| Stopped in the Name of Love!
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進化！その時ポッチャマは！？
Evolution! This Time for Pochama!?
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First broadcast
| Japan
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April 2, 2009
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| United States
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August 29, 2009
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
| Animation
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Team Iguchi
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| Screenplay
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藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita
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| Storyboard
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小山賢 Masaru Koyama
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| Assistant director
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小山賢 Masaru Koyama
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| Animation director
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志村泉 Izumi Shimura
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| Additional credits
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Stopped in the Name of Love! (Japanese: 進化！その時ポッチャマは！？ Evolution! This Time for Pochama!?) is the 122nd episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 588th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on April 2, 2009, as part of a one-hour special along with The Lonely Snover! and aired in the United States on August 29, 2009.
Synopsis
As Dawn's upcoming Contest in Sandalstraw Town approaches, the group stops at a local Pokémon Center. Dawn decides to train and summons all her Pokémon, knowing she only needs one more ribbon to enter the Grand Festival. Piplup runs forward and collapses, everyone asking if it is okay. Piplup tries to get up and falls again, concerning Dawn. Barry suddenly appears and crashes into Ash as usual. Kenny also appears and after calling Dawn Dee-Dee (much to her annoyance), asks if she's entering the Contest. Barry reveals that he also knows Kenny since they are both from Twinleaf Town. Kenny plans to enter the Contest while Barry decides to enter the upcoming Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament which is also being held in Sandalstraw Town, showing Ash a flyer about it. Brock mentions that a Trainer and one of his or her Pokémon will partner up as a team to enter. Barry summons Empoleon in order to train, planning to enter with it. As everyone watches, Piplup starts to glow, causing Piplup to jump around. Kenny mentions that it is starting to evolve into Prinplup. Everyone's excited, but Piplup braces itself, stopping the evolution and exhausting Piplup to the point of collapse. Brock urges everyone to go to the Center.
At the Center, Nurse Joy checks Piplup as she reassures Dawn that Piplup only needs to rest. During dinner, Dawn mentions that it still surprised her that Piplup will evolve. Kenny tells Dawn it's no surprise considering how well she's raised it and Barry also congratulates Dawn on a good job but advises that the evolution path from Piplup to Empoleon only gets harder. Kenny then mentions that as Prinplup is double the size of Piplup, she'll have more to show off in contests while Ash mentions that she will need to adapt her battling style just as he adapted when Turtwig evolved into Grotle. Although Ash is skeptical of Dawn mentioning her adaptation to Mamoswine, Dawn is still excited, but Brock displays concern. Outside, Team Rocket listens in and decides to steal the Piplup evolutionary line.
During the night, Piplup wakes up and looks at itself in the window's reflecton, imagining itself as Prinplup. Dawn comes up from behind and presents Piplup with food, but it refuses. Dawn reveals her excitement for Piplup's evolution, but Piplup doesn't seem enthusiastic as Dawn tries to reassure Piplup. Piplup jumps around as it begins to glow again, the evolution process starting. Dawn tries to get Piplup just let the evolution happen, but Piplup uses Bide to stop evolving, exhausting it. Dawn questions Piplup's motives and brings up the positives of evolution, but Piplup gets angry that Dawn appears to be ignoring its unwillingness to evolve and jumps out the window and flees the Center, prompting Dawn to follow. Barry and Empoleon pressure Brock, Kenny and Ash to train for the Ping-Pong tournament (despite the fact that Brock and Kenny don't plan to enter), but Dawn shows up and mentions her situation. Outside, Brock mentions his concerns that Piplup does not want to evolve, using Bide to stop evolution and expend energy. Everyone splits up to search as Kenny summons Prinplup to help search. As Dawn searches on her own, she spots a light in the forest.
Piplup sits under a waterfall, stopping its evolution but collapses into the water. Dawn arrives and picks up Piplup, questioning its reason to not evolve. Piplup gets angry again and jumps out of Dawn's hands before firing BubbleBeam and running off. Dawn searches as she spots Piplup stuck in a web. She runs forward as an Ariados attacks her with Sludge Bomb. While she dodges, Piplup uses BubbleBeam to stall Ariados. Dawn runs forward as another Sludge Bomb grazes the top of her head, causing her to trip. The attack frees Piplup and sends it airborne, but Dawn quickly catches Piplup. However, multiple Ariados confront the two and all prepare to fire Hyper Beam. Just before the attacks hit, Piplup jumps forward and uses Bide to take the attacks before retaliating, sending all the Araiados flying. Piplup collapses exhausted as Dawn picks up Piplup.
As Barry and Kenny continue searching, a Bullet Seed attack knocks down Prinplup and Empoleon before two mecha arms grab them. Empoleon and Prinplup try to use Hydro Cannon and BubbleBeam, but the hands spin and disorient them as Kenny and Barry notice a large mecha. Meanwhile, Dawn carries Piplup to a lake as Piplup wakes up, Dawn thanking her Pokémon. Dawn mentions how a similar situation occurred when they first met and how Dawn chose Piplup. Ash and Brock find Dawn and are relieved that they're okay. Suddenly, another mecha arm grabs Piplup as a giant Prinplup mecha shows up, revealing the captured Piplup evolutionary line. Team Rocket recites their motto but Barry cuts them off. Ash has Pikachu fire Thunderbolt, but the mecha redirects the attack to harm Prinplup and Empoleon.
The mecha deploys tank treads and proceeds to escape, but Dawn spots Piplup and decides to run after it, getting on the side. Dawn notices a hatch up top and gets in that way. While Dawn demands her Pokémon back, Piplup destroys the ventilation gates with Peck and BubbleBeam, getting into the control room with Dawn. Meowth translates Piplup's talk as it plans to take them down and that it wants to protect Dawn just like the first time, revealing that past events have motivated it to stay the way it is. Dawn accepts Piplup's decision and has it attack with Whirlpool, destroying the mecha and freeing everyone. Outside, Team Rocket gets up and summons Seviper and Carnivine. They attack with Poison Tail and Vine Whip, but Piplup's BubbleBeam stops both in their tracks. Piplup starts to glow again as it tries to stop evolution, leaving it vulnerable. James wants Piplup to not evolve to maintain the family, but Jessie opts to let it and instead present the boss with Empoleon triplets. Seviper and Carnivine rush to attack the defenseless Piplup, but Pikachu's Thunderbolt stops both Pokémon, Ash and the others arriving on site. Piplup is still immobile as Seviper and Carnivine attack again with Bullet Seed and Poison Tail, but Pikachu defends with Thunderbolt. Piplup manages to stop evolving and attacks with Whirlpool, sending Team Rocket flying away.
Dawn thanks Piplup for saving her again, and realizes that Piplup's memory of their first day together is why it wants to stay as it is, and tearfully apologizes to her Pokémon for not understanding its feelings. Piplup tells Dawn that it's ok and with her friends watching on, Dawn happily picks up her partner and best friend telling it she's happy for it to remain as her Piplup forever which delights Piplup, and the two reaffirm their bond together.
At the Center, Nurse Joy finishes tending to Piplup, Prinplup and Empoleon and three happily run to their respective trainers. Nurse Joy then tells Dawn she has something for her, and Chansey presents Dawn with an Everstone, which has the power to prevent a Pokémon from evolving for as long as it wants. Dawn and Piplup gratefully accept the gift, knowing this means Piplup won't have to use Bide to prevent the evolution anymore. With the excitement over for now, Ash and Barry start training for the Ping Pong competition while Dawn and Kenny practice for the Sandalstraw Contest, with everyone more focused than ever on achieving their goals.
Major events
Debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Trivia
Errors
- When Dawn was talking to Ash she said "Plin" not "Prin"
Dub edits
- In the dub, Piplup opted to not evolve in order to preserve the memories of the day he met Dawn. In the original, Piplup didn't want to evolve because it was scared of ending up like Mamoswine.
