BW023 (unaired)

This article is about an episode of the Pokémon animated series that has not yet aired anywhere in the world. As such, it is a reflection of what is currently known about the episode, rather than coverage of the episode as a whole.

←	BW022 : A Venipede Stampede!

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

BW024 (unaired)

→

ロケット団ＶＳプラズマ団！（前編）

Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1)

First broadcast

Japan	Unaired
United States	Unaired

English themes

Opening	N/A
Ending

Japanese themes

Opening	ベストウイッシュ！
Ending	心のファンファーレ

Credits

No additional credits are available at this time.
Animation	Team Kato
Screenplay	冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka
Storyboard	古賀一臣 Kazuomi Koga
Assistant director	古賀一臣 Kazuomi Koga
Animation director	夏目久仁彦 Kunihiko Natsume

(Japanese: ロケット団ＶＳプラズマ団！（前編） Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1)) was intended to be the 23rd episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 680th episode of the Pokémon anime.

This episode was originally scheduled to air in Japan on March 17, 2011, but was postponed, along with the original BW024, indefinitely because of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. TV Tokyo said in 2011 that it would someday air, but this statement was never updated or clarified, and was ultimately removed late in 2018. As of Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot!, this episode's events have been removed from continuity.

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

Plot

Giovanni arrives in Unova to oversee the collection of the Meteonite from the Relic Castle in the Desert Resort, which is done through a ritual using Team Rocket's modern science to recreate ancient technology. Meanwhile, Ash, Iris, and Cilan travel to the Desert Resort with Professor Juniper and Officer Jenny to investigate why a swarm of Venipede attacked Castelia City in the previous episode. However, their helicopter is shot down by a Liepard owned by three members of a mysterious organization, who also express interest in the Meteonite and want to obtain it for the benefit of their hero. Ash's group is separated from Officer Jenny and Professor Juniper when the latter fall through a sinkhole leading to the ruins around the Relic Castle and must pursue Team Rocket alone; Jenny and Juniper are later rescued by Looker, who is on the trail of the secret organization opposing Team Rocket.

The Sunglasses Krokorok appears and helps Ash, Iris, and Cilan to get closer to Team Rocket, even attacking a Team Rocket Grunt so Pikachu can preserve its power for their rematch. However, the group is forced to hide in Dr. Zager's helicopter, getting trapped there when it lifts off to collect the Meteonite. When the Meteonite is taken into the cargo hold, Pikachu's electricity makes contact with it, causing Pikachu to fall ill. Dr. Zager notices unusual activity in the hold, forcing Ash to allow himself to be taken prisoner so Iris and Cilan can escape with Pikachu.

Team Rocket returns to Castelia City, where Giovanni has assembled a masquerade party of Unova's elite. Looker and Professor Juniper infiltrate the party in disguise, meeting up with Cilan, who has done the same. Giovanni presents the Meteonite and demonstrates its power to the guests, using it as a tool to ransom total control over Unova and calling upon the Unovan elite to join Team Rocket. However, three members of the mysterious organization are also present at the party, and scheme to take the Meteonite for themselves.

Major events

Giovanni travels to Unova and claims the Meteonite from Relic Castle, bringing it back to Castelia City.
Ash and his friends discover Team Rocket's plans.
Looker appears, undertaking an investigation of Team Plasma.
- In the process, Cilan meets Looker for the first time.
Team Plasma appears to steal the Meteonite from Team Rocket.

Debuts

Team Plasma
- Team Plasma Grunts

Pokémon debuts

Liepard

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Trivia

Bulbanews has an article related to this subject:

Airing of two-part Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan episode to be moved

This and the next episode are the only Pokémon the Series: Black & White episodes that were skipped.
Unlike the only other skipped episode in Japan, this two-parter was supposed to be important to the overall storyline instead of being a standalone episode.
Despite the episode being pulled from the air, the preview for it remains attached to the previous episode during reruns in Japan.
- Additionally, while the first edition of the Japanese rental DVD with this episode on it replaced the preview for one of the episode that actually followed, the original preview for the skipped episode was reinstated in subsequent printings.
Had this episode aired in time, it would have marked the anime debuts of Team Plasma, Liepard and James' Yamask and the return of Looker.
- Due to Team Plasma's debut being delayed, the Plasma Grunts were never actually shown in their original outfits from Pokémon Black and White in the anime, which they were supposed to wear in this episode. When they eventually debuted in Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot!, they were seen using their new outfits from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.
In BW030, Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster showed a brief scene from this episode which revealed the Sunglasses Krokorok was to have appeared.
Scenes highly resembling the scenes seen in this two-parted episode's previews were later used in Meloetta and the Undersea Temple! during Team Rocket's Operation Tempest.
- Ash being captured by Team Rocket and imprisoned aboard Dr. Zager's helicopter as the team carries out their plans was reused as a plot element in Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!.
- In addition, an updated design of the Meteonite's chamber in the Relic Castle is used as the Golden Dark Stone's chamber in Explorers of the Hero's Ruin! and as the Light Stone's chamber in Ash and N: A Clash of Ideals!.
The script of these two banned episodes surfaced in May 2023, detailing their contents.^[1] Notably, the early script for this episode revealed that its original title was The Evil Organizations Gather - The Desert Resort (Japanese: 悪の組織集結・リゾートデザート) instead of the title it was ultimately given.
- In this episode's early script, the masquerade party took place at a luxury resort within the Desert Resort, instead of in Castelia City.