CotD(s): None
Captures (Does Togepi have a Pokeball?): Togepi – A baby who is meant to be cute and cause Pokemon Short levels of cuteness episodes, Togepi is a largely useless character mostly used for Deus Ex Machina Metronome usage in future episodes. Despite being around for years, Misty never doesn’t treat it like a baby because Togepi is perpetually infantile until hundreds of episodes down the line where it suddenly garners usefulness, evolves into Togetic and leaves Misty forever.
Togepi is mostly easy to ignore because it might as well be a doll Misty always carries around with a string that, when pulled, makes it go ‘Toge-prrri!’ but it is the source of much frustration in the future. For now, though, it’s just the cute baby.
I will admit that Togepi’s relationship with Misty is kinda nice, even if a lot of it just amounts to Misty yelling out for Togepi and hugging it when she finally finds it, much in the same realm as a parent on Rugrats.
Plot: Ash, Misty and Brock arrive at a small town Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy relays a message to Ash from Professor Oak that requests Ash to call him. He gives Oak a call, and Oak informs him that he has a new Pokedex upgrade for him that has information on all the latest Pokemon and even has a new voice. Ash upgrades his Pokedex and bids Oak farewell.
They discuss the egg they’ve been carrying around for a while now as they map out a plan to head to Cinnabar Island. Team Rocket overhears them, and they target the egg since it might hatch into a rare Pokemon to give to the boss.
As they exit the restaurant, Ash and co. are ambushed by two odd egg sellers. They’re selling eggs that all have similar designs to their egg. Suddenly, the two throw the eggs at them and, in the confusion, steal their egg.
They run off with it and seemingly make a successful capture. Meowth vows to care for it and warm it like a mother, and he quickly takes to his role with passion, even sleeping and bathing with the egg.
Ash and the others manage to find them the next morning by following a trail of fake eggs that they left behind. They turn the tables and ambush them in their cabin with Geodude, Pidgeotto and Staryu. There’s a back and forth scuffle for the egg in the middle of a thick Smokescreen courtesy of Weezing. When the smoke clears by Pidgeotto’s Gust, it causes Meowth to slip and throw the egg into the air.
Pikachu manages to catch the egg and hands it to Ash. He notices that there’s something moving in the egg and it starts to glow. Misty pushes Ash out of the way so she can see it hatch. After a few moments, the egg hatches into an adorable baby Togepi.
Nearly everyone thinks they’re entitled to Togepi. Ash found it, Brock cared for it for several weeks, Togepi likes Misty the most and Meowth cared for it for a night. In order to decide who gets to keep Togepi (title drop!) they hold a tournament. Whoever wins gets Togepi.
Brock and Meowth face off first. Brock uses Onix while Meowth calls upon his trusty Meowth. Onix obviously has the upperhand, and Meowth nearly gets taken out, but he uses two buckets of water to weaken Onix and Fury Swipes to finish him off.
Brock calls out the foul, but Meowth justifies it by saying he’s merely a parent caring for its child. Since this excuse is somehow accepted, the next match starts – Misty vs. Ash.
Ash chooses Bulbasaur while Misty is forced to use Psyduck since it let itself out. Misty tries to prompt Bulbasaur to worsen Psyduck’s headache by aiming for its head, but Ash isn’t falling for it. Instead he tells Bulbasaur to lick and tickle Psyduck. Unable to take anymore, Psyduck recalls itself and the match goes to Ash.
Now it’s the finals – Ash vs. Meowth. Meowth is more determined than ever to win Togepi, but Pikachu bops Meowth’s face with his tail and Thundershocks him into an instant KO.
Meowth gets tearfully dragged away by Team Rocket, and Ash goes to claim Togepi only to find that it doesn’t want to go to him. Misty shows once again that it likes her the most. Confused, Ash uses Dexter who reveals that Togepi imprint on the first being they see, taking that as its mother. Since the first thing Togepi saw was Misty, he believes Misty is its mother.
Resigned, Ash leaves Togepi in the care of Misty who vows to love and protect it like a mother.
———————-
– I know that Pokedexes act as identification, but why is Ash holding up his Pokedex to Nurse Joy at the start of the episode? It’s also closed….
If he was showing it as an ID, why was Joy asking if his name was Ash?
– Do we really have no better way of getting messages out to Pokemon Trainers than just giving notes to Nurse Joys and hoping the recipient stops there?
– Is it necessary for this note that just says ‘Call me’ to be animated? Also, it looks like regular paper. What technology is this?
– Pbbbbt hahahahahah! The goofy expression Oak has in the first shot where he picks up the phone! It’s literally 8D
– Misty: *barges into frame* “I’m fine too!” Why are you suddenly thirsty for Oak’s attention?
– So, Ash rarely checks in with Oak at the present moment, from what Oak says. He really does give zero shits about his B-Squad….
– Wow. It is the biggest coincidence in the world that Ash’s Pokedex gets an upgrade, complete with info on previously unknown Pokemon, right before Togepi, a Pokemon not present in Gen I’s Pokedex, hatches. What are the odds?
– Why is there a Pokedex slot on this video phone if barely anyone has a Pokedex?
– Fun fact: The only differences between the US and Japanese titles are the fact that 4Kids didn’t capitalize theirs properly. You had one job.
– Ash: *looking at incredibly dirty map of the real world for some reason* “Where to next?”
Misty: “We could head to Cinnabar Island and the Cinnabar Gym.”
Ash: “The Cinnabar Gym….”
……I’m sorry…what now?
Misty: “We could head to Cinnabar Island and the Cinnabar Gym.”
………….I….wha….
Ash: “The Cinnabar Gym…..”
Where…the fuck….have you guys been headed this whole time!?
If your destination hasn’t been Cinnabar Island and the Cinnabar Gym this whole time, where have you guys been going!? Have you just been wandering around aimlessly for 20 episodes? I could’ve sworn that after the last Gym match you learned of Cinnabar Island and decided to head there. I am 100% certain I’ve heard it said at least once since then.
What are you people doing!? Make. SENSE.
– By the way, for those keeping track, it’ll still be another eight episodes before we’re in Cinnabar. Spoilers – Gary is there, meaning I guess Ash lost no time wandering around with his thumb up his ass for nearly thirty episodes. Amazing. Just amazing.
– Ash: “So, Brock, what kind of Pokemon’s going to hatch out of that thing anyway?”
I’m amazed you’ve had the egg this long and have never asked that question.
Brock: “To tell you the truth, Ash, I don’t know.”
Misty: “You mean, it might even turn out to be a Tentacruel!?”
Uh, no, Misty. You can’t hatch evolved Pokemon from an egg, and you should know that, Ms. Gym Leader.
Brock: “It could be, Misty.”
Uh, NO, Brock. You should definitely know that, Mr. Gym Leader/Pokemon Breeder. Take note of the BREEDER part of that. If you don’t know the basics of literal Pokemon breeding, you should rethink your career path.
This isn’t even 4Kids having another misidentification moment. The original script said that and they even show her with a Tentacruel.
Ash: “But it could even be an Aerodactyl?”
See, this suggestion makes perfect sense because Ash found it right by where the Aerodactyl came out of the ground, and it’s a base evo Pokemon. Good boy, Ash.
Brock: “I’d like it to be a Golem.”
You’re telling me, out of all of the theories of what might hatch from this egg….Ash….ASH…has the most logical one and the only one that is even possible?….I am so disappointed in the world right now.
Also, why hope for a Golem? You have a Geodude already. Just evolve it, you lazy bum.
– Meowth: “Hey, did ya hear that? They’re hatching a new Pokemon!”
They’ve had that egg for quite some time now. How are you only now noticing it?
James: “I think he said Dragonair.”
I have to give Team Rocket some leeway on the stupidity because they’re Team Rocket, but this is getting ridiculous. It’s akin to believing a dog will give birth to a fully grown dog instead of a puppy – and numerous people believing this to be what happens instead of one person being overtly stupid.
– Ash: “So, how far to Cinnabar Island?”
Brock: “Hm, it looks pretty far.”
It’s pretty far because apparently you forgot some key things.
— Ash is a Pokemon Trainer on a Pokemon Journey.
— He is going to enter the Indigo League – an annual event wherein you need eight Gym Badges to compete.
— Badges are earned in Pokemon Gyms.
— Gyms are in set locations.
— Places are in areas.
— Time is linear.
– While we’re on the subject, buy a real map or a GPS or a bus schedule or something.
– Aw look, Togepi’s getting lost and put in peril before he’s even born. What a sign of things to come.
– Domestic Mommy Meowth is quite cute. Not sure why he suddenly shifted from wanting it for the sake of having a Pokemon to give to Giovanni and wanting it because it’s his baby now, but whatever.
– Aw, he made a little night cap for the egg.
– Ash: “They’re pretty dumb, leaving us a trail of broken eggs.”
I don’t see how exactly they did such a thing. They’d need a hell of a lot of eggs to make this trail. They weren’t carrying any eggs when they ran away, and they threw the whole batch at the group. Lazy writing to keep the plot going? Yeah, let’s go with that.
– Wait, what? So you’re not only telling me Team Rocket had a massive stash of these toy eggs hidden somewhere on their person for absolutely no reason when they ran off, and neglecting all logic in how such a thing would even be possible, AND that they somehow didn’t notice that they were leaving a clear trail of fallen eggs BUT that they ALSO walked to the edge of a cliff and….jumped down to their hidden cabin instead of going down the clearly marked trail they have for it? Not to mention that they were carrying a real Pokemon egg with them when they seemingly did this.
You couldn’t have just had them see the cabin from afar on the trail? You needed to have the trail stop right at the edge of this cliff?
– Pidgeotto’s being used for non-balloon popping purposes! YAY!
– Brock’s using a Pokemon! Yay!
– Misty’s using a Pok—nevermind. It’s Psyduck again.
– Take 2: Misty’s using a Pokemon! Yay!
– I love Ash’s expression when he taunts Meowth.
– I don’t really understand how and why it seems that Team Rocket and their Pokemon can seemingly see in the smokescreens they create. And now it seems like Ash and co. can too, for this one occasion, even though, later, Ash will say he can’t see anything. They can’t be playing catch with this egg and not be able to see it.
– Brock: “Geodude, Tackle attack!”
Yeah, tackle Meowth, who is holding the very fragile egg. That’s smart.
Misty: “Staryu, Tackle now!”
Yeah, tackle Jessie, who is holding the very fragile egg. That’s smart.
– *Everyone keeps getting Tackled when they get the egg* There are non-violent ways of getting this egg, you idiots.
– Ash: “Can’t see. Pidgeotto, Gust attack! Blow this gas away!” That didn’t occur to you milliseconds after the Smokescreen went up? Did it really take you well over a minute to come to the realization that you can’t see? Also, you all should have severe lung damage right now. That’s the longest I’ve ever seen you trapped in that smoke.
– What’s this? A commercial break cliffhanger that is actually cliffhanger worthy? This episode keeps flopping back and forth between really good and really dumb.
– Let it be known that Misty only got Togepi because she was pushy and literally knocked Ash and Brock away when Togepi was hatching. If she hadn’t, it would’ve imprinted on Ash and Brock. Then the parental groups would get their underwear in a tizzy yelling ‘Ahh gay parents! Pokemon is ruining the children again!’
– I will admit, Togepi is pretty cute. I will savor it while it is still cute.
– Building on that, I used to have an electronic Togepi that would rock back and forth and go ‘Togeprrri!’ I loved it, and I have no clue if I still have it now. I doubt it works, if I do.
– Ash: “Hey! Now that Dexter’s been upgraded, he should have the answer!”
Dexter: “Togepi: The Egg Pokemon. Specific information about this Pokemon is still unavailable.”
Best. Upgrade. Ever.
– While you should leave the question of ownership up to Togepi, Misty’s a bit of a bitch thinking she’s entitled to Togepi just because it likes her. And this exchange is interesting.
Misty: “Well, maybe you should’ve taken better care of it.”
Ash: “But you never took care of it!”
Misty is arguing that Togepi doesn’t like Ash as much as it likes her because he didn’t take care of it well enough when she never took care of it. Give the points to Ash for pointing this out, because she’s being a complete unfair hypocrite.
– Meowth: “Oh yeah? I took care of it more than all of ya put together.” Uh….bullshit.
You cared for it for one night. Ash has probably taken care of it for at least a few days, and Brock has seemingly cared for it for at least weeks.
– Meowth is disqualifying Jessie and James from the tournament because they never helped care for Togepi. If Ash and the others agreed to that, shouldn’t Misty be disqualified too?
– I know it’s perfectly legal, but Brock is really choosing Onix, of all Pokemon, to fight Meowth? That’s a little dick-ish. Granted, Meowth doesn’t have a (fair) chance against any of Brock’s Pokemon, really. The other choices are a smaller rock and a fire breathing fox. His best bet would be against Zubat, and even there he’s at a technical disadvantage because Zubat can fly.
– I will never not be entertained by Meowth battling while pretending to be his own Trainer.
– I also find it adorable that Pikachu is playing with Togepi with his tail while all this is going on.
– Brock really has a thing about nearly killing small squishy Pokemon. First he tries to crush Pikachu with Onix in the Boulder Badge episode, now he’s trying to squash Meowth with Onix.
– As a kid, I always wondered why there were two random buckets of water in the stadium. Thanks to Dogasu’s comparison, I now know it’s because there was originally a sign above the buckets that said to use them in case of a fire…..….These two buckets of water….and not a fire extinguisher….were meant for that….just in case…this stone/concrete structure…caught fire.
My god, my most recent scans show dangerous levels of plot convenience! If this goes on, Togepi might learn Metronome!
– First, Meowth using the water is totally cheating. Disqualify his ass. The fact that Ash and Misty seemingly accept his ‘I’m merely a parent fighting for its child’ defense is insulting.
Second, merely splashing some water onto Onix should not have made him susceptible to a Fury Swipes attack.
Third, all of this should not have been enough to knock Onix out. That’s just ridiculous.
– I love the annoyed tone in Brock’s voice when he’s announcing the next match. I’d be pissed too if I cared for the egg all this time and then got cheated out of my one chance to claim the Pokemon that hatched from it.
– Misty: “Ah, yes, just as I suspected. You chose Bulbasaur.” Really? You suspected he’d use Bulbasaur? Why? Wouldn’t it be more logical to assume he’d use Pikachu, or is Pikachu still in the ‘I won’t battle friends’ camp?
Also, what Pokemon were you prepared to use against Bulbasaur? All of your Pokemon are at a type disadvantage against it.
– Oh my god, guys. Ash is actually learning from previous events and making clever strategies as a result!
– The whole Bulbasaur vs. Pysduck match is just hilarious. It’s also really cute when Bulbasaur starts licking Psyduck’s head.
– I’m pretty sure this is the only time we ever see Psuduck recall itself into its Pokeball.
– I love how there’s so much tension and dramatic buildup for Pikachu and Meowth’s match, and then it’s just insta-ended by Pikachu’s Thundershock. That look on Meowth’s face when he realizes what’s about to happen is gold.
– It’s also pretty weird how Meowth never has these feelings of motherly affection towards Togepi ever again.
– Even though this basically means the entire tournament was a waste of time, I like that they resigned and let Togepi pick its Trainer/mother. Not only is it what’s best for Togepi, but it also shows that Togepi’s not a prize to be won.
– Dexter: “Togepi is imprinted with the first image it sees after it hatches, thinking this is its mother.” Hm, that’s a very interesting fac—Hey wait a minute! You said information on Togepi was unavailable, you lying piece of junk!
– I never understood how Togepi’s feet have such a wide range of motion considering they have no slots in the shell to move properly.
– The final shot of Ash and Brock is funny, but you also have to feel for them. Out of everyone, one of the two were the most deserving of getting Togepi. Ash found it and Brock incubated it. I kinda have to wonder if Misty only got Togepi, from a writing standpoint, because she’s the girl of the group….
—————————-
Overall, I really love this episode, even though I ended up with many more notes than I thought I would about the more technical aspects of it.
Meowth caring for the egg like a mother and the tournament were hilarious and well-written. I haven’t been so thoroughly entertained by an episode from start to finish in a long time. Team Rocket fit into the episode well, even though I’m still not sure why they didn’t take the egg from the start, and no one was being annoying, not even Ash, who actually played each round incredibly smart. Even the facial expressions were spot on and hilarious.
Taking Togepi’s future tropes out of the equation, it is very adorable in this episode. Misty really didn’t seem like she deserved Togepi considering 1) she never cared for it as an egg, and 2) she only imprinted on Togepi because she was pushy. She became a…pretty good Trainer/mother for Togepi, more the latter than the former, but in my opinion, she’s not all that great in either department.
She obviously cares a great deal for Togepi and sees it as a baby, but she also seemingly stunts its development because it stays as a stagnant baby for a very, very long time – longer than any other baby Pokemon we’ll ever see. She doesn’t train it at all nor does she teach it anything. She just carries it everywhere and lets it be cute.
Seeing as how Togepi has to have solo adventures, it’s also prone to getting taken or lost. Pikachu then takes over the stressful role of saving his ass.
I have to wonder how the series would be had Ash finders keepers’d their asses. Perhaps caring for a baby Pokemon for a prolonged period of time would help mature him, like it sorta did for Misty. Maybe he’d become more responsible and make better choices. Maybe he’d be like a lot of kids doing that ‘this egg is a child’ assignment for school and accidentally drop him and have to replace him with another Togepi. I dunno. It’s interesting to consider.
Next episode, IVYSAUR! YAY!
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The Anime Madhouse 