AG045

A Togepi Mirage! (Japanese: 蜃気楼の彼方に！トゲピーの楽園！ Other Side of the Mirage! 's Paradise!) is episode 45 of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 319th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on October 2, 2003, and in the United States on October 2, 2004.
==Blurb==
Shedinja attacks Misty and friends, but they are protected by Togepi using Safeguard. Everyone is then transported into the Togepi Paradise, located inside the mirage floating above the temple. There they find a group of sick Togepi. It is explained that Togepi are only well based on the emotions of those around them, and the evil plotting of Colonel Hansen is making them sick.
Colonel Hansen tries to break into the Togepi Paradise, and Misty's Togepi travels back to try and stop him. Instead Togepi is knocked out by Hansen's Shedinja and Ninjask. Misty and everyone else are transported back to the Mirage Kingdom.
Back at the palace Hansen claims the throne, and has the king imprisoned. He kicks Team Rocket out. A ceremony begins in which Hansen is declared king. Outside, Team Rocket disguise themselves as fortune tellers to tell Brock where the king is being held.
Ash, May, Misty, and Princess Sara confront Hansen at the palace, but Torchic and Pikachu are no match for Ninjask and Shedinja. The other Togepi suddenly emerge from the Togepi Paradise and channel their energy into Misty's Togepi, using Safeguard to protect everyone. Misty's Togepi evolves into a Togetic.
Misty throws out her Gyarados and uses Flamethrower to roast all of Colonel Hansen's Pokémon. The king arrives and has Hansen arrested. Togetic decides to stay and protect the Togepi Paradise. All of the Togepi leave, except for one who jumps into Sara's arms. With that Togepi, the princess can now claim the Mirage Kingdom throne.
Everyone bids Misty goodbye as she heads back to Cerulean City aboard a zeppelin.
==Plot==
's cheeks are sparking with electricity as Colonel Hansen orders his Pokémon to attack. His two use while unleashes a at the group. watches as protects everyone from the attacks with a . After that, , , and the others disappear, much to Colonel Hansen's dismay. They find themselves in a mysterious dimension, which calls the Togepi Paradise. She explains that the Mirage Kingdom and Togepi Paradise help to protect each other, but she is sad to say that a lot has changed since the last time she was here. Misty's Togepi leads everyone to some injured Togepi. consults her Pokédex for a solution which details that Togepi has the ability to sense people's hearts, but its power will be weakened if it senses impurity in a Trainer. Hansen and his Pokémon manage to break into the Togepi Paradise, a feat which does not go unnoticed by Ash and the others. Togepi floats towards Hansen, much to the surprise of everyone. With Togepi in his grasp, Hansen makes his way towards the palace to demand the throne from the King. When the King refuses, Hansen sends the reigning monarchs to the dungeon.
Misty is left fuming and attempts to break through the time-space barrier to the Mirage Kingdom. The weakened Togepi use their power to assist the group in returning. Later, as they make their way through town, leads the discussion and states they have to defeat Colonel Hansen's Pokémon. May replies that her would be perfect. Suddenly Jessie appears on a broadcast screen to announce that Colonel Hansen is now the Mirage Kingdom's regent. Miranda and the townspeople are aghast, and Princess Sara is now deeply concerned for her parents. Meanwhile, 's attention turns to their reward, but Hansen declares that he has no need for them anymore. The Team Rocket trio think it is a cruel joke, but realize Hansen has betrayed them after he orders his Pokémon to send them blasting off.
Ash's Taillow and May's Beautifly conduct an aerial search of the palace, but report back without any news. Miranda advises the group that the King and Queen are likely being kept in the tower, so Brock suggests they break into the palace. Ash, Misty, May, and Princess Sara decide that they will rescue Togepi while Brock, Max, and Miranda search for Sara's parents. As Brock, Max, and Miranda look for the King, two fortune tellers, who are actually Team Rocket in disguise, inform them of the King's location. After that, Team Rocket disappears, their revenge on Hansen for betraying them complete. Miranda says she'll lead Brock and Max to the hinted location.
Meanwhile, Colonel Hansen arrives at the coronation temple with Togepi in hand, and the priest officially declares him the new monarch of the Mirage Kingdom. He leaves the complex and orders Togepi to use to open the portal to the Togepi Paradise. However, Ash and the others arrive to stop his plans. Colonel Hansen refuses to listen and instead orders his Pokémon to attack. May sends out Torchic, but she quickly recalls it after it is hit by a from one of Colonel Hansen's Ninjask. , however, manages to knock out both Ninjask with a attack. As Shedinja charges up a Solar Beam, a Safeguard intervenes, with the defenses source revealed to be the Togepi from the Paradise. The Paradise Togepi perform a Metronome and bestow a mysterious blue light on Misty's Togepi. Next, Togepi bursts with blue energy before evolving into . Ash and the others look quite bewildered by Togetic's new form. It flies up to the Paradise Togepi and protects them from an oncoming Solar Beam, which irritates Colonel Hansen. Togetic causes the area to flare with bright white light. Misty smiles and tells Togetic to leave everything to her. She takes out a , kisses it, and calls out her , much to Ash's surprise, as he's never seen her use one before. Hansen is not fazed one bit, knowing that Gyarados's attacks are useless against his Shedinja. Misty does not back down and confidently orders Gyarados to use , much to Hansen's horror. The Fire-type attack deals great damage to the Bug-type Shedinja, finally knocking it out. It also burns off part of Hansen's mustache. While everyone wonders why Gyarados can use Flamethrower, Misty states that some Water Pokémon can learn Fire attacks, too. The King and Queen, with their guards, Brock, Max, and Miranda all behind them, arrive at that moment and confront Hansen, and he is sent to the dungeon for his treachery. Team Rocket spies on the scene from a rooftop and are pleased to see Hansen being taken away.
Later, the Togepi appear cheerier than before and return to the Paradise. Togetic informs Misty that it wishes to stay behind in the Paradise and become its protector to prevent people like Hansen from causing harm. Misty releases Togetic, and they share one last tearful moment before bidding each other farewell. As Togetic enters the Togepi Paradise, the sky mirage fades. Princess Sara assures Misty that she will protect the Paradise and Togetic from harm. Something is tugging at the Princess's dress, and Sara is surprised to see a Togepi, likely one that didn't return to Paradise with the others. She is happy, because not only does she get a Togepi, but she is also eligible to become the new ruler. Later, as Misty prepares to return to Cerulean City and resume her Gym Leader duties, she wishes everyone the best of luck with their endeavors and invites them to visit her sometime. Ash and the others wave to Misty as she leaves back to Kanto in a blimp. Meanwhile, at the Paradise, Togetic happily looks around the lush landscape.
==Major events==
* 's learns and later evolves into .
* learns that Misty has obtained a .
* Misty's Gyarados is revealed to know .
* Misty Togetic in the Mirage Kingdom and returns to Cerulean City.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* ()
=====Main series and English dub debuts=====
* Misty's Gyarados
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Max
* Jessie
* James
* Colonel Hansen
* Princess Sara
* 
* King and Queen of the Mirage Kingdom
* Mirage Kingdom Palace guards
===Pokémon===
Pokémon Trainer’s Choice: 
* ()
* ()
* (; evolves)
* (; newly evolved; released; debut)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Colonel Hansen's)
* (Colonel Hansen's; ×2)
* (Princess Sara's; new)
* (Togepi Paradise's; multiple)
==Trivia==
* Because the Sky is There replaces Polka O Dolka as the Japanese ending theme.
* This episode was aired in English exactly one year after its Japanese airdate.
* With the exception of (which wouldn't appear until years later, due to the incident involving its ), as of this episode, every Generation II Pokémon has appeared in the animated series.
* This episode marks the first appearance of a in the other than the one that belonged to .
* As with the previous episode, Japanese voice artists for 's first three female traveling companions are featured in this episode and the previous one; Mayumi Iizuka and KAORI. voice and , respectively; and Megumi Toyoguchi, who voices Princess Sara in this episode, went on to play during .
* This episode marks the final time that one of evolves.
* This episode is featured on Pokémon All-Stars: Togepi from 's series.
* does not recite their .
* Music from Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias is used in this episode.
===Errors===
* In one scene, 's hair overlaps Misty's arm, even though May was standing farther back than her.
* A similar mistake to the ones that happened in the previous episode happens again: when the King orders his soldiers to seize Colonel Hansen, the silver halo over 's head is missing.
* When Misty is saying goodbye to Togetic, the shading on the cast and the archway are inconsistent.
* When Ash says that he will try to win the Hoenn League, his jacket appears desaturated.
AG045 error 2.png|The overlap error
AG045 error.png|Shedinja's missing halo
AG045 error 3.png|Ash's miscolored jacket
===Dub edits===
* In the English dub, Ash asks Misty when she learned how to use . In the original Japanese version, he asks Misty when she got Gyarados.
* In the Hindi Hungama TV dub of this episode, Ash doesn't seem to wonder how Gyarados was able to use a Fire-type attack being a Water-type Pokémon itself, but simply feels amazed and congratulates it for knocking out Shedinja rather effortlessly.
====Pokémon Trainer's Choice====
* Question: Trainers, Which one of these Pokémon evolves into ?
* Choices: , , 
* Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose Mudkip, you were right!
==In other languages==
045
Category:Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Kunihiko Yuyama
Category:Episodes directed by Shigeru Ōmachi
Category:Episodes animated by Yumenosuke Tokuda
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon evolves
Category:Episodes in which a main character releases or gives away a Pokémon
Category:Episodes focusing on Misty
Category:Episodes focusing on Togepi
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
Category:Episodes in which a main character leaves the group
de:Das Togepi-Paradies
es:EP321
fr:AG045
it:RZ045
ja:AG編第45話
zh:宝可梦 超世代 第45集