Manectric Charge – Pokémon Season 7, Episode 19

Filler / stand-alone episodeWattson rematchElectrike evolves into Manectric

Manectric Charge is the 19th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 332nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 335, Bulbapedia code AG059). It first aired in Japan on 15 January 2004 and in the United States on 4 December 2004. It falls within the season’s The long way round: Torkoal, Manectric & Verdanturf stretch (EP57–EP62).

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

Synopsis

Back in Mauville City on the way to Petalburg, the group find a carnival with a toy stand run by Team Rocket in Gengar and Tauros costumes. Everyone lets their Pokémon out to play the games. Ash’s new Torkoal greets everyone by smoking them out and ends up stuck on its back during the soccer game, Brock scores a perfect ten and uses Lotad and Mudkip at the water target, Max tries ring toss with Pikachu and Skitty, Treecko and Corphish take on the strength tester, and May plays a dance game with Torchic, Beautifly, Taillow and Forretress. Then Meowth appears on the screens and presses a button that turns the attractions into traps, dropping all the Pokémon into a net beneath the carnival. Team Rocket recite a football-themed version of their motto and float away in their balloon with the whole haul.

Wattson and his assistant Watt arrive to help. Wattson’s Electrike tries Thunder Wave without effect, but Watt’s Ampharos severs the rope with Iron Tail and frees the Pokémon, while Jessie scolds Meowth for buying cheap rope. Wattson, Watt and Ash combine their Electric attacks into one huge beam that blasts Team Rocket away, after which Wattson’s Electrike evolves into Manectric. Ash and Wattson agree to a friendly rematch between Torkoal and the new Manectric, and May takes on Watt in a battle between Skitty and Ampharos. At the Mauville Gym, now fitted with new attractions, May battles first. Skitty trades Double Slap and Tackle for Thunder Shock and Iron Tail, uses Assist to borrow Torchic’s Quick Attack and dodge, and wins with a final Double Slap.

Team Rocket sneak into the Gym and end up on a rollercoaster ride that dumps them in water. In Ash’s rematch, Torkoal’s Flamethrower misses and Manectric lands Tackle; Bite and Iron Defense cancel each other out, and Overheat overpowers a Thunder Wave. Torkoal fires Overheat twice more along with a Flamethrower while Manectric charges up, and Manectric then unleashes a devastating Shock Wave that knocks Torkoal out, handing Wattson the win. It is the first time Ash has battled a Gym Leader again after earning their Badge, Brock and Misty aside. Watt tells May about a Contest in Verdanturf Town, and the group set off. Meanwhile, Team Rocket find three “Raikou” in the Gym and attack them with Seviper, Cacnea and Meowth, only to discover that they are robots, which explode and blast the trio off again.

Major Events

• Team Rocket’s Mauville carnival trap
• Wattson’s Electrike evolves into Manectric
• May’s Skitty beats Watt’s Ampharos
• Torkoal loses an unofficial rematch with Wattson to Shock Wave
• The group learn of the Verdanturf Contest
• Manectric’s TV debut

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Manectric#0310 · AG059

Captures and evolutions

• Electrike → Manectric#0310 · Wattson

Trivia

• The English title plays on "electric charge".
• The screenplay is by Aya Matsui.
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Hoenn story.

Changes in the English Dub

• The carnival’s Pokémon plush prizes repainted as Ribbon cases and jewellery, and May’s Torchic doll as a Ribbon box
• Manectric’s winning Shock Wave renamed “Thunder Wave”, a move that does no damage
• Pokémon Trainer’s Choice (dub only, in place of Who’s That Pokémon?): which Pokémon is best against Manectric? Answer: Larvitar (Swampert was equally good)
• OK! plays during Ash’s rematch with Wattson and Pocket-ering Monster-ing at the carnival in Japan; replaced in the dub

Part of our Pokémon: Advanced Challenge guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.