Japanese Title: Kikyō Gym! Sky Battle!!
Original Airdate: January 20th, 2000
US Airdate: December 16th 2000
With Pikachu's help, Ash is confident that winning the Zephyr badge will be a breeze. But when the Gym Leader's high-level Pokémon turn the tables on the textbook Electric over Flying advantage, Ash will have to use more than raw power to emerge victorious.
Tropes
- Big Damn Heroes: Falkner and Pidgeot show up to save Pikachu from another TR kidnapping.
- Delicious Distraction: Meowth distracts Heracross with a jar of tree sap.
- Didn't Think This Through: Falkner's strategy certainly works against Charizard...at least up until Ash realizes that Falkner is just doing his strategy again and again. Cue Fire Spin.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Ash realizes that if Pidgeot keep attacking Charizard the same way, he can predict where Pidgeot will be and has Charizard launch a Fire Spin at that location. It works.
- Fragile Speedster: Pidgeot may be a fast and maneuverable flyer, but getting caught in a Fire Spin and slammed with Seismic Toss puts it down for the count.
- Hypocrite: Falkner chastises Ash for sending Chikorita (a Grass Pokémon, weak to Flying types) despite moments earlier expressing disdain for the prejudiced use of Electric-type Pokémon against Flying ones.
- In a Single Bound: Dodrio can't fly, but can leap high enough to be Not Quite Flight.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Defied. When Charizard gets his wing injured during the battle with Pidgeot, Falkner suggests that Ash should forfeit due to Charizard's crippled condition, confident that he cannot win. Ash, being Ash, refuses to take his advice.
