Didn't like this one very much because it takes all of the worst things about real life private schools and uses them as the basis of this episode's plot. Ash, Misty and Brock "rescue" some Character if the Day called Joe from "bullies" only to find out that they were his "friends" and that they all attended Pokemon Tech, an expensive school populated by rich kids that trains its students without sending them to collect badges, and guarantees entry into the Pokémon League upon graduation. Joe said his "friends" were just "tutoring" him, prompting Ash to want to meet the Head student to get it to stop. Joe shows a picture of said Head student , Character of the Day Giselle, who becomes the first(and so far only) girl in the series to make Ash compliment her looks. Joe battles Misty's Starmie with his Weepinbell after he comments that he always beat her Gym's Water Pokemon on a simulator(R/B), Misty wins, Giselle calls Joe an embarrassment to Pokemon Tech, then she beats the holy hell out of Starmie with her Graveler.Giselle starts mocking Ash after he says levels aren't important. He said he has two badges, and Giselle said that he's still a beginner. When he revealed that he's been on his quest for 2 months, she snarks that Pikachu was traning him because it was always out of it's ball. Ash challenges Giselle with Pikachu while she uses Cubone and wins. Team Rocket starts their motto, the Tech student recognize them as flunkies, then defeat them, showing just how far Jesse, James and Meowth had fallen since EP002. Joe, probably because he finally realized being at Pokemon Tech would eventually make him an ******* like everyone else, decides to go home and start over, but keeps Giselle's photo because "they are friends now". This is the last episode of the anime that tries to follow the game so directly.
5.9/10