SM041

Mounting an Electrifying Charge! (Japanese: ダッシュ！デンヂムシ Dash! ) is the 41st episode of the, and the 980th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on September 7, 2017 and in the United States on November 25, 2017 as part of a marathon including Alola, Kanto! and I Choose You!.

Blurb
Sophocles has wanted to enter a Charjabug race for a long time, and now with Ash and Kiawe on his team, he finally can! The huge event features tough competitors, including the arrogant Red Comet team and a disguised Team Rocket.

Red Comet is favored to win, and it starts out strong! But when it’s time to confront a giant sheet of ice, everyone has problems—except for a quick-thinking Sophocles, who uses his Charjabug’s String Shot move to maintain traction. As Red Comet looks on in horror, the Sophocles Lab team reaches the finish line and becomes the happy winner!

Plot
,, and are watching an advertisement showing  racers. Sophocles explains what they do and reveals that he is joining an annual race they set up, but he requires a team of three to enter. Ash and Kiawe agree to take part and their determination manifests in the form of a blaze that literally heats up the room. The girls are bothered by the heat and Snowy uses to freeze the boys. After school, Sophocles shows them a kit for the race and they decide who gets which jobs during the race. Once decided, Sophocles places his into the Charjabug racer and they go for a test run but Charjabug isn't able to go fast. As Sophocles explains, Charjabug fires a at him as Kiawe suggests they do some training, allowing them to bond as a team. They continue their training as Sophocles continues to make changes to the car and soon, their times improve.

The day of the race arrives and many teams are taking part in the race but they soon make rivals with the Red Comet team led by Horacio and their Charjabug. Both teams vow to win as enter as well with  inside a fake Charjabug racer. The teams gather in the stadium where provides the commentary and explains the rules and introduces the Pokémon who'll be creating obstacles for the teams. The terrains are brought out as Anna explains that a pit stop is available between each terrain as everyone takes their positions. The race begins and everyone heads out but a crash on the first corner knows out a few players which Ash manages to avoid and enter the first terrain where who causes disruption by making cliffs appear.

With a bit of cheating, Team Rocket are able to pass through the terrain and take the lead as Ash and several other teams come to a stop at the cliff. Sophocles comes up with a suggestion for getting over it which Ash does as other teams follow their lead. Team Rocket and Red Comet reach the first pit stop and change their tires for the next terrain as Ash arrives at the pit stop and Kiawe quickly changes the tires. After a quick refill of Moomoo Milk, Kiawe provides them with Safety Goggles and they set of over the desert terrain. Meowth launches an attack on Red Comet only for it to give them a speed increase but as Meowth makes another attempt, he ends up being ejected, resulting in them being disqualified. The terrain has left Red Comet's Charjabug tired but they soon exit followed by Ash and Team Electric Princess.

Outside, Team Rocket are refusing to leave only for to come in and take them away. The race continues through city terrain but changes rain to hail, making the track slippery. Team Electric Princess lose control and are about to crash into Sophocles' Charjabug but Ash dives between them and gets knocked out. Sophocles and Kiawe rush to Ash's aid as Red Comet aren't getting enough traction on the ice. The Electric Princess Team apologize for what happened as Sophocles joins Kiawe and Ash and decides to replace Ash as the runner. The Red Comet team isn't going anywhere as Sophocles and Charjabug race past them, having used String Shot on the tires and shoes to get traction.

Sophocles and Charjabug soon cross the line and are declared the winners. Anna interviews them about victory and then presents them with their shared prize.

Major events

 * Sophocles's Charjabug is revealed to know.

Humans

 * Horacio
 * Yansu

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Samson Oak
 * Horacio
 * Yansu
 * Team Electric Princess
 * Team Twin Starmie
 * Team Science Speed
 * Trainers
 * Spectators
 * Horacio
 * Yansu
 * Team Electric Princess
 * Team Twin Starmie
 * Team Science Speed
 * Trainers
 * Spectators
 * Spectators

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?:
 * ('s; Alola Form; Snowy)
 * ('s)
 * (Horacio's; )
 * (Team Electric Princess's)
 * (Team Twin Starmie's)
 * (Team Science Speed's)
 * (Trainers'; multiple)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; )
 * (Team Twin Starmie's)
 * (Team Science Speed's)
 * (Trainers'; multiple)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; )

Trivia

 * Poké Problem: What is my 's Nature?
 * Host:
 * Choices: Calm, Timid, Gentle, Mild
 * Answer: Mild
 * The car that Horacio's  drives is based on the high-speed flight form of a Shiny  and the Red Zaku II from , from the horn on top of Charjabug's head and the team that it belongs to, being called "Red Comet".
 * The Japanese title of this episode is a reference to the series . When cheering on as it crossed the finish line, the faces that, , and  made referenced some of its main characters (Sophocles as Dankuro Toda, Ash as Yonkuro Hinomaru, and Kiawe as Shinkuro Minami).
 * The disguises which Jessie and James wear in this episode are a reference to the series , with Jessie's outfit based on the character of Retsu Seiba, and James's outfit based on Gō Seiba.
 * The contraption that Kiawe wears on his body during the montage scene of Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles preparing for the Charjabug race is a reference to the series , where the main character wore a similar contraption on his body, in order to straighten out his arms, making him better at playing baseball. wore a similar device during a flashback in Pulling Out the Pokémon Base Pepper!.
 * Pose is used as an insert song during Charjabug's training montage for the race.
 * This episode marks the first instance of Natures being mentioned in the.
 * , Ash,, Kiawe, , and Sophocles narrate the preview for the next episode.

Errors

 * When Charjabug first used, Sophocles was hit despite him standing behind the Battery Pokémon.
 * Right when is about to change from its  to its Snowy Form, it is colored as its Normal Form.

Dub edits

 * The references to Sophocles and Horacio's Charjabug's Natures were removed from the dub.

In other languages
Ein spannungsgeladenes Rennen! EP984 SL041 SM041 SM編第41話 精灵宝可梦 太阳＆月亮 第41集