From Brags to Riches (Japanese:開幕！サイユウ大会！！Opening!Saiyu Tournament!!) is the 127th episode ofPokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 401st episode of thePokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on May 5, 2005, and in the United States on March 11, 2006.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
The preliminaries are over, and now the Hoenn League Championships begin in earnest! The qualifying round is all double battles, and Ash goes to watch Morrison's match against muscleman Gavin. Morrison's Growlithe and Gligar are up against Marowak and Machamp, and no punches are pulled in this all-out battle! It's not looking good for Morrison until Gligar uses Guillotine to knock Machamp out. But Marowak defeats Growlithe, and Gligar finally wins.
Ash is jogging along after the match, minding his own business, when he falls into another Team Rocket pit trap. But just as they finish their motto, their new boss catches them in the act and shouts at them to get back to work. Team Rocket runs away and Ash wonders what's going on, but not for long—he's up next in the qualifying round!
Ash sends out Torkoal and Corphish. His opponent Dominic sends out Swalot and Tropius, which may grant him an aerial advantage. But Ash's trusty Torkoal gives it all it's got, and takes down Tropius in a double KO. As for Swalot, its resilient body resists Corphish's attacks. Finally Corphish charges in, throws Swalot, and gets up close and personal to deliver a Bubble Beam that knocks its opponent out! Tyson has also won his first match, and now our Trainers move on to round 2!
Plot
WhileAsh andhis friends are waiting for the match-ups for the second round of theEver Grande Conference,Nurse Joy explains the next round ofbattles areDouble Battles and that three wins are required to advance. She presents the match-ups to the crowd, and Ash learns that his next battle will take place in Stadium C. However,Morrison is thrilled to see that his match will be held earlier.
The group andTyson watch as Morrison enters Stadium E to face off againstGavin fromGanga Town. He sends outGrowlithe andGligar and Gavin sends outMarowak andMachamp. Morrison orders Growlithe to useTake Down on Marowak, though it responds with aHeadbutt knocking Growlithe to the field. Gligar soars in for aGuillotine, though Machamp counters withKarate Chop. Growlithe regains strength and usesFlamethrower, but Marowak'sBone Club blocks it. Gligar is hit by aDynamic Punch and then aCross Chop. Machamp is badly struck by Gligar'sSteel Wing and Growlithe takes damage from aBonemerang attack. Marowak charges through an oncoming Flamethrower and slams a Headbutt on Growlithe. Marowak freezes Growlithe's legs with anIce Beam and strikes it down with a Bone Club.
Gavin ordersVital Throw, but Gligar counters with Guillotine. A weak Machamp is struck several times by Gligar's Steel Wing, before being defeated by another Guillotine. Gavin soon makes some progress after Marowak slams Growlithe out of the match with a Bone Club, making the battle a one-on-one affair now. Gligar's Guillotine and Marowak's Headbutt attacks collide, sending both hurtling towards the ground. During the fall Marowak aims an Ice Beam and freezes one of Gligar's wings who slams into the ground. After struggling from a Bonemerang, Gligar charges in to take Marowak’s Bone Club attack head-on. Even more surprisingly, Gligar usesIron Tail to win the match, allowing Morrison to advance to the next round.
As Ash prepares for his upcoming match, he andPikachu are caught off guard when they fall into a pitfall trap. AsTeam Rocket appear to claim their catch, their employer bursts through the wall and sends them running. Ash makes it to his Stadium C battle againstDominick fromInua Town. Ash choosesTorkoal andCorphish while Dominick sends outTropius andSwalot. Tropius starts off by flying up in the air and whips aRazor Leaf at Ash. Torkoal and Corphish's defense block the oncoming attack. Tropius's tries aBullet Seed, which proves futile against Torkoal'sIron Defense. Swalot attacks Corphish with aSludge Bomb as Tropius usesGust to send Torkoal flying. Torkoal lands a direct hit on Tropius with a Flamethrower, but its opponent dodges the follow upOverheat, much to Ash’s frustration. Corphish dodges Swalot'sBody Slam and replies with aBubble Beam, which simply slides off Swalot’s expandable body.
Ash changes up his tactics, Tropius defends against Torkoal's and Corphish's combined attacks. Tropius begins charging up for aSolar Beam attack, so Corphish and Torkoal lashes it with aCrabhammer and Flamethrower respectively. As Tropius finally launches its Solar Beam, Torkoal counters with another Overheat. The two attacks collide, resulting in a large explosion that knocks Tropius and Torkoal both out. Dominic is unfazed and has Swalot's use twoShock Wave attacks to injure Corphish. Corphish is hit by a Body Slam, which it soon escapes with a Crabhammer but gets struck down by a barrage ofShadow Balls. Ash has Corphish rush towards its opponent, using its claw to block the oncoming Shock Wave attack. Corphish eventaully gets close enough and grabs a hold of Swalot by the whiskers before tossing it onto the battlefield. Seeing this as a good attack, Ash has Corphish to aim a Bubble Beam in Swalot's mouth. A minor explosion occurs from the internal pressure and Swalot faints. Ash wins and qualifies to the next round.
Jessie,James, andMeowth are tired of working, but their work soon pays off when their employer walks in and praises them for their hard work with food. As the pair stuff their faces, the trio agrees to work the stands tomorrow. Later, Ash and Morrison get into a heated argument over whose match was better.Max interrupts, and using hisPokéNav he reveals thatTyson also won his battle. Ash and Morrison are equally thrilled by the news and set their sights on winning their next matches.
In the Japanese version, the announcer says thatGligar's Guillotine (the one that defeatedMachamp) was acritical hit, despite the fact that it is impossible for Guillotine (or anyone-hit knockout move) to be a critical hit. This is corrected in the English dub.
When Machamp is hit by Gligar's Guillotine the first time, it is still standing. In thegames, itwouldn't be able to battle anymore, as Guillotine is a one-hit knockout move. However, it may be because Gligar's pincer is closed when it hits Machamp with the attack.
Themelonpan thatMay andTyson are eating by the start of Morrison's match are called cheeseburgers.
In the original Japanese version, whenGavin andDominick are introduced, cheerleaders can be heard chanting in the background. Said chanting is removed in the English dub.
In the English dub, Marowak's Japanese voice is used in place of Gligar's in certain parts of the episode.
In the original Japanese version, after Corphish's Bubble Beam fails to affect Swalot,Ash decides to have Corphish andTorkoal gang up onTropius instead. In the English dub, he instead decides to "try a combined attack", meaning that Corphish and Torkoal just attack Tropius on their own accord.
