AG039

A Poké-BLOCK Party! (Japanese: 歌う！ポケモンからくり屋敷！！ Sing! Pokémon Trick House!!) is the 39th episode of the, and the 313th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on August 21, 2003 and in the United States on September 4, 2004.

Blurb
After making it to Mauville City, Ash and the gang see a sign stating that whoever can make it through the trick house will win a lifetime supply of PokéBlocks. Ash and the gang decide to try their luck.

When they arrive, they have three doors to choose from. Ash, May, and their new friend Alanna choose one door while Max and Brock choose another. Team Rocket is, of course, also trying to win and each one of them chooses a different door. Everyone ends up trying to navigate through a maze. James and Meowth meet and then see Ash, May, Alanna, and Alanna's Whismur and decide that they want to steal the Whismur. They are successful until everyone exits the maze at the same time and Alanna rushes up to Team Rocket and takes her Whismur back, thanking them for finding it.

Team Rocket creates havoc for our heroes throughout the next few challenges and finally traps Pikachu and Whismur during the last challenge. A battle ensues and Team Rocket is sent blasting off. Ash and company may not have won the lifetime supply of PokéBlocks, but they did make some new friends and are ready to set off for the Mauville Gym.

Plot
After arriving at Mauville City,, , Max, and see a poster advertising a Trick House contest in which the winner would walk away with a year's supply of free Pokéblock. and a  also see these posters. Deciding to enter, Ash and head over to the Trick House, where dozens of other interested people are already assembled. Suddenly, a pushes Max down from behind, closely followed by its Trainer, a young girl named Alanna. She introduces herself and tells the gang that the famous "King of Tricks" is about to appear. As if on cue, the Trick Master appears, explaining that the Trick House he built will require both skill and wit to pass through, and that only the best would receive the prize. After telling everyone to choose any beginning door they want from the possibilities, he disappears with a maniacal laugh. Max and Brock go one way, while Ash, Alanna and May go another. Jigglypuff spots Alanna and follows closely behind unnoticed. Team Rocket change clothes and split up, with James and going one way while Jessie heads another.

The first room everyone comes to turns out to be a tricky maze; everyone seems to be getting stuck at dead ends around every turn. James and Meowth happen to spot Alanna's Whismur and plot to capture it, taking the opportunity to abduct it while Alanna's back is turned. Before the confused young Trainer can begin the search for her Whismur, Jigglypuff appears, putting the group to sleep with its. As soon as it's finished drawing in black marker all over their faces in anger, it leaves the scene to continue on through the Trick House. Jessie, James and Meowth meet back up and, with Whismur still in hand, proceed to try to navigate the maze while avoiding Ash and his group, who also met back up with Brock and Max. However, both groups make it out at near the same point and Alanna spots her Whismur, thanking Team Rocket for finding it before snatching it up and cuddling it in her arms. At this point, Jigglypuff appears again, putting everyone to sleep except Whismur who stays awake due to its Ability. Jigglypuff is ecstatic and dances around the Pokémon happily.

The next room the gang comes across is one with a waterfall and a small river. Laying across the gap are several wide logs to provide crossing. Some of them, however, may not be stable. Ash leads the rest of the group across a sturdy-looking log, but just before they reach the other side, Jessie rolls their log, knocking them off and into the water before sprinting across another log and into the next room with her two companions. In the next room, several ropes attached to the ceiling hang over a gap filled with water. Team Rocket swings easily over, but when Ash and everyone else try to cross, they're knocked off by the villains. The next room has numerous boxes nailed to the ceiling with ropes attached. Upon opening a box, one may find either the passageway to the next room, or a toy hammer that delivers a nice smack to the noggin. As our heroes find one of the few possible correct boxes, James pops out and cuts it. The next room gives everyone lots of trouble; a large room full of hidden pitfalls. After much trial and error, both Team Rocket and Ash's group make it through to the final room. Within the last room, Team Rocket awaits in disguise with different costumes, swinging a gigantic jump rope. They state that all Ash and friends have to do is jump ten times successfully, and they win. The group does so, only to be tied up and have Pikachu and Whismur stolen and stuffed in a bag. Team Rocket then reveals their identity.

While they're busy boasting about their victory, Ash manages to get a hand out from under the ropes to call out, who cuts them free. Jessie and James send out and, and Cacnea sends a  at Corphish, which is brushed aside as the Ruffian Pokémon counters with. Cacnea is then sent flying backwards and into Meowth as Corphish strikes back with a powerful. Whismur and Pikachu burst from the bag, running back to their respective Trainers. Enraged, Alanna sends her Whismur after Seviper, knocking it out with a combination of, and. Corphish finishes up with Crabhammer, sending Team Rocket spiraling through the roof of the Trick House and blasting off. Even though the winner of the Trick House contest was a young boy named Ivan, Alanna seems happy all the same that she got to spend time and battle together with her Whismur. With that, our heroes say their goodbyes to Alanna but Jigglypuff, once again wanting to perform in front of the big crowd, appears and sings its heart out, sending everyone to dreamland. This time even Whismur falls asleep, though not because of Jigglypuff, but because it was exhausted from all that has happened that day.

Major events

 * and reach Mauville City.
 * and Max meet for the first time.
 * Jessie's Seviper uses for the first time.

Humans

 * Max
 * Jessie
 * James
 * (fantasy)
 * Alanna
 * Trick Master
 * Ivan
 * Crowd
 * Trick Master
 * Ivan
 * Crowd

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?:


 * (Alanna's)
 * (Alanna's)
 * (Alanna's)
 * (Alanna's)
 * (Alanna's)
 * (Alanna's)
 * (Alanna's)

Trivia

 * Advance Adventure is used as background music.
 * When Jessie falls and pushes the log off the ledge purposely during the second puzzle, she makes a reference to, saying their commercials' trademark slogan: "I've fallen and I can't get up!"
 * The dub title is a reference to a.
 * This episode marks the recurring 's only appearance in the, as well as its last appearance until Alola, Kanto!, 668 episodes later.

Errors

 * Max refers to 's Ability as an attack in the dub.
 * The second time everyone wakes up from Jigglypuff's, Alanna's face scribbles change. She has a circle around her left eye in one shot, and a sun around her right in another.
 * Throughout the entire episode, Jigglypuff's eyes are colored bright green, instead of their usual blue color, similar to a Jigglypuff.
 * and in the second puzzle are shown to cross the log which then they stopped for Trick Master's preview of the log crossing. They are shown to be standing in the middle part of the log. Then after that, they continue walking through the log towards the other side. However, when Jessie falls over and pushes the log off the ledge purposely, Ash and his friends fall in the middle part which they should supposedly fall at the near-left side instead of the middle.

Dub edits

 * The Trick Master is referred to as the "King of Tricks" in the dub.

In other languages
Das Rätselhaus EP315 AG039 AG039 AG編第39話 精灵宝可梦 超世代 第39集