Recap: The Joy of Pokémon

Hello again everyone. Well, ever since teasing this episode in my look at "The Ice Cave" a couple years back; I thought this would be a good way to detox from finally finishing Code Geass R2 and get ready for #PokémonLetsGo and Generation VIII. With summer making way for fall and Halloween, let's take one more trip to the Orange Islands and open up "The Joy of Pokémon!"

We open on Ash, Misty and Tracey on their journey across the Orange Islands; when a figure that resembles Nurse Joy comes rapidly paddling up in a kayak.

After landing on a nearby island, Tracey is able to determine this Joy's build and shoe size from a single footprint in the sand; and everyone decides to see what's going on with her.

They go across the island to look for Joy, and sure enough; she finds them! She was tending to an oversized Magikarp with a Calcium deficiency, and was bringing the supplements it needed! It turns out this Joy is a traveling one that tends to Pokémon in areas where there aren't Pokémon Centers. She does, however, have a small clinic nearby; and gives everyone some lunch before heading out on her next rounds.

Her next patient is a Shellder, and she is able to give it the medicine it needs just in time!

Back at her clinic, Joy tells everyone the story of how she went into this field; and it turns out that she has known that huge Magikarp for a long time, having originally nursed it back to health when she was a little girl!

Her next patients are a group of Seel with a sick infant, but there's a storm on the way! Despite the risk involved; Joy decides to go anyway; with Ash, Tracey and Misty following close behind!

Team Rocket, of course, tries to trap everyone and abscond with the sick Seel, but then; the Magikarp from before starts trashing their Magikarp submarine; and then evolves into Gyarados!

Gyarados! (Translation: That's my bread and butter you're fucking with.)

With one swift stroke, the Gyarados sends the sub blasting off! Joy is able to heal the baby Seel, and as she embraces her friend; we close on the Pikachu's Jukebox segment being the title track from the 2BA Master album once again. Less than 50 days left to #PokémonLetsGo!

"The Joy of Pokémon" is just that in one episode. Even if the Orange Islands aren't my favorite arc in hindsight, it still has enough to offer to make a fun way to kill 22 minutes. In many ways, the story structure is a sort of precursor to the Sun and Moon series, and I'm glad I finally was able to address it after all this time since "The Ice Cave." I have much planned for Halloween, including something that just came up that has helped me make a decision on what I'm doing next. You'll just have to wait and see what it is. That's all for now. Later.