JN001

Enter Pikachu! (Japanese: ピカチュウ誕生！ Pikachu is Born!) is the first episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,086th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It premiered in Japan at a special screening on November 15, 2019. It first aired in Japan two days later on November 17, 2019, as a one-hour special, in Canada on May 9, 2020, in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2020, as a sneak peek, and in the United States on June 12, 2020.
==Blurb==
In Pallet Town, a young Ash Ketchum is beside himself with anticipation—he’s going to Professor Oak’s Pokémon Camp! But when the day arrives, he oversleeps, and Professor Oak and the other campers leave without him. Two of the young campers, Goh and Chloe, become separated from the group and encounter the Mythical Pokémon Mew—and Goh vows to catch it someday!
Meanwhile, a once-lonely Pichu is spending its days with a group of friendly Kangaskhan, but when the time comes for it to set off on its own, it suddenly evolves into Pikachu! After some time, Pikachu ends up at Professor Oak’s lab…and the rest is history!
==Plot==
Four years prior to when he began his Pokémon journey, a six-year-old rushes downstairs to show a poster advertising 's Pokémon camp. Seeing her son's enthusiasm, Delia agrees to sign him up, but she admits he will have to get himself up since she will be busy that morning. However, Ash is too excited to listen. Meanwhile, in the forested outskirts of Pallet Town, a young observes his surroundings before being attacked by an , though Pichu uses to defend himself. Ekans slithers away, while the electrical discharge leaves Pichu exhausted.
Pichu quickly recovers and notices, unlike all the other wild Pokémon, that he is alone. Just then, a group of floats by and unleashes an odor, leaving Pichu so disoriented that he falls over a cliff. However, he is caught by a . Pichu is initially frightened by the large Kangaskhan mother, but he quickly takes a liking to her and her child. As the Kangaskhan herd prepares to leave, the mother places Pichu in her pouch. The herd later stops by some Oran Berry trees to eat, with both the Kangaskhan baby and Pichu each getting a Berry to enjoy. Having finally found a place where he belongs, Pichu continues to live with the Kangaskhan.
Several weeks later, Professor Oak's camp begins. While many of the attendees, including Chloe and her friend Goh, have arrived on time, Ash is still sleeping as he broke his alarm clock in his excitement. Since Goh and Chloe are eager to begin their field trip, Professor Oak decides to set off without Ash. Ash eventually wakes up, and in a panic, he rushes out of the house while still in his pajamas, desperate to make it to the lab before everyone leaves. During the trip, the kids and Oak observe a young herself a . Throughout the day, Goh continues to show off his Pokémon knowledge, identifying every Pokémon in sight and reciting facts about them. While the other kids are impressed, Chloe orders Goh to allow Professor Oak to do the talking instead. However, Goh continues to provide his input, even correcting Oak on his statement that all Pokémon evolve.
While Oak leads the group over a bridge, Goh and Chloe lag behind. Chloe tells Goh that he should focus on making friends instead, but Goh insists that he wants to find a rare and never-before-seen Pokémon. Chloe dismisses Goh's ambition as a dream, but Goh asserts that it is the future. The cry of a attracts their attention, and Goh hones in on Nidoking's opponent, a . Nidoking uses , but Mew simply s to evade. Mew replies with the same move, which easily hits the Nidoking. As Nidoking attempts a , Mew Teleports away again before retaliating with the same move once again. Nidoking becomes frustrated and launches a at his shifty opponent, though Mew again evades and proceeds to defeat Nidoking with its own Fire Blast. Chloe and Goh are impressed by the mysterious Pokémon, and they give chase as it flies away. In their search, the pair come across a , though Mew quickly s to its regular form to reveal itself. Mew leaves yet again with Goh and Chloe in pursuit, transforming into a to run across the land before changing into a to travel downstream.
Elsewhere, Pichu continues to enjoy his time with the Kangaskhan family. He plays a game of hide-and-seek but is quickly spotted by the Kangaskhan baby, ending the round. While searching for Pichu again, the young Kangaskhan spots a Lapras as it cruises down the river. Lapras reveals itself to be Mew, who quickly takes interest in the Kangaskhan baby. Mew overhears Goh and Chloe’s voices and flies away, though the Kangaskhan baby scales some ledges to follow its mysterious encounter. Meanwhile, the Kangaskhan mothers call their babies out for a egg meal. Pichu and the Kangaskhan mother soon notice the infant's absence and begin to search for it. The search party makes their way over to the stream, where they overhear the young Kangaskhan's cries. While chasing after Mew, the ledge underfoot gives way, sending the young Kangaskhan hurtling towards the water below. Chloe and Goh stop as they hear the young one's screams. Mew turns back and promptly uses to save the Kangaskhan baby from harm, and returning her to her mother’s arms. With the family united, Mew soars away. Afterward, Professor Oak rushes towards the two kids, relieved to have finally found them. While returning to the rest of the group, Oak speculates they encountered a Mew, a Mythical Pokémon believed to contain the genes of all Pokémon. Hearing this, Goh sets his sights on catching Mew one day. Ash, meanwhile, sits on his bed at home, miserable at having missed the camp entirely.
Some time passes, and both Pichu and the Kangaskhan baby have grown. The Kangaskhan herd seeks refuge from a rainstorm in a cave, but Pichu notices his adoptive mother is having trouble carrying both of them at once now. He tries to jump out to lighten her load, but the mother Kangaskhan picks him back up. As night falls, Pichu knows it is time to move on. While the Kangaskhan are fast asleep, Pichu leaves his adoptive mother's pouch, takes a moment to observe his family as they sleep, and tearfully ventures outside. Grateful for their kindness and company, Pichu suddenly evolves into a . Looking in a nearby puddle, Pikachu is initially startled by his reflection before twirling around in excitement. Pikachu waves goodbye to his adoptive family and departs.
Four years later, Professor Oak gives this very Pikachu to Ash, who is now an aspiring young Trainer. Pikachu, however, isn't happy with Ash's enthusiasm and shocks him with Thunder Shock. However, as time passes, Ash and Pikachu become close friends. In the present day Vermilion City, Goh is pumped up to realize his dream.
==Major events==
* A young Goh and Chloe encounter a at age six, and Goh decides to it one day.
* Ash's Pikachu is revealed to have evolved from a four years before the start of 's .
* Ash is revealed to have changed into a .
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Goh
* Chloe
====Pokémon debuts====
* Mew (anime)
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* Goh
* Chloe
* 
* 
* Professor Cerise (fantasy)
* Girl 
* Children
* Chloe's classmates
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: 
* (evolves; later 's)
* (; evolved)
* (Girl Trainer's)
* (Girl Trainer's; new)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (multiple)
* (fantasy)
* 
* (multiple)
* 
* (×2)
* (multiple)
* (×5)
* 
* (×6)
* 
* 
* 
* 
* (multiple)
* (×3)
* (×2)
* 
* 
* (multiple)
* (multiple)
* (×2)
* 
* 
* (×2)
* (multiple)
* (multiple)
* 
* 
* (×3)
* (×3)
* (×5)
* (×2)
* (fantasy)
* 
* (multiple)
* ()
==Trivia==
* An of this episode was drawn by Atsuko Nishida.Tweet by @anipoke_PR on November 6, 2019
* Pichu is attacked by an and , both species that once belonged to Jessie and James, respectively.
* This is the first episode to air in Japan after the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield.
* This episode serves as a prequel to the original series.
* This is the first debut episode of a new series that does not showcase a new or region.
* This marks the first time in where is voiced by someone other than Rica Matsumoto in the Japanese version.
* This episode marks the first appearance of a number of Pokémon species in the main series after long absences:
** , who last appeared in Danger, Sweet as Honey!, 305 episodes ago.
** , who last appeared in Mystery on a Deserted Island!, 294 episodes ago.
** , who last appeared in From A to Z!, 193 episodes ago.
** , who last appeared in A Windswept Encounter!, 183 episodes ago.
** A regular , who last appeared in Making Friends and Influencing Villains!, 170 episodes ago.
** and a regular , both of whom last appeared in Seeing the Forest for the Trees!, 166 episodes ago.
** , who last appeared in Forming a More Perfect Union!, 151 episodes ago.
* One, Two, Three replaced Your Adventure as the Japanese opening theme.
** This episode's opening theme is played near the end of the episode, instead of before the title card.
* This is the season premiere of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and The Journey Starts Today replaces The Challenge of Life as the English opening.
* This is the first episode to be dubbed by Iyuno, taking over from DuArt Media Services.
* Megan Hollingshead returns to voicing characters for the English dub.
* This is the first episode to premiere on Netflix in .
** It is also the first episode to begin with an epilepsy warning outside of Japan. Previously, epilepsy warnings have been broadcasted in the original Japanese versions of episodes since EP038.
* This episode was uploaded to YouTube on July 13, 2020, by Pokémon's official YouTube channel, making it the first time a full episode was uploaded there.
* Professor Cerise, Ash, several s, Goh, and narrate the preview for the next episode.
*This marks the first time a evolves onscreen in the .
===Errors===
* In one shot when Ash is running to the camp, the pocket on his pajama shirt is colored yellow instead green.
* When notices the baby on a cliff, his tail is colored yellow instead of black.
JN001 error.png|Ash's miscolored pocket
JN001 error 2.png|Pichu's miscolored tail
===Dub edits===
* The opening theme is played and the title card is shown after Pichu meets Kangaskhan rather than at the end of the episode. The opening credits are therefore no longer shown over the beginning of the episode.
* The post-credits scenes featuring Chloe and Goh are moved before the ending credits.
* Beginning with this episode, the "To Be Continued" text at the end is removed. The version of the episode on Pokémon TV and the official Pokémon YouTube channel for the United States retain the text, however.
* The original title card music is replaced with dub music; the version of the episode on Pokémon TV and the official Pokémon YouTube channel for the United States retain the original title card music, however.
* Beginning with this episode, the English dub title card design is based on the title card originally used during the previews for the next episodes. On Netflix, the original title card design is used to label the show as a Netflix Original Series at the start of the episode.
* In the dub, the narrator says "So let's go! As the journey continues!" at the end of the episode. In the English dub, he just says "As the journey continues!".
JN002 Title Card JP.png|Original title card
JN Netflix Card.png|"A Netflix Original Series" card
JN002 Preview Card JP.png|Original preview title card
JN001 Title Card.png|Dub title card
==References==
==In other languages==
001
Category:Episodes focusing on Pikachu
Category:Episodes focusing on Goh
Category:Episodes written by Reiko Yoshida
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yūji Asada
Category:Episodes directed by Yoshitaka Makino
Category:Episodes animated by Sayuri Ichiishi
Category:Episodes animated by Shin'ichi Yoshino
Category:Episodes by one-time animation directors
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes in which a Mythical Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character is introduced
Category:Milestone episodes
Category:Episodes which aired in Canada before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
de:Hallo, Pikachu!
es:EP1090
fr:LV001
it:EP001
ja:新無印編第1話
zh:宝可梦 旅途 第1集