Japanese Title: Big Crisis! Madatsubomi Tower!
Original Airdate: January 13th, 2000
US Airdate: December 16th 2000
All together now: AWKWARD...
Our heroes are recruited as guest instructors at a youth Pokémon Academy, where Ash does his best as an educator until one of his pupils takes an overly ardent interest in Ash's Pokémon, finally trying to kidnap Pikachu.
Tropes
- Bait-and-Switch: After Ash and Zackie fall into one of Team Rocket's pitfall traps, Zackie throws out the Poke Ball that he thinks he caught Pikachu with (sparking a major "Oh, Crap!" reaction from the TRio). Turns out he caught a Bellsprout.
- Ballet Episode: Downplayed in that while dance is not a prevalent theme in this episode, the guest star from the games is Earl Dervish, who is rather famous both in-universe and out-of-universe for pirouetting at random, and here he's depicted wearing blue dance tights. When the attractive female teacher comments that she likes it, Brock immediately joins him.
- Disorganized Outline Speech: Ash has trouble being a teacher.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Zackie really isn't happy that he caught a Bellsprout instead of Pikachu. Then they work together to fight Team Rocket, and Zackie decides that Bellsprout isn't so bad after all.
- Spoiled Brat: Zackie keeps complaining that he wants Pikachu despite theft that he belongs to Ash. He eventually grows out of it, though.
- Shout-Out: Meowth says "It's sssssmokin'!" like The Mask.
- "Take That!" Kiss: After Team Rocket steals Pikachu, Jessie says, "After all this time we got what we've been chasing you for, so goodbye twerps and good riddance." and happily blows them a kiss.
- Voice Changeling: Team Rocket use their voice-changing megaphone to sound like Ash calling Pikachu for help. It almost works until the real Ash yells at Pikachu to run away, allowing Pika to dodge the net that the TRio throw at him.
