Japanese Title: Kogane Gym! Speed & Power!?
Original Airdate: August 3rd, 2000
US Airdate: August 18th, 2001
Our heroes have finally reached the next stop on the road to Johto: Goldenrod City! Looking to challenge the city's Gym Leader, Ash finds out the gym is closed for the day. Knowing they must wait until tomorrow, the gang decides to shop around and enjoy the city when they run into a local trainer, Whitney. After a close-encounter with Team Rocket, our heroes realize Whitney is actually the Goldenrod City Gym Leader! Will Ash win his next Johto League badge?
Tropes
- Actually, I Am Him: Whitney's revealed to be the gym leader for Goldenrod City.
- Ascended Meme: Rare was the player coming in blind who didn't walk through Whitney's Clefairy, only to get completely tabled by her Miltank's relentless use of Rollout in the original Gold or Silver. Guess what happens here.
- Cold Opening: Starting with this episode in the dub, the part of the episode prior to the title card is now the cold opening. The Title Sequence and the title card follow.
- Cranial Eruption: After seeing Whitney kiss Pikachu when he bumps into Clefairy, Brock bashes his head hoping for the same.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Both Whitney and her Miltank.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: In Ash's favor at first, as Cyndaquil easily takes out Nidorina and scares Clefairy away. When Miltank comes out, however, the momentum drastically shifts in Whitney's favor as Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Pikachu all go down.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Whitney. She gets lost easily, and walks into doors.
- Epic Fail: Clefairy's Metronome attack invokes the useless Splash attack.
- Handcar Pursuit: Since the new magnet train won't be running for a year, Team Rocket uses a handcar to escape. Pikachu keeps pace with them by simply walking alongside them.
- Human Pack Mule: Brock and Ash are stuck carrying all of Misty's purchases.
- Mistaken for Servant: When Whitney says she can open the closed Goldenrod Gym, Ash asks if she's the cleaning lady. She's the gym leader.
- No Sense of Direction: Whitney can only find the place she's not looking for.
- Shortcuts Make Long Delays: After failing to find the Goldenrod Galleria mall, the gang relies on Whitney's shortcuts... which also don't lead to the mall.
- Working Off the Debt: After Team Rocket discovers all the "free food samples" they ate weren't actually free, they're stuck working for the store.
