This episode is essential viewing because: Ash meets his Lapras again.

AshCo are on the phone with Professor Elm, who compliments Ash on winning eight badges. Misty asks how he knew that they were going to be at that particular pokémon center (they never mentioned the name of a town), and Elm says that he talked with Professor Oak, who mentioned them traveling to New Bark Town. He figured that since that pokémon center was right on the way, they might stop to rest there. One last thing that he mentions before hanging up is if AshCo would be willing to pick up an egg from the Marine Laboratory. Pokémon! No time to question my moves…

I assume AshCo agreed, as we see them next walking along the coastline discussing it. Brock figures that it must be important if Elm went through all this trouble to track them down and ask them to deliver it by hand. Ash then notices a building and thinks that it must be the Laboratory. The strange thing is, once they get inside, it appears to be empty. They call out to see if anyone’s there, but no luck. Suddenly a young woman in a lab coat rushes by them and out the door. Ash and Misty wonder what the big hurry is while Brock says something that makes about as much sense as anything he says when he’s infatuated and then chases after her.

She comes to a dock where a lanturn is waiting. She orders it underwater to use supersonic while she sets up some equipment to prepare for “their” arrival. Meanwhile, Brock catches up to her and goes through his usual flirting routine before she tells him to be quiet so that she can hear “them” speak. A sound is coming from her equipment and Misty comments that it sounds like someone’s crying. The woman says that it’s called the Song of Travel. Suddenly there are several blips (?) on her radar and she gets excited, as “they” are close. Several lapras surface and the woman says that they all look very healthy. One of them swims over to Ash and Ash comments on how friendly this one is. Misty says that it’s trying to tell Ash something, and then Ash realizes that this is the lapras he had in the Orange Islands. This new piece of information apparently helps her research a great deal, as she then thanks Ash for his help. Ash asks how she knew his name and she then introduces herself as Naomi, the director of the Marine Laboratory. She says that Elm said that he was going to be here to pick up the egg. Brock then continues with his routine until Misty drags him away. Naomi explains that she is trying to figure out how the lapras can navigate so accurately, as they return to the same place every year. She believes the key is in the way they communicate through their songs. She then talks about how important it is to her to figure this out.

Meanwhile, JessieCo are spying on the lapras as usual. They plan to steal all of them and run a lapras ferry service in order to get rich.

Naomi then presents Ash with the egg, but she doesn’t know what it is any more than AshCo do. Rumor has it that the egg originated from Mount Silver, but then was stolen by some poachers. It then supposedly fell out of the hands of the poachers and somehow ended up at Naomi’s lab. She called Elm for help because he’s the advisor of the Johto League Pokémon Preservation Council. Lapras calls to Ash because it wants to play after being separated from its trainer for so long. Ash and Lapras play for until nightfall. Ash tells Lapras how proud he is that it has grown up so much, and then brags a little about his own accomplishments. Suddenly, they hear all the other lapras cry out in despair. The of course discover that they have all been caught in a net. Our research warns prepare for trouble/ our data’s conclusive, so make it double/ to protect the world from devastation/ to unite all peoples within our nation/ to denounce the evils of a string bikini/ to extend our reach a teeny-weeny/ Jessie/ James/ Team Rocket surfs the wind at the speed of light/ so surrender now, shoot the curl (?) or prepare to fight/ moth, that’s right. They exchange their usual dialogue and James sends out Wheezing. Ash orders a “cold beam” (ice beam?), but James counters with a smokescreen, allowing them to escape. Misty, Brock, and Naomi go in a submarine and Ash starts to go after JessieCo on Lapras, but James isn’t worried, as they now have better engines. Misty tells Ash to get in the submarine (the S.S. Innocent Coral) so that they can find JessieCo. Who’s that pokémon? It’s Quilfish!!

JessieCo are gloating as usual, but then their sub starts to shake. They look out of their periscope to discover that the lapras are struggling. The leaders tears a hole in the net, allowing the other lapras to escape, but JessieCo’s problems don’t end there. They come upon some water cyclones, making it more difficult to surface and repair the net. All the lapras except for a few manage to escape before JessieCo’s sub gets trapped in the whirlpools while the rest of the pod looks on worriedly. Ash’s lapras senses something and hurries to get to it. AshCo and Naomi follow. Everyone is relieved to find that JessieCo “messed things up as usual” until they notice that the leader and lapras’ mom aren’t there. They get even more worried when Brock points out the huge towers of whirling water in front of them. Ash’s lapras seems to know something, as it leads all the other lapras in between the whirlpools. AshCo and Naomi follow, a little confused, as Naomi can’t see anything on the radar. Misty points out the fact that the lapras are singing really hard and Brock wonders how they can hear each other over the sound of the whirlpools. Naomi then picks up a faint sound on her equipment and they all decide that it must be the two lapras. Naomi says that lapras have really good hearing.

JessieCo have landed on a beach, blaming the lapras’ escape on the fact that they had to buy a cheap net because of the “turbo booster”. The leader and lapras’ mom are crying and Jessie gets annoyed with them. She gives her usual threats until they all notice the rest of the pod. They decide that their luck must be turning until the Innocent Coral surfaces and Ash demands that they release the two lapras. JessieCo refuse of course and send out Arbok and Wheezing. Ash is about to send out Pikachu (and yet he’s holding a pokéball…strange), but Brock steps in and releases Crobat. It uses sonic boom while Misty and Naomi try and release the two lapras, but before they can even get to the net Meowth steps in and tries to block them. Ash uses Pikachu’s quick attack to knock it away and the ladies release the two lapras. JessieCo still won’t give up, but Ash’s lapras leads the others in a barrage of ice beams, freezing Wheezing and Arbok on the spot and surprising the leader.

As the lapras are leaving, the leader asks Ash’s lapras to take over. It looks at its mom for permission, and in receiving it, it takes over. Ash yells congratulations to it after Naomi explains what happened. Brock seems to think that it is destined for greatness, as it is already the leader at its age. I’m on a master quest! Pokémon!

Naomi tells Elm that she can complete her thesis now thanks to Ash. Elm congratulates Ash and asks him to hurry with the egg. Ash says he will and the episode ends with the typical waving goodbye and the narrator’s “Ash is on his way to the Johto League” speech.

This episode guide has been written by KasumiMizuno.

Characters appearing in this episode

Ash

Misty

Brock

Jessie

James

Meowth

Ash's Pikachu

Pokémon appearing in this episode

• Pikachu belonging to Ash
• Meowth

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