EP087

The Crystal Onix redirects here. For the Pokémon with the same name, see Crystal Onix.

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← EP086 : Pikachu Re-Volts

Original series

EP088 : In the Pink →

The Crystal Onix

EP087   クリスタルのイワーク The Crystal Iwark

First broadcast Japan March 11, 1999 United States February 5, 2000

English themes Opening Pokémon World Ending

Japanese themes Opening ライバル！ Ending タイプ・ワイルド

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 大橋志吉 Yukiyoshi Ōhashi Storyboard 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Assistant director 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

The Crystal Onix (Japanese: クリスタルのイワーク The Crystal Iwark) is the 87th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on March 11, 1999 and in the United States on February 5, 2000.

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

Blurb

While riding around the Orange Islands on his Lapras, Ash finds a mysterious message in a bottle, which leads the gang on a new adventure. Ash, Misty and Tracey travel to Sunburst Island, which is famous for its artists and glassblowers. They meet a struggling young shopkeeper who's seeking inspiration from a legendary crystal Onix. Having been unable to find this special Pokémon, the shopkeeper turns to our heroes. With Tracey and his observational Pokémon on board, they set out to fire up a new friend's creative drive!

Plot

While riding around the Orange Islands on his Lapras, Ash finds a mysterious message in a bottle that says "If you know anything about a Pokémon called the Crystal Onix, let me know right away," which leads the gang on a new adventure. Ash, Misty and Tracey travel to Sunburst Island, which is famous for its artists and glassblowers. They meet a struggling young shopkeeper named Mateo, who’s seeking inspiration from a Legendary Crystal Onix. Having been unable to find this special Pokémon, Ash and his friends decide to help him in his search.

Team Rocket arrives on Sunburst Island as well, and are in awe of the glass shops. Jessie and James start picking up various pieces and admiring them. Meowth yells at them to knock it off, causing Jessie and James to break the glass items they were holding. The shopkeeper hears this, and tells them about the "You break it, you bought it" rule before he puts them to work, since they don't have the money to pay him back for the items they ruined. While they're chopping and carrying wood, they overhear the shop owner and another employee mock Mateo for searching for the Crystal Onix. Team Rocket becomes interested and they leave in search of it.

Tracey sends out Venonat to help find the Crystal Onix. Mateo holds up the statue of the Crystal Onix his grandfather sculpted and Venonat scans the image. The group is lead to a series of rocks that are shaped like the body of an Onix. Disappointed, Tracey recalls Venonat and sends out Marill. Tracey plays Marill a recording of Onix's cry and Marill quickly detects something. Marill leads them to a body of water and points across the water to a small island with a cave. The water begins to part and a clear path to the cave is shown. They fall into a hole Team Rocket had dug to keep them away from the Crystal Onix. After reciting their motto, Team Rocket run off to find the Crystal Onix. Ash and friends climb out of the hole and set off after them. Once they get to the opening of the cave, they discover Team Rocket got caught in their own traps. Misty refuses to help them and they all enter the cave. At the end of the cave they come across a lake. Marill dives in this lake, its tail bobbing above the surface. Marill hops out of the water and then the Crystal Onix bursts out. Team Rocket shows up, free from their traps. Jessie and James send out Arbok and Victreebel in attempt to catch the Crystal Onix. Ash and Misty send out Pikachu and Staryu to counterattack. Staryu and Pikachu attack Team Rocket, then the Crystal Onix smacks them in to a blast off. Mateo sends out Cloyster to battle Onix, remarking that Onix is weak to Water types. Cloyster's water attacks prove to be useless against the Crystal Onix, so Mateo sends out Charmeleon. Charmeleon uses Ember and the Crystal Onix is engulfed in flames. Mateo stares at the Crystal Onix, who returns his stares. The Onix then faints into the water. Ash calls out at Mateo to catch it, but Mateo says he doesn't need to, he has found inspiration through the Crystal Onix. The Crystal Onix dives back into the water. Back at his shop, Mateo and Charmeleon are busy making a glass figurine. Ash and his friends wave goodbye to Mateo and Marissa. Mateo made Ash a lifelike glass sculpture of Pikachu.

Major events

• Tracey is revealed to own a Marill.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series, please see the timeline page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

TV episode debuts

• Marill (Tracey's)

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Misty
• Tracey
• Jessie
• James
• Mateo
• Marissa
• Townspeople
• Mateo's grandfather (flashback)

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Rhyhorn (US and international), Crystal Onix (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Lapras (Ash's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Venonat (Tracey's)
• Marill (Tracey's; debut)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Victreebel (James's)
• Cloyster (Mateo's)
• Charmeleon (Mateo's)
• Onix (Crystal Onix)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Lecture: Caterpie
  • Pokémon senryū summary: Caterpie, is his first catch: Ash.
• In this episode, Jessie breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging the writers' existence.
  • Meowth also breaks the fourth wall by saying "Down here, I'm down here" before appearing on screen.
  • Jessie's mention of the writers is saying they can't figure out how Team Rocket escaped from their traps, making this the first time one of Team Rocket's inexplicable escapes or survivals is acknowledged.
• The dub title of this episode is one of the few to be the same as the Japanese title (Iwark being Onix's Japanese name).
• This is the second time an unusual Onix defeats Team Rocket by whipping them with its tail, after Bruno's Onix, larger than the average of its kind.
• When Jessie and James were saying their names in their motto, their poses resemble those of the Ginyu Force in Dragon Ball Z.
• This episode was novelized as part of the book Secret of the Pink Pokémon.
• This episode features a real-world animal, a starfish.

Errors

• When Tracey sends out Venonat and Marill, the Poké Balls don't open.
• When Mateo commanded Charmeleon to use Ember against the crystal Onix, it used Fire Spin instead.
• Marill's Japanese voice can be heard instead of its English voice in one scene in the dub.
• In the scene where Tracey calls out Marill, Ash has disappeared.
• When Team Rocket attempts to escape the Crystal Onix's cave and collides with the Onix, Jessie's glove is missing.

Dub edits

• Pikachu's Jukebox: Viridian City

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		水晶大岩蛇
Czech		Skleněný Onix
Danish		Crystal Onix
Dutch		De Kristallen Onix
European French		L'Onix de Cristal
German		Das Kristall-Onix
Hebrew		אוניקס הקריסטל'Onix hacrystal
Hindi		एक Crystal Onix Ek Crystal Onix *
Hungarian		A kristályonix
Italian		Il messaggio in bottiglia
Korean		크리스탈 롱스톤
Norwegian		Krystall-Onix
Polish		Kryształowy Onix
Portuguese	Brazil	O Onix de Cristal
	Portugal	O Onix de Cristal
Romanian		Onix-ul de Cristal
Russian		Хрустальный Оникс
Spanish	Latin America	¡El Onix de cristal!
	Spain	El Onix de cristal
Swedish		Kristall-Onix

← EP086 : Pikachu Re-Volts

Original series

EP088 : In the Pink →

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