AG132

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Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

AG133 : The Right Place and the Right Mime →

The Scheme Team

AG132   EP406 エニシダとバトルフロンティア！ Enishida and the Battle Frontier!

First broadcast Japan June 23, 2005 United States April 8, 2006

English themes Opening Unbeatable Ending

Japanese themes Opening ポケモン シンフォニック メドレー Ending GLORY DAY 〜輝くその日〜 ②

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 大橋志吉 Yukiyoshi Ōhashi Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de

The Scheme Team (Japanese: エニシダとバトルフロンティア！ Enishida and the Battle Frontier!) is the 132nd episode of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 406th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on June 23, 2005, and in the United States on April 8, 2006.

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

Blurb

The Hoenn League has ended and our friends must go their separate ways. Tyson and Morrison are off to new adventures; May and Max return to Petalburg while Ash and Brock head back to Kanto. Even Team Rocket goes back to headquarters and reports to a thoroughly unimpressed Giovanni. Butch and Cassidy show off their cool new jetpacks, so Team Rocket demands they get something cool too—and end up with pogo sticks.

Ash is now alone, Brock having headed home to Pewter City. In Viridian City, Ash encounters Scott, a flashy fellow who wants to talk about the Battle Frontier. But first Ash ends up challenging the new Viridian Gym Leader, a woman named Agatha. With typical confidence, Ash sends Pikachu to battle Agatha's Gengar and forgets that as a Ghost-type Pokémon, Pikachu won't be able to hit it with normal attacks.

Although Ash quickly adjusts his strategy and Pikachu does its best, it just can't beat Gengar. Still, Agatha is impressed that Ash at least showed some spirit. It's now that Ash learns Agatha is also one of the Elite Four, so it's great that Pikachu managed to last that long in the first place! Scott encourages Ash to try for the Battle Frontier, a series of seven challenges, but they're briefly interrupted by Team Rocket's latest short-lived Pikachu-snatching attempt.

Once Ash finally makes it back home, he finds Misty and her new Azurill waiting for him—and Professor Birch and Max show up as well! A memorable get-together is in the works...

Plot

With the Ever Grande Conference now over, Ash bids farewell to Morrison and Tyson before leaving Ever Grande City as he and his friends head to Oldale Town to say their goodbyes before heading their separate ways. While preparing to eat lunch, May comments on how she and Max are going to miss Brock's cooking when they return to Petalburg City and wishes they could bring some of Brock's recipes with them. Ash asks if they will remember to say hello to Norman for him, and Max promises to do that as well as tell him that Ash should have won the Ever Grande Conference, much to Ash's embarrassment. Brock tells Ash that they should stop by to see Professor Birch in Littleroot Town. May and Max tell Ash that they will make sure to visit him in Pallet Town some time. Munchlax pops out of its Poké Ball and eats their lunch of rice balls, but Brock had prepared extras just in case. Before May and Max split off to return home to Petalburg City, the four friends say their goodbyes and tell each other to make sure to keep in touch.

Team Rocket returns to the Team Rocket headquarters to speak to Giovanni about their progress they made in the Hoenn region. They are reluctant to face him and are worried that he will be very upset with him, but go in anyway. Jessie and James say that they were the ones responsible for taking down Team Aqua and Team Magma, forcing them to disband. Giovanni does not believe them, but gives them a new assignment and says that it is their reward for their hard work. As they are leaving, Team Rocket comments that being convincing does pay off and reward them, revealing that Giovanni had assigned them to Antarctica, although none of them has ever heard of it. Just then, Butch and Cassidy run into Jessie and James with motorized scooters and yell at them to move out of the way. Jessie tells them that they were given a top-secret mission and tries to knock Cassidy over. Cassidy tells Jessie that Giovanni was just trying to get rid of them. They continue glaring and arguing with each other, until a Team Rocket Grunt runs up to Cassidy and Butch, saying that Professor Namba has a very important assignment for them, and they rush off. Stepping outside, the trio decides to start anew as a new and improved Team Rocket, only to get laughed at by Butch and Cassidy, who fly off with her packs. The trio demands their own equipment from a nearby Grunt, but another Grunt shows up, telling them that he's got their promised equipment for them. To the trio's embarrassment, however, their "equipment" turns out to be set of pogo sticks. They bounce away on them, but accidentally fall over.

May and Max arrive in their hometown of Petalburg City. Caroline greets them and tells them that Norman is out shopping at the moment. They go to see the Pokémon in the greenhouse and May brings out all of her Pokémon to play. Skitty falls asleep in a tree, Bulbasaur smells some flowers, and the other Pokémon run around and play. Meanwhile, Ash and Brock have reached a crossroads and split up to head to their respective hometowns. While stopping for a break a bit later, Ash spots a Poliwag and asks Max to come look at it, before remembering that he is all by himself now. On his way through Viridian City, Ash notices that the Viridian Gym has been rebuilt after it collapsed. A man introducing himself as Scott approaches him and asks if he is there to challenge the Gym Leader, but Ash tells him that he has already won the Earth Badge. Scott is impressed and tells Ash that he may be a good enough Trainer to challenge the Battle Frontier. However, before Scott can explain more, an older woman screams as she falls off of her bike nearby and Ash and Scott go to check on her. The woman introduces herself to be Agatha and tells Ash that she's been working as the new Viridian Gym Leader for several months now. She takes the two into the Gym, and Ash notices that it now looks significantly different than the last time he was there, all thanks to a new coat of paint. Agatha asks Scott how his search for a strong Trainer from the Seafoam Islands is going, but Scott says the information is confidential. Agatha asks Ash whether he is there to challenge the Gym and Ash explains that he has already won a Badge from the Gym. Scott suggests that Ash should battle Agatha just for fun, and she admits that she defeated the last two Trainers who had come to the Gym with ease and could use a little challenge. Ash mentions how he had just made it to the top eight at the Ever Grande Conference, impressing both Agatha and Scott. By Agatha's request, Scott agrees to act as a referee.

Ash calls out Pikachu, while Agatha chooses Gengar, whom Ash scans with his Pokédex. Pikachu starts out with Quick Attack, which simply phases through Gengar since it is a Ghost-type Pokémon. Agatha criticizes Ash for forgetting such a basic detail. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt as Gengar flattens its body to move under Pikachu and dodge the attack. Gengar uses Shadow Ball as Pikachu dodges and then uses Iron Tail to hit Gengar, sending it to the ceiling. As Pikachu leaps in for another attack, Gengar uses Shadow Ball and hits Pikachu. Pikachu climbs over the Shadow Ball and prepares for another Iron Tail, but Gengar uses Double Team to completely surround Pikachu. Gengar starts charging for a Shadow Ball as Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to hit all the fakes and the real one. Despite being hot, Gengar is able to release the Shadow Ball, which Pikachu dodges before using Iron Tail to land another hit. Just before Pikachu is about to finish it off with Thunder, Gengar uses Hypnosis to stop the attack, before following up with Dream Eater to defeat Pikachu. Agatha compliments Ash of the good battle, and he admits to Agatha that he's not even nearly as strong as she is. Scott comments that Ash shouldn't expect to have beaten one of the Elite Four. While Ash expresses his surprise at Agatha's status, she explains that the official Gym Leader hasn't arrived yet, so she's just filling in for the time being.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket has been observing the battle and comment on how strong Pikachu really is. They decide to try to capture it and lower their balloon behind the Gym. In front of the Gym, Scott asks Ash if he is still interested in challenging the Battle Frontier and begins to explain how it works. He explains that there are seven Battle Frontier facilities spread out across Kanto that are run by Trainers known as Frontier Brains, who are like Gym Leaders but more powerful. Like Gym Leaders hand out Gym Badges, each of the Frontier Brains hands out a Frontier Symbol if defeated, and once six Symbols have been earned, the location of the secret seventh facility will be revealed. Ash decides to challenge the Battle Frontier and Team Rocket, having eavesdropped the entire conversation, decides to make it their next target. Team Rocket grabs Pikachu with a mechanical grabber, before revealing themselves and reciting their brand-new motto. They try to get away, but Agatha's Golbat uses Air Cutter to cut the grabber's rope, freeing Pikachu. Agatha tells them to leave while they still can, but they stubbornly refuse. Jessie brings out Seviper while James brings out Cacnea to attack. Seviper uses Bite while Pikachu uses Quick Attack to dodge and grab onto Seviper's tail to throw it. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to send Seviper flying back into the balloon. Cacnea uses Pin Missile while Golbat uses Supersonic to send it back at Team Rocket. Golbat uses Air Cutter while Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to send Team Rocket blasting off. Scott lets Ash know that they will be contacting him soon about the Battle Frontier and Agatha says she will support him all of the way.

Ash returns to his home in Pallet Town and is greeted by Delia, Misty, and Professor Oak. He's surprised to see Misty having an Azurill, and she explains that Tracey gave it to her as an Egg. Mimey also greets Ash and is holding Ash's lunch that he prepared. Ash hears a car horn and looks outside to see that Max and Professor Birch have come to visit him as well.

Major events

• Ash, Brock, May, and Max go their separate ways.
• Team Rocket's headquarters and the Viridian Gym are revealed to have been rebuilt.
• Ash meets Scott, who tells him about the Battle Frontier.
• Ash meets Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four, who is revealed to be filling in as the Viridian Gym Leader until the new Gym Leader arrives.
• Ash battles Agatha at the Viridian Gym and loses.
• Ash decides to challenge the Battle Frontier.
• Ash returns home and meets up with Misty.
• Misty is revealed to have obtained an Azurill, which she hatched from an Egg she received from Tracey.
  • In the process, Tracey's Marill is revealed to have produced an Egg.
• Max arrives in Pallet Town with Professor Birch.

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

Debuts

Humans

• Scott
• Agatha

Pokémon debuts

• Misty's Azurill

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• May
• Brock
• Max
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Oak
• Delia
• Giovanni
• Morrison
• Tyson
• Agatha
• Noland (shadow)
• Greta (shadow)
• Lucy (shadow)
• Spenser (shadow)
• Tucker (shadow)
• Anabel (shadow)
• Butch
• Cassidy
• Professor Birch
• Scott
• Caroline
• Team Rocket Grunts

Pokémon

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

Pokémon Trainer's Choice: Arcanine

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Chimecho (James's)
• Azurill (Misty's)
• Combusken (May's)
• Beautifly (May's)
• Skitty (May's)
• Bulbasaur (May's)
• Munchlax (May's)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Persian (Giovanni's)
• Mr. Mime (Delia's, Mimey)
• Meowth (Tyson's)
• Vigoroth (Norman's)
• Slakoth (Norman's)
• Gengar (Agatha's)
• Golbat (Agatha's)
• Poliwag

Trivia

• The episode's English dub title is a pun on the term "the dream team".
• Both the instrumental and opening vocal versions of Advance Adventure are used as background music.
  • Aim to Be a Pokémon Master was also used as background music.
• As of this episode, the entire Kanto Elite Four roster of Generation I and Generation III has appeared in the anime. Ash and Pikachu are also the only known characters to have met all of them.
• Jessie talks excitedly about Antarctica, the location of their next assignment. This is another instance of the anime referencing a real-world location.
• This is the last episode to feature Andi Whaley as Cassidy, Eric Stuart as Butch, Karen Neill as Caroline, and Rachael Lillis as May's Beautifly and the Pokédex.
  • While this would also be the case for Ted Lewis as Giovanni, he would eventually return to the role in The Thief That Keeps on Thieving!.
  • Additionally, this is also the final episode of the anime to feature Hirotaka Suzuoki as the Japanese voice of Giovanni. He passed away nearly four months after the episode aired. Starting with Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Giovanni would be voiced by Kenta Miyake.
• James calls Team Rocket HQ a "castle in the sky", referencing the Studio Ghibli film.
• After parting ways with May and Max, Ash and Brock seemingly walk from Hoenn to Kanto. However, according to the maps of these regions, they are not connected by land or bridge. How they managed to walk from Littleroot Town to Pallet Town and Pewter City in under a day is unknown. Additionally, Professor Birch and Max are shown arriving at Ash's home at the end with his SUV, within hours of Max's return home.
• This is the first episode that the Kanto region has ever been called by name in the anime. It was mentioned by Scott when he explained that the Battle Frontier was "throughout the Kanto region".
• The Pokémon Trainer's Choice segment in this episode is the only one to contain two choices instead of three.
• This is the first episode in which the Pokédex has given details about Gengar beyond its name, species, and evolution. Previously, Gengar's other details were said to be unknown due to its Ghost-type properties.

Errors

The coloring error

• In several scenes, the white collars on Butch and Cassidy's uniforms are miscolored black.
• In the Pokémon Trainer's Choice segment, Arcanine is stated as having an advantage over Kirlia. This is incorrect because Fire-type Pokémon and Psychic-type Pokémon have a neutral effect on each other.
  • However, as of Generation VI, Arcanine does have a defensive advantage because it resists Kirlia's Fairy typing.
  • When Arcanine is revealed as the answer, it uses Growlithe‘s cry instead of its own.
• In the Latin American dub, Mr. Mime is called "Señor Mime", which also previously happened in Showdown at the Oak Corral.
• In the Finnish dub, Butch's incorrect name, Biff, is translated the same way as the English word "beef".
• In Brazilian dub, when Misty is explaning how she got her Azurill, she refers to Tracey as a girl.

Dub edits

• In the Finnish dub, Misty doesn't specify whom she got Azurill's Egg from.
• In the English dub, May says that her father's car wasn't there when she got home. In the original Japanese version, she just asks where her father was.
• The large sign seen when Ash enters Viridian City has its text erased in the English dub.

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

• Question: Trainers, if Arcanine fought Kirlia, who would have the advantage?
• Choices: Arcanine, Kirlia
• Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose Arcanine, you were right!

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		亞希達先生與對戰開拓區！
Danish		En ny begyndelse
Dutch		Een team vol plannen!
Finnish		Suunnitelmia
French		La fin d'une époque
German		Neue Träume, neue Ziele!
Hebrew		התחלות חדשות
Hindi		स्कीम टीम Scheme Team*
Italian		Arrivederci, amici
Korean		시작! 배틀프런티어!
Norwegian		Intrigeteamet
Portuguese	Brazil	O Time do Esquema
	Portugal	Team Sarilhos!
Russian		Команда со стратегией
Spanish	Latin America	Un equipo en proyecto
	Spain	¡El "Team" Intrigante!
Swedish		Nya Team Rocket!

← AG131 : At the End of the Fray

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

AG133 : The Right Place and the Right Mime →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.