Friend and Foe Alike – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 79

Plot episodeAsh loses to Ritchie – Top 16

Friend and Foe Alike is the 79th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 79th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 81, Bulbapedia code EP079). It first aired in Japan on 14 January 1999 and in the United States on 27 November 1999. It falls within the season’s The Indigo Plateau Conference stretch (EP74–EP80).

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

Synopsis

While together foiling a Team Rocket scheme Ash and Ritchie became friends, but now a cruel twist of fate pits them against each other in their next Pokemon League battle.

Back at the Cabin Ash is feeling a little down about how unlucky he was to get drawn against his friend. Misty then calls him over, she’s at a computer accessing the Pokemon League database and looking at data on Ritchie, it shows that he won all of his first four rounds without losing any Pokemon. The stats also say that Ritchie has only used three Pokemon; Charmander, Butterfree and Pikachu. Brock points out that this is almost the exact same type setup that Ash uses, Misty then jumps in and adds that it will be all about who is the better trainer, meaning Ash is probably in trouble.

Meanwhile Ritchie heads to the Pokemon Center and collects his Pokemon, Ash bumps into him when he goes to collect his own Pokemon. Ritchie tells Ash that because they’re friends they should promise each other to make this the best battle they’ve ever had. Nurse Joy hands Ash his Pokemon and says that she thinks Ash is lucky to be battling a friend, because even if Ash doesn’t win, it means his friend at least does.

Team Rocket are on the roof of the Pokemon Center listening in, trying to think of ways to use Ash and Ritchies friendship against them. Misty answers the phone back at their chalet, it’s Ritchie and he’s really rude to her, calling her stuck up. Ritchie asks Ash to go and meet him so he can tell him something important about Pikachu. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Ritchie, it was Team Rocket using a voice changer, they’ve lured Ash out into the woods and captured him and Pikachu. Ash protests that he doesn’t have time for this because he needs to get to his match, Team Rocket throw Ash and Pikachu into the back of their truck and start driving off. It’s just 30 minutes until Ash’s next Pokemon League match and Misty and Brock are starting to get worried.

Team Rocket continue driving away, Ash uses Squirtle to fill the truck with water which causes them to crash, taking the oppurtunity to escape. Jessie, James and Meowth aren’t done yet however and block his path, stating that if he wants to get to his Pokemon League match he’ll have to get through them first. Ash sends out Bulbasaur and attacks them with his Vine Whip, Pikachu then electrocutes them. Ash and Pikachu run back toward the Pokemon League, but Team Rocket AGAIN reappear, this time on bikes, they use Weezings smog attack to slow Ash and Pikachu, giving him the ultimatum “Give us your Pikachu, or miss your Pokemon League match”. While still shrouded in smog, Ash remembers his promise to Ritchie, steals one of Team Rocket’s bikes and cycles full speed toward the stadium.

Ritchie is in the arena waiting for Ash, who is now late. Misty runs into the arena and starts attacking Ritchie for how rude he was to her on the phone, Ritchie tells Misty he never called her and he never spoke to Ash. Misty realises something is wrong, as does Ritchie. Meanwhile Team Rocket have AGAIN caught up to Ash and Pikachu, using a mechanical grabbing device to grab Ash, Pikachu and the Bike. Ash uses Pidgeotto and Pikachu to drive Team Rocket away and continues to the stadium using Team Rocket’s balloon which is now being pulled by Pidgeotto. The Pokemon League referee approaches Ritchie to award him the default win but Ritchie begs for ten minutes longer, the minutes pass by quickly and the referee returns to award the win to Ritchie but Ash arrives just in time. Unfortunately at this point his Pidgeotto is exhausted, and Pikachu has seen better days too.

The crowd cheers Ash’s long awaited arrival and the match begins. Ritchie sends out “Happy” his Butterfree, and Ash sends out Squirtle, Happy manages to win the first battle after using sleep powder to put Squirtle to sleep. Pikachu volunteers to go out next and immediately tackles Butterfree out of the air, Pikachu sits on Happy until Happy struggles to take it into the air, prime territory for Pikachu to unleash the thunderbolt that finishes it. It’s 1-1, Pikachu is noticeably tired and Ritchie sends out Zippo, his Charmander. Pikachu is tired and not at its best performance, Ritchies Charmander defeats it. Ash knows he can’t use Bulbasaur against a fire type and takes a chance on Charizard. Zippo attacks with a flamethrower but Charizard overwhelms it with powerful flames until Ritchie recalls it. The two now have just one Pokemon left, Ritchie sends out Sparky, his Pikachu to face Charizard. Charizard mocks Ritchie’s Pikachu, which Charizard see’s as too weak to bother battling and then goes to sleep mid-battle, costing Ash the match.

Ash is now out of the Pokemon League, and Ritchie proceeds to the next round. Ritchie approaches Ash, who hides his disappointment for a moment and congratulates Ritchie, wishing him luck in the next round. It appears that Ash has took the loss surprisingly well.

Major Events

• — Ash loses to Ritchie (Top 16): Squirtle put to sleep by Happy
• Pikachu beats Happy (only Double-Edge use), loses to Zippo
• Charizard refuses to battle Sparky. Team Rocket kidnap Ash. Last Kanto episode aired in Finland. Lecture: League battles.

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Pikachu in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Aerodactyl in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Smokescreen called Smog; “Flame-type”
• Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — Double Trouble
• Keeps Mewtwo Strikes Back cues in the dub

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