Advice to Goh! (Japanese:ゴウにライバル！？ミュウへの道！！A Rival forGo!? The Road to Mew!!) is the 68th episode ofPokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,153rd episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on May 28, 2021, in Canada on October 23, 2021, in South Africa on December 14, 2021, in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2022, and in the United States on January 21, 2022.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Our heroes are visiting Professor Oak, where Goh learns about Project Mew and decides he’s not interested. Professor Oak keeps most of Ash’s Pokémon at his lab, but Infernape is missing, and our heroes go out looking for it. Along the way, they run into Ash’s old friend and rival, Gary, who gives Goh quite a hard time. With Gary’s help, the boys eventually find Infernape bellowing a challenge to the Legendary Pokémon Moltres—who accepts! After the battle, Gary claims a fallen feather as part of his research for Project Mew, and Goh decides he wants to join up after all. Could this have been Gary’s plan all along?
Plot
Ash andGoh have traveled to Ash'shometown ofPallet to visitProfessor Oak's Laboratory, whereProfessor Oak himself happily welcomes them. Ash asks Goh if this is his first time here, but Goh tells him thathe was here at a Pokémon Camp when he was six. He also remarks how they were held back due to someone being late. Ash figures that the person must've overslept, which makes him and Professor Oak both realize that the person they're speaking of was actually Ash himself.
Goh goes on to tell how the Pokémon Camp was also where he had seenMew, which had inspired his dream ofcatching everyPokémon in theworld on his path to theMythical Pokémon. Professor Oak compliments Goh's dream and asks how many Pokémon he's caught so far. In response, Goh shows him alist of his Pokémon from hisRotom Phone. Professor Oak is impressed, especially noting how Goh has managed tocatch aSuicune. As such, he decides to tell Goh aboutProject Mew, a research team that's currently recruiting members in order to find Mew. Goh, however, refuses the offer to join, since he doesn't like working in a team. Professor Oak is surprised, but also respects Goh's choice, before turning to Ash and telling him thathis Pokémon are waiting for him.
Ash reuniting with his Pokémon
Ash rushes outside to greetBulbasaur,Charizard, and many of his other Pokémon, who are just as happy to see him again as he is to see them. Professor Oak, however, mentions thatInfernape has been absent for a few days now, and neither he norTracey has been able to find him. Goh asks if Infernape was acting oddly before he disappeared, and Professor Oak describes how he did have somebattles with Ash's otherFire types before that. Ash wonders if he wastraining, but regardless, he and Goh decide to go look for him.
While looking for Infernape, Goh spots aPidgeotto and decides to catch it, since he's already failed to catch oneonce. However, Pidgeotto escapes from the thrownPoké Ball andblows Ash and Goh straight into anOnix. Goh tries to catch it as well, but yet again, is met with failure. Onix prepares to attack them, but is struck by aHydro Pump from aBlastoise before it can do so, driving it off. Ash recognizes the Blastoise, and sure enough,Gary steps out from behind it. Ash is happy to see Gary again, but also wonders what he's doing here, sincethe last time he saw him, he was doing Pokémon research inSinnoh. Gary explains that these days, he's doing research around the world, and something turned up that made him come toKanto.
Goh introduces himself to Gary, while Ash explains to Goh that Gary is his childhood friend and longtimerival, as well as the grandson of Professor Oak. Gary says he had heard of Ash having a new buddy and wanted to see how good he was as aPokémon Trainer, claiming that Goh would have to be at least as good of a Trainer as he is to qualify as a buddy for Ash. Goh is irritated by Gary's behavior, but Ash assures Goh that Gary used to say the same kind of things to him, too. He then changes the subject and asks Gary why he came to Kanto in the first place. Gary explains that he's in search of theLegendary PokémonMoltres, which he has predicted to appear in a valley a short distance away. Ash, in return, explains that he and Goh are looking for his Infernape, which Gary remembers from theSinnoh League battles he's seen. After hearing of Infernape's battles against Ash's other Fire types, Gary figures Infernape could be headed to the same valley as he is, so Ash and Goh tag along with him.
Goh is barely able to keep up with Ash and Gary, but eventually, they all arrive at the valley. Gary explains that the valley was formed by flowing magma, which explains why Moltres would show up there. In addition, the local flowers have bloomed early, which is a result of Moltres bringing an early spring to wherever it goes. Using these pieces of information, Gary had been able to figure out Moltres would appear here, but now he also has a new piece of evidence: Ash's Infernape. He's seen him training before at Oak's Laboratory, so it'd make sense for him to wish to challenge a Legendary Fire type to grow stronger. And if he truly is here, it means he's been able to sense Moltres's presence. Just then, they hear Infernape'scry as he calls out for Moltres from a nearby tree. Spotting his Trainer, Infernape jumps over to Ash and happily greets him. The happy reunion has barely enough time to conclude before Gary tells them to look up, revealing that Moltres has responded to Infernape's call and arrived.
Infernape fighting Moltres
Ash agrees to fight by Infernape's side and tells him to useFlamethrower. However, the Fire-typemove is easily absorbed by Moltres, who responds by encircling Infernape in aFire Spin. Infernape is able to escape from the fiery vortex withDig, but hisMach Punch fails to make contact, while hisFlare Blitz is overpowered by Moltres'sAir Slash. Gary joins the battle by sending out Blastoise, who scores a direct hit on Moltres with Hydro Pump. Blastoise is then also trapped in a Fire Spin, but it manages to escape from it with aRapid Spin. While its subsequentSkull Bash is dodged, itsWater Pulse lands a hit, dealingsuper effectivedamage on theLegendary bird Pokémon. Suddenly, Moltres's wing and tail flames grow bigger and brighter, which Gary recognizes as the moveBurn Up. Blastoise attacks and scores a hit with Hydro Pump, but Burn Up still goes off, dealing lots of damage on Blastoise. Ash asks what Burn Up does, and Gary explains that it causes the user tolose its Fire typing.
Moltres next attacks withHurricane, which quickly overpowers Blastoise's Rapid Spin counterattack and defeats it. Goh also joins in and sends outCinderace, but Moltres easily dodges itsPyro Ball and uses Air Slash. Before Cinderace can be hit, Ash and Gary quickly call forthPikachu andElectivire, who counterattack withThunderbolt andThunder, respectively. TheElectric-type attacks manage to break through Air Slash and strike Moltres, dealing even more damage to it and causing it tofly away. Gary, however, says they don't need to chase after it, since the burning feather it dropped upon departing is exactly what he had come for in the first place, placing it inside of a glass jar. Goh, meanwhile, is dismayed to notice that he failed to record any footage of the battle. ACorviknight appears, and Gary places the jar containing the Moltres feather inside the bag it's carrying, after which theRaven Pokémon flies off.
Back at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Professor Oak is surprised to hear what had happened. Ash says that battling with Moltres was fun, but then notices Gary being further away, talking withsomeone on his Rotom Phone. Professor Oak reveals that Gary is taking part in Project Mew, and finding the Moltres feather was apparently hisTrial Mission. Upon the feather's authenticity being verified, Gary receives a token on his phone. Ash asks what the token is for, and Gary explains that they are received for completing Trial Missions. Gary then turns to Goh, saying that he made a wise choice in deciding not to join Project Mew with his current Trainer level. As Gary prepares to leave, Ash asks him what he'll be doing next. Gary says he'll be researching everything related to Pokémon, which includes researching Mew, which is said to contain the genes of every Pokémon. He understands his goal might seem impossible, but he's not giving up on it.
Watching Gary walk away, Goh declares that he'll join Project Mew after all. Professor Oak is happy about this decision and tells Goh that Gary's provocations were likely intended to lead him to this very choice. Goh admits that Gary completely beat him, but swears to try harder so it won't happen again.
All the previous English dub voice actors of Ash's Pokémon residing at Professor Oak's Laboratory reprise their roles in this episode, with the exception ofAlex Haynes asAsh's Talonflame, who had since left the series towards the end ofPokémon the Series: Sun & Moon.Zeno Robinson replaced Alex Haynes's voice role as Ash's Talonflame starting with this episode.
Errors
In theCzech dub, Professor Oak refers to Tracey as a female.
Dub edits
The Japanese text depicting Professor Oak's Laboratory's name is edited out.
