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| Season | Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Season 10) · Jubilife City: the Pokétch & the first Contest arc (DP010–DP012) |
| Episode | Season 10, episode 12 · English episode 476 · Japanese episode 479 · Bulbapedia code DP012 |
| English title | Arrival of a Rival! |
| Japanese title | コンテストバトル！ライバル対決！！ Kontesuto Batoru! Raibaru Taiketsu!! — “Contest Battle! Rival Showdown!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 14 December 2006 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 21 June 2007 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Together – Fumie Akiyoshi · Kimi no Soba de ~Hikari no Tēma~ (By Your Side ~Hikari’s Theme~) – Grin |
| English opening | Diamond and Pearl – Chris “Breeze” Barczynski |
| Previous episode | Mounting a Coordinator Assault! (DP011) |
| Next episode | A Staravia Is Born! (DP013) |
Plot episodeZoey wins the Jubilife RibbonDawn Top 4
Arrival of a Rival! is the 12th episode of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, the tenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 476th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 479, Bulbapedia code DP012). It first aired in Japan on 14 December 2006 and in the United States on 21 June 2007. It falls within the season’s Jubilife City: the Pokétch & the first Contest stretch (EP10–EP12).
Synopsis
The results are in: Dawn, Ash, Zoey and Jessilina are all among the eight Coordinators heading to the Battle Stage of the Jubilife Contest, and Johanna has already seen the news on television. The first pairing puts Ash against Zoey, and when Zoey hears that he is really aiming for the Sinnoh League, her mood cools and she asks why he enters Contests if he cannot tell them from Gym battles. Dawn warns him that Contest battles are scored on style, but Ash decides to trust his instincts. On stage, Glameow catches Aipom’s tail to stop Focus Punch, deflects Swift-and-Double-Team tricks back with Fury Swipes, blocks a punch with Iron Tail and even uses Shadow Claw to hold Aipom’s fist. With ten seconds left, Ash charges one more Focus Punch so powerful that Zoey and Glameow freeze, but time runs out just before it lands, and Zoey wins on points.
Backstage Zoey congratulates Ash on Aipom’s power, though she still believes Contests are not his stage; when she hears that Aipom wanted to perform, she suggests Dawn might be the one to raise it. Dawn and Jessilina win their own battles, setting up a semi-final between Dawn’s Buneary and Zoey’s Glameow. Shadow Claw blocks Ice Beam and Glameow leaps over Bounce to land Fury Swipes, but Buneary blocks Iron Tail with its ears and a missed Ice Beam turns the stage to ice, leaving Glameow sliding helplessly while Buneary lands Dizzy Punch and Bounce. With thirty seconds left, Glameow smashes the ice into a shield of shards with Shadow Claw, then springs up with Iron Tail, and when time expires Zoey has won by the narrowest of margins.
Dawn calls home in tears, and Johanna gives her a short, firm talk about looking ahead and relying on her friends. The final pits Zoey against Jessilina, whose Carnivine wraps Glameow in Bind and goes for Bite, but Glameow breaks free with Shadow Claw, slashes back with rapid Fury Swipes, dodges Bullet Seed and uses Iron Tail to wipe out Jessilina’s remaining points. Zoey wins the Jubilife Ribbon, her second, to loud applause, having beaten Ash in the quarter-finals, Dawn in the semi-finals and Jessilina in the final without dropping a match. Outside the hall Dawn vows to grow stronger before they meet again, and Zoey leaves, now firmly established as Dawn’s rival. With Dawn’s debut behind them, the group turn toward Oreburgh City and Ash’s first Sinnoh Gym battle.
Major Events
- Jubilife Contest, part 2. Zoey beats Ash in the quarter-finals, Dawn in the semi-finals and Jessilina in the final to win the Jubilife Ribbon, her second
- Dawn Top 4, Ash Top 8
Trivia
- The English title plays on a rhyme for Zoey’s arrival.
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Sinnoh storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Sir Aaron’s theme from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
Part of our Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.