EP272

Johto Photo Finish (Japanese: フルバトルのはてに！それぞれのみち！！ To the End of the Full Battle! Each One's Way!!) is the 272nd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on October 31, 2002, and in the United States on October 11, 2003. 
==Blurb==
Our hero is at the end of a tough battle with Harrison at the Johto League Silver Conference. The winner of this battle will go on to the semi-finals. Each trainer has battled hard and is down to their last Pokémon. Ash is using Charizard. Harrison is also using a high level fire type called Blaziken. Charizard flies up with Blaziken and is in position for a powerful Seismic Toss. After the impact, however, both Pokémon are standing! As Charizard tossed Blaziken down, Blaziken had directed a Flame Thrower attack towards the ground to propel it back up, softening the blow of the impact! Both Pokémon battle well, and it seems like neither will give in, but, in the end, Charizard faints. Harrison continues on into the semi-finals, but is defeated in the next round. After his battle, he tells Ash all about Hoenn and the amazing Pokémon there. As the Silver Conference comes to a close and the gang prepares to leave for Vermillion City, Gary makes a surprising announcement—he's giving up battling. He's decided to become a Pokémon Researcher.
==Plot==
 and are left with only one Pokémon each. Both and start off with powerful attacks, which collide to form a giant cloud of smoke. Ash commands Charizard to use Flamethrower again, which Blaziken easily dodges by jumping high into the air. Taking advantage of Blaziken's inability to move freely in the air, Charizard tries a attack, but Blaziken dodges and counters using . Charizard flies upwards, though Blaziken still manages to hit him with Flamethrower. Blaziken follows up with another Quick Attack and Charizard is hit by a , but, unfazed, counters with Flamethrower, which lands a direct hit on the .
Blaziken is ordered once again to use Quick Attack. As Charizard and Blaziken brawl it out, Ash commands Charizard to use . and cheer as Charizard circles around in the air. As the smoke clears, Blaziken appears to be down. The referee prepares to call the match, however, Blaziken gets up. With both Pokémon tired out, Blaziken uses one more Quick Attack, which Charizard counters with Flamethrower. Charizard attacks again with Seismic Toss, but Blaziken dodges and smashes Charizard with a , a move that Ash has never heard of before, dealing severe damage to Charizard. Charizard, sustaining the damage, unleashes a full-power Dragon Rage attack to meet Blaziken's Flamethrower attack. As the smoke clears, both Pokémon struggle to their feet. Harrison and Ash plead for their Pokémon to get up, and with encouragement, both of them do. Ash orders another Flamethrower attack, but Charizard proves to be too exhausted and collapses. Charizard attempts to get back up again, but this time, he is unable to do so, having been completely rendered unable to battle. With Charizard's defeat, Harrison has won the match and Ash is therefore eliminated from the tournament. Ash is left distraught from the loss, with all of his supporters being equally disappointed. is particularly sad for her son, given all of his preparation, though reminds her that it was a fine battle.
Later, Ash and the others say goodbye to , as it prepares to rejoin the Squirtle Squad with Officer Jenny. Professor Oak and Delia also head back to Pallet Town, and Charizard after a night's rest in the Pokémon Center to recover will be returning to Charicific Valley the following day. Meanwhile, seeks shelter inside their stall as a crowd of angry customers surrounds them and demands more Badges. Jessie and her teammates sit glumly inside as they wait for more supplies to arrive to meet the increasing demand.
In the next match, Harrison faces Jon Dickson from Sento Cherry Town. His last remaining Pokémon, , is soon taken out by Jon's . The referee declares Houndoom unable to battle and awards the match to Jon, ending Harrison's Silver Conference campaign. Ash and the others are shocked to see Harrison now lose. Brock figures that Blaziken was too injured from fighting Charizard yesterday, so Harrison did not want to risk its health any further, causing Ash to blame himself for Harrison's loss. That night, Harrison is sitting alone by the river, but Ash and join him. Ash asks him about Blaziken, and Harrison reveals that Blaziken is going to be fine. Harrison turns his attention to Ash’s connection to the famous Professor Oak. Harrison explains that he has heard a lot about Oak from his mentor and friend, Professor Birch. He declares that Professor Birch motivated him to travel to the Johto region to experience new Pokémon and meet new people. Harrison recommends that Ash should visit the Hoenn region, and the sound of meeting new Pokémon instantly piques Ash's interest.
A sudden scream breaks the moment, so Harrison and the others rush over. They come across two girls who declare that some ghosts are troubling them. Misty and Ash are quick to realize that they aren’t ghosts. Brock reassures the girls and orders Ash to use his , which he does. Noctowl uses and the ghosts are revealed to be a trio of . Suddenly, comes in and explains that the Misdreavus appear to be looking for something. Misdreavus goes off somewhere, and the gang follows. They soon find another Misdreavus, who is stuck under a tree. With everyone's combined efforts, they lift the tree to free the trapped Misdreavus. Gary runs over and inspects the Misdreavus. Thankfully, it isn’t injured, and all of the Misdreavus happily depart. Gary explains that the Misdreavus actually live higher up on Mt. Silver, but must have been disturbed by the Silver Conference. Ash is pleasantly surprised by Gary's expertise. Gary reveals that he wants to be a Pokémon Researcher to uncover the mysteries of Pokémon evolution. He declares that the Silver Conference will be his last battle competition before wishing Ash all the best with his own battling pursuits. Gary gives Ash a wave goodbye before walking off into the distance. Brock and the others are happy for Gary, though the sudden change in direction leaves Ash speechless.
The next morning, the Silver Conference comes to an end with Jon Dickson becoming the winner of the Johto League Silver Conference. Mr. Goodshow presents Jon with the coveted trophy as the crowd cheers on. On the other side, is still waiting for the customers, but because the Silver Conference has come to a close, no customers can be seen. Suddenly, a huge group of people heads straight towards the building. But they weren't customers; they were none other than their old customers, who have now caught on to the scam. Team Rocket rushes inside the building and Jessie orders "Operation Rollout" to go ahead. Their stall building suddenly transforms into a robot, frightening the disgruntled customers away. Jessie declares the additional mecha features she added a success, and both James and agree.
Meanwhile, Gary decides to travel through Mt. Silver before heading back to Pallet Town. Harrison plans to continue on with his by traveling to the Indigo Plateau in Kanto. Ash declares that he and his friends will be making a stopover at Viridian City before returning to Pallet Town. As the different parties prepare to go their separate ways, Team Rocket rolls in with the mecha. The Rocket trio is thrilled to see the twerps and launch into their . James fires a coin missile that hits everyone but sends Ash and flying. As Team Rocket raises an electric-proof net to capture Pikachu, Gary calls out his and orders , which cuts the net in half. Harrison calls on his Blaziken's assistance, and it uses Flamethrower, setting the robot building on fire. Pikachu delivers a and Team Rocket, together with the robot building, is sent blasting off. Afterward, Harrison, Gary, and Ash's group part ways.
==Major events==
* loses his quarterfinals Full Battle with , placing him in the Top 8.
* Ash sends and back to the Squirtle Squad and the Charicific Valley, respectively.
* Harrison loses to Jon Dickson in the semifinals.
* Harrison tells Ash about Professor Birch and suggests he should go to Hoenn.
* decides to become a .
* Jon Dickson wins the Silver Conference.
* The Silver Conference ends.
* Ash, Harrison, and Gary head their separate ways.
** Harrison heads to Kanto to collect the region's Badges and compete in its .
** Gary heads back to Pallet Town.
** Ash, , and head back to Pallet Town via Viridian City.
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Professor Birch (flashback)
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* (flashback)
* Jessie
* James
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Officer Jenny
* Jackson
* Macy
* Professor Birch (flashback)
* Jon Dickson
* Trainer
* Crowd
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international), (Japan)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; )
* ()
* ('s; Mimey)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Jon Dickson's)
* (Jon Dickson's)
* (Trainer's)
* (×4)
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* (evolves; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (evolves; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (evolves; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (evolves; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (newly evolved; fantasy)
* (×2; fantasy)
* (×2; fantasy)
* (×4; fantasy)
* (×4; fantasy)
* (fantasy)
* (fantasy)
==Trivia==
* This episode concludes the seven-part Silver Conference arc.
* This episode marks the first time that Ash has lost a Full Battle.
* This episode can be found on the second Game Boy Advance Video Pokémon cartridge.
* This episode's title is a reference to the phrase "".
** This episode's title is also similar to a future episode.
* Music from The Power of One can be heard in this episode.
* meets and and recites their for the first time since Love, Pokémon Style, thus breaking a trend where they did not do so, at five episodes.
* This episode marks the final appearance of .
* The animated series debut of in this episode marks the first use of a Generation III move in the .
===Errors===
* The blurb for this episode misspells Vermilion City as Vermillion City and incorrectly formats type as fire type and as Flame Thrower.
** Furthermore, the blurb's mention of Ash's group's plans of heading to Vermilion City is also an error, as the group actually plans on heading to Viridian City.
* After the explosion caused by the collision between 's Flamethrower and 's , when Blaziken is attempting to compose itself, its hands are red instead of gray, and next, its tail is white instead of red. After that, the yellow spot on its chest is white.
* In a couple of scenes, there are orange stripes inside of Charizard's wings.
* The referee repeats the claim that Harrison is from instead of Littleroot Town as seen in Pop Goes The Sneasel, similar to the mistake in Can't Beat the Heat!.
* Throughout the , Jackson is seen in the stands, but he has long hair instead of short hair.
* mispronounces 's name.
EP272 error.png|Jackson's long hair
EP272 error 2.png|Blaziken's red hands
EP272 error 3.png|Blaziken's white tail
EP272 error 4.png|Blaziken's white chest
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
272
Category:Episodes written by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi
Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes directed by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes animated by Kumiko Shishido
Category:Pokémon League episodes
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears
de:Zeit des Abschieds
es:EP274
fr:EP272
it:OA156
ja:無印編第272話
zh:宝可梦 第273集