The Crystal Onix – Pokémon Season 2, Episode 7

Filler / stand-alone episodeMarill debut

The Crystal Onix is the 7th episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 87th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 89, Bulbapedia code EP087). It first aired in Japan on 11 March 1999 and in the United States on 5 February 2000. It falls within the season’s Island-hopping stretch (EP86–EP92).

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

Synopsis

Once again we find our heroes sailing through the sunny surf, they didn’t know it yet but a new adventure was drifting their way; they discover a message in a bottle and Lapras picks it up and passes it to Ash.

The letter reads “If you know anything about a Pokemon called the Crystal Onix, let me know right away” Signed by Marisa from Sunburst Island. Our heroes head to Sunburst Island which happens to be nearby to investigate, they are immediately met with a multitude of markets which sell all sorts of goods made from sparkling, shiny crystal glass. Ash and friends then overhear a guy telling a little girl she should just give it up because they have no merchandise, and that her big brother should just give it up, the girl starts to cry as Ash and friends arrive, the guy states that being next to a shop with no merchandise or customers is killing his business and then walks off. Ash and friends talk to the girl who explains that her big brother Matteo helps her run the shop but now he feels really bad and doesn’t want to make glass anymore, it turns out the girls name is Marissa.

Ash reveals that he found her letter adrift at sea, and Marissa excitedly asks them if they know about the Crystal Onix, but is quickly disappointed when Ash questions if its even definitely real or not, none the less Ash and friends accompany Marissa back to see her big brother Matteo. Matteo explains that his grandfather was the best Pokemon glass sculpture artist ever and people would travel from across the world to buy his stuff, but that he just can’t make them good enough himself – Ash and friends then notice the selection of glass sculptures of Pokemon on the table and note how good they look, but Matteo insists they aren’t as good as the ones his grandfather would do. Matteo then goes on to say he just needs some kind of inspiration, to give him that spark to make his statues look amazing, like they might come alive, Matteo then follows up by saying if he could just capture the Crystal Onix that would inspire him and he’d be able to make statues like his grandfather used to – it’s said that his grandfather saw the Crystal Onix when he was young and thats what inspired him.

Ash and his friends vow to stay for a while and help Matteo and Marissa find the Crystal Onix. Meanwhile Team Rocket have arrived on the island and are browsing the stalls, when they unfortunately break a number of items by accident and end up chopping wood to pay for what they broke, while they are working away the store owner and another guy walk past and mention that Matteo and a bunch of kids went off looking for the Crystal Onix again. Jessie, James and Meowth of course overhear and think about how rare and valuable that Pokémon would be to the boss.

The search for the Crystal Onix has begun, Tracey sends out Venonat who scans the sculpture of the Crystal Onix and leads them to a clearing, unfortunately the Crystal Onix isn’t there, just a rock formation which resembles it, Tracey recalls Venonat and sends out his Marill which tries to find the Crystal Onix by sound and the group, led by Marill run along the beach. Marill points to a small Island covered in trees where it believes the Crystal Onix is, there is only one way to get across – via a sand bar which seems to connect the two islands. The group runs toward the sandbar to try and cross but fall into one of Team Rocket’s traps, Jessie and James state their intentions to steal it before they can get there. Ash and co escape the trap and find Jessie, James and Meowth caught in their own traps – Marill then senses the Crystal Onix nearby and the group head inside a cave, inside the cave is a pool of glistening water and lots of shiny crystals. Marill dives into the water and swims around for a moment, before jumping out and alerting everyone to the Crystal Onix’s precense, Tracey thinks he sees it and shortly after it emerges from the water, Matteo sends out Cloyster as he specially prepared a water Pokemon as he thought the Crystal Onix (who lives in err, water) would be weak against it, Cloyster takes a beating and then Jessie, James and Meowth turn up.

Jessie and James sent out their Pokémon, Ash sends Pikachu and Misty sends Staryu in response, Team Rocket begin to flee and run into the Crystal Onix, who smashes them with it’s tail, sending them blasting off. Matteo then sends out his glass making partner; Charmeleon to battle the Crystal Onix, and this seems to be more effective. The Crystal Onix becomes superheated and sparkles red, Matteo stares at it and something seems to change, he seems to have got the inspiration he requires. The Crystal Onix falls to the ground in a shallow pool of water, Matteo had the oppurtunity to capture it but didn’t. The Crystal Onix comes back around and dives beneath the water once more. Matteo returns home, and he and Charmeleon begin to craft items again, seeming excited about things once more, Marissa too seems happier.

Ash and friends say goodbye and leave with the glass model Pikachu which Matteo gave them as a gift. It’s time for our heroes to move on but the friends they’ve made and the things they’ve seen will sparkle in their memories forever.

Major Events

• Sunburst Island’s Crystal Onix and the glassmaker Mateo
• Tracey’s Marill revealed — Marill’s main-series debut
• Jessie jokes that the writers can’t figure it out either

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Marill#0183 · EP087

Trivia

• The English title plays on a straight translation of the Japanese title (Iwark is Onix’s Japanese name).
• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Orange Islands story.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features the Crystal Onix in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Rhyhorn in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Jessie’s dub-only fourth-wall joke: “The writers can’t figure it out either”

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