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EP127

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← EP126 : The Chikorita Rescue
Original series
EP128 : The Whistle Stop →
Once in a Blue Moon
EP127.png
  EP127  
ヌオーとＧＳボール！？
Nuoh and the GS Ball!?
First broadcast
Japan December 23, 1999
United States December 2, 2000
English themes
Opening Pokémon Johto
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening OK!
Ending ニャースのパーティ
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita
Storyboard 横田和 Kazu Yokota
Assistant director 大町繁 Shigeru Ōmachi
Animation director たけだゆうさく Yūsaku Takeda
Additional credits

Once in a Blue Moon (Japanese: ヌオーとＧＳボール！？ Nuoh and the GS Ball!?) is the 127th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on December 23, 1999 and in the United States on December 2, 2000.

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Blurb

Professor Oak's errand—to deliver the mysterious GS Ball to a Poké Ball expert—is interrupted when a Quagsire with a penchant for spherical objects steals the GS Ball for use in a nocturnal ritual.

Plot

Ash, Misty, and Brock continue make their way to Violet City so Ash can earn his first Johto League Badge. However, along the way, the trio take a rest in Cherrygrove City. After polishing his Poké Balls and the mysterious GS Ball, Ash leaves them by the river as he runs to eat, but then, a Quagsire appears from the water. Misty attempts to catch it, but Psyduck comes out instead and appears to have a mental connection with the Quagsire, much like it had in The Evolution Solution with Professor Westwood V's Slowpoke. As Misty tries to get Psyduck's attention, Quagsire steals the GS Ball and swims away. Ash tries to run after it, but ends up sending out Squirtle to chase it down. Squirtle resorts to using Water Gun which causes the GS Ball to slip out of Quagsire's mouth, and Pikachu is able to catch it on the shore. While both Quagsire and Squirtle are using Water Gun against each other, Misty tries once again to catch it, but before throwing the Poké Ball, Officer Jenny stops them and arrests them for violating the Quagsire Preservation Restrictions.

Back at the station, Officer Jenny soon drops the charges after a call to Professor Oak, who explains that he forgot to mention the restrictions to the group. Jenny explains that the Quagsire are very special to the people of Cherrygrove City because they help identify the cleanest water in the area. She reveals that Quagsire took Ash's GS Ball because it was round. At the same time every year, the Quagsire swim down from their home at Blue Moon Falls and take round objects, swim upstream to with them, and then send the round things down the river again; these objects are said to be good luck, especially the last thing to float down the river.

Ash then sees another Quagsire outside of the station, staring at his GS Ball. Ash defends the GS Ball, and the Quagsire retreats. Ash and his friends leave the station and walk along a bridge to continue their lunch. However, they find themselves confronted by a Quagsire. It pleads with Ash for his GS Ball, but after Ash rejects it, Quagsire jumps on him to retrieve the object. In an attempt to get the Quagsire off him, Ash sends out Chikorita, who successfully knocks away the Quagsire by spinning the leaf on her head. It is then discovered that Chikorita has a crush on Ash. Quagsire comes up from behind Ash, and Chikorita knocks it off again. In the process, however, the GS Ball falls out of Ash's backpack and Quagsire manages to catch it before it swims upstream with it. Elsewhere, Team Rocket have lost track of Ash and his friends, so James is trying to map out where they might be. Jessie notices that Meowth is playing with a glass ball, and Meowth tells her that there's a whole bunch of stuff in a field nearby. The three are startled by a Quagsire who comes and takes the lawn ornament from Meowth. Jessie, annoyed that it took away Meowth's toy, tries to send out Arbok and Lickitung, but two more Quagsire take her Poké Balls before she can send them out. The same happens with James's Weezing and Victreebel.

Ash's party, with Team Rocket unknowingly trailing behind, chase after their stolen Poké Balls. While resting and feeling hopeless on a rope bridge, Pikachu soon spots a quartet of Quagsire carrying various round objects, so Ash and his friends continue to follow them upstream. They soon stop at a lake, noticing a horde of Quagsire have also stopped swimming upstream. Ash spots the Quagsire with the GS Ball, and is intent on catching it. After Misty and Brock remind him of Officer Jenny's earlier intervention, he decides to keep an eye on Quagsire instead. On the other side of the pond, Team Rocket spies on them and devises a plan to catch Pikachu and the Quagsire, but Ash's party is noticing something else.

The Quagsire are all staring into the sky, as if they're waiting for something to happen, but Team Rocket arrives on the scene. They snatch up a Quagsire with a claw installed on their hot air balloon, and launch into their motto. However, the Quagsire easily slip from the metal claws thanks to their slippery skin. To combat the unexpected problem, Team Rocket cast a net over the school of Quagsire, but just as they begin to fly away, Jessie remembers that they still don't have their Pokémon. Jessie soon spots their Poké Balls, and is furious that the Quagsire threw them on the banks amongst some rubbish. Team Rocket retrieve their Pokémon and soon catch Pikachu with the claw, but before they can get away, some of the uncaptured Quagsire begin to hurl rocks at Team Rocket's balloon, which causes the claw to drop Pikachu. With Pikachu back, Ash sends out Bulbasaur to use Razor Leaf on the net. After the Quagsire are released, a large rock punctures the balloon, sending Team Rocket blasting off.

Without any further distractions, the Quagsire continue staring at the sky like before, and something triggers them to start swimming upstream again, and naturally, Ash and his friends follow. They find the Quagsire at Blue Moon Falls, where they see that tonight, the moon is actually blue. Then, the Quagsire throw their round things into the air and use Water Gun on them to send them flying over the waterfall, and then flow back down. Brock suggests that they do this as a competition to see who can get it closest to the moon. The Quagsire with Ash's GS Ball, shoots its round object higher than the others. Then the GS Ball comes down and begins to flow downstream, where Ash instinctively rushes after it.

Back in town, the rest of the townsfolk gather their belongings as they float down the river. And, luckiest of all, Ash's GS Ball floats down the river as the last item, which Officer Jenny scoops up and hands to Ash as he catches his breath. This renews Ash's belief that he can come out on top in the Johto League.

Major events

  • Misty tries to catch a Quagsire twice, but is stopped both times.
For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Ledyba (US and international); Quagsire (Japan)


Trivia

  • This episode's English title is a reference to the popular saying, "Once in a blue moon."
  • The book Battle for the Zephyr Badge is based on this episode.
  • Team Rocket makes a Wizard of Oz reference when Jessie says, "But when we do, we'll take care of the twerps, and that slimy Pokémon too!"
  • In the dub, Brock's line "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom, nor Vileplume will stay this Pokémon breeder" is a reference to the unofficial USPS postal creed.

Errors

  • When Brock is holding Officer Jenny's hands, she has no gloves.
  • One of the balls the Quagsire is holding changes color from red to pink.
  • Officer Jenny without her gloves‎

    Officer Jenny without her gloves‎

Dub edits

In other languages


← EP126 : Chikorita Rescue
Original series
EP128 : The Whistle Stop →
Project Anime logo.png This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.
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