Japanese Title: Emonga Joins Rocket-dan!
Original Airdate: September 5, 2013
US Airdate: November 16, 2013
Team EMOLGA?!
Emolga runs away after a prank goes awry, and ends up attracting Team Rocket's attention. After she single-handedly beats all their Pokémon, they offer her a spot on the team.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Accidental Aiming Skills: When Snivy smacks away one of Emolga's Hidden Power shots, it flies into a cave and hits an Exploud.
- Art Shift: Emolga's thought processes take place in Crayola.
- Breath Weapon The Exploud knows both Flamethrower & Hyper Beam.
- Bullying the Dragon: Emolga thought it would be a good idea to use Team Rocket for a payback joke on Iris. They don't think so at all...
- Cassandra Truth: After Axew got electrocuted by a wild Galvantula and hit his head, Emolga got blamed by Iris for this as she tries to tell her that she didn't hurt him but still didn't believe her. Emolga ran away then decided to get even with Iris for not believing her by pretending to join Team Rocket. However, after reading Axew's heart, Iris realized that Emolga was telling the truth and apologized to her for it.
- Combat Pragmatist: Emolga uses Attract to make quick work of all of Team Rocket's Pokémon.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Ash & co have this reaction when they first see Emolga with Team Rocket.
- Face–Heel Turn: Emolga!
- Foreshadowing: Mixed with Leaning on the Fourth Wall. Team Rocket are preparing for Operation X, Y and Z.
- Not Helping Your Case: The first few slights Iris chewed Emolga out for were kind of bad attitude on her part (eg. electrocuting Oshawott for getting punching into her food), but then Emolga (and only Emolga) starts getting blamed for fights the other Pokemon started.
- Not Me This Time: Emolga usually causes mischief, but this time she was actually innocent and Iris didn’t believe her.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Team Rocket spend most of the episode as an Unwitting Pawn to a mundane prank of Emolga's. When they find out however, they turn it around in the most deadly fashion, using a very violent Exploud and a cell made of alloy even Charizard and Dragonite struggle to break through.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Team Rocket punishes Emolga for her attempted double-cross by locking her and Axew in a cell with the Exploud.
- Later on, the same Exploud returns the favor to them, with a Thunderpunch.
- Slasher Smile: Jessie & Meowth deliver one to James when they find out that Emolga is planning on double-crossing them.
- Too Dumb to Live: Emolga literally tells Axew The Plan right in front of Team Rocket. Now this wouldn't be a problem if just Jessie and James were there as most humans can't understand Pokémon Speak. Unfortunately, Meowth is also there with them and translates the entire conversation. And once they find out Emolga's plan...well...
- Unwitting Pawn: Team Rocket are duped by Emolga, who claims she has turned to their side. When they find out it was all just a prank to annoy Iris and she plans to turn on them afterwards, they out gambit her.
- We Can Rule Together: After Emolga dispatches all their Pokémon, Team Rocket proposes she join them. Being the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing she is, she (seemingly) agrees.
