JN009

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Pokémon Journeys: The Series

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Finding a Legend!

JN009   EP1094 あの日の誓い！ジョウト地方のホウオウ伝説！！ The Promise We Made that Day! The Houou Legend of the Johto Region!!

First broadcast Japan January 19, 2020 United States June 12, 2020

English themes Opening The Journey Starts Today Ending

Japanese themes Opening １・２・３ Ending ポケモンしりとり（ピカチュウ→ミュウVer.）

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 待田堂子 Tōko Machida Storyboard 傳沙織 Saori Den Assistant director 傳沙織 Saori Den Animation directors 酒井裕未 Hiromi Sakai 柳原好貴 Yoshitaka Yanagihara No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Finding a Legend! (Japanese: あの日の誓い！ジョウト地方のホウオウ伝説！！ The Promise We Made that Day! The Houou Legend of the Johto Region!!) is the ninth episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,094th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on January 19, 2020, and in the United States on June 12, 2020.

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

Blurb

Ash and Goh head to Ecruteak City in Johto to investigate rumors of a Ho-Oh sighting, and when they arrive, they see something that looks like Ho-Oh flying in the sky! But it’s actually an imitation created by a boy named Chad, whose grandfather Jaye has been unsuccessfully searching for the Legendary Pokémon for years. Jaye has become convinced that Ho-Oh isn’t real, but Ash knows otherwise. Our heroes accompany Chad and Jaye to the top of Bell Tower, where they call out for Ho-Oh. Nothing happens, but just as Ash, Goh, and Chad start to leave, Jaye takes one last look toward the sky…and finally sees Ho-Oh for himself!

Plot

Goh is scanning the news on his Rotom Phone and learns the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh was recently sighted. He rushes over to Professor Cerise, who informs Goh and Ash that Ho-Oh is deeply connected to Johto folklore. Ren and Chrysa reveal that all Ho-Oh sightings have occurred around Ecruteak City. With that, Ash declares that he will battle Ho-Oh, though Goh is determined to actually catch it.

The boys arrive in Ecruteak City via bus. Relying on Goh's research, they head directly for the Bell Tower, and on the way there, Goh catches a Sentret. Ash reminds Goh that they should be focusing on Ho-Oh as their main target, and to their surprise, one is flying overhead. Ash has Pikachu use Thunderbolt on the Legendary, and shockingly the attack lands and does serious damage. The Ho-Oh begins to land, and the boys trace it directly to the Ball Tower grounds, where it is revealed to be a Fearow and Cyndaquil in disguise. Their Trainer, a boy named Chad is furious despite Ash's apology. Goh then asks if Chad was behind the recent Ho-Oh sightings, and Chad instantly turns away to hide the hoax. His grandfather, Jaye, with a Hoothoot on his shoulder, is also disappointed in Chad's actions. Jaye reminds his grandson that Ho-Oh doesn't exist, but Ash refutes the claim and recounts that he first saw Ho-Oh on the day he set out to become a Pokémon Master. Jaye says Ash simply thought he did before walking off.

The boys seek shelter under the stoop as it begins to rain down. Chad informs Ash and Goh that his grandfather used to believe differently. He had shown Chad a Rainbow Wing from his encounter with Ho-Oh, even traveling around to find the Legendary again. Though Jaye grew disheartened one day, and began to believe finding Ho-Oh was a thankless task. Chad explains that he has his Pokémon disguised as Ho-Oh in an attempt to cheer up his grandfather. Ash suggests they find the real one instead of lying. Chad admits that his grandfather tried for decades. However, Goh is more optimistic, and explains an ancient legend that says Ho-Oh will arrive when a Rainbow Wing is waved at the top of the Bell Tower. Chad replies that his grandpa tries this approach several times already, but it didn't work.

Goh suggests they explore the Bell Tower anyway, so the group of boys step inside. They spot a golden mural depicting Ho-Oh flying with a rainbow behind it. Goh suggests that Ho-Oh must have some connection to rainbows, and Ash affirms this when thinking back to his own encounter. Goh turns to his Rotom Phone to check the weather conditions over Ecruteak, and reveals that the moving clouds and low sun exposure are the perfect rainbow-creating conditions. The boys settle on a plan - they will wait for a rainbow to appear before waving the Rainbow Feather at the top of the Bell Tower. Chad suddenly rushes out, and later returns with the Rainbow Wing and his doubtful grandfather.

Together, the eight begin the ascent up the many stairs to the top of the Bell Tower. A wild Misdreavus begins playing tricks, with its disorientating illusion, making the stairs very soft and wobbly. They find it difficult to even stand upright, and Ash's right foot begins to sink in the stairs, as if in quicksand. Misdreavus then transforms the stairs into a steep ramp, sending everyone back to the 1st floor. A Stantler then appears and induces another illusion using the waves emitted from its antlers. They suddenly find themselves hanging on the edge of a very steep cliff. After much difficulty, they finally conquer the steep cliff climb, only to find themselves now surrounded by a desert. Goh turns to his Phone for answers, but the screen is only showing static, and saying that it's unable to pinpoint their location. Jaye realizes they must be caught up in an illusion, and has Hoothoot use Foresight to transport them back to reality. Goh immediately spots the culprits, Misdreavus and Stantler on the next floor. Stantler prepares to put everyone under an illusion again, though Goh catches the two Pokémon before that. Chad is impressed by Goh's easy catches, and Goh replies that he aims to catch every Pokémon.

Ash and the others eventually reach the outdoors. They pause momentarily after coming across a fleet of worn stairs, helping each other up to the top floor. Goh is relieved to see the rain has now stopped. Chad proceeds to wave around the Rainbow Wing and calls out to Ho-Oh. Moments pass, when suddenly a rainbow appears in the sky. Chad again calls for Ho-Oh. A rush of wind then blows the Feather out from his hand, though Jaye catches it. Jaye admits he has learned a lot from today and goes on to wave around the Rainbow Wing in a bid to finally meet Ho-Oh. Ash, Goh, and Chad are all greatly encouraged by Jaye's regained hope, and chirp in to call for Ho-Oh. However, they soon stop, as their calls go unanswered. Jaye isn't disappointed, and instead asks Chad to accompany him during his future searches. Chad happily agrees to it. Unexpectedly, the Wing begins to glow in all colors of the rainbow. Ash's stomach then grumbles, so Chad invites him over to his house for some homemade curry. As the three boys begin walking away, Jaye catches sight of Ho-Oh in the distance. He calls for the boys to turn around, but it is too late. Nonetheless, Jaye smiles having finally caught sight of Ho-Oh after many decades.

Ash and Goh later return to the Cerise Laboratory, reporting back of the fake sightings. Goh remains focused on his primary goal to catch every Pokémon including Mew, while Ash vows to become a Pokémon Master.

Major events

• Ash and Goh visit Johto.
• Goh catches a Sentret, a Stantler, and a Misdreavus.
• Ho-Oh appears again, but neither Ash nor Goh sees it.

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

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Goh
• Professor Cerise
• Chrysa
• Ren
• Chad
• Jaye
• Trainers

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Fearow

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Scorbunny (Goh's)
• Caterpie (Goh's)
• Venomoth (Goh's)
• Parasect (Goh's)
• Butterfree (Goh's)
• Pinsir (Goh's)
• Weedle (Goh's)
• Kakuna (Goh's)
• Venonat (Goh's)
• Scyther (Goh's)
• Taillow (Goh's)
• Wurmple (Goh's)
• Tentacool (Goh's)
• Mantyke (Goh's)
• Sentret (Goh's; new)
• Stantler (Goh's; new)
• Misdreavus (Goh's; new)
• Yamper (Professor Cerise's)
• Rotom (Professor Cerise's; Rotom Phone)
• Fearow (Chad's)
• Cyndaquil (Chad's)
• Hoothoot (Jaye's)
• Hoppip (Trainers'; ×2)
• Wooper (Trainer's)
• Murkrow (Trainer's)
• Phanpy (Trainers'; ×2)
• Marill (Trainer's)
• Ho-Oh (anime)
• Furret (×2)
• Snubbull

Trivia

An illustration of Ash and Goh at Bell Tower by Naoki Saito

• Get Inspired! Let's Solve a Poké Riddle!!: Ho-Oh
• An illustration of this episode was drawn by Naoki Saito.
• Beginning with this episode, both Goh and Ash read out the title card.
• This marks the first time in the anime where Ho-Oh makes an appearance in the present day, but Ash doesn't see it.
• This episode marks the first appearance of a number of Pokémon species in the main series after long absences:
  • Ho-Oh, who last appeared in Dawn Of A New Era!, 624 episodes ago.
  • Phanpy, who last appeared in The Keystone Pops!, 572 episodes ago.
  • Stantler, who last appeared in Playing the Performance Encore!, 466 episodes ago.
  • Hoothoot, who last appeared in A Watershed Moment!, 187 episodes ago.
  • Furret, who last appeared in Forming a More Perfect Union!, 159 episodes ago.
  • Sentret and Hoppip, both of whom last appeared in Till We Compete Again!, 155 episodes ago.
• Goh, Ash, and Pikachu narrate the preview for the next episode.

Dub edits

• The Japanese text depicting Ecruteak City's name is edited out.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		那一天的誓言！城都地區的鳳王傳說！！
Czech		Pátrání po legendě!
Danish		Jagten på en legende!
Dutch		Op zoek naar een legende!
Finnish		Legendaa etsimässä!
European French		Rencontre avec une légende !
German		Die Suche nach einer Legende!
Hebrew		!למצוא אגדה
Hindi		एक लेजेंड की तलाश!
Hungarian		Egy legenda felfedezése
Italian		Incontro con una leggenda!
Polish		Poszukiwania legendy!
Portuguese	Brazil	Encontrando uma lenda!
	Portugal	Encontrar Uma Lenda!
Romanian		În căutarea unei legende*
Russian		В поисках легенды!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Encontrando una leyenda!
	Spain	¡En busca de una leyenda!
Turkish		Bir Efsaneyi Bulmak

← JN008 : The Sinnoh Iceberg Race!

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

JN010 : A Test in Paradise! →

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