RS160: Off the Unbeaten Path

is the 14th episode of Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
==Synopsis==
Ash and his friends enter an orienteering competition on Potpourri Island! For this stamp rally challenge, Trainers and their Pokémon compete to be the first to find all the different destinations and stamp their map at each one. The winner gets the Teamwork Medal and boxes of juicy fruit! May lets Max team up with Munchlax and then our heroes—and Team Rocket—split up to enter the race.
Jessie and Meowth decide not to bother with the map, a plan that doesn't work out too well. So they hit upon an even better plan: sabotage the other competitors so James and Mime Jr. can win the grand prize for Team Rocket! The other teams are making progress, but Max isn't doing so great and has to cover it up when he runs into May. To make things worse, Jessie and Meowth cut a bridge while Max and May are still on it. Luckily, Ash and Brock get there just in time for a rescue.
Jessie and Meowth return to the Pokémon Center, where they net our heroes' other Pokémon and all the fruit for the prize. Swellow gets away and warns Ash, who catches up to the criminals at the crime scene. Jessie and Meowth obligingly stop to recite the Team Rocket logo, which gives Ash's friends plenty of time to sneak around them and retrieve everything they stole. After that, it's no contest. Though Jessie and Meowth are defeated once again, their hopes rise when James and Mime Jr. win the competition—except James happily gives away the prize fruit!
==Episode plot==
The gang is traveling on a boat. Ash looks in his Symbol case and is waiting for 3 more Symbols to get. Brock tells they need to go to Metallica Island where the Battle Palace is. They arrive on an island from where they will go to Metallica Island. Team Rocket sees them, though James and Meowth tell Jessie to continue pedaling, but she tells them she had a rough night. The gang comes to a Pokémon Center and see some baby Pokémon, while Joy comes. She introduces them the Center, which is a nursery as well. The gang introduces themselves as well and hear a group of children talking about a contest. Joy tells this Contest, Pokémon Orienteering Contest, will be tomorrow. The person teams up with his Pokémon, and if wins the contest, will be given the Medal of Pokémon Teamwork and some fruit. The gang will be able to compete, while Team Rocket hears this.
May decided to use Eevee, Brock with Bonsly, Max with May's Munchlax and Ash with of course Pikachu. Next day, they leave all their other Pokémon in the Center. The Contest is about to begin. Before that, Joy gives all the Contestants the maps, where are the location of stamps. The first one to collect the stamps and return to Joy will be the winner. They will be allowed to use the map and the compass. She shows the medal, so James and Mime Jr. promise to get that medal. She shows the fruit, tempting May's Munchlax, Meowth (disguised as a Weavile) and Jessie to get the fruit. Joy declares the Contest to start, so the Contestants run to the location they decided. Meowth and Jessie decide to scare people to get the stamps for victory.
Ash and Pikachu go over a log to cross the water, but wind blows. Luckily, they both grab on the log before they fall. May and Eevee hop on the rocks to cross the river, but May trips and falls into the water. Eevee joins her and goes in. Brock and Bonsly go to a 300-year-old tree, but Brock sees Joy with Oddish and goes to her. Bonsly is angry and tackles Brock, blasting him off. James and Mime Jr. climb the cliff and got to the Moon Rock. James presses a stamp on the map and decides to continue. Max chases Munchlax, who is running to somewhere unknown. Jessie and Meowth came to a cliff near an ocean and do not know what to do next.
Ash and Pikachu came to Rainbow Falls. Several Remoraid use Water Gun up to the sky, making a picturesque view. He goes and takes the stamp on the map. Brock and Bonsly came to the 300-year-old tree and take the stamp. Max still chases Munchlax, while May and Eevee dry off. May sees the ocean and reminds herself she needs to take a stamp. She sees one stand and takes the stamp. Jessie and Meowth came to a peak. Jessie does not want to compete, but has an idea - they will allow James to win and they'll get the prizes. Munchlax and Max have stopped. Max wants to get to the 300-year-old tree, but cannot, as Munchlax fell asleep.
Ash and Pikachu run, but fall into a hole made by Jessie and Meowth. Brock and Bonsly wander, but are caught in a trap (made by Jessie and Meowth, too). Max lost Munchlax, but sees Eevee. May lost Eevee, but sees Munchlax. Soon, Max, Eevee, may and Munchlax re-unite and argue why didn't the other one take care of the Pokémon. May says to Max she got one stamp, so Max grabs Munchlax to the nearest point, as he has no stamps. Ash came to the cliff looking over the ocean and takes the stamp.
At the center, the Pokémon that May, Ash and Brock have, play with the baby Pokémon. James goes to the Suspension Bridge, but Jessie and Meowth tell him they found a shortcut. They point at a cliff and he has to *only* climb few hundred meters. James goes away with Mime Jr., taking a different route. May got to the Moon Rock and takes her second stamp. Ash and Pikachu have lunch, and so do Max and Munchlax (though Max was forced to give Munchlax his sandwich, as Munchlax ate its food), May's Eevee, Brock's Bonsly, James and his Mime Jr. and Jessie and Meowth (though Meowth fights Jessie when he was offered a small piece of the cookie).
James got to the cliff looking at the ocean and takes the stamp. May and Eevee ride down the mountain and run, but soon fall into a hole made by Jessie and Meowth. Max and Munchlax want to cross the river, but Max has an idea. He takes a pole and jumps, pushing him and Munchlax to cross. He succeeds, but falls into a hole (again, made by Jessie and Meowth). May came to a bridge pass and takes her third stamp and meets Max and Munchlax. May needs only one stamp, while Max two. She wishes her brother good luck, but both fall down when Jessie and Meowth cut the ropes tied to the bridge. Jessie and Meowth are pleased they could help James collect the stamps, but Jessie realizes the Center is empty, so they could just steal the fruit.
May, Eevee, Munchlax and Max are hanging on the remains of the bridge. The rope is cut, but Ash and Brock arrived to hold the rope. At the Center, the Pokémon sleep and are caught in the net. Jessie takes the fruit and Meowth goes after the baby Pokémon, though Swellow goes away. Brock and Ash are concerned about the series of holes and now the bridge rope got cut. Swellow appears and warns them of trouble. Ash comes and sees Jessie and Meowth. During Jessie's and Meowth's chanting, Brock frees the Pokémon and May and Max take the fruit back. Jessie sends Dustox, who goes to tackle Donphan. Donphan bounces off and uses Take Down, knocking Dustox to Jessie and Meowth. Donphan blasts them off with Hyper Beam. James hears Jessie and Meowth screaming they blasted off, but continues to collect the stamps.
The Contest ended and the winners are Jameson (aka James) and Mime Jr. Joy gives them the Medal and asks James to donate the fruit to Ash, May, Max and Brock, who saved the Pokémon. James agrees to that, shocking Jessie and Meowth. Later, the gang eats food, sad they did not won, but are pleased to have fun in competing in. May wants to get the Contest ribbons, so Joy heard that and tells her the island has a Contest of its own in Wisteria town not too far from this location. May is pleased and wants to get there.
==Trivia==
*The title is a pun on the expression "off the beaten path".
*Lucy was added to the opening credits.
*The director, Masamitsu Hidaka, was removed from the opening credits.
*The insert songs used in this episode:
**L·O·V·E·L·Y ~Dream-Seeing LOVELY BOY~ instrumental
**Pokémon Symphonic Medley (slightly extended by repeating some sections)
**Face Forward Team Rocket!
*In this episode, for the second time, Meowth fills in for James in the Team Rocket motto.
*This is one of the rare instances when one of Team Rocket's members doesn't blast off, with only Meowth and Jessie blasting off.
**The same thing happened in "Sweet Baby James".
===Dub differences===
*James notes that Team Rocket have copyrighted the phrase "we're blasting off again".
==Mistakes==
*When Ash falls into the underground hole, two of the participants' Torchic and Azurill are oddly shaped.
*Even though Munchlax's weight is 231.5 lbs. (105.0 kg), Max was easily able to carry it on his back.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on James