TB024: Haunter vs. Kadabra

, formerly titled Haunter Versus Kadabra, is the 24th episode of of of , Season 1 of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Unbeknownst to Ash, one of the ghost Pokémon decides to join Ash and friends on their journey and more importantly help Ash battle the powerful Saffron City Gym Leader. Ash returns to Saffron City with one goal, to win a gold badge. The scene is set and Ash and the young girl are once again face to face when suddenly, Ash's ghost Pokémon is nowhere to be found. Feeling completely humiliated, Ash leaves the gym. Brock and Misty are left behind and as a result, the young girl uses her powers to turn them into miniature dolls, rendering them helpless. The mysterious man from Ash's previous encounter with this baffling Gym Leader shows up providing Ash with some information that could ultimately be the key to defeating her. Determined to rescue Brock and Misty, Ash returns to the Saffron City Gym ready to do what it takes to win and save his friends. Just when his attempt seems hopeless, the ghost Pokémon shows up with a unique combative technique. Will this be enough to rescue Ash's friends as well as the young Gym Leader from her dark and lonely world?
==Episode plot==
Returning to Saffron City, Ash and company make their way toward the Gym where Ash asks Haunter to lend him its strength. Ash, with his Pokemon head into the stadium. Brock is not certain that this is a good idea. He worries that Ash is being controlled by the Haunter. As the battle is set to begin, Sabrina reiterates her threat should he fail and calls him to choose his Pokémon. Ash chooses Haunter, but it does not come out. He freaks out, realizing Haunter has ditched him at the last moment. He attempts to call out Pikachu, but Pikachu refuses to battle. All of Ash's other Pokémon also refuse. Seeing that there is no way for him to battle her, Ash attempts to excuse himself from the infuriated Sabrina, trying to escape quickly alongside Misty and Brock. But before he can, Sabrina turns Misty and Brock into dolls. However, once more, they're saved by the Mysterious Man who teleports them out. On the outside, Ash questions how Sabrina could be so cruel, and is then told by the man that she wasn't always like this, and that her powers ruined her relationship with her parents, causing her to develop a split personality. He assumes that Ash has already figured it out due to seeing the picture in the toy box, so he tells him flatly that he s Sabrina's father. Ash is surprised by this, thinking that he was the camera man. Sabrina's father asks him where his Ghost-type Pokémon is, and Ash states that it ran out on him just as the battle began. But he steels his determination, and goes off to find it. As he searches for the city, Team Rocket plots how to catch Pikachu. However, they are startled by Haunter and fall from their high perch. Ash convinces Haunter to come back with him to the gym. Brock and Misty, still as dolls, meet another doll that is revealed to be Sabrina's Mother, who insists that Sabrina isn't bad. Just misguided. Ash once more returns to challenge her. Sabrina takes Brock and Misty out to watch. Once more, Ash summons Haunter, but once again, it does not appear. A despairing Ash has all but accepted his fate, but Pikachu steps forward to fight, knowing it is likely to lose. It is then that Haunter appears and begins to make faces and attempt to make Sabrina laugh. Eventually, it succeeds, and Sabrina busts out laughing. Because of this, Sabrina's Kadabra also falls over laughing, and Sabrina's father declares Ash the winner. Brock and Misty are returned to normal. They proceed to continue their journey, making their way to Celadon City.
==Debuts==
===Character===
*Sabrina's mother
===Move===
*Psybeam
*Recover
===Item===
*Marsh Badge
==Trivia==
*The book Night in the Haunted Tower is based on this episode.
*The Marsh Badge that Ash earns in this episode is his fourth badge. However, from the traditional sequence of gyms, the Marsh Badge is officially the sixth badge that the player earns in the games. However, this is only because the player cannot access Saffron City until a later point in the game, and there was no "road block" in Ash's way. 
*Despite the episode's name, Kadabra and Haunter did not battle each other due to Haunter not being fond of fighting.
*Lisa Ortiz provides the voices for both Sabrina and her mother.
*"Who's that Pokémon?" Haunter (JA, EN and KO)
*In the episode, Jessie says that Albert Einstein invented the light bulb, when in reality it was Thomas Edison.
**Super Smash Bros. Pikachu's voice clips for Thunderbolt were sourced from this episode.
* It is implied that Pikachu knew that Haunter was up to something before Ash's third battle against Sabrina started, which was possibly why it was willing to fight Kadabra again.
** Haunter may have secretly told Pikachu about its plan, but didn't fully explain it.
===Mistakes===
*In one scene, Charmander's stomach is orange instead of white.
*When Ash decides to battle Kadabra, his eyes turn hazel colored.
===Dub differences===
*In the dub, Brock claims he is allergic to ghosts, while in the Japanese version, Brock says that he cannot get used to Ash's new friend.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a badge
Category:Episodes featuring Gym Battles
Category:Episodes in which a main character releases or gives away a Pokémon