AG005

In the Knicker of Time!

AG005   EP279 ジグザグマと短パン小僧！ハルカはじめてのバトル！！ Jiguzaguma and the Short-pantsed Boy! Haruka's First Battle

First broadcast Japan December 19, 2002 United States November 22, 2003

English themes Opening I Wanna Be A Hero Ending

Japanese themes Opening アドバンス・アドベンチャー Ending そこに空があるから

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 新留俊哉 Toshiya Niidome Assistant director 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

In the Knicker of Time! (Japanese: ジグザグマと短パン小僧！ハルカはじめてのバトル！！ Jiguzaguma and Short-pantsed Boy! Haruka's First Battle!) is the fifth episode of the Advanced Generation series and the 279th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on December 19, 2002 and in the United States on November 22, 2003.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

Brock is ready to travel again and has joined up with Ash, May and Max as they continue en route towards Rustboro City. In the forest they encounter a giant Zigzagoon, which they soon realize is actually a Trainer in a Zigzagoon suit. The Trainer is Nicholai the knickerbocker; who believes in becoming one with Pokémon in order to understand them. When Nicholai learns that May is the daughter of the Petalburg Gym leader Norman and instantly asks for a battle, May accepts, however, Brock claims she is not ready as Torchic is still inexperienced.

In the battle Nicholai sends out a Mudkip while May sends out Torchic, Nicholai quickly changes into a Mudkip costume. May uses Ember while Nicholai commands a Water Gun that drenches the Ember. May orders a Peck attack, to which Max warns against, but it is too late, and Nicholai commands Mudkip to blast Torchic with a close-range water gun, knocking it out. Nicholai starts to make jokes on how easy it was to battle May and her father may be easier, this makes Max furious but Ash, Brock and May shrugs off the insult.

While having lunch, May realizes Max is missing they go on to search for him. Nearby Max is seen with an handful of berries and drops them on the ground then out of nowhere a group of Zigzagoon comes for the food, when all the food is finished the group of Tiny Racoon's asks for more, but Max says there is no more. This makes the Zigzagoon angry as they start attacking Max. At that point Ash, May and Brock arrives and try to save Max, but before they could do anything a big Zigzagoon appeared, it's Nicholai, Nicholai tames the Zigzagoon and captures one of them.

Team Rocket then attempts to steal Nicholai's Mudkip. However, Nicholai saves it by dressing up in different Pokémon costumes.

After the apology from Max, Ash and Nicholai have a battle; Ash sends out Taillow he caught last episode and Nicholai sends out his newly required Zigzagoon. The episode concludes as both of them fight with their new Pokémon.

Major events

• May participates in (and loses) her first Pokémon battle.

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

• Nicholai

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• May
• Brock
• Max
• Jessie
• James
• Nicholai
• Trainer

Pokémon

Who’s That Pokémon?: Yanma

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Taillow (Ash's)
• Torchic (May's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Mudkip (Nicholai's)
• Zigzagoon (Nicholai's, new)
• Beedrill (Trainer's)
• Pinsir (several)
• Sentret

Trivia

• Jessie and James narrate the next episode preview. Instead of the normal preview music, the music for the Team Rocket motto is played.
• This is the very last time that Ash and friends battle Jessie's Arbok and James' Weezing.
• The English episode title is a pun on the phrase "in the nick of time."

The error in question.

• This episode is featured on both the Volume 10: Mudkip and Volume 19: Torchic volumes of the Pokémon All-Stars series.
  • This is the only episode to be featured in the Pokémon All-Stars series more than once.

Errors

• Max claims that an average Zigzagoon weighs only 8 pounds, but in reality they weigh 38.6 pounds.
• Nicholai said that sometimes he is a Tentacool when he wears a Tentacruel costume.
• After Torchic faints, Mudkip's and Nicholai's costume's jaws are dark blue, when they should be the same as Mudkip's belly, and Mudkip's and Nicholai's costume's left cheeks are blue instead of orange.
• When Nicholai walks away after defeating May his Mudkip is on his right shoulder but when Team Rocket is watching him through their binoculars the Mudkip is on his left shoulder.

Dub edits

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		蛇紋熊與短褲少年！小遙的第一場戰鬥！
Danish		Behold Knæbukserne På
Dutch		Op het randje!
Finnish		Polvihousujuttu
European French		Un dresseur en culotte courte
German		Ein Hoch auf die Knickerbocker!
Hebrew		מכנסיים קצריםmikhnasayim ksarim
Italian		I Pokémon della foresta
Polish		Krótkie spodenki
Portuguese	Brazil	No Limite do Tempo!
	Portugal	Num Piscar de Olhos
Spanish	Latin America	¡Las primeras batallas!
	Spain	Entrenadores panticortos

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.