RS135: A Real Cleffa Hanger

is the 43rd episode of Pokémon: Advanced Battle.
==Synopsis==
As Ash sets out from Pallet Town accompanied by friends both new and old, their first destination is Mt. Moon, home to the Cleffa family of Pokémon, which are only rarely sighted by humans. Thus these young trainers are surprised when they spot a lone, distraught Cleffa. Further investigation reveals that it is none other than Team Rocket who have disrupted the regular harmony maintained by the Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable who inhabit this mountain. When Team Rocket’s latest plot spins out of control and Misty and Max are thrown into the strong current of a mountain river, it affords these two a rare opportunity to commiserate over the pains of being a younger sibling while struggling to return to the rest of their party in time to save the Cleffa from Team Rocket.
==Episode plot==
The gang stops for lunch. Ash asks how is Brock's Ludicolo, to which Brock tells him he left it back with his family, as Ludicolo's cheerful nature got his mom, brothers and sisters to like it a lot. Brock heard Oak gave May a Squirtle, so she keeps it. Misty receives a call from her sister, Daisy, who needs assistance - many Pokémon trainers wait for the official Gym battle. She says she'll just give them the badges, which Misty is against and tells her she will come soon. Ash proposes to move on, so May and Max hear they will pass through the Cleffa mountains.
Suddenly, they see a Cleffa. The Cleffa hops to them and plays with the Pokémon. The gang are surprised to see it far from the mountain, even revealing itself. May comes to greet it, but Cleffa hides behind Munchlax. Misty thinks it could talk to Azurill, so Azurill comes and offers Cleffa to play with its tail, to which it accepts. However, Cleffa and Azurill are sucked into Team Rocket's machine. Swellow flies and gets the Pokémon, so Azurill and Cleffa are safe. Team Rocket says that this new machine is improved - they invest more power, pulling a lot of Pokémon. Since Pikachu did not get in the machine, Jessie sends Seviper to battle him.
Pikachu goes to use Thunderbolt, but is canceled by Seviper's Poison Tail. Meowth powers the machine, so Pikachu is pulled, but Ash gets him in time. Meowth pulls to full power, so Ash is pulled - though Brock, Misty, Max and May pull him back. Meowth tries to move the hoses, but it does not work. Jessie controls the machine, but it stops - this time, the machine pushes the gang and the Pokémon out of the machine. Jessie is angry and goes to push and pull the controls, but the machine blows and blasts them off. Pikachu, Cleffa, Azurill, Max and Misty are pushed towards a river, despite May's attempt to get them. Later, they go on the shore, so everyone is fine, except Pikachu, who is poisoned by the attack he received from Seviper's Poison Tail and got hurt after falling down the river.
Still, Misty has a plan - Azurill hugs Pikachu, parting its own energy by using Refresh. Pikachu is healthy, so they need to search for the others. Meanwhile, Ash, May and Brock search for them - Mudkip tries to sense them, but nothing is felt. They see a storm approaching, as well as a Clefairy and a Clefable. Brock realizes the Cleffa they saw earlier is being searched for by the Clefairy and Clefable. Max is amazed by Misty's skills, thinking his sister can learn a thing or two from her. Misty tells him he shouldn't be hard, although Max does mention Ash and May were far from 1st place in Grand Festival/the Hoenn League. Suddenly, Cleffa is happy and runs away, with Max suspecting they want to follow it.
However, Cleffa eats some berries instead. So, Misty gives everyone the berries as food. Suddenly, they encounter a Beedrill, much to Misty's fear. They run away and off a cliff. They fall, but because of the moss, are bounced, their fall softened. Still, it begins to rain. A thunder crackles, with Cleffa being afraid, so Max hugs it, saying it does not need to be afraid of it. Luckily, they enter a nearby cave as a shelter. Ash is afraid what might happen to Pikachu, Cleffa, Misty and Max, so Brock reminds him that Misty is with them - that should go fine. Still, May is afraid, as she did not save Max in time. She vows to get him back.
Misty and Max discuss about May's victories. Max concludes that May ignores him for being her little brother, even if he knows more than she does. Misty feels the same, as she has three older sisters and wishes they admit she is right. Still, she cannot imagine her without the sisters and tells Max must feel (at least a bit) the same. She reminds him May did went to reach him, after all. She does admit her sisters can be stubborn, but they are her sisters. They conclude they need to help their sisters, even if they are stubborn. Suddenly, Misty spots that the rain is gone, so they can continue their search.
Ash, May, Brock, Cleffa and Clefable spot the tracks and follow them. Misty and Max go down a path, while suddenly Cleffa and Pikachu are sucked. Max and Misty get the Pokémon, though Max is almost pulled to the machine, if it wasn't for May. Ash, Brock, Cleffa and Clefable arrive as well. Team Rocket reveals themselves and activate the machine. Azurill uses Bubble, causing the machine to malfunction. Team Rocket crashes, so Jessie sends Seviper and James sends Cacnea. The Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable yell, so more Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable arrive. They wave their hands, using Metronome. Munchlax comes out to use the same attack. The attacks causes Team Rocket to dance, but the Clefairy and Munchlax are about to launch a Solar Beam. Seviper uses Poison Tail and Cacnea uses Needle Arm, but Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to stop them in their tracks.
The Clefairy and Munchlax finish by blasting Team Rocket off with their simultaneous Solar Beam. May is happy Munchlax knows Metronome. Later, the Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable go away to the mountain. They will perform the moon dance - a ceremony performed near a Moon Stone. At the night, they watch the moon dance, seeing the Pokémon happy. Next day, they go to their travels. Misty receives the call from her sister, Daisy, who goes to give them badges. Misty tells her she is nearby, so she shouldn't give them the badges. At a crossroad, Misty wishes luck to Ash in the Battle Frontier and Ash the same to Misty as a Gym leader. Misty will cheer for May in her Contests and, along with Max, promise to watch over their sisters. Misty departs, so Ash, Brock, May and Max continue towards the Battle Factory, a part of the Battle Frontier, as the journey continues.
==Debuts==
===Moves===
*Refresh
==Trivia==
*Featured Pokémon: Luvdisc, Feebas, and Barboach.
*The title is a pun on "a real cliffhanger".
*This is the final episode in which Rachael Lillis voiced Misty in the dub.
*As of this episode, the title card background is changed to Ash and his Hoenn traveling companions.
*Like Ash and May in the previous episode, Brock reveals he has also left behind his Pokémon at the care of his family, in this case, his Ludicolo.
*Misty rejoins the gang only for this episode, and only returns in the Diamond and Pearl arc of the anime.
*Team Rocket allegedly upgraded their "Sucker for Punishment" vacuum from the previous episode.
*Misty recalls May's win at the Grand Festival in "RS124: Rhapsody in Drew".
==Mistakes==
*Max explains to Cleffa that it only heard "lightning" when it's supposed to be thunder.
*The Cleffa family were able to use their Metronome to force Team Rocket to use Splash. But, since the Cleffa family were the ones using the move, it should have been them who were using Splash.
**Additionally, it should not even have affected James and Jessie at all.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Misty
Category:Episodes focusing on Max
Category:Episodes focusing on Pikachu
Category:Episodes focusing on May
Category:Episodes in which a main character leaves the group