EP002

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EP001 : Pokémon - I Choose You!
Original series
EP003 : Ash Catches a Pokémon
Pokémon Emergency!
EP002.png
  EP002  
たいけつ!ポケモンセンター!
Showdown! Pokémon Center!
First broadcast
Japan April 8, 1997
United States September 9, 1998
English themes
Opening Pokémon Theme
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター
Ending ひゃくごじゅういち
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 首藤剛志 Takeshi Shudō
Storyboard 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki
Assistant director 井上修 Osamu Inoue
Animation director 藤田宗克 Munekatsu Fujita
Additional credits

Pokémon Emergency! (Japanese: たいけつ!ポケモンセンター! Showdown! Pokémon Center!) is the second episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 8, 1997 and in the United States on September 9, 1998.

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

Template:Incomplete synopsis After battling with the Spearow, Pikachu was badly injured. Ash was told by Misty about a place where he could take Pikachu to be healed, a Pokémon Center. They go to the Viridian City Pokémon Center to be healed. When he enters the town, Ash is stopped by Officer Jenny, who found him suspicious, due to the fact he was carrying Pikachu in his arms and not a Poké Ball, but Ash confirms his identity with his Pokédex. Jenny drives Ash to the Pokémon Center on her motorbike. Misty enters the Pokémon Center with her destroyed bike, angry because it was Ash's Pikachu that destroyed it. Ash explains that Pikachu was injured badly, and Misty forgot about her bike and instead thought of Pikachu. As Pikachu is treated, Ash feels crestfallen and calls home. His mother tries to encourage him, but he still feels downtrodden. He is then called by Professor Oak who is surprised that he reached Viridian so soon. Ash then tells him about the golden colored flying Pokémon he saw earlier (in the last episode). Oak feels that he is lying because many Trainers have never seen that Pokémon even after they searched for it their whole life. They then exchange good wishes and hang up.

Meanwhile, two "wanted" posters are revealed, showing the pictures of two "Most Wanted Criminals", Jessie and James of Team Rocket. The two trouble makers spot the posters and swear vengeance on Viridian for using horrible pictures of them. Their ally Meowth is then revealed to be their Pokémon.

While Pikachu is being treated, Team Rocket attack the Pokémon Center with the intent of stealing the Pokémon inside. The Center's Nurse Joy tries to transfer all the Pokémon to the safety of the Pewter City Pokémon Center because it is an emergency. Team Rocket use their Ekans and Koffing to wreak havoc in the Center. However, just then Pikachu somehow manages to revive itself and along with the other Pikachu from the Center's back-up power generator, hit Team Rocket with a powerful ThunderShock. As Team Rocket takes the electricity, Koffing expels a large amount of poisonous gas in pain. The gas reacts to the electricity, causing a colossal explosion, wrecking the Pokémon Center.

Officer Jenny arrives too late as Team Rocket manage to escape in their Meowth-shaped balloon. They agree that Pikachu would make a great gift for their Boss and decide to steal it when the chance comes.

Ash leaves Viridian City and heads for Viridian Forest with a revived relation with Pikachu and Misty in tow. Spotting a Caterpie, he attempts to capture it.

Major events

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

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Koffing

Trivia

A differently-colored Pidgey.
File:Legendary Pokemon engravings EP002.png
The engraving of legendary Pokémon
  • This is currently the only episode in which any of Ash's male relatives are mentioned. Delia mentions that it took his father four days to reach Viridian City from Pallet Town and that Ash is the 'apple' of his eye. Ash's grandfather is also mentioned by her in the Japanese version.
  • On the wall at the Pokémon Center, the engravings are of Arcanine, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Ash misidentifies the Ho-Oh he saw in the previous episode as Articuno.
  • The Pidgey in the clock is green, instead of its normal color. Though some may consider this to be alternate coloration, this is not how the "shiny" Pidgey appears in the games. This could just be a coloring error, considering this, after all, was only the second episode of the series just like how there was a green Poké Ball in the very first episode.
    • This is the second appearance of a clock with a Pidgey Cuckoo. The first was inside a Voltorb clock Ash had in the previous episode.
  • The events of this episode are referenced in Two Degrees of Separation! by Team Rocket, who tell Dawn that they have been chasing Pikachu for as long as she'd been alive. Coincidentally, that episode aired in late September in Japan and late April in the US, while this episode aired in early September in the US and early April in Japan.
  • The book I Choose You! is based on this episode.
  • This episode was modified after the EP038 seizure incident. Originally, the scene where Pikachu uses ThunderShock on Team Rocket was a sequence of rapidly flashing images of each Team Rocket member. This was changed to a four-square grid to reduce the flashing effect. This change affected all home releases and re-broadcasts in Japan, and all international versions of the episode.
Jessie without lipstick

Errors

James's missing left glove
  • Just before Team Rocket throw their Poké Balls at the Center from their balloon, Jessie has no lipstick for a split second. Jessie also has no lipstick when their wanted poster is first shown.
  • The first two times James is shown in the doorway of the Poké Ball room he isn't wearing a left glove.
  • Arcanine is not a legendary Pokémon; however, it was shown on the wall with the legendary birds. This is likely due to Arcanine's species, which classifies it as a "Legendary Pokémon" (like Pikachu is a "Mouse Pokémon").
  • On the wanted poster, James is shown holding a lilac rose, although normally he holds a red rose.
  • When Ash is laying Pikachu down on the bed in the Pokémon Center, Pikachu's tail is shown purely yellow, without the brown start.
  • When Misty is looking at the Pikachu, one of her bags is missing.
  • When Ash sends out the Pidgey from its Poké Ball, its eyes are yellow.

Dub edits

  • While the recap uses the same dialog in the Japanese version, for some reason the dub changes Ash's introductory line:
    • Original: "And I hereby declare to the Pokémon of the world...I will be a Pokémon master...Pokémon Master! That is what I'll..."
    • Flashback: "That's right. I declare to the Pokémon of the world...I will be the greatest Pokémon Trainer...the greatest Pokémon master...of all time."
  • In the Japanese version, Delia says that Ash's grandfather would be proud of him as well as his father.
  • Professor Oak abruptly ending his telephone conversation with Ash is different in both versions: in the English version, Oak says that his pizza just arrived, while in the Japanese version, Oak realizes that he is in the middle of cooking ramen.
    • On that same note, the English version included a doorbell sound-effect that wasn't present in the original version.
  • Misty introduces herself to Ash, Team Rocket, and the audience during the Pokémon Center battle in the Japanese version, while Nurse Joy reveals Misty's name to the audience at the end of the English version.

In other languages



EP001 : Pokémon - I Choose You!
Original series
EP003 : Ash Catches a Pokémon
Project Anime logo.png This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.