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Recap / Pokémon PK7 "Pikachu's Vacation"

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Japanese Title: Pikachu's Summer Vacation

Original Airdate: July 18, 1998

US Airdate: November 10, 1999

Tropes

  • Badass in Distress: Charizard, easily one of Ash's strongest Pokemon, ends up with his head stuck inside a narrow playground tunnel. This necessitates that the other Pokemon put aside their differences and work together to free him.
  • Badly Battered Babysitter: Poor Pikachu falls into the river trying to protect Togepi from falling off a rolling log. Naturally, Togepi is completely fine and doesn't fall off.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle are all protective and doting towards Togepi. When it starts crying, Pikachu and Squirtle try to cheer it up by making silly faces. When their efforts to get some food fail, Bulbasaur gently picks it up and sings it a lullaby. Later, when Togepi gets shocked by Raichu’s sparks, Pikachu tries to comfort it when it’s about to cry.
  • Break the Cutie: Poor Togepi gets reduced to tears quite a bit throughout the special. First it gets hungry, then the apple the other Pokemon managed to get for it was eaten by Psyduck, and then Raichu deliberately scares it by shooting electric sparks around it.
  • Break the Haughty: The normally arrogant Charizard is reduced to tears when his head is trapped inside a pipe.
  • Butt-Monkey: Three of 'em, in fact.
    • First off, Squirtle can't catch a break throughout most of the short. He makes Togepi cry, loses a race to Marill, and falls over making a fool of himself when he tries to go against Snubbull.
    • Charizard of all Pokémon gets hit with this in the middle of the special. First Pikachu and Raichu stomp on his tail while racing. Then he ends up crashing into a variety of the park's equipment when he chases after them, leading to his getting his head stuck in a metal pipe. Then when he's finally pulled out, he's blasts off through the air like a cannon ball (note ), taking poor Psyduck with him.
    • Last but certainly not least, Meowth, as usual. All he wants to do is relax, but he keeps getting disturbed by the antics of everyone else. What doesn't help his case is that when he grabs a bomb, the now-freed Charizard falls right on top of him and Meowth's bomb goes off. When Charizard gets off of him, Meowth lies charred in a crater.
  • Disney Acid Sequence: The short is filled with very brief interludes that cut away from the main action and have rather odd visuals. These include a split-screen effect with a dancing Bellsprout, a horde of Magnemite that keep getting larger and larger, a group of Jigglypuff rolling around singing an adorable lullaby, and a scene with a yawning Slowpoke.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: In one gag, Charizard lands butt-first onto Meowth, who's holding a bomb. When it goes off under Charizard's rear, it's clearly meant to look at though it just ripped a gigantic fart directly on top of Meowth.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: First appearances of Generation II Pokémon Marill and Snubbull. Also first appearance of Mr. Mime, since it predates the episode "It's Mr. Mime Time" both in Japanese and English.
  • The Faceless: Ash, Misty, and Brock are portrayed this way, to keep the focus on the Pokémon.
  • Gang of Bullies: The group consisting of Cubone, Marill, Snubbull and Raichu qualifies, but they have a Heel–Face Turn in the end.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Meowth grabs a bomb to try and stop the other Pokémon's noisy antics so he can get some rest, only to have Charizard promptly fall right on top of him that instant after being freed from a pipe earlier. Said bomb then goes off, leaving Meowth charred in a crater when Charizard gets up off of him.
  • Ineffectual Loner: Cubone initially refuses to help everyone pull Charizard out of the pipe, even when his buddies decide to join in. In the dub, Dexter mentions it was likely in its nature to do so.
  • Narrator: In the dub, Dexter, Ash's Pokédex, serves this purpose, to better explain what is happening on screen.
  • Non Sequitur, *Thud*: Meowth attempts to climb out of a crater created by a bomb he was holding exploding under Charizard.
    Meowth: "I think I'll take my nap right here. Good night. (passes out and slides into crater)
  • Oh, Crap!: Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Psyduck have this reaction when they realize Togepi is very hungry and about to cry.
  • Staring Contest: Bulbasaur beats Snubbull at one of these by rolling his eyes until Snubbull gets dizzy.
  • Team Dad: Pikachu, towards all of the Pokemon who get separated from the group (Togepi, Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Psyduck). In the English version, at least, he even tries to stop his group and Cubone's group from fighting because it would set a bad example for Togepi and in both versions he enters into Papa Wolf mode when Togepi is nearly hurt.
  • Trampoline Tummy: Charizard blows Pikachu and Raichu away and the two end up bouncing on Snorlax's belly.
  • True Companions: The main trio's Pokemon, of course, but the above mentioned Gang of Bullies also qualifies.
  • Vacation Episode: Ash, Misty, and Brock drop off all their Pokémon to spend the day at a Pokémon theme park. The presence of Meowth, Arbok and Weezing indicates that Jessie and James did the same thing.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Raichu scares Togepi by creating a shower of sparks around the little guy. When Pikachu tries to comfort Togepi, Raichu electrocutes both of them. Pikachu does not take this well.

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