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SM040 : Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence!
Sun & Moon series
SM042 : Alola, Kanto!
Mounting an Electrifying Charge!
SM041.png
SM041   EP980
ダッシュ!デンヂムシ
Dash! Dendimushi
First broadcast
Japan September 7, 2017
United States November 25, 2017
English themes
Opening Under The Alolan Sun
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター -20th Anniversary-
Ending ポーズ
Credits
Animation Team Kato
Screenplay 面出明美 Akemi Omode
Storyboard 樋口香里 Kaori Higuchi
Assistant director 小柴純弥 Junya Koshiba
Animation directors 伊藤典子 Noriko Itō
矢田木瀧 Taki Yatagi
No additional credits are available at this time.

Mounting an Electrifying Charge! (Japanese: ダッシュ!デンヂムシ Dash! Dendimushi) is the 41st episode of the Sun & Moon series, 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!.

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

Kiawe, Ash, and Sophocles are watching an advertisement showing Charjabug 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 Powder Snow 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 Charjabug 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 String Shot 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 Shiny Charjabug. Both teams vow to win as Team Rocket enter as well with Meowth inside a fake Charjabug racer. The teams gather in the stadium where Anna 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 Boldore 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 Bewear to come in and take them away. The race continues through city terrain but Castform 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

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

 
Dare da?

Pokémon

 
Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Charjabug

Trivia

  • Poké Problem: What is my Charjabug's Nature?
    • Host: Sophocles
    • Choices: Calm, Timid, Gentle, Mild
    • Answer: Mild
  • The car that Horacio's Shiny Charjabug drives is based on the high-speed flight form of a Shiny Genesect and the Red Zaku II from Gundam, 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 Dash! Yonkuro. When cheering Charjabug on as it crossed the finish line, the faces that Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe 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 Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!, 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 Star of the Giants, where the main character wore a similar contraption on his body, in order to straighten out his arms, making him better at playing baseball. Meowth 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 anime.
  • Mallow, Ash, Lillie, Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles narrate the preview for the next episode.

Errors

  • When Charjabug first used String Shot, Sophocles was hit despite him standing behind the Battery Pokémon.
  • Right when Castform is about to change from its Rainy Form 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



SM040 : Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence!
Sun & Moon series
SM042 : Alola, Kanto!
  This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.