DP150

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Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

DP151 : The Needs of the Three! →

Unlocking the Red Chain of Events!

DP150   EP616 赤い鎖！ギンガ団始動！！ The Red Chain! Activated by Galaxy-dan!!

First broadcast Japan November 5, 2009 United States March 27, 2010

English themes Opening Battle Cry - (Stand Up!) Ending

Japanese themes Opening ハイタッチ！ 2009 Ending ドッチ～ニョ？

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 小山賢 Masaru Koyama Assistant director 小山賢 Masaru Koyama Animation director 武内啓 Akira Takeuchi Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Unlocking the Red Chain of Events! (Japanese: 赤い鎖！ギンガ団始動！！ The Red Chain! Activated by Galaxy-dan!!) is the 150th episode of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, and the 616th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on November 5, 2009 and in the United States on March 27, 2010.

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

Blurb

While taking a little time off on their way to Sunyshore City and Ash's next Gym Battle, our heroes discover Team Rocket's Meowth. The dazed Pokémon has been separated from Jessie and James after a rough run-in with Team Galactic! After explaining the situation, Meowth and our heroes head out to Team Galactic's secret base to rescue Jessie and James, as well as Looker from the International Police.

As Team Galactic continues to put the pieces together to accomplish its evil plans, our heroes confront the mysterious Jupiter of Team Galactic. She informs them she is aware of their previous encounters with the three lake Pokémon Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie. This news bewilders our heroes all the more. Meanwhile, the gang (along with Meowth) rescues Looker, who has been trapped in a cell with Jessie and James. Team Galactic gets away, leaving Looker and our heroes still wondering what the evil organization is up to.

While trying to unravel the mystery, Looker discovers an object left behind by Team Galactic that, upon examination, destroys every bit of data the International Police have collected on them! That leaves everyone frustrated, but doubly determined to get to the bottom of Team Galactic's evil plans, as Pokémon Hunter J prepares to catch the very same three lake Pokémon...

Plot

A Team Galactic Grunt, later revealed to be Looker, is attacked by Jupiter while on a counter-operative mission at the Fuego Ironworks. Skuntank is about to use Slash, but an explosion is triggered.

Meanwhile, in the Floaroma Town Pokémon Center, Ash and his friends are watching television, learning that the next Pokémon Contest will be held in Daybreak Town, located east of Mt. Coronet, and will follow the Double Performance format. The group hit the road, following Route 205, when Pikachu and Piplup see something in the flowers. Closer inspection reveals it is Meowth. Seeing as he is badly injured, Brock heals him with a Super Potion. Meowth explains that Team Rocket was walking, feeling hungry, when they saw Team Galactic's helicopter. They chased after it and arrived at a factory which Brock checks on his Pokégear and identifies it as the abandoned Fuego Ironworks. Team Rocket climbed a ladder and saw Jupiter and Looker. The trio rushed to Looker’s aid, with James's Carnivine Vine Whip stopping Jupiter’s attack. Skuntank managed to break free and Jupiter commanded the Golbat to attack. The resulting explosion blasted Meowth off, while Jessie and James were taken hostage by Jupiter. After being bandaged, Meowth proceeds to return to Fuego Ironworks to help his teammates. Ash’s group wants to help too, prompting Piplup and Pikachu to catch up with him but Meowth warns them off with Fury Swipes, reminding them that they're enemies. Dawn replies that they're actually in this for Looker since he had helped them out back on Mt. Coronet.

Back at the Fuego Ironworks, Jessie, James and Looker are locked up inside a prison cell. Jessie spots Skuntank look at her smugly, but gets shocked after she touches the door. Looker adds that the entire facility is rigged with traps, with even Poké Balls not working. He tells Team Rocket that Team Galactic has been secretly using Fuego Ironworks to make something; the Red Chain. Over on Mt. Coronet, Saturn's Toxicroak uses Rock Smash to break down a part of the mountain, revealing a huge, silvery spherical object. The Spear Key reacts to the object, confirming to them that they've finally found the Gateway to the Spear Pillar. Cyrus watches from the comfort of HQ, and orders Saturn to lockdown the area until all preparations are ready. Jupiter and Charon soon learn that Spear Pillar has been found and receive new orders to deliver the Red Chain. A Team Galactic Grunt then informs Jupiter and Charon that an unidentified flying object has been detected near the Factory perimeter which turns out to be Ash, Dawn, Brock, Pikachu, Piplup, and Meowth approaching Fuego Ironworks in Meowth's Balloon. Upon being confronted by a group of Golbat, Ash's Pikachu, riding on Staraptor, and Dawn's Pachirisu on Gliscor, take them out with Thunderbolt and Discharge.

The group prepare to land on the Fuego Ironworks rooftop, only to be greeted by Jupiter who has her Skuntank use Flamethrower. Piplup counters with Bubble Beam. Jupiter admits the kids are good at appearing out of nowhere and suggests they join Team Galactic, though they refuse. Meowth asks about Jessie and James and Ash asks where Looker is. Jupiter doesn't give them any information, but to Dawn she says "Oh, Mesprit", to Ash she says, "Azelf," and to Brock she says, "Uxie.", and the group recall their encounters at Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and Lake Acuity. Jupiter is furious and admits that Team Galactic were supposed to have synchronized with the Lake guardians. Then, a group of Golbat use Air Cutter on Pikachu and Staraptor. Pikachu counters with Thunderbolt while Meowth rushes forward and uses Fury Swipes. Skuntank tries a Flamethrower though Piplup counters with Bubble Beam. Gliscor and Pachirisu land behind Jupiter and Skuntank and Pikachu and Staraptor land on the side. Jupiter orders a Toxic, forcing everyone to cover their mouths from the hazardous fumes, allowing Jupiter to escape in a helicopter. Jupiter still cannot understand why the Lake guardians chose Ash and his friends, while Charon chastises her for being jealous. She snaps back and asks about the Red Chain. Charon assures her it's safe, and notes that it is stored within the helicopter.

Meanwhile, Meowth and the group returns the attention to finding their missing friends. They soon locate Looker, Jessie and James in their cell. Piplup and Pikachu use Bubble Beam and Thunderbolt on the door and it breaks. Looker thanks them and Team Rocket reunite then leave to track Team Galactic down. Seeing as Jupiter is gone, Looker decides to examine the Fuego Ironworks for clues as to Team Galactic’s plan. With his special glasses, Looker leads the group down an elevator shaft and to an altered manufacturing area. A gleaming shard, a piece of the Red Chain, attracts Looker’s attention. At the Floaroma Police Station a machine examines the shard and transmits the data to International Police HQ. But within a few seconds the shard glows before destroying the device. The shard turns out to be some sort of bomb as they receive a call from the International Police informing them that their entire database had been wiped out during the analysis. Looker departs from the station infuriated by the setback.

In the meantime, Cyrus and Team Galactic are on their way to the Spear Pillar with the Adamant Orb, Lustrous Orb, and Red Chain in their possession. Cyrus then contacts Pokémon Hunter J with new orders – to capture the Lake guardians.

Major events

• Dawn learns that a Pokémon Contest will be held in Daybreak Town and will follow the Double Performance format.
• Team Galactic completes the creation of the Red Chain.
• Ash and his friends encounter Team Galactic Commander Jupiter for the first time.
• Jupiter reveals that Team Galactic knows that Brock saw Uxie at Lake Acuity.
• Ash and his friends encounter Looker again and rescue him from the Fuego Ironworks.
• Team Galactic discovers the gateway to the Spear Pillar.
• Cyrus hires Pokémon Hunter J to capture Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie.

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

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Officer Jenny
• Looker
• Cyrus
• Saturn
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Charon
• J
• Forsythia
• Marian (on television)
• Team Galactic Grunts
• Scientist
• International Police HQ database manager

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Staraptor (Ash's)
• Gliscor (Ash's)
• Pachirisu (Dawn's)
• Carnivine (James's)
• Toxicroak (Saturn's)
• Skuntank (Jupiter's)
• Lotad (Forsythia's)
• Roserade (Forsythia's)
• Golbat (Team Galactic Grunts'; multiple)
• Mesprit (anime; flashback)
• Azelf (anime; flashback)
• Uxie (anime; flashback)
• Lucario (on television)
• Froslass (on television)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Examination: Bonsly
• During the title card sequence in the Japanese version, the title card music from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire is played instead of the normal music.
• Music from Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, The Rise of Darkrai, and Giratina and the Sky Warrior are used in this episode.
• The episode's English dub title is a reference to the phrase "chain of events".
• Team Rocket doesn't recite their motto in this episode.
  • Also, only Meowth blasts off in this episode.
• Jessie's Wobbuffet doesn't appear in this episode.

Errors

• Jupiter states that she knew that Ash, Dawn, and Brock had seen Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie, respectively. While it is likely that Cyrus told her of Ash and Dawn's encounters with the Legendary Pokémon, Brock encountered Uxie long after this and Cyrus could not have possibly known about it.
• In the scene right after Staraptor protects Pikachu from Skuntank's Toxic, the middle of Gliscor's torso is red instead of purple.
• After Jessie is electrocuted by the trap in the cell door, the Skuntank guarding the cell was shown laughing up against a wall identical to that of inside the cell, which is made of stone. However, in the shot before, it was up against a normal looking, smooth wall.
• This episode refers to the location of Dawn's next Contest as Daybreak City. However, in all future instances, it would be named Daybreak Town, not City.
• Jupiter's Skuntank uses X-Scissor, a move that it cannot legally learn.

• 

  Gliscor's red torso

• 

  Stone wall

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		紅鎖鍊！銀河隊展開行動！！
Czech		Odemknutí rudého řetězce událostí
Danish		En rød kæde af begivenheder!
Dutch		Het ontsluieren van de reeks gebeurtenissen!
Finnish		Salaisuuksien verho raottuu!
European French		Mission de secours !
German		Es braut sich was zusammen!
Hebrew		מתירים את שרשרת האירועים האדומה
Indonesian		Rantai Merah! Team Galactic Bergerak!!
Italian		La catena degli eventi si scioglie!
Korean		빨강쇠사슬! 갤럭시단의 음모
Norwegian		Bitene faller på plass!
Polish		Czerwony Łańcuch wydarzeń
Portuguese	Brazil	Destrancando a Corrente Vermelha dos Eventos!
	Portugal	Uma Corrente Vermelha de Eventos!
Romanian		Planuri Galactice Periculoase
Spanish	Latin America	Desatando la Cadena Roja de eventos
	Spain	Desatando la cadena roja de acontecimientos
Swedish		Dyrka upp händelsernas röda tråd!

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Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

DP151 : The Needs of the Three! →

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