SM096

(Japanese: ロケット団とヌイコグマ！  and !) is the 96th episode of the, and the 1,035th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on November 11, 2018.

Plot
At 's house, and his Pokemon are enjoying lunch. Kukui soon realizes that Professor Burnet and have left their lunches behind. With Kukui needing to rush off to the Pokémon Battle Research Conference, Ash offers to deliver the lunches to the Aether Paradise. Ash waves Kukui goodbye and as he goes to return to the house, a jet with on board arrives. Hobbes lands the aircraft and then he explains to Ash that Lusamine has been particularly busy since the Manalo Festival finished. Lillie adds that her mother considers the event as historic and apologizes for the short notice. Hobbes asks Ash if he could visit Lusamine to report his side of the story. Ash smiles and explains that the request was perfect timing as he was just about to go to Aether Paradise to deliver Burnet's lunch.

Ash, Lillie and Hobbes arrive at Aether Paradise, and are also there, disguised as s. Team Rocket look forward to capturing the facility’s Pokemon, but their celebration is interrupted when Faba walks by. Faba turns back and interrogates Team Rocket for answers, fortunately for them, Wicke arrives on the scene and explains that she recently hired them as Conservation Area employees. As Faba walks off, Wicke hands Jessie a clipboard to begin counting the Pokémon. Jessie and her enter the Conservation Area and records seven, five , eight. Jessie turns to the enclosure behind her to check the numbers, but she quickly becomes frightened when she realizes what Pokémon a Jigglypuff is. She is relieved to not see a particular and continues her work. Elsewhere, a  falls  after listening to Jigglypuff's ing. Enraged, Jigglypuff scribbles on Drampa's face with its microphone marker.

Back in Aether Paradise, James is quickly becoming exhausted from the scale of cleaning required to complete. He calls on 's assistance, and after poisoning James, Mareanie goes on to mop the floors with her tentacles. Meanwhile, is taking a break and listening to several  detail the relaxing life they enjoy at Aether Paradise. Meowth has a fantasy of surrounded by the Aether Paradise Pokémon, and exclaims to the Whimsicott that they will enjoy living with the Boss.

Elsewhere, Burnet and Munchlax are ecstatic to have their lunches now with them. Then uploads its Manalo Festival data onto the Aether Foundation's system. Wicke offers Ash a tour of Aether Paradise, and the young happily obliges. Elsewhere, with the Pokémon all accounted for, Team Rocket agree to start their large scale plan but are interrupted when Ash arrives on the scene. looks up at Team Rocket, and the trio quickly flees to avoid being detected. However in their escape, the list of Pokemon flies out of Jessie's back pocket and lands at Faba's feet. Ash and Lillie enter the play space, and one of the Ditto approaches Pikachu and soon s into him, only it still maintains its facial expression. Wicke adds that the Ditto is almost ready to graduate. The term "graduate" perplexes Rotom and Ash. Burnet explains that they care for the Pokémon at Aether Paradise before returning them to the wild. As Team Rocket walk down a corridor a starts following the group. Meanwhile, Faba runs over to Lusamine with the count list in hand, and he exclaims that Stufful is unaccounted for. Then Lusamine, Wicke, Brunet, Ash and Lillie agree to split up and search for Stufful. Rotom's Pokédex on Stufful entry alarms Ash, but Wicke and Burnet assure him that Stufful is harmless. In a flashback, Wicke explains that she first met Stufful during one of her solo patrols. She heard its cries and soon found Stufful was trapped under a fallen tree. In an act of desperation, Wicke dug through the dirt to make a gap big enough to rescue Stufful. Wicke tears at the thought of Stufful going missing, so the search party begins.

Team Rocket continues to powerwalk away from Stufful and eventually stop. Jessie questions why it's following them, but James then suggests that Jessie should Stufful. Jessie throws her Poké Ball, but Stufful sidesteps to avoid it. She tries a second Poké Ball, but Stufful ducks this time. Jessie attempts to capture Stufful for a third time, but the Pokemon headbutts the Poké Ball into Jessie's face. Jessie scolds Stufful, but the Pokémon instead jumps onto Jessie's face and begins smothering her. Wicke, in a frantic voice, makes an announcement over the loudspeakers to alert everyone that Stufful is missing from the Conservation Area. Meowth and James overhear the announcement and fear that they will be caught red-handed attempting to steal Stufful and lose their chance to catch all the other Pokémon. Meanwhile, Jessie struggles to free herself of Stufful, and the Flailing Pokémon manages to latch itself onto Jessie's hair. As Ash and Lillie appear behind them, Team Rocket are run away to maintain their covert operation. The group rush passed Faba, who quickly notices Stufful attached to Jessie's hair. Team Rocket are eventually stopped on a walk bridge and surrounded by Lusamine, Wicke, Burnet, Faba, Lillie and Ash. Faba demands to know why the thieves ran, with the accusation shocking Team Rocket. The quartet contemplates their actions and they decide to launch into their.

With their true identities now exposed, Rotom demands that Stufful be returned. Jessie yells out that she would return Stufful, but it is attached to her. The answer only infuriates Ash, and he has Pikachu launch a attack. As the electricity begins to reach into the air, crashes through the glass ceiling to rescue Team Rocket. As it is about to scoop up the group, Stufful captivates Bewear's attention. Suddenly Bewear lets out a shrill of joy, and Stufful jumps into its arms. The scene shocks everyone, and Meowth reveals that Bewear is Stufful's mother. Everyone is overjoyed for the pair, and Stufful waves to Wicke and the others. Bewear does the same before bundling Team Rocket in her arms and jumping onto an Aether Foundation helicopter. Bewear breaks off the helicopter's rotor blades and hands to it over to Stufful. Stufful promptly begins twirling the blades in its hands, and this allows Bewear to return to her Melemele Island den. Wicke, in particular, is relieved to see Stufful returned to its mother's arms and takes a moment to reflect.

Sometime later, there is another hole in the Conservation Area's roof, and helicopter blades sit atop a tree canopy. Wicke walks through the Conservation Area and stops after spotting a leaf full of honey lying on the ground. The mysterious gesture startles her, but the culprit is not revealed.

Major events

 * Jessie tries and fails to a  that starts to follow her around.
 * is revealed to be Stufful's mother.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * (fantasy)
 * Professor Burnet
 * (photos)
 * Lusamine
 * Wicke
 * Faba
 * Hobbes
 * Pilot
 * s
 * Hobbes
 * Pilot
 * s

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: (Japan)
 * (photo)
 * (photo)
 * ('s; Alola Form; Snowy)
 * (Professor Burnet's)
 * (photos)
 * (Nebby; photos)
 * (photos)
 * (photos)
 * (photos)
 * (×5)
 * (×5)
 * (multiple)
 * (×3)
 * (multiple)
 * (multiple)
 * (Alola Form)
 * (×6)
 * (×3)
 * (×6)
 * (multiple; flashback)
 * (×4; flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (×4; flashback)
 * (×2; flashback)
 * (multiple; flashback)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (×3)
 * (multiple)
 * (multiple)
 * (Alola Form)
 * (×6)
 * (×3)
 * (×6)
 * (multiple; flashback)
 * (×4; flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (×4; flashback)
 * (×2; flashback)
 * (multiple; flashback)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (×6)
 * (multiple; flashback)
 * (×4; flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (×4; flashback)
 * (×2; flashback)
 * (multiple; flashback)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)

Trivia

 * Poké Problem: The Pokémon that grabs on to me in today's episode is...?
 * Host: Jessie
 * Choices:, , ,
 * Answer: Stufful
 * This is the last episode to air before the release of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
 * is confirmed to be female in this episode.
 * Jessie uses an -shaped pen, which is possibly a reference to the she once had.
 * ,, , and narrate the preview for the next episode.

In other languages
Rocket-dan to Nuikoguma! EP1039 SL096 SM096 SM編第96話 精灵宝可梦 太阳＆月亮 第96集