Familiarity Breeds Strategy! (Japanese:ライバル決戦！サトシ対シンジ！！Rival Decisive Battle!Satoshi VSShinji!!) is the 186th episode ofPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, and the 652nd episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on August 5, 2010 and in the United States on December 18, 2010.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
The first quarterfinal battle of the Sinnoh League at Lily Of The Valley Island has Ash pitted against his rival Paul. This round is a full battle, with each side using a full party of six Pokémon. As Ash switches out his first three Pokémon—Pikachu, Infernape, and Staraptor—there’s something quite familiar about it to Paul. In fact, Ash appears to be using the same Pokémon team he used in their first full battle at Lake Acuity! Paul begins the battle with Aggron, then Gastrodon, and brings his Drapion out after the first two are quickly defeated.
Watching the battle on television, Paul’s brother Reggie notices that Paul is well aware of Ash’s strategies. Reggie is convinced that Paul allowed Ash to take the first two wins as part of his overall plan!
After Ash switches Staraptor out for Buizel, Drapion catches Buizel in its pincer tail! We leave the scene with Ash screaming at Buizel to “get out of there!”—and as the action gets more and more intense, we have no choice but to wonder how this incredible match will ultimately play out!
Plot
Determined to settle their long-standingrivalry once and for all,Ash andPaul are set to face off in the first quarterfinals showdown of theLily of the Valley Conference. Ash decides to begin withPikachu, and Paul orders out his first Pokémon,Aggron.
Prior to the match, Ash gets some last-minutetraining withGliscor, whorecently returned from its training session with Air Battle MasterMcCann. Gliscor practicesGiga Impact in a session againstDawn's Mamoswine whileBarry watches on. Reflecting on hisFull Battle against Paul at Lake Acuity, Ash remarks that Paul takes everything he has learned inbattle and uses it to his advantage. Barry claims Ash does the same thing, but Ash replies that he still needs to look at everything he has been through while on hisjourney. Barry asks if he figured it out, but Ash says that he will just have to wait until the battle, much to Barry's frustration.
Meanwhile, Paul talks to his older brotherReggie via videophone about his upcoming battle with Ash. Dawn enters thePokémon Center lobby looking for her friends, but she quickly ducks out of sight. Reggie regrets not being able to be there, but Paul understands that he cannot just drop hiswork responsibilities. Reggie asks Paul if he wants to reconsider which Pokémon he'll be taking into the match, but Paul confirms he's satisfied with his lineup. Reggie notes how glad he is that Paul met Ash, as he knows that no other trainer has influenced his brother as much. Reggie then advises Paul to not underestimate Ash but to power through the battle and win. Paul thanks Reggie and ends the call, then discovers Dawn eavesdropping. As they walk outside, Paul confesses his main problem with Ash - his talk about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength and how any Pokémon has the potential to be strong reminds him a lot of Reggie. Dawn points out to Paul that Ash and Reggie are different people. Everyone soon meets outside. Paul then prepares to leave, but abruptly stops when Dawn uttersCynthia's quote back atAmity Square, "When every life meets another life, something will be born". She is left wondering what that "something" might be but hopes the quarterfinals might shed some light. Paul tells Ash that he will see him on the battlefield to which Ash agrees.
Returning to the present, Paul begins by having Aggron useMetal Claw, and Ash has Pikachu counter withIron Tail, causing the twoSteel-typephysical moves to cancel each other out. Paul then tells Aggron to useMetal Sound, creating a high-frequency sound that lowers Pikachu'sspecial defenses. Ash instructs Pikachu to useThunderbolt to stop Aggron's attack, and Pikachu manages to pull it off, stopping Aggron as well as causing a littledamage. Pikachu then usesVolt Tackle, speeding towards Aggron. Paul counters with Aggron'sFlash Cannon, hitting Pikachu and sending him flying, rolling back onto his feet. Ash knows Pikachu is struggling and decides to substitute him withInfernape. Cynthia recognizes Infernape as theChimchar sheonce battled, while Team Rocket is excited to see Infernape battle, having had a soft spot for him since theHearthome City Tag Battle Competition. Paul tells Aggron to useDouble-Edge while Ash tells Infernape to counter withFlare Blitz. The two powerful anddangerous attacks collide, and Infernape suffers from the recoil. However, Aggron has theRock HeadAbility, which cancels out recoil damage. Luckily for Ash, Aggron ends up with aburn from Infernape's Flare Blitz. Ash then instructs Infernape to useMach Punch, and Paul orders Aggron to use Flash Cannon, but Infernape lands the fast Mach Punch before Aggron can fire, sending it flying into the wall behind Paul and crushing the surface on impact. The dust clears to reveal Aggronunable to battle, giving Ash the lead.
Paulrecalls Aggron and sends outGastrodon. Ash, knowing aWater andGround type like Gastrodon has a huge advantage over aFire type, calls Infernape back and sends outStaraptor. Gastrodon begins withMuddy Water and Staraptor usesQuick Attack and connects. Surprisingly, Gastrodon continues using Muddy Water, circling its head above its body to create aCounter Shield, a technique adapted from Ash, and clips Staraptor. Ash instructs Staraptor to dive down and use Aerial Ace, though Gastrodon counterattacks withBody Slam, pinning Staraptor to the field with its soft body. Gastrodon usesWater Pulse aimed at the sky, and the move picks up speed as it descends. Ash realizes that Gastrodon will jump away at the last second, giving no time for Staraptor to dodge it. Just when all seems lost, Ash has Staraptor useClose Combat on the battlefield, lifting thePredator Pokémon up, which knocks Gastrodon off and it escapes the Water Pulse. Paul orders Gastrodon to useIce Beam, bringing the in-flight Staraptor to a screeching halt and crashing onto the field. Ash decides that he will have to recall Staraptor for later and change his strategy.
Ash sends outBuizel. At this point, Paul points out that what Ash is doing is too predictable now. He knows Ash is just trying to get rid of all the frustration his Pokémon felt from that loss back atLake Acuity into his advantage here which is why he brought them all back for this battle. Ash states he is correct and that this is what all of his Pokémon want. Gastrodon uses Ice Beam again and Buizel approaches withAqua Jet, turning it into Ice Aqua Jet. The combination narrowly misses its mark as Gastrodon launches into the air and then goes for a Body Slam. Ash thinks quickly and instructs Buizel to meet the attack withIce Punch, causing Gastrodon to faint.
Ash settles himself, adjusting his cap, and knows that the hard part of the battle has only just begun. At his home inVeilstone City, Reggie watches the broadcast, wondering if Ash has figured out that Paul hadplanned to sacrifice Aggron and Gastrodon in the beginning all along, and knows that, if not, he will be in trouble. Meanwhile, Paul sends outDrapion and has it usePin Missile, but Buizel cancels the attack out with aWater Gun Counter Shield. Drapion then usesCross Poison, which Buizel dodges by sliding behind Drapion. Buizel then launches aSonic Boom, but Drapion blocks the attack with its tail, before using said tail to reach out and grab Buizel. Drapion then turns its torso a full 180° to face the trapped Buizel and prepares to attack. Ash realizes that Drapion has no blind spots, and calls for Buizel to escape Drapion's grasp.
The episode's Englishdub title is a reference to the idiom "familiarity breeds contempt".
This episode marks the first time Ash has participated in aFull Battle more than once against the same character.
This would be the last episode where a Generation IV Pokémon would make its main series debut during thePokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl arc ofPokémon the Series. Of the remaining three Generation IV Pokémon, excludingPorygon-Z, two would make their main series debut in later seasons (Manaphy andArceus), with one (Giratina) yet to make its main series debut.
Errors
In the original Japanese version, whenAggron usesMetal Sound onPikachu,Brock says that Metal Sound lowers an opponent'sDefense, although it actually lowersSpecial Defense. This is corrected in the English dub.
WhenBuizel is preparing his IceAqua Jet, his mouth is orange instead of tan.
When Buizel is in his Ice Aqua Jet, the two stripes on his back are missing.
When Buizel hitsGastrodon withIce Punch, the lower part of Gastrodon's mouth is green instead of blue.
After Gastrodon is knocked out, the middle part of its head is colored the same as the lower half of its body.
Buizel's mouth error
Buizel's missing stripes
Gastrodon's mouth error
Gastrodon's head error
Dub edits
In the English dub, Ash says his upcoming battle withPaul reminds him of the battle atLake Acuity, and confidently claims to have the whole thing figured out. In the original Japanese version, his reaction is considerably different, noting that he is nervous about the battle, and that his nervousness reminds him of how he felt during the battle at Lake Acuity.
In the English dub,Dawn saysPiplup looks handsome in his cheerleading outfit. In the original Japanese version, she says that he looks cool.
In the English dub, Paul tells Dawn that he doesn't likeAsh, as he always talks about friendship and trust like his brotherReggie always does. In the original Japanese version, Paul says that heused to dislike Ash, indicating that he has grown to respect Ash.
In the original Japanese version, Ash can be heard calling outInfernape to battle. Due to there being no eyecatches, this line is absent from the English dub.
In the original Japanese version, Paul is unsurprised when Ash hasStaraptor useClose Combat on the ground to free itself, calmly remarking that this is the move Ash came up with. In the English dub, Paul seems to be caught off guard by Ash's command. This creates an inconsistency with the following scene, in whichReggie notes that Paul had preparedGastrodon'sIce Beam just in case Staraptor escaped.
In the original Japanese version, Paul scoffs at Ash for his decision to use the same team he used at Lake Acuity, calling him unbelievable. In the English dub, Paul insults Ash by calling him "pathetic and predictable".
In the original Japanese version, when Ash is telling Buizel to get quickly out ofDrapion's grasp, there is an echo effect, which is removed in the English dub.
Buizel's mouth error
Buizel's missing stripes
Gastrodon's mouth error
Gastrodon's head error
