"Chimchar, you're one lucky Fire type, ya know?"
—Meowth
Japanese Title: Hikozaru's Tears!
Original Airdate: November 8, 2007
US Airdate: April 14, 2008
Poor Chimchar. He's not used to encouragement.
Chimchar is having difficulty adjusting to being Ash's Pokémon, unable to deal with a more accepting trainer and scared of disappointing him. Even Meowth of Team Rocket sympathizes with his culture shock. Chimchar will have to overcome his fear when they all are threatened by a group of wild Zangoose.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: A good amount of Character Development for Ash's Chimchar.
- Cathartic Crying: Chimchar finally gets to cry after Paul forbade him from showing outward emotion.
- Cooldown Hug: No one knows what tears Chimchar was crying—whether they were just Tears of Joy from all the encouragement from the twerps and their Pokémon, or just out of confusion from the diametrically opposite environment to what he experienced with Paul—but Ash responded by just hugging him and letting him cry.
- Cry into Chest: Chimchar does this to Ash upon breaking down for the first time.
- Face Your Fears: Although Chimchar is scared of disappointing Ash, this becomes two-fold when he ends up having to face Zangoose. Difficulty handling Zangoosenote was the excuse Paul used to abandon him in the first place.
- Fish out of Water: Chimchar is completely unaccustomed to being treated with care and respect by his trainer. So much so, that he has to be hugged and consoled by Ash when he starts crying after losing a training battle to Piplup, having expected punishment for losing (like with Paul) as opposed to encouraging words from Ash.
- Foreshadowing: The final conflict of the episode is foretold when a lunch break for Team Rocket is interrupted by a herd of Zangoose, whom immediately target their Seviper. They end up blasting Team Rocket off without Meowth.
- Forever War: Not the first time Seviper is incensed by the presence of Zangoose, nor will it be the last.
- Let Me at Him!: When the Zangoose herd slashes down the Meowth Balloon, Team Rocket has to use all their might to hold Seviper back from attacking them.
- Locked in a Room: Meowth opens one of the traps and pulls Team Rocket inside, even though it's the same one Pikachu is in, to keep Seviper from getting at the Zangoose. Not that it stops it from trying as Seviper and the Zangoose bang at each other against the walls of the trap.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Team Rocket know immediately what's coming when Seviper spontaneously pops out of his Poké Ball.
- Shout-Out: Check the title.
- Taking the Bullet: Ash takes a Scratch from one of the Zangoose to protect Chimchar.
- Tears of Joy: Chimchar sheds these when Ash praises him for doing in best in a practice round.
- Unexpected Kindness: Chimchar keeps having flashbacks of the times Paul berated him for losing battles, as well as when Paul abandoned him for failing to live up to his standards. When he loses a practice round to Piplup and Ash picks him up, he's visibly anticipating the worst and clearly expects Ash to tell him off. To his surprise, Ash praises him for being so good at battling. Chimchar is so touched that he breaks down in Tears of Joy.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Ash tells his Chimchar that he doesn't need Blaze to be strong and that he can show his own strength without it.
- You Are Not Alone: Meowth, of all Pokémon, has a talk with Chimchar, telling him he's very lucky to be a part of Ash's crew.
