Ep 52. The Breeding Center Secret
Ash and his friends arrive at a Pokémon breeding center, where trainers come to leave their Pokémon to be taken care of and have them breed with other Pokémon. While Ash and co. are watching the process of prepping Pokémon for breeding, they learn that there have been thefts, and some Pokémon have gone missing.
Naturally, Ash and the gang decide to help out and discover what's going on. They meet with the head of the center who tells them that they have been around for a hundred years, and most of the people in the town work at the center. The trio is then given a tour of the facilities, where they discover hundreds of Pokémon are being taken care of. They finally come across a room with a large amount of X-ray machines. They soon discover that the Pokémon at the center are being experimented on, making them unhealthy.
As they explore, Ash spots a Pidgeotto that is weak and unable to fly. The Breeding Center head explains to Ash that they force the Pokémon to breed too much, and it ends up making them physically weak. The trio soon learn the truth behind the breeding center, but Ash says that all he cares about is the Pokémon.
Despite the Breeding Center's unethical practices, they still want to protect the Pokémon, so they offer to help Ash and his friends find the missing Pokémon. The team starts investigating areas of the center where they aren't allowed, and they stumble across an underground room where they discover the culprits responsible for the thefts, and missing Pokémon are Team Rocket themselves.
Team Rocket is planning on breeding Pokémon and using the offspring for evil. Before the trio is discovered, Ash notices a Pokeball with one of the missing Pokémon inside it, prompting them to run back to the other side of the center. They eventually mix up with Team Rocket on the other side of the center, and engage in a full-on battle until they are all suddenly stuck inside a giant pipe-type watering system. This is where Team Rocket cunningly reveals their true purpose- to steal Pokemon, so they can control them and become all-powerful.
Ash determines that he and his friends need to work together to escape the pipe and save the Pokémon. Once they make their way out, Ash and Pikachu maintain their focus on finding the Pokemon that went missing, and encounter Team Rocket again. As Pikachu fights off Team Rocket's other Pokémon, Ash uses his Pokemon to release all the locked-away ones from their Pokeballs.
Team Rocket tries to run, but they are unable to get past Ash and his friends. In the end, they are caught by the police for stealing Pokémon. After the situation is resolved, the Breeding Center apologizes to Ash for their unethical practices and decides to change their ways. As for Ash, he is pleased that the Pokémon are safe and sound.
All in all, the episode tells the captivating tale of Ash and his friends rescuing Pokemon from an evil syndicate while highlighting some of the unethical practices of Poké breeding facilities.
