A Shadow of a Drought – Pokémon Season 3, Episode 26

Plot episodeAzalea TownKurt debuts

A Shadow of a Drought is the 26th episode of Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, the third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 142nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 144, Bulbapedia code EP142). It first aired in Japan on 6 April 2000 and in the United States on 3 March 2001. It falls within the season’s Azalea Town: Kurt, the GS Ball & the Hive Badge stretch (EP141–EP145).

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

Synopsis

Ash, Misty and Brock are walking through a desolate and drought-ridden valley and are getting really thirsty when Misty has the good idea of using Staryu’s water gun to help them cool off, Ash asks Squirtle to do the same but Squirtle accidentally blasts Ash away with his water gun.

Team Rocket meanwhile are in a similar predicament nearby but without the water Pokemon, and Meowth has drunk the last of their water; angering Jessie and James – just as they are about to attack Meowth for his selfish act they spot a well and rush over to it, Meowth tries to pump water from the well and Jessie and James wait to drink it, unfortunately for them however the well has all but dried up and all they get is a face full of mud. Meowth uses some divining rods to find the nearest source of water before revealing Team Rocket’s newest mechanical monstrosity the Super Diglett Mk. II. Team Rocket use it to dig under the ground and find themselves in a network of underground caves a short while later, where they are relieved to finally find water.

As Team Rocket are drinking water they spot lots of eyes staring straight at them in the cave, it turns out to be a load of Slowpoke. Meowth spots a sign saying Welcome to the Slowpoke well aka Rainmakers rest, as according to local folklore the Slowpoke that come here have the power to make it rain by yawning. Team Rocket work out that the town nearby must need water from the Slowpoke so they set out to try and catch them all to make money out of their ability to make rain. After a bungled attempt to capture the Slowpoke Meowth states that its time to use their secret weapon.

Meanwhile Ash and friends have spotted Azalea Town which is just in the distance, they also spot a sign that due to drought and water conservation measures all public buildings, schools and the Azalea gym are currently closed. This means that instead of rushing to the gym for his battle Ash now decides to take the GS Ball to Kurt for Professor Oak, as the group walk through the town they spot Slowpoke signs (and Slowpoke) everywhere. Ash treads on a Slowpokes tail by accident and some kid spots Ash and shouts that he hurt a Slowpoke, the townspeople all assume that he attacked it on purpose and chase Ash and gang away. Just then a guy in a Slowpoke costume tells the gang to come into the bushes where he hands them all their own Slowpoke costumes and the group all get dressed up and pose as Slowpoke; just then the angry group of townsfolk arrive, still looking for Ash and friends however the disguises work, and the group disperses.

When the coast is clear the old man in the Slowpoke costume explains to Ash and co why the Slowpoke are so important, and tells the tail that 400 years ago the whole place was dying of drought until a Slowpoke yawn incited rainfall which saved the whole town. Ever since that day the people of Azalea town have held the Slowpoke in very high esteem. The old man exclaims that he has forgotten something and runs off into the Slowpoke well nearby; there he spots Team Rocket chasing Slowpoke around in their Diglett Mk. II. They spot the old man and try to catch him, as he’s trying to escape the old man pulls his back.

Ash and co meanwhile ask a little girl where Kurt lives and she points at the house they happen to be right outside, but no ones home. The little girl turns out to be Kurt’s granddaughter and she explains that Kurt overheard a funny noise coming from the Slowpoke well, which he went to investigate. The group decide to go and take a look, on arrival to the cave the group find the man in the Slowpoke costume on the ground who tells them about a giant robot capturing the Slowpoke.

Team Rocket spot Ash and friends and take the opportunity to emerge from the Diglett Mk. II for their intro before continuing to capture more and more Slowpoke in nets, explaining that they plan on selling water to the nearby town. The old man is too injured to do anything and begs Ash and friends to stop Team Rocket. Ash is about to instruct Pikachu to attack but James points out that the whole cave is covered in water so it would electrocute the Slowpoke too. Ash sends out Heracross next who flips Team Rockets machine with an impressive toss, but it returns fire and knocks Heracross out. Team Rocket escape via an underground tunnel.

All of the remaining Slowpoke gather and head outside to the clifftops where they all begin yawning one by one, and sure enough the heavens open and some serious rain starts to fall, flooding the Slowpoke cave and the tunnel that Team Rocket escaped via. The water catches up to the Diglett Mk. II and destroys it. Team Rocket emerge from the wreckage of their latest robotic device only to be confronted by Ash and Pikachu, Pikachu’s thundershock sending them blasting off.

The kidnapped Slowpoke are now free and reunite with their friends on the clifftops. Azalea town’s drought is over, and the previously arid fields have crops once more. The man offers the group a tour of the town but the group politely decline stating that they really need to go find Kurt, its then that he reveals that he IS Kurt. The group are now considered heroes in the town, and the townspeople realise that Ash stepping on the Slowpokes tail was infact an accident.

Major Events

• Azalea Town
• Kurt & Maizie debut
• Gym temporarily closed
• New ED *Exciting Pokémon Relay*
• Last S03 episode aired in Finland/Sweden

Trivia

• The English title plays on "a shadow of a doubt", for the legend of the drought-ending Slowpoke.
• The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Slowpoke in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Pineco in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• New Japanese ending: Exciting Pokémon Relay (Rikako Aikawa).
• Pokémon Karaokémon: “You & Me & Pokémon” (Élan Rivera & PJ Lequerica).

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