RS074: Hokey Poké Balls

Hokey Poké Balls (Japanese: フシギダネとフシギダネ！モンスターボールを取り返せ！！, Hepburn: Bulbasaur and Bulbasaur! Regaining the Poké Balls!!) is the 34th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge.

Synopsis

With Bulbasaur being in May's team, Ash decides to call his own Bulbasaur to meet up. However, Team Rocket has modified the transporting machine, causing them to obtain the Poké Balls that are being transported. While Team Rocket blasts off during the battle, they manage to steal the Poké Balls. Fortunately, Ash's Bulbasaur returns and teams up with May's Bulbasaur to find Team Rocket.

Episode Plot

The heroes arrives at a town, with everyone having their own plans. May realized her Bulbasaur was never in a town and sends it out. Bulbasaur goes to eat some fruit at a store, so May stops it. She reminds Bulbasaur this is not a forest, saying one needs to buy from a store and not take it for free. May's friends decide to go to the Pokémon Center, while she decides to come later on. However, Bulbasaur comes to a truck and sniffs at some flowers. May tries to run towards the truck, which is driven away. Ash and Brock charge towards the truck, stopping it and getting Bulbasaur back. May promises if it wants to sniff some flowers, they can go to a garden. Team Rocket, disguised as technicians, works on a machine in the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy asks when it will be repaired and is assured it will be done soon enough. Meowth compliments on James, who worked on the plan for three nights to get it working.

The heroes enter the Pokémon Center and are noticed by Team Rocket. Ash asks to check his Pokémon, and Brock tries to impress Nurse Joy, only to get dragged away by Max. Team Rocket leaves, having "repaired" the machine and proceed to next part of their plan. Ash has contacted Prof. Oak to tell him how they are all doing. Max mentions May caught a Bulbasaur and she shows it to Oak, who is impressed and notes how cute it looks. Ash wonders how his Bulbasaur is, so Oak shows it. Ash thinks it would be best to get Bulbasaur here to show it to May's for playing and even to teach May's Bulbasaur some things. Oak calls Bulbasaur into the Poké Ball, then transfers it through the teleporter. Ash calls Bulbasaur, but it does not go out. Ash is worried, thinking the Poké Ball is stuck. Some children come to Ash as well, opening Poké Balls and revealing them to be fake and empty.

Max thinks that the technicians, who repaired the machine, have messed it up. Nurse Joy denies the fact, but is convinced when she sees the real repairmen. Team Rocket receives those Poké Balls, while the fake ones are distributed inside the Pokémon Center. Meowth and Jessie are amazed by this plan. Nurse Joy leads everyone to the back of the Center, where they find Team Rocket stealing the Poké Balls. Team Rocket flies off, so Ash sends Taillow and May her Beautifly. James uses rocket jets to fly off faster. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, but misses. The rockets malfunction, so Team Rocket are blasted off into the forest. May's Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to get a lone Poké Ball. Ash's Bulbasaur is brought out, whom Ash hugs. May's Bulbasaur uses a vine to touch Ash's Bulbasaur, who does the same and they become good friends. Since they don't have much time, Ash has Taillow to scout the area for Team Rocket, while May orders the same for Beautifly. In the forest, James is annoyed his plan did not work out, but Jessie and Meowth demand of him to stop whining and pack the Poké Balls. Once they're done, Jessie has James carry her bag, though James' bag has a hole, which drops the Poké Balls, leaving a trail.

The heroes are searching for Team Rocket, but May's Bulbasaur goes to sniff a flower. Ash's Bulbasaur explains to May's Bulbasaur to search for the Poké Balls, making Ash and May glad. Taillow and Beautifly see the trail of Poké Balls, so they take two of them to show to their trainers. The Bulbasaur have found a Nuzleaf and a Shroomish, asking for the Poké Balls, who show them the way. The heroes encounter the destroyed balloon, while the Bulbasaur see a Poké Ball Team Rocket dropped. Taillow and Beautifly drop the ones they took, so everyone runs off to follow the trail. Team Rocket are inside a lodge, to get some stuff. Meowth spots that James' bag is half the size he had before. Jessie notices the hole in the bag. As they go to get the Poké Balls, Team Rocket encounters the heroes. However, Team Rocket goes back inside the lodge and James activates a remote, protecting the lodge with steel walls. Ash notices a window is opened, so while May will get in, Pikachu will distract Team Rocket by attacking the wall.

James has another idea and bashes some skiing shoes to launch out Poké Balls similar to a baseball game. A Golbat is brought out, who tackles Ash. Next, a Primeape is brought, knocking Ash out. Brock goes to help him while the Bulbasaur use Vine Whip to help May and Max distract Team Rocket. Team Rocket battle the vines, making harder for the Bulbasaur to get the Poké Balls. Brock calls Primeape and Golbat back into the Poké Balls. Pikachu uses Iron Tail, destroying a part of the wall, so Team Rocket are surrounded. Jessie sends Seviper and James sends Cacnea, the latter hugging James. Seviper uses Poison Tail, but misses May's Bulbasaur. Cacnea uses Pin Missile, which hurts May's Bulbasaur. Cacnea repeats its attack, so May's Bulbasaur uses Razor Leaf. Since the attack was not powerful enough to stop Pin Missile, Ash's Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to negate the attack.

Seviper uses Poison Tail and Cacnea with Needle Arm, but are stopped from Ash and May's Bulbasaur's Vine Whip attacks. The Bulbasaur get the last bag, but Team Rocket do not give up yet. Cacnea and Seviper repeat their attacks, but are stopped by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, which blasts Team Rocket off. The heroes compliment the Bulbasaur, seeing they really helped out today as both Bulbasaur give a Vine Whip high five. Back at the Pokémon Center, the heroes give the Poké Balls back to their owners. Ash admits the credit goes to the Bulbasaur, who helped them out. Brock attempts to flirt with Joy, but Max pulls him away. Oak calls Ash to let him know that at his lab Grass and Water Pokémon fight one another as Bulbasaur was the one keeping peace. Seeing there is nothing much they can do, the heroes bid Ash's Bulbasaur farewell as the latter bid goodbye to May's Bulbasaur while patted on her head with its vines. Ash sends Bulbasaur back, then leaves the town with his friends.

Trivia

• Featured Pokémon: Meditite, Combusken, Beautifly, Heracross.
• At the beginning of the episode, a classic Pokémon identification can be seen. In this case, it is Squirtle.
• This is the first time since beginning his travels in the Hoenn region that Ash has called up any Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab or used any Pokémon caught before arriving in Hoenn other than Pikachu.

Mistakes

• The Pokémon Trainer's Choice states that Combusken would be the best choice to battle Meditite. This is incorrect as Combusken is part Fighting-type, which is weak to Meditite's Psychic-type attacks. However, Beautifly would be the best choice due to its double resistance to Fighting-type attacks and its Bug-type attacks being super effective against Psychic-types. Beautifly is also incorrectly named Nuzleaf. If Nuzleaf was supposed to be there, it would also be the best choice due to its immunity to Psychic-type attacks.

Gallery

AG074 1.jpg

May tells Bulbasaur one has to pay to eat the fruit

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Bulbasaur sniffs flowers in a truck

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The man is startled Ash and Brock are running towards him

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Team Rocket, as technicians

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Professor Oak and Ash's Bulbasaur greet Ash

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The children report their Poké Balls are empty

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Team Rocket's plan

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Team Rocket flies off with their jet activated

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Team Rocket blasts off

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Ash greets his Bulbasaur, who came back

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Ash and May decide to hunt after Team Rocket

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Taillow and Beautifly found a Poké Ball

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The trail leads to a lodge

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Team Rocket reinforced the house with steel walls

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James hits a Poké Ball away

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Ash and May's Bulbasaur use Vine Whip to distract Team Rocket

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Team Rocket came out of the lodge

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Ash's Bulbasaur protects May's Bulbasaur with Vine Whip

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The heroes are glad the Bulbasaur have helped out

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Oak wants Ash's Bulbasaur to return, due to an accident

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