Indigo League, Episode 15: "Battle Aboard the St. Anne"

Season 1, Episode 15, Original Air Date: July 8, 1997 (JP), September 7, 1998 (Preview), September 27, 1998 (US)

After his victory at the Vermilion City gym, Ash, Misty and Brock are headed to their next adventure; seeing a bunch of boats at the harbor! The largest is the famous St. Anne, the equivalent of the "SS Anne" from the games.

As Misty partakes in a fantasy on deck, they're accosted by a pair of familiar-looking teenagers who just happen to have free tickets to the St. Anne! Everyone is delighted to have them, but of course; there's an ulterior motive at hand!

Watching them board the St. Anne, it turns out these schoolgirls are Jessie and James in disguise; though Jessie bonks James on the head for enjoying himself a little too much in that getup.

In a nearby building, they get a call from the boss, Giovanni! It turns out that the St. Anne is a front for Team Rocket's operations; a trap to steal all the Pokémon onboard! Near the beginning of this season, we only see him in shadows; and the dub adds a filter to make his voice sound deeper. The way he strokes his Persian as he gives his minions orders always reminds me of Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.

I'll get you next time, Gadget. Next time... "MROWR!"

Among all the other Pokémon and trainers onboard are a powerful Raticate; and what appears to be a variant on the Gentleman trainer class from the games. Ash, of course; is all too eager to take on this new opponent.

While Ash decides to battle the Gentleman, Jessie and James are disguised as cocktail waiters on deck. Though Raticate is indeed a formidable opponent, Ash's Butterfree is strong enough to bring the battle to a draw!

Elsewhere, James is convinced to buy a Magikarp from a salesman who promises said Magikarp will make him rich beyond his dreams; leading to this fantasy.

Through a smooth-talking sales pitch, James buys the Magikarp for $300! That's roughly $470.35 in today's money, by the way.

As the ship sets sail, Ash; Brock and Misty are at the buffet table when the Gentleman and the Beauty at his arm approach them. Brock, usually the voice of reason; is smitten with said Beauty, as Misty is unable to get through to him. Naturally, when the Gentleman proposes a trade; Brock convinces Ash to do so.  The exchange is made between the Gentleman's Raticate and Ash's Butterfree.

James was not only conned out of his advance paycheck, but Jessie's advance paycheck as well! Meanwhile, Ash reflects on whether or not he made the right decision to trade; given how Butterfree was the first Pokémon he ever caught. As the ship goes out to sea, however; the trap is sprung, forcing every trainer onboard to fight!

I must say, when I saw this episode back in the day; it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Using this episode as a sort of preview for the series was quite effective in this manner; since it's one that people can pick up even if they're not overly familiar with the series. On that note, while there are some obvious uses of stock footage (with the Pikachu jumping over the wall from the second episode being the most notable example), the animation overall has held up incredibly well over time; and the copy I'm using to write this has a great quality remaster.

Armies of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Geodude join the fray to help fight off the Team Rocket Grunts, sending them through the roof of the ship! As the last of them are blown away by a horde of Pidgeotto, Ash decides to trade back the Gentleman's Raticate for his Butterfree! Then, as the ship hits rough seas; the St. Anne is evacuated, but the ship still capsizes and sinks; leaving Ash, Brock, Misty; Jessie and James trapped inside! Gentleman, it's been an honor battling with you tonight.

As an introduction to Pokémon, "Battle Aboard the St. Anne" is every bit as effective as "Pokémon I Choose You," albeit for different reasons. While it's never really shown what happens to the SS Anne in the games (even Let's Go didn't really explain it), this whole Titanic/Poseidon Adventure setup presented here works great as an action set piece, which continues into the next couple episodes. That's a matter for another day, though. I will be going to see my father in California tomorrow; but I will return in August with more content, including my full review of the smash hit "Pokémon: Detective Pikachu!" Later.