The School of Hard Knocks (Japanese: ポケモンひっしょうマニュアル, Hepburn: Pokémon Victory Manual) is the 9th episode of Pocket Monsters of Pocket Monsters (1997 series), Season 1 of Pokémon the Series, and Pokémon: Indigo League of Pokémon the Series: The Beginning.
Synopsis[]
While searching for firewood in the foggy woods, Ash and Pikachu discover a bunch of prep-school kids bullying a classmate named Joe. They're all students at Pokémon Technical Institute, which offers classes that allow trainers to enter the Pokémon League without getting badges.
But Joe says the rough treatment is necessary so he'll be strong enough to graduate. Still, Ash doesn't like the idea, and demands to meet the person responsible for this "tutoring" program.
We soon meet this leader, a conceited girl named Giselle. Brock and Ash are smitten by her looks, but Misty wants to battle. To Misty's surprise, Giselle's Rock-type Graveler defeats her Water-type Starmie, proving that matching up types is only one of several factors that determine victory. As Giselle gloats, Ash challengers her, and Pikachu faces her Cubone.
But Cubone is unaffected by Electric-type attacks—how can Pikachu win? What's the real deal with this school? And why does the school seem so familiar to Jessie and James?[1]
Episode plot[]
Brock sets up some tea as Ash and Misty's quarrel over her barbecued bike heats up once again. Brock attempts to diffuse the situation by sending Ash to find some kindling for the fire. While there, he witnesses a hazing ritual in which a group of students ask harsh questions to another student while he is on a treadmill. When he fails to answer a question, the boys abandon him. It is revealed that these students are from the prestigious boarding school "Pokémon Technical Institute". It's very expensive, but the students who attend it are considered so elite that they can enter the Pokémon League, even without collecting the gym badges.
The student that was being hazed defends his peers, saying it is a way to help him learn. They were tutoring him. Ash still believes it isn't right, but his fire goes out for a moment when he sees a picture of the class president, a girl. Elsewhere, Jessie and James are upset as they also tried to get into Pokémon Tech, but had the lowest scores in history. They go to meet the head student, Giselle, and on the way, Joe explains how the system works, and that they're judged by skill, not single battles, which is how they get into the league without badges. When Ash states he has two badges, Joe says that even though he himself is the weakest student in Poké Tech, he could still beat someone with only two badges. As Joe continues speaking, his words offend Misty.
Joe states that he's beaten her Pokémon in simulation a plethora of times, but his pride comes before destruction as when the battle starts between his Weepinbell and her Starmie, her Starmie One-Shots. Something Giselle attribute to greater experience as she verbally abuses Joe. Misty defends Joe by challenging Giselle, but just as her Pokémon one-shot someone with a type advantage, she also was one-shot by Giselle's Graveler. She attributes this to her level, which Ash states isn't everything. He brags about his two badges, but she insults him, saying it took him two months to get that far, and then insults the fact that Pikachu was not in it's Poké Ball, attributing it to Ash's bad training.
Ash then demands a battle against Giselle, who utilizes Cubone. Pikachu has a rocky start, but after hearing Ash's words, Pikachu proceeds to body Cubone in a way that impresses and shocks everyone at the school. At that moment, Team Rocket attacks the school, but they underestimate the power of the students and are driven back. Giselle begins to believe that school cannot teach everything, and Joe mirrors those sentiments, going so far as to leave school to go on a journey to collect badges. Ash and the others then continue on their journey.
Debuts[]
Character[]
Pokémon[]
Move[]
Quotes[]
- "I'm not letting you out of my sight Ash Ketchum until you pay for my broken bike." - Misty
- "My bike, my bike, that's all I ever hear from you!" - Ash
- "Right. And my name may be Misty, but I'm perfectly clear about what you owe me and youre not gonna get away without paying." - Misty
- "Maybe if you two had spent less time arguing and paid more attention to where we're going we'd already be in Vermilion City by now. Come on, we're already late. We gotta start the show." - Brock
- "Chu." - Pikachu
- "But they help me learn that Pidgey evolves to Pidgeotto at level 18. It learns Whirlwind at level 21, Wing Attack at level 31 and that as its level rises it learns various tricks. After evolving to Pidgeot it can fly at 1200 metres at speeds of up to Mach 2." - Joe about Pidgey
- "Beginners have the same qualifications as someone with two badges. The Intermediate class has the qualifications of four and advanced students have the same as six. If you graduate you can enter the Pokémon league without traveling around to collect the badges." - Joe about Pokémon Tech Qualifications.
- "Hey! If she's making your lives so miserable, how come you carrying her picture around?" - Misty
- "I hate the way she treats us, but I like the way she looks." - Joe
- "Yeah and not like some other girls who treat you bad and look even worse." - Ash
- "WHILE YOU TWO ARE SLOBBERING OVER THAT DOPEY PICTURE, I'M GONNA FIND THIS LITTLE WITCH AND STRAIGHTEN HER OUT!" - Misty
- "That place brings back memories James." - Jessie
- "It certainly does Jessie, and all of them are awful." - James
- "Tell me your tale of failure again." - Meowth
- "We studied for the big test." - Jessie
- "So sure we would beat all the rest." - James
- "And here's the part I like the best." - Meowth
- "We frolicked that night, for our future seemed bright." - Jessie
- "But things weren't right." - James
- "We got the lowest scores in the history of the school." - Jessie and James
- "She's real pretty, isn't she?" - Ash about Giselle (with a Female Shrieking)
- "Yeah, she looks just like a movie star." - Brock
- "They like stars do they, I'll show them lots of stars." - Misty
- "I'd better do something." - Ash
- "Wise Pokémon trainers never get involved in a catfight."- Brock
- "I've heard of Team Rocket. You're the ones who got the worst grades ever on the entrance exams. How about your team versus our team." - Giselle
- "The two of us against all of them?" - Jessie
- "But the rules say one-on-one." - James
- "Bad guys don't play by the rules. Get em'." - Giselle
- "There are some things you just can't learn at school, and that's a good lesson." - Giselle contemplating about what happened.
Trivia[]
- Who's That Pokémon?: Cubone (JA, EN and KO)
- This is the first episode that Eric Stuart voices James.
- Pikachu's voice in this episode was provided almost entirely by Rachael Lillis due to the high amount of overlapping dub dialogue, with only the pre-title card sequence and certain clips during its battle with Cubone retained from the original.
- When Joe shows the gang a simulation battle, its design is similar to that of a Generation I battle.
- Joe explains about Pidgey's moveset and evolutionary stages of Generation I.
- In the beginning of the episode Brock had broken the fourth wall by saying "We're already late. We gotta start the show."
- This is one of the rare episodes where the "levels" are mentioned.
- This episode is also one of the rare instances where Ash shows romantic feelings for a girl (Giselle).
- This episode reveals that both Jessie and James both flunked out of Pokémon Tech.
Dub differences[]
- In the original while it's revealed that both Jessie and James have attended Pokémon Tech, as they're recalling the time they've been there, it's revealed that Jessie has passed and James have failed, while in the dub it's revealed that both have failed.
- Moreover, Giselle remembers that both Jessie and James flunked out of the entrance exam in the dub.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ (n.d.) . "The School of Hard Knocks | Pokémon TV (pokemon.com)". From The Official Pokémon Website | Pokemon.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024.
