Japanese Title: Kunugidama and the Bonguri Fruit! Backyard Battle!!
Original Airdate: April 13th, 2000
US Airdate: March 10th, 2001
Ash delivers the mysterious GS Ball to a renowned Pokémon expert, but Team Rocket wreaks trouble when they attempt to harvest the Apricorns essential to local Pokéball production.Tropes
- Aborted Arc: Kurt can't figure out what the significance of the GS Ball is. Other than a few references to Ash delivering it, we never hear about it again. Word of God is that it was supposed to contain a Celebi that would be part of the Johto story arc. Celebi was instead moved to the Pokémon 4Ever movie and the GS Ball story was dropped from the TV show.
- Don't Explain the Joke: After Meowth says the specialty Pokéballs don't grow on trees...James: Actually Meowth, if you had been listening to every word you would have heard that sweet little girl say that they do grow on trees.
- Green Aesop: Rapid and reckless gathering of natural resources can harm the environment as Maisie warns that picking unripe apricorns and removing a bunch of apricorns at a time will damage the trees. Also, the local Pokemon protect the trees from such thievery since they rely on the trees for shelter.
- Grows on Trees: Specialty Pokéballs are made from the Apricorn fruit.
- Running Gag: Brock’s Pineco’s explosions begin here from its very first appearance.
- Every time the group is about to harvest some apricorns, something stops them. First Maisie stops Ash because the apricorns aren't ripe yet. Then she warns them about Pineco in a tree, which sidetracks Brock and results in an explosion. Then they get chased by Beedrill that have made their home in the apricorn tree. And finally, they fall into one of Team Rocket's holes.
- Slapstick: Misty as per usual, but Kurt's granddaughter Maisie also ends up suffering from Beedrill swarms and Team Rocket pitfalls alongside the protagonists.
