The New Poke-Amph!

Episode 008: The Path to the Pokemon League

With two Badges, Ash feels pretty confident in himself, but to Brock and Misty, it just looks like he's getting a big head. Ash keeps winning more trainer battles, and hears about A.J. a savage Pokémon trainer who has never lost a single match and even has his own gym. Ash decides he will be the one who will hand A.J. his first loss ever. The group arrives at a make-shift gym at the edge of a forest, where they find A.J. who just came from capturing Pokémon from the forest. Ash challenges A.J., who is unimpressed by Ash's Boulder and Cascade Badges. A.J. has already won 98 matches in a row and tells Ash once he wins 100, he will start competing for badges. A.J. sends out a Sandshrew, while Ash sends out Pidgeotto, because Pikachu's electric attacks would be use-less against the Ground-Type. Pidgeotto seems to have the advantage, but Sandshrew leaps high into the air and tackles Pidgeotto for a quick K.O. Ash recalls Pidgeotto and sends out Butterfree. Ash commands Butterfree to use Stun Spore, but Sandshrew burrows underground to escape the attack. As Butterfree tries to find its opponent, Sandshrew pops out of the ground and tackles Butterfree, pinning it to the ground. Pikachu refuses to fight, giving A.J. his 99th win. Ash acts like a sore loser, accusing A.J. of cheating. Ash begs for a rematch, but A.J. leaves and goes back into the tent. As Ash mopes, he, Brock and Misty hear A.J. yelling at Sandshrew from inside the tent. Peering inside, Ash sees all of A.J.'s Pokémon training hard. A.J. forces Sandshrew to jump into a pool of water and whips it when it jumps back out. Ash rushes and pushes A.J. into the pool and tells him that water will hurt a ground type like Sandshrew. A.J. shows Ash that Sandshrew is super strong and isn't weakened by water, thanks to a strength intensifier he created, which looks like a straight jacket. Ash tries to get Brock to get on his side, but Brock is only interested in what kind of food A.J. feeds his Pokemon. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is outside the tent, plotting to kidnap Pikachu. Back inside, A.J. insults Ash's training of Pikachu and the two get into a fight. Pikachu fools around with one of A.J.'s strength intensifiers and ends up getting caught in it. The intensifier is so powerful, it forces Pikachu to roll up into a ball. Onlooking Sandshrew chuckles and rolls up in a ball as well. Meanwhile Team Rocket rolls into the gym inside a rubber ball to block any electric attacks. They confuse Sandshrew for Pikachu and snatch the ground Pokemon instead.

Brock breaks up the fight between Ash and A.J. A.J. notices that Pikachu is caught in his intensifier and lets him loose. When he can't find Sandshrew, A.J. begins to desperatly call for it. Ash smuggly suggest that Sandshrew ran away because of the way A.J. treated him. A.J. knows that Sandshrew wouldn't run away just before their hunderedth win. Back in the forest, Team Rocket argues over who will carry the bag holding Sandshrew. Suddenly, the bag bursts open and Sandshrew falls onto Meowth, who bites Sandshrew's tail. Sandshrew leaps up and knocks out Jessie and James, then burrows underground, with a dizzy Meowth still biting its tail. Sandshrew burrows back to A.J. who is glad to see him again. Sandshrew also brings back Meowth, and Brock concludes that Team Rocket kidnapped Sandshrew. Team Rocket shows up and demands Pikachu, not the second-rate Sandshrew. A.J., clearly peeved, challenges Team Rocket to his 100th match. Ash wishes A.J. good luck in his 100th win. Sandshrew easily defeats Koffing and Ekans. When Meowth leaps into battle, Sandshrew uses Fissure Strike, which splits the entire arena in half. Meowth runs away, proclaiming that they forfeit the match, with Jessie and James following closely behind. A.J. with 100 wins, closes his gym and heads out with Sandshrew on his own path to the Pokemon League.