Pokéball Run

Episode One

Disclaimer
I don’t own Digimon, Pokémon, Evangelion, Tenchi Muyo, Nadesico, Ranma ˝, Fushigi Yuugi, or Battle Athletes. Tom Wallace, Manny Edwards, and Mike Storch are mine, and hypocritical as it sounds, please don’t use them without my permission.

(A small studio in an undisclosed location. It looks like a small news room. Tom Wallace is sitting behind the desk, with a screen to his left with the "Pokéball Run" logo on it.)
Tom: Greetings and welcome to the first ever Pokéball Run. Based on the popular cross-country road race, Pokéball Run is a race from New York to Los Angeles that will feature six teams consisting of popular characters from Pokémon and Digimon. Of course, the braniacs who thought this cheap knockoff up kinda overlooked a small detail… namely the fact that none of the characters know how to drive.

(Tom sighs, then continues)
Tom: But fortunately, we found a solution. Pair each of the six teams with a specialized driver from six other animes. Each of those six will be considered the third member of the team, and will help burn some rubber. But we’ll get into them later. Right now- let’s meet our six teams, who are waiting at Grand Central Terminal for the game to begin.

(Grand Central Station, New York City. Shot of Mimi and Yolei, walking through the station. Mimi is showing Yolei around. Both are absolutely giddy.)
Tom: (VO) The first team is The Angels, consisting of Digimon’s Mimi and Yolei.

(Shot of Mimi and Yolei in an interview session. Speech in italics indicates an interview with the camera. Caption: "The Angels: Mimi and Yolei")
Mimi: I personally can’t say that we’re going all-out to win this one. We’re definitely going to have fun though!

Yolei: Oh, yeah, a cross-country road trip with Mimi? It’s just so exciting. There’s so much we can talk about on the trip, we’ll never get bored!!

(Ash and Davis are walking through the station. Both look very confident.)
Tom: (VO) The only mixed team we have are the Impulsive Idiots, featuring digi-destined leader Davis and Pokémon trainer Ash.

(Ash and Davis are being interviewed. Caption: "Impulsive Idiots: Ash and Davis")
Davis: You know, a lot of people might think we don’t have the brains to go all the way to L.A. but we’ve both accomplished so much that you can’t deny the fact that we have a really good shot.

Ash: Yeah, if we work hard, we can fly past anybody that says we can’t do it. Davis- we are headin’ North!

Davis: Uh… I don’t think L.A.’s to the North.

Ash: It isn’t?

Davis: Na… I think it’s to the East.

(Izzy and Rika are admiring the station. Izzy’s in a good mood. Rika looks serious.)
Tom: (VO) Next up are the Brains, digi-smarties Izzy and Rika.

(Izzy and Rika are being interviewed. Caption: "Brains: Izzy and Rika")
Izzy: When I found out that my teammate would be somebody from the third season, I must say I was a little worried. But once I got to know Rika a little better, I was really impressed with her skills.

Rika: We both have the brains to take us where we need to go. I’ve got a good competitive sense and street smarts, Izzy’s the bookworm. We’re a deadly combination. We got the brains, we got the love, we got the strength, we got the power-

Rika/Izzy: Let’s get it up!

(Brock and Gary are walking through the station. Gary is talking while Brock nods in understanding.)
Tom: (VO) Pokémon’s Brock and Gary are determined to make an impact as "Just Us Guys."

(Interview session with Brock and Gary. Caption: "Just Us Guys: Brock and Gary")
Gary: For somebody as great as I am, this should be a piece of cake. And with Brock as my teammate, this one is in the bag! He’s a great trainer, and brings a lot to the table.

Brock: I must admit I have a lot of respect for Gary. He knows what he’s doing when it comes to almost everything. Also… I heard that our driver is a girl. I can’t wait to meet her!

(In the station, Kari stops and takes TK’s picture in front of one of the ticket counters.)
Tom: (VO) The appropriately named Hope & Light team consists of digi-destineds TK and Kari.

(TK and Kari are being interviewed. Caption: "Hope and Light: TK and Kari")
TK: If it’s a race they want, then it’s a race we’re going to give them!

Kari: You bet. I know this is going to be a lot of fun. A good, fair race between friends!

TK: Yeah, let’s hope we don’t have to worry about playing dirty and stuff.

(Back in the station, Team Rocket- Jessie and James, are walking through, looking annoyed.)
Tom: (VO) Our final team is Double J, and consists of the bumbling bad guys from Pokémon- Jessie and James.

(Jessie and James are being interviewed. Caption: "Double J: Jessie and James")
Jessie: I don’t get it. We’ve driven extremely-complicated mecha before and they can’t trust us enough to let us drive a stupid little car across the country? Why do we need a driver?

James: I don’t know… maybe because every time we drive the extremely-complicated mecha, it always ends up getting completely destroyed in one way or another.

Jessie: Oh… I suppose.


(Back to Tom in the studio.)
Tom: There are a few rules these six teams will need to follow. First off, the six cars are identical in make and model. Therefore, they are all equally likely to break down, thus ensuring fairness. Each team also will get a small amount of money to use for tolls, repairs, gas, and if need be- towing. Each day, they will drive from the starting location to a specific checkpoint, although there will be various challenges along the way. Once at the checkpoint, they will clock in and will be provided with food and lodging for the night. No team may break the law along the way; any police citations will result in an automatic disqualification. Also, no team may tamper with another team’s car, although other methods of sabotage are legal… and encouraged. Except for those restrictions, it’s anything goes!

(Back at the station, the six teams are gathered around co-host Manny Edwards.)
Manny: Greetings teams. You twelve will be competing in an automobile race from here to Los Angeles. In order to do this, you need two things. One is a car. The other, a driver. Each team has a car waiting for you in an undisclosed location. Each team also has a driver waiting for you in an undisclosed location. In order to begin… can anybody guess what you need to do? Yes… Ash?

Ash: Get to Los Angeles!

(Manny shakes his head.)
Manny: Great… okay… anybody with half a brain? Gary?

Gary: Find the undisclosed locations. Man, you’re a bonehead Ash!

Davis: Hey, don’t be ribbing my teammate!

Manny: Okay, okay… they’ll be plenty of time for this later. First off, Gary is right… find the undisclosed locations. I am going to be handing you each a colored key. That key will open a box of the same color somewhere on one of the train platforms. Inside will be directions on where to go to find your car and your driver. There will also be a key inside… but we aren’t saying whether it gets you to the car or the driver.

(Manny hands each team a key. Mimi gets a pink key. Izzy gets a brown key. TK gets a yellow key. Ash gets a red key. Brock’s is purple and Jessie’s is blue. Manny holds up an air horn.)
Manny: When I blow this air horn, a lot of people are going to look at me like I’m some sort of nut. But it’s also the cue for you to take off for the platforms. Ready…

(Shot of the twelve, eagerly awaiting to take off.)
Manny: Set…

(Another shot of the twelve. Manny blasts the horn and they all make a frenzied dash for the platforms. Davis takes an early lead, with Yolei, TK, Kari, Gary, and, well, everybody else, on his tail. Davis is the first to reach his box. He tries to get it open… then remembers that Ash has the key. By the time Ash gets there, TK, Kari, Yolei, and Mimi are at their boxes. Shot of Mimi as she opens hers. Inside is a sheet of paper, and a key.)
Mimi: Okay… it says that both the drivers and cars are behind doors…

(Shot of Brock, reading his slip.)
Brock: The cars are at 344 West 45th Street and the drivers…

(Shot of James)
James: The drivers are at 327 West 47th Street.

(Shot of Kari, reading.)
Kari: But it says "which one do you go to first?"

TK: Hmm…

(Shot of Davis and Ash. Davis stands up.)
Davis: Well how about you go to the driver place and I go to the car place? That way, we can cut our time in half. Come back to the car when you find the driver.

Ash: Who should get this key?

Davis: Uh… I don’t know.

(Shot of Rika and Izzy, running out, with the directions. Izzy’s looking at the key.)
Izzy: This is obviously a house key. It probably opens the door that leads to wherever our driver is.

Rika: If they give us this, it’s probably a trap. Let’s go to the car first.

Izzy: Right.

(TK and Kari are also running out.)
Kari: Let’s try the driver place first.

TK: Okay, sure.

(Shot of Brock and Gary, trying to find their way.)
Manny: (VO) While the Brains, the Angels, and Just Us Guys head for their cars, Hope & Light goes for the driver while Impulsive Idiots head both ways. We’ll see if the Idiots are really living up to their trademark, or whether their strategy pays off. But what about Team Rocket?

(Jessie and James are waiting on the platform.)
Jessie: Well, where is he?

James: Jessie, is this legal?

(Jessie looks oddly at James. He quickly retracts.)
James: Good point.

(Instead of a train, Meowth arrives in the happy-smiling Meowth balloon.)
Meowth: Hey guys, where we headed?

Jessie: We have to get our car and our driver. Let’s get our car first, I’m sure we can start it ourselves and drive to the driver.

James: We don’t need any snot-nosed punks giving us a ride.

(Jessie and James hop on and they head off.)
Meowth: So what do ya want me doin’ while you’re racin’?

Jessie: Oh, I don’t know. Just be on stand-by. We’ll call if we need anything.

(Shot of Ash, trying to find his way towards the Driver location. He sees the balloon and is quite confused.)
Manny: (VO) Is it legal? Not really, they are supposed to find their way on foot. But considering how often Team Rocket’s schemes succeed, we’ll just let them ride it out and we’ll see what happens.

(The balloon is poked by a streetlamp and deflates rapidly, sending Jessie and James on a wild ride.)

(A large parking lot. Co-host Mike Storch is waiting for the group.)
Mike: As it turns out, the clue was slightly misleading. The cars are not behind one door… each car is actually behind three separate electronic garage doors.

(He points to a row of six garage doors, which two more rows behind them. Each of the doors is painted corresponding to one team’s color- pink, brown, yellow, red, purple, or blue.)
Mike: Once the players get here, I’ll explain what they have to do.

(As he says this, Mimi, Yolei, Izzy, and Rika arrive at around the same time.)
Mike: Okay, there are three rows of garage doors. Behind the doors corresponding to your team color is your car, and an important clue on how to find your driver.

(Mike goes over to a board, with eighteen garage door openers in three groups of six.)
Mike: Each of these openers opens one door. They are all in groups corresponding to one of the three rows. You’ll have to go try the openers on your door until you successfully get it open. Do that with all three rows, and then you can go find your driver.

(The four nod and go at it.)

(Cut to a shot of Brock and Gary, seemingly lost. They are standing in front of a Chinese restaurant.)
Gary: Well, this is 344, but I don’t see any cars.

Brock: Yeah… that’s strange. We’re on the right street. Hold on…

(He goes up to somebody.)
Brock: Hey, is this 344 West 45th Street?

Passer-By: Uh… this is East 45th Street. You gotta go all the way down that-a-way to get to West 45th.

Brock: Oh… thanks.

(Brock turns to Gary, who is apparently eating some Chinese take-out ordered from the restaurant. Brock looks at Gary oddly.)
Gary: What, I got hungry. What’s the story?

Brock: This is East 45th.

Gary: Aw, jeez.

(Both turn around and start running back.)
Brock: My fault.

Gary: Darn right it is… man, this is good, want some of this?

Brock: Next stoplight!

(At the parking lot, Mimi has gotten the first pink door open. Rika tries an opener on one door, unsuccessfully. She then looks at Mimi, and runs down the line of doors, pressing the opener twice in rapid succession as she passes each door. The red one opens for just a crack and stops. Rika looks at it, satisfied. She starts back, when Izzy stops her, having just gotten the first brown door opened.)
Izzy: What was that?

(Rika looks down the street and sees Davis approaching.)
Rika: You’ll see.

(Ash is looking at street numbers and walks into 327. It’s a tall office building. He walks in and sees TK and Kari at the lobby, talking to a receptionist.)
Ash: Hey, what’s going on?

(TK and Kari nod at the receptionist, and run to the elevators. Ash goes up to the receptionist.)
Ash: Do you know where I can find a driver?

Receptionist: Oh, I don’t know what’s going on here with this game, but from what I’ve heard, you’re supposed to search the second through fourth floors for your driver.

Ash: Okay, thanks.

(Ash runs towards the elevators. He sees TK and Kari in one, with the door closing.)
Ash: Hey, hold the door!

(Kari smiles and holds the door open so Ash can get on.)
Ash: Thanks a lot.

Kari: No problem!

TK: So far, this is pretty interesting.

Ash: Yeah. I can’t wait to see who we end up with.

Kari: Why are we going to the fourth floor?

TK: I figure they probably want us to start on the bottom and put them at the top.

(The elevator dings, the door opens, and Ash steps out.)
Ash: Okay, let’s find our drivers!

(Ash is staring down a long, empty hall, with about twenty doors on each side.)
Ash: Oh boy…

(Pan around, the elevator is closing. TK and Kari are still on it.)
TK: Let’s um… find the car first.

Kari: Yeah.

(The elevator leaves.)
Ash: Quitters.

(Ash pulls out the key and tries the first door to his left.)
Ash: Nope…

(Ash moves on to the next one.)
Ash: Nope…

Kari: When we saw how many doors there were, we knew instantly that we were supposed to go to the car first.

TK: We’re guessing there’s some sort of hint there about which door’s ours.

(Back in the parking garage, Rika successfully opens the second door at the same time Yolei does. Davis starts to try to open his door. The first opener he uses is the correct one, but because of what Rika did to it, it actually shuts the door. Davis doesn’t notice and goes to try a different one. Meanwhile, Brock and Gary arrive just as Izzy gets the third door to open. They see their brown car, a 1969 Pontiac model. On the hood of the car is a large sign reading "Room 319")
Izzy: Prodigious! And that must be the room our driver’s in at the other location.

Rika: Okay, good. Did you save the door openers we had?

Izzy: Yeah. I think I see why now. We don’t want the other teams shutting our doors and making us start over.

Rika: We already sabotaged Davis, we don’t want them to get back at us.

Izzy: Right. I’ll throw them under the car so nobody can get to them.

(Izzy does so, and Izzy and Rika take off just as TK and Kari arrive. As Mike explains what they are to do, Mimi and Yolei open the door to their car. They see the room number is 204, and head out. They, however, leave their openers behind. Davis walks up to Mike.)
Davis: Hey… I tried all of them and none of them work.

Mike: Well, one does, so try them again goggle boy.

(Davis goes back to work. The first opener he tries opens the door. Of course, by this time, Brock and Gary have gotten to their car and see their room- 410)
Brock: All right! Let’s go!

Gary: Hold on… the girls left their pagers here. Let’s shut their doors and make them start over!

Brock: I don’t know…

Gary: What, you’re not one of those guys that always likes to play fair, are you?

Brock: Well no… it’s just that those two girls are really cute. I want to stay on their good sides… you know, in case any of them are lookin’ for love.

(Gary’s a bit annoyed.)
Gary: Sorry to rain in Brocky, but we gotta get ahead of them somehow.

Brock: Oh, alright. We can always lie and say Davis did it.

Gary: Yeah, you go to the other spot and find the driver while I work on this. You know the room?

Brock: Yep… 410.

(Meanwhile, outside of room 410, Ash unsuccessfully tries opening the door with his key. He thinks he hears some rustling inside but ignores it and moves to the next one.)

(At the lobby, Izzy and Rika run quickly through and wait for an elevator, with Yolei and Mimi right on their tails. Izzy and Rika board an elevator, and Rika quickly dives for the "close door" button. Unfortunately for her, Yolei and Mimi still make it in time and hit the button for the second floor.)
Izzy: So… ladies… having fun so far?

Yolei: You bet!

Mimi: This is the greatest!

(Rika shakes her head, a bit disappointed. The elevator hits floor two and the Angels exit quickly. They rush out and head towards room 204, and open it quickly.)
Yolei: Hello? We’re here!

(The Angels’ driver walks into view. He’s a bit short, with black hair, and looks a bit uncertain.)
Shinji: Oh, um. Hi. Nice to meet you. My name’s Shinji.

(Shinji is in an interview setting. Caption: "The Angels- Shinji- Evangelion")
Shinji: My name is Shinji, and I am an Eva pilot for NERV. I’m usually pretty quiet, and don’t like to be very confrontational. But I can get along with people when I need to. Well, usually at least.

(Yolei and Shinji shake hands politely while Mimi looks at her watch.)
Mimi: Well, let’s head back and head off. I think we’re in first!

(They head off. Interview shot of Mimi and Yolei.)
Mimi: I’m not sure what to make of Shinji. He seems to be pretty reserved, and very quiet.

Yolei: He looks nice enough, but doesn’t really seem comfortable with himself. Unless he turns out to be something completely different, this could be a long trip!

(Izzy and Rika reach their room and open the door.)
Rika: Hello?

(A loud crash is heard from further inside the room. Izzy and Rika walk in to investigate. They see their driver, a tall, blond woman with dark skin, tangled in a mess of wires with a cameraman.)
Izzy: You, uh… need help with that?

Mihoshi: No, I got it… I think… yeah, hold on… wait, no… could you help me here?

(Interview session with Mihoshi. Caption: "Brains & Blondes- Mihoshi- Tenchi Muyo")
Mihoshi: I am Detective First Class Mihoshi of the Galaxy Police reporting for duty! Oh, sure my partner Kiyone might think I’m something of a klutz, but I am sure we can win this game if we um… work really hard.

(Interview with Izzy and Rika. Izzy is obviously at a loss for words.)
Izzy: Uh… our driver is, um… well she’s…

Rika: She’s a freaking moron.

Izzy: I’d hate to say it, but she may be a slight disadvantage to the team.

(Meanwhile, as Gary shuts the Angels’ doors, TK and Kari run out, knowing their room number. Meanwhile, Davis opens his third door and sees his car and his room number- 419.)
Davis: Oh… now what?

(On the fourth floor, Ash is at Room 419. He successfully opens the door.)
Ash: All right!!

(Inside is a young girl of about eleven. She has light-blue hair, pale skin, and a very serious look.)
Ash: Uh… you’re a driver?

Ruri: You’re a teammate? This could be a long trip. Where’s the car?

Ash: Davis is there. It’s at… it’s at… um… uh oh.

(Ruri looks up at Ash, then starts walking out.)
Ruri: Idiot.


(Interview session with Ruri. Caption: "Impulsive Idiots- Ruri- Nadesico")
Ruri: I’m Ruri, a navigator aboard the battleship Nadesico. Quite frankly, I’ve dealt with a lot of idiots in my short life and I’m not a big fan of them. I can only hope that my teammates aren’t stupid. But then again, I’ve never been on the lucky side.

(Davis and Gary are waiting at the lot. The Angel’s doors are shut.)
Davis: Oh jeez… should I go over there or not? He doesn’t know which room to check.

Gary: You sent Ash over there and he doesn’t know which room to check? You’re such a loser!!

Davis: Hey, someone’s coming!

(It’s Mimi, Yolei, and Shinji returning. Gary sneaks away quietly as they arrive to see their doors shut.)
Yolei: What happened here?

Mimi: Who shut our doors?

(Mimi looks over at Davis, and turns pissed.)
Mimi: Davis Motomiya!!

Davis: I swear it, it wasn’t me! It was Gary… he…

Yolei: I don’t see Gary anywhere. How could he do it?

Shinji: Um, ladies? Shouldn’t we open the doors?

(Mimi and Yolei turn to Shinji, annoyed.)
Mimi/Yolei: You do it. We have a goggle boy to kill.

(Mimi and Yolei advance on Davis, when they are interrupted by Jessie and James, finally entering the picture. They look pretty beat up.)
James: Oh boy… that wasn’t fun. For some strange reason, we should have just walked here.

Jessie: Well James, you always wanted to be on Broadway, your dream came true.

James: Yeah, but I wanted to be in a musical, not face down on the sidewalk!

(Jessie and James head towards the door openers, pushing Shinji aside.)
Jessie: Move it, twerp.

(Brock is on the fourth floor and opens the door to find a girl of sixteen, with dark-blue hair. Brock immediately takes her hand.)
Brock: Alas, after toiling for hours, I have finally scaled the tower to meet my fair princess.

(Akane grabs a book on a nearby desk and slams Brock in the head with it. She drags him out the door.)
Akane: (angry) Let’s go, Romeo!!

(Akane is in an interview. Caption: "Just Us Guys- Akane- Ranma ˝")
Akane: My name’s Akane, a high school student and a training martial artist. I work pretty well with just about anybody, and as long as they aren’t a couple of stuck-up perverts we should do fine!

(Izzy, Rika, and Mihoshi have gotten back to the parking lot, as the Angels and Double J are trying to get their doors open. Izzy and Rika pile in their car while Mihoshi gets in the driver’s seat.)
Izzy: All right, we’re still in first. Step on it Mihoshi!

Mihoshi: Okay, hold on… don’t rush me. Let’s see, check the mirrors, put on the seat belt, adjust the seat… or was I supposed to adjust the seat before checking the mirrors?

(Izzy and Rika slump back in their seats.)
Rika: Thank God we’re still in first.

(Mihoshi successfully starts the car.)
Mihoshi: Okay! Here we go!

(The car slowly pulls out of the parking lot.)
Mike: (VO) And finally, one team is on the road. Now joined by Mihoshi, Izzy and Rika of "Brains & Blondes" are the first out of the gate.

Jessie: Of course I was a little concerned when I saw that we were just starting to open our doors and those twerps in the brown car already had their driver and were leaving. That’s time we’ll have to make up for down the road.

James: Don’t worry though… we will.

(TK and Kari have reached their room.)
Kari: It’s a good thing we did go back.

TK: Yeah, it was on the second floor after all.

(TK and Kari smile at each other, and open the door to the room. Inside, they are greeted by a tall and intimidating blond with a sinister smile on his face.)
Nakago: Hello… team.

(Nakago gives a quiet evil chuckle. Interview shot of him. Caption: "Hope & Plight- Nakago- Fushigi Yuugi")
Nakago: My name is Nakago, shogun for the country of Kutou and one of the Seiryuu Seishi. A lot of people say I’m evil, and that I’ll go to any lengths to get what I want. Of course, I can’t really say much to dispel that notion. So I’m evil, do you have a problem with that?

(Mimi, Yolei, and Shinji finally get the third door opened and get in the car just as Brock and Akane arrive. They are joined immediately by Gary. Shinji takes off, while Yolei puts her face up to the window and sticks her tongue out at the boys.)
Shinji: Um, Yolei? Was that necessary?

Mimi: Oh, come on, Shinji, we’re just having fun with them.

Shinji: Ah. Right.

(Gary, Brock, and Akane get in the car and take off.)
Mike: (VO) Despite Gary’s sabotage attempt, The Angels are still second to leave, but they are followed immediately by Just Us Guys.

(Ash and Ruri are wondering the streets of Manhattan, trying to find the parking lot.)
Ash: I think they said it was 45th Street… but where is it?

Ruri: 45th Street is this way…

(Ruri turns around. Ash follows.)

(Jessie and James have their third door opened and head off to find their driver in Room 308. Meanwhile, TK, Kari and Nakago are going in the other direction, and reach their car. Davis is still waiting for Ash.)
Davis: That’s it, I’m going after him! Kari! What was the address the drivers were at?

Kari: Oh, it was…

Nakago: Don’t tell him… he’s the enemy.

(Nakago, Kari, and TK get into the car. From Nakago’s view, Davis is waiting to cross the street as he pulls out.)
Nakago: (dark) Would either of you two mind if I…

TK/Kari: Don’t even think about it!

TK: We’re usually pretty open-minded people, and weren’t really concerned about who our partner would be. But I gotta say… we’re scared to death of this guy!

Kari: He’s a very dangerous person that seems to have a lot of issues. We’re going to see if he’s got a dark spore in him. If not… things could get ugly.

(The yellow car pulls out onto the road.)
Mike: (VO) And Hope & Plight gets off to a fourth place start while Jessie and James are just discovering who their driver is.

(Jessie and James are entering the room. Inside is a teenaged blond girl, with a very determined look… almost angry.)
Jessie G: Christ, it took you long enough.

Jessie: Well sorry lady, we ran into some problems.

Jessie G: Whatever, let’s get going.

(Jessie G walks out ahead of Jessie and James. Interview shot of Jessie G. Caption "Triple J- Jessie G.- Battle Athletes")
Jessie G: I am Jessie Gurtland, an athlete competing to become the next Cosmo Beauty. I consider myself to be something of a winner, and I do not tolerate people who don’t strive to be the best. I demand it in my teammates, I demand it in my opponents, and I can’t stand it when either of the two don’t give their all.

(Davis is walking down the street, not quite sure where to go.)
Davis: Hmm… I knew I should have looked at the address before I left.

(Davis happens to look across the street and sees Ash and Ruri.)
Davis: Hey… there he is.

(Davis cups his hands to his mouth.)
Davis: HEY! ASH!

(It gets his attention, as well as the attention of everyone else on the block. Ash waves back. Davis hussles across the street, dodging traffic along the way. He and Ash greet, they start hugging immediately.)
Davis: Alright, I found you!

Ash: Yeah! I found the driver, we’re all ready to go!

Ruri: (apathetic) Shall we then?

Ash: Davis, this is Ruri, she’s our driver.

Davis: Hey there Ruri! You sure you can handle the awesome car we get to drive?

(Ruri walks away.)
Ruri: Idiot.

Ash: You know the way there.

Davis: Right- let’s go!

Ash: I don’t know what they had in mind when putting me and Davis with Ruri. I like Ruri. She sounds really smart, and can really help the team out. I don’t know why they consider it a mismatch.

(Ruri, Ash, and Davis pull out of the garage as James and the two Jessies reach their car.)
Mike: (VO) The Impulsive Idiots, despite a strange strategy, manage to pull out in fifth, while Triple J brings up the rear.

(Back to Tom, in the studio.)
Tom: And at long last, all the teams are on the road. Brains & Blondes, with Izzy, Rika, and Mihoshi, got off to a good start and are in the lead, followed by The Angels- Mimi, Yolei, and Shinji, as well as Just Us Guys- Brock, Gary, and Akane. Hope & Plight- TK, Kari, and Nakago are in fourth. Behind them are the Impulsive Idiots- Ash, Davis, and Ruri, with Triple J- James, Jessie, and Jessie Gurtland bringing up the rear.

(The screen switches to a map of the Eastern U.S. A line is connected from New York City to a spot in Western Virginia.)
Tom: And so begins the first leg of the race. The teams will head from New York to Virginia on the first day, and from Virginia to Georgia on the second. Along the way, we’ll be sure to see more sabotage attempts, and some interesting twists thrown in the way of the players. We’ll conclude the first leg on the next episode of Pokéball Run. So until then, happy trails!

End Episode One

Next Time-
* Although each car is the same design, some just aren’t very lucky. While some have a smooth ride, some face an early breakdown.
* Not only do the teams have to share a car- they have to share a bedroom too. This don’t bode good for contestants like Akane and Kari.
* After falling victim to sabotage already, how can Mimi and Yolei get even?