Riddle Me This – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 58

Plot episodeCinnabar Gym, part 1

Riddle Me This is the 58th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 58th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 60, Bulbapedia code EP058). It first aired in Japan on 13 August 1998 and in the United States on 18 September 1999. It falls within the season’s Cinnabar, Cerulean & Viridian: the last badges stretch (EP58–EP63).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

Ash and his friends are on a ship sailing toward Cinnibar Island, a beautiful Island with a Volcano and one of the best Pokemon labs in the world. The journey is interrupted when they discover that Gary is on board who immediately starts ripping it out of Ash. Ash spots lots of others on the boat and worries that they might all be trainers, Gary quickly corrects him and says Pokemon Trainers haven’t been challenging Cinnabar’s Gym since their grandfathers days and that its more of a holiday resort, he’s only going there to work on his tan.

Gary then tells Ash that Cinnibar Island has no gym, this only stiffens Ash’s resolve to prove him wrong. Upon arrival however things are looking worryingly like a big tourist resort, and a strange man approaches Ash and his friends, asking them the answer to a riddle; “what do tourists think is hot and cool?”, Ash’s answer, although creative was incorrect but Misty got it right. The man explains that tourists have taken over Cinnibar Island and complained that trainers don’t come anymore, Ash tells the man he really has to challenge the gym and find Blaine the gym leader, the man answers with the riddle “his gym is right where you put your glasses”, Misty gets it again “right in front of your eyes” and the guy points out a collapsed, abandoned old building in front of them, the man then explains that Blaine got tired of battling tourists who cared more about T-Shirts and postcards then Pokemon battles and that he didn’t have the heart to continue. The mysterious man gives the group his business card for ‘The Big Riddle Inn’ before departing.

The gang head out to take a look at the Famous Pokemon lab, but unfortunately that too appears to just be a glorified tourist attraction, they decide to call it a day and head to the Pokemon Center but it’s already completely full because it’s busy season, all the other hotels around are booked up for a year so it starts to look like another night in the sleeping bags for the tired travellers. Gary then appears from one of the hotels and taunts them, showing off his big feast, Gary said he’ll throw them the leftovers if they spin around three times and say Pikachu, Ash won’t do it. Jigglypuff shows up at Gary’s hotel and starts singing, Ash and gang have already run off at this point, Gary and his fanclub are put to sleep by the song and are promptly drawn on by a furious Jigglypuff. Ash and Brock remember the card the mysterious man gave them for his hotel, but it’s another riddle; “If you look near the swing, you’ll see my hands, or at least my face”… Misty spots a clock on a building above them, and they go and check it out. Sure enough Misty has again come up with the correct solution and they’ve found the right place, for solving the riddle the mysterious man gives them free rooms at his inn for the night (and dinner).

The mysterious man gets a phonecall stating that the Pokemon lab is under attack by someone in a Hot Air Balloon. Ash and friends get there just in time to stop Team Rocket from stealing the Pokemon from the lab using Pidgeotto and Pikachu, The mysterious man then thanks Ash and tells him he deserves a reward, stating that Blaine built a gym that tourists never see and tells him its “in the place where firefighters could never win”. While taking a bath in the hotsprings and contemplating where the gym could be Togepi climbs on a statue and reveals a secret entrance into the Volcano. It’s burning hot inside there, at the end of a narrow corridor they find Blaines gym, and the mystery man who says “It’s not a hat but it keeps your head dry, if you wear it, it’s only because you already lost it”, Misty again solves the riddle, its a Wig, the man removes his disguise and it’s Blaine!

Blaine challenges Ash to a 3v3 battle and sends out Ninetales, Ash sends out Squirtle, whose water gun is overpowered by Firespin despite the type advantange, next Ash chooses Charizard and Blaine sends out Rhydon. Charizard refuses to respond to Ash’s commands and is disqualified. Pikachu is sent up next but his electric is weak against Rhydons stone/ground body… Ash commands Pikachu to attack the Rhydons horn which acts as a lightning rod, amplifying the power of Pikachu’s attack and defeating Rhydon. Blaine sends out his final Pokemon, Magmar which rises from the lava itself. Pikachu tries a thunderbolt but Magmar super heats the air around it, protecting it from electric, Pikachu is pushed to the edge of the arena with a sheer drop into the lava right behind it. Magmar uses Fire blast, the most powerful Fire attack, it heads towards Pikachu and the episode ends leaving us on a cliffhanger ending, almost literally.

Major Events

• — Cinnabar Gym begins: Blaine’s Ninetales KOs Squirtle, Charizard disqualified for napping, Pikachu beats Rhydon (“the horn!”), cliffhanger vs Magmar
• Gary at Cinnabar. Debuts: Blaine
• Magmar. Banned in South Korea.

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Magmar#0126 · EP058

Trivia

• The English title plays on the Riddler’s catchphrase in *Batman*.
• The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Electabuzz in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Magmar in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Cinnabar food-stall signs (5 shots), tissue pack → business card, inn → “HOTEL”, 寿 sign
• Taiyaki become cookies
• “Pikachu, the horn!” is a dub-only line
• Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — What Kind of Pokémon Are You?
• Pokémon Ondo plays on the ferry in the Japanese version only

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.