"Buneary has a crush on Pikachu!"
"Aw man, how do we battle with this going on?"
—Dawn and Ash
Japanese Title: Let's Play with Mimirol!?
Original Airdate: November 16, 2006
US Airdate: June 18, 2007
For Buneary, Pikachu is bae.
Dawn once more attempts to catch a Buneary, desperate to get a really cute Pokémon for contests. But when this one develops a crush on Pikachu, it doesn't make the job any easier...especially when Jessie sets her sights on the rabbit Pokémon as well.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Circling Birdies: After taking Buneary's Dizzy Punch, Piplup is seeing Torchic floating around him.
- Continuity Nod: Both Buneary and Pikachu are in the Field Egg Group, so they could breed if Pikachu ever agreed to. Additionally, both of them are based on small mammals - Buneary being a rabbit and Pikachu a mouse.note
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Croagunk stares at the frozen Ash, Brock, and Dawn for a bit...before using Poison Jab to break them out.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Although Buneary wanted to go with the twerps after being rescued from Team Rocket, she insisted on battling with Dawn to be captured properly.
- Empathy Pet: Croagunk is quickly becoming this for Brock.
- Harmless Freezing: Buneary freezes the twerps (except Pikachu, Starly, and the missing Croagunk) in a block of ice. When Croagunk breaks them out, they're cold, but just fine.
- How We Got Here: The opening starts with Dawn fighting Buneary with Piplup before going back to how it got there.
- Kissing In A Tree: Jessie and Meowth, regarding Buneary hopping off with Pikachu after the Harmless Freezing:Meowth: Talk about an interesting development!
Jessie: They're one step away from picking out the furniture! - Love at First Sight: Just look at Buneary's reaction to Pikachu jumping after that potato.
- Mundane Utility: Dawn has Piplup use Bubble Beam on her to straighten out a case of bed head.
- Rescue Romance: Undoubtedly what Buneary was after when she saved Pikachu from getting run over by Officer Jenny.
- Third Time's The Charm: Dawn's third shot at catching a Buneary, and she finally gets it.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Team Rocket doesn't get blasted off in this episode. They simply run away with Officer Jenny chasing them.
- You Said You Would Let Them Go: Pikachu surrenders to Team Rocket in exchange for them letting Buneary go. They decide to take both anyway.Jessie: That's what that Pika-chump gets for bargaining with us!
James: We negotiate in bad faith.
