Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon: Aim to Be a Master episode 9
With the Pokémon anime only a few episodes from ending, Team Rocket reunites with many of their previous Pokémon in order to pull off their greatest attempt at nabbing Pikachu yet. What's perhaps most surprising, though, is that they very nearly pulled it off.
Like Ash "abandoning" his Pokémon at the beginning of a new era, Team Rocket has often sent off their own Pokémon back to Team Rocket headquarters when they head to a new region, with the sole exception of Wobbuffet. At the beginning of the episode, a Delibird arrives from Rocket HQ carrying Poké Balls containing every Pokémon they've ever sent there--though not every Pokémon they've ever owned, as some like Weezing and Arbok and Mareanie were left elsewhere under other conditions. They're also given a mission from Giovanni himself: use everything they've got to get their hands on Pikachu once and for all.
Team Rocket's Best Plan to Steal Pikachu Yet?
It seemed likely that there would be a Team Rocket-focused episode before Pokémon's Aim to Be a Master miniseries came ended, and this was it. Among the returning Pokémon are Mime Jr., Woobat, Gourgeist, Yamask, Inkay, and Carnivine, to name just a few. Team Rocket's plan also featured many of these Pokémon a fair amount, given how much there was to squeeze into one episode. Step one involved pretending that Mime Jr. wanted to leave Team Rocket, which led to Ash and co. defending it from them. As they tried to flee through the forest, they encountered Amoongus and Yanmega, which Brock stayed behind to fight off using his Ludicolo and Croagunk. Then, they encountered Yamask and Frillish, which Misty stayed behind to fight off with Staryu and Psyduck. Ash himself had to stay behind to fight off Carnivine and Gourgeist with his Infernape and Hawlucha, sending Pikachu and Mime Jr. ahead alone... exactly as Team Rocket predicted.
Team Rocket and their remaining Pokémon had Pikachu surrounded and Mime Jr. revealed the deception, but what they couldn't have expected was for the Latias that has been invisibly following Ash to get involved. It provided Ash a vision of what was happening, allowing him to race to the rescue. When all of Team Rocket's forces gathered in one place, Latias was able to send the entire group of them blasting off, saving the day almost singlehandedly.
A Team Rocket Reunion
Despite their intentions, the episode is a pretty heartwarming reunion for many of Team Rocket's Pokémon, who were just as major characters on the show as Ash's team. Even those that couldn't be there in person, like Mimikyu or Cacnea, were remembered fondly and appeared in a fantasy sequence. It's also a good reminder that Team Rocket's Pokémon really do care about them, and vice versa. In the Pokémon world, being a good friend to one's own Pokémon largely transcends good and evil, after all. As a send-off for Team Rocket, who've been there since the very beginning of the Pokémon anime, it's just about everything one could hope for.