Lt. Surge

Lt. Surge (Japanese: マチス Matis) is the Gym Leader of Vermilion City's Gym, known officially as the Vermilion Gym. He hands out the to s who defeat him. He specializes in.

In the games
Lt. Surge is known as the "Lightning Lieutenant". Apparently, he is or was an American who fought in at least one war, during which Electric-type Pokémon saved his life. As a member of the, Surge was a strict , and was rather cautious. He was a pilot as well, and used Electric-type Pokémon to power his planes, a practice that in at least one occasion saved his life. Also, Surge saved the life of one of the Trainers in his Gym who was in the army at the same time.

A little paranoid, Lt. Surge installed a series of traps in the Gym. He takes a liking to Trainers with a lot of guts.

In addition to the Thunder Badge, Lt. Surge gives out TM24/TM36 in the Generation I games and Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. In  he gives out. In, he doesn't give out a TM. Also, in HeartGold and SoulSilver, he trades a foreign with the player for another Pikachu. In Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, in addition to the Thunder Badge and the reward TM, he also gives the player his Autograph as a reward for defeating him.

In, he will be outside of the Power Plant between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. This only occurs after the player has captured, not defeated,. If the player defeated Zapdos, he or she will need to battle the Elite Four again for Zapdos to reappear. If the player arrives walking with a Pikachu, he will happily give his Pokégear number out, and if called on Friday morning, will be at the Fighting Dojo for a rematch. After the player gets his Pokégear number, he will be at the Magnet Train station in Saffron City. There he'll offer to trade his Pikachu, nicknamed Volty, for the player's Pikachu that he saw at the Power Plant (though it need not be the same one). She will be at the same level as the Pikachu traded, will know the moves appropriate for that level, and be holding a Yellow Shard.

Fame Checker
This is a list of the Fame Checker’s information on Lt. Surge in.
 * Vermilion City - sign
 * What does this person do?
 * "Vermilion City Pokémon Gym
 * Leader: Lt. Surge
 * The Lightning American!"


 * Vermilion Gym - Lt. Surge
 * Favorite kind of Pokémon?
 * "I tell you, kid, electric Pokémon saved me during the war!"


 * Vermilion Gym - Tucker
 * What is this person like?
 * "When I was in the Army, Lt. Surge was my strict CO.
 * He was a hard taskmaster."


 * Vermilion Gym - Gentleman Tucker
 * What is this person like?
 * "Lt. Surge</sc> was always famous for his cautious nature in the Army."


 * Vermilion Gym - Dwayne
 * What is this person like?
 * "Lt. Surge</sc> installed the traps in the Gym</sc> himself.
 * He set up double locks everywhere."


 * Vermilion City -
 * There’s a rumor...
 * "Lt. Surge</sc> is rumored to have been a pilot while home in America.
 * He used the electricity generated by Pok</sc>émon</sc> to power his plane."


 * Message from Lt. Surge</sc>
 * From: Lt. Surge</sc>
 * To: [Player]
 * "Hey kid!
 * You electrified me in our battle!
 * I didn’t know that there were gutsy trainers</sc> like you.
 * It made me change my mind about you!"


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Gym battle



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Rematch




Pokémon World Tournament
Lt. Surge uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles and all six in Triple Battles. Lt. Surge will always lead with his signature Pokémon,.

Kanto Leaders Tournament




Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament




Rematch

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Round 1




Round 2




Round 1




Round 2





 * Before battle
 * "Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing here? You won't live long in combat! That's for sure! I tell you kid, electric Pokémon</sc> saved me during the war! They zapped my enemies into paralysis! The same as I'll do to you!"
 * "Ten-hut! Welcome to Vermilion Gym</sc>! Will you look at that, a pint-size challenger! Hahaha! You've got big and brassy nerves to take me on with your puny power! A Pokémon</sc> battle is war! I'll show you civilian! I'll shock you into surrender!"


 * Being defeated
 * "Whoa! You're the real deal, kid! Fine then, take the ThunderBadge</sc>!"


 * After being defeated
 * "The ThunderBadge</sc> cranks up your Pokémon</sc>'s speed</sc>. It also lets your <sc>Pokémon<sc> <sc></sc> any time/anytime, kid! You're special, kid! Take this!"
 * "TM24 contains <sc></sc>! Teach it to an electric <sc>Pokémon</sc>!"
 * "A little word of advice, kid! Electricity is sure powerful! But, it's useless against ground-type <sc>Pokémon</sc>!"


 * If the player doesn't have room for items
 * "Yo, kid! Make room in your pack!"


 * Before battle
 * "Hey, you little tyke! I have to hand it to you. It may not be very smart to challenge me, but it takes guts! When it comes to electric <sc>Pokémon</sc>, I'm number one! I've never lost on the battlefield. I'll zap you just like I did my enemies in war!"


 * Being defeated
 * "Arrrgh! You are strong! OK, boy/kid. You get <sc>ThunderBadge</sc>!"


 * After being defeated
 * ''"<sc>ThunderBadge</sc> increases <sc>Pokémon</sc>'s speed. Consider it proof that you defeated me. You wear it proudly, hear?"
 * "Hey, kid! Still slugging and chugging away? My <sc>Pokémon</sc> and I are still at it!"


 * Before battle
 * "Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing here? You won't live long in combat! Not with your puny power! I tell you, kid, electric <sc>Pokémon</sc> saved me during the war! They zapped my enemies into paralysis! The same as I'll do to you!"


 * Being defeated
 * "Now that's a shocker! You're the real deal, kid! Fine, then, take the <sc>ThunderBadge</sc>!"


 * After being defeated
 * "The <sc>ThunderBadge</sc> cranks up your <sc>Pokémon</sc>'s <sc>speed</sc>. It also lets your <sc>Pokémon </sc> lightning-quick any-time, kid! You're special, kid! Take this!"
 * "TM34 contains <sc></sc>! Teach it to an <sc>electric Pokémon</sc>!"

Vermilion Gym
 * Before battle
 * "Hey, you little tyke! It may not be very smart to challenge me, but it takes guts! When it comes to Pokémon, I'm number one! I've never lost on the battlefield. I'll zap you just like I do all my enemies in battle!"


 * After sending out last Pokémon
 * "It's not over yet. It's just beginning!"


 * When last Pokémon is at a critical health
 * "Oh, last one! Never give up!"


 * Being defeated
 * "My electric trick..."


 * After being defeated
 * "Aaargh! You are strong! OK, kid. You get the Thunder Badge!"
 * "That Thunder Badge suits those who've defeated me! Take good care of it, OK? There is something else. Here is a great TM for you!"
 * "That TM contains Shock Wave... Zzzap! Use it to go like lightning! When you go north, you will see a big city called Saffron!"


 * If talked to again
 * "Hey, kid! Still slugging and chugging away? When you go north, you will see a big city called Saffron!"

Fighting Dojo
 * Before battle
 * "Hey! The promise we made! Let's battle again!"


 * After being defeated
 * "Oh no! You are very strong! But I will repay my debt someday."

Pokégear registering 
 * "Oh! What are the chances of seeing you at a place like this? I can feel electric power around the Power Plant. You may want to catch a Pikachu in the Viridian Forest and bring it here!"
 * With Pikachu: "Oh, yay! You have the Pokémon I love best: Pikachu! Excellent! I will give you my telephone number!"
 * Yes: "Give me a call on Friday morning! We can have an electrifying battle!"
 * No: "Oh no! How disappointing!"
 * "Aha! Now you want to know my telephone number, don't you?"

Pokégear Phone
 * Calling him
 * "Hello? What's up? I'm doing great! My free time? I'm usually available Friday mornings. Try calling me again then!"


 * On Friday
 * "Hello? What's up? I'm doing great! Hey, you! Battle me again! What do you say?"
 * No: "I see... You must be pretty busy."
 * Yes: "All right! I'll be waiting for you in Saffron City's Fighting Dojo. Don't be late!"

Saffron City
 * ''"Oh! I never expected to see you at a place like this! What a coincidence! I can feel great electric power around the Magnet Train station! You had a Pikachu, didn’t you? How about trading it for my French Pikachu?"
 * No: ''"Shocking! I want to share my feelings for Pikachu with you! I’m ready anytime, so just bring a Pikachu, OK?"
 * Yes: ''"Wow! Electrifying! Let’s trade em now!"


 * After trade
 * ''"Yeah! I'm so ecstatic! I'll see you around. Good-bye!"


 * ''"Hey, you! Don't you want a good memory of us together? How about taking a picture with me?"
 * Yes: ''"OK! OK! Show me a very good smile! Wow! This turned out to be a really good one! We root for Route 39!"
 * No: ''"That's OK... Let me know if you change your mind."

Pokémon World Tournament
 * Before battle (first round)
 * "The name's Lt. Surge! When it comes to Electric-type Pokémon, I'm number one!"


 * Before battle (second round)
 * "The name's Lt. Surge! When it comes to Electric-type Pokémon, I'm number one! I'm gonna zap your Pokémon!"


 * Before battle (final round)
 * "The name's Lt. Surge! When it comes to Electric-type Pokémon, I'm number one! You've got guts to challenge me! I'm gonna zap you!"


 * Being defeated
 * "Arrrgh! You are strong!"


 * If the player is defeated
 * "Oh yeah! I'm strong!"


 * After being defeated
 * "Even my electric tricks lost. You're excellent! Keep goin' like lightning!"


 * After winning
 * "Oh yeah! When it comes to Electric-type Pokémon, I'm number one in the world!"


 * In the lobby, after the tournament
 * "You are very strong! You're the victor! I'm not gonna lose! I'll train hard and be number one in Pokémon battling!"

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

 * Vermilion Gym
 * Before battle
 * "Ten-hut! Welcome to the Vermilion City Gym! Will you look at that—a pint-sized challenger! Hahaha! You've got big and brassy nerves to take me on with your puny power! A Pokémon battle is war! I'll show you, civilian! I'll shock you into surrender!"


 * Being defeated
 * "Now that's a shocker! You're the real deal, kid!"


 * After being defeated
 * "Fine! Then take a Thunder Badge!"
 * "And that's not all! You're special, kid! Take this!"
 * "... ... ... Dahaha! Don't worry! That's not all I'm giving you!"
 * "TM36 contains the electrifying ! Teach it to an Electric-type Pokémon for some extra shock value!"
 * "A little word of advice, kid! Electric-type moves are sure powerful! But remember that they'll get sucked right up by Pokémon! Those moves are useless against them!"


 * Rematch
 * Before battle (first rematch)
 * "Hey there, kid! Pretty shocking you made it through the Pokémon League! No doubt some Electric-type Pokémon had a pretty big hand in that, right? All right, then. How about you show me what kind of Pokémon you've raised!"


 * Before battle (subsequent rematches)
 * "No need for introductions this time! Trainers like us have no need for words! Let's go, kid!"


 * Being defeated
 * "Absolutely shocking!"


 * After being defeated
 * "Looks like there's still a gap between our skill levels I need to close, kid! This is the first time I've felt like this since I first arrived here in Kanto! Come back tomorrow!"

Pokémon Puzzle League

 * Before battle
 * "Well, what do we have here? It looks like a little baby. Hey, baby, do you think you have the courage to try and take my Thunder Badge? Ha, ha, ha, a little baby like you can't defeat me! I'll put this baby to rest, then I will challenge the Puzzle Master! Ready when you are!"

Pokémon Stadium 2

 * Before battle
 * "Ten-hut! I'm <sc>Surge</sc>! So you want to battle?"
 * "Electric <sc>Pokémon</sc> are the best! Do you still want to try me?"
 * "Okay! So you want to be electrified?"


 * Sending out first Pokémon
 * "Go, <Pokémon>!"


 * Sending out a new Pokémon
 * "Fry 'em, <Pokémon>!"
 * "<Pokémon>, take charge!"
 * "This one's in the bag!"
 * "Change over to <Pokémon>!"


 * Recalling a Pokémon
 * "<Pokémon>, draw back!"
 * "<Pokémon>, time to go home!"
 * "<Pokémon>, drop back!"
 * "At ease, <Pokémon>!"


 * Own Pokémon faints
 * "Oh, no!"
 * "Oh! That's no good."


 * Own Pokémon lands a critical hit
 * "Pinpoint strike on the weak spot! Wonderful!"


 * Player's Pokémon lands a critical hit
 * "No! That's an emphatic, “No!” Not the weak spot!"


 * Own Pokémon being hurt by a
 * "That could be heavy."


 * Successfully the player's Pokémon
 * "Ha! That one shorted out!"


 * Successfully inflicting another status condition on the player's Pokémon
 * "Fine! Fine!"


 * If the player is defeated
 * "Boo-hah! Excellent!"


 * After being defeated
 * "This must be a bad dream."
 * "I don't believe this! I've been defeated?"
 * "Okay! I'll have to go back to camp and brush up on my training."


 * After winning
 * "Hey, wasn't that electrifying?"
 * "Nice one! My <sc>Pokémon</sc> have become even mightier!"
 * "Thank you for a good battle!"


 * If the battle ended in a draw
 * "A draw? No! Come on. Battle me again!"


 * If the player runs from the battle
 * "Surrender? I don't know the meaning of the word!"

In the main series
Lt. Surge made his only anime appearance in Electric Shock Showdown. He also reappeared in a flashback in Pika and Goliath!.

Lt. Surge is an extremely large and muscular man, and seems to be the show's tallest human character. He is arrogant, loud, and crude, and refers to all s as "babies" until they manage to defeat him. Lt. Surge generally looks down on unevolved Pokémon, preferring to evolve them as soon as possible, though he was proven wrong when managed to defeat him. He also seems to be an extremely brutal battler, as nearly every Trainer that faced him ended up with their Pokémon seriously injured, including Pikachu during his first attempt, resulting in at least 17 Surge-related ER visits within a single month before Surge was defeated on the second attempt, including Pikachu.

His shares many of his personality traits, also appearing to be rather tough. Lt. Surge's main weakness was that he evolved his Pikachu into a Raichu too quickly without taking the time to teach it speedy attacks. Even though he managed to defeat and his Pikachu once with pure power, Pikachu was able to use speed-altering moves like  to get the best of Raichu and defeat it, making Lt. Surge the first Gym Leader Ash actually beats in battle and not just receiving the Gym Badge out of gratitude.

Pokémon
This listing is of Lt. Surge's known Pokémon in the :

In Pokémon Origins
Lt. Surge appeared briefly in File 2: Cubone. He was shown facing at the Vermilion Gym during a Gym  and eventually getting defeated, earning Red the.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Lt. Surge is one of the evil sub-leaders of Team Rocket. In his debut round, Danger: High Voltorb, he used the S.S. Anne in Vermilion City to transport captured Pokémon illegally. He tried to kill, but was bested after Red's evolved into Poliwrath.

Lt. Surge captured at the abandoned Power Plant under 's orders. He then fought Red at Silph Co. with an Electrode bazooka and Magneton shield all powered by his newly caught Zapdos. He also had an electrocution suit on so he couldn't be shocked by Zapdos' power. Red waits for him to make Zapdos use its full power and makes Saur cut up the power cords to his machines and his suit so he gets electrocuted instead. However, he, along with the rest of Team Rocket, was dispersed when the made from the legendary Pokémon was defeated by Red,, and  in Saffron City.

Some time later, the Elite Four tried to destroy humanity. Team Rocket's admins joined up with, and  to stop them. During the battle against the Elite Four on Cerise Island, Lt. Surge was paired with according to Sabrina's Spoons of Destiny. However, with Red absent due to injuries, Lt. Surge had to choose as his partner instead, whose Spoon had not bent due to the fact that he was accompanying Green and Yellow, thus not intending to battle in the first place. When Red arrived the moment that Bill and Lt. Surge were about to lose, Lt. Surge's spoon bent, revealing Red as his true partner. Red then resumed his battle with Bruno. When it finished, Lt. Surge became fed up and pushed Bill into the acidic waters below, though Bill was saved by Red.

In Johto, Lt. Surge owned and captained the new luxury liner, S.S. Aqua. He was first seen driving out of the Union Cave in a submarine. His Magnemite accidentally captured Crystal, who later freed his submarine by capturing the Corsola that were keeping it stuck. He repaid her by taking her to Olivine City free of charge. He then went to Mahogany Town to investigate the rise of Team Rocket under a different leader, since Koga and Giovanni disappeared and Sabrina was busy healing her wounds. He confronted the Masked Man, but lost and barely managed to escape with his life. He then stumbled upon Silver's Gyarados while exploring the Lake of Rage. He is then led to several items of Gold and Silver's including one of their Pokédexes and goes to Morty so he can use them to locate the lost boys, who tells him that they are at the Whirl Islands. He is able to return their stuff and watches the Johto Pokédex holders battle against before a message is sent to him stating that he is being summoned to a Gym Leader tournament at Indigo Plateau that would pit the Kanto Gym Leaders against the Johto Gym Leaders. Lt. Surge is fatefully pitted against Morty for the competition, but their match ends in a draw due to Morty's using  just as his  beats it. Soon, the Masked Man struck. Using his latest recruitment,, Lt. Surge separated the two coaches of the Magnet Train and returned it to Indigo Plateau before challenging the Masked Man (along with Misty and Blaine) and losing to him. The excess electricity fed to the Magnet Train proved useful later on.

Lt. Surge prefers to travel by sea, as he captains two ships and drives a submarine. He can also fly through the air by having four of his create an energy platform for him to ride on.

In battle, Lt. Surge generally prefers to use his to zap anything that gets in his way. He also uses other Electric-type Pokémon to provide distractions with.

Pokémon
This listing is of Lt. Surge's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
Lt. Surge only appeared in a flashback in Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure along with his and the other Kanto Gym Leaders.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Lt. Surge first appears in The Big Activity In The Mountains And The Oceans!! on the S.S. Anne.

He shouts out a speech to the who showed no interest and threw rocks at him, due to the fact that he was responsible for the theft of a whole bunch of  Pokémon. goes onboard and meets him. While on board, Red challenges him to a Pokémon battle with Lt. Surge using. Red pits against the Poké Ball-shaped object. Voltorb attacks Clefairy but Clefairy uses a deflector to negate the attack. During the battle, the fisherman boo him whenever he got the upperhand.

In the middle of the battle, Voltorb evolves into an and  teams up with Clefairy to defeat the Electrode. Electrode is defeated when Clefairy fires a beam at it. The Electrode gets sent to one of the cannons which caused an explosion which destroyed the ship. Lt. Surge becomes upset when a whole bunch of his Water-type Pokémon become free.

Unlike other media, Lt. Surge has more Pokémon that is not the type he specializes in.

Pokémon
This is a listing of Lt. Surge's known Pokémon in the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga:

In the Pokémon Zensho manga
Lt. Surge first appeared in Vermilion City and challenged to a Gym battle.

In the TCG
Lt. Surge has an TCG Lt. Surge (eponymous) TCG Theme Deck in the TCG Gym Heroes expansion. Its TCG Kuchiba City Gym (Japanese counterpart) is based on the Vermilion Gym.

Artwork
Artwork from the cards:

Cards
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Lt. Surge or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

In the TFG
was slated to be released as a in the  of the Pokémon Trading Figure Game.

Trivia

 * His Japanese Leader title is . Prior to Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, his title was "The Lightning American!" or in Japanese.
 * He uses several English phrases such as "Goddamn" in the Japanese anime and the games.
 * Due to his team in consisting solely of a  (to mimic the anime), that battle against him is the only one against any Gym Leader in the games to consist of only one opposing Pokémon.
 * As a member of the United States Army, Lt. Surge is one of two Gym Leaders known to have taken residence outside the Pokémon nation; the other is Fantina.
 * In Pokémon Stadium 2, Lt. Surge has a Raichu that knows and . It is impossible to obtain such a Raichu in the games, as Surf is an  move for  while Reversal is an Egg Move.
 * As in, Lt. Surge's Trainer ID number is 33038.
 * In the Pokémon World Tournament, the man who describes all of the World Leaders questions if Lt. Surge is from Unova. This is probably because Lt. Surge is from America, and the Unova region is based on New York City.
 * It is also mentioned in Unova's history that they have been at war, which Lt. Surge also mentions in the Generation I games and their remakes.
 * In the Chuang Yi translation of Pokémon Pocket Monsters he is called Matisse.

Names
Major Bob Teniente Surge Major Bob Lt. Surge マチス 馬志士