Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Detective
| Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Detective | |
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| ISBN: | 0439200946 |
| Published: | March 2001 |
| Publisher: | Scholastic |
| Author: | Tracey West |
| Preceded By: | Go West, Young Ash |
| Succeeded By: | Prepare for Trouble |
Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Detective by Tracey West is the eighteenth book of the adaptation of the Pokémon anime. It was published by Scholastic and is 90 pages in length.
Plot
This book follows the plots of the anime episodes Illusion Confusion!, Spinarak Attack!, and The Little Big Horn.
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This plot summary is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this plot summary to add missing sections and complete it. |
While on their way to Violet City, Ash and his friends get lost in the middle of a deep forest. While the others complain about the situation, Ash tells them to follow him, saying their troubles will be over in no time. Despite his optimism, the group is still unable to get out of the forest and Misty becomes increasingly frustrated. As the night settles in, eerie sounds echo from the trees, which appear to gain menacing faces. Frightened by this, the trio runs to another part of the forest. Once again, however, they are confronted with the same trees every way they turn. As they flee, a Hoothoot appears and uses Foresight, returning everything to normal.
Bewildered, the trio stops to catch their breath. Suddenly, Gary emerges from the trees and tells them that everything they saw and heard was an illusion and commends Hoothoot on a job well done. After scanning Hoothoot with his Pokédex, Ash is mocked by Gary for being unprepared. Gary advises his rival to get a Hoothoot if he wishes to make it out of the forest. Confused, Misty asks Gary why he is still in the forest if he has a Hoothoot. Gary tells her that he has been busy catching Pokémon and lost track of the time. After Gary departs, Ash and his friends search for a Hoothoot, but their efforts are in vain.
Out of nowhere, a Hoothoot appears at Misty's feet. When Ash approaches it, Hoothoot attacks him and runs off. The trio gives chase until they are led to a stone pillar with an image of Hoothoot engraved on it. After Misty remarks on how creepy the place is, an old woman steps out from behind the pillar, insulted. Ash, believing her to be another illusion, instructs Pikachu to use Thunder Shock. Pikachu hesitates, unsure if she is an illusion. The old woman then walks up to Ash and pulls his ear, demonstrating that she is not an illusion.
The old woman introduces herself as Hagatha. She tells the trio that they will need her help if they want to get out of the forest safely. Back at her house, Hagatha explains that she rents out Hoothoot to people traveling through the forest, as they have the ability to see past the illusions. Unfortunately, she only has one left, and it has never guided a single traveler safely through the forest before, so Hagatha offers to house them for the night so they can wait for the other Hoothoot guides to return. Not wanting to wait until the following morning, Ash holds his hand out to Hoothoot, saying that all it needs is a good Trainer like himself. Hoothoot ignores Ash and jumps onto Misty's lap, nuzzling and staring lovingly at her. Hagatha explains this Hoothoot only gets along with pretty girls. Ash comments that there aren't any pretty girls around, causing Misty to protest. Brock asks Hagatha what causes the illusions in the forest, and she replies that it is "something of a mystery." Ash claims that he and his friends are great at solving mysteries, and Hagatha wishes them luck as they depart into the forest.
As Hoothoot leads Ash and his friends deeper into the woods, it starts to tremble as blue will-o-wisps begin to appear around them. Ash asks Hoothoot to help, but it doesn't listen. However, when Misty asks, it attempts to use Foresight, but to no avail. The will-o-wisps combine to create a ghoulish face that cackles as the terrified Hoothoot runs off, followed shortly by Ash and his friends.
Upon reaching safety, Ash asks Hoothoot why it left them behind. Misty lashes out at Ash for getting them even more lost than before with something out to get them. As Ash reminds her that the phantoms in the forest are just illusions and can't hurt them, a rope makes its way around Pikachu, and the Electric-type is lifted into the trees. Ash grabs Pikachu, causing the both of them to be pulled up. To no one's surprise, waiting at the end of the rope is Team Rocket, and after announcing their arrival and reeling Ash and Pikachu up to them, they slam Ash into a tree. Meowth locks Pikachu in an insulated box, and the trio begins their escape on a wooden rowboat along a line of ropes and pulleys spanning the forest. However, the ropes break, Team Rocket falls to the ground, and the lid to Pikachu's cage pops open, allowing it to dash back into Ash's arms. Jessie and James send out Arbok and Victreebel, respectively, while Ash calls out Bulbasaur.
However, before Bulbasaur can do anything, Hoothoot starts to shake just as before. Suddenly, a Dragonite appears and Team Rocket gives chase. Ash and the others cannot see it, and Brock concludes that Team Rocket must have seen an illusion. Just then, Ash and his friends find themselves surrounded by multiple copies of Ash. Misty asks Pikachu if it can tell which Ash is the real one. Ash calls out to Pikachu, but so do all of the illusions. As the illusory Ash copies surround an increasingly confused Pikachu, it responds by shocking all of them, destroying the illusions and zapping the real Ash, who praises Pikachu. Misty shrieks as a number of Bug Pokémon surround her, Ash's reminder that her assailants are only illusions offering her little solace as she calls out for Hoothoot. Ash turns to see the Hoothoot running away, but he intervenes and convinces it to help Misty. Hoothoot uses its moves, dispelling the illusions around Misty. She thanks Hoothoot as Ash notices its new air of strength and confidence. Hoothoot then turns its gaze to the treetops, revealing a number of Haunter and Gengar hiding among them. The group quickly realizes that the Ghost Pokémon are behind the nightmarish illusions. Ash commands Bulbasaur hit the Ghosts with Vine Whip, knocking them out of the trees, then he commands Pikachu to hit the falling Ghosts with Thunderbolt, sending them flying deep into the forest.
Ash claims that his training is what got Hoothoot to help them, but it responds by pecking him. As it returns to Misty's side, she reminds him that he didn't actually train it at all and that Hoothoot just wanted to help her. Ash tries to save face by saying that at least the three of them had solved the mystery of the illusions, but Brock shoots him down by saying that was also all Hoothoot. Ash then thanks Hoothoot for its help and asks it to guide them through the forest. After Misty assures it that it is a real guide now, Hoothoot happily agrees to guide them. An hour later, they reach safety and get some rest, then say goodbye to Hoothoot as they set off for Cattailia City, a small town on the way to Violet City, the next morning.
Blurb
Ash, Go! Is a Pokémon lost, missing, or acting strange? Ash Ketchum, Pokémon P.I., is on the case. With the help of his friends and trusty sidekick, Pikachu, Ash is solving mysteries involving some brand-new Pokémon like Hoothoot, Spinarak, and Stantler.
Major events
Debuts
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Trivia
Errors
In other languages
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This book article is part of Project Merchandise, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all Pokémon toys, dolls, books, and collectible merchandise. |