EP137
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Foul Weather Friends
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First broadcast
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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Foul Weather Friends (Japanese: ハネッコはねた！だいそうげんのたたかい！！ Hanecco's Jealousy! Battle in Big Prairie!!) is the 137th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on March 2, 2000 and in the United States on February 10, 2001.
Synopsis
Ash, Misty and Brock are traveling along the road to Azalea Town. As they go they notice many Template:Type2 Pokémon including Bellsprout, Vileplume and Gloom. Overhead they see a Pokémon hopping along the path that Brock identifies as a Hoppip. While Ash consults his Pokédex a breeze picks up and lifts the Hoppip into the air. The trio set off in hot pursuit determined not to let it blow away.
Ahead of them a girl appears and catches the wayward Hoppip in a large butterfly net. As she sets the net down another Hoppip floats down and lands on her head. When the trio catches up with her Brock immediately falls in love and asks for her name. She introduces herself as Mariah as Misty drags Brock away by his ear. Mariah explains that the Hoppip belong to her along with five others which she keeps in a large fenced enclosure next to her house. Her house's roof is adorned with wind gauges and other complicated apparatus that she uses to help in her occupation as a weather forecaster. In addition to the scientific equipment she also uses her Hoppip to predict the weather. Leading the gang outside she predicts that the wind will pick up any second because the Hoppip have all clustered together. Sure enough a breeze arrives and sends two of the Hoppip soaring away to be caught by the fence. Mariah announces that such a breeze only rates a two on the Hoppip Scale as it was only strong enough to lift two Hoppip.
Mariah is planning to do more research on the relationship between Hoppip behavior and the weather in order to help meteorologists to make long range predictions. Brock then suggests that she should study their relationship before being dragged off by Misty to Mariah's amusement. Once more the Hoppip bunch together just before another breeze lifts all but one of the Pokémon away. The remaining Pokémon quickly runs after its fellows, climbing a rock and jumping off in an effort to fly like them, however it falls and lands face first. As the trio rush to its aid Mariah admits that it is a "little odd". When Misty cleans it up the pink color washes off and reveals the Pokémon to be an Oddish. Mariah explains that the Oddish is a Pokémon from the neighborhood that spends so much time with her Pokémon that it wants to be just like them. As they speak the Oddish climbs up a section of the wire netting and jumps off, this time finding a softer landing in a pile of hay.
As the friends ponder the oddness of Oddish, Team Rocket are watching from a distance. On seeing the Hoppip Meowth suggests that they might steal them and go into business using the Hoppip to deliver packages, without having to pay for trucks or staff. However Jessie and James quickly shatter his mercantile musings, by pointing out that the Hoppip are completely reliant on wind and that the Boss wouldn't like them to hoard Pokémon from him. Despite the business plan failing to get airborne, Jessie suggests that they steal the Hoppip and present them to the boss.
Back at Mariah's house Misty is attempting to console the grounded Oddish, however she is interrupted by Team Rocket, who, disguised in masks begin to recite their motto. Using handheld fans they attempt to blow the Hoppip away but when this fails to budge the Pokémon Meowth activates a large electric fan which send the Hoppip flying. However the friends and Oddish quickly pluck the wayward Pokémon from the air.
Ash calls Chikorita, which Jessie counters, choosing Arbok. Arbok lunges for Chikorita but is stopped in its tracks by Chikorita's Tackle. Ash orders a Razor Leaf attack sending Arbok crashing down on top of Jessie and James. Meowth turns up the power of the fan to hurricane speed. As Pikachu jumps from Ash's shoulder to deliver an electric attack exploding the fan and sending Team Rocket blasting off again.
The danger passed, Ash congratulates Pikachu and Chikorita. Checking that the Hoppip are alright Misty notes that Oddish was particularly brave. However this happy scene is shattered as the Hoppip suddenly begin to bunch together putting their leaves together indicating that a huge windstorm is on its way. Inside, Mariah's instruments once again confirm what her Hoppip knew. There is a tornado headed towards them!
Team Rocket are limping along the road bemoaning their fate when they hear something behind them. They turn just in time to see the Tornado as it sweeps them into the air.
Back at Mariah's cabin the friends have boarded up the windows and brought the Pokémon inside. Realizing that the tornado will soon be upon them Mariah recommends that they take cover underneath her desk. When the tornado strikes it removes the roof, carrying the Hoppip and desk away. Oddish was carried away and Mariah and Misty were nearly lost but for the intervention of Brock and Ash respectively.
After the storm passed, Mariah's cabin is wrecked but the trio quickly offer to help Mariah find her Hoppip and make sure that they are alright. After setting out on their search they quickly locate the roof and with it Oddish, slightly battered but otherwise unhurt. As Mariah explains Oddish is very anxious to go looking for its Hoppip friends. She recounts a story of the Oddish finding a Hoppip lost in a thunderstorm saying that it was always able to find the Hoppip no matter what happened.
Soon the friends are following Oddish though the woods as it leads them in their search. Quickly it locates the first of the missing Hoppip caught in a tree. While Ash volunteered to get it down Brock insisted that he should be the one to go seizing an opportunity to impress Mariah. The Hoppip safely restored to Mariah, they set off i search of the other six missing Pokémon.
Oddish leads them down a riverbank where they see a second Hoppip caught in a branch stranded in the middle of the river, while Oddish tried to jump in after it Ash caught it explaining that it would get washed away too. Brock once again steps forward and swims strongly out to the stranded Pokémon.
Once again hot on the trail Oddish stops, looking for something as it hops around before spotting a third Hoppip floating on the breeze up ahead. As they chase after it, Team Rocket in their balloon appear, celebrating the fact that the tornado blew four of the Hoppip into their balloon. Meowth once again floats his Hoppip delivery scheme which is shot down as Jessie suggests attaching pin-wheels to the Hoppip. However these plans are interrupted by the appearance of another Hoppip. Acting quickly, James scoops it out of the air with a net.
The friends, seeing the Hoppip they were chasing get snatched by Team Rocket, demand that they return the Pokémon to their rightful owner. When they impolitely decline Misty calls Staryu to use Tackle, which punctures the balloon sending it crashing to ground further into the forest.
The friends come across Team Rocket lying on the ground after their crash, but when they see the "Twerps" they leap up ready to give battle. James calls out Victreebel which promptly tries to eat him. Ash chooses Heracross, Jessie chooses Arbok and Misty calls for Staryu to battle as well. Just as the battle is about to commence Oddish runs into the middle of the confrontation wanting to battle, much to the amusement of Jessie and James. James orders his Victreebel to perform a Tackle attack, but Oddish responded with a strong kick, followed by Stun Spore, ending the battle with another kick. Seeing James' defeat Jessie orders a Bite attack but Oddish dodges Arbok, releasing Sleep Powder from its leaves. With both Pokémon defeated, Meowth steps in, using Scratch but before he can strike, Oddish uses SolarBeam and sends Team Rocket blasting off again.
With the Hoppip safe, the trio congratulates Oddish saying that even if it isn't able to fly it still can battle extremely well and that it was the only one that could have found all the Hoppip safe and sound. So it should be proud of what it can do, not upset about what it can't do. Mariah finishes by naming it an honorary Hoppip that is a little Odd-ish.
Much later, having helped Mariah repair her house, the trio say their goodbyes, Brock offering to stay with her before being dragged off by Misty. Mariah and her Pokémon wave as Ash and his friends head off into the sunset.
Major events
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: Gligar (U.S. and international), Hoppip (Japan)
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Togepi (Misty's)
- Heracross (Ash's)
- Chikorita (Ash's)
- Staryu (Misty's)
- Arbok (Jessie's)
- Victreebel (James's)
- Hoppip (Mariah's; debut; multiple)
- Oddish (Mariah's)
- Gloom
- Vileplume
- Bellsprout
Trivia
- This episode's title is based on the phrase "fair weather friends". This would also be the basis for another episode in the Advanced Generation series.
- An instrumental version of Viridian City is used in the dub.
- The book Ash to the Rescue is based on this episode.
- Team Rocket is sent blasting off three times in this episode.
- The Japanese title refers to "Hanecco's Jealousy", though it appears that Oddish is the jealous one in the episode.
- Meowth mentions a real world animal when he mentions the price of chicken feed.
Errors
The length of the slit in James's shirt changes numerous times throughout the episode.
Dub edits
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
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| Mandarin Chinese | 毽子草飛跑了，大草原之戰\ | |
 Czech
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Přátelé do špatného počasí | |
 Dutch
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Vrienden Bij Slecht Weer | |
 Finnish
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Ystävä säällä kuin säällä | |
 European French
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Vivre de l'air du temps | |
 German
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Donnerwetter! | |
 Hebrew
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חטיפה בסופהchatifa basufa | |
 Italian
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Il tornado | |
| Portuguese |  Brazil
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Não há Tempo Ruim |
 Portugal
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Amigos em Tempo Falso | |
| Spanish |  Latin America
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¡Amigos del clima! |
 Spain
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Amigos del mal tiempo | |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
