004 - Follow Those Criminals! Investigation on Route 22!

## Episode Synopsis

Rose and Cobalt go investigate Route 22, where Billy and Bonnie escaped them. They also have a huge Pokémon battle and make some new friends.

## Episode Summary

With not much time left in the day after everything that's happened, Rose decides that the duo should backtrack and look for clues involving the disappearence of Team Rocket's Bonnie and Billy. Following the path back to Route 22, the trainers quickly stumble upon another duo who had the same idea, Detective Psy and his partner, WATTson, already on the scene. Sort of, since Detective Psy seems to be following his own footsteps with the Voltorb starting to lose his patience. Before he does, Rose and Cobalt take this time to get selfies with the Pokeball Pokemon.

While Cobalt decides to sit down and watch the Pokemon detective figure out the mystery of his own prints, Rose uses her Jenny investigation skills to follow farther down the path until she finds a lead: a hatch in the floor hidden by kicked up gravel, almost indetectable if someone hadn't disturbed it recently. Upon the discovery, everyone huddles around the hatch, more than eager to open it. However, before they can, Rose looks even closer to find that not only is this hatch padlocked closed, but it's also rigged with a heavily explosive trap.

With the trap called to attention, Cobalt recalls a book his mother had given him years ago, and informs the group that this trap is a pressure plate, rigged to throw them back and also knock them out with poisonous gas, gas likely farmed from Bonnie and Billy's Pokemon. After throwing ideas around about what to do, the duo decides not to investigate the hatch (shocked Pikachu meme), and instead are distracted by the sound of Pokemon in the distance.

Rose hears the sound of a Slowpoke, a Magikarp, and a Clauncher playing on the water's shore, while Cobalt is able to see a Shinx relaxing on a hill not too far away. Upset by their disintrest, Detective Psy let's out a sigh, but is comforted by WATTson before the turn and make their way towards Viridian City. Unaware of their departure, Cobalt uses his skills to parkour over a ledge towards the Shinx, while Rose attempts to take the long route through the long grass.

Unfortunately, her steps upset a pair of Pokemon that had been hiding their, a Mankey and Honedge, now wedged between the two trainers. Rose and Cobalt comes to a halt, with Rose deciding she'll take on these Pokemon before she goes for the Clauncher, and Cobalt stuck between wanting both the Shinx and the Honedge. Thus, this stars a very large Pokemon group battle.

Treble is first, and with the instruction of his trainer, runs up to the Shinx and stands on his hind legs, shooting out fire from his back with his eyes in angry slits to intimidate the electric Pokemon with Leer. The successful move causes the Shinx to freeze in place. Up next, the Mankey set its eyes on Bango, landing a Scratch that takes almost half of the Growlithe's health. Bango follows after the Mankey and tries to Roar, but ends up yawning instead, leaving everyone unimpressed.

Cobalt takes this time to bring out Minuet to engage with the Honedge, shooting out a String Shot. The move ends up wrapping around the Sword Pokemon's eyes and hilt, and also attaches it to the ground, making it immobile. Next is Shinx, who shakes off the fear from Treble's Leer and Tackles him, hitting him hard and pushing him inches away from the edge of the ledge.

Taking full advantage of the situation, Rose is able to both scan the Mankey with her Pokedex, while also throwing out another Pokemon to stand at Bango's side, Pudge. Seeing it's her turn, Pudge takes the time to Tackle the Mankey, using her whole chest to throw the Pokemon against the tree. It's a hit that takes most of the Mankey's health away, and with Cobalt battling in the background, Pudge Tackles again like a boomerang, barely leaving any time for the Mankey to get up before it's again thrown back into the tree, knocking it out.

While Honedge is still stuck, Cobalt focuses on Shinx and Treble, commanding Treble to Tackle her back, giving him some room away from the ledge while also doing some damage. Minuet also joins the fight to Tackle the Shinx from behind, leaving the Pokemon breathing hard with very little HP left. Cobalt tries to throw a Pokeball, but misjudges the distance and leaves it rolling only a few feet away, unbroken.

Since Mankey is out of the fight, Bango turns his sight to the stuck Honedge and jumps in for a Bite, which deals little damage, Though she had seen that Cobalt was interested in the Honedge, Rose still throws a Pokeball to try and catch the Sword, but also ends up missing. Cobalt sighs in relief, seeing he still has a chance, and goes to pick up his dropped Pokeball.

Seeing that the Shinx had backed away, scared since the fight wasn't going her way but too proud to run, Cobalt softly walks over to her and asks if she'd like to be friends. He promises that if she wants to be his Pokemon, she can come willingly and once she's captured, she'll be taken out to be healed. The Shinx contemplates for a few seconds before booping the button on the Pokeball to be officially caught. With her information coming up on the Pokedex, Cobalt takes this time to name her Prelude.

Still seeing a chance to be able to catch the Honedge, Rose orders Pudge to Tackle it, but the Bird Pokemon is too tired from the earlier double attack and plops onto the ground with a sigh. Seeing this, Treble tries to do the same, but with how strong the Pokemon is, ends up basically bouncing off. Minuet then uses Confusion, which is just enough to allow Cobalt to throw his second and last Pokeball, which shakes three times before there is the resounding click of success. He names the Honedge Nocturn, though he had been thinking about Mr. Cutty.

After both trainer and Pokemon level up, Rose sprays Bango with a potion and asks him if he's ready to take on the Clauncher, which he affirms to with a bark. While Rose does that, Cobalt climbs up the rest of the nearby hill to fulfill his promise to heal Prelude, and the rest of the team takes the time to introduce the rest of his Pokemon to the newest addtion to their family.

On her way towards the water's edge, Rose realizes that Bango against a water type is more than likely not going to go well for her, and she decides that she's going to let Pudge take care of this fight. Pudge then does a dive bomb Tackle as a surprise attack on the Clauncher. Not even giving the Pokemon a chance to retaliate, Rose takes a chance and throws a Pokeball right after the Tackle, though the Clauncher was able to doge. The Pokemon takes aim and uses Water Gun, a hit that takes Pudge right in the chest and throws her into a tree, taking more than half her remaining health.

Using the best move she knows, Pudge Tackles again. Rose sees how weak the Clauncher has becomes and tries another Pokeball. Luck is on her side as the ball shakes three times, then clicks. Clauncher has now been caught and renamed Luke. Cobalt and his team cheer her on from the hill that they had been watching.

The only remaining Pokemon left by the water is Slowpoke, which Rose takes a quick picture of as she sits nicely on the shore, having watched all the battles. After hearing the humorous PokeDex entry for the Pokemon, Rose takes a page out of Cobalt's book and asks the Slowpoke if it wants to be her friend. After a full minute of the Slowpoke thinking it over, it boops the button and joins the Rose Jenny team as Dippy the Slowpoke.

Realizing the day really is coming to an end, the two trainers back up their team (sans Bango and Treble), and decide to do some last minute shopping before they retire for the night. Upon walking into the PokeMart, the merchant welcomes them in, but misgenders Rose when they ask how they can help the boys. The merchant apologizes profusely as Rose self-conciously brushes the dirt and grass stains off her clothes, and offers a discount to their products, as well as a Premier Ball. The merchant apologizes to Cobalt softly, saying that they "didn't mean to insult his girlfriend". Rose goes red in embarassment, but since Cobalt got a free Premier Ball out of it, he decides not to correct them.

Once their shopping is done, the Pokemon trainers head to the PokeCenter, where the local Chansey heals all their Pokemon, except for Bango, and Rose calls for the Joy. Nurse joy comes out from the back, looking exhausted, but upon request shows them to the rooms that they offer for passing trainers. On the way there, Joy tells Rose that she had been taking care of her Grandmother, and while she was doing much better than before, she still kept muttering "Moltres" over and over. Rose confesses that her Grandmother used to tell her stories of the Legendary birds, but she wasn't sure if the older Jenny truly believed in them or not. At this, Joy bids them goodnight and heads back.

After everyone has bathed, feeling fresh and clean and not covered in grass stains, Cobalt's teasing of Rose being mistaken for a boy is interupted by the twin sound of cracking. Bango and Treble are next to their trainer's packs, and looking into the open bags, the duo can see that both their eggs are starting to hatch.

## Cast

Jake Mason as Rose Jenny

Josh Nichols as Cobalt Elm

Alan Sells as Everyone else

## Trivia

The beginning of the episode up to the battle ending was one hour in game time.

Jake reveals that there was a specific reason that he did not heal Bango at the Pokemon center, and that it will be revealed later in the show