Special Episode

Special Episodes (Japanese: スペシャルエピソード Special Episodes) are extensions to the storyline of . They take one or more characters that play an important role in the storyline and expand on their background or what the Pokémon is/are like in that period of time. There are five Special Episodes in all.
==Unlocking==
Special Episodes are unlocked automatically, so players do not have to talk to a certain NPC to unlock them. Each special episode is unlocked by reaching a certain point in the game, at which a screen is displayed announcing that the special episode has been unlocked. Once unlocked, they can be found in the "Special Episodes" section of the game's main menu.
==Special things about Special Episodes==
* Rather than playing as their team, players play as the Pokémon focused on in the episode.
* Players can take items and money out of Kangaskhan Storage and the Duskull Bank, if their adventure starts in Treasure Town. If it isn't in Treasure Town, the storage can still be accessed via Kangaskhan Rock.
* All items and money found in the episodes are moved to Kangaskhan Storage and the Duskull Bank, respectively, at the end of the episode.
** Should a Used TM be in the inventory, it will say "Used TMs cannot be stored. They will be discarded instead."
* Players may only have a save file for one Special Episode at a time. Selecting another Special Episode from the list will overwrite the save data, resulting in a loss of all items and money not in storage or the bank.
* If a Special Episode is in progress, when the player selects "Continue" from the main menu, they are given the option to continue the Special Episode from there.
For a more detailed synopsis of any episode, possible movesets for any of the characters within an episode, or additional trivia about an episode, please select an episode from the list below.
==List of Special Episodes==
===Bidoof's Wish===
The first episode, Bidoof's Wish, is unlocked after the player and partner return from Mt. Bristle and arrest . It features and expands on his past and how he became an explorer.
Before the player and partner arrive at the Guild, Bidoof had been training for an unknown length of time, but long enough to make him almost lose his ambition in becoming an explorer because he messed so many things up. One day, when at in Treasure Town, a bumped into him and gave him a map to Star Cave, where Jirachi lies. The next day, Bidoof asked Chatot about Star Cave, and Chatot told Bidoof the legend of Star Cave: if you manage to wake up Jirachi at the bottom, he'll grant you a wish. Hearing this, Bidoof gets excited, asks to take a day off, and goes to Star Cave with Snover.
Just before the duo reached the bottom, they found themselves at what seemed to be a dead end. Snover told Bidoof that the whole thing was a plan to steal Bidoof's 7,000 Poké he had pulled out earlier at Kecleon Market. Two other Pokémon, a and , joined Snover and a three-on-one battle began. Bidoof couldn't defeat the trio, but the Guild showed up and fought them off. Wigglytuff then knocked down the wall, allowing Bidoof to continue through the depths of Star Cave.
Bidoof finally reached the bottom, defeated a sleepy Jirachi, and thought about his wish. After contemplating several possibilities, Bidoof wished to have new members join the Guild. Jirachi then granted his wish. It is assumed that the player and partner are the result of this wish.
===Igglybuff the Prodigy===
The second episode, Igglybuff the Prodigy, is unlocked after the player and partner return from Fogbound Lake and discover its Time Gear. It features as a young Pokémon, way back when he was an , and expands on what made him become an explorer.
It starts in Wigglytuff's chamber, with delivering him a Perfect Apple. While dancing around with the apple, Wigglytuff accidentally drops a shiny item, which Chatot recognizes as a Defend Globe, an item which he points out to be only for Pokémon, and thus, not very useful for Wigglytuff. However, Wigglytuff explains that it is special for him, and explains that it has to do with what made him start exploration, and begins to tell the story of how he became an explorer.
Way back when Wigglytuff was an Igglybuff, he lived in a little house on a prairie, on which life was easy. Igglybuff had a group of friends he played with pretty much every day: , and . One day when Igglybuff is sharing Gummis with his friends, and , who had apparently made a repetition of being bullies, came into the group and demanded Gummis. Igglybuff's friends told him not to share Gummis, but Igglybuff did so anyway. The next day, the two returned, and convinced Igglybuff to go with them on an exploration of Murky Forest, despite rumors of a monster living within.
At the end of the forest, where the monster supposedly lived, Banette and Skorupi claimed to be explorers who would fight the monster, but they got scared and ran away as they saw . They wound up leaving Igglybuff behind with Armaldo, but Igglybuff didn't run away. He told Armaldo he would only go home if he was told of why Armaldo was there in the forest. Due to Igglybuff's persistence, Armaldo obliged, taking Igglybuff into Armaldo's little home and explaining that he was a former explorer, searching for treasure.
Assisting him in deciphering a map, Igglybuff befriends Armaldo, and they decide to go on an exploration to Eastern Cave together. At the end of the dungeon, they found a room full of traps and puzzles, which Armaldo proceeded to analyze. However, Igglybuff proceeded to simply walk up to the door and blow it up, much to Armaldo's shock. In the next room, they found a treasure chest, and within it was a Defend Globe, a very valuable exclusive item. Igglybuff did not care for the value of the item, and began to dance with joy simply because he had a fun time exploring.
After dancing around, Igglybuff requests to become Armaldo's exploration apprentice, because he enjoyed the exploration so much. Armaldo reluctantly allowed this, and they made plans for explorations again and again, exploring many different places and finding lots of treasure. One day, after an exploration, they planned to go to a place called Fortune Ravine. However, while they were talking, a was watching, seemingly recognising Armaldo.
The next day, Igglybuff's friends confront his parents about him going to Murky Forest every day, only for the parents to reveal that they didn't know. Banette and Skorupi show up as well, and confirm their fears that Igglybuff had indeed been heading to Murky Forest to play. Then, Nidoking shows up, introduces himself as an explorer, and explains that he knows who Igglybuff is with offscreen, shocking everyone. They realize they have a problem on their hands, and go off to find Igglybuff.
Meanwhile, Igglybuff and Armaldo explore the dungeon, finding a room full of torches at the end. Believing that putting out all the torches is what has to be done to open the door, Armaldo uses on all of them. Rather than open the door, however, it opens a pit in the floor that leads to a Monster House. They defeat the Monster House, however, and leave the hole, leading to the ruins of an ancient city.
Before they can explore, they get confronted by Nidoking, along with Igglybuff's friends and family, and Officer and some . Smoochum tells Igglybuff that Armaldo is an outlaw, and it is revealed that Nidoking has been searching long and hard to apprehend him. Igglybuff can't bring himself to believe that Armaldo is a bad guy, and begs for them to stop taking him away, though they don't listen. Then, in sad anger, Igglybuff begins to prepare to blow up the entire area, but Armaldo stops him, telling Igglybuff that if he blows up Nidoking and Magnezone, he'll be a bad Pokémon too.
Armaldo then explained that he was an outlaw, and that he had been running around the region to escape capture. But he had taken a break in Murky Forest, and stirred up a rumor that there was a monster within so nobody would explore the forest and find him. Then, he encourages Igglybuff to become an explorer instead of a "blockhead". As Magnezone, the Magnemite, and Nidoking take Armaldo away without resistance, Armaldo tosses the Defend Globe to Igglybuff, and then left.
It goes back to Chatot and Wigglytuff, with Wigglytuff explaining that the Defend Globe was the first thing he ever got from his first true exploration, and thanks to his experiences with Armaldo, he continued exploring and exploring.
===Today's "Oh My Gosh"===
The third Special Episode, Today's "Oh My Gosh", is unlocked after the player, partner, and the rest of the Guild come up with the plan to capture in Chapter 13. It takes place in the time when the player and partner are exploring Waterfall Cave for the first time.
Sunflora is called into Wigglytuff's room one night and is asked to capture the "Invincible Haunter" in Spring Cave. Sunflora, a Grass type, determines that this will be a hard exploration, as Spring Cave contains many Fire- and Poison-type Pokémon, two types she is weak to. Sunflora explores Upper and Lower Spring Cave, confronting Haunter at the end of both. Two assisted Haunter in Lower Spring Cave, by burning Sunflora and chasing her around for a bit. Loudred came and saved Sunflora just before the two Slugma attacked.
Sunflora then continued on to Spring Cave Pit, keeping in mind what Loudred said at Lower Spring Cave. Upon arrival, she told Haunter that his "invincibility" was discovered and that he actually wasn't invincible. Two other Haunter revealed themselves, but then turned the entire ground into an area full of lava and magma, burning Sunflora again. Loudred popped out of nowhere again, and a 2-on-3 battle started. The Haunter were eventually defeated and arrested. Sunflora wrote in her diary that she hoped she and Loudred could be friends.
===Here Comes Team Charm!===
The fourth Special Episode, Here Comes Team Charm!, is unlocked after the player and partner return from the future. It expands on how Wigglytuff met Team Charm, and reveals the location of the Time Gear. In this episode, is the team leader.
Team Charm was, one day, exploring Southern Jungle, in hope of finding treasure. On their way to the bottom, they found Wigglytuff, who had fainted from hunger, apparently having been robbed. The team gave Wigglytuff a Perfect Apple, which (being Wigglytuff) he gobbled up quickly. Team Charm continued to head through, arriving at Boulder Quarry, which is much like Aegis Cave in that explorers constantly go around in circles. After coming to a dead end themselves, Wigglytuff showed up, chasing a Perfect Apple, and inadvertently showed the team a secret, invisible entrance into Limestone Cavern.
Once Team Charm went inside the cave, they found a treasure chest. When they opened it though, it appeared to be empty.
When they start to leave, Team AWD shows up, deciding that Team Charm took the treasure and were lying about where it was. The teams fought, but the battle was interrupted by Wigglytuff, who deduced that the empty treasure chest was in fact a , who explained that it had been the outside Southern Jungle who tried encouraging Team Charm to leave, the who convinced them to battle Team AWD, and the one who had stolen Wigglytuff's food. The Ditto revealed that all these actions were for the sake of protecting Limestone Cavern's treasure, a Time Gear. Wigglytuff, after both teams left the cavern, joined forces with Team Charm, and the four went off exploring together.
===In the Future of Darkness===
The fifth and final Special Episode, In the Future of Darkness, is unlocked after the player graduates from Wigglytuff's Guild. It expands on what happened to Grovyle and following their return to the future after the Hidden Land.
Upon finding himself back in the future, Grovyle decided to also confront Primal Dialga atop Temporal Tower in order to buy the player and partner some time. A still-injured Dusknoir chased after Grovyle and caught up with him at the end of Barren Valley, only to discover that his minions, previously loyal, were now attacking him as well as Grovyle. The two Pokémon fought off this attack together and, after Grovyle suggested that the order to attack their superior may have come from Primal Dialga, Dusknoir proposes that he and Grovyle co-operate for the time being, claiming that he must learn why he was also targeted. Though deeply wary, Grovyle accepted.
Shortly afterwards, the duo successfully cornered one of the Sableye after clearing Dark Wasteland and carried him off for questioning. Under Dusknoir's threats, the Sableye fearfully revealed that Primal Dialga had ordered for Dusknoir's execution following his failure to stop the player and Grovyle at the Hidden Land, and that a new henchman would be sent to the past in his place to preserve the planet's paralysis. An enraged Dusknoir scared the Sableye away and decided to accompany Grovyle up Temporal Tower. Grovyle was concerned by this, uncertain of what Dusknoir would do when they see Primal Dialga and the new henchman. He eventually voices these thoughts out loud halfway through the dungeon, to which Dusknoir insisted that he didn't intend to make friends with his replacement and told Grovyle that he won't have help against Primal Dialga.
However, Primal Dialga was not present at the Temporal Pinnacle, confusing Grovyle; Dialga would need to remain inactive to gather power and send his henchman to the past. Dusknoir recalled the Passage of Time located at Dusk Forest and deduced that Dialga planned to use that instead. Fearing for 's safety, Grovyle rushes off to the dungeon, where the Sableye attack them again. Dusknoir grabbed one of them after the battle, who tells them that Celebi was caught and, oddly, taken to a place called Frozen Island. With their next lead, Dusknoir guides Grovyle through Spacial Cliffs and to the at the dungeon's end, who transport the two there.
After Dusknoir explained that Frozen Island was once known as Blizzard Island in the past, he and Grovyle pressed onwards until they arrived at the top of Dark Ice Mountain. There, Dusknoir was hurt protecting Grovyle from a falling shard of ice, immediately following which they are ambushed by four and a . After fending off these attackers and escaping, the two Pokémon found a place to rest.
During this downtime, Dusknoir finally asked Grovyle why he was so intent on changing time even at the cost of his own existence, confessing that he simply just didn't want to disappear. Grovyle claims that he really doesn't want to disappear either, but says that even if he were to fail and the dark future continued as it was, eventually he wouldn't exist anyway. As a result, he believes the timing doesn't matter, stating that a shorter life where his spirit would shine, where he performed actions that would live on beyond his existence, was prefereble to a long and empty one.
They soon got back on the trail and, after getting a lead from a surprisingly agreeable , finally encountered Celebi being held prisoner by a at the end of Icicle Forest. Remembering the species from his previous experience, Grovyle leaps in despite feeling an intense sense of unease and is caught in a sudden, powerful discharge of strange electricity foming from four nearby ice pillars.
At this point, Dusknoir laughs and begins to explain how he had fooled Grovyle. Primal Dialga's supposed order to execute Dusknoir and intent to replace him with a new henchman were lies; Dusknoir and the Sableye had all played out their roles in order to lead Grovyle into this trap, and even Dusknoir protecting Grovyle from the falling ice shard was for the sake of this plan. Dusknoir explains that the electrical discharge would soon melt Grovyle's spirit away, after which Dusknoir would inhabit his empty body and travel back to the past, sure that the player and partner would accept him as Grovyle. Though shocked at how Dusknoir managed to orchestrate the entire ruse, Grovyle surprises Dusknoir back by claiming that he still trusted him. Noting their earlier heart to heart and the fact that Dusknoir sided with Primal Dialga merely out of the desire to not disappear, Grovyle insists to both him and the Sableye that the dark future has no happiness to be found. Dusknoir begins to show visible emotional conflict.
Just before Grovyle is overcome by the discharge, something pushes him away. Celebi and the Sableye are surprised to see Dusknoir saving Grovyle, and a furious Primal Dialga arrives on the scene to savagely attack Dusknoir for this betrayal. When the Sableye also choose to join Dusknoir in open defiance and attack Dialga together, only to be swept aside, the terrified Spiritomb releases Celebi and flees. She attemps to attack Dialga herself, but everyone stops when an aurora appears in the sky and winds start to blow, indicating that the player and partner have succeeded in their mission.
Dialga goes completely berserk at the sight and blasts everyone again before he flees, to which Dusknoir believes he intends to attack the Passage of Time at the top of Vast Ice Mountain in his rampage. Once they recovered from Dialga's attacks, and with mutual understanding that they would all soon cease to be, Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Celebi all proceeded up the dungeon and confronted Dialga again at the top. A final battle ensued, with the team of three ultimately emerging triumphant from the harsh struggle.
Everyone's disappearance begins to escalate, one by one, with Primal Dialga going first. Dusknoir asks Grovyle whether his spirit did shine, and with Grovyle's affirmative response, he is able to vanish with no regrets. As the sun begins to rise upon the dark world for the first time, Grovyle and an overwhelmed, tearful Celebi watch the sight as they both disappear together.
All three of them soon awaken however, they and Dialga having not disappeared after all, nor have any of the other Pokémon. The restored Dialga does not claim responsibility for this and says their survival was the work of . Grovyle, hoping that the player has also survived their fate, calls out to the wind that he and the others are safe and that they'll rebuild the new future together.
==In other languages==
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Category:Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
de:Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Erkundungsteam Himmel#Bonusepisoden
es:Capítulos especiales de Pokémon Mundo misterioso: Exploradores del cielo
fr:Épisode spécial
it:Episodio Speciale
ja:スペシャルエピソード
zh:特殊剧情（时暗空探险队）