Japanese Title: Secret Base of the Dancing Pokémon
Original Airdate: July 19, 2003
US Airdate: June 1, 2004
Treecko tried so hard to resist the Pokébaton. He ultimately failed.
Team Rocket have built a new headquarters and are awaiting the boss, Giovanni's inspection. As Jessie and James prepare, Meowth and the Team's other Pokémon rehearse the entertainment for his arrival with their newly captured Pokémon, three Whismur. Meowth has even invented a Pokébaton that controls Pokémon movement, in this case forcing them to dance.
When Pikachu, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, and Lotad discover the new base, however, things don't go quite as planned. The Pokébaton's diabolically irresistible powers end up entrancing them all, along with a random Loudred and Ludicolo.
Tropes
- And I Must Scream: The Pokébaton controls the movement of Pokémon, forcing them into a never ending dance until it is turned off. It almost entrances the Pokémon into exhaustion before it breaks.
- Animation Bump: Despite the series itself having transitioned to digital animation by this time, this short (and the movie that accompanied it) was still animated using tradition hand-painted cels. Even with that, it's much more lavish and bouncy than anything in the show, arguably even to this day.
- Blue with Shock: Meowth ends up here when the Pokébaton breaks and Loudred goes on a rampage which destroys the HQ.
- Butt-Monkey: Meowth and the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon as usual, though the Pokébaton gives all the Pokémon a pretty hard time.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: The trigger for the whole plot. Upon discovering Team Rocket's base and the caged Whismur, Pikachu's group decides to free them, which leads to the chase throughout the base.
- Demon Head: Meowth does this to the other Team Rocket Pokémon briefly when the Whismur escape.
- Disco Dan: A lot of Loudred's dancing looks like disco.
- Gadgeteer Genius: While it's been implied several times throughout the series, the short downright confirms Meowth as such, having invented the Pokébaton.
- Gone Horribly Right: The Pokébaton works a little too well.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Meowth didn't think that the Pokébaton would entrance him and the other Team Rocket Pokémon along with those he wanted to control.
- Ill-Timed Sneeze: Loudred smashes a support beam and the HQ trembles. It stops trembling. Then Lotad sneezes, and it all comes crashing down.
- Impact Silhouette: An early scene shows Pikachu and his crew making these on a boulder they crashed into.
- Inflating Body Gag: A segment of the end credits features Pikachu imitating various Pokémon. For his Cacnea impression, he takes in a big breath of air, inflating him like a balloon. He ends up letting go of the air, causing him to fly around the screen like a balloon sputtering air.
- Involuntary Dance: Every time the Pokébaton activates, it causes all the Pokémon to dance uncontrollably depending on the beat it plays. They're only able to stop when the baton is turned off, or when it finally breaks.
- I Shall Taunt You: In the initial escape from the base's cellar with the Whismur and the Pokébaton, Treecko taunts Meowth on the way up the stairs, doing "Nanny Nanny Boo-Boo" in his Pokémon Speak.
- Losing Horns: Type B at the end in the dub, to accompany Meowth's Tempting Fate moment.
- Musical Episode: With "Polka O Dolka" played through the majority of it.
- No-Sell: The one time Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Team Rocket, Wobbuffet immediately blocks it with Mirror Coat, almost causing Mudkip to fall into an abyss.
- Not So Stoic: Treecko tries desperately to resist the effects of the Pokébaton throughout the short. His will finally breaks when the Pokébaton gets stuck in sand, shorts out, and goes haywire.
- Out of Focus: The only Pokémon from Ash's group involved are Pikachu, Ash's Treecko, May's Torchic, and Brock's Mudkip and Lotad. Dustox is also missing from Team Rocket's group.
- Road Runner vs. Coyote: Team Rocket's Pokémon give chase when Pikachu and friends try to save the Whismur. Oddly enough, despite the usual formula of the series itself, Pikachu only tries to attack them once.
- Tempting Fate: "Now at least dat stupid stick's broke so nuttin else can go wrong, right?"...Cue the remainder of the headquarters falling apart underneath Team Rocket.
