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| Season | Pokémon: Master Quest (Season 5) · Back to Olivine: the Mineral Badge arc (EP223–EP225) |
| Episode | Season 5, episode 14 · English episode 223 · Japanese episode 225 · Bulbapedia code EP223 |
| English title | Throwing in the Noctowl |
| Japanese title | とべホーホーごう! アサギをめざし!! Tobe Hōhō-gō! Asagi o Mezashi!! — “Fly Flight Hoho! Head for Asagi!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 8 November 2001 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 14 December 2002 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Junki Takegami |
| 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? | Mankey (US) · Noctowl (Japan) |
| Previous episode | A Promise is a Promise (EP222) |
| Next episode | Nerves of Steelix! (EP224) |
Filler / stand-alone episode
Throwing in the Noctowl is the 14th episode of Pokémon: Master Quest, the fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 223rd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 225, Bulbapedia code EP223). It first aired in Japan on 8 November 2001 and in the United States on 14 December 2002. It falls within the season’s Back to Olivine: the Mineral Badge stretch (EP223–EP225).
Synopsis

Having rescheduled a gym battle with the gym in Olivine City, Ash and company make plans to catch the next ferry from Transit Town. However, they wind up an hour too late. They wind up catching a plane ride with an old aviator, partner noctowl, and plane. Part-way there they run into a storm and pick up non-other than Team Rocket who are stranded in their balloon. The aviator cites that their mischief on land makes no difference, aviators help anyone in need. Once on board Team Rocket is genuinely repentant and even helpful. Considering that the plane is falling apart as they travel through the storm it is excellent timing as all hands will be needed for everyone to arrive in Olivine City safely.
Major Events
- Back to Olivine
Trivia
- The English title plays on “throwing in the towel”.
- The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
- 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 Noctowl in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Mankey in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Part of our Pokémon: Master Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.
