Viva Las Lapras – Pokémon Season 2, Episode 33

Plot episodeLapras released

Viva Las Lapras is the 33rd episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 113th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 115, Bulbapedia code EP113). It first aired in Japan on 16 September 1999 and in the United States on 30 September 2000. It falls within the season’s Goodbye, Lapras stretch (EP113–EP114).

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

Synopsis

As Ash and friends are sailing along on Lapras, Ash is admiring his trophy when suddenly Lapras jolts and changes direction, soon revealing a whole big group of Lapras. Ash and friends sail together toward the group, pondering if it might be the group Lapras was separated from when Ash and co found it and reminisce about that time. Ash remembers his vow to help get Lapras back to it’s old friends.

As they approach the group however Ash’s Lapras greets them but they turn and start heading away. Ash’s Lapras lets out a cry, and one of the group appears to respond, looking almost sad, another however makes sure it continues on the way and doesn’t look back. As Ash shouts at the Lapras demanding to know why they are running away from their friend one of them fires a water gun & a mist attack, the group then disappear with Ash and co unable to give chase.

On their return to shore Ash speaks to Professor Oak who confirms this is indeed unusual behaviour for Lapras as a species, he suspects that some humans must have attacked them and that’s why the group of Lapras swam away – because they’re scared of humans. Ash angrily shouts “What kind of person would attack those Lapras!”, Officer Jenny overhears and tells the group that there are some Pokémon poaching pirates operating in the area and that it’s probably them who are to blame, she then adds that the Island they are on is a no capture zone as its protected, but the Pirates have even been capturing Pokémon from the shore.

Ash immediately suspects Team Rocket to be the perpetrators and tells Officer Jenny about them, but it just so happens Team Rocket are behind the double doors in the Pokémon Center, wrapped up in bandages. They begin their motto and burst out of the bandages but quickly collapse due to their broken bones. Ash states that he knew it would be them, but Jessie and James actually deny any involvement in the poaching, and go on to explain that their boat and sub were blown up by the pirates, and that’s how they sustained their injuries. Officer Jenny tells them they should head to the station and make a statement, and that she’ll also check their files… prompting Team Rocket to run off despite their injuries.

Just off the shore of the Island it seems that the Lapras in the group earlier who wanted to respond to Ash’s Lapras is still conflicted and is looking at the Island where it knew Ash’s Lapras went, another from the group then ushers it away and the group of Lapras begin swimming off, unfortunately for them they are being watched by the Pokémon poaching pirates who are heading straight at them. Ash and his friends are also heading toward the group and are trying to think of ways to show the Lapras that they aren’t going to hurt them and they’re friendly.

The Pirate Ship makes it within range of the group of Lapras and they begin to fire a large group of Tentacruel right at the Lapras group and order them to attack with poison stings, the Lapras’ manage to repel the attack but the Pirates send out yet more Tentacruel and begin to surround them. Ash and co witness the Lapras group being chased by the Pirate ship and see all the Tentacruel. Tracey sends out Marill and dives into the water, the two together go to fetch Officer Jenny while Ash, Misty and Lapras try to find a way to stop the Pirates. To add to the complications Team Rocket are back in their newly repaired sub beneath the surface.

The Pirates and their Tentacruel have managed to surround the Lapras group. The Pirate Captain orders all the Tentacruel to attack with their poison stings, Ash and co arrive just in time for Pikachu to hit the Tentacruel with an electric attack. This shocks not just the Tentacruel, but also the Lapras and then themselves, this distracts the Tentacruel who head straight for Ash and co. The Pirate Captain also commands a cannon attack on Ash, Misty and Lapras which Lapras manages to dodge.

Misty sends out her water Pokémon to return fire, and Ash sends out Squirtle to help. Using their water gun attacks the Pokémon manage to destroy all of the Pirate Ships cannons rendering it unable to fire. Ash and Lapras taunt and distract all of the Tentacruel, leaving the Lapras group free to escape. Team Rocket are following behind Ash and Lapras as the Tentacruel close in, one of the Tentacruel notices them and sends them blasting off.

Meanwhile on the pirate ship Misty has used her own Pokemon along with Squirtle to restrain the crew and captain. She demands that the Captain recalls his Tentacruel but he refuses, managing to order the Tentacruel to attack Ash and Lapras with supersonic before Misty could cover his mouth. Things are looking bad for Ash, Pikachu and Lapras and just as the Tentacruel are closing in, ice beams come out of nowhere and stop them in their tracks, sending them sinking to the bottom of the ocean. It’s Lapra’s old group and they realised ash wasn’t a threat and came back to save their friend. Ash’s Lapras is reunited with its mother and the rest of its group, the pirates alongside Team Rocket are all arrested by Officer Jenny and the Tentacruel are all set free.

Ash tells Lapras to be happy, and the two say a goodbye, reminiscing about all the time they had together and the challenges they overcame side by side. Lapras returns Ash to the deck of Officer Jenny’s boat and his Lapras returns to it’s mother at last. The Lapras group sail into the sunset and Ash, Misty, Tracey and Pikachu shout their goodbyes.

As their voyages in the Orange Islands draw to a close Ash and his friends bid farewell to a good Pokémon, and an even better friend.

Major Events

• Lapras is reunited with its herd and released
• Captain Crook’s Tentacruel pirates
• The Lapras herd debuts

Trivia

• The English title plays on "Viva Las Vegas".
• The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
• 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 Electrode in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Text on Officer Jenny’s ship erased
• Bone-breaking sound effects lowered (Jessie and James) or muted (Meowth)
• The Japanese farewell montage plays Miraculous Tears from the first movie; the dub replaces it with an instrumental The Time Has Come

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