XY78 ‘Fierce Battle in the Poké Ball Factory! Pikachu VS Meowth!!’

Ash and his friends have arrived at the Kalos Poké Ball Factory! They are greeted at the entrance by 3 factory workers who happen to be Team Rocket in disguise. After a tour of the facilities, Jessie and James take the team’s Poké Balls ostensibly for maintenance, putting Pikachu in a small glass dome since it does not use its Poké Ball. Mission complete, Team Rocket locks the friends in a storage room and reveals their true identities. Pikachu breaks the dome and escapes prompting a quick battle, but Meowth uses Pikachu’s unused Poké Ball to recall it and the trio runs off to collect more Poké Balls from the factory.

However, Pikachu was not actually captured! It hid in an air duct during the confusion of battle and emerged again to free Ash and his friends. Before it could get the door open, Team Rocket comes back and Pikachu flees back into the ducts. It defeats pursuing Inkay and flees onwards into the main section of the factory to retrieve the suitcase with the team’s Poké Balls. Meowth confronts Pikachu, leading to a chase throughout the factory, though both of them are repeatedly hassled by the factory machinery.

Back in the storage room, Clemont uses one of his devices to break out and they all escape. Ash appears in the factory to reunite with Pikachu just as Meowth runs off with the suitcase. They rush out of the factory and see Team Rocket escaping in a truck. Pikachu hits the truck with a Thunderbolt then battles Meowth to reclaim the suitcase. Before Jessie and James can retaliate, their group is hit with a large ornamental Poké Ball and blasts off. Ash and he friends reunite with their Pokémon and continue their journey together.

Next Episode: Serena gets to participate in another Pokémon Showcase, this time against her old rival, Miette! Will she be able to pull through this time and succeed?

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