Japanese Title: Natio's Big Prediction!
Original Airdate: January 31, 2002
US Airdate: February 8, 2003
Ash and friends meet a Xatu, a Pokémon said to have the ability to see into the future, and the young girl whose job it is to watch over an entire flock of the same and interpret their strange predictions. They meet her at a difficult time in her career, as the locals are just beginning to doubt the accuracy of these Pokémon's predictions, which have guided their community for centuries. The girl herself even finds her own faith waning, but when the Xatu forecast a cataclysm that would endanger all in the village, she must decide whether to trust in her Pokémon or to let age-old traditions fall by the wayside.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Didn't Think This Through: Ash and James don't realise that jumping on a spot that is a pitfall will cause them to fall into it.
- Double Speak: Brock compares Xatu's fortunes seem to this. For example, this episode's weather forecast:Calista: The Great Xatu speaks. If it is not cloudy today, it will be clear with no chance for thunderstorms unless it should rain.
- From Bad to Worse: In the climax, the Xatu amend their earlier prediction. The flood isn't going to happen tomorrow but today.
- The Great Flood: The Xatu predicted this would wipe out the town.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Played with. The implication of Xatu's weather forecast is that it will be clear, only for it to rain a minute later. Of course what Calista actually said is that it wouldn't rain unless it should.
