XY019

← XY018 : Awakening the Sleeping Giant!

XY series

XY020 : Breaking Titles at the Chateau! →

A Conspiracy to Conquer!

XY019   EP818 マダムＸの陰謀！恐怖のカラマネロ！！ Madame X's Plot! The Scary Calamanero!!

First broadcast Japan March 13, 2014 United States May 24, 2014

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme (Version XY) Ending

Japanese themes Opening Ｖ（ボルト） Ending Ｘ海峡Ｙ景色

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 尼野浩正 Hiromasa Amano Assistant director 瀬谷新二 Shinji Seya Animation directors 瀬谷新二 Shinji Seya 篠原隆 Takashi Shinohara No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

A Conspiracy to Conquer! (Japanese: マダムＸの陰謀！恐怖のカラマネロ！！ Madame X's Plot! The Scary Calamanero!!) is the 19th episode of the XY series, and the 818th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on March 13, 2014 and in the United States on May 24, 2014.

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

Blurb

As Jessie, James, and Meowth are plotting yet again to steal Pikachu, they are interrupted by two mysterious figures: a hooded woman known only as Madame X, and Malamar, a Pokémon with incredible hypnotic powers. Jessie and James quickly fall under its spell, but Meowth manages to escape—and runs right into our heroes!

Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie help get the injured Meowth back on his feet, and he warns them that Madame X and Malamar are coming for Pikachu. They soon show up along with the mind-controlled Jessie and James, swoop Pikachu up with Malamar’s Psychic, and take off toward their hideout.

Clemont has a new invention, a Pikachu-shaped robot designed to track down Pikachu’s energy signature, and they follow it to an observatory...where it gets stuck in the fence and explodes. Clemont makes some quick repairs, and then Bonnie spots Officer Jenny’s motorcycle parked outside the building. When our heroes investigate, they find Madame X inside—along with Pikachu, who’s fallen under Malamar’s spell! Malamar quickly puts Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont under hypnosis as well, but Meowth attacks Ash to keep him focused.

Pikachu initially obeys Madame X’s order to stop Ash at all costs, but the bond between Ash and Pikachu is stronger than any hypnotic power, and Pikachu manages to shake off the trance. Then the Pikabot, which has resumed its tracking, bursts onto the scene. It slams into Malamar, disrupting its powers, and everyone is returned to normal—including Madame X, who throws off her hood to reveal that she’s really Officer Jenny!

Malamar does some gloating, and Meowth translates. Apparently Malamar had a master plan to use a mind-control device to take over the world. Controlling Officer Jenny to turn her into its accomplice was only the first step, but now that its plan has been discovered, it’s decided to destroy the device. Everyone runs for it as the entire building explodes, but Malamar escapes! What will become of its master plan?

Plot

In a dark cave, Team Rocket watch a video displaying Pikachu's moves and grow even more determined to capture him. They are interrupted by a sharp laugh, and turn around to see a hooded figure accompanied by a Malamar who introduces herself as Madame X. Malamar shines a bright light over Jessie, James, and Meowth.

Ash and his friends continue to Cyllage City and notice a radio observatory. Suddenly, a scratched-up Meowth stumbles from the bushes and collapses in front of the group, who treat him back to health. When Meowth comes to, he thanks them graciously and tells the group, who is skeptical of his intentions, that he came to warn them about danger. He tells the story, beginning with the bright light Malamar used on Team Rocket. Jessie and James shook it off, sent out Inkay and Pumpkaboo, and commanded them to use Psybeam and Shadow Ball respectively. However, the Pokémon were stopped by Malamar's bright light, which turned their eyes blank and brainwashed them, Jessie, and James. Meowth realized that he could remain conscious only by enduring intense physical pain, so he used Fury Swipes on himself and escaped. Meowth warns the children that they must run because Madame X is also targeting Pikachu, but they remain skeptical. Just then, a brainwashed Jessie, James, and Wobbuffet appear behind Meowth, telling him to hurry up and capture Pikachu. The group runs away only to immediately turn into Madame X and Malamar. Malamar uses its bright light, and Meowth warns the children not to look into it. Ash tells Pikachu to use Electro Ball, and the group uses the opportunity to flee, but are stopped by Jessie and James, who look to make Pikachu part of Madame X's Pokémon corps. Pikachu is lifted into the air by Malamar's Psychic, and he and his captor disappear into the distant sky.

To find them, Clemont brings out the "Automatic Pikachu Retrieving Device", (which Ash calls a "Pika-bot"), that can sense Pikachu's Electric energy and track him down. The group follows after the machine, which brings them to the radio observatory, where it gets stuck in the fence and electrocutes the group. Bonnie notices Officer Jenny's motor bike parked outside the observatory and assumes that the observatory is Madame X's hideout and Officer Jenny came to investigate. The group goes inside, watched by a security camera. Inside the observatory, Malamar brainwashes Pikachu. Team Rocket notify Madame X that Ash and his friends are on the property.

In the observatory halls, Ash's group splits up, Clemont with his sister and Serena with Ash. Clemont and Bonnie are met with Malamar, who brainwashes them. They find Ash and Serena, who realize that the siblings are being manipulated. Malamar appears behind them and shines the brainwashing light over them, and they are unable to run. being blocked by Bonnie and Clemont. Ash asks Meowth to use Fury Swipes on him, to which Meowth complies, using the attack on both himself and Ash. However, Serena, not wanting her face to be scratched up, is brainwashed. Meowth cuts down a hanging planet model from the ceiling, which stalls Malamar, allowing him and Ash to escape. The pair arrive at an observation chamber and are greeted by Madame X, who makes Pikachu use Thunderbolt on Ash, and attacks him again and again. Ash is determined to get through to his partner, but the situation grows more dire as the Pokémon corps are revealed, consisting of a Beedrill, Noivern, Pangoro, Scolipede, and Exploud. Pikachu electrocutes Ash continuously, forcing Ash to his knees, but he, in the midst of the electricity, tries to communicate with Pikachu. As Ash tells Pikachu that he believes in him, Pikachu hesitates in his attack. Outside the observatory, Clemont's machine awakes and rushes off towards the observatory. It comes into the observation chamber and crashes into Malamar as it bursts into flames, and Madame X screams and falls at her defeat. All the brainwashed people and Pokémon return to normal, including Pikachu and the Pokémon corps. Madame X's cloak falls off, and reveals her to be Officer Jenny, who had been brainwashed by Malamar, who appears behind her. The gang realizes that Malamar tricked them into believing that Madame X is a real person by using Officer Jenny as its pawn. They also learned that everything Malamar said about Madame X's goal of taking over the world was a lie. Meowth translates for Malamar, who hopes to restructure the world under its command using a mind control machine. Angered at Malamar's lies and dishonesty, James and Ash send Inkay and Pikachu to attack Malamar, but it escapes.

The group runs after it, finding it in a room full of strange vines and spikes, the mind control machine. Malamar decides to abandon the place since it was originally owned by humans, and makes it explode, forcing the humans to take shelter. The humans, their Pokémon, and the Pokémon corps escape outside as the observatory explodes behind them. They watch as Malamar flies off into the sky, and wonder what its grand plan was.

Later, Team Rocket, embarrassed at the day's events, relax on the forest rocks. Meowth remembers that Malamar is the evolved form of Inkay, and as the rest of the team look at it with fear, Inkay winks and laughs nervously.

Major events

• Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket encounter an evil, psychopathic Malamar.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series, please see the timeline page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Malamar (anime)

Characters

Humans

Pokémon Quiz

• Ash
• Serena
• Clemont
• Bonnie
• Jessie
• James
• Officer Jenny/Madame X

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Malamar (US and international)
Pokémon Quiz: Malamar (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Dedenne (Clemont's)
• Pumpkaboo (Jessie's)
• Inkay (James's)
• Malamar (anime)
• Beedrill
• Noivern
• Scolipede
• Exploud
• Pangoro

Trivia

File:Title Card XY Pikachu.png

The title card segment focuses on Pikachu for this episode

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Holo Caster: M17*/Pumpkaboo*
• Ash and Serena narrate the preview for the next episode.
• Team Rocket didn't recite their motto in this episode.
• Music from Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice is used in this episode.
• This episode aired on May 16, 2014 in Italy (on K2), eight days before the US airdate.

Errors

• When Meowth faints, Serena's legs are completely black like her stockings; They Should be Colored Like Her Skin Tone.
• In one shot during Meowth's story, Dedenne's underside is missing.
• When Jessie and James block the group from escaping, Bonnie's blouse is black instead of brown.
• When the Automatic Pikachu Retrieving Device robot sets off to find Pikachu, Ash's hair is black; it should be colored dark teal.
• After the Pikachu robot explodes, Bonnie's leggings become stockings.
• When Meowth tells Ash and Serena not to look at Malamar's lights, his right foot is completely cream; it should be colored half-brown.
• As Meowth runs away from Malamar after it possesses Serena, the end of his tail is cream instead of brown.
• When Exploud first appears, the holes on its knees are purple instead of black.
• When Malamar is hit by the Pikachu robot, one of its spots disappears for a few frames.
• As Bonnie and Dedenne point at Madame X just before she reveals her true identity, the spots on Malamar's body are missing.
• When Malamar appears in Officer Jenny's flashback, its outline and eyelids are white; they should be colored light purple.
• When Meowth points out Inkay's relation to Malamar, Pumpkaboo's eyes are brown; they should be colored orange.

• 

  Serena's legs error

• 

  Dedenne's belly error

• 

  Bonnie's blouse error

• 

  Ash's hair error

• 

  Bonnie with stockings

Dub edits

File:Title Card XY Ash.png

The dub's title card segment

• The title card segment focuses on Ash in the dub instead of Pikachu.
• For an unknown reason, the title card lacks the characters' shadows in the Polish dub.

In other languages

Language		Title
Chinese	Cantonese	Ｘ夫人的陰謀！恐怖的烏賊王！！
	Mandarin	Ｘ夫人的陰謀！恐怖的烏賊王！！
Dutch		Een complot om te veroveren!
Finnish		Maailmanvalloitussuunnitelmia!
European French		Conspiration pour la conquête !
German		Gemeinsam gegen geheime Machenschaften!
Greek		Συνωμοσία για Κυριαρχία!
Italian		Piano di Conquista!
Korean		마담X의 음모! 공포의 칼라마네로!!
Norwegian		En konspirasjon å beseire!
Polish		Zdekonspirowana konspiracja!
Brazilian Portuguese		Uma Conspiração Para Conquistar!
Russian		Заговор для покорения!
European Spanish		¡Conspiración Derrotada!
Swedish		En konspiratorisk besegring!
Thai		แผนการของมาดาม X! ความน่ากลัวของคารามาเนโร่!!

← XY018 : Awakening the Sleeping Giant!

XY series

XY020 : Breaking Titles at the Chateau! →

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