List of Pokémon Newspaper Strip comics

This is a list of strips from the Pokémon Newspaper Strip, also published in the book Pikachu Meets the Press.

List of strips

 
The first panel of the Pokémon Newspaper Strip
  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: missing next strips

Strip 1

Ash goes to a regular school with his Pikachu, and remarks that it should be easy after the time he spent in the Pokémon training academy. Misty is also seen at school, with her Squirtle. There is an announcement that Pokémon Trainers may bring their Pokémon to school only if they are not disruptive. Misty teases Ash saying he should put Pikachu away for that reason, and Ash replies that her Squirtle is the disruptive one. Pikachu and Squirtle attack each other, causing Misty and Ash to say to each other "You see!? I told you so!!"

This strip includes a "Poké-Puzzle", in which the reader is supposed to find the names of 13 Pokémon: Abra, Alakazam, Arcanine, Ekans, Golem, Jynx, Krabby, Mew, Muk, Paras, Pikachu, Seadra, and Seel.

Strip 2

Ash and Misty are at the school. An unseen teacher reminds them that Pokémon are only allowed in class in they don't cause any trouble, while Ash looks worried at his Charmander breathing fire. Later, Misty (with her Horsea) and Ash (with his Pikachu) congratulate each other for their maturity, because they haven't been fighting each other. However, Ash remarks that Pikachu would win against Horsea, which causes the two Pokémon to start fighting and Ash to get eletrocuted. Misty winks at the reader and says "Maybe part of maturity is knowing when to keep your mouth shut..."

This Strip includes the answer to last week's Poké Puzzle. Additionally, there's an illustration of Jigglypuff holding a notebook.

Strip 3

Ash introduces himself to the reader as a Pokémon Trainer, and says that his mission is to "catch them all!"

Ash and Pikachu see a wild Starmie jumping from the water. Ash wants to catch Starmie and Pikachu prepares to fight. Ash repeatedly says to Pikachu: "I'm right with you!" However, Ash is too close, causing himself to be eletrocuted because of Starmie's water and Pikachu electricity. Ash falls to the ground and remarks that he shouldn't have been so "right with you".

Strip 4

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash uses his Bulbasaur against the wild Starmie. Bulbasaur grabs Ash using his vine and carries him upward, causing Ash to remark "I'm right behind you! I'm right... above you!?" Finally, Bulbasaur slams Ash against Starmie.

Strip 5

Ash introduces himself again, as a "future Pokémon Master", and says that he will not be defeated.

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash uses his Charmander against Starmie. Charmander uses a fire move, and Ash finally catches the weakened Starmie. Then Misty appears and reveals that Ash has been in her backyard the whole time since he found that Starmie, which in reality is Misty's Starmie. Misty asks where is her Starmie (unaware that Ash caught it), and also asks if Ash has caught any Pokémon lately. Both Ash and Pikachu look dumbfounded at Misty.

This strip includes a "Poké Maze", specifically a Tangela-shaped maze.

Strip 6

Three children (2 boys and 1 girl) are bored watching television. They say: "More music videos or that new family-oriented drama?" "*yawn* Whatever..." Ash and his Pikachu are in the same room with them. Ash brings his Squirtle out of the Poké Ball, then Pikachu and Squirtle fight for the children's amusement. The children happily cheer for the Pokémon battle. After it ends, one of the boys says he's going to catch Pokémon. The other boy wonders why water shorts out electricity, and the girl suggests asking Professor Oak. Ash winks at the reader and remarks: "Who says watching Pokémon isn't educational?"

Strip 7

Gary Oak is showing off his Rapidash to his cheerleaders. He decides to attack Metapod to demonstrate Rapidash's power. Rapidash breathes fire against Metapod, but Metapod uses Harden, which deflects the fire attack and hurts Rapidash, causing it to faint. Ash remarks that at least Gary still has his fan club, and that Ash himself got an sweet memory.

Metapod is unfazed by Rapidash's fire, and does not even realize that Rapidash attacked it to begin with. Metapod is seen thinking "Did something just happen?"

This strip includes a "connect the dots" puzzle in the form of Meowth.

Strip 8

Ash is wearing a Pikachu costume for Halloween. Meanwhile, some children don't seem to notice Ash; instead, the children are looking somewhere else and commenting how there is someone with a "silly Pikachu costume" and "that doesn't look like Pikachu at all". The children are actually commenting on Ash's Pikachu itself, which looks offended by their remarks and attacks the children with electricity. Ash looks at the reader and remarks how "someone should have a little talk with the artist of this comic". Meanwhile, Gerard Jones (the writer of these strips) and Ashura Benimaru (the illustrator) seem bothered by Ash's comment.

This strip includes the answer to last week's "connect the dots" puzzle.

Strip 9

 
Brock vs. Gary

At school, Misty says that Ash should train Pikachu to go into his Poké Ball, but Ash doesn't see any problem with Pikachu walking around. Then, they see that Brock and Gary Oak are having a Pokémon battle (Brock's Vulpix against Gary's Beedrill). The school's principal arrives, furious because of the ongoing battle, which causes Brock and Gary to call their Pokémon back to their Poké Balls. The principal says that anyone caught with a loose Pokémon is going to be in trouble, but only Ash is seen with his loose Pikachu. Ash is sent to the principal's office, and remarks that he ended up a loser without even fighting a battle. Ash then asks Pikachu if he would enter a backpack or a lunch box, but Pikachu ignores him.

This strip includes a "Garden of Pokémon" puzzle, in which the reader is supposed to recognize three faced away Pokémon, sprouting from the ground: Oddish, Bulbasaur, and Exeggutor.

Strip 10

Ash says he is going to prove himself as a Pokémon Trainer.

Ash commands his Pikachu and Charmander to fight each other for the purpose of gaining experience, without hurting each other. Ash tells Pikachu to duck once Charmander blasts fire, however Ash gets burned because he was behind Pikachu at the time. Ash suggests that they should train him instead.

Strip 11

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash makes protective clothing by stitching dozens of pot holders, while he says to Pikachu that his mother won't mind. Ash, wearing this new suit made of pot holders, expects to be protected against his Charmander's Fire Blast, but instead he is attacked by a water move from his Squirtle. Ash, completely soaked, complains that the cast of the strip was changed. Pikachu smiles at the soaked Ash while releasing some electricity. This scares Ash, who tells Pikachu not to use Thunder Shock on him.

This strip includes a "Pokémon Eyes" puzzle, where the reader is supposed to identify the eyes of five Pokémon: Meowth, Hitmonlee, Ekans, Porygon, and Metapod.

Strip 12

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash stacks a pile of sheets and towels to protect himself from his Pikachu, Squirtle, and Charmander, who are fighting each other. Ash's Snorlax arrives and sees Ash cheering for his Pokémon from behind the barrier he made. Snorlax throws himself on Ash and the barrier, looking to sleep on the sheets and towels. Ash remarks that this happened because he was "too clever".

This strip includes the answer to last week's "Pokémon Eyes" puzzle.

Strip 13

Continuing from the previous strip, Snorlax is still sleeping on Ash, pinning him to the ground. Ash says that this "puts a real cramp in [his] style". Gary challenges Ash to a Pokémon battle: Gary's Charizard against Ash's Pikachu. Ash is confident he would win, but is still having trouble with getting out from under Snorlax, so the battle will have to wait. Ash mentions that Snorlax also puts "a cramp in [his] leg".

This strips includes a "Pokémon Match" puzzle, in which the player is supposed to match 4 objects (pendulum, bone, leek, and spoon) with 4 Pokémon names (Hypno, Marowak, Farfetch'd, and Kadabra).

Strip 14

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash (still with Snorlax on top of him) thinks to himself that it was good that he turned down dance lessons. Ash's mother Delia Ketchum angrily tells him to control his Pokémon before they destroy the house. Pikachu and Bulbasaur are battling each other, while Charmander and Squirtle are looking at them. Delia also tells Ash about several chores he needs to do: that his bike is in the driveway, his room is a mess, and the leaves need to be raked. Ash says she's right, but asks if being trapped under Snorlax would earn him a little slack. Delia ignores him, and repeatedly asks where are her linens.

Strip 15

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash says that he does not want to spend Christmas trapped under his Snorlax. Squirtle, Charmander, and Pikachu attack Snorlax, causing it to wake up. Once Ash is free from Snorlax, he happily dances to commemorate. However, Snorlax opens a fridge to eat several kinds of food, causing the fridge to fall on Ash, trapping him again to the ground. Ash, trapped under the fridge, remarks: "After 1,014 pounds of fur and fat, this is almost comfy..."

This strip includes a "Pokémon Scramble" puzzle, in which five Pokémon names are shown with the letters scrambled: Psyduck, Psyduck, Pikachu, Poliwhirl, and Poliwrath.

Strip 16

Ash is sleeping with his Pikachu at his room, on the night of the Christmas Eve. There is a short narration: "...not a creature was stirring... not even an electric mouse..." (a reference to the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas"). Ash and Pikachu wake up once they hear Santa Claus near his house, making noise and commanding his reindeer. Ash is annoyed at the noise and does not recognize Santa Claus from hearing him, so Ash tells Pikachu to "shut up" whoever is outside the house. Pikachu attacks Santa Claus with electricity, and the noise stops. Ash happily remarks "What kind of a jerk would make such a ruckus on Christmas Eve...?" Ash also mentions that needs his beauty rest, and that tomorrow is a big day.

This strip includes the answer to last week's "Pokémon Scramble" puzzle.

Strip 17

At 11:30 PM on the night of the New's Year Eve, Ash tells his Pokémon, as well as Jigglypuff, that they can't sleep because of the New Year. Ash jumps on Snorlax's belly to wake him up, and also orders Pikachu to use Thunder Shock on Squirtle, Charmander, Metapod, Bulbasaur, and Jigglypuff, to keep them awake. However, Ash sleeps on the couch while the Pokémon remain awake watching things related to the New Year on the television. Metapod thinks "So the shiny ball goes down. Then what...?", and Pikachu says that he never heard of a Pokémon named "Auld Langzyne".

This strip includes a "Loch Ness Pokémon" puzzle, in which the reader is supposed to identify four Pokémon by only seeing their backs sticking out from the water: Gyarados, Lapras, Goldeen, and Squirtle.

Strip 18

Misty commands her Squirtle, Horsea, Goldeen, and Starmie to use water moves. Ash asks why does she need Psyduck when she has multiple powerful Pokémon. Meanwhile, Psyduck has a headache. Misty starts to mention that something happens when Psyduck's headache gets really bad, and then Psyduck unleashes an explosion of energy, throwing away Ash, Misty, and all four of the other Misty's Pokémon at once. Ash becomes dirty and his clothes get somewhat damaged. Ash says that Psyduck is worthless, and Misty agrees with Ash, saying this is why Psyduck needs her. Ash then asks how Psyduck pronounces its name.

Strip 19

Misty says that a good Trainer takes care of her Pokémon's health. She guesses that the source of her Psyduck's headaches could be high blood pressure, or eye strain, or a brain tumor. All her guesses progressively scare Psyduck, until it unleashes an energy explosion again, causing Misty to fall on the ground. As a last guess, Misty says: "Then again, it could be anxiety..."

This strip includes a "The Wings of Pokémon" puzzle, in which the reader is supposed to identify five Pokémon by their wings: Charizard, Zapdos, Aerodactyl, Fearow, Scyther, and Moltres

Strip 20

Ash asks Pikachu to enter its Poké Ball, but Pikachu ignores him. Ash tries to lecture Pikachu about how a Pokémon should obey its Trainer and gives 10 seconds for Pikachu to enter the Poké Ball. However, Pikachu happily shocks Ash with electricity instead. Ash remarks that he should have put more authority into his voice.

This strip is the first to feature a hidden Pokémon: a Pidgeotto seen flying after Ash has received Pikachu's electric shock.

Strip 21

Continuing from the previous strip, Misty (seen carrying multiple Poké Balls) tells Ash to put Pikachu in its Poké Ball. Ash tells her that Pikachu won't obey him, and Misty says Ash should order Pikachu to do as he says. Ash prepares to give the order, but Pikachu shocks him again. Ash remarks that he is a "badly trained Pokémon Trainer".

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Rattata on a tree.

Strip 22

Continuing from the previous strip, Misty tells Ash that he should catch "nice, trainable Pokémon", like Misty's own Staryu and Horsea. She also adds that Ash doesn't have any "Poké-taste", and asks "What good is some crazy electric mouse Pokémon, anyway!?" Pikachu shocks Misty with electricity, and she tells Ash to not say a word.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Goldeen behind Misty.

Strip 23

Delia scolds Ash because his Pikachu electrocuted her Aspidistra plant, his Bulbasaur vine-whipped her curtains while fighting his Squirtle, and his Snorlax ate a frozen turkey. Delia says Ash should either learn to control his Pokémon or give up being a Pokémon Trainer. Ash's Charmander burns the curtains, while Ash says to himself that a woman can't understand a man's passions.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Butterfree flying behind Delia.

Strip 24

Continuing from the previous strip, Delia says that Ash's Snorlax ate everything from the refrigerator. Delia also says that she went shopping three times this week because of his Pokémon, so Ash goes shopping instead, and is seen carrying multiple bags at once. Ash then says to Snorlax that he should have at least left the ice machine.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Mew printed on Ash's paper bag.

Strip 25

Misty tells Ash that her Staryu evolved into an Starmie. She also brags that it took "weeks of the most rigorous training imaginable" and that she's becoming a great Pokémon Trainer. Misty asks what Ash has been evolving. Ash dejectedly looks at Snorlax, who is lying on its back while eating, and replies that he thinks Snorlax is evolving into a sofa.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Clefairy on a shelf.

Strip 26

Ash is carrying at least one Poké Ball, and his Pikachu is with him. This causes some of Ash's schoolmates to make fun of him. One of them says that Ash "can't bear to leave [his] precious Pokémon at home", and the other says that "Pokémon is all he cares about". Ash denies that, saying that Pokémon is not the only thing he cares about. Ash's words upset Pikachu, causing it to shock Ash. Ash remarks that it's hard to please everybody.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is an Arcanine on a poster.

Strip 27

Ash locks his Pikachu and Charmander in the house, and leaves happily to the school. Ash talks to himself while walking on the street, satisfied that Pikachu won't short out the P.A. system, Snorlax won't raid the cafeteria, and Charmander won't set fire to the science lab. He does not expect anything to go wrong, but Jigglypuff winks to the reader while and follow Ash by floating behind him.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Paras on a plant at Ash's house.

Strip 28

Continuing from the previous strip, Jigglypuff starts singing at school, causing Ash and Misty to sleep. Jigglypuff then makes drawing on their faces. When they wake up, Ash remarks that "there are worse things than being put to sleep". Misty sarcastically agrees with Ash while looking annoyed at the drawings on his face.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is an Arbok passing through when Ash and Misty were sleeping.

Strip 29

Continuing from the previous strip, Brock is happy to see Jigglypuff, but Ash and Misty are scared of it. Jigglypuff starts to sing, causing Ash, Brock, and Misty to sleep on the ground at school. An adult man says "Kids today! Can't even stay awake at school!", and an adult woman replies "I blame TV..."

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Spearow drawing on the wall.

Strip 30

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash is feeling sleepy in the class, during a long lecture. Jigglypuff starts to sing, causing all the students to sleep except Ash, who has kept his fingers in his ears to avoid listening to Jigglypuff's song. Ash remarks that the students would only have lasted another five minutes anyway.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Pikachu drawing on Ash's desk.

Strip 31

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash runs away from Jigglypuff and happily expects some peace and quiet back home. However, once he enters his home, he is immediately attacked by his Pikachu and Charmander. Ash remarks that he remembered why he wanted to go to school in the first place.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Zubat flying when Ash got attacked by Pikachu and Charmander.

Strip 32

Ash brags to Brock that his Metapod evolved into a Butterfree, after "hours of furious battles and rigorous training", and "weeks of honing its powers and building its experience". Ash asks if Brock wants to see Butterfree's Sleep Powder, but Brock ignores him and starts flirting with someone unseen. Ash remarks that Pokémon evolve with experience, but humans just get stupider.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Diglett on the ground, behind Brock.

Strip 33

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash is ranting to Misty about how he wanted to show his newly-evolved Butterfree to Brock, but Brock only cares about girls. Ash angrily asks "What good are girls!?" This offends Misty, and she orders her Staryu to attack Ash with water. Ash remarks that he must be missing something.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Horsea seen when Staryu attacked Ash.

Strip 34

Continuing from the previous strip, Brock is flirting again, with someone unseen. Ash wants him to stop doing that and pay attention to Pokémon again. Ash commands Pikachu to shock Brock, interrupting his flirting. The shock causes Brock to fall on the group, with damaged clothes and messy hair. However, Brock returns to flirt as if nothing happened, remarking that this is not his usual hairstyle.

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Dragonair seen when Pikachu attacked Brock.

Strip 35

Continuing from the previous strip, Ash sees a Ditto transformed into his Pikachu, and tells Ditto to transform into a woman, for the purpose of surprising Brock and making stop flirting. However, Brock flirts with the Ditto woman as usual. Ash remarks that he always expects too much. Brock, upon discovering Ditto's identity, happily replies "Ditto for me, too!"

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Venomoth printed on the Ditto woman's skirt.

Strip 36

Continuing from the previous strip, once again Ash is ranting to Misty about Brock flirting with girls. Misty replies that Ash's attitude is immature, and Brock is free to go crazy over any girl he wants. However, Brock starts flirting with Misty's older sisters Daisy, Violet, and Lily. This upsets Misty, and she says: "...unless they're my sisters..."

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Seadra near Brock at the end.

Strip 37

Daisy, Violet, and Lily are happily leaving to the dance, and leaving Misty together with Ash. Violet tells Misty to "have fun playing Pokémon with [her] little friend". This annoys Misty, and she makes her Starmie attack Ash with water, without explaining the reason. Ash asks: "What did I do...?"

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Dewgong around Daisy's arm.

Strip 38

Ash says that he can't be afraid of Pikachu's Thunder Shocks, and that will make Pikachu go inside its Poké Ball like a well-behaved Pokémon should. He appears decided to give this command to Pikachu, but once Pikachu prepares to shock Ash, he changes its mind and simply asks "...do you want moist Poké Chow or dry Poké Chow...?"

This strip's hidden Pokémon is a Vileplume in a floral print on the wall.

Trivia

Errors

  • In Strip 25, Misty said she trained Staryu until it evolved into Starmie, but Staryu actually evolves into Starmie by using a Water Stone.