GS003: A Sappy Ending

is the 3rd episode of of , the third season of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Ash and friends discover a forest where invading Pinsir are causing heavy deforestation. Investigation reveals the root of the problem: Team Rocket is carelessly harvesting sap from a nearby woods, thereby upsetting the balance of nature.
==Episode plot==
As the heroes continue their journey, they notice some trees without leaves, although the others around them have leaves. Brock knows it is too soon for leaves to drop and the trees are not burned, either. Pikachu notices something in the distance, which are some Pokémon eating tree sap. Misty is terrified as they are bugs, specifically a group of Heracross. Ash thinks of catching them all to save the forest and get some Pokémon. A man comes, warning him he would cause more harm than he knows, introducing himself as Woodruff. Woodruff tells Ash the Butterfree need Heracross to lick the tree sap. The heroes see some Butterfree approaching the Heracross and lick the sap. The heroes understand the Heracross dig into the tree so they, and Butterfree, can feed themselves.
Misty does not think that this beneficial friendship is good for the forest. Woodruff thinks there are some invaders that did this to the forest. Pikachu notices something and the heroes see a group of Pinsir running. Woodruff feels the Pinsir are destroying the forest and should be stopped. The Pinsir go to the tree and chase Butterfree away. Ash and Misty encourage the Heracross to stand up and fight (as they'll lose their tree). The Pinsir move their horns, scaring Heracross away. Woodruff sees that Heracross are too peaceful to fight. A Butterfree has been put in a corner by the Pinsir, but a Heracross appears to protect it. The Heracross takes the hits from the Pinsir, so Ash sends Bulbasaur out to help it. Using Vine Whip, the Pinsir fall down.
However, Heracross is too injured to retreat, as the Pinsir go up to it. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, electrocuting them, but they attack the former. Pikachu dodges the attacks and chases them away with Thunder. Heracross comes down, making the heroes believe it wants to thank Bulbasaur. However, Heracross licks Bulbasaur's pollen from its back, so Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to get it off, making Misty and Brock think it wants the tree sap. Ash is nevertheless happy, though Woodruff warns them the Pinsir will get back, as something drove them out from their forests to Heracross'. He thinks by learning what caused this he might stop the problem. Misty wants them to move on, but Ash and Brock refuse, wanting to help out Heracross, making Misty upset.
Due to thick bushes, Bulbasaur uses Razor Leaf to get them away. Ash and Brock see Heracross is coming with them, though Bulbasaur uses Razor Leaf to scare it away. After coming to the cliffs, Ash calls Bulbasaur back. Ash worries they need to go down and up the cliff to cross it. Woodruff knows there is an old rope bridge nearby, but soon sees it fell apart. Misty notices the Pinsir are moving on the branches and Ash thinks Pinsir cut the rope. Woodruff notices the rope was cut by a human. Ash knows they need to get across to find what is happening in the Pinsir forest. They see Heracross and believe it wants to suck out the tree sap, but Brock notices it wants to help them, making the tree fall down to get across. With a hearty push, the Heracross makes the tree fall down.
Ash, Brock and Woodruff walk across the tree bridge. Misty calls them crazy, although her Togepi also walks. Togepi moves around the bridge and almost falls down, as Misty got it before it fell. After Misty climbed the bridge, Ash asks Heracross if it does want to come with them, but Heracross licks the tree sap. After a while, they notice Heracross follows them. Woodruff tells them to be alert, as they are coming to the Pinsir forest and soon see the large tree where they live. The heroes see a large Pinsir on the tree, though with a closer examination, they see it is a robot sucking the tree sap out. Team Rocket appear and the gang sees Team Rocket devised this robot. Meowth tells them one day, when they were wandering hungry, they followed the scent to the Pinsir tree and found the tree sap. They tasted the tree sap and liked it, making Jessie think she'd open a restaurant with pancakes using this tree sap, but they made a new plan to suck out the tree sap.
The gang is not pleased, as they invaded the balance of nature, as Pinsir have to go to Heracross' forest to lick the tree sap. Jessie sends Lickitung and James with Victreebel. James runs away, but wonders why he is not bitten. James yells at Victreebel, who licks the tree sap and bites the former, and Lickitung also eats it. Meowth sees the Pokémon will not be much of a help and uses the Pinsir machine. Ash sends Bulbasaur, who uses Razor Leaf, but the robot Pinsir's metal horns reflect the attack. Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip and spins the robot. Pikachu uses Thunder Shock, but the machine absorbs electricity, and when Meowth presses a button, the machine electrocutes the heroes and Woodruff.
The robot goes to attack the gang, but Heracross appears and stops the machine. Heracross gets pushed, but it gains more strength and pushes the machine. The heroes, including Misty (who does not think Heracross are gross anymore), encourage Heracross to keep pushing. They go to help Heracross and Meowth attempts to control the robot. Jessie, James and Meowth pull the remote, but they break the parts. The heroes tell Heracross they got the sap back, so Heracross raises the machine up and throws it to Team Rocket. Upon the fall, the machine explodes and Team Rocket blast off. The Pinsir return and Woodruff tells that the Pokémon can now live in harmony. The Butterfree and Heracross lick the sap.
The gang compliments Heracross and see that it is a brave hero. They wave goodbye and continue their journey. As the heroes walk, Pikachu hears something. The gang turns back and sees Heracross again. Brock believes it wants to come with them. Ash asks it and Heracross confirms it, so Ash throws the Poké Ball and catches Heracross.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
* Heracross (Ash's)
==Trivia==
*The air date between the Japanese and English versions of this episode were exactly one year apart.
*The "Who's that Pokémon?" in this episode is Donphan.
*Like the last series, Ash's first regional Pokémon was caught in the third episode.
**However, Ash did not catch two Pokémon in one episode, and a Pokémon Ash caught at the time did not evolve. 
===Dub differences===
*Ash originally mentioned that Heracross might want to thank him for helping him out, and then Misty tells Ash that Heracross seemed more interested in Bulbasaur's sap.
*The dub implies that Woodruff was at the collapsed bridge at least one week prior. The original doesn't specify if he actually has been to the bridge prior to its collapse.
*Misty's asking about Team Rocket's great plan was cut from the dub. Also, the dub implies that their Pinsir-mecha was received from an ad catalog when no such hint was made in the Japanese version.
*Also, Team Rocket's plot was different between the Original Japanese and English dub versions:
**Original Japanese: Jessie mentions that the sap tastes like pancake syrup, then she talks about wanting to start a pancake house similar to the ones in the US. She then mentions flipping the pancake on a hot plate and sprinkling it with katsuobushi (かつおぶし) afterwards. James corrects her and states that what she is stating is okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), and Meowth tells James to ignore her.
**English dub: Jessie states that she'll open her own exclusive pancake shop that utilizes tree sap instead of maple syrup. She then reveals that she'll use Limburgh cheese and Cajun curry powder to season the pancakes, and then states that she'll name it the "International House of Jessie". James and Meowth then mention that this would be a recipe for a million dollar disaster.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon