Japanese Title: Garagara's Bone Club
Original Airdate: December 3rd, 1998
US Airdate: October 16th, 1999
The one where... Ash nearly loses it all.
Ash, Brock and Misty finally leave Pallet Town and are on their way to the Pokémon League Tournament when they run into another trainer who's also headed for the Indigo Plateau. Unfortunately, this trainer has had all of his Pokémon Badges stolen from him and unless he gets eight more badges he won't be able to complete in the Tournament. Ash is unfairly challenged to a battle where the winner gets to keep all eight of Ash's Badges!
Tropes
- Adaptation Name Change: Otoshi's original Japanese name was Saizo. Odd that the dubbers would replace one Japanese name with another, as they normally went out of their way to avoid Japanese references.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: After stealing Otoshi's badges, losing them to Jessie, and causing Marowak to leave, Meowth suggests that he buy a ticket to the Pokémon League...as an audience member. Otoshi understandably gets very angry at this.
- Easily Forgiven: Ash takes Otoshi's attempted robbery in stride after hearing that his own badges were stolen.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- Jessie attempts to steal Otoshi's Doduo by throwing a Pokéball at it. Later episodes established that a Pokéball will not work on those already belonging to another trainer. Interestingly, Marowak hits away the ball, leaving the audience not knowing what the result would have been otherwise.
- Marowak is defeated by Pikachu's thunderbolt. Later on, keeping in line with the games, ground-type pokemon would be completely unaffected by electric attacks.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: One exclusive to the Japanese version, due to dub edits. When Brock is looking through James' possessions, one is a card of Dark Primeape from the TCG, which had at the time only been released in Japan. In the dub, this is replaced with a photo of James.
- Good-Times Montage: After seeing the trainers working with their Pokémon, Marowak recalls the good times he had with Otoshi.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: After seeing his strongest pokemon get trounced by an attack it should have been immune to, Otoshi realizes he bit off way more than he could chew and immediately forfeits.
- Look Behind You: Jessie's attempt to steal a trainer's badges.
- No Sympathy: When Meowth translates Marowak's declaration of leaving Otoshi, his reaction basically amounts to "tough luck kid!" His suggestion to buy a ticket to watch the League further rubs salt in the wound. Worse still is that Team Rocket was responsible for his predicament in the first place!
- Shout-Out: To a certain song.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Marowak, to Otoshi. Not only because all of their hard work had gone to waste when his badges were stolen, but also because he was gullible enough to let Jesse trick him in the first place.
- You Are Already Dead: Marowak's defeat of Bulbasaur.
