Since its release in 1996, Pokémon franchise has plays an important part in childhoods to thousands of people all over the world. Throughout the history of the franchise, the animated series is still logical. Unfortunately, two episodes have been lost to the journey of time. The lost episode scripts are said to have surfaced online more than ten years later, allowing fans to see what they were missing.
The lost episodes in question are Team Rocket vs Team Plasma Part 1 and 2, which were meant to be episodes 23 and 24 of the Pokémon the Series: Black & White anime. On March 17 and March 24, 2011, respectively, they were scheduled to air. Sadly, the March 11, 2011, Thoku earthquake and tsunami prevented the episodes to ever premiering. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed, led to the episodes' cancellation.
Over a decade later, on April 30, 2021, a Bulbagarden forum user ObjectionMan, claimed to have tracked down someone who owned scans of the Japanese scripts for the lost episodes and was willing to sell them. This caused a fundraiser to be started to buy the scripts. However, the owner of the scripts ultimately decided to provide the scans for free, and those who had donated were refunded. The scans of the Japanese scripts have now been shared on the Bulbagarden forum and are hosted on a Google Drive along with a rough English translation.
The history has been made today. 🙌Finally, after 12 years, the script for two LOST episodes of the Pokémon anime, "Team Rocket VS Team Plasma (Part 1 & 2)", is finally available for EVERYONE! 🎊https://t.co/9I5UxIchIOThanks to the great work of @Bulbagarden's user… pic.twitter.com/puTM9DiFxd— 🌈🧢 Annet 🧢🌈 (@Akilvers) May 1, 2023
The episodes were significant to the plot of the series because they would have featured the climax of Team Rocket’s attempt to steal the Meteonite, a powerful item. However, the Meteonite becomes unstable and releases large blasts of energy, which was similar to the ongoing real-world events at the time, so the episodes were never aired. Eventually, they were "retconned" out of the plot. Despite this, Pokémon fans have long sought after the episodes, not just because they were never aired, but also because of their significance to the story.
Assuming that the scripts are legitimate and not a hoax, fans can finally find out what happened in those two missing episodes after 12 years. Since the episodes were supposed to be end Team Rocket's storyline. It will be interesting to see how they fit into overall plot of show.
The emergence of the scripts for the two lost Pokémon episodes is a significant development for fans of the franchise. Despite the unfortunate circumstances that led to their cancellation, the scripts' emergence has provided closure to the story's avid followers. It will be exciting to see how these episodes contribute to the series' overall narrative.