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Ash Ketchum continues to work toward his goal of becoming a champion Pokémon trainer as he challenges a trio of synchronized swimmers in "Cerulean City"; A.J., a stern trainer, in "League"; and the conceited champion of a posh prep school in "Hard Knocks." Assisted by Misty and his friend Brock, Ash also overcomes the inept villains of Team Rocket and learns lessons about modesty, honesty, and sportsmanship. Although Ash initially feels that A.J. drives his Pokémon too hard in "League," he discovers how deeply he cares for them when Team Rocket tries to kidnap Sandshrew, his favorite. In "Hard Knocks," Ash defends a smaller boy from bullying upper classmen, and shows the snobbish students that training Pokémon isn't an academic exercise, but a way of life based on friendship and mutual affection. Viewers not caught up in the Pokémon craze may find the idea of fighting high-tech duels with these cute little animals incongruous. But millions of kids in America and Japan embraced it, and they've given the Pokémon a higher profile than such earlier product-characters as My Little Pony, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Herself the Elf. --Charles Solomon
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