TB010: Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village

is the 10th episode of of , Season 1 of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Ash and Misty, while arguing, discover an Oddish. As Misty's Starmie weakens the Oddish, a Bulbasaur appears and fights Starmie while the Oddish runs off into the woods. Ash jumps in with his Butterfree, but the Bulbasaur is able to escape in the direction of the Oddish.
Our heroes cross a river over a rope bridge that snaps, sending Brock into the river below. As Misty, Ash, and Pikachu hunt for Brock, they set off a couple of traps, finally landing in a net that hangs from a tree!
Fortunately, Brock shows up to cut them down, then brings them to meet a woman named Melanie, who takes care of wounded Pokémon like the Oddish—and sets traps to defend the Pokémon from poachers. The Bulbasaur, we learn, acts as a kind of bodyguard.
Misty apologizes to the Oddish for attacking it earlier, but the Bulbasaur is still hostile because it dislikes Trainers. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has discovered the area and plans to snatch the weak Pokémon.
Will Team Rocket have an advantage against Pokémon that are wounded and unable to defend themselves? And will that Bulbasaur ever warm up to Ash and his friends?
==Episode plot==
As they walk through a forest, it is clear that our heroes don't know where they're going. Ash blames Misty, and vice versa. All while Brock attempts to be the adult in the group. As they stop to regroup, Misty finds an Oddish that she says is adorable. Despite being a Water-type main, Misty opts to catch the grass-type. Utilizing her Starmie, its Water Gun One-Shots the poor thing and she attempts to catch it. That's when Bulbasaur shows up. Using Vine Whip, it knocks the ball away and readies to attack. Ash is awestruck by this Pokémon and suddenly calls upon Butterfree to poison the Bulbasaur with Sleep Powder, but the Bulbasaur turns the attack back on them.
It then races off with the Oddish. The trio gives chase, and tries to pass over a rope bridge, but Brock falls into the river, and Ash and Misty fear him lost forever, with Ash particularly fearing he has been washed out to sea and found by Pirates who have press-ganged him into service. But just as he says that, Brock appears to free him and Misty from the trap they had found themselves in. He states that he was rescued by a girl named Melanie. Continuing on, they find a hidden village where injured and abandoned Pokémon come to seek refuge. While there, they know that Melanie will offer them the best care she can and protect them.
Melanie meets with them, and admits to have sabotaged the path to the village to keep them out, as she doesn't want the defenseless Pokémon to be captured in a weakened state. Elsewhere, Team Rocket also attempt to cross the river, but they fall into the water below as well. Team Rocket fall into every one of the same traps that the heroes had. In the village, each member does their part to help. However, as Misty apologizes to Oddish for their earlier battle, she gets into a fight with Ash, and both are struck back by Bulbasaur, the guardian of the village. Suddenly, Team Rocket appears and begins to suck up all the Pokémon with their giant vacuum.
The heroes struggle to get the Pokémon to safety while battling Team Rocket. Bulbasaur manages to protect the Pokémon, and Ash's Pidgeotto utilizes gust to blow Team Rocket away. After this, Melanie decides it is best that Bulbasaur go with Ash. Bulbasaur decides to see if he can earn it though, and so he refuses to go until he battles him. Ash uses Pikachu, and after a short battle, Ash catches the Bulbasaur. Saying their goodbyes to Melanie, the heroes continue on their journey to Vermilion City.
thumb|Bulbasaur joining Ash, after having a battle with Pikachu!
Melanie asks Ash to take Bulbasaur with him, as the Pokémon are staying too long because Bulbasaur does such a good job of protecting the Pokémon. Bulbasaur agrees to go, but only if Ash defeats it in a battle. Ash chooses Pikachu to battle Bulbasaur. After both Pokémon exchange hits, Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip on Pikachu and starts tossing Pikachu around. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt and it defeats Bulbasaur, letting Ash to catch Bulbasaur. Brock offers to stay and help but Melanie tells him to continue his adventure.
==Debuts==
===Character===
*Melanie
===Pokémon===
*Ash's Bulbasaur
*Oddish
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
*"Who's That Pokémon?:" Bulbasaur (JA, EN and KO)
*Rachael Lillis briefly stands in as Pikachu after it crosses the bridge with Ash and Misty, catching its breath with the other two.
*This is the episode which started the Surprised Pikachu meme.
===Mistakes===
*In one scene, James is not wearing gloves when he's holding his rose.
*In one scene, one of Meowth's paws is all white. Also, when he was captured in the net (along with James and Jessie), his ears are orange instead of black.
*When Ash and Misty fell down when Brock cut the rope, Ash's gloves were missing.
*After Ash, Misty and Pikachu crossed the bridge, Ash's gloves were discolored.
*When Pikachu used Thunderbolt at Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur's eyes were red bloodshot.
*The Weepinbell in the background is levitating above the ground despite the fact that Weepinbell is not a Flying type.
===Dub differences===
*In the original after Jessie, James, and Meowth get caught in the net trap, Meowth says that it was time to get serious, whereas in the dub he complains that either Jessie or James should stop pulling his tail.
**Strangely enough, the implication of Team Rocket bringing in their flying stadium was still there in the dub.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Brock