Wheel of Frontier (Japanese: バトルアリーナ！格闘対決！！, Hepburn: The Battle Arena! Fighting Showdown!!) is the 4th episode of Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
Synopsis[]
Ash is about to reach the Battle Arena, but Team Rocket has gotten there ahead of him! They're pretending to be students of Greta, the Arena Tycoon, but the curriculum is a little too tough for them. Will this trick really let them get their hands on Ash's Pikachu? Meanwhile, Ash runs into Scott, who tells him that Greta prefers Fighting-type Pokémon. This gives Ash an idea...[1]
Scott and Ash show up at the Battle Arena, where Greta has Ash spin a wheel to determine how many Pokémon they'll battle with. Ash spins a two, so Greta's Hariyama and Medicham will face off against Ash's Grovyle and Snorlax, who Ash brought back just for this battle. Grovyle is fast, but Hariyama uses its speed against it and Grovyle is soon knocked out. Ash sends out Snorlax and uses a defensive strategy to defeat Hariyama, whose powerful punches aren't as damaging to the big Pokémon. Greta's Medicham could be a different story, though!
Team Rocket is accidentally revealed during the Pokémon battle, but Pikachu zaps them before they can do anything. Then it's right back to the battle, where Medicham's attacks are proving to be pretty dangerous to Snorlax. After some close calls, Ash hits on a novel idea: have Snorlax use Hyper Beam to propel itself into the air and land on Medicham! This wins Ash the battle—and a shiny new Frontier Symbol! Greta tells Ash that the next stop on the Battle Frontier is the Battle Dome, and he's soon on his way!
Episode plot[]
The gang has nearly reached the Battle Arena. Ash is prepared, while Scott greets them. Team Rocket is practicing with other students at an academy. Their plan is not to attract attention, as they may have a better chance at capturing Pikachu. A woman and a man tell them to get back to work. For their punishment, they must balance bowls on their heads and shoulders while they do the crouch stance. This makes them more tired and they fall down and has to clean up the mess they made. The man comes to the woman, telling that Scott found a challenger for her to battle. Scott tells Ash the woman is Greta, a Frontier Brain. She uses Hariyama and Medicham, inspired by the Gym Leaders Brawly from Hoenn and Chuck from Johto region.
As they go out, Ash begins to think and realizes something, telling the others to go ahead. Later, they all came to the Battle Arena. Ash shouts, but Scott yells that they came to challenge, to which the doors open. They enter and Greta introduces herself as Arena Tycoon. Scott introduces Ash to her as the challenger. They want to begin already, so Greta tells him to spin the wheel, depending on how many Pokémon he will battle. Ash spins and the result is a 2-on-2 battle. Jessie and Meowth see the gang, so they plan to capture Pikachu, though James tells them they have to clean the place, so their plans will have to wait. The battle is about to start - Greta sends Hariyama and Medicham, while Ash his Grovyle, and surprisingly, Snorlax.
Greta decides to use Hariyama first, so Ash picks Grovyle. Grovyle starts with Quick Attack, so Hariyama charges with Arm Thrust. Grovyle evades and uses Bullet Seed, but Hariyama blocks with Arm Thrust. Hariyama charges again with Arm Thrust, but Grovyle dodges and counter-attacks with Bullet Seed, but misses. Grovyle goes to dodge, but Hariyama grabs and slam it to the ground then pounds it with Arm Thrust. Grovyle uses Quick Attack, so Hariyama decides to stop it, but with such speed, it misses, so Grovyle attacks with Leaf Blade. Grovyle goes to end with another Leaf Blade, but Hariyama uses Focus Punch, pushing Grovyle to the ceiling and defeating it. Greta compliments Ash on his tactics, but he tells her he just started the battle.
So, Ash sends Snorlax while Greta continues to use Hariyama. Hariyama starts with Arm Thrust, but it is not effective as Snorlax use Protect to defend itself. Hariyama uses Arm Thrust, but Snorlax evades and uses Headbutt, hitting Hariyama. Hariyama uses Focus Punch, and with the attack, it knocks Snorlax out, even if it use Protect. Hariyama uses Focus Punch, but Snorlax evades, with Hariyama's hand being hurt. Snorlax freezes and defeats Hariyama with Ice Punch. Greta sends her final Pokémon, Medicham. Jessie plans now to capture Pikachu, but Meowth tells James and her to wait for a little longer.
Medicham starts with Focus Punch, so Snorlax protects itself, though Snorlax is pushed away. Medicham uses Hi Jump Kick, attacking Snorlax. Snorlax stands up, though with little energy left inside it. Medicham uses Focus Punch, so Snorlax counters with Hyper Beam, but misses, so Medicham attacks it. Snorlax is knocked away onto Team Rocket, pushing them to the battle field and revealing themselves out of the student costume. After their motto, they charge to get Pikachu, but he blasts them off with Thunderbolt. Greta and Ash continue their battle where they left off.
Medicham charges, so Snorlax uses Ice Punch, but Medicham uses the same move, so Snorlax is frozen. Snorlax is using Rest inside the ice, restoring its energy, while Medicham uses Focus Punch to break the ice. After some time, Medicham has broken enough ice to free Snorlax's head. Medicham uses Hi Jump Kick, destroying the rest of the ice. Medicham uses Hi Jump Kick once more, but Snorlax wakes up and dodges. Snorlax uses Hyper Beam, but Medicham dodges and charges with Focus Punch, hitting it. Snorlax goes to use Hyper Beam, but cannot due to the effects of the attack it just used. Medicham pounds Snorlax with Focus Punches, hurting it badly. Medicham charges with a final Focus Punch, but Snorlax uses Hyper Beam on the ground and is pushed up and goes down, using Body Slam to defeat Medicham. Ash wins this battle.
At the end of the day, Scott and Greta compliment Ash's battle skills, while he tells them he hadn't had such fun for a long time. Greta gives him the Guts Symbol, a proof he fought in the Battle Arena. Scott gives Ash directions to the next Frontier Brain where he resides in Battle Dome, south of Lavender Town. Greta wants Ash to keep up the fire spirit when battling, so he makes this promise before he lives the place.
Debuts[]
Pokémon[]
Trivia[]
- This episode's name is a pun on the term "Wheel of Fortune".
- Ash's Snorlax temporarily rejoins his team since "GS138: Better Eight Than Never".
Cultural references[]
- The crouch pose that Team Rocket has to do with the cups is in essence, similar to Jackie Chan's movie, Drunken Master; including the breaking of the cups at the end.
Mistakes[]
- Greta instructs her Medicham to "use dodge" as if it was a Move.
- When Ash brought his Pokémon, he had shoes on, but later, they were removed.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ (n.d.) . "Wheel of Frontier | Pokémon TV (pokemon.com)". From The Official Pokémon Website | Pokemon.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024.
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| See also | ||
| Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire | ||