SM001

Alola to New Adventure! (Japanese: アローラ！はじめての島、はじめてのポケモンたち！！ Alola! The Starting Island, the Starter Pokémon!!) is the first episode of the, and the 940th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on November 17, 2016 as a one-hour special alongside SM002, and in the United Kingdom as a sneak peek preview of the full series on November 20, 2016 as a one-hour special alongside The Guardian's Challenge!. It aired in the United States as a sneak peek preview of the full series on December 5, 2016 as part of a marathon with Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel and The Guardian's Challenge!. The final version of the episode was broadcast in the United States on March 17, 2017, and was later broadcast in sequence on May 12, 2017.

Blurb
It’s a beautiful day on Melemele Island in the Alola region. Ash and his mom are on vacation there, along with Pikachu and Mimey, and having a great time!

Our hero is thrilled to meet so many new Pokémon, and his exploration leads him to Professor Oak’s cousin Samson, the principal of the Pokémon School. It’s a beautiful, sprawling campus where students work with Pokémon and learn alongside them! As Ash learns more about Alola region tradition from new friends Mallow and Professor Kukui, his interest grows. When vacation is over and his mom heads home, he decides to stay behind and become a Pokémon School student himself!

Plot
The episode begins with and, who are in the middle of enjoying their Alola region vacation, riding on a. They speed across and under the water, seeing many wild Pokémon, including a  that greets them with a friendly peace sign. After running out of air, they both resurface, but are immediately face-to-face with a wild, which surprises Ash and causes him to fall into the water. Ash is relieved to have made it back to the surface, but is soon laughing along with and her  who saw amusement in his reaction. Ash is asked by a woman in charge of the Pokémon Jet Ski if he enjoyed it, and she is relieved when he tells her it was fun, thanking the Sharpedo. On the beach, a is relaxing on the sand, washing itself, only to notice Ash and Pikachu racing in its direction. Failing to see the Litten, Ash steps on Litten's tail, annoying it as it hits him with before leaving.

At the hotel, is relaxing with Mimey, drinking some Pinap Juice. Ash returns to them and tells Delia everything he and Pikachu did, which makes Delia happy to know they had fun. She says they have Mimey to thank for winning them their Alola vacation. Ash remembers them winning, leaving his Pokémon with, and flying to the Alola region. Delia tells them that they should get going, which confuses Ash until she reminds him that Professor Oak asked them to deliver an to his cousin in Alola.

Ash and Delia take a Pokémon Taxi and learn about Ride Pokémon from the driver. Ash remembers the Sharpedo he used earlier and figures out it was a Water Ride Pokémon. Ash then asks Delia where they are taking the egg, to which Delia tells him they're taking it to a place called the Pokémon School. Mimey then notices some, informing Delia and they all stop off to take a look. Delia and Mimey are occupied with the berries, so Ash decides to look around and finds a with its head sticking out from a hole. Ash crouches down, wondering what its name is, but it gets angry and pinches Ash's nose. After shaking it off, Ash and Pikachu, wanting to catch the Pokémon, give chase as it escapes underground through the town. Delia turns to show Ash the Berries, but notices he has disappeared.

Still chasing after the Pokémon, another darts from tree to tree behind them. After chasing the Pokémon deep into the forest, Ash and Pikachu finally reach the hole in the ground, but find that it is empty. Suddenly, a Sitrus Berry falls from the sky. Looking up to the sky, Ash wonders where they are and where they were supposed to take the Pokémon egg. The mysterious Pokémon throws another berry down, but it hits something in the bushes. Ash and Pikachu look around the forest and suddenly hear a noise. They continue hearing the noise until they see emerge from the bushes and see it waving at them. It is large and friendly and Ash starts to wave back, calling it cute and approaching it, but his opinion changes immediately once he sees it effortlessly smashing down various tall trees in joy. As the Pokémon then approaches them for a hug, Ash and Pikachu rush off in the opposite direction, but it begins to chase after them, coming close to catching them until it is distracted by the mysterious Pokémon from earlier. Ash and Pikachu, after escaping the rampaging Pokémon, spot a in the air and decide to follow it. Emerging from the forest, Ash and Pikachu arrive at a area with a huge building. Ash spots a next to some new Pokémon, so he jumps over the fence and heads towards them, but the girl warns Ash to look out as, unknowingly to Ash, various  being ridden by Trainers head straight for him, but before he can get out of the way, they all crash into him. orders her Tauros to stop, but it is too late as Ash has been trampled by the Tauros. The girl rushes over to Ash to ask how he is, to which Ash tells her that he is used to Tauros as he has caught before. As one of the Tauros approaches Ash and the girl, only for the latter to back off in fear. It is revealed by a boy that Lillie is scared of Pokémon and can't touch them. After recognizing the girl who was fishing earlier, Ash is informed that he is at the Pokémon School and is shown around.

As Ash and Mallow are looking around the school, Ash is brought to the principal's office, being mistaken as a new student, but as Ash tries to clear things up, he sees his mother and meets the school's principal, Samson Oak, Professor Oak's cousin. The meeting leaves Ash stunned as he learns of Samson's habit of making jokes using Pokémon names. Inside the office, Ash clears things up with Mallow as Samson calls Professor Oak to tell him he has received the egg safely, to which he thanks Delia. Mallow asks Samson if she can show Ash around the campus and shows Ash to the classroom first. Ash is introduced to the class teacher, Professor Kukui, who welcomes them happily. Ash then hears a roar from outside as he sees a group of strange people gathering.

and his Charizard are approached by a group of people. Ash learns that they're part of a group known as Team Skull, who bully people into battling them. Tupp makes a deal that the boy can leave if he wins their battle, but if he loses, they will get his Charizard and send out their Pokémon,, , and to begin their battle, ordering him to tell Charizard to fight. Just then, Ash steps in to confront the group, telling them how unfair the battle is and joins the battle himself, introducing himself to the boy, who introduces himself as Kiawe, but tells Ash he doesn't need any help. As Ash sends in Pikachu, Kiawe sends out his, and reveals that it is a Fire and Dragon type, and also a trusted friend of his. The members of Team Skull command their Pokémon to use, , and respectively, but Pikachu successfully dodges the Venoshock with , as Kiawe comments on Pikachu's speed. The Yungoos and Zubat bite down on Turtonator's shell, them to be attacked by Turtonator's. Tupp's Salandit is ordered to use, but Ash tells Pikachu to dodge and use , which connects with the three Salandit, which impresses the students, as well as the mysterious Pokémon watching from a tree. Kiawe tells Ash to leave the rest to him as he powers up his Turtonator using a crystal on his wrist, which allows his Turtonator to use a move known as, which is strong enough to defeat the villain's Pokémon at once, causing them to retreat. Ash asks Kiawe what he just did, but Professor Kukui steps in to explain that they're known as Z-Moves, which are moves passed down in Alola after completing the island challenge on the four islands of Alola. Ash gets excited by all the things he has just learned, but suddenly sees a flying Pokémon, and once describing it to the group, they identify the Pokémon as, the guardian of Melemele Island.

Later that night, Ash, Delia, Pikachu, and Mimey are enjoying a meal at a restaurant. Delia comments on the food, but Ash is thinking about everything that had happened earlier, which is noticed by Delia as she asks him if there was anything that happened to distract him. Ash then hears a noise echoing and recognizes the Pokémon in a tree, leaving the restaurant and immediately chasing after it. Searching around, he encounters it again, following and meeting it at a viewing point where he remembers it as Tapu Koko receives an object that he recognizes as what Kiawe was wearing. After approval from Tapu Koko, Ash puts the object on his wrist before watching Tapu Koko fly off away from him. Ash then stares at the Z-Ring.

The next day, Ash is at Professor Kukui's house talking to Delia, who is back in Pallet Town, over the video phone. Ash then remembers that he starts his first day of Pokémon School today and hurries off after saying goodbye to Delia. As Ash races up the road with Pikachu, the two of them look out to the ocean before they both have a race to the Pokémon School campus.

Major events

 * ,, and Mimey are revealed to have traveled to the Alola region.
 * Ash encounters a roaming for the first time.
 * Ash is revealed to have left all of his party Pokémon (except ) at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
 * is revealed to have tasked Ash with delivering an to his Alolan cousin, Samson Oak.
 * Ash learns about Ride Pokémon.
 * Ash meets, , , , , Samson Oak, and Professor Kukui for the first time.
 * Ash delivers the Egg to Samson Oak.
 * Ash encounters Team Skull for the first time.
 * Ash learns about Z-Moves and the island challenge.
 * Ash encounters the guardian deity of Melemele Island,, for the first time.
 * Ash receives a Z-Ring equipped with an Electrium Z from Tapu Koko.
 * Delia and Mimey both return to Pallet Town while Ash stays in Alola to study at the Pokémon School.

Humans

 * Professor Kukui
 * Samson Oak
 * Team Skull
 * Tupp
 * Zipp
 * Rapp
 * Samson Oak
 * Team Skull
 * Tupp
 * Zipp
 * Rapp

Pokémon debuts

 * (Alola Form)
 * (Alola Form)
 * (Alola Form)
 * (Alola Form)
 * (Alola Form)

Humans

 * Professor Kukui
 * Samson Oak
 * Tupp
 * Zipp
 * Rapp
 * Professor Kukui
 * Samson Oak
 * Tupp
 * Zipp
 * Rapp
 * Tupp
 * Zipp
 * Rapp

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international),  (Japan)
 * ('s; Ride Pokémon)
 * (debut)
 * ('s; Ride Pokémon)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * ('s; Mimey)
 * (Rapp's; ×3)
 * (Tupp's; ×3; debut)
 * (Zipp's; ×3; debut)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×4)
 * (Trainer's; ×3)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's; ×3)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's; ×6; one in flashback)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's; ×3)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2; one in flashback)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; ×2; one in flashback)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (Trainer's; flashback)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (Ride Pokémon; multiple)
 * (Ride Pokémon)
 * (multiple)
 * (×3)
 * (multiple)
 * (×3)
 * (multiple)
 * (×3)
 * (×2)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (Alola Form; debut)
 * (debut)
 * (×2)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (debut)
 * (debut)
 * (Alola Form; debut)
 * (debut)
 * (×2)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)
 * (fossil)

Trivia

 * Starting with this episode, viewers can see an introduction of the main characters and a short overview of the series plot on TV Tokyo.
 * Alola!! replaced as the Japanese opening theme, while Pose replaced Meowth's Ballad as the Japanese ending theme.
 * This episode marks the first time the Team Rocket trio is absent in the first episode of a region since their debut in the anime.
 * This episode marks the first time the region's villainous team debuts in the first episode of a new series.
 * This episode marks the first time Ash has traveled to the new region prior to the start of a new series.
 * This episode marks a distinct change in the appearance of the series. In this case, characters and settings are now being rendered in a softer and more hand-drawn style to allow for more fluid animation.
 * Characters are now rendered with longer faces with hair not being as pointed as before, smaller irises (changes that are applied to, , and ) and no longer have fingernails. Pokémon are now depicted as having fur.
 * Also, this show goes back to the frame rate of 24 frames per second, for the first time since the end of the.
 * Although the move has existed since Generation I, this episode marks the first time that is used in the.
 * This episode marks the first mention of in the anime since its infamous debut in EP038 (excluding the dub-exclusive Who's That Pokémon? segment from A Way Off Day Off).
 * ,, , and Ash's Pikachu narrate the preview for the next episode.
 * This episode marks the first appearance of a other than the one that belonged to.
 * The green T-shirt Ash wears in the flashback of Mimey winning a trip to the Alola region has a print design of a stock menu/overworld sprite of a Water-type Pokémon from the Generation I games. He wears it again in A Shocking Grocery Run!.
 * After getting trampled by a herd of Tauros, Ash references his.
 * This is the only episode so far to feature without.
 * This is Kayzie Rogers's final episode before her retirement voicing Mimey.
 * Ash reads the Who's That Pokémon? in the dub.
 * This is the first episode to feature music from Hoopa and the Clash of Ages.

Airing trivia

 * During the first airing on TV Tokyo as one-hour special, viewers could take part in a [[Media:Keyword quiz SM001 SM002.png|three-characters keyword quiz]], in which ten viewers could win a Nintendo New 3DS XL Pokémon Solgaleo Lunala Black Edition and copies of Pokémon Sun and Moon. The first character was Z.
 * This episode aired as a sneak peek on November 18, 2016, in ; November 19, 2016, in ; November 20, 2016, in and ; November 26, 2016, in ; November 27, 2016, in ; December 5, 2016, in ; and December 31, 2016, in  alongside Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel and The Guardian's Challenge!.
 * Its airdate in France was only one day after its premiere in Japan.
 * For these airings, as the opening theme sequence hadn't been completed, a placeholder opening was used, in which the show's title simply flew into view on a black background as the title card background music played. In the ending credits, the anime arrangement of The Festival in Iki Town was used and played on a black background.
 * This was the first episode to air in the United States on.
 * This was also the first episode since Pasta La Vista! not to air on.
 * When the Watch Disney XD site and Disney XD app were updated to include episodes from Pokémon: Indigo League on February 11, 2017, the final version of this and the following episode were made available, replacing the special preview previously available through the service.

Errors

 * When Ash learns about Z-Moves and the island challenge, for a split second Pikachu is missing the red circles on his cheeks.
 * When Ash goes helping Kiawe fight Team Skull, both his Japanese line ("Wait!") and the dubbed line play simultaneously in the English and Italian dubs.
 * The flashback to when Mimey won the ticket to Alola was not dubbed in the Russian dub, but was rather left in English.

Dub edits

 * The Japanese text depicting 's name when is about to use the move is edited out in the dub.
 * In the official debut of this episode's dub, a large portion of the original music is replaced with dub music. However, this was not the case in the preview airing, in which the episode used all of the original music.