Electric Shock Showdown (Japanese: でんげきたいけつ！クチバジム, Hepburn: Electric Battle! Vermilion Gym) is the 14th 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[]
Our heroes finally reach Vermilion City. They make their way to the Pokémon Center to refill their empty stomachs, but once there, they see dozens of injured Pokémon being treated. Pikachu and Ash are alarmed to learn that all of these Pokémon were injured in battles with the Vermilion Gym Leader, Lt. Surge. Nonetheless, eager to earn a badge, Ash challenges Lt. Surge. Pikachu reluctantly enters the battle only to discover that its opponent is a Raichu, a fierce Pokémon with tremendous electric power—and the evolved form of Pikachu! In order for Pikachu to successfully compete, it must demonstrate a stronger will in battle than ever before. Could Pikachu possibly have a chance against Raichu’s overwhelming strength?[1]
Episode plot[]
After two weeks of continuous trekking, our heroes finally make it to Vermilion City. Ash wants to go straight to the Gym, but Misty and Brock manage to convince him to go to the Pokémon Center first for rest. Upon reaching the Pokémon Center, they witness Nurse Joy and her Chansey rushing through with an injured Rattata. It is revealed to them that this has been happening alot due to challengers going against Lt. Surge, a brutal and tough Gym Leader, and the Master of the Vermilion City Gym. Seeing the casualties, Ash begins to worry about challenging this Gym Leader.
Misty also reminds him that he didn't beat any gyms prior, and his badges are all pity badges. This leads to a short exchange between Ash and Misty. When Ash's Pokémon are healed, they seem a bit nervous, especially Pikachu, the latter of which decides not to go to the Gym. Ash doesn't give him much of a choice. Going to the Gym, Ash finds himself and his Pokémon insulted by both Lt. Surge's subordinates and then by Surge himself, who chastises Ask for not evolving his Pikachu into a Raichu yet. After being insulted, his fear is overridden by anger, so he proceeds to fight, even when it is obvious he'll lose.
Brock and even Ash ask Pikachu to stop, but he refuses and continues to fight until he was defeated. Pikachu awakens in the Pokémon Center much to Ash's relief. But the question crops up of if they should evolve him or not, and when Nurse Joy presents a Thunder Stone, Ash begins to think seriously on this. In the end, he decides Pikachu should decide, and Pikachu rejects the stone in favor of fighting as a Pikachu for a Pikachu's honor.
Returning to the gym for their next battle, they focus on a new strategy. As it turns out, Lt. Surge evolved his Pikachu into Raichu too fast, and thus never got to learn the speed techniques that Pikachu can learn. And with this, Pikachu focuses on speed-based techniques, dodging attacks. In the end, when Raichu was too weak to continue, Pikachu finishes it off with a Quick Attack, officially earning a badge and respect from Lt. Surge and his Raichu.
Debuts[]
Character[]
Pokémon[]
Move[]
Item[]
Quotes[]
- "I know why you're surprised. I look like all the other nurses don't I? My first cousin works in Pewter City, and my second cousin works in Viridian City. I think I'm the prettiest one, don't you?" - Nurse Joy
- "Yeah." - Brock
- "All right that's enough." - Nurse Joy
- "She started it." - Ash
- "Remember this is a hospital." - Nurse Joy
- (Ash and Misty see other trainers staring at them)
- "They say if two people fight, they really care about each other." - Nurse Joy
- "Me care about her?! (turns away and crosses arms) Hmph!" - Ash
- "Me care about him?! (turns away and crosses arms) Hmph!" - Misty
- (Nurse Joy giggles)
- "Hello, I've come for a Pokémon battle, to earn a Thunder Badge." - Ash
- "Hey boss, another victim for the emergency ward." - Male Assistant
- "Which one?" - Lt. Surge
- "Is he the Gym Leader you have to beat?" Misty
- "Welcome to *hugs Misty* Vermilion Gym! Oh, my next challenge is a cute one. Don't think I'll go easy on you." - Lt. Surge
- "Excuse me, I'm not the challenger." - Misty
- "Then who?" - Lt. Surge
- "Me, that's who." - Ash
- "Hm? Oh, you. Ok baby." - Lt. Surge
- "Grr, I'm no baby! My name is Ash Ketchum." - Ash
- "Heh! I call everybody who loses to me baby." - Lt. Surge
- "Pikachu, our lucky star is shining today." - Ash
- "Where? I don't see it. How can you see a star in the middle of the day?" - Misty
- "I don't mean it's actually shining. Let's go Pikachu." - Ash
- "A strategy? So they've been plannin' a new way to lose. Go Raichu!" - Lt. Surge
- "Ok Raichu, give it a Thunderbolt. Shut it down!" - Lt. Surge
- "What a shocking story." - Jessie
- "That was quite a tail." - James
- "And now you've both been pun-ished. *laughs*" - Meowth after punching Jessie and James
- "Koffing!" - James's Koffing
- "Drat, we wasted this episode cheering for the good guys." - James
- "Ahh!" - Jessie and Meowth
- "Right, James. Better luck next time." - Narrator
Trivia[]
- "Who's that Pokémon?": Raichu (JA, EN and KO)
- The battle from this episode is featured in the Pokémon Theme's opening graphics.
- This is the first of the few episodes where a main character's Pokémon battles its evolved form.
- This is also the first episode where Team Rocket does not try to capture Pikachu.
- The battle against Lt. Surge in Pokémon Yellow is based on this episode. Surge's Raichu has the same moves in Yellow as the Anime.
- James breaks the fourth wall at the end of this episode by saying that he, Jessie and Meowth "wasted the whole episode cheering the good guys".
- This is one of the many episodes where Team Rocket doesn't blast off.
- After Ash proclaims to Pikachu that their lucky star is shining for them today, Misty asks if they can see a star in the middle of the day. Oddly and interestingly enough, the Sun is a star and it's presence indicates that it's daytime.
- This is the first episode in which Ash earns a badge fair and square.
Mistakes[]
- Pikachu whacked the Thunder Stone from Ash's hand with its tail, but in later episodes, including "Climbing the Tower of Success!", it is shown that if Pikachu even touches the Thunderstone at all, it will evolve instantly. Thus, it should have evolved as soon as it touched the stone.
- When Team Rocket saw the re-match, Jessie and James' gloves were missing.
- In the "Official Pokémon Handbook", it says that Raichu is so powerful that it uses its tail for ground but when Raichu came out of its Poké Ball, it didn't use the tail for the ground.
Dub differences[]
- In the Japanese version Raichu's Pokédex entry mentions an Indian elephant while in English version it mentions Dragonite.
- Lt. Surge utters the English cuss word "goddamn" in the original Japanese version (which is changed to "okay" in the dub due to bad language) and includes English words often in his speech, as he is portrayed as a stereotypical American.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ (n.d.) . The Official Pokémon Website | Pokemon.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024.
