EP195

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EP194 : Ring Masters
Original series
EP196 : Control Freak!
The Poké Spokesman
EP195.png
  EP195  
ポケモンとはなせます!?ポケモンのことばポケモンのきもち!
You Can Speak with Pokémon!? The Words and Feelings of Pokémon!
First broadcast
Japan April 26, 2001
United States March 23, 2002
English themes
Opening Born to Be a Winner
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター (Whiteberry)
Ending 前向きロケット団!
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 首藤剛志 Takeshi Shudō
Storyboard 福本潔 Kiyoshi Fukumoto
Assistant director 福本潔 Kiyoshi Fukumoto
Animation director 谷口淳一郎 Jun'ichirō Taniguchi
Additional credits

The Poké Spokesman (Japanese: ポケモンとはなせます!?ポケモンのことばポケモンのきもち! You Can Speak with Pokémon!? The Words and Feelings of Pokémon!) is the 195th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 26, 2001 and in the United States on March 23, 2002.

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

On the long trek to Olivine City, our heroes notice Pikachu looks a bit worn out. Brock suggests it's the trudging along this trail that has taken a toll. Just then, an old man appears from beside the path and explains the soil in this region contains minerals that absorb electricity. He walks up to Pikachu, kneels down and starts speaking to Pikachu in Pokémon tongue! Upon Pikachu's response, he rises and tells Ash that Pikachu is exhausted and cannot walk much further. Introducing himself as Simon, he suggests the crew follow him to his rest-stop. Upon their arrival, Ash hooks up Pikachu to a nearby bicycle with the electrodes attached to it. The more Ash pedals, the more electricity is pumped back into Pikachu's cheeks. Simon explains to Misty and Brock he won't charge for the recharge and he'll wave his translation fee. Surprised he charges at all for his rest-stop remedies, Misty and Brock are cut short of saying anything by the arrival of Officer Jenny. There to arrest Simon, she explains several local trainers have been swindled out of money recently by a person claiming to be a Pokémon interpreter. Can Simon really talk to the Pokémon, or is he the scam artist Officer Jenny has been looking for?

Plot

Continuing on their journey to Olivine City, Pikachu looks a bit worn out. Brock suggests it’s the trudging along this trail that has taken a toll. Just then, an old man appears from beside the path and explains the soil in this region contains minerals that absorb electricity. He walks up to Pikachu, kneels down and starts speaking to Pikachu in Pokémon language. Upon Pikachu’s response, he rises and tells Ash that Pikachu is exhausted and cannot walk much further. Introducing himself as Simon, he suggests the crew follow him to his rest-stop.

At the rest stop, the Team Rocket trio are sitting on a bench disguised as senior citizens to get a free food discount. However, when they see Ash, Misty, Brock, and Simon coming, they hide under the bench they were just sitting on. Once they arive at the rest stop, Ash hooks up Pikachu to a nearby bicycle with the electrodes attached to it. The more Ash pedals, the more electricity is pumped back into Pikachu’s cheeks. Simon asks if they have any other Electric type Pokemon that need to be recharged, but Misty and Brock tell him that Pikachu is their only Electric type Pokemon at the moment. Simon later explains to Misty and Brock that he won’t charge for the “recharge” and he’ll waive his translation fee, leaving Misty and Brock surprised that he charges at all for his rest-stop remedies. Overhearing the conversation, the Team Rocket trio decide to catch Pikachu while it still has low electricity and burst out from under the bench, sending Simon, Misty, and Brock flying up with the bench. Ash notices the three and stops pedaling while Misty and Brock ask the trio why they got thrown in the air. The trio start reciting the Team Rocket motto, but are interrupted by Simon, still thinking they are senior citizens, who says to just give him a second to make them another pot of tea. The trio tells Simon that what they want is Pikachu before revealing themselves as Jessie, James, and Meowth.

Meowth soon has an idea and tells Team Rocket to go into a huddle. He tells them that Simon has the ability to speak to Pokemon and says that he has never seen a human who could do that. Jessie and James ask Simon if he really can talk to Pokemon, to which he demonstrates by communicating with Pikachu, though Meowth can't understand what they are saying to each other. Ash asks Simon what Pikachu is saying, however Simon says that Pikachu needs to save its energy and then says that it's almost impossible for most people to understand Pokemon language. Officer Jenny then shows up saying that she doesn't believe Simon can speak to Pokemon either. Brock is happy to see Officer Jenny, while Team Rocket is scared of seeing her because she's a cop. She is there to arrest Simon for supposedly participating in a Pokemon scam leaving Ash and the gang shocked.

Officer Jenny explains that several local Trainers have been swindled out of their money recently by a person claiming to be a Pokémon interpreter and says that Simon fits that description perfectly. Simon claims that he is a real Pokemon interpreter and that he would never swindle money from anyone. Officer Jenny asks Simon to prove that he can talk to Pokemon, to which Simon replies to just ask the Pokemon to tell her. Officer Jenny gets angry at Simon, who she thinks is just lying to keep himself out of jail, and still tries to arrest him. She claims that Pokemon can't understand or speak human speech, to which Team Rocket and Meowth are disgusted by knowing that Meowth can fluently speak human speech. Officer Jenny then recognizes Team Rocket but mistakes the trio for Butch and Cassidy. As the trio runs away from Officer Jenny, several smoke bombs explode, blocking Team Rocket's escape route. Jenny asks if the trio are Simon's accomplices, to which he replies that he doesn't know them. Ash asks if Team Rocket sent the bombs, to which they reply that they wouldn't shoot smoke bombs at themselves. The trio decides to use the spoke as cover and escape from the rest stop. Jenny tries to stop them, but as the smoke clears, it is revealed to everyone that the trio has escaped. Brock and Misty then tell Jenny that Simon is gone as well, as they wonder if he really was in a scam or not. Ash then notices that Pikachu inhaled a lot of smoke and goes to the Pokémon Center with Officer Jenny and his friends in Officer Jenny's car. Team Rocket is hiding behind a group of rocks complementing themselves on their escape. They then notice some men that kidnapped Simon and question wether they were the people who sent the smoke bombs. Meowth decides that they should follow them to find out what's going on.

At a small house in the woods, the men who kidnapped Simon say that he is the Pokemon interpreter that they have all heard about, while Simon says that they are the phony interpreters who were steeling people's money. The kidnappers then claim that Simon is doing the same thing as them, to which he replies that he only interprets Pokemon to help them and their trainers and only charges the trainers to keep his rest stop open. The boss of the group claims that if Simon was a real interpreter, he should have shown his talent to the police. They then tell Simon that he is going to help them in their scam, to tell trainers what they want to hear and steal all their money, as his men give some examples of what he is talking about. Meanwhile, Team Rocket overhears the whole conversation through a window. They say that if the kidnappers can make money off of interpreting Pokemon, that they can as well. The trio decide to pretend that they know what Pokemon are saying, with James asking what Pokemon can say that is important anyway, to Meowth's anger. As Meowth uses Furry Swipes on James, he claims that it is disgraceful that the men should try to interpret Pokemon, saying that he only learned human speech to help him understand humans, and how, unlike humans, Pokemon never lie. Jessie and James are confused, saying that they know a little Pokemon who is great at lying (meaning Meowth). Meowth is confused over who they are talking about, then figures out it's himself. He gets upset, saying that he was once an honest Pokemon before he learnd to walk and talk, and wishes he wasn't cursed by his new ability. Inside the building, Simon angrily says that he will not help the men with their goals. The men decide to keep Simon tied up though so that he won't tell anyone about who they are. Team Rocket realize Simon is in trouble and decide to help him so that they can use him to make money for Team Rocket.

At the Pokémon Center Pikachu is fully recharged and Nurse Joy tells Ash that Pikachu will be fine in the morning. Ash thanks Officer Jenny for taking them to the Pokemon Center. While Officer Jenny leaves, Ash wonders if Professor Oak is still awake and then goes to talk to him with the Pokémon Monitor. Professor Oak tells Ash that there's been no real life cases of Pokémon interpreters and that they exist only in fairy tales. Ash then thanks Professor Oak and hangs up. Ash wonders if Simon really was a phony. Simon then enters the room, having escaped from the men, telling him that maybe he was, in a way, but he knows in his heart that he can understand Pokemon and that they can understand him. Ash tells Simon that Officer Jenny is still looking for him, to which Simon replies that he was headed to the police station, but was worried about Ash's Pikachu's health and came to check on it. He then tries to talk to Pikachu, and gets a response! Simon is glad to see that Pikachu is feeling better and says that it's great news. Misty and Brock ask if Simon really can understand Pokemon, to which he replies that he can't understand actual words, but claims that he sometimes thinks he can, but it's just a feeling. Simon claims that once there was a time when he understood Pokemon and they understood him clearly, to the group's surprise.

Simon explains that it was 60 years ago and the sky was very similar to the way it is right now. He claims that he once lived in a little farm house when one day a storm broke out nearby. Simon was mesmerized by the giant twister coming his way and just couldn't run away, when his father picked him up and put him in the storm cellar to protect him while he went to check on the neighbors, telling Simon not to move. While crying in the storm cellar from being scared, Simon soon heard some voices, and found out that a Pidgy, Rattata, and an Oddish were actually talking to him, to his surprise. The Pokemon ask him who he is, and Simon replies that it is incredible that the Pokemon are talking to him. The Pokemon say that it is boring in the cellar with no one to talk to, and say that Simon can call them to talk to them anytime that he wants, claiming that they finally have someone to talk to. Simon was extremely happy to have someone to talk to as well and agreed to their idea. Simon talked to the Pokemon for what seemed like hours, having fun the whole time. He claims that he will never forget that day, as it was the most magical day of his life. When his parents came to get him however, the three Pokemon had vanished and the farm had been totally destroyed by the twister. After that, he was never able to speak with Pokemon again. He thinks that he might just have imagined the whole thing, however he still believes that he can understand Pokemon and that they can understand him, but he also thinks he might just be fooling himself and everyone else.

Ash and his friends are touched by Simon's story as Pikachu comes outside to join them. The group are shocked, thinking Pikachu should still be in bed resting, and Ash asks if Pikachu came outside to thank Simon for all that he did, and Pikachu nods his head to say yes. Suddenly Pikachu prepares to attack something, and it is revealed that a large group of Magnemite and Magneton are outside the Pokemon Center, along with the kidnappers who want Simon back so that he doesn't turn them into the police. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Trio is in their ballon flying over the center watching Simon and the group of men talking with each other. Simon claims that he is not a con man, but an interpreter who does his job for the love of Pokemon. Angered by this, the boss of the kidnappers sends the Magnimite and Magneton to suck up all of the electricity from the Pokemon Center.

Nurse Joy runs outside and tells the kidnappers that she is treating a lot of Pokemon in the center and that they can't steal the electricity. The boss doesn't care about that and allows his Magnimite and Magneton to keep sucking the electricity. Ash is about to throw a Pokeball to help stop them, but Simon decides that he wants to talk to the Magnimite and Magneton. Misty tells him that they are Pokemon and that they might not understand him, but Simon decides to try anyway because he thinks that what he has to say comes from the heart. Simon tries to tell the Magnimite and Magneton not to suck up the electricity for the good of the Pokemon. Jessie and James are confused as to why Simon is not speaking in Pokemon language and think he maybe is a fraud, but Meowth tells them to keep quiet so he can hear what's going on. The boss tells Simon that he has kept the Magnemite and Magneton hungry so that they will suck out all of the center's electricity for their food. Simon continues however telling the Magnemite and Magneton to do what they want with him, but to worry about the Pokemon in the center who, without electricity, might not survive the night. He tries to tell them to think about what the sick Pokemon are going through right now and tries once again to get them to stop sucking the electricity.

The Magnemite and Magneton listen to Simon and stop sucking electricity, to the boss' anger. Even the Team Rocket trio is touched by the way Simon spoke to the Magnemite and Magneton and everyone starts to believe he really can talk to Pokemon. The boss tries to tell the Magnemite and Magneton to get up and suck up the electricity again, but they won't move. Pikachu then uses some of its electricity to energize the Magnemite and Magneton, letting them to free to the wild, and use Thunderbolt to shock the kidnappers. Officer Jenny comes to arrest the kidnappers, but Simon comes down and asks to be arrested to. Officer Jenny tells him that Nurse Joy told her the whole story. Simon puts out his hands so that they can be handcuffed, but is surprised when Officer Jenny thanks him for saving the Pokemon Center and asks him to tell the Pokemon that she said hello to them. Simon and the group are happy to do so, while Team Rocket flies away in their balloon, happy that they won't get blasted off. However a thunderstorm appears and shocks them, sending them blasting off again.

Simon says goodbye to the group and states that he is going to give up being a Pokemon interpreter. However, the group urges him not to give up, as he might be on the verge of a huge breakthrough, so Simon decides to stay an interpreter. The group then leave the Pokemon Center as that continue on their way to Olivine City.

Major events

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

Debuts

Characters

Humans

Pocket Monster TV

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Wooper (US and international), Magneton (Japan)

Trivia

  • When Simon is speaking to the Magnemite and Magneton about sick and injured Pokémon, a shot is shown of three Pokémon in the center. These are the same three Pokémon that Simon spoke to in his flashback.
  • During the flashback, when Simon was on the farm and the tornado was coming, the color was changed to sepia. This is reminiscent of the opening scene of the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.
  • Simon's ability to talk to Pokémon is similar to that of N's abilities.
Frame from the deleted scene

Errors

  • Officer Jenny claims during this episode that Pokémon are unable to understand human speech, a fact that is clearly incorrect, as Pokémon are constantly shown being able to respond to Trainers' orders and understand what humans are saying throughout the series.
  • Misty pronounces Magneton's name as "Magnetun."

Dub edits

  • One 29-second scene removed from the dub shows Team Rocket trying to blow up the criminals' hideout in order to rescue Simon by firing three missiles. The first two missiles hit the roof, yet don't do any damage, and the third one sends the trio flying.

In other languages


EP194 : The Ring Masters
Original series
EP196 : Control Freak
Project Anime logo.png This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.