SM028

← SM027 : A Glaring Rivalry!

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

SM029 : Lulled to La-La Land! →

Pulling Out the Pokémon Base Pepper!

SM028   EP967 熱闘ポケベース！ねらえ逆転ホームラン！！ The Fierce Pokébase Match! Aim for a Home Run to Turn the Tide!!

First broadcast Japan May 25, 2017 United States August 26, 2017

English themes Opening Under The Alolan Sun Ending

Japanese themes Opening アローラ!! Ending ポーズ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 藤咲淳一 Jun'ichi Fujisaku Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 小柴純弥 Junya Koshiba Animation directors 村田理 Osamu Murata 八田木瀧 Taki Yatagi Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Pulling Out the Pokémon Base Pepper! (Japanese: 熱闘ポケベース！ねらえ逆転ホームラン！！ The Fierce Pokébase Match! Aim for a Home Run to Turn the Tide!!) is the 28th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 967th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on May 25, 2017 and in the United States on August 26, 2017.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

It’s the season for our heroes’ favorite pastime: Pokémon Base! Professor Kukui has arranged a special lesson for them, complete with a guest coach: Oluolu, the star player of the Magikarp team that just won the Pro League season.

After the students’ game, Team Rocket shows up to demand a Pokémon Base battle—with the winning team getting the star’s autograph. Oluolu teams up with the students, and it’s a close match until he unleashes his secret weapon: his Snorlax partner’s Z-Move, Pulverizing Pancake!

In appreciation for a good game, Oluolu offers Jessie his autograph anyway—but Bewear charges through and carries Team Rocket off before she can accept!

Plot

At Professor Kukui's house, Ash, Rotom, Rockruff and Professor Kukui are watching Pokémon Base. They watch as the pitcher throws a ball at Gyarados who hits the ball into the wall. Oluolu takes his place to bat knowing he must get Gyarados and himself home to win the game. Oluolu hits the ball and sends it out of the park. The next day at School, the class discuss the game. Professor Kukui tells them that Pokémon Base will be what today's class will all be about. They have invited Oluolu to teach the class and are joined by Samson Oak. Outside, Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie and their Pokémon are one team with Ash, Sophocles, Lana their partners on the other. The adults are acting as commentators as Oluolu explains the rules. Kiawe pitches the ball but Ash misses it. Soon the teams switch with Kiawe batting. Pikachu throws the ball which Kiawe hits. Sophocles runs around and catches the ball.

The game continues and Lana is the last one to bat. She surprises everyone when she hits the ball hard, sending it out of the park and giving them a home run. A disguised Team Rocket is walking past with Jessie holding a picture of Oluolu. Meowth is hit by the ball. They run into the school where Jessie spots Oluolu. Ash's team are declared the winners as Jessie makes their presence known and recite their motto. Jessie is keen to get Oluolu's autograph but they don't believe her. Oluolu gets involved and suggests they settle the dispute by having a game of Pokémon Base, which Jessie agrees to. Discussing tactics, James notes that they have a disadvantage with Oluolu on the other team. Jessie hits the ball and starts running the wrong way, causing Jessie to be out. The teams switch only for Mimikyu to throw the ball hard. Ash accuses Team Rocket of cheating, so they change pitcher. Kiawe is struck out as Meowth chuckles at his performance. Oluolu hits the ball and reaches safety. To win the game, Snorlax has to get home as Meowth vows that they will win.

The ball strikes Snorlax's bat and Mareanie grabs it. Mareanie runs over to James and hugs him affectionately. Oluolu makes it home but Snorlax has yet to run. Oluolu pulls out his secret weapon, a Z-Ring and powers up and has Snorlax use Pulverizing Pancake which sends Snorlax running for home as Meowth throws the ball towards Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet catches the ball, only to be flattened by Snorlax as Professor Kukui declares Snorlax safe. Professor Kukui wraps up the game announcing the school has won as Jessie cries over not getting Oluolu's autograph only for Oluolu to come over and give her the autograph for a wonderful game. As Jessie goes to take the autograph, she along with the others are scooped up by Bewear, who arrives to carry them off to its den, preventing Jessie from getting Oluolu's autograph. After watching Team Rocket go, Oluolu thanks everyone for bringing back memories from when he began playing Pokémon Base.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Humans

• Oluolu

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Lana
• Kiawe
• Lillie
• Sophocles
• Mallow
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Kukui
• Samson Oak
• Oluolu

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Scyther (US and international), Snorlax (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Rotom (Rotom Pokédex)
• Rowlet (Ash's)
• Rockruff (Ash's)
• Litten (Ash's)
• Popplio (Lana's)
• Turtonator (Kiawe's)
• Vulpix (Lillie's; Alolan form; Snowy)
• Togedemaru (Sophocles's)
• Steenee (Mallow's)
• Mimikyu (Jessie's)
• Mareanie (James's)
• Komala (Samson Oak's)
• Snorlax (Oluolu's)
• Bewear (anime)
• Scyther
• Electabuzz (on television)
• Gyarados (on television)
• Exeggutor (Alolan form; on television)
• Magikarp (×6; on television)
• Oricorio (Pom-Pom Style; ×3)

Trivia

• Poké Problem: What sport will appear in today's episode?
  • Host: Professor Kukui
  • Choices: PokéSoccer, PokéRugby, Pokémon Base, PokéPingPong
  • Answer: Pokémon Base
• The Electabuzz that appears on the television in this episode has the number "125" on its uniform, which is Electabuzz's number in the National Pokédex.
• Kiawe and Ash narrate the preview for the next episode.
• Oluolu breaks the fourth wall when he splits the two sides of the screen apart as Jessie was getting angry with Ash, his classmates, and some of their Pokémon. James also breaks the fourth wall in this episode when he explains about the ball that Meowth is about to throw.
• Rotom narrates the ending of this episode instead of the narrator. However, the narrator still narrates the beginning of this episode.
• The contraption that Meowth wears on his body during a flashback to his training is a reference to the series Star of the Giants, where the main character wore a similar contraption on his body, in order to straighten out his arms, making him better at playing baseball. Kiawe wears a similar device during a later episode.
• In this episode, Team Rocket uses a variation of their motto.
  • The motto has a baseball theme, much like the motto from The Double Trouble Header, 849 episodes earlier.
• This episode marks the first appearance of a Scyther in the anime since Tag! We're It...!, 451 episodes earlier.

Errors

• When Team Rocket discuss their strategy for the game, the brown fur on Meowth's tail is missing.
• When Ash, his classmates, and some of their Pokémon celebrate their victory over Team Rocket, the cap on Snowy is missing.

• 

  Meowth's miscolored tail

• 

  Snowy is missing its cap

Dub edits

• The Japanese text depicting Ash and his classmates' names when Rotom introduces them in the Pokémon Base commentary are edited out in the English dub.
• The Japanese texts depicting Inferno Overdrive Ball, Gigavolt Havoc Swing, and Pulverizing Pancake's names are edited out in the English dub.
• In the original version, only Rotom narrates the ending of this episode. However, in the dub, Rotom begins the ending narration, with the narrator finishing the remaining sentences.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		熱烈的寶可棒球賽！目標是敲出逆轉全壘打！！
Danish		En forrygende Pokébase-kamp!
Dutch		De fantastische Pokémon-honk-wedstrijd!
Finnish		Näppilyöntejä Poképesiksessä!
European French		Tous sur le terrain, pour le Pokébase !
German		Pfeffer im Pokémon-Base-Spiel!
Hebrew		!פוקימון בייס
Hindi		पोकेमोन बेस पर मुक़ाबला! Pokemon Base par Muqabla!
Italian		Baseball Pokémon con battuta pronta!
Korean		치열한 포켓베이스! 역전 홈런을 노려라!!
Norwegian		Den store Pokébase-kampen!
Polish		Mecz Pokémon-Baseballa!
Portuguese	Brazil	O jogo de Pokémon Beisebol!
	Portugal	Bola rasteira no Pokémon-Base!
Russian		Тренировка на Поке-Базе!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Bola baja al estilo Béisbol Pokémon!
	Spain	¡Lanzamiento de la bola rasa en béisbol Pokémon!
Swedish		Pokémon-Baseboll-Turneringen! Den stora Pokémon-Baseboll-Turneringen!*
Thai		โปเกเบสบอลที่ดุเดือด! เป้าหมายคือโฮมรันพลิกล็อก!!
Turkish		Pokemon Beysbol'unun Hakkını Vermek!

← SM027 : A Glaring Rivalry!

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

SM029 : Lulled to La-La Land! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.