"Your entire operation is finished here. Now leave!" (into radio) "We've discovered the source of the radio waves; we're taking it down."
—Lance, first to Rocket Executive Petrel, then over radio to Ethan.
Lance is fed up with Team Rocket's crap. And so is Dragonite.
When seeing a Shiny Gyarados acting erratically, Lance, Champion of the Johto Pokémon League and member of the Kanto Elite Four, takes his Dragonite out to investigate, and finds that Team Rocket isn't quite as disbanded as the detectives thought. The group is trying to force Pokémon to evolve.
Tropes:
- All There in the Script: The operation takes place in Mahogany Town in Johto. Also, Lance is assisted by Ethan, the male Player Character of the Johto era.note The location explains why one of the mooks had a Houndoom.
- Badass Armfold: Lance's Dragonite doing this may be a Call-Back to one of the Character Tics of Iris's Dragonite.
- Call-Back: The battle between Dragonite and the Shiny Gyarados is also depicted in an anime episode, "Rage of Innocence".
- Continuity Cavalcade: The Team Rocket hideout is laid out as it is in the games: under a souvenir shop, behind a hidden doorway. It's even powered by several Electrode, just like in the games.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Lance's Dragonite vs everybody. The Shiny Gyarados is the only remotely threatening thing in the entire episode.
- Then again, Lance is the Champion of Johto. It makes sense that he would wipe the floor with Team Rocket. Justified in the games, as Lance's Dragonite is more than 10 levels higher than your opponent when you team up with him at the hideout.
- The Dog Bites Back: After the Electrode are released, they rush out with elation before noticing Petrel and collectively shocking him.
- Face, Nod, Action: Happens between Lance and his Dragonite, before Dragonite starts trashing Team Rocket's radio equipment.
- Multi-Mook Melee: Lance's Dragonite takes out four Team Rocket grunts wielding a total of five Pokémon. It even No-Sell's being attacked by all of them at once.
