Pokémon - EP0024

From Pokémon.

Plot
Ash and his friends return to Saffron City with Haunter in tow. Though Ash is confident, Brock is somewhat afraid of Haunter, while Misty is not, and she even considers Haunter cute. Haunter nudges Misty and licks her face, paralyzing her. Ash scolds it and Haunter cries, but Ash reassures it, the Pokémon quickly perking up. Ash asks Haunter for help against Sabrina, and it agrees to.



Ash and his friends return to the Saffron Gym as Ash remembers the last match. He is ready to go inside, but he notices that his friends and Pikachu do not want to go in, based on what happened last time. Ash believes he will win, but Brock thinks Haunter is controlling Ash. Haunter appears not to be, laughing continually. Ash brings out Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur and they prepare to go inside. Everyone returns to the stadium, as Ash demands a rematch. Sabrina agrees and sends out Kadabra. Ash attempts to send out Haunter, but Haunter has disappeared. Ash freaks out, losing his confidence. Sabrina orders Ash to send out another Pokémon, reiterating her threat. Ash tries to send Pikachu, but he backs away to the wall, scared. His other Pokémon do the same, not wanting to battle. Sabrina is intensely angry as Ash decides to back out, running away and everyone follows him. The exit seals off as the little girl appears from behind, using telekinesis to turn Brock and Misty into dolls. The little girl appears in front of them as Ash's Pokémon hide behind him. The man that told him to find the Ghost-type Pokémon before appears and teleports them out.

They reappear in the city and they all drop into a pile atop the man. Ash's Pokémon relax as Ash reflects on how mean Sabrina is. The man mentions that Sabrina was not always mean. Flashbacks reveal Sabrina as a young girl using telekinetic powers on everything, honing her skills at the cost of turning against her parents. The conflict caused her to split into two girls, the older Trainer and the lonely little girl. The little girl is actually a doll representing Sabrina before she practiced telekinesis. Ash notices that the picture he showed is the same one they saw in Sabrina's toy box. The man believes that Ash has found out that he is really Sabrina's father, but Ash thinks he is a photographer. Pikachu laughs and the man is somewhat astounded that Ash is that oblivious. Sabrina's father asks why he does not have a Ghost Pokémon as Ash mentions that Haunter disappeared. He must find Haunter in order to free his friends.

Ash and Pikachu scan the city for Haunter. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is alongside a skyscraper on a window cleaner platform. James readies the fishing net in order to capture Pikachu, but Haunter appears in front of them, scaring Team Rocket and causing them to fall off the platform. Jessie grabs hold as everyone else clings onto her. She cannot pull up because they are too heavy. Haunter appears next to Jessie and makes funny faces, trying to get her to laugh. She tries to resist because she will let go if she laughs. Eventually she cracks, laughing and releasing her grip. Ash and Pikachu notice that Team Rocket have crashed through the sidewalk and Haunter appears nearby. After thanking Haunter for stopping Team Rocket, Ash expresses his desire to go back to the Gym, but Haunter does not want to battle. However, Haunter comes up with an idea and sides with Ash again as they return to the Gym.

Meanwhile, Misty and Brock, now as dolls, are sitting on a couch, unable to move. They notice another doll nearby as they realize that it is Sabrina's mother. They are shocked as she reveals that Sabrina is still good. The roof opens as the Sabrina doll looks down upon them. Misty demands a battle and for them to change them back, but she doesn't want them to change. At that moment, Ash returns and asks for another match. Sabrina sets Misty and Brock on her chair to watch. Misty and Brock protest, but Ash is set to battle. Kadabra comes back out as Ash orders Haunter to go, but it has disappeared again. Ash falls to the floor in defeat, but Pikachu steps out to battle, even though Ash knows Pikachu is at a disadvantage. Its insistence convinces Ash and the match begins. Pikachu uses Thunder Shock, but Kadabra Teleports to avoid it and then uses Psybeam on Pikachu. Pikachu gets back up and uses Thunderbolt, hitting Kadabra, but it uses Recover to heal.

Suddenly, Haunter appears in front of Sabrina and laughs. The doll believes that it is unfair to pit two against one, but Sabrina's father reappears and says that Haunter is playing on its own, not battling, so it is not against the rules. Haunter makes funny faces and even pulls out a bomb, exploding it in front of Sabrina. The effort works as Sabrina cracks a smile, progressing to hysterical laughter. Sabrina's father seems happy at her breakthrough, but Ash is still unconvinced that he is her father, making him angry. However, he notes that Haunter has helped Sabrina. Ash is still angry that he did not win, but Sabrina's father points to Kadabra rolling on the floor laughing, since Sabrina and Kadabra are joined telepathically. Sabrina's doll disappears and drops Kadabra's Poké Ball, with Misty and Brock returning to their human forms. Sabrina's father promptly declares Ash the winner.

Ash and his friends leave Saffron City, waving goodbye to Sabrina, her parents, and Haunter, who has decided to stay with Sabrina. Ash glances at his new Marsh Badge, still doubtful that he deserved it. Brock and Misty reassure him that it was a just victory and make light of the unusual circumstances. The group then makes plans to head for the next Gym in Celadon City. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is frozen in the pothole as it is being slowly filled with cement. However, they manage to jump out in time and run down the same direction as Ash and his friends

Source

 * https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/EP024