The Fortune Hunters

There, a nice elderly couple give Misty one of the books and tell her that if she happens to have the same Pokémon as her type, she'll have good luck. A boy comes in, saying the book told him he was a Seadra type, so now he's looking for someone who will trade his Golbat for a Seadra. The couple assure him that they'll find someone who will trade with him, so the boy gives them his PokeBall and leaves. Then the couple explain to Misty that they also help trainers trade their Pokémon so they can have better luck.

Outside, Misty looks at her book. Ash claims he doesn't believe in this stuff, but is surprised to discover that he's a Bellsprout type. Brock is an Onix type, and he hopes that since he has an Onix already, he might have better luck with girls. Misty herself turns out to be a Gyarados type, which she's not happy about and loses her temper when Ash tries to calm her down.

The three friends walk a bit, and suddenly fall into a hole! Team Rocket shows up, dressed in space suits. They launch two miniature balloons which extend robotic hands to catch Pikachu, but an angry Misty has Staryu destroy the balloons with its Tackle attack. Then Staryu's Water Gun sends them blasting off.

Team Rocket lands in a nearby park, and Jessie notices that Meowth has a book. He explains that he picked it up just before they got blasted, and she grabs it to look up her type: a cute Eevee. Then she and Meowth look up James, and are shocked to see that he's a Moltres type, which will triumph over any hardship. James scoffs when Jessie reads his fortune for the day, but after a series of apparent coincidences he wonders if the book was right after all.

He grabs the book to read his fortune again, then proclaims that he's a mighty Moltres type and he'll lead them all to victory. Stunned at the change in James, Jessie and Meowth can only tag along when he insists that they return to the daycare center to steal the Pokémon.

When they arrive at the center, Meowth suggests that they sneak in the back way, but James insists that sneaking isn't the way of the Moltres type and barges in the front door. TR confronts the old couple and demands they hand over the Pokémon, but the couple are stronger than they look and throw them out! They remove their masks, and the old man and woman are seen to be Butch and Cassidy in disguise.

Jessie, James and Meowth are tied up and locked in a warehouse, but James won't stand for this treatment and breaks them all out.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Pikachu and Ash try to cheer Misty up, she's upset at losing her book. A boy asks her if she has a Poliwhirl, he's a Poliwhirl type and wants to trade his Gyarados. Misty asks how he knows she's a Gyarados type, and he points to Brock who's flirting with Nurse Joy. Misty grabs Brock's ear and drags him away, saying they're going back to the daycare to ask some questions.

There's nobody at the front desk at the daycare, so they go around back to see the elderly couple carrying boxes into a warehouse. When they follow they discover that the warehouse is full of Pokémon in cages! They hide and watch as the couple take off their costumes, revealing themselves to be Butch and Cassidy. They contact the boss, who congratulates them on their fortune-telling book scam and orders them to close the center and bring him the Pokémon.

The three friends confront them, Cassidy recognises them and sends out her Raticate, but Ash's Totodile easily beats it. Butch releases Primeape, Misty counters with Staryu but Staryu gets knocked out by Primape's Dynamic Punch.

Suddenly a crane breaks through the wall of the warehouse! The driver is Jessie, and James is suspended from the end of the cable, dressed in a Moltres costume. He boldly announces that a book he found changed his life and that he'll stop them all. He releases Victreebel, but as it's about to chomp him he kicks it and orders it to obey, much to its surprise.

Cassidy has had enough, and orders Raticate to attack but it is overcome by Victreebel's Stun Spore and Razor Leaf. Jessie and Meowth are shocked at the change in James and how his Victreebel is finally behaving. However, Butch and Cassidy aren't buying it, they tell James that the fortune telling book was all made up. Devastated, James falls to the floor and is consoled by Wobbuffet.

Cassidy tells Jessie that the boss is very displeased that he hasn't received any Pokémon. Embarrassed and angry, Jessie sends Wobbuffet out. Raticate attacks but Wobbuffet uses its Counter ability to stop it. As our three friends run to let the Pokémon free, Meowth tries to get James to get up and fight but he's in a state of shock. Butch has Primeape attack next, Wobbuffet can't counter in time, so it and Jessie get knocked down. Another punch floors James and Meowth, and a Skull Bash from Raticate blasts them off again.

The kids find the keys to the cages but are confronted by B&C. Raticate charges, but Misty's Poliwhirl holds it off with Double Slap. Totodile deals with Primeape. Poliwhirl then sprays them all with Water Gun and Pikachu defeats them with a Thunderbolt. Ash jokes at Misty, saying she's behaving like Gyarados's Dragon Rage, and she gets mad.

B&C are taken to jail. Officer Jenny sees the fake book, comments that the fake wasn't even a good fake, and shows Misty the real fortune telling book. Immediately Misty asks if she can look at it, and Jenny gives it to her. She starts to read it, Brock barges in and asks if it says anything about Onix types. Ash is left holding Pikachu and Togepi and he sighs.

Elsewhere, a sorry-looking Jessie, James and Meowth are walking along a road. Jessie spots the real Fortune Telling book at a shop and grabs it, but James takes it from her before she can read it. Hoping that this book will tell him he's a Moltres type, he looks up his birthday... and screams.

(We never find out what types they really are!)

Written By: Audrey