A Scare in the Air – Pokémon Season 2, Episode 2

Plot episodeTo the Orange Islands

A Scare in the Air is the 2nd episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 82nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 84, Bulbapedia code EP082). It first aired in Japan on 4 February 1999 and in the United States on 8 January 2000. It falls within the season’s Pallet Town & the GS Ball errand stretch (EP81–EP83).

Pulled from the US rotation in March 2002, apparently because its blimp accident was felt to be too close to the September 11 attacks; listings renamed it “Spirits in the Sky” and the episode was absent from US reruns for several years.

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

Synopsis

Ash and friends stock up on groceries and snacks for the journey ahead, which could take up to a month and a half if they have to walk, Brock comments that his guide book says it takes less than a day if they go via Blimp. Just then they notice the store they’re outside is running a competition, present your checkout receipt to enter for free and you can win anything from a fridge magnet to an all expenses paid Blimp flight to Valencia Island. Ash heads straight over and presents his checkout receipt, and luck would have it that he won the Blimp ride to Valencia Island.

Meanwhile Jessie, James and Meowth are in a forest nearby talking to Giovanni via Videolink, he states that with immediate effect they will be transferred to Team Rockets “Daredevil division”, which Jessie and James seem to know as “The Blimp Brigade”. Jessie, James and Meowth are of course honoured to be considered and gratefully accept, the call ends and the scene flips to Giovanni who smiles as he tells his Persian that the Blimp’s are not airworthy and haven’t been repaired in many years, the only thing he has infact maintained is their insurance policies!

Ash and friends arrive at the airport and see the Blimp, they’re initially excited but Misty states that it looks rather old and beat up, just then two crewmen arrive and tell Ash and co that they wouldn’t fly in that Blimp if someone paid them a million dollars, they also said some people believe that theres a gang of ghosts living in it. Seconds later Team Rocket arrive disguised as Air Host/Hostesses and joyfully advertise the wonderful blimp before ushering Ash and co onboard.

Jigglypuff has also arrived, and spots a big lever resembling a microphone on the platform, this releases weight from the blimp and causes it to launch, breaking the rope that moored it. The rope starts to rise with the blimp and it catches Jigglypuff, pulling it into the air too!

Meanwhile Ash and co explore the luxuries of the Blimp they’ve been upgraded to first class on, while being tended to by Team Rocket. Ash unfortunately falls through the creaky old floor of the blimp and nearly plummets to the earth but is saved by Misty and Brock.

As Team Rocket are serving Ash and co cold soup in the derelict dining room that would’ve once hosted those travelling first class, the blimp is rocked suddenly sending Jessie and James off balance. Ash asks whose flying the Blimp, a question Jessie and James (still in disguise as Air Host/Hostesses) are unable to answer, they head to Meowth who appears to have assumed the role of Chef, he is also non the wiser – the three rush to investigate but find there is no pilot and contemplate how to even the blimp out again, it’s been flying unevenly because the back water had some water emptied by Jigglypuff earlier on.

Team Rocket continue letting water out of both tanks trying to stabilise the flight, making a few mistakes on the way which send them and Ash and co sliding back and forth in the blimp. Jessie and James then notice they’re heading straight at a storm but decide if they can steal Pikachu the boss won’t mind about the destruction of the blimp via emergency landing, Meowth is skeptical. Meanwhile Ash and gang come round after being knocked out briefly when they were thrown around the blimp, Misty finds herself holding a scary looking doll instead of Togepi, who is at this point nowhere to be seen. Ash and his friends go look for Togepi, Jigglypuff has meanwhile managed to get onboard and is seeking an oppurtunity to perform. Jigglypuff heads for a candle on a table which looks a bit like a mic but ends up trapped in a white tablecloth… shortly after it passes Ash and Co who remember what the crewman at the airport said and assume it to be a ghost, hiding in terror. Jigglypuff, still clad in tablecloth then proceeds to terrify Team Rocket.

The storm rages on, continuing to rock the rickety old Blimp. Team Rocket find Ash and co and reveal their true identities before sending out Arbok and Weezing to attack, Pikachu uses ThunderShock on Arbok but Misty warns Ash he could destroy the blimp. Brock steps in by sending out Geodude to fighting Weezing, but Geodude tosses Weezing through the blimps skin, and the storm proceeds to continue to destroy it, then they see Togepi walking high up on one of the beams that make up the Blimp’s structure. Misty starts climbing up to pursue Togepi, Ash sends out Bulbasaur to help steady her with it’s vinewhip and she crossed the beam to rescue Togepi. Team Rocket watch this situation unfolding and decide its another great oppurtunity for them to sneak in and steal Pikachu, Meowth volunteers to climb along the beam to get behind Ash and gang, but as he’s climbing the Blimp leaves the darkness of the storm and the Sun shines in Meowths eyes, knocking him off balance until he falls off and only just manages to cling to the blimp, as Jessie and James try to save him the Blimp rocks once more, sending them all plumetting toward the sea, Meowth scrambles and grabs onto a big sheet of the blimp with his claws, inadvertantly turning it into a parachute and breaking their fall, unfortunately Jigglypuff was also knocked from the blimp and lands atop the parachute before beginning it’s song. The song of Jigglypuff renders Team Rocket unable to continue holding on to the parachute, they fall asleep and plumett toward the sea below.

Misty manages to grab hold of Togepi and is returned to relative safety by Bulbasaur, just then gas starts leaking from the tanks and the group realise they need to land quickly. Brock suggests everyone get all of their Pokemon out in an effort to use their weight to steer the blimp, Brock takes the wheel and he and Misty communicate with Ash from the cockpit who leads the Pokemon up and down to try and steer and stablise the blimp, which seconds later comes crashing down at Valencia Islands Blimp port. Miraculously no one is hurt, and our heroes have reached their destination, it’s now up to our young heroes to track down Professor Ivy and obtain the mysterious Poké Ball.

Major Events

• Ash wins a blimp ride in a store lottery
• The blimp is a Team Rocket write-off Giovanni wants destroyed
• The group leaves Kanto and crash-lands on Valencia Island
• The Japanese Who’s That Pokémon? is a Daruma doll
• Listed as Spirits in the Sky in 2002 US newspaper listings

Trivia

• The English title plays on a rhyme on "in the air"; a 2002 TV listing renamed it "Spirits in the Sky" after Norman Greenbaum’s "Spirit in the Sky".
• The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Orange Islands storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features a Daruma doll 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

• Three shots of the Japanese FUKUBIKI lottery sign painted out — the last edit of Japanese text until EP106
• Listed as Spirits in the Sky in newspaper listings for a 14 March 2002 rerun (reason unknown); Cartoon Network kept the original title
• Awakening becomes “fridge magnets”; Jessie sings “Camptown Races”
• Team Rocket’s motto music replaced

Part of our Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.