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| Season | Pokémon: Indigo League (Season 1) · Festivals, photographs & the Breeding Center arc (EP52–EP57) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 56 · English episode 56 · Japanese episode 58 · Bulbapedia code EP056 |
| English title | The Ultimate Test |
| Japanese title | ポケモンけんていしけん!? Pokemon Rīgu Kenteishiken!? — “Pokémon League Certification Test!?” |
| First aired (Japan) | 30 July 1998 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 24 April 1999 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Aim to Be a Pokémon Master) – Rica Matsumoto · Pokémon Ondo – Garura Kobayashi, Dogars & Arbo |
| English opening | Pokémon Theme – Jason Paige |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Vulpix (US) · Jigglypuff (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Pokémon Paparazzi (EP055) |
| Next episode | The Breeding Center Secret (EP057) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeFillerLeague Admissions Exam
The Ultimate Test is the 56th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 56th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 58, Bulbapedia code EP056). It first aired in Japan on 30 July 1998 and in the United States on 24 April 1999. It falls within the season’s Festivals, photographs & the Breeding Center stretch (EP52–EP57).
Synopsis
The story begins with Misty questioning the fact that Ash hasn’t had a badge in a while, he challenges her to a battle. Snap interrupts and asks Ask why he doesn’t just pass the Pokemon League admissions exam to immediately qualify for the Pokemon League, just before they set off on the exams the guy tells Ash to hand in his Pokéballs as trainers can’t use their own Pokemon during the practical exams. They find that the Nurse Joy from Fuschia City is also sitting the same exams, as well as a couple of suspiciously familiar looking people who Ash is sure he recognises, it is of course Team Rocket, and interestingly Jessie didn’t seem to know James was going and vice-versa.
Meowth turns up and spots them both, and apparently they’d both rung in sick from Team Rocket for the day to do the exam, Jessie saying she was visiting her sick uncle and James said he was at the dentist.
Meanwhile inside Ash, Jessie and James begin their tests. James is struggling a little, Jessie is pressing true on everything with the theory she’ll then get half right, and Ash too is pressing true quite a lot if in doubt. Jessie gets a bit angry that she isn’t getting anything right, starts shouting and then is told to leave the test. At the end of the test the results show Nurse Joy is near the top, Jessie is expelled and Ash and James are right at the bottom of the results. Everyone heads outside for Exam 3, the Pokemon Battles, trainers have to select a random group of Pokeballs whilst not knowing whats inside, and they have to battle with whatevers inside. James starts his first battle and has a Pikachu as his first Pokemon, the League instructor sends out Graveller who isn’t affected by Electric and defeats his Pikachu, James gets mad and sends out his remaining two Pokemon, breaking the rules nad getting expelled.
Ash faces the instructor and his Flareon, he sends out the first mystery Pokemon, and its Weezing! Having faced Team Rocket’s Weezing over and over in the past he knows some of the attacks and manages to win. Next up he faces Jolteon, and sends out his next Pokemon which to his surprise is an Arbok, he starts well but looses when he tries to wrap Jolteon and falls victim to it’s spikes, Ash is then defeated by a thundershock. Next up the instructor sends out Vaporeon, Ash draws a Meowth and is defeated quickly. Team Rocket’s Meowth unfreezes the Meowth Ash used and attacks Ash, the exam man decides he’d like to capture the talking Meowth and throws a ball, which is blocked by the Vine Whips and Flames of TR’s rented Charizard and Ivysaur. Team Rocket try to use the rental Pokemon against the exam man, but he takes command of them and uses them to send Team Rocket blasting off. Due to the interference with the exams everyone has to retake them, Ash is offered a second chance but turns it down to continue on his journey, meanwhile Team Rocket have left with the wrong Meowth and the talking Meowth of TR is left with the exam man.
Major Events
- Exam numbers 634/546 = goroawase for Musashi/Kojirō.
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kanto story.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Jigglypuff in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Vulpix in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Changes in the English Dub
- Lobby signs (7 scenes), all six exam slides re-written (Ninetales/Wartortle proverb → Vulpix/Ninetales true-false; Poliwhirl → Poliwrath), write-in → multiple choice, eyecatch swapped
- Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Monday segment)
Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.