EP013

← EP012 : Here Comes the Squirtle Squad

Original series

EP014 : Electric Shock Showdown →

Mystery at the Lighthouse

EP013   マサキのとうだい Masaki's Lighthouse

First broadcast Japan June 24, 1997 United States September 24, 1998

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター Ending ひゃくごじゅういち

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 首藤剛志 Takeshi Shudō Storyboard 石山タカ明 Takaaki Ishiyama Assistant director 広島秀樹 Hideki Hiroshima Animation director 平岡正幸 Masayuki Hiraoka Additional credits

Mystery at the Lighthouse (Japanese: マサキのとうだい Masaki's Lighthouse) is the 13th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on June 24, 1997 and in the United States on September 24, 1998.

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

Synopsis

While Ash and co. were wandering through the forest, he began bragging about his accomplishments, only to be shot down by Misty, who claimed all his Pokémon followed him, therefore he didn't really catch any of them. This angered Ash, who then ran off through the forest vowing to catch a seventh Pokémon, but legitimately this time. As he broke free of the forest, he found himself on a beach, too wrapped up in his own Pokémon thoughts to enjoy the beautiful sunset. While he was moping, he noticed a small Krabby scurrying between his feet. Upon insulting Krabby about its small size, Krabby challenges Ash to a battle. Not even bothering to call upon one of his Pokémon, Ash assaulted Krabby with a stick and then threw a Poké Ball and captured it. When the Poké Ball was transferred to Oak's lab, Ash began to panic about the whereabouts of his new Pokémon. Misty then informed him that Trainers can carry a maximum of six Pokémon with them at one time. Suddenly, Pikachu began jumping and looking at a distant object, and as the gang looked over they could make out the shape of a lighthouse on a cliff. Excited, they all ran off towards it.

By the time they arrived there, night has fallen and the long walk has made them exhausted. Ash rang the bell only to be greeted by an eerie ringing, and a "who's there?".

After Ash and co. explained their situation and Brock offered to cook the lighthouse keeper a bacon-double cheeseburger, they were granted entrance. But as the door swung open they found there is no one there to greet them. Ash asked out loud permission to use the lighthouse's phone, to which a reply was heard: "Yes, there's a phone right near you." The speaker of this voice was still unknown. Ash called Professor Oak to ask about his newly caught Krabby as he picked up, and the professor is shown cooking dinner. This worries Ash, because he thought the Professor was cooking his Krabby. Professor Oak assured him that his Krabby is safe, and added that Ash's Krabby would be "too small to make a hearty meal". Ash was enraged upon hearing that Gary has also caught a Krabby and is even more so when he saw how huge it is. Ash went berserk when he found out that Gary already caught 45 Pokémon, dwarfing Ash's mere 7. Oak told them that they are calling from Bill's Lighthouse, and that he knows more than Oak himself, so listening to him would be good.

Suddenly, a giant Kabuto appeared, claiming to be the keeper of the lighthouse. It was revealed that it is in fact Bill who got stuck in a Pokémon suit during research, and Ash helped him out. After getting a life lesson from Bill and learning that there are more than 150 known Pokémon species, Bill revealed that there was only one Pokémon he is searching for what he claimed that is the biggest Pokémon ever. He said it is unique and that no one had ever laid eyes on it. One night he said, he heard a strange noise coming across the ocean from the Pokémon, but that was the last time he heard it.

As Bill was reminiscing, the same sound from his memory was heard and a large figure appeared, rising from the ocean. As it came closer, it was revealed to be the outline of a Dragonite. As it came closer to the lighthouse, Team Rocket was shown scaling the cliff and, upon seeing the giant Dragonite, began launching a barrage of missiles to try and catch it. This angered Dragonite, and it smashed the top of the lighthouse and began to walk away. Bill called out at it to stay, but to no avail.

In the morning, Bill seemed to be at peace with the fact that he didn't get to learn more about the Pokémon and was simply grateful he got to see it at all. With another life lesson from Bill, the heroes said goodbye and continued on their journey.

Major events

• Ash captures a Krabby.
• Ash and his friends meet Bill.

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

Debuts

• Bill

Pokémon debuts

• Krabby (Ash's)
• Dragonite

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Oak
• Bill

Pokémon

Who’s That Pokémon?: Krabby

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Butterfree (Ash's)
• Pidgeotto (Ash's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Charmander (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Krabby (Ash's; new; debut)
• Krabby (Gary's; at Oak's lab; debut)
• Dragonite (giant; debut)

Trivia

The Dragonite cloud

• This episode confirms that, just like the games, a Pokémon Trainer can only carry six Pokémon at a time (which is at odds with the fact that Damian was seen with at least a dozen Poké Balls all supposedly containing Pokémon just two episodes earlier).
• At the end of the episode when Ash asks Bill if he thinks every species of Pokémon will ever be discovered, a Dragonite-shaped cloud can be seen.
• The dub has several running gags, including characters whose cooks are on vacation and they are reduced to eating tofu.
• Brock mentions in this episode that Trainers can switch the Pokémon in their party by pressing a button inside their Pokédex (suggesting that additional Pokémon are kept in computer storage similar to the games). However, this rule is immediately dropped and in future episodes Ash would have to call Professor Oak in order to switch the Pokémon in his party.
• Though the giant Dragonite is never identified as a Dragonite by anyone in this episode, including Bill, Dragonite is referred to by name in the following episode when Dexter says that a Raichu's Thunderbolt could knock a Dragonite out.
• At the start of the episode, several unidentified Pokémon League badges are seen in the background.
• This is the first time that Ash and one of his rivals have a Pokémon of the same type of species. The second and third times will be Ash and Tyson each having a Sceptile and Morrison owning a Gligar, though none of them were at the same time. The fourth will be for a very short time, with Ash and Paul having Starly, and the fifth time will be when Ash's Gligar evolves. The sixth time is when Ash's Pidove evolves into a Tranquill, one of which is also owned by Trip, which is also seen in the same episode when Pidove evolves.
• The plot of this episode was likely based on the short story "The Fog Horn" by Ray Bradbury. In the story, a sea monster who is the only one left of its kind, hears a fog horn that sounds like its own voice and it is attracted to it.
• In this episode Bill is depicted as having green hair. This is the only time this is the case as he has brown hair in all of the games.

Errors

File:EP013 Door closeup.jpg

Door to the lighthouse

• An image of Mewtwo was on the door to the lighthouse, yet at this point in the series, Mewtwo's existence was presumably known only by Team Rocket scientists.
• When Team Rocket is discussing how they will break into the lighthouse, Meowth's ears turn blue.
• In the dubbed version, when Misty tells Ash that all his Pokémon followed him, she is actually incorrect. Pikachu was given to him by Professor Oak, Butterfree (caught as a Caterpie) was a lucky catch, Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto were captured in a legitimate battle, while Squirtle and Charmander were the only ones that followed him. Ash further exemplifies this error by saying "Now I really caught one" after catching Krabby.
• When Bill starts saying the planet was created 4.6 billion years ago, Ash turns to look at Bill but the visor of his hat is white instead of the usual red.
• Bill says that the mystery Pokémon is the only one of its species, he is incorrect, as other characters such as Lance have not only one but three (at least in Pokémon Gold and Silver) Dragonite, and none of those is the same one from this episode. Also, Drake of Orange League has one.
  • This is not necessarily wrong, since Bill might have meant he is the only one of his species to be a giant one, and this is true, since that Dragonite is the only giant Dragonite seen.
  • It also might be true that Dragonite was not actually the Pokémon Bill had been researching because the recording of the Pokémon resembled the recording of Lugia seen later in Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
• When Krabby pinches Ash's index finger, he pinches Ash's left index finger. But in the next shot, the wound appears on Ash's right index finger.
• When Bill shows the map of all the known Pokemon, the space between Marowak, Ninetales, Exeggcute, and (possibly) Ratatta is blank.

Dub edits

• The way Misty retorted to Ash's bragging about how Ash "caught" all six of his Pokémon was different between the versions: In the original version, she questions how he got those Pokémon should be counted as "caught" or not, with Ash stating that it's close enough. The dubbed version she erroneously stated that all of his Pokémon just followed him.
• The speaker conversation between Brock and Bill is different between the two versions: in the original version, Brock asks if he can use his kitchen so he can make delicious tamago chaahan and nabe. Bill asks if he can also make yakisoba as well, which Brock responds that he can make that as well as katayaki, chow mein, sauce yakisoba, or anything else Bill might like, to which Bill responds he'd like katayaki, and lets them in. In the dubbed version, Brock asks him if he can use his kitchen to make cheeseburgers for his group. Bill asks if he can make anything without tofu, to which Brock responds he can. Bill gladly agrees to let them in since he hadn't eaten anything but tofu since his cook left for vacation.
• In the original version, Misty identifies the phone as resembling a Bellsprout; in the dubbed version, she doesn't. Also, Ash called Oak directly by his phone number in the Japanese version. In the dubbed version, he calls him via collect.
• In the original version, Professor Oak says that Ash caught him in the middle of cooking Nabe, while in the dubbed version, he mentions that he is making tofu to make the time while his cook is on vacation.
  • Also, the dubbed version implies that Bill and Oak dislike eating tofu. In the original version, they imply that they enjoy eating tofu.

In other languages

Language		Title
Arabic		لغز في المناره
Mandarin Chinese		正輝的燈塔 / 正辉的灯塔
Czech		Tajemný maják
Dutch		Mysterie in de Vuurtoren
Finnish		Majakan arvoitus
French	Canada	Le mystère du phare
	Europe	Le mystère du phare
German		Der geheimnisvolle Leuchturm
Greek		Μυστήριο στο Φάρο
Hebrew		מיסתורי המגדלור mistorei hamigdalor
Hungarian		A világítótorony rejtélye
Italian		Il mistero del faro
Polish		Tajemnica morskiej latarni
Portuguese	Brazil	Mistério no Farol
	Portugal	Mistério no Farol
Spanish	Latin America	¡El Misterio del Faro!
	Spain	Misterio en el faro
Swedish		Mysteriet vid Fyren

← EP012 : Here Comes the Squirtle Squad

Original series

EP014 : Electric Shock Showdown →

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