After having been followed by the Latias he saved a while ago, Ash learns she wants his help for rescuing her brother, Latios, who's being target by a Pokémon Hunter aiming to capture both Legendaries to sell to the highest bidder! Ash swears he won't stop until he takes this Hunter down, but will Latios be willing to trust him?
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Armor-Piercing Response: Ash tries to check to make sure Latios isn't hurt that badly after the Hunter is arrested, but it scoffingly refuses, acting ungrateful for Ash's help. Although Ash seems to shrug it off, this winds up affecting him more deeply than he thought in the next episode.
- Batman Gambit: Ash has Latios use Psychic, knowing it would make the Hunter let his guard down and order a Crunch since Psychic moves don't work on Dark Types like Hydregion. Ash was counting on this to have Latios hide above the hunter to use Aura Sphere, a Fighting move that's super effective against Dark Types. It one shots Hydregion and takes the Hunter down for good.
- The Bus Came Back: Ash reveals he brought Swellow back onto his team, while Bianca and the Latias from Pokémon Heroes both return for the first time since the movie premiered, marking one of the show's rare acknowledgements of the film's events.
- Call-Back:
- Ash rescuing Latios and Latias from a bad guy isn't unlike what he did in Pokémon Heroes, though this time both of them make it out alive. As an added bonus, the pair head to Alto Mare at the end, where Bianca and the Latias-disgused as-Bianca both make appearances.
- The Pokémon Hunter is using a gun that turns Pokémon to stone to capture Latias and Latios, and rides around on a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon (a Hydregion instead of a Salamance), not unlike the (hopefully) late Hunter J.
- Determinator: Ash promises to help free Latios and stop the Pokémon Hunter, and does so even when Latios is being uncooperative due to his dislike of humans.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: Latios thinks very poorly of humans because of the Hunter. Even when Ash puts everything on the line to save him and Latias, Latios refuses to even thank him.
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: The Pokémon Hunter is smacked around and beaten up throughout the episode, though considering he's a scumbag who hunts Pokémon for profit, he deserves every minute of it.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: The Pokémon Hunter realizes he's horribly beaten when Ash demolishes him with Latios' help, and Officer Jenny arrives to take him into custody.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The Pokémon Hunter is strung up and taken into Officer Jenny's custody: a fitting fate for such a scumbag.
- The Nameless: The Pokémon Hunter isn't given any name in the episode.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The unnamed Pokémon Hunter has a simliar getup and equipment to Hunter J from Diamond and Pearl.
- Taken for Granite: Swellow, Steelix, and Latias are frozen by the Hunter's weapon. Destroying it frees them all.
- Tempting Fate: The disbanded Team Rocket Trio each individually arrive at Headquarters, proclaiming they will become Team Rocket legends on their own. Yeah, given their track record...
- Ungrateful Bastard: Despite Ash risking his neck to save Latios and Latias from the Pokémon Hunter, Latios acts completely undignified about the whole thing and refuses to thank Ash properly. This winds up affecting Ash more deeply the next episode.
