out to be a {{p|Tyranitar}}, which, as Misty realizes, must be Larvitar's mother. The mecha fires multiple [[Weaponry in the Pokémon world|missiles]] at Tyranitar, which roars in great pain. Ash and his friends are outraged by this, but are forced to only watch as the missiles tear a scar into Tyranitar's heavy armor, clearly wounding her. Both Tyranitar and the black crystal branches then slowly disappear, with Larvitar's calls for its mother getting weaker and weaker, until they finally disappear as well. Brock realizes that the cruel way Larvitar was separated from its mother is the reason why it fears humans so much.

The group then notices something in the distance. They get closer and notice that it is Larvitar, apparently sleeping in mid-air. But when Ash tries to reach it, numerous black crystal branches rise from the ground, pushing him aside and trapping Larvitar. Ash tries to run closer, but more crystal branches rise on his way, stopping him. Brock explains that this represents how Larvitar is trapped inside of its horrible memories. The black spike they saw on the Egg represents Larvitar's awful memories, and they are now in the thick of them. Larvitar is totally petrified by its bad memories, making it unable to trust humans. They then notice that Larvitar is actually trying to push the branches away, wanting to free itself of its sadness and hurt. Ash, Brock, and Misty rush in to help. The crystal branches try to stop them, but Pikachu breaks them with {{m|Thunderbolt}}. Slowly but surely they scale the branches, but just when they're about to reach Larvitar, the black branches engulf it completely. A few seconds later, they give way, revealing that Larvitar is now trapped inside of an ice-cold block of clear crystal. Ash refuses to give up and pounds the crystal with his fist, trying to make Larvitar remember all the happy and fun times they have had together. Brock and Misty are also trying to convince Larvitar that not all humans are bad and that it should give them a chance too. Pikachu helps Ash out by firing Thunderbolt at the same spot he's pounding, and finally, Larvitar's eyes start to open and the crystal begins to crack. Ash serves the final blow, finally shattering the crystal and releasing Larvitar, who happily leaps into Ash's lap.