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| Season | Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (Season 18) · Dendemille & the road north arc (XY079–XY085) |
| Episode | Season 18, episode 30 · English episode 873 · Japanese episode 879 · Bulbapedia code XY079 |
| English title | A Frenzied Factory Fiasco! |
| Japanese title | 激闘モンスターボール工場！ピカチュウVSニャース！！ Gekitō Monsutā Bōru Kōjō! Pikachū Tai Nyāsu!! — “Fierce Battle in the Monster Ball Factory! Pikachu VS Nyarth!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 25 June 2015 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 5 September 2015 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Shōji Yonemura |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Getta Banban (Mad-Paced Getter) – Tomohisa Sako · Gaogao Ōrusutā (Roaring All-Stars) – Little Glee Monster |
| English opening | Be a Hero – Ben Dixon and The Sad Truth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Staraptor (US) |
| Previous episode | A Relay in the Sky! (XY077) |
| Next episode | Performing with Fiery Charm! (XY080) |
Filler / stand-alone episodePikachu vs MeowthPoké Ball Factory
A Frenzied Factory Fiasco! is the 30th episode of Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest, the eighteenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 873rd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 879, Bulbapedia code XY079). It first aired in Japan on 25 June 2015 and in the United States on 5 September 2015. It falls within the season’s Dendemille & the road north stretch (EP79–EP85).
Premiered on 5 September 2015 as the season’s 30th episode, straight after A Relay in the Sky! (XY077), because Lights! Camera! Pika! (XY078) was held back until 21 November; Teletoon had shown it on 29 August and iTunes on 30 August.
Synopsis
Disguised as workers at the Poké Ball Factory, Team Rocket lock the group in a booth and steal their Poké Balls, and Pikachu, free and on the run, outwits a Meowth determined to recall him in his own Poké Ball. Clemont is delighted to visit the factory, and three workers offer the group a “premium” tour and a free check for hidden damage to their Poké Balls. Everyone hands theirs over, and since Pikachu dislikes his Poké Ball, James produces a glass case for him while Meowth asks for Pikachu’s Poké Ball too. The workers invite the friends into a “special booth” that simulates life inside a Poké Ball, shut the doors behind them and reveal themselves as Team Rocket, planning to steal both the factory’s stock and the group’s Pokémon.
Pikachu smashes out of the electricity-proof case, dodges his own Thunderbolt when Wobbuffet’s Mirror Coat reflects it, and keeps dodging Meowth’s attempts to recall him. Inkay’s Psybeam kicks up smoke that makes it look as if Pikachu has been recalled, and the trio celebrate before running off to steal Poké Balls, leaving the friends shut in the booth while Ash pounds on the locked door. Pikachu tells Ash through the locked door that he escaped through a vent, but his Iron Tail cannot break the door. When Team Rocket hear his voice and find him, Meowth tries again to recall him, but Pikachu flees into a vent. Chased through the narrow ducts by James’s Inkay, which attacks him again and again, he finally escapes with Quick Attack.
In the production hall, Pikachu tries to reach the case of stolen Poké Balls along the conveyor belts, but Meowth reverses them; when a hook catches Meowth, both are hauled into the machinery, and Jessie and James take over the factory computers to trap Pikachu. Clemont’s Extra Strength Pry-It-Open invention explodes and blows the door open. As Jessie and James flee, Meowth stays to chase Pikachu, who briefly traps him in a Luxury Ball, and Serena and Clemont free the tied-up workers. When Pikachu’s Thunderbolt stops the getaway truck, Meowth challenges him to a battle for the Poké Balls. Meowth lands Fury Swipes and then treacherously tries to recall Pikachu with his own Poké Ball, but Pikachu dodges and defeats him with Iron Tail, sending the Poké Ball back to Ash. As Jessie and James reach for their Poké Balls, a giant Poké Ball statue topples and blasts them away. The grateful foreman gives the group a real tour, and Ash credits Pikachu.
Major Events
- The Poké Ball Factory. Disguised as workers, Team Rocket steal the group’s Poké Balls
- Pikachu outwits Meowth and beats him one-on-one
- The last appearance of Pikachu’s Poké Ball, bar flashbacks
- Great and Ultra Balls make their anime debut
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Shōji Yonemura.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kalos story.
Changes in the English Dub
- James’s Quick Balls become Dusk Balls
Part of our Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.