Funny / Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Hoenn League

• The first episode of the saga, "Get The Show On The Road".
  • When May doesn't know how to command the starter Mudkip, Professor Birch says to tell it to use Water Gun. She does, and it uses Water Gun...directly at her face.
  • Once again, Ash and Pikachu end up accidentally destroying another girl's bike. At least May shrugged it off much more quickly than Misty did.
  • Professor Birch getting chased by a Poochyena.
• The Advance Generation episode Berry, Berry Interesting: there's never a serious moment here. Best part is the moral: never allow May to make food for the Pokémon.
  • Before this May's first try at Pokéblocks in Pokéblock, Stock, and Berry didn't turn out so well. May's Bulbasaur and Skitty shows signs of disgust while Combusken lying face-down on the ground. Although, Beautifly seems to liked them...
    • In this episode however...just a taste of "May's Purple Surprise" manages to KO all their Pokémon (with the exception of Snorunt). Not even Tobias and his team of legendaries flattened Ash's team so quickly.
    • Made even funnier because Ash's Grovyle says the "vile" portion of his name after eating one of the Pokéblocks.
    • In fact, Grovyle's reaction to May's Purple Surprise mimics the ending of Tomorrow's Joe, complete with a boxing bell in the background!
    • Pikachu's reaction to it was similarly golden. Ikue Otani's voice work is what really drives it home.
      "Pika... Pika... Piiiiiccchh! *falls over rigidly*"
  • Jessie seemed to like them, too...
  • From the same episode, Wobbuffet playing...ninja (well, close enough, anyway).
  • Also from the same episode: Munchlax being caught with a Pokeball...inside its mouth.
  • How everyone criticizes May's Purple Surprise.
    Brock: That's a very strange flavor.
    Max: I think calling it a flavor at all is going too far.
    James: There is a hint of how you say, jet fuel and an after taste of burning truck tires and for some reason, I can't seem to quite swallow it. It is my conclusion that these pokéblocks should be destroyed before anyone eats any of it by mistake.
  • While May is making Pokéblock, Ash runs outside to perfect Snorunt's Ice Beam. Pikachu tries following Ash but crashes into the Pokemon Center's doors as soon as they close. The doors open and Pikachu rolls out.
  • Another funny thing is the reaction of a person taking a bite out of a Tamato Berry; having swollen red lips from the spiciness of the berry and a speech impediment. It first happened to Ash before he got his lips back to normal thanks to Snorunt's ice beam.
    • James' reaction to the Tamato Berry was even funnier.
      James: Oh, it burns!! MY LIPS!!!!
• Love, Petalburg Style is a mix of this, Heartwarming Moment and a bit of a Moment of Awesome. It seems that throughout the episode, May and Max's dad Norman is having an affair with Nurse Joy and when everyone tries to call him out on it, he's clueless the entire time until they point it out.
• "A Poached Ego": As much as an emotional tearjerker the ending was, it had a few funny moments, particularly involving Cacnea. In the scene where they meet, Team Rocket is running from a swarm of Beedrill when Cacnea hops out from behind a bush into their path, leading to this funny line:
  Jessie: (To Cacnea) Out of the way, you little pincushion!
  James: We're about to become one ourselves!
  Meowth: So SCRAM!
• "A Tail with a Twist": Jessie catching Seviper without using a single Pokémon...and succeeding!
  • For those not wanting to click the link (or if the link no longer links to anything), Seviper eats a rice ball (actually called as much in the dub) Jessie wanted and then bites her hair on accident. Seviper (who all episode has been fearless) quickly realizes it did something really, really bad and displays a flawless Oh, Crap!! face, while James and Meowth hug each other in the background, terrified. Eventually, they have to step in to stop Jessie beating it up more after it is KO'd to tell her to catch it. Jessie immediately snaps out of her anger, and Seviper just slides down in the background behind Jessie, mouth open.
    James: Poor Seviper!
    Meowth: It knows not what it's done!
    (Jessie leaps on the terrified Seviper, screaming in rage, and scratches its face)
    Meowth: She used Fury Swipes attack!
    James: Emphasis on Fury!
    (Jessie kicks Seviper from above)
    James: Her unstoppable Megaton Kick!
    Meowth: And highly effective!
    Seviper: *is KO'd*
  • The best part about this sequence is while Jessie is laying the smack-down on Seviper is the Hoenn Legendary Battle Theme is playing in the background during it, which makes it so much more funny as it's suggesting Jessie at that moment is on par with a legendary Pokémon.
  • In fact, Meowth grew concerned that Jessie may not be interested in merely catching Seviper anymore.
    Meowth: Easy on the merchandise! Just catch it!
    Jessie: [her fury quickly replaced by sheepishness] Oh, right. Pokè Ball, go! (tosses Poke Ball at Seviper and catches him)
• In "The Princess and the Togepi" May and Max are impressed by Misty pulling Brock's ear after they've been having so much stress with Brock's flirtness themselves.
  May: Wow! I'm impressed.
  Max: That girl's got style.
• During one of Team Rocket's thefts at a clinic (in the AG episode Delcatty Got Your Tongue?), they dress up as Swiss hikers (ridiculous accent included), with Meowth practically mummified in bandages:
  Jessie: Our precious Meowth was hurt in a bizarre yodeling accident...
• Jessie's first contest in All Things Bright and Beautifly.
  Jessie: Do this right Seviper, now go use Sacred Fire! [Seviper does nothing.]
  Meowth: Uh oh...
  James: I'm not sure Seviper knows how to use that attack...
  Jessie: Well, come on! Use Sacred Fire! What are you waiting for?
  • It gets even more hilarious from there. Upon realizing that Seviper can't, in fact, use Ho-Oh's signature move, she immediately tries to get Seviper to use Water Pulse, Blaze Kick, Dragon Claw, Psywave, Luster Purge, and so on. Seviper's embarrassed reactions get more and more ridiculous, ending in a *sweatdrop flood*. Finally, Meowth recommends a Poison Tail attack, which Seviper actually does...only to use it on Jessie, launching her through the roof and out of the contest arena.
• The way Corphish defeats Katie's Golduck in the Hoenn League is this and possibly its Moment of Awesome — managing to listen to Ash while confused, it swims up behind Golduck and successfully sucker punches it. Golduck retaliates and Corphish...cheerfully shakes its hand. Then uses Vice Grip to shake it harder, spin it over its head, and throw it to the other side of the battlefield to set up for the finishing BubbleBeam. That's right — Corphish defeated an opponent by being itself.
• In There’s No Place Like Hoenn, May's Torchic is kidnapped by Team Rocket in their latest scheme to capture Pikachu. Ash, Pikachu, May, Norman, Caroline and Max find Team Rocket's balloon and May and Max run to the their balloon, despite Ash's warning not to.
  Ash: Not so fast, be careful — !
  * May and Max fall into the classic pitfall trap*
  Ash: ...There could be a trap.
  * Norman and Caroline start rushing ahead to help them*
  Norman: I'm coming!
  Caroline: Me too!
  Ash: But there might be-!
  * Norman and Caroline fall into another pitfall trap*
  Ash (facepalm): ...Another trap.
  • From the same episode, whenever Max forgot Ash's name, calling him "Alf".
    • Not to mention he keeps bringing up the fact that Ash lost in the second round and Ash points out it was the Victory Tournament.
    • Probably a case of Off-Model, but see the look on Ash's face a few minutes later when Torchic attacks Max. He looks like he's relishing sweet revenge...
  • Simply the fact that Ash is actually savvy about Team Rocket's pitfall traps is hilarious in-and-of-itself! The idea of Ash and his friends have actually used TR's own methods against them is a sporadic, but effective, recurring joke as well..
  • When Team Rocket attacks Petalburg Gym, Pikachu tries electrocuting Team Rocket but accidentally hits Max instead.
  • There's also the fact that Torchic attacks Max 4 times. The first 2 times are for Max saying Treecko was cooler while Norman and Caroline don't show any concern for Max. Then when they're fighting Team Rocket again, May tells Torchic to use "Amber" and Max tells her the attack is called "Ember" which Torchic uses on Max. Then May tells Torchic to use Peck and Torchic starts pecking Max.
    • Look closely where Torchic was Pecking Max...
  • When Team Rocket escapes Petalburg Gym after stealing May's Torchic, Max examines the ground with a magnifying glass to see which way Team Rocket went. May points out that looking at the ground won't do any good since Team Rocket used a hot air balloon.
• True Blue Swablu!:
  • The group try to help a injured Swablu regain its confidence to fly back by saying that May's Beautifly uses a "magic powder" that grants those coated in it the power of flight. After Swablu "tries" it and starts flying again, Ash and Pikachu attempt the same thing:
    Ash: Wow, that magic powder is great! OK Pikachu, we're up next!
    Pikachu: Pi-Pika!
    * May, Brock and Max look at them in disbelief*
    Max: The magic powder's fake, Ash...
    Ash: No way, it looked like it was totally real...
    Max: Totally real, all purpose FLOUR!
    Pikachu *blushing slightly*: Pi!? Piiikachu...
  • When Team Rocket steal the Swablu, May tells it to use Sing on them. Before they all fall asleep, James tells Cacnea to use Pin Missile. It falls asleep and into the balloon basket - then unleashes the attack, resulting on Jessie and James getting their asses spiked, and Meowth and Wobbuffet having their heads needled. Needless to say, this wakes them all up, and when James tries to get Cacnea to stop, he finds that it's using the attack WHILST asleep and thus can't make it stop. Not until it damages the balloon, anyway.
  • The start of the episode has Ash and the group once again lost for the umpteenth time:
    May: We're getting pretty good at being lost!
    Max: So why don't we just turn around and retrace our steps?
    Brock: Then we'll be lost going backwards!
  • And one more from this episode is Torchic's method of waking up the group after Swablu puts Ash and friends to sleep. We see it from a first person perspective pecking them, all the while with a happy look across its face.
• In the episode Which Wurmple's Which? when the gang is fishing, Max turns into a Butt-Monkey: first, the Octillery caught by May uses Constrict on his head. May tries using Wurmple's String Shot only for Octillery to move out of the way and Max to end up covered in bug silk. And to top it off, Octillery uses a Headbutt on him before returning to the water. And then Ash reels in a Corphish (who may or may not be the one he captures in a later episode) who immediately goes use Vicegrip on Max's butt.
• A scene near the beginning of the episode What You Seed is What You Get! has Team Rocket trying to steal some watermelons from a field. Jessie notices what looks like a giant watermelon rolling towards them - only for them to find out that it's a disguised Electrode which proceeds to send them flying.
  Meowth: "TALK ABOUT YOUR FORBIDDEN FRUITTTTTTT!"
  • The girl who works at that watermelon farm assumes Ash and his friends are watermelon thieves. She (and in full seriousness) lashes out at him by chomping down on a big piece of watermelon and then spitting a stream of seeds right in his face. Ash is more irritated than anything.
  • The end of the episode, Ash and Pikachu trying to cheer Treecko up. When it ignores them, they decide to spit watermelon seeds at it. The end result of this is a ticked-off Treecko perfecting Bullet Seed - with Ash and Pikachu as its targets!
  • When the melons Team Rocket stole are flying through the air, everyone scrambles around trying to catch them. Ash catches two of them and one lands on his head without hurting him or breaking.
• Clamperl of Wisdom
  • Team Rocket's attempts to open a Clamperl Shell. Followed by a classic image of chibi-Giovanni stubbing his toe on the shell.
  • When Spoink accidentally loses its pearl when it falls into the sea, Torkoal cries buckets before immediately jumping into the sea to retrieve said pearl... apparently forgetting that: 1) it's fire type, and 2) it's made of rock and can't swim. Ash has to fetch it out soon after.
• All of the Giovanni fantasies that Meowth comes up with to convince Jessie and James why capturing each episode's featured Pokémon is a good idea. Just...everything about them. The often ludicrous content of them (especially the ones with chibi!Giovanni), the fact that they exist at all, the fact that Jessie and James almost always find them convincing somehow...
  • The Psyduck one gets special mention. Deciding to aim a little lower this time, Meowth makes up ludicrous situations for which the boss would find Psyduck useful (they all basically amount to him looking at it's dopey face and being thankful he's not it). Jessie and James point out the holes in all of them, until Meowth makes one final especially contrived excuse...which they suddenly find the logic in.
• From The Bicker the Better, James sings a song, composed of one word, over and over and over: "Ugly Ugly Ugly~!"
  • Not to mention the insanity that was Ash/James vs. May/Jessie later in the episode. Meanwhile, Brock's the Combat Commentator, Wobbuffet imitates his every move.
    • Too bad we didn't get any Ash/James or May/Jessie mottos...
• Claydol, Big and Tall: the gang and Team Rocket dress up in different costumes to distract the giant Claydol, and the Claydol fell in love with...Wobbuffet in a MAID COSTUME!!
  • Immediately after this, an old man who was helping everyone reads them a story about another giant Claydol being stopped by a maiden who happens to look just like Wobbuffet. Cue this exchange...
    Jessie: I'm started to have my doubts about this...
    May: (deadpan) The text, or the guy reading?
• Harley and Jessie's contest in A Hurdle for Squirtle!. Harley uses his signature Ariados, while Jessie uses Wobbuffet. With Harley smart enough to not try to attack Wobbuffet, due to Counter and Mirror Coat, and Wobbuffet not being able to attack at all, we have both of them getting yellow cards and then the contest turning into an insult match. And then Ariados and Harley end up dancing while twirling around Wobbuffet with String Shot. "A one-y and a two-y and a buck-o my shoe!"
  • Earlier in the same episode, Jessie goes up with Cacnea in the appeals round. What does she do? Run toward Cacnea and hug it (very, very painfully), then use its Pin Missile to create a firework shower. After the judges give their reviews, the Contest emcee starts to announce the next appeal, only to stop when she realizes Jessie hasn't left the stage. She pokes her, and Jessie falls over, completely paralyzed.
    Nurse Joy: Chansey, I think we're gonna need the stretcher for this one.
• Gone Corphishin': Ash, Pikachu and Brock are proudly boasting that they have "experience" in falling into Team Rocket's pitfalls. May and Max quickly point out that that's not something to brag about. Cue all three going into a Corner of Woe!
  The shame.
  • Later, Team Rocket fall into the gang's trap, and when discovered they recite their motto. May and Max (again) point out that they're literally not in the right place to recite their motto. What's Team Rocket to do? Go to the same Corner of Woe, that's what!
    The shame.
• Once in a Mawile: Ash's Corphish goes Dogged Nice Guy and starts wooing the episode's featured Mawile; it has to be seen to be believed. Then he faces utter rejection, and Brock, fittingly, sympathizes with him, and gives him a Rousing Speech of some sort. Then they both start crying, and Torkoal just randomly joined in for no reason!
  • Later in the episode, Team Rocket captures Brock's Lombre instead of Mawile, and Meowth has a hard time imagining what kind of use their Boss would have with him. Fellow idiot Wobbuffet comes out, and he and Lombre "bond" through a ''comedy routine''.
  • Bulbapedia's description of the Lombre boss fantasy is pretty good for a giggle.
    ''Waking up to see its loamy face in the morning...or maybe walking out to the pool to see its...no.
    Maybe a staring contest?
• The beginning of Exploud and Clear has May ask Ash which Pokémon he's going to use for his upcoming gym battle. Ash says that, whichever he chooses, his Pokémon are awesome. We then get to see just how "awesome" they are for the moment...
• In Off The Unbeaten Path, Jessie and Meowth are sent blasting off with their traditional cry. James meanwhile, off trying to win a contest fairly, overhears them, leading to this remark.
  James: I thought I just heard someone say 'We're blasting off again' but we copyrighted that!
• Maxxed Out: Skitty + Jessie's hair = EVERYONE laughs at her!
  • A few minutes later she's thrown into the water and emerges as some kind of horrifying lake zombie. The Thing from Psycho Lagoon!
    Meowth: Look away. Maybe she won't notice us.
• While trying to master Aerial Ace in Lilycove City, Swellow ends up falling down and gets its beak stuck in the ground. In the next episode, Swellow misses due to not paying attention and when it finally succeeds, it accidentally hits Team Rocket, causing them to blast off.
• During the Lilycove Contest, Jessie has Chimecho use Heal Bell, soothing the audience, but finds it boring and has Chimecho use Astonish, much to everyone's dismay, and even affects Ash, Pikachu, and Swellow who are outside. Of special note, it somehow affects Meowth and Swellow despite normal types being immune to ghost attacks.
  • In the same contest, Meowth's deadpan facial expression at James' horrified reactions during Chimecho's battle against May's Combusken.
  May: Use Fire Spin!
  James: She's using fire?!
• In Having a Wailord of a Time, Ash, Max, and Pikachu are supposed to be taking care of a Treecko, Mudkip, and Torchic. The Torchic attacks all the other Pokémon, runs away, and evolves into Combusken. Max suggests that they switch the Combusken with May's Torchic and imagine the result.
  Fantasy Max: Congratulations, May! Your Torchic evolved into Combusken!
  Fantasy May: Who are you kidding?! Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?! What have you two done with my Torchic?!
  Ash: That plan...
  Max: You're right, she'll see right through that one.
  • They still use May's Torchic in place of the Combusken and try persuading the new trainer to pick Treecko or Mudkip instead.
    Stephanie: (points to Torchic) I choose this one.
    Ash: FORGET IT!
    Stephanie: Huh?
    Ash: Uh... You see... What I mean is... Torchic is probably the worst Pokémon that a trainer would ever want to start off with. They're trouble, they're noisy, they don't learn well, they run away, and they smell like something you left in the fridge too long!
    Brock: Uh, Ash, are you feeling alright?
• Ash getting a little bit too friendly with Old Man Swamp, to his friends' dismay and the old guy's annoyance.
  Old Man Swamp: Why just call me "Swampy", or "Old Man Swamp"!
  Ash: Old Man Swamp. Been in these parts a long time, have you, Swampy? Old Man Swamp.
  Old Man Swamp: Hey kid, you don't know me that well.
• In Who's Flying Now?, Ash is busy looking for Winona at a festival. Brock gets distracted by the idea of beautiful girls. Ash pulls his ear.
• When Ash forgets to pack lunch in You Never Can Taillow, Pikachu searches Ash's backpack and pulls out a carton of Pokémon food and opens it up only to discover it's empty. Pikachu has a hilarious heroic blue screen of death and starts shaking the container up and down with tears in its eyes (oddly with a smile on his face), turns swirly-eyed (like it was KO'd in a battle), falls over, and looks like he's about to cry.
• Love at First Flight: Brock's "girl-radar" fails and he starts going after... Ash in his second crossdressing stint.
• Take This House And Shuppet! opens this way:
  Narrator: (shot of the universe and then of the planet the show takes place on) Ah, the broad expanse of the universe. So infinite in its reach, so impressive in its magnitude. An imposing force... This, of course, has nothing to do with Team Rocket, as their attempt to capture Pikachu is thwarted yet again! Join us as we’re serenaded by an all too familiar refrain!
  Team Rocket: (as they go flying towards the screen and then back down to the planet) AAAAAAH! WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!

Battle Frontier

• The Right Place and the Right Mime: How heavy a sleeper is Ash's Snorlax? He manages to sleep through a stampede of fifteen Tauros.
• Sweet Baby James: Nanny and Pop Pop guess Jessie is James's fiancée. He has an Imagine Spot where he is acting like a housewife, and Jessie is bossing him around. For a moment, he looks ready to take his chances with Jessebelle.
• Another contender for Mood Whiplash. How do we find out Ash's Grovyle is in love? A flower randomly popped up in his twig! Not to mention how he acted around her!
• Wheel Of Frontier: it's Narm Charm, since it managed to be both Funny and Awesome, but Snorlax snags a win for Ash...by literally flattening Greta's Medicham!
• "The Ole' Berate and Switch" features (yet another) Team Rocket split, with the added twist that they come across one of Cassidy and Paunch's plans. Before the episode is over, they've temporarily managed to switch pairings. Complete with mottos.
  Jessie: Prepare for trouble, we've shuffled the deck!
  Butch: It's not my thing, but what the heck?
  Jessie: An evil as old as the galaxy!
  Butch: I'm doing this all from memory!
  Jessie: To denounce the evils of truth and love!
  Butch: To extend my arm with a big white glove!
  Jessie: (looks angrily at Butch) Jessie...
  Butch: (realising how stupid his previous line sounded) Ah, Butch...
  Jessie: CUT! (kicks Butch in the face) Do it right, or don't do it at all!
  
  Cassidy: Prepare for trouble, it's a brand new day!
  James: We're making it double anyway!
  Mime Jr.: Mime mime, mime mime mime!
  Cassidy: Let's see if I can remember my lines! An evil as old as the galaxy!
  James: Sent here to fulfill our destiny!
  Cassidy: To denounce the goodness of truth and love!
  James: To extend our reach to the stars above!
  Cassidy: Whenever there's a piece of pie in the universe!
  James: Of pie!?
  Cassidy: (stopping the motto) Aaah...I goofed it, so what!?
  James: (despairingly) Forget it...
  • Immediately after the latter motto, it's pointed out that James isn't Butch. James takes offense at this.

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