DP061

← DP060 : Journey to the Unown!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP062 : Tanks for the Memories! →

Team Shocker!

DP061   EP527 ポケモンコンテスト！ズイ大会！！ Pokémon Contest! Zui Convention!!

First broadcast Japan December 20, 2007 United States June 14, 2008

English themes Opening We Will Be Heroes Ending

Japanese themes Opening Together (shown in DP060) Ending 君のそばで 〜ヒカリのテーマ〜 (Winter Version)

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Team Shocker! (Japanese: ポケモンコンテスト！ズイ大会！！ Pokémon Contest! Zui Convention!!) is the 61st episode of Diamond & Pearl series, and the 527th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on December 20, 2007 along with DP060, and in the United States on June 14, 2008.

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

Blurb

The Solaceon Contest is about to start, and Dawn is eager to show off her Ambipom's spectacular Swift move. The competition includes both Jessie and Dawn's friend Kenny, who's also been helping Ash's Turtwig learn the Energy Ball move. Kenny and his Breloom make an impressive Contest entrance, and Jessie brings out her Dustox for an explosive first act. Then Dawn takes the stage, and Ambipom's swirling Swift lights up the entire stadium—but the judges don't seem impressed by Ambipom's pyrotechnics...

Backstage, everyone gathers for the first round results: Kenny and Jessie advance, yet Dawn is out of the competition. As her friends comfort her, she shrugs it off and puts on a brave face, staying to watch the Contest finals and cheer for Kenny. The last round of the Contest sees Kenny and his Prinplup battling Jessie and Dustox, and Jessie wins the match as time runs out. Kenny leaves to train for his next Contest, but he's quietly concerned that Dawn no longer seems to be interested in competing.

Just as Kenny suspected, this latest setback has left Dawn deeply confused and upset. The next day, Dawn won't even get out of bed until Zoey, who saw what happened at the Contest, shows up and demands a battle. During the battle, Zoey shows Dawn that Ambipom's Swift move was pretty-too pretty! Ambipom was hidden by all the flash, when Dawn should have been concentrating on showing off Ambipom itself. Somewhat cheered, Dawn takes Zoey's advice to heart as our heroes head for Veilstone City, where Ash hopes to win his next Gym Badge!

Plot

On the day before the Solaceon Town Pokémon Contest, Ash attempts to train Turtwig to use Energy Ball, while Kenny and his Breloom look on. However, the training is not going well, and the Energy Ball backfires before taking form, sending Turtwig flying. Kenny comments that while Turtwig is having problems with the forming, it is concentrating hard enough. Ash compliments his Turtwig, knowing they will have to take their time.

Meanwhile, Dawn is preparing for the Solaceon Contest with her newly evolved Ambipom, and she is determined to win after failing to pass the Performance Stage in her last attempt at winning a Ribbon. Ambipom practices her Swift attack, and creates a dazzling rainbow as a result. After finishing, Dawn gives Ambipom and her other Pokémon some Poffins as her gratitude for their hard work. Brock compliments Ambipom's performance. Dawn tells Brock that, after losing the Hearthome Contest, she has decided to try a different strategy than the one she used during the Double Performance, which involves focusing on Ambipom performing her Swift attack over and over. Dawn and Ambipom then practice the routine again.

Elsewhere, Jessie, as "Jessilina", is also getting ready alongside Dustox. She envisions winning using James and Meowth's strategy, which worries James and Meowth since they haven't actually thought of one. Jessie pulls them up on their obvious nervousness, and they lie and tell her they've thought of one. Jessie and Dustox leave to get ready for the Contest, while James and Meowth know their lives won't be worth living if Jessie doesn't win.

On the day of the Solaceon Contest, Ash tells Pikachu, Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu to cheer for Ambipom. Marian shows off the Solaceon Ribbon that the entrants are competing for, with Dawn, Kenny, and Jessie all hoping to win it. She then introduces the panel of judges, formed by the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee, Mr. Contesta; the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo; and Solaceon's very own Nurse Joy.

The Performance Stage begins, with Johanna and her Glameow watching at home. Kenny is up first, and has Breloom begin with a Stun Spore. As the stage fills with the Stun Spore, Breloom's coat begins to shine. Kenny then has Breloom use Energy Ball, and after using its tail to send the Energy Ball to the ceiling, Breloom uses Mach Punch on the Energy Ball, making the whole stage and Breloom shine. The crowd is enraptured, and the Contest Judges pass their compliments on. Dawn is more determined than ever to do well. In the stands, Ash notices that Piplup is worried for Dawn after seeing how well Kenny has improved.

After a few more performances, it's now Jessie's turn. Jessie sends Dustox out from her Poké Ball and she flies around showing off her shining scales. Jessie tells Dustox to use Whirlwind, and the audience is astounded to see Jessie lifted off the ground. She floats around for the while, and while the rest of the audience is mesmerized, Ash, Brock, James and Meowth aren't that impressed. Dawn and Kenny are also watching backstage and can't believe what they're seeing. Jessie then finishes the performance by having Dustox use Psybeam, which causes a plume of green smoke. After a few seconds it clears to show Jessie and Dustox having finished their performance in style. The judges are very impressed by Jessie and Dustox being so in sync with each other.

It's finally Dawn's turn, and with her friends cheering in the stands, she starts with having Ambipom use Double Hit, sending shockwaves throughout the Contest Hall. She then has Ambipom begin her Swift routine. Ambipom, standing on one her arms, starts to spin and release the Swift from her tail. As the stars from Swift hit each other, the rainbow effect is produced even better than before. Zoey is watching from a Pokémon Center but it's clear she's not impressed. Dawn has Ambipom spin faster and faster, and the stars completely consume the stage creating more of the rainbow effect and blocking Ambipom from view. Kenny and Jessie watch from backstage, and neither of them are enjoying the performance. While Ash thinks Dawn is giving an exceptional performance, Brock is worried about Dawn's overuse of Swift. With the judges watching on, Dawn ends the performance to cheers from the crowd.

Backstage, Ash and Brock congratulate Dawn on her performance. It's time to announce the Pokémon Coordinators who have made it past the Performance Stage into the Contest Battles. Ambipom is very nervous, but Dawn tells her not to worry but to get ready for the second round. Eventually the faces start popping up, and both Kenny and Jessie (much to James and Meowth's relief) have made it through. The final faces appear on screen, and Dawn is nowhere to be seen. Finally, as the last face is about to appear, Dawn faces an agonizing wait. The final entry is revealed, and it isn't Dawn, meaning that she hasn't made it past the performance stage for the second Contest in a row! Ambipom is left terribly sad, and Johanna feels very disappointed for her daughter. No one is sure what to say to Dawn, but she surprised everyone by putting on a brave face and encourages Kenny to get ready for the battles. After noticing how upset Ambipom is, Dawn gently pats her on the head. Jessie, on the other hand, cannot help but rub Dawn's face in her loss and tries to force her out of the backstage but Dawn, all smiles, tells Jessie she's staying. Ash notices that despite her smile, Dawn is far more disappointed than she's letting on.

Both Kenny and Jessie make it through to the final, and it's Dustox versus Prinplup. Dustox avoids a Drill Peck and hits Prinplup with a Psybeam. Everyone backstage is rooting for Kenny apart from Dawn, who is now feeling very sorry for herself. The battle is hard fought, leading to the time running out and as Dustox is left with the most points, Jessie is declared the winner! Having finally won her first Ribbon, Jessie is delighted and the judges note how relaxed she was in this Contest compared to others. James and Meowth also note how confident Jessie was this time around and with that, the Solaceon Contest draws to a close.

Later that afternoon, Kenny is preparing to leave and tells Dawn he will see her in the next Pokémon Contest. However, Dawn's confidence has taken a serious blow and she does not think she will attend the next one. Kenny tells Dawn that he will not let her quit coordinating, and then after telling Ash to keep working on Turtwig's Energy Ball, bids the group farewell. Dawn then runs to her room, unsure of what to do now. Dawn returns to her bed in the Pokémon Center, feeling very sorry for herself. Having lost two Contests in a row without even making it past the Appeal Rounds despite trying her best, Dawn is no longer sure if she's cut out for Contests and after looking at the Ribbon her mother gave her at the beginning of her journey, cries herself to sleep.

The next day, Ash and Brock are ready to leave Solaceon Town, but Dawn hasn't turned up as she's still fast asleep in bed. Suddenly, the two get a huge surprise, as Zoey turns up to see Dawn. Zoey tells Dawn to get out of bed and asks her for a battle, and to partner with Ambipom based on the previous day's appeal.

On the battlefield, with Zoey using her Glameow, Dawn has Ambipom use Swift in the same way she did before. As Ambipom is covered with the stars, Zoey then points out where Dawn is going wrong... while the move is pretty and impressive, the flaw is that Ambipom can no longer be seen. The point of an appeal is to show off the Pokémon, like Kenny and Jessie did with theirs. Zoey then has Glameow use Iron Tail to smash through the stars, then hits Ambipom with a Shock Wave knocking her back to Dawn.

As Zoey tends to Ambipom, Zoey tells Dawn that the reason she passed on the Solaceon Contest after losing at Hearthome City was because after her loss, she took the chance to recharge, begin focusing on what was important and get ready for the next challenge. Zoey also tells Dawn that at the end of the day, Ribbons aren't really that important, and Zoey is also certain she'll see Dawn at the Grand Festival. Dawn is left feeling a lot better after the talk, and now knows she needs to take her time instead of rushing into every Contest. Having learned a valuable lesson the hard way, Dawn then decides to turn this defeat into a chance to learn and the group sets off for Veilstone City, where Ash hopes to compete for his next Gym Badge.

Major events

Jessilina being awarded the Solaceon Ribbon

• Ash's Turtwig continues to learn Energy Ball with Kenny's help.
• Dawn, Kenny, and Jessilina enter the Solaceon Town Pokémon Contest.
• Dawn fails to pass the Performance Stage for the second time in a row, resulting in her losing confidence in her abilities.
• Jessilina defeats Kenny in the finals and wins the Solaceon Contest, earning the Solaceon Ribbon, her first Contest Ribbon.
• Zoey returns to advise Dawn in matters of Pokémon Contest performances.

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

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Zoey
• Kenny
• Johanna
• Marian
• Raoul Contesta
• Mr. Sukizo
• Nurse Joy
• Coordinators
• Audience

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Turtwig (Ash's)
• Buneary (Dawn's)
• Pachirisu (Dawn's)
• Ambipom (Dawn's)
• Dustox (Jessie's)
• Glameow (Zoey's)
• Prinplup (Kenny's)
• Breloom (Kenny's)
• Glameow (Johanna's)
• Rattata (Coordinator's)
• Dunsparce (Coordinator's)
• Steelix (Coordinator's)
• Exploud (Coordinator's)
• Dusclops (Coordinator's)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia: Bibarel
  • Pokémon senryū: たいぼくを　かじれビーダル　はがいのち Taiboku o, kajire Bīdaru, hagai no chi.
• This is the first official Contest that Jessie has ever won. However, she uses another name in her entry, Jessilina.
• This is the last episode to use By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ (Winter Version) as an ending theme well as By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ in general.
• An instrumental version of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ is played during Dawn's performance. It is present in both the original and the dub.
• Ambipom's performance was similar to May's Skitty's performance in the Hoenn Grand Festival where they kept using the same move over and over again.
  • Ambipom's performance was also similar to Drew's Roselia's performance in Win, Lose or Drew! where the Pokémon disappeared from sight during their flashy big finish. However, unlike Roselia who passed to the next round because of that, Ambipom didn't.
• In every Contest shown since those in the Kanto region, contestants have been shown to be able to use a different Pokémon for the Appeals and Battle rounds. Despite this, Jessie used Dustox in both rounds.
• Dustox participates in what turns out to be her final Contest.
• When James and Meowth were pretending to make a plan for a Contest, the Background Music is from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team.
• Dawn's Pachirisu and Piplup are wearing the same cheering outfit as Buneary, while Pikachu wears a male kimono. This suggests that both Piplup and Pachirisu are female. However, in a later episode, Piplup is confirmed to be male.
• Team Rocket doesn't blast off or recite their motto in this episode.

Errors

• The black portion of Ash's hat exceeds out of its normal boundaries in one scene.
• The credits started in the middle in the initial dub airing for no apparent reason.

• 

  Coloring error

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		神奇寶貝華麗大賽！隨意大會！
Czech		Týmový šok!
Danish		Holdgyser
Dutch		Team Tegenslag!
Finnish		Yllätyskisa
European French		Un numéro trop parfait !
German		Fehler machen klüger!
Italian		Strategia vincente!
Korean		포켓몬 콘테스트! 신수대회!
Norwegian		Team "røver"
Polish		Wielkie zaskoczenie
Portuguese	Brazil	Choque de Rivais!
	Portugal	O Grande Choque!
Romanian		Echipa Șocantă
Russian		Команда Шокер
Spanish	Latin America	¡Un buen equipo!
	Spain	¡Un equipo de impacto!
Swedish		Lagrysare!

← DP060 : Journey to the Unown!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP062 : Tanks for the Memories! →

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