Japanese Title: Nymphia VS Keromatsu! Big Commotion in the Kindergarten!!
Original Airdate: January 16, 2014
US Airdate: April 12, 2014
A trainer named Penelope defeats Ash in a one-on-one battle when her Sylveon uses Attract on Froakie. This leads to Froakie becoming an Show and Tell exhibit for Penelope's Kindergarten class. Mayhem breaks loose when Team Rocket sets their eyes on the unique Eeveelution.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Penelope wears a shirt that doesn't cover her midriff and she's a girly school teacher.
- Determinator: Ash and Froakie refuse to stop pounding on the glass until the containers holding Pikachu and Sylveon break.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: The left leg of Penelope's capris is rolled up higher than the right leg.
- Gender Reveal: Zig-Zagged. In the original Japanese, Sylveon's gender is never revealed, so we never find out officially which gender Froakie is. In the English dub, Froakie is said to be male. There are plenty of clues in the series that otherwise suggest that Froakie is male (such as his fluster when he cleans up the confirmed-female Fennekin in XY011), but it's never confirmed.
- The reason for that doubt is this: although Sylveon looks highly feminine, it has the same 7:1 male-favored gender ratio as Eevee and all other Eeveelutions. So it's no certainty that Penelope's Sylveon is female, and thus it's no certainty that Froakie is male (though like all starters, the Froakie line also has a 7:1 male-favored gender ratio).
- Imaginary Love Triangle: For a while there, Serena becomes worried when she thinks that Ash is going to have to go on a date with Penelope should he lose.
- Internal Reveal: Ash gets informed of the new Fairy-type, and that Bonnie's Dedenne is one of them.
- Kiss of Death: Non-lethal example; Sylveon defeats Froakie with a Draining Kiss.
- Life Drain: Sylveon's Draining Kiss has her steal Flroakie's energy with a kiss, represented by a yellow ball of energy flying out of Froakie and being absorbed into Sylveon.
- Love Makes You Dumb: Froakie does some pretty embarrassing things after getting hit with Sylveon's Attract.
- Luminescent Blush: After Sylveon kisses Froakie on the cheek, Froakie's entire body glows red for a moment. It is a bit unclear if this is an effect caused by Draining Kiss, since it directly proceeds a yellow ball of energy flying out of Froakie and being absorbed by Sylveon, or if it is just Froakie blushing due to already being under the effects of Sylveon's Attract.
- Mythology Gag: "If two trainers' eyes happen to meet, the rule is, they have a battle." Similar words are used in early battles in every mainline Pokémon game. Of course, Clemont clarifies to Serena that it's not so much a rule as a tradition.
- Ship Tease: Seemingly so when Penelope tells Ash "If I happen to beat you in our battle, you have to come with me, sweetie." Turns out that it's not actually romantic, but it does set up more obvious Ship Tease when Serena gets agitated about the idea of another girl going after Ash.
