GS017: Tanks a Lot!

is the 17th episode of of , Season 3 of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Team Rocket's most recent super vehicle, the Arbotank, is their ticket to world domination—until Togepi and its newfound Sentret buddy climb inside and inadvertently initiate a cross-country joyride that wreaks unstoppable destruction on everything in their path.
==Episode plot==
The heroes have a nap. Togepi tries to wake up Pikachu, but fails. Seeing the clouds, Togepi goes to sleep. As they do, a brown Pokémon watches them. It warns the other brown Pokémon. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are proud to have the machine. Jessie tries to name it and Meowth gives it the name of "Arbo-tank" because it's a machine shaped like Arbok. Jessie sees their foes asleep and knows they will easily take Pikachu, but Meowth worries the tank will make too much noise, as it will wake them up. The brown Pokémon comes, drops its eaten apple and studies Togepi (who is still asleep) for a while, then accidentally pushes it down and chases it. Team Rocket decide they'll take Pikachu and the other Pokémon, then run away in the tank. Togepi wakes up and upon seeing the brown Pokémon, it plays with it a while. They roll down into the tank. Meowth heard the noise and turns around with Jessie and James, only to see Togepi and brown Pokémon in the tank. Togepi slides down a lever, making the tank move forward.
Team Rocket chase after it, while Togepi and the brown Pokémon smile. Misty wakes up and does not see Togepi. The brown Pokémon touches Ash and he tells Pikachu to cut that out, but seeing Pikachu is near him, he gets surprised at seeing the brown Pokémon. Ash checks via Pokédex it is a Sentret, who points at the eaten apple. Brock sees Sentret wants to find something lost, making Misty believe it can help them find Togepi. They hear a vehicle moving far away, so Sentret stretches its tail to see what is happening. Sentret discovered something and runs away, so the heroes follow it. Team Rocket still go after the tank, but discover the other Sentret try to stop it, but to no avail. James tells not to get a scratch on the tank, since he used all the money to build it. James and Meowth admit they had to cut down on food, while Jessie tells she had one dessert per meal. James and Meowth are surprised, but Jessie yells at James, as he spent all the money without consulting her first.
Team Rocket and the heroes encounter each other. Ash tells he knew they build an ugly contraption. Meowth responds they shouldn't have let Togepi get into it, making Misty worried, as she goes to the tank. Meowth also recalls seeing another brown Pokémon, making Sentret chase after the tank as well. Brock sends Onix and goes after the tank with Misty, Ash, Pikachu, and Sentret, having an idea to stop the tank. Meanwhile, Togepi and Sentret crash the boulders via the tank. Brock sees the tank can crash through anything, but has an idea. He tells that the Project Sink Tank must be commenced - to dig up a hole, fill with boulders and soften it to become mud, so Arbo-tank can fall in and get Togepi and Sentret rescued. With Misty going to soften the boulders and Ash to rescue the Pokémon, Brock commences the project.
Onix places the boulders into the hole. Misty and Ash order a Water Gun, which Poliwag, Staryu, and Squirtle use it, but Psyduck does not. The hole fills with mud (in which Psyduck swims), while Togepi and Sentret have fun (with Sentret pushing the lever to speed the tank up). The heroes move away, causing the tank to fall into the mud. The tank is stopped, so Ash and Pikachu go in the vehicle. However, the vehicle starts moving, causing Ash to fall in the mud and Pikachu in the tank. The tank moves out, so Misty orders Psyduck to use Psychic, which it fails to do so. Team Rocket appear and make a grand trick - they display the tank, which disappears. The heroes go to it, seeing it fell in a deeper hole. The heroes wonder why'd they make such a big deal of it. They reply they calculate and dig, since it is their specialty.
The heroes wonder how can they get in. Meowth leaps and enters the tank and tells him he is in charge now. He sees Pikachu, Sentret and Togepi entangled with wires, with Pikachu electrocuting him. Suddenly, the tank jumps out of the hole and hops away, so the heroes, Jessie and James try to catch up with it. Sentret warns other Sentret, making the heroes acknowledge they need to be loud to communicate. The Sentret line up Sandshrew and Diglett. Meowth tells the Sentret in the tank this is no time to play around and gets his whiskers pulled. The heroes and the Pokémon in the tank see it will crash to a giant wall and be destroyed. Togepi waves hands and uses Metronome. With a big blast, the heroes, Jessie and James see the tank drilled its way in, so James sees why it was so pricey. Brock lines everyone up and tells them that the mountain did not stop it and will head to a town, so they need Ash's Charizard to stop the tank for the Pokémon to get out, then use Flamethrower to destroy the tank once and for all. Jessie and James tell Missy will have to pay if they destroy the machine, but Misty yells at them saying they will not, and corrects them she is Misty.
Ash sends Charizard, so everyone goes to Onix, who goes after Charizard. Meanwhile, the Arbo-tank has crashed its way to the town. Charizard appears before it and Meowth pulls a lever and breaks it. Charizard stops the Arbo-tank, causing Pikachu, Sentret, and Togepi to fall down disentangled. Sentret rolls out and helps Charizard to stop the tank. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to blow up the controlling machines, while Onix grabs the tail of the tank. Charizard uses Flamethrower to melt the window, so Pikachu, Togepi, and Sentret come out. Jessie and James go in, hoping to save it, but get blasted off, along with Meowth. Misty scolds Togepi to not get into trouble again, while Sentret, who has been with the heroes, scolds the one who was in the tank. Jenny comes and asks if they dug the tunnel up. The heroes are hesitant, but Jenny tells that people had to drive around the mountain to get to Violet City, so now less time is required to get there. Ash, Brock, and Misty saw the Arbo-tank did some good.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Sentret
==Quotes==
:"You deserve a dishonorable discharge!" - Misty
:"Psyduck?" - Psyduck
:"Okay, Brock, what's your plan of attack?" - Ash
:"We're gonna need Charizard." - Brock
:"Charizard?" - Ash
:"It's the only Pokémon that stands a chance against that thing. We'll send Charizard ahead to stop the Arbo-Tank long enough to get Pikachu and the other Pokémon out safely. Then, Charizard can use its Flamethrower attack to destroy the Arbo-Tank." - Brock
:"(gasps)" - Jessie & James
:"You can't be serious! Do you have any idea how much that Arbo-Tank cost us?!" - Jessie
:"You're gonna have to pay if you destroy that tank, missy!" - James
:"NO, WE'RE NOT, AND THE NAME IS MISTY!!!!" - Misty
:"Oh, sorry." - James
:"Aaah! All our money's going up in smoke!" - James
:"We can't let the Arbo-Tank blow up!" - James
:"It's all we've got left!" - Jessie
:"If we hurry, maybe we'll have time to save it!" - James
:BOOM!
:"Now what do the three of us have left?" - Jessie
:"A tankless job!" - James
:"Yeah, but somebody's gotta do it." - Meowth
:"And you're not driving again until you're eighteen." - Misty scolding her Togepi
==Trivia==
*"Who's that Pokémon?": Sentret (JP), Igglybuff (US), Togepi (Canada)
*The title of this episode is a pun on the statement 'Thanks a lot'.
*When Misty tells her Togepi it can't drive until it's eighteen, she is referencing the age teenagers usually earn their driver's licenses.
===Mistakes===
*Pikachu was standing with Ash and co. after the tunnel was made even though he was still inside the "Arbo-tank".
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Pikachu
Category:Episodes focusing on Meowth
Category:Episodes focusing on Togepi