Japanese Title: Nanako and Elekid!
Original Airdate: August 15, 2002
US Airdate: August 30, 2003
Truly an excitable couple.
The twerps run into Casey once more while pursuing Team Rocket, who is after an Elekid which ends up stealing the food Ash has for Larvitar. But the main plot takes a back seat to James's latest run-in with the Magikarp Salesman, who offers him an allegedly more-obedient Weepinbell in exchange for his Victreebel. Hilarity Ensues, and it ends in the most unlikely of romances.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Art Evolution: Not counting Mewtwo Returns, The Legend of Thunder, or any of the intros, this is the first episode to be animated completelynote in digital paint.
- Continuity Nod: Electabuzz is the mascot of Casey's favorite baseball team, and she finally gets to catch its pre-evolution.
- Crash-Into Hello: Jessie has Arbok blast off James' new Victreebel. At the same time, the Magikarp Salesman kicks away James' original Victreebel. They end up crashing into each other, and are quickly smitten.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Team Rocket kidnaps both the Larvitar that Ash was transporting, and the Elekid that Casey was pursuing. Even though Elekid had stolen Larvitar's food before, they work together to get free, and become friends. Larvitar is even sad that Elekid got caught by Casey.
- Happily Ever After: After James' new Victreebel is rejected by Jessie, and his old one is rejected by the Magikarp Salesman, they bump into each other, fall madly in love, and hop off into the forest together.
- Jerkass Ball: Jessie and Meowth aren't exactly good guys, but this episode has them force James to trade away his beloved Victreebel without a shred of remorse, and are completely antipathetic to his misery afterwards. Even worse with Jessie, as not only does she refuse to trade her Arbok due to attachment to it, yet forces James to trade Victreebel despite having similar attachment, she then blasts the new Weepinbell-turned-Victreebel off because it latched onto her the way James' old Victreebel did to him (which she, of course, never cared about).
- Put on a Bus:
- James is forced to trade away his Victreebel, and later his replacement. After a Crash-Into Hello, they both depart together in love.
- This marks Casey's last appearance in the main series. She will make appearances in two specials, however.
- Took a Level in Badass: Casey's Bayleef is now a Meganium.
