Japanese Title: Tsutarja - Captured by Mad Love!?
Original Airdate: October 28, 2010
US Airdate: March 19, 2011
Ash sets his sights on Snivy, Unova's Grass-type starter. This Snivy, however, uses Attract to keep from a serious battle. After running afoul of Team Rocket, Snivy gives Ash a chance to catch her. But does Ash have a Pokémon that can overcome Attract?
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Designated Girl Fight: Snivy uses Attract on all of Ash's Pokémon to thwart his attempts to catch her, leaving Pidove, who happens to also be female.
- Dub-Induced Plot Hole: When Giovanni calls up Team Rocket, he warns them that Unova's secret crime organization has started advancing its own activities and might be aware of Team Rocket's presence in Unova. But in the original, it's worded as him telling them about the organization's existence for the first time since they were previously unaware of it, while in the dub he uses "that secret organization", forgetting that Jessie, James, and Meowth were never told of that organization's existence until now.
- Gender Reveal: Snivy's abuse of Attract reveals the genders of Oshawott, Tepig, and Pidove, as well as her own (since Pikachu was already established to be male).
- I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Snivy does not make things easy for Ash. But once she is beaten, she cracks a half-smile before allowing Ash to catch her.
- Lost in Translation: Note about the Japanese title: "Mad Love" is the Japanese term for the move Attract.
- Samus Is a Girl: The fact that Pidove is immune to Attract clues Ash in that it's a she.
- Thought They Knew Already: Cilan figured Ash already knew Pidove was a girl, and that's why he sent her against Snivy. He didn't. Pikachu does Face Fault.
- Wingding Eyes: Hearts for eyes is the typical result of getting hit with Attract. It happens to Pikachu, Oshawott, and Tepig. Since Pikachu's gender was already known, it revealed the genders of the others.
