EP266: Difference between revisions

The episode begins as Ash finishes his paperwork to formally enter the Silver Conference, {{Gary}} arrives and greets the pair, himself also finishing up on the paperwork. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ash and company decide to look around town for a while. The whole place is celebrating the tournament that is about to come. While looking around, Ash notices [[Charles Goodshow|Mr. Goodshow]] handing out balloons to kids.  As president of the [[Pokémon League]], he explains, he intends to greet all the fans, and the best way to do that is through handing out balloons.

Meanwhile, at a nearby restaurant, Team Rocket are having trouble serving dishes to hungry diners. Though James keeps his cool in serving dishes and Meowth is keeping his in cooking them, Jessie snaps when a young girl addresses her as "old" and demands where her hamburger meal is.  Believing that "the customer is no longer right", Jessie promptly eats all the food about to be served, causing the trio to be fired.

At the Silver Conference Athlete's Village Pokémon Center, just as the group is getting accustomed to their room (a luxury suite complete with a view of a lake and a computer for analyzing other trainers), Ash and company head off for the screening rounds, designed to trim the field of 200 trainers down to 48. Brock explains that the screening rounds are a series of one-on-one battles, with match-ups entirely computer-determined, with no trainer having to battle more than three times. Ash, though, is confident he can pass the screening round. Against his first opponent, [[Salvador]] from [[Cherrygrove City]], Ash is disadvantaged when he is told to make the first move. Ash choose Pikachu, while Salvatore chooses {{p|Furret}}.   

Ash is off to a bad start due to wanting to play a speed game (Furret's {{m|Double Team}} matching Pikachu's {{m|Quick Attack}}s), and Pikachu ends up being subjected to repeated {{m|Dig}}s and {{m|Headbutt}}s. However, Ash gains the upper hand when Pikachu latches onto Furret, who tries to get into the dug holes in order to shake Pikachu off. This allows Pikachu to {{m|Thunderbolt}} a trapped Furret, and a final Quick Attack seals the match for Ash. Ash has no further troubles in the screening process, as {{AP|Phanpy}} and {{AP|Cyndaquil}} help Ash make it through with three wins.

Back in the Pokémon Center, Ash discovers that Gary and {{jo|Harrison}} have also passed the screening round. Though Ash is confident that he can beat 47 other trainers to the championship, Mr. Goodshow shows up and tells them all that it wouldn't be as easy, as the 48 trainers are grouped into groups of three in the semifinal round, where only one trainer from each group will advance to the Victory Tournament.  Ash, nevertheless, is fired up.

The next day, the Opening Ceremonies begin. Silver Stadium, the Pokémon Stadium for the Silver Conference, is filled to capacity, awaiting the arrival of the finalists, and even {{an|Professor Oak}}, {{Tracey}}, [[Professor Elm]], and {{Delia}} watching from home. As the semifinalist trainers are corralled off awaiting their entrance cue, a pair of officials approach Ash, at the back of the line, asking Ash whether he has a "Silver Pokémon Footprint Panel", and that Ash could be disqualified if he did not.  Realizing this, and that he could get a last minute registration, Ash leaves the line, which makes Gary further up the line curious.

Ash, however, finds himself tied up, as the two officials reveal themselves to be Team Rocket, who have also made off with Pikachu. As the athletes enter, Brock and Misty, in the stands, notice that Ash isn't there.  Professor Oak and Tracey, at the Oak Lab, also notice that Gary is curiously absent.  At the same time, Ash, attempting to break a locked door down, is freed by Gary.  After telling that Pikachu had been kidnapped yet again, the rivals give chase to Team Rocket, but Team Rocket eventually collides with a torch runner as he enters Silver Stadium.  This causes Team Rocket to drop Pikachu (which Ash recovers) as well as causing the torch runner to drop the torch (which Gary catches out of midair).  Team Rocket's attempt to flee the scene is stopped by Pikachu's {{m|Thunderbolt}}, which sends them flying.