Japanese Title: Burn! Kabigon!!
Original Airdate: August 5, 1999
US Airdate: August 19th, 2000
The one where... Snorlax's PokéBall breaks.
When a defective Pokéball prevents Ash from recalling his Snorlax, he and his young friends must somehow heft this Pokémon's slumbering mass over a mountain pass to the nearest Pokémon Center.
Tropes
- Acrofatic: Snorlax is able to quickly dodge attacks by Meowth's robot, and runs up a mountain, to chase Ash disguised as a giant apple.
- Berserk Button: Ash and the team think Snorlax went after Team Rocket to help Pikachu. He was angry over the food, which he instantly runs over to guzzle before napping.
- Butt-Monkey: Poor Golzar. He had the flowers on his his head eaten, and his lunch stolen from him by Snorlax.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Snorlax sending Team Rocket blasting off with Hyper Beam gives us our first taste of The Juggernaut he would turn out to be from the Johto League onward.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Meowth in his robot delivers one to Pikachu. Snorlax on the other hand effortlessly dodges most of his attacks, and completely No Sells the ones that hit.
- Deadly Dodging: How Snorlax breaks Mecha-Meowth's claws.
- Deadpan Snarker: Golzar to Ash. Misty starts to like for this.
- Epic Fail:
- Ash damaging his Pokeball.
- Tracey tried to lure Snorlax up a mountain with a regular apple, and dangles it over his face. Snorlax jumps up and eats it, to his frustration.
Tracey: SNORLAX WASN'T SUPPOSED TO EAT THE APPLE!- Meowth's mecha's rocket powered "Skull Bash" simply bounces harmlessly off Snorlax's head. Worse still is that its "Body Slam" just causes the mecha to blow up and launch Meowth at Snorlax.
- Extreme Omnivore: Snorlax tried to eat Golzar's Gloom.
- Everyone Has Standards: Golzar may have gotten off the wrong foot with Ash and Co. in the beginning, but he draws the line when the rest of townspeople actually consider accepting Team Rocket's offer to trade the food for Pikachu, and doesn’t hesitate stand up for Ash and Pikachu and call them out for it.
- Eyelid Pull Taunt: Golzar to Ash.
- Fat Idiot: Snorlax. He mistakes Ash in apple costume for a giant apple.
- Foreshadowing: Ash and team discuss running out of food due to being stuck on an island. This becomes part of Team Rocket's next scheme.
- Green Thumb: Gulzar claims to be the best grass type specialist in the Orange Islands. He has a Gloom and presumably a few other grass types.
- Inevitable Waterfall: Naturally, though going over it doesn't hurt anyone.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Golzar. He mocks Ash and the team about their predicament with Snorlax after having his lunch taken from him, and is a pretty irate fellow, but he does stand up for Pikachu when the townspeople were considering trading him to Team Rocket in return for their Pokemon food. He later congratulates Ash on his bravery, and hopes to meet him again.Tracey: Golzar may have leaves growing out of his head, but he just proved he has a really good heart.
- Mini-Mecha: Meowth's Mecha-Meowthinator.
- No-Sell: Snorlax resists a solar beam (though it still got knocked back), and some of Meowth's attacks.
- Mecha Meowth resists Pikachu's electric attacks.
- Gulzar's Gloom seems to enjoy Squirtle's Water Gun more than anything.
- Plot-Driven Breakdown: They're stranded on the island due to heavy seas.
- Sadistic Choice: Team Rocket tries to force the townspeople into one: have critically needed Pokemon food supplies taken from them, or give up Ash's Pikachu. Golzar quickly talks them out of it.
- Truth in Television: Many communities are so isolated they rely on bush pilots for supplies.
- Worf Had the Flu: When battling Gulzar Ash had hoped to use his now obedient Charizard, who would've likely defeated Gulzar's Gloom quite handily, as well as any other grass type he planned on using. Too bad Ash accidentally called out Squirtle who failed to do any damage to Gloom, and then Snorlax who seemed more focused on trying to eat Gloom than battle.
