DP163: Fighting Ire with Fire!

Episode Plot

The heroes come upon a crowd of people that watch Barry fighting an opponent. Mothim gets hit by Empoleon's Hydro Cannon and attempts to retaliate with Signal Beam, but Empoleon blocks the attack. Empoleon uses Steel Wing, dodging Mothim's Silver Wind and defeating it. Barry thanks his opponent for the battle and sees Ash, Dawn and Brock. He is soon told Dawn got five ribbons and Gible did not manage to use Draco Meteor properly. When Ash tells him they are on their way to Sunyshore City to defeat the Gym Leader, Barry laughs and displays his eight badge, fresh from Sunyshore Gym.

Dawn advises Ash to catch up with Paul and Barry. Hearing this, Barry now knows Paul has also eight badges. Barry advises Ash to go as soon as possible to Sunyshore City and get the Beacon Badge, where, in his opinion, is the best gym. James becomes strict and they all have a minute for their past failures. James has now realized that they should train. Jessie and Meowth do not want that, so James explains they need to catch the twerps and lock them, then get their Pokémon. Jessie and Meowth like that plan. The heroes with Barry, meanwhile, go to the Pokémon Center to eat something.

As soon as they enter, Brock flirts with Nurse Joy and gets attacked by Croagunk's Poison Jab. Suddenly, Dawn notices Paul and Barry comes to greet him. Barry asks for a battle, though Paul advises him to battle Ash. Barry does not want to fight Ash, as he has seven badges; so Paul stares at Ash, who tries to be nice. Barry notices it is a chilly atmosphere between those two. Ash tells Paul he will battle at Sunyshore City's Gym, though Paul has a low opinion of that Gym and leaves. Ash tells Barry he and Paul has a full battle and lost (making Barry a bit confused), but also tells that he learned a lot about himself.

As soon as they are to battle, Ash and Barry, along with Dawn and Brock see the news; Marian announces that the Grand Festival will be held at Lake Valor and before it starts, seven Contests will be held. Jessie is pleased to hear this, as she has more chances. The heroes recall it is the place where Dawn has won the Wallace Cup, so Dawn is pleased to know about it. The heroes go and Jessie goes to train, but James and Meowth stop her, as they remind her about their plan. Dawn activates her Coin Toss to determine who goes first. It is heads, so Barry goes first. They send Monferno and Empoleon.

Empoleon uses Hydro Cannon, but Monferno dodges and retaliates with Mach Punch. Paul passes by and sees the battle. Empoleon uses Drill Peck, but misses, as Monferno dug. As Monferno goes to attack, it gets blown away by Hydro Cannon. As Ash goes after it, he gets captured in a ball; even Pikachu's Thunderbolt does not help. Suddenly, Barry, Brock and Dawn get captured as well. Team Rocket appears and Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, Piplup BubbleBeam and Empoleon Hydro Cannon, but Team Rocket transforms the balloon into a robot, which negates the attacks and gets them. Brock sends Happiny to break the ball, but they get rolled away.

Suddenly, a great fire is seen nearby; the Flame Wheel of Monferno crashes Ash's ball, setting him free, as Monferno's Blaze is activated. Ash attempts to calm it down and gets blown away. Team Rocket takes Monferno, but the fire causes the robot arm to be destroyed. Monferno uses Flame Wheel, ignoring Ash and attacks Team Rocket. Monferno uses Mach Punch, blasting Team Rocket off. The rest of the robot is about to crash, with Pikachu, Piplup and Empoleon in the cage. Ash is about to send a Pokémon, but Paul sends Electabuzz, who uses Protect to get the robot stable. Monferno continues to attack the robot, so Ash holds it and soon gets engulfed by the flame. Ash tells Monferno to remember what they promised; to get stronger together, meaning it needs to get Blaze under control.

Electabuzz's Protect fails and the robot is about to crash, but Monferno goes to the robot to hold it using Flame Wheel, but a surprise is that it evolves into an Infernape. Infernape cools itself down and tosses the machine, using Mach Punch to crash the cage and rescuing Empoleon, Pikachu and Piplup. Paul tells Ash that the Blaze caused it to evolve. The balls crash, as Brock, Dawn and Barry are freed. Paul is about to leave, but Ash thanks him. Ash would like a battle sometime and Paul recalls that Reggie told him he would like to see him and Ash in a battle sometime and will honor his wish at the Sinnoh League. Paul leaves, so Ash has a thing to do first - to win the Sunyshore Gym battle.

Debuts

Items

• Beacon Badge

Pokémon

• Ash's Infernape

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture: Donphan
• Team Rocket narrates the preview for the next episode.
• This is the last episode to be produced by OLM/OLM Digital. Team Kato takes over the animation duties starting from DP164 onward.
• The children's story "The Little Engine that Could" is referenced by Meowth when he says that they will be known as the "Team Rocket that could."
• Ready Go! is played during the scene Monferno evolves.
• A combined, animated as well as live action version of Which One ~ Is It? is used as the ending theme.
• In an initial announcement for this episode, TV Tokyo's website incorrectly stated that Barry had won the Coal Badge from the Sunyshore Gym. This was corrected a day later, stating instead that Barry won the Beacon Badge from the Sunyshore Gym.
• Similar to two other episodes, this episode's English title is based on the phrase fighting fire with fire. Coincidentally, one of those two episodes also features the evolution of one of Ash's Pokémon and was in the Diamond & Pearl series.

Mistakes

• In one scene, a man has green sclera instead of white.
• After Ash tells Barry about his problems with perfecting Gible's Draco Meteor, the lace-like pattern on Empoleon's belly is missing the black spots.
• When Ash's Monferno was to use Dig, it had four fingers.
• In the beginning of the battle between Ash and Barry, Barry says that he and his Empoleon had the type advantage (Water over Fire), however he did not consider that his Empoleon is also a Steel type, that is weak to both types of Monferno, plus removing Empoleon's Water-type resistance to Fire, neither of the two had an advantage.

Gallery

Mothim and Empoleon battle

The heroes are not amused by Barry's laughing

Barry won eight badges

James has made a plan

Paul advises Barry to battle Ash

Monferno is about to get hit

Team Rocket's balloon machine

Monferno ignores Ash's orders

Ash attempts to calm Monferno down

Infernape goes to the rescue

Ash, Barry and Paul promise to enter the Sinnoh League

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