DP123: Old Rivals, New Tricks!

Old Rivals, New Tricks! (Japanese: ポケモンコンテスト！タツナミ大会！！, Hepburn: Pokémon Contest! Sandalstraw Tournament!!) is the 19th episode of Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles.

Episode Plot

Ash, Barry, Pikachu, Empoleon and Ambipom train for the Ping-Pong Tournament. Ash thinks he will win this, though Barry is also confident. Dawn notices Ambipom likes this and thinks she should enter as well. Kenny reminds her the Contest is today and asks her when should she use Ambipom. Dawn decides to use her in both rounds, surprising Kenny. Dawn thinks thinks Ambipom will not win for her, but for Ash as well, being his former Pokémon. Kenny also decides Prinplup should win for him, as he cannot have Dawn chasing around.

Jessie has prepared herself for the Contest. Meowth and James recall that Jessie won because she used new moves, ones that Ursula did in the last Contest. Jessie knows that both calmness and intensity is her style. She thinks Mime Jr. is the best one who can do it, so James is all right with this. Ash, Dawn and Kenny train. Mamoswine sees this and an Ice Shard is sent, so Ambipom uses Double Hit to smash the ice. Dawn is angry, but realizes Mamoswine wants to compete, though it does not want to admit. When she turns around, Mamoswine uses Ice Shard, but Dawn dodges and has Mamoswine busted. Mamoswine still won't admit, making Piplup mad, but Dawn calms him down. Brock suspects Mamoswine wants attention as Ambipom did as Aipom; snatching Ash's hat all the time. Ash comes to Ambipom and lets her know he will cheer for her and Dawn.

The Contest is about to start. Everyone is in place, as the first one is Jessilina and sends Mime Jr. She orders Mime Jr. to use Teeter Dance, while Mime Jr. crouches and waits. When an aura glows around her, Mime Jr. dances, causing everyone to do so. After some performances, next is Kenny, who sends Machoke. Mahoke uses Focus Power, then uses Strength to get barbell weighing three times its own size with one arm. As a finish, Mahchoke lifts Kenny with the barbell. Dawn admits to Kenny it was impressive. Kenny tells her even if she won the Wallace Cup, he still longs to get the ribbons before her. Next is Dawn and she sends Ambipom. Ambipom uses Double Team, followed with Focus Punch. Next, Ambipom uses Swift and pushes the stars away, then uses Double Hit to get glitter.

Ash and Brock ask Mamoswine if it was good, but Mamoswine ignores them and sleeps. Dawn is exhausted, as she has to worry about getting in next round and tells Ash and Brock Kenny wants to get ahead of her. The screen displays that among the Coordinators Dawn, Kenny and Jessilina pass to next round. Kenny swears he'll get this ribbon and the next one should follow, meaning he will have only to wait Dawn at the Grand Festival. James and Meowth praise Jessie's success. Now, Jessie plans to use Seviper for battle. After some battles, Seviper is against Ambipom. Seviper uses Poison Tail, which Ambipom dodges and gets defeated by Ambipom's Double Hit.

Kenny and Dawn face each other once more. Dawn sends Ambipom and Kenny his Prinplup. Prinplup starts with Drill Peck, but gets stopped by Swift. Ambipom uses Double Team, but the illusions get banished by Bubblebeam. Ambipom uses Focus Punch, hitting the bubbles to negate some of Prinplup's. Prinplup uses Metal Claw, which causes the battle to be like a Ping-Pong match. Prinplup uses BubbleBeam, which get countered by Double Hit. Prinplup uses Drill Peck, which causes it to collide with Ambipom's Focus Punch. Prinplup jumps and spins to use Metal Claw. Ambipom uses Double Hit, but Prinpulp negates the attack and gets hit by Drill Peck. Ambipom is defeated, meaning Kenny wins the battle.

Ash, Brock and Kenny are somewhat saddened by Dawn's defeat, but she does not seem sad too much. Jessie is pleased to see the twerp lost, as she defeated her. Jessie has now to pick a new Pokémon for the Tournament, and unexpectedly, Meowth makes it clear that with him on the side, she will win the Ping-Pong Tournament, shocking Jessie and James. Kenny receives the fourth Ribbon, while Dawn thinks she was focused on getting the last Ribbon too much. Brock admits that Dawn and Ambipom were great and should win in the next Contest. Kenny decides to leave the Sandalstraw Town to get new Pokémon, experience, and hopefully a new Ribbon before Dawn does. So, everyone says goodbye to him. Barry advises to Dawn that she should enter the Ping-Pong Tournament with Ambipom. Dawn asks Ambipom if she wants it, which she agrees to happily.

Trivia

• There is no Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture following this episode.
• This is the first episode in which Kenny is seen obtaining a Ribbon on-screen. All others were shown on television.
• This episode is similar to a Contest in a previous episode, Team Shocker!, as Dawn uses only Ambipom, loses the Contest, and Kenny participates.
• As of this episode, Kenny is the third Coordinator to include oneself in the appeal rounds of a Contest with Dawn and Jessilina preceding him.
• In this episode, Ambipom participates in what turns out to be her final Contest.
• This is the first Contest after its capture in The Thief That Keeps on Thieving! that Jessie did not use Yanmega in.
• The dub's title is based on the phrase, Old Dog, New Tricks.
• James and Meowth wear the outfits they wore in Electric Shock Showdown. Wobbuffet is also wearing the outfit as well.
• An instrumental version of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ is used during Dawn's appeal round.
• Team Rocket doesn't blast off or recite their motto during this episode.

Mistakes

• During the second round battles, Ambipom uses Double Hit on a Haunter. As a Normal-type move, it should not affect Haunter, a Ghost-type Pokémon.
• Just before Marian announces the finalists, Piplup's "cape" is missing.
• In one scene, Empoleon's neck is colored the same as its mouth.
  • In the next scene, the bottom portion of Empoleon's mouth is colored black.

Gallery

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