RS074: Hokey Poké Balls

is the 34th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge.
==Synopsis==
The kids arrive in a city where May lets her Bulbasaur to enjoy the scenery. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is at the Pokémon Center (PC) making "repairs" to the transporter machine.
Upon arrival at the PC, Ash calls Professor Oak. They decide that Ash's and May's Bulbasaur should meet, so Oak transports Ash's over. Unfortunately Team Rocket has rerouted the machine so they get all the full Poké Balls, and only empty Poké Balls arrive at the PC.
The kids confront Team Rocket outside the PC. James has attached a new engine to their balloon which malfunctions, so the thieves go blasting off. They drop one Poké Ball—Ash's Bulbasaur.
Team Rocket gathers up everything from the crash site and runs, but a hole in James' bag leaves a trail of Poké Balls along the way. The two Bulbasaur quickly pick up the trail to a cabin where the thieves are hiding.
Team Rocket seals up the cabin and begins fending off Ash and friends, using the Poké Balls as projectiles. The two Bulbasaur try to sneak the rest of the Poké Balls out through a window with their vines.
Pikachu breaks down the wall with Iron Tail, and the Bulbasaur team up to battle Team Rocket. Pikachu sends the thieves blasting off.
Back at the PC, Ash talks to Professor Oak again, who begs Ash to send Bulbasaur back. Everyone says goodbye, and the little Grass-type is sent home.
==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, which Ash's Bulbasaur easily dodges. But Cacnea's Pin Missile hits 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 steps in and 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.
==Quotes==
:"Guess who just just walked in." - James
:"Like a Venomoth to a flame, those Twerps just can't say away." - Jessie
:"Speakin' a' flame, we're on fire!" - Meowth
:"James, I shall never doubt your intellect again." - Jessie
:"Yeah, thanks to you, we're ROLLIN' in Poké Balls!" - Meowth
:"Your adoration is better late than never. Now allow me to clarify the inner workings of my brilliance! As soon as the real Poké Balls are transported in, they are diverted down my patented Poké-pipeline right into our happy hands. While at the SAME time, they're all replaced one for one with an absolutely empty fabulous phony. I like to call it my "Bag a Bunch of Poké Balls by the Old Bait and Switch" plan." - James
:"Ya' might wanna lose dat name, but da plan is a sure winner." - Meowth
:"I order you to return those Poké Balls!" - Nurse Joy
:"Nurse Joy, I only take doctor's orders." - Jessie
:"We'll now take our Poké Balls and fly." - James
:"'Cause dat's just what da doctor ordered!" - Meowth
:"The jets! They're burping!" - Jessie
:"Guess dat means jet fuel gives ya gas!" - Meowth
:"Antacid, anyone? How could a super high-tech first class engine do THIS??!!" - James
:BOOM!
:"Did you save the receeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeipt???!!!!" - Jessie and Meowth
:"Wobbuffet!" - Wobbuffet
:"I don't get it! This infantile engine has a lifetime guarantee for crying out loud!" - James
:"That engine's not the only thing that's infantile!" - Jessie
:"Yeah! Stop whinin' an' help us wit dese Poké Balls!" - Meowth
:"That's just great. Your Bulbasaur found us a really nice flower." - Ash
:"We found you, Team Rocket!" - Ash
:"Now give us back those Poké Balls or else!" - May
:"Pika, Pika!" - Pikachu
:"Your veiled threats don't scare us!" - Jessie
:"Dat's right, or unveiled ones, neither!" - Meowth
:"And now, behold my "Keep On Trying, but You'll Never Get Through the Door" plan!" - James
:"Hahahahahahahahaha! It's perfect! Now they'll never get in!" - James
:"Brainiac! So what's your plan to get us out?!" - Jessie
:"I don't feel so good." - Meowth
:"Prepare yourselves for my "Throw Enough Mud Against the Wall and Something Just Might Stick" plan!" - James
:"Wow, dat one's really a Meowth-full." - Meowth
:"Thank you. This one I'm hitting outta the park!" - James
:"Batter up." - Meowth
:"Home run!" - James
:"I'll betcha didn't know I could have a battle with a Pokémon still inside the Poké Ball! Meowth, again!" - James
:"Da guy's giddy over one hit. Here ya go!" - Meowth
:"Two hits!" - James
:"Get your thieving vines off!" - Jessie
:"Thief?! Takes one to know one!" - May
:"Bulbasaur." - Ash and May's Bulbasaur
:"Okay, Team Rocket." - Ash
:"You're completely surrounded!" - Brock
:"So just give up!" - May
:"Ha! Unless it involves pain, we don't know da meanin' a' givin' up!" - Meowth
:"Do we need to have another talk?!" - James
:"We got 'em all back!" - Max
:"Yeah, thanks to Team Bulbasaur." - Brock
:"What's that? Team WHO?!" - Jessie
:"We'll thank you NOT to disparage our name!" - James
:"Ya ain't got nuttin' nice ta say, don't say nuttin' at all!" - Meowth
:"I came up with all the brilliant plans, and all with brilliant names, and this is our reward?!" - James
:"Yeah, well, I'm just plain brilliant, but that doesn't seem to help us out, either!" - Jessie
:"At least dere's one thing dat we all know how to do, right?" - Meowth
:"Wobbuffet!" - Wobbuffet
:"What's that?" - Jessie and James
:"Blastin' off." - Meowth
:"Brilliant." - Jessie and James
:DING!
:"Oh, Ash, it's just awful!" - Professor Oak
:"What's awful, Professor Oak? And what happened to YOU?" - Ash
:"Pika?" - Pikachu
:"Your Bulbasaur has always been the one who acts as the peacekeeper around my lab! But with Bulbasaur gone, my Grass and Water Pokémon have begun fighting again! PLEASE send your Bulbasaur back BEFORE THERE'S NO LABORATORY LEFT!!" - Professor Oak
:"You got it, Professor." - Ash
==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.
*The title is a pun on "Hokey Pokey".
===Mistakes===
* The Pokémon Trainer's Choice states that Combusken would be the best choice to battle Meditite. This is incorrect as Combusken is part -type, which is weak to Meditite's -type attacks. However, Beautifly would be the best choice due to its double resistance to -type attacks and its -type attacks being super effective against -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 -type attacks.
*During the scene where Ash's Bulbasaur first meets May's Bulbasaur, there was a shot of the two side by side wherein Ash's Bulbasaur appears significantly larger than May's.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on May
Category:Episodes focusing on James