AG048

← AG047 : I Feel Skitty!

Advanced Generation series

AG049 : Maxxed Out! →

ZigZag Zangoose!

AG048   EP322 ザングースVSハブネーク！ライバル対決！！ Zangoose VS Habunake! Rival Confrontation!

First broadcast Japan October 23, 2003 United States October 23, 2004

English themes Opening This Dream Ending

Japanese themes Opening アドバンス・アドベンチャー Ending そこに空があるから

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 秦義人 Yoshito Hata Assistant director 秦義人 Yoshito Hata Animation director 宍戸久美子 Kumiko Shishido Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

ZigZag Zangoose! (Japanese: ザングースVSハブネーク！ライバル対決！！ Zangoose VS Habunake! Rival Confrontation!) is the 48th episode of the Advanced Generation series, and the 322nd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on October 23, 2003 and in the United States on October 23, 2004.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

On the way to Fallarbor Town for May's next Pokémon Contest, a Zangoose runs up to them. Then, a bigger Zangoose appears. It starts to talk and realizes that it is their old friend, Nicholai. They have a picnic, and Nicholai tells them that he went to the Petalburg Gym. May asks Nicholai if he saw their dad. Nicholai explains that after he told Norman and Caroline that he is a friend of May and Max, they invited him for dinner and accepted his Gym challenge. But he explains that he lost. He says that Norman must have worn short shorts during training. May and Max both get angry and scold him but Nicholai just pats May on the back. Then, Nicholai tells them that he wants to get stronger, and Ash challenges him to a battle refereed by Brock.

The battle begins and Nicholai gets into a Marshtomp costume, and sends out Marshtomp. Apparently his Mudkip evolved. Ash chooses Treecko. Nicholai tells Marshtomp to use Water Gun, but Ash has Treecko dodge it and use Quick Attack. Then, Marshtomp follows Treecko while using Water Gun. It stops Treecko from his Quick Attack. Then, Marshtomp uses Mud Shot, knocking him down. But Treecko manages to get up. Nicholai tells Marshtomp to use Iron Tail, but it manages to get up and use Bullet Seed. It hits Marshtomp and knocks it down with Pound.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket watching the battle from behind the bushes, and plot to steal Pikachu during the battle. Jessie sends out Seviper to have it capture Pikachu.

Back on the battlefield, Nicholai takes off his Marshtomp costume and replaces with the Zangoose costume. Then, he sends out his Zangoose. Nicholai tells Zangoose to use Swords Dance, but as it starts to use it, it stops. Nicholai asks what is wrong, but Zangoose just walks away, and disappears into the bushes. After a while, Team Rocket run out of the bushes screaming, and Zangoose and Seviper fly out, glaring at each other in anger. Ash asks Team Rocket what they are doing there, after saying the first sentence of their motto, Zangoose and Seviper roar fiercely. Max explains that Zangoose and Seviper are arch enemies. Brock says that they will start to fight and not give up.

After tackling each other, they look at each other. Meowth jumps in and tells Seviper to forget about Zangoose and to capture Pikachu together but he only succeeds in being whacked with Seviper's tail. Meowth is sent rolling down the hill with Team Rocket and falling into the river.

Seviper wraps Zangoose, and Zangoose bites Seviper. Nicholai tells Zangoose to stop but is knocked over by the two Pokémon. The two Pokémon fall in the river. Flowing down the stream, Seviper uses Poison Tail and Zangoose hits a rock, unconscious. Just as it is about to attack Zangoose again, Ash sends out Corphish, it uses BubbleBeam to attack Seviper, and carries Zangoose to shore. Zangoose seems to be hurt really badly. Then, Brock explains that he will help to heal it.

After mixing the medicine, he passes it to Nicholai. He feeds Zangoose the medicine. Max says that Zangoose will not stop until it gets revenge.

As Team Rocket sit near the river, Seviper suddenly jumps out of the river and lands near them. Without thinking, James yells at it and wants Seviper to apologize. Just then, James immediately apologizes as he notices Seviper’s anger. He kneels and pleads for forgiveness and Seviper decides to forgive him. Then, Meowth asks Seviper if he is finding Nicholai’s Zangoose, and he nods. Then, Meowth says that Seviper still wants to battle Zangoose. Jessie chimes in and says that there IS a fierce hatred in the world, just like her hatred towards Cassidy. If she sees Cassidy, she wants to kill her. So Jessie, being sympathetic, decides to take Seviper’s side and help find and defeat Zangoose.

Back to the other side, Ash and Nicholai do some Pokédex research for information on Seviper. Then, they decide to try it themselves. Nicholai gets into a Zangoose costume, and Ash gets into a Seviper costume. Then, they start to run at each other, and Seviper uses its tail to knock Zangoose down. Nicholai cries out in pain, Ash then realizes Seviper’s strength. Zangoose gets up. Seviper is about to use its tail again, but Zangoose dodges it. Then, Seviper bites Zangoose. Skitty lets itself out of its Poké Ball, and May runs after it. Zangoose hears Seviper nearby and runs off to battle, even in its weak state. It turns out Jessie and Seviper were using a microphone to amplify Seviper's voice. Zangoose runs into the clearing, with the gang close behind. The epic battle ensues. During the battle, James and Meowth snatch Pikachu and Ash and everyone else besides Nicholai run off to chase them. James and Meowth say the Team Rocket motto together. Ash begins battling with them, but then it cuts to the epic battle again. Zangoose is beginning to tire. Pikachu's cage falls from the sky and interrupts the battle, with Ash and the rest close behind. Wobbuffet somehow ends up with the cage and everyone begins chasing it. Jessie yells at them to stop. The epic battle resumes, with Zangoose trying out a new strategy. Zangoose eventually wins with an epic Crush Claw. Team Rocket attempts to get back Pikachu but a Thunder blasts them off once again. Ash and Nicholai resume their battle, with the winner unrevealed.

Major events

• Ash and his friends meet up with Nicholai again.
• Jessie's Seviper is revealed to know Bite.
• James's Cacnea is revealed to know Sandstorm.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Zangoose

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• May
• Brock
• Max
• Jessie
• James
• Nicholai
• Cassidy (fantasy)

Pokémon

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

Pokémon Trainer's Choice: Dewgong

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Treecko (Ash's)
• Corphish (Ash's)
• Skitty (May's)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Marshtomp (Nicholai's)
• Zigzagoon (Nicholai's)
• Zangoose (Nicholai's; debut)

Trivia

• This episode aired exactly one year in Japan before it was aired in America, along with Maxxed Out!.
• This is the first episode to explain Zangoose's and Seviper's arch rivalry.
• In this episode, for the second time, Meowth fills in for Jessie in the Team Rocket's motto.
• Once again, Ash and Nicholai's battle is cut off at the end of the episode, leaving the outcome a mystery.
• In Pokémon Trainer's Choice, all three choices are actually correct. Dewgong's Ice-type is effective against Ninjask's Flying-type, Torkoal's Fire-type is effective against Ninjask's Bug-type, and Nosepass's Rock-type is actually effective against both of Ninjask's Bug/Flying-types, which would theoretically make Nosepass the most effective choice.

Errors

• When Meowth starts to say the motto with James, both of them act like it is the first time this has happened. However, this has happened before, in The Stun Spore Detour.
• At the beginning of the battle between Nicholai and Jessie, the lower left fang on Nicholai's Zangoose suit disappears for a moment.

Dub edits

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

• Question: Trainers, Which one of these Pokémon is the best choice to battle against Ninjask?
• Choices: Torkoal, Dewgong, Nosepass
• Answer: Dewgong

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		貓鼬斬對抗飯匙蛇，宿敵大對決！
Finnish		Pokémon-pujottelun mestari
European French		La tactique zigzag
German		Im Zick Zack zum Ziel
Hebrew		זנגוס בזיג זגZangoose bezig zag
Italian		Nemici naturali
Portuguese	Brazil	O Ziguezague de Zangoose!
	Portugal	ZigZag Zangoose!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Zangoose versus Seviper!
	Spain	El zigzagueante Zangoose

← AG047 : I Feel Skitty!

Advanced Generation series

AG049 : Maxxed Out! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.