Episode Guide #185 - #192 UnBEARable Moving Pictures Spring Fever Freeze Frame The Stolen Stones! The Dunsparce Deception The Wayward Wobbuffet Sick Daze UnBEARable Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Spinarak, Gengar, Snorlax, Ariados, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Teddiursa, Psyduck, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Bulbasaur, Totodile, Arbok, Victreebel, Ursaring Story: The group pass through a thick forest and read about a scary Pokémon living here, while Team Rocket return from manual labour in order to fund their projects and come across a corn field. The group find an empty hut and decide to sleep here, during the night a Teddiursa gets inside while the group investigate the noise it was making outside. Misty is bowled over by its cuteness but it’s clearly not as innocent as the group believe. In the morning Psyduck is shouted at for seemingly stealing two apples, while Team Rocket sell the corn they stole (and are continuing to steal more). The group purchase some corn and consume it on the way to a lake where they stop for lunch and Ash releases his Pokémon. While the group prepare, Teddiursa attempts to steal some ham, but when Totodile catches it in the act, it frames it by handing it the food and crying to Misty about it. It tries to do the same with bananas to Togepi and almost blows its cover, but that doesn’t stop it trying to steal some sausages and then pinning the blame on Chikorita. Ash comforts it and believes she wasn’t responsible right before the group notice Teddiursa at it again and trying to stitch up Bulbasaur when it’s discovered. The group believe that their Pokémon were all innocent, even Misty must see past her adoration of Teddiursa to the truth. But Teddiursa retaliates by stealing Brock’s backpack, and returns to Team Rocket to exploit them; it lies to them before stealing the corn that they kept for themselves. Team Rocket are chased away by the farmer they stole the corn from but the Teddiursa is ignored, while the group report the incident with Teddiursa at the Pokémon Centre and find they’re not the only ones to fall for it. Team Rocket catch Teddiursa in a net but it slashes/scratches its way out. Arbok attacks it but it’s beaten surprisingly easily, Victreebel’s attacks are also repelled, and Teddiursa’s Swift attack sends the balloon flying. The group and Joy find the Teddiursa afterwards and confront it, when it shows no remorse for the wrong it is done Chikorita battles it, but Teddiursa is a strong and swift battler, it hits Chikorita with Swift, Double Team and claw attack but Razor Leaf uncovers the real one and Chikorita tackles it. Unfortunately, the battle causes Teddiursa to evolve after Brock retrieves his backpack, and the group flee from it before it can attack. This may be a good thing as it should be able to find food for itself now instead of stealing it, and the cute routine will no longer work... apparently, since while the group continue their journey Team Rocket (having been forced to hand over their profits to the farmer) befriend the Ursaring (still using the cute facade) who will certainly turn on and exploit them. My favourite Quote: Ash: “You caused a lotta trouble!” Misty: “Yeah! What do you have to say for yourself now?!” Teddiursa (pulling yet another cute expression and holding a paw to its mouth): “Ur...” Misty: “Cutie... I mean Bad Teddiursa!” Things I’d like to point out: The cabin’s not scary, is it? Then how does one explain the fact that while the group walk inside, the door clearly closes on its own, other than badly thought out animation? I wonder what could have gone so wrong in Brock’s dream; first Joy is seemingly proposing her love and from there on it goes pear-shaped. Unless Brock’s mind opened up to the realities of love and relationships or their flaws, I don’t think I want to know how it became a nightmare. Misty’s “Let’s just be friends.” remark after promising not to use a Pokéball to catch it is sort of a strange metaphor for Pokémon catching in general, comparing the capture of a Pokémon as beginning a lifelong commitment with them. Psyduck is the only Pokémon that Misty blamed for food theft that isn’t apologised to later, also, are the two apple cores still going to be in its hands inside the Pokéball and when it’s next released like the Hold Items from the second set of games onwards? I’m not sure if the timing’s right but I wouldn’t be surprised about this. After Jessie gives away a free ear of corn to Ash because of Teddiursa, Ash thanks her and the group turn and walk away. Misty, Brock and Ash could easily have grabbed one for themselves from the bag but Teddiursa walks away with two, one in its mouth and one behind its back. Either Teddiursa was handed the corn (though it didn’t look like it personally) and stole another, or it blatantly stole two but the group haven’t noticed yet. Oh come on Misty! Teddiursa visibly has the bananas she’s looking for in its mouth thanks to Togepi and in the cartoon fashion the shape of them is seen in its cheeks. At least Teddiursa has to suffer the process of swallowing all three with the skins on and ultimately, digesting them. Where did the sausages wrapped around Chikorita go? It doesn’t look like she had the time to unravel them given her four legged form, and spinning to free herself from them would just ruin the tearful moment she had. How can the group believe Teddiursa over her, do Grass Pokémon (based on plants and such) even eat meat? It’d be ironic if they did. Anyone who isn’t at least a little moved by the sound of a Chikorita crying is either very strong or very heartless. Jessie’s acting indecisive again, before the farmer chases her and the others off, she doesn’t care that Teddiursa lied and stole from them with the cute facade, but after catching it moments later she tells Teddiursa that it can’t get away with these things. When the group talk to Nurse Joy about Teddiursa, in one shot the cross on her hat changes from purple to yellow then purple for the rest of the show. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon needs up to 18 hours of sleep a day!) Abra Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Moving Pictures Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Bellossom, Sunkern, Meowth, Sunflora, Wobbuffet, Bulbasaur, Arbok, Articuno Story: The group’s path is clouded with an imminent storm, and they find Todd taking pictures of Pokémon and make their presence known to him. He’s been busy with his hobby/work but is looking to get a picture of an Articuno which has been spotted nearby. A small object comes crashing down which is soon recognised as a frozen Sunkern, they rush it to a lodge Todd mentions, and Team Rocket are not far behind. There the group meet an old lady called Sophia who defrosts the Sunkern; it’s a little ironic since this place has been named the Sunflora Lodge. They end up listening to one of her tales from 50 years ago involving her sweetheart Marcello, how he disappeared for years due to an accident and his proposal which involved Sophia to place a Sunflora in front of the lodge to prove she still loved and wanted him, but she couldn’t locate one. She gathered a field’s worth and was reunited with and married him, but soon enough the accident Marcello had had weakened him and he passed away. The group are crying by the end of the story and they are shown a picture of Sophia, Marcello and the Sunflora. But another voice makes itself known, and Marcello explains how Sophia likes to tell romance stories with her and Marcello as the characters. The Sunflora gather at this time of year because of the warm climate during wintertime. Sophia and Marcello have had a picture taken with the Sunflora every year, today would be their fiftieth time if not for the cold and the absence of Sunflora, but Todd convinces the couple to take their picture on the south slope regardless. The landscape is barren and snowy, which reminds Sophia of an encounter she and Marcello had on a bridge involving a near-fall, but since the group didn’t cross a bridge, Sophia admits it’s another tall tale, but she saw the story on a reality show. The snow picks up and Team Rocket appears with a snow machine and soon aims it at the group. Sophia ‘recalls’ another story in the snow before the group are buried, they can’t budge and Pikachu cannot attack, Bulbasaur is soon buried and Arbok retrieves the stuck Pikachu. Sunkern leaps from Brock’s grasp to the rescue and uses the technique Sunny Day to melt the ice. Bulbasaur resumes the Solarbeam it originally tried to activate and blows up the machine; Pikachu follows with Thunderbolt and explodes their retreating balloon. Even with the sun back the Sunflora aren’t present, so the group suggest the couple take a picture with Sunkern, Brock recalls Ash winning a Sun Stone in the Bug Catching Contest and proposes he use it on Sunkern to evolve it. He does so but before the picture of the couple and the one Sunflora is taken, the lone Sunflora manages to attract the usual bustling group of Sunflora for the traditional picture. As Todd takes it, he glimpses Articuno for a moment; Brock reckons it must have been the reason for the recent cold weather. They depart from the happy couple with Todd to begin their quest for the legendary Articuno. My favourite Quote: Ash: “If ya can’t trust a little old lady, who can ya trust?” Things I’d like to point out: From now on, the group refer to the photographer as Todd instead of Snap even though they used to call him that, I heard a rumour this was because of the Kelloggs character of the same name. However, Todd is the actual name of the same character in the Pokémon Snap video game. Snap might have been his nickname but it would have been nice if we’d actually seen him divulge his real name to the group when he was last with them instead of them suddenly calling him that now. The way everyone looks at the pages in Todd’s book from right to left (up to down) are the way the Japanese look through and read books. The fact Ash doesn’t think Articuno is real means the continuity of the films doesn’t seem apparent in the series even though the movies refer to events in the series. Todd is worse than the TV crew from “Shell Shock!” in that he stands below the falling ‘meteor’ to take a picture of it. What’s the point of taking a great photo if the photographer has to die in the process? It’s not clarified how the Sunkern was frozen but it can be assumed it’s because of Articuno, so what did Sunkern do to get itself frozen or dropped from high in the sky (unless Articuno Really disproves of Sunny Day bringing out the sun). Todd mentions that the ice surrounding Sunkern only slowed down its metabolism, and hints that it could have possibly been fatal. Since Ice attacks can freeze enemy Pokémon, does this mean Ice Beam, Blizzard and all the latest Ice attacks can endanger a Pokémon’s life by affecting it with the Frozen status? Wrong! Sun Stones don’t evolve several Pokémon, they currently evolve only two kinds, and Gloom to Vileplume isn’t one of them! It evolves Gloom to Bellossom (Leaf Stones get you a Vileplume)! Anyone who based this theory and evolution on the cartoon Pokédex theory would have been very surprised and disappointed in the results. No one even asked Sunkern if it wanted to evolve, wanting a photo with a certain Pokémon is a petty reason to force a Pokémon to evolve. Sophia and Marcello may be in the same pose as fifty years ago but the Sunflora aren’t, they’re in a group but aren’t filling up the space above the ground like they did in the old photos. Also, since when did the couple give Todd permission to tell them how to pose for their photo? They only agreed to let Todd take their picture, not direct every aspect of it. This is the final episode which includes the shrink box animation at the end of the episode. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s shell becomes thicker by adding layers of tree bark!) Pineco Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Spring Fever Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Swinub, Graveler, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Onix, Articuno, Noctowl, Totodile, Poliwhirl, Arbok, Victreebel, Weezing Story: The group and Todd continue their search for Articuno and plan to check out the mountain ahead, after lunch that is, but three Swinub rudely invite themselves in and chow down on Misty’s rice ball. A girl named Peggy comes running to stop them and soon introduces the group to her father Rory who works by locating hot springs and digging them out for resorts to build upon. But lately he hasn’t been able to find a hot spring; and he explains how the Swinub sniff out the steamy water underground as they find something, Rory uses a Graveler to dig its way down. Team Rocket spy but Jessie would rather find a hot spring for herself and soon considers building a lodge once the group find the hot spring. The Swinub’s search is unsuccessful but Rory plays with the Pokémon regardless, Team Rocket pose as diggers and offer their services to Rory, the group do so as well. Several digs come up short, so Team Rocket decide to steal Rory’s Pokémon and look elsewhere, they take the Swinub (Jessie soon decides to leave Graveler behind) but reveal themselves before escaping on a bobsled. The group use several empty boxes for the same use to catch up but Meowth’s oily trail sends them off course a little and eventually succeeds in full (as Todd slips he spots Articuno again but misses his shot at snapping it on film). Free of the group they plan to use the Swinub before handing them to the Boss and end up hitting oil, but soon discover they accidentally punched a hole in an oil company’s pipeline, and make a run for it before someone finds out. Noctowl returns to the group after locating them and the group soon catch up and fight Arbok and Victreebel with Totodile, Graveler and Poliwhirl, and soon retrieve the Swinub. Weezing and Wobbuffet join the battle but before the battle continues, the Swinub start acting up and get angry enough to fight this battle themselves. Team Rocket inevitably fail to stop the Swinub and a double Water Gun attack that sends them away. Immediately afterwards the Swinub manage to sniff out a hot spring and Graveler reveals it, and the family are happy. Brock figures the battle helped them to do so, and soon the group says their goodbyes, and head towards the mountain on a mission to locate Articuno. My favourite Quote: Jessie: “Let’s forget Pokémon for a while. Once we find a spring we could open a quaint little inn there. We can call it Jessie’s Lodge.” James: “Jessie’s Lodge?” Jessie: “Alright, Jessie and James’s Lodge.” Meowth: “Hey! Don’t forget me!” Meowth: “Jessie And James And Friend!” Things I’d like to point out: Misty and Ash introduce themselves but Brock and Todd don’t, there’s not really any opportunity to do so as their lips don’t move throughout the scene, but maybe Ash could have said instead of asking who the Swinub belong to. In Rory’s opening shot, why does he say “Right; they all belong to me!” in such a loud tone? There’s a cut between Misty questioning this to Peggy and then straight to Rory so maybe something was done offscreen to make him sound a little annoyed. Although Misty asking Peggy exactly what she just confirmed is a little annoying. When Jessie dreams about hot springs, she speaks of a sauna room when the picture clearly shows she’s playing table tennis or a similar game. Wobbuffet makes a silent appearance during one of Jessie’s fantasies, it’s for this reason that James and Meowth jump, because they don’t realise it’s next to them until it speaks. If Team Rocket were literally only digging pitfall traps instead of looking for hot springs, they shouldn’t have been so annoyed that the group as a whole weren’t finding the latter. Meowth’s explanation of the Slippy Oil sounds too much like a spokesperson in an advert for the stuff. And his reaction to James’s question speaks for itself, that he used Team Rocket’s food money to buy it (by the gallon), it’s no wonder the team are usually starving if they’re buying unnecessary items like that. Defence Curl’s use is again used wrongly; it only increases a Pokémon’s defence, not their special defence which Razor Leaf is used against. There’s no such move called Fang Attack/Fang attack, Jessie should have called for Bite. A move called Toxic Fang could be appropriate, but it wasn’t invented until the third set of games. Either it’s coincidence that Jessie has a poster of her modelling (if it can be called that) or she’s kind of sad and pathetic to keep that in her immediate possession since her apparent days as a model. And also, Team Rocket may not have noticed the battle was still in action during this event but surely their Pokémon getting beaten around should have made some audible noise. Wouldn’t it be better to use a Pokémon that could dig but didn’t have a Water- type weakness? As it’s seen here the water shoots up when a hot spring is revealed and could be strong enough to damage a Rock/Ground-type. From now on the “> To Be Continued” credits simply appear on screen at the end of an episode in one of the four corners of the screen. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon carries around its very own seasoning!) Farfetch’d Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Freeze Frame Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Noctowl, Golbat, Jigglypuff, Cyndaquil, Meowth, Spearow, Stantler, Articuno, Wobbuffet, Arbok, Weezing Story: The group are at Snowtop Mountain which is always cold and snowy, Golbat leads them to a clue it found; a frozen Jigglypuff. They defrost it and Jigglypuff confirms Articuno did this and points the way forward, while Team Rocket try to climb the mountain in order to set a trap for the group. The group stop at a Pokémon Centre and meet the Joy and Jenny of Snowtop Peak. They confirm that Articuno appears to make regular visits to Snowtop and speak of travellers throughout the years who were saved by Articuno, something Team Rocket currently need and may soon share with them as Articuno appears. They are dumped at the Pokémon Centre and despite their differences, the group help them recover but interrogate what happened and confirm Articuno’s presence here. Ash and Todd leave immediately with the others following soon after, Team Rocket realise what an opportunity this is and swipe Jenny’s snowmobile, afterwards Jenny and Joy predict a storm approaching. In the snowstorm the Pokémon sense Articuno’s presence and it appears right in front of their eyes, it’s soon apparent the group would have walked right into a chasm had Articuno not appeared and warned them. Team Rocket attack it with their Pokémon which forces it to use Ice Beam, Wobbuffet uses Mirror Coat to deflect it, Articuno dodges but it results in a small rockfall occurring, Ash and Todd take a fall while harsh winds blow Team Rocket away, Brock figures that Articuno’s power was accidentally let loose. Ash and Todd survive and Articuno is seemingly the reason for this, while Jigglypuff’s inflating ability gives it and Pikachu a soft landing. Team Rocket end up crashing down here and attack again, Ash and Todd are ready to defend it but Articuno freezes the attacks and takes care of the problem itself, Wobbuffet can’t defend against another Ice Beam and Articuno finishes off with Blizzard which blows not only Team Rocket away but Jigglypuff too. The sun appears and Todd gets his picture before Articuno takes off, Jenny, Brock and Misty soon arrive and Todd decides to remain in the area to take more pictures of the Pokémon that reside here, he and Ash say their goodbyes and the group continue on, while a picture of Articuno hangs proudly in the Centre. Meanwhile Team Rocket are in trouble when Jigglypuff reappears in a cold cave. My favourite Quote: Misty: “Look guys it’s a Pokémon Centre.” Ash: “Wow, I never thought they’d have one all the way up here.” Brock: “Wouldn’t this be the perfect spot to cuddle up with a hot cocoa and a warm Nurse Joy?” (Everyone else looks at him strangely) Ash, Misty and Todd: “Uh...” Brock: “That’s not what I meant! I meant a warm fire!” Things I’d like to point out: Ash isn’t thinking, doesn’t the fact Jigglypuff was frozen in its singing pose prove that Articuno can freeze it before it can put the bird to sleep? Not just Ash but the entire group speak about Articuno like it’s the first time they’ve seen one, only Brock applies since he wasn’t with them during the second movie. For once Wobbuffet uses the correct move; Mirror Coat to deflect a special attack like Ice Beam. Jessie doesn’t state an attack while Brock confirms what happened, so maybe Wobbuffet has used Mirror Coat all this time instead of Counter which Jessie constantly tells it to use. Wobbuffet for once even visibly takes a little recoil damage from the strength of the attack, so that means it’s not invincible even when countering everything. Why were Team Rocket blasted away by the winds but not Misty and Brock? The mound of snow might protect them but they didn’t appear to be behind it when the storm started. Team Rocket were blown away from the chasm hole, how did they end up back there unless the winds shifted and spiralled to bring them back here? Todd and Ash really don’t seem to care much about Jigglypuff, and only claim they’re worried after Misty reminds them that it’s gone. By saying “So do I.” in response to Todd saying Ash is right about suggesting Articuno knew Todd wanted a picture of it basically means Ash is agreeing with himself, how odd is that? Todd’s picture in the Centre and the time of the photo being taken don’t add up, Articuno was staring right at Ash and Todd but the picture in the Pokémon Centre has Articuno at a slight angle. The Articuno should have been staring either straight forward or slightly leftward, but somehow it faces to the right which doesn’t add up to Snap’s position when he took the shot, what way was the Articuno actually facing? Straight after Meowth explains that sleeping in the cold could be fatal, Jigglypuff appears... and pretty much sentences Team Rocket to an apparent death. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon spits flames so hot they can melt boulders!) Charizard Cameos in Pokémon Journey: An Articuno once appeared in a side story but when rudely awakened it attacked a Shellder and Emily’s Pokémon (“Cold Heart”). The differing Pokédex entries of Emily and Tetsubo describe this and the Articuno seen here, with Emily’s describing the series one and Tetsubo’s the destructive one Emily encountered. The Stolen Stones! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Arcanine, Golbat, Arbok, Wobbuffet, Onix Story: The group cross a narrow passage where several rocks overlook; they are saved as winds send some crashing down by a trio of Arcanine. The owners are called Ramona and Keegan, and they are in possession of a bag of Fire Stones that they intend to deliver to a Fire Pokémon Tournament as the prize; they deal with many other kinds of deliveries too. After a brief ride on the Arcanine, the group takes a rest, Ash is interested in riding solo and Keegan teaches him how to do so. A rocket crashes down and Team Rocket manage to snatch the bag of stones, and Pikachu soon after. One of the Arcanine breaks Pikachu free and the group attack; Jessie and James quickly make their escape on a three-person bicycle. The Arcanine chase after them quickly but Team Rocket stop suddenly and a pre- planned pitfall does the rest. The group gathers and follow the bike tracks but must split up to guarantee they find the stones. Brock, Misty and Ramona find a bag but fall into a hole and the bag is a fake as James tells them. Ash and Keegan chase Jessie to a battlefield and accept her challenge to fight for the stones, Pikachu beats Arbok easily but when Ash and Keegan dash to the centre to claim their prize, another hole greets them which results in Keegan hurting his arm and Jessie kidnapping Pikachu. Meowth has the real Fire Stones and is rejoined by Jessie and James. Ash and Keegan free themselves but Ash must be the driver since Keegan can’t do it for now, Ash has a crash course in how to pilot; by working as one with the Arcanine. The group stop at night and Arcanine picks up a scent, Team Rocket meanwhile have stopped to eat and celebrate. Ash and Keegan catch up but Wobbuffet counter-strikes Arcanine and the Rockets rise in their balloon, the other group catch up and the other two Arcanine climb Onix and burn up the balloon. Another battle ensues and Keegan’s Arcanine comes out on top, Ash rides it with Pikachu to catch up and punish the Rockets. The two deliver the stones on time and say goodbye to Ash and the others before parting ways. My favourite Quote: James: “Our plan to divide and conquer those kids worked completely.” Jessie: “We got the twerps off our tails and brought back Pikachu too.” Wobbuffet (appearing again): “Wob-buffet!” Meowth: “Heh! This is the only plan we ever had that actually worked! Let’s get back ta the Boss before we blow it.” Things I’d like to point out: Ash claims he’s never seen an Arcanine so close before which is technically true given that the only Arcanine he’s actually seen was the one he fought against in the Pokémon League. What’s with Ash thinking he saw a Fire Stone ‘some place’, he has seen them before so why can’t he specifically remember when? And for the first time it seems he hears of a Pokémon-related competition but doesn’t push to be involved in it. Another seemingly incorrect name: When the Arcanine charge forward surrounded by flames, surely Fire Spin isn’t the best description; Flame Wheel would probably have been a better choice. Also, Extreme Speed is an attack, not a boost of speed, that’s Agility’s specialty. Ash isn’t completely honest; he’s lost here and there to Jessie and had to be bailed out by other people’s Pokémon. The way Arcanine crashes through trees and heads straight at lakes makes it seem like it’s a machine, doesn’t it have any free will at all or the sense to take over and dodge around obstacles that would hurt it as much as the driver. Team Rocket have got to learn to sell or deliver whatever they’ve stolen, and Then they can stop to celebrate! Did it honestly take until nightfall for Misty and Brock to think of or to use Onix to help them out of the hole? Surely Keegan shouldn’t be using the supposedly hurt arm to stretch out and point while directing his Arcanine, not when it’s mostly all to do with the pose rather than showing his Pokémon the direction. Who’s That Pokémon?: (When this Pokémon senses danger it starts to smell---bad!) Gloom Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. The Dunsparce Deception Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Caterpie, Dunsparce, Meowth, Chikorita, Noctowl, Totodile, Poliwhirl, Golbat, Psyduck, Cyndaquil, Wobbuffet, Victreebel Story: The group notice a boy called Bucky hunting for a Pokémon called Dunsparce with his Caterpie. All the kids that know him own a Dunsparce themselves and are currently playing with them. Bucky explains that his family went to visit his sick grandmother but when he got back a swarm of Dunsparce had occurred and everyone else caught one. The kids have their Dunsparce race and invite Caterpie to compete, but it’s not as fast and is soon lapped and humiliated. Bucky comforts his Pokémon and the group soon offer their help to locate a Dunsparce of his own, the group’s Pokémon are called out to assist as well. Togepi and Pikachu locate a Dunsparce but it soon disappears, and Team Rocket net several Pokémon. It’s reinforced so Cyndaquil burns it and Poliwhirl brings the balloon down, Meowth lands right next to the Dunsparce before the team is blasted away, leaving Bucky saddened and blaming himself. Team Rocket doesn’t see much value in one Dunsparce and decide to steal the ones that the children own. James announces a ‘3-D Virtual Pokémon Show’ and the kids show up, but it’s a weak performance of a battle between Dunsparce and Moltres. Afterwards they claim they are trading Moltres for Dunsparce, and the kids quickly rush to it (except for one), but later when Bucky and the others return, it’s revealed the Pokéballs given were fake. The group soon finds Team Rocket who have accidentally released the Dunsparce all over the place, another battle is waged and Water Gun is repelled by Wobbuffet, Misty and then Ash use the attack in order to get a hit in. The trainers appear but the Dunsparce are prevented from returning to them by Arbok, but the kids simply have their Dunsparce fight together and send Team Rocket flying. As the kids celebrate, the lone wild Dunsparce appears and with Caterpie’s help, Bucky manages to catch it, he’s now happy and thanks the group before they leave. My favourite Quote: (James and Meowth are in Moltres and Dunsparce costumes respectively in a tacky play) Jessie: “The mighty battle between Dunsparce and Moltres has begun!... Er, Moltres uses a Wing Attack.” James (poking Meowth): “Wing wing...” Meowth: “Hey! Watch where you’re wingin’!” Things I’d like to point out: Contrary to what is said this entire episode and their general appearance, Dunsparce are not Bug-type Pokémon, check any Pokédex from the second game onwards and you’ll see that Dunsparce is a Normal-type Pokémon. When the group of kids walk in a line with their Dunsparce, a kid at the back hasn’t got one, unless he’s ashamed of his and keeps it in its Pokéball. Misty confirms this is a Bug Pokémon she finds cute, even though Dunsparce isn’t actually a Bug-type, it only looks like one. Also she’s fickle about being sympathetic towards Caterpie while being scared at the sight of it. Why does James claim his costume is humiliating? The theme and colours of it are similar to what he wore when he thought he had the heart and soul of a Moltres in “The Fortune Hunters”. Except for the little girl, the other trainers should apologise to their Dunsparce for trading them at the drop of a hat (and for being so gullible for thinking that Moltres are common enough for all the kids to have one). And if the kids truly loved their Dunsparce, they wouldn’t have traded them, unlike the little girl. Twice in the episode (the animation appears to be used twice), Jessie is yelling to her Pokémon and is suddenly not wearing her glove, this occurs while telling Wobbuffet to redirect Totodile’s Water Gun and when shouting at Arbok. Having Wobbuffet counter one attack while sending another straight afterwards is a cheap but effective idea, except Ash takes too long, I’m sure in the long time it took for him to follow Misty, Wobbuffet could have activated another Mirror Coat if Jessie had just ordered it to do so. Caterpie should be wary of its part in catching Dunsparce because it’s inferior to it and will probably be replaced completely because of the current fad. Who’s That Pokémon?: (Believed to be one of the most difficult Pokémon to defeat in battle!) Mew Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. The Wayward Wobbuffet Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Meowth, Weezing, Wobbuffet, Quagsire, Chikorita, Totodile, Golem, Noctowl Story: Team Rocket set another trap for the group, disguising themselves as scientists they convince Pikachu to enter an apparently indestructible pod which can only be opened by a key. Weezing provides a distraction and Team Rocket dash off, secretly handing the pod over to Wobbuffet on the way. Wobbuffet foolishly reveals itself but as it tries to run from Ash, it falls into the river and down a waterfall, and it has the key! There’s a risk that Pikachu won’t survive in the pod for too long and while Team Rocket try to strike a deal, the group leave during the proposition, but Team Rocket get ahead in their balloon. Wobbuffet happily drifts downstream and walks into the forest, where the two groups coincide. Wobbuffet swings away and after the groups get down/fall down the mountain, Wobbuffet falls onto the top of a truck. Shortly afterwards, Jenny arrives with the police, who is after the master thief Gonith, and a roadblock is set up to stop his truck. Wobbuffet distracts him which results in his driving right through the cars and barricades. Bridges are raised within the next city but Gonith escapes in a Golem-themed balloon, and takes a fall after trying to throw Wobbuffet out. Jessie tries to return Wobbuffet but Gonith’s balloon keeps moving out of range, and Team Rocket’s balloon pops again due to a crash and Wobbuffet’s blundering. The group fail to break the pod with extreme force but are soon chasing Wobbuffet again, who falls into a speedboat despite Chikorita’s attempt to catch it. Both groups are soon on the run but Wobbuffet is out cold, Ash and Jessie jump in and fight but Wobbuffet wakes and breaks the steering wheel, and then the throttle. Meanwhile, Gonith has escaped on a police motorcycle and a crash with another boat throws Wobbuffet onto Gonith’s ride. Totodile saves Ash and Jessie from a deadly crash and the groups assemble again and head towards a building where Gonith is holding Wobbuffet hostage. The group heads around the building where Team Rocket have already dug their way inside, they confront Gonith and strike a deal where Gonith can escape through the tunnel in exchange for Wobbuffet (and his riches). Golem moves them aside but Ash and Totodile appear and fight it, Golem uses Double Team and Dynamicpunch, Totodile hides behind Wobbuffet when it tackles and Counter attack defeats Golem and hurls it and Gonith through the wall and into the police’s hands. Team Rocket escape with Wobbuffet in a new balloon, but Wobbuffet foolishly appears from its ball as always, giving Ash the opportunity to attack the balloon with Noctowl so Wobbuffet drops the key. Team Rocket crash and Pikachu is freed, leaving the inevitable shocking for Team Rocket before they leave in the usual way. Jenny thanks Ash for his part in assisting the capture of Gonith, and while the group moves on, Team Rocket are stranded on a high bridge with Wobbuffet standing tall. My favourite Quote: James: “I never thought I’d be saying this but I kind of miss the little blob...” Meowth: “Wobbuffet added that certain nothin’.” Things I’d like to point out: I hate the ‘We know that’ line in regards to Team Rocket revealing themselves and basically narrating that. They didn’t know it when it mattered, and even though James made the effort to disguise his hair, Jessie’s more distinguishable hair is completely in view to all. Again Weezing takes orders from Jessie which has happened so much that it’s starting not to mean anything to me anymore. Also, Weezing neither appears to come along or be recalled when Team Rocket runs away. For the first time in a long time, someone else says the episode name; Team Rocket, but its cut into by Wobbuffet being washed away. This is new, in addition to Pokémon; Wobbuffet can seemingly counter human attacks too. All of a sudden, Jessie knows how to fight, she should attack on her own more often, if not for it being violent and this being a children’s show. Again the wrong sort of shot is used in unleashing Totodile; it’s blatantly an early clip of Ash throwing a Pokéball than the new one made specifically for Totodile’s Lure Ball. When slow motion kicks in, it’s surprising that out of all the characters James’s slow motion scream is the highest among them, beating even Meowth and Jessie who should theoretically have higher pitches. This is probably one of my favourite episodes because of Wobbuffet’s chance in the spotlight and the funny situations it gets itself into, but given Wobbuffet’s history, why didn’t Team Rocket give the key to a more reliable Pokémon like Arbok? Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s paws are always loaded with honey!) Teddiursa Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Sick Daze Pokémon seen: Pineco, Golbat, Togepi, Psyduck, Onix, Geodude, Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Noctowl, Pikachu, Chikorita, Poliwhirl, Staryu, Totodile, Goldeen, Bellossom, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Arbok, Victreebel, Butterfree, Magikarp, Weezing Story: The group and the Pokémon wake up near a river and prepare for breakfast, and Brock is found to be suffering from a fever. The group decide to let him rest after all the work he’s done, but he wakes and wants to do his usual tasks but his sickness and Ash and Misty’s decision prevents him from doing so. Ash and Misty fill in for Brock’s usual polishing of his Rock/Ground Pokémon, but Ash carelessly has his Totodile use Water Gun to clean Onix faster, which ends badly. Brock dreams of a field of flowers and beautiful women which turns into a nightmare all of a sudden. Brock wakes to find his Pokémon watching over him, he tries to help Ash and Misty but his Pokémon don’t allow him to leave the bed. Ash and his Pokémon go to search for some fruit, but Team Rocket are currently taking them all for themselves (to eat and to make into sellable products). Pikachu is vacuumed into James’s container but the following battle frees it and Team Rocket are blasted away. Brock again dreams of his three dream girls but he takes a fall and wakes up to some food provided by Ash and Misty. Ash chops firewood while Misty cooks... badly, adding several unsuitable ingredients after overloading it with salt and sugar, as a result, Ash skips dinner, with good reason as Misty doesn’t exactly enjoy it herself. They and the Pokémon sleep outside to let Brock have some solitude to rest easier, during the night the group consider all the work Brock does for them and promise to be more grateful and appreciative of it. Jessie swipes Misty’s food and is surprisingly the only one who enjoys it, the others formulate a plan, using a cut-out and the voice changer they net Ash’s Pokémon. As they run away, Brock dreams again of the girls and another interruption, but is woken up again as his Pokémon notify him of the commotion outside. Ash, Misty and Pikachu fall into a hole and Team Rocket grab even more of the Pokémon in their advanced balloon, including Pikachu as a finale. Golbat comes to the rescue, all of the Pokémon are released, and Brock arrives on the scene now feeling better. Golbat and Pineco beat back Arbok and Weezing, Onix showers Team Rocket with rocks and Pikachu once again has the honour of finishing it up. Ash and Misty wake to Brock’s cooking, but they advise him to take it easy for the day, soon enough he has a nap and seemingly gets his dream girls. My favourite Quote: Jessie (after getting James and Meowth to taste Misty’s cooking): “Hey... What’s the matter with you two? Don’t you like it?” Meowth: “Well it ain’t that I don’t like it Jessie, it’s that I Hate it.” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun is from the term “Sick days”. Why would Brock have instructions on the chores and tasks he does? Unless he’s been prepared for this day. This is the first time we learn that Brock polishes his Rock Pokémon, because of this it seems a little suspicious that Ash and Misty have to polish Onix given that we’ve never actually seen Brock do this himself. Meowth’s list of possible products to make with the fruits is kind of hindered by the fact that all Team Rocket seem to be gathering are apples. Ash had very little right to yell at Team Rocket for being here, it’s a forest and they weren’t originally doing anything wrong (until Ash provoked them into capturing Pikachu), clearly Team Rocket weren’t breaking any laws in simply picking apples. Ash is the wrongdoer considering after blasting Team Rocket he seemingly steals all the capsules of apples they’d collected, even though it’s highly doubtful the group and their Pokémon combined need that many or could manage carrying them all on their journey. Surely putting that much sugar in the stew would make someone immensely hyper, and surely putting that much salt in could put someone in the hospital. Oh dear, the voice changer makes another appearance, and the Pokémon are as dumb as Ash was since they’re using a cut-out puppet of him as they did with Ritchie in “Friend and Foe Alike”. Bulbasaur’s the only one who appears awake enough to realise the real Ash is right next to them asleep, but it has been around the longest and was probably told of that incident. Maybe the claws are too much for the Pokémon to escape, but surely Onix being so big and long could have at least tried to struggle or use its dangling tail to smash the balloon. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon gets very upset if disturbed while sipping its honey!) Heracross Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Episodes #175 - #184 Episodes #193 - #200 Back to the Episode Guide Movie and Mini-movie Guide Back to the Pokézone