Episode Guide #265 - #272 Love, Pokémon Style Tie One On! The Ties that Bind Can’t Beat the Heat! Playing with Fire! Johto Photo Finish Gotta Catch Ya Later! Hoenn Alone! Love, Pokémon Style Pokémon seen: Togepi, Pikachu, Vulpix, Meowth, Bayleef, Wobbuffet, Kingler, Voltorb, Chansey, Squirtle, Mr Mime, Slugma, Totodile, Electabuzz, Phanpy, Quilava, Magcargo Story: The first of the 3 way battles begins for Ash, he’s in division H, Brock explains the scoring system of the Round Robin system (3 points for the winner, and 1 for both trainers if a tie occurs), outside Ash is confronted by his opponent Macey, she challenges him to a battle there and then but both Pikachu and Vulpix are netted by Team Rocket. Ash chases them downhill with Macey close behind but she slips and Ash ends up catching her before going off alone, Macey starts looking at him in a funny way. Bayleef frees the Pokémon and sends Team Rocket away, the group catches up and Macey appears to have fallen completely for Ash much to Misty’s annoyance. Misty and Macey fight over their preferences of Water and Fire Pokémon, before Macey can get close Ash races off to prepare for the battle while Macey proposes he take her out on a date if she wins. Meanwhile Team Rocket set up a stall in the market and sell fake badges using bottlecaps with painted designs on them. Analysing Macey’s Pokémon leads Ash to get his Kingler transported but shortly afterwards a trainer’s three Voltorb roll downhill, Kingler catches them but they end up shocking it, resulting in its inability to fight in the next round. Luckily Officer Jenny escorts Ash’s old Squirtle who has been given time off from its duties to compete alongside Ash. In the following battle, Macey begins with Slugma and Ash uses Totodile, Flamethrower is the opening move, Totodile dodges it but its Water Gun is dodged by Double Team, one of many defences that Macey has prepared for Water- types. A Flamethrower hits Totodile and Double Team is used again but Totodile sweeps across the fakes and hitting the real one causes Macey to recall it. She uses Electabuzz but Ash’s Phanpy is invulnerable to its electricity so Macey calls Slugma back into the battle, Earthquake and Rollout easily deal with the Slugma, it uses Flamethrower and Body Slam but the latter is dodged and turned into an Earthquake and Take Down finishes the battle. Macey next uses her Quilava, Phanpy’s Rollout is overpowered by Flame Wheel and then Quick Attack, Take Down also falls to Flame Wheel and Phanpy is knocked out. Totodile returns but so does Electabuzz, Water Gun is blocked by Light Screen and Head Butt is overpowered by Thunderpunch, not to mention Totodile itself. The final Pokémon for Ash is Squirtle, its Water Gun is faster than Electabuzz’s Thunderbolt due to its fire-fighting skills and instincts, it dodges several Thunderpunches but its Water Gun is extinguished by Electabuzz’s Iron Tail attack and the next one hits hard. A Water Gun while spinning in mid-air aimed at the same place as before does maximum damage and Squirtle gets around Thunderbolt with a Skull Bash. Quilava is the last to face off and uses Flamethrower to cast a shield around it to block water, Bubble and Swift cancel each other out and cloud the field, Squirtle gets the advantage and shoots a successful Water Gun through the smoke with ease because of its experience as a fire-fighter. The next one is dodged by Quick Attack and Squirtle lands on its back and can’t get up, Quilava’s Flame Wheel threatens to take it out but Hydro Pump attack spins Squirtle forward to overpower Quilava and end the match. Macey takes her defeat well while Team Rocket have made money from their stall, James convinces them not to stop here and to continue their business. Macey catches up to Ash and shows him her Magcargo that evolved because of him, she still has a chance to win so she leaves Ash in order to train, Ash is confident in his victory over the next opponent... My favourite Quote: Macey: “By the way, are you Ash’s girlfriend or what?” Misty: “No, I, I’m his coach.” Macey: “Then I would thank you to stay out of his Personal business!” Things I’d like to point out: The narrator (and later the commentator) states that the rounds after the Trainers’ Screening are the semi-finals but technically since 48 trainers divided by 3 equals 16; the semi-finals only truly take place when there are only 4 trainers remaining. When Brock explains the scoring system for Round Robin, why is his, Misty and Goodshow’s pictures used to demonstrate it visually? In this visualisation, Misty beats Brock (probably with Water over Rock) and loses to Goodshow, and Brock draws with Goodshow, I wonder what Pokémon Goodshow has? Possibly Grass or Ground if we’re judging on types coupled with the results. Also, how bad is Ash’s memory? Brock just told him how many points are issued to each factor and immediately he forgets. As far as I know, Macey is the first girl in the series (other than Misty) that has shown feelings of affection for Ash, but as always he seems completely clueless in this regard. I think it’s very unfair that trainers can analyse their opponent’s Pokémon before a battle, especially if someone specialises in one type of Pokémon. The only way to overcome this would be not to have one particular type of Pokémon and to catch several of them so opponents would be kept guessing about what they would use to combat them. Also, the group aren’t very thorough (unless it wasn’t available at the time on the database) because Macey is revealed to own a Water-type in the next episode and yet Misty is dead set on Ash beating Macey for the pride of Water- types. If Misty is so dead set on Ash beating Macey with Water-types, why doesn’t she lend him some of hers after Kingler is hurt? Ash has lent her his Pokémon for small tournaments so is Misty just being stingy or does the league frown on trainers using borrowed Pokémon? It can’t be because all Pokémon must be with the trainer at the time of registration or else Squirtle wouldn’t have been able to take Kingler’s place and neither would Charizard be able to fight later on. Just how did Jenny get to the Johto League so fast, the event she claims caused Squirtle to want to go took place only one episode ago. Even if the trainers had a day to rest before the tournament, surely one day isn’t very long for someone to get from West/Central Kanto all the way to Silver Town. However, she owns a motorbike and vehicles in the Pokémon World are somehow able to get people places within days what trainers take months to walk to, don’t ask me how. The commentator phrases things badly when he says Slugma is done for the day, it’s only been recalled, not defeated therefore it’s only done for a match. Funny how someone from Mahogany Town known for its Ice Gym Leader would be so obsessed with Fire Pokémon. At least Macey had the sense to train an Electabuzz to defeat any powerful Water-types in the league. The people finally got it right, in that Electric attacks are ineffective against Ground-types, though it doesn’t excuse the last few Ground Pokémon being affected by Electric attacks nor Misty’s false claim last episode of Furret being a Ground-type. Macey should have thought outside the box, despite the obvious weakness of a Fire-type they’re also at a disadvantage against Rock and Ground-types, since Electabuzz is an Electric-type, Ground-types are the perfect way to defeat the team Macey chose. Too bad Ash didn’t take full advantage of Phanpy’s Earthquake attack. Big mistake; when Electabuzz appears the second time, Brock states that both of Ash’s Pokémon are Water-types and weak against Fire-types, considering that this is a mistake and Electabuzz just appeared Brock should have said Electric- type or Electabuzz instead. To what is Brock questioning “What was that?”, the Iron Tail or the apparent burst of speed that helped the Electabuzz get so close to Squirtle? Surely he must know what Iron Tail is having seen it from time to time (“Right On, Rhydon!”, “Nerves of Steelix!”, “One Trick Phony!” and “Better Eight Than Never”). Technically Macey didn’t get Ash and Squirtle back together like he claims, Squirtle came to Ash regardless of who he was facing; the only thing Macey did was provide a battle for Squirtle to showcase its new skills. Why is there a popping sound when Wobbuffet raises its arm happily, that sound should only be associated with its appearance from a Pokéball or even its popping up offscreen if it was already out, it’s happened lots more than I’ve cared to mention it. Technically Slugma didn’t evolve in the battle, we would have seen that, it would have been equally as effective and valid for Slugma to evolve because of the battle but since we didn’t see the glowing white light and cool sound effect then the evolution clearly didn’t happen while Ash was battling it. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon floats in the air to get closer to the sun!) Skiploom Cameos in Pokémon Journey: The Round Robin system will also be a part of the Johto League in the storyline, much as it lowers the trainers down a little too much, however, count on the two battles that come my characters’ way to be just as dramatic and exciting as always. Tie One On! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Quilava, Poliwhirl, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Meganium, Azumarill, Miltank, Murkrow, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Magneton, Cyndaquil Story: Ash watches Macey battling the opponent he will face next, Jackson of New Bark Town, the final match has her Quilava facing his Poliwhirl but because of his posing and an accident with his long cape Poliwhirl doesn’t receive orders and is distracted while Flamethrower defeats it. This ties Macey with Ash so as long as he at least ties he’ll have made it past the preliminaries, but it he loses there’ll be yet another Round Robin. Squirtle and Bulbasaur play together since they’re good friends and Ash finds Jackson speaking to Elm and introduces himself while briefly speaking to Elm. Outside Bulbasaur and Squirtle get into a fight with a Meganium and Azumarill, after Elm reports that Larvitar is happily adjusting to life with its mother on Mount Silver Ash and Jackson are alerted to the fight but fail to break it up. Luckily Gary and Harrison bail them out by having Miltank forcefully calm them down with Heal Bell and embellishing the truth when Jenny appears since fighting like this could result in penalties, however this gives Gary a reason to insult Ash’s skills as a trainer. Team Rocket creates a new design for their latest badges to sell while the group analyse Jackson’s Pokémon to devise which strategies and Pokémon Ash should use. Next morning the battle commences, Jackson first uses his Azumarill and Ash with Pikachu, Water Gun is dodged with Quick Attack but Bubblebeam cancels out Pikachu’s Thunderbolt, Icy Wind attack surprises Pikachu and Iron Tail deals a big hit but gives Pikachu the opportunity to grab hold and conduct a Thunder attack to defeat Azumarill. Jackson’s second Pokémon is his rare Magneton with a unique colour, Pikachu’s electricity isn’t quite as effective against it and vice versa, Quick Attack is dodged and Thunder Wave paralyses Pikachu so that a full on Tri Attack can take it out. Cyndaquil is correctly chosen to gain advantage from Magneton’s Steel side but neither Thunderbolt nor Flamethrower hit their targets. Smokescreen conceals Cyndaquil as it dodges Thunder Wave and use Swift to hit its mark, Magneton’s Double Team dodges Flamethrower and Cyndaquil can’t find the real one before it’s paralysed, Tri Attack hits Cyndaquil like it did to Pikachu and defeats it. The last Pokémon is Bulbasaur who dodges Thunderbolt and although misses at first with Razor Leaf it beats Magneton’s Double Team by swinging its Vine Whips in a circle to mow through the fakes and catch the real one, Razor Leaf counters Thunder Wave and Tri Attack is dodged by a pole vaulting Vine Whip, the following Leech Seed and Vine Whip attacks are used to win. Meganium of course is the final opponent, its Razor Leaf cancels out Bulbasaur’s and goes on to hit it, Vine Whips tug at each other but Bulbasaur is overpowered and thrown down. It dodges four dangerous Body Slams and its speedy Razor Leaf gets some hits in, Bulbasaur leaps over Vine Whip but this positions it for Meganium’s Razor Leaf attack. The last Body Slam is stopped with Vine Whip to throw Meganium over Bulbasaur and down but another Razor Leaf hits it, it grabs Meganium with a vine to aim a perfect Razor Leaf attack at it, but both Pokémon fall from fatigue. They continue to fight and strike with equal attacks but after an onslaught of direct Vine Whips with both Pokémon’s pride on the line they aren’t even dodging anymore, both attack with Solarbeam and both Pokémon run out of strength, resulting in a tie which makes Ash the highest scorer of the rounds. Ash is congratulated by both of his opponents while Bulbasaur and Meganium make up now that they respect each other. Team Rocket sells all their merchandise again and will continue to work throughout the league while the group see the match-ups for the next round, Harrison has qualified but Ash is now to battle Gary... My favourite Quote: Misty (referring to Bulbasaur’s and Meganium’s taking the opponent’s hits): “Are they just too tired to dodge, Brock?” Brock: “No, that’s not the reason. They’re battling for their pride as Grass Pokémon.” Things I’d like to point out: This technically isn’t Jackson’s first appearance in the Pokémon world; he makes an appearance in the Pokémon Chronicles story “LEGEND OF THUNDER”, as part of the team of trainers who help save Raikou from being captured by two new members of Team Rocket. However, continuity is messed up in that episode since Jackson is revoiced and renamed as are his friends who Jackson calls out this episode to the TV camera Yoshi and Dani. Clearly he’s meant to be the same character as ‘Vincent’ since he looks the same, owns the same Pokémon and even wears the cape that messes him up in the battle this episode. There’s a fairly obvious mistake in that the commentator claims Jackson’s Psyduck has already been defeated while the darkened display panel clearly illustrates a Golduck. While on the subject of this part of the episode we see that Macey owns a Starmie despite her apparent disdain of Water Pokémon expressed last episode. Starmie is part Psychic so unless she only owns it for that aspect (or the fact she could have smartly concealed a Thunderbolt attack in this Pokémon like I do), she’s a right hypocrite. The scenes of Poliwhirl’s defeat don’t quite match up, in the one that depicts Quilava as an huge overbearing figure the Flamethrower blasts Poliwhirl forward but in the next Poliwhirl has smacked into the wall and Flamethrower then hits it, it’s like the scenes aren’t connected or that Quilava used two separate Flamethrowers. It’s rather rude of Ash to interrupt a conversation just because he knows the person on the other end of the line considering Jackson was talking to him and by talking to Elm Jackson is likely paying for an expensive call. Technically Jackson must be an older friend of Elm’s than Ash, seeing as he couldn’t have gotten a Chikorita this year since Casey did so, Ash has only known Elm for a year but he doesn’t exactly call him as often as he could. Ash is impressed that Jackson has a Meganium, I don’t see the big deal though since Casey’s evolved within the first year of training, the only reason why Ash’s Pokémon don’t evolve most of the time is clearly because the writers choose not to since they’d lose their cute appeal if they got bigger. Speaking of Meganium, Jackson mentions he should have used it in the previous battle (even though Macey broadcasts her preference for Fire Pokémon); he obviously got too overconfident and figured three Water Pokémon would easily beat her. Jackson’s Pokémon are clearly troublemakers, they start every aspect of the fight, Squirtle and Bulbasaur walk away after the apple everyone was after is broken in half but then Azumarill throws their half at Squirtle, slaps Bulbasaur and then Meganium trips it up as it walks away. Not only do the group lie to Jenny (regardless if it wasn’t their fault their Pokémon independently chose to fight) but she makes a mistake in her phrasing that Pokémon caught fighting in the tournament can lose points for their trainers or be disqualified. Pokémon fighting in the tournament... That’s what the tournament is all about! She should have said there would be penalties if the Pokémon were caught fighting Outside the stadium. What’s with Gary? Why does he change to confident snob mode with Ash now? It’d be more understandable if he’d become more arrogant from the start of the league but just a couple of episodes ago the pair were talking like friends, is it just because Ash couldn’t control his Pokémon or did Gary somehow know that he’d face Ash next. It’s too coincidental not to be a coincidence in that Team Rocket sell badges with Raikou lightning designs when Jackson was involved in a three part story which revolved around the Legendary Raikou. Brock is way too accurate in knowing what Jackson will use and the fact the exact three Pokémon that fight are on the computer screen when he analyses them, Jackson owns at least four different Water-types but Brock somehow knew he’d use Azumarill. This makes it apparent Jackson may have registered his Pokémon and the confirmed choice is available for everyone to see, including his opponents. In the non-Gameboy games the trainers’ Pokémon can be seen but generally not which ones are chosen for the battle. If this unfair system is how things work here then the only way to avoid it would be to register at the last minute, either way it’s an aspect that won’t be seen in the fanfic. In the games, finding a different coloured Pokémon is a rare thing although more Pokémon had a variety of shades in the first games if using Pokémon Stadium, the games that follow have less of this occurrence and the only Pokémon that have different colours when playing on a Gameboy are the super rare ‘Shiny Pokémon’. The Red Gyarados counts as one, but every other are extremely rare to find, personally the only other Pokémon I’ve seen in all my years of playing the games of a rare colour are a Tentacool that I managed to catch and recently my brother’s Shiny Spinarak. In the series, Ash’s Noctowl counts as a ‘Shiny’ Pokémon but the purple Kecleon does not, so when taking into account the Red Gyarados’s appearance; Magneton is the third Shiny Pokémon to appear in the series. Brock makes another stupid error which one word makes a big difference, he said Magneton’s Icy Wind kept Pikachu from using its speed attacks, but it was Azumarill that used Icy Wind. Now that Magneton has Steel-type properties and more so supports the fact it’s an inorganic Pokémon, surely Leech Seed shouldn’t be so powerful, what energy are they sucking out of a machine exactly? During the scenes when the two Grass Pokémon slap each other in the face time and time again, the first Vine Whip dealt by Bulbasaur uses both vines but only one manages to slap Meganium, what’s up with that? It’s a little unbelievable, but this is the Only episode in the entire Johto League in which any of the Pokémon faint with dignity, by that I mean collapsing without their eyes turning into comical spirals. Poliwhirl doesn’t count even though its eyes turn to crosses but both Bulbasaur and Meganium faint like Pokémon usually do and their eyes simply close as they collapse. This is especially noticeable in Pokémon like Scizor in “Can’t Beat the Heat!” that shouldn’t even be able to change the shape of their eyes (however the Steelix in “Playing with Fire!” correctly only gets spiral eyes without its solid metal eye holes changing like Jasmine’s did in “Nerves of Steelix!”). It’s a shame this carried on into “Johto Photo Finish” since Charizard fights another Fire Pokémon in a very serious battle and the spiral eyes ruin the moment and take something away from all of Charizard’s efforts when it suddenly collapses and then just looks silly. This is the first time Ash has had an official draw in a match by way of a double knockout, other draws have tended to be about matches having to be halted or interrupted without a confirmed victory. After the battle, there’s a guy in the audience that looks ridiculously like Professor Oak, only with a moustache. Maybe he has an exact twin brother, and don’t tell me it’s not feasible given all the Joys and Jennys. O-kay... Calm down Mister Narrator, just cos Ash and Gary are to battle next doesn’t mean he needs to hype it up by using such dramatic words and speaking so loudly. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s super long ears help it hear underwater!) Azumarill Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. The Ties that Bind Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Magikarp, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Charizard, Sneasel, Machamp, Psyduck, Politoed, Nidoqueen, Tauros, Heracross, Magmar, Blastoise Story: Ash loses his cool with Gary who reveals half a Pokéball from an event years ago when he tied with Ash in a duel while fishing. Ash searches and finds the other half of the Pokéball and reminisces about a time they fished in the same location and both snagged an old Pokéball, neither backed down and it broke in half, Gary considers it a loss rather than a draw and hates the fact Ash could tie with him in any way. There’s a day off for trainers to prepare for the coming matches and Team Rocket decide to sell limited edition badges to improve sales. Brock withdraws several books while Ash has been online all night studying Gary’s Pokémon but he’s an amateur with computers and crashes the system. The group discuss at breakfast how Gary doesn’t favour one type of Pokémon so Ash has no real weakness to exploit and must form a strong team. Just then Charizard arrives (after Brock made a call to Liza) and Ash is again confronted by Gary, the two’s stare-down is broken by Professor Oak and Ash’s mother who came in person to watch the Victory Tournament matches. Oak has discovered new Pokémon data and takes the opportunity to upgrade Ash and Gary’s Pokédex data. Gary leaves abruptly and Ash goes to prepare after words of encouragement from his mother. Team Rocket makes a lot of money today, apparently from trainers that didn’t make it to the finals, but they have to work hard to retain enough stock for tomorrow’s sale. The next day Harrison wins his battle and visits Ash in the locker room to wish him luck before his battle begins. It’s randomly selected to be a Rock Field and Gary uses Nidoqueen and Ash replies by using Tauros. Rock Smash is used which Tauros repels but Ash has it recklessly charge forward only to grabbed by the horns and blasted with a close range Hyper Beam. Heracross is next but Gary substitutes Magmar for the advantage, it swiftly gets around Flamethrower, pummels Magmar with Fury Swipes and hurls Magmar sky high but it dives down and hits it head-on with Fire Blast and holds it down in flames before using a close range Flamethrower. Heracross’s wings blow the flames away and Megahorn overpowers the Magmar and defeats it. Gary then uses his very first Pokémon in the next round; a Blastoise, Heracross charges in with another Fury Swipes attack while Blastoise uses Hydro Pump and the winner of these two forces is yet to be seen... My favourite Quote: Ash: “Great! Tomorrow’s the day Gary gets beat!” Misty: “Tomorrows a day off.” Ash (falling to the floor): “Day Off?!” Things I’d like to point out: There are some flaws in the flashback, starting with Ash’s claim it happened just as he was starting out on his journey but it’s a contradiction in that Gary says he has a Pokémon at the time but wants the Pokéball they catch to start his journey. Since Misty and Brock joined Ash soon after he left Pallet Town and would recall such an event, this must have taken place before the two got their Pokémon and the translators clearly didn’t write this scene very well. The second mistake is that Flail wasn’t in the first games and therefore shouldn’t have been a recognisable attack to the people of Kanto back then. After the original flashback there’s another error in one of the shots in that the white half of the Pokéball is connected to its red half and therefore a complete Pokéball that shouldn’t be. The computer’s functions seem flawed, Ash opens Umbreon’s page by... surprisingly clicking on Umbreon but by clicking on Kingdra he’s able to open Skarmory’s and Arcanine’s pages. Why would Gary’s face appear over and over if the computer crashes, unless it was a virus built by Gary? When Charizard blasts Ash with fire like it always does it looks like Ash is burning to death or being incinerated, given how long Charizard has trained it has no reason to be hitting Ash with fire now when it could very well kill him. Looks like my spelling of Liza from the Charicific Valley was correct but why does Brock change his pronunciation of the way he says Liza now (it sounded like Lee-za before but now it’s Lie-za)? Macey and Jackson are seen in the audience of Ash’s match but doesn’t Jackson look odd? He looks a lot younger so maybe an artist that wasn’t involved with last episode has drawn him this time. Despite what the commentator says, the battlefield doesn’t constantly change, at least not during the matches themselves. Oh look, it’s another Pokémon who doesn’t know what it is (but the referee should know better), the Pokémon that speaks like and is claimed to be a Machoke is clearly a Machamp, you don’t even have to see the full four arms to know that since Machoke have a darker shade of blue with red stripes on their arms. “Oh good. Gary’s cheerleading team is back...” Misty’s sarcastic comment is just what I was thinking, I mean, come on! Gary lost in the forth round last time and has gotten around the whole year without the girls, why do they start cheering for him now? I always thought the girls cheering for a ten year or so kid was sad and even if Gary has aged a couple of years he’s still not old enough or worth having a cheering squad for. Why does Oak cover his face when the camera zooms in on him? People know who he is and he’s on the radio and stuff so I doubt he’d be camera shy. Ash gets commented on his rank in the Kanto League while all Gary gets is a comment on how he’s Oak’s grandson, at least Ash earned his accomplishments and can be proud of them and not something he was born into. This is just comical, when the wheel is spinning to determine who goes first, someone yells: “Go Gary! I went ta school with Gary you know.” Either this guy is desperate for attention or he’s lying, and this is somehow similar to an unknown guy back in the Indigo Plateau yelling in relation to the giant Pikachu dolls in that it’s probably not part of the original script and thrown in as a last minute random joke, they’re both similar in that they both made me laugh. Here’s hoping for a comical line in the next league. Unlike past Nidoqueen, this one doesn’t sound remotely female. Speaking of which, whatever happened to Gary’s Nidoking? We haven’t seen it since it lost in the Indigo Plateau. Since it also lost against Mewtwo in “The Battle Of The Badge” one might think Gary replaced it with Nidoqueen, however Arcanine lost against Mewtwo as well and it’s still being used even though it goes down surprisingly quickly in this fight. I may as well mention now rather than later but who is Mrs Ketchum taking pictures of or at least who does she favour; Ash or the Pokémon battling? As far as trainers go, they probably look the same throughout the battle either standing, thinking or pointing. Oak blatantly brags about all the Pokémon that Ash has left with him because of the apparent way his care/facilities made them strong or effective. Glad to see that the weakness of Pokémon are being talked about in full a little more often, Bug-types’ Flying-type weakness haven’t been mentioned lately and the Rock weakness I don’t think has ever been mentioned until now. Heracross uses Fury Swipes this battle, an attack that isn’t on its default list, possible Technical Moves or Egg Move list. Besides, its arms are still when the attack occurs which suggests it’s ‘slashing’ with its wings. Yet another error, the commentator should have said Megahorn is the most powerful Bug Pokémon attack (or at least “this Pokémon’s attack” so as to refer to Heracross) rather than just the most powerful Pokémon attack, techniques like Hyper Beam and Explosion are far more effective even though they have sacrificial or costly factors about them. The secret’s finally out; the answer to the question: What Pokémon did Gary get from Oak? It was Squirtle. At first I thought it would be Squirtle especially in “Dig those Diglett” for some reason, but other factors led me astray due to the similar character (named Blue) in the Pokémon Comics owning a Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard and my wrong guess that since Ash got a Bulbasaur first, coincidentally Gary might have gotten the Pokémon that beats its type like in the games. However, the way Brock phrases his comment on this revelation leaves the possibility that he and Misty (and maybe even Ash) knew about this, the only way that could have happened though would be if the unaired episode “Beauty and the Beach” had Gary use Squirtle or if it were discovered offscreen. Blastoise’s colouring is wrong when it first activates Hydro Pump; the lower part of its face is blue when it should be beige. Who’s That Pokémon?: (The rings on this Pokémon’s body glow in the dark!) Umbreon Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Can’t Beat the Heat! Pokémon seen: Heracross, Blastoise, Politoed, Togepi, Pikachu, Psyduck, Muk, Bayleef, Snorlax, Arcanine, Nidoqueen, Scizor, Charizard, Golem, Delibird, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Kecleon Story: Though Heracross hides behind a rock, it collapses and the remainder of the Hydro Pump defeats it. Ash uses Muk next which braces a Skull Bash and launches a Sludge Bomb which is repelled by Rapid Spin, Blastoise spins into it but Muk is able to envelop it with its slimy body, however a Hydro Pump is able to force it off so Ash recalls it and replaces it with Bayleef. It dodges Hydro Pump but Rapid Spin deflects Razor Leaf, Bayleef attempts a Body Slam but Blastoise bites it by the front leaf and spins it around before hurling it into defeat. Now that three Pokémon are down on Ash’s side there’s a five minute break, Pikachu wants to fight but Ash has to stick with the Pokémon he registered. Ash sensibly goes with Snorlax while Gary switches for Arcanine, it’s fast and dodges Snorlax’s Body Slam to contain it in a Fire Spin tornado, it’s countered with Hyper Beam which in one hit devastates Arcanine’s energy and defeats it. Nidoqueen returns and Gary uses Bayleef’s jump technique from Ash to get his Nidoqueen into the air, Double Kick hits its mark but Snorlax dodges Hyper Beam by rolling onto its back and Ice Punch wipes out Nidoqueen in one hit. Scizor is next and gets in several attacks in a short time; it dodges Hyper Beam and finally knocks out Snorlax. Muk is returned to the battle and repels Scizor’s physical attacks, Sludge Bomb is dodged and Metal Claw is cushioned by Muk’s body, so Gary has Scizor throw it up and beat it with Swift attack. Charizard is the final combatant, Scizor attempts to cancel a Metal Claw to dodge Flamethrower but Charizard matches its height and range and blasts it into defeat. Golem is Gary’s sixth Pokémon and hits Charizard with Magnitude, Charizard attempts one of its specialty Seismic Toss attacks but Golem is too heavy (it’s the second most heaviest Pokémon known at this time) so the attack fails and Charizard has to drop it, Dragon Rage hits a rolling Golem head on and wipes out its health. Blastoise is inevitably used but Ash doesn’t show fear, Rapid Spin overcomes Flamethrower and Hydro Pump gets a direct hit, Charizard attempts to fly behind Blastoise but Skull Bash knocks it away. Charizard flies up again, it’s able to manoeuvre around several Hydro Pumps but at the same time it’s kept at bay and can’t get close for an attack. Ash gets an idea and has Charizard attack the battlefield with Flamethrower until the rocks are melted and the field is red hot to immobilize Blastoise, it cools the field but fills it with steam, when it clears the two are wrestling hand to hand and Blastoise then withdraws its head to dodge Dragon Rage. Charizard attempts Seismic Toss and goes through with it despite Blastoise biting it. The attack does its damage and Blastoise collapses afterwards, Ash is ecstatic after the realisation of the win hits him. Team Rocket are briefly visited by Delibird who manages to leave with some of their earnings and the trio realise that soon they’ll be able to pay off all their debts and plan to expand their business. Ash meets up with Gary that night who gives him the other half of the Pokéball he got from years ago, he doesn’t feel bad for his loss and Ash feels the battle has made him stronger. Their friendship renewed, Gary promises to support Ash in the next battle and the next day Ash faces Harrison in the next round and Pikachu is up against a Kecleon... My favourite Quote: Ash: “Come on... There’s gotta be somethin’ ta do... But what?...” Gary: “Hmmph, what’ll it be Ash? You’ve always been pretty good at thinkin’ outside the box when ya had to... But none o’ that thinkin’s gonna help ya now!” Things I’d like to point out: I would have added it to the last episode but I think that’d be overdoing this section for one episode; Gary still kisses his Pokéballs (or at least the one with Blastoise in it just as he presumably did in “Dig Those Diglett!”), given that Pokéballs usually hit the ground or might do so after releasing the Pokémon, Gary had better clean the spheres he kisses whether for luck or affection. Muk seems out of character, the voice has changed and where’s that lovable character and confidence in battle? Oak once again brags, this time about Muk, he doesn’t with Snorlax even though evidence points towards the fact he must have taught it the Ice Punch Ash commands again out of the blue. It seems out of place for Ash to leave Pikachu out of such an important battle but after all the time he’s spent with it throughout the series it’s also strange not to see Umbreon with Gary. Pikachu is understandable since Gary beat it outright last time but not Umbreon’s getting left out. I’d be angry if any of Muk’s techniques worked on Scizor, it’d be breaking a big type factor in that Poison attacks are completely ineffective against Steel-types in the same way Electric attacks do nothing against Ground attacks. Having said that though I realise how often the latter has been ignored and fear a mistake for the former will become apparent in the cartoon especially now that Brock owns a Steel-type. It has to be said that with Pokémon like Charizard it’s a little unfair Ash can use them here, most trainers don’t part with their Pokémon nearly as much as Ash and technically he hasn’t trained Charizard as of late, the same can be said for Squirtle and a lot of Pokémon Ash has left at Oak’s place only to return to him with clearly raised stats and new diverse attacks. In the games Magnitude wouldn’t work against a Flying Pokémon but here Charizard was standing on the floor and therefore I can accept why it hit a Pokémon that should be immune to it by usually keeping off the ground. The original final battle theme is played in this episode which is appropriate considering in the first games Gary is the final opponent and this episode has the first full-on battle between Ash and Gary. Again Macey and Jackson are seen in the audience concerned for Ash in the final match, but unlike the last episode, Jackson doesn’t look like a little kid. The Pokédex entry that Charizard can melt boulders is proven today. It’s slightly appropriate to Pokémon Journey since it’s the answer to a question the main character Tetsubo recalls in his exam at Pokémon Tech and the question his evil rival gets wrong which alters his fate as a result. Again there’s a colouring error, during the close range wrestle Blastoise’s chin is again blue. What exactly is stopping Blastoise from using its hydro cannons up close? If the cannons are an extension of its body and can change direction on thought alone, how is it Blastoise can’t try to aim at a close opponent unless it needs complete concentration to do so? Um, does the earth icon used mean I’ve got to rename Charizard’s ‘Round the Moon’ Seismic Toss to ‘Round the Earth’ Seismic Toss? At least it was feasible that Charizard could fly around the shape of the moon in the sky, but it’s on the earth and therefore can’t fly around it when confined to the area around the arena. Gary doesn’t have much luck on Rock-based fields; this is the second time he has lost on one in a Pokémon League. It doesn’t look like it now but it’s a good thing Delibird stole some of Team Rocket’s earnings since in two episodes time the villains are left with nothing after the bill collectors catch up with them. At least this way some of the money was invested in paying off their obviously large debt to Team Rocket, however this is Delibird’s final episode so just maybe what it took from them evened their debts with the team. There’s an error or change in Harrison’s home town, he told the group a while back that he was from Littleroot Town, but the commentator says he’s from Silver Town, the latter town name is again stated at the end of this battle in two episodes time. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s leaves have a healing aroma!) Bayleef Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Playing with Fire! Pokémon seen: Kecleon, Pikachu, Politoed, Togepi, Sneasel, Totodile, Hypno, Snorlax, Machamp, Meowth, Machoke, Wobbuffet, Noctowl, Steelix, Houndoom, Bayleef, Blaziken, Charizard Story: Ash’s battle against Harrison begins with Pikachu Versus Kecleon, it disappears and its speed, invisibility, tongue and Psybeam attack gives it the edge, when Pikachu hides in the grass Kecleon mows down some of the field with a spinning tongue attack but Pikachu catches it at last and uses the tongue as a conductor for a devastating shock. Sneasel however is too fast for Pikachu and takes it out in one powerful Metal Claw. Totodile is next and manages to clamp its teeth down on Sneasel’s hand, swing it around and deal a final hit with its tail. Harrison calls out Hypno who is immune to Totodile’s Leer attack and easily puts it to sleep so that it can easily defeat it with a Psychic attack. Ash has Snorlax appear but it’s asleep, it’s immune to Hypnosis but completely vulnerable to Hypno draining its energy with Dream Eater (an attack that’s only effective against sleeping Pokémon). Snorlax is angered by this when it wakes and one Hyper Beam is all it takes to wipe out Hypno. There’s a five minute break and Ash is getting confident, meanwhile Team Rocket have got enough of a business to get a building made for them. The next battle has Noctowl facing off against Steelix, Confusion seems effective but Sandstorm and Dig get the better of Ash, Hypnosis fails against Iron Tail and Noctowl is down and out. Next Steelix cancels out Snorlax’s Hyper Beam by tightly wrapping it up, before Crunch can finish it Snorlax uses Ice Punch and then follows through with its Hyper Beam on the opponent to win. Houndoom faces Snorlax but it counters Hyper Beam to defeat Snorlax with its own attack at double strength. Ash uses Bayleef despite the blatant type disadvantage, Flamethrower burns up Razor Leaf and the two Pokémon dodge around Head Butt and Bite with Bayleef using this as a sneaky opportunity to bind Houndoom’s mouth shut with Vine Whip and using it as a muzzle to reduce the amount of effective attacks it could use towards her. After swinging it around it finishes up with Body Slam and Houndoom faints, leaving Harrison with only his Blaziken. Razor Leaf is completely useless when blocked by speedy kicks, Vine Whip is caught in Blaziken’s hand to reel Bayleef in, it attempts a Body Slam but Fire Punch is all it takes to stop this and defeat Bayleef. Ash has an apparent perfect match for this Pokémon and Charizard is the obvious choice, the two Pokémon use Flamethrower and a huge explosion starts the final red hot battle... My favourite Quote: Brock (referring to Bayleef battling Houndoom and now Blaziken): “That’s great, so now it’s out of the frying pan and into Another Fire Pokémon!” Things I’d like to point out: The narrator lies; in the big dramatic speech he says Harrison is battling with Pokémon Ash has never seen before, but he saw his Blaziken prior to the match and a Kecleon a long time ago. Ash got the new Pokédex just in time to read up on Harrison’s Pokémon but why must he question where Kecleon went to after disappearing when he should remember immediately that the red zigzag is still visible, he realises that it hasn’t moved before his first attack so why the need to question it in the first place? I put it down to little thought in the translated dialogue; I’d have just had Ash simply state “It vanished.” Metal Claw isn’t an attack a Sneasel would learn normally, nor is it one of the Technical Moves or on its Egg Move list. However, Counter appears to be on Houndoom’s Egg Move list if bred the right way with other Pokémon. Oh dear, everyone with a special Pokéball has made this mistake at one time or another but Totodile beats them with three errors now that it again appears from a normal Pokéball. Given how sharp Sneasel’s claws are, biting them in a way that puts them in Totodile’s mouth is surely a very reckless move. Leer?! Ash could have saved himself a lot of effort and kept Totodile in the game a little longer if he had just used the only type advantage he had this battle and used Dark attack Bite as an opening move. Mrs Ketchum should be more considerate towards Ash and not call to his Pokémon to stare at the camera in the middle of an important battle. Ash should have warned Totodile a heck of a lot sooner not to look at Hypno’s pendulum; he issued the warning way too late for it to turn away and after Totodile had clearly been affected. Snorlax may have the new attack Ice Punch but surely it would have benefited Snorlax a lot more if whoever taught it new moves (meaning I doubt it was Ash) had taught it Snore which allows sleeping Pokémon to deal a little damage or Sleep Talk which lets a Pokémon use its known attacks while asleep. I’d teach a Snorlax all the sleeping attacks if all Pokémon in the games weren’t limited to only four attacks unlike the series. In the games, Dig wouldn’t be able to affect Flying Pokémon like Noctowl because it’s a Ground attack which is known to affect the floor, the only exception is the fact Steelix attacked Noctowl with its body, not the rising debris of Dig attack. I think someone in the script department messed up as Harrison calls for a ‘Scrunch’ attack, there’s no such thing so obviously it should have been Crunch attack which Steelix learns naturally. Ash claims he wasn’t worrying about Pokémon types when he used Ice Punch but he’s clearly used a type advantage in that Steelix is part Ground-type and maybe that was what made it susceptible to Ice, this means type was everything since Hyper Beam shouldn’t have been so effective what with Steel-types being strong against Normal attacks. ‘Must’ Misty? Bayleef Is at a disadvantage against Blaziken, what’s with the unsurety since Blaziken is clearly a Fire-type which Brock mentioned a moment before Misty’s statement? Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon spins a web which leads to its nest!) Ariados Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Johto Photo Finish Pokémon seen: Charizard, Blaziken, Politoed, Togepi, Pikachu, Squirtle, Mr Mime, Vileplume, Gloom, Oddish, Rattata, Houndour, Bellsprout, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Rhyhorn, Houndoom, Sharpedo, Wailmer, Zigzagoon, Lotad, Shroomish, Seedot, Misdreavus, Noctowl, Magikarp, Gyarados, Remoraid, Octillery, Tyrogue, Hitmonchan, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Eevee, Espeon, Umbreon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Flareon, Rhydon, Rapidash, Blastoise Story: The final match between Charizard and Blaziken starts out strong, the Flamethrowers cancelled each other out but Blaziken’s leaping abilities nullify Charizard’s flying abilities as a threat because it can match its height with ease. Dragon Rage is dodged but so is Blaziken’s Quick Attack, the next Flamethrower is dodged and the ones that are used afterwards cancel each other out again. Both Pokémon attack with several various attacks with no clear winner, Blaziken gets a hit in with Fire Punch but is hit back in kind with Flamethrower. Quick Attack and Charizard’s tail deal hits to both Pokémon and it gets an opportunity to use its Seismic Toss. It appears to be a big hit but Blaziken is able to get back up before a K.O is announced, it’s revealed that it must have used Flamethrower at the last moment to soften the landing. Both Pokémon are growing tired but have their pride on the line, Blaziken hits with Quick Attack but is hit by a Flamethrower counter-attack. It leaps out of Charizard’s grasp as it attempts to use Seismic Toss and hits hard with Blaze Kick, Charizard gets off the ground despite the damage and counters Flamethrower with Dragon Rage and both Pokémon are sent flying from the results. Both Pokémon pull themselves up but when Ash asks Charizard for a Flamethrower, its strength finally leaves it and Harrison wins as a result. Ash is a little disappointed but is okay with how far he got, later he says goodbye to Squirtle, Oak and his mother head home right away while Charizard is to be sent back to Liza soon, Ash promises to head home after the tournament is over. Team Rocket have trouble in that they can’t keep up with the demands of the customers and await new stock. The next match occurs and surprisingly Harrison loses, his final Pokémon Houndoom losing to John’s Rhyhorn, he didn’t use Blaziken because he figured it needed the rest. The group meet Harrison that night who tells them of his friend Professor Birch in Hoenn and encourages Ash to visit this area, the group hear a scream and find some girls worried about ghosts. Exposed by Noctowl these wisps turn out to be Misdreavus who attract the group to their friend who is trapped under a tree. Gary, Harrison and the group help to lift it enough for it to free itself, after the Misdreavus leave Gary proves how much he knows about them and his fascination with some of the unique Pokémon he’s seen before revealing that he wants to be a Pokémon Researcher and that this is the last tournament he’s participating in before taking his leave. The final match takes place and John wins the entire league, the closing ceremony is held and just as Team Rocket get more stock virtually all the trainers are gone now that the league is over. A crowd appears but they’re all bill collectors, Team Rocket take refuge inside their building which has the ability to transform into a wheeled robot. The group are about to say their goodbyes to Harrison and Gary when they hear the commotion and the robot drives right at them. The group is blasted by a missile full of leftover stock and a net is aimed at Pikachu, Blastoise destroys it and Blaziken sets the building on fire, leaving Pikachu to finish demolishing it and evicting Team Rocket. Harrison and Gary finish up their goodbyes and go their separate ways while the group make their way towards Viridian City before anything else, although Ash and Gary go their separate ways they’re sure to seek out new challenges and dreams to aspire to... My favourite Quote: Jessie: “Prepare for trouble and as a bonus you can shop.” James: “Make it double as we shout from the rooftop; Limited-Edition-Silver- Conference-Pins-included.” Things I’d like to point out: Even though technically they’re not all full episodes, this is the first Pokémon Battle which has run over the course of three episodes. Even though Charizard’s flight isn’t as effective, had Ash used Fly as a form of attack, it would have given him a type advantage over Blaziken’s Fighting- type side. Macey and Jackson’s nervous looks as they sit in the audience are clearly re- used again and again in this battle, so much so that’s it’s much more obvious than the usage of them in the previous episodes. The top lines of Wobbuffet’s eyes appear to be thicker than usual this episode for some reason. It’s a little unclear if a single trainer’s matches take place once a day or not, since Harrison doesn’t appear to be able to give a night’s rest to his fatigued Blaziken before the next battle this is quite unfair and even more so should a trainer only bring six Pokémon to the tournament. Once again since Misdreavus are Ghost Pokémon like Gastly, Haunter and Gengar (as revealed literally by Noctowl’s Foresight), surely the one here should have been able to phase through the tree and escape. John’s Rhyhorn who beats Harrison is not to be confused with the Rhydon that his Rapidash defeats since John Dixon is seen and said to win the finals and the entire league. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon is the final evolution of Larvitar!) Tyranitar Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Gotta Catch Ya Later! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Togepi, Politoed, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, Forretress, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Mr Mime, Ho-oh, Weezing Story: With the Johto League over, the group are back in Kanto and make a stop in Viridian City. They rest at the Pokémon Centre but this Nurse Joy has replaced the one that Ash knew, Misty has a call from her sisters reporting since Daisy won tickets for a trip around the world for three people that Misty has to look after their Gym while they’re gone. Joy brings Misty’s bike which the last Joy fixed up before she left, Misty recalls it was how she met Ash. Ash makes a comment how she can return home fast which causes Misty to leave abruptly, because she wanted to travel with Ash some more and because he doesn’t seem bothered by the fact he and Misty are separating. Three mean brothers Kim, Kale and Kai tease Misty and claim to be Viridian City’s best trainers and challenge her to a battle, Misty beats back one of the opponents but the other two unleash Pokémon to gang up on Politoed. Ash and Brock appear to even the numbers with Pikachu and Forretress, during the easy battle Ash and Brock agree Misty could have handled it herself but wanted to share this last battle together, Ash also comments on how great a trainer Misty is. It turns out Team Rocket hired the brothers right before they activate a trap that moves two nearby football nets together to form a cage. The brothers cut their way out and complain about their not getting paid, this of course allows the group to escape and the combined forces of their Pokémon send Team Rocket and the brothers hurtling away. Misty feels better now and thanks Ash for the compliment and for always being a good friend to her. The group escort Misty as far as they can go while she gives Ash her blessing in that she wants him to keep doing his best without her watching over him. Misty recalls past events and considers it coincidence they became friends but Ash and Brock don’t, they think it was destiny they were to become best friends which makes Misty happy. Ash promises he’ll see Misty again someday when Brock suddenly reveals he’s also got to go back home and take care of some errands. The three part ways and Ash lets the others walk away before speaking his true feelings about them, they somehow get straight back to hear this before Brock gives Ash a lunchbox picnic and cutlery and Misty wraps it in a cloth to make it easier to carry. They depart and a tearful Ash runs home thanking his friends and that he’ll miss them... Back in Pallet, Ash goes running as soon as he appears Gary is home but he has departed having left behind all his Pokémon except for Blastoise. Ash catches up to him before he leaves town, Gary reveals he feels the need to keep moving but that Ash should stay home and think about his next life choice. Ash gives Gary his half of the broken Pokéball and the two say goodbye once again, Ash sits with Pikachu and admits he doesn’t like being alone when he suddenly sees Ho-oh flying towards Hoenn, right there he decides it’s where he should be going too but before any more thought can be put into it he falls into a Team Rocket pit trap, except this one is deeper than usual. Weezing fills it up with smoke and Pikachu can’t breathe so Ash uses Misty’s cloth to filter the smoke for Pikachu while using the cutlery Brock gave him to scale the wall, all the while he stating that his friends will always be with him. He gets out and Pikachu is able to deal with Team Rocket, Ash later reports to Oak that he wants to go to Hoenn and like Gary he too wants to go with only his very first Pokémon. Ash’s mother arrives with new clothes and a backpack having guessed Ash would be moving on, Ash also receives a boat ticket to Hoenn and the latest model of Pokédex from Oak. Ash’s latest journey is about to begin, full of new Pokémon, new battles and new friendships he will surely find in Hoenn... My favourite Quote: Misty: “There’s the Pokémon Centre.” Brock: “Well come on then, what are we waiting for?! Oh Oh! Nurse Joy! Here I come!” Misty: “Hmmmm... Gotta admit, he Is consistent.” Things I’d like to point out: I don’t see why the Cerulean Gym is suddenly serving as a Gym rather than the Water Theatre anymore, I suspect someone from the league was probably tipped off about their lack of accepting Gym Battles (plus simply handing their Cascade Badges over) and made them adhere to their duties, even though they’re disregarding them again by leaving Misty in charge. And why does Misty complain about having to work at the Gym, she has time and time again claimed she was a Gym Leader or was battling for the reputation of the Cerulean Gym so to make the claims true she should be willing to do a little work there. Misty finally gets her bike back, although how and how much it must have cost to replace burnt up parts seems too much to do out of generosity, its colour is a little lighter than it used to be but I guess Joy wasn’t to know the exact tone what with the entire thing being completely blackened. Given that Pikachu’s electricity blew a hole in the roof and destroyed the Pokémon Centre, I wouldn’t think there was anything of the bike left to fix. The lines are virtually accurate word for word in the flashbacks of the first episode but Ash and Misty’s voices have changed and developed over the years so it’s obvious the lines have been re-read recently. Misty claims Ash and her are splitting up but it makes it sound like she was dating Ash all this time. After the big speech about Misty being a great Water Pokémon Trainer and that Ash and Brock will stand down and let her finish things, Pikachu and Forretress regardless finish two of the foes. It’s too coincidental that the brothers just happened to have a pair of scissors on them, unless Kim works in or is related to a hairdresser. Any other reason would be setting a bad example to kids, not because he’s running around with them but because he’s carrying around a blatant weapon in his pocket. Another new song not yet seen on the current soundtracks is used; Misty’s name comes up as part of a lyric but in the literal sense of the word. During which, among flashbacks of major events, clips from the Johto Journeys intro are also used. However the song lyrics suggest that Misty feels she won’t see Ash again and then minutes later when asked the opposite Ash promises he will see her again someday. For such a moving goodbye for Ash, Pikachu is surprisingly quiet and left out as the others pay it a surprisingly little amount of attention. Speaking of quiet, how did Misty and Brock get back to Ash within five seconds without audibly running, it’s funny that they listen in on his private feelings about them after they left but certainly not logical. What is Brock talking about? Who has onions in sandwiches, or more correctly, in a rice ball? He should just admit that the separation upsets him. What is that cutlery made of; Diamond?! There’s no way traditional cutlery could penetrate the walls of the pit and support Ash’s weight without breaking or bending. Maybe Mrs Ketchum knew Ash would travel again but is she that good that she knew exactly where he was going? Okay, Oak probably told her something but if she’d been wrong it’d be a waste of a boat ticket. Oak’s eyebrows once again briefly change from black to grey. Ash doesn’t say much at all about being given a new cap considering his other one has a lot of sentimental value; let’s just hope Mrs Ketchum doesn’t give it away to a charity shop or anything. Mrs Ketchum mistakenly refers to the Seafoam Islands as the Seaform Islands. Who’s That Pokémon?: (These light creatures are easily blown away by the wind.) Hoppip Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Hoenn Alone! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Machoke, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Arbok, Weezing, Haunter, Pidgey, Oddish, Rattata, Pidgeot, Wingull, Pelipper, Sharpedo, Wailmer Story: Ash and Pikachu are currently on their boat ride to Hoenn; Ash plans to visit Professor Birch first before anything. He befriends the captain who owns a Machoke and he inquires about Ash’s friendship with Pikachu, Team Rocket are stowaways onboard and plan on swiping Pikachu while Ash is alone. While Pikachu sleeps Ash is reminded they’ve not been alone like since his journey first began, he then rests himself but Pikachu is stolen during the night and Ash rushes to find it. The captain helps him by using a map of the ship to track down Team Rocket who are stealing from the food storage area. The resulting battle has Arbok’s Acid attack hit the water storage tank and flood the lower levels of the ship. The ship is forced to dock into the nearest port while Ash chases the Rockets across the deck, they attempt to escape with a grappling rope but Ash hangs on to the group and they all crash, with Team Rocket landing on a set of trucks. Team Rocket gloat as they are driven away but the trucks head in different directions, with Pikachu going with Meowth. Officer Jenny arrives and Ash explains the situation to her, Meowth and Pikachu fall as a sharp turn comes their way and Pikachu is freed from its glass prison and wanders around with Meowth. While they argue a Haunter appears behind them and attacks, Meowth’s techniques are useless but Pikachu is a match with its electricity so it leaves. Pidgey, Oddish and Rattata appear to them while Jenny sends her Pidgeot out to scout for Pikachu. Meanwhile the various Pokémon explain that a group of Haunter moved into the area all of a sudden and started causing trouble so the Pokémon can’t play freely anymore, Meowth suggests they stand up for themselves until he discovers how many Haunter there are. News comes in that Haunter is gathering its friends to get revenge while Team Rocket are back in their balloon searching for Meowth and Pikachu. Pidgeot finds something while Pikachu and the other Pokémon confront the Haunter who wants the other Pokémon to leave this area; Pikachu says this place is for everyone but the Haunter don’t agree. Meowth is reluctant to make an enemy of the Ghost Pokémon but Pikachu is doing this because Ash would do the same and because it’s the right thing to do. The ghosts surround the pair and attack with Night Shade but Pikachu dodges so the blasts hit the Haunter and scares them away with electricity. The wild Pokémon ask if Pikachu can stay with them to lead and protect them right before it is shackled by Team Rocket and pulled up by a huge electromagnet. Pidgeot tears through the balloon and brings it down but Team Rocket reactivate the magnet now on its side to drag Pikachu back to them, Ash is hit by a metal canister and Pikachu flies into the magnet and is affected by it until one of the Rattata break its shackles with Hyper Fang. Before Team Rocket can grab Pikachu again, the Haunter overload the magnet and send Team Rocket flying, this leads the Haunter and the other Pokémon to become friends having fought together. The captain is saddened as he has to depart without Ash but he catches up after Pidgeot gives him a lift back to the boat. Pikachu rests after its long day while Team Rocket are uncomfortably stuck to the side of the boat restrained by the remains of the magnet and twisted metal. The boat arrives in Hoenn where Ash already sees some new Pokémon but when he goes to get Pikachu he finds it has a fever and is releasing electricity uncontrollably; not a good start to Ash’s new journey... My favourite Quote: Meowth (to Pikachu): “This is all o’ your fault ya little yellow pesticide!” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun is based on the movie “Home Alone”. How did everyone in the communal bedroom sleep through Pikachu’s and Ash’s screaming? Stu-pid! If you’re going to insist on starting a journey with only your first Pokémon, don’t try to use the other Pokémon since you don’t have them Ash! Weezing looks a lot more evil than it usually does, I wonder why?... Isn’t it dangerous to store so much water (even if used only for the swimming pool)? Considering it looks like the entire lower deck was flooded, what happened to all the sleeping passengers in the room that Ash left wide open? Since Meowth is a Normal Pokémon he should be immune to Night Shade and therefore not worry when shots are fired near him, we know his Normal attacks are useless against Ghost-types but not the vice versa which applies to the games. Jenny sounds so patronising and stupid, trainers are known to value their Pokémon and Jenny speaks as if Pikachu could just be a pet and therefore not worth saving. I never realised Hyper Fang attack was powerful enough to shatter metal, or that Rattata had that much power in their teeth. I thought the captain said the boat would be ready to leave at nightfall; he clearly leaves at sunset and yet feels bad because he thinks Ash hasn’t made it back in time. Tradition is broken as instead of “To Be Continued>”, for one time only it says differently “Next Time... A New Beginning!>”, speaking of tradition this is the first episode since the series began without Misty in it, making Ash and Pikachu the only characters to have been in Every episode since Team Rocket only appeared from the second episode onwards, it’s also the Only episode in which Ash has no travelling companions with him. Who’s That Pokémon?: (A hard shell conceals this mysterious inner creature!) Forretress Cameos in Pokémon Journey: There’s a boat ride to Hoenn in Series 3 but that’s the only similarity and the captain isn’t even mentioned let alone planned to be the one seen in this episode. Episodes #257 - #264 Episodes #273 - #280 Back to the Episode Guide Movie and Mini-movie Guide Back to the Pokézone