Once in a Mawile – Pokémon Season 8, Episode 13

Plot episodeLombre evolves into LudicoloNew Japanese opening

Once in a Mawile is the 13th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Battle, the eighth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 378th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 381, Bulbapedia code AG105). It first aired in Japan on 2 December 2004 and in the United States on 10 December 2005. It falls within the season’s Izabe Island: Harley, Ludicolo & Snorunt stretch (EP102–EP109).

Premiered in the UK on 7 November 2005, more than a month before its US premiere on 10 December — the first episode ever to air in Britain before America.

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

After lunch Ash wants to train, so Brock offers a practice battle: Ash’s Torkoal against Brock’s Lombre, which Max expects to win thanks to its Water typing. Torkoal’s Body Slam and Flamethrower miss, but it withdraws into its shell with Iron Defense to block Water Gun and Razor Leaf, then unleashes Overheat, blasting Lombre clear into a nearby forest. There Lombre lands beside Samantha, a performer training her Mawile. Brock falls for Samantha on the spot while Mawile falls just as hard for Lombre, which wants nothing to do with her. Brock keeps nudging the two Pokémon together until Max scolds him, and Samantha treats everyone to a ribbon dance with Mawile. Watching from hiding, Team Rocket decide to steal Mawile; James has misgivings, but Jessie talks him round.

On the road to the next town, Brock spots an abandoned bouquet and sends Lombre to fetch it as a gift. It turns out to be bait for a pitfall trap, and in the confusion Team Rocket seize Mawile and float away in their balloon. Ash’s Corphish and Brock’s Lombre face Seviper and Cacnea, and Torkoal steps in with Body Slam on Cacnea and Flamethrower on Seviper. In the scramble Mawile escapes, and Corphish’s Crabhammer knocks Cacnea into the balloon, where its spikes pop it and blast the trio away. Corphish, which has developed a crush of its own, then offers Mawile the flowers, only to be flung aside as she clings to Lombre again, leaving Corphish, Brock and Torkoal weeping together over their shared heartbreak.

That night Samantha and Mawile begin their show before a packed stadium, but Team Rocket’s smoke attack covers the kidnapping of Lombre. Mawile charges after him, and at the Rocket hideout Lombre bonds with Wobbuffet before standing up for Mawile in battle against Dustox and Cacnea, blocking Pin Missile while Mawile finishes the trio with Solar Beam. Back at the stadium, Lombre rummages through Samantha’s bag, touches a Water Stone and evolves into Ludicolo, learning Bullet Seed and dancing on stage. The show is a triumph, but Mawile now finds the dancing Ludicolo unappealing, so Brock and Ludicolo dance away their heartbreak. Brock’s Lombre is the first main character’s Pokémon to evolve by stone, and the episode introduces a new opening and a brighter art style in Japan.

Major Events

• Brock’s Lombre evolves into Ludicolo after touching Samantha’s Water Stone, the first stone evolution of a main character’s Pokémon, and learns Bullet Seed
• Samantha and her Mawile
• New Japanese opening Pokémon Symphonic Medley, new eyecatches and the Pokémon Trivia Quiz
• Brighter art style
• First episode to air in the UK before the US
• Mawile debuts

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Mawile#0303 · AG105

Captures and evolutions

• Lombre → Ludicolo#0272 · Brock · Water Stone

Trivia

• The English title plays on "once in a while".
• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Hoenn storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• Giovanni’s wine recoloured white, as milk (Kids’ WB)
• 1-second Corphish sneeze cut (in Japan, a sign that someone is talking about you)
• 9 seconds of routine time cuts
• new Japanese opening Pokémon Symphonic Medley
• Ready Go!, Polka O Dolka and Advance Adventure as Japanese background music; the vocal Ready Go! is removed from the dub

Part of our Pokémon: Advanced Battle guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.