A Pinch of This, a Pinch of That! – Pokémon Season 24, Episode 2

Plot episodeAsh catches DracovishFossil Pokémon

A Pinch of This, a Pinch of That! is the 2nd episode of Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series, the twenty-fourth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1130th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1136, Bulbapedia code JN050). It first aired in Japan on 8 January 2021 and in the United States on 10 September 2021. It falls within the season’s Chloe’s Eevee & a new year of research stretch (EP49–EP55).

Released on Netflix in the US on Friday 10 September 2021 with the rest of Part 1; Teletoon had premiered it in Canada on 19 June 2021, followed by e.tv in South Africa on 10 August 2021 and POP in the UK on 2 September 2021.

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

Synopsis

Ash, Goh and Chloe help two eccentric researchers dig up Fossils in Galar’s Wild Area, and Ash catches the revived Dracovish while Goh catches Arctozolt and a Boldore. The curator of the Pewter Museum of Science has heard rumours of rare Fossils in the Wild Area and asks Ash and Goh to investigate, and Professor Cerise invites Chloe along; she hesitates over schoolwork but agrees when she sees how excited Eevee is, arranging to make up her lessons by writing a report on the trip. Soon after they arrive in Galar, her first visit to the region, Eevee bumps into a Boldore while playing with Pikachu, and the angry Boldore lashes out at Chloe. Goh’s Cinderace protects her and weakens the Ore Pokémon, and Goh catches it. At the digging site, a Mudsdale’s Double Kick sends a boulder rolling towards Chloe until Pikachu stops it with Iron Tail, and its reckless owner introduces himself as Bray Zenn.

Bray Zenn shows the children his collection of Fossils, every one of them incomplete, and his fellow researcher Cara Liss arrives. Together they unearth a pile of mismatched pieces, and the two scientists predict creatures they call Arctovish and Dracozolt before covering the Fossils with colour-coded containers and promptly forgetting which is which. Their restoration machines draw the Fossils inside for a four-hour process, so everyone cooks curry while they wait. Bray Zenn throws his ingredients in unprepared, Cara Liss has brought chocolate instead of curry roux, and Bray Zenn adds the whipped cream Chloe made from Moomoo Milk as a “secret ingredient”; to everyone’s surprise, the result tastes good. When the machines finish, the revived Pokémon look nothing like the predictions, so the researchers simply rename them: Bray Zenn calls his Arctozolt and Cara Liss calls hers Dracovish. Dracovish immediately tries to bite Ash’s head and chases him across the site.

Pikachu’s Electroweb cannot hold Dracovish, which bites through it and fires a Water Gun that misses Ash and hits Arctozolt instead. The furious Arctozolt covers the area in Powder Snow, freezing both researchers, and Ash and Pikachu slip on the ice and end up riding Dracovish as it races away. Goh has Cinderace thaw Cara Liss and Bray Zenn with Pyro Ball and sends out his new Boldore to battle the rampaging Arctozolt. Far away, Dracovish dives into a pond, and Ash realises it only wanted a swim; it then charges straight back to the dig and collides with Arctozolt in the middle of Goh’s battle. Both Fossil Pokémon shake off the crash, and Arctozolt finally calms down. Having gathered all the data they need, the researchers suggest the boys look after the two Pokémon, and Ash catches Dracovish while Goh catches Arctozolt. Back at the Cerise Laboratory, the curator is thrilled with the report, and Chloe tells her father she would like to travel again someday.

Major Events

• Fossils in the Wild Area. Chloe’s first visit to Galar
• Bray Zenn and Cara Liss revive mismatched Fossils
• Ash catches Dracovish, his first Fossil Pokémon, his first Generation VIII catch and his last new permanent capture
• Goh catches Boldore and Arctozolt
• The first episode to air in Japan after Secrets of the Jungle and the first stand-alone Galar episode
• The Karaage Sisters’ version of 1·2·3 begins

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Arctozolt#0881 · JN050
• Dracovish#0882 · JN050

Captures and evolutions

• Dracovish#0882 · Ash · revived by Cara Liss; his first Fossil Pokémon and his last new permanent capture
• Boldore#0525 · Goh · after it lashes out at Chloe in the Wild Area
• Arctozolt#0881 · Goh · revived by Bray Zenn

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Jun’ichi Fujisaku.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto, Galar & beyond storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• The Karaage Sisters’ version of 1·2·3 (Erika Ikuta and Sayuri Matsumura of Nogizaka46) becomes the Japanese opening, with new animation

Part of our Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.