EP144

Gettin' The Bugs Out (Japanese: ヒワダジム！もりのバトルフィールド！！ Gym! Forest Battlefield!!) is the 144th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on April 20, 2000, and in the United States on March 17, 2001. 
==Blurb==
When Ash reaches the Hive Gym, he has just the Pokémon to challenge the Gym Leader's Bug Pokémon. But what's this? Cyndaquil, the Fire Pokémon can't get its burners going.
==Plot==
As and walk to the Azalea Gym, , posing as a reporter and using her canteen as a microphone, stops and asks Ash how the will go. When Ash declares that he will be victorious, Misty points out that it may be a hard match without on his team. Ash retorts that he still has to provide him with plenty of firepower.
The group soon enters the Gym, which resembles a forest garden. Misty becomes immediately anxious and soon enough her worst fears are confirmed as a dangles in front of her face. She freaks out and runs away only to come face to face with a horde of . Misty runs again, crouching down to catch her breath before declaring that the Gym is more like a torture chamber. Her criticism is overheard by a boy sitting in a tree. He declares that his favorite type of Pokémon are s and calls Misty ignorant. His comments irritate Misty. The boy asks who Ash and his friends are and Ash announces that he wishes to challenge the Azalea Gym Leader. The boy reveals that he is Bugsy, the Gym Leader, and a Bug-type specialist. Bugsy accepts Ash's challenge, and then asks Ash to help him out of the tree. Ash sets the ladder up and Bugsy climbs down before declaring that he accidentally knocked it because of Ash and his friends' unexpected arrival.
Meanwhile, outside the Gym, is planning on stealing . They disguise themselves as plants; Jessie as a flower, James as a tree and as a bit of grass. James's Victreebel lets out a shrill cry alerting the Bug Pokémon to their presence, and soon enough the Pokémon use to tie them up.
Ash arrives at the battlefield, which appears flat and surrounded by trees. The battle judge announces the battle's conditions; each may use up to three Pokémon each. Before the match starts, Bugsy tells Ash a saying about Bug Pokémon, but this only confuses Ash. Misty and Brock watch from the sidelines, noting that Bugsy is truly Bug obsessed. Bugsy then starts the match and sends out his , while Ash sends out Cyndaquil with the obvious type advantage. Ash hopes to use Cyndaquil's fire attacks, but it still appears tired and has no flame on it back. Bugsy has Spinarak use String Shot to cover the field, ensnaring Cyndaquil in the sticky thread. Ash orders Cyndaquil to attack with , but feeble smoke comes out instead. Spinarak attacks with , landing a direct hit on Cyndaquil. Ash then decides to recall Cyndaquil to its before another Poison Sting hits.
Ash is aware of the type disadvantage, but sends out anyway. Chikorita appears from its Poké Ball, giving Ash a hug. Bugsy questions Ash's decision to use the type, but Ash retorts that his choices are based on instinct. Misty and Brock remain skeptical, though they are also aware of Ash’s unconventional strategies. The battle resumes, and Spinarak makes the first move, a Sting Shot attack. Chikorita manages to dodge it and replies with a . Spinarak, however, uses its threads to evade the attack and reach a nearby tree. Spinarak then swings from tree to tree using its String Shot. Ash orders Chikorita to focus in and use Vine Whip, though Spinarak continues to dodge. Spinarak uses Poison Sting, but Ash has Chikorita counter the attack with . Chikorita then catches Spinarak off guard with her and follows up with a , winning Ash the round. Bugsy is surprised, while Chikorita is overjoyed with her victory and hugs Ash as a result. Meanwhile, Team Rocket continue plotting and they settle on digging a pitfall trap to capture Pikachu.
Bugsy then sends out Metapod much to Ash's surprise. Misty and Brock urge Ash to be cautious and note that Metapod must be strong otherwise Bugsy wouldn't use it in a Gym battle. Ash reassures them that he will be fine and then has Chikorita use Vine Whip. Metapod uses to increase its s and blocks the attack. Chikorita tries a , but no avail with another Harden. Bugsy tells his Metapod to jump and use Tackle, surprising Ash and knocking out Chikorita.
With Pikachu's nod of approval, Ash sends him out on to the field. Metapod uses Tackle and Pikachu avoids it which causes the Tackle to stir up a cloud of dust. Pikachu avoids another Tackle from Metapod, causing it to land into a tree. The resulting falling leaves allows Metapod to camouflage itself and seemingly vanished. Pikachu listens for Metapod and he dodges its Tackle. Metapod jumps and uses Tackle again, which Pikachu avoids by using . Pikachu then latches onto Metapod's back and delivers the finishing blow, a close range . Bugsy recalls Metapod to its Poké Ball and thanks it for its efforts.
Before Bugsy sends out his third and final Pokémon, he informs Ash that no Trainer has reached the last round in a while. Bugsy then sends out his . Ash has Pikachu use Agility, though Scyther remains standing on the spot. Underground, Meowth uses a stethoscope and reports to his teammates that Pikachu appears to have stopped moving. The trio then recites their to a bongo beat before breaking the surface with their shovel. James pokes his head out of the hole and is faced with Scyther's leg. Pikachu unleashes a Thunderbolt and Scyther dodges it using a , but Team Rocket is accidentally struck by the attack instead. Bugsy then tells Scyther to use . Pikachu unleashes a Thunderbolt to blast Scyther's Double Team, but they all disappear much to Pikachu's surprise. The real Scyther then appears behind Pikachu and knocks him out after an onslaught of attacks.
Ash is now forced to send out Cyndaquil, who looks tired from its battle with Spinarak. Scyther uses Fury Cutter while Cyndaquil dodges and its back bursts with blaring flames. Scyther tries Double Team while it uses another Fury Cutter, this time faster than the other Fury Cutter, while Cyndaquil is still able to dodge. This gets Cyndaquil really fired up and Cyndaquil uses Flamethrower, which got rid of Scyther's Double Team, but the real Scyther deflects it by using and hits Cyndaquil. Bugsy explains that he developed strategies like Scyther's Swords Dance to combat its weaknesses. Ash considers his next move before the battle resumes. Scyther approaches with another Fury Cutter, but as soon as Ash commands Cyndaquil to use Flamethrower he has Scyther perform Swords Dance. Ash replies with his strategy, he has Cyndaquil jump into the air and go into a spin above Scyther. Cyndaquil then unleashes a powerful Flamethrower which engulfs Scyther. The damage stops Scyther's Swords Dance and Cyndaquil then Tackles its opponent to the ground. The referee says Scyther is unable to battle and declares Ash victorious. Bugsy congratulates Ash on overcoming his strategies and gives him the to commemorate the win. Ash poses with his second Johto League Badge overall. Bugsy then asks Ash for a rematch if he returns to Azalea Town, and Ash gladly accepts the challenge. The pair shake hands before Ash and his friends leave to continue their .
When Ash and his friends are about to leave Azalea Town, they realize that they forgot something, and are quick to remember the Apricorns that they had left with Kurt. As if on cue, Maizie runs towards them with three Poké Balls made from their Apricorns: two Lure Balls and a Heavy Ball. Ash and Misty decide to take a Lure Ball each, while Brock settles for the Heavy Ball. Maizie thanks Ash and his friends for delivering the GS Ball to Kurt, who will continue to investigate it, before waving goodbye to the group. Overnight, Team Rocket peer from their hole to see if anyone is around, but they find themselves surrounded by the Azalea Gym's angry Bug Pokémon.
==Major events==
* and arrive at the Azalea Gym and meet the local Gym Leader, Bugsy.
* Ash's Chikorita is revealed to know .
* Ash defeats Bugsy in a Gym battle and earns the .
* Ash and Misty both receive a Lure Ball and Brock receives a Heavy Ball from Kurt.
* Ash and his friends leave Azalea Town.
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Bugsy
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* Jessie
* James
* Bugsy
* Maizie
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international), (Japan)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Bugsy's)
* (Bugsy's)
* ()
* (Azalea Gym's; multiple)
* (Azalea Gym's; multiple)
* (Azalea Gym's; multiple)
* (Azalea Gym's; multiple)
==Trivia==
* Although and will both eventually use their Lure Balls that they receive in this episode, the Heavy Ball that receives is never actually used, nor is it even mentioned again after this episode.
* This episode marks the physical debut of the Lure and Heavy Balls.
* tries to capture by digging underground while Ash is in a Gym . This happens in two future episodes as well.
** This episode and the latter one mentioned above both involve Ash's battle against the second Gym Leader of the region introduced in an even-numbered generation, and both their Badges allow the player to use .
** Also when underground, Team Rocket recites a variation of their .
* Team Rocket does not blast off in this episode.
* This episode was partially adapted into the book Secrets of the GS Ball.
* In the original Japanese version, Team Rocket sings their motto to the beat of Pokémon Ondo in the background. 
===Errors===
* The episode blurb incorrectly refers to the Azalea Gym as the "Hive Gym". This may be a confusion with the Badge it offers, the .
* At one point, Ash says, "I'll save for later, and use Pikachu now." Chikorita had just been defeated—he meant to say .
* Bugsy commands Spinarak to use Poison String instead of .
* On occasion throughout the episode, Misty would talk and 's lips would move, but it would not be talking.
* In the English dub, Ash commands Chikorita to use Sweet Smell on , when the actual move is . This may be a translation error, as the move's Japanese name can also mean "Sweet Smell".
===Dub edits===
* Pokémon Karaokémon: Song of Jigglypuff
==In other languages==
Category:Episodes animated by Yūsaku Takeda
Category:Episodes directed by Shigeru Ōmachi
Category:Episodes in which Ash gets a Badge
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Kazu Yokota
Category:Episodes with Gym battles
Category:Episodes written by Shōji Yonemura
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
144
de:Die Arena von Azalea City!
es:EP146
fr:EP144
it:OA028
ja:無印編第144話
zh:宝可梦 第145集