Abra and the Psychic Showdown – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 22

Plot episodeSaffron GymAbra evolves into Kadabra

Abra and the Psychic Showdown is the 22nd episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 22nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 22, Bulbapedia code EP022). It first aired in Japan on 26 August 1997 and in the United States on 6 October 1998. It falls within the season’s Ghosts, Psychics & the Celadon fire stretch (EP20–EP27).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

Ash and his friends have arrived in Saffron City and Ash makes no secret about the fact he’s there to challenge the leader of the Saffron City Gym. As he makes haste for the gym he bumps into a mysterious man who warns him not to go in. Ash enters the gym to find that it’s a psychic training centre as well as a Pokemon gym and see’s many people trying to bend spoons with the power of their minds. Ash demands an official match, Sabrina accepts but states that if she wins that they have to be her friends and stay to play with her. The two agree to a one on one all out match with Sabrina choosing Abra and Ash choosing Pikachu. After toying with Ash and Pikachu a little Sabrina’s Abra evolves into Kadabra, turns Pikachu’s thunder attack against him then uses its psychic powers to make Pikachu dance for it, before continuing to hammer a defenceless Pikachu with psychic attacks.

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu find themselves in a strange abandoned town and try to find someone to find out where they are. Just as they realise they are infact in a dolls house Sabrina takes the roof off and tries to grab them. Brock points out that Sabrina must have shrunk them using telekenisis. Just as it looks like Ash and the Gang are going to be crushed by a toy ball the mysterious guy who warned them not to go there teleports in using his own psychic power and teleports them out just in time.

He then warns Ash and gang they should leave Saffron City and never come back, Ash sees that this guy has psychic abilities and begs him for help. After being initially rather adverse to the idea of helping, the mysterious man advises Ash to go after a ghost Pokemon in Lavender Town as it’s the only type that can battle a Psychic type and then he teleports, appearing in a tree behind the gang where he then watches them and says to himself “With some luck that kid may be the one who can rescue Sabrina.” The journey to Lavender Town begins.

Major Events

• — Saffron Gym: Ash forfeits to Sabrina
• Abra → Kadabra
• Pikachu’s Thunder
• Heroes shrunk into a dollhouse
• Sent to Lavender Town. Debuts: Sabrina, her father
• Abra, Kadabra. Pokémon Elements Vol. 7.

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Abra#0063 · EP022
• Kadabra#0064 · EP022

Captures and evolutions

• Abra → Kadabra#0064 · Sabrina · mid-battle

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• Saffron arch
• しばらくお待ちください translated
• カキ crunch text erased
• Fourth-wall gag added: “The Prepare for Trouble and Make It Double Show”
• Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Tuesday segment)

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.