Whiscash and Ash – Pokémon Season 7, Episode 35

Filler / stand-alone episodeMaster Ball debutGiant Whiscash

Whiscash and Ash is the 35th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 348th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 351, Bulbapedia code AG075). It first aired in Japan on 6 May 2004 and in the United States on 23 April 2005. It falls within the season’s Littleroot to Rubello: Oak, Bulbasaur & the R1 Contest stretch (EP71–EP78).

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

Synopsis

While resting by a lake, Ash polishes his Badge Case and reminisces about his five Hoenn Gym battles, until a gigantic Whiscash leaps out of the water and swallows the case whole. Corphish is easily beaten when it tries to fight, and Ash dives in after the case and almost drowns. He is rescued by Sullivan, a fisherman who calls himself a fishing legend and has spent decades trying to catch this very Whiscash, which he calls Nero. Max accidentally insults him, but Ash and May restore his pride by agreeing that he is indeed a legend. Sullivan lends the group his equipment and teaches them the “art of angling”. Nobody catches much until Max, casting perfectly on his first try to Sullivan’s annoyance, hooks a Whiscash that turns out not to be Nero.

Nero then surfaces beside it and taunts Ash by showing off the Badge Case. Nearby, Team Rocket are fishing with James’s bottle caps as lures; a Feebas bites Jessie’s hair, so Meowth suggests using her hair as the bait. Sullivan senses Nero again but lands only a Magikarp. Then Ash hooks the giant, which drags the boat towards the rocks. Corphish’s Crabhammer launches Ash onto the rocks and frees the boat, and Ash hauls Nero out of the water. Grovyle attacks, but the enormous Whiscash simply laughs. Team Rocket then net Nero in the middle of the fight and try to escape in a reinforced balloon, but the Pokémon is too heavy, and Water Guns from Brock’s Mudkip and Lombre together with Grovyle’s Bullet Seed bring the balloon down.

Ash takes on Team Rocket with Pikachu and Grovyle, Nero breaks free of the net and shakes the shore with Earthquake, and Pikachu’s Thunder blasts the villains away. The smoke makes Nero cough up Ash’s Badge Case with all five Badges safely inside. Now Sullivan has his chance. His Flaaffy, Hannah, dodges Nero’s attacks and wears it down with Dynamic Punch and Iron Tail, although Thunder Shock has no effect on the part-Ground-type. Sullivan then produces a Master Ball from his cloak and throws it, the first time the anime has shown one, but Nero swallows the ball whole and swims off. Undaunted, Sullivan declares that tomorrow is another day, and the group say goodbye and continue towards Fortree City. In a final scene, Nero is seen in the depths balancing the Master Ball on its tongue.

Major Events

• The giant Whiscash Nero swallows Ash’s Badge case
• The fisherman Sullivan
• First Master Ball in the anime, swallowed by Nero
• Last aired episode in which Earthquake is used
• Whiscash and Feebas debut

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Whiscash#0340 · AG075
• Feebas#0349 · AG075

Trivia

• The English title plays on the rhyme of Whiscash and Ash.
• The screenplay is by Shōji Yonemura.
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Hoenn story.

Changes in the English Dub

• The Poké Ball emblem on Ash’s Badge case redrawn
• Pokémon Trainer’s Choice (dub only, in place of Who’s That Pokémon?): which Pokémon evolves into Vigoroth? Answer: Slakoth

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