ANP #060: Presto Water-o!
(Cue OP-On Our Way-as the song plays, we see various shots of the Pokemon cast in the backstage area, getting ready for a show: Misty walks past one member of the lighting crew, making her trip and drop her paints, which color some of the notes on Brock's sheet music. He tries to clean the music, only to get walloped by a basketball in the face (thrown by May) Pikachu runs past all of this, down a hallway, and through a door with a star on it marked "Ash". He cries "Pika!" and points at a clock, which is ticking dangerously close to "Show Time!" Ash notices the time on the clock and ducks behind a screen to get ready, when he finishes, he's now decked out in a red top hat (with the same design as his cap) and tails. Ash then runs head on at the camera and makes a flying entrance onto a stage as the song concludes)
Female announcer: And now, it's time for the Ash and Pikachu Show!
(Pikachu climbs onto Ash's shoulder and smiles as the title card flies in from the right, a short clip of "On Our Way" in the background)
(Suddenly, Brock appears in the scene wearing his normal clothes and sunglasses)
Brock: Let's make some magic! (we see playing cards come flying out of Brock's sleeve as the scene fades out)
(applause as Ash runs onstage to greet the crowd)
Ash: Thank you! Tonight, we're gonna work a little magic....water magic, that is. (light applause) That being said, please welcome the resident magician of Sootopolis City...Ardan the Great!
(Applause as blue lights come up on Ardan standing atop a stairway. He descends down the stairs and acknowledges the crowd, then claps twice, revealing various pools of water surrounding him. The Super Mario World water theme plays in the background as various water Pokemon surface from the various pools)
(Misty watches from the wings, hearts in her eyes)
(Ardan summons a magic wand from one pocket, then brings up a stream of water from the pool on his left, then brings up another stream of water from the pool on his right, then loops the second stream under the first, creating a watery bow!)
(The brigade of water Pokemon fire sprays of water into the air, which Ardan twists together into streamers! Next, he untwists one of the "streamers", making Milotic appear; to some applause)
(Next, Ardan fires blue sparkles from his wand at the "streamers", making them turn into ice crystals! Milotic gathers up the crystals and deposits them onto a table. Ardan carefully balances one ice crystal on its end and spins it. Once sure that the crystal is spinning on its own, Ardan does the same to a second crystal, then places the second spinning crystal onto the first. He continues to do this until he's created a pyramid of spinning ice crystals. The audience applauds.)
Ardan: Thank you all! It is indeed a pleasure to be with you this evening, Ash...
Ash: The pleasure's all mine... (Pikachu watches the spinning ice crystal pyramid, impressed)
Misty: Wow! That was so cool!
May: I told you that Ardan's amazing!
Ardan: Hold that thought...(produces a reel from thin air) I found this while doing a little house cleaning....
Pikachu: Pika! (takes the reel, threads it in the projector, and starts it)
(CARTOON-"The Great Eight Fate!")
(We see a pair of CGI Ash hands attempting to recreate Ardan's ice crystal pyramid. The female announcer says "You're watching 'The Ash and Pikachu Show'!" as Ash tries and fails to make the pyramid...ultimately creating a spinning ice crystal Pikachu face!)
(We return to the theater, where Pikachu is still watching the spinning ice crystal pyramid. Misty, meanwhile, notes Pikachu's fascination as she preps the drawing board.)
Misty: That crystal pyramid trick was pretty impressive...
Ardan: It is one of the simplest tricks to learn, yet the hardest to master.
Misty: I bet... (watches Brock attempt to recreate the pyramid with Sugar Crystals)
Ardan: For one thing, the pyramid shouldn't be attempted with anything edible...if one part of the pyramid is eaten--
(We see Munchlax nibbling on a spinning Sugar Crystal, making Brock's masterpiece tumble to the floor with a crash)
Ardan: It falls to the ground, just like that.
Brock: NOW you tell me... (laughter as Brock starts cleaning up his mess. Misty, meanwhile, starts to go to work...)
(On Our Way interlude as the title appears: "'Back to the Drawing Board' with Misty". Misty's face appears in the o in "Board")
(A white screen appears, simulating a blank piece of paper)
(Brock is drawn on the screen in his normal clothes)
Brock: All right, pencil, do your worst.
(a pie comes flying at Brock with a SPLUT!)
Ardan(voiceover): Perhaps you'd like a towel? (the pencil draws a towel)
Brock: Yeah... (takes the towel and cleans himself up. As he is doing so, the pencil draws a table in front of him with a pile of ice crystals on it) Say...
(Brock begins to balance the first crystal, but it only spins for a few seconds before falling over.)
Ardan(voiceover): It helps if you balance the crystal with your fingertip before you make it spin.
(Brock decides to follow Ardan's advice...and the crystal spins on its own!)
Brock: Okay, I have one crystal spinning, now what?
(Before Ardan can answer, a flashing WARNING sign appears on the screen)
Misty(voiceover): Warning, if you don't want the magic trick's secret spoiled for you, then close your eyes and cover your ears now!
(We return to the scene of Brock and the spinning crystal)
Ardan(voiceover): Now, take another crystal and touch it to the first, then make the second crystal spin. (Brock repeats Ardan's instructions, making him have two connected spinning crystals.) The energy of the second crystal is what keeps the first crystal spinning.
Brock: Oh, now I know what to do... (proceeds to create a mini crystal pyramid)
Ardan: That's it! (a "ta-da!" stinger plays) You learn quickly, you know that?
(No sooner does Ardan say thet, does Munchlax jar the table leg, sending Brocks pyramid tumbling to the floor with a crash)
Brock: Now I have to do it all over again... (sighs as he observes the mess of ice crystals, some of which spell "The End"
(We join Ash onstage as he watches Brock and the band tune up. Ardan arrives and makes himself comfortable by Ash.
Ash: Now it's our turn to amaze you, Ardan...
(music begins)
Brock: Hear the sounds of the sea, and the colors will change
Look on to the blue sky, reflect and muse on, yourself,
Memories will waken, and live once again!
Across the seven seas, I feel deep in my heart,
A sinking feeling, that someone's out there, she softly cries,
Her heart is in so much pain, that it's crying, too...
"Why don't you save me from my tears?"
"Why can't I rise and accept my true destiny?"
Follow your star, little one, it will guide you into the light!
And it is ever blue, the rolling sea, the water shining brightly with the sun!
The future, I will guard, with all my power, honor, ability!
For all the people that I know and love, and all the places that I want to see!
Glittering, these feelings, they will lead me onto the path...and I follow just the way I am!
You know, falling in love, and then dreaming of you,
I am feeling like I am starting to like me, today,
This feeling, is so strange, does it feel right?
This call, coming from home, oh how I want to go!
I cannot tell you, but someone calls me, this song of peace,
I will always remember it deep in my heart...
I'm not a child any more...
I'm sorry I never told you of this before...
And now the song, here it comes! I will be hiding this in my heart!
And it is every hero that's a friend, a priceless treasure to be protected!
No matter, hard the times, they will be, always right by your side!
For all the people that I know and love, and all the places that I want to see!
Mystery, shining blue, it is the sea that shines brightly, forever with the sky....
And it is ever blue, the rolling sea, the water shining brightly with the sun!
The future, I will guard, with all my power, honor, ability!
For all the people that I know and love, and all the places that I want to see!
Glittering, these feelings, they will lead me onto the path...and I follow just the way I am! (applause as Brock and the band bow)
Ardan: Bravo! A most excellent performance! (Pikachu, meanwhile; hurries to the projector and starts it)
(CARTOON-"Eight Ain't Enough!")
(We join Ash, Pikachu, and Ardan onstage)
Ardan: I would dazzle you some more with my wonders, but it appears we've run out of time for the evening.
Ash: That's okay! We'll be back tomorrow at the same time! (applause) See you next time!
Pikachu: Pika! (waves goodbye as the curtain closes. "On Our Way" reprise as the credits roll)
THE END
