Corner Royale is the thirteenth episode of the first season of To Be a Master: Indigo League. It aired on March 28th, 2020, alongside Seeds of Greatness as the season 1 finale.
Plot[]
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| Seeds of Greatness | Blind Fury (season 2) |
Emerald, Beedrill, Leaf and Khoury stand before the Celadon Game Corner.
Khoury: A - are you sure this is the place?
Emerald: Erika said that she saw Team Rocket members go in here!
Leaf: Does make sense. If Team Rocket’s really tied to Silph Co., they’d be involved here given they run the Game Corner.
Khoury: S - so what are we going to do? Go in and f - fight?!
Emerald: (Grins) Yeah! We’ll beat every single Team Rocket member up!
Leaf: Or… we could inspect the area, learn our surroundings so we don’t march in blindly.
Beedrill nods.
Emerald: That sounds boring!
Gary exits the Game Corner with a Porygon floating behind him. He notices Emerald.
Gary: Giovanni’s kid, eh? Look what I just got! This rare Porygon took a while but was worth it.
Leaf: Woah, a Porygon! I’ve heard Silph Co. manufactures them for the Game Corner, but I’ve never managed to see one!
Gary: Heh, if you think those are rare, there’s another prize way better than this; Dratini! Sure costs a lot, figured it wasn’t worth it.
Leaf: (Cocks head, confused) Dratini?
Gary: Heh, yup! But I’ve gotta best it, there’s a contest in Saffron I’m training my Machoke for. Smell ya later, Emerald!
Emerald: (Grits teeth) Grr!
Gary walks off with his Porygon.
Leaf: Gary mentioned something about a Dratini, but, that’s impossible! Remember what Professor Oak said about them?
Emerald: (Shudders) I don’t think I can ever forget after Baoba!
Khoury: H - he almost shot you!
Leaf: Yeah… That was odd. But anyways, Dratini are endangered. Erika’s likely right, the Game Corner’s somehow obtaining Dratini when that’s illegal!
Emerald: Let’s go in!
They enter the Game Corner, getting shifty looks.
Leaf: I’ll ask about the Dratini to confirm the Game Corner has them.
Emerald: (Groans) I wanna beat people up!
Khoury: T - that’s illegal, Emerald!
Leaf goes up to the counter, where a teenager is sitting. The teenager chews on gum.
Teen: Sup… you here for coins?
Leaf: No, thanks. I was wondering about the prizes here, like the Pokémon.
Teen: (Pops bubble) Ya… there’s, uh, Abra, Clefairy, Nidorino, Nidorina… uhh, (cut off)
Leaf: Any, rare Pokémon?
Teen: Oh, yeah. Eevee, uh, Porygon, Mr. Mime, Dratini, (cut off again)
Leaf: Dratini? How much do they cost?
Teen: (Irritated) Nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine coins.
Leaf: (Widens eyes) Wow, that’s a lot. Thank you.
Leaf runs over to Emerald and Khoury.
Khoury: W - what did he say?
Leaf: Dratini are sold here. So I guess that confirms our theory, Silph Co. is up to something.
Emerald: Now can we beat people up?
Khoury sighs.
Leaf: Now, we have to find out where Team Rocket goes when they come inside here. Erika said something about them coming in here, but how does no one notice?
Emerald: Hey, Beedrill, you have good eyesight, right? Look around!
Beedrill nods. It hovers around the Game Corner, much to gamblers’ annoyances. It notices a poster, with a man guarding it.
Beedrill: (Points) Bee?
The man looks irritated, huffing upon seeing Beedrill.
Man: Get outta here!
Emerald walks over to Beedrill, angry.
Emerald: Hey, that’s my Beedrill! You can’t talk to it like that!
Man: Oh, yeah? Watch me! Scram, kid!
Emerald: No!
The man turns around, revealing his Team Rocket costume.
Grunt: (Whips out a Pokéball) Raticate, Zubat!
Emerald: (Whips out a Pokéball) Let’s go, Frisk!
Khoury: H - he’s battling indoors?! Oh no, Officer Jenny’s going to arrest us!
Leaf: I - it’s alright, don’t worry. We’ll just have to cause a diversion. There’s innocent people in here, so we have to get them out. Then, we can go call Officer Jenny.
Leaf eyes a fire alarm.
Khoury: D - don’t tell me… that’s something E - Emerald would do!
Leaf: (Sighs) I’m not surprised, but I have to get people out of here.
Emerald’s Beedrill and Frisk are battling the Team Rocket grunt’s Raticate and Zubat. Raticate uses Hyper Fang, lunging towards Beedrill. Leaf pulls the fire alarms, which go off along with the sprinklers. Leaf and Khoury leave the Game Corner for Officer Jenny.
Emerald: (Looks up) Huh, it’s raining indoors! (Jolts back to the battle) Frisk, block it! Beedrill, Agility to Rage!
Beedrill dodges, leaving afterimages of itself as it lashes its stinger at Zubat. Zubat is sent flying back into an unused Slot Machine. Frisk moves in the way of Raticate’s Hyper Fang, taking it.
Grunt: Raticate, Bite on Gastly! Zubat, Wing Attack on Beedrill!
Emerald: Payback, Rage!
Raticate sinks its teeth into Frisk who groans in pain.
Frisk: GAA!
Frisk shakes Raticate off, who bounces off of the wall for another Bite. Frisk creates multiple colored rings of energy, releasing them at Raticate as it lunges with Bite. Raticate is knocked backwards, fainted.
Emerald: Good job, Frisk!
Frisk rushes up to Emerald, licking him. Emerald laughs. Zubat’s wings are engulfed with white energy as it rushes towards Beedrill with Wing Attack. Beedrill takes the hit, being flung back into a wall. Beedrill falls onto the ground, groaning.
Emerald: You alright, Beedrill?
Beedrill hovers back up, struggling. It winces, however gives a nod. Beedrill lashes out at Zubat with increased strength, knocking it out in one hit.
Emerald: Good job, Beedrill!
Leaf and Khoury rush back in the Game Corner, running over to Emerald.
Khoury: (Panting) W - we called Officer Jenny!
Leaf: Everyone’s evacuated, now we can explore the building!
Emerald: (Points at the poster) That’s the entrance I think, that guy was blocking the way.
Emerald rips off the poster, showing a hidden door. He grins
Scene change
Giovanni is walking along the streets of Celadon City, his Persian coiling around him. He hears alarms go off, followed by a police siren.
Giovanni: Hm?
He looks over at the site where people are evacuating, screaming in terror; the Celadon Game Corner. He whips out a Pokéball, holding it tightly as he begins to walk across the streets towards it. Once the crowd of people have left, he goes inside. Persian walks over to a man stripped of his clothes. Giovanni looks nearby, finding a Raticate and Zubat lying on the ground.
Giovanni: Raticate, Zubat, both Pokémon associated with Team Rocket. This man was likely a guard. (Glares) There’s something wrong with this Game Corner.
He looks at the torn poster on the wall, along with a closed door.
Giovanni: Slash.
Persian leaps towards the wall, clawing it open with ease.
Scene change
Emerald is wearing the Team Rocket grunt’s costume, leading Beedrill, Leaf, and Khoury along the hallway. A Team Rocket grunt walks by, followed by a group of them. Emerald slinks to the wall, the others doing the same.
Emerald: (Hushed) Let’s ambush them!
Beedrill: (Shakes head) Bee, bee.
Khoury: T - that’s dangerous!
Leaf: (Looks down at clothes) We do need disguises, and an ambush would be the most effective way of getting them. But, they’ll realize Emerald’s not a part of Team Rocket.
Emerald: (Grins) I’ll show them power.
Leaf holds Emerald’s arm, restraining him.
Leaf: Not now. Our best bet is finding spare clothes, or sneaking around. They’ll eventually see through our disguises, so there’s no point in wasting time.
Emerald: (Grumbles) Fine… but does that mean we can attack them?!
Khoury: E - Emerald, didn’t you hear what Leaf said?!
Leaf: Well… if we can silently knock them out, we won’t have to worry about them later on.
Leaf releases her Oddish. The grunts see the flash of red light, turning around and whipping out Pokéball.
Leaf: Sleep Powder on those grunts!
Oddish uses Sleep Powder, knocking out all of the Team Rocket grunts. They drop to the floor, unconscious.
Emerald: There, you can get your disguise, and, (grumbles) no battling.
Leaf and Khoury both take a Team Rocket grunt’s costume. They look at each other, realizing they have to change.
Khoury: U - uh, c - could we - (cut off)
Leaf: It’s alright, let’s just turn around. (Looks at Emerald) And don’t look. Scout out the area while we change.
Emerald nods, moving ahead. He finds a set of staircases and overhears Team Rocket grunts talking downstairs. He walks downstairs, casually.
Scene change
Giovanni walks down the hallway, finding a door leading downstairs. He kicks the door open, leaving no time for subtlety. Team Rocket grunts are inside on a couch with a table. They look at Giovanni, shocked.
Grunt 1: D - don’t hurt us!
Grunt 2: G - Giovanni is here?! No one told us about that!
Grunt 3: Oh man, we’re screwed!
Giovanni’s Persian stays back. Giovanni releases a Sandslash. The Sandslash looks at the Team Rocket grunts, then back at Giovanni.
Giovanni: Who owns this place?
Grunt 2: (Twitches eye) W - we don’t know, man. Just don’t hurt us!
Giovanni: (Glares) You’re lying. Earthq -
Grunt 2: A - alright! We don’t know for sure, but people believe it’s Kodai’s turf!
Grunt 1: Y - you, idiot! Now he’ll go to his base downstairs!
Grunt 3: Both of you share a brain cell!
Giovanni: Leave before I consider harming anyone.
The Team Rocket grunts flee.
Giovanni: Kodak is downstairs. Interesting.
Scene change
Emerald: (Shouting) I AM NOT SHORT!
Emerald’s face is red, panting heavily as he shouts at a Team Rocket grunt. Beedrill watches, stunned.
Grunt: Since when did we let in six year olds? You’re gonna blow our cover, kid! Now shut up bef - (Emerald kicks his ankle) OW! alright, that’s it, Koffing!
The grunt releases multiple Koffing. Emerald whips out a Pokeball, releasing Coronet.
Emerald: Smack Down!
Coronet’s horn glows, releasing an orange blast with a trail of stones following. The stones hit each Koffing, knocking them out in one hit each.
Emerald: Way to go, Coronet!
Beedrill: (Nods approvingly) Bee.
Coronet laughs happily, nuzzling Emerald and knocking him over with a “thud.” Emerald gets up.
Emerald: (Pats Coronet) Who’s a good boy, who’s a good boy?
Coronet: Rhy, rhy!
Leaf and Khoury arrive in their Team Rocket Disguises, panting. Emerald returns Coronet, seeing Leaf’s glare.
Leaf: (Hisses) What’s the point of disguises if you’re shouting and knocking out every person you see?
Khoury: W - we almost got caught thanks to you.
Emerald: Heh, uh, my bad. But c’mon, I can finally beat up Team Rocket grunts! For fun!
Leaf: If you don’t remember, we're here because Team Rocket has hands on Pokémon they shouldn’t!
Emerald: Fine… but we can split up! You and Khoury can find them while I go around doing my thing!
Khoury: Y - you mean… use yourself as bait?!
Emerald: (Grins) I’ll be the tastiest bait there is!
Leaf: Please… don’t say that. (Sighs) But it’ll work, you act as the diversion for us. Not a bad plan.
They hear a person shouting “HYPER BEAM!” followed by a loud explosion. The room shakes briefly.
Emerald: I’ve gotta check that out!
Emerald flashes a grin before running off. Beedrill shrugs at Leaf and Khoury before following.
Leaf: Well, let’s find the Pokémon here! They have to have a way of smuggling in Dratini.
Khoury: Can your Oddish use Sweet Scent?
Leaf: We’re indoors with a lot of people, so the scent would likely get obscured.
They walk around the second floor, finding a door. Leaf attempts to open it, however it’s locked.
Leaf: I can’t open it!
Khoury: L - Leaf! S - someone’s behind us!
Leaf turns around, seeing a grunt with a Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee.
Scene change
Emerald is on the third floor with Beedrill, walking around warily. He overhears a trainer shouting “Horn Drill,” followed by loud stomps and Pokémon being bulldozed through. He walks around the corner of a hallway, seeing Giovanni and his Rhydon.
Giovanni: (Irritated) Another gr - (notices his Beedrill) Emerald? So you were the one who infiltrated this… hideout?
Emerald: Yeah! I’m here to beat up Team Rocket?
Giovanni: As am I. You weren’t the one who shouted “Hyper Beam,” correct?
Emerald: I don’t know who did! But I’m gonna find them!
They begin to patrol through the area with Beedrill and Rhydon. Grunts cower in fear upon seeing Rhydon, fleeing.
Emerald: Rage!
Beedrill knocks out the grunts with ease.
Emerald: Let’s go! You rock, Beedrill!
Scene change
Leaf holds onto a Pokéball, seeing Khoury hesitantly do the same.
Leaf: Oddish!
Leaf releases Oddish. The Team Rocket grunt laughs upon seeing Oddish.
Grunt: Hitmonlee, Brick Break! Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!
Leaf: Stun Spore! (Looks at Khoury whose legs are shaking) Khoury, call out something, please!
Hitmonchan becomes a blur, slamming its fist into Oddish. Oddish is flown back into the door.
Khoury: I - I don’t wanna hurt anyone!
Hitmonlee arrives before Oddish, stretching its leg up. It carries it down with a red energy, striking Oddish with Brick Break.
Leaf: (Slightly annoyed) Khoury, I need something that can take a hit!
Zubat pops out of its Pokéball.
Leaf: Not what I had in mind, but Wing Attack! Oddish, Sleep Powder!
Grunt: Mach Punch, Brick Break, again!
Hitmonchan uses Mach Punch again, hitting Oddish again. Zubat’s wings are engulfed by white energy as it hits Hitmonlee with Wing Attack. Hitmonlee skids back from the attack, bouncing back for Brick Break. Hitmonlee kicks Zubat onto the ground.
Leaf: Switch opponents; Mega Drain, Wing Attack!
Grunt: Close Combat, both of you!
Zubat rushes into Hitmonchan’s side with Wing Attack, slamming it into the door. Hitmonchan attacks with Close Combat, however Zubat dodges, busting the door open. Oddish creates a green orb of energy that extends into a massive beam, hitting Hitmonlee and draining it of its energy. Hitmonlee collapses, fainting.
Leaf: (Pulls out Pokédex) T - that wasn’t Mega Drain, that was Giga Drain!
Grunt: Grr, Hitmonchan, Close Combat!
Oddish begins to glow white. It grows as its leaves droop. The glowing light blinds Hitmonchan who attempts to attack with Close Combat. The light bursts into a flash of light, Gloom standing in Oddish’s place:
Khoury: (Amazed) I - it evolved!
Leaf is stunned. She pulls out her Pokédex, scanning Gloom.
Pokédex: Gloom, the weed Pokémon. It smells incredibly foul. However, around one out of a thousand people enjoy sniffing its nose-bending stink.
Leaf: Huh? Smell - (pinches nose) that kicked in.
Khoury also pinches his nose. Hitmonchan attempts to approach Gloom, however the smell deters it.
Leaf: (Nasally) Giga Drain!
Gloom creates a beam of green energy, hitting Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan faints, being drained of its energy.
Gloom: (Perky) Gloo!
Zubat flutters over to Gloom, the two happily celebrating. The grunt runs off, returning his Pokémon. Leaf smiles, however it fades upon seeing Khoury.
Leaf: (Irritated) You know, you have four Pokémon yet hardly use them.
Khoury: I - I just don’t like fighting.
Leaf returns her Pokémon before she and Khoury walk inside the room. It’s dark, with papers scattered across the room. Leaf looks around the room, seeing papers with a few names on them, such as Lawrence III.
Leaf: It says here, (points at a contract) that these Pokémon are on the Kodai Network.
Khoury: G - G - Grings Kodai?!
Leaf: (Nods) If this place is run by Silph Co., Kodai’s definitely aware of this. And with the Team Rocket members, I think this confirms my prediction!
Khoury: D - don’t tell me…
Leaf: Kodai is the leader of Team Rocket.
They hear a whimper, turning around. Cages full of Pokémon fill the back of the room. Leaf widens her eyes, finding multiple cages filled with sickly Eevee.
Leaf: T - those Eevee, they look like they’re dying!
Khoury: I - This is crazy!
Leaf kicks a cage open, breaking the lock with ease. One of the healthier Eeeve, with a heart pattern on her tail crawls out abruptly. Her fur turns yellow, becoming spikey. Static forms around the now standing Jolteon.
Khoury: I - it’s mutating!
Leaf looks around the room, picking up papers before finding reports on experimentation on Pokémon.
Leaf: (Widens eyes) Various tested subjects, all but one failed… Team Rocket was experimenting on these Eevee.
She turns back, seeing the Jolteon transform into Flareon. Flareon dissolves into a puddle.
Khoury: I - i - it - (stunned) it’s dead!
The puddle reforms into Vaporeon.
Khoury: (Sighs) It's fine.
Leaf: It says on this paper that each Eevee was exposed to the three evolutionary stones allowing it to evolve, all at once. That must be how she's evolving and… devolving. (Looks at Conway) We have to take her in!
Scene change
Emerald, Beedrill, and Giovanni arrive at the bottom floor, finding multiple metal doors. Emerald looks at Giovanni, awaiting for his approval.
Giovanni: We’ll split up. We’ll find whoever’s running this place easier, and - (cut off)
Voice: HYPER BEAM!
Another explosion is heard, this time closer. The room shakes violently.
Giovanni: Let’s go.
Emerald rushes in front of a metal door, grinning. Beedrill stabs holes in it with Twineedle, tearing the door down.
Emerald: C’mon! Let’s do thi -
Shady Girl is leaning against the wall, pushing away from it upon seeing Emerald. She has a Team Rocket uniform with a gold R emblazed, black hair, and green eyes.
Shady Girl: An intruder, hm? (Smirks) The boss said no one can come through. Finally something to do.
She whips out three Pokéball, releasing a Raticate, Golbat, and Arbok in quick succession.
Emerald: (Grins) That’s it?! Let’s go, Bulbasaur, Luma, Wartortle!
He releases the three Pokémon in response. Bulbasaur lies on her stomach, however notices the Team Rocket grunt and gets up with a groan.
Shady Girl: Hyper Fang, Air Cutter, Acid Spray.
Emerald: Bulbasaur, Seed Bomb! Luma, Thunder Punch! Wartortle, Water Pulse!
Bulbasaur rolls her eyes, releasing a barrage of seeds at Raticate. Raticate maneuvers passt them, lunging towards Bulbasaur for Hyper Fang. Wartortle creates a sphere of water, noticing Raticate from the corner of its eye and throws Water Pulse at it. The Water Pulse hits Raticate, knocking it to the side.
Emerald: Good job, Wartortle!
Shady Girl: (Rolls eyes) You’ve forgotten my Golbat and Arbok. Of course, to be expected with a novice battler.
Arbok sprays acid at Wartortle, Wartortle brushing it off with Rapid Spin. Golbat creates a gust of wind, releasing energy blades that cut through the air. Luma uses Thunder Punch, throwing the burst of electricity towards the Air Cutter attack, kicking up dust. To her surprise, more energy blades cut through the dust towards her striking it.
Emerald: (Grits teeth) Luma, Dragon Rage! Wartortle, Water Pulse! Bulbasaur, (grins) Sleep Powder!
Shady Girl: Hyper Fang, Air Cutter, Stockpile to Spit Up.
Bulbasaur sucks in the toxic fumes from Arbok’s Acid Spray, instead releasing Poison Powder towards Raticate.
Emerald: Woah! That’s new!
Raticate lunges for Hyper Fang, however abruptly collapses on the ground upon feeling the poison.
Emerald: Seed Bomb!
Bulbasaur releases a barrage of seeds, each exploding upon contact with Raticate. Raticate is knocked out. The Shady Girl groans, returning it.
Shady Girl: A pathetic performance, I expected more from you.
Emerald: (Quirks eyebrow) Good job, Bulbasaur! Take a good rest!
He returns Bulbasaur to its Pokéball. Luma takes a deep breath, creating a violent indigo fireball. It collides with Golbat’s Air Cutter, covering the field with dust again.
Emerald: Luma, Thunder Punch!
Luma rushes through the dust, striking each Air Cutter attack with Thunder Punch. She releases a burst of electricity that strikes Golbat, knocking it out.
Emerald: (Grins) Who’s the novice now?!
Shady Girl: (Rolls eyes) Not you too, Golbat. A pathetic excuse of a Pokémon.
She returns Golbat, Emerald returning Luma. Arbok slithers towards Wartortle who creates a sphere of water, taking a deep breath and growing in size. Wartortle releases the Water Pulse at Arbok’s mouth which explodes.
Emerald: Ice Punch!
Shady Girl: Acid Spray!
Wartortle freezes over the acid with Ice Punch, using its other fist to uppercut Arbok into the ceiling. It then releases Water Pulse, hitting Arbok and knocking it out.
Shady Girl: (Returns Arbok) That Wartortle, it’s clearly not on the same level as your other Pokémon and its sunglasses and shell - that’s Lt. Surge’s. (Scowls) You’re the kid who took down Lt. Surge.
Emerald: (Grins) I’m famous, huh?
Shady Girl: Lt. Surge said you relied on power and show little strategy. (Smirks) Then you’re no match against, Cloyster!
She releases Cloyster, who stands before Wartortle imposingly.
Emerald: Cloyster? Wartortle, Ice Punch!
Shady Girl: Shell Smash.
Cloyster glows white, its spikes notably. A faint red glow surrounds it and disappears in a burst. Wartortle rushes towards Cloyster, its fist engulfed in ice as it punches Cloyster. Cloyster grunts before grinning madly.
Shady Girl: Icicle Spear!
Emerald: Ice, huh? Water Pulse!
Cloyster releases the spikes from its shell, engulfed in ice. The spikes hit Wartortle five times, knocking it out with ease.
Emerald: O - one hit?! (Returns Wartortle) Alright, that’s it! Let’s go, Beedrill! Agility!
Shady Girl: Icicle Spear, again!
Cloyster’s spikes regrow quickly. It uses Icicle Spear again, however the spikes only hit afterimages of Beedrill. Beedrill appears behind Cloyster.
Emerald: Drill Run!
Beedrill rotates its body quickly, being engulfed in white energy. It stabs Cloyster with its stingers, successfully using Drill Run. Cloyster is thrown back by the attack, grimacing.
Cloyster: (Injured) Cloy.
Shady Girl: (Glares) Rock Blast, now!
A huge chunk of the ground is ripped off, floating in the air. Cloyster releases it at Beedrill, who dodges with Agility. Cloyster attacks repeatedly with quick succession, striking Beedrill and knocking it out in one hit.
Shady Girl: Not bad, however not perfect. That took three Rock Blast attacks for you to hit one Beedrill.
Emerald: (Returns Beedrill) Coronet, let’s go!
Emerald grips onto Coronet's Pokéball, ready to release him however Cloyster releases a spike at the Pokéball. The Pokéball is flung out of Emerald’s hand.
Shady Girl: You have to have quick reactions within battle, not just your Pokémon. Rock Blast!
Emerald: (Gulps) I don’t have a Pokémon out!
Shady Girl: (Smirks) I know.
Cloyster uses Rock Blast, as Emerald watches with anticipation.
Khoury: Mega Punch!
Emerald turns around, watching as Leaf, Khoury, and Giovanni appear. Khoury’s Kangaskhan is released, stumbling through the hallway she can barely fit in. Her fist is engulfed with white energy, destroying the Rock Blast attacks into smithers.
Emerald: (Eyes widen) Khoury, where was this in Pokémon Tower?!
Khoury: H - heh, I didn’t want to cause any damage…
Kangaskhan roars, savagely attacking Cloyster. She uses Mega Punch again, slamming Cloyster onto the ground before tossing it up onto the ceiling. Cloyster faints, however Kangaskhan continues to rampage, smacking it back and forth with Mega Punch.
Shady Girl: (Widens eyes) That Pokémon…
Kangaskhan begins to cool down, panting heavily as she looks back at Khoury with shame.
Khoury: I - it’s alright, Kangaskhan! I’m proud of you, b - but you did get a bit… err, carried away.
Shady Girl returns Cloyster, before running off. Emerald attempts to chase after her, however Giovanni grips his arm.
Giovanni: Officer Jenny are inside of the building, take off that disguise and leave immediately. They can’t find out three eleven year olds were dismantling a Team Rocket hideout.
Emerald: W - what?! But she’s getting a -
Giovanni: (Lowers tone) Officer Jenny are inside. That’s their responsibility, you did enough.
Emerald grunts, picking up Coronet's Pokéball.
Scene change
Emerald, Beedrill, Leaf, Khoury, and Giovanni are inside of the Pokémon Center. Giovanni carries a tray of Pokéball over to the three kids lying on the couch.
Emerald: Thanks!
Leaf & Khoury: Thank you.
Emerald notices Leaf’s holding an Eevee within her arms.
Emerald: When did you get that Pokémon?
Leaf: It was a Pokémon we freed, but… this one was experimented on. (Emerald’s fists clench up) The other Eevee we found all died, as this was the only healthy one. (Mutters) Likely Kodai’s fault. So, (smiles) I want to help Eevee!
Emerald grins at Leaf. Beedrill pokes Emerald teasingly, causing Emerald to fall off.
Emerald: H - hey!
Khoury points at the television, noticing the news.
Khoury: H - hey, look at that!
The news shows Lance outside of the Game Corner, talking to a news anchor. His Dragonite stands beside him. An image of Giovanni is shown on the screen, reporting on his assistance.
Leaf: Lance was there? Why?
Khoury: P - probably to help out.
Leaf: I figured, but… how did he find out?
Khoury shrugs. Emerald is concentrating on something else.
Emerald: Hey! Nothing about us! (Scoffs) We should’ve been on the news!
Giovanni: Lance has a vendetta against Team Rocket. As champion, it’d be better received if he was seen actively pursuing Team Rocket over a trio of kids.
Emerald crosses his arms, pouting.
Emerald: (Mutters) That girl still got away.
Giovanni: (Elated) Actually, while she got away, there’s at least a trace of her identity, according to Officer Jenny. Her name seems to be Gold, and she’s a higher-up in Team Rocket.
Giovanni: (Continues) You three did good work today. I hope to see your performances in the future, (looks at Emerald) especially yours. When you have seven badges, I expect you to challenge me.
Emerald: (Grins) You know it! I’m gonna beat you! Believe it!
Beedrill: (Nods aggressively) Bee!
Giovanni smiles.
Major Events[]
- Celadon Game Corner is revealed to have ties to Team Rocket.
- Leaf's Oddish evolves into Gloom.
- It learns Giga Drain, replacing Mega Drain.
- Kodai is revealed to be the leader of Team Rocket.
- Bulbasaur learns Poison Powder, replacing Sleep Powder.
- Leaf obtains an Eevee.
Characters[]
- Emerald
- Leaf
- Khoury
- Gary
- Giovanni
- Lance (on the TV)
- Team Rocket
- Gold (initially as Shady Girl)
- Grunts
Pokémon[]
- Beedrill (Emerald's)
- Bulbasaur (Emerald's)
- Luma the Charmander (Emerald's)
- Wartortle (Emerald's)
- Frisk the Gastly (Emerald's)
- Coronet the Rhyhorn (Emerald's)
- Oddish (Leaf's, evolves)
- Gloom (Leaf's, newly evolved)
- Zubat (Leaf's)
- Eevee (Leaf's)
- Kangaskhan (Khoury's)
- Porygon (Gary's)
- Persian (Giovanni's)
- Sandslash (Giovanni's)
- Rhydon (Giovanni's)
- Dragonite (Lance's, on the TV)
- Raticate (Gold's)
- Golbat (Gold's)
- Arbok (Gold's)
- Cloyster (Gold's)
Team Rocket's[]
- Zubat
- Raticate
- Koffing
- Hitmonlee
- Hitmonchan
Trivia[]
- The episode's title is a play on the move, Casino Royale.
- Gary owning a Porygon is based off of his Adventures counterpart.
- Dratini and Dragonair's role in Sport of the Hunt was mostly set-up for this episode, however the author did enjoy including them.
- Gold appeared in that episode, as Shady Girl, to set-up her appearance here.
- Lance's involvement within the background of the episode is inspired by his role in the GSC and HGSS games, where he raids a Team Rocket hideout.
- Giovanni's involvement was mostly because the author wanted to write him in an action role.
- Giovanni owning a Sandslash was based upon Ian's Sandslash, since it pushed the Sandshrew line into a memorable ground-type for the author. It was also set-up for Spark of Mayhem.
- Dugtrio would've appeared, however the author wasn't sure how to incorporate it.
- Lawrence III is namedropped.
- This may become a plot point later on. This was mostly done for fanservice, as the author has no plans for him appearing.
- Khoury's Kangaskhan being depicted as monstrous in battle is to create a contrast between her otherwise motherly role.
- This is why Kangaskhan only made a cameo once, otherwise having a nonexistent role up to this point.
- Khoury utilizing it in this manner was inspired by The Avengers' "I'm always angry," scene.
- Leaf's Eevee is based on Vee from the Adventures manga.
- This is to tie into her evolution research.
- This is also a storyline the author had wanted to explore, due to finding it fascinating. This would've been present in the author's earlier's works had they not been cancelled.
- She's made female to tie into Generation VIII's updated gender difference for Eevee, based on the Let's Go games.
Win Rates[]
- Only battles where the objective is to win count, and they have to be against a notable character, so hordes of Rocket grunts or wild Pokémon don't count whereas individual Rocket grunts would.
- Emerald's Meowth has not battled yet, and so isn't counted.
The win rates for Emerald's team as of Corner Royale are, in order:
- Frisk the Gastly
- Total battles: 4
- 3 wins
- 0 ties
- 1 loss
- Win rate: 75%
- Win rate against Gary: n/a
- Notable for having the highest total win rate. The author found this funny due to thinking Wartortle or Coronet would have the highest.
- Wartortle
- Total battles: 7
- 3 wins (1 to Gary)
- 3 ties (1 to Gary)
- 1 loss
- Win rate: 64.28%
- Win rate against Gary: 75%
- Notable for having the highest win rate against Gary, never losing to him.
- Coronet the Rhyhorn
- Total battles: 2
- 1 win
- 0 ties
- 1 loss
- Win rate: 50%
- Win rate against Gary: n/a
- Notable for having the least battles, not counting Emerald's Meowth.
- Luma the Charmander
- Total battles: 7
- 2 wins
- 2 ties
- 3 losses (1 to Gary)
- Win rate: 42.85%
- Win rate against Gary: 0%
- Notable for sharing the lowest win rate against Gary with Bulbasaur, at 0%. She did not win a battle until last episode, Seeds of Greatness.
- Bulbasaur
- Total battles: 5
- 2 wins
- 0 ties
- 3 losses (1 to Gary)
- Win rate: 40%
- Win rate against Gary: 0%
- Notable for sharing the lowest win rate against Gary with Luma, at 0%.
- Beedrill
- Total battles: 13
- 4 wins (1 to Gary)
- 0 ties
- 9 losses (3 to Gary)
- Win rate: 30.77%
- Win rate against Gary: 25%
- Notable for having the most battles and lowest win rate. It did not win a battle until Surge of Power.