Episode Guide #281 - #288 Taming of the Shroomish You Said a Mouthful! A Bite to Remember The Lotad Lowdown All Things Bright and Beautifly! All in a Day’s Wurmple Gonna Rule The School! The Winner by a Nosepass Taming of the Shroomish Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Machoke, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Shroomish, Cacnea, Seviper, Forretress, Torchic Story: The group arrive in Rinchen Town, the first city they’ve come across for some time, Brock wants to stock up on supplies but May drags him into a shopping trip while Ash and Max go looking for a bite to eat. A group of workers are cutting down several trees around a mansion also to be taken down and Team Rocket is among the crew, Max gets Ash to look in an alleyway for city Pokémon and they find a Shroomish. Brock and May finish both their tasks when they hear about an apparent haunted mansion, the Green Lodge, where workers claim it to be cursed due to the mysterious appearance of footprints and occurrences of workers suddenly unable to breathe inside or passing out; Brock is scared about this yet May is intrigued. Max tries to befriend the Shroomish with food but it wards him and Ash away with Stun Spore, they return and Ash attempts the same with Brock’s food and is successful. Max is concerned that a forest dwelling Shroomish is in the city and gives it a white ribbon before taking it towards the Pokémon Centre, they come across the mansion on the way where May has dragged Brock into and where Team Rocket notice them while working. The Shroomish dashes into the mansion and the group is reunited but warned about the work going on here by a man who doesn’t believe that there could be Shroomish here. There were plenty of them when the man was a child and the mansion used to belong to his grandfather but the forests slowly disappeared to make way for new buildings and after his grandfather passed on the Shroomish disappeared and the town council decided to take down the disused mansion to make way for new buildings. He decides to check the mansion in case there really are Shroomish inside and the group join him. They find the Shroomish wearing Max’s gift and it’s shivering with fear along with other Shroomish, the man realises they must have moved in because their homes in the forest were being taken away from them. They find photos of the man as a child with all the Shroomish before an explosion indicates Team Rocket’s entrance. A battle is inevitable but before it truly starts the Shroomish yell out and hundreds of other Shroomish appear but are slowly attacked by Team Rocket’s Pokémon and defend themselves with Stun Spore. The group make it outside before they are affected and figure the footprints and strange affects reported are all doings of the Shroomish. Max is certain the Shroomish want to play and live with the man like they used to, the man is torn but explains he can’t do anything to prevent the demolition of the mansion. Team Rocket attack in a truck and ram the mansion to scare out the Shroomish and then throw them into a large basket at the back, Pikachu’s electricity has been foreseen and is ineffective against the vehicle while the man decides the mansion must be protected. Shroomish gather and use Stun Spore even against the airtight vehicle but Brock must use Forretress to blow the resulting winds away from the city. Team Rocket foolishly open the windows when it gets stuffy and are affected by Stun Spore followed by Leech Seed, Torchic frees the captured Shroomish and Pikachu lets loose with a Thunder attack to decimate the machine and send Team Rocket away. The man says he can’t prevent the mansion from being destroyed but that he’s going to restore the area into a new forest home for the Shroomish and promises to visit and play with his old friends often. Max says his goodbyes to all the Shroomish as do the group before moving on. My favourite Quote: May (after breathing in near a city): “Ahhhh, that smells great.” Max: “What smells great? The air pollution, garbage or the car exhaust?” Things I’d like to point out: Another obvious title pun from the Shakespearian play “The Taming of the Shrew”. How come Meowth has to wear a helmet but the Machoke don’t? Or did he choose to wear one what with the paw print on his and maybe because Machoke have hard heads? Brock should change his attitude if he truly wants to be some girl’s boyfriend, dragging guys around clothes and fashion shops is one of many things to be expected from a relationship and I bet Brock would have been more interested in the latest fashions if female models were wearing them. On good authority, I’m informed that the song May briefly hums is from Cowboy Bebop titled “Cats on Mars”. The girl with the guy who explain the ‘haunted’ mansion is one of the few in the history of the series who Brock shows no interest in what-so-ever. Maybe Brock assumed the guy was her boyfriend and decided not to make a move on her, or perhaps May wore him out and he hadn’t the strength to flirt outrageously. Why is there a photo of the man as a child in the swing? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have a framed picture of the scene where he was posing with everyone considering there was a camera visible in that flashback? Seviper and Cacnea attack in unison for the first time in the style of Arbok and Weezing, no prizes for the fact Seviper is so obviously similar to Arbok but Cacnea’s shape is kind of similar to Weezing or at least Koffing in the round aspect. It’s like the new generation of Pokémon are deliberately similar to the Pokémon Jessie and James recently gave up. New song alert; the battle theme of Regirock, Regice and Registeel which is another of my favourites from the game, this is the only occurrence within the series and is unfortunately played rarely in the future. Isn’t it dangerous for an attack like Leech Seed to affect humans considering it sucks away the victim’s energy? If it drains a Pokémon of their Hit Points what if it had a worse affect on humans like taking away a little of their life? And let’s not talk about the complete stupidity of sacrificing air-tight Stun Spore protection for the sake of relief from a little stuffiness. On several showings I’ve seen of this episode the credits at the end have the theme music but no lyrics being sung, it’s a nice change but there are gaps where the singer’s voice would provide that certain something and therefore it doesn’t sound quite right without it. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon looks serious, but acts kind and playful!) Snubbull Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. You Said a Mouthful! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Pelipper, Treecko, Taillow, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Bellsprout, Magby, Magnemite, Zigzagoon Story: After a recap of Ash’s journey through Hoenn, the group arrive in an area claiming to have a Gym with the world’s most powerful Pokémon. A child comes running out defeated and in disbelief of what just happened, Ash storms in and challenges Anthony and his acclaimed powerful Pelipper. Treecko is chosen and dodges a Wing Attack but Pelipper starts attacking with moves outside its usual Water and Flying range with Vine Whip, Ash substitutes Taillow and it navigates around Pelipper in the air but is hit hard by Flamethrower. Max is distraught that his studies didn’t say a thing about this while Pikachu takes the next fight, Pelipper attacks with Thunder to counter Pikachu’s (after a suspicious sound is briefly heard within Pelipper), both Pokémon take a fall and Anthony takes Pelipper away while Ash heads to the Pokémon Centre. Team Rocket have spied on the battle and soon confront Anthony and order him to give up his Pelipper, it attacks and Team Rocket suit up in protective costumes and activate a grabbing device that grasps its Vine Whip but yanks out a Bellsprout from Pelipper’s mouth. Anthony confuses Pelipper with multiple attacks and they occur one after another but cause disarray in Pelipper’s mouth so that Team Rocket can grab the Pelipper and for a Magby and Magnemite to fall out as well. Team Rocket have exposed Pelipper’s secret of concealing Pokéballs inside its mouth and Jessie threatens to tell the world about Anthony’s secret unless Pelipper obeys them. At the Pokémon Centre Ash’s Pokémon are healed while the group continue to question Pelipper’s abilities. May alerts Ash and Joy to the fact Anthony’s Pelipper has beaten several trainers and their Pokémon have been taken away. The group find Team Rocket in disguise offering any Pokémon a person desires if they beat Pelipper but on the condition they forfeit their own if they lose. They defeat a Zigzagoon with these methods but Meowth notices Ash and the others are coming, Jessie overloads Pelipper with Pokéballs and even stuffs Meowth inside to direct the battle. Ash challenges them regardless of the risk of losing his own Pokémon, Meowth uses Vine Whip, Smokescreen and Razor Leaf which Pikachu dodges while Max goes off alone and finds Anthony tied and gagged in a room. Pikachu dodges Flamethrower while Max frees Anthony who witnesses the battle and is about to explain himself. Meowth plans to soak Pikachu and then shock it with Magnemite’s electricity, when he can’t find a Water Pokémon, he has Pelipper use its own attack but this causes all the Pokéballs and Meowth to get flushed out. Anthony’s secret is revealed while Team Rocket attempt to escape and take home their winnings, but Pelipper is sent up to retrieve the sack of Pokémon. Team Rocket suit up and Pikachu’s electricity is useless not only against them but the balloon’s gadgets as well, Pelipper is directed to soak the balloon so Pikachu can strike it and send Team Rocket well on their way. The group will return all the Pokémon and complement Pelipper’s natural strengths and that with real training it will become stronger. My favourite Quote: James: “Overpowering the worlds most powerful Pokémon requires a Pokémon with Even More power than the first one.” Meowth: “That means we’d have ta catch a more powerful Pokémon than the Most powerful Pokémon.” Jessie: “And that means we’d need to catch one with more power than the one that’s more powerful than the most powerful...” Meowth: “Then we’d need a more powerful Pokémon than the more powerful- Dol! I just bit my tongue.” Things I’d like to point out: The narrator once again must recap on all the important events that have occurred before but since two incidents are two episodes apart was it accurate to say that Ash obtained Taillow And Treecko in the Petalburg Woods? “Agh! (Pant pant pant)...” another child actor! I know they try but they just don’t fit in with a crew of established adult voice actors. I don’t like it when Pokémon repeats names already used in past episodes, aren’t there enough names in the world to choose from? Anthony was the name of the guy who trained a Hitmonchan and adopted Ash’s Primeape in the P-1 Championship (“The Punchy Pokémon”); it’s coincidental that this Anthony has a championship belt of some kind around his chest along with a chiselled jaw. Keeping an Electric Pokémon inside a Water/Flying Pokémon is reckless; if any of the attack touched Pelipper it would likely deal it a lot of hurt due to both type weaknesses multiplying the damage. Given that Pikachu is seen sitting on the Pokémon Centre tray again since “Electric Shock Showdown” with the other Pokéballs, it’s a good thing Ash didn’t get a large Pokémon which wouldn’t go in its Pokéball or that Pikachu didn’t evolve; just a passing thought. Why can’t Team Rocket ever abandon a scheme while they’re ahead? Surely they would have done some good for Team Rocket if they’d given all the Pokémon they stole to the Boss but no, they got greedy and had to challenge Ash. How can Meowth tell what’s inside what Pokéball? They’re not marked and they’re all the standard red colour. On the other hand, he only uses Anthony’s Pokémon, so those were probably marked, it’s when he tries to find a Water Pokémon that he can’t find one probably due to there being too many Pokéballs. I could have told Meowth that using Pelipper’s Water attacks would clearly eject everything in its mouth. I’m surprised Pelipper didn’t choke today, it’s one thing to keep things in its beak but Team Rocket seemed to fill it up completely with Pokéballs (and Meowth) to the point that it could have easily swallowed one or have been unable to breathe. Out of all the Pokémon Team Rocket used in the final match (and probably all of the battles before that), Pelipper/Meowth only used Anthony’s Pokémon; Bellsprout, Magby and Magnemite. I’d understand if the Pokémon they stole wouldn’t help them by hiding in Pelipper’s mouth and launching attacks but Jessie stuffed it with other people’s Pokéballs (maybe all of them) regardless. Having a surprise Grass, Fire and Electric attack doesn’t necessarily make a Pokémon strong, it just makes them more diverse and if an opponent could only have dodged a lot and used type advantage to its fullest (namely Electric attacks if not Rock-types as an alternative) they could have easily won. Proof of this is the one Electric attack that hit Pelipper which caused it to become weakened and a draw to occur in the first match. Another name error in that Anthony shouldn’t have known Brock’s name considering the group didn’t introduce themselves to him, it can’t have been done between scenes since they only see him in the battle and then later when he’s freed and has knowledge of the group he shouldn’t. Since Team Rocket shielded themselves from Pelipper’s Water attack, it shouldn’t have made a difference if the balloon was soaked, they should have been protected unless the suits were faulty. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon has a connection to ancient hieroglyphs!) Unown Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. A Bite to Remember Pokémon seen: Zigzagoon, Stantler, Beautifly, Pikachu, Aipom, Spinarak, Sentret, Furret, Sudowoodo, Shroomish, Mightyena, Forretress, Torchic, Poochyena, Meowth, Murkrow, Hoothoot, Wobbuffet, Tauros, Bellossom, Ninetales, Azurill, Pineco, Raichu, Eevee, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Paras, Taillow Story: The group are in a forest with an abundance of different Pokémon, Max is eager to meet them in person since it’s much different then just reading about them. A trio of Mightyena suddenly appear and attack, Pikachu is overpowered by one and Forretress and Torchic (not to mention Ash and Brock) are dealt swift hits by a forth opponent; a Poochyena. They are all stopped by a girl called Katrina who explains this is a Pokémon preserve and that she and her Pokémon thought they were poachers; speaking of which Team Rocket wander into the area and notice all the Pokémon. Katrina heals several Pokémon in her hut and Brock is tackled again by the mischievous Poochyena, Max figures it’ll evolve soon but Katrina explains that it was born at the same time as the other Pokémon which long evolved into Mightyena together. Max wants to help Poochyena evolve so it can be strong and take care of itself, Torchic’s evolution is looked into and Ash and Brock frown on the rush to see Pokémon evolve and explain these things take time. Ash’s Pikachu is questioned over evolution and the different kinds of evolution are explained by Brock (basic, stone-induced and branched), but this spurs Max on to help Poochyena evolve in order to witness it and he wants to remain here until it happens. He has it battle Torchic but Poochyena overuses Tackle rather than other attacks like Bite, Torchic gets wise to this and beats it with Ember (not to mention Max). Max requests Ash’s Pokémon to battle Poochyena but May warns him of his scheme to deliberately make them lose and Ash explains that these are empty wins for Poochyena. Max continues to help train despite Ash’s theory that some Pokémon like not being evolved when Katrina reports proof of poachers. Max chooses easy opponents and ones without advantages over Poochyena and advises it to use other attacks since Tackle is only effective against similar- sized opponents. Team Rocket plant a machine in the forest and disguise themselves as scientists researching evolution claiming their machine can evolve Pokémon in strange ways, Meowth demonstrates but is actually putting on various Pokémon costumes in secret. Max gets wise to their game but Poochyena is snatched away from him and the balloon and a net full of Wild Pokémon are revealed from inside the fake machine, the group arrive but Pikachu is swiftly added to the captives. Taillow manages to get the balloon to lower but not stop its movement but Max is close enough to speak out and convince Poochyena to bite through the net, the Pokémon are freed as is Pikachu thanks to Taillow and Team Rocket are soon finished off. This results in Poochyena evolving right after Max accepts it’s a great Pokémon whether it ever evolves or not. Having witnessed a Pokémon evolution, Max can continue the journey happy with many more wonders surely in store for the group in the future. My favourite Quote: Brock (after a lecture on different types of evolution): “So you see, what we call evolution can actually mean a lot of different things. Ready for the test? Define Pokémon Evolution in an essay of nine thousand words... Uh, just kidding, that’s all for today class!...” Things I’d like to point out: It’s quite clear to anyone watching that while the other Pokémon move around full of life, the ones in the background while Brock explains things are perfectly still and clearly stand out. There are times I was tempted to bring this same subject up in past episodes but it seemed too petty or unnecessary at the time. The way Max goes over the statistics of each Pokémon makes it sound like Pokémon have to be a certain size or weight, whatever happened to individuality? Just because books and the Pokédex classify these things doesn’t mean that all Pokémon are the size their kind tend to reach, some might not have grown fully or some might have outgrown their kind like we sometimes see in the series. Come to think of it I don’t think any one Pokémon has been exactly the same size throughout the series (as in not a single Pokémon but all Pokémon of one kind), this is especially clear in certain episodes where Pokémon are clearly bigger or smaller than others seen in earlier episodes. Another reused name in that the first Katrina in Pokémon was a girl with a Raichu who appeared in the episode “Lights, Camera, Quack-tion”. I dislike it when evolved Pokémon make appearances in the series before the pre-evolved form only for the Pokédex to state they are the evolved form of a Pokémon newcomers will know nothing about and therefore the group shouldn’t know either; only they do sometimes. Jessie shouldn’t have been able to name Furret, the only appearance of one in the series that was noticed by the group was in the Johto League without Team Rocket in sight, yet Jessie can’t seem to identify a Murkrow, and don’t try to tell me Team Rocket have read up on all Pokémon because they clearly haven’t. May’s got a strange image of an evolved Torchic which is basically the same Pokémon but with muscles, if she’d done any studying at all she’d know what it’d look like as a Combusken. I’m surprised she even bothered to check the Pokédex to confirm this as she eventually does this episode. Ash shouldn’t be the one to talk about experience and travelling being what evolves a Pokémon, just how many of his have ever evolved after being caught by him? Let’s count: Caterpie to Metapod to Butterfree (but they’re known to evolve quickly), Charmander to Charmeleon to Charizard, Krabby to Kingler (though Ash never travelled with it), Pidgeotto to Pidgeot and Chikorita to Bayleef. That makes a total of five Pokémon and seven evolutions which isn’t much considering seven other Pokémon of Ash’s past and present could have evolved but haven’t at this point. What part of Brock’s lecture did or didn’t Max already know? Since he’s so well read on Pokémon (supposedly) he should know everything to do with evolution, including the methods to evolve Pokémon and that not all Pokémon evolve at the same speed. When Brock starts talking like a teacher handing out homework the background and the lab coat he wears is very similar to when Oak recites poetry and was possibly the look and dialogue used in the original translation. New song count and one I’d forgotten about since it’s so rarely used, when Max trains Poochyena in battle, the song playing is an important one in the games since it’s played on route to the Hoenn League and played between battles with the Elite Four. Ash shouldn’t talk about faking losses to help a Pokémon evolve; he’s guilty of the same crime back in “The Problem with Paras” when his Pokémon blatantly held back against Cassandra’s Pokémon to evolve it, although she wanted it to evolve for reasons other than making it stronger for battle (or selfishly witnessing evolution). The joke about houses (in that Jessie wants to buy one while James want to move out of his) would be more effective had we not seen the place James grew up in. Besides, James is always travelling with Jessie so why is his home a remote issue to him, he technically already moved away when he preferred to have his freedom back in “Holy Matrimony!”. The wrongful fact of Albert Einstein having invented the light bulb is again mentioned by Team Rocket, they said the same thing back in “Haunter Versus Kadabra”, however the correct fact that it was Thomas Edison is pointed out by Max. Whatever Max learned in the books is ineffective as he’s become as gullible as the others in believing Team Rocket’s outrageous evolution machine. Can’t he tell that the ‘Persian’ was Meowth in costume and why do the group hardly suspect anything anymore at the mere mention of a Meowth? The Sunflora costume makes its third appearance in the series and I can’t believe Max can’t see through it right away like those before him. Aside from the one below, he also dresses up like an Aipom (which actually makes him look like one) but the Murkrow is ridiculously fake in that Meowth’s head is sticking out of the beak (much like Wobbuffet’s Miltank costume back in “Ring Masters”). However, Meowth doesn’t know all his Pokémon; he’s dressed up like an Azurill but imitates the voice of its evolved form Marill. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon launches kicks while spinning!) Hitmontop Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. The Lotad Lowdown Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Lotad, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Taillow, Treecko, Forretress, Torchic, Persian, Beedrill Story: The group take some time out to relax and play in the local lake but several Pokémon are residents here and float towards the group and drag them under temporarily, luckily they turn out to be friendly Lotad who immediately bring them to the surface. They welcome the group with a shower display except one that appears to be a slow starter but just as powerful, a young girl confronts everyone. Team Rocket are famished as they walk, James nearly collapses before the others find a Tamato Berry in a tree and devour it; but it’s extremely hot. Natalie is lectured by her sister Nicole in their flower shop, the group properly introduce themselves and they are invited to stay for some pie. Natalie gets jealous of Brock’s interest in her sister and then her other sister Rita who enters and is also treated to Brock’s serenade. Natalie clearly has a crush on Brock and lavishes him with attention and gifts; outside the group release their Pokémon and are shown around the sisters’ garden where berries are grown for different uses including food for the local Pokémon. Brock shows an interest in Sitrus Berries and in finding ripe ones in the forest and accepts Natalie’s offer for a detailed list on types and quantity of berries to use on Pokémon but she clearly expresses her desire for him to be her boyfriend. Rita is concerned about replacing the old pipes they use but the Lotad are happy to help by transporting water to the garden since the sisters take care of the Lotad and share their berries with them. The group offer their services while Team Rocket have a drink (and Meowth and Jessie recover from their Tamato Berry experience), they spy on the group on the other side of the lake and Meowth has a plan to use the Lotad to get on the Boss’s good side. The group notice the same Lotad as before having trouble and holding up the queue wanting to water flowers, Brock helps direct it and it’s grateful while everyone approves of how well he takes care of Pokémon. After the Lotad return to the lake later on Nicole reports that Natalie has disappeared, she is looking for Sitrus Berries to give to Brock. Most of the group search at night all over for her and find the ditsy Lotad who is seemingly concerned and joins Brock; meanwhile Natalie succeeds in her quest but is attacked by a lone Beedrill. Brock and Forretress drive it away and Natalie happily gives the berry to Brock after her sister briefly scolds her for running off so recklessly. Pikachu senses something and at the lake Team Rocket stand in a boat and drive it after the motto in order to catch the Lotad. Pikachu rides the lone Lotad to quickly catch up with the villains, its Water Gun propelling it so Pikachu can leap onto the boat. The Lotad blasts the shutter with Water Gun so the other Lotad can escape and Pikachu completes its usual task of finishing Team Rocket off. Natalie completes her list as a parting gift to Brock but before everyone leaves the lone Lotad makes it clear it wants to be Brock’s Pokémon who promises to take care of it well. My favourite Quote: Jessie: “Where are we anyway?...” Meowth: “We’re in the forest...” Jessie: “I have eyes! I can see that! I want the Name of this forest!” Things I’d like to point out: This is the first time that the video game brand of Pokémon Berries have been mentioned in the cartoon, the Oran Berries, Pecha Berries, Sitrus Berries and Tamato Berries are more or less accurate visually, the only major error is the dubbing of Pecha Berries to Pechan Berries unless the residents in Hoenn prefer to pronounce it that way, regardless May pronounces it as Pecha in “All in a Day’s Wurmple”. The three sisters are based on characters from the games who work in a flower shop, the Wailmer Pail is also a game concept used in conjunction with growing berries which can be obtained by the player. I figure the Sitrus Berry plot was done differently in the original translation since there don’t appear to be any Sitrus Berries at all (even if unripe) on the tree the group look at in the garden. Max claims Lotad can’t normally can’t use Water Gun which is usually true, however with certain breeding methods Lotad can potentially gain this attack; still I think this occurs because a normal Lotad’s attacks are mostly ones the cartoon has decided not to use such as Absorb in the case of both Lotad and Treecko. Um, Ash volunteers to help and the group cheer like they aren’t normal kids who would normally not offer to do hard work, something’s not right there. Meowth’s latest Dream moment for the Boss to use Lotad as a water basin from his bed is farfetched in that the Boss would have to go the bathroom eventually for obvious reasons as well as needing a mirror to look presentable since he’s the leader of a crime group. Either some of the conversation was cut out, Natalie’s or Brock’s memories are slightly altered or this is a plain old error in that the dialogue used less than ten minutes ago is altered and re-dubbed. Brock originally commented on how the Sitrus Berries didn’t look quite ripe and wanted to go look for some but in the flashback he says he’d love to see some ripe Sitrus Berries. The second line about expressing desire to learn all about breeding appears very subtly re-dubbed, given it is the exact same line there was no real need to do so. After deflecting Beedrill, Forretress clearly has some squash and stretch based animation as it bounces across the floor. This is a lot more evident than the one bounce in “A Tail with a Twist” and more noticeable here. When Team Rocket speed left and right across the screen in the boat, they clearly aren’t catching any Lotad and are just going left and right without moving closer or farther away to catch the Lotad in the foreground or background who are clearly just part of the backdrop and not doing anything. Just because Brock taught it how to pour water doesn’t explain how the Lotad got so good to the point it could bust through a metal shutter with Water Gun. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s body temperature is over 1100 degrees!) Magby Cameos in Pokémon Journey: The three sisters might turn up at some point during the third series. All Things Bright and Beautifly! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Persian, Flaaffy, Slugma, Beautifly, Venomoth, Meowth, Marill, Sentret, Seviper, Smeargle, Ninetales, Lotad, Poochyena, Elekid, Taillow, Treecko, Wobbuffet, Torchic Story: The group arrive at Rustboro Hall where trainers are preparing for a Pokémon Contest, a Beautifly becomes attached to May’s head until its trainer Janet arrives with her rival Chaz who owns a Venomoth. Ash is taught the rules of Contest Battles which focus more on the beauty of the attacks rather than the power, the official title of people who compete this way are Pokémon Co-ordinators and they compete in tournaments for the prizes of special ribbons. May is clearly interested with this type of training and later on with the running of the tournaments while Jessie manages to enter after getting her card renewed. May arrives shortly after and although the competing slots are all taken now May soon manages to get in on the show by becoming Janet’s assistant. Brock sees Chaz using Pokéblocks which are made from berries to develop a Pokémon’s statistics and inquires about them to help with his breeding studies. After finding out where he’s headed, Chaz questions Ash over his using Pikachu in Rustboro Gym since it’s an Electric-type and will have difficulty against Rock-types, Max does the same since May owns a Fire-type but she’s not even interested. Ash is invited by Chaz to teach Pikachu the Iron Tail attack, a Steel-type technique that has an advantage over Rock-types. Pikachu trains and builds its tail’s strength while Jessie reads up on the rules of the Contest in order to do well. The Contest begins and after the host introduces the judges and the conditions needed for co-ordinators to qualify for the Grand Festival the first round begins which is all about first impressions and for the trainer and Pokémon to use their talents and abilities to impress all. Pikachu trains with its fellow Pokémon in using its tail which briefly glows during the session, but Ash is saddened when he realises he’s missed Chaz’s first round, he arrives in time to see Janet and Beautifly along with May and Max’s assistance to stun the judges. Janet gets a perfect score of 30, and Ash soon congratulates Janet in the preparation area while Jessie is the final entry in the first round but her Seviper is unable to use any of the attacks she requests of it. Jessie goes with Poison Tail but she is hit by it and goes flying which results in the lowest score possible. Janet and Chaz are paired against each other in the final round while Jessie and Seviper cry over their loss but agree with the team that they should capture the winner of the Contest. The battle begins and Venomoth uses Stun Spore which is blown away by Gust, the energy levels on the screen are based on the judges’ opinion of different factors from each stage of the battle. A Hidden Power barrage is dodged by Venomoth but the beams are controlled by Beautifly and curve upwards to catch the opponent off guard. Venomoth’s Psybeam hits Beautifly so hard it takes a fall but a surprise Morning Sun technique cures it while releasing a beautiful light which impresses all and causes Chaz to lose points. Next Psybeam and Hidden Power combined cause an explosion and attacks like Flash and Confusion are used before the time runs out. Janet has slightly more points left than Chaz and wins the entire Contest, she is thanked by her friend but Team Rocket dress as a gratulatory committee and the flowers given to Janet release a thick smoke which Team Rocket uses to cloud their capture of Beautifly and Venomoth. Jessie’s Seviper attacks and Pikachu leaps to the rescue with Iron Tail but the attack fails to last long enough for Pikachu to strike, Torchic frees the captured Pokémon and the pair finish Team Rocket off with Gust. Janet is awarded the Rustboro Ribbon and May vows to compete in a Contest herself to win some ribbons of her own but doesn’t show as much interest in the traditional Gym Battles which Ash is psyched to compete in soon. My favourite Quote: Commentator (referring to Jessie’s and Seviper’s performance): “Er... I apologise to all of you for having to witness that atrocious spectacle.” Things I’d like to point out: This comes as a surprise but the Flaaffy seen very briefly is the only one to have appeared in the series, the only time one has ever been seen before was the dream Flaaffy Molly concocted in the third Pokémon Movie. Apparently there was a Jynx in the episode but it was cut, the probable reason why is explained in the “Beauty is Skin Deep” (banned episode “The Ice Cave”) episode guide. The title pun is based on the name/line of a poem from James Herriot’s novels “All Things Bright And Beautiful”. Clearly another case of mistaken identity; one trainer’s Slugma has the dialogue of a Magcargo. I’m surprised this mistake wasn’t noticed since Magcargo is the answer to the silhouette and clue of this very episode’s Who’s That Pokémon feature. Contest participants in the series are dubbed as Pokémon Co-ordinators (the games used the term Contest Expert). The fact Jessie has an expired Contest card seemingly means that she once entered one before, that or she found or stole the card. Max is wrong for telling May to have Torchic learn Iron Tail with Pikachu since it cannot do so, only Pokémon with developed tails can initiate this Steel-type attack. Surely Jessie’s plan wouldn’t work; it’s one thing to get fans but surely only a small amount would throw away their morals and aspire to become Rockets even if Jessie asked them to. This episode introduces two judges who seem to appear at every Contest, Contesta and Sukizo who tend to be joined by the Nurse Joy of the town the Contest is hosted in. This must mean that no two Contests ever occur at the same time and that the former two travel around a lot. The Contests are run very differently to the games, firstly in that there are only four Contest locations in the games (but run five kinds of Contests focussing on the different Contest traits Beauty, Cool, Cute, Smart and Tough). The Rustboro Contest already proves that more towns in the series will have Contests than the games and contrary to just introducing the Pokémon and then all contestants taking turns the series has a better approach in having the Pokémon put on a show and then battling in a tournament. Note that all prior Beauty Contests in the series (“Beauty and the Breeder”) aren’t the same as the ones in Hoenn. Jessie seems to have read up only on attacks that might impress the judges; the obvious problem is that Sacred Fire, Water Pulse, Blaze Kick, Dragon Claw, Psywave and Luster Purge are completely out of Seviper’s range of attacks, especially Blaze Kick and Dragon Claw since Seviper has no limbs and more so with Sacred Fire and Luster Purge which are specialty attacks for legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh and Latios. Jessie dreams of the rewards of the Contest but clearly wasn’t prepared to do any of the work since she didn’t practice with Seviper one bit, else she’d have surely known it was incapable of these attacks. Meowth incorrectly states the above problem is because Seviper hasn’t learned any attacks but last time I checked Poison Tail, Bite and Haze qualify so he’s just phrasing things badly. When Max sees Janet and Chaz in the east and west sides of the tournament table he speaks as if the two competitors facing them don’t exist at all with certainty both will win their battles. I know they do and that Max is now friends with Janet and Chaz but he could have at least considered their opponents might actually pose a threat. If Chaz and Janet had battles and won to face each other, why is the group only now questioning and discussing the factors of Contest Battles? Weren’t they watching the last two battles? Okay, so Pikachu fails to complete Iron Tail attack but given it landed so far away from its target Seviper, it wouldn’t have worked unless the attack generates tremors. I’m surprised Torchic could deal such a powerful physical hit to Seviper, either it’s suddenly grown in strength or Seviper has gotten weak since becoming a fully fledged Rocket Pokémon. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon’s shell will break and spout flames!) Magcargo Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Because I base the fanfic on the series the Rustboro Contest will probably be seen. All in a Day’s Wurmple Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Wurmple, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Bellossom, Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill, Torchic, Seviper, Cacnea, Heracross, Ariados, Yanma, Treecko, Lotad, Forretress Story: The group are closing in on Rustboro City as they cross through a forest, May encounters a Wurmple and after learning that it can evolve into Beautifly she hurries off to catch it. She briefly loses sight of it and explains to the group how impressed she was with Janet’s Beautifly and that she wants to compete in a Contest someday. The group settles down for a rest while May dashes off alone to find the Wurmple, Team Rocket spy on the group and Jessie is just as excited about catching a Wurmple while the rest of the team compromise in that they should catch many Wurmple and evolve them for the Boss. May stops in a field of Bellossom while Team Rocket look for Wurmple, Jessie kicks a Weedle out of a tree, followed by a Kakuna, the pattern holds true and several Beedrill drop down and chase Team Rocket right into May. They all take a fall and the Beedrill leave, May ditches Team Rocket in the middle of the motto to chase down Wurmple but Jessie catches up and May’s Torchic is soon attacked by Seviper. Torchic fails to impress and Cacnea teams up against it, luckily a Heracross appears and beats them back, it belongs to a boy called Franklin who has his Pokémon finish them properly and defeat the team in full. While May is offered help in finding and catching the Wurmple, Ash attempts to teach Pikachu Iron Tail attack again but the charge wears off twice before it hits its mark, Ash is challenged by an identical boy who is also called Franklin. The Franklin with May explains he’s a ranger around here as they scale a mountainside while Ash is taught the rules of Double Pokémon Battles which is a well known system in the Hoenn region. Pikachu and Treecko battle Ariados and Yanma, String Shot is dodged by the pair as is Yanma’s Sonic Boom, but Ariados’s binding Pikachu’s foot threatens it with another tornado attack. Treecko frees it and moves it aside, Night Shade and Swift are dodged and Pikachu shocks Yanma but is hit by another Night Shade before Treecko pushes it aside. There’s more dodging before Treecko’s Quick Attack lures both of Franklin’s Pokémon’s attacks, Ash has Pikachu use Iron Tail and pulls off its first successful hit against Yanma, defeating it. It falls short against Ariados though and it’s knocked aside by String Shot but Treecko gets a Pound attack in to finish the battle. Franklin congratulates Ash on his Pokémon’s skill and vice versa before Brock invites him to join them for stew. May finds Pecha Berries for her and Franklin and they sit to eat while Franklin considers possibly joining May on her journey. The Wurmple passes by again and Torchic is called to attack it, May’s first Pokéball is unsuccessful and May is advised to weaken it some more especially with Ember attack. May catches it this time but the Pokéball is stolen by Team Rocket in their balloon, it’s soon returned after Heracross pops it. Seviper and Cacnea quickly leap into attack, they dodge Torchic’s Ember attack and Cacnea hurts it but before Seviper can follow up it is stopped by Heracross. May’s Wurmple is added to the battle and its String Shot binds the Pokémon so Torchic can attack with Ember and Heracross can finish with Megahorn. Team Rocket are blasted off, May and Franklin return to the group with the other Franklin who just explained he got back to the woods not too long ago. The resemblance is immediately noticed and the Franklin Brothers, Forest and Forester, explain they are twins who decide among themselves for Forest to now go on a journey while Forester takes his turn to serve as the forest ranger. Lunch is shared with all but when Wurmple appears it greedily chows down on all the Pokémon’s food and then makes short work of the stew before curling up to sleep. Team Rocket hang over a chasm once again where another Wurmple is discovered nearby, with a simple Pokéball Jessie manages to catch it for herself; right before Wobbuffet’s blundering once again causes them all to take a fall. My favourite Quote: Jessie (to the rest of Team Rocket as they all hang from a branch over a chasm): “Every time we have the perfect plan we end up in a scenario similar to this one and I now blame You!” Things I’d like to point out: The group are pretty sure Wurmple evolves into Beautifly but they shouldn’t assume that’s all it can become since it has branched evolutions and they definitely shouldn’t be confirming their opinions to May. What if May’s had evolved differently like someone else’s Wurmple does in a few episodes time? This episode shows that May’s a little more open minded than Misty ever was, regardless of the fact she tends to be scared of most Pokémon. The title pun is based on the phrase “All in a Day’s Work”. The Bellossom dance scene seems pointless since it doesn’t go anywhere plot- wise. This is awry, given Torchic’s big hit to Seviper last episode, it’s suddenly gone back to being weak and pathetic against it, first it acts afraid of it when it first appears (probably due to its harassment in “A Tail with a Twist”) and then it doesn’t get a real hit in, it just ineffectively jumps around Seviper as if it were shouting. Brock’s notion on May catching a Pokémon by herself being a good thing falls flat on its face since she receives help from Forest not only in finding Wurmple but being practically directed by him while she fights and captures it. May’s blushing suggests that Forest said something else to her in the original translation since his comment about her independence wouldn’t realistically get that kind of result from a girl. This is the first time an official Double Battle has been staged; the one in “Pokémon Double Trouble” doesn’t count since it’s not quite the same in that only one Pokémon in either team had to be defeated for a win. May’s catching of Wurmple is yet another similarity with Ash in that his first Pokémon capture was the Bug-type Caterpie who evolves into a butterfly Pokémon. Forest is a hypocrite; he moans at Team Rocket for their two-against-one battling but advises May to use her Wurmple when her Torchic and his Heracross are already battling against Team Rocket’s two Pokémon. May’s Pokémon are possibly low level but that’s still no excuse, besides, I’m certain his Heracross would have prevailed if not for Wurmple and not just because I have a liking for the former Bug-type. Not to be rude, but the roles of the brothers seems mixed up, at least when looking at their Pokémon. Forest who travels with May wants to go on a journey and has a powerful Heracross who succeeds in all the battles seen, while Forester who has been on a journey has a Yanma and Ariados who are outmanoeuvred and defeated by Ash’s Pokémon (even with Pikachu’s high level, Treecko beats Ariados with its first natural attack). Surely it should have been the other way around since Forest’s Heracross shouldn’t have been as skilful as it was what with its training being confined to the forest for so long. This and the next episode are the only ones so far in that Cacnea hasn’t hurt James via its hugging, “Tree’s a Crowd” almost counted except it hurt James during the blast off by simply holding onto him. Brock’s ‘joke’ about good looks taking one far is questionable, who is he referring to? Cute Pokémon in general, all the girls he’s ever fallen for or himself? The latter is probable but either way it doesn’t get him far with the ladies. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon is known as the ruler of the seas!) Lugia Cameos in Pokémon Journey: None. Gonna Rule The School! Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Poliwag, Magby, Rattata, Pidgey, Marill, Teddiursa, Bellossom, Squirtle, Mareep, Elekid, Poliwhirl, Psyduck, Farfetch’d, Oddish, Sentret, Skiploom, Sneasel, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Voltorb, Venonat, Jigglypuff, Staryu, Arbok, Hitmontop, Jumpluff, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Caterpie, Wartortle, Wooper, Eevee, Cubone, Shellder, Mudkip, Scyther, Metapod, Sunflora, Smeargle, Houndoom, Sandshrew, Nidoran Male, Charmander, Ditto, Taillow, Treecko, Forretress, Lotad, Swinub, Beedrill, Hoppip, Weedle, Smoochum, Seviper, Wurmple, Cacnea, Bulbasaur, Geodude Story: The group finally arrive at Rustboro City and do a little sightseeing, after Ash embarrasses himself Max finds a Poliwag hiding under a bench and gains its trust. On its tail is a symbol that’s seen right before a girl called Roxanne reclaims it and returns it to Kenny; one of her students. At the mention of the Training Academy Max wants to check it out and the group are invited to have a look around, the Gym is nearby but Ash is overruled by a guided tour of the school first. The group are shown around different areas of the school (a Pokémon Doctor Class, Co-ordinator Class and Battle Class) before ending up at Roxanne’s Beginner Class. Meanwhile Team Rocket plan on another souvenir selling scheme while the group are surprised to find Oak speaking to a class via videophone and Max is finally introduced to him. Oak spills the beans and reveals Roxanne to be the Gym Leader who arranges with Ash to battle later since she’s got some teaching of this class to do until then. Max is challenged by a boy called Tommy who quizzes him on Pokémon; he manages to answer all of the questions. The next room on the tour is the Pokéball storage area where the Pokémon here are trained to obey anyone who chooses them for battle, Team Rocket spy in and find this factor appealing and useful to their schemes. At night Ash and Pikachu practice Iron Tail again, it still hasn’t quite got the hang of it but trains regardless. In the morning Max joins a study group in the Beginner Class and converses with a girl called Anita who doesn’t particularly like Pokémon, the same goes for Kenny (who is afraid to even touch them). Tommy attempts to wind up Max who’s congratulated by Anita for making him mad by answering all his questions the day before. Ash and Brock agree to let out their Pokémon and are credited for their efforts (Ash’s League places and Brock’s former Gym Leader status). Ash tries to introduce Pikachu to Kenny but Tommy steps on Poliwag’s tail who nearly hits Max and Kenny with Water Gun, he’s accused of doing this on purpose but it’s not clear either way, however he doesn’t show any remorse for it. May walks out on a quiz while Max has a battle against Tommy, his Pokéball releases Poliwag who faces Magby but during the battle Max clearly overuses stat enhancing techniques with Defence Curl and Belly Drum and is looking to lose the fight. The alarm goes off before Tommy can finish the battle as Team Rocket have managed to steal the school’s Pokémon and now attack in a giant Wurmple robot. They close their protective shutters whenever Pikachu launches a Thunderbolt at them, Forretress attacks but is deflected by Seviper. May has her Wurmple join the battle and its String Shot is torn apart by Cacnea, this provokes Jessie to show off with her own Wurmple but she returns it immediately after deciding she doesn’t want the adorable thing to get involved. Max and Poliwag decide to fight too but he’s advised by a more outspoken Kenny to use an offensive attack and the flaws in his previous battle in only powering up Poliwag. Poliwag blasts Seviper which provokes a jealous Tommy to have his Magby burn Cacnea. Roxanne stops Ash from intervening in order to let the kids devise their own plans with promises to get involved if it becomes too dangerous. Poliwag’s Water Gun is blocked by the shutters and it uses Protect against Cacnea’s needles, meanwhile Tommy and Magby have been secretly heating up the robot. Anita and Pidgey’s Wing Attack cuts the Pokéballs down and Roxanne uses her Geodude and its Rollout attack to damage and explode the latest Team Rocket contraption. The group of youngsters congratulate each other on their parts in the battle and all four have changed, learned something and become friends. Ash is psyched after witnessing Roxanne’s strength and is dead set on facing her in the morning. My favourite Quote: Jessie (to her Wurmple before returning it to its ball no sooner than it has appeared for battle): “Aw, you’re too cute for this icky battle, buh-bye...” Things I’d like to point out: Max shouldn’t be saying ‘Awesome’ even once after the moaning he gave his sister two episodes ago when she overused the word. Another child named Tommy since “The Kangaskhan Kid”; surely there were many other names to choose from other than previously used ones or at least variations of the name like Tom or Thomas. Max doesn’t answer Tommy’s first question fully, he only states the obvious Electric weakness Flying Pokémon have (clearly because of hanging with Pikachu for so long) and fails to add that Ice and particularly Rock attacks are equally if not more effective. Some of the Pokémon only used in the background are of strange sizes, there are some unusually big Pokémon that are small and vice versa which makes it seem like background art isn’t a high priority nor given as much care and effort as the foreground characters, check out a small Sunflora in May’s class and the gigantic Weedle and Hoppip before and throughout Max’s battle and the Team Rocket incident. Roxanne is aware of Brock’s role as the Pewter City Gym Leader and compliments the Gym as the flagship for Rock Pokémon; clearly she’s not aware of the changes that were made to it in Pokémon Chronicles (“A FAMILY THAT BATTLES TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER”). Okay, not only does Max clearly overuse techniques to boost stats rather than attack, he’s technically using the wrong ones to do so. With Magby constantly using Flamethrower, Defence Curl and Belly Drum are so not the ways to stop it, since they raise attack and defence power but both Flamethrower and Water Gun are special attacks! It’s been a while since James’s red rose has been seen, however it is only seen in a small portion of the motto so it’s questionable if it was really present or just imaginary as most of the backdrops and props seem to be sometimes. Another colouring error in that the top area of the robot Wurmple’s head changes from red to pale yellow like its lower head and underside during Pikachu’s initial assault, it’s got nothing to do with the electricity if anyone’s thinking of asking. I’ve been waiting for this one to happen ever since Brock dropped all his Pokémon for Forretress, it should not have been harmed by Seviper’s Poison Tail attack. Steel-types are completely invincible against Poison attacks, they not only can’t be poisoned but they aren’t damaged at all by attacks of the type, what’s worse is that Forretress doesn’t make a comeback later so it’s likely Brock recalled it because it was supposedly defeated, at best the impact might have done something but that still speaks badly of Forretress if one physical hit could defeat it. Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon is the second evolutionary stage of Totodile!) Croconaw Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Of course I’ll be including the Training Academy much like each other region’s school. The Winner by a Nosepass Pokémon seen: Pikachu, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Geodude, Treecko, Nosepass Story: Ash and Pikachu seem to have perfected Iron Tail attack on a large rock structure, but it can’t handle an immediate repeat attack. May is forced to finally come clean in that she’s not interested in competing in Gym Battles but after explaining herself and her reasons (including the selfish ones she originally had) the group support her decision to become a Pokémon Co-ordinator. Team Rocket discover who Roxanne truly is and despite their track record they go ahead in digging a tunnel to steal her Pokémon from the Gym. Ash and the others enter the Gym where May’s decision is also accepted and supported by Roxanne, several students serve as assistants here and Ash accepts Roxanne’s request to videotape the battle for her classes. It soon begins and Max is excited about seeing a Gym Battle (his father never let him so as not to distract challengers), Ash chooses Treecko to face off against Geodude but he makes an error in that although Treecko is a Grass Pokémon, it currently has no Grass-type attacks yet so type advantage will not work. Treecko doesn’t power through with physical attacks and is thrown into the air by Mega Punch, it comes down with a pounding tail attack from a great height with added speed along with its body weight which catches Roxanne off guard but this doesn’t defeat her Geodude completely. It unearths itself and Rollout gets it high and close enough to take Treecko out with Mega Punch. Pikachu is next and begins with Thunder which despite all estimations manages to decimate the majority of the rocky field. This doesn’t hinder Geodude though and Quick Attack must be used to dodge a barrage of rocks from Rock Throw and Mega Punch hits Pikachu, however when it tries to use Rollout it discovers that the now uneven terrain makes it impossible to resolve in a steady line. Thunder at close range defeats it and Nosepass is the next Pokémon which Pikachu immediately hits with its new Iron Tail attack. Pikachu dodges a stomping attack but its second Iron Tail charge wears off before it hits and it’s realised by everyone else that Pikachu can’t handle two Iron Tail attacks in a row. Nosepass uses Rock Tomb attack to encase Pikachu in a spire of stone and crush it, Thunder is used to blast its way out but now Pikachu’s energy is running low. As Team Rocket dig upwards, Nosepass uses Sandstorm to cloud the field, it negates the effects on itself using its electromagnet nose as a compass to locate Pikachu and presses its weight against it before attempting to step on it. Pikachu escapes and dodges around more Rock Tomb attacks and more of Nosepass’s physical attacks in order to wear it out and daze it, as it tries to locate Pikachu with traditional sight it appears above and attempts to use Iron Tail but falls short again, it is confirmed that Pikachu needs time to charge this particular attack for a successful hit. Nosepass jumps and uses Thunder Wave but Pikachu dodges and James’s shovel is hit, blasting Team Rocket out of their tunnel. Roxanne underestimates Ash’ confidence and Pikachu’s vitality in that they’re still able to battle on. Pikachu charges head on and Roxanne retaliates with Zap Cannon but Ash has Pikachu receive the attack head on and get in close so some of the energy is redirected onto Nosepass; paralysing it. This gives Pikachu the perfect opportunity to charge up a finishing blow in the form of another Iron Tail attack. Everyone is impressed, Ash is awarded the Stone Badge and already his thoughts are on getting to the next Gym to continue his quest in Hoenn. My favourite Quote: Ash (to Roxanne): “The tougher the battle; that just means the harder we fight, we’re just gettin’ warmed up.” May: “Wonder where he gets all of that confidence?” Brock: “Especially since he has nothing to base it on.” Things I’d like to point out: The title pun comes from the racing term “Winner by a nose”. I think everyone knew May would give up on Gym Battles after her obvious attraction to the Contests, that and the fact it might get boring if Ash fought in a Gym Battle and then May did so too. The same could be said for my stories but as readers know, the main characters’ Gym Battles are done in the main storyline while the others involving side characters are kept separate for optional reading. Max claims his dad never let him watch any of the Gym Battles in case he distracted the trainers, the claim is slightly falsified in that he watched an unofficial match against Ash with the rest of the family (and talked plenty during which) in “There’s no Place Like Hoenn”. Judging by his behaviour in “Balance of Power”, it’s no wonder why he was banned. Treecko should very well have learned a Grass attack seeing as it’s gone past the point it should have done considering it knows Quick Attack which is normally learned after Absorb. The reason why this isn’t apparent is probably because Absorb has never been used in the series before and they probably don’t know how they would go about visualising the attack. Again the most basic mistake is made! I first thought the scriptwriters might have learned something when Pikachu’s initial Electric assault appears useless on Geodude but then it goes and defeats it with Thunder. Using Pikachu in a Rock Gym is always frowned on but for the wrong reasons since it’s the Ground aspect that Pikachu is weak against, not the Rock side. Unfortunately, unlike Nosepass, Geodude is also a Ground-type and the mistake already made in “SHOWDOWN IN PEWTER CITY” is repeated again in that Pikachu should not be able to defeat Geodude with electricity (and it doesn’t matter if Pikachu was at close range, it shouldn’t have made a difference). Roxanne is the first Gym Leader since Brock and Misty that uses the same Pokémon as her counterpart character role in the games (excluding spin-off games like Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Emerald which sometimes base the line-up on the series’ Gym Leaders’). Roxanne’s dubbed comment about not falling for a second Iron Tail attack is slightly off in that there’s no known rule that says Iron Tail doesn’t work twice in a row; her Nosepass was hit dead on technically by Pikachu’s tail so had it been more experienced with the attack it would certainly have damaged the foe. Roxanne’s partly wrong about the surprise aspect of Nosepass’s Thunder Wave attack, it’d be a surprise if she’d taught it via a TM (Technical Machine) but Nosepass learns Thunder Wave naturally, had Ash merely done a little more research he’d have known this (take it from me; surprise attacks are one of my specialties). What happened to the large hole in front of Pikachu? It doesn’t move while Ash converses with Roxanne but when Pikachu charges directly forward the gap doesn’t affect it in the slightest. I’ll accept the energy of Zap Cannon could be redirected and paralyse Nosepass, but the 50/50 accuracy flaw of the attack is meant to be made up by the fact a successful hit causes paralysis every time; therefore Pikachu should have been paralysed also (unless Pikachu managed to somehow redirect both the majority of the attack and its added effect onto Nosepass). Who’s That Pokémon?: (This Pokémon has a shell like sheet rock!) Pupitar Cameos in Pokémon Journey: Roxanne will appear but may or may not be the Gym Leader considering Series 3 takes place 20 or so years after this episode. Episodes #273 - #280 Episodes #289 - #296 Back to the Episode Guide Movie and Mini-movie Guide Back to the Pokézone