PJ003: Ivysaur's Mysterious Tower!

im- (Japanese: フシギソウってフシギだね？, Hepburn: Ivysaur is Quite Mysterious, Don't You Think So?) is the 3rd episode of Pokémon the Series: Sword & Shield.

Synopsis

On their first day working as assistants of the Sakuragi Institute, Ash and Go decide to investigate the mysterious march of Ivysaur in the city.

Episode Plot

A sleeping Go, Ash and Pikachu sleep through Go's phone alarm despite bickering to each other to wake up. Mimey enters their room "vacuuming", but noticing their state "vacuums" the covers off them, waking them up. During breakfast, Ash exclaims in surprise at the buffet of food for both them and Pokémon and Go reminds him that they were now special lab assistants. Ash chats with Go about utilizing Pikachu's moves but is interrupted by the arrival of Sakuragi and Koharu. The professor greets the boys and asks how their first night went while his daughter, besides saying good morning to Go and telling him that she already ate and not wanting to be late for school, ignores their interactions, feeds Yamper and gets a snack before leaving. Sakuragi decides to go to his lab with the boys quickly following. There, a blond haired man rush in, apologizing for being late due to traffic. He introduces himself as Renji and the other assistant, a blue haired woman named Kikuna, sends them the information behind the traffic, an outbreak of Ivysaur. The boys decide to investigate the phenomenon, their first job as assistants. Sakuragi gives Ash a smartphone before telling Go to show his; the professor sends out two Rotom who enter the phones and transforms them. Sakuragi calls them the Rotom Phones, which also has a Pokédex function. The boys thank the professor before getting ready for their mission.

At Team Rocket's HQ, Giovanni asks Jessie, James and Meowth what Team Rocket is about; they explain that they're an evil organization who plans to steal every single strong and rare Pokémon to use for world domination. Giovanni is pleased by their answer and orders them to continue the team's goal, adding that he had prepared an ultimate secret weapon for the trio. Back in Vermillion City, Go and Ash search for the Ivysaur before hearing Officer Jenny's whistle and her command to stop. They rush to her side to see that she stopped traffic to let an Ivysaur group walk across the street. Go looks up Ivysaur in his Pokedex and wonders where they were going. After the Pokémon finish crossing and she returns the traffic to normal, Jenny warns the boys about Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket. Go learned about the Pokémon thieves online but skeptically believes that their talking Meowth was false; Ash simply sigh and says he would think that. Jenny heard that the trio was in the city and so asks the boys to be careful. Pikachu hears banging sounds and rushes to its location followed by Ash and Go.

The boys follow Pikachu into an alleyway to find an Ivysaur continuously headbutting the brick wall in its path. Go notes that can't move forward and Ash decides to help it. Go stops him and tells Ash not to do so as they won't be able to solve the Ivysaur mystery. Ash counters they should still help but Go retorts back that trying to always help Pokemon without letting them help themselves will weaken them and that always doing so due to appearances or sympathy was human conceit. Ash angrily snaps back that he didn't care and will still help. Ash slowly confronts it to pick up and over the wall but the Ivysaur headbutts him instead. Go states he told Ash so then adds he misjudged Ash when he declared Ash his friend. Ash snaps back to leave him alone and angrily states that he didn't need Go as a friend. The hurt Go mutters that Ash was "that" kind of person before declaring that he will investigate on his own. The duo looks away in a huff while a sad Pikachu looks on.

The group then sees the trapped Ivysaur shooting its vines around a lamp post on the other side of the wall to pull itself to the wall's top. The boys decide to follow its lead to climb the wall. They notice each other when they start to climb at the same time before telling the other off for copying; Ash and Pikachu easily make it while Go struggles. Noticing a half build tower far away, Ash's Rotom reveals it to be a semi finished Gym. The Ivysaur again shoots its vines around the lamp post and swings to a window stand before walking on it. Ash and Pikachu pause to smell a sweet scent in the air, coming from the same Ivysaur as it heads towards the tower. Go believes that it and its brethren were heading there to evolve, as their bulbs releasing said scent indicates their near evolution. Ash looks at Go impressed before the duo remembered they were fighting, huffing and looking away, with an exasperated Pikachu looking on. 

The boys and Pikachu follow the Ivysaur down a road until it meets up with its Ivysaur brethren; they also see a group of Bulbasaur going the same route. Go's Rotom reveals that the site used to be a grassy field where the Bulbasaur and Ivysaur sunbathe. Once the Pokemon reach the site, they sigh in disappointment which Ash can tell and Go can't before the duo turn away in a huff again. An Ivysaur (the one the boys followed) looks up at the tower before shooting its vines at the scaffolding and pulling itself up. The others do the same and Go realizes that they will climb to the top to get to the sunlight. Ash and Pikachu decides to follow the Pokemon with Go reluctantly right behind. Ash and Pikachu easily reaches the first level and watch the Pokemon go higher but they notice Go struggling to climb up the pole to the first level. Ash reaches out to the other boy and help pull him up. Ash notes that they need to climb to the second level; Go makes himself as a step to help reach it easier and Ash thanks him, reaching the second level with Pikachu and pulling Go up. The Pokemon and trio continue to climb up the tower until reaching the roof.

Ash, Go, and Pikachu see the Bulbasaur and Ivysaur sunbathe and congratulate themselves on reaching the top. Go states that that the Bulbasaur's bulbs grow bigger by absorbing sunlight and suspects they climbed to reach the stronger sunlight. Ash promptly decides that they should pretend to be Ivysaur for experience leading to Ash and a (not) reluctant Go to crouch next to "their" Ivysaur with Pikachu sitting on top of Ash's bag. The relaxed trio enjoy the sunlight and the breeze (Go adds that this area was known in the city for their strong winds) before seeing the Pokemon's pre-evolution glow. They are interrupted when a net from above captures some of the Bulbasaur and Ivysaur, the culprits being the Team Rocket trio on their hot air balloon. Jessie, James, and Meowth say their motto, Go is shocked to see them for the first time before gushing and recording the talking Meowth. Ash demands they release the Pokemon, they refuse before telling Ash or "twerp" bye, confusing Go. Ash orders Pikachu to use Iron Tail, using it to cut the net and release the Pokemon. An annoyed Jessie orders Meowth to land their balloon.

The Team Rocket trio call out Ash for ruining their plan but they pause when they hear a Pelipper overhead who drops an item in front of them, a large vending machine capsule filled with Pokeballs sent by Giovanni. They notice it was coin operated before deciding to use Meowth's forehead coin to activate it, gaining two Pokeballs. Jessie and James throw them while reading a sheet attached to them stating what was inside: for Jessie a Gyarados, for James a Tyranitar. Jessie orders her Pokemon to attack while James orders his to use Fire Fang. Gyarados's Ice Fang and Tyranitar's Fire Fang rush towards Pikachu who dodges by Ash's orders. Jessie orders to attack with a powerful move (Gyarados uses Hydro Pump), while James orders Dark Pulse. Ash counters with Electroweb but the combined attacks easily pierces through. Ash orders Pikachu to instead use Quick Attack; it dodges it's opponent's attacks before hitting them. Go looks on in awe as Jessie orders Gyarados to attack, it uses Aqua Tail on Pikachu before James quickly finishes off with a Stone Edge. A worried Go sees Pikachu in trouble while Ash goes to it to see if it's alright. Jessie and James decide to defeat Ash in a combined attack until Gyarados and Tyranatar are hit by a combined Solar Beam from all the Ivysaur.

Ash and Pikachu thank them while Jessie and James check to see if their Pokemon were fine before deciding that they will attack the Ivysaur with a combined Hyper Beam before catching them. Ash and Pikachu stand in front of the nervous Pokemon, stating he won't let them before ordering Pikachu to use Thunderbolt. Go, awed by the duo's bravery and bond, watches on as the three attacks connect, with the Thunderbolt losing. But with Ash's encouragement, Pikachu adds more power to its attack, piercing through the double Hyper Bean towards Gyarados and Tyranitar, knocking them out and blasting them and Team Rocket into the air. Reminded of Pikachu's power, the trio reaffirms their original goal of catching Ash's Pikachu as they and their hot air balloon disappear into the sky. The boys and Pikachu watch as all the Ivysaur evolve into Venusaur with the wind taking their flowers' pollen into the air towards the city, where all of the plants bloom. They also see the Bulbasaur evolve into Ivysaur and Go details that the Venusaur also the wind to spread their pollen. Ash understood Go's thinking in letting the Pokemon grow stronger by helping themselves, reminding him how cool Pokemon were. Go agrees but adds so were Ash and Pikachu, to Ash's confusion.

Later at the lab, Sakuragi looks though all the gathered data, rejoicing at the discovery surrounding Venusaur's pollen. Go boasts of their combined strength in finishing the job while Ash was happy the evolution of and befriending the Venusaur. Sakuragi congratulates Ash for his help again while an embarrassed Go quietly asks if they could be friends again. Ash states they were already friends and the two laugh before yelping in surprise at Yamper's barking, indicating that Koharu returned home. Sakuragi wonders why she was late but she responds that thank to the event involving the flowers at her school blooming at once, she was in charge of clean up, annoying her greatly. Realizing the reason, Ash and Go chuckle to themselves, creeping Koharu out. Sakuragi thanks the boys on solving the Ivysaur mystery and the boys wonder what next adventure awaits for them.

Debuts

Item

• Rotom Phone 

Trivia

• "Who's that Pokémon?:" Ivysaur (JP)

Gallery

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Ash and Go sleeping in their room.

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The boys are having their breakfast.

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The boys and Sakuragi are researching the mysterious march of Ivysaur.

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Sakuragi give the boys their Rotom Phones.

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The boys are off their first mission as research assistants.

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Team Rocket at their secret base while their boss Giovanni lectures them about the organizations.

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The boys investigating the mystery march of Ivysaur .

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The boys encounter and wild Ivysaur.

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The boys encounter and wild Ivysaur.

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Go stop Ash an warns him to let the Ivysaur take care of its own.

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Ash tries to help Ivysaur but got attack instead.

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The boys start a fallout

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The boys and Ivysaur climbs to the top.

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The boys follow Ivysaur to a building.

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The Ivysaur and Bulbasuar become upset.

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The boys are still having their fallout from earlier.

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The Ivysaur and Bulbasuar are climbing to the roof.

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The boys are climbing to the roof as well.

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The Ivysaur are sunbathing.

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The boys are sunabathing as well.

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The boys witnessing the Ivysaur evolution.

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The Ivyasur are capture by Team Rocket.

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Team Rocket introducing themselves.

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The boys free the Ivysaur.

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Pikachu battling against Team Rocket Pokémon.

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Go starts to admire Ash and Pikachu's bond and heroism

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The Ivysaur evolves into Venusaur.

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The boys collect data on Venusaur.

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Ash and Go finally make amends.

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The boys head out on their next adventure.

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