RS105: Claydol Big and Tall

is the 13th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Battle.
==Synopsis==
Ash and friends reach a small village, which has maintained for centuries the legend of an ancient destructive power and the lone sage who rose to quell it. Heedless of local warnings, Team Rocket explodes the oversized Poke Ball said to have held this destructive force until this day. When a gigantic Claydol emerges and begins wreaking havoc, however, Jessie, James, and Meowth are the first to run, leaving our heroes to battle alone against this oversized Pokémon, which is seemingly impervious to all regular Pokémon attacks.
==Episode plot==
The heroes continue to wander through Izabe Island. Soon, they spot a statue of a Poké Ball on a top of a cliff. Max points out it is made of stone and it looks quite big, since it is not an ordinary Poké Ball. Brock wants to know story behind it, so an old sage, named Sigourney, comes to tell the story for all who want to learn. He knows the story of the Poké Ball in the Valley of Destruction, but offers them souvenirs, much to their astonishment. However, he still has a book, which records the details before the destruction. He tells them the tale. Long ago, during this destruction, a power was sealed inside the stone Poké Ball. However, the power was released, so the Ball is empty. When the power got out, it laid siege to the island for seven days. A white sage appeared and summoned a stone Poké Ball to seal the power within. This prevented destruction to roam the island once more, which was sealed in a lake. Sigourney promises he'll show them the Poké Ball, but if they are worthy. Everyone raises their hand up, so Sigourney goes to show them through the Izabe Lake. He still offers them the souvenirs, much to the heroes' annoyance.
Team Rocket overheard the story, so they decide to go to the lake before their enemies do. They go inside their balloon and see the Poké Ball in the middle of the lake, so they plan to get the power held within. Sigourney shows them the Poké Ball, but sees Team Rocket hovering in their balloon. He wants to know if Team Rocket is interested in buying the souvenirs, though Ash tells him that they are mean and have no money. Team Rocket objects to the latter, saying the gadgets cost a lot of money. Team Rocket drops the bombs over the stone Poké Ball. Sigourney warns that the power within can destroy the whole world. Just as Meowth goes to release more bombs, the ball begins to crack, revealing that a huge Claydol was kept inside, twenty times than a normal one, according to Sigourney's book. Team Rocket is terrified by its size, but Jessie tells Meowth to capture it, so they release a device to pull it. However, Claydol is very heavy, causing the balloon not to move, so Jessie claims it should be captured, despite its ugliness. Claydol responses by freezing them with Ice Beam, then blasting them off with Hyper Beam. They return on Claydol's head, being terrified they are in danger.
Claydol begins to move and destroys everything with Hyper Beam. Sigourney claims it is not known where Claydol would move to, since its movement is unpredictable. Ash goes to catch it, but the Claydol is too large to be kept inside the Poké Ball. So, Sigourney tells them they need to get it to the mountain peak and bring it into the stone Poké Ball. However, they know that Team Rocket's balloon couldn't lift it, so Sigourney promises he will think of a way. He reads more from the book, which states it is made from mud from the Lake Izabe, so water should hit it hard. While being on Claydol, Jessie demands Claydol to put them back on the ground, while Meowth and James cry for help. Brock sends Mudkip and Lombre, who use Water Gun on the Claydol and stop it. However, Claydol uses Rapid Spin to spin around, blasting Team Rocket away and reflecting the attack back, causing a hole in the wall. Team Rocket falls near the heroes. James whispers to Jessie and Meowth they could pretend to help their allies so they can get Claydol, so they offer help. Ash refuses, but is convinced they need extra help to stop Claydol.
Sigourney reads the book more, and sees they shouldn't use Water-type attacks. Instead, they need to make a food trail, to lure Claydol for the bait to save the village. James and Ash try to lure it by offering eggplants, but fail. Sigourney confirms that Claydol eats eggplants, but they need to be bigger. Brock has an idea and soon, Ash and James are dressed like eggplants. Claydol spots them and follows them, so they run to the peak. Sigourney reads more, realizing Claydol does not love eggplant but hates it more than anything. Ash and James run to a dead end and see Claydol, who is very angry, to the pair's confusion. Brock, Max, and May tell them that Claydol hates eggplant more than anything, so they soon take off their costumes and hide. They soon see Claydol stomping on the costumes and are terrified to know Claydol would've crushed them. Claydol goes to a dead end as well, so it uses Hyper Beam to make a hole so it can pass. The villagers hear the explosion and begin to evacuate their homes.
The heroes and Team Rocket begin to make a new plan. Jessie and Brock wonder why it wants to destroy the village, so Sigourney translates more of the text. It was believed a maiden created Claydol from a material, so Claydol sought her out. To save the village, the sage transformed himself to a beautiful maiden, dancing and singing to lure Claydol out. Jessie is very happy, as she believes she is the maiden. Soon, she, May, Meowth and Wobbuffet begin to play instruments. Jessie is annoyed by the other three, but the others tell her to focus. Sigourney is unsure if the maiden was gorgeous or ugly, so Jessie, Meowth, May and Wobbuffet change their uniforms. Claydol goes to them. The four demonstrate, but Claydol uses its Hyper Beam, Ice Beam and psychic to get rid of Jessie, Meowth and May, so Wobbuffet is the only one standing. May claims the text was wrong, but Sigourney states the text was fine, as it was a stretch to use all four of the maidens. Wobbuffet runs and plays an instrument, while Claydol floats to it, as it fell in love. Jessie thinks Claydol is having eyesight trouble while May wonders if it has a thing for Wobuffet. Sigourney tells them that the sage as a maiden in the book looked a lot like Wobbuffet, although May, Meowth and Jessie doubt him and the text.
When Wobbuffet comes to path, Claydol is needing to be captured inside the stone Poké Ball. However, the Claydol is about to catch it, so Ash sends Swellow to get Wobbuffet. Swellow flies down, but only manages to take Wobbuffet's wig, so Claydol is very angry about that. Wobbuffet runs away, so the gang and Team Rocket release the Poké Ball. However, what they did not count is that it got stuck. Brock sends Mudkip and Lombre to help, who use Water Gun, and along with Pikachu's Thunder, the dent is removed. The ball rolls down ball touches Claydol, takes it and captures it inside. Everyone cheers, but they see Team Rocket trying to get the stone Poké Ball. They try to pull it up, but it is too heavy, so the balloon goes down the mountain with it before the rope cuts and they get blasted off. The stone Poké Ball itself rolls into the lake, at exactly the same place where Claydol was sealed before.
Max wonders if Claydol was a Pokémon at all. Nevertheless, they hope that it is never to be set loose again, and that they will be able to live with it in peace. Sigourney comments there may be a day they could communicate with Claydol, while May wishes Claydol a good rest.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
Claydol
==Trivia==
*Ash is seen wearing his hat backwards after he got out of the eggplant costume.
*This is the last episode where Lucario, Mime Jr., and Weavile appear in the opening.
*This was also the last episode to use Challenger!! as the opening Japanese theme.
*For a short moment, May, Jessie, Meowth, and Wobbuffet play a song similar to Lugia's tune in The Power of One.
*An instrumental of Advance Adventure was used, as well as a sample of The Legend Comes to Life from Pokémon the Movie 2000 - The Power of One.
*This episode's dub title is a pun on the term "Standing big and tall".
===Mistakes===
* Once again, in Pokémon Trainer's Choice, Flaaffy is misspelled as Flaafy, as well as Cleffa and Togepi being incorrectly (formerly correctly) classified as types, due to the type being introduced three Generations later in Generation VI.
* Sigourney states that the picture of a maiden may have been a printing error, but the text is ancient and therefore couldn't have been printed.
==Gallery==
==References==