AG074

Hokey Poké Balls! (Japanese: フシギダネとフシギダネ！モンスターボールを取り返せ！！  and Fushigidane! Regaining the !!) is the 74th episode of the, and the 348th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on April 29, 2004 and in the United States on April 16, 2005.

Blurb
The kids arrive in a city where May lets her Bulbasaur to enjoy the scenery. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is at the Pokémon Center (PC) making "repairs" to the transporter machine.

Upon arrival at the PC, Ash calls Professor Oak. They decide that Ash's and May's Bulbasaur should meet, so Oak transports Ash's over. Unfortunately Team Rocket has rerouted the machine so they get all the full Poké Balls, and only empty Poké Balls arrive at the PC.

The kids confront Team Rocket outside the PC. James has attached a new engine to their balloon which malfunctions, so the thieves go blasting off. They drop one Poké Ball—Ash's Bulbasaur.

Team Rocket gathers up everything from the crash site and runs, but a hole in James' bag leaves a trail of Poké Balls along the way. The two Bulbasaur quickly pick up the trail to a cabin where the thieves are hiding.

Team Rocket seals up the cabin and begins fending off Ash and friends, using the Poké Balls as projectiles. The two Bulbasaur try to sneak the rest of the Poké Balls out through a window with their vines.

Pikachu breaks down the wall with Iron Tail, and the Bulbasaur team up to battle Team Rocket. Pikachu sends the thieves blasting off.

Back at the PC, Ash talks to Professor Oak again, who begs Ash to send Bulbasaur back. Everyone says goodbye, and the little Grass-type is sent home.

Plot
and arrive at a town. decides to bring out in order to check out the sights. Bulbasaur suddenly runs to a nearby store rack and wants to eat the displayed fruit, but May explains the concept of buying items. When Max calls to May, Bulbasaur slips away and climbs into the bed of a pickup truck full of flowers, smelling them. May runs to the truck, but the vehicle pulls away. They pursue the truck, and Ash and speed up, getting the driver's attention and making him stop the truck, allowing May to get Bulbasaur. At the Pokémon Center, is in disguise and working on the Pokémon Transporter. Unbeknownst to Nurse Joy, they are really altering it in order to steal the imported. Ash and friends arrive as Team Rocket finishes and leaves. Ash calls and Max mentions May's Bulbasaur. She brings Bulbasaur to the screen and earns the professor's approval. Ash asks about his, and the professor brings it to the screen. May's Bulbasaur already shows friendliness to Ash's. He asks the professor to send his Bulbasaur through the transporter in order to meet May's Bulbasaur.

Professor Oak agrees and puts Bulbasaur into its Poké Ball before transporting it. The transport appears to be successful and Ash picks up the Poké Ball, but it won’t open. Other children also point out the same problem, as their Poké Balls are empty. Max immediately suspects that the repair guys were fakes. Nurse Joy does not believe so until the real repair guys arrive. Team Rocket is outside the building snatching the Poké Balls as Nurse Joy leads Ash and friends to the back, encountering Team Rocket. They quickly escape in their balloon. Ash and May send out and  to stop them, but James fires rocket boosters to evade, even dodging 's. However, the engines fail, sending the balloon flying far away. A Poké Ball falls from the sky and May's Bulbasaur grabs it. The ball opens and releases the Pokémon inside, and it's Ash's Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur jumps into Ash's arms and May's Bulbasaur reaches out with a vine. Ash's Bulbasaur matches the vine in a high-five style as May brings her Bulbasaur closer. They decide to allow the Bulbasaur to team up to search while Taillow and Beautifly cover from the air.

Team Rocket begins to gather all the stolen Poké Balls into wrapped sacks. James's bag develops a hole and it drops Poké Balls, leaving a trail. Meanwhile, while Ash and the others are searching, May's Bulbasaur drifts to sniffing flowers. Ash's Bulbasaur explains to May's Bulbasaur and gets it back on track. Taillow and Beautifly find the Poké Ball trail. A wild and  lead Ash and friends to the balloon's landing site, where they find one of the Poké Balls. Taillow brings another Poké Ball and leads them to the ball trail. Team Rocket gets to their cabin and notices that James's bag had a hole and he dropped the Poké Balls. They find Ash and friends outside, but they retreat back inside and James activates a switch, raising steel walls around the perimeter and rendering it impregnable. However, Ash notices an open window, allowing May and the others to go onto the roof and retrieve the stolen property. Meowth throws Poké Balls and James uses the skis as a makeshift baseball bat to send them outside, using the Pokémon inside, a and a, to attack Ash. May orders the two Bulbasaur to send their vines inside and attempt to grab the sack of Poké Balls. James tries to tie the vines together, but the Bulbasaur smack James back with the vines. Brock recalls the attacking Primeape and Golbat while Pikachu attacks the wall with, forcing Team Rocket out.

Jessie and James send out and. Seviper's and Cacnea's  put down May's Bulbasaur. Although May calls for a attack, Cacnea's Pin Missile is too strong for May's Bulbasaur. Ash's Bulbasaur steps in and stops the attack with. Seviper and Cacnea attempt to attack with Poison Tail and, but both Bulbasaur use Vine Whip to push them back and seize the stolen Poké Balls. They try to attack again, but Pikachu stops them with Thunderbolt and sends them flying. The Bulbasaur give a Vine Whip high five. Ash and the others return the Poké Balls. Professor Oak calls back and asks for Ash's Bulbasaur to return and stop the water and grass Pokémon from fighting. Ash sends his Bulbasaur back to Professor Oak's Laboratory as May's Bulbasaur appears to have made a positive change. Ash and friends leave the Pokémon Center and hit the road.

Major events

 * temporarily brings his from Professor Oak's Laboratory to meet May's Bulbasaur.

Humans

 * Max
 * Jessie
 * James
 * Nurse Joy
 * Jessie
 * James
 * Nurse Joy
 * Nurse Joy

Pokémon
Pokémon Trainer's Choice:
 * (stolen by )
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)
 * (stolen by )
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)
 * (stolen by )
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)
 * (stolen by )
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)
 * (stolen by )
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)
 * (stolen by )
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)
 * (stolen by Team Rocket)

Trivia

 * The episode title is a pun on the dance name "".
 * This is the first time since beginning his travels in the Hoenn region that has called up any Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab or used any of the Pokémon he  before arriving in Hoenn other than.
 * Advance Adventure and music from Mewtwo Strikes Back can be heard in this episode.
 * The s that appeared in Hypno's Naptime reappear in this episode.

Errors

 * Since finished corrupting the  transporter only when  and others entered the Pokémon Center, not many people could have used it before Ash, if he was not the first. Obviously, Team Rocket could not have stolen three large bags of Poké Balls.
 * In the scene where and  found 's balloon, Poké Balls could be seen in the basket even though Team Rocket took every single one of them.
 * After returns  to its Poké Ball, he puts it on the transporter upside down but in the next shot it is right side up.
 * When uses  for the first time, the outlines around the purple markings are a light purple instead of black.
 * is pictured where 's name appears in.
 * Additionally, would be the worst choice of the three, as it is part, weak to s. Beautifly would instead be the best choice, as it is part , which is effective against , a part.
 * When Team Rocket get in their balloon and take off, the pipe that is connected to the Pokémon Center appears to be overlapping.

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

 * Question: Trainers, which Pokémon is the best choice to battle ?
 * Choices:, ,
 * Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose, you were right!

In other languages
Das nennt man Pech! EP350 AG074 AG編第74話 精灵宝可梦 超世代 第74集