Pokémon Double Trouble – Pokémon Season 2, Episode 28

Plot episodeJade Star BadgeFirst Double Battle

Pokémon Double Trouble is the 28th episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 108th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 110, Bulbapedia code EP108). It first aired in Japan on 12 August 1999 and in the United States on 9 September 2000. It falls within the season’s The last badge & the Winner’s Cup stretch (EP106–EP112).

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

Synopsis

Our heroes have reached Kumquat Island, a well known luxury resort that’s also the home of the fourth and final member of the Orange Crew who Ash must defeat in order to qualify for the Orange League.

The group find the whole place is really busy, and lots of people are shouting advertising hotels etc, Ash and co decide to head to the beach to grab a hotdog when one of the women thinks she recognises Ash and starts charging toward him screaming “sonnyboy… come to mamawama” – she grabs Ash and embraces him, Ash asks her who she is and she responds “Travis! You don’t even remember your own mommywammy” and continues to smother Ash. The woman eventually realises that Ash isn’t her son, and apologises, she goes on to say that her son not only looks like Ash but also went on a Pokémon journey some time ago with his Pikachu, they are then interrupted with screams from the beach.

A giant mechanical Rhydon emerges from the water, and as usual it became quickly apparent that it’s Team Rocket; who reveal that their RoboRhydon is Pokémon powered (Arbok and Lickitung on treadmills) while Weezing fires his smog attack out of it’s mouth (it was supposed to be a hyper beam, but James never taught Weezing that). None the less the revellers on the beach scatter in panic and Jessie is enjoying causing chaos, James and Meowth remind her that they’re there to steal Pikachu. Jessie orders Arbok to fire poison stings on Ash from the mouth of RoboRhydon, it does and just as Ash and Pikachu are about to get hit, Travis’ mother sends her Alakazam who uses reflect to block the attack, before she warns Team Rocket to leave now and never come back or they’ll regret it.

Ash warns the woman that Team Rocket are pretty dangerous and that she should probably let them deal with it, the woman then reveals that she is Luana; the fourth member of the Orange Crew and should have no problem dealing with them, Ash looks on in shock as Luana orders her Alakazam to force RoboRhydon’s mouth shut, trapping all of Weezing’s smog inside. Ash sends out Charizard and orders a Takedown attack, and Charizard actually does do it. Meanwhile the build up of smog inside the Robo Rhydon causes chaos, Arbok spits out venom which burns a hole in the Robo Rhydons shell and Charizard fires flames inside it, igniting the device and sending it blasting off. Ash challenges Luana to a gym battle which she accepts, warning him that she won’t go easy on him.

Ash and friends accompany Luana to a luxury hotel where her gym battles take place and she even orders one of her staff to provide Ash and gang with a luxury suite, before leading them into an impressive stadium. Luana suggests a 2 vs 2 match with the rules being that the first trainer who has one of their Pokémon no longer able to battle resulting in their defeat, Ash agrees. Luana concludes that they’ll have their match tomorrow morning and allows the group free use of the hotel for the rest of the day. While enjoying the hotels spa facilities, the group discuss which Pokémon Ash should use, with it being highly probable that Luana will use her Alakazam Ash would need a Ghost or a Bug type to stand any real chance, two types he doesn’t have with him.

The next day the stage is set and the battle begins, with a Jade-star badge at stake. Luana sends out Alakazam (as expected) accompanied by Marowak, Ash chooses Pikachu and Charizard and sends them both out, but they start to squabble between themselves. Pikachu runs at Marowak and Alakazam but Charizard hits Pikachu with the flamethrower and it’s immediately apparent that there are issues in the teamwork department. Charizard readies its flamethrower and flies toward Alakazam who stops it cold with a Psychic attack, Ash instructs Pikachu to use thunderbolt and help Charizard, but Pikachu defiantly shocks Charizard because its still angry about their earlier argument.

Luana then orders Marowak to hit Charizard with a Bonemerang, and Alakazam holds it in place with psychic so it cannot escape. This whole time Pikachu has done basically nothing to help and Charizard is taking a beating, on instruction from Ash Pikachu hits Alakazam with a solid thunderbolt, Luana’s Marowak comes straight at Pikachu and hits it with a bodyslam, Charizard catches Pikachu’s fall with its wing and it looks like the two are willing to actually start working together. Pikachu jumps on Charizards back and flies, Marowak tries a bonemerang but the two manage to dodge it. Pikachu’s thundershock prevents Marowak’s next attack, Alakazam lines up a hyperbeam aimed at Charizard and Ash holds his nerve, telling Charizard to fly up at the last moment, the hyperbeam misses them and hits Marowak, both Alakazam and Marowak are defeated and Ash has defeated the fourth member of the Orange Crew; Luana, she presents him with his fourth badge; the Jade-star badge and Ash is now qualified to participate in the Orange League.

Luana tells Ash that if he wants to win the Orange League & it’s trophy, he’ll have to defeat both other qualified trainers with four badges as well as the leader of the Orange Crew who is really tough. She asks that if Ash and friends see her son Travis that they pass on her love. The group board Lapras and say goodbye and thank you to Luana and her staff before setting sail once more.

Major Events

• Ash wins the Jade Star Badge from Luana
• First official Double Battle
• First referee in one of Ash’s Gym battles
• Pummelo Island named (Japanese version only)
• The dub cuts a hug and a Jynx in the Gym tour

Trivia

• The English title plays on the first Double Battle, and Team Rocket’s "Double Trouble" song.
• The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Orange Islands storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Alakazam in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Dodrio in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• 3 s of Luana hugging Ash to her chest cut
• 6 s Gym-tour pan (a Jynx on a treadmill, a Pinsir punching bag, Venusaur dumbbells) cut — the first Jynx cut in the dub
• “Hotel Ryuchin” sign text erased
• Pummelo Island not named; Double-Edge becomes “Body Slam”; Dogasu’s Backpack rates it among the heaviest rewrites
• The Japanese score kept but re-edited around the cuts

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