Japanese Title: The Five Sisters of Eievui! Battle at the Tea Convention!!
Original Airdate: February 1st, 2001
US Airdate: December 8th, 2001
While enjoying a snack at a local cafe, Misty notices a poster advertising a traditional Japanese tea ceremony—Misty gets excited by this and explains to Ash and Brock that she's always wanted to attend one. As they're talking, the gang notices an Eevee that appears to be lost—it's soon revealed that the little normal-type belongs to a trainer named Sakura. When Misty asks Sakura if she knows anything about the tea ceremony, Sakura explains that her sisters run the place where the tea ceremony is taking place and offers to take them to it. As Sakura leads Ash, Misty and Brock on a tour of the theme park where the tea ceremony is taking place, she decides she would like to accompany our friends on their Johto Journey. Her sisters say she can go if our heroes can beat them in a Pokémon battle. Will Sakura get to fulfill her dream of becoming a Pokémon Master?
Tropes
- Adaptational Wimp: Sakura is the stand-in for the Espeon Kimono Girl but not only is her Eevee unevolved and undertrained, but Sakura lacks the experience to be an effective Pokémon Trainer and loses to Team Rocket twice.
- Age Lift: The Kimono girls in the games are around the same age, but Sakura is significantly younger than her sisters, who seem to be in their late teens/early adulthood.
- Birds of a Feather: Misty and Sakura get along due to both of them being younger than their beautiful, more-popular sisters.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: Team Rocket set up five cages for each of the Kimono Girl's Eevee and Eeveelutions but they get trapped in the cages when the sisters and Twerps fight back.
- Mythology Gag: The Kimono Girls from Gold & Silver run the tea ceremony.
- Status Quo Is God: Despite wanting to join Ash and his friends, Sakura quickly realizes that she lacks experience and would hold the team back, which convinces her to stay with her sisters until she's ready to go on her own journey.
- Tea and Tea Culture: Ash and company attend a formal Japanese tea ceremony.
