SM033

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Big Sky, Small Fry!

SM033

EP972

ヨワシ強し、池のぬし！
Yowashi the Powerhouse, Leader of the Lake!

First broadcast

Japan	July 6, 2017
United States	September 30, 2017

English themes

Opening	Under The Alolan Sun
Ending

Japanese themes

Opening	めざせポケモンマスター -20th Anniversary-
Ending	ポーズ

Credits

Additional credits
Animation	Team Kato
Screenplay	藤咲淳一 Jun'ichi Fujisaku
Storyboard	浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Assistant director	浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Animation directors	岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane
Animation directors	志村泉 Izumi Shimura

Big Sky, Small Fry! (Japanese: ヨワシ強し、池のぬし！ Yowashi the Powerhouse, Leader of the Lake!) is the 33rd episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 972nd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on July 6, 2017 and in the United States on September 30, 2017.

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

Blurb

While their friends visit Kiawe’s farm, Lana and Ash decide to go fishing. At Olivia’s suggestion, they head to Brooklet Hill, where a Totem Pokémon is rumored to live!

After helping an injured Wishiwashi and catching a Feebas to prove herself to the master fisherman who guards the lake, Lana manages to hook the enormous Totem Pokémon, and the battle begins! The Pokémon is strong, but Lana hangs on with fierce determination—and in its own determination to help her, Popplio learns Aqua Jet! Defeated, the Totem Pokémon scatters into a school of Wishiwashi—and one of them presents Lana with a Water-type Z-Crystal to use with her new Z-Ring!

Plot

Team Rocket is fishing at Brooklet Hill, trying to catch a Totem Pokémon based on information that James had received from a man who calls himself the "master fisherman". Meowth reels in a small Pokémon, which James identifies with his book as a Wishiwashi. Meowth, unimpressed, promptly throws the Small Fry Pokémon away. Jessie then feels a pull on her fishing rod, and she attempts to reel in what she thinks is the Totem Pokémon. However, Bewear shows up out of the water, and Team Rocket blasts off into the air.

In Paniola Town, it is extracurricular activity time for the heroes, and the group is free to go wherever they want. Ash joins Lana, who reveals that she will be going fishing to catch the biggest Pokémon. Lana then lends Ash a fishing rod so that he can join in the friendly competition. The rest of the group then joins the two and reveals that they are going to Kiawe's farm, on the premise that they will be helping him with his work.

As Ash and Lana exit the Pokémon Center, they meet Olivia, who greets them just as she falls from a Tauros. After getting back up, Olivia reveals that by the end of the day, she will have finished Lana's Z-Ring. Also, as the pair are going fishing, she mentions that there is a large Totem Pokémon residing in a lake near Brooklet Hill. Excited, the pair head off to catch the Totem Pokémon.

At Brooklet Hill, Ash and Lana are ready to begin fishing but get interrupted by the "master fisherman" who states that they will need his permission before battling the lake's Totem Pokémon. He then recounts an exaggerated tale of battling the Totem Pokémon, showing a fake scar on his arm as “proof”. He agrees to let them fish if they manage to find a Feebas, which Lana, to his astonishment, reels in almost immediately. They then exchange Feebas to rent a small boat which the man says will be necessary for catching the Totem Pokémon.

Before they head off on the boat, Lana discovers an injured Wishiwashi stuck in a small, shallow patch of water. Lana bandages its injuries and then lets it go into the lake. The two then head off and begin fishing in the middle of the lake. Ash reels in a Magikarp, which proceeds to slap Ash on the face multiple times before fleeing. Lana then senses a big catch and manages to get a bite. The bite reveals itself to be the Totem Pokémon, a School Form Wishiwashi, however Rotom announces that it is an unknown Pokémon.

Meanwhile, at Kiawe's farm, rather than assisting Kiawe, Mallow and Sophocles are scoffing down some cheese and ice cream respectively (made specially from the farm's Moomoo Milk), while Lillie is feeding Snowy some special-made Pokémon food.

Back at Brooklet Hill, Ash and Lana's boat is being pulled across the lake by the large Wishiwashi at the end of Lana's fishing rod. The boat then collides with an island in the middle of the lake, and while Lana manages to land properly, Ash and Pikachu are sent flying into the lake. Seeing Wishiwashi approaching them, Ash manages to quickly jump onto the island but Pikachu remains floundering in the water. At Lana's command, Popplio manages to save Pikachu from the Wishiwashi in time.

The struggle between Lana and Wishiwashi continues, and Popplio dives into the water and attacks with Bubble Beam. But as the Totem Pokémon approaches, scared, Popplio jumps out of the water and Lana decides to handle the battle by herself. The struggle between Lana and the Totem Pokémon continues, but the Totem Pokémon is too strong and sends Lana struggling on her knees and against a rock face. Seeing its Trainer losing, Popplio overcomes its fear of the Wishiwashi and dives into the water to battle. After firing Bubble Beam several times, Lana begins to regain her control of Wishiwashi. However, Popplio is then suddenly attacked by a nearby Pokémon, revealed to be an ally Alomomola. Alolomola then proceeds to use Heal Pulse on the Wishiwashi. Ash decides to handle the situation by distracting Alomomola with his fishing rod and manages to reel it in. Pikachu then attacks Alomomola with Electro Ball, causing the Caring Pokémon to flee.

Popplio, now back in action, continues its battle with the Totem Pokémon. After racing in front of the Totem Pokémon across the lake, Popplio manages to defeat the Wishiwashi with its newly-learned Aqua Jet, managing to break up the school of Wishiwashi. The Solo Form Wishiwashi all flee, and the single Wishiwashi that Lana had helped before appears out of the water. In its mouth is a Waterium Z, which it hands over to Lana.

At night in the Pokémon Center, Olivia hands Lana the finished Z-Ring, and Lana fits her Waterium Z into it. She momentarily jokes to her classmates about having gotten it from a Mega Gyarados, and they all facefault when she admits she was just kidding.

Major events

Wishiwashi giving Lana a Waterium Z

Lana's Popplio learns Aqua Jet.
Lana clears the trial at Brooklet Hill with Ash's help, earning a Waterium Z from a Totem Solo Form Wishiwashi as a reward.
Olivia converts Lana's Sparkling Stone into a Z-Ring and gives it back to her.

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

Debuts

Humans

Master fisherman

Pokémon debuts

Wishiwashi (School Form)

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Wishiwashi (Solo Form)

Pikachu (Ash's)
Meowth (Team Rocket)
Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
Rotom (Rotom Pokédex)
Popplio (Lana's)
Vulpix (Lillie's; Alolan form; Snowy)
Togedemaru (Sophocles's)
Steenee (Mallow's)
Tauros (Sima's; ×2)
Feebas (Master fisherman's; given)
Bewear (anime)
Tauros (Ride Pokémon)
Wishiwashi (Solo and School Form; multiple; Totem)
Magikarp
Alomomola
Gyarados (Mega Gyarados; fantasy)

Trivia

The reference to Titanic

Poké Problem: What Pokémon will I battle in today's episode?
- Host: Lana
- Choices: Solo and School Form Wishiwashi, Palossand, Bewear, Gumshoos
- Answer: Wishiwashi
Jessie and Meowth reuse the same lures they used in The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!.
Popplio holding onto Pikachu while on the fishing boat may be a reference to a similar scene from the 1997 epic romance-disaster film Titanic.
This episode marks the first time Mega Evolution is referenced in the anime since the end of Pokémon the Series: XY.
This episode marks the first appearance of a Feebas in the anime since its cameo in Historical Mystery Tour!, 366 episodes earlier.
Despite having made its debut in In the Shadow of Zekrom!, 314 episodes earlier, this is the first time that Alomomola has received a Pokédex entry in the anime.
Pikachu, Ash, Sophocles, Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie, Lana, and an Alolan Marowak narrate the preview for the next episode.
The ending animation is updated to include Lana wearing her Z-Ring.
This is the only episode of the Akala Island arc in which:
- Team Rocket makes an appearance.
- Professor Kukui does not appear.
Ash, Lana, Rotom, and the master fisherman read the Who's That Pokémon? segment in the English dub.
This was the last episode to air before M20 debuted in Japanese theaters.

Errors

During the Titanic reference, when the camera shows Pikachu's mouth, he is talking, but his lips do not move until the very end.
In the Norwegian dub, Ash's English voice is present when he says "Hei Lana, er du ikke spent?", after Olivia displays the Z-Ring she is going to prepare for Lana.

Dub edits

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		厲害的池塘霸主弱丁魚！
Danish		Stor stime, små fisk!
Dutch		Gigantische kleine vis!
Finnish		Sinteissäkin on voimaa!
European French		Vaste océan et Minipoisson !
German		Kleinfisch, große Beute!
Hebrew		!שמיים גדולים, דג קטן
Hindi		ऐश और लाना का एडवेंचर! Ash aur Lana ka Adventure!
Italian		Non chiamatelo pesciolino!
Korean		약어리 강하리, 물가의 주인
Norwegian		Sammen er de sterke!
Polish		Wielkie niebo, mała ryba!
Portuguese	Brazil	Grande céu, peixinho!
Portuguese	Portugal	Céu grande, peixe pequeno!
Russian		Большое небо, мелкая сошка!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Un gran cielo y un pequeño pececito!
Spanish	Spain	¡El gran y pequeño pececillo!
Swedish		En Totem Pokémon På Kroken
Thai		โยวาชิผู้แข็งแกร่ง เจ้าถิ่นแห่งทะเลสาบ!
Turkish		Büyük Gökyüzü, Küçük Balık