EP168
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Hook, Line, and Stinker
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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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Hook, Line, and Stinker (Japanese: アズマオウ！フィッシングバトル！！ Azumao! Fishing Battle!!) is the 168th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on October 12, 2000, and in the United States on September 29, 2001.
Blurb
As our heroes take a break at a shady stream, Misty's Poliwhirl is attacked by a Poliwrath! Poliwrath's trainer pokes fun at Misty's Pokémon and won't stick around to battle when she challenges him to a match. As our heroes move on, they find out the annual Seaking catching competition is about to begin. Overhearing the trainer she encountered earlier is a shoe-in for the win, Misty and her Poliwhirl enter the competition determined to triumph over the testy trainer.
Plot
Ash and his friends have stopped to rest at a mountain stream. All of the Pokémon are in the water, having a good time. Brock is brushing Vulpix's tail, while Misty watches Togepi splashing in the lake. Poliwhirl drifts by on its back, and Misty tells it not to drift too far. Poliwhirl waves okay, but all of a sudden, a huge Poliwrath comes up behind it. As Misty and Brock anxiously watch, Poliwrath smacks Poliwhirl out of the water. As Misty attends to her injured Poliwhirl, a young Trainer called Andreas appears and insults Misty and her Poliwhirl who hides behind Misty’s legs. Misty defends herself and Poliwhirl, as do Ash and Brock, but Andreas continues to insult her, taking it a step farther by also insulting Staryu, Goldeen, and Psyduck. Misty angrily challenges him to a battle, but Andreas quickly recalls his Poliwrath and admits that he already has other plans.
Misty is still annoyed by Andreas's earlier comments, but Brock reassures her that Poliwhirl is a great Pokémon. The group starts walking down a trail when they notice a large mass of people with fishing rods passing by. Ash asks a boy if there is a good fishing spot nearby and the boy responds that there is an annual Seaking Catching Competition. The group soon joins the large crowd of competitors. At the site of the actual event, a man onstage starts to explain the rules of the competition. Competitors are allowed to use any rod, reel, or lure they wish and can catch as many Seaking as they want in the allotted time. However, they are only allowed to enter one Seaking that was caught in the provided Lake Ball, then the Seaking will be weighed, and the heaviest one will win a huge trophy and a year's supply of chocolate bars. Competitors are only allowed to use one Pokémon to aid them in catching the Seaking, and it must be registered. Ash remarks that it is similar to the Bug-Catching Contest, and decides to use Pikachu. At the registration line, Misty notices that Andreas and his Poliwrath have entered the competition, and despite the rumors that he is unbeatable, Misty also decides to compete in the event. However, Brock is more interested in the female registration attendant and Misty drags him away by the ear.
At the docks, all the competitors are in their boats and waiting to begin. Brock takes the wheel and asks Ash and Misty if they're all ready. They respond yes as Andreas pulls up. He insults Misty and her Poliwhirl again. Misty says that Poliwhirl isn't weak just because it isn't a bully like him. Andreas laughs at her and says that he'd love to talk, but he has a competition to win before rushing off. The horn blows and the competition has begun. Ash and Misty both cast out. Misty tells Poliwhirl that it'll probably take a while. She hears Andreas yell that he already has a bite, to Misty's dismay. He pulls the Seaking out of the water, and has Poliwrath use Double Slap before making a swift capture. Andreas decides to release the Seaking that he just caught, much to Ash and Misty's surprise. He tells them that it was just a warm-up, and the next catch will be really big, which angers Misty even more.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is in a boat. Meowth says that if they win the contest, they will get a year's supply of chocolate bars. James says that they haven't eaten in so long that he'd settle for licking the wrappers. Jessie shows them her new lure, a chibi-style Jessie, saying that no Seaking can resist it. After some time, Meowth yawns and complains that they've been sitting there for an hour and maybe Jessie's lure is scaring off all the Seaking. Jessie gets angry and says that the Seaking obviously don't appreciate her beauty. Jessie says that if Seaking won't go for a beautiful lure, then they'll go for an ugly lure; a Meowth lure. Meowth says that he didn't know she had a Meowth lure but soon learns that he is the fishing lure. Jessie puts a breather in his mouth, ties him to a rock, and throws him into the lake, telling him to use Scratch when he sees a Seaking. Underwater, Meowth complains that he doesn’t like it and that he can't see any Seaking. One swims past him and he yells at it to come back, but it ignores him. Suddenly, Misty's line wraps around Meowth's arm and pulls him up. Jessie pulls back, turning it into a tug-of-war match with Meowth in the middle. Underwater, the rock tied to Meowth gets stuck to the bottom, immobilizing him. As if that wasn't bad enough, he loses his breather. The two boats are being dragged towards each other until they collide. Back underwater, Meowth uses Fury Swipes to free himself and swims to the surface. Team Rocket drives away and Misty sees that her line is broken. Andreas drives by and mocks her on her performance. He tells her that she could take home first prize in a fishing rod catching competition, continuing. Meanwhile, Meowth gets back on Team Rocket's boat, saying that that was a bad idea.
Misty observes that the wind has changed direction and she urges Brock to drive the boat northwards. Misty notices Andreas speeding towards the same place, so she takes the controls of the boat and rushes on. She and Andreas start racing each other. They get into a bumping fight and are speeding towards an unsuspecting Team Rocket. Brock tells Misty to turn and try avoiding their boat, but Andreas uses it as a ramp and flies right over them. The resulting wake causes Team Rocket's vessel to capsize and they enter the water. Misty drives over to see Team Rocket is okay. To remain undetected, Jessie and James duck behind their boat and wave the group off.
The gang arrives at a giant rock. Misty says that it looks like a perfect spot for fishing, but Andreas is already there. Ash gets a bite and pulls up a big Seaking. He commands Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on it, and catches it in a Lake Ball. Misty and Brock compliment him on his catch. Andreas gets a bite as well. He has Poliwrath get ready and then pulls it out. Poliwrath uses Mega Punch on Seaking, followed by a Double Slap. Seaking flies out of the water and Andreas catches it, bragging that it is a guaranteed winner. The loudspeakers come on and the voice says that only ten minutes are left in the competition. As Andreas is driving away, he says that if Misty wants a chance at second place then she better hurry.
Misty announces that it's time to use her secret weapon, her special lure version 4. She throws out her lure and waits intently, and a giant Seaking soon bites it. It almost pulls her in, but she manages to pull it out of the water. She sends out Poliwhirl, but it gets slapped by Seaking's tail. Poliwhirl flies back and rebounds off the boat to Double Slap the Seaking. Misty catches it in her Lake Ball, as the buzzer rings, announcing the end of the contest. Team Rocket, having not caught a Seaking, walk away with only a commemorative badge. While James is pleased with a memento, Jessie is annoyed and Meowth is disappointed that they won't be winning the chocolate. The announcer weighs Andreas's Seaking, which weighs 55 kilograms, and Andreas brags that he's number one once more. Suddenly, Misty runs on to the stage, yelling for the judge to wait. They weigh her Seaking, which turns out to weigh the same as Andreas's, meaning that the two of them must face off in a Pokémon battle to determine the winner.
The stage is set for a Water-type battle, and Misty sends out Poliwhirl to go up against Andreas and his Poliwrath. Brock comments that the odds are against Misty. Just as the match begins, Team Rocket descends from the sky in their Meowth balloon. Jessie sends Meowth out on a fishing pole, and he starts bagging all of the chocolate. Misty commands Poliwhirl to attack him with Water Gun and Andreas commands Poliwrath to do the same, causing Meowth to drop the loot. Ash sends out Bulbasaur and has it use Vine Whip to catch the falling chocolate. With the chocolate safe, Ash has Pikachu give them a Thunderbolt, sending them blasting off again.
The battle resumes, and Andreas has his Poliwrath use Submission, which sends Poliwhirl flying. Ash is surprised, but Brock explains to him that after a Poliwhirl evolves, it can use Fighting-type moves. Andreas is quick to claim the victory, but Poliwhirl gets back up and hides behind Misty's leg. Misty says that she knows it's doing its best, but wishes that it had more confidence in itself. Suddenly, Psyduck, Staryu, and Goldeen pop out of their Poké Balls to encourage Poliwhirl, whom Misty tells that there are lots of great unevolved Pokémon and that it's one too. With the pep talk, Poliwhirl is pumped up and ready to get back in the battle. Andreas says that it's no use, but Misty has Poliwhirl use Bubble and then follow up with Mega Punch. Poliwrath falls, but Andreas retaliates with several Mega Punch attacks. Poliwhirl dodges them all and uses Bubble again, followed by a Water Gun that knocks Poliwrath out. The announcer officially declares Misty the winner of the match and the Seaking Catching Competition. Misty and Poliwhirl are dancing, and she tells it she knew it wasn't a wimp. Andreas pulls Poliwrath out of the water and congratulates Misty on a job well done. He apologizes for the things he said, and Misty accepts his apology. Misty is pleased with herself and later sets herself the task of dividing her large chocolate prize between her friends, their families and friends, and her own family, though Ash soon complains that he didn't get any.
Major events
- Ash and Misty each catch a Seaking as part of the Seaking Catching Competition, but under contest rules do not keep them.
- Misty's Poliwhirl is revealed to know Mega Punch.
- Misty wins the Seaking Catching Competition.
- 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?: Kabuto (US and international), Seaking (Japan)
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Togepi (Misty's)
- Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
- Bulbasaur (Ash's)
- Totodile (Ash's)
- Seaking (Ash's; new; released)
- Goldeen (Misty's)
- Staryu (Misty's)
- Psyduck (Misty's)
- Poliwhirl (Misty's)
- Seaking (Misty's; new; released)
- Vulpix (Brock's)
- Poliwrath (Andreas's)
- Seaking (Andreas's; ×2; new; released)
- Wartortle (Trainer's)
- Golduck (Trainer's)
- Tentacool (Trainer's)
- Slowpoke (Trainer's)
- Cloyster (Trainer's)
- Krabby (Trainer's)
- Seadra (Trainer's)
- Starmie (Trainer's)
- Marill (Trainer's)
- Wooper (Trainer's)
- Seaking
Trivia
- Like the Bug-Catching Contest in The Bug Stops Here, the Seaking Catching Competition uses special Poké Balls called Lake Balls for catching Seaking.
- Ash mentions two real-world animals in this episode: bass and catfish.
- This episode's title is a pun derived from "hook, line, and sinker," an expression which refers to the three components of fishing tackle.
- It also shares its dub title with the name of a Looney Tunes cartoon starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
- Andreas says that if Misty's Poliwhirl were strong it would've evolved by now. But both of Poliwhirl's evolutions are item-induced. Therefore, Poliwhirl's strength has nothing to do with evolving.
- This is the first episode where one or more of Misty's previously caught Pokémon other than Psyduck forces its way out of a Poké Ball. In this case, Staryu and Goldeen, along with Psyduck, force their way out of their Poké Balls to show their support for Misty and Poliwhirl.
- In addition, this marks the first time that the Pokémon team of a main character other than Ash are seen emerging on their own from their Poké Balls to support a despairing member of their team. Events before and since this one usually consist of one of Ash's Pokémon getting support from his team instead. In this case, for a change, Misty's Pokémon support one of hers.
Errors
- While Misty is pulling Brock by the ear, Togepi is in his arms; however, it was not there before.
- After the Pokémon battle, Misty calls her Poliwhirl a Poliwrath.
- Misty tells her Poliwhirl to "use another Water Gun attack", even though Poliwhirl had not used it against Poliwrath.
Dub edits
- The original airing of this episode on Hungama TV in India started the episode directly from the title card, skipping the part of the episode that comes before it.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
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 Bulgarian
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Състезание по улов на Сийкинг | |
| Mandarin Chinese | 金魚王釣魚戰鬥 | |
 Czech
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Háček, vlasec a mizera | |
 Dutch
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Een Haak, een Lijn, en een Grote Bek | |
 Finnish
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Virittäkää virvelinne! | |
 European French
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Appâts et hameçons | |
 German
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Angel, Köder, Angeber | |
 Hebrew
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תחרות הסיקינגtacharut haSeaking | |
 Hindi
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अकड़ू, डरपोक, और बदमाश! Akadu, Darpok aur Baadmash! * | |
 Italian
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Una dolce vittoria | |
 Polish
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Haczyk, żyłka, kołowrotek | |
| Portuguese |  Brazil
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Anzol, Isca e Pescaria |
 Portugal
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Bem Pescado | |
| Spanish |  Latin America
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¡Poliwhirl contra Poliwrath! |
 Spain
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Anzuelo, sedal y chulito | |
 Swedish
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Segerns sötma | |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
- Original series episodes
- Episodes written by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi
- Episodes storyboarded by Hazuki Tsuji
- Episodes directed by Kōji Fukasawa
- Episodes animated by Yūji Ikeda
- Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
- Episodes in which a main character releases or gives away a Pokémon
- Episodes focusing on Misty
