Japanese Title: First Battle! Battle Factory! (Part Two)
Original Airdate: July 28, 2005
US Airdate: April 22, 2006
Last episode Ash and friends reached the first Battle Factory and met its Factory Head, Noland. Upon seeing the Articuno he has made friends with Ash has decided to challenge Noland and Articuno. To face them he has called in an old friend, Charizard has returned. As the episode begins Ash is putting Charizard through its paces to get catched up and get a feel for its new strength and moves. As Ash does this he is watched by his friends and secretly Team Rocket. Team Rocket learning of the match to come get the idea to capture the loser after the battle. The starting time of the fight has come, Noland and Articuno in one side, Ash and Charizard in the other with Team Rocket watching from the roof. Noland opens up the roof to allow their flying abilities to be used, dropping Team Rocket into the arena. The surprise attack foiled they decide a frontal attack. This goes as well as you'd think. The match properly begins and Charizard's type advantage and power gives Ash an early advantage. Noland's training and tactics quickly turn the tides however, and everything Ash commands fails to work. When Articuno swopes in to finish the fight, Ash has Charizard stop it in its tracks and use Seismic Toss to win the battle. Impressed by his win, Scott gives Ash the location of the next Battle Factory while Articuno and Charizard return to their lives elsewhere.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bare-Handed Blade Block: Charizard manages to block Articuno's Steel Wing when he's injured after a long battle. This proves pivotal to Ash's victory.
- Beam-O-War: Articuno and Charizard have one pitting Ice Beam against Flamethrower. The super effective Flamethrower wins but it's only the first hit.
- Call-Back: Max’s familiarity with Ash’s Charizard comes from his watching of the Silver Conference
- Cool Versus Awesome: Articuno vs Charizard is as literal as it gets in Pokémon.
- Death or Glory Attack: Charizard learned Overheat in time to come back. It unfreezes his wing in the fight but little else.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Charizard becomes the first 'ordinary' Pokémon to defeat a legendary Pokémon in one-on-one combat.
- Epic Fail: Again, Team Rocket tries to take a Legendary through brute force (albeit after their prior plan to wait and grab the loser of the match backfires).
- Making a Splash: The battle really turns around when Noland reveals he taught Articuno Water Pulse to cover its weaknesses.
