EP104
Bound For Trouble
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First broadcast
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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Bound For Trouble (Japanese: ピカチュウVSニャース!? Pikachu VS Nyarth!?) is the 104th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on July 15, 1999 and in the United States on September 15, 2000.
Synopsis
With Ash earning his third badge, the group have stopped on an island known to have larger-than-normal Pidgeot and Rhydon. Pikachu looks at the map and points at a mark, now inspired to look for buried treasure. The group runs into a fruit basket in the middle of the road. Ash goes for it, but Misty stops him, suspecting a trap. She points to a nearby fruit tree as an alternative, and as they go for it, they fall into a trap hole. One of the apples fall onto Ash’s head, and he tries to eat it, finding out it is a fake.
Team Rocket reveals themselves and how they used reverse psychology with the real fruit basket. Jessie and James send out Arbok and Weezing. Ash sends Pikachu out of the trap and attacks with Thunderbolt, but Team Rocket uses special gloves to deflect the attack. Arbok attacks with Poison Sting and Weezing with Poison Gas, both softening up Pikachu. It allows Meowth to lock a belt around Pikachu, one that binds Pikachu and Meowth together. Team Rocket attempts to make their escape on their balloon, but a giant Pidgeot swoops down and grabs the belt binding both Pikachu and Meowth. Meowth loses the electric deflection gloves, and it thinks that Pidgeot is taking them to its nest. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on both Meowth and the Pidgeot, which releases them and sends them plummeting. Meowth tries to use Pikachu as a cushion for the landing, but Pikachu tries to switch it around. After alternating, Pikachu succeeds by letting Meowth hit the ground first. The rope forces the duo to stick together, and Meowth reveals that Jessie has the key.
Ash and his friends corner Jessie and James with Bulbasaur and Staryu, but Team Rocket explains about the abduction. Team Rocket takes off in the balloon to search, and Ash also decide to search. Tracey sends out Marill to listen for Pidgeot, leading them to Pidgeot’s nest atop a pillar. Ash climbs up to the top but finds the nest empty. The Pidgeot returns and attacks Ash, knocking him off the pillar and back down. Ash gets up and continues to search. Both Misty and Tracey know how close Ash and Pikachu are and that Ash will not stop searching.
Meowth and Pikachu run into a fork and try to go separate ways, but Pikachu forces Meowth to cooperate with Thunderbolt. Meowth knows that Pikachu is in charge and tries to put up a friendly attitude, but Pikachu knows Meowth is deceptive and breaks it with another electric blast.
Meowth and Pikachu are still walking and Pikachu smells something, but Meowth doesn't have a nose. A giant Rhydon comes up from behind and Pikachu tries to run, but Meowth is too scared. Rhydon attacks and Pikachu pulls them away and up the hill, with Rhydon in hot pursuit. Rhydon knocks them around and they make another run. They both fall down a cliff and continue running, but Rhydon is gaining. They get boxed into a canyon, and Pikachu chooses to fight with Thunderbolt, but Rhydon negates the attack. It prepares to rush and Pikachu comes up with a plan. Both Pokémon jump up onto Rhydon and Meowth tickles it to get it to laugh, and Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt into its mouth to knock it out. Both applaud the teamwork. Ash and the others find Pikachu's footprints from the Rhydon struggle. They follow the tracks to the cliff, and Ash jumps down the cliff to continue looking. Jessie and James are still searching from the balloon without much success.
Night falls and both Pikachu and Meowth are hungry from fatigue. They find one apple on a tree and make a run for it. Meowth jumps for it, but Pikachu pulls Meowth down with the rope before using Thunderbolt to bring it down. Pikachu prepares to eat it all, but after seeing Meowth’s sadness decides to split the apple. Meowth realizes how nice Pikachu is and how they could be friends. Pikachu falls asleep on Meowth's lap, and Meowth decides to sleep.
The next day, the two wake up and the giant Pidgeot swoops down after them. They try to run, but the giant Rhydon cuts them off. Both prepare to attack, but Ash and Team Rocket arrive. Ash sends out Snorlax to stop Rhydon while Jessie sends Arbok to stop Pidgeot. Snorlax uses Mega Punch to send Rhydon flying while Arbok uses Bind and Bite to send Pidgeot scurrying. Meowth runs up to Jessie and James, but is crushed that Team Rocket searched for Meowth only to get to Pikachu. Pikachu runs up to Ash, but James pulls on Meowth in a tug of war. Ash sends Bulbasaur out, knocking Meowth out of James’s grip. Ash sends Pikachu to attack, and James sends out Victreebel, which bites Arbok. Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to send both of them flying back. Jessie loses the key and Ash grabs it, unlocking both Pikachu and Meowth. Team Rocket runs back to the balloon and prepare a cannon. Misty sends out Staryu, but Psyduck comes out instead. The cannon prepares to fire and Misty orders Psyduck to use Confusion. Togepi uses Metronome, which causes the balloon to explode and sends Team Rocket flying. They think Psyduck did it, but Misty suspects Togepi did. Ash and Pikachu hug after being separated. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is battered and hungry. They find an apple, and all three fight for it, with Jessie eating it all. Meowth misses Pikachu's kindness.
Major events
Debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Who’s That Pokémon? Charizard (US and international); Pidgeot (Japan)
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Togepi (Misty's)
- Bulbasaur (Ash's)
- Lapras (Ash's; flashback)
- Snorlax (Ash's)
- Staryu (Misty's)
- Psyduck (Misty's)
- Marill (Tracey's)
- Venonat (Tracey's)
- Arbok (Jessie's)
- Weezing (James's)
- Victreebel (James's; flashback)
- Pidgeot (giant Pokémon)
- Rhydon (giant Pokémon)
Trivia
- Pokémon Ondo replaces Type Wild as the ending.
- Meowth comments again on how he doesn't have a nose.
- The plot of this episode bears a significant similarity to the 1958 movie The Defiant Ones.
- This is the third episode of the Orange Island saga to feature giant Pokémon.
- This episode marks the second time a giant Rhydon has appeared in the anime, the first being a robot in Island of the Giant Pokémon.
- This episode was the last to air before The Power of One debuted in theaters in Japan.
Errors
- When Meowth and Pikachu land after the giant Pidgeot drops them, they are not wearing their connectors.
- When Ash climbs out of the trap and runs after Pikachu, the Meowth balloon can be seen taking off in the distance. However, due to a lack of transition, the next scene makes it appear that the balloon never got off the ground.
- Rhydon's steel horn appears to be replaced by a skin-colored horn while it battles Snorlax.
Dub edits
- In the Latin American dub, the title card is read by Meowth and then, he gets in an argument with Pikachu.
- In the English dub, You Can Do It (If You Really Try), from the 2.B.A. Master CD, can be heard at one point.
In other languages
- French: Unis à la vie à la mort
- Italian: Quando trionfa l'amicizia
- Latin American Spanish: ¡Mi amigo Pikachu!
- Spanish: Destinados a tener problemas
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime. |
