The Mystery Is History – Pokémon Season 5, Episode 11

Plot episodeRitchie returnsLugiaLanturn & Pupitar debut

The Mystery Is History is the 11th episode of Pokémon: Master Quest, the fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 220th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 222, Bulbapedia code EP220). It first aired in Japan on 18 October 2001 and in the United States on 23 November 2002. It falls within the season’s The Silver Wing & the Lugia stretch (EP219–EP222).

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

Synopsis

Ash and company arrive on Oki Island and are reunited with Richie and Sparkie who are also looking for the mysterious pokémon. They decide to start by searching a small deserted islet off the coast. Ash’s party comes upon a young boy, Oliver and his pet lanturn. They ask him about a mysterious pokémon, but he became very evasive. He excuses himself, and leaves. Away from the group, it is revealed that he plays with a baby lugia that he named Silver. It is then revealed that one of the branches of the real Team Rocket led by Prof Namba has had Oliver under observation. They spot Silver and report to the professor. The Rocket grunts are then ordered to capture Silver without harming it. Ash and his party are still searching for clues and are seen and eavesdropped on by Jessie and James.

Team Rocket attacks but Oliver and the pokémon escape and make a run for it, coming into the view of Ash’s search party, and Jessie and James. When Ash’s party realizes that Silver is a mystery pokémon and is in danger from Team Rocket led by Butch and Cassidy, they take action to rescue Oliver and the pokémon. At the last moment Luca, who had been researching the silver wing found off Red Rock Island, joined the fray and turned the tide in the kids’ favor.

As the kids and Luca compare notes the parent lugia arrives and they make friends with it. Cut to the Team Rocket undersea base where Jessie and James in standard issue uniforms sneak aboard. Jessie wants to show up Cassidy and steal credit for a successful mission from her. In the process they learn of the professor’s plans for a Pokémon Power Magnifying Project.

Luca runs an errand for food and firewood leaving the kids on the island alone. While she is gone Butch and Cassidy catch Silver with a decoy. Then Jessie and James show up to steal Silver from Butch and Cassidy. A three-way battle ensues, but Cassidy and Butch win and take Silver with them, swamping the magikarp sub in the process.

Major Events

• Ritchie returns
• Lugia & Silver
• Butch/Cassidy/Dr. Namba
• Pupitar, Lanturn debuts
• Lugia TV debut

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Lugia#0249 · EP220
• Lanturn#0171 · EP220
• Pupitar#0247 · EP220

Trivia

• The English title plays on the phrase "history is a mystery".
• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Pupitar in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Spearow in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Boat scene cut and opening re-ordered to show Ritchie earlier
• Team Rocket motto variations and dub-only fourth-wall jokes (“Meowth has been dropped from the rest of the season”, EP265). Move-name errors: Headbutt → “Skull Bash” (EP216–217), Take Down (EP220), Outrage → “Attack Rage” (EP253), Bind → “Wrap”, Scary Face → “Leer” (EP271), Ice Beam → “Cold Beam” (EP257). The announcer repeatedly calls Harrison “from Silver Town” instead of Littleroot (EP270, EP272).

Part of our Pokémon: Master Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.