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| Season | Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (Season 2) · Ghost ships, Meowth’s island & Scyther arc (EP95–EP98) |
| Episode | Season 2, episode 15 · English episode 95 · Japanese episode 97 · Bulbapedia code EP095 |
| English title | A Shipful of Shivers |
| Japanese title | ゆうれいせんとゆうれいポケモン! Yūreisen to Yūrei Pokemon! — “Ghost Ship and Ghost Pokémon!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 6 May 1999 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 25 March 2000 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Raibaru! (The Rivals) – Rica Matsumoto · Type: Wild – Rica Matsumoto |
| English opening | Pokémon World – Russell Velázquez |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Gastly (US) · Gastly (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Snack Attack (EP094) |
| Next episode | Meowth Rules! (EP096) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeGhost ship
A Shipful of Shivers is the 15th episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 95th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 97, Bulbapedia code EP095). It first aired in Japan on 6 May 1999 and in the United States on 25 March 2000. It falls within the season’s Ghost ships, Meowth’s island & Scyther stretch (EP95–EP98).
Synopsis
As our heroes are sailing the seas, Ash is admiring his two Orange Island gym badges wondering how many more he’ll need to get into the Orange League, Tracey tells him he needs two more. Just then the gang spot and island in the distance; its Moro Island, the group set a course toward the Island and find a Pokémon center to stay in for the night. The group make a call to Professor Oak who tells them they’ve arrived just in time because that Island is in the news right now, because some divers recovered a 300 year old Orange Island Champion trophy from a shipwreck just recently, Professor Oak tells them they can go see it at the Moro Island museum if they like.
Our heroes retire for the evening, but the same can’t be said for everyone; as Jessie and James are currently in the museum looking for the trophy themselves, thinking of the riches and celebrity status that stealing it might bring. They eventually find the trophy but Meowth stops them approaching it because he knows that Museums use security measures like laser activated alarms, he uses his special glasses and sure enough there are invisible lasers everywhere! Meowth and Jessie guide James down on a rope to steal the trophy and escape via the roof, running off into the night, but James then trips over a rock leaving an imprint of himself and the trophy in the earth before they all disappear into the night.
The next day Ash and co arrive at the museum to take a look at the trophy for themselves but find a load of people stood outside, and a police line not allowing anyone into the museum. As Ash and friends walk away disappointed Ash trips over a leg sticking out of the bushes, its Team Rocket who have slept in the bushes and just woken up. Misty overhears Meowth talking about “a good nights heist” and immediately realises that it must’ve been them who stole the trophy. Team Rocket begin to run off with the trophy whilst being pursued by Ash and co, they find an unmanned boat at the waters edge, board it and start pedalling, Ash sends out Lapras and he and the gang give chase. Team Rocket enters a veil of thick fog and mist, there they find a creaky, abandoned old ship and decide to hide out on it. Ash and gang are still navigating through the mist in pursuit.
Team Rocket take a look at the ruined old ship they’re on and realise they might well be on a haunted ship, in their panic they fall below deck on the ship, just then Ash and friends find the decrepit old ship, and the boat that Team Rocket stole just alongside it. Ash and Tracey decide they have no choice but to get on board the ship because its obviously where Team Rocket are hiding with the stolen trophy, they contemplate that this ship could well be the one that was recently discovered on the seabed, the ship rocks and Togepi is knocked into the same hole that Team Rocket fell down into. The group head below decks to try to find Togepi, who is exploring the ship itself – as are Team Rocket, who are pursued around the lower decks by ghosts who seem intent on taking the stolen trophy from them. The ghosts take the trophy back from Team Rocket and begin flying around the room with Togepi in it.
Meanwhile Tracey sends out Marill to help them find Togepi, and they quickly locate him in a room with Gastly and Haunter, who appear to be playing with Togepi. Ash and co realise that in the same room they also have the trophy and state that they’re going to take it back, but Gastly and Haunter block the way, Team Rocket then burst in stating that its them who are taking it back because they put so much work into stealing it. Team Rocket then send their Pokémon to attack Gastly and Haunter but it goes rather badly, with Victreebel being defeated entirely, Arbok being turned against Jessie and James and Meowth being used as a means for Gastly and Haunter to communicate with the group. Meowth communicates that Gastly and Haunter have guarded the orange islands trophy for centuries, as it belonged to their master, who was the captain of this ship, he goes onto explain that one night they were caught in a terrible storm and their ship sunk to the bottom of the sea and they have guarded it ever since, until last week when some humans came and stole our masters most prized treasure, it was then that Gastly and Haunter took control of the ship and raised it to help search for their masters trophy. Gastly and Haunter then show Ash and gang how their master won the trophy in the Orange Islands league, and that they hope Ash and co can understand why the trophy should remain here on their captains ship. Ash and friends agree that just because the Captain isn’t around anymore it doesn’t mean the trophy shouldn’t still be his, and that the memory of their master will be alive in them forever.
Team Rocket then come round and try to grab the trophy again before being shocked by Pikachu and blasted off by Gastly and Haunter. Ash and co get back aboard Lapras, and watch as the old ship ascends and flies off into the night sky, Haunter and Gastly are taking the ship to a place where no one can find it and remove their masters trophy. Ash vows to win an Orange League trophy for himself, just like the captain did.
With a new sense of wonder our heroes watch the haunted ship as it drifts off into the night.
Major Events
- A ghost ship and a stolen 300-year-old Orange League trophy
- Ash learns he needs four badges and that there is no tournament
- A Scooby-Doo homage
- Last episode until Best Wishes with the same Who’s That Pokémon? in both versions (Gastly)
Trivia
- The English title plays on shivers of fear on a ghost ship, with a nod to the pirate oath "shiver me timbers".
- 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.
Part of our Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.