The Thief That Keeps on Thieving! – Pokémon Season 11, Episode 28

Plot episodeJessie catches YanmaYanma evolves into Yanmega

The Thief That Keeps on Thieving! is the 28th episode of Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension, the eleventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 543rd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 547, Bulbapedia code DP080). It first aired in Japan on 22 May 2008 and in the United States on 18 October 2008. It falls within the season’s Pastoria & the Fen Badge stretch (EP80–EP85).

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

Synopsis

Walking beside a lake, Dawn shows off her new Ribbon and Ash looks forward to the Pastoria Gym when a Yanma lands briefly on Dawn’s head. A young Trainer named Tyler runs up looking for it, and when he catches up with the Yanma, his female Piplup, Pippy, is outmanoeuvred: Yanma dodges Peck, knocks her back with SonicBoom and drops her with Wing Attack before flying off. Tyler admits that he has been a Trainer for only a week and vowed to catch the first Pokémon he saw. Ash and Dawn remember their own first captures, Caterpie and Buneary, and offer to help. Staravia tracks the Yanma down, and this time Pippy lands two hits and counters Quick Attack with Peck, leaving Yanma unable to continue. But just as Tyler readies a Poké Ball, Team Rocket’s submarine surfaces and Jessie throws hers first, catching the weakened Yanma with ease.

Tyler is crushed, and although he spots another Yanma, the search ends at dusk without success. Over Brock’s dinner the friends show off their Badges and Ribbons to cheer him up. Team Rocket send the Yanma to Giovanni by Delibird and dream of a promotion. At headquarters Giovanni scans the Poké Ball, learns that the Yanma knows Ancient Power and hears from a Grunt that the organisation already has plenty of Yanma, so he sends it back the next morning. The trio take its return as a reward, Jessie becomes its Trainer, and she resolves to catch another Yanma for the boss. Brock sets out Pokémon food to attract Yanma, and Pippy knocks out a wild one, but Team Rocket step in: Jessie’s Yanma and James’s Carnivine take on Ash’s Chimchar, with Meowth joining in with Fury Swipes.

Chimchar dodges Wing Attack and hits back with Flamethrower and Flame Wheel, but Yanma counters with SonicBoom and Ancient Power and then evolves into Yanmega, whose SonicBooms send Chimchar flying. The wild Yanma escapes in the chaos, and Team Rocket, convinced that Giovanni taught their new Yanmega Ancient Power, try again. When another Yanma comes to the food, the trio return in their submarine, but Ash’s Buizel dodges Ancient Power, strikes with Aqua Jet and knocks Yanmega out with SonicBoom, and Pikachu’s Thunderbolt blasts Team Rocket away. Pippy then forces the feeding Yanma ashore with Bubble, Peck and some nimble underwater manoeuvres. Tyler’s first throw fails, but after another Peck his second Poké Ball catches it, and everyone congratulates him. That evening Tyler heads for Lake Valor with a gift of Brock’s food, and Ash’s group continue towards Pastoria City. Ted Lewis returns as the English voice of Giovanni for the first time since the 4Kids era.

Major Events

• Jessie catches Yanma. Tyler and his Piplup, Pippy
• Jessie sends Yanma to Giovanni, who sends it back
• Yanma evolves into Yanmega
• Tyler catches a Yanma of his own
• Ted Lewis returns as Giovanni
• The anime debut of Ancient Power

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Yanmega#0469 · DP080

Captures and evolutions

• Yanma#0193 · Jessie · snatched from under Tyler’s nose
• Yanma → Yanmega#0469 · Jessie · the day after she caught it

Trivia

• The English title plays on “the gift that keeps on giving”.
• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Sinnoh storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• Giovanni is voiced by Ted Lewis (as “Ed Paul”) for the first time since the 4Kids era
• In Japan, “Face Forward Team Rocket!”

Part of our Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.