ZigZag Zangoose! – Pokémon Season 7, Episode 8

Filler / stand-alone episodeNicholai returnsZangoose vs Seviper

ZigZag Zangoose! is the 8th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 321st episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 324, Bulbapedia code AG048). It first aired in Japan on 23 October 2003 and in the United States on 23 October 2004. It falls within the season’s Across the desert: the Winstrates, Skitty, Zangoose & the other Max stretch (EP46–EP49).

Aired in the US on 23 October 2004, exactly one year after its Japanese premiere, as the second half of a double bill with I Feel Skitty!.

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

Synopsis

On their way to Fallarbor Town, a Zangoose runs by Ash and the gang. What appears to be a talking Zangoose, runs up to the Zangoose and starts talking to it. The talking Zangoose is just a person in a Zangoose costume. The trainer in the costume is Nicholai.

Nicholai challenged the Petalburg Gym, and he lost. After a bit of a story, Ash challenges Nicholai. Nicholai chooses Marshtomp and Ash chooses Treecko. Marshtomp leads with Water Gun and Treecko dodges and counters with Quick Attack. Treecko stops mid attack and gets hit with a Mud shot. Treecko gets back up and uses Bullet Seed, then uses Pound, to finish Marshtomp off.

Team Rocket is hiding in the bushes and plans of stealing Pikachu. Jessie chooses Seviper and tells Seviper to grab Pikachu when Ash isn’t looking. Nicholai’s next Pokemon is Zangoose. Ash keeps Treecko out. Zangoose goes to set up a Swords Dance, but runs off to Jessie’s Seviper. Team Rocket gives their spiel, and Zangoose and Seviper fight each other. Meowth insults Seviper, and Seviper hits Meowth so hard, he crashes into Jessie and James and they fall into a river. Seviper and Zangoose eventually fall into a river too. Ash sends out Corphish to attack Seviper and help Zangoose. Ash and the gang help Zangoose back to the camp and Brock makes soup for Zangoose. Nicholai wants to train for another battle with Seviper, so him and Ash dress up as Zangoose and Seviper respectively, and have a battle. Skitty lets itself out again to play with Ash’s Seviper tail. Zangoose hears Seviper’s voice and goes after it.

Jessie has a sound system with two microphones for herself and Seviper. She’s trying to bait Zangoose out to battle. Zangoose takes the bait and Seviper is ready to battle. While Ash and the gang are distracted, Meowth and James grab Pikachu. Pikachu tries to use Thunder, but the cage Pikachu’s in doesn’t conduct electricity. Jessie tells James and Meowth to go away and Ash and the gang chase after them.

Jessie tries to have Cacnea attack them and he uses Pin Missile. Meowth does the mantra with James and they think it went well. Ash runs in to grab Pikachu and Cacnea uses Sandstorm. Ash crashes into the cage and sends Pikachu flying. Jessie’s Seviper uses Bite, Zangoose dodges and Seviper uses Poison Tail. Zangoose dodges successfully. Jessie tells Seviper to attack, but Pikachu lands in the middle of the fight. Ash dives to grab Pikachu, but everyone else dog piles on top of him and starts fighting. Wobuffet runs off with Pikachu. Everyone starts chasing Wobuffet. Nicholai tells Zangoose to move in zigzags to evade Seviper. Jessie yells at everyone to stop and tells Seviper to attack. Zangoose also attacks. Seviper uses Poison Tail and Zangoose jumps. Zangoose then uses Crush Claw to finish Seviper off. James sends out Cacnea to use Pin Missile and attack everyone. Pikachu uses Thunder and sends Team Rocket blasting off again.

Ash and Nicholai finish their battle. Nicholai sends out Zigzagoon and Ash chooses Pikachu. Zigzagoon starts practicing its zigzagging.

Major Events

• Nicholai returns, having lost to Norman
• First explanation of the Zangoose–Seviper rivalry
• Cacnea’s Sandstorm and Seviper’s Bite
• Meowth fills in for Jessie in the motto
• The Ash–Nicholai battle is left unresolved again
• Zangoose debuts

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Zangoose#0335 · AG048

Trivia

• The English title plays on the zigzag of Nicholai’s Zigzagoon and the Zangoose’s battle with Seviper.
• The screenplay is by Shinzō Fujita.
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Hoenn story.

Changes in the English Dub

• Pokémon Trainer’s Choice (dub only, in place of Who’s That Pokémon?): which Pokémon is best against Ninjask? Answer: Dewgong (Nosepass was the better choice)

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