True Blue Swablu – Pokémon Season 7, Episode 24

Filler / stand-alone episodeMay nurses a Swablu

True Blue Swablu is the 24th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 337th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 340, Bulbapedia code AG064). It first aired in Japan on 19 February 2004 and in the United States on 5 February 2005. It falls within the season’s Road to Petalburg: Lombre, Grovyle & the Balance Badge stretch (EP63–EP70).

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

Synopsis

During a storm, lightning sets fire to a tree where a flock of Swablu and Altaria are sheltering, and one young Swablu, too slow to escape, is hurt when the tree falls. The next morning the group are lost in the forest, and over lunch Brock shows off his newly evolved Lombre. Pikachu and Torchic sense something and lead everyone to the burned tree and the injured Swablu. Terrified of humans, it puts the whole group to sleep with Sing, but Torchic wakes May by pecking her nose, and she treats the wing with a Super Potion while Torchic rouses the others with sharper pecks. The commotion attracts Ranger Mr. Morita and his Nuzleaf, who take them to his cabin, where Brock bandages the wing and gives Swablu medicine to help it recover.

Mr. Morita explains that the storm separated many young Pokémon from their flocks and offers directions to Petalburg, but May insists on staying until Swablu recovers. Team Rocket, meanwhile, imagine the fluffy Pokémon as a pillow for Giovanni and build a treetop hideout to wait for it to heal. May nurses Swablu day and night, and eventually Brock declares the wing fully healed, but when Swablu tries to fly it falls, its fear from the fire still holding it back. Taillow’s demonstration only makes it hide behind May, Ash’s fake wings end with a face-plant in the mud, and a ride on Beautifly’s back reminds it of the joy of height without giving it the courage to fly alone. Finally Max claims that a “magic powder” lets Taillow and Beautifly fly, and after a dusting of it Swablu takes off.

Ash and Pikachu are disappointed to learn that the powder is fake. Mr. Morita locates Swablu’s flock at a lake, but on the drive there a shot from hiding blows out a tyre, and Team Rocket grab Swablu with a claw and escape by balloon, threatening to hurt it if Pikachu attacks. May has Swablu use Sing, sending the trio to sleep, and a drowsy James orders a Pin Missile that hits the balloon’s burner and sets it alight. As the balloon falls, the flames remind Swablu of the forest fire and it freezes. May tells it the truth about the powder: it has always been able to fly on its own. Encouraged, Swablu flies into her arms, and Lombre and Mudkip put out the fire and blast Team Rocket off. At sunset the flock appears just as May offers Swablu a place on her team, and she tearfully lets it rejoin them.

Major Events

• May nurses an injured Swablu that is afraid to fly
• Ranger Mr. Morita
• Max’s fake “magic powder”
• May lets Swablu rejoin its flock
• Swablu and Altaria’s TV debuts

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Swablu#0333 · AG064
• Altaria#0334 · AG064

Trivia

• The English title plays on "true blue".
• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (some broadcasts credited Atsuhiro Tomioka).
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Hoenn story.

Changes in the English Dub

• Pokémon Trainer’s Choice (dub only, in place of Who’s That Pokémon?): which Pokémon evolves into Delcatty? Answer: Skitty
• Ready Go!, To My Best Friend and cues from Mewtwo Strikes Back and Pikachu’s Vacation used in Japan

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