Pokémon: The Original Series · Johto League Champions arc
EP181 · The Apple Corp
ピカチュウとピチュー!
Synopsis
What happens.
Arriving in Ecruteak City, Ash immediately makes his way to the Gym to challenge its Leader for his next Johto League Badge. On their way over, they are stopped by Infernando, a fire-breathing salesman, who claims to be "just the guy they're lookin' for".
Synopsis adapted from Bulbapedia's EP181 entry, used under CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5.
Story arc · EP161-EP212
Johto League Champions.
Continues the Johto badge run. Ash's Chikorita evolves into Bayleef; Brock's Onix evolves into Steelix. Team Rocket gets multiple character episodes that elevate them past gag villains.
Read the full Original guidePokémon featured · 14
Who appears.
Linked entries open the species page on the Pokédex. Items without a sprite (alternate forms, regional variants, generic group references) fall back to a name pill.
More from this arc
Other episodes in Johto League Champions.
Episode synopsis from Bulbapedia, CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5. Editorial context (arc affiliation, cultural moments, character signatures) hand-verified May 2026. Pokémon, character names, and series titles © Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, OLM Inc. This is an unofficial fan reference.