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A Rival Battle for Club Champ!

BW010   EP667 ライバルバトル！強敵プルリル！ Rival Battle! The Strong Opponent Pururill!

First broadcast Japan November 18, 2010 United States April 9, 2011

English themes Opening Black and White Ending

Japanese themes Opening ベストウイッシュ！ Ending 心のファンファーレ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 藤田伸三Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 山田浩之Hiroyuki Yamada Assistant director 古賀一臣Kazuomi Koga Animation directors 夏目久仁彦Kunihiko Natsume 岩根雅明Masaaki Iwane Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

A Rival Battle for Club Champ! (Japanese:ライバルバトル！強敵プルリル！Rival Battle! The Strong OpponentPururill!) is the tenth episode ofPokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 667th episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on November 18, 2010 and in the United States on April 9, 2011.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

Ash is on his way to Nacrene City, where his next Gym Battle awaits. Before he gets there, he decides to stop by the Pokémon Battle Club in Luxuria Town for a warm-up battle. He’s surprised to find his Unova region rival, Trip, is there, too! Ash challenges Trip to a battle, and although he’s reluctant at first, Trip eventually agrees to a five-on-five battle. The battle starts out with Trip’s Tranquill making quick work of Ash’s Oshawott and Tepig.

Meanwhile, at the Dreamyard, Team Rocket is surrounded by Officer Jenny’s police force! Unfazed, they stand their ground until a new agent named Pierce comes to their rescue, and they all glide safely out of sight.

Back at the Battle Club, Ash finally defeats Tranquill using Pikachu, and Trip sends out his Servine—who evolved from the Snivy Ash battled on his first day in the Unova region! When Pikachu is defeated, Ash counters with his Snivy. Snivy manages to defeat Trip’s Servine with its powerful Attract move, and Trip next chooses his Frillish. Ash then switches to his Pidove to let Snivy rest, but the strategy doesn’t work—Frillish quickly takes Pidove down. Ash brings Snivy out one more time, but when Frillish defeats Snivy as well, Trip is declared the winner. Instead of being angry, Ash redoubles his efforts and vows to train harder than ever for the next time he and Trip have a battle!

Plot

After arriving inLuxuria Town,Ash enters the PokémonBattle Club and starts searching forTrainers whileIris andCilan catch up. Iris sarcastically comments on Ash's reaction to the Battle Club, telling him he behaves like a small child. Ash, unaware, searches through the Trainer database, where he findsTrip. Cilan explains that Trip was awarded theTrio Badge after defeating theStriaton Gym. Iris becomes even more puzzled, and Ash explains that Trip was the Trainerhe met inProfessor Juniper's lab and the one he first battled inUnova.

Ash shouts in excitement whenDon George suddenly appears behind him, seemingly unable to remember Ash. Ash wonders if he is fromAccumula Town, and soon learns that there are Battle Clubs located everywhere inUnova, each club is run by a Don George of an identical, extended family. Don George shows them his family picture before activating the built-inXtransceiver in the Trainer-searching machine and tries to contact Trip. Trip is taking pictures when his Xtransceiver rings. He attends to it, and Don George greets him, informing him that Ash requests a battle with him. Ash appears soon after and subsequently, Iris and Cilan, who both introduce themselves. While Trip is surprised that Cilan is not at his Gym, Ash interrupts. Trip admits he isn't interested however, explaining that his new first partnerSnivy easily defeatedAsh's Pikachu. Ash rebukes, saying that it was due toZekrom that Pikachu was unable to useElectric attacks, and he has since obtained other Pokémon as well. Ash begins kicking the machine in agitation.

Trip then appears at the entrance of the Battle Club, requesting aFull Battle. Ash pauses for a moment and reveals that he only has five Pokémon. Trip looks at him in disbelief and Ash shows off his Trio Badge, but Trip replies that he already has two Badges. He goes on to apologize to Don George, saying that he will not battle a Trainer with only one Badge and five Pokémon. Following that, he taunts Ash and wonders if all Trainers "from a countryside area likeKanto" behave the way he did. As he taunts him even further, Trip finally prepares to leave. However, after Iris passes a sarcastic remark calling him a "kid", and Cilan recites short prose on his battle expectations, Trip changes his mind and declares that he wants to battle Ash, 5-on-5.

As the referee, Don George stands in the center side of the field, reciting the rules of the battle while Ash and Trip take their positions. As Don George waves his hands and declares the battle open, Trip sends outTranquill, the evolved form ofPidove. Ash checks hisPokédex, then sends outOshawott. Proudly announcing that Oshawott once belonged to Professor Juniper and helped him win his Trio Badge at the Striaton Gym, Ash starts the battle by telling Oshawott to useWater Gun. Tranquill turns abruptly and dodges it, moves lower to the ground, and usesAerial Ace - first striking the Sea Otter Pokémon from the front and knocking off hisscalchop, then finally returning from the back and hitting him, causing him to faint. Don George declares that Oshawott is unable to battle.

Ash was left awestruck, unable to comprehend what had happened as Trip tells Ash that Tranquill has theAbilitySuper Luck, allowing Tranquill to land morecritical hits. Ashrecalls Oshawott, then sends outTepig. As Trip tries to taunt Ash, Ash starts the round again by telling Tepig to useEmber. As red flames shot out from Tepig's snout, Tranquill dodges it again and sweeps past Tepig, clearly displaying its skill and speed. As Tepig continues firing into the sky, Tranquill continues dodging and switches into aDouble Team. Tepig stares blankly at the Tranquill clones when Ash calls out to him - Tranquill is now usingWork Up, increasing its attack power; it glows a bright red and turns around, facing Tepig and readying its next attack. Once again, Trip tells it to use Aerial Ace, and Tepig stares at the flock, unable to determine which one is real. Quickly, the flock of Tranquill combines into one and strikes Tepig out of the battle with an Aerial Ace. As Ash recalls Tepig thanking him for his hard work, Trip taunts him for not knowing his basics as a Trainer. Ash, feeling slightly angered and knowing he's falling behind quickly, now decides to send Pikachu into battle for the next round.

Meanwhile, theTeam Rocket trio, are gathered at the center of a garbage dump in anticipation of a person's arrival.Officer Jenny suddenly shows up, with her fellow policemen having surrounded the trio. Apparently, the Jenny at Striaton City had informed all the other Jennys about them, and the trio are now the most wanted criminals in Unova. Nevertheless, Team Rocket remains calm and composed.

Ash tells Pikachu to useThunderbolt, but Tranquill is able to dodge. Trip notes his surprise that Pikachu is actually able to use Electric-type attacks and has Tranquill use Work Up again. TheFlying Pokémon glows red and attacks Pikachu from the front and then the back with its Aerial Ace. Pikachu lies on the ground, but he picks himself up. Trip is determined to repeat his Aerial Ace sweep. Ash, spotting his attack pattern, tells Pikachu to grab hold of Tranquill's feet. Pikachu takes the first hit but grabs hold as Tranquill flies by sending both crashing to the ground. Ash tells Pikachu to toss Tranquill, and Pikachu responds and swings Tranquill into the air and out of control. Pikachu charges ahead with aVolt Tackle, scoring a direct hit and knocking Tranquill out, finally putting Ash on the board.

Iris,Axew and Cilan watch from the sidelines and cheer Ash on. While Ash is savoring his victory, he is surprised when Trip sends out his next Pokémon,Servine, the evolved form of Snivy. Trip explains that he has been training hard since their first match, and Cilan explains that Trip obtained the Trio Badge with his Servine by defeatingChili and hisPansear.

As Jenny prepares to arrest the Team Rocket trio, a rushing truck barges into the dump and causes the surrounding policemen to flee from the dangerous vehicle. The truck drifts, swerves, and skids to a halt beside Team Rocket. As the door opens ready to pick the trio up, the driver is now revealed: the agent whichGiovanni had arranged for them to meet –Pierce. Officer Jenny gives chase on her motorcycle, but the truck continues along the closed unfinished bridge. Reaching a gap in the road, the truck begins falling. As Officer Jenny banks her motorcycle and skids to a halt, she watches the explosion from the truck below, though the Team Rocket trio and Pierce escape with jetpacks. Pierce hands over a briefcase toJames before he goes his separate way and the Rocket trio flies towards theDesert Resort to continue their mission.

Ash starts the battle against Servine by having Pikachu useIron Tail. However as Pikachu powers it up, Trip tells Servine to counter withCut which successfully repels Iron Tail. Trip then has Servine useLeaf Tornado which draws Pikachu into the vortex before smashing him onto the ground. Pikachu recovers, and Ash decides to go for broke and has Pikachu use Volt Tackle. However, just as Pikachu is about to hit, Servine side-steps and scores a direct hit against Pikachu with Cut, taking him out of the battle.

As Trip remarks that he has four Pokémon as compared to Ash's two, Ash sends out hisSnivy. Iris wonders why Ash does not send outPidove, which is a Flying and would be an advantage againstGrass Pokémon, while Cilan reassures her that Ash has plans of his own. Snivy starts the round by usingVine Whip, but Servine dodges them completely. She attempts to useLeaf Blade, but misses and Servine follows up with a Leaf Tornado. The tornado, like it did on Pikachu, draws her into the vortex and then slams her into the field. Though she gets back on her feet almost immediately. Trip taunts Ash that his Servine is an evolved form of Snivy. Ash, however, does not take the bait but actually has a plan. First, he has Snivy use Vine Whip, and Servine, once again, dodges it easily as he had before. Next, while Servine is distracted by her Vine Whip, Ash has Snivy useAttract, causing Trip's male Servine to becomeinfatuated and too distracted to attack. Eventually, with a series of Vine Whips and a well-aimed Leaf Blade, Servine succumbs to Snivy's attacks and faints, leaving Trip with three Pokémon. As Ash celebrates, Trip recalls Servine and admits he did not expect themove Attract.

For the next round, Trip sends out his third Pokémon: aFrillish. Ash checks his Pokédex, before calling out Pidove. Pidove begins by usingAir Cutter, only for it to be blocked by Frillish'sProtect. Trip tells Frillish to useWater Pulse, and the Floating Pokémon traps Pidove in a water sphere. As the Baby Pigeon Pokémon struggles to breathe, the sphere of water suddenly bursts, sending her flying toward a window and causing her to faint. Don George declares Pidove unable to battle, leaving Ash with only Snivy to take on Trip's remaining three Pokémon.

As Ash sends out Snivy and tells her to use Vine Whip, Cilan gasps loudly and Iris shouts out immediately in protest. However it is too late, and Snivy's direct attack has trigged Frillish'sCursed Body Ability which can cause any physical attacks used against Frillish to become disabled. Iris also lambasts Ash for being ignorant and acting like a small child. Snivy attacks again withLeaf Storm, but Frillish blocks it with Protect, followed by a successfulNight Shade. As Frillish celebrates his achievement, Snivy uses Leaf Storm and catches Frillish by surprise. Immediately, Snivy attempts to use Attract but fails as Frillish evades it. Ash decides to take a risk and tells Snivy to use Leaf Blade on Frillish. Snivy lands the attack, but unfortunately, it isn't enough to take Frillish out, and even worse, Snivy is hit with Cursed Body again which blocks Leaf Blade. Trip has Frillish trap its opponent in a Water Pulse again, with Snivy emerging in aconfused state. Trip now takes advantage of the situation, telling Frillish to useHex, which does double the damage as Snivy is already confused. Snivy soon collapses onto the field. Don George rules Snivy unable to battle, and subsequently Trip the winner of the match. Ash recalls Snivy.

Following the battle, Trip taunts Ash for being a poor Trainer and tells him that while Pikachu and Snivy show promise, Ash's other Pokémon are pathetic and Ash should reconsider using them in the future. As Trip is about to take his leave, Ash challenges him to another battle in the future, which Trip promises to consider. As the door closes behind him, Iris and Cilan try to console Ash. However, Ash was not at all disappointed, but he remains determined to surpass Trip and become the best Trainer ever.

Major events

• Trip is revealed to have won theTrio Badge fromChili, as well asanother Badge.
• It is revealed that, likeNurse Joy andOfficer Jenny, there is aDon George that runs aBattle Club in multiple cities across theUnovaregion.
• Ash re-encounters Trip, whomIris meets for the first time, whileCilan reveals that he has met him before.
• Trip is revealed to have obtained five new Pokémon, including aTranquill and aFrillish.
• TheTeam Rocket trio meetsPierce, another member ofTeam Rocket, for the first time.
• Trip'sSnivy is revealed to have evolved into aServine.
• Ash's Snivy is revealed to knowLeaf Blade.
• Ash battles Trip for the second time and loses again.

For a list of all major events inPokémon the Series: Black & White, please see thetimeline page.

Debuts

Humans

• Pierce

Pokémon debuts

• Trip's Servine
• Frillish
• Tranquill

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Jessie
• James
• Officer Jenny
• Trip
• Don George
• Pierce
• Citizens
• Police officers

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?:Servine

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Pidove (Ash's)
• Oshawott (Ash's)
• Tepig (Ash's)
• Snivy (Ash's)
• Snivy (Trip's; flashback)
• Servine (Trip's)
• Frillish (Trip's; male; debut)
• Tranquill (Trip's; debut)
• Dewott (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Servine (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Patrat (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Deerling (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Sandile (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Tranquill (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Pidove (Trainer's; computer screen)
• Woobat (Trainer's; computer screen)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster:Pokémon battle
• This is the second time thatAsh has participated in a 5-on-5Pokémon battle in theanimated series, the first time being againstSootopolisGym LeaderJuan.
• Frillish'sHex did more damage toSnivy because she wasconfused. In thegames, Hex's damage does not increase due to an opponent's confusion.
• Frillish'sCursed BodyAbility was stated to only work on an opponent's physical moves when it will work on any damaging move in the games.
• Trip's Servine is confirmed to be male in this episode.
• The cover of the Japanese script for this episode reveals that Frillish's Japanese name was originally プルンスPurunsu.

Errors

• WhenIris andCilan first see that Ash commanded Snivy to use a physical move against Frillish, part of Cilan's hair is colored the same as his skin.
• Trip incorrectly states that Frillish's Hex does more damage onconfused targets; said move's power only increases when used on targets with non-volatile status conditions.
• In thePolishdub, Trip's Servine is incorrectly referred to as a female.

Dub edits

In other languages

This episode article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation.

• Pokémon the Series: Black & White episodes
• Episodes written by Shinzō Fujita
• Episodes storyboarded by Hiroyuki Yamada
• Episodes directed by Kazuomi Koga
• Episodes animated by Kunihiko Natsume
• Episodes animated by Masaaki Iwane
• Episodes by multiple animation directors
• Episodes focusing on Ash
• Episodes focusing on Trip