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| Season | Pokémon: Advanced Battle (Season 8) · The Ever Grande Conference arc (AG124–AG131) |
| Episode | Season 8, episode 37 · English episode 402 · Japanese episode 406 · Bulbapedia code AG130 |
| English title | Choose It or Lose It! |
| Japanese title | ライバル対決！VSマサムネ！！ Raibaru Taiketsu! Tai Masamune!! — “Rival Showdown! VS Masamune!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 26 May 2005 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 25 March 2006 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Shōji Yonemura |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Pokémon Symphonic Medley – Pokémon Symphonic Orchestra · GLORY DAY ~Kagayaku Sono Hi~ (That Shining Day) – GARDEN |
| English opening | Unbeatable – David Rolfe |
| Pokémon Trainer’s Choice | Which is caught by fishing? (Lickitung / Feebas / Wobbuffet) → Feebas |
| Previous episode | A Judgment Brawl (AG129) |
| Next episode | At the End of the Fray (AG131) |
Plot episodeAsh beats MorrisonQuarter-finals
Choose It or Lose It! is the 37th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Battle, the eighth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 402nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 406, Bulbapedia code AG130). It first aired in Japan on 26 May 2005 and in the United States on 25 March 2006. It falls within the season’s The Ever Grande Conference stretch (EP124–EP131).
The original Kids’ WB title card misspelt the title as “Choose It or Loose It!”.
Synopsis
Just before the referee can disqualify Morrison, Ash insists that his friend can still fight, and Morrison sends out Growlithe against Corphish. Growlithe only dodges Bubble Beam with Agility, refusing to attack, and Corphish knocks it out with a critical-hit Crabhammer. Ash harshly tells Morrison to quit if he will not battle seriously, and Morrison, stung, apologises to Growlithe and vows to show real battling spirit. His Swampert then trades Focus Punch against Crabhammer and Hydro Pump against Bubble Beam until a final Crabhammer and Focus Punch land on each other’s faces in a double knockout. At the interval Morrison admits that he never knew how to face Ash as a rival, and the two shake hands, agreeing to battle to win while staying friends.
On a grass field, Morrison’s Steelix knocks out Pikachu with Dragon Breath, Dig and a clash of Iron Tails, then defeats Torkoal despite an Overheat by escaping underground in the smoke and finishing with Dragon Breath. Grovyle dodges Iron Tail and Dig, peppers Steelix with Bullet Seed and pushes through Dragon Breath with Leaf Blade to knock it out, but Morrison’s Gligar catches Grovyle with Guillotine and slams it into the ground. Swellow and Gligar trade Double Team, Peck, Iron Tail, Hidden Power, Aerial Ace and Steel Wing, colliding three times until an explosion knocks both out. It all comes down to Glalie against Morrison’s partner Metang, and Glalie bounces its redirected Ice Beam back with Icy Wind to freeze Metang before ducking a final Meteor Mash and hitting Metang’s underside with a spinning Headbutt.
Ash wins and advances to the quarter-finals, and Tyson joins him when his Sceptile defeats a Rhydon with Solar Beam; Tyson is also revealed to own Hariyama and Shiftry. Morrison is disappointed but recovers quickly, praising the match and asking for a rematch someday, before Tyson calls everyone to dinner. Team Rocket are rewarded with a buffet, and their boss leaves on a business trip and puts them in charge of his stalls, to their stunned delight. That night Team Rocket’s Meowth tries to advise Tyson’s Meowth on how to beat Pikachu, but it ignores him and slices through branches, dropping a tree on him. The next day, on a grass field, Ash’s Glalie and Tyson’s Sceptile open their quarter-final as Ice Beam meets Solar Beam.
Major Events
- Ash beats Morrison, Glalie defeating Metang, and reaches the quarter-finals
- Ash vs Tyson begins
Trivia
- The English title plays on "use it or lose it".
- The screenplay is by Shōji Yonemura.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Hoenn storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Ash and Morrison’s exchange rewritten around Growlithe
- The original Kids’ WB title card read “Choose It or Loose It!”
- Type: Wild as an insert song
Part of our Pokémon: Advanced Battle guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.