DP024: Cooking Up a Sweet Story!

is the 24th episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Ash's training battles with Dawn catch the eye of Theresa, a young woman with a strange request: can she borrow Pikachu for three days? Theresa and her aunt Abigail run a cake shop, but Abigail's Pikachu, Sugar, has disappeared and Abigail will surely need Sugar's help to win an upcoming baking contest. Ash agrees and the gang goes to Theresa's home, pretending that Pikachu is Sugar.
Abigail takes Pikachu into the forest, where it uses Thunderbolt to zap berries and give them a delicious roasted flavor. Team Rocket notices this unusual electrical activity and tries to seize Pikachu, but Abigail and Pikachu defeat them with ease. Abigail then challenges Ash to a friendly training battle, her "Sugar" against Ash's Aipom, only to cut the battle mysteriously short after just a few rounds.
That night, Ash feels so guilty about deceiving Abigail that he confesses the entire plan. Abigail reassures him that she knows Pikachu isn't Sugar, and Sugar really left because it was unable to crack open Aspear Berries for her. The moment is spoiled when Team Rocket nabs Pikachu, but a Raichu springs out of the woods and comes to the rescue. That's Sugar, who learned Focus Punch to crack open the Aspear Berries and even evolved into Raichu. Abigail's sure to win her contest and now our heroes are confident that they'll win their competitions as well!
==Episode plot==
Dawn and Ash practice. Dawn switches Piplup for Pachirisu. Pachirisu uses Discharge, though Pikachu is not hurt, as it affects his tail. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt and Pachirisu evades, though the attack destroyed a rock and dust is spread out. Dawn goes to order another attack, but a woman appears. The woman saw Pikachu's skills and would like him borrowed for three days. The woman is Theresa (which gets Brock beat by Croagunk for flirting with her), who wants Ash's Pikachu, as her aunt, Abigail, lost her own Pikachu named Sugar. Ash worries Abigail might know the difference, but Theresa tells Pikachu needs to scratch its head using its tail. Ash agrees and they go to the store.
Abigail sees Pikachu and mistakes it to be her Sugar. She is happy the heroes have "found" it. A couple enters the store and greets "Sugar". They think with Sugar back, Abigail will win the bakery contest like last year. Abigail needs to go and Pikachu follows her. Theresa is happy, as she knows Abigail is going to get supplies for her cake. Meanwhile, Team Rocket wanders with various berries, prepared to make Pokéblocks. They see a Thunderbolt - Pikachu uses the move to get some berries down from the trees. They see Pikachu and still want to capture it, even if it is mistaken to be Sugar. Theresa tells the heroes that Pikachu's Thunderbolt allows the berries to have a better taste. Ash is worried and goes to see Pikachu.
Abigail is about to leave with Pikachu, but encounters Team Rocket. The heroes see Abigail is having trouble and attempt to go help her, but Theresa tells them to wait, as Abigail is capable to defend herself on her own. Jessie sends Seviper. Pikachu charges and turns to right, then stops. Just as Seviper goes to use Bite, Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on a tree above him and an Aspear Berry falls on Seviper's head and it is knocked out. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Seviper, who gets thrown away to Team Rocket and they blast off. Abigail tells that she was a Coordinator once, but it was long ago. Hearing that Ash wants to compete in Sinnoh League, Abigail wants a battle. Abigail will use "Sugar", making everyone in a dilemma.
Ash has little choice, so he accepts and sends Aipom, who gets a bit confused, but will still battle. Pikachu charges, though Aipom uses Double Team. Pikachu jumps and uses Thunderbolt - this causes dirt to be thrown on the illusions, banishing them. Aipom uses Focus Punch, but misses. Pikachu is pushed towards a rock and Aipom goes to attack, but gets stopped by Abigail. She is pleased to have such a battle and leaves. At the night, Ash, Brock and Dawn worry that Abigail will be sad when they tell her the truth. Theresa thinks they should wait until she wins the bakery contest, when she will be much happier. Ash is still worried, as she quit the battle as Sugar meant so much to her and goes to tell her the truth.
Abigail and Pikachu see the moon. Ash comes to tell her the truth, though Abigail knows - her Sugar would cut the Aspear Berries from the trees with Thunderbolt in a specific way, not how Pikachu did. Abigail tells them Sugar left because it could not use Thunderbolt to crack the Aspear Berries open, as much as it wanted to for the cake. Abigail is still happy, as she spent so much time with Ash's Pikachu. Pikachu gets taken away by Team Rocket, who ride away in a machine in the shape of an Aspear Berry. Ash goes on the vehicle, while Brock, Dawn, Abigail and Theresa go to track them down in Theresa's van. Ash sends Staravia, who uses Wing Attack to attack the machine, although with little effect. Team Rocket goes down a slope and Ash gets bounced off.
Staravia uses Aerial Ace, but gets punched away by the robot arm. Ash calls it back, while Team Rocket rides away. Because the van can't go down the slope, the group won't be able to catch up with Team Rocket. Suddenly, a powerful Thunderbolt strikes the vehicle. The group sees a Raichu attacking Team Rocket. Abigail realizes Raichu is Sugar, as it scratches its head using its tail. The robot arm goes to get it, but gets destroyed by Sugar's Focus Punch. Sugar uses Focus Punch on the machine, and, after several punches, crushes a part of it into a hole. Sugar enters the vehicle through the hole, gets Pikachu free and blasts Team Rocket off with Thunderbolt while destroying their machine in the process.
The next day, Abigail makes the cake and the heroes eat it. They think Abigail will have the 1st prize with it in no time. Dawn gets confidence to win 1st prize at the Floaroma Contest as well.
==Trivia==
*Music from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew is used as background music.
*Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture: Jessie's Wobbuffet
**Pokémon senryū: きがつけば　なのりもやってる　ソーナンス Ki ga tsukeba, nanori mo yatteru, Sōnansu
*By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ Pop-Up Version replaced the original version of the song as the Japanese ending theme.
===Mistakes===
Shortly into the episode, the straps on Dawn's boots are white instead of pink.
===Dub differences===
*In the Japanese version, there was an original intro for this episode, yet Pokémon USA starts out the episode with a cold open format (not present in the Japanese version), and then using the original intro after the theme song is played. This is also true for Oh Do You Know the Poffin Plan!
*This episode states that Abigail once competed in the Grand Festival, however this was not the case in the Japanese episode. Although it was noted that Abigail did enter a few Pokémon Contests, the Grand Festival was never mentioned in the original.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Pikachu