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| Season | Pokémon: Master Quest (Season 5) · The Whirl Islands & the Whirl Cup arc (EP210–EP218) |
| Episode | Season 5, episode 2 · English episode 211 · Japanese episode 213 · Bulbapedia code EP211 |
| English title | Fly Me to the Moon |
| Japanese title | ポッポとデカポッポ! まだみぬそらへ!! Poppo to Deka Poppo! Mada Minu Sora e!! — “Poppo and the Enormous Poppo! Towards the As Yet Unseen Sky!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 16 August 2001 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 21 September 2002 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Takeshi Shudō |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Whiteberry version) – Whiteberry · Maemuki Rocket-dan! (Face Forward Team Rocket!) – Team Rocket |
| English opening | Believe in Me – David Rolfe |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Magmar (US) · Pidgey (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Around the Whirlpool (EP210) |
| Next episode | Takin’ It on the Chinchou (EP212) |
Filler / stand-alone episode
Fly Me to the Moon is the 2nd episode of Pokémon: Master Quest, the fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 211th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 213, Bulbapedia code EP211). It first aired in Japan on 16 August 2001 and in the United States on 21 September 2002. It falls within the season’s The Whirl Islands & the Whirl Cup stretch (EP210–EP218).
Synopsis
On their way to Blue Finland, Ash and company, well, actually Misty spots some corsola on their way to Pudgy Pidgy Isle. Informed by the caretaker that the island is inaccessible by sea because of the whirlpools. Misty insists on going to the island to catch a corsola. So they go with the caretaker across a rather shaky bridge. There they find that the pidgey of the island grow to an enormous size and are too heavy to fly. All except one, a normal-sized pidgey trained by the caretaker named Orville. Orville is different from the rest of the pidgey as he wants to not just fly, but fly higher than any other pokémon.
Team Rocket happens by, listening at the window, learning that the pidgey is potentially a unique pokémon, they disguise themselves and their balloon as meteorologists and offer to help track Orville to verify how high he can fly. Meowth is especially interested as he sees his own struggle to learn to speak human language is the same as Orville’s dream. He encourages Orville to succeed as an inspiration to all pokémon everywhere to do their best and gives the pidgey a headset for communication.
The next morning they are ready. Orville takes off and everyone follows in the weather balloon boosted by rockets. After reaching 10,000 feet, oxygen masks are brought out for the human passengers. A little bit after that, Orville is attacked by a fearow, but Pikachu attacks with a Thunderbolt. the falling fearow catches on the outer covering of the balloon revealing it to be Team Rocket’s. Continuing to go higher, now the atmosphere is too thin for most other pokémon and the rockets sputter out. Team Rocket decides this is not a good time to steal pokémon. Meowth still in contact with Orville and having his own oxygen supply, relays that Orville is determined to fly as high as he possibly can. Even the pudgy pidgeys are listening to the reports with interest now.
Orville reaches the outer atmosphere and despite icing up, begins describing the wonders of the world, the Sun, stars, and the Moon from that altitude. Meowth convinces Orville to return to the ground so he can tell all pokémon about his adventures, and the bird pokémon agrees to return. However he decides to fold his wings and go into a dive. Meowth guides Orville to the balloon, which results in Orville punching a hole in the top. As the balloon falls closer to the ground, the pudgy pidgeys, inspired by Orville, make a concerted effort to rise high enough to break the balloon’s fall.
Team Rocket lands on one of the rockets which turns out to still have enough fuel for one last blast off. Ash and his friends then say their good byes as the overweight pidgeys begin their training to lose weight and fly. Misty apparently has forgotten about the corsolas.
Trivia
- The caretaker mentions that he works for the Pokémon Protection Agency. Also the planet is not referred to as Earth, but simply “our planet”. There is only one moon mentioned and it is referred to as The Moon.
- The English title plays on the Frank Sinatra standard.
- The screenplay is by Takeshi Shudō.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Johto story.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Pidgey in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Magmar in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Part of our Pokémon: Master Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.