Dawn's Ambipom
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Dawn's Ambipom (Japanese:ヒカリのエテボースHikari's Eteboth) was the onlyPokémon to becaught byAsh during theBattle Frontier saga, and his twenty-eighth overall. Much later, she wastraded toDawn in exchange for herBuizel after Aipom showed a love for Contests and Buizel a love for battling inThrowing the Track Switch, becoming her fifth Pokémon overall.
In animation
History
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
As a wild Pokémon
Ambipom was first seen as an Aipom inSlaking Kong!, worshiping a giantSlaking with several other mountain-dwelling Pokémon. She also stoleAsh's hat with a group of Aipom getting food to offer the Slaking. Later, Aipom joined the other Aipom, as well as severalMankey,Vigoroth, andSlaking, to attack the giant Slaking, which turned out to be amechanical robot made byTeam Rocket. She helped in returning the stolen berries toTaylor. Later, after Ash and his friends left Taylor's home, the group saw Ash's hat on a rock. After wondering who placed it there, they found out that it was Aipom, due to an apple and a flower she left with the hat. The group continues their journey as Ash said Aipom is a cool Pokémon after all. Unknown to them, the happy Aipom was watching them from a nearby tree.
InMay, We Harley Drew'd Ya!, Aipom stole the hats of the participants before making off with Ash's hat again. InThinning the Hoard!, due to her causing too much trouble, Ash attempted to catch her. AfterPikachu usedQuick Attack to get Ash's hat back andThunderbolt to weaken her more, she was still able to foil Ash's attempt to catch her. InChanneling the Battle Zone!, as well as the previous episode, after watchingMay in theKanto Grand Festival, Aipom became thrilled with battling and challengedAsh andPikachu for abattle; as he won, Ash finallycaught her in front of a huge crowd.
With Ash
Aipom enjoyed participating inPokémon Contests, but was also eager to battle. Her interest was first perked inThinning the Hoard! where she took an interest in May's battle withHarley. Aipom also watched her battle withDrew before enticing Ash into catching her. While Ash had Aipom, she usually sat on his left shoulder when outside of herPoké Ball, in contrast to Pikachu sitting on his right shoulder.
InAipom and Circumstance!, Aipom became jealous of Pikachu's closeness to Ash. Aipom also seemed to have a certain penchant for headgear; aside from taking Ash's and other people's hats, Aipom wore a daisy chain and put on a ceremonial crown that the locals had trouble getting off. The members of a crowd who wanted the crown, as well as Ash and his friends, attempted to remove the crown from her head so she would not become their king for a year. With the help of aBelue Berry's sourness, the crown was finally taken off. Ash hugged Aipom and told her not to always get into trouble. As Ash laughed a bit when he told her this, Aipom blushed.
To bring backTorkoal to battleBrandon'sRegisteel inOverjoyed!, Ash sent Aipom toProfessor Oak, where Aipom had trouble adjusting to the new environment and Ash's absence, even attacking the Professor. However, after Ash's second defeat, Aipom returned.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
When Ash left forSinnoh, he wanted to leave all of his Pokémon except forPikachu behind, just like he did when leaving forHoenn. However, Aipom snuck aboard the boat he was traveling on, wanting to accompany him on his new journey. Aipom soon proved to be a necessary backup; as soon as they arrived in Sinnoh, Team Rocket kidnapped Pikachu, but soon blasted themselves off and lost him in the woods, and Aipom helped Ash find him. During this time, Aipom helped Ash catch hisStarly and, after Pikachu was found, defeatedPaul's Chimchar in battle.
InMounting a Coordinator Assault!, Aipom was watchingDawntraining withPiplup for theJubilife CityPokémon Contest and became interested in participating. Seeing as how Aipom wanted to join the competition, Dawn andBrock convinced Ash to sign up. Ash and Aipom got through thePerformance Stage, but inArrival of a Rival!, they lost their first match in theBattle Stage toZoey and herGlameow. After the battle, Zoey suggested that Ash should let Dawn raise Aipom.
InA Gruff Act to Follow!, Aipom put up a fight againstRoark's Cranidos during Ash'sGymbattle againstRoark in theOreburgh Gym, but lost. In their rematch inO'er the Rampardos we Watched!, she went up againstRoark'sGeodude. Geodude managed to avoid a lot of damage from Aipom while countering with its attacks, but Aipom was able to connect a supereffective Focus Punch and defeat Geodude. Aipom next went up against Rampardos. Aipom uses Swift, but it didn't affect Rampardos at all. Rampardos uses Headbutt, but before Aipom could dodge it, she was hit and knocked out.
InBorrowing on Bad Faith!, Aipom entered an informal Pokémon Contest not sanctioned by thePokémon Activities Committee underJessie's command. They were able to advance to the final round, where she won againstDawn's Pachirisu, earning Jessie a year's supply of fruits.
InThe Grass Menagerie!, Aipom was Ash's third and final Pokémon in hisEterna Gym Battle againstGardenia; she went up against Gardenia'sRoserade after performing a contest like introduction. Aipom initially struggled against the Bouquet Pokémon's use ofGrass Knot to create ensnaring vines andFlash to blind her but was able to turn it around by listening for Roserade's attacks. Through this, she was able to send back a supereffectiveWeather Ball before creating a circle of Swift stars to deal major damage. Aipom used Focus Punch to finish the battle and win Ash theForest Badge.
InThrowing the Track Switch, Ash began thetraining for his nextGymbattle inVeilstone City. However,Dawn's Buizel seemed to be more interested in Ash's battle training and thus couldn't set his mind on Dawn's training; Meanwhile, Aipom also had a problem with Ash's training because her style tended to be best suited for Pokémon Contests. Then, Zoey proposed that Ash and Dawntrade them. After some soul-searching, theTrainers agreed, and the trade took place.
With Dawn
InJourney to the Unown!, Aipom learned Double Hit.Brock told Dawn that Aipom would evolve soon. Later in the episode, when Dawn and Aipom were attacked by a group ofUnown, Aipom jumped in and evolved into Ambipom.
InTeam Shocker!, Dawn used Ambipom in thePerformance Stage of theSolaceonContest, but failed to advance to theContest Battles. Zoey explained to Dawn that she failed due to an overuse of Swift, blocking Ambipom from view.
InCrossing the Battle Line!, Dawn used Ambipom in her Gym battle againstMaylene. Ambipom was chosen for her extensive battling experience with Ash. She proved her strength in the battle by defeating Maylene'sMeditite, making her the only Pokémon Dawn used in the match who managed to defeat one of Maylene's team. Despite this victory, Ambipom could not stand up to the strength ofMaylene's Lucario and was quickly knocked out.
InStaging a Heroes Welcome, Dawn once again used Ambipom for the Performance Stage in theWallace Cup. She passed the round by dazzling theContest Judges with Swift, Focus Punch, and Double Hit.
InBattling the Generation Gap!, Dawn used Ambipom in the Battle Stage of theCelestic Contest. Ambipom was shown defeating aDelibird and aNosepass to advance to the finals, where she went up againstLila'sDelcatty. The battle started with Ambipom using Swift, which seemed to hit Delcatty. However, it was a decoy created through the use ofSubstitute while the real Delcatty sneaked behind Ambipom and wrapped himself up in her tails before usingShock Wave, landing a clean hit and costing Dawn some points. After that, Ambipom used Double Team and then Focus Punch, hitting Delcatty but unknowingly activating hisCute CharmAbility. This left Ambipominfatuated and allowed Delcatty to useSing to put Ambipom tosleep. Delcatty got in multiple hits before Ambipom was able to recover and use Double Team and Double Hit to protect herself until the infatuation wore off. Ambipom then used Swift while spinning around to make the golden stars swirl while Delcatty countered with Shock Wave. A few seconds before time ran out, Swift broke through the disc, and a massive amount of stars hit Delcatty. When the smoke cleared, Dawn was shown to have more points on the scoreboard, winning the battle and earning the Celestic Ribbon, her third Contest Ribbon overall.
InOld Rivals, New Tricks!, Ambipom was used in theSandalstraw Town Pokémon Contest. In the Performance Stage, Dawn sent her out of herPoké Ball with aSong Seal and asked her to use Double Team followed by Focus Punch. Ambipom created multiple copies of herself and then punched all themusical notes with her long tails, taking advantage of the Seal's effect to begin her performance. Ambipom proceeded to use Swift as if she was serving a ping pong ball. She spun around rapidly, causing the golden stars to move in a spiraling pattern before destroying them with Double Hit, which resulted in sparkles pouring down on both Ambipom and Dawn as they posed together to mark the end of the performance. The judges received the presentation well and allowed Dawn to move on to the second round.
In the Battle Stage, Ambipom squared off against Jessilina'sSeviper in the semifinals and managed to win the battle. She proceeded to the finals and was up againstKenny's Prinplup. The battle started with Prinplup usingDrill Peck, which Ambipom blocked with Swift before using Double Team. After that, Prinplup usedBubble Beam to destroy the illusory copies Ambipom had created. However, before the attack could hit the real Ambipom, Dawn had the idea to implement ping pong moves into the battle and asked Ambipom to use Focus Punch, sending the bubbles back to Prinplup. Seeing that, Kenny asked Prinplup to repel the bubbles withMetal Claw. The bubbles went back and forth until Prinplup used Bubble Beam again. Instead of repelling the bubbles this time, Ambipom used Double Hit to destroy them. The bubbles were keeping Ambipom busy and Prinplup took the opportunity to try to attack her with Drill Peck, but Ambipom saw Prinplup coming and countered with Focus Punch. The two clashed midair, but Prinplup quickly recovered, jumping high and using Drill Peck while nosediving and spinning. Ambipom proceeded to use Double Hit, but the move could not stop Prinplup. This surprised Ambipom, and Prinplup attacked her with another Drill Peck, knocking her out. As a result, she lost the battle.
During the Sandalstraw Contest, she discovered a love and talent forping pong. She used this talent to compete in thePokémon Ping Pong Tournament with Dawn inTo Thine Own Pokémon Be True!. Due to her apparent natural ability, fellow competitorO offered her a place at his Ping Pong Training Center inVermilion City. Dawn left the decision to Ambipom. After deciding to pursue ping pong over her love of Pokémon Contests, Ambipom bid farewell to Dawn and Ash and left the group to follow her new ambition.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Ambipom, as an Aipom and under Ash's ownership, appeared in a flashback inFriends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!.
InPartners in Time!, Ambipom appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle againstLeon's Charizard.
InHeroes Unite!, Ambipom appeared in a fantasy while Ash reminisced about the Pokémon he'd caught on his journey.
Personality and characteristics
Like most of her species, Ambipom is a playful Pokémon. As an Aipom, however, she behaved much likeAsh's Chikorita, being mischievous, often stealingAsh's hat or other forms of headwear and even other Pokémon's food just for attention. She was also quite attached to Ash, getting jealous of his attention toPikachu, or even attackingProfessor Oak just because Ash wasn't present. Upon herEvolution, most of these traits mellowed. Ambipom had stopped stealing and became quicker to obey orders. While still loyal to Ash after being traded and evolving, she also became loyal to his friends, showing a more mature side.
Ambipom has been shown to develop different interests over time. A well-known example of this is Contests. While not necessarily preferring them to Battles, she has shown great interest. She first showed interest in Contests as a wild Pokémon when watchingMay and other Coordinators compete inThinning the Hoard!. Her love for Contests even persuadedAsh to participate in theJubilife Contest and ultimately led to her trade toDawn.
Later, she became interested in Pokémon Ping Pong after using Ping Pong-like moves in arecent Contest. This interest, once again, ended up in Ambipomswitching roads.
Appearance
| As anAipom |
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Moves used
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| A† shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Moves improvised
| Picture | First Used In | Moves Involved | Partnered With |
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 | Mounting a Coordinator Assault! | Double Team andSwift | None |
| Description: This was used when Aipom wanted to express her wish for performing in Contests. Aipom uses Double Team, before jumping between them and using Swift to create a large glowing star and then lands on her tail. A variation of this was used inBorrowing on Bad Faith! when Aipom was used in an unofficial Pokémon Contest under Jessie's command, Aipom uses Double Team and forms into a circle and starts "dancing" and uses Swift and the Swift spins around the audience and then disperses into sparkles or Aipom would use Double Team and grab her tail and form into a circle and uses swift while spinning. | |||
 | The Grass Menagerie! | Swift | None |
| Description: Aipom releases a Swift that spins around Gardenia's Roserade. It was later used again inCrossing the Battle Line! (after Aipom evolved into Ambipom) where it was used against Maylene's Meditite. | |||
 | A Stand-Up Sit Down! | Swift andQuick Attack | Ash's Pikachu |
| Description: Aipom used a twirling Swift that spins in the air and then Pikachu would jump in the Swift with Quick Attack and as he runs, the Swift stars would be surrounding the white light from the Quick Attack. | |||
 | Team Shocker! | Swift | None |
| Description: Ambipom balances herself with her hand and starts spinning. Her tails glow and the stars shoot out of it. Ambipom spins on her back (break-dances), and the stars collide, making spurts of rainbows. | |||
Artwork
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| Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl | Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl | Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl |
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| Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl | Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl | Poster for Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master |
In the manga
Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl
InPocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl, Aipom was introduced while still under the ownership of Ash. InPDP11, Ash used her in a battle against a powerfulGarchomp. Later, as an Ambipom, she first appears under the ownership of Dawn inPDP28.
Moves used
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| A† shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | ||||||||||
In the TCG
While still under the ownership of Ash, his Aipom was featured in thePokémon Trading Card Game. The following is a list of related cards.
| Ash's Aipom Cards listed with ablue background are only legal to use in the currentExpanded format. Cards listed with agreen background are legal to use in both the currentStandard andExpanded formats. | |||||||
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| Card | Type | English Expansion | Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion | Rarity | # |
| Ash's Aipom |  | Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sea's Manaphy | 010/019 | ||||
Trivia
- Ambipom is the first Pokémon character to be the focus ofProfessor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia twice:
- ForDP014, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about Ash's Aipom. He writes thissenryū about her: 「エイパムが しっぽでつかむ サトシのハート」Eipam, it seizes with its tail,Satoshi's heart.
- ForDP073, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about Dawn's Ambipom. He writes this senryū about her: 「エテボース しっぽでリング ともだちだ」"WhenEteboth make rings by linking their tails, they're friends."
- Ambipom andBuizel are the only two Pokémon to be traded between main characters.
- Ambipom is the only:
- Member of herspecies to appear inPokémon the Series.
- Pokémon of Dawn's that shares an English voice actress with her.
- Pokémon belonging to Dawn to not appear inPokémon the Series: Black & White or to not physically appear inPokémon Journeys: The Series.
- Ambipom is the first Pokémon owned by a main character that was introduced before the character, since Aipom was originally Ash's Pokémon before being traded to Dawn. She would be the only Pokémon to have this unique distinction untilRoy's Fuecoco, who debuted inThe Pendant That Starts It All (Part Two), withRoy himself debuting at the end ofFor Sure! 'Cause Sprigatito's with Me!.
- Ambipom still remains the only Pokémon owned by a main character to be introduced in aseries before the character's debut.
- Ambipom, as an Aipom, was Ash's only:
- Non-temporary Pokémon that he permanently traded away.
- Pokémon other than Pikachu that Ash has had on hand from the end of one series to the start of the next.
- Pokémon aside from Pikachu that Ash has traveled with alone for at least two consecutive episodes.
- Pokémon to have been previously left atProfessor Oak's Laboratory but no longer reside there.
- Ambipom was the first Pokémon belonging to Dawn that evolved and her first fully evolved Pokémon.
- Despite leaving inTo Thine Own Pokémon Be True!, Ambipom, unlike other Pokémon that left the main cast, was not removed from theopening sequence until the sequence was replaced eight months later.
- Not including temporary Pokémon, Ash's capture of Aipom marked the first time Ash had caught a Pokémon outside of the series its debutgeneration is based on.
- Despite being confirmed female, theCzech dub consistently referred to Ambipom as male, even to the point where inBattling The Generation Gap!,Lila'sDelcatty's gender was changed from male to female to make Delcatty'sCute Charm activation work.
References
- ↑Confirmed inAipom and Circumstance!.
Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, seeAipom andAmbipom.
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 | This article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation. |
