BW061

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Pokémon the Series: Black & White

BW062 : Crisis at Chargestone Cave! →

Battling the King of the Mines!

BW061   EP718 地底のジム！戦VSヤーコン！！ Underground Gym Battle! VS Yakon!!

First broadcast Japan January 5, 2012 United States May 12, 2012

English themes Opening Rival Destinies Ending

Japanese themes Opening ベストウイッシュ！ Ending 七色アーチ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Battling the King of the Mines! (Japanese: 地底のジム戦！VSヤーコン！！ Underground Gym Battle! VS Yakon!!) is the 61st episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 718th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on January 5, 2012 and in the United States on May 12, 2012.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

After fulfilling Clay’s request for the rare Revival Herbs, Ash is more than ready for his Gym Battle...and finally, so is Clay! They proceed to the battlefield in the Driftveil Gym, located deep underground in one of Clay’s mines. The battle will use three Pokémon per side. Clay starts by bringing out his powerful Krokorok, and Ash realizes that he can’t use Pikachu, who’s been eager to battle, because its Electric-type moves won’t work at all against Clay’s team of Ground types. He picks Oshawott instead, and the battle begins!

Krokorok is powerful indeed, but Ash executes a brilliant strategy to knock it out and give him the lead. Then Clay brings out his Palpitoad, which appears to be much stronger than Ash’s own Palpitoad. Oshawott is defeated with a crushing Rock Smash, and Snivy is up next. Another unusual strategy and an excellent type advantage lead to Palpitoad’s defeat, and Clay is not pleased.

Finally, the Gym Leader turns to his secret weapon—a super-strong Excadrill, whose Rapid Spin keeps deflecting Snivy’s attacks until it’s able to knock Snivy out. Both sides are down to just one Pokémon left, and Ash calls on Roggenrola, hoping its toughness will keep it standing against repeated powerful attacks from Excadrill.

Excadrill’s attacks are unyielding, but sure enough, Roggenrola endures—and then evolves into a powerful Boldore, which turns the tide of the battle considerably! Both Boldore and Excadrill are extremely tough, and the attacks continue to fly—but in the end, Boldore emerges victorious, and Ash wins the Quake Badge! Then, upon Nurse Joy’s recommendation, our heroes set their sights on the Mistralton City Gym, where Ash will vie for his sixth Unova Gym badge!

Plot

Returning to the Driftveil Gym with the Revival Herbs from Milos Island, Ash, for the third time, comes to the Gym to finally battle Clay. As the door to the Gym opens, a Worker answers and lets Ash, Cilan, and Iris inside when Ash presents the bag of herbs to the worker. The worker leads them to an elevator and they descend down deep underground to a mining tunnel. Ash sees Clay and presents the bag of Revival Herbs to him. Seeing as they are good quality, he accepts Ash's request for a Gym battle. Clay leads the group to a wall and press a button on the door that leads them to the Gym's battlefield.

Iris and Cilan head to the sidelines as Ash enters the field. The referee declares that the Gym battle will be a three-on-three match and then begins the match. Clay sends out his first Pokémon, a Krokorok. Pikachu eagerly wants to battle Krokorok but Ash quickly reminds Pikachu that Electric-type moves don't work on Ground-type Pokémon, so he'll have to sit out this match. Ash sends out his Oshawott and promptly commands an Aqua Jet, but Krokorok dodges Oshawott by using Dig, causing Oshawott to crash into the wall. Krokorok leaps out the ground and unleashes Sandstorm, causing sand to fly furiously on the field. As Oshawott is buffeted by the sandstorm, sand gets into his eyes, blinding him. Krokorok Bites Oshawott, who tries to attack with Razor Shell, but with sand in his eyes, all the Sea Otter Pokémon can do is blindly swing his scalchop around. Krokorok attacks with Stone Edge, dealing Oshawott a considerable amount of damage. Oshawott is barely able to stand due to Krokorok's attacks as well as the raging sandstorm's effects. Just when Clay tells Krokorok to finish the round up, an idea pops into Ash's mind. He orders Oshawott to use Water Gun on the field and the Sea Otter Pokémon rapidly spins as he fires off a Water Gun to create a water geyser, causing a downpour that effectively stops the sandstorm as well as washes the sand out of his eyes. Krokorok digs underground but Oshawott fires a Water Gun into its hole, flushing it out into the air. Oshawott proceeds to score a direct hit on his opponent with Aqua Jet before finishing it off with a slash of his Razor Shell.

Iris comments that Oshawott's super-effective moves helped Ash win the round. Cilan reminds Iris that Krokorok is only his first Pokémon. As Clay recalls Krokorok back into its Poké Ball, he praises Ash for his gutsiness, but reminds him to stay serious as he sends out his next Pokémon, a Palpitoad. Iris notes that Clay's Palpitoad seems a lot stronger than Ash's Palpitoad. Ash asks Oshawott if he's okay, and Oshawott nods his head. Oshawott fires a Water Gun that Palpitoad counters with a Hydro Pump. The two Water-type attacks collide, but Hydro Pump proves far more powerful, completely overpowering Oshawott's Water Gun and sending him into the wall. Oshawott shakes off his damage and proceeds to use Razor Shell, but Palpitoad fires a Sludge Bomb, which hits Oshawott and knocks his scalchop out of his hands before he can unleash his attack. Oshawott retrieves his scalchop, but Palpitoad slams Oshawott into the ground using Rock Smash, knocking him out. Ash returns him to his Poké Ball.

Clay taunts Ash saying that his gutsiness has come to an end, but Ash assures him that he isn't finished yet. Realizing that Palpitoad is both a Ground and Water-type Pokémon, Ash sends out his Snivy. However, instead of starting off with a Grass-type attack, Ash orders Snivy to use Attract, which causes Palpitoad to become infatuated. Snivy attacks with Vine Whip, followed by Leaf Blade, both super-effective moves hitting Palpitoad without any problems. Clay tries to get Palpitoad to snap out of his infatuation, but with no avail. Snivy finishes off Palpitoad with a Leaf Storm, knocking him out.

Clay is furious by Ash's tactic by using Attract, stating that it isn't a strategy or fair, leaving Ash utterly confused. Clay takes off his hat and scrunches it in his fist then throws it to the ground, before sending out his final Pokémon, an Excadrill, who lets out a roar upon being summoned. Snivy starts off by using Vine Whip, but Excadrill counters with a Rapid Spin, deflecting all of the hits. Next, Snivy tries to attack with a swing of her Leaf Blade, but Excadrill easily overpowers her with another Rapid Spin. After that fails, she tries to use Attract, but once again, Excadrill stops the attack with Rapid Spin. The Grass Snake Pokémon desperately tries to attack with her last move, Leaf Storm, but, again, Rapid Spin overpowers her move. Finally, Excadrill unleashes a devastating Horn Drill attack, knocking Snivy out in one hit.

Iris and Cilan are amazed by Excadrill's sheer power. As Ash returns Snivy to her Poké Ball, Ash declares that he isn't ready to throw in the towel and declares his dream to become a Pokémon Master, so giving up in the Gym isn't an option. Clay tells Ash that he's still naïve and shows Ash his prized pickaxe. He states that when he was Ash's age, he and Excadrill worked hard mining to get to where they are today. Clay proclaims that Ash is just lightly throwing around his dream to the world without truly working hard. Ash defends that he is serious to become a Pokémon Master, and he'll show it with his last Pokémon, but Clay says that it's all talk for now. Ash assesses his situation, knowing that he needs a Pokémon that can endure Excadrill's power, and with that, Ash decides to send out his Roggenrola. Iris and Cilan are confused as to why Ash chose a Rock-type Pokémon to face a dual-type Ground/Steel-type Pokémon, but Cilan thinks Ash chose it for its grit. Roggenrola starts off with a Sandstorm, but Excadrill digs underground using Drill Run and attacks Roggenrola from under its feet before it quickly digs back into the ground and repeatedly attacks with Drill Run. Roggenrola is tossed across the field, taking each successive hit. After being pummeled by multiple Drill Runs, Roggenrola is winded, but still standing. Clay is amazed that it hasn't fainted yet, but decides to wrap it up with a Horn Drill attack. Excadrill slams its high-speed-rotating horn into Roggenrola, but the Mantle Pokémon does not fall. In fact, it doesn't make a sound at all. Ash, worried about Roggenrola, calls out to it, but Roggenrola begins to glow and evolves into a Boldore.

Ash quickly scans it with his Pokédex, finding out that Boldore has learned some new moves. Excadrill's attacks with Horn Drill, but Boldore endures the hit with Sturdy. Excadrill attacks with Drill Run, but Boldore catches Excadrill before the Subterrene Pokémon can land the attack. Boldore and Excadrill both try to wrestle the other to the ground, but both are equally matched. Suddenly, Boldore's crystals begin to glow, and Ash, taking note of the power building within Boldore, orders the Ore Pokémon to attack with Rock Blast. Excadrill takes the attack and stands up, but drops down to one knee. Boldore's crystals continue to glow and it attacks with its newly learned Rock Smash as Excadrill does the same. As both Rock Smash attacks collide, a huge shockwave shakes the ground. However, Excadrill winces from its damage and Boldore takes the opportunity to overpower Excadrill and slams it into the ground. As the dust settles, Excadrill is on the floor, knocked out. With that, Boldore is declared the winner, giving the victory to Ash.

Ash runs out to the field and hugs his newly evolved Boldore, who happily jumps onto Ash, knocking him onto the ground. Ash continues to praise Boldore as Clay smiles at Ash. Outside of the Gym, Clay thanks Ash for the great battle and encourages him to continue his journey to become a Pokémon Master. Clay presents him with the Quake Badge, thus Ash now has five Unova Badges. Later that night at the Pokémon Center, Ash, Iris, and Cilan chat about the Gym battle. As Nurse Joy returns Ash's Pokémon, she asks him what he plans on doing next. Ash declares that he'll go and get his sixth Badge at the next Gym available. Nurse Joy recommends that he should continue on to Mistralton City. Thus Ash, Iris, and Cilan plan on heading there next.

Major events

Ash holding the Quake Badge

• Ash's Roggenrola evolves into Boldore and learns Rock Blast and Rock Smash.
• Ash battles Clay in his fifth Unova Gym match and wins, earning himself the Quake Badge.
• Ash learns that the next Gym is located in Mistralton City and decides to head there.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series, please see the timeline page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Boldore (Ash's)

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Nurse Joy
• Clay
• Gym referee
• Clay's underground staff

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Krokorok (US and international) Excadrill (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Oshawott (Ash's)
• Snivy (Ash's)
• Roggenrola (Ash's; evolves)
• Boldore (Ash's; newly evolved; debut)
• Excadrill (Clay's)
• Krokorok (Clay's)
• Palpitoad (Clay's)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster: Golett
• Seven-colored Arch replaced Can You Name All the Pokémon? BW as the Japanese ending theme.
• Who's That Pokémon? returns in the original version and replaces the former eyecatch.
  • This is the first episode to feature the Who's That Pokémon segment in the original version since Hoenn Alone!, over 440 episodes ago, and is the first to be featured outside of the original series.
• Ash and Cilan narrate the preview for the next episode.
• Ash's idea to clean Oshawott's eyes with a Water move is similar to what happened to Squirtle in Pace - The Final Frontier!.
• This episode marks a new time the evolution scene changes since Sunglasses Sandile evolved in Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!.

Errors

• When Clay's Krokorok attacks Oshawott with Bite, the long black stripe going down its back disappears.
• When Snivy is first brought out against Clay's Palpitoad, they appear to be exactly the same size even though later scenes show Palpitoad being considerably larger than Snivy is.
• As Snivy avoids Clay's Excadrill's Rapid Spin, her eye lacks sclera and the iris takes over all of her eye.
• Upon Roggenrola's evolution, Ash calls it by its newly evolved form's name before using the Pokédex, even though he never saw one before.
• In the English dub, when Ash is congratulating Boldore at the end of the episode, he mispronounces its name as "boulder".

• 

  Krokorok's missing black stripe

• 

  The size inconsistency

• 

  Snivy's eye error

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		地底的道館賽！VS菊老大！！
Danish		Kampen mod Minernes Konge!
Dutch		Vechten tegen de koning van de mijnen!
Finnish		Ottelu Kaivosten kuningasta vastaan!
European French		Sacha contre le Roi de la Mine !
German		Der Kampf gegen den König der Minen!
Greek		Μάχη με τον Βασιλιά των Μεταλλείων!
Italian		Lotta contro il Re delle Miniere!
Korean		땅속의 체육관 시합! 지우 VS 야콘!
Norwegian		Kjempe mot Gruvenes Konge!
Polish		Bitwa z Królem Kopalń!
Portuguese	Brazil	Batalhando contra o Rei das Minas!
	Portugal	O Combate com o Rei das Minas!
Russian		Сражение с королём шахт!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Enfrentando al Rey de las Minas!
	Spain	¡Combatiendo contra el Rey de las Minas!
Swedish		Strid mot Gruvornas Kung!
Thai		ศึกยิมใต้พิภพ! ปะทะ ยาคง!!
Vietnamese		Đối đầu với bác Yacon ! Tại nhà thi đấu dưới lòng đất

← BW060 : Stopping the Rage of Legends! Part 2

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

BW062 : Crisis at Chargestone Cave! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.