Ep 23. Mild 'N Wooly

Ash, Misty, and Brock are traveling across a vast grassy plain, on their way to the next gym battle, when they come across a herd of Mareep. Ash is immediately smitten with the cute and wooly Pokémon, and tries to lure one over to play with him. But the Mareep are skittish, and they run away at the sight of humans.

As our heroes continue on their journey, they encounter a friendly farmer named Marie who is trying to round up her Mareep and take them back to the farm. Marie explains that the Mareep are important to her because they provide wool for her business, and she needs to shear them before they get too fluffy. But some of Marie's Mareep have wandered off, and she needs help getting them back.

Ash, Misty, and Brock offer to lend a hand, and soon they are searching the grassy hillside for the missing Mareep. They split up, and Ash and Pikachu find themselves face-to-face with a group of wild Pokémon who have made a home in a cave. The leader of the pack is a Flaffy, who seems to be friendly and curious about Ash and Pikachu. But when they try to follow him back to his lair, they discover that Flaffy has been keeping the missing Mareep holed up with him.

The Mareep are happy to see Ash and Pikachu, but they are also terrified of the Flaffy, who has been using his electric powers to intimidate them. Ash tries to reason with Flaffy, but the stubborn Pokémon refuses to allow the Mareep to leave.

Meanwhile, Misty and Brock have met up with Marie, and together they come up with a plan to rescue the Mareep. They enlist the help of a kindhearted elderly farmer named Joel, who is known for his gentle touch with animals. Joel has a Mareep of his own, named Wally, who he has trained to be a sheepdog.

Joel agrees to help Marie round up her wayward Mareep, and together they set off across the fields. But when they meet up with Ash and Pikachu, they discover that the situation is more complicated than they thought. Flaffy is determined to keep the Mareep locked up, and Joel realizes that they need to distract him if they are going to have any chance of freeing the Mareep.

With the help of Wally, Joel comes up with a plan to lure Flaffy away from the cave. As they lead Flaffy on a wild goose chase, Ash and Pikachu sneak in and free the Mareep. But Flaffy is not happy about being tricked, and he unleashes a powerful electric attack on Ash and his friends.

In a thrilling battle, Ash and Pikachu are finally able to subdue Flaffy and convince him to let the Mareep go. As they say goodbye to their new wooly friends and continue on their journey, Ash reflects on the importance of treating Pokémon with respect and kindness. He may have started out just wanting to play with the Mareep, but in the end he learned an important lesson about the responsibility that comes with being a Pokémon trainer.