Japanese Title: Hoho and the Mysterious Forest!
Original Airdate: November 11th, 1999
US Airdate: November 4th, 2000
Ash is gonna need an aspirin...
The one where... Ash and Co. go into the woods.
Who would be foolish enough to brave a thick forest in the dead of night without a Hoothoot guide? Certainly not Ash Ketchum, but when he settles for the only guide available — an inept Hoothoot with no sense of direction — maybe he would have been better off alone...
Tropes
- Don't Go in the Woods: Ash and his friends are in a spooky forest.
- Epic Fail: Team Rocket's zipline breaks due to the shoddy rope James bought.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Defied. Even after the dilemma is solved, Hoothoot refuses to be friendly to Ash.
- Gonk: Hagatha, as well as her twin sister Nagatha. Ash and Brock initially believe the former's too ugly to be real.
- Halloween Episode: Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket are trapped in a spooky forest at night, with the Ghost-type Haunter and Gengar making them all see things that aren't there.
- No Sense of Direction: The only Hoothoot available has no sense of direction.
- Spot the Impostor: Pikachu zaps all the Ashes — the last one standing is the real one, albeit a bit singed.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Appalled by Hoothoot's cowardly behavior and ditching Misty to save its' own skin, Ash has this to say:Ash: Hoothoot! (Hoothoot stops dead in its' tracks) So, you're just gonna run away? You should be ashamed of yourself! We need you! You're the only one who can help Misty... and she's the one who believes in you!
- The speech has the intended effect of giving Hoothoot some backbone and saving Misty from the false Bug-types that are tormenting her.
- True Sight: A Hoothoot can see through the forest's illusions.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Ash scolds Hoothoot for trying to abandon Misty when she's tortured by illusions of Bug Pokemon.
