DP065: Sleight of Sand!

is the 13th episode of Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension.
==Synopsis==
There's still a desert to cross before Ash can reach Veilstone City and the next Gym, but our heroes decide to let their Pokémon out to play in the sand. Pachirisu is right on top of a Hippowdon that surfaces from underground, and it falls right into Hippowdon's mouth! Hippowdon burrows back beneath the surface, so the chase is on to catch up with it as it pops in and out of the sand. Along the way, the gang runs into the Hippopotas they rescued a while ago. Is this Hippopotas looking for Hippowdon too?
Team Rocket is after Hippowdon too, but it'll take more than just a net to reel in a Pokémon this big and heavy. Unfortunately for everyone, the other Team Rocket, Butch and Cassidy, show up with a giant robot that ought to do the trick. Butch and Cassidy are out to grab a Hippowdon for Professor Nanba, but Jessie and James refuse to be outdone. It's not long before Jessie takes the controls of her mecha Slowbro and starts to slug it out with Butch and Cassidy's robot!
Ash and his friends try to lead Hippowdon to safety while the villains are distracted. Pachirisu is freed and Hippowdon wrecks Butch and Cassidy's robot with Hyper Beam, but then our heroes are caught between both Team Rocket teams! Hippopotas uses Yawn to put all the criminals to sleep, then joins forces with Hippowdon to send Jessie, James, Butch, and Cassidy far, far away. Now Hippopotas is happily reunited with Hippowdon and Pachirisu is back where it belongs!
==Episode plot==
The heroes arrive in a desert, so Ash sends his Pokémon to play in the sand. Following him, Brock and Dawn send their own Pokémon as well. Suddenly, the ground shakes and something emerges from the sand - a Hippowdon. Pachirisu sees its mouth and accidentally falls in it and the Hippowdon closes the mouth. The heroes go to get it, but the Hippowdon digs. The Pokémon spot Hippowdon emerged somewhere else, so the heroes call their Pokémon back. Piplup and Pikachu try to warn Pachirisu to get out while it can, but it is stuck in one of its holes and is dragged again.
Team Rocket dig a hole for their foes, but the sand causes the hole to be filled. The Hippowdon dug out and blows them using sand. The heroes come, but Hippowdon is not hurt by Pachirisu's Discharge or Pikachu's Thunderbolt, as it is a Ground-type. The Hippowdon digs again and the heroes go to chase it. Team Rocket saw this and plan to get it so they can use it to get Pikachu. As they search, the heroes spot a Hippopotas, who greets Pikachu, leading them to believe that is the same one who got separated, but with their help, got back with its family. The Hippowdon emerges, but digs again.
The heroes hear Hippopotas' sad voice and think it misses to be with Hippowdon. Ash goes to help him again and places it on his head. Team Rocket scout and see the Hippowdon and James launches a net, capturing it. They go to get it, but it is too heavy. The heroes come and see them and tell what they need to do. The ground shakes and a machine emerges, in a form of a Rhydon. Well known members of Team Rocket emerge: Cassidy and Butch. Cassidy and Butch are here (from orders of Dr. Namba) to get the Hippowdon. Jessie tells them they are the ones sent to Sinnoh to investigate, but Cassidy and Butch have no heard of such fact. They even got the machine from Dr. Namba to get the Hippowdon. Ash sends Turtwig, who cuts the net using Razor Leaf. This causes Hippowdon to dig and go out of the area.
Everyone goes to get Hippowdon - Butch and Cassidy for Dr. Namba, the heroes to free Pachirisu and Jessie, Meowth, and James to get their reputation back. The heroes heard Hippowdon and run towards it. Pachirisu comes out of one of its holes and sees the Rhydon vehicle. Cassidy goes to get it, but Pikachu's Thunderbolt negates it. However, this does not cause any damage to the vehicle itself. Seeing there are no options, the heroes run with Hippowdon. Suddenly, everyone falls in a giant hole. It was dug out by Jessie, Meowth and James, who appear in the balloon. They get the Hippowdon and pull it, though Ash gets its leg. Dawn and Brock do the same, though Cassidy and Butch launch a horn to destroy the balloon, causing them to blast off. Everyone else falls in the sand safely, though Butch and Cassidy do not give up so easily and go to get Hippowdon. The heroes protect it, but get attacked by the robot arm, though Hippowdon goes away.
The machine gets Hippowdon, but another machine destroys the robot arm, one made by Jessie, Meowth and James. It's a Slowbro machine. The robots fight, so the heroes take advantage of it and run away. Jessie fires the tail of the robot, but Butch and Cassidy's robot is unharmed. However, Cassidy fires the horn of the robot and pierces Team Rocket's robot, causing an explosion. Everyone is blown away, but Pachirisu is out of Hippowdon's holes. Cassidy and Butch go to get Hippowdon, but gets hit by its Hyper Beam, destroying the robot. Butch sends Shuckle and Cassidy sends Granbull, though Jessie and James want to fight them, so Jessie sends Seviper to push Granbull away. James sends Carnivine as assistance. Granbull goes to use Fire Fang, but Seviper wraps it. Still, Granbull bites Seviper, so Seviper bites it as well. Carnivine uses Bullet Seed on Shuckle, so Shuckle retaliates using Sludge Bomb, but hits Hippowdon instead. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to electrocute Shuckle and Piplup uses BubbleBeam, knocking Carnivine out.
Hippowdon charges and hits Carnivine and Shuckle with Double-Edge. Hippopotas uses Yawn and puts every member of Team Rocket to sleep, then pushes them away using Sandstorm and Hippowdon blasts them off using Hyper Beam. The Hippopotas and Hippowdon re-unite, as Hippowdon is Hippopotas' father. The heroes are glad everything is in order. Meanwhile, Team Rocket argue. Butch and Cassidy come out from the sand and Cassidy receives a call from Dr. Umba, to which Dr. Namba corrects the name again.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Hippowdon
===Move===
*Fire Fang
==Trivia==
*Professor Oak's lecture: Munchlax
*This is the only appearance of Butch and Cassidy in the Sinnoh region, and also their last appearance to date until PJ095.
*This episode marks the final time Professor Oak composes a Pokémon senryū at the end of his lecture. In future episodes, he will instead set a multiple choice question for the viewer. He would only return composing senryū at the start of the Best Wishes series.
*Ash's Gligar has been added to the ending theme to reflect the events of the previous episode.
*This is one of the episodes that doesn't feature Jessie's Wobbuffet, James' Mime Jr., and Jessie's Dustox.
*Butch and Cassidy now have a new motto. Once again, it is a variation on Jessie and James's motto, this time mimicking their Sinnoh motto.
*The dub name of this episode comes from the term "sleight of hand".
*Despite Ash saying that Hippowdon is Hippopotas's mother, Hippowdon's coloration is for male.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Team Rocket