The Lost Lapras – Pokémon Season 2, Episode 4

Plot episodeTracey joinsAsh catches Lapras

The Lost Lapras is the 4th episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 84th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 86, Bulbapedia code EP084). It first aired in Japan on 18 February 1999 and in the United States on 22 January 2000. It falls within the season’s Tracey, Lapras & the first Orange Crew badge stretch (EP84–EP85).

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

Synopsis

Ash and Misty are still stuck in a cage on an unpiloted Blimp which has headed rather badly off course, they come crashing down on an unknown island, the crash tips their cage up, enabling them to escape it, finding themselves amongst the wreckage of the Blimp in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. Ash and Misty walked through the forest for miles and didn’t see a single person, just then a huge group of what appear to be tourists turn up and start taking pictures with Pikachu. They walk a little further and go under a gate signposted “Pokemon Park!”, a vacation destination and the worlds first Pokemon theme park. As the duo start to explore the island they see a group of guys on the beach being nasty to a Lapras, even threatening to hit it. Ash and Misty confront the three, who then tell them to buzz off because they’re getting ready to take on the Orange Crew and it’s none of their business, the three then send out their group to attack Ash and Misty; a Spearow, Beedrill and Hitmonchan. The battle is about to ensue when someone shouts “Hold it!” and walks over and starts measuring and analysing all of the Pokemon, stating that the Beedrill, Hitmonchan and Spearow could be in better shape, but he seems impressed by Pikachu’s shiny coat. He takes Pikachu and proceeds to take a sketch of him before the three guys on the beach take offence to being ignored and resume their attack. Pikachu drops a thunderbolt into them, their Pokemon and the guy who initially interrupted the battle. The stranger then points out that Lapras needs help quick and hands Ash a potion before running off to get help, Ash tries to administer the potion but Lapras rejects his help, nearly knocking the potion on the ground.

The group manage to get Lapras to Nurse Joy and her Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy states that there weren’t any serious injuries, but that there is a problem… the Lapras is frightened to have any sort of human contact at all. It turns out that this Lapras is a baby, and it may have been seperated from it’s group in the last storm. Their new friend goes on to explain that he is a Pokemon Watcher, before he, Ash and Misty vow to help Lapras find its group.

Just then a group of young Pokemon trainers come in asking Nurse Joy to care for their Pokemon, one states that he just wants a check-up for his Starmie before he takes on the Orange Crew. Ash overhears and is interested to know more about the Orange Crew, their new friend Tracey the Pokemon Watcher explains that “The Orange Crew” is formed by the gym leaders of each of the islands within the Orange Archipelago, he then goes on to say that trainers can’t enter the Orange League unless they can defeat all of the trainers in the Orange Crew.

Tracey then goes on to state that Tangelo Island where they are now is where everyone starts their training before continuing the challenge. Misty states that you must have to be a pretty strong trainer to compete in the Orange League, Ash see’s it as his oppurtunity to forget Oak’s errand and decides he wants to compete in the Orange League, but he does have a job to do in getting the GS ball back to Oak, so the two go to call him. Tracey seems to know the name Professor Oak, uttering to himself “THE Professor Oak?”, Tracey see’s Ash talking to Oak on the videophone and seems really excited to see that they know Professor Oak, to the point where he even invites himself to go with them on their journey in the hopes of meeting his idol someday.

Nurse Joy approaches the group and tells them that Lapras is now awake and OK. Ash, Misty and Tracey try to befriend Lapras, and tell it they want to help it find it’s group, but it’s too scared of humans and won’t come to them. Ash decides to sing it a Lullaby but just as he gets his mic out Jigglypuff appears and bursts into song, Tracey starts to sketch it, but like everyone else, promptly falls asleep. Jigglypuff angrily decorates it’s sleeping audiences faces and even ruins Tracey’s drawing.

The group wake up later, and Ash is intent on helping Lapras return to the ocean, but in his frustration scares it, it dives into the water and he dives in after it, nearly drowning in the process.

Just as Ash appears to be making Lapras understand that they only want to help, Team Rocket fire a smokebomb at Lapras and Ash in the water before commencing with their motto. When the smoke clears Team Rocket are standing on Lapras’s back and have attached it to a truck, they use Weezing’s Smokescreen and escape with a terrified Lapras still on the back of the truck.

Tracey uses his Venonat to track them, and Ash and friends chase on a bike, Ash manages to get close enough to jump from his bike to the back of the truck and he and Pikachu get into the cabin and start fighting Team Rocket, who lose control of the vehicle and accidentally release the trailer carrying Lapras. Team Rocket realise they’re heading toward a cliffedge and slam on the breaks, but not quickly enough, and they go off the edge, Pikachu Ash and Lapras however on the trailer are just about saved and end up hurtling back down the ramp, Ash uses his weight to steer the trailer a few times but eventually they all fly off a cliff edge into the Ocean.

Misty, alongside Tracey and Venonat spend hours searching for Ash, as the sun sets Venonat detects that they are near a beach, and Ash, Pikachu and Lapras can be spotted heading toward shore. Nurse Joy tells Ash that Lapras has decided it wants to go with him.

Still with the G S ball in his possession, and with a new Pokemon and a new travelling companion Ash continues his journey to face the Orange Crew.

Major Events

• Tracey Sketchit debuts and joins the group
• Ash catches Lapras
• Tracey’s Venonat debuts
• Ash learns about the Orange League and decides to take it on
• First episode without Brock since EP005
• First broadcast with the Pokémon World opening
• The Southern Cross becomes the Orange Crew in the dub

Captures and evolutions

• Lapras#0131 · Ash · rescued on Tangelo Island

Trivia

• The English title plays on possibly a nod to "The Lost Letter".
• The screenplay is by Shinzō Fujita.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Orange Islands storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Lapras in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Ninetales in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• The Japanese “Southern Cross” renamed the “Orange Crew”

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