PJ070: Take My Thief! Please!

is the 22nd episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Team Rocket is increasingly weary of Morpeko constantly eating all of their food, and when the hunger becomes too much for them to endure, James agrees to lead Morpeko up into the mountains and leave it there alone. But, as usual, Morpeko will have none of it! After numerous failed attempts to try and get Goh to catch the ever-hungry Pokémon—including an impromptu eating contest rematch between Greedent and Morpeko—Team Rocket successfully ditches Morpeko. But when James hears Morpeko calling, his bighearted, empathetic nature compels him to catch Morpeko himself, making it the newest member of Team Rocket…and the hungriest, too!
==Episode plot==
Jessie and Meowth are looking for food to eat around their base only to realize that the usual spots they keep food are completely empty. James is confident in where he hid his own food only to later find his durable safe broken. Upon looking inside, he finds Morpeko feeding on the snacks James stored inside. Team Rocket attempts to lure Morpeko out of the safe to get the small leftovers, though Morpeko continues shoving food into its cheeks. The disgruntled four sit on the ground and remark about the previous times Morpeko ate their food. To put an end to their food shortage, Jessie devises a plan to release Morpeko into the wild.
James takes Morpeko out into the forest in an attempt to release it. As he walks through, he discovers Morpeko has bits of food in its pouch that it has been leaving behind and eating. Morpeko offers a piece of food to James who finds it remarkably tasty. Morpeko continues to eat the food, even frying some with its electric powers, as James attempts to leave it behind by hiding behind a tree while it continues to walk forward. James is at first relieved that he released Morpeko only to find Morpeko in front of him, offering more food. James and Morpeko continue into the city until Morpeko runs out of food and turns into its Hangry Mode. James spots a nearby donut stand and buys a large helping of donuts to feed Morpeko. As Morpeko feasts on the donuts, James runs off, once again leaving Morpeko behind. Once Morpeko is finished, it realizes it is alone and begins to follow the trail of food it left behind.
Jessie, Meowth and Wobbuffet are walking with full bags of groceries, prepared to bring them back to the Team Rocket base. As they approach the base, James returns and tells them he has successfully released Morpeko into the wild. As Team Rocket happily enters their secret base, the four are surprised to find Morpeko standing atop a table in its Hangry Mode, ready to eat Team Rocket's newly bought groceries. Morpeko lunges to snatch the bags of food and uses Aura Wheel on Team Rocket, sending them blasting off.
Team Rocket are stumbling around town with Morpeko following close behind, wondering what they will do with it. Suddenly, the gang hears Goh in the distance successfully catching a Raticate. As Team Rocket watches, Meowth suggests that they offer Morpeko to Goh for him to keep. Team Rocket places Morpeko in the way of Ash and Goh as they walk down the street. Goh walks straight by Morpeko's spot, surprising the team until they realize Morpeko stayed by their side instead of waiting for Goh. The group continues to try and get Goh's attention to obtain Morpeko, though their efforts are unsuccessful as Morpeko grows more and more hungry. As Team Rocket settles down on a bench, Morpeko smells some nearby food inside of a delivery truck and hops in as the driver unknowingly takes Morpeko away while the team waves goodbye.
Ren is shown delivering boxes to the Cerise Laboratory, one of which contains a sleeping Morpeko. As Ash and Goh help with delivering the boxes to the park, Ash finds Morpeko sleeping inside of one of the opened boxes. Cinderace and Lucario are at first cautious about the new Pokémon, though Goh simply lifts Morpeko up before it goes into Hangry Mode, devouring the Pokémon food and tearing open the boxes. Goh's Greedent hops in to devour the food as well, causing the two Pokémon to compete for the food. As Greedent stores food inside of one of its burrows, Morpeko leaps in and attempts to devour Greedent's stash. The two fight over a single bag of kibble before Goh's Raichu rushes over and gives them heaps of Berries to satisfy the two Pokémon's hunger. While Morpeko eats, Goh attempts to capture it by throwing a Poké Ball, though Morpeko bursts out instantly and continues eating.
The Pokémon of the park are happily eating their food while Goh tells Raichu to deliver a bowl of kibble and Berries to Drizzile. As Raichu delivers the food, Morpeko rushes in and swipes a Pecha Berry from Drizzile's hand. Interestingly, Drizzile offers its food to Morpeko instead of fighting back and finds Morpeko's constant hunger interesting as it watches with Raichu. Meanwhile, at Team Rocket's base, the group is planning their next scheme until they notice James looking quite sad at the absence of Morpeko. Back at Cerise Park, Morpeko continues to eat food with the other Pokémon, almost seemingly getting along with Greedent instead of stealing its food. As Ash and Goh prepare to leave the park, Morpeko follows the boys.
As Ash and Goh travel around town, they hear distant screaming from Trainers getting their Pokémon stolen by Team Rocket. As the two boys arrive, Team Rocket recites their motto before revealing their steal of both food and Pokémon. Morpeko catches up with the boys and spots the nearby food, prepared to eat. Goh sends out Cinderace while Ash sends forward Pikachu. Team Rocket calls for the Rocket Prize Master and the machine flies in, dispensing Natu and Zigzagoon. Jessie and James are at first confused by Natu simply staring at James and Zigzagoon's wild behavior, though they are quick to command the Pokémon. Natu uses Peck on Cinderace, though it only tickles Cinderace. Pikachu uses Quick Attack against Zigzagoon, sending it towards Jessie, while Cinderace uses Pyro Ball, sending Natu into Morpeko. The blow causes Morpeko to go into Hangry Mode as it uses Stomping Tantrum to knock back both Pikachu and Cinderace. Team Rocket is surprised by Morpeko's power, ready to command it, only for Morpeko to use Aura Wheel on the team, sending them blasting off again. The Pokémon trapped in Team Rocket's contraption are freed as Morpeko simply walks away from the scene. Suddenly, Goh hears a Pidgeotto he spotted earlier and throws a Poké Ball, catching it successfully.
Somewhere in the forest, Team Rocket has landed in the top of a tree. Morpeko goes searching for the team much to their surprise as they watch Morpeko stroll past them. James decides to climb down the tree and reunite with Morpeko while Jessie and Meowth watch. James throws a Poké Ball as Morpeko leaps into the air, successfully capturing Morpeko and putting it in the ownership of James. The team heartwarmingly welcomes the new addition to the team, though Morpeko quickly goes into Hangry Mode and uses Aura Wheel once again, sending Team Rocket flying into the sky.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Goh's Raticate
*Goh's Pidgeotto
*James' Morpeko
===Move===
*Stomping Tantrum
==Quotes==
*Goh: Alright, now's my chance! Poké Ball, go! [throws his Poké Ball at Morpeko, catching it, but the latter bursts out of it instantly and continues eating. Goh gets disappointed as tears fall from his eyes] Beaten by gluttony...
*Ash: [laughs] Come on. You can catch it when it relaxes.
==Trivia==
*Who's That Pokémon?: Pidgeotto
*This is the first episode in which the Rocket Prize Master appears but not Pelipper.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Team Rocket
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
Category:Episodes featuring Champions