DP002: Two Degrees of Separation!

is the 2nd episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Dawn and Piplup's Pokémon journey is off to a bumpy start! She needs to catch Pokémon so she can become a great Pokémon Coordinator like her mom, but both her and Piplup are having trouble getting the hang of things. After a Buneary and Burmy get away, Dawn spots a Pikachu and tries to catch it before realizing it belongs to another Trainer. When Team Rocket shows up to claim Pikachu as their own, Dawn realizes they're up to no good. A powerful attack from Piplup sends the Pokémon thieves packing!
Dawn brings the exhausted Pikachu to a Pokémon Center and calls Professor Rowan to give him an update. Elsewhere, Ash's search for Pikachu takes him to Professor Rowan's lab, where he learns that Dawn has rescued Pikachu—except she's already left the Pokémon Center to find Pikachu's Trainer. And when Dawn calls Professor Rowan again, Ash has already left the lab to find her!
As for Team Rocket, they're now resting and relaxing at a vacation house belonging to James' family. They've also picked up a new member, James's old Carnivine. Sadly, once James hears his fiancée is headed his way, Team Rocket must hit the road again. Meanwhile, still looking for Dawn, Ash meets up with his good friend Brock and catches a Starly. But none of them notice the surly stranger who's spying on Ash—a stranger whose identity will soon be revealed...
==Episode plot==
Dawn brings Piplup and wonders what will they do. Dawn has an idea - to capture a Pokémon. She sees a Buneary and Piplup uses BubbleBeam. However, Buneary jumped quickly and Piplup goes to peck, but gets pounded. Buneary runs away, so Dawn tells Piplup everyone makes mistakes. Dawn tells Piplup they will go the Jubilife City, in which they will participate in their first Contest. She sees a Burmy and Piplup immediately attacks with BubbleBeam. Burmy falls down and Dawn thanks Piplup for that. However, Burmy gathers its leaves, so Dawn goes to get her Poké Ball. She goes to throw it, but sees Burmy is gone. Dawn is depressed, but regains her confidence to repeat. Suddenly, they hear something, and from a bush, a Pikachu emerges.
thumb|left|Dawn protecting Pikachu from Team Rocket!
Dawn knows Pikachu has the advantage against Piplup, but will still battle. Piplup uses BubbleBeam, but gets stopped by Thunderbolt. Piplup goes to peck, but Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, attacking Piplup and Dawn's bike. Dawn is furious and throws her Poké Ball, but it has no effect on Pikachu. Dawn now knows that Pikachu belongs to someone, while he goes away. Suddenly, Pikachu gets ambushed by Seviper, Cacnea and Dustox. Meowth tells Pikachu they got him surrounded, and Dawn is surprised he can talk. After Dawn scans him, Meowth adds in a few personal opinions of himself. Jessie and James come out and tell Dawn there is only one thief - them. Pikachu attacks them with a Thunderbolt, so Cacnea, Seviper and Dustox retaliate, though Pikachu evades the attacks. Dawn does not trust Team Rocket that they are not Pikachu's friends, so orders Piplup to use BubbleBeam, hitting them and defends Pikachu.
When they ask Dawn who she is, Dawn demands to know who they are, after they do their motto, Dawn admits she does not know Team Rocket. While Jessie is offended at first, after Dawn explains where they are James remembers they don't have the Sinnoh Team Rocket branch, so Meowth says they will spread their work. Dawn now knows they are not to be trusted and Pikachu is definitely not theirs. Seviper wraps Piplup, so it retaliates with BubbleBeam. Cacnea, Dustox and Seviper charge, but Piplup and Pikachu use Bubblebeam and Thunderbolt, respectively, blasting them off. Pikachu, Dawn and Piplup celebrate, but Pikachu is exhausted, so Dawn goes to the nearest Pokémon Center to heal him. Inside, Nurse Joy tells it is really exhausted, but Pikachu will recover. Dawn contacts her mom and tells she got Piplup, but no other Pokémon yet. Mom tells her she will get new friends in due time. Piplup pretends to be important, so Dawn argues with it. Dawn also contacts Prof. Rowan, telling him they came across a lost Pikachu, so they are trying to find his trainer. Dawn tells him they will go to Jubilife City, but even if they do not go there in time, there will be other Contests to compete.
Aipom scouts, but did not find Pikachu. Ash is worried and encounters Officer Jenny. Soon, Jenny is taking a ride to Prof. Rowan's lab. Rowan gives Ash Aipom's Poké Ball, as Oak sent it for Ash. Rowan tells him Dawn protected the Pikachu from Team Rocket. Sadly, Dawn left the Pokémon Center with Pikachu, but she is searching for Pikachu's owner - he'll start from the Pokémon Center.
Team Rocket is embarrassed from the recent blast off, but James cheers up when he sees one of his summer cottage's. They enter the building and they agree this would be a perfect headquarters for Team Rocket. James opens a box, full of his first bottle cap collection, also, he sees a Poké Ball and sends his old friend, Carnivine, who immediately chomps on his head. Jessie is hungry, so James contacts his butler to get food. They all eat and the butler tells James his family will be coming tomorrow, including his bride, Jessibelle. Later on James tells the team they cannot stay, as Jessibelle will make sure he does not go adventuring, while disappointed at first, they see his point so they revert to thieving. They contact Giovanni and tell they will conquer Sinnoh, as the same they did with Hoenn (although James reminds them they didn't). While Giovanni is not pleased with their previous plans he allows it as he has been wanting to set up a base there for some time. Pleased by this they make plans they will build a summer cottage after this is done.
Rowan contacts Dawn and tells Ash, Pikachu's owner, is coming to get him. Dawn has a plan to go as well, to meet him as soon as possible. Ash and Aipom run, but a truck passes by and Brock comes out. Brock tells him he met the driver, Claudina and now seeks happiness. However, it did not take much to break his heart - Claudina got a call from his boyfriend and goes away. Brock decides to get his mind off Claudina by rejoining Ash on his journey once more. Brock does not see his Pikachu and Ash tells him what happened. Ash and Brock wander to the Pokémon Center and Aipom swings to move, but accidentally hits a Starly. Brock suggests Ash to capture it so they can use it to find Pikachu. Aipom uses Swift to attack. Starly uses Whirlwind, so Aipom goes to retaliate with Focus Punch. However, Starly uses Quick Attack and follows with Wing Attack.
Aipom finally uses Focus Punch and Ash throws his Poké Ball. Ash is happy he captured it, although Pikachu is not with him. Brock says he did capture Starly to search for Pikachu, so Ash sends it and they follow it. Dawn also runs with Piplup and Pikachu, while a teen trainer with an Elekid, sees all this and is not impressed by the Starly that Ash caught so easily.
==Quotes==
:James: "There you are you rascals."
:Jessie: "Oooo, what's in there huh?"
:Meowth: "Something a lot older than me."
:James pulls out bottlecaps from the box.
:James: "It's my very first bottlecap collection. I've had it since I was a toddling tot of two. To brush them against my cheek. WOW! I can not believe you've been hiding in here all this time."
:Jessie: "A Poké Ball. Yours as well?"
:James: "And how. The very Pokémon I used to play with when we came to Sinnoh. Come on out Carnivine."
A Carnivine comes out and bite James' head.
:James: "You see, Victreebel's not the only Pokémon who likes to take a nip at my noggin."
:Jessie: "And that is a good thing?"
:Meowth: "Wow, sounds like the green galoot's really happy to see ya."
==Debuts==
===Character===
*Paul
===Pokémon===
*Ash's Starly
*Burmy
*Carnivine (James')
*Paul's Elekid
==Trivia==
*Background music of "Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew" can be heard.
*Similar to how Ash's Pikachu destroyed Misty and May's bikes, Pikachu broke Dawn's bike.
*When Carnivine comes out of its Poké Ball, it greets James the same way his Victreebel used to: by chomping on his head.
*This is the only episode where Ash and Pikachu are not together.
*This episode marks the first time Piplup assists Pikachu in blasting off Team Rocket which happens very often throughout the Diamond & Pearl series.
*This is the last episode in which Team Rocket used their Battle Frontier motto.
*The episode title is a parody of the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation.
===Dub differences===
*In the Japanese version, Ash's Starly uses the move, Gust, a move it can't learn. In the English dub, Ash's Starly uses Whirlwind, a move it can learn. Strangely, after Starly evolved into Staravia, the English dub started using Gust, instead of Whirlwind.
===Mistakes===
*When Dawn calls Rowan, both of the areas they are in are identical on the video even when they are in different areas.
==Gallery==
==Notes==
==References==
pl:DP002
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Dawn
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon