History Recap / PokemonS1E15BattleAboardTheStAnne

Ash and company get on board the boat and Ash has a Pokémon battle with a rich, older man who later convinces Ash to trade his Butterfree for a Ratticate. Meanwhile, James encounters a salesman selling a Pokémon known as Magikarp. The salesman tells James that Magikarp can make him rich by laying a thousand eggs that hatch into more Magikarp laying another thousand eggs each. Lured by the salesman's words, James eagerly spends all of his and Jessie's salary advances to buy Magikarp, unaware that the salesman had sold him a worthless Pokémon.

As the ship sails through dark clouds, the Boss gives the signal. Doors are shut, and various crew members reveal themselves to be Team Rocket grunts. Led by the trio, they attempt to steal all the Pokémon on board, but Ash convinces the passengers to fight back. During the battle, Ash begins to regret his decision to trade Butterfree after realizing that Ratticate wasn't the same. The Rocket grunts are thwarted and blasted off save for the trio, and in the aftermath, Ash decides to trade back Ratticate for his Butterfree. Unfortunately the ship has sailed into a storm during the fight, and the rough waves knock Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Team Rocket out cold. When the ship sinks, Ash and his friends are still on board.

* GoingDownWithTheShip: Averted--TheCaptain is the first one in a lifeboat when the sea gets rough.

* RiteOfPassage: Ash makes his first Pokémon trade here, trading his Butterfree for the gentleman's Ratticate. Being his first time trading, Ash worries about his Butterfree's wellbeing in the hands of a stranger he never met, and soon realizes that Ratticate doesn't have same emotional bond he had with his first Pokémon. He eventually decides to trade back.
* ShoutOut: The captain of the ST Anne refers to her as being "Unsinkable"

* VillainDecay: In full-swing for Team Rocket by this episode, especially James. Jessie calls him out on staying in character as a ganguro after giving Ash and his friends tickets aboard the St. Anne. Later, he uses his salary advance and Jessie's to buy a worthless Magikarp from a con salesman.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Ash trades back the gentleman's Ratticate for his Butterfree, the gentleman was never seen, heard, or mentioned again.

* DropTheHammer: After James's line at the top, Jessie hits him with a sledgehammer.

* HitFlash: In the dub, it replaced an extreme close-up of James's face the moment Jessie hits him with a sledgehammer.

* VillainDecay: In full-swing for Team Rocket by this episode, especially James. Jessie calls him out on staying in character as a ganguro after giving Ash and his friends tickets aboard the St. Anne. Later, he uses his salary advance and Jessie's to buy a worthless Magikarp from a salesman.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Ash trades back the gentleman's Ratticade for his Butterfree, the gentleman was never seen, heard, or mentioned again.

* KnightOfCerebus: The Rocket Boss. When Team Rocket first contacts him, his appearance and voice are distorted in a shadowy, almost demonic fashion. Unlike Team Rocket, he is not PlayedForLaughs in this episode, save for making one small pun on [[IncrediblyLamePun purrfection]].

* GreaterScopeVillain: This episode reveals that the Team Rocket trio is only a small part of a larger criminal organization led by their boss, [[spoiler: Giovanni]]. This also marks the first time where he takes a more direct role as the BigBad of the anime. Unfortunately, it also reveals that your garden-variety [[{{Mook}} Rocket grunt]] is about as competent as [[GoldfishPoopGang the TRio]].

* GoingDownWithTheShip: Inverted--TheCaptain is the first one in a lifeboat when the sea gets rough.

* GoingDownWithTheShip: Averted--TheCaptain is the first one in a lifeboat when the sea gets rough.

After winning a Thunder Badge, Ash and his friends want to go on a cruise but know they can't afford it. Out of nowhere two girl show up and give them free tickets, saying that they don't need them anymore. While our heroes leave to the port, excited by their lucky prize, these two girls are revealed to be Jessie and James in disguise, and they enter into their secret base where Meowth briefs their success to a shadowy figure they call the Boss. It turns out that the St. Anne cruise is really a ploy devised by him to lure trainers in and steal their Pokémon.

* EyeCatch: The featured ''Who's That Pokémon?'' this episode is Ratticate.

* GoingDownWithTheShip: {{Averted}}--TheCaptain is the first one in a lifeboat when the sea gets rough.

* TotallyRadical: {{Lampshaded}} by Ash.

* NoOSHACompliance: Apparently, lifeboat drills don't exist in the Pokemon world, otherwise everyone would have been prepared for the storm.

* HarmlessElectrocution: While Pikachu electrocuting people without doing a realistic amount of actual damage is common at this point, this episode kicks it up a notch by Ash actually requesting that Pikachu shock him.

* YouHaveFailedMe: The Boss reveals that he had replaced Meowth with his evolved form Persian because he was growing tired of Team Rocket's constant failures. He promises to restores Meowth's position as top-cat if their latest scheme is successful.

* HarmlessElectrocution: While Pikachu electrocuting people without doing a realistic amount of actual damage is common at this point, this episode kicks it up a notch by Ash actually requesting that Pikachu shock him.
* ImagineSpot: James has two visible fantasies in this episode, one of him lying on top of a pile of Pokémon and another of him on a throne surrounded by piles of money.

* GreaterScopeVillain: This episode reveals that the Team Rocket trio is only a small part of a larger criminal organization led by their boss, [[spoiler: Giovanni]]. This also marks the first time where he takes a more direct role as the BigBad of the anime.

!!Original Airdate: July 8th, 1997
!!US Airdate: September 7th, 1998

* HitFlash: In the dub, it replaced an ExtremeCloseup of James's face the moment Jessie hits him with a sledgehammer.

!!!Original Airdate: July 8th, 1997
!!!US Airdate: September 7th, 1998

* BigBad[=/=]BiggerBad: This episode reveals that the Team Rocket trio is only a small part of a larger criminal organization led by their boss, [[spoiler: Giovanni]]. This also marks the first time where he takes a more direct role as the BigBad of the anime.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse

[[caption-width-right:200: Like totally oh mah gawd~!]]

* BigBad[[=/=]]BiggerBad: This episode reveals that the Team Rocket trio is only a small part of a larger criminal organization led by their boss, [[spoiler: Giovanni]]. This also marks the first time where he takes a more direct role as the BigBad of the anime.