DP080

The Thief That Keeps on Thieving! (Japanese: ヤンヤンマ！ゲット作戦！！ ! Capture Operation!!) is the 80th episode of the, and the 546th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on May 22, 2008 and in the United States on October 18, 2008.

Blurb
On the way to Pastoria City, Ash and his friends meet Tyler and his Piplup, Pippy. The pair is hot on the trail of a Yanma; Tyler's only been a Trainer for a week, but he's already spent three days trying to catch that Yanma! Ash and the gang help Tyler track the Yanma down, and Pippy battles it to wear it down. Now Tyler is ready to throw his Poké Ball and complete the capture—except Team Rocket slips in, nabs Yanma, and makes a quick getaway! Unable to find Team Rocket, our heroes can only cheer Tyler up and encourage him to find another Yanma to catch.

Team Rocket sends the purloined Yanma to Team Rocket headquarters, eagerly anticipating a reward from the Boss. But Team Rocket already has plenty of Yanma, so Giovanni sends it back without comment. Team Rocket thinks the Boss is just being generous, so Jessie takes charge of their new Yanma and sets out to catch another Yanma for Giovanni. It's not long before Team Rocket crosses paths with Tyler, who's just found another wild Yanma.

Jessie sends out her new Yanma, which evolves into a surprisingly tough Yanmega. Team Rocket is delighted by Yanmega's powerful Sonic Boom and Ancient Power moves, except the fight with Tyler and Ash scares off the wild Yanma. Team Rocket might not have won this round, but Tyler is dismayed at losing out on another Yanma and Ash and his friends have to urge him not to give up. So when Tyler finds another Yanma and Team Rocket again shows up to spoil the show, Ash has Buizel and Pikachu put Team Rocket in their place. At last, Tyler catches a Yanma without any further interruption, and our heroes congratulate him before they resume their trip to Pastoria City.

Plot
As and  are walking by a lake,  admires her new Ribbon and Ash is excited for his next Gym Battle. A flies by and lands on Dawn's head. It flies over to Ash's head and Dawn checks it on her Pokédex. Yanma flies over to 's head and lands briefly before flying away. A Trainer named Tyler comes running and asks the gang if they'd seen a Yanma. Ash tells him it went across the lake and Tyler starts running. Ash and his friends decide to follow him.

Tyler catches up with the Yanma and sends out Pippy, his female. Pippy uses but Yanma dodges. Ash and his friends arrive and the Yanma uses. Pippy is knocked backwards but gets up and uses. Yanma dodges and uses. Pippy is knocked down and Yanma flies away. Tyler falls on his knees after his failure at catching the Yanma and Pippy feels the same way.

Ash and his friends sit with Tyler and start talking. Tyler's Pippy and Dawn's Piplup begin playing and Tyler begins how he first saw a Yanma and wanted it. Dawn mentions her story of catching, her first Pokémon, and Ash continues on with his first,. The group decides to help Tyler catch Yanma. The group look for Yanma and Ash's Staravia flies down pointing its wing to where it is. Tyler and Pippy prepare to battle. Pippy makes the first move with which Yanma dodges. Pippy goes on to use Peck which makes contact with Yanma. Pippy uses Pound and hits Yanma again. Yanma flies up and charges at Pippy with. Pippy charges with Peck and Yanma is sent backwards seeming unable to battle further. Tyler is ready to throw a Poké Ball, but comes up from the lake and performs their motto. Jessie throws a Poké Ball and catches Yanma without any effort. The group is shocked and leaves. Tyler is sad and falls on his knees again, crying.

Piplup comes out of the water, not finding Team Rocket's submarine. Tyler remains sad but Ash encourages him and telling him not to give up. Dawn and Brock exchange words with Tyler and he regains his confidence. Another Yanma flies by and everyone agrees that Tyler can catch this one.

Team Rocket are excited to see what will do when they give him Yanma. They meet up with and give it Yanma's Poké Ball. Team Rocket, in tears for their first catch, waves at an equally shocked Delibird, as it flies off.

The group is searching for the Yanma but have no luck. They set up a table and Ash shows Tyler his Badges and Dawn shows him her Ribbons. Tyler is impressed with them and becomes inspired to catch Yanma.

Team Rocket is sleeping and Jessie, James, and are thinking about what the boss will say, believing he'll be happy with Yanma. Meanwhile, Giovanni receives Jessie's Yanma, delivered to his office by two Team Rocket Grunts. He uses a special extension arm from his laptop to scan the Poké Ball, revealing the species inside and the attacks it knows. He asks about their current supply, and one of the grunts reports that Team Rocket has recently caught a large number of Yanma, and therefore there is no need for the Yanma they've just received. As he scratches his behind the ears, Giovanni is asked what he wants to do with the Yanma...

The next day the group is ready to catch Yanma and Brock has set up food for it. Team Rocket is freshening up and Delibird returns. It gives them Yanma back without telling Meowth what it is. They open the box and see it's a Poké Ball. Meowth thinks Giovanni has sent them a new, powerful Pokémon which makes his, James's, and Jessie's eyes sparkle imagining the Poké Ball containing a or a. Jessie throws the Poké Ball only to have Yanma come out, and from the way it sits on Jessie's head the trio realize it's not just a Yanma... it's the same Yanma they caught earlier. Jessie is disappointed and Meowth and James are surprised. Jessie and James start crying as they believe that Giovanni decided to reward them for catching a powerful Pokémon by returning said Pokémon to them. The two agree that Jessie should be Yanma's Trainer and also decide to catch another Yanma for Giovanni in return.

Meanwhile, Pippy uses Peck on another Yanma and knocks it out. Ash tells him to throw a Poké Ball. Tyler is about to, but Team Rocket steps in front of the Yanma. Jessie sends out her Yanma, and Ash sends out. Yanma uses Wing Attack but Chimchar dodges and uses. Team Rocket shouts out and Meowth uses on Chimchar. James sends out which s him on the head as usual. James throws Carnivine and Carnivine uses. Yanma uses and Chimchar dodges both the attacks. While in midair, Chimchar uses and hits both Carnivine and Yanma. Jessie is shocked but Yanma recovers and uses. Chimchar is hit but recovers quick. Yanma glows white and begins to evolve. Jessie and Meowth are surprised and Yanma becomes a. Dawn checks out Yanmega on her Pokédex and Yanmega uses Sonic Boom. Power and momentum are on Yanmega's side and Chimchar is hit and sent flying back. Yanmega shoots several more Sonic Booms at the group knocking them all off their feet. Team Rocket is happy that they beat the twerps but the wild Yanma gets up and flies away. Team Rocket notice and recall their Pokémon. They set off after the Yanma.

Team Rocket is looking for Yanma and excited about Jessie's new Yanmega. It annoys her, however, when it comes out of its Poké Ball and lands on her head. James checks a card to see what new Pokémon they've obtained. They are convinced that it was Giovanni that taught Yanma Ancient Power to evolve it (though Yanma already knew Ancient Power when Giovanni received it). They decide to catch thousands of Yanma with the help of Yanmega for him in return.

Brock sets out the Pokémon food again and another Yanma takes the bait. Pippy starts the battle with Pound and hits Yanma. Team Rocket appears and Ash sends out. Jessie has Yanmega use Ancient Power, but Buizel dodges and uses. Yanmega gets hit then Buizel continues with a Sonic Boom. Yanmega is thrown backwards and Ash finishes it off with 's. Team Rocket is sent blasting off and out of sight.

Meanwhile, Yanma is eating the Pokémon food and Pippy uses Bubble. Yanma dodges and uses Wing Attack. Pippy dodges and Yanma goes over the lake. Pippy dives into the lake and swims to gain on Yanma, Dawn commending her speed as being even faster than Piplup. When she catches up, Pippy launches out of the water to use Peck and hits Yanma. Yanma responds with Sonic Boom but Pippy ducks under the water to dodge. Pippy surfaces and uses Bubble which hits Yanma directly, as it struggles to escape by flying to shore. Pippy launches for one more Peck and just having reached the lakeside, Yanma falls to the ground. Tyler throws a Poké Ball but Yanma pops out. However, Tyler doesn't give up and Pippy uses Peck once more. Tyler throws the Poké Ball again and catches Yanma. Tyler does a pose like Ash and Dawn whenever they catch a Pokémon. Pippy dances as Piplup congratulates her. Tyler thanks Ash and his friends for all their help. The day is nearly over, and Tyler is about to separate from Ash and his friends. The group exchanges words, Brock gives Tyler some of his Pokémon food, and Tyler leaves. Ash and his friends continue on to Pastoria City.

Major events

 * Jessie a.
 * sends Yanma to, who sends her back after deciding he does not need her.
 * Jessie's Yanma evolves into.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Tyler
 * s
 * James
 * Tyler
 * s
 * s

Pokémon

 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (new; evolves)
 * (newly evolved)
 * (Tyler's; Pippy)
 * (Tyler's; new)
 * (Team Rocket)
 * (flashback)
 * (new; evolves)
 * (newly evolved)
 * (Tyler's; Pippy)
 * (Tyler's; new)
 * (Team Rocket)
 * (Tyler's; new)
 * (Team Rocket)

Trivia

 * This episode has a similar premise to Wings n' Things, though in that episode, the younger Trainer wanted to recapture instead.
 * This is one of the very few episodes in which Team Rocket successfully catch a Pokémon for, although he sends it back to them. However, Yanma was a wild Pokémon at the time of its catch, so it hadn't been stolen.
 * Jessie catching after someone else weakened it echoes how she caught her  (although in that case, it was James and his  that weakened the Pokémon).
 * Yanma is caught and evolves in this episode. The only other main character's Pokémon to do this is Ash's Caterpie, who is coincidentally referred by Ash in this episode. Ash's Primeape also evolved in its debut episode, though in that case, it evolved prior to being caught.
 * Two background tracks from Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea are used as music for this episode.
 * This episode is one of the few episodes since its trade in which Jessie's Wobbuffet does not appear.
 * During the second encounter with Team Rocket, Face Forward Team Rocket! was played.
 * This episode contains flashbacks to Ash Catches a Pokémon and Setting the World on its Buneary!, the first catches of Ash and Dawn.
 * This is one of the few times Meowth fought alongside Jessie's and James's Pokémon, using on Ash's Chimchar.
 * Instead of Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia, the end of the episode featured a memorial to Jirachi: Wish Maker called Pikachu the Movie Memorial. This is part of a countdown to Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
 * This episode marks the first time one of the main characters' previous Pokémon got a design change from its original appearance. In this case, 's mouth is changed from yellow to green to match Caterpie's official art.
 * The dub title is loosely based on the phrase "the gift that keeps on giving."
 * This is one of the rare episodes where the TO BE CONTINUED... sign appears on the top-right corner of the screen.
 * Ed Paul (who was credited as Ted Lewis in season 1) reprises his role as, making him the first returning voice actor to regain one of his roles since the dubbing of the show switched from 4Kids to.
 * This episode, along with the next episode, is rather infamous for a hoax put up on the Japanese website Pokéani in regards to the episode titles and summaries. This episode's hoax summary was that May or Dawn, whoever won against the other in the Wallace Cup, would battle Wallace and stop an out-of-control Yanmega.
 * This episode is the basis for the book Triple Trouble.

Errors

 * Ash is angry that Team Rocket would be so cruel as to steal a Trainer's first-caught Pokémon. However, Tyler hadn't caught the in question, so it technically was never his.
 * Before the second battle with Team Rocket, Tyler's Yanma is knocked out. However, at the end of the battle, Yanma is back at the food stand completely recovered.
 * During the second battle with Team Rocket, Brock's food stand disappears.

In other languages
Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen! EP549 DP080 DP編第80話 精灵宝可梦 钻石＆珍珠 第79集