Original subtitles

[SINGING] -I want to be the very best

Like no one ever was

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause

I will travel across the land

Searching far and wide

Each Pokémon to understand

The power that's inside

Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all

It's you and me

[CRASH!]

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon

Oh, you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all

A heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

Pokémon

Narrator: Our young hero Ash

leads his friends deep into the forest.

Since he doesn't have a compass,

Ash must rely purely on his instincts...

and that means trouble.

Don't worry.

I'm positive this way'll take us back to the path.

-Pika. -Positive, huh?

That's what you said an hour ago.

I'm tired.

Phew!

I told you to stick to the main road,

but you had to take a shortcut.

I took a shortcut?

It was you who said to go this way.

Ha!

If I was leading, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this.

Who says we're lost?

Listen, genius,

if you don't know where you are or where you're going,

that means you're lost!

-Chill. Chill!

All right, but remind me to yell at you some more

if we ever get to Vermilion City.

Time for a break.

Mm?

[SLURPING]

Oh, wow, a Pokémon!

-[ELECTRONIC VOICE] Oddish.

This Pokémon is typically found roaming the forest,

scattering pollen as it walks around.

I'll catch it,

Hold it!

What for?

Because I'm gonna catch that Pokémon.

-Aw, no way, Misty. I saw it first.

But we found it around the water,

and water is my specialty.

Oddish, oddish.

Go, Starmie!

Water Gun now!

Now, that's the way to spray.

Tackle it, Starmie!

[YELLING]

That weakened it.

Gotta catch it now.

Pokéball, go!

Uh-oh. -Whoa.

Whoa! What's that?

[GROWLING]

Wow!

I can't believe it!

A Bulbasaur!

-[ELECTRONIC VOICE] Bulbasaur.

It bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth.

The seed slowly develops.

Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur

as a plant or animal.

Bulbasaur are extremely tough

and very difficult to capture in the wild.

Bulbasaur!

-Oh! Oh, Starmie, are you okay?

Now it's my turn to try.

Bulbasaur is mine!

Butterfree, I choose you!

Butterfree, Sleep Powder!

Yeeeeee!

Ah!

Come on. Hang in there, Butterfree!

Oh, no.

Bulbasaur.

Oh, the Bulbasaur.

It's not fair! I want it!

Pika.

[CACKLES]

I'll bet there are Bulbasaur all over this place.

But where is "this place"?

I can't find this bridge on my map.

[WIND WHISTLING]

[ALL YELLING]

Brock's falling.

Ash, you have to pull us back up!

It's our only chance!

Pika!

I can't.

Yes, you will!

Just pull as hard as you can!

-Phew. I'm totally wiped out.

We can't rest now.

We've got to find Brock.

Right.

Hurry up!

Pika!

Whoa.

How'd you get down there?

-I fell in! How else?

What's a trap doing here?

It seems pretty strange.

Just help me out, quick!

This is just not our day.

Pikachu.

Brock?

Hey, Brock!

Think he washed this far downstream?

Whoa!

Hey, how'd we get up in a tree?

-It's another trap! Do something!

What can I do?

Try wiggling.

See if the net will open.

Oh, this is dumb!

You got any better ideas, let's hear 'em.

-Pi! Pika-pi!

Bulbasaur!

-Huh? -Huh?

Bulbasaur.

Saur, saur.

Hold it there, Bulbasaur.

I want a match!

Now you're wiggling too much!

Ouch, you kicked me!

Bulbasaur!

The village we're looking for

should be on the other side of that bridge.

Let's just hope the rumors are true.

Hee hee hee!

Just wait and see

what Team Rocket's got planned for you,

you delicious little village.

Gee, I wonder what happened to Brock.

I wonder too.

Maybe the river carried him far away,

all the way to the ocean.

Then some pirates spotted him

and brought him aboard their ship.

And one of the pirates has a wooden leg.

You have a crazy imagination.

Kachu!

Then came the storm.

-Ahoy! -Huh?

Hey, Brock!

Why are you hanging around up in that tree?

Thanks, but maybe next time,

you could let us down a little more gently.

-Yeah, sure. Sorry.

We've been looking all over for you.

We saw you fall into the river.

Then what happened?

Well, I was being washed away in the rapids.

-I've got you. Just hold on.

The girl who saved my life was incredibly beautiful.

Hmm, a beautiful girl, huh?

That's even better than pirates.

Unless, of course, she was really a pirate in disguise.

Maybe it's time to get a reality check.

[LAUGHS]

Oh!

Melanie, this is Ash and Misty.

Hello.

So you're Brock's friends.

He told me all about you.

Great.

Wow, look at that!

Do all those Pokémon belong to you?

Oh, no.

This is a place where Pokémon are able to rest and relax.

Like summer camp?

Well, sort of, but all year long.

You see, when Pokémon get abandoned or injured,

they can come here.

Melanie takes care of them until they feel better.

Then they leave.

So this is a Pokémon Center,

and Melanie is a Pokémon doctor.

Oh, no.

I'm not qualified to be a Pokémon doctor.

This is more like a Pokémon health spa.

Huh?

Here, the Pokémon don't battle with one another.

They relax and try to enjoy themselves

until they've recovered.

Cool.

Melanie collects plants to use for medicine.

She knows all about which plants can help a Pokémon feel better

or grow stronger when it's too weak.

So you and Melanie both love to take care of Pokémon.

We do.

Well, it looks to me like

there's something else Brock might love.

[YELLING]

Be quiet! She might hear you!

ALL: who's that Pokémon?

It's Bulbasaur!

Bulbasaur!

I wonder who put that net up in the tree.

Probably the same person who dug the hole I fell into.

I'm sorry.

I was the one who set those traps.

I wanted to catch Pokémon trainers

before they reached the village.

Since you got caught, I guess they really worked.

But why?

There are so many injured Pokémon here.

I have to protect them.

So the bridge was a trap too.

Yes.

Across this bridge lies a lifetime supply of Pokémon.

How are we ever going to carry them all?

Don't worry; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[ALL YELLING]

Meow!

I promised Melanie we wouldn't capture any Pokémon here.

And did you seal the promise with a kiss?

Ow!

So that must mean you really do love her.

Ow!

Well, I guess I'll have to keep your promise.

Only bad guys try to capture sick Pokémon.

But are those traps tough enough

to keep robbers away from this place?

I mean, you'd have to be pretty stupid

to fall into one of those holes.

Hey!

[ALL YELL]

This is the third hole we've fallen into.

How come nobody ever falls into our traps

but we always fall into theirs?

Well, this one was very cleverly hidden,

well made, and-

-I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

Meowth!

Help!

[ALL YELLING]

Help me out!

Get us out of here!

Ouch, my tail!

Let go!

Stop pulling my tail!

Hyah!

Do you feel any better yet, Staryu?

Sorry about what happened in the forest.

Oddish.

I shouldn't have surprised you like that.

You must've been scared.

Oddish.

Melanie told me your old trainer got rid of you.

Was it really because he thought you were too weak?

Oddish.

You know, some trainers can be insensitive.

But not all of us are mean like that.

[GIGGLES]

You just need to find a trainer who understands you.

Anyway, I'm sorry for what I did,

and I hope we can become friends.

Oddish.

[CRYING]

Huh?

Oddish, oddish.

You're sweet, Oddish.

I am sorry.

All I think about lately is winning.

I hope I'm not becoming heartless.

You were always heartless.

Mind your own business!

Bulbasaur!

Hey, it's rude to tackle people!

She's right.

I know.

You're just mad because I was going to beat you.

But you chickened out and ran off.

That must be it.

Then let's see how tough you really are.

-Please wait. Please.

Bulbasaur is only trying to protect Oddish.

Bulbasaur volunteered to guard our whole village.

BOTH: Huh?

It protects all the injured Pokémon

whenever enemies try to attack them.

BOTH: Oh.

Bulbasaur is the bravest

and most loyal Pokémon I know.

So that's why Bulbasaur attacked me.

It must've thought I was taking Oddish from the village.

Bulbasaur, bulbasaur.

Now what?

Bulbasaur doesn't like Pokémon trainers.

It wants you to leave the village now.

But we're not here to capture Pokémon.

We want to help you.

It's true, Bulbasaur.

These are our friends.

Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur was worried about the other Pokémon,

so it decided to be the village bodyguard.

Now, that's what I call bravery.

It would be great to have a Pokémon like that.

To protect the world from devastation.

To unite all peoples within our nation.

To denounce the evils of truth and love.

To extend our reach to the stars above.

Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light.

Surrender now or prepare to fight.

That's right.

We've said our lines.

Time to attack the village.

Those village idiots thought

their measly traps would stop us.

They thought they had the home team advantage.

No such luck.

We're the home team now.

I congratulate myself for this brilliant scheme.

Don't forget I suggested

tying giant balloons on the stadium roof.

[WARBLING]

[BOTH EXCLAIM]

Here we go again.

Today only at Jessie Stadium.

It's the Team Rocket Pokémon challenge.

The flying stadium was my idea.

-Oh. Ha ha.

All Pokémon are invited to enter the stadium.

Step right up.

Yeah, we're not hosing you.

Well, maybe we are.

Hyah!

They never run out of ideas, do they?

-Hurry! Everybody get in the cabin!

Wait.

No! Oddish!

Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur!

Take Staryu.

Keep going, Bulbasaur!

That rotten little pest.

He's always ruining our flawless plans.

Not this time.

He's gathered them all in one place for us.

Our super-vacuum will suck up 'em.

ALL: Let's go, team!

To steal 'em is our dream!

Let's go, Rocket!

Put Pokémon in our pocket!

Bulbasaur?

Bulbasaur.

Pidgeotto, I choose you!

Pidgeotto, Gust attack!

[SQUAWKING]

And the tornado's winding up.

But will it strike us out?

There goes the whole ballgame.

[ALL YELLING]

The home team really got blown away.

So what are we gonna do now,

Challenge them to wind surfing?

Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again.

Is everyone feeling okay?

I just had the wind knocked out of me.

Bulbasaur.

This village is well-protected with Bulbasaur here.

Ash, don't you agree that Bulbasaur would be

an excellent addition to your team?

Oh, yeah, would he ever.

I think Bulbasaur should go with you.

Huh?

Bulbasaur has stayed here to protect the weaker Pokémon.

But this village is too small.

The bulb on its back can't grow.

It needs to go out into the world now

and I know you'll take good care of it.

Please do me this favor.

Please take Bulbasaur with you on your journey.

He'll be a good companion.

But what will happen to the village without Bulbasaur?

Yeah, who's going to protect you?

It's true that Bulbasaur has done a great job,

maybe too great a job.

You see, these Pokémon shouldn't remain in this village

forever and ever.

After they recover, the Pokémon are supposed to leave.

But it's too safe here, so none of them wants to go away.

They don't want to return to the outside world.

Oddish.

But I think it's important

that all of them return to the wild.

That's where Pokémon belong

and hopefully, someday, they'll find good trainers like you.

Of course, taking care of sick Pokémon

will always be my mission,

but I know my job isn't finished

until they return where they came from,

so it's the day a Pokémon leaves that is most rewarding to me.

Melanie, I-

-So, you see, it's time for Bulbasaur to leave here.

Please take it with you.

It won't be a burden, I promise.

Bulbasaur still has a lot of growing to do.

I want it to be in a place

where I'm sure it can grow strong and happy.

I'm sure that place is with you, Ash.

Well, if you really want me to.

Bulbasaur.

[GIGGLES]

What did it say?

Bulbasaur will join you on one condition.

It wants to battle you in a Pokémon match.

Right, Bulbasaur?

Bulbasaur.

Ha!

If you want a match, you'll get it.

Oh, please let me battle with Bulbasaur.

Please? Pretty please?

No way.

Pika.

Bulbasaur.

Pikachu, go!

Bulbasaur.

[SCREECHES]

Pikachu!

Look out, Pikachu!

Bulba.

The Vine Whip is Bulbasaur's special move.

Bulbasaur!

Pikachu, Thunderball!

Achu!

All right.

Pokéball, go!

We did it!

We got Bulbasaur.

Pikachu.

Bulbasaur, I'll miss you.

Have a safe trip.

I promise to take good care of Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur, thank you for watching over us.

Bulba.

Uh, Melanie, I've been thinking.

Yes?

Well, since Bulbasaur is leaving,

I wouldn't mind staying and helping you out.

It's very kind of you, but we'll be okay.

I wouldn't want to keep you

from all of your wonderful adventures.

Oh.

Yeah, I guess you're right.

Good-bye, Melanie.

-Good-bye. Good luck.

Bulbasaur.

Don't worry, Bulbasaur.

You'll see your friends again.

As soon as the Pokémon feel better,

they'll leave this village too.

Bulba.

Take good care of each other.

Bye-bye.

[SIGHS]

So what did Melanie say when you told her you loved her?

Did you kiss her good-bye?

That's enough stupid questions.

Would you please stop embarrassing me already?

You know, okay, so she's cute. I understand that.

But you don't have to keep rubbing it in.

-Did I miss something? What's going on?

Bulba.

NARRATOR: With Bulbasaur now at his side,

it looks like Ash is building his own dream team.

Now it's on to Vermilion City.

Let's just hope our heroes don't take any more shortcuts,

or we may never get there.

-Don't go away. The Pokérap is next.

Get those lips loose.

Its time to Pokérap.

-Come on! Sing 'em with me.

That's the game.

-There's 150 Pokémon. How many can you name?

[SINGING] Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em all

We're almost home!

[SINGING] Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all, Pokémon

That's all, folks.

Can you name all the Pokémon?

Just put today's song together with the other days of the week.

That's why you can't miss a show.

BOTH: You gotta catch 'em all!

[SINGING] Catch 'em, catch 'em, gotta catch 'em all

Ooh, gotta catch 'em all, Pokémon

Catch 'em, catch 'em, gotta catch 'em all

Ooh, gotta catch 'em all, Pokémon

Catch 'em, catch 'em, gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all, Pokémon!

[UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC]

[SINGING] -I want to be the very best

Like no one ever was

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause

I will travel across the land

Searching far and wide

Each Pokémon to understand

The power that's inside

Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all

It's you and me

[CRASH!]

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon

Oh, you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all

A heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you

Pokémon

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

Pokémon