History Recap / PokemonS1E9TheSchoolOfHardKnocks

* VillainDecay: Team Rocket managaes to enter Pokémon Tech... only to get booted out by Giselle.

!!Original Airdate: May 27, 1997
!!US Airdate: September 18, 1998

* HardWorkFallacy: Every fight is explicitly won against typing advantages, with the overall message being that type advantages are only part of the puzzle, and Pokémon with lots of actual battle experience often have the advantage. This is kinda-sorta true to the games, as a Pokémon with a significant level advantage over the opposition can shrug off super-effective moves. This is also one of the ''only'' episodes to reference leveling.

** WHen asked how long he has been traveling, Ash replies "two onths". Most answers to that question provided in later episodes are much vaguer.

Ash, Misty, and Brock encounter a thick fog while traveling. They come upon a group of children in school uniforms drilling a smaller student on Pidgey while forcing him to run a treadmill. Ash interferes with their bullying, only to be told all about Pokémon Tech, the premiere Pokémon school that lets you enter the Pokémon league without badges. The fog clear up, apparently an artificial effect caused by the school. The boy introduces himself as Joe. Joe inadvertently insults Misty's gym, and she challenges him to a fight. Even though Joe uses a grass type Pokémon, Misty beats him with her greater experience. An attractive girl named Giselle shows up to berate Joe and make fun of Ash. She beats Misty using a ground/rock type, despite the type disadvantage and then faces Ash with a ground type Cubone. Ash pulls her own trick on her by beating her with his electric type Pikachu, by ordering him to do non-electrical attacks.

** The ElementalRockPaperScissors advantage is deconstructed when Misty's Starmie (Water-type) defeats Joe's Weepinbell (Grass-type), and later Giselle's Graveler (Rock/Ground-type) defeating Misty's Starmie. At first it seems to be based on the level experience of the Pokémon and trainer but...

!!!Original Airdate: May 27, 1997
!!!US Airdate: September 18, 1998

** The ElementalRockPaperScissors advantage is deconstructed when Misty's Starmie (Water-type) defeats Joe's Weepinbell (Grass-type), and later Giselle's Graveller (Rock-type) defeating Misty's Starmie. At first it seems to be based on the level experience of the Pokémon and trainer but...

** The ElementalRockPaperScissor advantage is deconstructed when Misty's Starmie (Water-type) defeats Joe's Weepinbell (Grass-type), and later Giselle's Graveller (Rock-type) defeating Misty's Starmie. At first it seems to be based on the level experience of the Pokémon and trainer but...

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the Pokémon gameplay. This episode explains why the anime does not follow the game rules as faithfully as many fans demand.

* WithFriendsLikeThese: Quoted almost verbatim by Brock when Joe explains that the other students are his friends and are trying to help him learn (via intense bullying).

* VillainDecay

** Giselle intentionally is establishes herself as a highly skilled trainer by beating Misty's water Pokemon with a rock-type.

** Presumably Pikachu's defeat of the ground-type Cubone means he is the strongest Pokemon there. He did not use electric type attack to do it, but he does resist Cubone's ground moves (barely). Misty seems to think this is just a fluke, however.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: There is no way of knowing what level Giselle's Cubone was on, but if you assume it was as strong as her Graveller, who was strong enough to defeat Misty despite the type disadvantage, the fact Pikachu could beat it would make Pikachu quite strong indeed, both for resisting its ground type attacks and for beating it with its weaker physical attacks. Some episodes support the idea that Pikachu is particularly strong, but others make him out to be an underdog, so his victory here seems pretty improbable.

%%[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-ep001_8016.png]]
%%[[caption-width-right:200: Enjoy the [[IncrediblyLamePun lightning pace]] while it lasts.]]

* BerserkButton: Joe accidently presses Misty's by offhandedly insulting water Pokémon and the Cerulean Gym. She teaches him a lesson in underestimating water Pokémon and judging Pokémon soley by type.

* WithFriendsLikeThese

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: One of the very few early episodes the reference Pokémon learning certain moves at certain levels.

Ash, Misty, and Brock encounter a thick fog while traveling. The come upon a group of children in school uniforms drilling a smaller student on Pidgy while forcing him to run a treadmill. Ash interferes with their bullying, only to be told all about Pokemon Tech, the premiere Pokemon school that lets you enter the Pokemon league without badges. The fog clear up, apparently an artificial effect caused by the school. The boy introduces himself as Joe. Joe inadvertently insults Misty's gym, and she challenges him to a fight. Even though Joe uses a grass type Pokemon, Misty beats him with her greater experience. An attractive girl named Giselle shows up to berate Joe and make fun of Ash. She beats Misty using a ground/rock type, despite the type disadvantage and then faces Ash with a ground type Cubone. Ash pulls her own trick on her by beating her with his electric type Pikachu, by ordering him to do non-electrical attacks.

Team Rocket makes a brief appearance and is revealed to have tried to enter Pokemon Tech but having failed the entrance exams. The students repel them by pelting them with Pokeballs. Ash and company leave on good terms.

* HardWorkFallacy: Every fight is explicitly won against typing advantages, with the overall message being that type advantages are only part of the puzzle, and Pokemon with lots of actual battle experience often have the advantage. This is kinda-sorta true to the games, as a Pokemon with a significant level advantage over the opposition can shrug off super-effective moves. This is also one of the ''only'' episodes to reference leveling.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: One of the very few early episodes the reference Pokemon learning certain moves at certain levels.

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: The Pokemon typing system is explicitly mentioned many times, although the winners of all the matches go against type advantage.
* EyeCatch: The featured Who's That Pokémon this episode is Cubone, Giselle's Pokemon of choice.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Giselle specifically mentions that pikachus are a particularly cute Pokemon, and therefore popular as pets.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: There is no way of knowing what level Giselle's Cubone was on, but if you assume it was as strong as her Graveler, who was strong enough to defeat Misty despite the type disadvantage, the fact Pikachu could beat it would make Pikachu quite strong indeed, both for resisting its ground type attacks and for beating it with its weaker physical attacks. Some episodes support the idea that Pikachu is particularly strong, but others make him out to be an underdog, so his victory here seems pretty improbable.

* HardWorkFallacy: Every fight is explicitly won against typing advantages, with the overall message being that type advantages are only part of the puzzle, and Pokemon with lots of actual battle experience often have the advantage.

* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: There is no way of knowing what level Giselle's Cubone was on, but if you assume it was as strong as her Graveler, who was strong enough to defeat Misty despite the type disadvantage, the fact Pikachu could beat it would make Pikachu quite strong indeed, both for resisting its ground type attacks and for beating it with its weaker physical attacks. Some episodes support the idea that Pikachu is particularly strong, but others make him out to be an underdog, so his victory hear seems pretty improbable.

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: In the beginning of the episode Misty nails Brock with a log. The American dub actually edited that out for being to violent.

->''Pikachu can shock you, but otherwise it's pretty cute, don't you think? so if you don't let them evolve, they make great pets, especially for little girls.''