XY049

Bonnie for the Defense! (Japanese: 出動ラプラス防衛隊！ユリーカがんばる！！ Dispatch the Protection Team! Do Your Best, !!) is the 49th episode of the, and the 848th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on October 30, 2014, in Australia on December 15, 2014, and in the United States on December 20, 2014.

Blurb
While Ash and Serena do some special training and Clemont works on his inventions, Bonnie explores the forest, where she meets a trio of kids who call themselves the Lapras Defense Force. They show Bonnie to their hideout and introduce her to their friend Lapras, who is recovering from an injury and seems to be running a fever. The three of them really don't trust grown-ups, but when Ash, Serena, and Clemont come looking for Bonnie, the kids reluctantly agree to let Nurse Joy make a house call to their hideout.

After some medical attention, Lapras is feeling much better, but it keeps looking out toward the water and crying. Clemont figures out that it misses its ocean home, and the kids decide to take it back there. Despite a boulder blocking the way and a run-in with Team Rocket, Lapras is soon reunited with its family.

Bonnie bids farewell to her new friends, and our heroes resume their trek to Coumarine City!

Plot
Just as and  have finished a meal, Ash decides to train for his Gym Battle,  begins training for her Pokémon Showcase, and  decides to start working on a new invention. asks Clemont whether she could go take a walk in the forest, and he allows her to do so.

Bonnie along with her happily venture into the forest until they are halted by three other kids named Heidi, Jay, and Kye. Bonnie demands to know why they won't let her pass, and they unintentionally mention that there is a in the forest by calling themselves the "Lapras Defense Force". The leader of the group, Heidi offers Bonnie that she could join the Lapras Defense Force if she could nuzzle Dedenne, which Bonnie allows. Then, a sound calls from far off, and the three bring Bonnie to their hideout towards the sound.

At a lake, the four children begin to swim as Lapras surfaces from underneath. Bonnie asks Heidi how the group came across Lapras in the first place, and while Heidi is hesitant at first, she explains that the three of them had been walking a day after a storm, and after following some large tracks, had found an injured Lapras in the lake. Intending to treat and protect it, the three of them had set up the Lapras Defense Force. After swimming more with Lapras, Bonnie wonders why Lapras ended up in the lake, and Heidi tells her that Pokémon Hunters were most likely after Lapras. Heidi then ponders what would happen if 'grown-ups' got to know of Lapras, considering all adults 'grown-up liars'.

Shortly after, the sky turns dark and rain begins to pour. Ash, Serena and Clemont return to the Pokémon Center to take shelter. Clemont expresses his worry that Bonnie had not yet returned from the forest.

Meanwhile, Bonnie and the three other children have sought shelter in a cave, the Defense Force's hideout. Heidi asks Jay for some candy, who always hides candy in his pocket. She takes it from Jay and offers it to Lapras as well as to the other children. Soon the rain clears, and while the children want to play, Lapras begins crying. Jay explains that Lapras had been sad in the past, though the children didn't know why. Bonnie comes forward and touches Lapras, and notices that Lapras's skin is warmer than normal. Jay suggests that Lapras needs outside assistance, but Heidi retorts that adults could not be told. Then, Bonnie hears the voices of Ash and Clemont shouting for her from afar. She asks the other three children whether she could tell others about Lapras as long as they weren't adults.

Ash, Clemont, and Serena then arrive. Clemont comments that Lapras is really burning up, and could not be handled by them. He suggests bringing Nurse Joy, but Heidi again argues that adults could not be trusted. She recalls a story of an abandoned the three had found and hidden behind the classroom. However, the three were caught by their teacher, who promised not to do anything as long as they told her what they were doing. But as soon as they did, the teacher had taken Eevee away. Clemont and Ash insist that Lapras need help now, and the three children start crying. At Bonnie's insistence, the three children agree to allow Nurse Joy to come.

Meanwhile, are arguing over a single croissant. Jessie suggests that the winner of rock, paper, scissors takes it all, only for to come out of its Poké Ball to eat the croissant. However, just then, Team Rocket see Ash running into the Pokémon Center shouting for Nurse Joy.

Sometime later at the Defense Force's hideout, Nurse Joy has finished treating Lapras and tells them that Lapras would be fine. Heidi, Jay, and Kye thank Nurse Joy, and Nurse Joy tells them that the lost Eevee they had cared for in the past had been given back to its Trainer.

Lapras then begins to cry sadly again. Clemont proposes that maybe Lapras wants to return back to the sea. Ash asks Lapras whether it misses its friends, and Lapras replies that it does. Ash then decides the bring Lapras back to the sea, but Heidi, Jay, and Kye argue that Lapras is their friend. Serena and Bonnie encourage them to bring Lapras back home, and the three children agree. Serena, using her Town Map, suggests following the river back to the sea. As they follow the river, a large boulder blocks Lapras's path. The group then take out, , , , and , who easily break the boulder together.

As they continue along, Team Rocket interject, with notably missing. Ash, Serena, and Clemont decide to take on Team Rocket while Bonnie and the Lapras Defense Force continue to take Lapras towards to the sea. However, as the Lapras Defense Force leave, Team Rocket fires off a smoke stream and run away in their Magikarp submarine.

As the Lapras Defense Force continue towards the sea, they become blocked by James. Inkay uses on Lapras, causing Lapras to become confused. The other members of Team Rocket join James, and then proceed to use claws from their submarine to grab Lapras. However, the Lapras Defense Force come to Lapras's aid and begin fending off the claws. Heidi asks Jay for his candy, and feeds it to Lapras, curing its confusion. With the four children on Lapras's back, Lapras then races towards the sea while dodging Team Rocket's attacks. Just as Lapras is about to be hit, Lapras's friends from far off block the attacks. The two friends then fire off an, freezing Team Rocket.

Ash, Serena, and Clemont arrive, and Pikachu's blasts Team Rocket off breaking the ice. Lapras then leaves with its friends after farewelling the Lapras Defense Force. The next day, the group farewell Heidi, Jay, and Kye and focus on Coumarine City.

Major events

 * Clemont's Luxio is revealed to know.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Nurse Joy
 * Heidi
 * Kye
 * Jay
 * Teacher (flashback)
 * Heidi
 * Kye
 * Jay
 * Teacher (flashback)

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international) Pokémon Quiz:  (Japan)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (×3)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Trivia

 * reads the title card.
 * Instead of Professor Oak's Pokémon Holo Caster or Mairin's Mega Evolution Journal, appears to talk about Primal.
 * This is the season finale of Pokémon the Series: XY.
 * narrates the preview of the next episode alone, while she and read the title card and say the "Everyone, get Pokémon!" phrase together.
 * In this episode, fills in for James in the Team Rocket's motto.
 * James having 's on the end of a fishing rod is similar to the  Trainer class.

Errors

 * When is sending out  and, the pupils in Luxio's eyes are colored black instead of yellow.
 * When the Lapras Defense Force uses their attack on Team Rocket, the grip engine on the Magikarp submarine is missing.

Dub edits

 * In the dub, the children start crying because Ash comments that "Lapras is going downhill fast", then Clemont says that he would rather not think about it. In the original version, Ash explicitly says that if they leave Lapras there, they will "let it die", and Clemont adds that it may be a possibility in the worst case scenario.
 * The dub's title card segment focuses on Ash instead of Bonnie in the dub.

In other languages
Heureka geht in die Verteidigung! EP853 XY049 XY049 XY編第48話 精灵宝可梦 XY 第49集