Indigo League, Episode 26: "Pokémon Scent-Sation"

 

Season 1, Episode 26, Original Air Date: September 23, 1997 (JP), October 12, 1998 (US)

Picking up where we left off, everyone has reached Celadon City; a massive metropolis that is heavily-based on the real-life Shinjuku District of Tokyo; complete with a massive department store! Brock sniffs out a local perfume shop, and Misty and Pikachu are sampling the fragrances inside. Ash considers them a waste of money, which draws the ire of proprietor and gym leader Erika. However, rather than walk back his comments; he doubles down and says all perfume is a scam, leading to Erika and her followers barring him from entering their gym challenge.

Elsewhere, Team Rocket has infiltrated the gym in an attempt to steal their secret perfume formula and sell it! However, they run afoul of Gloom, whose stench is so repulsive it manages to out-stink James' Koffing! James likens it to the smell of "old sneakers mixed with rotten eggs and dead fish with just a hint of skunk fumes!" Guess it would be a while before they came up with Skuntank. Meowth concurs that his nose feels like it's on fire, but Jessie then corrects him saying he doesn't have one. He then thinks the stink dissolved it off his face, but then realizes "the cartoonist never gave him a nose. " Ha! Anyway, after being ejected from the gym; Team Rocket brokers a deal with Ash to get him inside the gym; leading to the first of several crossdressing incidents under the alias "Ashley!" I actually like this part, and Ash makes a surprisingly good lady (and not just because of Veronica Taylor workshopping her May voice).

Though Team Rocket does still have ulterior motives of getting the perfume formula, "Ashley" does get inside the gym; though Brock, Misty and Pikachu are there as well! Erika also reveals how she met her Gloom; bonding with Gloom after she was saved from a Grimer by Gloom! So this flower managed to outstink the representations of both air and water pollution- imagine that. Ash unwittingly outs himself, and after Pikachu singes his disguise with Thunder Shock; Erika does agree to battle him under the league rules as Team Rocket makes a play for the perfume formula.

The first heat is between Erika's Tangela and Ash's Bulbasaur, with the advantage to Tangela! After deciding against using Primeape, Ash goes with Charmander for the next heat, and wins against Erika's Weepinbell! Now, as Erika sends out Gloom, Ash must determine his next monster for the last round. Despite his doubts, Pikachu agrees to help his friend!

However, their challenge is cut short by Team Rocket making off with the perfume formula; then setting off explosives in the gym and starting a fire in the process! Everyone else has the Pokémon evacuated as they try to put out the fire, but Erika's Gloom is trapped inside! Ash darts back into rescue Gloom despite the smell; but much like Erika, Gloom is moved by Ash's bravery and the smell is gone! Ash saves Gloom, and as Team Rocket just has the perfume's Gloom extract; Ash is rewarded the Rainbow Badge for his courage and showing Erika empathy with his Pokémon! Now, it's onto the next challenge!

"Pokémon Scent-Sation" may not be my favorite gym battle in Kanto; but I definitely had a lot of fun with how absurd it is. The animation is quite good for the time, and although the episode took some creative license with Erika's character (other versions such as the "I Choose You" movie would be more faithful to the games' version); I definitely can appreciate rewatching this again after all this time. Next up is my look at "Hypno's Naptime!" To be continued...