| The Lost Lapras
|
|
|
First broadcast
| Japan
|
February 18, 1999
|
| United States
|
January 22, 2000
|
|
English themes
|
Japanese themes
|
Credits
| Animation
|
Team Ota
|
| Screenplay
|
藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita
|
| Storyboard
|
井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani
|
| Assistant director
|
井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani
|
| Animation director
|
酒井啓史 Keishi Sakai
|
| Additional credits
|
|
|
|
The Lost Lapras (Japanese: ラプラスをたすけろ！ Save Laplace!) is the 84th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on February 18, 1999 and in the United States on January 22, 2000.
Blurb
After picking up the GS Ball from Professor Ivy, Brock decided to stay on the island so Ash and Misty head back home by blimp. Unfortunately, our duo gets double-crossed by Team Rocket once again, and Jigglypuff puts the whole crew to sleep. After another crash landing in the middle of nowhere they meet a new friend named Tracey while trying to help a Lapras that washed up on the beach.
Plot
After the events of the previous episode, Ash and Misty are freed from their cage after the blimp overturned in the crash-landing. As they exit the wreck, only to find themselves surrounded by dense tropical forest. The pair trek for miles, and Misty fears it’s a deserted island and they will have to eat bugs and berries. Suddenly, a group of elderly tourists appear and pose for photos with Pikachu and Togepi. Ash and Misty stumble upon Pokémon Park's entrance gate and are greeted by two woman in hula skirts leis on the group. An announcement over a speaker confirms that Ash and Misty are on Tangelo Island, much to their relief.
They stroll along the city's waterfront and stop after Pikachu notices a Lapras on the beach. Three guys are verbally and physically abusing it, one hitting it with a stick. Ash and Misty confront the three guys, though the situation quickly grows hostile as the guys reveal that they want the Lapras so they can use it to battle the Orange Crew. The three guys send out their Spearow, Hitmonchan and Beedrill. Ash pits Pikachu against all three while Misty hides Togepi. Before any attacks are launched, someone calls out for them to stop. He steps forward, measuring and sketching all the Pokémon. He quickly points out that Spearow is vitamin-deficient, Beedrill’s coloring is poor and Hitmonchan is lacking exercise. He contrasts the underdeveloped Pokémon with Ash’s Pikachu, noting the shiny coat. The three guys get irritated and order all three Pokémon to attack, but Ash's Pikachu takes the three Pokémon down and sends them scurrying with a Thunder Shock. However, the watcher quickly shifts his attention to the Lapras. He hands Ash medicine while he runs to get Nurse Joy. Ash offers Lapras the medicine, but its knocks it away, Pikachu catching it before it breaks.
At the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy concludes that Lapras only needs a rest, but she reveals that it is afraid to have any human contact, probably based on how the three guys were abusing it. The watcher points out that it is only an infant and that it might have gotten separated from its group after the last big storm. He reveals that he is a Pokémon watcher and that he observes Pokémon in their natural habitats. Ash and Misty make formal introductions, and the watcher introduces himself as Tracey. Ash and the others decide to join forces to help return Lapras to its group. Meanwhile, Team Rocket watch nearby and decide to steal Lapras.
Three kids run in and ask Nurse Joy to heal their Pokémon in preparation for battling the Orange Crew. Tracey explains to Ash about the Orange Crew and how Trainers must beat every member of the Orange Crew before competing in the Orange League. Ash wants to compete, but Misty reminds him that they need to deliver the GS Ball to Professor Oak. Ash places a call to Professor Oak, presenting the GS Ball and requesting to compete in the Orange League. Professor Oak concedes, knowing how stubborn Ash is, and approves the decision. Tracey declares himself a part of the group in the hopes of eventually meeting his idol, Professor Oak. As Misty objects, Nurse Joy tells the group that Lapras is awake and feeling much better.
The group wants to load Lapras aboard a truck to take it back to sea, but Lapras is afraid to move. Ash decides to sing a lullaby, but Jigglypuff comes up and beats him to it, putting everyone to sleep with Sing. Jigglypuff gets angry and goes on a face-drawing rampage, even ruining Tracey's sketch. After everyone wakes up, Lapras still won't budge from the Pokémon Center pool. Ash tries to get close to Lapras, but it retreats underwater. Ash takes off his hat and vest before jumping in and swimming after Lapras. Lapras evades Ash long enough, forcing Ash to have to resurface for air.
Team Rocket fires a smoke pellet into the pool, creating a white smokescreen as they tie Lapras to their own truck. Being a watcher, Tracey is amazed at Meowth's talking ability, but Jessie and James intervene in the voice recorded interview and demand Tracey stand aside. James orders Weezing to use Smog, allowing them to escape in their truck. Tracey sends out Venonat to use its radar eyes to track the truck before they can pursue.
While Team Rocket follow the steep cliff roads, Ash and his friends cut across the hilly landscape on bicycles. As they get closer, Team Rocket speeds up. Ash picks up the pace, getting close enough for him to jump off his bike and directly onto the truck bed. Ash moves forward and climbs inside the cabin. Misty and Tracey stop pursuing due to fatigue. Pikachu attacks with Thunderbolt, which knocks James and he accidentally presses the switch to detach the trailer. Ash and Pikachu get back onto the truck bed as they head up a ramp. James breaks as the trucks heads towards a steep cliff edge, but the momentum of the truck bed with Lapras behind them is enough to push Team Rocket off and they are sent blasting off. WHiel the trailer doesn’t follow suit, as Ash loosens the rope binding Lapras, it begins to roll backwards and towards another steep drop. Ash clambers to the side and his weight helps shift and turn the trailer in time to prevent a descent. However, they quickly approach another cliff and the same technique fails. Tracey watches through his binoculars in horror as Ash, Pikachu and Lapras are flung over the cliff's edge. Ash and Pikachu grab onto Lapras just before all three crash into the sea.
Misty and Tracey follow Venonat's senses, leading them to the beach. In the distance, Ash and Pikachu arrive on Lapras's back to the beach. Nurse Joy notes Lapras appears to be comfortable around Ash, and he proclaims that Lapras has been caught. Tracey joins Ash and Misty as they leave Tangelo Island, with Ash’s intention of earning his first Orange League Badge and reuniting Lapras with its school.
Major events
- For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.
Debuts
Humans
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: Ninetales (US and international), Lapras (Japan)
Trivia
- Professor Oak's Pokémon Lecture:
- Pokémon senryū summary: It's very cold; Dewgong's home is, frozen solid.
- The dub's title might be a reference to the film The Lost Letter.
- This is the first episode since Challenge of the Samurai where Brock doesn't appear (outside of a brief flashback in the beginning).
- This episode is featured on Volume 15: Lapras from Viz Media's Pokémon All-Stars series.
- Team Rocket's truck is using the left-wheel placement to drive on the right, however on most other episodes where wheels transportation is seen, the opposite is used and transport drives on the left as in modern real Japan.
- Though Orange Archipelago may be not part of the country as the main land is, because when Team Rocket offers the blimp to the heroes in earlier episodes, baggage customs processing is mentioned by them (in both ways of the flight).
Errors
- The Spearow that belongs to the bullies is far larger than normal.
- When the bullies' Pokémon freeze, the Spearow is in the middle. However, after Tracey examines them, the Hitmonchan is in the middle with the Spearow on the left.
- When Ash calls Professor Oak, he initially has the phone against his ear. However, in all subsequent scenes during the call, the receiver is nowhere to be seen.
- When Ash is riding the bike after Team Rocket, he jumps off. No one moved to avoid the bike, even though they would have flipped over it.
- When Ash jumps back out of the cab of the car, the hitch is still attaching the bed and the cab of the car even though it was released earlier.
- When Team Rocket appears in the car, James's boot is gray instead of black.
Dub edits
- In the original, the hula girls who give Ash and Misty the leis tell them oniai desu yo. They could either be saying "these look good on you," or "you guys match well," a term used to refer to a matching couple. In the dub, the girls only welcome Ash and Misty to the park.
- Pikachu's Jukebox: Double Trouble
In other languages
Czech
Danish
Dutch
European French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Hungarian
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Brazil
Portugal
Romanian
Russian
Latin America
Spain
Swedish
