A Pokemon enthusiast has published the original scripts for two Pokemon anime episodes that never aired, unveiling new adventures for the popular villains of the series, Team Rocket. This team of bad guys has been the main antagonist of the entire Pokemon anime, and its evil plans were often thwarted by Ash Ketchum and his faithful companion Pikachu.The Team Rocket trio consisting of Jessie, James, and Meowth made their debut in the second episode of the Pokemon anime back in 1997, only to say their goodbyes 25 years later with the end of Ash’s adventures in Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. After years of failed plans and deceptions, the Team Rocket trio split up at the end of the Pokemon anime, with Jessie, James, and Meowth each leaving in a different direction.Despite the end of the Pokemon anime featuring Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket, more adventures of this popular villainous team have recently surfaced online. A Pokemon player known as ObjectionMan on the Bulbagarden forum revealed that an anonymous buyer purchased the scripts for two scrapped episodes of the Pokemon anime called “Team Rocket VS Team Plasma (Part 1 & Part 2).” Ten years after acquiring these scripts, the owner decided to release the episodes scripts for free, allowing all Pokemon fans to discover two exclusive adventures of Team Rocket as they faced Team Plasma, the villains from the Unova region of Pokemon Black and White.
These episodes were scheduled to air in Japan on March 2011 but were indefinitely postponed due to the massive earthquake that happened a few days prior. This earthquake and the following tsunami destroyed several cities and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster, impacting the country for months. The never-before-seen episodes of the Pokemon anime seemingly featured the destruction of various buildings and other property damage, which was too close to the reality of the recent disaster to air. The full scripts for these episodes are available for free for Pokemon fans who want to discover more about the adventures of Pokemon's Team Rocket as they face Team Plasma, but they are only available in Japanese.
Despite the end of Ash’s quest and Team Rocket’s plans in the Pokemon anime, a new era began in April 2023 with the release of the first episode of Pokemon Horizons: The Series. This new anime series follows the story of Liko and Roy, two young trainers who travel the world to discover the mysteries of the Pokemon universe. The new team of villains replacing Team Rocket is the Explorers organization, but their goals remain a mystery for now.