Indigo League, Episode 21: "Bye Bye Butterfree"

Season 1, Episode 21, Original Air Date: August 19, 1997 (JP), October 5, 1998 (US)

Picking up where we left off, everyone is on their way to Saffron City; and it turns out they're just in time for the migration of Butterfree; where they all cross the ocean to breed! As for the persistent "Butterfree dies after it mates" theory, I will address this right off: it's not true. As you will see in this screenshot, all it says is that if Butterfree doesn't cross the ocean; it can't have offspring. Glad I could help clear this up.

Taking to the skies in a hot air balloon, Ash lets out Butterfree along with other trainers doing the same in the hopes it might find a mate. Ash's Butterfree spots a pink one on the horizon; and begins doing a "courtship dance" to gain its affections. 

Butterfree is rejected; flying down to a nearby meadow, but Ash, Brock and Misty encourage Butterfree not to give up. After a brief pep talk from them all and a new scarf around his neck, Butterfree is back at it!

As they all head back in the skies, however, Team Rocket is out to steal all the Butterfree in a helicopter! After trying to attack the chopper proves ineffective; Butterfree, undeterred; decides to follow them as a sentry! 

Butterfree successfully manages to track Team Rocket's helicopter to a hangar in the canyons; where the pink Butterfree and all the others are being held hostage! Ash, Brock and Misty break in with their own rendition of the motto; with Jessie, James and Meowth lamenting it was "just too good to last."

Butterfree breaks through the net, freeing all the captive Butterfree including the pink Butterfree! Team Rocket then tries to recapture the Butterfree, but Ash's Pikachu leaps onto the chopper with Butterfree's help! I just love Team Rocket's speech getting faster and faster as Pikachu shocks the chopper, destroying it. Moved by Ash's Butterfree, the pink Butterfree agrees to be its mate.

So, now comes the most memorable part of the episode: Butterfree's departure. Ash agrees to let Butterfree go to be with its mate, crossing the ocean to have children; pledging to meet again one day as we get a montage set to the "Tears After the Cloudy Weather" track; transitioning to the Pokémon theme to close out this episode. It was his first Pokémon catch and his first to depart; setting the standard for all those that would follow.

Butterfree will return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

"Bye Bye Butterfree" is easily among my favorite episodes of the Indigo League ever; if not the entire franchise thus far. I cannot stress enough how much of an impact this episode has left on me; so I seriously recommend you watch it if you haven't before. Next time: the Saffron City gym challenge begins! To be continued...