DP178

For The Love of Meowth! (Japanese: さよならロケット団！ニャースの恋！？ Goodbye ! Love of !?) is the 178th episode of the, and the 644th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on May 27, 2010 and in the United States on October 23, 2010.

Blurb
We join our heroes in the middle of yet another battle with Team Rocket, and Ash sends them blasting off quickly. However, Meowth is separated from Jessie and James during the flight. Unconscious, Meowth is found and taken care of by a young girl named Mamie, along with her beautiful Glameow. When Meowth awakens, love is in the air!

After rejoining Team Rocket, Meowth decides they should catch Glameow as a gift to "da Boss," which of course is just an excuse to spend more time with his new crush. After they succeed in catching the Pokémon, Meowth and Glameow sneak away. What's more, Meowth leaves a note for Jessie and James, telling them that he's leaving Team Rocket! So our heroes, Mamie, and Jessie and James all vow to find Meowth and Glameow.

When they catch up to the two Pokémon, more fierce battling ensues as Meowth is determined to protect Glameow...and his newfound devotion gives his Fury Swipes unbelievable power! Meowth fends off every attack, until, all of a sudden, Glameow evolves into Purugly! This turning point causes Meowth to fall out of love with the suddenly much less attractive Pokémon, and he returns to Team Rocket. Mamie gets her Purugly back, and our heroes resume their travels to Sunyshore City...where Ash will be battling for his eighth Gym Badge!

Plot
The episode begins with a battle between Jessie's Seviper and Ash's Torterra. Like always, loses and blasts off, leaving  to continue their journey back to Sunyshore City so  can have his long-awaited battle against Volkner. However, Jessie and James, now sore, realize that they're missing a team member: ! Meowth is soon discovered by a girl and her. Nursed to health, he awakens to find he is in love with the Glameow that has rescued him from further injury.

While joining the twosome for lunch, Meowth is found by Jessie and James, and much to his discontent, he's taken back to the balloon. Lovesick, Meowth devises a plan to catch Glameow. Despite Jessie and James's arguments, Meowth fantasizes about having the Glameow, so Meowth can secretly have Glameow to himself.

Meanwhile, Ash and cross paths with Glameow's Trainer, whose name is revealed as Mamie. Having just started her, she tried to defeat Crasher Wake but lost.

Their conversation is ended when they fall through a bridge into a cage deliberately set by none other than Team Rocket. As Team Rocket goes through their, Glameow is snatched, but is quickly returned to her Poké Ball. As Carnivine and go into battle, Glameow's Poké Ball is grabbed right from Mamie's fingers! Team Rocket floats away in their balloon while Ash and his friends get drenched with a drop to the river below. Soon afterwards, Ash and his friends promise Mamie that they will help rescue her Glameow.

Team Rocket rests and agrees to soon send it to Giovanni, but Meowth declines and tries all to get Glameow's Poké Ball away from Jessie's hands, ending in failure.

At sunset, and Togekiss return to their Trainers empty handed: no Glameow or Team Rocket in sight.

Later, Meowth awakens to find Jessie and James asleep; he takes Glameow's Poké Ball and sneaks away. When Glameow is called out of the Poké Ball, she is confused about her Trainer not being around. Meowth sneakily explains that Team Rocket forced Meowth to kidnap her. He tells Glameow that she wouldn't like hanging out with Team Rocket: they always get pummeled by Ash! Meowth informs Glameow that he is taking her away to a safe place. He says he's like her "PokéKnight in shining armor." However, Glameow imagines Meowth coming to her on a Rapidash, his bottom burning from the flames.

The twosome walk up to a river where a boat lays. Meowth and Glameow get in the boat, and they gaze at the full moon as the boat takes them steadily down the river.

In the morning, Staraptor and Togekiss are sent out yet again to try to locate Team Rocket. Meanwhile, Jessie and James awake to find Glameow and Meowth gone. The remaining Team Rocket opens a letter left by Meowth and says as follows:

''Don't look for me. I'm out of here. The long held dream the three of us shared of conquering all of Sinnoh is completely over for me. And my short and long term goal now is to live a long and happy life filled to the brim with gobs of domestic bliss, along with my beloved babe Glameow, dig? And so I hereby tender my resignation as a long steady member of Team Rocket and hope you guys have a nice day.''

Suddenly, they realize that Meowth had planned this from the start. Aggravated, Jessie and James climb into their balloon, only to be discovered by Staraptor and Togekiss. Ash and Dawn commands Staraptor and Togekiss to use and  on the balloon. Unfortunately, the gang discovers that Jessie and James don't have the Glameow. She's still with Meowth.

Speaking of, Meowth and Glameow are in the boat enjoying an afternoon snack. Only to be interrupted by Yanmega, Staraptor, and Togekiss. Trying to escape, Meowth is stopped by Piplup's.

Meowth, a fury sent through his body, uses a series of what he calls " of love" on Seviper, Infernape, Yanmega, Staraptor, and Togekiss! They all go down.

Carnivine is sent out, and both Glameow and Meowth are pummeled by. Glameow, unscathed, evolves into.

Meowth lands to see that Glameow is gone, and Purugly now stands where Glameow once was. Understanding the situation, Meowth is devastated. He is then hit by Seviper and Infernape. Purugly returns to Mamie.

Mamie uses her Pokédex to discover that Purugly can now use more moves, so she commands Purugly to unleash a onto Team Rocket. They blast off.

We return to the gang and Mamie as they come to a fork in the road, Mamie heading back to the Pastoria Gym and Ash and his friends returning to Sunyshore City. They part their ways, and now everyone is filled with new energy.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * (fantasy)
 * Crasher Wake (flashback)
 * Mamie
 * (fantasy)
 * Crasher Wake (flashback)
 * Mamie

Pokémon

 * (Crasher Wake's; flashback)
 * (Crasher Wake's; flashback)
 * (Crasher Wake's; flashback)
 * (Mamie's; evolves)
 * (Mamie's; newly evolved)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (Crasher Wake's; flashback)
 * (Crasher Wake's; flashback)
 * (Crasher Wake's; flashback)
 * (Mamie's; evolves)
 * (Mamie's; newly evolved)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (Mamie's; newly evolved)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)

Trivia

 * Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Examination:
 * The music played during the title card is removed in this episode. Instead, the Badges and Ribbons are heard flying by the screen before a fanfare is played.
 * The outfit is wearing in the fantasy of being 's "Poké-knight in shining armor" is the same outfit he wore during Wake Up Snorlax!, when trying to wake up a  from its deep sleep.
 * This episode's title comes from the phrase "For the love of God".

Errors

 * When is firing  at, its Japanese voice can be heard.

Dub edits

 * In the English dub, Mamie's is stated to be female, but Purugly's gender wasn't stated in the original version.

In other languages
Mauzi im Liebesrausch! EP647 DP178 DP178 DP編第178話 精灵宝可梦 钻石＆珍珠 第176集