Meowth: It looks like Mimikyu hates Pikachu!
Jessie and James: HATES?!
Meowth: Mimikyu doesn't look like Pikachu because it wants to. It seems to me there's a whole lot of resentment going on, and it's not cool.
Jessie and James: HATES?!
Meowth: Mimikyu doesn't look like Pikachu because it wants to. It seems to me there's a whole lot of resentment going on, and it's not cool.
—Team Rocket, after Mimikyu agrees to help them against Ash's Pikachu
Japanese Title: Hello, Roto, I'm the Rotom Pokédex, Roto!
Original Airdate: November 24, 2016
Canada Airdate: April 1, 2017
US Airdate: May 13, 2017
No, Meowth! Don't Go into the Light!
Team Rocket arrives in Alola, and immediately set out to catch native Pokémon. But when they find Mimikyu, what they discover is the potential for mortal danger. What will happen when, by chance, they end up in a run-in with the Alola twerps?
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Amusing Injuries: Pikachu gives some of his most hilarious reaction faces ever when Mimikyu uses Play Rough on him.
- Bears Are Bad News: Bewear takes an interest in Jessie and James, carrying them off. This forces Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mimikyu to break off the battle with Ash and give chase.Jessie and James: OFF WITH A NEW BLAST!!!
- Berserk Button: The moment Mimikyu sees Ash's Pikachu, it's ready to fight.
- Big "SHUT UP!": From Meowth to RotomDex when it wonders over the fact that Meowth can talk like a human, and starts taking a ton of pictures.
- Camera Fiend: One of the things RotomDex likes to do. Meowth, for one, doesn't like this trait.
- Department of Redundancy Department:Ash: The Pokedex is Rotom and Rotom's the Pokedex!
- Fastball Special: Jessie targets Mimikyu by throwing Meowth at it. At least she called for an attack he knew this time, even if that particular attack had no effect on Mimikyu.
- Flashback: As RotomDex describes Bewear, Ash remembers the first time he saw Bewear.
- Go into the Light: When Meowth gets hexed, it starts with him walking down a long tunnel, until a bright light appears at the end.
- Ironic Echo: When Team Rocket initially setting off to catch Pokémon, Meowth remarks that he and Wobbuffet will need to do the "heavy lifting" since Jessie and James had to give up Gourgeist and Inkay. So when Meowth is unresponsive after his run-in with Mimikyu...Jessie: Wake up, you fool!
Jessie: You weren't even attacked, Mr. Heavy Lifter! - Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In the English dub, Meowth begins his first You Do Not Want To Know disclaimer about Mimikyu's Pokémon Speak by saying "this is a family show".
- Naïve Newcomer: Ash's Rotom Pokédex is all sorts of Wrong Genre Savvy.
- Near-Death Experience: Meowth gets hexed terribly when he tries to remove Mimikyu's disguise, and ends up initially fantasizing about Glaceon, Gardevoir, and Lopunny. But it turns into a nightmare run by Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar.
- Never Say "Die": The dub appears to be dancing around just how much peril Meowth was in when he was hexed by Mimikyu. Then it only very slightly softens the Sun Pokédex entry that, in the Japanese, is read verbatim by RotomDex, still making it clear that Meowth could've died.RotomDex: It's said that a scholar that once tried to look inside [Mimikyu's disguise] met his end.
Meowth: Met his end?! (sobbing) I'm glad I'm still here kickin' and grinnin'... - No-Sell: Because of Mimikyu's Disguise ability, it shrugs off Pikachu's Iron Tail. If Pikachu had kept at it and busted Mimikyu's Disguise, it would've been super effective.note
- Reset Button: Jessie and James gave up Gourgeist and Inkay before heading off to Alola. Jessie kept Wobbuffet, however.
- Slasher Smile: When Ash shows off RotomDex to his classmates, Sophocles brandishes a screwdriver at it, talking about wanting to "examine its programming".
- Surprisingly Creepy Moment: Initially, Jessie and James think Mimikyu is a Pikachu. That is, until its Disguise busts, and it suddenly looks like its neck is broken.
- Water Wake Up: Jessie and James both dump buckets of water on Meowth to revive him from his hex. He initially thinks he's drowning.
- Wiki Walk: RotomDex starts showing off its penchant for insisting on butting in when the twerps try to explain something.
- You Do Not Want To Know: That choking sound Mimikyu is making is Pokémon Speak. Meowth understands it all too well, and it freaks the Hell out of him and Wobbuffet.James: Meowth, what is it saying?
Meowth: This is a family show! It's saying something so scary, that it's better off you're kept in the dark!
