GS069: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic (Japanese: テッポウオのそら！, Hepburn: Remoraid's Sky!) is the 28th episode of Pokémon: Johto League Champions.

Synopsis

While en route to Olivine City, Ash and co. take a trip to Remoraid Mountain to investigate strange lights appearing there. There they also meet an artist named Mr. Gan Gogh who wishes to see a sight he saw when he was younger: the Remoraid Lights. He was well prepared to draw all the colors, maybe a bit too well prepared. Will he be able to complete his life's work?

Episode Plot

The heroes enter a hot valley, where they get thirsty. Ash goes to take a sip from his canteen, but is out of water. Brock wishes there was a river where they'd swim. Team Rocket see the twerps and think they are thirsty, too. Jessie goes to drink water, but her canteen is empty, so she bashes James and Meowth for drinking the water without her. Still, they wish they have some water. As the heroes are exhausted, they notice some lights in the sky. Brock looks on the map and the lights should be over a mountain. He notices the Pokémon Center nearby, so the heroes go there. Team Rocket also see the lights and go to follow the twerps. As the lights disappear, Meowth thinks it was a mirage, but Jessie thinks it was real and orders Meowth and James to follow the twerps, while she cheers a happy song.

The heroes come to a site with ancient buildings. Brock reads it was a civilization that used the trees around to build buildings, but Ash knows they haven't seen any of trees in miles. Misty notices a coffin belonging to a Pokémon. Joy appears and corrects her to be a fossil of Remoraid. However, the Remoraid have not been seen in centuries, since lakes and rivers dried out. Joy remembers well the civilization (which Brock remembers as Collossal Tree People, causing Joy to see he is knowledgable) named themselves as Remoraidians, since they liked Remoraid. They used trees from the forests to build buildings and statues to preserve their civilization. However, lakes and rivers dried away, the land became dust. Soon, the civilization migrated, as they couldn't live on this land. However, she had reports of flowers growing, so she came to investigate and found that fact is true.

The heroes introduce themselves and Joy tells Ash what he a cutie is (causing Ash to blush). Misty and Brock are surprised, then fall down as Joy meant Pikachu. She sees he is thirsty, so they go to the center to drink some water. Team Rocket heard that, so Jessie and James disguise as archaeologists, otherwise they'd be thrown out. Since Meowth is not a one, they have a plan to make another disguise for him. The heroes drink water and wonder where it comes from. Joy shows them an underground lake, which is filled by the water that comes as a river every dozen years. A man comes and Joy introduces him as Mr. Gan Gogh, an artist. He tells he came to see the rainbow lights, which happen every twelve years. He remembers 24 years ago he tried to paint the sight using 7 colors, but failed. He tried using 12 colors, but did not complete. This year, however, he has 251 colors. Ash thinks he is going to paint the lights they saw, causing Gan Gogh to shake him and asking what does he know about it, causing Ash to faint from all the shaking.

Comparing Gan Gogh's and the heroes' viewings, Joy points at the top of the Remoraid Mountain, the Remoraid Lake, where it is said the Remoraid that live there are impossible to be captured. Misty wonders why'd they be harder to be caught, and how can they live without water. Team Rocket appears as archaeologists (with Meowth being wrapped as a mini-mummy), who report they are here to study the ruins. They refresh by drinking the water, while Meowth tells them to give water. Jessie and James think the water will revive the mummy, so spray Meowth with water. Suddenly, the lights appear, so Gan Gogh goes to make a sketch. However, the lights quickly disappear, causing Gan Gogh to be sad. Joy advises him to go investigate on the Remoraid Lake. The heroes agree with her, while Jessie and James tell they will go with them to discover facts. Near the top, they see grass and flowers.

The night came and with that, the temperature drops. However, at the lake, they see a giant crystal boulder, size of a skyscraper. Team Rocket goes to take advantage of it. Jessie breaks a part of it and gives it to Meowth for inspection. Meowth tastes it and realizes it is ice. He is angered as it might've been poisoned, but appreciates he is the first to taste it. Since that did not work out, James sneaks and takes Pikachu. The heroes noticed that, as well as Team Rocket taking their disguises off. Jessie sends Arbok and Ash goes to battle, but Gan Gogh goes instead, wanting to protect the phenomenon. He sends Venusaur, who gets tackled. However, Venusaur throws Arbok off on Team Rocket, causing them to be knocked out. Pikachu is freed. Team Rocket goes to strike together, but get blasted off by Venusaur's Solarbeam. Gan Gogh tells that he is inspired by the Remoraid Lights and did not do battling for a lot of time after seeing them.

The sun rises and the water begins to flow from the ground. The heroes see Remoraid emerging, as they use Water Gun and Ice Beam on the crystal, turning it into a pillar. Misty goes to catch one, but the Remoraid unite as a group, preventing the Poké Ball from catching, since it cannot absorb a group of Pokémon. Team Rocket appear once more and use a net to capture Remoraid. Gan Gogh has a feeling the Remoraid will free themselves. Indeed, they use Water Gun to bounce off, allowing themselves to be freed, causing Team Rocket to blast off. The sun melts the ice, causing the water to be refracted, so it is why the lights appear. Joy sees the Remoraid stayed behind and when the river flows once more, the Remoraid come out to replenish, then come back to the lake. Gan Gogh sees that instead of pursuing the lights, he pursued Pokémon. Ash tells he did not paint the colors. Gan Gogh admits that he came to paint that, but he got experience, which is much more valued. The heroes see the Pokémon are mysterious, but can be beautiful as well.

Debuts

Character

Mr. Gan Gogh

Pokémon

Remoraid

Trivia

• Mr. Gan Gogh was named after Vincent Van Gogh, a famous artist.
• The "Who's that Pokémon?" is Sunflora.

Gallery

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