XY019: A Conspiracy to Conquer!

A Conspiracy to Conquer! (マダムＸの陰謀！恐怖のカラマネロ！！) is the 19th episode of Pokémon the Series: XY.

Synopsis
After Team Rocket attempts to consult the mysterious "Madame X" for help in capturing Pikachu, they are brainwashed by her Malamar, with only Meowth escaping and going to Ash and his friends for help. When Pikachu is captured and brainwashed as well, Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Meowth go to save him and Team Rocket. However, everyone but Ash and Meowth gets brainwashed, leaving them with no idea on how to stop Madame X.

Episode Plot
This episode starts when Team Rocket is looking at all of Ash's Pikachu's moves: Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, Iron Tail and Quick Attack, discussing how to get it before hearing someone laughing. Team Rocket looks up to see Madame X and the Pokémon she's with: a Malamar, and the two of them have been listening the whole time. Madame X says Pikachu sounds like an interesting and strong Pokemon. Jessie tells Madame X that listening to someone else's conversation is rude. Madame X doesn't seem to care and orders Malamar to make Team Rocket her servants. Malamer's body markings begin to glow.

The scene cuts to Ash, Serena, Bonnie and Clemont walking to the next city for Ash's next Gym badge. They notice a radio facility to the side and Clemont explains what it does. They see a rustle in the grass and Team Rocket's Meowth comes out with its face all scratched up. Everyone including Pikachu suspiciously look at Meowth, who says he came to warn them about danger coming towards them. He recaps to them how Madame X and Malamar placed Jessie, James and their Pokémon under their control and how he managed to resist by using Fury Swipes on himself. Having no alternative, Meowth was forced to flee. No one believes him until Jessie and James come toward them with blank expressions, telling Meowth to get Pikachu now. The gang suspects Meowth of having been after Pikachu all along, but Meowth directs them to Jessie and James' blank facial expressions, revealing they're being manipulated by Madame X and Malamar.

Madame X and Malamar appear in front of them. Madame X takes note of Ash's Pikachu, recognizing it as the one Team Rocket sought. She tells Ash to pass her Pikachu but he refuses. Malamar uses Psychic to abscond with Pikachu and Team Rocket to parts unknown.

As usual, Ash is determined to reclaim Pikachu. Eager to help, Clemont unveils a machine designed to track Pikachu's electrical energy, which leads them to the radio facility before it gets caught in an electrical fence and blows up. Ash and the others see Officer Jenny's motorbike parked near the side of the facility, yet there's no sign of Jenny herself.

They enter the facility and decide to split up with Clemont and Bonnie going in one direction and Ash, Serena and Meowth going in another. Within moments of splitting up, the blonde siblings plus Dedenne fall under Malamar's control.

Ash, Serena and Meowth enter a room where Clemont and Bonnie emerge from behind an obstruction telling them they should all search together. Meowth realizes they're being manipulated and tells the other two so. Malamar appears behind them. Its markings glow and Ash hurriedly tells Meowth to use its Fury Swipes on him. Meowth complies and scratches Ash's face along with its own to prevent the two from falling under Malamar's control. Meowth goes to scratch Serena's face but she pulls back, saying she doesn't want to get her face scratched up. This ends up turning on her as she looks into the light and gets hypnotized as well. Ash and Meowth attempt to run, but the brainwashed remnants of Team Rocket bar their way. Ash notices a planet tied above Malamar and orders Meowth to cut the string holding it up. Meowth does so and the planet falls on Malamar, enabling Ash and Meowth to escape.

The two enter a room where a light shines on a pile of computers and gadgetry, upon which Madame X - holding Pikachu - is using as a throne. All those Malamar has brainwashed enter the room and tell Ash to give up. Naturally, he doesn't. Madame X reveals a small army of brainwashed Pokemon she plans to take over the world with. She commands Pikachu - also under Malamar's control - to attack Ash, which he does using Thunderbolt, Iron Tail and Electro Ball. Ash tries to get through to Pikachu through their bond, but to no avail. Madame X laughs at Ash, mocking his bond with Pikachu, and the three of Ash's friends state the world now belongs to Madame X. Still not giving up, Ash continues trying to get through to Pikachu; its continued use of Electric attacks alerts Clemont's robotic Pikachu from earlier outside. The robot makes its way inside and rams into Malamar at high speed, breaking its control over everyone and setting them free. This includes Madame X, who's revealed to be none other than Officer Jenny, who recalls receiving a call about some strange goings-on at the facility and coming to investigate before falling under Malamar's control. The gang realized that Malamar had tricked them into believing that Madame X is a real person by hypnotizing Officer Jenny so she can assume that role and use her as its pawn. They also learned that Madame X's goal of taking over the world was nothing but a big lie. Through Meowth's translations, Malamar reveals "our grand plan" and leads everyone to a room that holds the Ultimate Weapon it was building. Malamar states that this is just the beginning of the evil grand design plan, but since it was discovered it promptly destroys the weapon, forcing everyone to flee as it makes its getaway.

As Ash, his friends and Officer Jenny flee with Malamar's former army of Pokémon, they take cover as the facility explodes behind them. Ash notes Malamar is a terrifying Pokémon before the end-of-episode narration occurs. As everyone looks up in the sky, they are left wondering what Malamar's mysterious master plan could be and what does Malamar mean with the beginning of its evil grand design. But Ash's Cyllage City Gym Battle still lies ahead as the journey continues.

Elsewhere, Team Rocket recuperates from the ordeal and Jessie notes how aggravating it was to be under someone else's control. Meowth notes Malamar is the evolved form of Inkay, causing the team to react nervously towards James' Inkay, who is oblivious as to why.

Trivia

 * "Who's That Pokémon?": Malamar (US)
 * "Pokémon Quiz": Malamar (JP)
 * Officer Jenny was controlled by Malamar, similar to when Mewtwo controlled the mind of a Nurse Joy in Mewtwo Strikes Back.
 * This is the first time one of Clemont's devices isn't destroyed upon its failure and actually ends up helping.
 * This is the first time Ash's friends fall under an evil entity's control. In previous instances, this only happened to their Pokémon.
 * This is one of the episodes where Team Rocket's Meowth joins Ash and his group. Interestingly, along that doing whatever Ash tells him to do for the first time in the series.
 * Malamar could possibly belong to Team Flare's scientist Xerosic as he owns one in the video games X and Y.

Mistakes

 * Malamar used hypnosis on James' Inkay and a Pangoro despite both of them being Dark-type Pokémon.
 * James told Inkay to use Psybeam on Malamar despite being a Dark-type Pokémon.