We Will, We Will Brock You: Episode 5 - "Showdown in Pewter City"
Welcome back to the official blog of The Pokémon Snapshot! Tyler and Jeff are still here, dissecting Ash Ketchum's journey one chaotic episode at a time. This week, we are breaking down Episode 5, "Showdown in Pewter City."
Originally titled The Battle of Pewter Gym! in Japan, this iconic episode first aired in the United States on September 14th, 1998. It was a simpler time—a time of dial-up internet, Tamagotchis, and missed financial opportunities.
Tyler: "What a fine year 1998 was. Gosh, so much going on. I'd go back and slip myself a note that would just say, 'Bitcoin. As soon as you can buy Bitcoin, buy Bitcoin.' Past me would probably crumble it up and throw it away though, knowing myself."
While Tyler mourns his lost cryptocurrency fortune, Ash is busy making terrible decisions in the Kanto region. Let’s jump into the action!
A Hole Lot of Trouble and Rocky Salesmanship
The episode kicks off not with our heroes, but with Team Rocket. However, the group dynamic has shifted wildly. Instead of Jessie and James barking orders, we find Meowth actively digging a massive trap hole while Jessie and James say their iconic motto. Meowth complains that he is always stuck doing the heavy lifting, a stark contrast to his usual lazy demeanor.
Their master plan? Dig a giant pit on the road to Pewter City and wait for Ash and his friends to blindly fall into it.
Tyler: "Is this turning into Looney Tunes, Jeff? Upon finishing their little hole, they actually discover that they cannot find it anymore and they begin to panic, and then of course fall into their own hole, which is not a great time. So they fall in and then they're just gone. They're out of the picture for right now."
Jeff: "Pretty much the whole episode."
With Team Rocket effectively neutralizing themselves, the narrator informs us that Ash and Misty have finally found their way out of the Viridian Forest. Ash is ecstatic, claiming he thought they would never escape. This immediately raises a glaring logistical question: didn't the Samurai just give them turn-by-turn, straight-line directions in the last episode? It has somehow taken them two full weeks to walk out of the woods.
As they reach the rocky outskirts of Pewter City, they are greeted by a menacing man sitting on a boulder. He sports a heavy beard and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes—a classic anime trope. He introduces himself as Flint and reveals that he makes a living selling rocks as souvenirs.
Tyler: "I just want to point out, selling rocks as souvenirs is kind of a lame profession to be in when you're in a town completely surrounded by rocks. Like, what's preventing people from just picking up their own rocks? He's just not doing a very good job of selling these particular rocks."
Jeff: "Tyler, one thing I wanted to make note of... all of the towns named in the first generation of Pokémon, at least on the English side, are all colors. So, Viridian City is like a green, it's known for its forest. Pewter City is where the rock gym leader is and it's like a stony rock color, and then he starts in Pallet Town like a palette of colors."
Flint’s terrible salesmanship is only matched by his bizarre extortion tactics. He casually informs Ash and Misty that they owe him two dollars for sitting on his rocks. In a moment of pure, unfiltered anime comedy, Ash and Misty let out a collective gasp and face-plant directly into the dirt.
Pewter City Dine and Dash
Taking pity on Pikachu's exhausted appearance, Flint guides the duo into Pewter City and points them toward the Pokémon Center. Ash is quick to declare that they completely misjudged Flint and that he’s actually a great guy.
Tyler: "He offered to do one nice thing, which involves you following a stranger into a random city after they've been super unpleasant and just hoping for the best. I just thought that that was kind of odd."
The Pewter City Pokémon Center is an architectural marvel. It is a massive, towering facility with a giant, glowing "P" slapped right in the center of it. Tyler compares it to the gaudy, skyline-ruining Trump Towers of the real world, while Jeff points out it’s basically the Pokémon equivalent of putting a giant "H" on a hospital.
Inside, Ash hands Pikachu over to Nurse Joy and is completely baffled to discover she looks exactly like the Nurse Joy from Viridian City. This Nurse Joy explains that she is the older sister of the previous one, and that she has heard "nice things" about Ash. We aren't entirely sure what those nice things could be, considering Ash essentially brought a terrorist attack down on her sister's hospital mere days prior. She should probably be hitting a panic button to drop steel blast doors over the windows.
While Pikachu heals, Nurse Joy directs Ash to a poster advertising the Pokémon Regional Championships. Ash immediately decides he is going to enter, completely ignoring the fact that he has literally never defeated an actual trainer in battle. Misty quickly rains on his parade, explaining the concept of Gym Badges. Flint, creeping in the background, literally goes "HA HA HA" out loud, mocking Ash for thinking he could ever defeat the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock.
Ash and Misty head to a local restaurant to grab some food. Misty, displaying an uncharacteristic amount of grace, offers to help Ash prepare for the gym battle, warning him that gym leaders are significantly tougher than average trainers.
Tyler: "Ash declines her request in typical fashion and Misty walks away upset. And I just want to throw out here that Ash is kind of a terrible person. Like he's selfish, he has an inflated ego... She's literally like, 'Hey, this is going to be really challenging... Even though you've destroyed my bike and taken me on this wild adventure that's been nothing but negative for me, I am going to offer you my assistance.' And what does he say? 'Nah, I don't need your assistance.'"
Misty storms out, leaving Ash with the restaurant bill. Ash throws a fit about paying for her meal, completely ignoring the fact that he owes her an entire bicycle. As Tyler wisely notes, if Ash had just bought her a replacement bike in Episode 2, Misty would have left, Ash would have inevitably gotten himself killed in the forest, and the series would have abruptly ended.
OSHA Violations and the Boulder Badge
With his Pokémon healed, Ash marches into the Pewter City Gym. The building is cavernous, pitch-black, and completely empty. There are no lines, no front desk staff, and no other trainers—just an eerie silence until a single spotlight clicks on, revealing Brock sitting cross-legged in the center of the battlefield.
Brock explains the rules: it will be a two-on-two match. He questions how long Ash has had his Pikachu. When Ash replies that it has been two weeks, Brock smugly declares that Pikachu is still in its "cutest state" and stands no chance of winning.
Tyler: "I don't understand what he means by cutest state, meaning, maybe meaning that it hasn't evolved to Raichu yet or something... Doesn't his Geodude fit the same description in this situation? I mean, he's not cute, or is Brock just being prejudiced against cute Pokémon?"
Ash refuses to back down, and Brock initiates the battle sequence. The arena literally transforms. Massive, jagged rock formations shoot out from the walls, slamming together to create a battlefield. Ash barely manages to jump backward in time to avoid being physically crushed to death by the moving walls.
Tyler: "What the heck, Brock? You literally almost crushed Ash before the match even begins! Is this how you start matches? By literally almost killing your opponents?"
Jeff: "I mean, I guess if they're dead, he can't lose. Also, yeah... think of the liability if someone does get crushed."
Ash sends out Pikachu, who immediately tries to run away in sheer terror when Brock sends out a massive Onix. Ash forces Pikachu back onto the battlefield. Onix lunges and wraps its massive, rocky body around Pikachu, binding the tiny mouse in a terrifying constriction attack. Ash orders a Thunder Shock, which harmlessly washes over Onix's ground-type exterior.
Watching his partner get the absolute life squeezed out of him, Ash panics and tries to recall Pikachu to its Poké Ball.
Jeff: "A little bit of trivia: this is the only episode in the over a thousand episodes of the anime where Ash tries to recall Pikachu back to his Poké Ball."
Because Pikachu is physically bound, the recall beam fails. Brock coldly refuses to call off the attack, forcing Ash to officially surrender the match to spare Pikachu's life. It is a crushing, humiliating defeat, and Ash leaves the gym completely demoralized.
The Ghost of Pewter City's Past
Outside the gym, Ash runs into Flint again. In a surprising change of pace, Flint invites Ash to his home for tea and tries to console the devastated ten-year-old. Ash finally shows some self-awareness, admitting that he didn't just lose—he completely stunk.
Flint decides the best way to cheer Ash up is to take him on a depressing, Ghost of Christmas Past-style journey. They stand outside Brock's house and peer through the window. Inside, the intimidating gym leader is wearing a frilly pink apron, mending shoes, and cooking dinner for his ten younger siblings.
Flint explains the tragic reality of Brock's life: he is immensely talented and could easily be a regional champion, but he is trapped in Pewter City. Why? Because his good-for-nothing father abandoned the family to become a Pokémon trainer and never returned, leaving Brock's mother to raise the kids alone until she tragically passed away.
Tyler: "Holy smokes, this got dark. Like, this is dark, like this is some sad stuff."
Jeff: "So the mom dying was only in the English dub. In Japanese, they put that Brock's mother left the family to Brock's care. It doesn't explain why, but in the English version he tells Ash that she died after trying to raise the family on her own. This resulted in a big inconsistency because in the Pokémon Chronicles episode 'A Family That Battles Together Stays Together' (an episode that came out in 2006), Brock's mother shows up."
Despite Jeff dropping a massive spoiler for an episode that is literally eight years away, the emotional weight of the scene remains heavy. We have dead (or deadbeat) parents, abandoned children, and a teenager forced to sacrifice his dreams to keep his family alive.
So, how does Ash process this devastatingly sad backstory?
Tyler: "Ash then says, 'Better not listen to any more of this sad stuff. Next time we have a match, I might not have the heart to beat him.' Yikes, Ash. That's what you got out of that entire conversation? Like, I don't want to hear about this guy's depressing life. I still want to defeat the crap out of him... He's not reading the room during this conversation."
Sparking a Comeback
Seeing Ash's unhinged determination, Flint offers to help him supercharge Pikachu at an old, abandoned hydroelectric power plant on the edge of town.
Because the river is dry, they have to generate the electricity manually. Flint hooks Pikachu up to a generator, and Ash climbs onto the massive wooden water wheel, physically spinning it with his feet to create a charge. It is an incredibly dangerous OSHA violation waiting to happen. Electricity violently arcs into Pikachu, who screams in agonizing pain while Flint casually assures them that "all this power will be shocking at first."
Tyler: "Pikachu is in immense pain... Maybe this will lead to some character growth for Pikachu, but who really knows? As Ash is continuing to spin the little wheel and charge up Pikachu, and Pikachu's in an immense pain, Misty decides to come rolling on by and asks if it wouldn't be just easier to ask her for help. Again, he declines and Misty walks off defeated."
Despite the torture, the plan works. Pikachu becomes supercharged, sparking with excess electricity.
Ash marches back into the Pewter City Gym for a rematch. This time, he sends out his newly caught Pidgeotto against Brock's Geodude. It is a phenomenally terrible tactical decision. Geodude easily swats Pidgeotto away, and Brock has to physically remind Ash that Flying-types are weak against Rock-types. Ash claims he "forgot," refusing to admit he simply has no idea what he is doing.
Ash swaps in Pikachu. Brimming with supercharged energy, Pikachu unleashes a massive Thunderbolt that fries Geodude to a crisp.
Jeff: "I would be surprised too, since electric attacks should have no effect on ground Pokémon. So again, this is where anime physics are not following what the games say."
Brock recalls Geodude and sends out his massive Onix. Pikachu panics and unleashes a wild, untargeted electric blast that shoots bolts all over the cavernous gym. Onix binds Pikachu again, squeezing the life out of him. The situation looks dire until we realize that Pikachu's wild sparks accidentally ignited a small fire in the gym.
The heat triggers the building's emergency sprinkler system. Water rains down on the battlefield, drenching Onix. Misty screams from the sidelines that Rock-types are severely weakened by water. Seizing the moment, Ash orders Pikachu to unleash a massive Thunderbolt. The wet Onix conducts the electricity perfectly and collapses to the ground in agony.
Ash is seconds away from ordering a finishing blow when he is suddenly tackled from behind. Brock's ten younger siblings swarm Ash, clinging to his arms and legs, begging him not to hurt their beloved Onix.
Ash looks at the children, looks at Brock, and experiences a rare moment of genuine empathy. He recalls Pikachu to its Poké Ball. He tells Brock that winning because the sprinklers randomly went off isn't a real victory, and that he wants to beat him fair and square next time.
Tyler: "Ash actually wasn't as much of a jerk as he normally is, and honestly, I'm pretty impressed by this... He actually tells Pikachu to return anyway. So he says, 'You know what? We're not going to finish you off even though you're knocked down by the sprinkler system.'"
A Rocky Reunion
Ash leaves the gym, finally displaying a modicum of maturity. But before he can leave Pewter City, Brock chases him down and forces the Boulder Badge into his hands. Brock insists that Ash won the battle fairly, as using the environment to your advantage is a mark of a true Pokémon master.
Brock then reveals his true dream: he doesn't want to be a battler; he wants to be the world's greatest Pokémon Breeder. He begs Ash to take the badge and go live the adventures he can't.
Suddenly, Flint appears. He dramatically removes his fake beard and hat, revealing that he is, in fact, Brock's deadbeat father!
Tyler: "He literally should have lifted his hat and been like, 'Brock, I am your father.' But, you know, I guess that would have been too obvious. And I just want to say, even though Jeff spoiled this, I totally predicted this from the beginning... They did not do a very good job at disguising the fact that he's probably related to Brock. Like, they literally look the same."
Flint admits he was a failure as a Pokémon trainer and was too ashamed to return home. He tells Brock that he is finally ready to step up and be a father. Brock, displaying an incredibly unhealthy lack of unresolved emotional trauma regarding the man who abandoned him, happily accepts this. He hands his father a needle and thread, rattles off a bizarre list of rules for his siblings (including the terrifying detail that one of them will only eat cold spaghetti for breakfast), and packs his bags to join Ash.
As Ash and Brock prepare to leave the city, Misty comes sprinting down the road, still furiously demanding payment for her charred bicycle. Ash yells for Pikachu and Brock to run, and the trio takes off sprinting down the road.
As they flee, they trample right over a patch of loose dirt. Underground, Jessie, James, and Meowth finally poke their heads out of the massive pit they dug at the very beginning of the episode, only to get stepped on by the fleeing heroes. As they collapse back into the dirt, Team Rocket perfectly summarizes the episode: "We've hit rock bottom."
With the Boulder Badge officially secured (even if it was won on a massive technicality) and Brock joining the party, we finally have our iconic original trio! Tyler is hopeful that Brock's maturity and level-headedness will make him a much-needed mediator, rather than just giving Ash more people to argue with along the way. Join us next week for episode 6 as our newly formed group ventures into the mysterious, dark caves of Mt. Moon in search of Clefairy and the Moonstone!
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