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This episode is essential viewing because: Ash captures a Caterpie and a Pidgeotto. Ash's Caterpie evolves into Metapod.

Ash throws the Pokeball, and... Caterpie is caught! Misty hates bugs, as it turns out. Ash decides to let Caterpie out. He tells it to climb onto his shoulder while Misty gets as far away as she can. Caterpie runs over to her, and starts nuzzling her leg. She freaks out. Caterpie climbs up on Ash's shoulder, and he says he won't bother Misty anymore. Ash says they'll go on without her. She follows, because she's holding Ash responsible for her bike.

Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Caterpie camp out for the night. Pikachu and Caterpie talk for a while. Caterpie watches as a Butterfree flies overhead. Caterpie curls up next to Misty.

The next morning Misty wakes up to see Caterpie next to her and screams. She tells Ash to put it back into a Poke ball, and Ash says she's hurting its feelings, and to apologize. Then a Pidgeotto appears!

Ash (stupidly) sends out Caterpie! Big mistake! Birds eats bugs! Caterpie gets beaten really bad, and Ash has to call it back. He sends Pikachu, who zaps the Pidgeotto, and Ash catches it.

Misty yells at Ash for being so stupid. "You need strategy to be a Pokemon trainer, and you need a brain." Neither of which, says Misty, Ash has.

Then, Team Rocket appears. They say their lines and tell Ash to hand over his Pikachu. They send out Ekans and Koffing. Koffing uses Sludge on Pikachu, blinding him. Ash sends out Pidgeottob but it's beaten. Jessie and James say to send in Pikachu, but he can't, so he sends Caterpie. Team Rocket finds this hilarious. Koffing and Ekans get ready to attack. Ash has Caterpie use String Shot, wrapping Koffing and Ekans in silk! It then tackles them, sending them flying. Meowth tries to attack, only to get wrapped us as well! Team Rocket retreats.

Ash tells Caterpie how proud he is of it. He tells Misty she should to, and to pat it on the head. Right before she does, it sprays out a bunch of silk! She screams. Ash puts Caterpie down. It evolves into Metapod. Dexter this specimen reached this stage faster than any Pokemon on record. Misty thinks how she has never met anyone like Ash, that he really does love Pokemon.

So, together, they all continue deeper into Viridian Forest.

This episode guide has been written by flik.

Characters appearing in this episode

Ash

Misty

Jessie

James

Meowth

Ash's Pikachu

Pokémon appearing in this episode

• Koffing
• Ekans
• Caterpie belonging to Ash: Caught in this episode
  
• Metapod belonging to Ash: Evolves from Caterpie after a battle with Team Rocket
  
• Butterfree: Caterpie's inspiration
  
• Pidgeotto belonging to Ash: Caught in this episode
  
• Beedrill: Scares Misty towards the end of the episode
  
• Pikachu belonging to Ash
• Meowth

Moves used in this episode

• Sludge by Koffing: Blinds Pikachu
  
• String Shot by Caterpie
• Thundershock by Pikachu
• Wing Attack by Pidgeotto

Items seen in this episode

• Pokeball

Locations seen in this episode

• Viridian Forest