Awakening the Sleeping Giant! (カビゴンを起こせ！パルファム宮殿でバトルです！！, Wake Up Snorlax! Battle in Parfum Palace!!?) is the 18th episode of Pocket Monsters: XY of Pocket Monsters: XY and Pocket Monsters: XY&Z, and Pokémon the Series: XY of Pokémon the Series: XY and Pokémon the Series: XYZ.
Synopsis[]
Our heroes make a stop in historic Camphrier Town, where they encounter a big problem: a Snorlax is sleeping soundly in the middle of town, snoring so loudly that the noise is almost unbearable! They learn that every year, at the end of the harvest, Snorlax comes to clear out the roots from the local crops. This arrangement works out well for both sides: Snorlax gets to eat its fill of tasty roots, and the townspeople get their fields plowed in the process. Afterward, they throw a Harvest Festival to thank Snorlax for its help, and the Lord of Shabboneau Castle plays the Poké Flute—the only thing that can wake Snorlax up after a big meal. But this year, he’s refusing to attend, and no one knows why.
Ash and friends go to the castle to ask for Lord Shabboneau’s help. Eventually, he admits that Princess Allie of the nearby Parfum Palace took his Poké Flute and won’t give it back. Our heroes go to the palace in an attempt to retrieve it, but the princess refuses—at least until she notices Pikachu. She challenges Ash to a battle against her and her Furfrou, and suggests that they put the Poké Flute and Pikachu on the line! Ash and the others are appalled at this suggestion, but Princess Allie insists that it’s the only way she’ll consider giving them the flute, and Pikachu is firmly on board, so the battle begins.
The rules say that a battle is supposed to continue until one Pokémon is unable to go on, as usual. But a Thunderbolt from Pikachu messes up Furfrou’s carefully trimmed hairstyle, and Allie immediately calls a halt to send Furfrou to the groomer. Clemont declares Ash the winner, but Allie still refuses to give them the flute! This makes Clemont angry, and he delivers quite a speech telling the princess exactly what he thinks of her. His scolding seems to backfire, because Allie decides that our heroes can have the flute—as long as she gets to keep Clemont!
Ash, Serena, and Bonnie secretly assure Clemont they’ll come back for him, and head back to Camphrier Town with the flute. Lord Shabboneau is just about to start his performance to kick off the Harvest Festival when the flute is suddenly snatched from his hands by Team Rocket! Jessie, James, and Meowth think they can use the flute to control Snorlax. What actually happens is that when Jessie tries to play it, a horrible screeching noise emerges, and Snorlax wakes up in a really bad mood. The cranky Pokémon promptly sends Team Rocket blasting off again.
The Poké Flute lands in Lord Shabboneau’s hands, and his masterful playing quickly calms the giant Pokémon. The Harvest Festival is a huge success, Snorlax is awake and happy and headed home, and our heroes get ready to say their goodbyes. That’s when they suddenly realize they’ve forgotten about Clemont! But thanks to science, Clemont has made his own escape from the princess’s grasp, and their journey continues.[1]
Episode plot[]
The heroes arrive in Camphrier Town, where Serena reads the phrase, "one can taste the ages" displayed around the town. Bonnie wonders what it means, and Clemont explains that it refers to the buildings that have endured through time. Suddenly, they hear a loud noise that makes them cover their ears. They ask a nearby woman about the source of the noise, and she plugs her ears before revealing that a sleeping Snorlax is in the center of town; the noise was its snoring. Curious about why Snorlax is there, the woman explains that Snorlax and the town share a symbiotic relationship. Every year, Snorlax comes down from its home in the mountains to eat the roots from the town's harvest. As Snorlax digs up the roots, it cultivates the fields, ensuring a good harvest for the following year. To express their gratitude, the townspeople hold a harvest festival in honor of Snorlax. At the end of the festival, the lord of Shabboneau Castle plays the PokéFlute as Snorlax enjoys the leftover berries. Finally, Snorlax dances all the way back to its home.
However, there is a problem: Snorlax has not been given the signal to wake up because Lord Shabboneau is refusing to attend the festival. Snorlax snores again, causing the townspeople to cover their ears. Clemont then presents his latest invention, an alarm clock meant to wake Bonnie up in the mornings, which can also maximize its volume. Unfortunately, both the alarm and Snorlax are too loud. The alarm explodes, covering the heroes in soot and messing up their hair, but Snorlax remains asleep. The townsfolk begin discussing how they cannot sleep and hope either Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny can help. The only thing that can wake Snorlax is the PokéFlute, but every time someone tries to speak to Lord Shabboneau, he only offers excuses. Ash promises to retrieve the flute. They head to the castle, where Ash yells to get attention. The butler approaches and asks the reason for their visit. Ash explains that they come with an urgent message, and the butler lets them in.
Inside, they meet Lord Shabboneau. The heroes request that he play the flute or at least lend it to them, but he continues to make excuses about why he can't (such as claiming he threw it away, developed a phobia of flutes, or is allergic to it). His butler advises him to be honest with the children, considering how far they traveled. Lord Shabboneau finally admits that the flute was taken away from him. One day, Princess Allie from Parfum Palace visited, saw the flute, and liked it so much that she took it. The lord felt he couldn’t protest, as he owed much to Allie's father. Delighted by the news, Ash promises to retrieve the flute. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, hiding in a suit of armor, overhears this conversation and devises a plan to use the flute to control an army of Snorlax, capture Pikachu, and gain favor with their boss.
The heroes arrive at Parfum Palace, where Bonnie finds a hole in the bush wall to pass through. They marvel at the beauty of the garden but are soon confronted by a Furfrou. Princess Allie appears with her servants and tells Furfrou not to eat trash, referring to the heroes. Ash approaches Allie and asks for the flute back, but she responds that whatever she takes is now hers and suggests that if the citizens are troubled by Snorlax, they can simply move away. Ash is frustrated, but Allie becomes intrigued by Pikachu and attempts to take him. However, Ash quickly snatches Pikachu back, angered. Allie then offers Ash an extravagant fortune in exchange for Pikachu, but he firmly declines. She has an idea and challenges Ash to a battle, betting both the flute and Pikachu. Shocked, Ash ultimately agrees to the challenge, feeling confident since Pikachu is willing to participate.
The scene is set on the battlefield with Clemont acting as the referee. Pikachu opens the match with Quick Attack, but Furfrou responds by jumping and striking Pikachu with its paw. After being hit, Pikachu looks to Allie, who watches intently. Pikachu retaliates with Iron Tail, only for Furfrou to counter with Bite. Furfrou then unleashes Charge Beam while Pikachu uses Electro Ball. The two attacks collide, and Pikachu quickly follows up with Thunderbolt, successfully hitting Furfrou. The impact leaves Furfrou in disarray, surprising Allie, who then orders her servants to take Furfrou away for grooming, thus granting Ash the victory. Ash asks for the Poké Flute as a reward, but Allie refuses, infuriating both Ash and Pikachu. She reveals that she only intended to give up the Flute if she won, which clearly was not the case. Ash protests her decision, but Allie mocks him, asserting that as a princess, she can do whatever she wants. Clemont steps in and firmly tells Allie that Ash staked Pikachu, his partner, to win the Flute. He warns her that if she continues to act selfishly, she won't have any friends. Serena and Bonnie think Clemont is being too harsh, but he is simply speaking the truth. Allie, however, interprets Clemont's words as an expression of love, likening him to a prince.
After shedding tears, Allie reconsiders her position and decides to return the Flute, but she insists that Clemont must stay with her. Bonnie and Serena whisper to each other and then confirm that she can have Clemont, leaving him shocked. Later, a servant presents the Poké Flute to the heroes, while Clemont remains nervous, though his friends promise to return for him after they wake Snorlax. The heroes bid farewell to the "lovebirds" and head back to Camphrier Town. Once there, they present the Flute to Lord Shabboneau, only for it to be stolen by Team Rocket. The Lord tries to explain that only he can play the flute, but Jessie ignores him and attempts to play it herself—poorly. Snorlax wakes up, agitated by the awful noise. Jessie tries to calm Snorlax by continuing to play the Flute, but it only angers him further, prompting Snorlax to use Hyper Beam, thwarting Giovanni’s plans. Ash takes the Flute and hands it back to Lord Shabboneau, who plays a beautiful tune that calms Snorlax. Grateful, Snorlax starts eating the food offered by the villagers before bidding them farewell and heading back to the mountains.
The heroes feel satisfied having solved the problem, but then remember they forgot about Clemont. He reappears, having managed to escape, but only wearing his underwear. Back at Parfum Palace, Allie visits Clemont to announce that the fireworks are about to start, but is shocked to find he has been replaced by a robot. Viewing this as a betrayal, she attacks the robot, which promptly explodes. The heroes then enjoy the fireworks before continuing on their journey.
Debuts[]
Character[]
- Princess Allie
- Lord Shabboneau
- Lord Shabboneau's butler
Pokémon[]
Move[]
Quotes[]
- Allie - I suppose you can have the Pokéflute back.
- Clemont - Huh?
- Allie - Under one condition.
- Ash - I'm not giving you Pikachu!
- Allie - In exchange for the Pokéflute, I insist you leave this one with me.
- Clemont - (screams in horror) You want me to stay!?
- (Ash, Serena and Bonnie gasp in shock. Serena, thinking of something, taps Bonnie's shoulder and whispers in her ear)
- Bonnie - (whispering) Do you think so?
- Serena - (whispering) Yeah.
- Bonnie - (to Allie as Serena winks at Ash) You can have my brother if you want him.
- Clemont - Bonnie! How could you tell her that?
- Allie - Alright, it's settled.
- Narrator - The Poké-flute has been returned to its rightful owners, and the bond between Snorlax and the townspeople is even stronger, thanks to our heroes Ash, Pikachu, Serena and Bonnie.
- Serena - Ummm, aren't we forgetting something?
- Ash, Bonnie & Narrator - Huh?
- Bonnie - Uwahhhh! Clemont!
- 'I blew it! - Jessie after awakening the Snorlax
Trivia[]
- "Who's That Pokémon?:" Snorlax (US)
- "Pokémon Quiz:" Snorlax (JP)
- Serena breaks the fourth wall when she interrupts the narrator as the episode ends.
- Similar to Wake Up Snorlax!, Ash, Misty and Brock find ways to wake up Snorlax and ask a hippie for the PokéFlute.
- Like Pika and Goliath!, Allie, like Sho, demands Ash's Pikachu if they win the battle.
- In contrast with The Heartbreak of Brock, Allie falling in love with Clemont is similar to Temacu falling in love with Brock.
- Snorlax eating away crop roots to improve the harvest mirrors Ash's Snorlax, who ate away grapes in Snack Attack.
- The Italian dub, a redubbed version based on the American English dub, aired on May 15, 2014, two days before the English dub aired.
- In the English dub, James says "Your Highness doth protest too much, methinks" to Lord Shabboneau, a reference to a famous line from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
Mistakes[]
- When Clemont is explaining Ash and the others what happened, his hair is colored orange instead of blonde.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ (n.d.) . "Awakening the Sleeping Giant! | Pokémon TV (pokemon.com)". From The Official Pokémon Website | Pokemon.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024.
