EP153

Love, Totodile Style (Japanese: おどれワニノコ！あいのステップを！！ Dance, ! Dance the Steps of Love!!) is the 153rd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on June 22, 2000, and in the United States on May 26, 2001. 
==Blurb==
Ash's Totodile falls head over tail for a passing Azumarill, but is still unsuccessful in having its feelings requited when Team Rocket kidnap the Pokémon before Totodile's eyes.
==Plot==
En route to Goldenrod City, and stop by a lake. lets out all of her Pokémon so they can swim, but has to be quickly rescued after it panics. Ash sends out too; he spots some and uses his to toss them into the air. As everyone is having lunch, Totodile sees an sitting on the shore and singing. Totodile immediately falls in love with her and runs over to dance in front of the Azumarill. She isn't impressed, however, and blasts it with a Water Gun. Azumarill walks away, but Totodile follows her.
At the table, the group sees a in the bushes. Misty wants to catch it, but urges her to wait since it seems to be looking for something. Shortly after, Golduck's Trixie arrives. Brock immediately tries flirting with Trixie, but Misty pulls him away. Ash apologizes for Brock's behavior and asks Trixie if she lost something. Trixie replies that she is looking for her Azumarill, just as the Azumarill from before appears and hides behind Trixie's legs. Totodile comes out of the bushes and blows kisses at Azumarill, but she turns her nose up at him.
Later, at a circus tent, Trixie explains that she always enjoyed the circus and has taught her Pokémon to do tricks. Lately, she has had trouble with Azumarill, who has been acting strangely ever since Golduck joined the troupe. Brock and Totodile later help set up for a show but the latter picks up Azumarill and puts her in the pool, only to be sent flying with Water Gun again. Ash doesn't understand why Totodile is acting this way, and Misty tells him that he will understand when he is older and more mature. In contrast, Brock understands Totodile's feelings immediately and encourages him to pursue Azumarill.
When the show starts, Trixie performs a magic act first as Azumarill comes on and juggles colored balls with her Water Gun. Totodile gets away from Ash and jumps up onto the stage, showing off his own water tricks with fruit tossed to him by the audience. Annoyed, Azumarill storms off, while Ash climbs onstage to try to catch Totodile, but he ends up having to catch the fruit when Totodile runs after Azumarill. Brock promptly reaches a solution to Totodile's dilemma: he will teach Totodile to be successful in love. peers inside the circus tent, and they plot to steal Azumarill and so they can start their own traveling circus and get rich.
Later, Brock starts his lessons with Totodile. He hands Totodile a jar of his homemade Pokémon treats and suggests that Totodile should give them to Azumarill. Totodile does so but is rejected again. Suddenly, a net comes down, captures Azumarill, and drags her away. Totodile chases after Azumarill as Brock watches from the bushes. Brock's yelling alerts Ash and Misty to the situation and confront the culprits, Team Rocket, who recite their as they board their balloon. Jessie antagonizes Ash, and he orders Pikachu to use . However, shoots out a net and traps Pikachu inside an electric-proof cage. 's allows Team Rocket to escape, but Totodile runs after the departing balloon. While struggling, Azumarill loses the ribbon tied to her tail. Totodile catches it, and as Team Rocket floats away, Totodile dives into the lake and resumes the chase via water, ignoring Ash and Brock's yells to come back. They soon inform Trixie, and following Misty's suggestion, they search the forest on the other side of the lake.
As Team Rocket hides in a log cabin, Jessie and James try to persuade Azumarill to do tricks for them, but she refuses. The trio quickly gets tired of Azumarill's behavior and resorts to using force, but they are stopped by a Water Gun from Totodile, who has found them. Meowth promptly muzzles Totodile and ties him up. At nightfall, with Team Rocket asleep, Azumarill looks out the window at the moon and starts to cry. Totodile promptly gives her her ribbon back and cheers her up by dancing.
In the morning, Team Rocket prepares to leave with the new intention of giving the Pokémon to the for a reward. As they lift off in their balloon, they are spotted by Trixie's , which pokes a hole in the balloon, and they crash. The cages fall out, and Ash gets Pikachu and Totodile back, but Team Rocket is still holding onto Azumarill. Trixie orders Golduck to use Water Gun, which defeats Weezing and . 's attack slices open the cages, and Totodile uses his Water Gun to knock Team Rocket over so that Bulbasaur can retrieve Azumarill's cage with . To finish them off, Pikachu's sends them blasting off again.
Bulbasaur slices through the cage with its Razor Leaf flurry and frees Azumarill. Brock urges Totodile to confess his feelings for Azumarill. However, as Totodile does so, Azumarill rushes past him and instead embraces Golduck, much to everyone's surprise. Trixie finally concludes that Azumarill's odd behavior was because she was actually lovesick over Golduck. Brock comforts the disappointed Totodile, saying that love is still worth fighting for. Before the group departs, Brock flirts with Trixie one last time and has to be dragged away. Ash calls to Totodile, who is sitting on the shore of the lake watching a . He runs to the Quagsire and dances for it but gets rejected. Ash is forced to chase after Totodile with his Lure Ball, as he tries to get him to return.
==Major events==
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* 
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* Jessie
* James
* Trixie
* Audience
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international), (Japan)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Trixie's; debut)
* (Trixie's)
* (Trixie's)
* (Trixie's)
* (Trixie's; multiple)
* (multiple)
* 
==Trivia==
* The Japanese title could be a reference to the Japanese title of the title song for his album .
* This episode's English dub title is based on the TV series . Other episodes that share this basis are Love, Pokémon Style and Love, Petalburg Style.
* This episode is featured on Volume 16: Totodile from Viz Media's series.
* This episode is featured on Pokémon All-Stars: Totodile from 's series.
* This episode was partially adapted into the book Teaming Up With Totodile.
* This episode confirms that Ash's Totodile is male, as says "That's how a man gets stronger" (男は そうやって強くなっていくんだ！ Otoko wa, souyatte tsuyokunatteikunda!) while referring to Totodile in the original Japanese version.
* This episode marks the first time that a first partner Pokémon belonging to a main character has had their gender confirmed.
* In the games, Totodile, Azumarill, and Golduck are all in the Egg Group, meaning that they are able to breed.
===Errors===
* The narrator says and are on a "journey to Johto" at the beginning of the episode, despite them already being in Johto.
* In several scenes, Trixie's wristband is missing.
* When Totodile appears from the bushes, and again when Ash kneels down to him when the group first meets Trixie, his eyelids are blue, whereas they are white in the rest of the episode.
* When Trixie says that the circus is fun, Ash's hat has its colors reversed.
* At night, when is sleeping, there is no bottom of 's cage. Later on, when Jessie is taking it into the Meowth balloon, one appears.
* uses , a move that it cannot legally learn in the games.
* When the group confronts Team Rocket after downing their balloon, Jessie's undershirt and the tips of 's tail and feet are missing.
* When Ash starts running after Totodile and , his mouth moves, but no sound comes out.
* In the English dub, when says that Totodile, who is juggling with his attack, is talented, 's mouth and arms move, but no sound can be heard.
EP153 error.png|Trixie's missing wristband
EP153 error 2.png|Jessie's missing shirt and Meowth's miscolored tail
===Dub edits===
* Pokémon Karaokémon: Pikachu (I Choose You)
* In the dub, Brock tells Ash's Totodile, "Ok boy, hit her with everything I taught ya, and don't give up 'til you win her!" when Totodile falls for a at the end of the episode, confirming he is male in the English dub.
==In other languages==
153
Category:Episodes written by Shinzō Fujita
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hisashi Shiina
Category:Episodes directed by Tarō Iwasaki
Category:Episodes animated by Katsumi Hashimoto
Category:Episodes focusing on Brock
de:Liebe auf Karnimani Art
es:EP155
fr:EP153
it:OA037
ja:無印編第153話
zh:宝可梦 第154集