DP044

Mass Hip-Po-Sis! (Japanese: 迷子のヒポポタスを助けろ！ Save the Lost Hippopotas!) is the 44th episode of the, and the 510th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on August 23, 2007 and in the United States on January 5, 2008.

Blurb
Ash's Turtwig brings everyone's attention to a young Hippopotas that's stranded on the ledge of a cliff. Ash hauls the Hippopotas to safety, and it insists on following him. Then Rhonda and the Sinnoh Now news team arrive on the scene, and they want to follow Ash around, too! Rhonda wants to see Ash reunite the Hippopotas with its migrating herd. Team Rocket, of course, wants to steal Hippopotas, but between Hippopotas's Yawn attack and Ash, Team Rocket barely even manages to slow our heroes down.

Of course, Team Rocket won't quit that easily. They come back for another try, using a piece of fruit to lure Hippopotas into their balloon. But when Hippopotas uses Sand Tomb, their plans are sunk just as fast as their balloon, and Hippopotas happily returns to Ash. Next Ash has to cross a narrow bridge across a river, and when Team Rocket attacks, Hippopotas falls in the river! For a Ground-type like Hippopotas, that's bad news.

Hippopotas is rushed to the nearest Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy has it feeling fine in no time. The quest for the Hippopotas herd resumes, and the gang encounters a strangely familiar group of sand salesmen. They turn out to be Team Rocket, of course, but the thieving trio didn't count on Hippopotas and that Yawn attack, which puts Jessie to sleep. Meowth and James' Cacnea are no match for Pikachu and Ash's Turtwig, and once they're gone, our heroes keep searching until they find the Hippopotas herd. The lost Hippopotas is back where it belongs and Ash is headed back on the road to Hearthome City—after a Yawn-induced nap, that is!

Plot
As, and  return their Pokémon after they have eaten,  suddenly imitates , and Brock realizes that Turtwig went by itself into the woods. Following its trail, they find Turtwig, who points them to a cliff where a frightened is trapped. Deciding to help it, Ash climbs down the cliff, with the help of a rope onto the platform where Hippopotas is. Ash tries to reassure Hippopotas, but he bites his hand. He then calls Pikachu who slides down the rope, and comforts Hippopotas, with success.

Ash then hoists Hippopotas onto his arms and is lifted onto the cliff by Brock and Dawn. The gang find that Hippopotas really wanted to get the fruit on a tree, but fell in the process, so Ash gets a fruit for him, which Hippopotas devours whole. After that they continue their journey when the Hippopotas is starting to follow them. At the same time and her Sinnoh Now Staff show up who are making a film about a herd of Hippopotas. Rhonda recognizes them and informs them that a male got lost from his family. After hearing the story about his family Ash, Dawn and Brock decide to help him return to his family.

They set off in searching for the herd with Hippopotas and the TV crew following them, but they all get into a pitfall trap set up by who takes Hippopotas in their balloon. Being scared, he responds with a, which hits. Then Ash sends out his Turtwig which uses to release Hippopotas. He falls and is caught by Ash releasing another Yawn which hits Brock and Jack. Then they leave and the scene turns to Team Rocket flying around in their balloon and falling asleep.

James then explains to Jessie that Meowth has been hit by a Yawn attack and suggests they gave the Hippopotas to the. Then he imagines that Hippopotas would help the boss when he is playing golf by getting his golf ball out of a sand trap. Also when he is at a seaside and there is no sand, Hippopotas would make a beach for him.

The scene then turns to Ash, Dawn and Brock. Hippopotas is carried by Ash on his head and Brock is seen being sleepy followed by a fall to the ground. They notice Team Rocket in their balloon and decide to hide behind a nearby bush. After they realize they forgot Brock, they see dragging Brock behind the same bush.

The scene turns to The TV crew with Rhonda carrying the microphone after Jack fell asleep. The scene reverts to Ash, Dawn and Brock who has just woken up. They come across a bridge which is under construction when Team Rocket lures Hippopotas into their balloon with the help of a fishing rod and a bait. Then Hippopotas uses and brings the balloon down to earth. Ash appears and sends out who uses  to send Team Rocket blasting off. Back on Ash's head, Hippopotas releases another Yawn, this time on Dawn, making her yawn, and eventually fall asleep.

Next, they continue their road with Dawn being carried on Brock's back. They come across another bridge, which they proceed to cross it. Team Rocket shows up and uses a net to capture Hippopotas. Ash jumps on the net which breaks and they both fall into water. Then Brock sends out Croagunk which uses to send Team Rocket blasting off again.

The scene turns to Ash and Hippopotas who struggles to get onto the surface. Then Dawn sends out to rescue them. The scene is skipped to a scene where Dawn is drying Hippopotas while Ash is drying his own body. They decide to take Hippopotas to the nearest Pokémon Center, and hurry off. At the Pokémon Center, Hippopotas is soaked in the sand, and Nurse Joy asks Ash and the gang to gather some more dry sand for Hippopotas. They agree, and the scene turns to them gathering sand in a bag. They return to the Center and cover Hippopotas in the sand who starts recovering. Then they set off in searching of the herd again.

On their way out, they see Team Rocket who are disguised as a pair of sand salespeople. Not recognizing them, Hippopotas releases another Yawn on Jessie and Ash decides to let Hippopotas try the sand, before buying it. Then, Team Rocket closes the bag revealing their true identity then rush to the balloon. As they recite the, Jessie starts to fall asleep, and Hippopotas escapes out of the bag.

Next, James sends out and Ash sends out Turtwig. Cacnea uses but Turtwig dodges and uses  then Razor Leaf followed by a. Then Pikachu uses and sends Team Rocket blasting off again for good as Jessie wakes up. The group heads off to a large desert, where they see Hippopotas footprints. They sense that Hippopotas are near, when Hippopotas calls out to them, resulting in plenty of Hippopotas popping out of the soil. They leave Hippopotas there, but, before that, Ash tosses him a fruit, which he gobbles down. Then he releases another Yawn resulting in both Ash and Pikachu falling asleep.

They once again proceed on their journey with a sleeping Ash being carried on Brock's back and a sleeping Pikachu in Dawn's arms.

Major events

 * and encounter a roaming.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Nurse Joy
 * (fantasy)
 * Sinnoh Now Staff
 * Nurse Joy
 * (fantasy)
 * Sinnoh Now Staff

Pokémon

 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)

Trivia

 * Music from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, as well as Because the Sky is There, are used as background music.
 * is seen riding atop 's head (at Ash's insistence), despite weighing over one hundred pounds (almost 50 kilograms).
 * He also doesn't weigh down 's balloon until after he uses . This is an example of anime physics.
 * Jessie frequently mispronounces 's name (in the dub, it is a different way each time).
 * It is also one of the few episodes since Tricks Of The Trade in which Jessie's Wobbuffet didn't appear.
 * Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia returns.
 * Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia:
 * Pokémon senryū: ガーメイル　おてがみかいたよ　 e メイル Gāmeiru, otegami kaita yo, imeiru ", it wrote a letter, an email"
 * and J narrate the preview for the next episode.
 * This sign reappears in Pedal to the Mettle!.
 * The same Hippopotas from this episode appears in Sleight of Sand!.
 * When Jessie states that she wants a script change, Meowth says "they'll call Cassidy". Coincidentally, in the next episode this same Hippopotas appears in, Cassidy is in it.
 * Uniquely, the boss fantasy in this episode is imagined by James instead of, due to the latter being hit by Hippopotas's and falling asleep.
 * In this episode, Team Rocket uses a of their motto.
 * This is one of the few episodes where Team Rocket blasts off three times.
 * and mock a few lines of Team Rocket's.

Errors

 * When Brock tries to feed Hippopotas with Pokémon food, his hand is much lighter than it should be.
 * When Rhonda met up with Ash, Dawn, and Brock, she was holding the microphone in her right hand and waved at them with her left hand. In the next screenshot, it was reversed, but after that, it switched again.
 * In the scene where Ash's Turtwig uses on James's Cacnea, the green on the top of Cacnea's head is yellow. The same thing happens when Turtwig uses.

In other languages
Mit Seifenblasen ins Traumland! EP513 DP044 DP044 DP編第44話 精灵宝可梦 钻石＆珍珠 第44集