The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon

Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon (Japanese: 戦慄のミラージュポケモン The Terrifying Mirage Pokémon, officially Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon in Japan) is a special episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in the United States on April 29, 2006, and was broadcast as streaming video from the TV Tokyo Anitele website from October 13 to October 31, 2006.

According to The Pokémon Company International, the company wanted to give a special to American fans for Pokémon's 10th anniversary. The director of the special, Kunihiko Yuyama, said that their goal was to "convey the growth and evolution of Pokémon over the past 10 years". The special was the first aired appearance of the English dub's new voice actors. In Japan, the special was aired as a trial of delivering animated episodes over broadband.

In the special,, and  are invited to the mansion of Dr. Yung, a Pokémon  who has developed a machine to create Pokémon. However, he is kidnapped by a mysterious stranger who wishes to use the system to produce Pokémon with absolutely no weaknesses, and is enraged by the sudden presence of.

Blurb
''The story of "The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon" centers on a Pokémon scientist who has developed a new Mirage System to resurrect extinct Pokémon. Ash, May, Max, and Brock show up at the Mirage Mansion for a demonstration of this new machine, only to witness the kidnapping of the scientist! Then a mysterious stranger appears and claims that the machine can actually create Pokémon without weaknesses. It’s up to Ash and company to preserve the natural balance of the Pokémon world. Catch Misty, Professor Oak, Mew, and all your favorite Pokémon friends in this action-packed special.''

Plot
Somewhere in Kanto, and  are traveling through a forest. Ash reads out loud a letter from a researcher named Dr. Yung, who has invited Ash to his laboratory, the Mirage Mansion, for an exhibition and test of a new battle system Yung developed. When the group arrives at the laboratory castle, they are surprised to find and  already there, both of them having been invited by Dr. Yung as well. Yung arrives and introduces himself, then demonstrates his system to his guests — using numerous dome-shaped generators located all over his laboratory, Yung creates a number of holographic Pokémon, including, and. Identifying these as Mirage Pokémon, Yung explains that his Mirage System can generate any Pokémon using raw data, no matter if it is extinct or exceedingly rare. He then erases the Mirage Pokémon and rewrites the code into a Mirage, challenging Ash and Misty to battle against it. , who are covertly watching, decide to steal the Mirage System.

Misty challenges the Mirage Aggron first, sending her against it. As the battle gets underway, spots a  watching from the castle walls, but Mew flees moments later. Misty has Staryu try a number of attacks on Aggron, but none of them have any effect, and Aggron defeats Staryu using unusual attacks including and. When Max comments on this, Yung reveals that the Mirage System can create Pokémon with the capability to use any move, no matter what limits usually exist. This only excites Ash for his battle with Aggron further, and he prepares to challenge the Mirage Pokémon with Pikachu. However, right as they get started, the system crashes and Aggron freezes mid-charge; when Yung tries to fix the problem, the controller for the system explodes in his hands and Aggron vanishes. The system suddenly reactivates and recreates the fossil Pokémon from earlier, with the addition of two. A masked man calling himself "Mirage Master" appears on the balcony overlooking the battlefield and declares that he has taken control of the Mirage System before sending the Mirage Pokémon under his control after the group. Yung and Oak are captured by the Aerodactyl while Ash, Misty,, and Max escape the reach of the Mirage Pokémon, who cannot travel outside the Mirage Field inside the laboratory's walls.

With a group of Mirage Pokémon guarding the entrance, Ash and Misty hatch a plan to infiltrate the castle from beneath while May and Max stand watch. Brock, meanwhile, excitedly runs off to fetch Officer Jenny. Ash and Misty infiltrate the castle with the aid of and Staryu, only to encounter Team Rocket, who are sneaking around in the castle's basement. Meanwhile, the Mirage Master holds Oak hostage with a group of Mirage Pokémon. The masked villain explains that he is disgusted by the natural weaknesses all Pokémon possess, and intends to use the Mirage System to create a Pokémon that is free of these flaws. To this end, he demands the access password to Oak's research database, but Oak refuses to give it up. Mew appears in the room, much to Oak's excitement, but the Mirage Master attacks it in a rage using a Mirage, deeming it a flawed specimen. The Mirage Master sees the confrontation between Ash, Misty and Team Rocket on a security camera and uses the system to transport his Mirage Pokémon to the basement, where Team Rocket ends up getting blasted off while Pikachu is defeated and captured, Ash is knocked out, and Misty is thrown over the side of a platform. Ash wakes up and finds Mew, but as he greets it, it is injured after landing on a damaged Mirage System generator. Ash frees it, realizing that it is a Mirage Pokémon, albeit one that is different from the other, mindless creations. Meanwhile, the brick Misty is hanging off of far below starts to fall, but she is saved by May, who entered the castle with after seeing the explosion that blasted Team Rocket off earlier.

As an alternative to accessing Oak's database, the Mirage Master has Pikachu strapped to a machine that extracts Pikachu's memories. Oak reprimands the Mirage Master for this, as the process causes Pikachu great pain, but the Mirage Master refuses to stop until Oak finally breaks down and surrenders the password:. The Mirage Master expresses that he is impressed by Oak's work, but then reveals that he has hacked databases worldwide, with, and  discovering the intrusions of their respective laboratories while Nurse Joy deals with the attack at a Pokémon Center. The Mirage Master declares that his ultimate Pokémon will soon be born, as energy begins flowing in a special machine designed for this purpose. Meanwhile, Brock confronts Officer Jenny and first demands a date with her before catching himself and telling her that something terrible is happening at Yung's laboratory. Nurse Joy contacts Jenny to reveal the compromising of the computer systems, prompting Jenny to take action.

Misty, May and later Ash arrive in the room where the Mirage Master is holding Oak hostage. The Mirage Master welcomes them and tells them that they will witness the birth of the strongest Pokémon the world has ever seen before turning around and calling for it to awaken. The energy from the Mirage System comes together in the machine, creating a Mirage. The Mirage Master explains that this is not the same Mewtwo as the one they are familiar with, then demonstrates its power by having it destroy all of the other Mirage Pokémon in a single attack. He then turns Mewtwo against his enemies, but Oak sends out a to defend the group. Resigning himself to not being able to save Yung, Oak urges Ash, May, Misty and Mew to flee, which they do.

The group reunites with Max outside of the castle gate, but moments later, dozens of rockets shoot out of the castle's towers and land all over the surrounding area before opening up to activate Mirage System generators. This spreads the Mirage Field to the outside world, and the Mirage Master steps out with Mewtwo at his side. Declaring that it is time for the world to bow down to him, he summons forth a Mirage, and , catching the attention of Team Rocket, who have returned and are hiding in a nearby bush. When the Mirage Master mentions that these creations are the result of all his years of hard work, Oak realizes his true identity: Dr. Yung. Laughing, Yung discards his mask and confirms Oak's accusations that the first appearance of the Mirage Master was itself a mirage, and that his motive is revenge on the Pokémon Institute for expelling him after it deemed his Mirage System experiments cruel to Pokémon. Yung activates Entei, Articuno and Zapdos and sends them after the group. Misty and May send out and  to assist Pikachu and Dragonite in battling the Mirage Pokémon, but they are easily outmatched. Oak has Dragonite shoot a at Mewtwo, but Mewtwo catches it and smacks Dragonite to the ground with its tail. Yung then says goodbye to Oak, and Mewtwo's hand morphs into the shape of an 's head, allowing it to shoot a at the. Pikachu saves Oak by trying to intercept the Flamethrower with, only to end up badly injured instead. Yung calls for a Hyper Beam of his own, which Mewtwo fires by morphing its hand into a 's head. However, Mew blocks the attack and saves Pikachu, causing Yung to fly into a rage and order Mewtwo to destroy it. Mewtwo batters Mew with its tail, then throws it up into the air with the force of its before morphing both of its hands into  heads to hit Mew with a double. Mew dissolves back into raw code and returns to the Mirage System, horrifying Ash and the others.

Yung smugly repeats his view of Mew as a "flawed specimen" as he says good riddance to it, angering Ash. Ash's harsh words do not move him; instead, Yung decides that Ash merely needs to be taught a lesson and activates another function of the Mirage System. Entei, Articuno and Zapdos dissolve into code, which is absorbed into Mewtwo's body along with the code of the entire Mirage System database. Now having reached the height of its power, Mewtwo screams out as the heads of numerous Pokémon morph and emerge from its body. Using them, Mewtwo carries out multiple simultaneous attacks, an act that the combined effort of all the group's Pokémon is unable to counter. Gyarados lands near Team Rocket, sending them blasting off once again. As a desperate, last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the battle in Mew's memory, Ash has Pikachu use, but Mewtwo mimics this move and headbutts Pikachu back before Yung orders it to finish Pikachu off with Mega Punch. Mewtwo is suddenly seized by an unseen force as it tries to carry out Yung's order, and Mew reappears, having resurfaced from the data inside Mewtwo's body in order to save Pikachu. Oak realizes that Mew's return from within the Mirage System means that it and its soul were a part of the Mirage System all along. Yung rejects this, still deeming Mew a flawed specimen as he considers its soul a weakness, and tries to force Mewtwo to attack Mew again, only for the Mirage System to freeze up and lock out his commands. Oak tells Ash that the only way to stop Mewtwo is to attack it while Mew still has a hold over it, even though this act will cause Mew to die. Ash hesitates, but when he sees Mewtwo beginning to free itself, he finally orders Pikachu to use. The explosion that results when Pikachu strikes Mewtwo destroys it. Mew fades away shortly thereafter, but not before sharing a tearful farewell with its friends. Yung watches in horror as the Mirage System generators explode all around him and inside his laboratory, causing his castle to erupt into flames.

With Yung's plans ruined, Oak tries to convince him to surrender and turn himself in to the police. Much to Oak's surprise, Yung refuses and states that he has much work still to do on his Mirage System. Yung walks into the burning castle, but when Oak pursues him, rubble falls and blocks the way. Several hours later, Officer Jenny and a team of firefighters search the castle's remains, but are unable to find any sign of Yung. The group talk about how Mew had a true soul despite seemingly being just data from the Mirage System, and Ash decides that one day, he will see Mew again.

Major events

 * Misty's Staryu is revealed to know.
 * is revealed to own a.

Humans

 * (cameo)
 * Max
 * Jessie
 * James
 * Nurse Joy
 * Officer Jenny
 * Professor Elm (cameo)
 * Professor Birch (cameo)
 * Dr. Yung
 * Police
 * Firefighters
 * Professor Elm (cameo)
 * Professor Birch (cameo)
 * Dr. Yung
 * Police
 * Firefighters

Pokémon

 * ('s)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * ('s)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)
 * (stock footage)

Mirage Pokémon

 * (×2)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (G; flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (Mewtwo's hand)
 * (Mewtwo's hand)
 * (Mewtwo's hand, ×2)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (×2)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (G; flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (Mewtwo's hand)
 * (Mewtwo's hand)
 * (Mewtwo's hand, ×2)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)
 * (Mewtwo's body)

Cast

 * }

Staff

 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 田尻智
 * 増田順一
 * 杉森建
 * 田尻智
 * 増田順一
 * 杉森建


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 陣内弘之
 * 久保雅一
 * 陣内弘之
 * 久保雅一


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 荻原露光
 * 津田義三
 * 荻原露光
 * 津田義三


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 井ノ上ユウ子
 * 佐藤和巳
 * 井ノ上ユウ子
 * 佐藤和巳


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 一石小百合
 * 松原徳弘
 * 一石小百合
 * 松原徳弘


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 西城隆詞
 * 渡辺章
 * 高橋直樹
 * 川口弘明
 * 西城隆詞
 * 渡辺章
 * 高橋直樹
 * 川口弘明


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 木幡美雪
 * 大塚奈津子
 * 木幡美雪
 * 大塚奈津子


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 一之瀬剛
 * 青木森一
 * 一之瀬剛
 * 青木森一


 * width="38%" lang="ja" |
 * 一之瀬剛
 * 一之瀬剛


 * }

Trivia

 * This special was first aired between The Symbol Life and Hooked on Onix in the U.S.
 * This was the first Pokémon anime feature to air in the United States earlier than in Japan.
 * The second time this happened was later that same year when Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters out of the Gate premiered in the United States six months before the Japanese version aired.
 * All the music used in the special was originally used in the Japanese movies and series. 4Kids mostly used its own, American-composed music for the series.
 * This is the first time Michele Knotz plays . She would not appear again in the role until Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, about seven years later.
 * The scenes of Pikachu's memories of Lugia, Entei, Celebi, Latias, and Latios come from their respective movie appearances.
 * Lugia: The Power of One
 * Entei: Spell of the Unown: Entei
 * Celebi: Celebi: The Voice of the Forest
 * Latios and Latias: Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias
 * The one movie from the original series not shown in Pikachu's memories is Mewtwo Strikes Back due to the fact that everyone's memories of that event were erased by at the end of that film.
 * The password for Oak's lab, "REDGREEN", is a reference to the original pair of Pokémon games,.
 * The copyright notice on the Japanese version reads © 2006 Pokémon USA, Inc./ShoPro. © 2006 Pokémon. © 1995 - 2006 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. Some of the U.S. production credits were also included.
 * During the opening theme, a brief frame of Dr. Yung standing behind Mewtwo dressed as the unmasked Mirage Master can be seen, spoiling the special's climactic plot twist.

Errors

 * Max states that cannot use, but it is able to legitimately learn the move via Move Tutor in.
 * When the Mirage sends  blasting off, 's voice is heard, but only the trio is seen.
 * The footage of Pikachu's memory of Celebi: The Voice of the Forest is of being chased by the Pokémon hunter, which he did not witness.
 * As the missiles are launching out of Dr. Yung's castle, Mewtwo and the Mirage Master can be seen standing outside the gate. They are then shown exiting the building a few scenes later. Not only is this a continuity error, but Mewtwo could not have stepped through the gate without the Mirage Field having been deployed.
 * In the English version, when Dr. Yung removes his mask after being revealed as the Mirage Master, he briefly continues speaking with a distorted voice after removing the mask. This is not the case in the Japanese version.
 * Due to a perspective error, the wreckage of the castle gate that impedes Oak from apprehending Yung seems to fall from empty sky off-screen. The rubble is later shown in a more accurate position beneath the gate arch.
 * In the second dub, Ash erroneously refers to Dr. Yung's villainous persona as "Mr. Mirage", his persona's Japanese name, when his identity is revealed.

Redub edits
A redubbed version, with the newer voices and the others improved, is included on the bonus DVD of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

The original opening used the rap section of , while the redub opening used a different section of the song and a different animation. The redub then played the original rap opening as an ending theme during the credits, but without the original animation.

There are a few dialogue changes, as listed below.