Pokemon Company
Airdate: December 30th, 2000
Summary: This hour-long tv special starts with Mewtwo reviewing the key events from the first Pokémon movie (see “Movies” section for that review). Mewtwo acknowledges after this review that Giovanni has been looking for him ever since that movie ended. One of Giovanni‘s henchman alerts him that they found Mewtwo hanging out in the Johto region. Mewtwo reveals that he is living far away from man so that him and his clone Pokemon live in secret and in peace. So of course, our three heroes happen upon the very same place Mewtwo is now, they are bound to clash at some point. They arrive in Purity Canyon and read that there is a bus that goes once a month to the canyon, meanwhile Team Rocket has a similar idea. They miss the bus as it rambles up the steep hill to the Canyon but is lifted by Mewtwo in to the air and diverted away from where Mewtwo and his clones live. With the help from a new friend, Luna, our heroes sip some tasty water and kayak into the canyon. Misty’s fear of bugs ruins their water route, so Brock suggests they climb up Mt. Keina, pan to Mewtwo who has more existential ramblings in his holster. We go back to the cabin, where an overzealous girl named Domino (the henchman from the first scene), and a Pokemon researcher explain they want to join the expedition. Cue a Team Rocket obligatory Pikachu caper doomed to fail. Aaaaaaand now Ash has a reason to go up, he needs his buddy back from those three villains. Domino is pretty agile and cunning for a seemingly ditzy girl… I wonder if she will reveal another side to her. There it is, Domino has eyes on Mewtwo, and Mewtwo has eyes on our hero as they sail over the mountain into the canyon. Domino calls Team Rocket reinforcements, and reveals she is the Black Tulip 009, an operative within the Pokemon Institute, before she sends our heroes flying, with Team Rocket and Pikachu going right to the clones.
Pikachu meets its clone who blames Ash’s Pikachu for bringing humans to their sacred space. Mewtwo tells his Pikachu to stop fighting, and Team Rocket feels like they remember Mewtwo even though he wiped their memory after the first movie. Pikachu bemoans that him and the other clones can’t explore the world and have to stay hidden. These clones have a serious identity crisis, it’s a bit tired after 100+ minutes of the same question, do clones belong in a human world? Is it the circumstances of one’s birth, or what one does with life, that matters most? Back to our heroes who, with the help of Chikorita and Bulbasaur fashioned a canoe to get across the water to Pikachu, they make it and realize how clean the water is and how healthy the Pokemon are who live there due to the isolation of the Canyon. Meanwhile, Jessie and James are locked up while Meowth and Pikachu help the clones defend against Giovanni’s forces, who start an all out assault at sunup, catching the clones one by one. Mewtwo frees the Pokemon with his psychic power. He has a chat with Giovanni who reveals a powerful catching mechanism that create a forcefield around Mewtwo who destroys it.
Domino leads a squad to capture our heroes and many Pokemon on the island as to bait Mewtwo into the center of the canyon and capture him with better technology. Mewtwo takes the bait after Giovanni challenges his honor in protecting his friends, and he holds Mewtwo in an artificial strength-sapping energy ball. Domino locks all the Pokemon and our heroes in a cage as Giovanni status construction of a base. However, he gets stressed by Mewtwo’s power of will, his plan isn’t working. Suddenly, a whole horde of Bug Pokemon arrive to attack Team Rocket and their base construction they just started in the canyon. They attack Domino and the device holding Mewtwo, who uses every ounce of energy in his body to break from the device. Our heroes try to take a bruised and battered Mewtwo into the water, but not before battling Giovanni. Mewtwo is sinking into the spring and has another existential crisis (his fifth or sixth at this point), and finally admits he has a new lease on life and will defend the canyon against Team Rocket. Mewtwo blasts off with his Pokemon, Jessie/James/Meowth, and our heroes as he explains he moved the spring to inside the mountain away from sight of the humans. Mewtwo threatens to wipe their memories again, but everyone convinces Mewtwo that if they forget the past they are doomed to repeat it. Our heroes and Mewtwo depart as friends, Mewtwo flying through the air with his clone Pokemon to live as one with the rest of the world.
Best Trainer/Pokémon: Mewtwo, I won’t miss his constant philosophy lessons around the same exact issue, or his angst, but I appreciate his love for all the clone Pokemon.
Worst Trainer/Pokémon: Giovanni, he is utterly helpless when it comes to succeeding versus our heroes, he has a lot of Jessie/James/Meowth without the touch of humanity.
One thing I learned: Mewtwo is just wondering around the world at any moment.
Best Quote: “Maybe we are on some kind of secret mission” -Domino
Best Scene: When Mewtwo and all of his Pokemon fly off into the sunset to live with other Pokemon.
Will Reviews Things 