Island of the Giant Pokémon (book)

Island of the Giant Pokémon
ISBN:	0439104661
Published:	July 1999
Publisher:	Scholastic
Author:	Tracey West
Preceded By:	I Choose You!
Succeeded By:	Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon

Island of the Giant Pokémon by Tracey West is the second book of the adaptation of the Pokémon anime. It was published by Scholastic, and is 85 pages in length.

Plot

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

This book follows the plots of the anime episodes Battle Aboard the St. Anne, Pokémon Shipwreck, and Island of the Giant Pokémon.

Blurb

Shipwrecked! Ash and Pikachu are invited to a Pokémon party on a cruise ship. Cool, right? Not! They've been tricked by the evil Team Rocket, who plan to steal all of the Pokémon on board. Things get worse when the ship sinks, and the survivors end up lost in a strange land filled with monster-sized Pokémon! Will the castaways find their way home? Or will they be stranded forever on the Island of Giant Pokémon?

Battle Aboard the St. Anne

The book begins with Misty and Brock complementing Ash on how many Pokémon he's caught. At the start, he only had Pikachu, but now he has many more Pokémon—Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto. Brock wonders what kind of Pokémon they will see on the S.S. Anne, as they're going on a cruise on it. Ash claims he can't wait to find out, and wonders why two teenage girls gave them tickets for free. Misty doesn't care, as she just wants to get in the ship.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, the two girls who gave Ash and his friends the S.S. Anne tickets pull off wigs to reveal Jessie and James of Team Rocket. Meowth arrives and tells them that they got a call from their boss, who asks them if they've handed out all the tickets. When Jessie replies "yes", he tells them that his men have hidden on the ship and will steal the Pokémon of the Trainers on the ship. While Meowth compliments Giovanni's intelligence, he claims that failure is out of the question.

On board the ship, Ash and his friends look around, amazed at the interior. Ash comments that it's "Like a giant Pokémon convention!".

A Gentleman turns and asks if anyone would like to battle his Raticate. Ash decides to, and wins using his Butterfree.

Later, Raticate's Trainer approaches Ash and asks to trade Raticate for Butterfree. Ash, unsure, asks Brock for advice, but Brock is distracted by the Gentleman's female companion and absentmindedly responds that it is okay. Ash is reluctant to give up his first Pokémon, but since Brock told him that everyone did it, he agrees. After the trade, Ash wonders if he did the right thing. Pikachu is also unsure.

Meanwhile, James shows Meowth and Jessie the Pokémon he bought from a vendor for both his and Jessie's salary. Upon seeing that the Pokémon is a Magikarp, Jessie exclaims that is useless and that James was tricked. Meowth stops their argument, and tells them that they have work to do.

Back on the main deck, Ash remembers how he got Butterfree and when it evolved from Metapod. While Misty tries to tell him that Butterfree will be okay, Team Rocket appears, along with eight Team Rocket Grunts. They begin using vacuums to take the Trainers' Pokémon. Ash says that they must fight back, but after another Trainer uses a Squirtle to no avail, Brock says that they have to work together. Ash's Pikachu and those of many other Trainers rush in and zap two grunts. Then a swarm of Charmander take out two more, and so does a swarm of Geodude. The Gentleman sends out Butterfree, and so does every other Trainer with a Butterfree. Ash tries to send out his Butterfree, only to end up with Raticate. He says that he must get Butterfree back, but Misty points out that the soldiers are getting up. Ash and the other Trainers use their Pidgeotto to get rid of them once and for all. In the commotion, Jessie, James, and Meowth escape. Ash, not worrying about them, goes to ask the Gentleman for Butterfree back. After a moment of silence, he agrees, and they trade once more.

Soon, they are informed that the ship is sinking. Ash and friends get ready to get on the lifeboats, when Ash drops Butterfree's Poké Ball. He and his friends chase after it, when the boat rocks and they all slam into a wall and fall unconscious.

Similarly, elsewhere on the ship, Team Rocket have a similar experience while chasing the Poké Ball containing James's Magikarp. The captain of the ship orders the lifeboats away, thinking that everyone is safe. However, Team Rocket is still on the ship, and so are Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu.

Pokémon Shipwreck

Misty and Pikachu wake Ash up. Ash looks around and sees that the ship is upside-down and that they are underwater, and he realizes that the ship sank. He wonders why there isn't any water in the ship if it sank, and Misty replies that the air in the ship will make the water get in more slowly. Ash then questions what to do next, and Misty tells him that since that they have to get out through the bottom of the upside-down ship and then swim to the surface from there. Brock then comments that if they hit a dead end, then it's over. In response, Misty sends out Goldeen to scout for an exit. When it returns, however, it brings back Team Rocket.

Ash, Brock, Jessie, and James get ready to battle each other, when Misty interrupts them and reminds them that their priority is to get off the ship. Reluctantly, they form a truce. Misty uses her knowledge of the S.S. Anne to form an escape plan to get to the bottom of the ship. with the help of Brock's Onix and Ash's Bulbasaur and Charmander, they make it there. Misty tells everyone to grab hold of a Water-type Pokémon to swim to the surface with. She uses Goldeen, and gives Brock Starmie. Ash calls on Squirtle. Ash commands Charmander to burn through the hull so that they can swim out, and Jessie panics, as they don't have any Water Pokémon. James sends out Magikarp, claiming that this is how it will prove its worth. Ash and friends escape, and Team Rocket tries to also, but unfortunately for them, Magikarp does not appear to know how to swim.

Ash, Misty and Brock make it successfully to the surface, and climb on to a broken piece of the S.S. Anne to use as a raft. Ash sends out Pidgeotto to search for dry land, having it drag back Team Rocket on another piece of the ship instead. James, angry at Magikarp for failing him, kicks it overboard. This angers it, causing it to evolve into Gyarados and blow the Trainers away with a powerful Dragon Rage.

Island of the Giant Pokémon

Ash and his friends regain consciousness on a beach. Brock wonders how they survived the Dragon Rage, and Ash comments that they must have been lucky. Then he notices that Pikachu was missing, and Misty points out that so are Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander. On another part of the island, Jessie and James are happy to have survived, but the feeling disappears when they realize that Meowth, Ekans, and Koffing are all missing.

On yet another area of the island, Pikachu finds the rest of Ash's Pokémon. After making sure everyone was okay, they wonder what happened to Ash. they are interrupted by Meowth, who has Koffing and Ekans with him. Meowth commands them to attack, but they do not obey him, as he is not their master. Angrily, Meowth turns to attack them himself, only to be ambushed and tied to a tree by all of Ash's Pokémon. They camp out and speculate on the whereabouts of their masters. They are interrupted yet again by a giant Rhydon, which frightens them. After freeing Meowth, the Pokémon all run. They hide in a cave and vow to find their masters the next day.

Meanwhile, Ash and friends are having giant Pokémon troubles of their own. A giant Zapdos is attacking them. After barely escaping, Ash whispers into the night for Pikachu to be careful.

Ash and friends aren't the only ones being chased by an oversized legendary bird. Jessie and James are also running from one—a giant Moltres. They escape by hiding in a phone booth. While James wonders why a phone booth would be on a deserted island like this, Jessie asks for money to call for help. James reminds her that he spent everything on Magikarp, which almost causes Jessie to throw a temper tantrum. James wonders what they might end up running into the next day.

In the morning, the Pokémon get ready to search for their masters, only to end up running into more giant Pokémon. After a failed attempt at communicating with a giant Blastoise and Venusaur, the Pokémon are forced to run away.

Nearby, Team Rocket is dragging the phone booth with them for safety. That's when they see what appears to be Pikachu, though upon further inspection, it is another giant Pokémon. Team Rocket runs from it, and end up bumping into a giant Kabutops. They try to escape in a mining cart which was placed on railroad tracks, but a telephone cable gets stuck in a wheel. Kabutops uses it to pull the cart closer. Jessie tries to use the brake, but ends up destroying it. This causes the cart to go forward at an uncontrollably fast speed. Kabutops gets tangled in the cable and is dragged along behind the cart.

Meanwhile, Ash and friends run into the giant Pikachu. It tries to catch them, but the bridge they are standing on breaks, and they land in Team Rocket's mining cart. Misty sees all the normal Pokémon being chased by the giant ones. At the same time, they realize that they aren't on railroad tracks—but roller coaster ones! After the initial fright from going upside-down though a loop, Ash calls out to the normal sized Pokémon to jump in, which they do. Behind them, the giant Pokémon continue to follow, when the telephone cable snaps, sending the cart flying through the air. They crash into the giant Zapdos's wing and the cart breaks in two. Team Rocket, on one half of the cart, vow to get Ash and his friends next time, while they fly in the opposite direction as them.

Ash and friends land in a pool, and Ash complains that they will never get off the island. That's when they see the giant Pokémon in a pile on the ground with wires and bolts sticking out of them. A nearby tour guide is explaining to some tourists that the Pokémon are harmless robots, and that they are in a theme park. Ash says that there was nothing left to do there, and wonders what to do next. Pikachu tells them that they could go anywhere but on a cruise. The friends laugh and get ready for their next adventure.

Major events

• Ash trades Butterfree for a Raticate, and then trades back.
• James buys a Magikarp.
• James releases his Magikarp.
• James's Magikarp evolves into Gyarados.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Butterfree (Ash's)
• Pidgeotto (Ash's)
• Raticate (Ash's)
• Geodude (Brock's)
• Magikarp (James's)
• Gyarados (James's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Starmie (Misty's)
• Goldeen (Misty's)
• Onix (Brock's)
• Rhydon
• Kabutops
• Blastoise
• Venusaur
• Zapdos
• Moltres

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Gentleman

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Butterfree (Ash's)
• Pidgeotto (Ash's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Charmander (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Raticate (Ash's)
• Goldeen (Misty's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Starmie (Misty's)
• Onix (Brock's)
• Geodude (Brock's)
• Ekans (Jessie's)
• Koffing (James's)
• Magikarp (James's)
• Gyarados (James's)
• Rhydon (giant)
• Kabutops (giant)
• Blastoise (giant)
• Venusaur (giant)
• Pikachu (giant)
• Zapdos (giant)
• Moltres (giant)

Trivia

• The book refers to the ship as the S.S. Anne, whereas in the English dub the ship is referred to as the St. Anne.
• Gyarados's Pokédex entry is "Gyarados has a vicious temper. Its fangs can crush stones and its scales are harder than steel."

Errors

• On page 81, Venusaur is misspelled as Venosaur.

In other languages

Language Title Bulgarian Островът на гигантските покемони Czech Ostrov obřích Pokémonů Canadian French L'Île des Pokémon géants Indonesian Pulau Pokémon Raksasa Italian L'isola dei Pokémon giganti Latin American Spanish La isla de los Pokémon gigantes

Pokémon animated series novelizations Indigo League: I Choose You! • Island of the Giant Pokémon • Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon • Night in the Haunted Tower Team Rocket Blasts Off! • Charizard, Go! • Splashdown in Cerulean City • Return of the Squirtle Squad Adventures in the Orange Islands: Journey to the Orange Islands • Secret of the Pink Pokémon • The Four-Star Challenge • Scyther, Heart of a Champion Race to Danger • Talent Showdown • Psyduck Ducks Out • Thundershock in Pummelo Stadium The Johto Journeys: Go West, Young Ash • Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Detective • Prepare for Trouble • Battle for the Zephyr Badge The Chikorita Challenge • All Fired Up • Ash to the Rescue • Secrets of the GS Ball • Prize Pokémon Teaming Up With Totodile • Tough Enough • Winner Takes All Ruby and Sapphire: Haunted! • Phantom Unmasked • Team Rocket Truce • Celebi Rescue • Grovyle Trouble • Deoxys in Danger Diamond and Pearl: Pokémon Academy • The Lost Riolu • Coal Badge Battle • World of Sinnoh Movies: The Art of Pokémon The First Movie • The Art of Pokémon the Movie 2000 • The Art of Pokémon the Movie 3: Spell of the Unown Mewtwo Strikes Back • Mewtwo Returns • Pokémon the Movie 2000 • Pokémon the Movie 3 • Pokémon 4Ever Destiny Deoxys • Lucario and the Mystery of Mew • Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea • The Rise of Darkrai Pikachu's Vacation • Pikachu's Rescue Adventure • Pikachu and Pichu

This book article is part of Project Merchandise, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all Pokémon toys, dolls, books, and collectible merchandise.