This episode was good. On their way to Driftveil City, Ash & co. encounter a boy training three Maractus to dance. After seeing them mess up a dance move and go to check to see if their alright, the boy introduces himself as Toby and his Maractus named Marra, Racca, and Tussy, or together known as the Maractus Trio. He tells them he wants to audition for the Nimbasa Pokemon Musical and decides to first practice by entering the town's Performance Competition however is having problems with their grand finale move called "Over the Rainbow". Ash & co. decide to help because their the main protagonists (honestly that's really the best answer you're gonna get on why they decided to offer their help). Will Toby and the Maractus Trio be able to fix their problem with their grand finale? Can Toby and the Maractus Trio win the Performance Competition? How badly does our main protagonists dance? All these questions (yes, even the last one, unfortunately) are more are just a review below:

There's A Difference Between A Dancing Fool And A Fool Dancing:
We start this episode with Ash running down a street yelling "Where is it?" over and over while Iris and Cilan chase behind. They ask Ash what is he looking for and Ash says he's looking for the Driftveil Gym (wow, you're already in Driftveil City? That was quick) though Cilan tells him they're not in Driftveil City yet (nevermind...). Iris calls Ash a kid (what a surprise ) when they hear something from the side and see a boy training three Maractus to dance which Cilan says they're good at and for some reason Iris feels that she needs to say she's the best dancer (I think Dragon Dance only works if your a Pokemon). Opener, title card, and we see Ash & co. watching the three Maractus train (does the boy know you're watching him? Also I guess Ash isn't so excited to get to Driftveil after all) when the boy tells them to do "Over the Rainbow" (... way up high).

Boy: Marra, Racca, Tussy!
Comment: And the winner of the most uncreative Pokemon nicknames goes to... James' Growlithe "Growlie", but this is a close second.

The Maractus start using Round when their names are called which Cilan says points out and the boy tells Marra and Racca to use Petal Dance followed by Pin Missile creating something you would see in a previous season's Pokemon Contest Performance Round. The boy tells Tussy it's its turn to do "Over the Rainbow" (... Skies are blue) which gets it a bit nervous before jumping up and crashing into the other two Maractus causing thme all to fall to the floor.

Ash & co. check to make sure no one got hurt which the boy tells them no one didn't and after Ash says he's glad to hear they're okay the boy thanks them and asks what are their names. Ash & co. introduce themselves and the boy says his name is Toby and he introduces his Maractus, Marra, Racca, and Tussy, calling them the Maractus Trio. Iris asks if they live here and Toby says they don't and are on their way to Nimbasa City which Cilan says they just came from and Toby says he's going there to perform in the Pokemon Musical. Ash remembers the Musical where they got dragged into which Toby is impressed by but before Ash could explain further Cilan starts going on about the Pokemon Musicals being about a "stage of dreams, costumes, music, dancing, curtain calls, and taste for the sense". Toby explains that before they audition for the Nimbasa Musical they're going to enter a Performance Competition going on in this town confusing Ash though Toby points over to a poster. Toby says the competition will help them train for thier audition but they're having problems with their grand finale which Iris asks what that is (did you not hear him shout "Over the Rainbow" (...Bluebirds fly)?). Toby explains the grand finale is Tussy dancing on Marra's and Racca's while using Sunny Day with Marra and Racca using Petal Dance and Pin Missile. Ash asks if they could help with Iris and Cilan also saying they'll help which Toby accepts.

Ash asks where do they start first and Toby says you need a good sense of rhythm to dance so Ash starts to think which Pokemon has a good sense of rhythm and our pops Oshawott. Ash asks Oshawott if it wants to help which Oshawott agrees by hitting its scalchop which Toby says Oshawott is like a drummer and Oshawott starts drumming on its scalchop. Cilan sends out Pansage which Toby hands a tambourine (Rhythm Heaven Fever?) which it plays out a "perky tempo" (Cilan's words, not mine) while jumping and flipping. Iris says Axew is good with rhythm as Axew bangs on a tambourine like it's a drum as Iris starts running around. Ash says he's not such a bad dancer (Ash, being thrown around by Gothitelle doesn't qualify as dancing) as he, Pikachu, and Oshawott clap out a beat and does something which I think the animator's interpreted as dancing. Pansage starts doing the russian dance which Cilan declares it's "Dance Time" and also bends down to do the Russian dance (watch, someone on youtube will loop Cilan and Pansage dancing and put "Moskau" over it).

Toby: This has turned into a dance party.
Comment: Looks more like Ash & co. have gone completely crazy.

After a probable dose of crazy pills, they've lined up Ash & co.'s Pokemon giving Pansage and Pikachu the tambourines, Oshawott a clapper-like instrument, and Axew a pair of maracas and have them start playing which reminds me of Staravia's reaction from DP039 "Steamboat Willies!"

Ash tells them their timing is really off however they keep playing until Axew shakes its maracas too hard one flies from its hand (kind of like a Wiimote) and hits Oshawott cuasing it to get angry and start yelling at Pansage thinking it hit Oshawott. Pikachu calms Oshawott down when the other maraca flies out of Axew's hand and hits Pikachu and Pansage causing them to get angry at Oshawott and they start fighting with Ash and Iris having to separate them which Toby nervously say he'll take over the music (meanwhile Axew is just swinging its arms in the air like it just don't care).

Cilan turns on a boombox as the Maractus Trio start dancing and shaking maracas which Toby tells them to turn left which one turns left, the middle one flips, and the other one turns right yet Toby accepts this despite this not what he said he wanted. Toby tells them to do "Over the Rainbow" (... I ran out of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" lines that come after "over the rainbow"...) which pretty much went as it did before with Tussy messing up. Toby tells Tussy if it can't get its jump right they won't be able to get to Sunny Day which Iris thinks and says she'll handle this and sends out Emolga which Ash asks why he didn't think of Emolga (because it wasn't your Pokemon?) which does a back flip onto Ash's head which Toby says was a good jump. Emolga starts giving Tussy instructions and then back flipping onto Iris's head with Tussy also trying to back flip only to knock Toby down which Emolga jumps down and yells at it which Cilan says though Emolga is cute it's a serious teacher. Emolga tells Tussy a few more things and Tussy starts concentrating before doing a giant leap and successfully landing on the top of Toby's head.

Toby tells Tussy for it now to land on Marra's and Racca's arm which it starts with them on the ground however as soon as Tussy lands on thier arms it looses balance causing them to all fall over. Iris says Tussy also looks to have a landing problem which Toby asks how is he going to get his Maractus in sync and Ash suggests a Pokemon Battle which Iris asks how that'll help but Cilan then suggests a Triple Battle (first mention of it!) explaining you can't win one unless all your Pokemon are in sync (or you have one really powerful Pokemon in the middle use a move which hits all opponents). Ash says that's a great idea and asks if Toby is up for it which he agrees though Iris asks if Ash has ever been in a Triple Battle which Ash proudly proclaims of course he hasn't (though to be fair it's really no different from a Double Battle beside from the placement mechanic).

How Not To Fix Phobias:
"Who's That Pokemon" goes back to having the Pokemon we've been seeing throughout the whole episode be the mysterious Pokemon, and the battle it between Toby's Maractus Trio and Ash's Snivy, Pikachu, and Tepig. Cilan explain the rules of the winner is the one who knocks out all of their opponent's Pokemon and declares the start of the battle with Pikachu using Thunderbolt (on a resistant Grass-type...) though the Maractus Trio jump out of the way anyway. They land and use Round (let's see that's 60 damage then 120 and another 120 for a total 300 damage... in game logic) which hits but Snivy attacks back with Leaf Storm (on a resistant Grass-type...) which the Maractus Trio counter with Pin Missile. Toby says his Maractus Trio are in perfect sync and tells them to keep it up as Tepig uses a Flamethrower (of course, the smartest move is the one which Ash uses last...) though Marra and Racca counter with a Petal Dance and start using Pin Missile which Iris says is how they did it in "Over the Rainbow". Snivy uses Vine Whip to hit back the Pin Missile as Toby reminds Tussy how it learned to jump and it jumps up landing on Marra's and Racca's arms successfully... until it looked down, saw how far up it was, got dizzy, and lost it balance causing them to all fall down (figures, it's acrophobic, though it is a plant). Cilan tells Ash to stop the battle (you'd think Ash would continue attacking after seeing them fail "Over the Rainbow"?) and rush over to make sure the Maractus Trio are alright.

Toby tells them the Maractus Trio are alright and Iris says she doesn't understand what happened as Tussy's jump was perfect. Toby asks if Tussy is afraid of heights which Tussy nods and Toby tells it not to worry as they'll work through it to perfect "Over the Rainbow" (because irrational fears are just so easy to get over like that ) though Tussy doesn't seem so sure about it. Of course no ones notices this as Toby gets excited for the Performance Competition which Ash & co. say they'll be there to cheer him on we get a shot of Tussy still looking unsure.

Toby takes Ash & co. to the outdoor stage they'll be performing and says that the competition if fun for everyone and wishes that an audience as big as this one could form where he's from. Iris asks why is that and we go into a flashback as Toby explains his town is a small coal mining town stuck in the middle of nowhere saying his favorite memory was of a small local Pokemon Musical with one ending with a rainbow overhead. However as the coal mine dried up people began moving away with the Pokemon Musical being the last time everyone was together. While Toby was traveling through a desert he saw the Maractus Trio dancing around and another rainbow overhead thinking that if maybe he could form a Pokemon Musical it'll make everyone come back to town (umm... yeah, no. The reason they moved away was because the coal mine dried up meaning there's no business thus no jobs there). Toby runs up to the Maractus Trio and asks them if they would like to perform a musical saying it'll be fun for them which the Maractus Trio agreed to. We come out of the flashback with Toby saying if they could pass the audition to the Pokemon Musical it'll make the Maractus Trio big stars which Cilan says then he could make his dream come true (no, no he can't, the mine dried up, that's why the town was there, no mine = no town). Iris asks if he came up "Over the Rainbow" because of the two rainbows he saw (I just assumed he liked "The Wizard of Oz" ) which Toby says he did and if they could perfect it they'll pass the audition for sure (so no pressure Tussy, just your trainers ENTIRE *coughhopelesscough* dream is resting on your shoulder to overcome your crippling fear and perform a complicated move ).

Away from the stage they practice "Over the Rainbow" and we'll just cut to Tussy getting onto Marra and Racca's arm though it starts to lose balance.

Toby: Use your willpower to get over your fear!
Comment: IRRATIONAL FEARS DON'T WORK LIKE THAT! Also Azelf was from the last generation.

Surprise, surprise, this didn't work and the Maractus Trio fall down and after making sure they're all right Toby yells out Tussy asking why it just can't do it (yes, because yelling at it will cure it's fear just as well as putting all your hopes and dreams on it to bear). Cilan tells Toby to calm down and Iris says he doesn't have to get upset though Toby says he does.

Toby: The future of my town depends on the Maractus Trio!
Comment: ... Why don't you just tie weights on their arms and "foot" while bearing more pressure on them.

Toby tells Tussy to concentrate and Tussy starts to cry and runs away into the forest (so Toby where is that "fun" you promised them for joining you to make a Musical?). Ash tells Toby they should follow Tussy and Ash & co. (+ Toby) starts running after Tussy.

In the forest Ash & co. (+ Toby) call out for Tussy however they hear that the Performance Competition is about to start and Toby says they should go to the stage in case Tussy went there. Ash asks what Toby will do and he says he'll keep looking which Ash says he'll need help and says he'll stay with him which Iris says she and Cilan will go back to the stage. At the stage we see a boy use a Elgyem to make a Bouffalant fly (too bad it wasn't a Tepig, Pignite, or Emboar) taking a quick look at the outer circle to see Iris and Cilan looking for Tussy though have found nothing and keep looking. Back to Ash and Toby, Toby manages to spot Tussy however Tussy hears him and starts hopping away though isn't watching where it's going and runs into a Scolipede. Toby runs in front of Tussy telling it to run as the Scolipede attacks but Tussy jumps over and grabs onto Scolipede's face causing it to flail around trying to throw it off. Pikachu uses Electro Ball on Scolipede's feet and Toby tells Tussy to jump which it does just as the Electro Ball hits Scolipede and Toby watches as it flips through the air until Marra and Racca jump up catch it finally completing the last step to the "Over the Rainbow" (we know this because they have a golden glow around them). Toby is amazed they did it and Ash tells him to start running which he does apologizing to Scolipede for disturbing it. Somewhere else in the forest Toby congratulates Tussy saying it ignored its fear and made a perfect jump (not going to thank it for saving your life?) and they'll now be able to complete "Over the Rainbow". Toby finally realizes he was being a jerk and apologizes to Tussy saying it was doing its best and he shouldn't have gotten angry at it and says "let's do this!" as he and the Maractus Trio put their hands together.

The Competition Must Go On:
Back to the competition a girl hits a tower of Zen Mode Darmanitan with a giant folding mallet who turn back to "Standard Mode" after being hit as we get a quick shot of Iris and Cilan waiting for Ash and Toby to get back as the competition is about to end.
The announcer asks if anyone else would like to perform and Iris says they need to stall for time and says they should do their dance (oh sweet Arceus no, this is going to be another Takeshi's Paradise...). Iris gets on the stage and starts dancing as Axew bangs the tambourine (what, no Cilan and Pansage Russian dance?) and thankfully it's mercifully short as Ash and Toby show up and Iris says that concludes her dance (the cheering is because she's getting off the stage).

Toby tells the announcer him and his Maractus would like to perform and the announcer introduce Toby who then introduces everyone to the Maractus Trio. Cilan starts the boombox and the Maractus Trio start dancing and shaking their maracas though it's finally time for "Over the Rainbow" and everything goes as planned with Marra and Racca. Tussy takes a quick look over to Toby who encourages it and so Tussy jumps up and perfectly lands on Marra's and Racca's arm and uses Sunny Day which creates a rainbow and finishes the dance with the crowd loudly cheering. Toby runs over to the Maractus Trio and tells them they were perfect as they leap on him for a group hug (it's a good think those cactus Pokemon don't have pins on their body). It's time to announce the winner (what's Iris doing up there? Unless they're giving an award for worst performance she was just performing as a means to buy time) and the winners is... IRIS? No, no, just joking, it's Toby and the Maractus Trio.

Time skip to noon and Ash & co. (+ Toby) are where they initially met Toby and Ash asks if Toby is now heading to Nimbasa City which he says he is. Iris and Cilan wish him luck and Toby says that if they pass the auditions and the Maractus Trio become stars he'll start a Pokemon Musical group of his own and bring life back to his home town (if you wanted to bring back the people to your town maybe you should have gotten some Excadrill to look for a new coal vein...). Ash & co. say they'll be there to see his show (oh Ash and your empty promises, you'd think by now he would have stopped making them (then again he probably forgot he made promises which instantly proves my point)) and Toby says they'll be waiting for them (might as well, as I said a Musical isn't going to get people to come back to a dried up coal mine town...). The Maractus Trio then points to over to the right and we see that they're pointing at a rainbow which has appeared overhead in the sky and the narrator finishes up this episode.