EP099

The Mandarin Island Miss Match (Japanese: してんのうカンナ！こおりのたたかい！！  ! Ice Battle!!) is the 99th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on June 3, 1999 and in the United States on April 15, 2000.

Blurb
''Ash, Misty and Tracey are on Mandarin Island where Ash has just won three battles in a row. But, he finally meets his match when they run into, Prima, one of the very best trainers on the Orange Islands. Misty is thrilled to meet her hero because she also trains water-type Pokémon, but, it's Ash who learns a very valuable lesson from this trainer who also sets him on course for a chance at another Orange League badge!''

Plot
On Mandarin Island, finishes off a  with 's. Later on, as Ash and eat,  tells them that Prima is going to give a lecture on the island. Misty is ecstatic, and tells Ash and Tracey that Prima is her hero. She hears a voice behind her, and turns to see Prima herself. Misty and Tracey introduce themselves while Ash chokes on his sandwich. She walks past them, however, and bends down to look at.

Nearby, watches from the bushes while Jessie and James eat. James sees Prima and recognizes her, but cannot ascertain her name. Prima then looks out at the ocean, and makes many philosophical comments about nature. Ash asks for a, but Prima ignores him. Ash arrogantly interprets this as an admission that she is afraid to battle and goes off in search of someone else.

Ash eventually does find an opponent who accepts his challenge. As Prima watches, Ash offers to let the boy set up the rules and they agree on two each. Ash sends out, and the boy releases a. Squirtle uses, but Persian dodges it. It uses, but Squirtle uses. It then pops out of its shell and es Persian, knocking it out. The boy then sends out a, who s Squirtle right away, knocking it out. Ash withdraws Squirtle and sends out, but Ash still cannot control Charizard and it burns him.

Prima continues to watch as Tauros uses. Charizard then uses, knocking out Tauros in one hit. He then into the air and attempts to burn everything in sight. Ash tries to call it back, but the beam from the Poké Ball misses. When Ash gets burnt by Flamethrower again, Prima intervenes, sending out her, who uses , immobilizing Charizard in midair. It then brings it down to the ground, and Ash succeeds in calling it back. Prima asks Ash if he knows what he is doing, and he defends himself by saying that he was in the top sixteen in the Indigo Plateau Conference. Unimpressed, Prima asks the trio to come to her demonstration later, and they enthusiastically accept.

Later, Ash and watch Prima battle from the stands of Mandarin Island Stadium. Team Rocket also sneaks in, dressed as food vendors. James now fully recognizes Prima, and they plan to steal her Pokémon. The demonstration goes on for a while and Prima defeats every Pokémon she goes up against. Ash watches intently, determined to try and pick up some tips. After the demonstration, Prima invites Ash and his friends to her house for some tea. There, Ash announces his suspicions that Prima is trying to teach him reverse psychology. Prima tells them that every person has a particular way of acting in and out of battle. She then explains that she is like the water, usually going with the flow, but when she is in battle, she becomes as cold as ice. She walks outside, and tells Ash that the most important thing is knowing where his strength lies. She then insists that Ash may be strong in some ways, but he needs to develop what comes from the inside.

Ash then challenges Prima to a battle once again, which she accepts. They agree on one Pokémon each, and send out their Pokémon. Ash uses Pikachu, and Prima chooses Cloyster. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, but Cloyster Withdraws into its shell. Pikachu then uses, but is knocked back by Cloyster's. Next Pikachu uses ; it hits Cloyster, but it begins glowing red. Tracey warns Ash that this is, which increases its Attack level. Pikachu tries a, but is defeated by and Take Down.

Prima calls back Cloyster, and looks at Pikachu to see if he is okay. She tells Ash that he has the skills he needs to be a Pokémon Master, but adds that he needs to remember that his Pokémon are the ones who win the Badges. She then tells him that with his Pokémon and friends by his side, he will always succeed. She finally reveals that if he wins all of the Gym Badges in the Orange League, he will be presented with an "Honorable Trainer" trophy.

Suddenly, arrives and ask Prima for a CD recording of her lecture. She replies that it is on tape only, and whispers to Ash and his friends that it is $18.95, shocking Team Rocket before they say their. Misty correctly guesses that their original plan was to steal Prima's Pokémon, but they tell her that they decided to go after Pikachu, figuring they would lose against Prima. Ash gets ready to fight, but Prima tells him that she will take care of it. She immediately sends out, who uses and freezes Team Rocket. Jynx then uses and blows them into the sky. The pieces from the ice block rain down, making sparkles in the sky.

That evening, Prima tells Ash that the nearest Gym is on Trovita Island, which is straight across the bay on the other side of Mandarin Island. Ash and his friends thank Prima before heading off.

Major events

 * and meet Prima of the Kanto Elite Four.
 * Ash s Prima, but is defeated.
 * Ash learns from Prima that there is an Orange League Gym on Trovita Island, and decides to head there.

Humans

 * Prima (Lorelei)

Pokémon debuts

 * Prima's Cloyster

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Prima (Lorelei)
 * s
 * Audience
 * Prima (Lorelei)
 * s
 * Audience

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international),  (Japan)
 * (Prima's)
 * (Prima's)
 * (Prima's)
 * (Prima's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; Orange Archipelago Variant)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; Orange Archipelago Variant)

Trivia

 * Professor Oak's Pokémon Lecture:
 * Pokémon senryū summary: The smile it shows at times is cute:.
 * The book The Four-Star Challenge is based on this episode.
 * Despite the fact that both the preceding and succeeding episodes are included, this episode was missing from Netflix when Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands was still available on Netflix, likely because of its depiction of Jynx.
 * This episode is not played on Pokémon TV, and the Pokémon.com synopsis lacks pictures of, likely due to this past controversy.
 * As of April 2013, it is removed from Pokémon.com entirely.
 * It is also removed from the re-release of the Orange Islands DVD box set.
 * In addition, it was skipped by Hungama TV and Disney XD in and was replaced by Charizard Chills.
 * James calls Prima "Miss Elite", likely a reference to her status as the first member of the Elite Four as Lorelei in the.
 * The events of this episode are later referenced by in Wired for Battle! during the Johto League saga.

Errors

 * When James shoves a sandwich into his mouth, his nose disappears.
 * During the scene when a battled against Prima's, it says "". Also, a  says "".
 * When Jessie says "Prepare for trouble, and defeat", the split in her shirt goes past the "R" and to her collar.
 * When Jynx uses, Prima incorrectly orders her to use in the dub.

Dub edits

 * Pikachu's Jukebox: Viridian City
 * In the dub, Lorelei is incorrectly referred to as Prima. 4Kids Entertainment has claimed that this is due to "Lorelei" having an extra syllable over her Japanese name, "Kanna", although it is also possible that the writers did not know that she already had an English name.
 * A 25-second scene, after Ash suggests that Prima is only denying him a battle because she will lose, was cut in some versions of the English dub as well as in all international versions based on it. It is cut in all U.S. DVD releases but not on two older Australian DVD releases, In the dub versions where it is not cut out, the segment is zoomed in. This is likely due to the scene focusing on Prima's cleavage. The dialogue is as it follows:
 * Ash: Hey, what's so funny? Not only am I an undefeated Champion on this island, but I'm practically a Pokémon Master! C'mon, Prima, one battle?
 * Misty: The only thing you're the Master of is disaster!
 * Ash: Who asked you? Maybe you want me to teach you a lesson instead of Prima. Hey, I guess I could use another easy win.
 * Misty: What do you mean, 'another easy win?'
 * Ash (walking away): Oh well, if the great Prima's scared of me, I guess I'll find somebody who's not afraid to lose.
 * Misty (annoyed): Ugh... that Ash is so... If he ever did battle you, he'd see he's not as great as he thinks he is!


 * In the original Japanese version, he challenges her to a, but she smiles and does not take him seriously, making him blush in embarrassment and anger. Ash then says something inappropriate about Misty in front of Prima. This really angers Misty, she shouts at Ash, and he walks away to find another to battle. In the versions with the cut, it is simply implied that he feels sorry for her because she didn't accept his challenge.

In other languages
Ash und die Lektion auf der Mandarin Insel EP101 EP099 EP099 無印編第99話 精灵宝可梦 第100集