| EPISODE NAME | STORY |
| Pokemon! I Choose You! | Ash Ketchum is a 10-year-old who dreams of becoming the world's greatest Pokemon trainer. However, on the morning he was to get his first Pokemon, he accidentally oversleeps and is late in getting to the lab of Professor Oak, who is Pallet Town's Pokemon expert and who was to give him his Pokemon. He discovers that the only Pokemon left for him is Pikachu, an electric mouse, but Ash likes him so much that he chooses him. Pikachu, however, is very uncooperative, and refuses to help him capture Pokemon. While trying to capture Pokemon in a field, Ash angers a Spearow, a very violent Pokemon, and its flock chases Ash and Pikachu, injuring the poor electric mouse. Pikachu calls down an electric beam to disperse the Spearow when he realizes that Ash is ready to give his life to save him, and through this ordeal Pikachu and Ash become the best of friends. |
| POKEMON EMERGENCY | Ash arrives at the Viridian Pokemon Center just in the nick of time to save Pikachu who was badly injured by the Spearow flock. While in the waiting room, the girl from whom he ah, "borrowed" her bike shows up, angry that it's now a heap of junk, but when Ash lets her know that his Pikachu is in the operating room, she's just as concerned as he is. Pikachu recovers successfully thanks to the Pokemon Center's nurse, but as Ash and Misty are about to spend some time with Pikachu, a gang of Pokemon thieves shows up, wanting to steal the Center's rare Pokemon! The thieves are Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket, and their Pokemon Ekans and Koffing cause a lot of damage to the Pokemon Center. Ash and the girl try to attack with the Pokemon Center's Pokemon, but they get defeated easily. They finally drive Team Rocket away thanks to Pikachu, but the Pokemon Center gets destroyed in the process, although all of the Viridian Pokemon stay safe. |
| ASH CATCHES A POKEMON | Ash, Misty and Pikachu arrive in Viridian Forest, where Ash finds Caterpie, a Pokemon of the Insect element. Caterpie tries to be friendly with Misty, but she's scared of bugs, so she chases them away. Later on, Caterpie and Pikachu are "talking" together while Misty and Ash sleep, and Caterpie thinks that if he manages to evolve into Butterfree that Misty would like him. The next day, Ash finds Pidgeotto, a higher evolution of Pidgey; he sends Caterpie to weaken it but Caterpie is easily defeated. Pikachu weakens Pidgeotto by shocking it, and Ash captures it. Then out of the blue, Team Rocket appears, wanting to capture Pikachu; Pikachu gets blinded by Koffing's sludge attack, but Caterpie, weakened from the battle with Pidgeotto, manages to defeat Team Rocket and their Pokemon, and it evolves into Metapod. |
| Challenge of the Samurai | Still in Viridian Forest, Ash is trying to catch a Weedle, another insect-element Pokemon, when a strange samurai challenges him to a trainer's duel. During the fight, the Weedle manages to escape and has a swarm of Beedril, Pokemon that have evolved from Weedle, attack Ash and Misty. They capture Ash's Metapod and they bring him to a part of the forest where the trees are full of Beedril, Weedle and Kakuna, and Ash can't get close enough to save his Pokemon. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is still trying to get Ash's Pikachu, but Ash manages to defeat them (again) after saving his Metapod. Metapod evolves into Butterfree, his highest evolution, and puts the attacking Beedril and Team Rocket to sleep with his Sleep Powder. The samurai who challenged him congratulates him on his victory, even though he feels that Ash isn't quite experienced enough. Now they're on their way to Pewter City, where Ash's first real challenge will appear... |
| Showdown In Pewter City | Ash and Misty arrive in Pewter City, where Ash challenges the local Gym Leader, Brock, to try to win a badge from him. Pikachu easily gets beaten by Brock's Onix, a huge rock serpent, and he leaves the Gym with disappointment. Flint, a man that Ash met outside Pewter City, shows him that Brock is a very good Pokemon Trainer, but he can't participate in any championships because he has to stay and take care of his ten brothers and sisters. With Flint's help, he manages to super-charge Pikachu, and they challenge Brock again. During the battle, Pikachu's electrical attacks accidentally set fire to the rafters and turns on the sprinkler system. Water makes Rock-Element Pokemon weak, but Ash refuses to defeat Brock, since he says that it's not fair that the sprinklers turned on. With Misty following behind them, Ash and Pikachu leave Pewter City, but Brock catches up to him and offers him the Boulder Badge as a token of good Pokemon training. Flint is revealed as being Brock's father, and he promises to take care of his children while Brock goes out in the world with Misty, Pikachu and Ash. Oh, and if anyone was wondering about that trap that Team Rocket tried to set for our heroes? Well, they fell into it, and they manage to get out at the end. |
| Clefairy and moon stone | Ash and his friends reach Mt. Moon, where it's said that there's a giant meteor called the Moon Stone that crashed there many years ago. They learn from a scientist named Seymour that people are disturbing the Pokemon living there, include the Clefairy, cute pink Pokémon, and they later find out that it's Team Rocket who's causing all the ruckus just to get their hands on the Moon Stone so they can use its fabled powers to make their Pokemon stronger. The Clefairy use their Metronome attack to defeat Team Rocket, but the Moon Stone shatters in the process, and the pieces that rain down on the Clefairy evolve them into Clefable, a stronger and rarer version of themselves. |
| Water Flowers Of Cerulean City | Ash and his friends arrive in Cerulean City where Ash wants to challenge the Gym Leader of the town. Misty doesn't want to go near the city though, and with good reason; Ash finds out that the three sisters who are the Gym Leaders there don't want to fight anymore because they already got defeated by three other trainers from Pallet, and as one fo the sisters tries to give Ash the Cascade Badge Misty appears and reveals herself as the fourth sister of the Cerulean Gym Leaders and invokes her right to challenge Ash. Pikachu doesn't want to fight Misty's Pokemon, but as Ash is about to defeat Misty's Starmie, Team Rocket appears and tries to steal all the water Pokemon by sucking up all the water in the arena pool. Pikachu defeats them by using his Thunder Shock skill (water conducts electricity, people!), and to thank Ash for saving the Gym and their Pokemon, Misty's sisters award him the Cascade Badge. |
| The Path To the Pokemon League | Ash gets overconfident in his Pokemon training abilities and he challenges A.J., a harsh trainer who's won 98 consecutive matches. Ash easily gets defeated, but he then accuses A.J. of being too harsh a trainer, and basically acts like a sore loser. Team Rocket appears (gee, like we didn't know they'd show up. ^_^;) to try to capture Pikachu, but they end up capturing A.J.'s Sandshrew instead, and as a result A.J. challenges them and defeats them, marking that victory as his 100th win. A.J. and Ash make up their differences, and they go their separate ways. |
| School Of Hard Knocks | On their way to Vermillion City, Ash and his friends encounter some students from Pokemon Technical, a school that teaches Pokemon training and fighting techniques and that allows, upon graduation, permission to enter the Pokemon League without traveling to collect all the badges. Ash and the others take offence at the arrogance of the students, and are challenged by Giselle, the best beginning-rank student. She defeats Misty's Starmie with her Graveler, a Pokemon weak against water. Ash then challenges her, and she matches Cubone, a Fight-type Pokemon, against Pikachu. After a long and difficult battle, Pikachu defeats Cubone, humbling Giselle. Team Rocket shows up again, but the Pokemon Tech students chase them away, and Ash and his friends leave for Vermillion City, with a promise to challenge Giselle again someday when they are more experienced. |
| Bulbasaur&The hidden Village | Ash and his companions become lost in the forest when trying to take a shortcut to Vermillion City. Along the way, they find an Oddish drinking at a pool. Misty tries to capture it, but a Bulbasaur appears to defend it. Bulbasaur defeats both Starmie and Butterfree, and escapes with Oddish. When Ash and the others try to follow them, they encounter numerous traps which slow them down, including a collapsing bridge, a pit, and a net. Eventually, they reach a cabin in the woods. The cabin belongs to Melanie, who provides it as a resting place for abandoned Pokemon. Bulbasaur volunteered to protect the Pokemon who stay here, and is angry that Ash and his friends are at the cabin. When Team Rocket shows up, however, Ash helps Bulbasaur to save the other Pokemon and chase off Team Rocket once again. Grateful for his help, Melanie offers to give Bulbasaur to Ash... but Bulbasaur will only do it if Ash defeats him in a Pokemon battle. Ash sends Pikachu, and after a short battle, Pikachu stuns Bulbasaur and Ash catches him. With Bulbasaur as his fourth Pokemon, Ash and his friends leave Melanie and the other Pokemon behind, to continue on to Vermillion City. |
| Charmander The stray Pokemon | Still unable to find the way to Vermillion City, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu encounter a Charmander sitting on a rock in the forest. Charmander looks tired and hurt, but refuses to accompany Ash to the nearby Pokemon Center because he is waiting for his trainer to come back. Reluctantly, they leave him there and continue to the Pokemon Center. There they discover that Charmander's trainer, Damian, abandoned Charmander and has no intention of coming back. Ash and his friends return to rescue Charmander just as he is becoming weak. They bring him back to the Pokemon Center to recover, but Charmander escapes into the morning, intending to return to the rock to wait for Damian. Meanwhile, Team Rocket builds another trap intended to catch Pikachu; instead, Ash and the others fall in, leaving Pikachu alone. Jessie and James are wearing suits to protect them from Pikachu's electrical attacks, and capture him. However, Charmander appears and defeats Team Rocket, saving Pikachu. Damian tries to get Charmander back, but he chooses to go with Ash instead, and Ash accepts him. |
| Here Comes The Squirtle Squad | Still... unable to find the way to Vermillion City, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu encounter a Charmander sitting on a rock in the forest. Charmander looks tired and hurt, but refuses to accompany Ash to the nearby Pokemon Center because he is waiting for his trainer to come back. Reluctantly, they leave him there and continue to the Pokemon Center. There they discover that Charmander's trainer, Damian, abandoned Charmander and has no intention of coming back. Ash and his friends return to rescue Charmander just as he is becoming weak. They bring him back to the Pokemon Center to recover, but Charmander escapes into the morning, intending to return to the rock to wait for Damian. Meanwhile, Team Rocket builds another trap intended to catch Pikachu; instead, Ash and the others fall in, leaving Pikachu alone. Jessie and James are wearing suits to protect them from Pikachu's electrical attacks, and capture him. However, Charmander appears and defeats Team Rocket, saving Pikachu. Damian tries to get Charmander back, but he chooses to go with Ash instead, and Ash accepts him. |
| Myster At the Lighthouse | Still horribly lost, Ash and his friends find a lighthouse inhabited by Bill, a Pokemon researcher whose expertise rivals even Professor Oak's. They find out that beyond the oceans lives an enormous Pokemon that no one has ever seen. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is trying to get to the lighthouse by climbing the cliff that it's on, and they have face-to-face with the legendary Pokemon Bill was talking about. Wanting to capture it, they try to weaken it by shooting at them, but they end up chasing it away. Bill hopes that one day the Pokemon will return, and Ash and his friends continue on to Vermillion City. |
| ELECTRIC SHOCK SHOWDOWN | Ash and his friends finally make it to Vermillion City! (About time, eh?) While Pikachu recovers at the Pokemon Center, they notice that there are many injured Pokemon there, and they find out that it's because the local Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, keep on defeating all his challengers with his Pokemon, Raichu. Pikachu and Ash go to the Gym to challenge Lt. Surge, but Pikachu gets completely defeated by Raichu, and he ends up in the Pokemon Center's recovery room. Nurse Joy suggests that Pikachu evolve into Raichu to be stronger, but Pikachu refuses. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is spying on Ash and his friends, and they're touched by Pikachu's determination. Ash and Pikachu challenge Lt. Surge again, and Pikachu uses his agility to counter Raichu's attacks and manages to defeat her. Lt. Surge and Raichu award Ash with the Thunder badge and congratulate them for their work.
"Drat, we wasted this whole episode cheering for the good guys!" |
| Battle Aboard St. Anne | While traveling, Ash and his friends are approached by two schoolgirls who offer them tickets for the St. Anne, where a huge Pokemon convention will take place. They gladly accept the tickets, but little do they know that the ones who offered them are Jessie and James of Team Rocket! Their plan was to invite many Pokemon trainers and steal their Pokemon while they're at sea. On board, Ash has Butterfree fight a Pokemon trainer who has Raticate, a Fight-element Pokemon, and the trainer ends up goading him into trading the two Pokemon. Ash hesitates because he's been with Butterfree since the start, but he trades anyway. Meanwhile, after James gets suckered into spending both his and Jessie's paycheck on Magikarp, a bunch of Team Rocket members attack the ship's passengers, stealing their Pokemon, but the trainers unite their Pokemon and manage to defeat them. Ash manages to get his Butterfree back. However, a storm hits the ship, and it sinks while Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket are still inside! |
| Pokemon Shipwreck | Still trapped aboard the now sunken St. Anne, Ash and his friends declare an uneasy truce with Team Rocket in order to find a way to get back to dry land. After managing to avoid some disasters in the engine room, they end up adrift on a make-shift raft, nearly starving to death. James, who still has his useless Pokemon Magikarp, takes out his frustration by kicking it in the water; however, Magikarp evolves into Gyarados before his eyes, and Gyarados uses his legendary attack "Dragon Rage" blowing everyone up in a tremendous water spout |
| Island OF the Giant Pokemon | Awakening on the beach of a deserted island, Ash and his friends find themselves to be alright... with the exception of Pikachu and several of Ash's other Pokemon, who've disappeared. Team Rocket finds themselves in a similar situation, alive but missing Meowth and their own Pokemon. Meanwhile, the missing Pokemon are wandering around the island, searching for their trainers. Everyone encounters giant Pokemon, who seem to rule the island and are unwelcoming to strangers. Even Ash's Pokemon have a hard time communicating with the giant Pokemon. After an encounter with a run-away mine cart, all of the humans are reunited with their Pokemon. The monster-sized Pokemon are revealed to be nothing more than giant robots, part of a theme park called "Pokemon Land". Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu reach the seaside city of Porta Vista, and head into town to get some much needed rest... |
| Holiday at Acapulco | After escaping the sinking of the St. Anne, the Island of Giant Pokemon, and the clutches of the Team Rocket, Ash and his companions find their way to the resort town of Aopulco, and settle down to a well-deserved vacation. But James, Jessie, and Meowth are still intent on making life miserable for the young trainers; Ash and the others have a run-in with them (pun intended) and accidentally destroy a dock belonging to a old fellow by the name of Ryu. Ryu doesn't make enough money from his business, a seaside restaurant, to repair the dock, but Ash enlists the aid of his Pokemon and his friends to help make a little extra money. At the same time, the Team Rocket is enlisted by an old hag who happens to be the cousin of Nastina (from the English Episode 19: Tentacool and Tentacruel). Meowth uses every trick in his arsenal to sabotage Ryu's operation, and Ryu loses hope that he'll be able to rebuild his dock. Suddenly, Professor Oak and Ash's mom pay a surprise visit; they bring news of a swimsuit competition where they might be able to get enough money to repay Ryu. Misty enters the show, but she is quickly eclipsed in the competition by James and Jessie (the latter of whom is wearing an inflatable body suit); they, in turn, are put to shame by none other than... Gary's cheerleading squad! The competition degrades into a battle as the Team Rocket, sore losers as always, launch an attack on the show. Gary generously lets Ash fight them off, and as usual, the Team Rocket (and the old gang) get royally trounced. The winner of the competition ends up being Ash's mom, and Ash and the others manage to pay back Ryu for the damages. Ash and his mother, along with Professor Oak, say their goodbyes, and then Ash is off on his journey to become the world's best Pokemon master once again... |
| Tentacool to Tentacruel | Tentacool and Tentacruel Unable to catch a ferry to the mainland, Ash and his friends are stranded in Porta Vista. They witness the destruction of a ship in the harbor, and eventually get asked by Nastina, a local millionaire and general "old hag", to rid them of the Tentacool in the harbor. Misty is outraged, but Team Rocket shows up to take the offer. They screw up as usual, however, however, causing one of the jellyfish to evolve into a gigantic Tentacruel, which proceeds to demolish Porta Vista. The sea creatures are enraged because Nastina is destroying their homes. With the help of a Horsea she rescued earlier, Misty convinces the Tentacool and Tentacruel to leave the city in peace. With everything back to normal, Ash and his friends catch a ferry to the mainland... |