Japanese Title: Ghost Ship and Ghost Pokémon!
Original Airdate: May 6th, 1999
US Airdate: March 25th, 2000
The one where... Team Rocket rob a museum.
Ash, Tracey, and Misty find more excitement than they bargain for when they reach their next destination. Professor Oak tells them that divers have recovered an Orange League Championship trophy off the coast of Moro Island that dates back over three hundred years! The trophy is on display at the Moro Island Museum of Art for all to see. By the time they get to the museum, Team Rocket has already paid a visit and now it's up to our heroes to track them down!
Tropes
- Bedsheet Ghost: For the majority of their screentime, Gastly and Haunter wear sheets. Their actually identities are revealed when Misty's Staryu removes the sheets.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Ash sends out Bulbasaur to defend Togepi from Gastly and Haunter. Turns out the Ghost Pokémon were merely playing with Togepi and making it laugh. Though they do look scary, they're pranksters and do no harm to the group.
- Diving Save: When Togepi rolls towards a big hole in the ship's deck, Pikachu leaps forward to catch it before it falls in. He fails.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: When Team Rocket stumbles upon the abandoned ship, they at first think they're lucky that they found a perfect place to hide. James goes onto say that the only other abandoned ships like it are usually haunted. Cue a Mass "Oh, Crap!" from Team Rocket.
- Forgot Flanders Could Do That: They don't make it out of the episode with any success, but Team Rocket does actually manage to pull off a perfectly executed museum heist in the first act. Just in case you forgot why they're still employed.
- Ghost Ship: Team Rocket stumbles across one.
- Impact Silhouette: James leaves one on the ground after tripping.
- It Belongs in a Museum: Ash wanted to return the trophy to the museum but Gastly and Haunter were keeping it for their long-dead trainer.
- Laser Hallway: Used to guard the trophy.
- Literal Metaphor: When Team Rocket jumps into a boat to make their getaway, Meowth tells his teammates "Let's step on it!". Turns out it was a pedal boat.
- "Mission: Impossible" Cable Drop: James uses a bargain version with just a rope and pulley to get the trophy.
- Ominous Fog: The gang follows Team Rocket into it.
- Pensieve Flashback: Gastly and Haunter give the gang a vision of the Orange League Championship three hundred years ago.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Ash and the others discover Team Rocket waking up from a long night of celebrating their heist, Meowth immediately claims they didn't know anything about any championship trophy, with James adding that a stolen one certainly wouldn't be in the package he was holding. Jesse sarcastically tells James they'd never think they took it now.
- Undying Loyalty: Gastly and Haunter have this for their long-dead trainer — which makes even more sense for Ghost Pokémon who probably can't die anyway.
