Japanese Title: Aim to Be a Metamon Master! Imite, Once Again!!
Original Airdate: November 23rd, 2000
US Airdate: October 27th, 2001
Stopping off at a Pokécenter, the gang looks around for someone. Suddenly an unusual Nurse Joy appears with Chansey, but makes the confusing statement Nurse Joy is seeing a patient. Brock nears the Joy-look-alike and reveals it isn't Nurse Joy and Chansey at all, but Duplica and her Ditto! Our heroes find out the real Nurse Joy is checking on Duplica's newest Pokémon, Mini-dit (another Ditto). Though there's nothing wrong with Mini-dit, it retains it's pint size, even when Transforming into large Pokémon. Be sure to watch for a teeny Arbok, an undersized Ursaring and a wee Wobbuffet. Although it may be small, this puny Pokémon can sure pack a wallop!
Tropes
- Accidentally-Correct Writing: Duplica refers to Sludge as a Special attack, successfully countering it with Mirror Coat, despite Poison being a Physical type. Two generations later, the Physical/Special split would indeed make Sludge a Special move, making Duplica's assessment accurate.
- The Bus Came Back: Duplica and Ditto from "Ditto's Mysterious Mansion" return, now with a second Ditto known as Mini-dit.
- Damage Typing: The central plot point of the final conflict. Duplica has her Dittos imitate Jessie's Wobbuffet, and explains how it can counter both physical and special attacks using Counter and Mirror Coat respectively. This is Jessie's introduction to the second move, and her inexperience in distinguishing when to use each causes her defeat.
- Fun Size: Unlike a regular Ditto, Mini-Dit doesn't change size when it copies a Pokemon and even when it transforms into an Onix, it can still be held in Misty's arm. The result is strangely cute.
- Innocently Insensitive: Upon seeing Mini-Dit, Misty comments that Duplica catches "the weirdest, wackiest, most abnormal Pokémon ever". Duplica and Mini-Dit understandably take this badly and get sad, and Brock has to quickly inform Misty that her word choice wasn't the greatest.
- Power Copying: Ditto can only copy attacks the Pokémon it's imitating knows, so if the Pokémon doesn't know an attack, Ditto can't perform it. Since Totodile doesn't know many attacks, Duplica has trouble selecting one.
- Shapeshifter Baggage: Mini-dit can't change size.
- Spot the Impostor: Brock quickly examines the Nurse Joy they initially meet up with at a Pokémon Center and immediately knows it's an impostor. Additionally, the audience can tell something is up with the "Nurse Joy" due to her shorter height, larger hair braids and thicker eyebrows.
