Japanese Title: Forest of Kimori! Protect the Gigantic Tree!!!!
Original Airdate: January 9, 2003
US Airdate: November 29, 2003
Cacnea is more than ready to join the fight
Ash and company befriend a Treecko who refuses to give up on a dying tree when the rest of his tribe has. While they try to save the tree, the rest of the Treecko end up getting caught by Team Rocket in the first test for their new Cacnea.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bring It: Treecko welcomes the battle with Pikachu.
- Continuity Nod: Upon first seeing Cacnea, Ash and friends accuse Team Rocket of stealing that Pokémon. Of course, they weren't really there when Cacnea willingly joined Team Rocket.
- Cuteness Proximity: May fawns over a Treecko here, which is odd since she found Professor Birch's Treecko back in the first episode to be creepy.
- Determinator: Treecko will stop at nothing to save its tree, even after the rest of the group has given up on it and moved to a new one.
- Dramatic Irony: Upon seeing Team Rocket's new Cacnea, Ash assumes that they stole it, unaware that they had actually befriended and caught it fair and square.
- Eyelid Pull Taunt: When Max urges May and Brock to catch up with Ash, who ran off to follow Treecko, May runs ahead of him and gives him this gesture while mocking him for falling behind.
- Ironic Echo: May remembers what Ash told her about catching a Pokémon, but Ash momentarily forgot it in his excitement as soon as he saw a Treecko.
- I Shall Taunt You: Treecko finishes foiling Team Rocket by smacking his rear at Cacnea, angering him enough to get him to shoot his Pin Missile at the balloon.
- Jerkass Ball: May; she and Max spend the entire episode arguing and she's also noticeably unconcerned at the thought of Ash being in danger. Possibly justified since they are lost in a forest (the first time this happens to the Advanced group.)
- Logical Weakness: In this episode, Brock explains why Grass-types like Treeko resist Electric attacks like Pikachu's Thunderbolt—they can diffuse electricity into the trees or ground. However, the moment Treeko leaps into the air, it is unable to diffuse electricity and receives full damage from Thunderbolt.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": A more poignant example than most, but this sums up the reaction of the kids and the Treecko herd when the old tree finally dies, splitting itself in half.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Max confronts May, pointing out that she seems more preoccupied with food than with Ash's safety, which he finds concerning.
