SM013

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Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

SM014 : Getting to Know You! →

Racing to a Big Event!

SM013   EP952 アローラパンケーキ大レース！ The Big Alola Pancake Race!

First broadcast Japan February 2, 2017 United States June 10, 2017

English themes Opening Under The Alolan Sun Ending

Japanese themes Opening アローラ!! Ending ポーズ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 松井亜弥 Aya Matsui Storyboard 飯島正勝 Masakatsu Iijima Assistant director 仲野良 Ryō Nakano Animation directors 志村泉 Izumi Shimura 大西雅也 Masaya Ōnishi Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Racing to a Big Event! (Japanese: アローラパンケーキ大レース！ The Big Alola Pancake Race!) is the 13th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 952nd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on February 2, 2017 and in the United States on June 10, 2017.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

Ash and Pikachu decide to join the Pokémon Pancake Race! The prize of a year’s supply of free pancakes catches Team Rocket’s interest, and Meowth builds a robot that looks like Bewear to enter the race. Nina, the defending champion, is competing with her Alolan Raichu, who quickly strikes up a rivalry with Pikachu.

Near the finish line, Pikachu and Raichu are neck and neck when Meowth’s robot comes blazing through—but then the real Bewear shows up to carry Team Rocket off. Principal Oak’s Komala is the surprise winner, and our heroes are in for another surprise when Lillie’s Egg hatches into a snowy Alolan Vulpix!

Plot

Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom watch Mallow and Bounsweet practice on balancing a plate of stacked pancakes on its head without letting it fall over. When Ash voices his confusion, Mallow shushes him, saying she is concentrating. When Bounsweet successfully finishes its practice, Mallow explains that they are practicing for the upcoming annual Pokémon Pancake Race, and suggests that Ash join up as well, since the event is a lot of fun and akin to a festival.

Later, while Ash is getting supplies with Professor Kukui, they stop by a café for lunch. Kukui greets the waitress, Nina, remarking that the time for Pancake Race has arrived again after seeing a poster for the event. Ash recognizes Nina as the girl featured on the poster, and Nina introduces her Alolan Raichu to them. Kukui reveals that Nina and Raichu were the champions of the previous race. As Ash marvels Raichu's ability to float, Rotom explains Raichu's Alolan variant to him, pointing out that Alolan Raichu is also a Psychic Pokémon who uses its mind to manipulate electricity and levitate. As Nina and Raichu serve Ash's group two stacks of pancakes, Nina explains that the race's objective is to complete the course without dropping any of the stacked pancakes as failure to do so results in elimination. Ash asks Pikachu to join the race with him and it agrees, but quickly develops a rivalry with Raichu after Raichu snubs it.

Following lunch, Ash practices with Pikachu while assisted by Nina and her Raichu demonstrating. Nearby, Team Rocket is relaxing on the beach when they see Nina's Raichu, prompting James to look up its information. While Raichu easily finishes the practice run, Pikachu is worn out from its efforts, but manages to keep its stack intact. As Nina and Ash discuss the upcoming race, the Team Rocket trio overhear this and recognize Nina and the race from a copy of the publicity poster they picked up. After learning that the winner of the race gets a year's supply of unlimited Alolan pancakes, Jessie becomes determined to enter and win.

The next day, an announcer named Anna broadcasts the race throughout the islands, explaining the rules and racecourse, which is divided into three segments. Trainers will race with their stacks in the first leg while going over several obstacles, then rejoin their Pokémon in the second and pull them along using wagons, before leaving them behind in the third segment where the Pokémon will race alone. In addition to those who drop their pancakes, Pokémon who use attacks to disrupt their opponents will also be disqualified. Ash's classmates all discuss the event, certain of their own victory, as Lillie cheers them on from the stands. Identified as the previous champion, Nina is briefly interviewed; she comments that she wants to have fun and stay safe, so winning isn't a priority for her.

As the race begins, the Trainers all rush ahead, ending up coming across a section of balance beams they have to walk over. Many of them end up falling off, including Sophocles, disqualifying them from the race. Sophocles is briefly startled by a group of Alolan Muk assigned to eat up the fallen pancakes and keep the course clean. The other competitors make it to the second part of the race with Ash, Nina and Jessie among those in the lead, but Jessie is frequently distracted by Mimikyu trying to attack Pikachu due to its grudge. From the stands, Rotom notices that Samson Oak is racing with a Komala and brings up its information. James wheels along a Bewear, revealed to be Meowth and Wobbuffet riding in a robot so they can speed along in the final leg; frustrated from his payload, James insinuates that Meowth and Wobbuffet have been putting on weight after living the good life in Bewear's den. Kiawe discovers that Turtonator is far too heavy to pull along on its wagon; after collapsing, Kiawe laments that he and his partner aren't meant for Pokémon pancake racing. Left behind with the other Pokémon whose Trainers have been eliminated, Togedemaru is unhappy with Sophocles as he catches up to it and attacks Sophocles for his failure.

In the last section of the race, the Pokémon make their way across a bridge as their Trainers return to the stands to watch their progress. Without Jessie to keep it in line, Mimikyu prepares another Shadow Ball to attack Pikachu with, but Bounsweet loses its balances and topples into Mimikyu, causing both their pancakes to drop; Mimikyu's misfired attack ends up popping Popplio's water balloon holding its pancakes, ruining its stack as well. Mallow and Lana are disappointed while Jessie is infuriated at Mimikyu.

The remaining competitors - Meowth, Pikachu, Raichu and Komala - race across rocky terrain, with Meowth struggling to keep the robot steady. Spurred on by Raichu's smug behavior, Pikachu pushes itself to go faster, ending up neck and neck with Raichu and tying for the lead. Exhausted from the stuffy costume of the Robo-Racer, Meowth decides to activate its thrusters, sending the robot racing ahead and overtaking Pikachu and Raichu. Before Meowth can cross the finish line, Bewear shows up and retrieves Meowth and Wobbuffet, destroying the Robo-Racer and revealing its true nature to the onlookers, before picking up Jessie and James and running away. Everyone is stunned at the sight, including Pikachu and Raichu, inadvertently allowing Samson Oak's Komala to race ahead of them. The two Mouse Pokémon realize this, but are seconds too late as Komala ends up winning by a nose, with Pikachu and Raichu both tying for second place.

At a prize-giving ceremony, Ash and Rotom congratulate Pikachu for its efforts. Raichu is upset that it lost, but Nina consoles it, reminding it that it had fun and could compete for first place next year. The other Trainers console their Pokémon as well, while Mallow suggests to Lillie she could race the following year with the Pokémon that hatches from the Egg she was given. Ash notes that Kiawe is nowhere to be seen; the scene cuts away to Kiawe and Turtonator, having made no visible progress. Despite Turtonator's concern, Kiawe swears not to drop out of the race.

The next day, Lillie calls to everyone to gather, explaining that the Egg, which she nicknamed "Snowy", has been moving constantly since after the race. Her classmates watch on as the Egg glows brightly, then hatches into an Alolan Vulpix, closing the episode.

Major events

• Lillie is revealed to have nicknamed the Egg she had been raising Snowy.
• The Egg that Lillie and her classmates have been taking care of hatches into an Alolan Vulpix.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, please see the timeline page.

Debuts

Humans

• Anna
• Nina

Pokémon debuts

• Raichu (Alolan form)
• Muk (Alolan form)
• Vulpix (Alolan form; Snowy)

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Lana
• Kiawe
• Lillie
• Sophocles
• Mallow
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Kukui
• Samson Oak
• Nina
• Anna
• Citizens of Melemele Island

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Raichu (Alola Form)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Rotom (Rotom Pokédex)
• Popplio (Lana's)
• Turtonator (Kiawe's)
• Togedemaru (Sophocles's)
• Bounsweet (Mallow's)
• Mimikyu (Jessie's)
• Komala (Samson Oak's)
• Rockruff (Professor Kukui's; taking care of)
• Raichu (Nina's; Alolan form; debut)
• Magnezone (Anna's)
• Machop (Trainer's; ×2)
• Pinsir (Trainer's)
• Raticate (Trainer's; Alolan form)
• Poliwhirl (Trainer's)
• Munchlax (Trainer's)
• Riolu (Trainer's)
• Makuhita (Trainer's)
• Elekid (Trainer's)
• Herdier (Trainer's)
• Spinda (Trainer's)
• Growlithe (Trainer's)
• Sudowoodo (Trainer's)
• Yungoos (Trainer's)
• Machoke (Trainer's)
• Krokorok (Trainer's)
• Espeon (Trainer's)
• Bewear (anime)
• Muk (Alolan form; multiple; debut)
• Vulpix (Alolan form; Snowy; newly hatched; debut)
• Sharpedo

Trivia

• Pokémon QR Code: Komala
• Poké Problem: What Pokémon do you think will win the Pokémon Pancake Race?
  • Host: Samson Oak
  • Choices: Bewear, Pikachu, Komala, Alolan Raichu
  • Answer: Komala
• Mallow, Ash, Sophocles, Lana, Lillie, Kiawe, and a Vulpix narrate the preview for the next episode.
• This episode marks the first appearance of a Spinda in the animated series since its cameo in What I Did for Love!, 511 episodes earlier.
• Jessie breaks the fourth wall by pushing the split screens of James and Meowth apart.
• The ending animation is updated to include Lillie holding Snowy.

Errors

Mallow's miscolored thumb

• When Mallow is explaining the Pokémon Pancake Race to Ash, her thumb is briefly colored the same as the plate.
• In the Swedish dub, when Ash comments on Lillie's choice in naming the egg Snöflinga, he is voiced by someone else.

In other languages

Language		Title
Chinese	Cantonese	阿羅拉鬆餅競跑大賽！
	Mandarin	阿羅拉鬆餅競跑大賽！
Czech		Závodním tempem vstříc velké události!
Danish		Om kap i en stor begivenhed!
Dutch		Racen naar een grote gebeurtenis!
Finnish		Kisaten kohti suurta tapahtumaa!
European French		La grande course des pancakes!
German		Ein pfann-tastisches Rennen!
Greek		Ο Μεγάλος Διαγωνισμός!
Hebrew		!מירוץ פנקייק הפוקמונים
Hindi		पैनकेक रेस के लिए रेस! Pancake Race ke liye Race!
Italian		Corsa al grande evento!
Korean		알로라 팬케이크 대레이스!
Norwegian		Det store pannekakeløpet!
Polish		Naleśnikowy Wyścig!
Portuguese	Brazil	Correndo para um grande evento!
	Portugal	Corrida para um grande evento!
Russian		Вперёд на блинные гонки!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Corriendo hacia un gran evento!
	Spain	¡Una carrera por un gran acontecimiento!
Swedish		Det Stora Pannkaksloppet!
Thai		การแข่งขันวิ่งอโลลาแพนเค้ก!
Turkish		Büyük Etkinliğe Yarış!

← SM012 : The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

SM014 : Getting to Know You! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.