EP231

← EP230 : Hatching a Plan

Original series

EP232 : Just Waiting On a Friend →

Dues and Don'ts File:EP231.jpg.png

EP231   ロケットだんとデリバード！ Team Rocket and Delibird!

First broadcast Japan January 10, 2002 United States January 25, 2003

English themes Opening Believe in Me Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター (Whiteberry) Ending 前向きロケット団！

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 首藤剛志 Takeshi Shudō 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.

Dues and Don'ts (Japanese: ロケットだんとデリバード！ Team Rocket and Delibird!) is the 231st episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on January 10, 2002 and in the United States on January 25, 2003.

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

Synopsis

On the road to Mahogany Town, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu are attacked by Jessie, James, and Meowth. After a brief scuffle involving an exploding football the Rocket Trio is sent blasting off as usual. After a painful landing the Rockets discuss their most recent failure and try to figure out why they can never beat the "twerps". They eventually reach the conclusion that the reason lies in the fact that the twerps have a large amount of Pokémon to battle them with, while they only have five, including Meowth. In order to increase their capabilities the Rockets decide that their first goal should be to capture more Pokémon!

Their wish soon comes true when they find an apparently abandoned Delibird. A tape recording near the Delibird says that it was abandoned by its trainer, and is free to anybody able to catch it. Seizing their opportunity Jessie and James battle with the Delibird, and after a grueling battle succeed in defeating it. However before they can catch it an old woman comes out of the woods and introduces herself as the Delibird's trainer. She tells them that she's a scout for Team Rocket and by defeating Delibird in battle they've passed her test, they're now eligible to join Team Rocket themselves!

Jessie and James explain to the woman they they're already members of Team Rocket. When she refuses to believe them they look up their names in Team Rocket's member registry. Looking through it they find that their worst fears have finally come true, they've been disbanded from Team Rocket! The Rocket Scout explains that their membership was revoked due to their unpaid dues and the constant loans they've taken out. But that if they prove themselves to her that she should be able to get them reinstated, and get them a hefty signing bonus as well. Their mission? To defeat a wandering band of Pokémon Trainers, who turn out to be none other then the twerps! Jessie and James tell the scout, that although Ash and his friends look weak, they're actually skilled trainers, and that with their current Pokémon they'll be unable to beat them. After thinking for a moment the Scout agrees to let them borrow their Delibird. With a new and powerful Pokémon on their side, Team Rocket gets ready to attack, sure of their coming victory.

Meanwhile Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket receives a phone call from Wendy, a member of Team Rocket's H.R. department. Wendy tells him that Jessie and James are trying to get their membership back, and suggests that he refuse to let them rejoin. Giovanni tells her that he has no problem letting them rejoin, so long as they pay Team Rocket the money they owe. With that said he hangs up on Wendy, leaving her to fume back at her desk. In a flashback we see that Wendy has a long standing grudge against Jessie, from an incident where she left her with a bill for a fruit smoothie. Angry that she couldn't get Jessie kicked out of the Team for good Wendy swears that she'll eventually get her revenge.

Back in Johto Ash and his friends are met on the road by a pair of wandering Samurai. They quickly reveal themselves to be Jessie and James in disguise, and challenge the twerps to a battle. Expecting them to use their normal Pokémon Ash calls out his Phanpy. To his surprise Team Rocket bring out Delibird, who easily defeats Phanpy with its Blizzard attack. Using its Present ability, Delibird hits Ash and friends with a surprise attack. Angered Ash calls out Pikachu, but finds that Delibird's Present is too much for Pikachu to handle. Ash tries to retreat, but no matter where him or his friends go Delibird is always there with another explosive present. Delighted at their success Jessie and James order Delibird to finish the twerps off, but to their surprise the next present restores Pikachu to full health. Taking control of the fight Ash orders Pikachu to attack, and Team Rocket finds itself "blasting off again".

After landing, Jessie and James are met again by the Rocket Scout, who reclaims her Delibird. She tells them that even though they lost the fight, Team Rocket is suffering a severe labor shortage (due to most of its members getting arrested) and that she's still going to register them again. The pair eagerly wait for their signing bonus, but find themselves hit with a bill instead, their bonus having helped pay all of the money they owe. At the bottom of the list is a surprise, a bill for a fruit smoothie courtesy of Wendy. The Scout tells them that every month Delibird will come to collect some of the money they owe, and that they should resume their work as Rockets.

Despite all of their bills, Jessie, James, and Meowth take a moment to celebrate. Their cheers are so loud that even Ash and his friends hear it on the nearby road.

Major events

• Jessie and James renew their membership with Team Rocket.
• A Delibird sent from Team Rocket begins to follow Jessie and James.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Delibird

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Giovanni
• Rocket Scout
• Wendy

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Smeargle

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Bayleef (Ash's; symbolic image)
• Cyndaquil (Ash's; symbolic image)
• Totodile (Ash's; symbolic image)
• Noctowl (Ash's; symbolic image)
• Phanpy (Ash's)
• Goldeen (Misty's; symbolic image)
• Staryu (Misty's; symbolic image)
• Psyduck (Misty's; symbolic image)
• Poliwhirl (Misty's; symbolic image)
• Corsola (Misty's; symbolic image)
• Onix (Brock's; symbolic image)
• Geodude (Brock's; symbolic image)
• Crobat (Brock's; symbolic image)
• Pineco (Brock's; symbolic image)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Victreebel (James's)
• Delibird (Team Rocket, debut)
• Persian (Giovanni's)

Trivia

• Jessie briefly talks about two other criminal teams "Team Jet" and "Team Helicopter" in this episode. However they're likely just teams she made up as a joke, as they have never been mentioned again.
• The English dub title of this episode is a pun of the phrase "Do's and Don'ts."
• It's implied in this episode that Meowth, like Pikachu, was put in a Poké Ball, but prefers to stay outside of it.
• In this episode, Team Rocket uses a variation of their motto.
  • In the dub, when Team Rocket recites this football-themed variation of their motto, Jessie makes a reference to an "eighth-round pick", presumably a draft pick. The last time the NFL Draft held an eighth round was on April 26, 1993, almost ten years prior to this episode's initial dubbed airing.
• This is the only original series episode which includes Team Rocket's name in its title. Due to this, it is also the only one that names it using hiragana for "dan" (だん) instead of the kanji (団).

In other languages

• French: Les bons comptes font les bons amis
• German. Zurück ins Team!
• Hebrew: להצטרף או לא להצטרף lehitstaref o lo lehitstaref
• Italian: Povero Team Rocket...
• Portuguese (Brazilian): Quem Deve Paga
• Spanish:
  • Iberian Spanish: Deudas y prohibiciones
  • Latin American Spanish: ¡El regreso del Equipo Rocket!

← EP230 : Hatching a Plan!

Original series

EP232 : Just Waiting On A Friend →

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