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| Season | Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Season 23) · Climbing the ranks arc (JN019–JN024) |
| Episode | Season 23, episode 22 · English episode 1102 · Japanese episode 1108 · Bulbapedia code JN022 |
| English title | Goodbye, Friend! |
| Japanese title | さよなら、ラビフット！ Sayonara, Rabifutto! — “Goodbye, Rabbifuto!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 19 April 2020 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 11 September 2020 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Deko Akao |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Wan, Tsū, Surī (One, Two, Three) – After the Rain · Pokémon Shiritori (Mew → Zamazenta Ver.) – Pokémon Music Club |
| English opening | The Journey Starts Today – Walk off the Earth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Beautifly (US) · Beautifly (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Caring for a Mystery! (JN021) |
| Next episode | Panic in the Park! (JN023) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeGoh and RabootLast before the hiatus
Goodbye, Friend! is the 22nd episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, the twenty-third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1102nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1108, Bulbapedia code JN022). It first aired in Japan on 19 April 2020 and in the United States on 11 September 2020. It falls within the season’s Climbing the ranks stretch (EP19–EP24).
Synopsis
On a trip to Littleroot Town to watch the annual Beautifly migration, Goh decides that his moody Raboot would be happier with the wild Pokémon it has befriended and tries to leave it behind, until Raboot shows that it wants to stay with him. When a Wurmple crawls past, Raboot refuses to help, and Goh’s weak throw lets it escape; he explains to Ash that he wants another one in the hope of evolving it into a Silcoon. Nurse Joy tells the boys that the migration’s location changes every year but usually follows a north wind, and with the wind blowing from the southeast, Goh concludes that it will not start that day. Searching for the sweet pollen Beautifly love, they find a Zigzagoon lying on the ground, and Raboot, a former street Pokémon itself, stops a second Zigzagoon from raiding Ash’s backpack; both scamper back to their leader, a Lombre. That night at the hotel Goh works out that they should look for Silcoon instead, while Raboot sneaks out and returns at dawn without explanation.
The boys find a grove full of Silcoon and expect the migration the next day. On the way back to town Goh watches Ash and Pikachu and reflects on how close they are. Raboot makes him buy apples and then refuses to share a single one, and when Goh demands to know why it has behaved this way since evolving, the apple seller laughs that her son went through the same rebellious phase. Goh fails to follow Raboot on another night outing. When the north wind rises, the Silcoon evolve into Beautifly and ride the wind away, and Goh chooses simply to enjoy the sight rather than catch any. Before leaving, he asks Ash to help him discover where Raboot goes, and they find it in an abandoned building, teaching breakdancing to the Lombre and the two Zigzagoon and sharing Goh’s apples with them.
When three Loudred arrive to challenge Raboot to a dance battle for the territory, Goh steps in to clap out a rhythm over their noise, and Ash and Pikachu drum on empty barrels; other wild Pokémon join the dancing, and Raboot wins to cheers. Seeing how happy Raboot is with its friends, Goh decides that its behaviour is his own fault and that it will be happier without him. The next morning he quietly says goodbye to the sleeping Raboot and joins Ash at the station, but when Ash asks whether he has at least told Raboot, Goh realises what he has done—just as the doors close and the train pulls away. Running through the carriages, he falls to the floor in tears, then sees Raboot walk in: it had boarded the train without his knowing. Raboot offers him an apple, Goh takes a bite and hands it back, and, spotting a smile on his partner’s face, he hugs the embarrassed Raboot and takes a selfie to celebrate their reunion.
Major Events
- Goh and Raboot. Second Hoenn trip, for Littleroot Town’s Beautifly migration
- Goh fails to catch a Wurmple
- Raboot breakdances with its wild friends, and Goh tries to leave it behind until it rejoins him on the train
- The last new episode before the COVID-19 production break in Japan
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Deko Akao.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kanto, Galar & beyond story.
Part of our Pokémon Journeys: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.