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| Season | Pokémon: Indigo League (Season 1) · The Indigo Plateau Conference arc (EP74–EP80) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 76 · English episode 76 · Japanese episode 78 · Bulbapedia code EP076 |
| English title | Fire and Ice |
| Japanese title | こおりのフィールド! ほのおのたたかい! Kōri no Fīrudo! Honō no Tatakai! — “Ice Field! Blazing Battle!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 24 December 1998 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 6 November 1999 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Junki Takegami |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Aim to Be a Pokémon Master) – Rica Matsumoto · Type: Wild – Rica Matsumoto |
| English opening | Pokémon Theme – Jason Paige |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Koffing (US) · Nidorino (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Round One: Begin! (EP075) |
| Next episode | The Fourth Round Rumble (EP077) |
Plot episodeRounds 2 & 3
Fire and Ice is the 76th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 76th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 78, Bulbapedia code EP076). It first aired in Japan on 24 December 1998 and in the United States on 6 November 1999. It falls within the season’s The Indigo Plateau Conference stretch (EP74–EP80).
Synopsis
After winning a thrilling first round victory, Ash is battling on the Rock field with only one Pokemon left. The opponent sends out a powerful Nidorino, Ash chooses Squirtle, despite the fact that Pikachu really wanted to battle. The Nidorino immediately charges Squirtle, Ash orders Squirtle to withdraw and roll, Nidorino chases, Squirtle uses the stadium as a ramp and whilst in the air hits Nidorino with a water gun attack, then finishes it off with a skull bash. Ash secures his second victory with only Squirtle remaining and the crowd goes nuts. Gary watches on disdainfully at the sight of his rival doing well.
Thousands of people are inside rooting for Ash, while Team Rocket is outside rooting through trash. Misty returns to their cabin and finds Ash’s Pokemon eating, Brock says Ash rushed off to go eat because he was starving. Misty isn’t impressed that he didn’t even take his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center.
Ash and Pikachu are walking around the Pokemon Village looking for something to eat, while they look for a restaurant they see signs for the “Pokemon in Love Movie” as well as a parade and other cool events. Misty and Brock catch up to him, Misty gives Ash some abuse for not taking his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center before eating and they head off to find it. Upon arrival however theres a large group of trainers outside the Pokemon Center door and they don’t sound too happy. Nurse Joy then announces that due to the Pokemon League competition that her Center is now completely full, and trainers whose Pokemon need urgent treatment should head to the next nearest Pokemon Centers. The group carries on walking but Ash spots an all-you-can-eat buffet and runs in, unfortunately his pockets are empty and he has no money. A waitress comes over and gives him a plate, Ash initially thinks its because she is a fan of his after seeing his first two matches, but it turns out that all Pokemon trainers competing in the league get to eat for free. Misty comes in and finds Ash and Pikachu eating five plates of food and politely asks him to not let the two wins send him crazy. They then realise that Brock has disappeared, when they go outside the restaurant there are Officer Jenny’s and Nurse Joy’s running around everywhere and it soon becomes apparent that Brock may have been ‘distracted’.
Misty, Ash and Pikachu leave Brock to admire the Jenny’s and Joy’s and go to the next Pokemon Center, but its really crowded. A mysterious nurse beckons them to a dark corner and tells them that they know where a Pokemon Center is that isn’t too crowded AND has its own Nurse Joy, before leading them to a curious looking Pokemon Center and inviting them inside. The peculiar Nurse takes all of the groups Pokemon including Pikachu. Misty senses that something isn’t right, but theres a Nurse Joy in front of them so it must be ok, the Nurse Joy isn’t speaking and Brock finds it worrying that he hasn’t had his usual reaction to Nurse Joy. Ash says maybe Brock just wasn’t “prepared” for all the Nurse Joy’s he saw and maybe thats the “trouble” prompting a very strange reaction from Nurse Joy and the other Nurse who have no choice upon hearing those words to reveal their true identities as Jessie and James of Team Rocket. Brock tells Ash he knew something wasn’t right because he didn’t react to Nurse Joy the way he normally does, while they discuss that the building opens up and their Balloon begins to depart (with the groups Pokemon in it). Brock still had his Onix for emergencies such as this one and sends it out to stop the balloon, retrieve their PokéBalls and send Team Rocket blasting off.
There is another announcement on the tanoi that Pokemon Center’s in the area are now accepting new Pokemon, so Ash and the group visit a legit Pokemon Center.
The next day on the Ice field Ash is up against a trainer named Pete Pebbleman from Pewter City in a 3v3 battle, both trainers find themselves with 2 Pokemon left and it’s Ash’s Kingler vs. Pebblemans Cloyster. Kingler goes after Cloyster but Cloyster withdraws into it’s rock hard shell. Ash is worried that if Kingler gets worn out he’ll have to change Pokemon, but Misty tells him Cloyster should be losing hitpoints from the attacks too, Ash tells Kingler to hit it with everything its got and it keeps going until Cloyster’s shell pops open and its rendered unable to battle. Ash has two Pokemon remaining and Pebbleman sends out his final Pokemon; Arcanine, a very surprising choice against a water type. Ash, appearing a little overconfident orders a Bubblebeam but Arcanine dodges it before launching a very surprising Dragon-rage attack. Ash sends out Pikachu whose agility confuses Arcanine, Pebbleman responds by melting away all the ice on the field leaving only two little islands, with a Pokemon on each. Arcanine is about to hit Pikachu with a Fire blast but it dives in just in time. Pikachu rises from the water to find a rather menacing Arcanine right above it, after momentarily forgetting that water conducts electricity Pikachu then performs a thunderbolt, amplified by the water and Arcanine is defeated.
Major Events
- — Rock Field (Squirtle beats unnamed trainer’s Nidorino) and Ice Field vs Pete Pebbleman (Kingler beats Cloyster
- Pikachu’s underwater Thunderbolt beats Arcanine)
- Fake Pokémon Center. Dub’s only “HP” mention. Lecture: tournament format.
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Nidorino in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Koffing in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Changes in the English Dub
- 3-s “Pockemon League” recap screen cut
- 13 s of merchandise browsing and 14 s of restaurant-hunting missing from the US DVDs/Pokémon TV (30 s total; present on broadcast and Australian DVDs)
- “Pokémon The Movie” posters → “In Love”
- “Resutoran DoDo’s” → “All You Can Eat”
- Misty’s “HP” line is the only one in the dub
- Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — 2.B.A. Master
- Type: Wild plays during the League parade in Japan; the dub uses “Viridian City”
Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.