DP002

Two Degrees of Separation! (Japanese: ピカチュウをさがせ！２０２番道路！ Find Pikachu! Route 202!) is the second episode of , and the 468th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on September 28, 2006, as part of a one-hour special along with the previous episode and the next episode, and in the US on April 20, 2007 as part of a special preview, two days before the American release of Diamond and Pearl. It was later broadcast in sequence in the United States on June 5, 2007.
==Blurb==
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...
==Plot==
While cycling on , decides to take a break in a grassy field, calling out to join her. As they sit and watch the clouds, Dawn decides to her first . A pops out of the grass and she scrambles to check it with her Pokédex. She knows that weakening it in will make it easier to catch, so she sends Piplup into battle, opening with . She is psyched at calling her first attack, but Buneary jumps up to dodge. Piplup follows up with , but Buneary jumps aside and uses to defeat Piplup in one shot. Dawn rushes forward to grab her Piplup, but Buneary bounces off her head and runs away. Piplup is upset at failing, but Dawn cheers him up.
Dawn returns to her bike, with Piplup riding in the front basket, as she maps out her plan to become a Pokémon Coordinator, starting with participating in the . Dawn soon spots a hanging off a branch and checks it with her Pokédex. Piplup leaps out of the basket and launches a Bubble Beam right away. The attack removes Burmy's and causes it to fall off the branch. Dawn applauds Piplup's efforts, but Piplup frantically points to Burmy scrambling to put its Plant Cloak back together. Dawn remarks on Burmy speed, but Piplup still frantically points to Burmy. Dawn fumbles for a , but by the time she gets it ready, Burmy has already gone. Dawn sinks to her knees in defeat as Piplup consoles her this time. Dawn mentions that she can make mistakes just like Piplup, which does not sit well with the Penguin Pokémon.
Piplup hears the bushes rustling nearby as Dawn turns to the source. A , which belongs to , stumbles out from behind the bush, collapsing from exhaustion as Dawn checks her Pokédex. Although the type disadvantage is present, Piplup is willing to take a shot, firing off Bubble Beam. Despite being exhausted, Pikachu manages to use to negate the attack. Piplup follows up with Peck, but Pikachu launches another Thunderbolt to overpower Piplup, sending him flying backward into Dawn's bike, roasting it in the same manner as 's and 's bikes. Pikachu scratches his head in apologetic embarrassment, as Dawn, who is furious at losing her bike, throws the Poké Ball. The Poké Ball opens and tries to pull Pikachu in, but the energy field dissipates, sending the Poké Ball back to Dawn. Dawn realizes that this Pikachu must already have a . Pikachu runs away, but a , , and cut him off, surrounding the injured Pokémon. steps out, the ability shocking Dawn as she checks her Pokédex. Jessie and James step out as well with and in tow as they confront Dawn. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to shock , but the other Pokémon attack, forcing Pikachu to dodge.
As Dawn watches angrily, she notices Piplup and decides to help out, Piplup firing Bubble Beam to clear the way as they shield Pikachu. Team Rocket recites their , but it has little impact on Dawn since Team Rocket has not spread to Sinnoh. Dawn knows that Pikachu does not belong to Team Rocket, Pikachu clinging to Dawn. Jessie's Seviper attacks Piplup with , binding him as Team Rocket decides to take Piplup as well as Pikachu. Piplup retaliates with Bubble Beam, freeing himself of Seviper's bind. Meowth orders the three Pokémon forward, but Piplup's Bubble Beam and Pikachu's Thunderbolt stop them and send Team Rocket blasting off. Dawn and the Pokémon celebrate, but they are forced to rush over to a Pokémon Center after Pikachu collapses from exhaustion. At the Center, Nurse Joy treats Pikachu as Dawn explains what happened. Dawn calls her mother, informing her of her progress so far. Dawn admits that she hasn't caught a Pokémon yet, which sparks an argument between her and Piplup about who was at fault. Johanna and her watch on, soon ending the call. After the scuffle, Dawn contacts Professor Rowan to recount her brush with Team Rocket. Dawn also informs the Professor that she wants to find Pikachu's Trainer before heading off to Jubilife City.
Meanwhile, Ash's Aipom looks around from atop a tree, assisting Ash in his search for Pikachu. During a routine patrol, Officer Jenny finds Ash somberly sitting on the roadside. After learning of the situation, Officer Jenny gives Ash a ride to Professor Rowan's lab. Professor Rowan greets Ash, handing over Aipom's Poké Ball from before mentioning that his Pikachu is in Dawn's possession. After hearing that, Ash and Rowan place a call through to the Pokémon Center, but Nurse Joy reveals that Dawn already left to try to find Pikachu's Trainer. Ash immediately runs out of the lab for the Pokémon Center to try and catch up with Dawn.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket hikes along a road, exhausted after being beaten. James looks up in astonishment as the group finds James's second summer cottage, where he would go when the first one needed to be cleaned. They enter the estate, finding the furniture covered and the curtains closed. James opens the curtains as the Pokémon lounge on the couch. James enters a playroom and finds a box holding his first bottle cap collection. Among the caps, James pulls out a Poké Ball and recounts the Pokémon he played with before. He throws the Ball up, releasing the Pokémon, which is a . The Pokémon happily bites James's head and hugs him, much like his used to. After Jessie's stomach grumbles, James calls for his servant, Mr. Cheeves over the phone. As Team Rocket feasts on several courses, Mr. Cheeves reports that he notified James's parents and that they, along with Jessebelle, are flying out the next day, much to James's horror. Later on, as the Pokémon play video games, James informs the team that they must leave before his family arrives or else Team Rocket is history, knowing that Jessebelle and his parents would make him marry her. Meowth places a call to as they announce their plan to set up in Sinnoh. Though Giovanni does not sound enthusiastic, he approves of their plan.
Back at the lab, Rowan manages to contact Dawn, identifying Pikachu's Trainer and that he is heading in her direction. Dawn and the Pokémon head back to Route 202 to cross paths with Ash. Dawn remarks that it would be faster with her bike, Pikachu scratching his head in guilt. Meanwhile, Ash and Aipom run along the path when a truck pulls up alongside them. His traveling companion, , steps out of the cab. Brock introduces Ash to the driver, Claudina. Brock recounts that he met her in Pewter City and that they have been on the road. He plans to continue his road trip with her, believing he has a shot. Claudina suddenly receives a call from her boyfriend, instantly upsetting Brock. Claudina apologizes and waves to the pair before driving off, leaving Brock dejected. Brock puts his broken heart aside and decides to journey with Ash once again. At that point, Brock notices Pikachu is missing.
As they walk, Ash brings Brock up to speed on what happened, Brock is astounded that Team Rocket has not given up. Ash checks the map for the Pokémon Center that Dawn was at. Aipom swings through the trees and crashes into a wild , starting a fight. Ash wants to stop the fight, but Brock notices the Pokémon, prompting Ash to check his Pokédex. Ash pulls a Poké Ball out, intent on capturing the -type Pokémon to look for Pikachu. Aipom backs off to launch a attack. It lands, but Starly uses to blow the smoke away. Aipom prepares a , but Starly uses to knock Aipom down before following up with , smacking Aipom several times. Aipom manages to land the Focus Punch, injuring Starly enough so Ash can throw the Poké Ball. Starly goes in and the Ball rattles before locking. Ash holds up 's Poké Ball in success but suddenly feels upset that Pikachu was not around to see it. Brock reminds Ash that he caught Starly to help find Pikachu, so he brings Starly out to begin an aerial search. Meanwhile, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup also continue their search for Ash while another Trainer was watching Ash's catch, remarking that he wouldn't bother with a Pokémon which was that easy to catch.
==Major events==
* decides to make her debut at the Jubilife City Pokémon Contest.
* Dawn tries to a and a , but fails both times.
* Dawn runs into Ash's Pikachu and attempts to catch him, but fails since he has a already.
* Ash's Pikachu accidentally destroys Dawn's bicycle.
* Dawn meets and fights for the first time.
* Ash meets Professor Rowan for the first time.
* James is revealed to own a , which he retrieves from his second summer cottage.
* arrives in Sinnoh and rejoins with .
* Ash catches a .
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Paul
====Pokémon debuts====
* Ash's Starly
* 
* ()
* Paul's Elekid
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* Jessie
* James
* Officer Jenny
* Nurse Joy
* 
* Paul
* Johanna
* Professor Rowan
* Mr. Cheeves
* Jessebelle (fantasy)
* Claudina
* Professor Rowan's assistants
===Pokémon===
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; new)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; returns; debut)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (debut)
* 
* (in a video game)
* (in a video game)
==Trivia==
* This episode, the previous one, and the following one are the first episodes to air in Japan after the earliest releases of in Japan and .
* On DVD releases, Together replaced Spurt! as the Japanese opening theme.
* reads the title card.
* 's second Japanese voice actor, Kenta Miyake, debuted in this episode. His previous voice actor, Hirotaka Suzuoki, passed away on August 6, 2006.
* Instrumental versions of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ and music from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew are used as background music.
* 4Kids background music is used in this episode.
* This is one of the few times refers to Giovanni by name instead of "boss".
* The eyecatch features wearing his Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire clothes with Dawn.
* Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia: Sinnoh Pokédex
** Pokémon senryū: こまったら ひらいてみよう ポケモンずかん Komattara hiraite miyō, Pokémon zukan. "When troubled, let's open the Pokédex."
* From this episode until Once There Were Greenfields, Jessie and James both have three Pokémon each, the first time that James has three Pokémon with him at once.
* In the English dub, the title card music comes from seasons one through eight, when 4Kids Entertainment still dubbed Pokémon. This marks the last episode (and the only episode during The Pokémon Company International era) where the original title card music was used in the dub.
* This episode's English dub title is a reference to the phenomenon "".
* destroys Dawn's bike in this episode, much as he destroyed the bikes of and before they decided to travel with Ash.
* Despite calling the Sinnoh region an island in Home is Where the Start Is, somehow manages to get all the way there via truck.
** However, it is still possible that Brock rode the truck while it was on a sea vessel.
* Jessie apparently forgot who Jessebelle was, despite not only having encountered her face to face, but also having to shout defensively whenever mentions that Jessebelle looks just like Jessie.
* This marks the first appearance of Jessebelle in any capacity since The Heartbreak of Brock, 270 episodes earlier.
* This is the last episode when Team Rocket recites their Battle Frontier .
* This is the only episode in where Pikachu isn't with Ash at any point of the episode.
** This is also the only time when Pikachu isn't present when Ash obtains a new Pokémon, a fact noted by Ash himself.
* In the video game that James has, is taller than , even though Kangaskhan should be much taller.
* This episode marks the first time a has ever been scanned with a Pokédex, despite having been one of the lead characters since the first episode.
** This is also the first episode where a is intentionally scanned with a Pokédex.
* Brock references the Pokémon Theme to Ash by saying, "it's a long and complicated journey when you want to become the very best."
===Errors===
* In the original version, uses , a move that cannot legally learn in the games. In the English dub, this move is changed to , a move Starly can learn.
* When James sends out his , the button is on the lower half of the Poké Ball instead of the upper half.
* In one scene towards the end, Jessie's left eyelashes turn the same color as her skin.
* The background during Dawn's video calls to Professor Rowan are the same despite them both being in different locations. The problem is in the second call, as it looks like the inside the Pokémon Center when it is actually outdoors.
DP002 error 2.png|Carnivine's Poké Ball
Ash Starly Gust.png|Starly using Gust
===Dub edits===
* When the first three episodes aired together on April 20, 2007, they were made into a TV movie, cutting several parts out. All of these were restored when the episodes aired separately in reruns.
** When Dawn lets her out so she can talk to it, the episode title is cut out.
** After Ash finds out where to find Dawn, the transition scene of Rowan sighing and Team Rocket walking is cut out.
** While searching for Ash's Pikachu by air using his Starly, the remaining part is cut out, moving on to the next episode.
* In the English dub, when Carnivine s on James's head, he mentions his , which also had a similar habit. Victreebel wasn't mentioned in the original version.
* In the English dub, Giovanni talks down to Team Rocket and acts irritated with them for all of the things they have fumbled in the past. He also acts like he doesn't know who they are. In the original Japanese version, he just tells them to do their best and acts blankly, as if he doesn't know who he is talking to.
* On the BBC IPlayer/CBBC print of the episode, when Team Rocket meets Dawn for the first time, James saying "That's why she doesn't know a bloody thing about us - there's no Sinnoh Team Rocket branch!" is edited to exclude the first half of the line, since "Bloody" is classified as a vulgar word in some English-speaking countries, such as the United Kingdom.
** Despite this, some UK releases of the episode (e.g. Amazon Prime Video) have the line completely intact.
==In other languages==
002
Category:Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka
Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Hiroyuki Yamada
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hiroyuki Yamada
Category:Episodes directed by Hiroyuki Yamada
Category:Episodes animated by Makoto Shinjō
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
Category:Episodes focusing on Dawn
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on James
Category:Episodes in which a main character joins the group
de:Gib niemals auf!
es:EP471
fr:DP002
it:DP002
ja:DP編第2話
zh:宝可梦 钻石＆珍珠 第2集