Japanese Title: The Sinnoh Space-Time Legend!
Original Airdate: May 31, 2007
US Airdate: November 10, 2007
While at the Eterna Museum, Ash and friends are witness to a robbery by a disguised Team Rocket as they steal the Adamant Orb. Officer Jenny is on the case, but she's got the wrong suspect: Nando, whose Sunflora is mistaken for the Pokémon that stole the orb, which is actually Meowth in a costume. With the museum on lockdown, the real thieves and the orb have to be found if Nando's name is going to be cleared!
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Air-Vent Passageway: Pikachu and Piplup go through one where they meet up with Sunflora and see Team Rocket and the stolen Orb through the grate.
- The Bus Came Back: Viridian City's Officer Jenny makes an appearance, visiting the museum on her day off. Compared to the hot-headed Eterna City's Jenny, she's more reasonable and points out that everyone in the building with a Sunflora should be searched, not just a single suspect, but Eterna's Jenny basically tells her to shove it.
- Call-Back:
- The Officer Jenny from Viridian City reappears, having made her first appearance all the way back in "Pokémon Emergency!"
- This is Meowth's fifth time disguising himself as a Sunflora, after previously doing so in "The Grass Route", "A Bite to Remember", "Pacifidlog Jam", and "All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!".
- The Cameo: Butch and Cassidy briefly appear (not in person) when potential suspects for the theft of the Orb are discussed.
- Cassandra Truth: In the interrogation room, Nando tries to tell Officer Jenny that he didn't steal the Orb, to no avail.
- Clothing Damage: James hides the Adamant Orb under his suit jacket to give the illusion of a large paunch, but Sunflora exposes it by cutting Team Rocket's disguises to pieces.
- Confronting Your Impostor: Nando's Sunflora attacks a disguised Team Rocket along with Meowth in his Sunflora costume.
- Contrived Coincidence: Nando gets blamed for the theft of the Adamant Orb because he has a Sunflora with him at the same time Meowth has disguised himself as one.
- Domino Mask: Team Rocket wears them during the initial theft.
- Failed a Spot Check: Officer Jenny does not notice that her suspect looks absolutely nothing like the two thieves who were on the balcony. Or that her photo of "Sunflora" stealing the Adamant Orb has Meowth's forehead coin visible through the costume.
- Frame-Up: Nando gets framed for Team Rocket's theft of the Adamant Orb. However, it's an accidental example of this trope, since they didn't even know there was a real Sunflora in the building.
- Hidden Villain: Both Jenny's agree that Team Rocket must've been working for someone, as they’re not smart enough to steal the Orb on their own will. Sure enough, we cut to a mysterious group in a helicopter, talking about how “those three were worthless”.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Viridian City's Officer Jenny, visiting the museum, wears a pink baseball cap and a red sports jacket with Gyarados emblems to differentiate herself from Eterna City's Jenny.
- Idiot Ball: When asked who might have hired Team Rocket to steal the Orb, Ash and his friends suggest it was Hunter J or Butch and Cassidy, despite the fact that Team Rocket is on very bad terms with all three, with Hunter J having tried to kill them in her debut appearance.
- Internal Reveal: Ash and pals find out that Gardenia is Eterna City's Gym Leader, something that anyone who's played the games will already know.
- Mundane Utility: Nando's Sunflora uses Leech Seed to incapacitate a pair of officers on its tail while trying to find Team Rocket and the orb, and later Cut to slash away Team Rocket's disguises, making them fall off.
- Nerves of Steel: Nando doesn't seem particularly angry or upset at being arrested and falsely accused of stealing a priceless historical artifact. His only reaction is mild annoyance while being interrogated.
- Not Helping Your Case: While being pursued by two police officers, Sunflora ensnares them with Leech Seed to stop them from chasing it. Granted, Nando didn't tell it to do that (and couldn't have), but but Officer Jenny takes it as further proof that they're guilty.
- Not So Stoic: Nando remains his usual calm and composed self for most of the episode, but looks mildly shocked when Officer Jenny shouts in his face.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Downplayed. Meowth's Sunflora costume is almost perfect, except for the fact that his forehead coin is still visible. It still fools everyone, including the Officer Jenny investigating the Adamant Orb's theft.
- Police Are Useless: Ye gods, are they ever. Officer Jenny refuses to believe that anybody but Nando and Sunflora could have stolen the orb, and is so certain that she doesn't even bother to search or interrogate anyone else. When Ash, his friends, and Gardenia try to vouch for Nando's innocence, she presents a photograph of "Sunflora" stealing the Adamant Orb that clearly shows Meowth in a Sunflora costume (his forehead coin isn't even hidden). Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Gardenia have to get things done instead while Jenny and her men waste time interrogating Nando and hunting down Sunflora. Even at the end, when Team Rocket has finally been exposed as the true thieves, Jenny orders her Stunky to unleash its Stench...which distracts all the officers long enough for Team Rocket to escape the museum, albeit without the orb.
- Skewed Priorities: When Team Rocket is exposed and James sends out Cacnea and Carnivine, Gardenia is briefly distracted by her excitement at seeing Grass-type Pokémon. Dawn quickly reminds her that they're in the middle of a battle.
- Smart Cop, Dumb Cop: Eterna City's Jenny is easily fooled by a photo of Meowth dressed as Sunflora stealing the Adamant Orb and uses it to accuse Nando and his Sunflora of the theft. Viridian City's Jenny more rationally points out that just because it's a Sunflora in the photo, it's not necessarily Nando's Sunflora, and they need to investigate more people.
- Smelly Skunk: Instead of the usual Growlithe, the Officer Jenny in this episode has a Stunky.
- The Storyteller: At the end of the episode, Nando tells the story of how Arceus created the Pokémon world, Dialga, Palkia and the lake guardians.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Viridian City's Officer Jenny tries to vouch for Nando's innocence by pointing out that the evidence for Sunflora having stolen the Orb is flimsy at best. However, she cannot do very much to help, since despite also being an officer of the law, she has no authority in a place where she does not work or live.
- Talking Is a Free Action: Subverted. Officer Jenny interrupts Ash and friends' conversation with Nando by reminding everyone that they're in the middle of a police investigation.
