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| Season | Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Season 10) · Oreburgh City & the Coal Badge arc (DP013–DP018) |
| Episode | Season 10, episode 16 · English episode 480 · Japanese episode 483 · Bulbapedia code DP016 |
| English title | A Gruff Act to Follow! |
| Japanese title | ズガイドスＶＳピカチュウ！！ Zugaidosu Tai Pikachū!! — “Zugaidos VS Pikachu!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 18 January 2007 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 28 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 | Shapes of Things to Come! (DP015) |
| Next episode | Wild in the Streets! (DP017) |
Plot episodeAsh loses to RoarkHis only Sinnoh Gym loss
A Gruff Act to Follow! is the 16th episode of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, the tenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 480th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 483, Bulbapedia code DP016). It first aired in Japan on 18 January 2007 and in the United States on 28 June 2007. It falls within the season’s Oreburgh City & the Coal Badge stretch (EP13–EP18).
Synopsis
Paul laughs at Ash’s demand to stay and watch, and Dawn, offended that he does not even remember her, has to be calmed down by Brock. Roark invites Paul to remain, and to everyone’s surprise he agrees, but the Leader asks to battle Ash the next day so his Pokémon can rest. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, disguised as scientists, tour the Oreburgh Mining Museum with the enthusiastic researcher Dr. Kenzo, who shows them the fossil collection, the Fossil Pokémon living in an eco-dome and, to their delight, the Fossil Restorer. At the Pokémon Center Ash picks Turtwig, the only member of his team with a type advantage, plus Aipom for Focus Punch and Pikachu for Iron Tail, promising a disappointed Staravia its turn next time. When a young boy thanks Paul for giving him the Azumarill that lost to Geodude, Ash accuses Paul of throwing it away, and Paul replies that it would never have improved.
At the Gym, Roark surprises everyone by opening with Cranidos. Aipom’s Focus Punch is interrupted by Headbutt, its Double Team copies are cleared away, and when it tries again Zen Headbutt meets the punch head-on and Aipom collapses into Ash’s arms. Pikachu trades Thunderbolt and Iron Tail with Zen Headbutt and Headbutt until Paul, convinced Ash has lost, gets up to leave, then stops as Pikachu unleashes a huge burst of electricity. Iron Tail lands on Cranidos’s head, Roark calls for Head Smash and Ash answers with Volt Tackle, and the two smash together in a blast that hurts both. Ash switches to Turtwig, whose bite on Cranidos’s arm and final Razor Leaf knock out the Skull Pokémon, though Turtwig takes heavy damage from Zen Headbutt and Flamethrower.
Roark’s second Pokémon is Onix, which dodges Razor Leaf and knocks Turtwig out with Double-Edge. The exhausted Pikachu returns, but Onix’s Slam counters Iron Tail, and Ash realises Iron Tail is his only effective move. Thinking fast, he has Pikachu shatter the field with a Thunderbolt so that the debris blocks Onix’s Double-Edge, but when Pikachu charges in with Quick Attack, Onix’s piercing Screech stops it in its tracks and it crashes into a jagged rock, unable to battle. Roark has won with only two of his three Pokémon, and Ash leaves without a Badge, beaten by a region’s first Gym Leader for the first time since his Pewter City match with Brock. Brock praises the idea of breaking up the field, but says it was not enough against Screech, while Paul walks out, his opinion of Ash unchanged.
Major Events
- Ash loses to Roark. Onix’s Screech finishes Pikachu: Ash’s only official Gym defeat in Sinnoh and his first loss to a region’s first Gym Leader since EP005
- Paul gives his Azumarill away to a boy
Trivia
- The English title plays on "a tough act to follow".
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Sinnoh storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Brock’s remarks about Ash’s team and Paul’s speed changed
- Ash says “Pikachu is the best” where in Japanese he apologises
Part of our Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.