The Breeding Center Secret – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 57

Plot episodeButch & Cassidy debutUS TV season finale

The Breeding Center Secret is the 57th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 57th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 59, Bulbapedia code EP057). It first aired in Japan on 6 August 1998 and in the United States on 1 May 1999. It falls within the season’s Festivals, photographs & the Breeding Center stretch (EP52–EP57).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

As our heroes take a break in their journey, Snap, their photographer friend decides to shoot a few Pokemon pictures, a weather report comes on the big screen above them stating good weather ahead followed by an ad for The 5 Star Breeding Center that makes some rather bold claims.

Ash and gang decide to go take a look at this amazing breeding center that makes such bold promises, and when they get there they find a massive queue of people waiting to deposit their Pokemon at the Breeding Center. Misty decides to leave Psyduck there to be levelled up and maybe even evolved by “Love Power”. The group leaves Psyduck there and goes to find something to eat, finding a restaurant where its “All you can eat for free” and they conclude that there must be a catch, and there is! The chef wants to see his favourite Pokemon first…. Ash sends out all of his pokemon, but to no avail, Brock tries his and still no good, the same with Misty but still no. The Chef then reveals that his favourite Pokemon is Psyduck! Misty rushes to the Breeding Center to collect Psyduck so she can eat for free, but finds its closed.

Misty doesn’t want to wait, and tries to find a way into the Breeding Center via the back door, she tries the door and its open, after asking if anyones there and not getting an answer the group walk in, to their shock they find caged Pokemon in cramped conditions in a dark room. The Breeding Center owners are in the next room filtering through the Pokemon to pick out the best ones. Ash and co overhear that it’s a scam and that these guys are actually members of Team Rocket; Butch and Cassidy, they also see them communicating with Giovanni who wants to pick the choice Pokemon for themselves.

Meanwhile Snap takes pictures of the terrible conditions in the Breeding Center but Butch notices the cameras flash and comes into the room to investigate, the gang hide, and Pikachu goes in a cave and lets off sparks to make it look like it was he that caused the sparks. Unbeknown to everyone else, Jessie, James and Meowth have broken into the Pokemon Breeding Center with a view to stealing all the Pokemon there. As Ash, Misty and Brock confront Team Rocket the door opens and butch and Cassidy arrive and start taunting Jessie and James. Ash and co sneak out while its going on, Butch and Cassidy pursue them and trap Ash, Snap and Brock in a cage. Misty and Pikachu escape. Butch and Cassidy call the police, and Ash, Snap, Brock, Jessie, James and Meowth are all arrested for trying to commit burglary in the breeding center. Misty sets off to try prove her friends innocence, she dresses up in a disguise so butch and Cassidy don’t recognise her and goes to get her Psyduck back, this buys Pikachu time to find Snap’s camera and reveal the pictures to officer Jenny, who realises shes been tricked.

Jenny, Ash and friends arrive at the Breeding Center to catch Butch and Cassidy red handed, after a very short battle involving Cassidy’s Raticate being thunderbolted by Pikachu the villains are apprehended and locked up. Ash and friends finally get to the restaurant with Psyduck and eat for free alongside officer Jenny, with Misty eating a years worth of Ice Cream to herself. Later on at a crossroad Ash and friends continue to Cinnibar Island, and say goodbye to Snap who instead chooses to take the mountain path so he can get some great photographs.

Major Events

• — Butch and Cassidy debut (first rival-Rocket motto)
• James’s Weepinbell → Victreebel
• Todd leaves. Debuts: Butch, Cassidy
• Victreebel (James’s). Last Pokérap episode. All-Stars Vol. 13.

Captures and evolutions

• Weepinbell → Victreebel#0071 · James · off-screen

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Victreebel in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Psyduck in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• City banners, breeding-centre, restaurant, police and arrest-shot signs repainted
• Japanese OP from the TV replaced
• Omurice becomes ice cream
• Big Sis’ Daycare left unnamed
• Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Tuesday segment)
• The last episode with the Pokérap; a TV in the background playing Mezase Pokémon Master is muted in the dub

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.