GS084: Turning Over a New Bayleef

is the 43rd episode of Pokémon: Johto League Champions.
==Synopsis==
Taking a rest from their exhausting expedition, our heroes settle down in a small field near a stream to enjoy a mid-day meal. Ash releases his Pokémon from their Poké Balls so they too can enjoy a well deserved break. Overly excited to see Ash, Bayleef runs towards him at full-tilt. Inadvertently, Bayleef uses Tackle Attack and knocks Ash for a loop. When Bayleef's uncontrollable affection becomes too much for Ash, he looses his temper and says something spiteful. Ash tells Bayleef to go away and stay away! When Ash can't find Bayleef after lunch, the gang goes on a search and rescue mission. With Pikachu following Bayleef's scent, the crew winds up at an old woman's house. She explains how she found Bayleef, hurt and weak near the river's bank. When Ash tries to re-claim his Pokémon, Bayleef simply ignores him. It is clear Bayleef would rather stay with the kind old woman and her Pokémon than continue the journey with Ash. Will Ash be able to win back Bayleef's trust and affection?
==Episode plot==
Ash and co. decide to have a break. Ash sends out all of his Pokémon and tells them they are going to have some fun. Bayleef is excited and knocks Ash down. The first game that Ash decides to do is his own version of fetch. Ash explains he will give a stick to his Noctowl and then, Noctowl will drop the stick, and the first Pokémon to catch the stick is the winner. Noctowl grabs the stick and drops it. Ash's Pokémon jump in the air in an attempt to catch the stick, but none of the Pokémon can jump as high as Bayleef, who grabs the stick. Ash congratulates Bayleef, and Bayleef tackles Ash again into the stream. Ash is angered and demands an explanation from Bayleef. Brock and Misty try to calm Ash down to no avail. Ash says that Bayleef is going back into her Poké Ball. Brock believes she is tackling him as a way to show affection, but Misty thinks Brock is goofy with such statement.
Brock's stew is ready, so Ash goes to give the Pokémon some food. Bayleef wakes up and rushes towards Ash, but then she stops for a moment to reflect on it. Bayleef imagines herself running up to Ash and tackling him, thus causing the stew to spill on Ash and then Ash scolds her. Bayleef decides to simply walk towards Ash. Eventually, Ash notices Bayleef and immediately thinks she's going to tackle him again, yells at her to not tackle him. Bayleef continues to walk towards Ash, but Ash once again selfishly yells at Bayleef to stay away from him. Feelings hurt, Bayleef rushes off with tears in her eyes as Ash and Totodile head for the table. Ash's Pokémon are all lined up and ready to eat, but Bayleef is missing.
Bayleef looks down into the river and kicks a rock into the water, as she remembers Ash yelling at her. She then kicks another rock into a bush, and six Beedrill appear. Bayleef runs as the Beedrill chase her. However, a loose part of a rock gives way and Bayleef falls into the river. Meanwhile, Ash and his Pokémon are still searching for Bayleef. Ash does not seem to understand why Bayleef would run away. Misty tells Ash that he told Bayleef to stay away from Ash, and Bayleef is doing just that. Brock then tells Ash that if Bayleef is like a girl in love, logical explanations won't work. However, Pikachu smells a scent, so Ash, Misty and Brock follow. Team Rocket watches from the bushes. Jessie, James, and Meowth have no idea what is going on, but Jessie has a plan and tells James and Meowth to follow her.
Meanwhile, an old woman is walking along a path with a Machoke. Machoke notices Bayleef, and the old woman and her Machoke rush over to Bayleef. Pikachu finds the part where the loose piece of the rock fell off. Ash and the others set off down the river, with Ash blaming himself for letting Bayleef run off. Meanwhile, Bayleef wakes up with a blanket beside a fire. The old woman and her Machoke enter the room and offer Bayleef some hot stew. Bayleef laps it up happily, and the old woman offers to help Bayleef find her trainer, but Bayleef doesn't want to see her Ash. The old woman then says that it would be better to keep Bayleef with them. Then, who peek in the corner but a Bellossom and a Skiploom. The old woman tells her two grass-types not to be concerned.
Ash and the gang had been looking for hours. Togepi then motions toward the house up on the hill where it possibly knows where Bayleef is at. They head up to the house and knock on the door, and Ash and company hear Bayleef. Ash rushes up to Bayleef and is tackled by Skiploom. Skiploom scolds Ash, and then Ash finally gets to the conclusion that he should not walk on the flowers. Ash and co. explain to the old woman that they could not get any answer and that Bayleef is Ash's Pokémon. Ash goes to Bayleef, but Bayleef simply turns away in anger, Ash guilt ridden apologises to Bayleef for yelling at her, admitting he never should’ve done that and promises to be nicer next time but Bayleef selfishly hits him in the hand, unaccepting his apology. Ash and company settle down for some tea. As the Pokémon do the gardening, Ash tries to make Bayleef like him again by pretending to like gardening, but the plan fails, as Bayleef walks away while carrying Skiploom. Ash gives chase, though Togepi walks in front of him view. This causes Ash to fall onto his back. Brock then gives Ash advice that Bayleef, like girls, should come to him than other way around. Misty tells Brock it is an interesting advice and thinks Brock should follow it, causing him to get depressed.
Ash then tries to offer some fruit to Bayleef, but this plan fails as well, with Brock saying that his theory on girls was wrong. Misty is not surprised, as any girl that would've liked him would tell the same. The old woman then tells Ash to cheer up or else his other Pokémon would be upset too. The old woman explains that if a flower is treated with either love or care, it senses it and it grows, which Pokémon are just the same. Ash replies that he cares about each and every one of his Pokémon and wants them to be happy. The old woman tells Ash that Bayleef would sense it soon enough. Meanwhile, Team Rocket watches from a tree, and James tells Jessie and Meowth that if they steal the Pokémon, they can grow crops. Jessie replies that Team Rocket is not farmers, but James tells Jessie and Meowth that they can retire as thieves. Jessie and Meowth agree on that. A mecha Bayleef enters the garden. Team Rocket recites their motto and steal the Pokémon. Team Rocket tries to crush the old woman, but is saved by her Machoke. The Bayleef mecha rushes off, but Ash chases after it
Ash crosses a path, then jumps on the mecha and tries to break the glass. The Pokémon try to do the same thing. Bayleef realizes that Ash does care about her after all, seeing how he’s trying so hard to save them while injuring himself to do so, she bashes into the glass as well. After some attacking, the screws finally come loose. Now the Pokémon are free, but they have the Bayleef mecha to deal with. Bayleef uses Razor Leaf and leaves a hole at the neck of the Bayleef mecha. Pikachu then uses Thunderbolt, causing the Bayleef mecha to stop working. Ash and the Pokémon jump off the robot as the others catch up. Team Rocket tries to use their Vine Whip attack, but Bayleef launches another Razor Leaf, cutting off the vines. Ash then pulls off all the stops by telling Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to blast Team Rocket off once again, destroying the mecha.
At the old woman's garden, Ash and company say their goodbyes. Then, Ash tells Bayleef that he is sorry again for yelling at Bayleef, telling Bayleef that she can tackle Ash anytime she wants. It seems that Bayleef is sorry too for hurting Ash earlier, but at least she is showing self-control now. Ash is pleased, and Bayleef then throws up her legs and knocks Ash down, as she learned Body Slam. Ash sees Bayleef is a quick learner.
==Quotes==
:"No more Tackling, Bayleef! Now get away from me and stay away from me!" - Ash yelling at Bayleef
:"Well, I don't care when it evolved. It shouldn't be tackling me like that." - Ash about Bayleef
:"I'm sure Bayleef isn't trying to hurt you, Ash. That's probably the way it shows affection and it just doesn't know its own strength yet." - Misty
:"Tackling you must be Bayleef's way of saying 'I Love you'!" - Brock
:"Huh...?" - Ash and Misty
:"Love can be painful, Ash! Bayleef wants you to fall for it, and fall hard! That's probably why it's using its Tackle attack!" - Brock
:"Brock I think you're having a Goofy attack..." - Misty
==Trivia==
*The English dub title of this episode is a pun of the phrase "Turning over a new leaf".
*The "Who's that Pokémon?" is Machoke.
===Mistakes===
*When the Pokémon are having lunch, Brock refers to Bayleef as "him", however Bayleef is female.
*When Bayleef denies Ash's offer of fruit and Brock is crushed, he says "My theory about girls are wrong!", though it should be "was wrong".
===Dub differences===
*Victreebel's usage of Vine Whip on Ash was cut out.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes featuring a main character's Pokémon learning a new move
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes featuring alternate colored Pokémon
Category:Milestone episodes