AG133

Ash has returned to Pallet Town to find a reunion of friends! May stops by Ash's house but Ash has left for Professor Oak's lab, where Max, Misty, and Tracey are getting to know a trio of Kanto starter Pokémon. Max upsets the Squirtle, which goes running to May just as she arrives with Ash's mother. May wants to know what Max is doing there when he should be at home—it seems he's a guest of Professor Birch, who enters with Professor Oak and Ash in tow.

As everyone takes this opportunity to discuss their plans for the future and meet Ash's other Pokémon, Team Rocket shows up to ruin the fun with their new Sucker for Punishment, a giant vacuuming robot! Ash calls on his old pal Snorlax to knock Team Rocket down a notch, and with the help of May, Misty, Tracey, Team Rocket's plan to nab Pikachu is foiled once again.

With that excitement over, Ash prepares to depart for the Battle Factory. Glalie and Torkoal will stay behind, but Phanpy wants to tag along for the trip. As for May, her Beautifly and Skitty are living the good life at home, but her new friend Squirtle makes a perfect addition to her team. Misty will travel with her friends on her way home too, and they just can't leave without Brock, who catches up to them as they're leaving Pallet Town! Together again, our intrepid group of Trainers sets off in search of another adventure.

In Ash's house in Pallet Town, Mimey, Delia's Mr. Mime, is sweeping while Delia herself ponders her son's return. She washes the dishes and decides what she will cook for dinner that evening. A ring at the doorbell snaps her from her thinking, and Mimey answers the door to find Bulbasaur, Combusken, and Munchlax smiling happily. Mimey is shocked to find three Pokémon on their doorstep, and Delia comes out of the kitchen wondering who it could possibly be. Just as she does so, May pops her head around the door and greets her.

Over at Professor Oak's laboratory, Misty, Max, and Tracey are examining the three first partner Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, which will be soon handed out to a young Pokémon Trainer so they can begin their journey. Max comments that they are cute, and attempts to stroke the young Squirtle, causing the Pokémon to start crying in fear. Max apologizes, and the Squirtle pouts and goes back to eating its food. Meanwhile, Tracey has been busy drawing a picture of the three Pokémon, which Max is very impressed by. Tracey tells him how Professor Oak also sketched Pokémon in his youth. Max goes on to say how Tracey must be a great Pokémon Watcher to be Professor Oak's assistant, and wonders what it would be like to watch Pokémon and sketch them like Tracey does. All this talking has apparently bored and tired out the three young Pokémon, and Misty suggests that they should take a rest in their Poké Balls, and Tracey agrees. Just as he is about to take the Poké Balls to do so, Max asks if he can be the one to call them back to their Balls. Tracey doesn't see why not, and Max proceeds to call Bulbasaur and Charmander back into their Balls. However, the young Squirtle suddenly becomes frightened by the disappearance of his friends. When Max tries to call it back too, it runs off crying. After being chased by Max around the lab, the crying Squirtle jumps into the arms of May who has just come up the stairs to meet them, along with Delia. Max is shocked to see his sister, who scolds him and says that he needs to be gentler with Pokémon.

Just then, Ash, Professor Oak, and Professor Birch appear; and Birch greets May. May is confused as to why Professor Birch is here, and Max explains that the Professor brought him here. May apologizes if her brother has caused him any trouble, but Birch relies that it was his pleasure before Ash's Muk shows up and gives him a slimy hug. Ash tells Muk to get off of Professor Birch, but Muk shakes its head. Professor Oak smiles, knowing all too well what Birch is going through.

Downstairs, the group has some afternoon tea as May asks Ash about the Battle Frontier. Ash explains that it is a challenge that is set across Kanto, with several different Frontier Brains to battle against, each one giving over a Frontier Symbol if you beat them, much like Gym Leaders hand out Badges when defeated. May says that it sounds amazing, and Ash becomes excited at the challenges ahead. Delia tells Ash that May revealed to her that she is planning to enter Pokémon Contests in Kanto, to which Professor Birch comments that Kanto has a lot of rare Pokémon which cannot be found in Hoenn, and May becomes excited at the prospect of competing in Pokémon Contests with rare Pokémon. Ash asks if May wants to come along with him, and she agrees. However, Ash mentions that they will be leaving tomorrow, which shocks Delia at first before she remembers that her son has always been like this.

Outside Oak's lab, Team Rocket is skulking about in the bushes, planning on breaking into Oak's lab to steal the Pokémon inside, along with Pikachu. Back inside, Oak asks Delia if she's worried about Ash leaving again on another journey so soon after coming back. She isn't, however, as she knows that that is what he must do as a Trainer and that she'll do whatever she can to support him when he comes back home.

In Oak's fields, Ash, May, and Max decide to go meet and greet the rest of Ash's Pokémon from his previous adventures. May and Max are amazed when they see Ash's Snorlax, who wakes up and waves at its Trainer happily. Suddenly May remembers her Pokémon, and calls them out to say hello to Snorlax. Ash asks where Beautifly and Skitty are, and May tells him that she left them in Petalburg City. Beautifly is with her mother, while Skitty settled into Norman's greenhouse and was more than happy just to stay there. The conversation is cut short, however, as the group hear a loud rumbling sound behind them, which turns out to be Ash's Pokémon running up to greet their Trainer after a long time of not seeing him. Stampeding towards them are the various Tauros, along with Bulbasaur, Totodile, Cyndaquil, Bayleef, Heracross, Noctowl, Kingler, and Phanpy. The Tauros don't stop however, and are so pleased to see Ash that he is swept away by the stampede on one of the Tauros' back. Bayleef looks distraught at this, while Pikachu greets Phanpy with some electric shocks and the two Bulbasaur shake vines. Bayleef runs after Ash, who is still on the back of one of his Tauros, but cannot catch up to them until Tracey and Misty appear and Tracey uses his Marill's Water Gun to push them back, allowing Bayleef to save Ash with her Vine Whip.

Ash thanks Bayleef while the Grass-type Pokémon snuggles up to him. Misty and Tracey run up with the three first partner Pokémon, and Misty asks Ash if he is all right. Ash says that he is, but is also a little surprised at how strong his Tauros are. Misty tells him that Pokémon take after their Trainers, and teases him about knowing a certain Trainer that has been running wild.

Max and May come running with the rest of Ash's Pokémon, and Squirtle once again jumps into May's arms. Ash introduces his new Pokémon to his old ones. After he calls them all out, Max is amazed at how many Pokémon Ash has. Corphish and Kingler shake claws, while Totodile dances with Glalie, Cyndaquil greets Torkoal, Noctowl greets Swellow, and Pikachu plays with Phanpy. Grovyle and Heracross also shake hands.

As the group talks amongst themselves, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet emerge from the bushes in which they were hiding, posing as presenters from "Pokémon Sunday" with Wobbuffet acting as cameraman. Jessie says that they are here to interview Ash after his amazing performance in the Ever Grande Conference, and Ash blushes. Just as Wobbuffet is about to scream its name, James leaps over and covers its mouth and Meowth nervously suggests that they get a shot of everybody and their Pokémon. Max becomes excited at the thought of being on television, while May checks her hair and Misty blushes at the thought of being on television.

As the group and their Pokémon all line up, James asks them if they wouldn't mind stepping back to get into shot. The group does so, but end up falling into one of Team Rocket's pitfalls. Noctowl and Swellow try to fly up, but Team Rocket cover the hole with a net, preventing them from escaping. Ash orders Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but the attack does nothing against the shock-proof net. Misty wonders what is going on, prompting Team Rocket to recite their new motto. When they finish, Misty asks why they are still following them around even after all this time. Jessie gets angry that they didn't acknowledge Team Rocket's new motto, but before she can do anything, Ash orders Grovyle to slice through the net covering the hole with its Leaf Blade. Grovyle does so, and Noctowl and Swellow fly out.

Jessie, frustrated that they were able to escape, angrily asks Meowth why they were able to get out of the net. Meowth meekly explains that he thought that a Pikachu-proof net would be enough, not factoring in the other Pokémon. Just as Ash and the rest of the group manage to crawl out of the pitfall, James tells Meowth that it's time to go to Plan B, and Meowth presses a button on a remote, causing the ground to start shaking. When the dust clears, a huge purple robot with air suction arms stands over the group, while Team Rocket laugh inside. They turn on the robot's suction arms, generating a vacuum that nearly gets Totodile and Charmander before Ash's Bulbasaur pulls them back with Vine Whip, impressing May's Bulbasaur. As Team Rocket continue to pull them in, Squirtle cries in May's arms as she attempts to comfort the distraught Pokémon. Back in the robot, James tells Meowth to go to full power, but is stopped when Ash tells Snorlax to knock over the robot and send Team Rocket crashing into the ground with Tackle. Now out of the robot, they decide to get back to basics as they send out Seviper and Cacnea to fight against the group. Professor Birch, Professor Oak, and Delia come out of the lab to see what all the commotion is. Birch recognizes them as Team Rocket, and Professor Oak remarks that those three are still at their old tricks. Not standing for them trying to steal Pokémon, Birch decides to deal with them himself and pulls out a Poké Ball, but is stopped by Delia who tells him that he should leave it to her son and his friends to deal with: it's their fight.

May obtaining Squirtle from Professor Oak

Back to the battle, Jessie orders Seviper to use Poison Tail, and Ash counters with Bulbasaur's Vine Whip, knocking Poison Tail right back at Seviper. James tells Cacnea to use Pin Missile and May tells her Bulbasaur to use Petal Dance, knocking back Pin Missile and attacking Cacnea. Jessie shouts at the Pokémon to get their act together, and tells Seviper to use Bite while James tells Cacnea to use Needle Arm. Deciding to finish them off, Ash tells Bulbasaur to use Solar Beam, which hits Cacnea and Seviper squarely, sending them blasting off. Realizing that they have been almost attacked, Team Rocket attempt to sneak away but are stopped by Tracey and Misty, who team up their Marill and Azurill and send Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet smashing into their robot with a double Water Gun, damaging it. May tells Combusken to burn them with Fire Spin, and Ash has Pikachu fire a full-power Thunderbolt to blast them off once and for all after their Pokémon, in addition to destroying the robot, with a result of Birch being surprised. As the group celebrates, Delia says that she knew that they would be all right.

Back in the lab, Tracey tries again to recall Squirtle back into its Poké Ball, but the baby Pokémon is having none of it and jumps straight back into May's arms. Birch comments that maybe Squirtle would be better off with May, and asks Professor Oak what he thinks. Oak asks May if she would like to take care of Squirtle, and May says that she would and thanks the Professor. Oak asks her if she would like to leave her Bulbasaur at the lab, and May agrees, saying that it could learn much from Ash's Bulbasaur. Oak is glad that he has another Pokémon to take care of in the lab, along with Glalie and Torkoal who Ash has decided to leave with him as well. He pulls out two brand new Pokédexes and gives them to May and Ash, who thank him. Max is a little jealous that everybody got something and he didn't, but Tracey surprises him with an updated PokéNav containing all the Battle Frontier data. Max is excited and starts looking for the new data on the updated device, and tells the group that the nearest Frontier facility is near Cerulean City, and Ash says that that's near where Misty is heading. Misty decides to join the group on their way there.

Later that day, the group decide to leave and Ash says his goodbyes to his mother. Delia tells him to be okay, and Max jumps in and says that Ash will, as long as he is there. Just as they are about to depart, Ash's Phanpy runs up and Ash figures that it wants to come along with them. With Phanpy in tow, the friends set off. Saying goodbye, Ash along with his group of friends, leave Pallet Town once more. Soon afterward, Brock shows up and rejoins the group after having seen his family in Pewter City.

Phanpy rejoining Ash's team

• May arrives in Pallet Town and rejoins Ash and Max.
• May and Max meet Delia and Tracey for the first time.
• Misty and Tracey meet Professor Birch for the first time.
• Ash tells his friends about the Battle Frontier.
• May is revealed to be planning to enter Pokémon Contests in Kanto.
• Ash, May, and Max decide to travel together through Kanto.
• May reveals she left Beautifly and Skitty at the Petalburg Gym.
• Ash's Snorlax is revealed to know Tackle.
• Misty's Azurill is revealed to know Water Gun.
• May receives a Squirtle from Professor Oak and agrees to leave Bulbasaur with him at his lab.
• Ash leaves his Torkoal and Glalie at Professor Oak's lab.
• Professor Oak gives Ash and May a new Pokédex each, while Max has his PokéNav updated.
• Ash learns that the first Battle Frontier facility is the Battle Factory, located near Cerulean City.
• Ash's Phanpy rejoins his team.
• Brock returns from Pewter City and rejoins the group.
• Ash, May, Brock, and Max begin their journey through Kanto, accompanied by Misty.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, please see the timeline page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• May's Squirtle

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• May
• Brock
• Tracey
• Max
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Oak
• Delia
• Professor Birch
• Noland (shadow)
• Greta (shadow)
• Spenser (shadow)
• Lucy (shadow)
• Tucker (shadow)
• Anabel (shadow)
• Caroline (flashback)

Pokémon

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

Pokémon Trainer's Choice: Swalot

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Chimecho (James's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Kingler (Ash's)
• Muk (Ash's)
• Tauros (Ash's)
• Snorlax (Ash's)
• Heracross (Ash's)
• Bayleef (Ash's)
• Cyndaquil (Ash's)
• Totodile (Ash's)
• Noctowl (Ash's; Shiny)
• Phanpy (Ash's; rejoins)
• Swellow (Ash's)
• Grovyle (Ash's)
• Corphish (Ash's)
• Torkoal (Ash's; stays at Oak's)
• Glalie (Ash's; stays at Oak's)
• Azurill (Misty's)
• Marill (Tracey's)
• Combusken (May's)
• Beautifly (May's; flashback)
• Skitty (May's; flashback)
• Bulbasaur (May's; stays at Oak's)
• Munchlax (May's)
• Squirtle (first partner Pokémon; given to May)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Mr. Mime (Delia's; Mimey)
• Bulbasaur (first partner Pokémon)
• Charmander (first partner Pokémon)
• Bayleef (fantasy)
• Marill (fantasy)
• Beautifly (fantasy)
• Seedot (fantasy)
• Ralts (fantasy)
• Shroomish (fantasy)
• Loudred (fantasy)
• Wynaut (fantasy)

Team Rocket disguised as the Pokémon Sunday crew

• Pocket-ering Monster-ing and Type: Wild are used as background music.
• This is the last episode where Stuart Zagnit voices Professor Oak, Veronica Taylor voices Delia, Tara Jayne voices Ash's Bulbasaur, Michael Haigney voices Ash's Muk, Ted Lewis voices Ash's Snorlax, Maddie Blaustein voices Ash's Torkoal, and Pete Zarustica voices Ash's Glalie.
  • While this would also be the case for Ted Lewis as Tracey, he would eventually return to the role in The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!.
• The episode's English dub title is a pun of the saying "in the right place at the right time".
• Tracey mentions to Max that Professor Oak used to draw Pokémon, a hobby introduced in Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, where a young Samuel Oak was regularly seen sketching Pokémon in a sketchbook Tracey found during the film's credits.
• This episode would be the last time any of Ash's friends visit Professor Oak's Laboratory until Alola, Kanto!, 574 episodes later.
• This is the first time when a Pokémon previously left at Professor Oak's lab rejoins Ash's regular team.
• This episode would mark the last physical appearance of Ash's Kingler until Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, 792 episodes later.
  • This also marks the last time all the Pokémon Ash currently has in his team and at Oak's lab appear in one episode until the aforementioned episode.
• Team Rocket's disguise during this episode has Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet dress up as characters from the Japanese television show Pokémon Sunday. Jessie dressed up as Becky, James as Red-Hakase, Meowth as Golgo-Sachou, and Wobbuffet as a human cameraman.
• This is the last time to date where Tracey encounters Team Rocket.
• This episode marks one of the rare occasions in which a member of Team Rocket refers to one of the main protagonists by name. In this occasion, Jessie calls Ash by his name.
• May receiving Squirtle is the first instance where a Pokémon Professor gives a first partner Pokémon to a Trainer who has already started their journey and already received a first partner Pokémon from another Professor.
• This episode marks the first time a female main character has obtained a Water-type first partner Pokémon.

Errors

Marill's miscolored ears

• When Professor Birch says that Muk should play with the other Pokémon, his mouth briefly detaches from his face.
• When Ash's Tauros greet him, Pikachu's skin is colored darker.
• During a shot of Ash and Bayleef, a part of Ash's hair is missing.
• In the scene where Team Rocket attempts to vacuum up the Pokémon, the inside of Marill's ears is white instead of pink.
• Ash leaves Pallet Town with Phanpy, but without getting Phanpy's Poké Ball from Oak's Lab.

Dub edits

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

• Question: Which of these Pokémon does not change during battle?
• Choices: Kecleon, Swalot, Castform
• Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose Swalot, you were right!