Episode Stats:

Japanese Episode 146:  "Hiwada JIMU!  Mori no BATORU FIIRUDO"

("Hiwada Gym!  The Forest's Battle Field")

American Episode 144:  "Gettin' the Bugs Out"
Pokemon Dare Da?  Trancell (Japanese), Elekid (American)
Ookido-Hakase Pokemon Lecture:  Nidoran (male)
Japanese Air Date:  April 20th, 2000
American Air Date:  March 17th, 2001
Important Characters:  Tsukushi (Bugsy)
Important Places:  Hiwada Town (Azaela Town)

Now that the GS Ball has been given to Gantetsu, Satoshi can concentrate on getting the gym badge that's waiting for him at the Hiwada Town Gym.  Satoshi meets the young gym leader, Tsukushi, and the two start their battle immediately.  The first match is Satoshi's Hinoarashi against Tsukushi's Itomaru.  Hinoarashi is unable to warm its flame enough to use its fire-type attacks, so Satoshi calls it back.  Chikorita is sent next, and it's able to defeat Itomaru despite its type disadvantage.  Tsukushi sends Trancell out next and surprises everyone when his pokemon takes out Satoshi's Chikorita with a Tackle attack.  Satoshi sends Pikachu out, who uses its electric attack to KO the powerfull Trancell.  Tsukushi's final pokemon is a Strike.  The Strike quickly takes out Pikachu and forces Satoshi to take his Hinoarashi back out, but now that it's warmed up from its previous battle, the pokemon is able to use its flame attacks! Tsukushi's Strike uses Sword Dance to deflect Hinoarashi's flames, and it all looks pretty hopeless for our young hero until he comes up with a plan.  While Strike uses its Sword Dance, Satoshi orders Hinoarashi to attack from above--the one place where Sword Dance can't protect Strike.  One Tackle attack later and Strike is defeated, earning Satoshi the Insect Badge.  As Satoshi-tachi leave for Kogane City, Chie runs up to them and hands them each the special Monster Balls that her grandfather made for them.  On to the next gym!

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Thoughts
We're on to Jouto League Gym Battle Numero Dos, and this one is pretty good.  We get some nice battling in this episode, and we get some loose ends tied up.  I kinda wish Bugsy wasn't given the same "boy" voice that every other boy in the show gets, but I won't gripe about it since we'll probably never see him again.  This episode really had nothing edited in any way, so for comparisons purposes it's pretty boring.  They even did the Rocket-Dan motto well, and even though I couldn't understand what they said at the very end of the Japanese version (or why they were dressed up like people at a grand opening of something), it's so minor that it probably wouldn't have needed to be mentioned anyway. 

Thirteen episodes until the next gym battle!!!

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