Pretty average episode. This one pretty closely follows the classic "Trainer X owns one or more of Pokemon Y, which Team Rocket wants to steal". It's a tried-and-true formula that the show goes back to all the time, so it pretty much defines what an "average" episode is for the show.
So, what does this one have going for it? Well, Donphan is rad, and its connection to amberite does add a little bit of the area's culture to the episode, which is always a plus. Team Rocket doesn't offer much of a threat here. Getting to see Ash battle with his Heracross for the first time is fun.
Brock tries to use his goal of being a pokemon breeder to claim the Donphan. The show has never been good at explaining what exactly being a breeder entails for Brock, and why that requires him to travel with Ash, so him mentioning it here feels very arbitrary.
Not a bad episode, but not much stands out.
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