DP046

← DP045 : Ill-Will Hunting!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP047 : Sandshrew's Locker! →

A Maze-ing Race!

DP046   EP512 迷路でシャッフル！みんなでハッスル!! Shuffle in the Maze! Everyone Hustle!!

First broadcast Japan September 13, 2007 United States January 19, 2008

English themes Opening Diamond and Pearl Ending

Japanese themes Opening Together Ending 君のそばで 〜ヒカリのテーマ〜 (PopUp.Version)

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

A Maze-ing Race! (Japanese: 迷路でシャッフル！みんなでハッスル!! Shuffle in the Maze! Everyone Hustle!!) is the 46th episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 512th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on September 13, 2007 and in the United States on January 19, 2008.

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

Synopsis

The episode starts with Dawn leading Ash and Brock to a Pokémon Center in a hurry, in hopes of receiving a new application for her Pokétch. When they arrive at the Center, however, the Nurse Joy there states that it is in fact the Pokémon Center on the other side of the woods that is giving away the application. She also states that the giveaway is ending soon, so the party heads out in a hurry for the Center on the other side of the woods.

On the way they are stopped by Team Rocket in disguise, who tell them that they can take a shortcut through a cave, and give them a free map to navigate through a maze at the end of the cave. In exchange for the map, however, the party must take a group photo of them and all their Pokémon inside the cave. While setting up the photo shoot, Team Rocket plan to swipe all of the party's Pokémon, but before they can everyone is interrupted by a group of Graveler and Golem passing by (using Rollout). The party is thus split up.

Ash and Pikachu make it out of the cave first, meeting Paul who is attempting to capture a Fearow that is flying nearby. He asks if Paul has seen the others, to which Paul coldly replies no. There he decides to go find Brock and Dawn, leaving Paul be. Team Rocket, disguised as rocks, are able to split up Ash and Pikachu by blocking paths in the maze, but are then blasted off by the Onix that was chasing the earlier Golem and Graveler.

Dawn and Croagunk make it out of the cave and into the maze next. They also meet Paul and his Fearow, ask him if he has seen the others, and leave when he rudely replies no. Brock, Ash's Turtwig, Staravia and Aipom exit the cave last, and follow suit by meeting with Paul, asking him if he has seen the others, and getting a cold reply (this time it's Paul who leaves). Staravia then volunteers to search for everyone by sky.

Pikachu, now alone, meets up with Buneary and Happiny. Croagunk saves Dawn from being squished by the Onix by pushing her into a crack in the maze wall which it made with Brick Break. Ash, regretting being split up with Pikachu, meets up with Dawn's Piplup, Buizel, Pachirisu and Brock's Sudowoodo. Though Piplup and Buizel quarrel about which way to go, they soon team up and are able to force the rampaging Onix to retreat (Ash tells them to use BubbleBeam and Water Gun respectively).

All the separate groups, except Ash's, finally find each other with Staravia's help. When Staravia flies back up to look for Ash's group, however, a recovered Team Rocket snatches it and temporarily escapes. Brock and Dawn finally find Ash by calling out, but are still separated by a single wall. Team Rocket then come back and trap Ash's group by crushing and placing rocks on the maze path. Ash tells Piplup and Buizel to use BubbleBeam and SonicBoom respectively at the Rocket Balloon, in order to free Staravia. He then tells Pachirisu and Sudowoodo to use Discharge and Mimic (copying Ash's cheering on Pachirisu) respectively, but Pachirisu's Discharge zaps Ash's group accidentally, allowing Team Rocket to escape.

Everyone then decides to break a hole in the maze wall, and after a while of their Pokémon executing attacks on it, the wall is broken, but not without Team Rocket noticing them. Pikachu, however, surprises Team Rocket from atop a tall hill, then uses Iron Tail to break Staravia's cage and finally Thunderbolt to send Team Rocket blasting off again.

Everyone, now reunited, make it out of the maze and to the Pokémon Center, where Dawn receives the Coin Flip application. They then continue on their journey, using the new application to lead the way.

Major events

• Dawn receives the Coin Toss application for her Pokétch.

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Brock
• Dawn
• Jessie
• James
• Paul
• Nurse Joy

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Mime Jr. (James's)
• Aipom (Ash's)
• Turtwig (Ash's)
• Staravia (Ash's)
• Buneary (Dawn's)
• Pachirisu (Dawn's)
• Buizel (Dawn's)
• Sudowoodo (Brock's)
• Croagunk (Brock's)
• Happiny (Brock's)
• Fearow
• Graveler
• Golem
• Onix (Seiyū: 石塚運昇 Unshō Ishizuka*)

* No official credit was given for this character.

Trivia

• Music from Gotta Dance!!, Jirachi: Wish Maker and Pokémon Heroes are used as background music.
• 佐藤仁美 Hitomi Satō is added to the credits as a composer of the original score.
• Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture: Combee
  • Pokémon senryū: あまいみつ　みつけてとぶよ　ミツハニー Amai mitsu, mitsukete tobuyo, Mitsuhanī. "Sweet honey, find it and fly, Mitsuhoney."
• The episode's dub title seems to be a spin on the popular reality show The Amazing Race. It could also possibly be a pun on the Christian hymn Amazing Grace.
• The events of this episode are referenced by Jessie in Jumping Rocket Ship!.
• This episode, so far, is the only episode where Ash takes command of Piplup instead of Dawn.

In other languages

• Finnish: Seikkailu sokkelossa
• German: Ein Irrgarten zum Irrewerden!
• Italian: La corsa attraverso il labirinto
• Iberian Spanish: ¡Carreras por el laberinto!
• Latin American Spanish: ¡La carrera laberíntica!
• Dutch: Wie laby-rent het hardst?
  • The word laby-rent is a combination of the Dutch words labyrint (labyrinth) and rent (runs).
• Brazilian Portuguese: A Corrida Labirintonária!
• Czech: Závod bludištěm
• Polish: W labiryncie

← DP045 : Ill-Will Hunting!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP047 : Sandshrew's Locker! →

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