Clauncher first appeared whilst Ash's Pikachu had his tail in the water. Clauncher grabbed a hold of it, causing Pikachu pain. Ash decided to try and catch Clauncher, only to be stopped by Misty who wanted to catch it for herself. Clauncher escaped into the water whilst Ash and Misty tried fishing for it. Clauncher grabbed both of their lures before it proceeded to pull them into the water before being captured by Team Rocket. After Team Rocket were sent blasting off, Ash's Corphish was revealed to have developed a crush on Clauncher which led to Misty and Ash having a battle over who would catch Clauncher. Misty won the battle with her Politoed, allowing her to be the one to catch Clauncher which she did. After being captured, Clauncher let itself out of its Poké Ball and played with Ash's Pokémon.
