EP174

Stopping off at a Pokécenter, the gang looks around for Nurse Joy. Suddenly she appears with Chansey, but makes the confusing statement Nurse Joy is seeing a patient. Brock nears the Joy-look-alike and reveals it isn't Nurse Joy and Chansey at all, but Duplica and her Ditto! Our heroes find out the real Nurse Joy is checking on Duplica's newest Pokémon, Mini-dit. Though there's nothing wrong with Mini-dit, it retains it's pint size, even when Transforming into large Pokémon. Be sure to watch for a teeny Arbok, an undersized Ursaring and a wee Wobbuffet. Although it may be small, this puny Pokémon can sure pack a wallop!

Ash and his friends arrive at a Pokémon Center, only to find nobody there. Just then, a Chansey and an unusual-looking Nurse Joy appear. She tells them that she was doing a Pokémon examination. Brock, however, is suspicious, and calls out Nurse Joy as being an impostor. Congratulating him on seeing through the disguise, both Nurse Joy and Chansey reveal themselves to be Duplica and her Ditto. She explains that she is participating in a Pokémon acting competition, and will enter with her new Ditto, Mini-Dit. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, spying on the Trainers from afar, recognize Duplica. They being formulating their plan to snatch her Ditto.

After completing its examination, everyone is outside playing. Brock asks Duplica why Mini-Dit was being examined. She decides to show visually why it was at the center. After Transforming perfectly into Pikachu and Togepi, Mini-Dit then Transforms into Brock's Onix. However, its size is nowhere near that of an actual Onix; rather, it is closer to being the size of Pikachu and Togepi. Noticing this, Team Rocket decides to steal Mini-Dit as well. Ash then challenges Mini-Dit to a battle.

Ash sends Totodile up against Mini-Dit. It successfully Transforms into the Water-type and uses Scary Face. However, it ends up entertaining Totodile, who starts laughing at the move. It then uses Water Gun and hits Mini-Dit. Unfazed, Duplica commands Mini-Dit to use Hydro Pump. Unfortunately, as Totodile doesn't know that move, it didn't work. Out of nowhere, an explosion occurs in the Pokémon Center. Looking up, they see Jessie and James in the guise of Duplica and Ash on the Center's roof. While explaining their goal of stealing all the Center's Pokémon, Meowth sneaks up and grabs Mini-Dit. The trio takes off into the Center, when suddenly Duplica realizes Mini-Dit is gone. After inspecting the Pokémon Center, they discover that Team Rocket's only goal was stealing Mini-Dit, as all the other Pokémon are safe.

After a successful escape, Team Rocket celebrates their successful capture. But before long, they're formulating their next scheme; Meowth decides to have Mini-Dit transform into a mini Arbok. He believes they'll trick somebody into trading them a rare Pokémon like Dragonite. They also decide to steal Mini-Dit back, and continue the scheme over and over again. While they plot, Ash and the others are having no luck in finding Mini-Dit and Team Rocket. Even Noctowl and Ditto Transformed into Noctowl have helped. Just then, Nurse Joy appears and tells them a Trainer told her about some suspicious-looking characters trying to sell a Mini-Arbok. When Ash and the others check it out, they find the trio trying to auction off Mini-Dit. Thanks to Meowth, the gang reveals themselves, and Mini-Dit is rescued.

Not wanting to lose Mini-Dit, Jessie sends out Arbok in an attempt to regain it. However, Wobbuffet appears instead. Duplica sends out both her Ditto. Ditto becomes Arbok, while Mini-Dit becomes Wobbuffet. Ditto attacks, but Jessie's Wobbuffet uses Counter. Likewise, Jessie's Arbok's Poison Sting is countered by Mini-Dit. While the battle rages, Meowth and James decide to steal Pikachu. James sends out Weezing, but Duplica notices and has Ditto use Wrap. Ash then has Pikachu use Thunderbolt, which is countered by Wobbuffet. Having an idea, Duplica mocks Team Rocket for not attacking her stronger Mini-Dit. Jessie commands Arbok to Tackle it, but it is countered by Mini-Dit. James has Weezing use Sludge, but Mini-Dit counters with Mirror Coat. Duplica then explains to the trio that Mirror Coat counters special attacks. Now angrier than ever, Jessie commands Meowth to use Fury Swipes, but it is once again countered by Mini-Dit. Then both Ditto transform into Pikachu, and all three use Thunder, sending Team Rocket blasting off again.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Duplica puts on a show by having Mini-Dit transform into a miniature Ursaring. The gang tells Duplica that even though Mini-Dit doesn't grow bigger, it's still the same Pokémon only a bit special. Duplica tells Ash and the others that she plans to become the greatest performing, and names herself and her Pokémon Team Ditto. After Ash comments that Duplica can become a Ditto master, she reminds him that they never finished their battle. They both head outside, where it continues.

Elsewhere, Team Rocket is stuck in a tree. Jessie criticizes Wobbuffet for losing to a small Pokémon.

• Duplica returns with a new Ditto named Mini-Dit.
• Ash's Totodile is revealed to know Scary Face and Tackle via Mini-Dit's Transform.
• Jessie's Wobbuffet is revealed to know Mirror Coat via Mini-Dit's Transform.

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

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

English dub debuts

• Dragonair

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Duplica
• Nurse Joy
• Trainers
• Gentleman (fantasy)
• Crowd

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Ninetales (US and international), Ditto (Duplica's Ditto and Mini-Dit) (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Totodile (Ash's)
• Noctowl (Ash's; Shiny)
• Onix (Brock's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Chansey (Nurse Joy's)
• Ditto (Duplica's)
• Ditto (Duplica's; Mini-Dit)
• Spinarak (Trainer's)
• Mareep (Trainer's)
• Ursaring (Trainer's)
• Clefairy (fantasy)
• Arcanine (fantasy)
• Omastar (fantasy)
• Dragonair (fantasy)
• Dragonite (fantasy)
• Scizor (fantasy)
• Bellsprout (poster)
• Wooper (poster)
• Teddiursa (poster)
• Shuckle (poster)

• In this episode, Duplica enters in a Double Battle with Jessie, using her Ditto and Mini-Dit against Jessie's Arbok and Wobbuffet.
  • Later, Ash and James join the battle, making it the second unofficial Triple Battle in the series.
• This episode marks the first time in the anime that a Trainer commands a Pokémon to use Mirror Coat.
  • However, Jessie's Wobbuffet has always used the appropriate counter for a given situation, even though she only ever commanded it to use Counter.
• The Japanese title is a reference to the opening song Aim to Be a Pokémon Master.
• This is the first of two episodes in which James disguised himself as Ash; the second time was in Heroes - Friends and Faux Alike!.
• In this episode, Mini-Dit uses Scary Face after transforming into Ash's Totodile, meaning that Totodile knows the move. However, Totodile itself isn't seen using the move until much later in One Trick Phony!.
• The Gentleman that appears in Meowth's fantasy looks very similar to the one who traded with Ash in Battle Aboard the St. Anne, with the only differences being that this Gentleman wears a monocle and has a slightly longer mustache.

Errors

• Misty's Togepi disappears when Team Rocket look in the window through their binoculars.
• Misty's ponytail disappears in one scene.
• When James's Weezing uses Sludge, Mini-Dit uses Mirror Coat and is able to reflect it. This is incorrect, as Sludge is a Poison-type move (which relies on a Pokémon's Attack prior to Generation IV). The correct counter would be Counter since Counter is used against physical attacks and Mirror Coat is used against special attacks. In Generation IV and beyond, however, since Sludge is itself a special attack, Mirror Coat would reflect it.
• After Meowth jumps on both Jessie and James's heads, the former's glasses disappear for a short while.
• When Mini-Dit transforms into Totodile, it uses Tackle, implying that Totodile knows Tackle; a move it cannot learn in the games.
• In the dub, when Jessie and James are attempting to trade Mini-Dit (transformed into a miniature Arbok), Jessie refers to it as "Arbok the Rock Pokémon, now in pebble size." This is incorrect, as Arbok is actually a Poison-type Pokémon.
• When Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, Counter prevented it from doing damage. However, it should have been Mirror Coat instead of Counter.
• Brock's animation freezes after Duplica says that she wants to be a Ditto master.
• In one scene, Ash's Noctowl and Duplica's Ditto as a Noctowl are at an abnormally large size.

• Misty missing ponytail.png

  Misty's missing ponytail

Dub edits

• The original airing of this episode on Hungama TV in India started it directly from the title card, skipping the part of the episode that comes before it.