RS074: Hokey Poké Balls

Plot

The gang arrives at a small town, each one having their own plans. May forgot to bring her Bulbasaur, so it goes out. Ash does not think it is a good idea, but May promised it to look around the town. Bulbasaur goes to eat some fruit at a store, so May stops it, saying one needs to buy, not take it for free. May's friends to at the Pokemon Center, while she goes after Bulbasaur in a truck (which leaves). Ash and Brock charge towards the truck, stopping the truck and getting Bulbasaur back.

Team Rocket work on a machine in the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy comes to ask when it will be repaired, to which Jessie replies soon enough. It is revealed James worked on the plan for 3 nights to get it working. The gang arrives - Ash needs to check his Pokemon while Team rocket leaves, "repairing" the machine. Ash calls Prof. Oak to let him know the situation. Max mentiones May caught a Bulbasuar, so she shows it to Oak. Ash wonders how his is, so Oak shows it. Ash thinks it would be best to get Bulbasaur here to show to May's - to play and to know something from one another.

Oak sends Bulbasaur to the Pokeball, transferring it through the teleporter. Ash calls Bulbasaur, but he does not go out. Some children come to Ash as well, opening Pokeballs and revealing nothing inside. Max thinks that the ones who repaired it messed the machine. Nurse Joy denies the fact, but is convinced when she sees the real repairmen. Team Rocket get those Pokemon, while the empty ones are distributed. Nurse Joy leades the gang to the back of the Center, so they see Team Rocket stealing the Pokeballs. They fly off, so Ash sends Taillow and May her Beautifly.

James brings rockets to fly off faster. Piakchu uses Thunderbolt, but misses. The rockets break, so Team Rocket are blasted off into the forest. May's Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to get a lone Pokeball. Ash's Bulbasaur is brought out, so both Bulbasuar play for a while, but they must get the Pokeballs. Ash demands from Taillow to scour the area for Team Rocket. May orders the same for Beautifly. Team Rocket are seen stashing the Pokeballs and they go away, but James' bag has a hole which drops Pokeballs, leaving a trail. The gang searches for Team Rocket, while May' Bulbasuar goes to sniff a flower. Ash's Bulbasuar goes to clarify May's to search for the Pokeballs. Taillow and Beautifly see the trail of Pokeballs, so they take 2 of them to show to their owners.

Bulbasaurs have found a Nuzleaf and a Shroomish, asking for the Pokeballs, so Shroomish and Nuzleaf show them the way. They lead the gang to the crashed baloon. Bulbasaur sees a Pokeball - with Taillow and Bautifly dropping the ones they took - to go to get those Pokeballs. Team Rocket are seen to be inside a house to get some stuff. Mewoth spots that James' bag is half the size he had before. Jessie notices the hole in the bag. As they go to get the Pokeballs, the gang appears. Team rocket goes back inside and barricade themselves with steel walls. Ash ntices a window is opened, so while May will get in, Piakchu will distract Team Rocket by attacking the wall.

James has another idea - he will use the Pokemon to fight the gang. A Golbat is brought out, tackling Ash. Next, a Primeape is brought, knocking Ash out. Brock goes to help him while the Bulbasuar use Vine WHip to help May and Max go inside. Team Rocket battle the vines, making harder for Bulbasuars to get the Pokeballs. Brock calls Primeape and Golbat to the Pokeballs. Pikachu uses Iron Tail, destroying a part of the wall, so Team Rocket are surrounded. Jessie sends Sviper and James Cacnea. Seviper uses Poison Tail and Cacnea Pin Missile, hrting May's Bulbasaur. Cancea uses Pin Missile, so May's Bulbasuar uses Razor Leaf, but it couldn't stop the attack. Ash's Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to negate the attack.

Seviper uses Poison Tail and Cacnea Needle Arm, but are stopped from Bulbasaurs' Vine Whip attacks. Bulbasuars get the last bag, but Team Rocket don't sop yet. Cacnea uses Needle Arm and Seviper Poison Tail, but are stopped by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, blasting Team Rocket off. Back at the Pokemon Center, the gang gives the Pokeballs back to their owners. Oak calls Ash to let him know that at his lab Grass and Water Pokemon fight one another (as Bulbasaur was the one keeping peace). Ash sends Bulbasuar back and leaves the town with his friends.

Trivia

• Feautred Pokemon: Meditite, Combusken, Nuzleaf, Heracross
• At the beginning of the episode, a classic Pokemon identiication can be seen. In this case, it is Squirtle.
• The episode title is a pun on the dance name "hokey pokey".
• 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.
• Music from the first movie can be heard in this episode.

Errors

• Since Team Rocket finished corrupting the Poké Ball transporter only when Ash and others entered the Pokémon Center, not many people could have used it before Ash, if he was not the first. Obviously, Team Rocket could not have stolen three large bags of Poké Balls.
• Beautifly is pictured where Nuzleaf's name appears in Trainer's Choice.
  • Additionally, Combusken would be the worst choice of the three, as it is part Fighting-type, weak to Psychic-types. Beautifly would instead be the best choice, as it is Flying-type and Bug-type which are both effective against Meditite, a Fighting-type and Psychic-type.
• In the scene where Ash and his friends found Team Rocket's balloon, Poké Balls could be seen in the basket.
• "Poké Ball" written in one word appears in the anime not for the first time. This spelling seems to be canonical in the anime.
• In the part where Ash's Bulbasaur and May's Bulbasaur "talk" to a Nuzleaf and a Shroomish, their voices were mixed up in Japanese version: Nuzleaf says "Kinoko" (from Kinococo) and Shroomish says "Kono" (from Konohana).
• After Professor Oak returns Bulbasaur to its Poké Ball, he puts it on the transporter upside down but in the next shot it is right side up.
• When Seviper uses Poison Tail for the first time, the outlines around the purple markings are a light purple instead of black.

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