EP225 : Bulbasaur... the Ambassador!
Original series
EP227 : For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!
Espeon, Not Included
EP226.png
  EP226  
エーフィとサクラ!エンジュシティふたたび!!
Eifie and Sakura! Enju City Once Again!!
First broadcast
Japan November 29, 2001
United States September 24, 2002
English themes
Opening Believe in Me
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター (Whiteberry)
Ending 前向きロケット団!
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 大橋志吉 Yukiyoshi Ōhashi
Storyboard 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani
Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane
Additional credits

Espeon, Not Included (Japanese: エーフィとサクラ!エンジュシティふたたび!! Eifie and Sakura! Enju City Once Again!!) is the 226th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 29, 2001, and in the United States on September 24, 2002.

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Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Blurb

Our heroes meet up with an old friend, Sakura, and her Pokemon—an Espeon that evolved from her Eevee. They lend a hand as Sakura and her sisters prepare for an upcoming dance competition, but meanwhile Team Rocket is hatching a plan to capture a Pokemon from Sakura and each of her sisters, collecting all of the evolved forms of Eevee to present to their boss. When Sakura alone is left to face Team Rocket, she hopes she can prove her mettle once and for all, and gain her sisters' permission to embark upon a journey of her own.

Plot

Ash and his friends make a pit stop in Ecruteak City on the way to Mahogany Town. They rest a while in front of a store, and Misty says that they should be meeting up with Sakura here. All of a sudden, an Espeon comes running towards them, and soon after Sakura appears as well. Sakura tells them that her Eevee had evolved into an Espeon, which completes her sisters' set of Eeveelutions. They later go to Sakura's house as the sisters are leaving to meet a famous dance instructor. After her sisters leave, Sakura asks Misty, who readily accepts, to battle her. The two get ready for their match with Brock as the judge of the fight. Sakura fights with Espeon, and Misty sends out Corsola. Espeon starts the match off with Quick Attack. Espeon's speed gives it the advantage, but Corsola's Recover changes the odds. Corsola follows up with a Spike Cannon, seizing the win for Misty. Afterwards, Misty tells Sakura about her latest ventures through the Whirl Islands. Sakura wishes that she could travel on a journey, but admits her sisters won’t allow her to.

Later, at a dance theater, the Kimono sisters meet their instructors, who are actually Jessie and James in disguise. Jessie summons her Arbok. James calls his Victreebel, but it bites his head and accidentally reveals his blue hair. Jessie stands in front of James to hide their true identities as James fixes himself. Jessie and James soon begin a fan dance with their respective Pokémon. The sisters follow suit and send out their Pokémon, but they don’t seem to move much and appear bored. Satsuki apologizes to the teachers, though Jessie and James suggest that Jolteon and others simply need some private lessons. With this, Team Rocket lures the Kimono sisters' Pokémon to another room and the door shuts behind them. Jessie and James usher the Pokémon into another room, and when they reach the center, a trap door sends the Pokémon into a cage below. Umbreon's cries alert the sisters to something suspicious, but when they reach the mysterious back room it is too late. Team Rocket floats into the sky with their balloon, with the stolen Pokémon trapped in a cage. Jessie and James remove their kimono disguises and recite their motto before flying off.

Sakura's sisters rush over to the tea house and inform their younger sister and her friends that Team Rocket stole their Pokémon. Sakura volunteers her Espeon's assistance, and Brock is quick to send out his Crobat to conduct an aerial search. The Kimono sisters and Ash's group also decide to split up to cover more ground. Meanwhile, Team Rocket admires their stolen Pokémon. Jessie counts them and then realizes that she only has four of Eevee's evolutions, and is missing an Espeon. Jessie is instantly enraged and begins shaking James violently to get answers. James admits that the youngest sister, who didn't show up for their dance class, has an Espeon. Some of Jessie's aggression subsides and she orders her teammates to retrieve that Espeon. Ash and the others' search comes up trumps, and they soon come to the same conclusion that Team Rocket might still be after an Espeon to complete their set. Sakura proposes to use Espeon as bait, though her sisters are concerned that Espeon may be taken as well. Sakura wants to prove herself and soon takes Misty aside to come up with a plan to catch Team Rocket.

Sakura puts her plan into motion and has Espeon rest under a tree while she and the others wait for Team Rocket to arrive. From the Meowth balloon, James soon spots Espeon and Team Rocket prepares to capture it. Ash and the others watch as Jessie nets Espeon, but unbeknownst to the evil trio Brock's Crobat follows their balloon. Team Rocket land in a forest clearing and attempt to persuade Espeon into a cage. Espeon's predictive powers lead it to refuse Team Rocket's offers of a drumstick and a necklace. It soon finds the other Eeveelutions caged up and hidden in some bushes. As James prepares to capture Espeon, his target jumps out of the way and onto his head. The Rocket trio turns around and is shocked to see Sakura and the others standing behind them. Misty reveals that Team Rocket fell for the trap, which immediately irritates Jessie. The battle starts off, Espeon and Misty's Corsola versus Arbok and Victreebel. The battle escalates until Espeon uses Psybeam onto Team Rocket, which confuses them. Lastly, Pikachu blasts them off with a Thunderbolt. Espeon uses Swift on the cage in order to break its friends free from the cage and everyone is rescued.

Sakura asks if she can finally set off on her own journey, and her sisters say yes. Satsuki asks if she will be traveling with Misty and the others, but Sakura is set on journeying on her own. Later, Sakura prepares to head for Violet City while Ash and his friends will be going to Mahogany Town. Misty and Sakura promise to keep in contact via email and exchange a handshake. Misty reminisces about how she started her journey, and then, she says bye to Sakura. The pair promise to exchange stories of their travels when they next meet and Sakura sets off on her own journey.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

 
Pocket Monster TV

Pokémon

 
Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Drowzee (US and international), Espeon (Japan)

Trivia

  • The English dub title of this episode is taken from the phrase "batteries not included".
  • This episode marks the first and only time that Ash drags Brock away from a girl by the ear; up until this point, it had always been done by Misty.
  • Music from The Power of One can be heard in this episode.
  • Meowth breaks the fourth wall when he is knocked into the screen by Jessie and slides down from it after the latter realized they're missing an Espeon to complete the then-entire set of Eeveelutions.
  • This episode was banned in South Korea, likely due to the prominence of the Kimono Sisters.

Errors

 
The red Poké Ball hair pin
  • The blurb for this episode misspells Pokémon as Pokemon, lacking the accent over the "e".
  • When Brock says that he cannot tell which of the Kimono Sisters is the most beautiful, his mouth does not move. This also happens with Satsuki after Jessie asks the Kimono Sisters if they are looking for dance instructors.
  • When the battle between Misty and Sakura is about to begin, Misty's ponytail disappears.
  • Espeon is seemingly using Agility, a move it can't learn, when Sakura tells it to use Quick Attack.
  • When the Kimono Sisters are focused on their dancing, the Poké Ball hair pin on both Satsuki and Tamao becomes completely red at one point, looking very similar to a Cherish Ball.
  • When Team Rocket finishes their motto, James's right hand is colored skin tone instead of black.
  • Misty tells Sakura that she finished in the top eight of the Whirl Cup tournament, and Ash finished in the top sixteen. She actually finished in the top sixteen, and Ash in the top thirty-two.
  • When Ash grabs Brock's ear to get him away from Satsuki, he grabs him by the right ear, but when Ash drags him away, he is pulling Brock's left ear.
  • When Jessie recalls her Wobbuffet, she suddenly has his Poké Ball in her hand despite having her arms crossed when he came out.

Dub edits

In other languages



EP225 : Bulbasaur... the Ambassador!
Original series
EP227 : For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!
  This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.