AG125

Like a Meowth to a Flame (Japanese: サイユウシティ到着！長靴をはいたニャース！？ Arrival in City! in Boots!?) is the 125th episode of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 399th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 21, 2005, and in the United States on March 4, 2006.
==Blurb==
Ash and his friends have finally arrived in Ever Grande city for the Hoenn League Championships, but they're mobbed by a group of Murkrow as they're looking for a place to eat. A snappily-dressed Meowth and its Trainer, Tyson, jump into save the day. After introductions and a friendly lunch together, it's time to see the torch carried to the stadium. Tyson himself turns out to be the torch bearer!
While Tyson heads for the stadium, Ash makes his preparations for the Hoenn league and wonders where Morrison is. Team Rocket is also making their preparations—to steal the torch, which burns with a legendary flame! When Tyson brings the torch to a storage room before the ceremonies, a disguised Team Rocket grabs the torch and runs! Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and our heroes all give chase and finally corner Team Rocket.
Tyson's Meowth seizes the torch and dares Team Rocket's Meowth to try and take it back. Meowth, its pride wounded, takes up the challenge, but is quickly defeated by its new rival before Team Rocket is sent blasting off as usual. With the torch recovered, now the Hoenn League championships can get underway!
==Plot==
 and are on the deck of a ship, with Ever Grande City and the site of Hoenn League's Ever Grande Conference now in sight. Meanwhile, is following the ship in their . Inside, they're all moaning about the hard work of following the twerps, but when James suggests taking some time to rest, he is vetoed by Jessie, who insists that if they stop now, they'll miss their chance at something of interest. 
With one week until the tournament starts, Ash has some serious training to do. , however, is focused on her stomach and is set on finding the famous Ever Grande Noodle Nosh, which her guidebook describes as one of the best places to eat in all of Hoenn. Sometime later, as the group makes their way down a narrow back street somewhere in the city, Max asks his sister if she's really sure the shop is in a place like this. As she expresses her certainty, the others have their doubts. An opportunistic flock of goes on the attack, stealing May’s guidebook in the process. drives them off temporarily with a , but more swoop down to take their place. The cycle continues until a - one wearing boots and a hat - comes to their rescue.
The Meowth, with help from its , , drives off the flock of Murkrow. The group thanks him for the help, and while he's saying it's no big deal, he sees the restaurant guide lying on the ground. It turns out he's also going to the same ramen shop. During the meal, Tyson tells Ash that he, too, will be in the tournament, so they're rivals. admits that Tyson's Meowth has been well raised, Tyson thanks him for the compliment and marvels as his usually picky Meowth happily eats Brock's handmade Pokémon food. The conversation continues, with bonding between Tyson and the group, until Tyson notices the time. He has to get going, or he'll be late. As he rushes outside, Ash and the others follow behind. Ash asks what the rush is, and Tyson reveals that he is a torch runner so has to get to the Pokémon Center to collect the sacred flame.
Outside the Center, League President Charles Goodshow, together with the local Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy and a small crowd of spectators, are waiting for the flame to arrive. The flame soon arrives by a police motorcade, just as Tyson reaches the Center and apologizes for being late. Then the group arrives, and when the League President greets Ash and Brock by name, May and Max are very impressed. Ash explains that they were torch runners once. May and Max are even more surprised than before when Goodshow knows May's name, too, admitting that he watched her compete in the Hoenn Grand Festival on TV. Tyson sets off running with the flame, with his Meowth running beside him. In the bushes, Team Rocket's Meowth watches and becomes jealous of Tyson’s overdressed Meowth. Jessie and James tell him to get moving so they can steal the sacred torch, and all three run off to get started on their plan. Meanwhile, Ash and his friends are about to set off for the stadium on foot when Goodshow's limo pulls up, and he invites them to join him for the ride since they're all heading to the same place. As Tyson runs along a route lined with people, the limo takes a back road. As it goes over a hill, the occupants get their first view of the stadium complex for the tournament. Goodshow points out the stadium’s Pokémon Center where registration and announcements will take place. He also tells May and Max about the restaurants and shops nearby.
Ash registers for the competition and receives the official guide to the tournament, of which Max takes possession. Meanwhile, Brock is doing exactly what would be expected of him in a place filled with so many Jennies and Joys, at least until Max drags him away. Ash asks the Joy in charge of registration if Morrison has registered yet, but she states that he has not. On a screen above the registration desk, Tyson has arrived at the stadium complex, not visibly tired at all from the long run. Afterward, Ash calls on the Center videophone, who offers to send any of the Ash left with him at any time. Ash declines, saying that he came to Hoenn to try a fresh start, and his Hoenn Pokémon are ready for the tough competition ahead. The call ends with some words of encouragement from Oak.
Moments later, an alarm goes off. The sacred flame has been stolen. The group meets up with Tyson, who tells them what happened. As he delivered the flame to a group of Jennys and Joys, one Jenny caused a distraction by pointing into the distance and saying she thought she saw a real Moltres. As everyone was looking, she and one of the Joys, none other than Jessie and James in disguise, ran off with the flame. With a bit of fancy driving, one Jenny gets ahead and cuts Team Rocket off, but they turn aside, going offroad and heading straight for a cliff. As the motorcycle goes off the cliff, the thieves jump off and into the basket of their waiting Meowth balloon. This is followed shortly by the recital of the and removal of disguises to reveal Team Rocket.
The balloon starts to leave, and Ash orders Pikachu to use , though the attack is turned back on Pikachu by a device wielded by Meowth. The Jenny on the scene is about to use her , but Joy stops her, reminding her that they can't risk putting the fire out. Tyson sends out his to stop the balloon with its . Meowth turns up the flame to counter the pull. Neither side is making any progress, and Goodshow asks Ash if he has any Pokémon. When Ash says he has a , Goodshow tells him to Team Rocket as it won’t put out the flame. Things go exactly as planned - Glalie's freezes Team Rocket while the flame keeps burning. Metagross pulls the balloon down, and Ash leaps into the basket. He takes the flame, but before he can get away with it, Team Rocket breaks out of the ice and tries to snatch it back. In the struggle, the flame falls out of the balloon. Jessie throws Meowth after the flame to catch it. He grabs it and then realizes he's still falling and panics. Tyson sends his Meowth to save the flame who jumps up and grabs the flame from Team Rocket's Meowth in midair, kicking Team Rocket's Meowth in the process. Landing, Tyson's Meowth sets the flame safely on the ground, then turns and says something rather insulting to Team Rocket's Meowth. The two Meowth get into a heated argument over the flame torch. Team Rocket's Meowth readies his claws to attack, but Tyson's Meowth lands a hit first before sending Team Rocket's Meowth blasting off with an . Ash jumps from the balloon and is caught by Metagross's Confusion attack. Tyson proceeds to have Meowth blow up the balloon and send Team Rocket blasting off with a Thunderbolt.
Back at the stadium complex, League President Goodshow thanks Ash and Tyson for their work in protecting the flame, without which the tournament could not start. Ash and Tyson admit they are both looking forward to facing each other in the tournament, which is soon to begin.
==Major events==
* arrives in Ever Grande City and registers for the Ever Grande Conference.
* Ash meets , a new rival.
* Ash decides to use only his current party Pokémon in the tournament instead of using any of his Pokémon at Oak's.
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* 
====Pokémon debuts====
* Tyson's Meowth
=====TV episode debuts=====
* 
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* Max
* 
* Jessie
* James
* 
* (fantasy)
* Nurse Joy
* Officer Jenny
* 
* Charles Goodshow
* s
===Pokémon===
Pokémon Trainer's Choice: 
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ('s)
* ('s; fantasy)
* ('s; fantasy)
* ('s; fantasy)
* ('s; fantasy)
* ('s; fantasy)
* (multiple)
==Trivia==
* Advance Adventure is used as background music.
* and narrate the preview for the next episode.
* This episode begins the seven-part Ever Grande Conference arc. 
* The title is a reference to the saying "Like a moth to a flame".
* This is the last speaking appearance of Charles Goodshow.
* This is one of the few times "blasts off" at a different time from Jessie and James at the end of the episode.
** It is also one of the times when blasts off without saying "Team Rocket's blasting off again!", and they don't say it either time they blast off.
* In the n dub, Tyson's Meowth has the same voice actor as Team Rocket's Meowth. However, near the end of the episode, it has the same voice as in the English version.
* Like the Indigo League's torch, the Hoenn League's torch gets its flame from .
* James cross-dresses as a Nurse Joy in this episode.
===Errors===
* When Tyson's Meowth attacks the flock of with , the scarf around his neck is absent.
* When Nurse Joy is talking to Ash and , her cross changes color from red to yellow. 
* When Ash is talking to about sending his old Pokémon to himself, Ash said "I'm sure Charizard and the others..." but Ash's Charizard was in Charicific Valley with at that point, not with Professor Oak.
* In the English dub:
** Mr. Goodshow is mistakenly referred to as a professor.
** In the original broadcast on Kids' WB in 2006, the ending credits were incorrectly shown to be last season's opening theme This Dream, instead of Unbeatable, the opening theme for this season. In addition, the copyright year on the credits is listed as "© 1997–2004 Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku", despite the fact that this episode was dubbed in 2005.
===Dub edits===
* In the beginning of the episode, while suggesting that the group find something to eat, refers to ramen as "chicken noodle soup".
* The English dub erases the Japanese text in the ramen restaurant.
====Pokémon Trainer's Choice====
* Question: Trainers, what humble Pokémon does begin as?
* Choices: , , 
* Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose Horsea, you were right!
==In other languages==
125
Category:Episodes written by Aya Matsui
Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes directed by Yoshito Hata
Category:Episodes animated by Izumi Shimura
Category:Episodes animated by Megumi Yamashita
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
de:Das gestiefelte Mauzi
es:EP402
fr:AG125
it:RZ125
ja:AG編第125話
zh:宝可梦 超世代 第124集