Episode Guide

Episode 1: Pokemon, I choose You *Thanx to the pokemasters! when Ash gets up late, all the starting pokemon are gone exept one, pikachu. While traveling, the two anger a flock of spearow. the spearow chase them to a cliff,where they jump.they land in a river, and get reeled in by Misty, a girl that was fishing. Ash steals her bike, and zoom away from the spearows, but they catch up. They ride off another cliff, and pikachu is thrown from the bike. Almost when the spearows get Ash, pikachu jumps up and zaps them all. Pikachu is weakened by the shock, and close to dying. Ash sees a weird bird, but pokedex can't identify it. The two then arrive at viridian city. Episode Two:Pokemon Emergency When Ash arrives in viridian city, Officer Jenny gives Ash a ride to the pokemon center. There, pikachu is taken to the er. Ash calls his mother, then prof. Oak calls. Meanwhile, team rocket, a pair of pokemon theives along with their english-speaking pokemon meowth, ambush the pokemon center. Misty finds Ash at the center and harasses him for destroying her bike. Team rocket breaks in and try to steal the pokemon. Suddenly dozens of pikachu come in and destroy team rocket as well as the pokemon center. As Ash and Misty head into the viridian forest, Ash spots a caterpie and throws a poke ball at it. Episode Three: Ash catches a pokemon Ash catches the caterpie he threw the pokeball at.Misty despises it, and the two are constantly fighting. When Misty sees caterpie next to her in the morning, she screams. Ash sees a pidgeotto, and fights it, and catches it. Team rocket comes in, and Ash fights them off. After the fight, caterpie evolves into metapod. Episode Three: Challenge of the Samurai Still in viridian forest, Ash tries to catch a weedle, but misses. He blames it on a samurai, who distracted him. They end up disturbing some kakuna, which evolve. Ash and the samurai battle it out with their metapods, but a beedrill grabs it and flies away. The next morning, Ash tries to get metapod. Team rocket sees him and chase him to the tree where metapod is. Metapod evolves and puts the beedrills, and team rocket, to sleep. Ash, Misty and the samurai say their goodbyes as they continue on their travels. Episode #5: Showdown In Pewter City As our show begins, Team Rocket is up to their old tricks again laying a trap for our hero (and heroine). They decide to dig a hole to catch Ash of guard and capture Pikachu. The only problem is that they covered the hole so well that they forgot where they put it. They find the hole...the hard way. Meanwhile, Ash finally finds his way out of the Viridian Forest and into Pewter City. Upon entering Pewter City, Ash meets a very mysterious man who calls himself Flint. After trying to sell Ash and Misty rocks as souveniers, Flint takes Ash to the local Pokémon Center. Upon entering the Pokécenter, Ash is surprised to see Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy explains that the Nurse Joy in Viridian City is her little sister (confused?). Nurse Joy then points out a poster to Ash, changing his life forever. The poster promotes the Pokémon League Championships. Ash, wanting to become a Pokémon Master, decides that this is the way to go. The only problem is that he has to win badges from 8 gym trainers to be eligible for the championships. Flint shows up and taunts Ash for thinking he can defeat the Pewter City gym leader Brock. After an uneasy meal (and an expensive one at that), Ash decides to try his luck against Brock. Upon entering the Pewter City gym, Ash meets up with Brock. Brock, sensing Ash's inexperience, informs him of the official tournament rules. Both he and Ash must choose 2 Pokémon with which to do battle. Ash starts with Pikachu and Brock chooses Onix. Needless to say, Pikachu is scared stiff by this giant Pokémon. Brock has Onix use Tackle on Pikachu, but Pikachu narrowly dodges him. However, Brock quickly has Onix follow up with his Bind attack. Ash has Pikachu use Thundershock, but to no effect (duh, an electric attack on a rock/ground Pokémon...come on Ash). Ash tries to call Pikachu back, but can't get around Onix who is still using Bind on Pikachu. Ash decides to surrender rather than have Pikachu seriously injured, losing the fight. On his way out of the gym, though, he runs into Flint who asks Ash to follow him. At Flint's house, Ash can't get over how good Brock was. Flint agrees, saying that Brock's talent could take him much further than local gym leader. Flint shows Ash why Brock can't move on to bigger things, and what he sees surprises him. Brock is taking care of 10 little brothers and sisters at home since his father left to become a Pokémon trainer and his mother passed away. Ash asks Flint to stop with the story, or else he won't be able to beat Brock. Flint admires Ash's persistence and tells Ash that there might be a way to super-charge Pikachu... Flint takes Ash to a hydro-electric plant, telling Ash that if he hooks Pikachu up to it, there's a chance he could give Pikachu a power-boost. The only problem is the river's dry, leaving the plant unpowered. The only solution is to have Ash power it himself by running on the wheel which usually powers the plant. Misty shows up and asks Ash if he needs some help. Ash turns her offer down, telling her that he wants to earn the badge all by himself. All of the energy is overwhelming to Pikachu at first, but finally he reaches the point where he can control and rechannel his new power. Ash is now ready to challenge Brock a second time. Brock is cocky from the last fight and decides to start with Geodude. Ash sends out Pidgeotto who uses his Gust attack. The only problem is flying-type Pokémon are weak against rock-types (nice going Ash). Misty is silently cheering Ash on from the rafters, but she is soon crowded by Brock's brothers and sisters. Ash recalls Pidgeotto and sends out his new and improved Pikachu. Pikachu takes care of Geodude with a powerful electric attack, shocking Brock and even Misty. Brock sends Onix out, once again scaring Pikachu. Pikachu unleashes another electric attack, but the attack is unfocused. It does heavy damage to the gym but barely harms Onix. Onix uses Bind on Pikachu again, but Pikachu uses his new attack Thunderbolt. The attack starts to work, but Pikachu can't sustain it while being binded by Onix. When it looks like Onix is about to faint Pikachu, however, Brock calls Onix off. He explains that he doesn't really want to hurt Pikachu and so asks Ash to surrender the match again. It looks like Ash is about to accept when all of the sudden, the gym sprinklers start up from a fire caused by Pikachu's earlier unfocused attack. The water severly weakens Onix and Ash uses this to his advantage. He has Pikachu attack Onix one more time with an electric attack. The electric attack is very effective thanks to the water, and Onix faints. Right when Ash is ready to finish Onix off, his concience gets the better of him (as well as Brock's brothers and sisters). He calls Pikachu off, remembering when Brock called Onix off, and he leaves the gym. Brock tries to stop him, but Ash tells him that it was just a fluke that the sprinklers went off, and that he wanted to win fair and square. On his way out of Pewter City, Ash is stopped by Brock who gives Ash a Boulder Badge. Brock explains that Ash earned it by being so kind to Pokémon. Brock doesn't really want to be a Pokémon trainer, he wants to be a Pokémon breeder. The only thing holding him back are his duties at home. Suddenly, Flint arrives telling Brock to go follow his dreams (he's actually Brock's dad!). Flint didn't come back to his family because he failed as a Pokémon trainer and couldn't face them. Brock has a few things to tell his father after so many years (all of them quite entertaining). In the end, Brock decides to follow Ash on his journey. Misty...well she won't leave until she gets a new bike, so Ash takes off with Brock to try and lose Misty. And what of Team Rocket? Well they finally get out of the hole, only to be ran over by Ash and company...and fall back into the hole. Oh well, better luck next time Team Rocket... Clefairy and the Moon Stone Our friends are journey to Mt. Moon where they encounter a flock of Zubats attacking a man. Ash has Pikachu thundershock the Zubats and the extremely greatful man introduces himself as Seymour the Scientist. He explains that the Pokémon who live in the caves have been confused by lights that someone has strewn all through their homes. This is why the Zubats attacked him and several other Pokémon have become ill. As they all enter the cave entrance, Seymour continues. He explains that Mt. Moon is rumored to contain the Moon Stone, a large rock that makes a Pokémon power more powerful. Seymour beleives that this stone is in reality, a rocket that brought all Pokémon to Earth. It is his hunch that the people who strung the lights up are looking for this rock. Unsurprisingly to us, Team Rocket shows up. They are indeed searching for the Moon Stone and are irked at the fact that Ash and his friends are there. They quickly challenge him, sending out Koffing and Ekans. Ash retaliates with his Butterfree and Brock sends out a newly acquired Zubat. Zubat confuses Team Rocket's Pokémon with Supersonic, and Ash blows them all away with his Butterfree's Whirlwind. Unfortunatly, Meowth manages to escape the gust and runs after a Clefairy holding a piece of the Moon Stone that happened to bounce by. Misty and Seymour give chase and, upon catching up with Meowth, give him a sound beating. When Ash and Brock arrive on the scene, they all follow the Clefairy to another cave and go inside. There they see a huge Moon Stone with many smaller Moon Stones around it. Clefairy places his (or her?) Moon Stone into the only open spot and all the stones start to glow. Suddenly, several other Clefairy appear and they all start jumping around the Moon Stone. After a minute or two of charades, Ash and his friends discover that the Clefairy are praying and the watch in awe. Unfortunatly, Team Rocket shows up again. Our heroes had unknowingly led them right to the Moon Stone. Seymour attacks but is beaten up by Meowth. James's Koffing fills the cavern with smoke and Team Rocket somehow escapes with the huge Moon Stone. Ash, Misty, and Brock use Onix to follow them while Seymour regains his senses. After doing so, he reminds the Clefairy that the Moon Stone is sacred to them and tells them to get it back. They find Team Rocket and the Metronome attack they use triggers a huge explosion, getting rid of Team Rocket, but also breaking the Moon Stone into little pieces. These pieces fall back to the earth, some of which landing on the Clefairy, evolving them into Cefable. They all return to the cave and continue their ceremony. After Seymour decides to stay at Mt. Moon and study the Clefairy, Ash and his friends continue down the path only to find an etching on a sign pointing the way to Cerulean City. It is from Gary and reads: "Gary was Here! Ash is a Loser!" Ash is enraged, rushing down the trail with his friends rushing to keep up... The Water Flowers of Cerulean City The episode opens in a dark room full of machinery. A vent grating opens and out crawl Jesse, James, and Meowth. They jump into the room and look around, stopping at a large machine. They smile. The next day, Ash, Misty, and Brock are still walking towards Cerulean City. Brock and Ash are eager to get there, but Misty doesn't share their feelings and makes it known that she doesn't want to go. Unfortunately for her, Ash is set on challenging the city's Gym Leader and won't change his mind. Once they arrive, Brock notices that Misty isn't following them anymore. Ash isn't exactly torn up about this. As they walk, they notice a very large crowd gathered in front of a store. Interested, they ask as to why everyone is here and find out that it was robbed of a large vacuum and a huge hose, nothing more. Suddenly, Officer Jenny appears asking why they're so interested in the situation. Ash is surprised to see her here as he thought he'd seen her in Viridian City. She explains that the Veridian City Jenny is her Sister-in-law and announces her suspicion of the two. After Ash and Brock clear the matter with Dexter and one of Brock's badges, Brock tries to ask her to dinner. He is, needless to say, turned down and he goes off on his own while Ash searches alone for the gym. He finds the gym and enters only to find a synchronized swimming performance going on. He is greatly confused until he meets the three girls who were doing the show a little later. They explain that they are the Gym leaders and are the World-famous Sensational Sisters. Ash is eager to fight but the sisters decline, saying that they don't feel like fighting because they had just been beaten three times in a row by Ash's rivals from Pallet Town. All they have left is a wimpy Goldeen. They are about to just give Ash the Cascade Badge when Misty shows up. She introduces herself as the "Fourth Sensational Sister," but her sisters begin teasing her, saying that they thought she had left and wasn't coming back until she was a Pokémon Master. When she replies that she's only here because Ash was here, they comment on her choice of a boyfriend making Ash fall over Anime style and Misty enraged. She challenges Ash to a match for the Cascade Badge. Ash tries to send out Pikachu, but he refuses to fight. He sends out Butterfree instead to fight Misty's Staryu. The fight goes on for a couple minutes with Misty's sisters looking on with interest, and Butterfree is defeated. Ash then sends out Pidgeotto and Misty sends out Starmie. Pidgeotto is about to defeat Starmie when Team Rocket makes a not-so dramatic entrance by crashing through a wall. They were the ones who had stolen the vacuum and hose and were planning on sucking up all the water in the pool to steal the Pokémon swimming in it. They manage in sucking up the Sensational Sisters' Seel and Pikachu is swept into the water. It occurs to Ash that water conducts electricity, so he has Pikachu use a Thunderbolt attack, thus electrocuting Team Rocket. They fall into the pool, get sucked up by the vacuum, and are spit out the other end. Ash shuts off the vacuum just in time to save Pikachu (Seel was outside). Misty's sisters thank Ash for ridding them of Team Rocket and give him the Cascade Badge as a reward. Misty is upset since he didn't really win the match, but her sisters explain that if he had used Pikachu, Misty wouldn't of stood a chance. They wish them both luck on their journey, and, after meeting up with Brock again, Ash and Misty head off toward Vermilion City. The Path to the Pokémon League Ash and his friends are traveling towards Vermilion City, making frequent stops so that Ash can battle other trainers me meets. One trainer, impressed by Ash's 10 straight wins and two badges, suggest that he challenge AJ, a very good trainer who lives nearby, and even built his own gym, although it is not sanctioned by the Pokémon League. Ash decides to do so. When Ash, Misty, and Brock get to AJ's gym, they see a sign over the entrance proclaiming the gym as undefeated with 98 wins. AJ shows up with a backpack full of wild Pokémon he just caught. When they go in, AJ gives them to a Butterfree and Ash challenges him to a battle. AJ has no badges and says that once he reaches his 100th win, he'll start. This gives Ash the idea that he is better than AJ (since he has two). AJ, however makes fun of Ash, saying that the leaders of those two gyms must have been pretty pathetic, thus angering Brock and Misty. Ash and AJ start to fight, but unfortunately for Ash, AJ defeats him in seconds flat with his Sandshrew for his 99th win. Ash is shattered and, not accepting the defeat, starts to whine that AJ somehow rigged the match. AJ is annoyed and goes inside the large tent, telling him to grow up. Our heroes are about to leave when they hear a whip cracking and AJ yelling at his Sandshrew from inside the tent. They rush inside and Ash attacks AJ, sending both of them into a pool. Emerging, AJ instructs Sandshrew to get back into the water. Ash says that ground Pokémon are weakened by water, but Sandshrew jumps out and spins dry, not weakened a bit. Ash then notices that the Sandshrew, as well as all the other Pokémon in the tent are wearing some sort of straitjacket type thing. AJ explains that they are "strength intensifiers" and help his Pokémon become stronger. Ash feels AJ is treating them too harshly, and appeals to Brock for support. Unfortunately for him, Brock takes interest in what AJ feeds them. Meanwhile, outside, Jessie, James, and Meowth have seen Ash go in and plan to try to steal Pikachu again. They try out a new motto, but James frowns, saying it just doesn't feel right. They plan to hide themselves in a large rubber ball and sneak in, nab Pikachu, and escape with it before Ash realizes what happened. As Ash and AJ talk, Pikachu tries on one of the strength intensifiers, but is overwhelmed and rolls up into a ball. Sandshrew snickers and rolls up into a ball next to Pikachu. Team Rocket rolls in and sneaks up on two. In the darkness inside the ball, they accidentally take Sandshrew instead. Soon enough, Ash and AJ notice Pikachu's predicament and AJ frees him. Then, AJ realizes that Sandshrew is missing. Ash meanly suggests that Sandshrew ran away after seeing how much better Ash treated Pikachu. He offers the other Pokémon a spot on his team but is quickly turned down. In the meantime, James is struggling with his bundle. It seems that the Pikachu is heavier than it looks. He is about to hand the bag over to Jessie when Sandshrew pops out, knocking both Jessie and James out. Sandshrew then burrows into the ground, bringing Meowth along. Back at AJ's gym, Sandshrew pops out through the floorboards, with Meowth dragging behind. AJ and Sandshrew are extremely happy to see each other and they share a warm embrace. Ash starts to rethink his feelings about AJ when Pikachu alerts him of Meowth's presence. Meowth is scared until Jessie and James show up to get him back. They halfheartedly apologize to AJ, but insult him by calling his Sandshrew weak and he challenges them to a battle. After easily defeating Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth with Sandshrew's Fissure attack, AJ gets his 100th straight win. He begins to pack up for his journey, and Ash offers to let him join his group. AJ declines, saying that he has his own path to follow, and Ash, Misty, and Brock resume their trek to Vermilion. The School of Hard Knocks Ash, Misty, and Brock are still making their way towards Vermilion City. Ash and Misty are bickering about when Ash will pay her back for her bike. Brock, annoyed with their constant fighting, suggests that they all stop for a rest and offers to make crepes. He asks for someone to go gather some firewood, and that someone ends up being Ash. He starts to search in the fog for sticks, and comes across several kids huddled together. Ash comes closer and sees that one of the kids is running on a treadmill and the other, older kids are drilling him on facts on Pidgey's evolutionary levels. Ash feels that sorry for the younger kid on the treadmill, so he chases the rest away. After Brock and Misty show up, the boy, whose name is Joe, explains what was going on. He explains that he goes to Pokémon Tech, a school for Pokémon trainers. He says that he is at the bottom of his beginner class, and the other kids were "helping" him when Ash showed up. When Ash asks to see the one responsible for this program, Joe pulls out a picture of a girl whose name is Giselle. Joe explains that, even though he doesn't like the way she treats him, he likes the way she looks. Ash and Brock agree. Ash asks where the school building is and Joe points in the direction. The fog clears and we see a huge campus surrounded by forest. Meanwhile, Team Rocket have been in some bushes nearby, as they have been following Ash and Pikachu. They see the campus and start to worry. They tell Meowth that they once were to enroll there, but flunked the admissions test with the lowest scores in the school's history. Meowth cheers them up by saying that at least they were the top of the bottom. They all follow Ash, Joe, and the rest to the building. As Joe shows our friends around the area, he describes the type of curriculum the school offers. He says that those who graduate are allowed to go to the Pokémon League without going around and gathering badges. He explains that a beginner, such as himself, has the skills equivalent to someone with two to four badges, an intermediate has skills equal to someone with five or six, and an advanced has skills equal to eight. He then points to an older kid sitting under a tree and says that the courses are so hard, that this kid is only a beginner still. The privilege of going here costs a lot, so everyone feels obligated to stay. Misty feels that the students here do not get the same experience as those who actually collect the badges and drives home her point by beating his Weepinbell with her Starmie. Giselle comes in with the boys Ash had chased away earlier and reprimand him for being an embarrassment to the school. She goes on and on about how weak he is, making Team Rocket outside think that she's even more conceited than they are. Misty gets tired of Giselle's attitude and the fact that Ash, Brock, and all the other Tech students think she's "a star", and challenges her to a match, sending out her Starmie again. Giselle, in what appears to be a poor strategic move, sends out Graveler, but he defeats Starmie easily and actually sends it flying out the window and into a pool. Giselle starts to lecture her, and says that she lost because Graveler was at a higher level than Starmie. Ash gets purturbed, and argues that Pokémon raising is more than just calculating levels and types; you need to treat them with love and care. Giselle just laughs and calls him a beginner. She goes on and on about how he's been on his journey for two months, and all he has is two badges and three Pokémon, one of which is a weak, untamed Pikachu (the other two being, of course, Pidgeotto and Butterfree). Both Ash and Pikachu are outraged and challenge the arrogant Giselle to a match. She agrees and sends out Cubone, a strong Pokémon against electric attacks. Pikachu is at a sheer disadvantage to Cubone's Bone Clubs and Bonemerangs (a cheap move, according to Ash) and is weakened. Finally, Ash tells Pikachu to fight back, in any way it can. Pikachu then launches a major defensive maneuver, scratching, biting, and disorientating Cubone, ultimately using his own Bonemerang attack against him . The Cubone sits down and starts bawling. Pikachu has won. Giselle is astounded to see a Pikachu win without using electrical attacks and admits that she underestimated both him and Ash. She has finally been brought down from her high horse, and agrees with Ash that battles don't always go the way they should, and that there are many methods of training. Suddenly, Team Rocket makes their appearance. They partly want to steal Pikachu, but this time is mainly to impress the other students. Giselle make fun of them and reminds them of their low test scores, and the other kids pelt them with Pokéballs until they leave. Joe tells Giselle that he is leaving Pokémon Tech and is going to start again as Ash did, collecting badges. They part in friendship, saying that maybe they'll see each other again at the Pokémon League. Ash wonders why he and Misty can't follow their example and Misty reminds him about the bike. Depressed, Ash walks on with his companions towards Vermilion City. Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village Ash, Misty, and Brock are lost on their way to Vermilion again. They tried to take a shortcut, but it led nowhere. They stop for a break at a pond, and notice an Oddish taking a drink. Ash wants to catch it, but Misty is quicker on the draw and sends out her Starmie. She weakens the Oddish, and is about to catch it when a Bulbasaur leaps out of the bushes and whacks the ball away. He then Vine Whipped Starmie, must to the misfortune of Misty. Ash decides to catch the Bulbasaur and sends out Butterfree. He instructs Butterfree to use Sleep Powder, but Bulbasaur blows it right back at him and, as Ash tries to wake him up, Bulbasaur and Oddish run away. Ash is upset that he didn't catch it, but they all continue on anyway. They soon come to a rickety looking rope bridge over a deep gorge. They carefully move across, but the ropes snap, and Brock falls down into the river below. Ash and Misty climb to the other side and start to look for Brock. It seems to be their unlucky day, though, when Misty falls into a pit, then later when they all get swept up in a net into a tree. They try to wriggle out, but to no avail. Bulbasaur appears again, laughs at them, and runs off. Ash starts to wonder what happened to Brock, imagining that he was swept out to the ocean and picked up by pirates. His thoughts are broken by Brock himself, who cuts the rope and lets them down. He explains how he was being swept away in the river, when a girl saved him. He tells them that this girl, whose name is Melanie, lives in the forest, and runs a sort of health spa for abandoned Pokémon. She was the one who set all the traps in order to deter trainers who would try to catch the Pokémon. Brock says that he promised Melanie that they wouldn't catch any of the Pokémon there. Misty asks if he "sealed the promise with a kiss", only to be hit on the head by a blushing Brock. Jessie, James, and Meowth appear on a cliff. They have heard of the village, and want to steal the Pokémon there. They follow the path Ash and his friends took, but fall into even more traps then Ash did. They all get really upset, since nobody ever falls into their traps. Back at Melanie's, Ash and his friends are helping her care for the Pokémon. Misty notices the Oddish from earlier and apologizes. Oddish forgives it, but Bulbasaur, who appears on the scene, doesn't. It tackles her. Melanie explains that Bulbasaur had volunteered to guard the recovering Pokémon. It tackled Misty because it thought she was trying to take the Oddish. Melanie tries to convince him that Ash and his friends weren't trying to catch the Pokémon, but Bulbasaur doesn't believe her. Team Rocket takes this moment to arrive with a flying stadium (don't ask). A hose comes out, and they start to try to suck the Pokémon up. Unfortunately for them, Ash, Melanie, and the rest gather all the Pokémon into Melanie's cabin. This worries Jessie, but James points out that now all the Pokémon are in one place. Ash and his friends have just made Team Rocket's plan easier. Bulbasaur comes back outside, and starts knocking the hose around with his Vine Whip. Ash comes out and sends out Pidgeotto. He has him use his Gust attack and the winds form a tornado, blowing Team Rocket and their stadium away. Melanie is very grateful and happy with how good a team Ash and Bulbasaur made. She insists that Ash take Bulbasaur to add to his party. Ash hesitates, saying that the Pokémon won't have anything to protect them. Melanie agrees, but says that Bulbasaur has a lot of growing to do, and that there's not enough room here. She goes on, explaining that the Pokémon she takes care of have grown too accustomed to this lifestyle and don't want to leave. She says that they need to go back into the wild where they belong, and possibly be caught by trainers like Ash. Bulbasaur agrees, but on one condition: Ash must beat him in a battle and actually capture him himself. Ash sends Pikachu, and he shocks Bulbasaur into a weakened state. Ash then captures him with ease. Ash and Misty say goodbye to Melanie, but Brock offers to stay around and help out some more. Melanie declines, telling him to stick with his friends. Brock is disappointed, but leaves to go with Ash and Misty to Vermilion. Sorry Brock... Charmander - the Stray Pokémon Ash, Misty, and Brock have been on the road for ten days, and still haven't gotten to Vermilion City. They stop for a rest and check their map. After Brock pulls a little prank on Misty, and gets a kick in the face in return, Misty starts to take a walk. She is stopped short by a huge shadowy Pokémon. It turns out to be Charmander on a rock. The flame on its tail is very low, an indication of how weak it is, as Brock points out. Ash tries to catch it, with the intentions of taking it to a Pokémon Center. Unfortunately for him, Charmander doesn't want to be caught. Through Pikachu, he explains that he already has a trainer, who is coming back for him. Brock advises Ash that it is probably best to leave it there, and they all leave. They reach the Pokémon Center just as it starts to rain. Misty gets all of them some soup, but Brock doesn't touch it. He explains that he's worried about the Charmander, and hopes that his trainer picked him up. Just then, they hear a trainer nearby bragging about his many Pokémon. When a listener asks him about his Charmander, he says that he left it behind in the forest since it was so weak. Brock stands up, takes the trainer (whose name is Damien) by the shirt, and orders him to go get the Charmander, since it's a known fact that if a Charmander's flame tail ever goes out, the Charmander will die. Damien refuses, and Ash is about to challenge him to a battle, when Nurse Joy steps in and tells them that the use of Pokémon in personal battles degrades their purpose. Brock says that she looks just like the all the other Nurse Joys and Ash adds that it's a Joy-full world. Brock then remembers the Charmander and decides that, since Damien won't get it, he will. Ash and Misty decide to come with him. Back at the rock, Charmander's flame is almost out. Some Spearows start attacking it, but fortunately, Ash throws a rock and scares them away. Brock covered him with his poncho, while Ash made sure that his flame tail stayed lit. They get him to the Center just in time, and Nurse Joy is able to save it. It will take the rest of the night for it to fully recover. The next morning, however, Brock is sad to find that Charmander has left, most likely back to the rock to wait for Damien again. Ash is disappointed too, but he knows Charmander is loyal to his trainer, and accepts that. They all continue down the path. Just ahead of them, Team Rocket has built a huge drill and use it to dig yet another hole. They cover it up and hide in the bushes nearby. Pikachu walks right over, but Ash and his friends fall in, leaving Pikachu unprotected. Team Rocket jumps out, wearing rubber suits. Pikachu tries to shock them, but to no avail. Then James fires a rubber balloon bazooka, and the bubble that comes out traps Pikachu inside. Team Rocket removes their suits, and Pikachu tries again to shock them, but the rubber in the balloon blocks the electricity again, so it's pretty futile. Jessie and James laugh at Ash and his friends in the hole. They are about to leave with Pikachu, when Charmander shows up. He has remembered what Ash and his friends did for him, and he tells them to put Pikachu down. When they refuse, Charmander "chars" them with his Flame-thrower attack. They run off, dropping Pikachu. Ash and his friends climb out of the hole and thank Charmander, asking him if he wants to join them. Charmander is about to agree when Damien steps out from the bushes. He has been watching and is happy to see that Charmander is stronger. He credits it to himself and the fact that he left it behind to fend for itself, which toughened it up. He then adds how glad he is that he didn't have to go through the "boring" task of raising Charmander himself. He tells Charmander to come back to him, but he has lost Charmander's trust. When Charmander decides to stay with Ash, Damien is enraged, and threatens to attack it with his other Pokémon. Charmander then "chars" him, and he runs off. Ash tells Brock to take Charmander, but Brock declines, saying that it would be happier with Ash. Ash tosses a Pokéball, Charmander jumps inside, and they all continue down the path towards their next adventure. Here Comes the Squirtle Squad Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu are walking down a trail towards Vermilion. Ash is feeling pretty proud of himself since he recently caught both Bulbasaur and Charmander. Suddenly, they all fall into a deep hole, but this one isn't by Team Rocket. It was dug by a Pokémon gang of Squirtles known as the sunglasses-wearing Squirtle Squad. Once they get out, Ash sends out Pikachu to attack, weaken, and catch a Squirtle, but they run off as Officer Jenny approaches. After Ash claims to have seen her before in Viridian, Jenny explains that that Jenny is her cousin. She goes on to say that all of her cousins are named Jenny, look exactly alike, and are all Police Officers. She then takes Ash and his friends to town and explains that the Squirtle Squad is a band of abandoned Squirtles who play pranks on the locals for revenge on humankind in general. She sadly adds that if only they had been treated better by their trainers, they wouldn't be like this. Meanwhile, Jessie and James are on a nearby cliff, spying on everything that's going on. Jessie is eager to attack, but all James and Meowth have their minds on is lunch (just as long as it isn't pizza). Jessie whacks them repeatedly with her handy fan, until she realizes that she herself is hungry too. So she whips out a picnic basket, to the delight of Meowth and James. They're about to start when the Squirtle Squad shows up. They tie all three to a tree and start to eat in front of them. Jessie is enraged, and James is sad. They try to make a deal with the Squirtles, but they don't trust them. Then Meowth earns their trust by saying that Jessie and James are his pets. The Squirtles give him some food and they all continue to eat in front of (poor?) Jessie and James. Later, Misty goes fishing, while Ash, Brock, and Pikachu rest nearby. They are all sprayed by a Squirtle and when Pikachu tries to fight back, it gets thrown into the water. It tries to swim to shore, but is badly hurt by a Goldeen. Ash tries to save it, but is tied up along with Misty and Brock by the other Squirtles. Meowth comes out from his hiding place at laughs at them. The Squirtles were acting under his command. The Squirtles take them all to a cave, tie them to a rock, and place Pikachu into a cage. Brock tells Ash that unless they can give Pikachu a Super Potion, he will be in big trouble. Ash begs the leader Squirtle to let him go into town to get it, and he gives in, giving him until noon the next day to get back or else they'll dye Misty's hair purple. Ash gets to town as fast as he can, considering that he tripped over rocks, fell into a river, and was attacked by a Goldeen. He approaches the door, but it opens in his face and he is knocked out. Just as he wakes up the next day, Jessie and James rob the store of flash powder, to use on the Squirtle Squad, and dental floss, for their teeth. They load it into their balloon and start to fly off. Ash goes in and almost gets shot if it weren't for Officer Jenny, and gets the Super potion he needs. Officer Jenny gives him a ride to the cave and he goes in, only to find it completely vacated. He starts to worry about Pikachu, Misty, and Brock and rushes out, only to find them all standing there with the Squirtles and Meowth. He applies the Super potion, but Pikachu is still quite weak. Team Rocket shows up and start throwing flash bombs at the Squirtles. Meowth grabs Pikachu, and climbs up the rope ladder into the basket. Ash, Misty, Brock, and the Squirtles dash back into the cave entrance to take cover, but the Squirtle Squad's leader has fallen on its back and can't get up. Ash runs out and covers the Squirtle with his body to protect it. Squirtle is overcome and, in a stunning move, he lifts Ash over his head and carries him to the cave. Team Rocket starts to make their getaway, but the leader Squirtle uses a powerful Water Gun, and pops a whole in the balloon. James Drops Pikachu out, and Ash runs out and catches him . Team Rocket goes flying off into the distance. Then everyone notices that the flash bombs had started a forest fire. Officer Jenny says that if it isn't put out, the whole town is in danger. Ash tells the Squirtle Squad that if they all use their water gun attacks, they can put out the fire. They do so, and a few minutes later, the fire is out. The locals are thankful to the Squirtles, and appoint them the official town firefighters. Ash, Misty, and Brock leave, but the Squad’s leader keeps following them. Ash asks if he wants to join him, and Squirtle nods, taking off his glasses. He jumps into Ash's arms, and they all continue on to Vermilion. Mystery at the Lighthouse The show begins with Ash, Misty, and Brock lost again. Ash is feeling proud of himself as he has six Pokémon and two badges. Misty and Brock bring him down to earth by telling that he didn't catch most of his Pokémon, they chose to follow him. Misty goes on to say that he truly didn't earn either of his badges, as he didn't actually defeat either Brock or Misty in a battle. All of this makes Ash depressed, and he runs ahead of them. He suddenly comes upon a beach and realizes that he's finally out of the woods. The sunset is beautiful, but he focuses his attention on a small Krabby that crawls by. He decides to catch it, to prove that he can do things on his own. He weakens the Krabby single-handedly, and catches it. In a flash, the Pokéball disappears and Ash is instantly worried. Brock and Misty show up and explain that he can't carry more than his six Pokémon and the Krabby was transported to a place of safe-keeping, namely, Professor Oak's lab. Ash is even more concerned, as he doesn't exactly trust Professor Oak, and he wants to call him. They see a lighthouse on a cliff and Ash is eager to call the Professor from there. Misty is eager to sleep in a real bed, and Brock is eager to make some real food. They dash the longer-than-it-looked path to the lighthouse and stop at the entrance to the building. The two doors are huge and covered with etchings of Pokémon. They ring the doorbell and are let in by the lighthouse's keeper, Bill. They start to explore, but Bill is nowhere to be found. Ash finds a phone and places call to Professor Oak where he sees that his Krabby is in good hands. His Krabby, however is puny compared to Gary's and Ash is upset to find out that Gary has already caught more than 40 Pokémon, for he only has seven. When the Professor asks where Ash is calling from, he describes the lighthouse. Professor Oak recognizes Bill as a well-known Pokémon researcher and tells Ash to talk with him. Bill appears, and Ash and his friends are astounded to see that he is a Kabuto. Bill explains that he is not a Kabuto, but he is stuck in a Kabuto costume. Ash helps him out, and they start to talk. Bill explains that he looks for rare Pokémon to study and learn more about. He goes on to say that quite a few months ago, he heard the cry of a huge monster from across the ocean. He recorded it and as been playing it back in hopes of bringing the Pokémon to the lighthouse. When Ash asks if he wants to catch the it, Bill says no, replying that he only wants to meet it. We find Team Rocket sneaking around the lighthouse, planning on stealing the rare Pokémon that they are sure Bill has stored there. In order to take him by surprise, they scale the cliff the lighthouse is on, instead of taking the road up to it. Suddenly, everyone hears a song in the wind. The Pokémon Bill has been waiting for has finally come. Bill starts up his recording again and turns on the beacon to draw the monster closer while Brock and Misty start to dance to the music. Team Rocket, on the other hand, upon seeing the creature, decide to catch it. They pull bazookas from out of nowhere and start firing. The Pokémon is furious and, in its rage, smashes the beacon and knocks Team Rocket from the cliff. Bill beseeches the creature to stay, but the Pokémon shakes its head, turns, and heads back out to sea. He is saddened to see the creature go, but is happy that he was at least able to see it. After receiving some words of advice and encouragement and a reminder of the sheer number of Pokémon to be found, Ash, Misty, and Brock continue their journey to Vermillion. Electric Shock Showdown Ash and his friends have finally reached Vermilion City, after two weeks of journeying. They are all so happy to be back in civilization. Ash wants to challenge the gym right away, but Pikachu is in no condition to fight. Misty thinks that he is probably hungry, and they decide to all eat first at the cities Pokémon Center. They go there and are surprised to see Nurse Joy. She explains that her first cousin works in Pewter City, and her second cousin works in Viridian. She thinks that she's the prettiest one out of all and Brock wholeheartedly agrees. Suddenly, a Rattata is brought in on a stretcher. Nurse Joy explains that the Rattata, as well as several others, have all lost to the local gym leader, Lt. Surge. Ash and Misty start to argue about how Ash won't stand a chance versus Lt. Surge. Nurse Joy breaks them up, reminding them that they are in a hospital. She adds that when two people fight, they really care for each other. Ash and Misty disagree. The bell goes off, signaling that Ash's Pokémon are ready, and they rush out. Ash asks if Pikachu is ready to fight, and he is about to agree when another Pokémon, this time a Pidgey, is wheeled in. Misty comments on how it most likely came from the gym, which frightens Pikachu. Ash tells him not to worry and tries pulling Pikachu with him, but Pikachu just shocks him. Misty points out that, with the amount that they fight, Ash and Pikachu must like each other a lot. Ash convinces Pikachu to come to the gym. There they meet the man himself, Lt. Surge. The huge man mistakenly welcomes Misty to his gym, adding how cute his next opponent is. Misty is flattered, but tells him that she isn't the challenger, Ash is. Lt. Surge laughs and calls him a baby, since this is what he always calls the opponents who lose to him. He then notices Ash's Pikachu and calls it a baby Pokémon. Ash asks why he's making fun of Pikachu. Lt. Surge replies by sending out Raichu, Pikachu's evolved form. Lt. Surge gives Ash a chance to leave, but Ash refuses. Lt. Surge goes on to pick on Ash for not evolving Pikachu when he got it, saying that electric Pokémon are only helpful when they've learned all the electric moves. Pikachu is getting is getting really ticked off at both Lt. Surge and his Raichu, and wants to start as soon as possible. The battle begins. Pikachu uses Thundershock, but Raichu isn't the least bit phased. Raichu then uses his Thundershock, knocking Pikachu to the ground. Lt. Surge believes the match is over already and Ash tries to call Pikachu back. Pikachu however, still wants to battle and lunges at Raichu, only to be knocked down again by a Mega Punch and Mega Kick. Team Rocket appears outside, peering in at the proceedings through a window. They laugh at the beating Pikachu is getting, until Jessie points out that, if Pikachu does lose to Raichu, it isn't strong enough to steal after all and all the time they've already spent on it was to waste. Meowth suggests that they steal Raichu, but only to get whacked a few times on the head. Jessie and James start to root for Pikachu, in spite of themselves. They watch in sadness as Lt. Surge finishes Pikachu off with another Thundershock. Ash takes Pikachu back to the Pokémon Center, where it wakes up. It turns away from Ash, it's spirits broken. Brock explains how Pikachu was overpowered by Raichu. Ash says that Pikachu can win if it tries harder, but Misty explains that Pikachu was doing its best during the battle. Nurse Joy comes in, and explains that Pikachu could win with the Thunder Stone, a stone that will make Pikachu evolve into Raichu. Misty warns Ash to think hard about the decision, since if Pikachu does evolve into Raichu, it will never be able to turn back. He leaves the decision to Pikachu. Team Rocket, outside the window, wonders what Pikachu will decide. Pikachu gets up, looks at the stone, and hits it out of Ash's hand. It then goes into a fairly long series of saying its name over and over. Outside, Meowth is sobbing. Jessie asks him what Pikachu said, and he explains that Pikachu won't change. If he is going to beat Lt. Surge, he wants to do it as Pikachu. He wants to do it "in the name of all Pikachus." At this, James starts to cry. Ash trusts that Pikachu can do it, but Misty and Brock don't agree. They say that Ash should try using his other Pokémon. Ash is set on using Pikachu. Outside, Meowth goes on, saying that Pikachu will prove it can beat Raichu, and will defend both his and Ash's honor. Ash asks if Pikachu is ready, but he slumps back onto the pillow. Joy tells Ash, that Pikachu still needs to rest some more to fully recover his strength. As he does so, Ash, Misty, and Brock wait outside. Ash wonders how Pikachu can beat Raichu, when Brock comes up with an idea. He remembers how Lt. Surge said that he evolved his Raichu as soon as he got it. Because if this, Raichu didn't learn the speed and agility that it can only learn as Pikachu. He thinks he knows how Ash can beat him. The next day, Pikachu is fully recovered. Ash says that their lucky star is shining, but Pikachu looks confused. Misty looks over Ash's shoulder and wonders aloud how Ash can see any stars in the daytime sky. Ash shakes her off and says that he doesn't mean its actually shining. He then makes his way towards the gym. He is interrupted, however, by Team Rocket (dressed as a rooting squad). Ash asks them who they are, and Jessie and James start their motto, only to be hit by the disguised Meowth. Meowth explains that they are a cheering squad for the brave challenger, Pikachu. They do a brief, rather odd, cheer, and run off. Brock expresses how disturbing that was and Misty thanks them, surprising them by calling them Team Rocket. Ash arrives at the gym once again and Lt. Surge makes fun of him some more, laughing at how, even after the battle the day before, Ash kept Pikachu as Pikachu. The battle starts with Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket looking on. Ash tells Pikachu to use the strategy they went over. Pikachu lunges at Raichu, but Raichu whacks him away with his tail. Raichu then continues to beat Pikachu with his tail then uses Body Slam. Everyone gets worried, since Pikachu is losing already. Raichu uses Body Slam again, but Pikachu darts out of the way just in time. Ash tells Pikachu to use Agility while Lt. Surge orders another Body Slam. This time however, Pikachu is too nimble for Raichu and keeps dodging him. Pikachu starts running circles around Raichu, making it a little dizzy. Ash informs Lt. Surge as to how slow Raichu is, and he orders Raichu to use the powerful Thunderbolt attack. Raichu sends out a tremendous amount of electricity, tearing up the floor and shattering windows. Team Rocket cowers as shards of glass rain down on them. When the dust settles, Lt. Surge thinks that he has won. Then he sees Pikachu, still alive and well. Pikachu used his tail as a ground and completely dodged the attack. Lt. Surge orders another Thunderbolt, but Raichu is out of electricity. Pikachu performs a Quick Attack on Raichu, and then whacks him with his tail. The battle is over and Pikachu has won. Everyone is happy. Lt. Surge is very impressed and gives Ash a Thunder Badge. He praises Ash on how well Ash and Pikachu work together, and says that he's not a baby. Team Rocket leave, happy that Pikachu won, and wondering when they'll ever get Pikachu. They suddenly realize, however, that they "wasted" the entire episode rooting for the good guys. Oh well Team Rocket. Battle Aboard the St. Anne After winning Lt. Surge's Thunder Badge, Ash, Misty, and Brock make their way towards the harbor. They wish they could all go on a cruise, but Brock points out that the tickets would be far too expensive for them. Suddenly, two schoolgirls show up, offering free tickets to a Pokémon party on the St. Anne. Ash and his friends are ecstatic, and rush to find the ship. Little did they know that those two "schoolgirls" were actually Jessie and James in disguise. They rush up a tower nearby, and call their Boss. Meowth is broken hearted when he sees that the Boss has a Persian, as he thought he was the Boss's favorite. The Boss explains his disappointment with all three of them. He wants perfection from all his workers. He says that if they want to make him happy, they can make sure that the plan they are working on doesn't fail. He asks if all the tickets for the St. Anne were handed out, and Jessie replies that the Pokémon trainers were all happy to take them. He says that his men have secretly boarded the ship, and, when the time is right, they will steal all the passengers' Pokémon. He repeats that failure is not an option, and signs out. Ash and his friends board the St. Anne and enter a huge room. Inside are several hundred fellow Pokémon trainers and merchandise booths. The trainers are all showing off their Pokémon and Ash is about to show off his Charmander and Squirtle when he notices a battle going on between a tall gentleman and a young trainer. The gentleman sends out a Raticate, and the defender sends out a Starmie. The Raticate quickly wins with a Super Fang attack that cracks the Starmie's gem. The boy is worried, but the gentleman says that he was lucky. After giving the boy some advice, he asks for another challenger. Ash is only to happy to oblige, and sends out Butterfree. Team Rocket comes out of the kitchen dressed as waitpersons, and marvel at how many trainers there truly are on the ship. They can't wait to steal the Pokémon, and James daydreams about having them all. Jessie brings him back down to earth by reminding him that the Pokémon are going to the Boss. Ash and the gentleman start their battle. It's a good match, and Ash is about to win, when the gentleman picks up his Raticate and calls the match a draw. Ash is disappointed. A bit later, James is walking around when a booth vendor attracts his attention. The vendor tells him that a Magikarp lays 1000 eggs at a time, and each of the Magikarps that hatch from those lay 1000 eggs. Soon he'll have a more than a million Magikarp, and at about $100 a pop, that adds up to a lot of money. James agrees to buy one as well as a few instructional sets for $300. Meanwhile, Ash and his friends are busy stuffing their faces. The gentleman shows up again, with a young woman. He tells Ash that he was very impressed with Ash's Butterfree. The young woman agrees, but Brock doesn't hear. He is stunned with her beauty. Misty tries to snap him out of it, but he's gone. Ash thanks the man and adds that Raticate wasn't to bad itself. Then the man proposes a trade, telling about how friends trade Pokémon so that they become better friends and so on. Ash asks Brock if he should go through with it, but Brock's mind is elsewhere. Ash agrees, and they trade using a strange looking machine. Raticate is now Ash's, but he doesn't seem to sure about it all. Team Rocket is having their own problems. Jessie and Meowth are furious at how well James was fooled. James defends himself, saying that, not only is Magikarp a gold mine, but it came in a solid gold Pokéball. Meowth yells that it is only gold-plated, and scratches at it, revealing the true colors underneath. When Jessie asks how he got the money for it, he meekly replies that he used both of their advanced salaries. Jessie is enraged, and tells him to get their money back. As the boat sails on, Ash still thinks about the trade he made to someone he didn't even know. He wonders if the gentleman will take care of his Butterfree the way he did. He thinks about trading back. At that moment, several Team Rocket members appear in full uniform. It's time to attack, but James is still looking for the person who sold him the Magikarp. Jessie tells him to forget about it for the moment and do the job. They do their motto, and start sucking up everyone's Pokéballs. Ash tells everyone to fight back, and they are able to beat Team Rocket off. The St. Anne gets caught in a storm and starts to pitch. Ash decides to take get his Butterfree back from the gentleman, and he reluctantly consents. When the ship starts to take on water, the passengers start to evacuate. Ash and the gentleman quickly trade, but a large wave hits the ship, causing Ash to drop Butterfree's Pokéball. He runs after it, with his friends following quickly behind. Team Rocket is experiencing the same problem, as has James dropped Magikarp as well, and since neither Jessie or James want their money to roll away, so they chase after it. Both Team Rocket and Ash get their Pokémon, but another wave hits the ship and they are all knocked unconscious. The ship flips over and sinks to the bottom of the ocean with Ash, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket still trapped inside... Pokémon Shipwreck The show opens with a police boat resting near the site where the St. Anne went down. Officer Jenny, on board, sadly tells of how Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, and James went down with the ship and that their promising careers as Pokémon trainers come to a sudden end. She tosses a bouquet of white flowers into the sea and salutes as it sinks down. A bugler sadly plays Taps. Down at the bottom, Ash and his friends come to, and discover their plight. Ash looks out the window and sees fish swimming by. He realizes that he and is friends (as well as Jessie and James, but they don't know it yet) are trapped in the capsized St. Anne, now perched precariously on a pillar of rock, with much distance yet to go to the bottom of the ocean. Jessie and James, meanwhile, are dreaming of a warm sunny beach. They are picturing everything, including a hot, blazing sun. They suddenly awaken to discover that it isn't the sun that's making them warm, it's a set of oven burners that got turned on during the sinking and have set their hair on fire. They run around for a few seconds until they find a couple of broken pipes spewing water, and quickly dowse the fires atop their heads. They run into the hall, only to realize that everything is upside down. Meowth explains the situation to them and James panics, trying to figure out a way to escape. Fortunately, Jessie has an idea. She sends out Ekans and has him burn a hole in the floor (or is it the ceiling?), despite the warnings from Meowth. Needless to say, when the hole is done, water comes gushing in and quickly fills with water. Ash, Misty, and Brock are searching for a way to get out of the ship. They reach a staircase and think about which way they want to go. They realize that, since the boat is upside down, the hull is above them, and the deck is below. Ash decides that they should dive down to the decks, but Brock points out that if they reach a dead end down there, they'll be sunk (so to speak). Ash visualizes finding a locked door and drowning. This idea does not appeal to him. Misty decides to send out her Goldeen, and tells her to go down around the deck area and see if there is a way out. Instead of bringing back something from outside, Goldeen brings back the almost drowned Team Rocket. Once Team Rocket regains consciousness, they are surprised to see Ash and his friends there. They all prepare to fight by sending out their Pokémon, but the added weight makes the boat start to rock back and forth. Misty tells them all to retreat their Pokémon or else they'll all be in trouble. They consent, and the ship balances out. Misty then convinces them all to form a truce until they get back to the surface. Ash repeats the need to get out, but Misty comforts them, saying that she knows the layout of the ship quite well, due to the fact that she once built a model of it. She says that they need to make their way to the ship's bottom and burn a hole in the hull in order to escape. Ash, Brock, Jessie, and James aren't too fond of the idea, but since they can't think of anything else, they go along with it. They make their way to the bottom, using Onix as a staircase when needed. Finally, they come to the engine room, where the hull is thinnest. They open a door and find the next room in flames, with the path to the other door broken. Jessie and James start to comfort each other, for they believe that they are doomed. Misty tells them to knock it off, for there has to be another way across. Ash tries hard to think of ideas, and has Pikachu "jump start" his brain to see if that will help. Somehow, it does and Ash sends out Bulbasaur. He then has him extend his Vines to the other side, and they start to walk across. They tell Team Rocket to hurry up, but James is too scared. Jessie reassures him, but by the time he's ready, Ash and his friends are at the other side, with Bulbasaur. Team Rocket panics pleading with them to send the Vines back. Apparently, they do, for when we get back from commercials, they're standing with Ash. Once they're all together again, they reach the current highest point in the ship. Ash sends out Charmander, who starts to weld through the hull. Misty tells them all to get a water Pokémon out, and tie themselves to it. Charmander finishes with the hole, and water starts to gush in. Ash quickly retreats Charmander, and brings out Squirtle. Misty uses Goldeen, and Brock borrows her Starmie. Team Rocket, on the other hand doesn't seem to have any water Pokémon. James remembers his Magikarp, and after forcing Jessie and Meowth to respect him and his genius, he sends it out. They tie themselves to it and James tells him to take them to the surface. They are enraged, however, to discover that Magikarp is a fish that can't swim. The ship fills up, and sinks down all the way to the bottom of the ocean, bringing Team Rocket with it. Ash and his friends manage to reach the surface, and they make a raft out of the wreckage that's still floating about. They worry about Team Rocket, but not for long. Brock remembers the bible story of Noah, who released a bird to find dry land. Ash decides to do the same with Pidgeotto, and tells him to go find something. He finds something all right, but it isn't what Ash expected. Pidgeotto brings back the very dead looking Team Rocket. Ash and his friends sadly decide to give them a burial at sea, but just as they are about to push them into the water, Jessie and James, get up, frightening our friends half to death. The two groups are now stranded with each other in the middle of the sea. They are also getting hungrier and hungrier. They notice Magikarp, still flopping around, and imagine all the ways they could cook him. Meowth leaps up and tries to take a bite out of it, but breaks his teeth in the process. Misty comments that Magikarp is only scales and bones. This is the last straw for James, he now believes the Magikarp to be truly useless, and kicks it into the water. Unfortunately for him, and the rest of our friends, Magikarp evolves into the extremely powerful Gyarados, and it looks really ticked off. James tries to control it, but he is only frightened by the huge monster. Misty sends out Goldeen, Staryu, and Starmie. Brock asks her what her strategy is for fighting the Gyarados, but she is only using them to help tow the raft away. They all paddle rapidly, but the huge creature follows them. After a bit, he stops and starts roaring. Brock wonders if it's tired, but Misty thinks it's starting up a Dragon Rage, Gyarados's ultimate attack. Suddenly, four more Gyarados pop up, and they start to spin, creating a huge cyclone. The cyclone rips up the raft and sucks everyone up. Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, and James are at the mercy of the cyclone... Island of the Giant Pokémon Ash and his friends wake up on the shores of a tropical island. They wonder how they possibly survive, and Ash notices that Pikachu, as well as three of his other Pokémon are missing. A little ways away, a Krabby pinches Team Rocket, waking them up. They too are amazed that they survived. Then they also realize that Meowth, Koffing, and Ekans are all missing. They notice a phone booth, but they can't make a call due to the fact that they have absolutely no money. Soon after, on yet another part of the island, Pikachu wakes up, and, seeing Ash's three missing Pokémon, releases them. They are Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. They'll all O.K., but they have no idea where they are. They see a Slowpoke sitting on rock and ask him where they are. The Slowpoke doesn't answer, and instead, sticks his tail into the water. They all then set off in search of Ash. As they walk along, they wonder what happened to Ash his friends. Squirtle suggests that maybe they got eaten by wild Pokémon, and Bulbasaur thinks that Ash abandoned them. They continue to talk and Meowth, Ekans, and Koffing show up. Meowth tries to attack them, but Ekans and Koffing refuse, saying that Meowth isn't their master. Meowth tries to tell them that they are all bad guys, but they disagree, saying that there is no such thing as bad Pokémon, just bad masters to make them do bad things. This stuns Meowth, as he thought he was bad all the time. Since Meowth can't fight Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur all at the same time, they tie him up to a tree. A bit later, Ekans and Koffing have joined the rest of Ash's lost Pokémon for dinner. Ekans and Koffing have lost their masters as well. Bulbasaur repeats his hunch that their master's abandoned them, but Pikachu and the rest still disagree. Meowth begs for some food, but refuses to apologize, so doesn't get any. Suddenly, they all hear a loud rumble and see a huge Rhydon rear up over the trees. Pikachu unties Meowth, and they all run away. Meanwhile, Ash and his friends are being chased by a Zapdos. Brock warns Ash that they need to find somewhere safe so that they can rest for the night. Ash mentally warns his lost Pokémon, and hopes that they are O.K.. At the same time, Team Rocket is being attacked by a Moltres. They run into a sign, and are knocked unconscious. The next morning, Team Rocket wake up and run to the phone booth. Jessie calls their boss collect, but he hangs up when they recite their motto. James gets worried again, but Jessie has another idea. She knows that if they follow the telephone cable, they'll find civilization sooner or later. Suddenly, they see Pikachu coming over the hill. They get out to catch it, but they realize that it isn't the Pikachu that they know, it's a Pikachu that's over 50 feet tall! They dash out of the way, just as the huge Pikachu crushes the phone booth. Meanwhile, Ash and his friends, as well as his Pokémon are having large problems themselves. Ash, Misty, and Brock are attacked by a huge Charizard, and the Pokémon are attacked by a large Blastoise when Squirtle tries to talk to it. They see a Venusaur, but Bulbasaur doesn't want to talk to it. Team Rocket is now running from a huge Kabutops, and they reach a railroad cart. They climb inside and release the brake, only to discovered to be moving back towards the huge Kabutops. The cable that they were still holding, wraps around the large Pokémon's leg and Team Rocket ends up towing him behind them. They try to put the break on again, but the lever snaps off. Ash, Misty, and Brock are still running, when they come upon the huge Pikachu. They then see Team Rocket in the runaway cart, towing the Kabutops. The cliff that they are standing on crumbles, and they fall into the cart as it passes by. The Pikachu is then also caught in the cord, and starts to be dragged along. Misty points out in the distance and they all see Ash's and Team Rocket's Pokémon being chased by the large Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur. Ash tries to get the Pokémon into the car, but the brake is broken. They all go over a loop, and are now close enough to their Pokémon so that they can jump inside. They are all extremely relieved to have their Pokémon back. Unfortunately, the Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard get stuck in the tow of the cart, and start to be dragged along as well (which brings up the question as to how the cart can continue to move at such speed with all these large Pokémon being towed behind). Suddenly, the cord snaps, and Ash and everyone in the cart are flung into the air. The cart then crashes into the Zapdos that was flying through the air, and it turns out to be a robot. The mechanical Zapdos takes a nose-dive into the other Pokémon and they turn out to be robots as well. The cart then carries it's passengers down into the water, and a boat passes by. This turns out to be a tour boat to the island, which happens to be a theme park type of place with mechanical Pokémon. The tour guide notices the broken Pokémon, and tells the crowd. Later, someone calls Team Rocket's boss and informs him of the news. Apparently, Pokémon Land was built by him. Ash and his friends continue to walk along, and soon come upon the beautiful city of Puerto Vista. Meanwhile, the Slowpoke is still fishing. He is about to get up when a Shelder latches itself to his tail, and he evolves into a Slowbro. Tentacool and Tentacruel Ash, Misty, and Brock are still on the island, waiting for the next boat to the mainland. Suddenly, Misty sees an injured Horsea. The Horsea squirts out a bunch of ink in an attempt to warn them of something, but they don't understand. Misty is about to capture it, when a loud explosion is heard. They all look up and see a large ship on fire. Misty sends out Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen to rescue the sailors, while she, Brock, and Ash get a boat. They reach the sailors, but the sailors are too shocked to be able to say anything. Ash and his friends them meet Nastina. She tells them of her plans to build a resort out in the water, where guests can stay in comfort and view coral reefs. She then complains that several Tentacool have been thwarting the operations, attacking her workers, and keeping tourists away. She wants them exterminated, and offers Ash and friends the job. In return, she offers them free dinners for a year, a million dollars, and vouchers for free hotel stays. Ash is eager to accept, but Misty is enraged. When they ask her why, she expresses her thoughts of how cute they are. Ash and Brock don't agree, but they give in. They check on Horsea, who is doing quite well. Horsea is still looking worried, however, and it dawns on Ash that the picture Horsea drew with his ink looked like a Tentacool. Suddenly, Nastina's voice comes over the town P.A. System, offering the million dollars to anyone interested in exterminating the Tentacool. Misty doesn't think the people would be interested in this, but she is way wrong, and our friends are run over by the mass of people willing to help. Nastina wheels out in her own personal tank and asks who will earn the million dollars. A rose with a suction cup on the end comes flying through the air and sticks to the tank. It's Team Rocket again. After doing their motto, they offer to exterminate the Tentacool for her. They roar off towards where the Tentacool are located. While Team Rocket heads toward the location, they go over what they are going to do. They plan to kill the Tentacool by pouring their "Super Secret Stun Sauce" into the ocean. They will then round them all up, and sell them at a fish market for even more money. Suddenly, the water around their motorboat fills with Tentacool. Meowth tells Jessie and James to dump the sauce, but they don't have enough for the thousands of Tentacool. One Tentacool shoots the boat with some kind of ray, blasting the barrel of stun sauce out. The barrel lands on one Tentacool, and he evolves into an abnormally huge Tentacruel, who tears apart the skeleton of the resort. Nastina fires at the huge creature, but the bullets bounce right off. The Tentacruel and Tentacool then start to destroy the city, blowing buildings apart with their beams. Suddenly, everyone notices that Meowth is still in the Tentacruel's tentacle. Using him as a puppet, the Tentacruel explains that, since humans destroyed their home, they are going to destroy the humans' homes. The Horsea pleads with the Tentacruel to stop, only to be hit with a huge tentacle. Ash sends out Pidgeotto, who grabs Horsea in midair and brings him back to Misty. Ash, Misty, and Brock then send out Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Butterfree, Pikachu, Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, and Zubat to launch an all-out offense against the Tentacool. The Pokémon seem to be effective, until the Tentacruel starts whack them with his tentacles. He explains through Meowth his wonder of why the Pokémon are fighting for the humans. He then declares that the Pokémon, since they are not on his side, must be his enemy. He is about to attack them again when Pidgeotto flies up with Pikachu on his back. Pikachu tries his luck with reasoning with the Tentacruel, and Misty joins in. She explains that the humans understand how they destroyed the Tentacool's homes and begs for mercy. Tentacruel, seeing how much he's frightened the residents, relents, and tosses Meowth across town and into the Ferris Wheel, knocking it over. All the Tentacool and the Tentacruel start to move back into the ocean, when Nastina emerges from the rubble. She (stupidly) fires again at Tentacruel, only to be squirted by Horsea and flung into the air by the Tentacruel. The huge creature then finally sinks down into the ocean, and leaves the city to repair itself. Ash, Misty, and Brock board the boat, that has finally come in, and ask Misty if she still thinks jellyfish are cute. She says yes, but then says that Horsea is still the cutest. She tosses him into the air, catches him, and does Ash's Victory Pose. Ash is upset, as that is his pose, and they continue to argue as the ship sails on... The Ghost of Maiden's Peak Ash, Misty, and Brock are still traveling to the mainland, when they notice Maiden's Peak, symbolizing that they have arrived. Brock isn't so excited, however, as it is almost the end of summer, which means it's the end of swimsuit season and he'll have to wait until next year to meet a girl. As the ferry pulls into harbor, an announcement is heard, telling the new arrivals to attend the city's summer-end festival. Ash and Misty are eager to attend, but Brock is still depressed. Suddenly, he sees a beautiful girl standing on the end of a dock, and instantly falls in love. He is run over by a crowd of people debarking the ship, and when he gets up, the girl has disappeared. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has traveled from Porta Vista as well, but are penniless. They hear the announcement of the festival, and plan to pick up loose change that they see lying around. Then, James sees the girl, and falls in love as well. Jessie smacks him, and when he looks over again, the girl is gone. Ash and his friends wander around the festival area, viewing all the happenings. Brock is still thinking about the girl he saw on the dock. An old woman approaches, and warns Brock that a young, beautiful woman would lead him to doom. Brock doesn't care, though, for he is in love. Misty says that she wouldn't do anything to Brock, but the old hag tells her that she was referring to an elegant lady, not a scrawny little girl like Misty. Ash laughs and agrees, only to be hit by an insulted Misty who drags both Ash and Brock away. Jessie and James have been looking for loose change for some time, and haven't found anything. Suddenly, James finds a penny, and is approached by the old hag. She gives him the warning she gave to Brock, and James tells her that he already knew that, referring to Jessie. Jessie is about to whack him upside the head, when Officer Jenny shows up. She expresses her gratitude of their diligent search for dropped money, and explains that any amount of money that is lost, no matter how small, must be turned in. She takes the penny and asks Team Rocket to come with her to the station to file a report. Jessie declines, and the three run off. Ash and his friends, as well as Team Rocket, make their way up the Maiden's Peak the Maiden's Shrine, where a painting that had hung inside is going to be unveiled to the public. The man speaking pulls the cover off of the painting, and both Brock and James are astounded to see the exact likeness of the girl they saw on the piers. The man goes on to explain that the woman in the picture died more than 2,000 years ago. The story goes that she was in love with a handsome young man who went off to war. She waited for him on the cliff constantly, but he never came back. She waited and waited, until her body was turned into stone. Her spirit is said to still haunt the area, forever waiting for her lover to return. The stone still exists and is not far from the shrine. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket go visit it, and Brock and James wish out loud how the girl were still around, and say that they would never have let her go. It occurs to Meowth that Team Rocket could steal the painting of the maiden, and they decide to do so, hiding until darkness arrives. Meanwhile, Brock tells Ash and Misty to leave him at the rock, assuring them that he'll be back to the Pokémon Center where they are staying by curfew. He doesn't, however, but Nurse Joy won't allow Ash and Misty to go get him. A bit later, Meowth wakes up to the sound of his alarm. He tells Jessie and James to wake up, but they mumble a disagreement. Suddenly, a forceful wind blows through the area, and the doors of the shrine burst open. The ghost of the girl comes out, and uses some sort of hypnotic power to put Meowth back to sleep. She then wakes James up, and he follows her. Soon after, she approaches Brock and he follows her as well. The next morning, Ash and Misty cannot find Brock while at the same time, Team Rocket can't find James. They discover each other, and Jessie does their motto alone. Part of the way through, James' voice comes out from somewhere, and finishes his part. Then, the doors of the shrine open, and James and Brock fall out in a strange state, not in their right mind at all. Ash asks Brock what has happened to him, but he doesn't answer. The old woman from the previous day approaches, and laughs at how right her prediction was, telling them that Brock and James saw the ghost of the maiden. After Ash has Pikachu try to shock Brock and James back to their senses, the woman goes on to explain that the ghost sucks the life out of men who pass by the area, and leaves them babbling like idiots. She then reveals some anti-ghost stickers and tells them that they will ward off the ghost. She adds that they come with a price, and Ash and Misty give her the money, hopeful to bring Brock back to normal. That night, at the same time as before, the wind occurs again, blowing all the stickers off of the shrine and Brock. Brock goes with the ghost, but James doesn't want to. He asks Jessie and Meowth why the stickers aren't working, and they explain that it is because they got them for free. Jessie is surprised that James doesn't want to be with the ghost, but floats out anyway. He is about to reach her, when Jessie shoots at the ghost with a flame-thrower. James then falls into the water below, but quickly scrambles back up the cliff and asks if Jessie "really does care." Jessie says no, and explains that she hates the type of girl who is so attached to her boyfriend, that she can't stand to see him go. The ghost then attacks the whole group, summoning up some more very scary looking ghosts. Ash opens up his Pokédex, but it cannot find any Pokémon. Ash then moves it around, and it focuses on the ghost, saying that it is a Gastly. Since it is a Pokémon, Ash decides to try to battle it. It is to powerful, however, and is able to deter attacks from Ash's Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle and Team Rocket's Ekans and Koffing. Misty tries her luck with a cross, but Gastly isn't a vampire, so we know how that turns out. Bells start to ring, and the Gastly slowly disappears, explaining his fear of sunlight and promising to return next year. The next night, the festival attendees put little boats with candles on them into the water in order to light the way for any wayward spirits to find their way home. The Gastly tells the real maiden's ghost that he will return next year. He tells her that, since he is a ghost Pokémon, if he ever meets the ghost of he boyfriend, he will tell him that his girlfriend is still waiting for him. Brock is still sad that the girl wasn't alive, but he consoles himself saying maybe next year. Team Rocket meanwhile, are having fun playing the drums for the festival's ending celebration, and Misty and Ash join in the fun. Bye Bye Butterfree Ash, Misty, and Brock are journeying along, when they come to a very high cliff. Brock checks the map, then points to a ridge, saying that it will take them directly to Saffron City and another gym. Ash looks up in the sky and sees hundreds upon hundreds of Butterfree flying through the air. Ash wonders why they're there, and Brock explains that it is their mating season, when Butterfree get together to mate, fly over the ocean to lay eggs. Ash realizes that he'll have to let his Butterfree mate as well, or he will never have babies. They rent a hot-air balloon and go up to view the happenings. Ash realizes his Butterfree, and he flies off into the crowd in search of a mate. He isn't doing all that well, and he comes back. Brock notices a beautiful girl release her Butterfree, and tells him to go mate with the new arrival. Butterfree looks confused, and Brock explains that if the two Butterfree get together and fall in love, possibly the two trainers can meet and fall in love too. Misty pounds him on the head and tells him not to mess with Pokémon love affairs. She then tells Butterfree to go ahead back into the crowd and search some more. Butterfree flits around for a moment or two, then sees a pink Butterfree, instantly falling love. He begins his courtship dance, and Brock explains that if the other Butterfree feels the same way, she will do a dance as well. Unfortunately, she doesn't appear that she returns Ash's Butterfree's feelings and starts to fly off. Butterfree continues the dance, but gets a slap in the face. He is so depressed that he flies off, forcing Ash and his friends to land and look for him. They find him, and he looks extremely sad. Brock can feel for him, and announces that he could write a book on the secrets of love and heartache. Misty teases him and asks him if that would be his autobiography. While Pikachu and Butterfree talk, Ash tries to figure out how to get the pink Butterfree to like his Butterfree. He suggests that Butterfree show off his moves, and Misty agrees saying that you need to be assertive in love. Brock asks if she means it and is upset that he didn't know this sooner. He then ties a little ribbon around Butterfree's neck, and everyone agrees that it's a nice touch. They then all go back into the air to search for the pink Butterfree that Ash's Butterfree so admired. They find her, and Butterfree struts his stuff, showing her his Whirlwind and Tackle attacks. It doesn't work, and Butterfree is heartbroken once again. Suddenly, Team Rocket shows up in a helicopter and, after doing their motto, sweep up the Butterfree in a huge net. Ash, Misty, and Brock try to tell them to stop, but to no avail. They catch all the Butterfree, that is, except for Ash's. Ash's Butterfree tries to stop Team Rocket himself, but it doesn't work. Ash is about to send out Pidgeotto, but Misty stops him, saying that it would devastate Butterfree. Team Rocket flies off, with Butterfree soon behind. Ash and his friends follow in their balloon. They soon reach a canyon, and find Butterfree. He leads them to where Team Rocket has stashed the Butterfree. Inside Jessie, James, and Meowth are feeling pretty darn proud of themselves. Meowth imagines being "top cat" again and laughs loudly. Suddenly, a window breaks, and Ash and his friends climb in. Ash and his friends occupy Team Rocket, while Butterfree throws himself against the cage to free the other Butterfree. The pink Butterfree sees what he is doing and falls in love with him. Finally, Butterfree is able to break the cage, and all the other Butterfree fly out. Brock opens the doors, and they all fly outside, while Team Rocket tries to catch them again. James approaches the pink Butterfree, when Ash's Butterfree uses his tackle to knock him away. Team Rocket takes off in the helicopter again in order to catch the Butterfree all over again, while Ash and his friends follow them in their balloon. Pikachu jumps on Ash's Butterfree's back and he flies him over to the helicopter. Pikachu jumps onto the windshield and Thundershocks the chopper, destroying it. Team Rocket falls into crevice and disappear. Butterfree flies back to the balloon and Pikachu jumps off. The pink Butterfree then flies up to Ash's Butterfree and does a little dance, signifying that she wants to be with him. They all fly back to the cliff area to say goodbye as they need to fly across the ocean together. Ash tells the pink Butterfree to make sure she takes good care of his Butterfree. She nods and flies up into the air. Butterfree is sad to leave Ash, and he is too. As the Butterfree start to fly away, Pikachu tearfully waves goodbye, and Ash remembers his life with his Butterfree. He thinks of everything from when he was his first catch ever as a Caterpie, to when he evolved into Metapod, then Butterfree, to when he battled Misty for the Cascade Badge with him. He breaks out of it just as Butterfree starts to fly out into the distance. Brock then tells him that he raised Butterfree to have a lot of courage and that Ash has a lot of courage himself. Abra and the Psychic Showdown Ash, Misty, and Brock are journeying through a dark forest, having lost their way to Saffron City. Misty and Ash start to argue, but they soon notice a young girl standing nearby. Ash calls to her, but she turns and runs away. Ash dashes after her, only to fall over a cliff. He quickly sends out Bulbasaur, who grabs him and pulls him up with Vine Whip. Misty and Brock catch up, and ask about the little girl. They look around and don't see her, but they do see the large metropolis of Saffron City. Brock comments that the gym leader there is Sabrina, the holder of the Marsh Badge. Ash and his friends enter the main gates, and are quickly approached by two girls dressed as Hawaiian dancers who tell them that they have won a contest. Ash is skeptical, until they explain that they are he is millionth person to enter the city. Ash and his friends happily follow them to a large building, where they enter a large room. Suddenly, one of the dancers grabs Pikachu and talks to them in a very male voice. The other woman pushes Ash and his friends onto a warp tile, and they are instantly transported to another room. They look around, wondering where they are. A television comes down from the ceiling, and the images of the two women appear. They move out of sight for a second, and then reappear as Jessie and James of Team Rocket. They say their motto, but are annoyed by the fact that Ash and his friends aren't listening. They step out of the way to reveal Pikachu tied up. Suddenly, the screen goes to static. Team Rocket fumbles with the controls, trying to bring the picture back, when Meowth notices the little girl that Ash saw in the forest. Team Rocket approaches her, only to be paralyzed. The girl picks up Pikachu and disappears. She reappears in the room Ash and his friends are in, and gives Pikachu back. She then teleports them outside. Outside, Ash and his friends discover themselves to be in front of the city's gym. A man jogs up, and advises them to stay away from Sabrina, but jogs away before Ash can ask him why. Since he can't get into the Pokémon League without a Marsh Badge, he enters the building. As he and his friends walk around, they don't see anyone. They see a door, and look through the window on it. Inside, they see several people in white coats sitting at tables. Ash and his friends can't figure out what they're all doing, and are approached by another man in a white coat. Ash tells him that he wants to challenge Sabrina, but the man laughs. He then takes a spoon out from his pocket and bends it with telekinesis. Ash mockingly bends the spoon with his hands, and tells the man to take him to Sabrina. They all enter a huge room, with two lit torches at the other end. Misty is slightly nervous, and Brock comments on how the place looks like a temple. The man bows down at a figure sitting on a chair and tells her why Ash and his friends are here. He adds that she shouldn't waste her time with them. A small light turns on, and Ash and his friends see the little girl whom they had seen before. The girl looks up with glowing eyes, and the man jumps up as if in pain. He apologizes profusely about how it's not his job to tell her who he should and shouldn't fight. He quickly dashes out the doors. Ash demands a match, and the girl tells him that if he loses, he and his friends will have to play with her. Ash agrees, and all the lights turn on and the doors slam shot. Ash can now see that the little girl he was talking to is only a doll, and the real Sabrina is holding her. Sabrina floats to the floor, and sends out Abra. Ash sends out Pikachu, but Abra doesn't react in any way. He appears to be asleep. Ash decides to shock it anyway, but Abra teleports out of the way. He then evolves into Kadabra. Pikachu fills the room with electricity, but Kadabra uses Confusion, and the electricity hits Pikachu. Kadabra uses Psychic, and sends Pikachu rocketing to the ceiling and back. Ash can't stand it, and forfeits. The doll teleports them to a deserted street. Ash and his friends quickly enter a nearby house, but find no one. They see a table set with cake and tea, and Brock takes a bite, only to find that it's fake. Ash looks around some more, and finds a woman sitting in a bathtub. He quickly apologizes, but Pikachu points out that she is a doll. Misty and Brock run up, and tell him that they are all in a dollhouse. The roof is removed, and they all see a huge Sabrina and doll. They run out of the house, and start running down the street with the doll walking after them. She rolls her ball towards them, and they know that their situation is not good. Suddenly, the jogger from before appears in front of them, and he teleports them all outside. They thank him for helping them, and he repeats his warning about how dangerous Sabrina is. Ash tells him that he needs to win her badge, but the man uses his Psychic power to make him do embarrassing things. Ash continues to appeal to him, and continues to be battered by the man's powers. Ash is too stubborn to give up, which surprises the man. He is impressed with his determination, and tells him to go to Lavender Town and catch a Ghost type Pokémon. He then disappears. As Ash and his friends leave, the man reappears in a tree and asks to himself if Ash will be able to "rescue" Sabrina. The Tower of Terror Having been told by the mysterious man in Saffron City to catch a Ghost Pokémon, Ash and his friends are heading to Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. It's very foggy, and Brock suggests that they all hold hands so that they don't lose each other. Ash and Misty take hands, and Brock accidentally grabs Pikachu's tail, getting a shock. Misty screams, then tells him not to yell like that. Ash tells Misty in a weird voice that she scared him with her scream, and turns around to show a skull face. Brock, Misty, and Pikachu scream and Ash laughs, taking off the mask. He tells them that they need to be prepared for surprises like that in the tower, but the Misty and Brock yell at him and Pikachu gives him a tremendous shock. The fog clears, and Ash and his friends see Lavender Town, with the Pokémon Tower on the other side. They make their way towards it, and it is dark once they get there. Brock and Misty tell Ash to go on inside, but he hesitates, saying that they promised to help him capture a Ghost Pokémon. Brock and Misty don't remember this, but Ash tells them that he's not afraid. He asks Pikachu for support, but he's getting ready for a nap. Ash agrees that this may not be a bad idea, and tells Misty and Brock to wake him up in the morning. Misty hits a gong, which springs them back out of their sleeping bags. Up in the tower, Team Rocket laughs at them. Jessie tells James to get started and he runs towards the door, only to fall through the floor. Jessie and Meowth peer down, and Meowth notices a Ghastly behind Jessie. He tells her to turn around, but Ghastly disappears before she turns. Ghastly materializes around Jessie's face, but she still doesn't notice. Meowth scratches at the Ghost Pokémon, but only manages to get Jessie's face. She gets extremely angry, and whacks Meowth into the hole with a huge metal mallet. She looks into a mirror, and notices the Ghastly. She faints, and falls into the hole, on top of James and Meowth. The floor breaks again, and they plummet into darkness, screaming all the way. Back outside, Ash and his friends hear Team Rocket's yells, and get worried. Ash notes how the voices sound familiar, and they all go inside. The door shuts behind them, and Ash sends out Charmander for light. Misty suggests that they return when it gets light, but Ash reminds her that Ghosts don't come out during the day. Brock finds a candle and Charmander lights it, frying Brock as well. They step around the hole in the floor, and hear strange voices coming from somewhere. The screen goes to a Haunter and Gengar watching a comedy on television. Ghastly appears, and they all laugh some more. Brock approaches a door and suggests that they see what's inside. Ash opens it, and Brock calls for any Ghost Pokémon to come out. Ash says that her wants to catch them, and Misty scolds him, saying that they won't come out if they know this. The lights turn on, and they see a table covered with an elegant banquet. Ash notices a cord with a "Pull Me" sign attached to it. He complies, and a ball overhead burst open with confetti and streamers, as well as a banner welcoming them. Suddenly, all the plates and food starts to float through the air. A chair scoops up Brock, and Pikachu and Charmander are scooped up by two plates. Misty and Ash run from the room, and Brock, Pikachu, and Charmander jump down and follow. As soon as they leave, the plates and furniture return to their places. Gengar, Ghastly, and Haunter appear, laughing. Back outside, Misty and Brock say that they're not going back in the tower. Ash pleads with them, and turns to Pikachu and Charmander for backup. Charmander burns the three, and Ash yells at him and Pikachu, calling them cowards. He tells them that they'll never beat Sabrina if they're like this, and Pikachu remembers the beating that he got. Pikachu and Charmander agree to go with him, and they go back in, with Misty and Brock waiting outside. Ash approaches the hole, and hears sounds coming from it. It's Team Rocket, but he doesn't know it. He has Pikachu shock them, and Charmander burn them. He throws a Pokéball down, and it hits Jessie in the face. Meowth points out the fact that Jessie's hair is on fire, and she runs around screaming. She faints and it goes out. Ash is disappointed to see that the fireball was gone, and Pikachu is scared by a Haunter. Ash turns to look, but he disappears. Ash turns around, and stares at Haunter. Haunter makes a face, which scares all three of them. Ash whips out Dexter, but it isn't any help. He tells Charmander to burn Haunter, but Haunter has disappeared again. He tapes Ash on the shoulder, frightening him once again. He has Charmander use Leer, but he ends up getting paralyzed by Haunter's lick. Ash retreats him, and Gengar rises from the floor, frightening Ash again. He checks his Pokédex, but it still isn't any help. He looks up, and sees the two Ghost Pokémon performing some sort of act. He tells them that they are not very funny, and they sink down into the ground, upset. Ash lunges at them, but falls to the ground. The impact causes the chandelier above them to come crashing down upon them. Pikachu does a shock, which lights up the bulbs. Gengar, Haunter, and Ghastly have reappears, and applaud. Suddenly, they realize that Ash and Pikachu aren't moving, and Haunter pulls out their spirits. Ash tells Haunter that he doesn't want to be a ghost, but he grabs him and Pikachu and brings them out of the roof and above the tower. Ash notices Misty and Brock waiting for him, and he decides to have a little fun. Misty tells Brock that she thinks they should go in and check on Ash, and Ash asks her if she really is worried about her. She turns, but doesn't see anything. Ash then lifts Misty into the air, then drops her into Brock's arms. Misty recognizes his voice, and she and Brock run inside the tower. Ash and Pikachu fly around with the Ghost Pokémon, and they return to the tower, arriving in some sort of play room. The Pokémon tell Ash and Pikachu that they only wanted someone to play with and to have fun with. Ash sadly says, however, that he can't stay, as he has to fulfill his dreams. The Pokémon are disappointed, and they all go back to where Ash and Pikachu's bodies are. Upon arrival, Ash sees how worried Misty and Brock are (especially Misty). They reenter their bodies, and wake up. Misty is so happy that she's speechless and blushes a little. Brock is glad as well. They leave Pokémon Tower the next day, and Misty asks him about the Ghost Pokémon. Ash says that he can't catch one, and Brock asks him how he plans on fighting Sabrina. Ash suggests using his sense of humor, and Pikachu points behind them. They all turn, and see Haunter floating there. He makes a face at Misty and Brock, and they run off ahead of Ash. Ash just looks at Haunter and laughs. Apparently, Haunter wants to come with them. Back inside, Gengar and Ghastly have some fun with Team Rocket on the Merry-go-round. Haunter Versus Kadabra Having Haunter at his side, Ash returns to Saffron City with Misty and Brock. Brock is a little wary of the Ghost Pokémon, however, and keeps his distance. Misty tells him that she thinks Haunter is cute, and Haunter licks her. This however, paralyzes her, and Ash scolds him, making him sob in sorrow. Ash comforts him, then asks him if he'll help him beat Sabrina. Haunter agrees, and they all rush to Saffron City. They reach the gym, and Ash remembers how badly he was beaten last time. He looks around, and notices that he and Haunter are alone. He looks around, and sees Misty, Brock, and Pikachu standing at the side of the road, cheering. Ash yells at them, asking them if they'll at least come with him. Misty reminds them of how they were shrunk, but Ash reassures them, saying that Haunter will beat Sabrina. Ash sends out Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, and they all go inside. Sabrina's doll warns Ash that they'll all have to play with her if he loses, and sends out Kadabra. Ash sends out Haunter, but he has disappeared. Ash looks around, but can't find Haunter anywhere. Brock wonders if Haunter ran away, and Misty notes that the Ghost didn't seem to be exactly trustworthy. Sabrina orders Ash to send out a Pokémon, but none are willing to battle. Ash says he quits, and runs out of the arena, with everyone else running after him. The exit closes, however, and the doll approaches from behind. The doll changes Brock and Misty into dolls, and Ash is about to meet the same fate, when the man from before appears. He teleports Ash and his Pokémon away. Sabrina walks up to the two dolls and mumbles, "He's back." Back outside, Ash's Pokémon play, while he and the man talk. The man tells Ash that Sabrina wasn't always the way she is now, and he tells a story of how Sabrina as a little girl never played with anyone and spent all her time developing her Psychic powers. He then pulls out a picture, and tells Ash that Sabrina split into two personalities. One was the hardened trainer Ash saw, and the other was a girl who wanted friends, symbolized by the doll. Ash remembers that Sabrina had the same picture the man gave to him in her room, and struggles to make sense out of it all. The man looks worried, and wonders if he has figured out that her is Sabrina's father. Unfortunately, Ash, being the rather thick person that he is, concludes that the man is a photographer. "Don't you get it?!" the man yells, but Ash doesn't. He tells the man about how Misty and Brock were turned into dolls, but the man hangs his head in sorrow, saying that there is nothing he can do, since the only way he can change them back is for Ash to defeat Sabrina. He asks Ash if he caught a Ghost Pokémon, but he says that Haunter disappeared. The man tells Ash that he must find Haunter before he can fight Sabrina again, and Ash sets off. He looks all over the city, but can't find Haunter. All the while, however, he is being watched by Team Rocket in a window washer cart. Meowth asks them what they're going to use to try to capture Pikachu, and James pulls out a fishing net. Meowth yells at them, saying that that's too plain. Suddenly, Haunter appears, frightening them so that they fall out of the cart. Jessie holds on for dear life, with James and Meowth clinging to her. Haunter floats down to her, and starts to make faces at her. Jessie tries hard not to laugh, but eventually cracks, letting go. Team Rocket falls down several stories, and hits the sidewalk, creating a huge crater. Ash sees Haunter, and thanks him for foiling Team Rocket's plan to capture Pikachu. After a little convincing, Ash and Haunter head back to the gym. Back at the gym, Misty and Brock are in one of Sabrina's dollhouses. Even though they're dolls, they can still talk, and ask each other if they'll be dolls forever. Much to their surprise, another doll, sitting nearby, answers them. She introduces herself as Sabrina's mother, and asks them not to think badly of her daughter, as she really is a good kid. The roof is pulled off, and there stands Sabrina and her doll. Brock and Misty plead with her to change them back, but the doll tells them that if she does, they'll just run away again. At this time, Ash comes into the arena again. Sabrina asks him if he hasn't figured out that he'll never win, and sends out Kadabra. Ash sends out Haunter, but he has disappeared again. Ash rushes around looking, but Pikachu decides to go out again. Ash tells him that he wont be able to beat Kadabra, but Pikachu tells him that he doesn't want him to become a doll. Ash has Pikachu use Thundershock, but Kadabra keeps teleporting out of the way. Kadabra then uses Psybeam, which knocks Pikachu over. Pikachu then uses Thunderbolt, and actually connects. Unfortunately, Kadabra's health is fully restored using his Recover attack. Sabrina repeats the fact that Ash cannot win, and Haunter finally reappears in front of her. Her doll says that its not fair to have two against one, but the man appears in the room, telling her that Haunter is playing, not battling. Haunter makes several faces at Sabrina, then pulls out a bomb, which explodes. Suddenly, Sabrina smiles and starts to laugh. The man starts to cry, saying that he's never seen Sabrina laugh. Ash asks him if he took her baby pictures. Geez, Ash, how dense can you be? The man tells Ash that Haunter has helped Sabrina come back to herself. Ash tells him that Haunter was supposed to beat Kadabra, but the man points to the Psychic Pokémon, who is rolling around on the floor laughing. Since he can't fight, Ash is the winner. Sabrina's doll disappears, and Misty and Brock are changed back to real people. Later, Ash says farewell to the changed Sabrina, and leaves holding the Marsh Badge. Ash wonders aloud if he really deserved the badge, but Misty and Brock reassure them. They pass by the hole Team Rocket is in which is being filled with cement. Ash dashes towards the path to Celadon City and his next challenge. Professor Oak enjoys some tea in the morning as the phone rings. Krabby brings him the phone. Ash Ketchum is calling Oak to show that he's earned four badges. Oak informs Ash that all of his rivals have already earned five badges and have passed through Celadon City. Gary has already captured 30 Pokémon, and Oak is wondering why Ash hasn't sent him any Pokémon lately. Oak suggests that Ash should capture some more Pokémon. Primeape Goes Bananas Ash returns to the group, who are eating jelly donuts. He explains that Gary has five badges already. Brock says that Celadon City is a day's walk from their current location. Misty reminds Ash that he has to make it to the Pokémon League his own way. Suddenly, a Mankey pops out of the bush nearby. Mankey jumps over to Brock, who gives it a donus. Mankey sniffs it, then takes the donut and sits on a rock eating it. Ash pulls out a Pokéball to catch it. Ash throws the Pokéball. Mankey throws the donut at the ball, and the Pokéball traps the donut inside. Now Mankey is angry. It charges the group as they run down the road. Brock tries to throw a donut at it to stop it, but Mankey knocks the donut away. Misty trips and falls down. Mankey uses Misty as a stepping stone to attack Ash. A cloud of altercation appears as Mankey thrashes Ash. Once Mankey finishes, it takes Ash's hat and climbs on top of a tree. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has been spying. While Ash is in this condition, they can steal Pikachu. When Ash gets up, he realizes Mankey stole his hat. Ash yells at it, demanding his hat back, and Mankey just mocks Ash by turning the hat around and pretending to throw a Pokéball. Ash gets PO'd and goes to climb the tree. Misty asks what's so great about the hat, and Ash explains that it's an official Pokémon Expo hat. Ash gets to the top of the tree, but Mankey knocks him down. Team Rocket appears to steal Pikachu. Mankey comes down from the tree and checks out Team Rocket. James gets mad and kicks Mankey to the side. Team Rocket does their motto and demands Pikachu. Brock suggests that Team Rocket run away or they'll get whipped by Mankey. They look to the side of the road, just in time to catch Mankey's evolution into Primeape! Team Rocket dismisses Mankey as no threat and sends out Ekans and Koffing to get Pikachu. Primeape hits Jessie from behind, causing her to fly face-first into a rock. Angry that her face is ruined, she orders Ekans and Koffing to get Primeape instead. All of Team Rocket attacks Primeape, and a cloud of altercation ensues. Brock and Misty pick Ash up and carry him away. Pikachu rushes to get Ash's hat, just as Primeape finishes Team Rocket off. Primeape jumps in front of Pikachu. Primeape puts the hat on his head, and Ash tells Pikachu to use Thundershock. Pikachu zaps Primeape, but the attack only makes it angrier. Brock comes up with a theory: Primeape just wants attention. When it was a Mankey, Ash tried to capture it in a Pokéball, then James kicked it. Primeape stole the hat so it could get attention. Brock tries to calm Primeape down, but it gets angry and knocks Brock away. Primeape begins to Thrash, chasing Ash and Misty. They split up, but Primeape continues to chase Ash and Pikachu. Team Rocket takes a shortcut and digs a hole in the path. Ash runs into Team Rocket and falls into the hole. Primeape stops and watches as Koffing spews smoke. Ash tells Pikachu to Thundershock Team Rocket, and everyone but Primeape is electrocuted. Ash turns as Primeape jumps into the hole, and they scramble to get out. Primeape blocks Ash's path, and Ash remembers what Professor Oak said about catching more Pokémon. Brock and Misty catch up as Ash announces that he will capture Primeape. Ash sends out Squirtle to use Water Gun. It has no effect on Primeape. Ash recalls Squirtle and sends out Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur uses Razor Leaf, but Primeape uses fast punches to knock away all the razor leaves. Ash calls Bulbasaur back and sends out Charmander. Primeape dodges Charmander's flamethrower attacks and starts pounding it. The flame on Charmander's tail grows larger. Ash looks it up on Dexter, and Dexter explains that Charmander is using its Rage attack. The more Charmander is attacked, the stronger its attacks become, and it will continue to fight until its opponent falls. Charmander charges up for a really strong Flame Thrower attack. Pikachu manages to rescue Ash's hat just before Primeape is scorched to a crisp. Ash throws a Pokéball and captures Primeape inside. Pikachu gives Ash his hat back. Team Rocket comes out of the hole, and Jessie is surprised that Primeape has disappeared. Ash grins and throws the Pokéball into the pit. Primeape comes out and beats the crud out of Team Rocket. With a mighty uppercut, Primeape sends Team Rocket into the sky. Ash recalls Primeape and Charmander. They realize that they're already at Celadon City. They all head into Celadon City. Team Rocket lands and is instantly surrounded by angry Primeape. "I wish we had some donuts!!" Pokémon Scent-Sation Ash, Misty, and Brock have made it to Celadon City and Brock, Misty immediately smell something. Brock dashes off in the direction of where it is. Ash follows him, and finds him with his face pressed up against a pane of glass. He looks in, and sees three girls leaning against a counter. Ash tells him that he'll be leaving with Misty and Pikachu, but can't find them. Brock points inside, and Ash sees them talking to the girls about perfume. Ash enters, and tells Misty not to buy any perfume, as he thinks it's a waste of money. The manager walks in, and scolds him for saying such things. Ash defends himself, saying that perfume only turns guys to zombies. He pulls Brock inside as an example. The manager is angered, and kicks Ash out of the store, literally. Ash decides to head to the gym. At the gym, however, he is not permitted entrance because of what he said about perfume, saying that they manufacture it in the gym. They stamp an "X" on his face, and shut the door. Ash desperately tries to get them to let him in, but they don't let him. Elsewhere outside the building, Team Rocket breaks in through a window. They review their plan to steal the perfume and sell the formula for lots of money. They enter the building and search for the perfume. Jessie uncovers a Gloom, and James accidentally wakes him up. James sends out Koffing to attack him, but he easily defeats him with a burst of really smelly gas. Meowth complains about how bad it smells, and Jessie reminds him that he doesn't have a nose. One of the girls knocks them out, and stamps "X”s on their faces. She then hangs all three of them up in a tree. Ash approaches them as they hang there, and James asks him to let them down. Jessie scolds him for being a traitor, but gets an idea. She asks Ash if he was able to get into the gym, and tells him that if they untie them, they'll help him get inside. Ash is hesitant at first, but agrees. Later, at a department store, Team Rocket has dressed Ash up as a girl. Team Rocket reminds him to keep his voice high, and they go to the gym building. Upon reaching it, they go inside and Team Rocket, also in disguise, tells the receptionist that Ashley wants to apply to the gym. Ash asks the girl there where Erika is, and she tells him that he'll see her shortly. Team Rocket dashes off, casting off their outfits. Meowth jumps out of James's shirt with a bomb in his paw, and James asks Jessie what it is for. She tells him that it is for revenge for stamping the "X" on her face. They continue to dash down the hall. The girl at the receptionist desk leads Ash to a group of people listening to a story being told. He notices Misty and Brock in the crowd and instantly gets worried. The girl who was reading the story, Erika, stands up to welcome the new arrival, and Ash immediately recognizes her as the manager of the perfume shop. Brock approaches Ash and welcomes him as well. It's at this time that Ash notices Pikachu, and he starts to get really worried. Misty asks Erika why Gloom doesn't smell bad, as they usually do, and she explains that Gloom only smell bad when they are threatened. She then explains that, a long time ago, Gloom saved her from a Grimer and they've been friends ever since. Misty notes how she wishes Ash had heard the story, and he absent-mindedly tells her that he did. He catches himself, and asks them not to stare at her. Misty suspiciously tells him that he looks familiar, and Pikachu walks over. Pikachu recognizes Ash immediately, and hugs him. Ash tries to get Pikachu not to blow his cover, but is shocked. His wig falls off, and Brock shouts out his name. Ash tells Erika that he wore the disguise to sneak into the gym so he could battle for a badge and challenges her. Meanwhile, Jessie and James have found the perfume they were looking for, and take it, planning on discovering its formula. Back at the arena, Erika accepts Ash's challenge, telling him to use three Pokémon. Ash sends out Bulbasaur, and Erika uses Tangela. Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip, but Tangela spins, pulling him closer. Tangela then uses Stun Spore, putting Bulbasaur out of commission. Ash thinks about sending out Primeape, but remembers what happened before. He decides against it and sends out Charmander and Erika sends out Weepinbell, who uses Razor Leaf. Charmander's Flamethrower burns the leaves up, and he finishes Weepinbell off with a Skull Bash. The people in the stands note how well Ash is doing, and Erika sends out Gloom, who defeats Charmander with a burst of smelly powder. Ash thinks about who to send out next, and Pikachu offers his services. Suddenly, a voice comes from the ceiling and they all look up to see Team Rocket. They jump down, and Meowth sets off the bomb, which happens to be right under them. Team Rocket is thrown through the roof, but they still have the perfume. The bomb has set a fire ablaze inside the gym, and everyone hurries to gather up the Pokémon to get them out. Once outside, everyone works at putting out the fire. Ash and Misty send out Squirtle, Staryu, and Starmie, who also help out. Brock tells Geodude to throw dirt on the flames. Erika rushes up and tells them that Gloom is still inside. Ash dashes inside to find him. He quickly searches the gym, and finds Gloom cowering in a corner. Ash starts to get close to him, but he lets off a burst of smelly powder. The ceiling starts to cave in, and Ash takes a deep breath, then runs inside. He approaches Gloom, but is forced to take a breath. He realizes that the air doesn't smell, and is happy to know that Gloom trusts him. He scoops Gloom up, and runs outside. The next morning, Erika thanks Ash for saving Gloom and helping with the fire. To show her gratitude, she gives him a Rainbow Badge. Brock and Misty congratulate him, and Ash asks Erika about Team Rocket. Erika laughs, and tells Ash that the vial they stole had only one of the ingredients: Gloom's "special scent." Ash walks off holding the badge high. We've all learned an important lesson here: You can't judge a Pokémon by its smell. Ash, Misty, and Brock walk the streets of a new city. A woman suddenly rushes and hugs Ash, thinking that she's found her missing son, Arnold. Ash explains that his name is Ash from Pallet, and the woman apologizes, saying that Ash looked a lot like Arnold. Hypno's Naptime The woman's son Arnold just disappeared, and has been missing for three days. They notice some posters on a nearby building. A lot of children in the town have disappeared mysteriously. Officer Jenny arrives to put up another poster of a missing child. Brock quickly introduces himself. Ash realizes how worried the woman looking for her lost child is, so he decides he'll help out as well. Officer Jenny explains that all the missing children disappeared exactly three days ago. The kids seem to have nothing in common, so they decide to ask around at the Pokémon Center. Brock and Jenny ask the kids there, while Ash and Misty talk to Nurse Joy. She explains that all the Pokémon at the Center are behaving strangely. They all seem to have lost their liveliness. Joy says that it started about three days ago. Brock notes that it was around that time that the children started disappearing. One of Officer Jenny's devices starts to make noise. She pulls out a sleep wave detector and explains that there are sleep waves present. They follow the sleep waves. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has a similar device and find out that the sleep waves are eminating from the town. Their plan is to find the source of the sleep waves, then use it to knock out the Boss so they can take a break. Even complete failure supervillains need a vacation every once in awhile. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Jenny trace the sleep waves to a skyscraper. They travel up an elevator to the roof level, where the sleep waves are strongest. They find a mansion on the roof. Ash and Brock bust in, to find a bunch of rich-looking people, and a Drowzee and Hypno. Jenny explains about the sleep waves. One of the gentlemen explain that Hypno might have been emitting them. Their Drowzee evolved into a Hypno three days ago, when all the childen started to vanish and the Pokémon at the center lost their energy. The people there are members of the Pokémon Lovers Club. They've been using Hypno as a sleep aid to get to sleep. Hypno's hypnotic powers were only meant to be used on other Pokémon, but since the wavelength was changed to affect humans, it's creating a side effect for the Pokémon in the Center. The modified wavelength is also affecting the kids in the city. Misty checks it out for herself. Hypno uses its powers on Misty, and Misty starts acting funny, clapping her hands and saying "Seel" over and over. Misty runs outside. Ash, Brock, Jenny, and the leader of the Pokémon Lovers Club quickly follow. They chase Misty to a park in the middle of the city, where a lake is. They are astonished -- all the missing kids are there, all acting like Pokémon! Officer Jenny tries to wake them up, but it doesn't work. The club leader suggests using Drowzee to cure them. Since Drowzee emits dream wavelengths, it might counteract Hypno's wavelengths. They return to the Pokémon Lovers Club with Misty and have Drowzee use its sleep waves on Misty. Misty falls asleep, and with a clap of Drowzee's hands, Misty awakens, unaware that she had turned into a Seel temproarily. They take Drowsee and leave the mansion, but Team Rocket shows up on hang gliders and does their motto. Jessie pulls out a mirror and dares Hypno to hypnotize it. Hypno starts to hypnotize the mirror (which bounces the hypnosis waves back to Hypno) but Ash throws a flowerpot at the mirror, shattering it. Jessie gets angry, and they pull out whips and whip Drowzee and Hypno, binding them. Misty calls out Staryu and Staryu breaks through the whips, releasing Drowzee and Hypno. Ash calls Pidgeotto, who uses a gust attack, sending Team Rocket into the stratosphere. They return to the park, and Drowzee cures the children. They all run home. Pikachu wakes up as well. They go back to the Pokémon Center, and cure the Pokémon there. However, the Psyduck is still holding its head. Brock says that caring for Pokémon is his ambition. Psyduck follows Brock as the group leaves. Brock suddenly decides that he doesn't want Psyduck. It's a water Pokémon, so he suggests that Misty take it, but Misty doesn't want such a boring Pokémon. Ash looks in his Pokédex. Dexter explains that Psyduck constantly suffers from a headache. Misty gets upset, trips, and falls down. One of her Pokéballs rolls down to Psyduck. Psyduck taps it, and the Pokéball opens up and captures Psyduck inside. That is how Misty gets stuck with Psyduck. Pokémon Fashion Flash Brock has led Ash and Misty to Scissors Street in Celadon City. Ash and Misty don't know why, but they walk along with him. As they see several Pokémon beauty parlors. Misty remembers that Scissors Street is also known as Breeder's Lane, and both she and Ash agree that that's why Brock's here. Brock doesn't answer them, and continues to look. Misty comes across the newest salon that has opened, Salon Roquét. Inside, the two stylists (Jessie and James) are working on a Raichu and Dodrio. They finish, and their owner loves what they did. The Pokémon, on the other hand, disagree, but they go along with it. Meowth is at the cash register, gleefully counting money. He tells Jessie and James, that they're spend too much. Outside, Misty thinks about getting in line, when Brock finds what he was looking for. They go inside, and find Susie, a Pokémon breeder, taking care of a Chansey. The owner comes in and takes the Pokémon, thanking Susie on an excellent job. Susie turns to Ash and his friends and asks them if they have come to treat their Pokémon. Ash replies that they're just looking around, Brock starts to stutter, and Misty sees a Vulpix sleeping on a chair. She runs over and picks him up. The grumpy Vulpix burns Misty with a fire attack and jumps back onto the chair, yawns, and goes back to sleep. Susie tells her that Vulpix doesn't like strangers, and Brock calls out Susie's name. He introduces himself and tells her that he wants to become a breeder like her. He stumbles all over his words, but finally spits out the main reason he is in her salon: He wants to be her apprentice. Everyone is astounded, including Susie. Ash asks why Brock wants to do this, and he explains that Susie has won many awards for her salon, going on and on. He starts on Vulpix, but Ash stops him. Susie is flattered, but declines, saying that she is still learning herself. Later, during lunch, Susie compliments Brock on his food making abilities, noting that Pikachu has a nice, shiny coat. Vulpix jumps onto the table, and approaches Pikachu's plate. She sniffs the food, and starts to happily eat. Brock is extremely flattered that she likes his food. Susie is surprised as well, saying that Vulpix only ate food that she herself had made. Misty brings up the subject of Salon Roquét, asking if the flashy Pokémon is the newest trend. Susie explains that ever since the Rockets' Salon opened, trainers have been trying to make their Pokémon as flashy as possible. Ash agrees that it is stupid to show off, but Misty disagrees, saying that even Pokémon like to get dressed up. Ash starts to argue with her about the subject, while Brock and Susie look on. Ash suggests that Misty takes Psyduck over to the new Salon, and she agrees. She releases Psyduck, and they hurry over. Susie wonders aloud if she should change her methods per the new trend, but Brock tells her not to, saying that if people want style over substance, they'll give them substance with style. Later, Brock, Susie, and Ash do a lecture on care, with Susie doing the talking and demonstrating with Pikachu. At Salon Roquét’s, the line outside gets shorter and shorter, as more and more people go to watch the lecture. The owner of the Chansey from before approaches her and tells her about the lecture. Back at Susie's, Susie has Ash massage Pikachu's cheeks as an example. Brock announces his opinion as to how a technique is only as good as the trainer or breeder who uses it. Several people look at their Pokémon, thinking about this. At Salon Roquét, Jessie and James finish up on the Squirtle they were working in, and asks the next customer to come in. Much to their surprise, it's Misty with Psyduck. They grin, and pull her into a chair. They do a little make-over, and Misty loves it. Jessie and James continue to work on her, but Meowth pipes up, saying that they need to think of a way to capture the Pikachu she hangs around with. Misty recognizes him, and Jessie and James beat up on him a little bit for blowing their cover. He slashes at them, ripping their clothes to shreds, and reveling their Team Rocket uniforms underneath. They grab Misty, and she calls for Psyduck. However, Psyduck has left, and is hurrying over to Susie's Salon. Once he gets there, tells Ash through Pikachu that Misty is in trouble, and they all rush over to Salon Roquét, bursting through the door. They see Misty's face, and hold back a laugh. Team Rocket tells them that they're doing some beauty research on Misty, and Susie scoffs at them, saying that it's what on the inside that counts. Team Rocket is about to respond, when Meowth scratches their faces, reminding them that the whole Salon Roquét thing was a scam. Meowth then goes on to explain how they planned to make a lot of money of stupid people, and if someone brought in a rare Pokémon, they'd take it. Jessie tells them that they'll trade Misty for Pikachu, but Ash and Brock refuse and prepare to battle. James pushes a button, and the salon explodes. When the dust settles, Misty is at the top of a flight of stairs, and Jessie and James are wearing soldier and Southern Belle costumes (respectively). Koffing and Ekans come out and Ash sends out Pikachu, with Brock's Geodude helping. Koffing is successfully able to put them out of commission with a Sludge attack, and Jessie tells Koffing and Ekans to finish them off. Unfortunately, their costumes get caught, and they trip. They pick themselves up, and Meowth attacks Pikachu and Geodude with them. Just as they are about to hit, Vulpix jumps out and uses Fire Spin. The tornado of fire scoops up Team Rocket and their Pokémon, and hurl them into the air. Brock tells the crowd how exterior beauty can hide inner strength, and they all rub off the makeup on their Pokémon. Psyduck unties Misty, and they all return to Susie's Salon. Ash and his friends thank Susie and Vulpix, and she thanks them for restoring her confidence in her methods. She tells Brock how impressed she was as to how he handled his Pokémon, and tells him that she has decided to give her Vulpix. She tells him that he is the first person other than she herself whom Vulpix has been friendly with, and tells him that he would do a better job raising Vulpix than she would. Brock puts Vulpix into a Pokéball, and Misty and Ash look at each other. Ash notices Misty's makeup once again, and laughs, angering her. As they wave their good-byes to Susie, Team Rocket is chased by several angry trainers who want their money back. Better luck next time... Ash, Misty, and Brock make their way through Gringy City. The air and water here is incredibly polluted thanks to the many factories. Ash notices that Pikachu is acting weird. Sparks are coming out of its cheeks and its face is red. A shadowy Pokémon watches from a nearby alley. Sparks Fly for Magnemite Ash wears rubber gloves as he rushes Pikachu to the Pokémon Center. Meowth watches them enter from a periscope deep in the sewers. Jessie and James begin to do the motto, then complain about the horrible smell instead. Meowth gives them scuba suits to wear, which pumps oxygen and air freshener. Meowth tells them to dive into the water and swim through the pipes to the Pokémon center, but Jessie and James refuse. Meowth pushes a button which delivers the hapless humans an electric shock. They reluctantly enter the sludge water of the sewers. Ash rings the bell at the desk. Nurse Joy comes out of a nearby room, yawning. It's late at night and she dismisses Pikachu's condition as a cold. When Ash yells at her for not being very helpful, she explains that the sparks coming out of Pikachu's cheeks are an early symptom of a cold in electric rodent Pokémon. She suggests that they leave Pikachu there for the night, and it will be fine in the morning. At the same time, a large group of Grimer block the water flow into the hydroelectric power plant, causing the power to go out. This causes the power supply to Team Rocket's scuba equipment to go dead. There are also several Pokémon in the intensive care unit at the Center, and if the power is not restored soon, bad things will happen! Ash, Misty, and Brock decide to head for the power plant to try to do something. Pikachu cries out as they leave. They ask Officer Jenny for directions, as Pikachu comes out of the nearby bushes. Misty realizes that Pikachu is afraid that they won't come back for it later, so Ash decides to let it come along. Pikachu jumps into Ash's arms and Ash gets shocked as the shadowy Pokémon watches from a nearby bush. Somehow, Meowth gets Jessie and James back on the surface level as they gasp for air. Meowth watches as Ash, Misty, and Brock race past the alley they are hiding in. The group arrives at the power plant. They enter and nobody is there to greet them. Misty looks at a map and points out the direction to the central control room. Misty gets spooked as something flies behind her. After a philosophical discussion about Misty's cowardice, both Misty and Brock spot something behind Ash. He turns around and nobody is there. The shadowy figure appears behind Pikachu. Ash looks it up on the Pokédex and it's a Magnemite, the magnet Pokémon. Ash decides to try to catch it, but Magnemite only seems interested in Pikachu. Magnemite seems to be in love with Pikachu for some reason. Ash yells at the Magnemite to cut it out, and the Magnemite backs off. A nasty stench enters the corridor. They turn around to see a grating fall off the ceiling, followed by several Grimer. Brock decides that it would be best not to say anything to insult their pride. Ash pretents to compliment their unique smell, but Misty says it stinks, and a Muk rises from behind the Grimer. With a command from Muk, the Grimer attack. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu run. As they round the corner, they run into two plant workers. The Grimer approach, and they all start running for the control room. They all hide in the control room. One of the workers explains that the Grimer are clogging the sea intake, preventing the power from coming back on. The Grimer bust down the door. Pikachu uses its thundershock attack to knock out some of the Grimer, but it's not good enough. Suddenly, the Magnemite knocks out the grating above them, and several Magnemite and Magneton arrive. Their combined electric attack is enough to chase away all the Grimer. They also manage to get rid of the Grimer blocking the flow of water into the power plant, and the power is restored. However, one Muk remains. Pikachu uses Thundershock, and Pikachu's stalker Magnemite assists with a thundershock of its own. The combined thunder attack knocks the Muk unconsious, and Ash captures it in a Pokéball. To his discontent, he realizes that the smell of the Muk comes THROUGH the Pokéball! Everyone is now outside, and the sun is back up. Pikachu seems to be a lot better now. One of the power plant workers explains that when an electric mouse builds up too much electricity, its body becomes magnetized and it seems as though it has a cold. The Magnemite is no longer interested in Pikachu. Magnemite was in love with Pikachu because it was magnetized, but Magnemite has no interest in a non-magnetized electric mouse. A Gyarados submarine comes out of the water with a large magnet attached to it. Team Rocket's plan is to use the magnet to capture Pikachu due to the fact that its body is now magnetized. What they DON'T know is that Pikachu is no longer magnetized. When they activate the magnet, Magnemite and Magneton from all over town are sucked onto the magnet. The weight of all the Magnemite and Magneton cause the sub to sink. Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's house, a Pokéball arrives from Ash. The Pokéball opens up, and Professor Oak covers his nose in disgust. "What's the idea of sending me a Muk?! YUCK!" Ash, Misty, and Brock find themselves in the mountains. Fuschia Gym is just over the mountain, but Brock doesn't know which one. Looks like they're lost again! Dig Those Diglett! Team Rocket is about to have a picnic when an explosion rocks the earth. They find that their lunch is on their heads. They get angry and decide that someone will pay for this! Ash, Misty, and Brock head for the road to find a number of large trucks passing by. Something happens on the road, and the trucks crash into each other. A Diglett pops up out of the road. Pikachu tries to talk to it, but the Diglett disappears. The chief comes out of the truck and pounds the ground, angry at the Diglett for ruining all their plans. Thanks to the Diglett, they cannot finish building their dam. The chief has even set up a special division for dealing with the Diglett, and has called for Pokémon trainers to help. Ash explains that they're Pokémon trainers, but then Gary shows up with his fan club, and four busloads of Pokémon trainers. Gary fires off his usual round of Ash insults and shows off his fan club. Meanwhile, Jessie and James watch from a bush. Jessie decides that they could try to win the reward, since they're Pokémon trainers as well. There is a great meeting where the chief explains about the Diglett. Jessie and James watch from a cliff above. They decide that they could try to steal the trainers' Pokémon, but James realizes that they haven't got a chance with their Ekans and Koffing. Meowth suggests Plan B, the Principle of Induced Evolution... The Diglett attack the meeting and causes one of the buses to fall over. Gary, the show-off, decides that he can stop the Diglett all by himself, and throws a Pokéball. A Pokčmon starts to come out, but instantly returns to its ball. A Diglett brings the Pokéball back to Gary. Gary gets mad and throws out his best Pokémon, but it won't come out either. Frustrated, Gary throws out all of his Pokéballs. The other trainers do the same, but the Pokémon won't come out. The result is a large pile of Pokéballs. The Diglett just burrow the Pokeballs back to their trainers. Ash sends out his Squirtle, but it won't come out either. Gary realizes that the Pokémon don't want to battle the Diglett for some reason. Meanwhile, the chief starts playing Whack-A-Mole with the Diglett, having no success at all. (Diglett can pull their heads in and out of the ground at the speed of light.) Gary decides that trying to fight the Diglett is futile, and leaves with his fan club. Ash, Misty, and Brock are enjoying a bath in the hot springs. Ash asks Pikachu why the Pokémon wouldn't fight, and he points to the Diglett. The group quickly puts their clothes on and chase Pikachu and the Diglett, as the chief of the dam project continues trying to whack the Diglett with a mallet. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is having no luck with the Principle of Induced Evolution. Pokémon need a certain degree of experience points before they can successfully evolve, but Team Rocket's experience is nothing but losing. They hug their Pokémon and start shedding tears, wondering if they would ever evolve. As their tears make contact with their Pokémon, they start to evolve! Meowth explains that their time to evolve just happened to be now. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu continue to chase the Diglett to a part of the forest where the Diglett and Dugtrio are putting up plants and plowing the ground. Putting up the dam would destroy their efforts and cause the forest to be unlivable. That's why the Pokémon wouldn't fight. The chief understands the situation and decides not to build the dam. Their conversation is interrupted by the Team Rocket motto. Team Rocket shows off their new Pokémon. Ekans has evolved into Arbok, and Koffing has evolved into Weezing! But Team Rocket is still Team Rocket, and Ash sends out Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt attack which Arbok dodges. Arbok dives underground and Weezing follows. For a few moments, all that can be heard are the monotonous droning of Diglett and Dugtrio. Suddenly, something happens underground. Arbok and Weezing are ejected from the hole, beaten and bruised. The Diglett and Dugtrio send a wave of dirt, which Team Rocket surfs on until they crash into the beginnings of the dam project. Our heroes leave the area in search of Fuschia Gym. The Ninja Poké-Showdown Ash, Misty, and Brock have all gotten completely lost trying to find the Fuschia City gym, located in the middle of nowhere. They stop for a break, and let out a couple of their Pokémon out for a stretch. Misty tells Psyduck, who was drinking from a stream nearby, that cold water makes a headache worse, then comments that sometimes when she looks at him, she gets a headache as well. Misty offers Psyduck for Brock's Vulpix, but he declines. She retreats Psyduck and the three go on their way, with a Venonat secretly spying on them in the trees. They carefully cross a bridge, and arrive at a Japanese style dwelling. The decide to look for someone there to ask for directions to the gym, and go in, with the Venonat still following them. Once inside, Ash and his friends cannot find anyone. Misty leans against a wall, and disappears. Brock inspects the wall, and declares it to be a secret door. He pounds on it, and it opens, revealing Misty inside. Suddenly, the Venonat appears. He runs off, and Ash and his friends follow him. Ash accidentally steps on a Voltorb in the floor, and is shocked. They all then dash up some stairs, and see the Venonat at the end of a hallway. Ash runs toward it, but runs smack into an invisible wall. They all decide to leave, and Ash slams into another wall. Brock voices his suspicion of that they have fallen into a trap. Brock hopes that whoever did it isn't wanting to steal their Pokémon, as he doesn't want to lose his Vulpix. Ash climbs up to look through a window, and the whole wall tips out over a deep valley. Brock and Misty think that he's dead, but soon find him hanging onto the wall for dear life. They pull him up and all agree at how dangerous the house is. The other wall opens, and Ash and his friends see the Venonat again. Ash rushes through, to see several Ninja Stars flying at him. Misty and Brock go through, and find him pinned onto the panel. They hear a laugh behind them, and turn to see Iya, and Ninja Warrior. Ash yells at her for throwing the Stars around, and Misty agrees, asking Brock for support. Brock, however, is smitten, and he tries to make her acquaintance. She pushes him over in disgust, and informs them all that the house is a Ninja training camp. She tells them that the Venonat had told her of three stupid people who entered the house, and that she won't let them leave until she battles them. Ash accepts, and sends out Bulbasaur against Iya's Venonat. Bulbasaur uses tackle, but Venonat dodges and uses Stun Spore. Bulbasaur blows the dust away and uses Vine Whip, but Venonat dodges the attack again. Venonat uses Psybeam, and Bulbasaur gets confused, but shakes it off quickly. Bulbasaur uses Leech Seed, and finally connects, winning. A Voltorb rolls in, and explodes, filling the room with smoke. A voice is heard behind Iya, and scolds her for her ignorance. Iya apologizes, calling him her brother. Brock misinterprets the words, and tries to suck up to him, only to be bashed over the head with Misty's mallet. He tells them that he will not let Ash and his friends leave until they battle him. When Ash asks exactly who he is, he responds that he is Koga, the Fuschia Gym leader. Ash is surprised that it is the gym, but is glad that it is. Outside, Team Rocket find the building. They plan to steal the poisonous Pokémon that Koga uses, saying that they would be perfect for Team Rocket's schemes. She tosses a rose to James, who pricks his finger. After he complains, Jessie throws her binoculars at him, and tells him to come inside. Back inside, Ash accepts Koga's challenge. Koga pulls out a Soul Badge telling Ash that he will win it if he wins. Ash assures him that he will. Ash sends out Pidgeotto, and Koga sends out Venonat. The Venonat immediately evolves into Venomoth, much to Ash's worry. Venomoth uses Stun Spore, and Pidegeotto's Whirlwind doesn't succeed in blowing the spores away. Venomoth then uses Sleep Powder, and Pidgeotto falls asleep. Ash then sends out Charmander, who succeeds in blocking Venomoth's Stun Spore with Flamethrower. Suddenly, the ceiling caves in. Team Rocket drops in, and does a rather dramatic and drawn out motto. Meowth tells Koga to hand over the poisonous Pokémon, but Ash tells him to go away. Jessie and James try to move, but can't very well due to the elaborate costumes they're wearing. They throw them off and send out Arbok and Weezing. Ash and Koga decide to join together and send out Charmander, Venomoth, and Venonat. Team Rocket throws some sort of webby stuff, and all three Pokémon can't move. Pikachu jumps out, but is wrapped up as well. Misty is about to send out Starmie, but Psyduck comes out instead. Psyduck proceeds to thoroughly annoy Misty. Ash has her use his Pokédex to find out what Psyduck's attacks are. After two very unsuccessful Tail Whip and Scratch attacks, Koga pulls a cord, and several Voltorb fall from the ceiling. Jessie and Meowth don't know what they are, and James fills them in. It's too late, though, and they explode. Ash, Koga, and the rest, along with there Pokémon run through a door, and into a strange room on a slant. They try to take off the webby stuff on their Pokémon, but to no avail. Soon enough, Team Rocket bursts in. Meowth uses the slanted floor to their advantage, and rolls a Voltorb at Ash and his friends. It explodes, and when the dust settles, Psyduck is running around clutching his head. Misty tries to return him, but is unsuccessful. Meowth gets perturbed, and kicks Psyduck repeatedly. Psyduck's headache becomes worse, and he suddenly releases a Disability attack at Team Rocket, immobilizing them. Ash then uses Confusion, and sends Team Rocket flying into the air. The continuous energy released from Psyduck melts away the webbing on the other Pokémon and they are very happy. Dexter explains that Psyduck can use the attacks that he did when his headache gets severe. Koga is grateful that Team Rocket is gone and is very impressed. He asks if Misty would like to trade for a Venonat or Venomoth, but Misty refuses, hugging Psyduck. Ash realizes that his match with Koga is still unfinished, and the group goes outside. Koga sends out Golbat to fight Ash's Charmander. Golbat disorients Charmander with a Screech attack, and he ends up accidentally scorching Brock with Flamethrower. He finally hits Golbat's wing, and Ash has him finish Golbat out with Fire Spin. Koga gives the Soul Badge to Ash, congratulating him. Ash, Misty, and Brock then continue on their way. The Flame Pokémon-athon! Ash, Misty, and Brock are walking along in the forest and reach what they think to be the Safari Zone. They hear a loud rumbling, and see a large herd of Tauros running in front of them. Ash wants to catch one, and tells Pikachu to attack them. Pikachu is afraid of the huge Tauros, however, and refuses. Ash then sends out Charmander, and tells him to use his Ember attack. Charmander is just about to do so, when a Growlithe jumps out from nowhere and lands on him. The Tauros have run away, and Ash has Charmander use Flamethrower. The Growlithe uses the same attack at the same time, and both attacks are deflected. Ash withdraws Charmander and is about to send out Squirtle, when a girl on a Ponyta stops him. She informs them that he and his friends are in the Big P Pokémon Ranch, and it is illegal to catch the Pokémon in it. She introduces herself as Laura Laramie, and says that her family owns the ranch. The Growlithe pops up, and Laura explains that he guards the ranch, making sure no one catches the Pokémon there. Laura shows Ash and his friends around, and they see groups of all sorts of Pokémon being attended to by several people. After checking his Pokédex, Ash asks Laura why she isn't burned by Ponyta's fire mane. She replies that Ponyta never burns anyone he trusts. Ash reaches out to pet the fire horse, but Ponyta sets his whole hand afire. Ash quickly douses it using Squirtle, and Laura laughs, saying that it took Ponyta a while to trust her, too. Brock tells Misty and Ash how Pokémon breeders love Pokémon from the Big P, as they are always a little stronger than other Pokémon. Laura is glad people know how much work is put into raising the Pokémon. She then invites Ash and his friends to a party later that night, and tells them that they can stay overnight and watch the race that is going to occur the next day. When Ash asks what the race is about, she explains that the Big P ranch has one every year, and the winner becomes and honorary member of the Laramie family. Suddenly, a flock of Dodrio run by, followed by a boy on the same type of bird. The boy brags about how he's going to win, then he rides off, following the flock. Misty thinks that the boy is a jerk, and Laura explains that his name is Dario, and that he's a Dodrio trainer. That night, Ash and his friends walk with Laura through the party. Several people wish her luck in the race, and Ash is happy that they met such a good breeder. Suddenly, Dario runs up, telling Laura that her herd of Tauros are acting up. Ash and his friends go with her to the pen, and they see some sort of sparkly thing moving around in the herd, stirring them all up. Laura sends Growlithe out to see what's wrong, and the Tauros calm down. The sparkling object darts in front of Ponyta, who rears up, throwing Laura off and breaking her arm. Ash grabs Ponyta's reins and calms him down, amazing Laura as to how well he acted. Nearby, hiding behind a silo, Dario congratulates Team Rocket on how well they did (Meowth's charm was the sparkling object that was stirring up the Tauros). As it turns out, he has employed them to ensure that he will win the race and make mega money as part of the Laramie clan. Later that night, after Laura's arm is put into a sling, she sadly says how she won't be able to race. She then asks Ash to ride Ponyta in the race for her. Ash is surprised, saying that Ponyta doesn't trust him. Laura tells him that she knows he can do it, especially since he was able to call Ponyta down so well earlier. Misty and Brock encourage him, and he agrees. He reaches out to pet Ponyta, but he gets burned again. Laura scolds Ponyta, and tells him that if he can win the race with a rider other than her, everyone will know how truly special he is. Ponyta relents, and allows Ash to climb onto his back. The next day, the race is about to begin, and the racers line up at the starting line. There are all sorts of racers, from Pikachu on Squirtle, to a man on an Electrode, to Brock riding Onix. Laura, sitting in the stands with Growlithe, wishes Ash luck, and the race begins. Dario on a Dodrio pulls out for an early lead, with the rest soon behind. As they all race through a field, a pellet is fired at a Tauros. The Tauros bumps into a Nidorina, and the two start to fight, knocking them out of the race. Team Rocket stands up from where they fired the pellet, and rush to the next area, a 45 degree uphill run. Dario still has the lead, but the rest of the pack are not far behind, except for Squirtle, who is exhausted and slowly trudging up the hill. On the way down, the Electrode's spherical shape makes it roll faster, and it starts to pull ahead. Suddenly, he and his trainer fall into a hole dug by none other than Team Rocket, and Dario again takes the lead. As Ash and a few other riders ride by, the Electrode uses Explosion, destroying the area, and knocking out Ponyta and two other racers, a Sandslash and a Raticate. Pikachu approaches, and shocks Ponyta and Ash back to consciousness. They start up again, but have a rather large distance between them and the leader. The next obstacle is a large lake with stepping stones all across. Dodrio quickly runs across, but Rhyhorn and Onix are forced to stop. Squirtle and Starmie quickly make it across, with Ponyta not far behind. Dodrio reaches the next obstacle first: a steep decline with bowls of Pokémon food to eat. Dodrio reaches one, but the three heads start to squabble about who gets to start first. Starmie, Squirtle, and Ponyta arrive, and start to eat, when Dario calls to Team Rocket to do they're thing. Black smoke covers the area, and the people sitting in the stadium can't see a thing on the monitor. As the smoke clears on the course, Team Rocket finally makes they're presence known and say their motto. It dawns on Ash that they were the one's who caused Laura to break her arm, and they apologize, not meaning it, of course. Ash has Pikachu and Squirtle attack, but they are paralyzed by Arbok's Glare attack. Starmie is put out of commission by Weezing's Sludge attack, so it's all up to Ash and Ponyta. Dodrio starts running down the hill, and Ash figures out how Dario had employed Team Rocket to help him win. Misty tells Ash to continue on, but Arbok attacks with a Poison Sting. Just as he is about to contact, Ponyta flares up his flames, frightening Arbok. Weezing uses his Poison Gas attack, but the flammable gas catches fire and Weezing blows up, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. The picture on the monitor finally comes back, and the spectators see that Dodrio is still in the lead. They then see a huge ball of flames rapidly approaching. The announcer tells the audience how the race is just down to the Ponyta and Dodrio, and Ponyta catches up to Dodrio. He is about to pass Dario, when he has one of Dodrio's heads peck at Ponyta, making him fall back again. Suddenly, Ponyta starts to flash, and he evolves into the fastest Pokémon in the entire world, Rapidash. He catches up to Dodrio once again, and beats him by a nose, literally. The crowd goes wild, and Dario accuses Ash of cheating. He has Dodrio attack Rapidash, but he kicks Dodrio, hurling both Pokémon and rider into the air. The crowd cheers, and Laura praises Ash, telling him that he'll make an excellent trainer. Rapidash agrees, licking Ash. Laura tells him to go to the Safari Zone to catch more Pokémon. Later, Dario yells at Team Rocket, saying that they were the reason he lost. Jessie and James give him some suggestions as to how to win next year, and Meowth adds that Dodrio needs a bath. Dodrio, insulted, starts to peck at them.