There's just something about Claydol that makes an episode good.

Is it coincidence this episode was released on the birthday of the writer of "Treasure Island", Robert Louis Stevenson?

Anyway today's episode was good, though Buck acts quite differently from his game counterpart and them throwing around type advantage strategies was a bit facepalm worthy. However the battle between Claydol and Baltoy was good and having new ways of exploding Piplup is quite funny and even bringing back the old way of doing it was funny, though mostly because of Dawn's reactions (do I sense that someone has become genre savvy?). But filler episode is filler, so though it was a good filler it still is pretty much pushing back the Sinnoh League and we got to hurry with that being we've have entered a fourth season in Sinnoh. So being you also probably has something to do and I'm pushing you back, here are the comments to read at your pleasure:

At Least This Treasure Hunt Won't Cause An Eruption:
00:23 - Buck! "Who are you?". It's a Piplup, a Sinnoh Starter. You're from Sinnoh, you should know this.
00:35 - Baltoy is part Ground-type, one of the type of Pokemon which are heavy in defense, I doubt it hurt.
01:15 - You THINK you heard of that? You better be acting sarcastic, kind of like your brother, you know, Flint, of the SINNOH ELITE FOUR!
02:21 - Since when Baltoy do that? Then again we've heard that Baltoy have time travelling powers so I guess this isn't as far-fetched.
02:45 - You know for a half Ground-type you would think Baltoy would rather not float out into open water.
03:00 - This link is the only comment this need.
03:21 - I didn't see any map in there, it was completely empty. And just "Dandelion Island", not "Dandelion of The Canyon Island" or something like that?
03:46 - Very subtle Team Rocket, you might as well have just taken a picture with a flash camera.
03:59 - Maybe because those are areas where a group of those Pokemon live? And knowing stuff about Pokemon? Please, most of the time Ash and his female companion competing in something are mostly winging it.
04:38 - Anytime there is a Solrock and Lunatone in a picture usually means you'll have to camp out at that spot for the right time of day to do something.

Traps, Explosions, Acid, Rolling Rocks, And Kids Are Allowed To Run Explore:
05:39 - "Find that mountain"? The entire island is a mountain! And Dawn, getting lost is what Piplup does best, it's either that or attracting Dragon-type attacks.
05:56 - I think you, or rather Piplup, found the Voltorbs.
06:10 - Thunderbolt.... on Electric-type Pokemon... really Ash? Aside from the Voltorb explaining meaning they should be tired now, if you want to get rid of them wouldn't Torterra do a better job? But of course the attack works.
06:29 - Go ahead Piplup, you can the martyr. Another explosion... oh right, Pineco. Oh, now they're just running away without attacking? Well I suppose the Pineco were stuck in the trees.
06:54 - Ya thunk? But wait, how old is this treasure? How long ago were these Pokemon put here? And before you mention anything about breeding, unless there is Dittos on this island there is no way the Voltorbs could have bred as they're Genderless.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CaptainObvious
07:08 - Oh, now you're also going to use type advantage? Also Gravelers can self-destruct too so even if you use a Water-type it's not like it'll make much of a difference. I'd be more making plans for the Vileplume as they'll probably be using the status inflicting moves.
07:18 - At what, knowing about type weaknesses? Those aren't that heard to know, at least the common sense ones. Then again Ash did use Pikachu to attack those Voltorbs with an Eletric-type move...
07:37 - Jessie, out of all the times you encountered Voltorbs, how many of them have been a "nice and sweet" welcoming party?
08:01 - But if Piplup was careful we wouldn't know what tricks the Vileplume have. Ah, red, that must be Stun Spore.
08:14 - Hey, what are those Glooms doing there? I guess to show these Pokemon did reproduce? Ignoring the Voltorbs, should there then be atleast some Oddish or possibly Pokemon Eggs? Also Gloom need Leaf Stones to evolve, so is there an abundant of Leaf Stones? Are there no Sun Stones thus the absence of Bellossoms?
08:50 - Good to hear Piplup is up and ready to take some abuse from the Gravelers now. Meanwhile Team Rocket is meeting with the "nice and sweet" Pineco welcoming party.
09:19 - What's that Piplup? You like that cave? Okay, so that's where all the Gravelers are... ah good Baltoy found the right cave.
10:01 - Poison Tail, meh, does neutral damage to Glooms and Vileplumes so I'll let that slide.
10:20 - Gravelers doing Rollout, being them and the Vileplumes (and Glooms) were different traps, why did the pirates choose to have two Self-Destructing traps?
00:03 - Rock/Ground-types! Actually they are quadruple weak but we won't get into that. Um, Piplup, maybe you should have done a Whirlpool? And Ash, don't you have a Water-type like, say, BUIZEL!
00:46 - Ash, as I said before, these Pokemon probably have breeded and subsequently the "adults" probably have evolved into their evolved forms. Then again one must ask why there were no Electrodes or Forretress...
00:51 - ... as well as Water-, Grass-, Ice-, Ground-, and Steel-types. Actually Water- and Grass-types is still the best option, just because Piplup chose to use a weak Water-type move on one Graveler (which it did push back) and stop to get hit doesn't mean you should abandon that plan. It's moment like these when you wonder whether the writers should be applying type advantage or not.
00:57 - GIBLE! BROCK TELLS YOU TO SEND OUT A FIGHTING-TYPE AND YOU SEND OUT GIBLE! Okay, yay, Gible knows Rock Smash, BUT INFERNAPE IS A HALF-FIGHTING-TYPE AND KNOCKS MACH PUNCH! And Brock, don't you have a Fighting-type, your favorite for this season, Croagunk?
01:04 - You know, Golem really didn't do anything, it just rolled up to them and looked at them. Not saying it wasn't going to attack, but still that seemed a bit harsh for a Pokemon who just came up to them, they even made it roll away crying.
01:22 - DRACO METEOR! OF COURSE!... Wait, they're inside of a cave... oh nevermind, Piplup was only a few yards ahead of them. They might as well just have Draco Meteor make a bee line to Piplup instead of having it waver around.
01:40 - Oh Buck, like Baltoy, Piplup is also attracted to something, or rather something is attracted to it.
01:50 - Yay Piplup, we know, we thought after the episode where you tried to leave Dawn because of you getting hit constantly with Draco Meteor would have stopped that running gag, but that would have required Ash & co. to go through some character development.
02:09 - Meowth you do know you just skipped over that cave to technically you're suppose to go through the last cave. And how do you not notice that was an Onix?

WE FOUND ONE P-ottery?:
02:49 - Okay Brock, we got it, none of this is in your PokeGear, though with all the stuff you've been through with Ash are you really that surprised of secret locations anymore?
03:15 - What are those? Unown? Anyway being Team Rocket just came down from from the Mewoth Balloon, you do have to wonder why no one ever saw these ruins before. Did no one ever fly above this island before?
04:30 - OH! Those designs were a Claydol's body marking! I'll admit, anime, you got me. Wait, what? Claydol's are worth a lot of money? Since when? I didn't comment on this when Dawn's Pokedex said it, but why are Baltoys (and I guess Claydols) rare? They've appeared just as many times as other Pokemon-of-the-day, maybe a bit less but they've appeared before and were never mentioned to be rare.
05:13 - Jessie, Claydol is a Ground/Psychic-type, Seviper stands no chance, but Jame's Carnivine on the other hand... nevermind, it dodged the attacks anyway.
05:50 - Did Claydol really need to turn around?
06:43 - So because Claydols evolve from Baltoy that makes Buck's Baltoy the Pokemon that needs to fight Claydol? Wouldn't that be a reason not for Baltoy to fight being that means it should technically be weaker then Claydol?
07:15 - WHAT? The reason Gyro Ball is so strong is probably because Baltoy is SLOWER than Claydol! If Baltoy was faster it would probably wouldn't be doing any damage!
07:50 - Buck's catching Claydol? Why? He already has a Baltoy, unless he plans on getting four Claydols like he has in the games. Whoa! That was a very sparkly capture!
08:29 - Um, Ash and co., just because it isn't precious metals and gems doesn't mean it isn't valuable. One of those pottery is probably more valuable than anything you own in your house.
08:54 - Not only from an archeological view, there are plenty of stories about ancient pottery being sold for hundreds of thousands on the Black Market.
09:25 - And there is your game reference for where we meet Buck in the games (would have been nice if that was where Ash & co. met Buck, then again if they plan on taking Ash to the Sinnoh Battle Frontier we may meet Buck again). BTW, where is the treasure, did you bring it to the Pokemon Center for safe keeping? Oh well, end of the episode, and hopefully we'll be starting the Sinnoh League proper next episode!

I guess this is your Zelda reference with the whole thing between Buck and Claydol.

- Link defeats the dungeon's boss, gets a required item for beating it (medallion, crystal, etc.). Buck catches Claydol, gets rewarded with pottery

Oh, and Dawn, if you want to know where the gold and silver is, try Johto.

A really good episode.

Yay, Buck appeared and he's not like he is in the game... Like someone else we know who got that treatment 1 episode ago... But whatever, treasure finding is always fun, and this episode did give off a Zelda vibe to me... Just wish there was more of a puzzle, instead of just the get past the enemies and you'll be rewarded routine... And why were Solrock and Lunatone drawings there in the first place? Anyway, with this episode gone now the episode I've been waiting a long time for is finally coming next week, I can't wait~

heh? Buck's exactly like he is

just more adventurous..and Jasmine was completely different 10 years ago too