EP251

Beauty is Skin Deep (Japanese: イブキとミニリュウ！ and !) is the 251st episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on June 6, 2002, and in the United States on May 31, 2003. 
==Blurb==
Finally reaching the outskirts of Blackthorn City, Ash pushes to quickly seek out the gym where he hopes to earn his final Johto badge. Before he has the opportunity, he chances into a Dratini and learns that its eager trainer, Clair, is in fact the Blackthorn Gym leader. Ash's attempt to challenge her to a duel—and Brock's attempts at getting her phone number—are both cut short when Team Rocket arrives, intent on stealing the Gym Leader's Dratini right out from under her. After dispatching with these hapless villains, Ash secures Clair's promise to face him in her gym. Cheerfully Ash and friends march the last few miles into the city.
==Plot==
Having nearly arrived at Blackthorn City, and find a curled up and sleeping underneath a tree. However, when they try to get a closer look, a appears and keeps them at bay using a . A mysterious woman appears, threatening them if they try to harm the Dratini. She introduces herself as Clair and explains that her Gyarados was simply trying to protect her Dratini. However, when Dratini begins swimming away, Clair and Gyarados leave in pursuit. Ash runs into her elderly assistant, Kaburagi, who informs them that Clair is the Blackthorn Gym Leader, and must perform a ritual with the Dragon Fang. As they follow Clair and her Dratini upstream, Kaburagi reveals the local history: an unidentified Pokémon had terrorized local residents until it was defeated by the , who took one of its fangs as a sign of victory. Since then, the Dragon Fang has been handed down through generations, and today is the day that they must perform a purification ritual.
Meanwhile, , further upstream, is relaxing when Dratini passes by. Jessie is enamored by the Dratini, hoping to catch one for herself. As James sends out , they are suddenly doused in Gyarados's Hydro Pump, and soon come face-to-face with Clair. When Team Rocket tries to threaten her, she has her Gyarados use another Hydro Pump to send them blasting off. Meanwhile, Ash and company, with Kaburagi, manage to make up their ground with Clair. Kaburagi implores Clair to return in time for the ritual, but Clair objects, seeing as Dratini is preparing to shed its skin, a point in which Dratini are the most vulnerable. When Dratini leaves, Clair and Gyarados follow, and Ash and his friends have no choice but to follow them and let Dratini shed its skin before preparing for the ritual. Team Rocket, intent on stealing Dratini, is also in pursuit. James contends that Dratini would fetch a high price either on the open market or as a gift to , but Jessie is adamant that she is keeping Dratini for herself, thinking that it is cute.
Knowing that pursuing Dratini may take the entire day, Clair takes a break for lunch. This gives an opportunity for Ash to challenge Clair, which Clair accepts. Kaburagi, noticing that Ash had won the Badge from Mahogany Town, asks them whether the rumors of a rampaging near town were true. Ash and company proceed to tell them the whole story and how they met . Clair and her assistant are surprised at the fact that Lance is a Pokémon G-Man, which surprises Ash, not knowing that they, too, are acquainted with Lance. Clair reveals that the two are both Dragon s who had trained with each other. Knowing this, Ash and Clair are both excited about their upcoming battle. Their lunch is disrupted by an elderly couple, who wants to take pictures with Dratini. Although Clair is reluctant, she allows the couple to go near Dratini, only for the couple to trap Dratini in a net. The couple reveals themselves to be Jessie and James, while covers their escape using a smoke bomb.
While Clair is in hot pursuit of Team Rocket's , Dratini desperately tries to break free by rocking the balloon. When the balloon crashes, it makes a desperate attempt to escape into the water, which Jessie quickly stops. This allows Clair to catch up. Trying to defend themselves, James sends out Weezing, but it is dispatched easily by Gyarados. tries to fire a at Team Rocket, but s the attack, sending the strong eletric blast in all directions, hitting Ash, Pikachu, Team Rocket, and nearly hitting , , and Kaburagi. As one of the errant bolts is about to hit Dratini, Clair dives to protect it. In that moment, Dratini evolves into , much to Jessie's dismay who contends that it was much cuter as a Dratini. As Dragonair is far rarer, Team Rocket presses on their attack, but thanks to Gyarados's and Dragonair's , they are sent blasting off again.
Just as they celebrate their victory, Dragonair leaves, with everyone in pursuit. By nightfall, they all reach Riverhead Falls, the source of the water that leads into Blackthorn City, and the perfect place for the ritual. Ash and company are witnesses to the purification ritual, in which Clair says a prayer and proceeds to drench the Dragon Fang in the lake water. The Dragon Fang reacts and sends a dragon-shaped beam of light into the sky. Kaburagi explains that after a Dragon Pokémon dies, its body becomes a star in the sky.
The next day, Ash and his friends finally make it to the entry gates of the Blackthorn Gym, getting Ash fired up at the prospect of earning his eighth Johto Badge.
==Major events==
* and reach Blackthorn City and meet Clair, the local Gym Leader.
* Ash challenges Clair to a Gym battle.
* Clair's evolves into .
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Clair
* Kaburagi
====Pokémon debuts====
* Clair's Dragonair
=====English dub debuts=====
* ()
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* Jessie
* James
* (flashback)
* Clair
* Kaburagi
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international), (Japan)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; flashback)
* (; Red Gyarados; flashback)
* (; evolves)
* (; newly evolved)
* (Clair's)
==Trivia==
* This episode begins the five-part Blackthorn City arc.
* The episode's English dub title is a reference to the phrase "beauty is only skin deep".
** A similar English dub title was also used with a future episode.
* Music from Mewtwo Strikes Back and The Power of One can be heard in the background.
* Near the end of the episode, Kaburagi says, "Yes, once a dragon Pokemon becomes a star, it watches over all dragon Pokémon. At least, that's what the popular legends tell us happens". This may be a reference to the movie , which also tells that in their legends, when a dragon dies, it becomes a star in the sky where it watches over us from.
* Due to the banning of EP035, this episode marks the physical debut of a in the English dub, effectively making it the final Generation I Pokémon to debut in the dub.
===Errors===
* Clair's Dratini's eyes are all black at the beginning of the episode, but for the remainder of the episode, there is red at the bottom of its eyes.
* When shows his Badges to Clair, he is shown standing up. However, in the next shot, he is sitting down, even though he was never shown sitting down.
* The beams connecting the basket to the head on 's balloon appear to be entirely green for a second.
* When James sends out his , it is facing the opposite direction.
* uses Counter against 's Thunderbolt, when it should have been Mirror Coat.
* In the dub, the echo effect is not present in the flashback of , and is referred to as .
Clair Dratini.png|Dratini's miscolored eyes
EP251 error 2.png|The Meowth Balloon's miscolored beams
===Dub edits===
* Clair refers to her rice balls as sandwiches.
* Clair's skirt was lengthened.
==In other languages==
251
Category:Episodes written by Shinzō Fujita
Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes directed by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes animated by Masaru Fukumoto
Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears
de:Porentief rein
es:EP253
fr:EP251
it:OA135
ja:無印編第251話
zh:宝可梦 第252集