Love at First Flight – Pokémon Season 7, Episode 2

Filler / stand-alone episodeVolbeat & Illumise light showAired out of order in the US

Love at First Flight is the 2nd episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 315th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 318, Bulbapedia code AG042). It first aired in Japan on 11 September 2003 and in the United States on 16 October 2004. It falls within the season’s Leaving Mauville: Bullet Seed, fireflies & a dream of flight stretch (EP41–EP43).

Aired out of order in the US: Kids’ WB skipped it in September 2004 and showed it on 16 October 2004, after Candid Camerupt!, so Bulbapedia’s television and digital order (also used by Pokémon.com and the Pokémon TV channel on YouTube) counts it as episode 6. Some fans assumed it had been banned. The VIZ and Australian DVDs keep it second, as in Japan.

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

Synopsis

While traveling the road, they stumble upon a lake. Brock pulls out a map and tells them that it’s called Lake May. Ash and the gang then see a Volbeat and Illumise flying around each other.

Nurse Joy calls out to the gang and tells them about the “May Festival” and the trainers of Volbeat and Illumise. An obvious nod to Shakespeare, the trainers are called Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Brock is not happy about Juliet being partnered with Romeo, calling Romeo out on his clumsiness. While trying to direct his Volbeat, Romeo drops his baton and Volbeat crash into Illumise, making them all fall into the river. Ash and Brock send out Corphish, Lotad, and Mudkip to help the trainers and their Pokemon get back on dry land.

After successfully bringing them back to land, Brock hands Juliet a towel, in an attempt to woo her. Nurse Joy tells Romeo and Juliet to bring their Pokemon to the Pokemon Centre to get them healed up. Team Rocket notice Romeo and they cook up a scheme to capture Volbeat and Illumise. Meowth then fantasizes about giving Giovanni the Pokemon and all the rewards they think they will get.

While the gang are at the Pokemon Centre, Ash and May agree to help Romeo with his Volbeat dance. Romeo tells the gang about Volbeat’s nervousness around Illumise and May asks Romeo how he feels about Juliet and May tells him that Romeo and Volbeat are in love with Juliet and Illumise respectively. Romeo is trying to practice telling Juliet how he feels about her with May and Ash. May being the emotional support, and Ash being the Juliet (literally). Brock steps in and tries to help Romeo with his situation.

Juliet is trying to figure out what is happening with Romeo, and she reminisces about the time when they were kids. Illumise points out to Juliet that there’s a Volbeat light, only to fall into Team Rocket’s trap. Meowth disguised himself as a Volbeat and fooled Illumise into getting close enough to allow Jessie and James to capture Illumise. Juliet went to find Romeo and the gang to see if they know where Volbeat and Illumise went. She ended up overhearing Romeo and May practicing and knows how Romeo feels about her. Romeo tells Juliet that his Volbeat can follow Illumise’s scent to find out where she went(1).

The Volbeat have the scent, Romeo and Ash climb a cliff only to find Jessie and James dressed in Illumise and Volbeat costumes. They do their mantra and capture the other Volbeat. Jessie and James end up capturing Pikachu and Ash. Pikachu gives the machine a Thunderbolt, allowing Romeo’s Volbeat to destroy the machine, freeing the other Volbeat, Pikachu, and Ash. Juliet’s Illumise uses Sweet Scent to guide the Volbeat into position for a Signal Beam to send Team Rocket blasting off again.

Romeo finally tells Juliet about liking her, and she reminds him about the promise he made her when they were kids. Romeo vows to keep the promise and the May Festival Volbeat and Illumise dance goes off without a hitch. (1) Based on the feelings that Volbeat and Romeo have, I’m assuming that Illumise is female.

Major Events

• Volbeat and Illumise light show for Lake May’s May Festival
• Ash dresses up as Juliet for Romeo’s confession practice and Brock chases him
• Megan Hollingshead’s last Nurse Joy until Journeys
• Volbeat and Illumise debut
• Aired sixth in the US, on 16 October 2004

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Volbeat#0313 · AG042
• Illumise#0314 · AG042

Trivia

• The English title plays on "love at first sight".
• The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Hoenn story.

Changes in the English Dub

• Julié renamed Juliet
• Volbeat’s and Illumise’s Japanese voices kept
• Pokémon Trainer’s Choice (dub only, in place of Who’s That Pokémon?): which Pokémon is best against Mudkip? Answer: Plusle (Roselia was arguably a better choice)

Part of our Pokémon: Advanced Challenge guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.