EP223

← EP222 : A Promise is a Promise

Original series

EP224 : Nerves of Steelix! →

Throwing in the Noctowl

EP223   とべホーホーごう！アサギをめざし！！ Fly Flight Hoho! Head for Asagi!!

First broadcast Japan November 8, 2001 United States December 14, 2002

English themes Opening Believe in Me Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター (Whiteberry) Ending 前向きロケット団！

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard よこた和 Kazu Yokota Assistant director 大町繁 Shigeru Ōmachi Animation director たけだゆうさく Yūsaku Takeda Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Throwing in the Noctowl (Japanese: とべホーホーごう！アサギをめざし！！ Fly Flight Hoho! Head for Asagi!!) is the 223rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 8, 2001 and in the United States on December 14, 2002.

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

Synopsis

Ash and his friends is just one city away from Olivine. Ash calls Janina to tell her that he's coming back to Olivine City. The gang heads out for the port, but it looks like again there's no ferry for a long while back to Olivine. Ash notices an old man fishing on the pier and asks him when the next ferry will come by. The response was obviously a no, but he does mention that there is an airport that'll take them to Olivine City. The gang decides on if they should go over there, but why not? Ash turns around to thank the old man, but oddly he's missing, or running off somewhere.

They get to the airport, which looks more like an abandoned airstrip. They check out the hanger, when an old pilot comes out of the door. They recognize that he was that fisherman from before. Of course, he'll give them a ride to Olivine City, but first a few things before they leave. The old pilot starts feeding a few Sandshrew in a barn, which there's a lot more Pokémon to feed. Then he just talks about his Hoothoot that he raised when he was younger. Except while he was talking, the gang was doing most of the work. They just wanted to get to Olivine as fast as they could.

So finally they got on board the plane, which seems a little shabby, but it works. In the cockpit's co-pilot seat was a sleeping Noctowl, which was really the old pilot's Hoothoot. It seems now the Noctowl doesn't do much, but sooner or later it wakes up. The old man tries to start up the plane, but the plane needs some refueling. Either way they take off and head back to Olivine.

After awhile in flight, a storm builds up. Of course, the old man still goes on course, thinking that he could outride any storm. But a little ways away was Team Rocket in their balloon. They seem to have trouble themselves and don't think they can handle the storm. Then they see the plane and start yelling for help. Ash notices Team Rocket's voices outside and looks back. The question would be, help them or not? In the end they help Team Rocket on to the plane, only under one condition, they have to say a bunch of "I know this was wrong" lines. Then Wobbuffet comes out and makes a hole in the plane. James still has a hold of the plane but everyone else is holding onto him.

The storm gets worse and soon one of the engines start to come off. If this happens then they'll crash right into the ocean. So Ash opens up the door and jumps out onto the side and climbs up to the top. He has a little trouble holding on so Brock sends out Crobat to help Ash. After Ash gets in a stable place, he sends out Bulbasaur to hold onto the loose engine. Now the other engine starts to come off, so Ash sends out Bayleef to hold that one in place. A while away from the plane, Jigglypuff floats by. Jigglypuff starts to head over to the plane. Just as things seem to get better, James spots Jigglypuff on the wing. Everyone starts to panic, except for the old man. Before anyone could stop Jigglypuff, she sings. Everyone falls asleep and as always, Jigglypuff gets angry, but before she could do anything, she gets picked up by another gust of wind.

Ash wakes up first, then everyone else, but without much control, the plane is headed straight for the ocean! The old man starts to go against the decent but the plane can shake it. Misty calls out Poliwhirl and Staryu, getting into good positions and they squirt a Water Gun to the ocean, which picks them back up and into the sky. The storm grows progressively worse, now lightning starts to form up. At that minute, the Noctowl wakes up and then flies around the plane with a rope making a secure wrap around it and tugging it. Ash releases his Noctowl to help out the other one. In the back however, Team Rocket starts a little planning on how to get Pikachu, but is cut short when Wobbuffet again pops out, making the cover of the hole break through.

The lightning now is a little too close for comfort. Brock says that Pikachu's electricity can act as a lightning rod, in a sense. So Pikachu climbs up to the top of the plane and releases a Thunderbolt in the sky, which attracts the lightning to that spot. Soon all the lightning becomes unstable and explodes in the sky in a flash of light. After that, the old man seems to see a light shining in the distance, except it's level and they're still in the air... or are they? He immediately pulls the plane upwards now noticing the plane is way too near the cliff near Olivine. They clear the cliff and are now back to the Johto mainland.

Major events

• Ash and his friends return to Olivine City.

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

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Jasmine
• Janina
• Wings Alexander

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Mankey (US and international), Noctowl (Wings) (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Bayleef (Ash's)
• Noctowl (Ash's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Poliwhirl (Misty's)
• Crobat (Brock's)
• Jigglypuff (anime)
• Magnemite (Jasmine's)
• Hoothoot (Wings's, flashback)
• Noctowl (Wings's)
• Nidoking (flashback)
• Machoke (flashback)
• Onix (flashback)
• Scyther (flashback)
• Ampharos (nicknamed Sparkle)

Pokémon seen in Wings's barn

• Rattata
• Sandshrew (×2)
• Parasect
• Bellsprout (×2)
• Weepinbell (×2)
• Ponyta (×2)
• Doduo
• Tangela

Trivia

• The English dub title of this episode is a based on the phrase Throwing in the towel.
• Team Rocket breaks the fourth wall in this episode.
• The song "Dragonite Takes Flight" from the first movie is used in this episode.
• The sign at the front of the airport has a purple Hoothoot painted on to it.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		飛吧咕咕號！以淺蔥市為目標！
Dutch		De hulp van Noctowl
European French		Retour à Oliville
German		Der Hoothoot-Express
Hebrew		סיוט של טיסהsiyut shel tisa
Italian		Un volo difficoltoso
Polish		Rzucać w Noctowla
Portuguese	Brazil	Asas ao Vento
	Portugal	Asas ao Vento
Spanish	Latin America	¡El regreso de Noctowl!
	Spain	El Noctowl salvador

← EP222 : A Promise is a Promise

Original series

EP224 : Nerves of Steelix! →

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