The Double Trouble Header – Pokémon Season 3, Episode 2

Plot episodeCasey debutsChikorita debut

The Double Trouble Header is the 2nd episode of Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, the third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 118th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 120, Bulbapedia code EP118). It first aired in Japan on 21 October 1999 and in the United States on 21 October 2000. It falls within the season’s Arrival in Johto stretch (EP117–EP121).

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

Synopsis

On the route to Violet City Ash and friends discover a young trainer and her Chikorita on the roadside training. The girl introduces herself as Casey, a new Pokémon Trainer who just got her Chikorita from Professor Elm – shes crazy about yellow Pokémon, especially Electabuzz… because her family are big fans of the Electabuzz Baseball Team.

Casey takes great offence to Ash’s mention of how bad the Electabuzz actually are at baseball and challenges him to a battle. Her Pidgey and Rattata do as well as expected against Ash’s Charizard, and her final Pokémon is her Chikorita. Charizard goes easy on Chikorita but quickly defeats it.

After the match Casey runs off crying and trips over in the road; feeling as though she’s let down her father and grandfather. As she carries on down the road she bumps into Team Rocket who are posing as Electabuzz Baseball Fans, they convince Casey that Ash is a cheater and that he always breaks a little known Pokémon battling rule of not using a Charizard against new trainers and then laughs about it behind their back.

Casey catches up to Ash and challenges him to a battle at the Electabuzz stadium, this time Ash sends out Pikachu to take on Chikorita. Meanwhile Team Rocket are watching from the stands waiting for Ash and Casey to wear their Pokémon out so that they can come in and steal them. During the battle Team Rocket unleash a mechanical batting machine which hits Pikachu and Chikorita for a home run. Team Rocket the enter the stadium and reveal their true identities. Casey then realises how stupid she’s been.

James has both a knocked out Pikachu and Chikorita in his hands. Meowth sends out their next device, a mechanical batting machine which pelts Ash and Casey with baseballs. Casey gets her bat out and starts hitting the balls straight back at Team Rocket. Ash sends Bulbasaur and Squirtle, Casey sends her Pidgey and Rattata and they all help top repel the balls and fire them back at Team Rocket. Casey attacks James with her Pidgey and Rattata, rescuing Chikorita and Pikachu who then attack them together; sending them blasting off.

Casey apologises to Ash for accusing him of being a cheater and the two say goodbye and go their separate ways.

Major Events

• Casey debuts (catches Rattata)
• Chikorita debut (Casey’s)
• Elekid debut (fantasy)
• Pikachu’s Tackle
• *Star of the Giants* motto parody

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Chikorita#0152 · EP118
• Elekid#0239 · EP118

Captures and evolutions

• Rattata#0019 · Casey

Trivia

• The English title plays on "double trouble" crossed with a baseball doubleheader, fitting Casey’s Electabuzz obsession.
• The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Chikorita in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Heracross in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Two baseballs hitting Ash in the face covered by full-screen impact stars (Meowth’s hit left in); text on the tower in Casey’s flashback erased. The “S”/”N” scoreboard initials (for Satoshi and Nanako) were left unchanged.
• Casey’s Kansai dialect becomes a Midwestern accent; Jessie’s Yomiuri Giants jab becomes “a rule against using Charizard on rookies”; the “Ato hitori!” chant becomes “Gotta catch ’em all!”; Brock’s “she’ll be fun in eight years” becomes “does she have a sister?”.
• Casey’s Electabuzz fight song keeps its melody in the dub but gets entirely different lyrics (the Japanese version parodies a Hanshin Tigers cheer).
• Pokémon Karaokémon: “Pikachu (I Choose You)” (Élan Rivera).

Part of our Pokémon: The Johto Journeys guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.