EP170

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EP169 : Beauty and the Breeder
Original series
EP171 : Power Play!
A Better Pill to Swallow
EP170.png
  EP170  
ツボツボVSマダツボミ
Tsubotsubo VS Madatsubomi
First broadcast
Japan October 26, 2000
United States October 13, 2001
English themes
Opening Born to Be a Winner
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening OK!
Ending ポケモンはらはらリレー
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami
Storyboard 岩崎太郎 Tarō Iwasaki
Assistant director 岩崎太郎 Tarō Iwasaki
Animation director 福本勝 Masaru Fukumoto
No additional credits are available at this time.

A Better Pill to Swallow (Japanese: ツボツボVSマダツボミ Tsubotsubo VS Madatsubomi) is the 170th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on October 26, 2000 and in the United States on October 13, 2001.

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Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Synopsis

En route to Ecruteak City, Ash is afflicted with stomach ache, caused by some earlier over-eating. With no medicine to treat it, the group are greeted by Old Man Shuckle, a pharmacist. The old man gives Ash some pills, which he takes, resulting in an explosion of purple gas from his mouth. When Ash recovers, though, he reports that his stomach ache is now gone. Old Man Shuckle explains that his medicine works on both humans and Pokémon, and Brock is excited to discover that he makes the medicine himself, quickly taking the old man up his offer to show him where the medicine is made.

Old Man Shuckle reveals his laboratory, packed with natural ingredients, but admits that there is a special secret to how his medicine is produced. He shows the group a store room, full of strange red containers with corks in them. Misty picks one up, and is surprised to find that it's alive - the containers are actually Shuckle. The old man explains that he fills the Shuckle shells with his ingredients until they turn into the juices which form the basis of all of his medicines. Different ingredients and Shuckle produce different medicines, and he shows the group a picture of a rare purple Shuckle, which can produce a juice that would allow its user to tame any Pokémon. Brock is extremely taken by this notion, and asks the old man for some of the juice. However, Old Man Shuckle says that tracking down a purple Shuckle isn't easy, although if he had help in finding it, he would be willing to share the juice. He introduces the group to Spoopy, a Bellsprout that checks the scent of Shuckle in order to see if the juice inside them is ready.

When out looking for Shuckle with Spoopy, Old Man Shuckle explains that only wild Shuckle can produce quality juice, and so instead of catching them, he simply takes them back to his laboratory, fills them with ingredients, and returns them to the wild for a year while the ingredients turn into juice. Spoopy then detects the Shuckle by scent, and they are returned to the laboratory. Despite Spoopy's help, finding the Shuckle is still an arduous process, and so Ash and friends agree to help. Nearby, Team Rocket are listening in, excited at the prospect of a juice that would make any Pokémon obedient to them.

Ash, Brock and Misty struggle to keep up with Spoopy as it checks Shuckle throughout the forest. Suddenly Spoopy charges off, excited, and Brock gives chase, believing it has picked up the scent of the purple Shuckle. He fails to keep up with the quick-footed Bellsprout, however.

Spoopy lifts up a rock, and finds a purple Shuckle underneath it. Shortly afterwards, the group catches up, finding Spoopy and the purple Shuckle deep in conversation. Before they can reach them, though, Team Rocket descend from the trees and recite their motto. Jessie grabs the Shuckle, while James's Weezing uses a SmokeScreen to cover their escape. When the smoke clears, Team Rocket have gone, but Spoopy still has the Shuckle's scent, and the group pursue them.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket are out of breath and thirsty. Realizing they have the Shuckle juice, they decide that one of them should try it to check that it's safe. Meowth finds himself volunteered to test it, and when it seems to have no adverse affects, Jessie and James drink it too. All three enjoy the taste, and start to fight over the remaining supply.

Spoopy leads the group to a river, apparently a dead end. Suddenly, many Shuckle begin emerging from the bushes, all heading in the same direction. Old Man Shuckle arrives, and concludes that somebody must have drunk the purple Shuckle juice, thus attracting the other Shuckle. Knowing that the Shuckle will lead them to Team Rocket, the group follows them. Meanwhile, Jessie and James are feeling a little light-headed from drinking the juice. Meowth suddenly displays some very unexpected behavior, declaring his love to an astonished James.

Following the Shuckle, Old Man Shuckle says that drinking the undiluted purple Shuckle juice would cause a human to emit strong pheromones that would attract any nearby Pokémon for three days. This seems to be coming true for Team Rocket. While Meowth obsessively licks James's face, Jessie discovers an amorous Shuckle licking her hand. Soon, they realize they are surrounded by lovestruck Shuckle, and flee, directly into the path of Ash and friends. Brock tells them that Meowth and the Shuckle's behavior is a result of drinking the undiluted juice. Despite this Team Rocket refuse to hand over the purple Shuckle. Jessie sends out Arbok and Wobbuffet to battle, but both fall under the effect of the pheromones and pounce on her. James tries to help her by sending out Victreebel, but it affectionately tries to eat him as usual. Team Rocket recall their Pokémon and concede defeat, but something is wrong - Pikachu stops listening to Ash and approaches Jessie, lovestruck. Deciding that things have gone too far, Old Man Shuckle scatters some powder over the area, neutralizing the effects of the pheromones. Meowth and the Shuckle return to normal, although Jessie still has hold of both Pikachu and the purple Shuckle. The purple Shuckle emerges from its shell and licks Jessie, causing her to fling it into the air in shock. Spoopy uses its Vine Whip to catch it. Jessie boasts that she still has Pikachu, although she soon discovers that Pikachu is no longer affected by the pheromones either, and Team Rocket are quickly sent blasting off.

Back at his laboratory, Old Man Shuckle thanks the group for helping him obtain more Shuckle juice than ever before. He presents Brock with some Pokémon-taming medicine, as promised, but Brock decides to decline. Having seen how the Shuckle flocked to Team Rocket in spite of their nature, he says he would prefer to tame Pokémon the normal way. The friends bid Old Man Shuckle goodbye and continue on their journey. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are hiding in the bushes from a flock of amorous Beedrill and Ursaring, noting that when the effects wear off after three days, they will probably attack...

Major events

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Eevee

Fantasized Pokémon

Trivia

  • This episode's English title is a reference to the phrase "a bitter pill to swallow".
  • This is the 2nd time a shiny Pokémon has been featured in the anime.

Errors

Dub edits

In other languages

  • French: Le remède miracle
  • German: Geheime Medizin
  • Hebrew: תרופת הקסם trufat hakesem
  • Italian: Come domare un Pokémon
  • Mandarin: 壺壺對抗喇叭芽
  • Portuguese (Brazilian): O Remédio Bombástico
  • Spanish:
    • Iberian Spanish: Una píldora más fácil de tragar
    • Latin American Spanish: ¡El elixir del amor!
EP169 : Beauty and the Breeder
Original series
EP171 : Power Play!
Project Anime logo.png This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.