A Frenzied Factory Fiasco! (Japanese: 激闘モンスターボール工場！ピカチュウVSニャース！！Fierce Battle in the Monster Ball Factory! Pikachu VS Nyarth!!) is the 78th episode of the XY series, and the 877th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on June 25, 2015, in Canada on August 29, 2015, and in the United States on September 5, 2015.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Our heroes have taken an exciting detour from their Anistar City journey: a visit to the one-and-only Poké Ball Factory! The three factory managers who offer them a tour look strangely familiar...
It’s Team Rocket, of course, but by the time the villains reveal themselves, our heroes have handed over every one of their Poké Balls (plus Pikachu) and gotten themselves locked in a storeroom! When Pikachu escapes, a frantic chase ensues as Pikachu tries to rescue the case full of Poké Balls and Meowth tries to use Pikachu’s own Poké Ball to trap it!
Finally, Meowth offers a challenge: if Pikachu can beat him in battle, he’ll give back all the Poké Balls. Meowth tries to pull a double-cross, but Pikachu’s Iron Tail takes him down, and Team Rocket goes blasting off again. And after freeing the real factory managers, our heroes get an official tour by way of thanks!
Plot
This plot summary is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this plot summary to add missing sections and complete it.
The episode begins with Ash and his friends arriving to Poké Ball Factory. A disguised Team Rocket welcomes them, who takes them on a tour of the factory. They eventually trick Ash and his friends into giving them their Pokémon by putting their Poké Balls in the Poké Ball case in order to steal their Pokémon. Since Pikachu hates being in his Poké Ball, Team Rocket asks Ash to put Pikachu in a separate case, and Meowth asks for Pikachu's Poké Ball to go along with it. Ash and his friends go to a storage room and get locked inside. Team Rocket then reveals themselves and say their motto. The crooks states to the heroes that their real plan was to take the factory's Poké Balls and pretending to be factory workers to steal Pikachu and everyone's Poké Balls.
Pikachu tries to break free, but the case is invulnerable to electricity. So instead, he breaks out of the case while Meowth states that he didn't know the case is vulnerable against physical attacks, much to Jessie and James's anger. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on his foes, but Wobbuffet reflects it back using Mirror Coat while Pikachu avoids it. Meowth uses Pikachu's Poké Ball to call him back, but no luck. Jessie and James sends Pumpkaboo and Inkay to help. Pumpkaboo uses Shadow Ball, but Pikachu manages to dodge and got hit by Inkay's Psybeam.
This is the first time the Pokémon Quiz segment features a talking Pokémon, in this case, Meowth.
The Pokémon Quiz Segment features two Pokémon that have been a part of Team Rocket, (Meowth and Woobat). Jessie had a Woobat in the Best Wishes series.
The title card segment focuses on Ash in the dub instead of Team Rocket.
In the Japanese version of the scene where Team Rocket is seen stealing various sorts of Poké Balls, James lists Quick, Premier, and Net Balls, even though no Quick Balls are seen in the entire episode. The dub corrected this by having James mention a Dusk Ball instead of a Quick Ball.
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