EP033

The Flame Pokémon-athon! File:TheFlamePokemonathon.gif.png

EP033   ほのおのポケモンだいレース！ Fire Pokémon Big Race!

First broadcast Japan November 11, 1997 United States October 21, 1998

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター Ending ニャースのうた

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 玉川明洋 Akihiro Tamagawa Additional credits

The Flame Pokémon-athon! (Japanese: ほのおのポケモンだいレース！ Fire Pokémon Big Race!) is episode 33 of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 11, 1997 and in the United States on October 21, 1998.

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

Synopsis

As Ash and friends near the Safari Zone, they come across a ranch, where they see a herd of Tauros. Wanting to catch one (believing they are in the Safari Zone), Ash tries to have Pikachu face down the stampede, but Pikachu refuses. When Ash sends out Charmander, it is immediately pinned by a Growlithe. After a brief trade of Flamethrowers by the two Fire Pokémon, Ash and friends are introduced to Lara Laramie, of the Laramie Ranch, a ranch that preserves and raises wild Pokémon. Brock immediately recognizes the name right away, as it is said that Pokémon bred by the Laramie clan are of superior breeding. After realizing that they are not in the Safari Zone, Lara invites them to a local festival, as a Pokémon race will be held the next day. Lara intends to race with her Ponyta, a Pokémon whose mane will burn anyone it does not trust. When Ash tries to touch Ponyta, he gets the burning experience firsthand, as he is forced to have Squirtle cool off his hand. Lara's main opposition is Dario, a Dodrio trainer. Lara explains that the winning team of Pokémon and trainer will be named as an honorary member of the Laramie clan.

At the festival, while many are cheering Lara on, Dario arrives to tell Lara that her Tauros have suddenly began attacking each other over a bout of confusion. After they arrive on the scene, Lara tells Growlithe to tame the Tauros, but during all this Ponyta is spooked, causing Lara to be thrown off, injuring her arm. As Ash tries to rein in Ponyta, the audience learns that Team Rocket is behind spooking the Tauros and incapacitating Lara, at the request of Dario: Dario intends to win the competition by any means necessary, while Team Rocket seeks to make money off of the Laramie fortune.

With her injured arm, Lara would not be able to ride Ponyta, but after seeing Ash try to rein in Ponyta, she tries to convince Ash to take her place. At first, neither Ash nor Ponyta feel right about it (Ponyta showing its reluctance by burning Ash again), but Lara insists that both stand to gain from winning (Ash from his trainer skills, Ponyta from its upbringing). Ash and Ponyta use the entire night to prepare for the race.

At the race, many pairs have entered: along with local farmhands and their Pokémon, Dario and Dodrio, Ash and Ponyta, Brock and Onix, Misty and Starmie, as well as the all-Pokémon team of Pikachu and Squirtle (representing Ash's entry), all enter the race. When the race starts, Dario and Dodrio quickly take the lead, while Pikachu and Squirtle quickly fall to the back of the pack (as nearly everyone else is larger), though they do eventually catch up to the pack. At the same time, Team Rocket has already begun eliminating the opposition - two well-aimed slingshot shots manage to spook a Tauros and a Nidorina, and take their frustrations out on each other. After a sprint comes a steep uphill portion, where Pikachu is forced to push Squirtle up the hill, putting them far behind once again. Further ahead, a pitfall trap dug up by Team Rocket manages to take out an Electrode and its trainer as they were rolling downhill. This gives Dario a significant lead, while Electrode's Explosion attack manages to incapacitate a Sandslash, Raticate, but most importantly Ash and Ponyta. Ash and Ponyta, however, are able to continue, thanks to Pikachu's ThunderShock and the fact that the two Pokémon were still lagging far behind.

Farther up ahead is a skipping stone portion, which Dario and Dodrio cross with ease. However, this does not bode well for the two closest chasers: Brock and a farmhand with his Rhyhorn - when Rhyhorn attempts to jump on a stone, it sinks. This forces both out of the race (as Brock, with the largest Pokémon in the race, couldn't cross due to Onix's fear of water). This leaves only four teams still racing: while Ash and Ponyta navigate the stones, Starmie and Squirtle surf across the water easily. At the next portion, teams must make a stop and allow their Pokémon to eat an entire plate of Pokémon food before sprinting to the finish. Dario and Dodrio are the first to arrive, but Dodrio's three heads bickering at which head would be the first to eat causes the three remaining teams to catch up. Desparate to eliminate the other three teams, Dario is forced to use Team Rocket's assistance once more (from which Ash and Misty learns of Dario working with Team Rocket). Ash tells Pikachu and Squirtle (who had both been scarfing down Pokémon food during Team Rocket's motto) to take care of Team Rocket, but Arbok's Glare freezes the two in place, while Starmie is blinded by Weezing's Sludge. This allows Dario enough time to take off towards the finish.

As Misty implores Ash and Ponyta to keep going (leaving Team Rocket to herself and the three Pokémon), Team Rocket causes Ponyta to literally get fired up, and when Weezing tries to attack Ponyta, the flames ignite Weezing's sludge, sending Team Rocket flying. Now desperate to make up ground, Ash and Ponyta race towards the finish line. When Ash and Ponyta catch up, Dario then orders one of Dodrio's heads to Peck Ponyta for a cheap shot, slowing down Ponyta. Believing that victory is assured, however, Dario is suprised to find that the simple peck had allowed Ponyta to evolve into the much-faster Rapidash, and soon Ash and Rapidash manages to overtake Dario and claim the victory in a photo finish. Believing that he had been screwed out of the victory, Dario orders Dodrio to attack Rapidash, but is sent flying thanks to a Rapidash Stomp.

As the festivities wrap up, Ash and friends bid farewell to the Laramie Ranch, and continue on their way to the Safari Zone. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is chewed out by Dario on failing to deliver a victory and having been denied the honorary membership in the Laramie clan.

Major events

Debuts

• Ponyta
• Rapidash
• Sandslash
• Nidorina
• Electrode
• Rhyhorn
• Tauros

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Lara Laramie
• Dario

Pokémon

Who’s That Pokémon?: Ponyta

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Charmander (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Starmie (Misty's)
• Onix (Brock's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Growlithe (Lara Laramie's)
• Ponyta (Lara Laramie's; evolves, debut)
• Rapidash (Lara Laramie's; newly evolved, debut)
• Dodrio (Dario's)

Various Pokémon seen at the ranch and in the race:

• Raticate
• Sandslash (debut)
• Nidorina (debut)
• Nidorino
• Electrode (debut)
• Rhyhorn (debut)
• Tauros (debut)

Trivia

• It is shown that the flames of a Ponyta are directly under the control of the Ponyta: They will burn any riders that Ponyta does not trust.
• According to a rating system on the Pokeani website, this episode had the highest rating of any episode in Kanto.
• The race's rules state that a Pokémon must be used to compete. While not exactly the same, this ruling is similar to the bike race featured in the Pokémon Special chapter,Wake Up--You’re Snorlax! where Pokémon can also be used.

Errors

• In the English dub, after Electrode explodes, as Squirtle and Pikachu run up to Ash, Squirtle says "Zeni Zeni!" instead of "Squirtle Squirt!", implying that the line was not dubbed over by mistake. Also, right before it uses its Haze attack towards Ponyta, Weezing's Japanese voice can be heard.
• Lara tells Ash that the Safari Zone is a Pokémon reserve, and it is against the law to capture Pokémon there. This does not correspond to the games, where Pokémon in the Safari zone can be captured.

In other languages

• Brazilian Portuguese: A Poké-Corrida
• French: Le Poké-marathon
• Dutch: De mara-ponyta
• Italian: La gara
• Latin American Spanish: ¡La gran carrera!
• Russian: Безумные гонки
• Spanish: La llama Pokémon-athon
• Swedish: Dagens trubbel

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