EP002

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Pokémon Emergency! (Japanese: たいけつ！ポケモンセンター Emergency! 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.

In this episode, Ash takes his sick Pikachu to the Viridian City Pokémon Center to be healed; but while Pikachu is being treated, mysterious members of the organization known as Team Rocket attack the Pokémon Center with the intent of stealing the Pokémon inside.

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

Synopsis

After his battle with the Spearow, Pikachu is badly injured, Ash is told by Misty about a place where he can take Pikachu to be healed, a Pokémon Center. They head to the Viridian City Pokémon Center to be healed. When entering the town, Ash is stopped by Officer Jenny, who finds him suspicious, but Ash confirms his identity with his Pokédex, Jenny then rushes Ash to the Pokémon Center. Misty enters in the Pokémon Center with her destroyed bike, angry because it was Ash's Pikachu that did it. Ash explains that Pikachu is injured badly, & Misty forgets about her bike and instead thinks 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 searching for it during 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 vengance on Viridian for putting up wanted posters of them. Their ally TRMeowth ([[{{{2}}} (move)|{{{2}}}]]) 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 Pokémons to the safety of the Pewter City Pokémon Centre, because it is an emergency. Team Rocket use their Ekans and Koffing to wreck havoc in the Center. However, just then Pikachu somehow manages to revive itself and along with other Pikachus from the Centre's back-up power generator, ThunderShock Team Rocket away.

Officer Jenny arrives too late as Team Rocket manages to escape in their Meowth shaped balloon. The Rocketers 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 the Viridian Forest with a revived relation with Pikachu and Misty in tow. Spotting a Caterpie, he attempts to capture it.

Major events

• Team Rocket is introduced.
• Misty joins Ash.
• Team Rocket also decide to follow Ash and begin their obsession over his Pikachu.

Debuts

Humans

• Team Rocket
  • Jessie
  • James
• Officer Jenny
• Nurse Joy

Pokémon

• Meowth
• Koffing (James's)
• Ekans (Jessie's)
• Goldeen (Misty's)
• Chansey (Nurse Joy's)
• Caterpie

Characters

Humans

• Ash Ketchum
• Misty
• Nurse Joy
• Jessie
• James
• Delia Ketchum (on the phone)
• Professor Oak (on the phone)

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Koffing

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket; debut)
• Goldeen (Misty's; debut)
• Ekans (Jessie's; debut)
• Koffing (James's; debut)
• Chansey (Nurse Joy's; debut)
• Caterpie (debut)
• Pidgey (at the Pokémon Center) (Voice actor: Yuji Ueda)
• Rattata (at the Pokémon Center)
• Spearow (flashback)
• Ho-Oh (anime; flashback)

Trivia

• It's the first time that Team Rocket is seen blasting off.
• This is 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 at the very first episode.
• The events of this episode are referenced in When Pokémon Worlds Collide! by Team Rocket, who tell Dawn that they have been chasing Pikachu for as long as she'd been alive.

Errors

• Just before Team Rocket throws 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 bird trio. This is likely due to Arcanine's species, which classes it as a "Legendary Pokémon" (like Pikachu is a "Mouse Pokémon").

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.
• Misty introduces herself to Ash, Team Rocket, and the audience during the Pokémon Center battle in the Japanese version, while the narrator reveals Misty's name to the audience at the end of the English version.

In other languages

• Portuguese: Emergência Pokémon
• Brazilian Portuguese: Emergência Pokémon
• Czech: Nemocnice pro Pokémony
• Dutch: Pokémon Noodgeval!
• French: Pokémon aux urgences
• Italian: Emergenza!
• Latin American Spanish: ¡Emergencia Pokémon!
• Spanish: Emergencia Pokémon
• Swedish: Pokémon Nödläge!
• German: In letzter Minute
• Finnish: Pokémon hädässä!

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