DP002

Template:EpisodePrevNext

Two Degrees of Separation! (Japanese: ピカチュウをさがせ！202番道路！ Find Pikachu! Route 202!) is the second episode of the Diamond & Pearl series. It aired in Japan on September 28, 2006, and in the USA on April 20, 2007.

Dawn, who just received her Piplup, lays her sights on Jubilife City. A weakened Pikachu appears in front of her.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

Dawn and her new Piplup are relaxing in a field after their tiresome morning. A wild Buneary pops out of the grass. Dawn scans it with her Pokédex and is eager to capture it. Piplup attacks it with a BubbleBeam, but Buneary strikes back with a Tackle. Piplup is knocked out and Buneary bounces off Dawn's head and hops away.

Traveling through the forest on her bike with Piplup in the basket, Dawn consoles it - they'll have better luck next time. Dawn then spots a Burmy hanging from a tree above and decides next time is now! Piplup attacks with another BubbleBeam but the Burmy drops from the tree, scaring it senseless. Dawn comforts Piplup and grabs a Poké Ball. She is about to throw it but realizes Burmy has gone. Dawn reassures Piplup that they will just have to try again later.

But Dawn and Piplup are stunned when a tired and injured Pikachu (Ash's), stumbles out of a hedge and collapses. Dawn scans it and sends Piplup into battle. Unfortunately Piplup attacks her. She tosses a Poké Ball at Pikachu, but is stunned when Pikachu isn't pulled into the ball. Before she can question why, a Cacnea, Seviper and Dustox lunge out of the bush, followed by a Meowth. Dawn is stunned to hear it talk - her Pokédex doesn't say it can. Jessie and James, with Wobbuffet and Mime Jr., also appear, thrilled to have finally caught Pikachu. Pikachu however, launches a Thunderbolt, barbecuing Team Rocket and Dawn's bike. Seviper, Cacnea, and Dustox advance on Pikachu. Dawn, warning Team Rocket to leave it alone, asks who they are. Team Rocket say their motto, and realize that they are in Sinnoh, James' old home. Pikachu cowers behind Dawn and she tells Piplup to attack. Seviper wraps itself around Piplup, squeezing it tight. Piplup attacks it with BubbleBeam, releasing its grip. Team Rocket won't give up and their Pokémon attack. Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt and Team Rocket are sent blasting off. It then collapses into Dawn's arms.

Dawn takes Pikachu to the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy tells her it will be fine. She makes a video-phone call home to her mom, who watches in dismay as Dawn and Piplup argue and fight about who saved Pikachu. She then calls Professor Rowan to tell him her story.

Meanwhile in the forest, Ash has had Aipom in the trees looking for Pikachu, but there's no luck. Dejectedly, they both sit down when Officer Jenny rides past on her motorbike. She offers to give them a lift to Twinleaf Town, which Ash accepts.

At the lab, Ash tells the Professor that he has lost his Pikachu and the Professor realizes it must be the same one Dawn found. He and Ash call the Pokémon Center, where Ash is happy to learn his Pikachu is okay. He and Aipom set off right away.

Walking through the forest, Team Rocket ponder whether to contact the boss. Noticing a grand mansion of James' family's, they dash inside to look around. They stumble upon James' old playroom, where a single small chest sits. James' eyes light up as he realizes what is inside (Jessie of course hopes for riches), but it is his old bottlecaps, and a Poké Ball. James explains that it holds an old friend. The ball opens, revealing a Carnivine that chomps down on his head in affection.

Dawn is back on the road with Piplup and Pikachu, and Ash is still making his way to the Pokémon Center. A large truck pulls up alongside him and stops. The passenger seat opens and someone jumps out. It's Brock! The girl driving the truck asks Brock if this is the guy he was looking for and Brock whispers to Ash that he might have a chance with her. A phone call from her 'male friend' drops Brock's fantasies down a peg or two. She drives off and Ash explains the situation about Pikachu.

Aipom swings through the trees, accidentally smashing into a Starly. Ash scans it with his 'Dex. Ash is eager to capture it and pulls out a Poké Ball, but before he can throw it, Starly whips up a Gust. It then slams into Aipom with a Quick Attack, but Aipom fights back, knocking it back with Focus Punch. Ash throws the Poké Ball and Starly is captured! Ash looks at the ball, realizing that it's no fun without Pikachu. He lets Starly out, telling it to find Pikachu. Starly flies off into the distance as Ash and Brock follow it. Will Ash see Pikachu again?

Elsewhere, a dark-looking Trainer with an Elekid searches for a new opponent...

Major events

• Dawn's attempt to catch Ash's Pikachu ends up with Pikachu destroying Dawn's bike.
• Dawn meets and fights Team Rocket for the first time.
• James retrieves his Carnivine that he had as a child.
• Brock arrives in Sinnoh and meets up with Ash.
• Ash captures a Starly.

Debuts

• Paul
• James's Carnivine
• Ash's Starly

Pokémon

• Burmy
• Carnivine

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Officer Jenny
• Nurse Joy
• Giovanni
• Johanna
• Professor Rowan
• Professor Rowan's assistants
• Mr. Cheeves (Seiyū: 三宅健太 Kenta Miyake*)
• Jessiebelle (flashback)
• Claudina
• Paul

* No official credit was given for this character.

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Mime Jr. (James's)
• Aipom (Ash's)
• Starly (Ash's, newly captured)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Dustox (Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Carnivine (James's; returns; debut)
• Elekid (Paul's)
• Chansey (Nurse Joy's)
• Persian (Giovanni's)
• Glameow (Johanna's)
• Burmy (debut)
• Buneary

Trivia

• This originally aired as a two hour special on September 28, 2006, together with Following a Maiden's Voyage! and When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
• This episode is the one that shows most Pokédex entries in the entire series: Buneary's, Burmy's, Pikachu's, Meowth's and Starly's.
• Giovanni's second seiyū, 三宅健太 Kenta Miyake, debuted in this episode. (His previous seiyū, Hirotaka Suzuoki, passed away on August 6, 2006.)
• Music from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew is used as background music.
• The eyecatch featured Ash wearing his Advanced Generation clothes with Dawn.
• A clip episode was aired after this episode.
• Professor Oak's lecture: Sinnoh Pokédex
  • The scenes shown are from this and the previous episode.
• Pokémon senryū: こまったら　ひらいてみよう　ポケモンずかん Komattara hiraite miyō, Pokémon zukan. "When troubled, let's open the Pokédex."
• Meowth makes a reference to the original games.
• Ash's Pikachu manages, as always, to cook the female companion's bike.
• The English voice actress for James's Mime Jr. is Michele Knotz filling in for Kayzie Rogers.
• From this episode until Once There Were Greenfields Jessie and James both have three Pokémon each, the first and only time that James has three Pokémon with him at once in the entire series.
• Unlike most of the times he returned to the group, Brock actually seemed unwilling to return to Ash's group. The scene where Brock first arrived implied that Brock never planned on returning to the journey with Ash, and the only reason why he went with him is because Claudina drove off without him after being contacted by one of her fellow truck drivers.
• In the English dub, as the title of the episode is displayed, the music that plays is from seasons 1-8.

Errors

• Despite Oak calling the Sinnoh region an island in Home is Where the Start Is, Brock somehow manages to get all the way there via a truck.

Dub edits

When Pokémon Diamond and Pearl first aired on April 20, 2007, the first three episodes were made into a movie, cutting several parts out. All of these cuts were restored when the original episodes were aired the following week.

• When Dawn lets her Piplup out so she can talk to it, the episode title is cut out.
• After Ash finds out where to find Dawn, the transition scene of Professor Rowan sighing, and Team Rocket walking is cut out.
• While searching for Ash's Pikachu by air using his Starly, the remaining part is cut out, moving on to the next episode.
• Ash caught a Starly that knows Gust. In the games, Starly cannot learn this move. In the English dub, this move was changed to Whirlwind, a move that Starly can learn.

In other languages

• French: A la recherche de l'autre
• Dutch: Twee Soorten van Scheiding!
• Portuguese: Dois Graus de Separação
• Italian: Errori da principianti & Mai senza Pikachu
• Latin American Spanish: Dos Grados de Separación
• Iberian Spanish: ¡Una triste separación!

Template:EpisodePrevNext

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.