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The Legend of Thunder!

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Pokémon Chronicles
PK08 : Delibird's Dilemma →
The Legend of Thunder!
The Legend of Thunder.png
ポケットモンスタークリスタル・ライコウ　雷の伝説
Pocket Monsters Crystal: Raikou - Legend of Thunder
First broadcast
Japan December 30, 2001
United States June 3/10, 2006
English themes
Opening Pokérap GS (Part 1)
Pokémon Chronicles theme (Parts 2 and 3)
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening 新たなる誓い (acoustic version)
Ending 新たなる誓い
Credits
Animation Team Koitabashi
Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka
Storyboard 越智浩仁 Hirohito Ochi
辻初樹 Hatsuki Tsuji
Assistant directors 越智浩仁 Hirohito Ochi
池端隆史 Ryūji Ikebata
Animation directors 松原徳弘 Norihiro Matsubara
井ノ上ユウ子 Yūko Inoue
Additional credits

The Legend of Thunder! (Japanese: ポケットモンスタークリスタル・ライコウ　雷の伝説 Pocket Monsters Crystal: Raikou - Legend of Thunder) is a made-for-TV anime movie. It was not aired dubbed for three and a half years, until May of 2005 (UK) when it became the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles, which subsequently first aired in the USA on July 3, 2006 (part 1) and July 10, 2006 (parts 2 and 3). Rather than following Ash, it follows Jimmy, Marina, and Vincent, three Trainers from New Bark Town, in their attempts to prevent Team Rocket agents Attila and Hun from capturing Raikou.

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Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
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Synopsis

Note: This synopsis is based on the English dubbed version of the episode. However, there are a number of differences between the dub and the original, which are listed below.

Part One

The episode opens as Jimmy and his Typhlosion prepare to battle Shinji and his Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee begins with a Jump Kick, which Typhlosion blocks. However, Hitmonlee then uses a Rolling Kick, which hits Typhlosion. That isn't enough to defeat Typhlosion, though, so Hitmonlee then uses Mega Kick. Typhlosion counters with Flamethrower, which engulfs Hitmonlee, who then faints. Jimmy does a high paw with Typhlosion as the small crowd cheer. As Jimmy and his opponent shake hands and become friends, the narrator talks about the wonders of the Pokémon world and the rare power that is Raikou.

Meanwhile, a helicopter enters one of Team Rocket's secret hideouts. Hun introduces Attila to Professor Sebastian, who shows them an item known as The Miracle Crystal. As he shows them, it has the power to control all nearby electricity, and anything electrical nearby is drawn to it. As Hun comments, it now won't be long until unlimited power is in their hands...

As Jimmy continues on his journey, he stops by at a Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy heals all of his Pokémon, and then Jimmy grooms Typhlosion, complimenting it on its strength. He then hears a familiar voice, and sees Marina who is talking on the phone to Vincent. Her Misdreavus, nicknamed Little Miss, and then Vincent, notice Jimmy. While it takes Marina a moment to remember him, when she does she is enthusiastic to talk to him. Before she hangs up, Vincent tells Jimmy that he wants Marina to be his girlfriend.

Now sitting outside, Jimmy and Marina talk about what they have done on their journeys. Marina flirts with Jimmy who, to her annoyance, shows no interest. She then suggests that he is afraid of her because he likes her. Jimmy denies this, though Typhlosion seems to think otherwise. Jimmy makes Marina change the subject, so she tells him that she battles to make people happy, and then he says that he battles to be able to help the kids back in New Bark Town. Marina then reveals her fascination with Fabu-Lance and challenges Jimmy to a battle.

They agree to use two Pokémon each. Marina sends out Little Pink, her Jigglypuff, while Jimmy sends out Beedrill. Little Pink starts out with Sing, but it fails as the speed of Beedrill's wings erase all sound waves before they reach its ears. Beedrill uses Agility followed by Twineedle. Little Pink launches into the air, and is able to dodge Beedrill thanks to its many dance lessons. While Marina talks about turning it into a routine, Beedrill launches a Pin Missile, which makes Little Pink faint.

Next, Marina sends out Wani-Wani, her Croconaw, while Jimmy sends out Typhlosion. As the battle begins, thunderclouds start to build up. Wani-Wani uses Water Gun, and Typhlosion charges into it. Typhlosion survives the attack and uses Quick Attack, but a bolt of lightning shoots down between them. Jimmy tells the Pokémon to go back to the Pokémon Center, but they go the wrong way. Typhlosion and Wani-Wani are successfully recalled, but Little Miss gets too far ahead.

As Jimmy and Marina chase after Little Miss, the source of the thunder is revealed to be the crystal, which is now attracting Electric Pokémon from all over the area. There is no sign of Raikou yet, but Hun tells Attila that making trouble with the Pokémon that have appeared will make it more likely for Raikou to turn up. A Raichu tries to stop them, but is quickly defeated by the crystal. As a different, more yellow, cloud appears, Little Miss, Jimmy and Marina also appear to see the events unfold.

Attila grabs the Raichu and a Mareep, and just as Jimmy and Marina are about to run in, Raikou appears from the yellow thundercloud. It quickly frees the Raichu and Mareep, and all of the Electric Pokémon run away. Team Rocket are unfazed, and go to attack Raikou. Raikou attacks back with a Thunderbolt that is sucked into the crystal. Though it keeps attacking, the powerful Electric attacks are just sent straight back. As Hun points out, the more it fights the stronger Team Rocket get. Raikou collapses, but before Attila can capture it, Jimmy runs forward telling them to stop. He sends out Typhlosion, while Attila sends out Skarmory and Hun sends out Steelix.

Hun warns Jimmy to "leave now or be destroyed". Jimmy warns Team Rocket to "let Raikou go, or you're in for the fight of your life."

Part Two

Skarmory begins with Fury Attack, while Typhlosion begins with Flamethrower. Steelix counters with Sandstorm, stopping the Flamethrower and causing a threat to Typhlosion as "sand puts out fire every time." Typhlosion tries to "hang tough", but is hit by Skarmory's Steel Wing.

With Typhlosion defeated, Attila sends electricity from the crystal to further weaken Raikou. Feeling the need to stop it, Marina and Little Miss enter the battle. Steelix goes to use Bite, but Little Miss uses Perish Song. While Skarmory and Steelix are in pain, Attila returns his attention to Raikou, but Jimmy sends out Beedrill, who uses Pin Missile on Attila's machine. The claws break off, meaning that it is now impossible to capture Raikou. After creating a smokescreen, Team Rocket escapes.

Raikou turns to go, but Jimmy calls after it, as it is in pain and they can help it. Raikou hits Jimmy with a ThunderShock, and he is thrown back. But Jimmy just gets back up again, narrowly missing another attack. The two stare each other down, until Jimmy makes a step forward. Raikou sends forward another Electric attack, which is countered by a Fire attack from Typhlosion. Jimmy assures Raikou that they want to help it, promising that it can trust him. Raikou then collapses.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Professor Elm tells Marina that there is a danger that Raikou will become withdrawn and depressed and not heal properly because it is in captivity. Marina decides that singing it a song may help, and while Professor Elm admits that that isn't a bad idea, he tells her that the important thing is to set it free as soon as it is healed. News of Raikou spreads, but Chansey guards the door so that only Jimmy is watching as Nurse Joy works on healing it.

That evening, as Team Rocket work on repairing their machine and Raikou sleeps, Marina gets Jimmy to cheer up. However, as they begin talking, a man comes in demanding to see Raikou. Marina, who thinks he is cute, asks his name, but then Officer Jenny leads another man to them. The first man is Eugene, while the second is Kudo, and they appear to know each other. Marina is more interested in Eugene's cape, which Eugene informs her that no one is permitted to touch.

Eugene explains that Raikou is a legendary Pokémon, making him unique and extraordinary. While it cannot be captured, man has always tried to capture that that they cannot possess. As Raikou can control thunder and lightning, those envious feel that capturing it will allow them to capture its power, and so men have always hunted Raikou. Because of this, Raikou does not trust humans. Kudo says that Raikou thinks that all humans are the same, but Jimmy believes that it can sense who its friends and enemies are.

The following morning, Raikou wakes up and is strong enough to break the glass in the Pokémon Center. Jimmy introduces himself, but Raikou just sends more electricity his way. As the others appear, Raikou blows a hole in the wall and runs off. The clouds that the crystal created have returned, and Raikou runs right back into Team Rocket's trap. Eugene tells Jimmy and Marina to get into his car so that they can follow it. Meanwhile, Kudo mans the home base and calls Officer Jenny.

Raikou soon appears in front of Attila and Hun, who introduce themselves as its new masters. Raikou replies with another lightning bolt to the crystal, which just powers it up even more. Hun sends out Steelix to get more electricity into the crystal, which then sends out electricity everywhere. Next, Steelix uses Dig which causes serious damage to Raikou. However, before they can do more damage, Eugene's car appears and Jimmy gets out.

Attila says that they are just adding to their collection like any other Trainer, but Jimmy disagrees telling them to fight Raikou fairly. Hun states that their goals are too big to be hindered by anything as noble as fairness. When Jimmy tells them that what they are doing is wrong, Attila says that they are acting like all Pokémon Trainers, but Jimmy tells them that they don't know Pokémon Trainers at all. "When we battle, we have respect for each other. When we battle, it's to learn and get better. When we battle, it's for the love of the contest, and not to steal the powers of a noble and legendary creature." Jimmy tells Team Rocket that he will not let them take Raikou.

As the Raikou jumps into battle, he is hit by the crystal's electricity. But before anyone can release a Pokémon, Steelix uses Rock Throw on Jimmy and Marina. One big rock is heading straight for them, yet before they are a hit, a beam from off-screen hits and destroys it. Looking to where the beam came from, they see a Meganium with... FabuLance? No, FabuVinny. Vincent has come to save them. Vincent orders Meganium to use SolarBeam, but it barely damages the part-steel Steelix. Steelix then uses Crunch, followed by Iron Tail and Rock Throw. Eugene goes to save them, but the rocks prevent him from doing it.

Meanwhile, Raikou has collapsed from the electric attacks that the crystal has been hitting it with. Attila then activates the capture bubble. As it hits Raikou, the electricity causes it to cry out in pain. But Typhlosion sends a Flamethrower at the bubble. Hun explains that this is bad as the system is only designed to absorb electricity – it doesn't know how to handle any other form of energy. As Typhlosion begins to push the bubble back, Little Miss joins in with Psybeam and Meganium joins in with SolarBeam. As the bubble blows up, Steelix knocks everyone out of the way, and Attila grabs Raikou. Raikou is put into the cargo hold and Team Rocket fly off, but with Marina trapped inside with Raikou!

Raikou tries to blow its way out, but the walls are non-conductive. It then tries banging its way out, but the walls are too strong for that to work, either. Marina promises to find a way out, and as Raikou scrapes away a loose piece of the floor, she finds it. Marina sees some wires, which can be pulled apart. This makes the door open. They are too far up for Marina to be able to safely escape, but as Raikou can make the jump, she encourages it to escape. Attila activates the emergency override, but Raikou escapes before the door closes. As Team Rocket prepare to get Raikou back, it watches as they move away with Marina still trapped.

Part Three

As Vincent panics, Eugene tells Jimmy that the first rule of any rescue operation is to remain calm. Jimmy then gets the idea to contact Marina using Vincent's Pokégear. However, Team Rocket has already got to her, and Attila breaks the Pokégear. All is not lost, though, as they can now locate where she was when the call was made.

Meanwhile, the crystal has been activated again and is seen by Raikou as well as Eugene, Jimmy and Vincent, who are now heading towards it. When they get there, Vincent demands to see Marina, who is tied up but otherwise all right. Jimmy tells them to let Marina and Raikou go, but Eugene realizes that they don't have Raikou since the crystal is active. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning hits the crystal, and it seems that Raikou is fighting the battle from outside of the crystal's range. Raikou is stronger than ever, but that is bad news as well as good news since they are right in the line of fire.

As electricity is fired everywhere, Marina falls, but is rescued by Beedrill. However, Skarmory is released and uses Steel Wing on them. Marina falls again, and lands on top of Vincent. Jimmy ensures that Marina is okay, but just then, Vincent interrupts reminding them that he is the one that Marina fell on. Hun then cuts in by ordering Steelix to use Iron Tail. Just as Eugene is about to save them, Raikou comes in and attacks Steelix head-on. Raikou then attacks Attila's control panel. Skarmory goes in with a Sky Attack, but Raikou runs away as the control panel explodes, blasting Skarmory back. The orb around the crystal disappears.

Jimmy realizes that Raikou's appearance when it was winning from afar was because it protects those that it sees as its friends. There is one worry, though. Team Rocket has not fled. The reason for this appears when Raikou attacks them – the electricity is still reflected back to the crystal, which then sends a powerful blast back. Hun explains that while the control panel has been destroyed, the crystal is now running on auto-destruct, which means that its power is now twice as focused. The crystal homes in on Raikou, and then turns black. Its electric hooks sink into Raikou and pull it inwards. The more Raikou resists, the stronger the pull. The less Raikou resists, the easier the capture. As such, Raikou is soon trapped.

Hun taunts that their legend will last forever as they have brains and science on their side - but Jimmy, Vincent, and Marina will not let that happen. They send out Typhlosion, Little Miss, and Meganium. Typhlosion uses Flamethrower, but the field now surrounding Raikou stops it. Jimmy suggests using combined forces again, but Eugene tells them that it won't work. If the field explodes with Raikou trapped inside, then the blast would be so powerful that it would destroy even Raikou.

While Raikou is drained of its electricity, Eugene says that their only hope is the "all or nothing" plan. They would have to break the field open, grab Raikou, and then get out before the explosion. They aren't sure, but Typhlosion makes the decision to do it. As Typhlosion runs forward, so do Little Miss and Meganium. Skarmory and Steelix attack, but Eugene sends out Alakazam to provide enough of a distraction to let the other Pokémon past. Typhlosion uses Flame Wheel on the field, while Meganium uses Light Screen.

Attila then sends his Muk into the battle to use Sludge Bomb. Little Miss counters with Psybeam, but is hit by Skarmory's wing. Skarmory then flies up to avoid Alakazam's Psybeam. While this is going on, Meganium and Typhlosion begin to drain energy from the crystal's force field. Raikou wakes up, meaning that it will be able to flee on its own if they are successful. This would give the other Pokémon enough time to get away.

Hun orders Steelix to use Crunch on the Trainers, but Jimmy tells the Pokémon to concentrate on saving Raikou. As Muk uses Sludge Bomb and Skarmory uses Fury Attack, Steelix goes after Jimmy who has run to the edge of a cliff. Jimmy provokes Steelix, but is saved by Beedrill, leaving Steelix to fall into the river below. With Misdreavus and Alakazam using Psybeam on Muk and Skarmory, Typhlosion and Meganium have nearly broken the field. But Steelix bursts up and goes to use Crunch. However, Jimmy, Marina and Vincent stand in its way. Eugene tells them to get out of the way, but Raikou breaks the field with a powerful electric attack that knocks Steelix back. As the crystal cracks, Hun and Attila realize that the ultimate system has met the ultimate Pokémon. They then run away, leaving becoming legends for another day.

While the Trainers celebrate, Raikou breaks the crystal once and for all. They thank Raikou for saving them before it runs off, safe again at last. Knowing that they will never forget Raikou, the Trainers cheer. The narrator tells us that they continued on their journeys to become great Pokémon Trainers, while Raikou continued its own journey, occasionally checking in on the three humans that turned out to be friends after all.

At this point, the dubbed Pokémon Chronicles episode cuts out, leaving out a notable scene. We see Jimmy again, in the forest this time. Suddenly, his Pokégear starts to ring and on the other end of the phone is Marina, asking if he would like her Pokégear number. He says "Yes" in a calm tone, but his expression reveals that he is definitely not as calm.

Major events

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon

Characters

Cover from the rental copy of Legend of Thunder!

Humans

Pokémon

At the Pokémon Center

Trivia

  • By the time this aired dubbed, Eugene and Vincent had already been seen before, in For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll and Love, Pokémon Style, respectively. In the episodes in question, they were named as Eusine and Jackson.
  • In the dub, when Attila and Hun are talking about signature moves, Hun mentions Shock Wave, despite the fact that Shock Wave was not a move when the special was created. It is because Pokémon Chronicles were dubbed and aired between Pokémon: Advanced Challenge and Pokémon: Advanced Battle. Even so, Shock Wave was a TM-only move in Generation III, and thus could not be a signature move.
  • This special marks the first time that any characters based on game protagonists have appeared besides Ash, who is based on Red.
  • This special has the longest time between the original airings in Japanese and English, taking three and a half years to air dubbed.

Errors

  • In the shot where Raikou is put in the cargo hold, there is no sign of Marina.
  • In one scene, Hun commands Skarmory to use Fury Attack. Since it's Attila's Pokémon, it should be Attila commanding Skarmory and not Hun.
  • In the Hindi dub, Misdreavus was once mispronounced as "Misdrees".
  • Raikou's electric attacks worked on Steelix, even though Steelix is part Ground. This, however, could be because of Raikou's sheer strength, similar to Pikachu.

Dub edits

The dub of The Legend of Thunder is one of the most heavily edited episodes of Pokémon:

  • All of the music is replaced, besides the three seconds of Jigglypuff's song.
  • Hun apparently gets a gender change. While a male in the original, he receives a female voice in the dub.
  • The Trainer that Jimmy battles at the beginning had a name in Japanese, Shinji. The scene where Shinji introduces himself and swaps Pokégear numbers with Jimmy is cut in the dub.
  • The original version has its own opening theme after said battle. The televised version begins with the Chronicles opening theme before the battle, while the DVD just cuts out the opening completely.
  • At this point, the dub uses its own title card. This is used again for the other two parts, and is preceded with a quick reminder of the events of the previous episode in those cases.
  • Attila is described as a wrangler and as Hun's new partner in the dub. This is not true for the original.
  • In the original, the Pokégears have a backwards looking two. These are painted out in the dub.
  • A small scene after Jimmy hangs up is cut. Marina asks Jimmy what Vincent wanted, and Jimmy replies that he wanted a battle. Marina then suggests that they get a drink.
  • The following scene is then rewritten. While the dub concentrates on pushing QuestShipping, the original explores their backstory much closer.
  • The original had a number of eyecatches which are not in the dub.
  • Beedrill's attacks miss Jigglypuff in the original simply because it is in the air. In the dub, Marina explains that being an "Idol Trainer" means that she needs to be knowledgeable about battling as well as being good at dancing.
  • In the original, Jimmy's Pokédex sounds just like Ash's. In the dub, it doesn't.
  • Towards the end of part one, the shots of Raikou falling to the ground and Jimmy looking on in horror are switched around.
  • Steelix's initial Bite attack is actually Crunch in the original, which is consistent with the rest of the special.
  • When Jimmy is saying that Raikou can trust him in his head, he is silent in the original.
  • Just before Eugene comes in, the original had a scene where Marina explains the effects of Perish Song, and asks if she and Misdreavus look cute together.
  • The following scene has three cuts which amount to about nine seconds.
  • The sign behind Kudo has its text removed in the dub.
  • The shot of Raikou after it has burst through the wall of the Pokémon Center is lengthened by a second in the dub.
  • When Attila is happy that a few more thunderbolts will make the crystal unbeatable in the dub, in the original he is surprised that Raikou came to destroy the machine, and not because he was attracted by it.
  • The scene where Jimmy says how Attila and Hun don't know Pokémon Trainers gives different reasons in the original. In the original, he becomes strong with his Pokémon and doesn't battle to win. When he tells them that he won't let them take Raikou, in the original he says that they don't deserve to have Pokémon.
  • Four more seconds are cut out of the end of the second part. The first is when Jimmy realizes that Team Rocket took Marina, and the other three are from the final shot as Raikou watches Team Rocket fly away.
  • The first scene of the final part has 27 seconds removed from it. The first six remove a shot of Vincent looking angrily at Team Rocket. There is then 21 seconds of Jimmy talking to Eugene removed. Here, Eugene told Jimmy that Officer Jenny had been informed and was working with the emergency squad to find more information. Jimmy says they can't stand around, but Eugene informs him that it would be impossible to get there by foot. The dub cuts to here with Jimmy saying that "We could get a plane or a helicopter or..."
  • When Attila talks about Caterpie in the dub, he was telling Marina not to move in the original.
  • When Hun and Attila talk about signature attacks, they weren't saying anything in the original.
  • The following section has a total of 35 seconds of cuts. Some shots are shortened slightly. But it also includes speech such as Jimmy guessing that they are using the crystal again, Hun saying that Jimmy did well to find them, and Attila telling them that Marina let Raikou escape.
  • In the original, Raikou does not return to save them. He does it because the crystal has disturbed the peace of the electric Pokémon, and he can't forgive anyone that would hurt them.
  • After being told that the crystal is twice as focused, there is an eleven second cut where there is a close-up of the crystal followed by a shot of Jimmy and the other heroes, wondering what the Rocket-Dan has up their sleeves.
  • While everyone is talking about being legends in the dub, the original has Team Rocket warning that the system could kill Raikou.
  • Five seconds are cut from the discussion about the "all or nothing" plan.
  • The scene where Typhlosion agrees to help Raikou has a lot more emotion in the original. This includes an additional eight seconds, which were cut in the dub.
  • When Attila is about to toss Muk's Poké Ball, he tells the kids to put on their raincoats and galoshes. In the original, he first swears and then calls out Muk's name.
  • When Raikou is waking up in the dub while in the original, it was actually noted that it was getting worse.
  • When Steelix is driving Jimmy towards a cliff, Hun is heard talking. When Hun tells Steelix to use Crunch, Jimmy taunts Steelix about how it "couldn't crunch even a potato chip", causing it to get mad. In the original, Hun isn't talking at this point and Steelix gets mad because Jimmy calls it "Baka-neil".
  • During this scene, there are three seconds cut where Marina and Vincent shout to Jimmy, telling him to get out of there.
  • Two and a half minutes are cut from the ending, as described above. There is also an additional two minutes and six seconds for the ending credits.
  • The shot of the mountains seen at the very end of the dub is shown after all this, but is also shortened by seven seconds.

In other languages



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