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| Season | Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (Season 18) · Rivals, ninjas & a postponed voyage arc (XY050–XY054) |
| Episode | Season 18, episode 5 · English episode 848 · Japanese episode 853 · Bulbapedia code XY053 |
| English title | A Race for Home! |
| Japanese title | セレナの本気！激走メェークルレース！！ Serena no Honki! Gekisō Mēkuru Rēsu!! — “Serena’s Earnest! The Wild Meecle Race!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 18 December 2014 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 7 March 2015 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Akemi Omode |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mega V (Mega Volt) – Yūsuke · Doridori (DreamDream) – Shōko Nakagawa |
| English opening | Be a Hero – Ben Dixon and The Sad Truth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Skiddo (US) |
| Previous episode | A Stealthy Challenge! (XY052) |
| Next episode | Facing the Grand Design! (XY054) |
Plot episodeSerena wins Grace’s blessingSkiddo race
A Race for Home! is the 5th episode of Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest, the eighteenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 848th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 853, Bulbapedia code XY053). It first aired in Japan on 18 December 2014 and in the United States on 7 March 2015. It falls within the season’s Rivals, ninjas & a postponed voyage stretch (EP50–EP54).
Synopsis
At a ranch where Serena’s mother is coaching Rhyhorn racers, Serena finally tells Grace that she wants to be a Pokémon Performer and wins her blessing by beating her in a Skiddo race. The group arrives at Baa de Mer Ranch, famous for its cheese and ice cream and full of Skiddo, Gogoat, Doduo and Dodrio, with Team Rocket close behind in search of the same treats. Grace is there as a special coach for a beginners’ Rhyhorn racing camp, and she explains that riding Skiddo is the first step towards becoming a Rhyhorn racer. Ash and Bonnie happily ride Skiddo, Clemont reluctantly, while Serena remembers how frightened she once was in her mother’s lessons. At lunch Grace tells Serena to practise Rhyhorn racing that afternoon, and when Ash begins to mention Serena’s new dream, Serena cuts him off.
Claiming she has forgotten something, Serena slips away to rehearse for a Pokémon Showcase instead, but the practice goes badly. Thinking of Aria, she admits to herself that she is not ready to tell her mother, until thinking of Ash renews her determination; Grace secretly watches the whole rehearsal. Meanwhile Team Rocket steal cheese from the ranch and speed off in a truck. Ash gives chase on a Skiddo with Clemont and Bonnie behind him, and Serena takes a faster Rhyhorn, remembering her mother’s racing advice. When Clemont falls off his Skiddo, Bonnie and Grace stop to help, and Serena overtakes Ash and has Rhyhorn Tackle the truck to a halt. Pikachu and Fennekin battle Inkay and Pumpkaboo until Pikachu’s Thunderbolt blasts Team Rocket off.
Grace then tells Serena it is time to come home and train as a professional racer. Serena declares that she has decided to become a Pokémon Performer and will not go home; Grace says she will give up the moment it gets hard. Serena proposes a race to settle it, and Grace chooses Skiddo rather than Rhyhorn, since she is the professional. Serena takes the lead, falls off, climbs back on and keeps going, reflecting on the people she has met on her journey, and overtakes her mother to win. Grace reveals that she saw the secret practice and that Skiddo sensed the strength of Serena’s dream. She gives Serena her blessing and tells her that a Pokémon Showcase will soon be held in Coumarine City.
Major Events
- Serena’s blessing. At Baa de Mer Ranch Serena tells Grace that she wants to be a Pokémon Performer and beats her in a Skiddo race
- Grace announces the Coumarine City Showcase
- Serena reads the title card
- TV-episode debut of Skiddo
Pokémon making their anime debut
Skiddo#0672 · XY053
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Akemi Omode.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kalos storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Serena reads the title card in the US version; the UK and other versions use an Ash card
- The dub was re-recorded so that Skiddo is pronounced “ski-DOO”
Part of our Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.