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A Fan with a Plan

AG077   EP351 強敵！？ママさんコーディネーター登場！ Formidable Enemy!? Mother Coordinator Enters!

First broadcast Japan May 20, 2004 United States May 7, 2005

English themes Opening This Dream Ending

Japanese themes Opening チャレンジャー!! Ending スマイル ②

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 松井亜弥 Aya Matsui Storyboard 藤本義孝 Yoshitaka Fujimoto Assistant director 渡辺正彦 Masahiko Watanabe Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

A Fan with a Plan (Japanese: 強敵！？ママさんコーディネーター登場！ Formidable Enemy!? Mother Coordinator Enters!) is the 77th episode of the Advanced Generation series, and the 351st episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on May 20, 2004 and in the United States on May 7, 2005.

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

Synopsis

The gang enter Rubello Town, on their way to Ash's next gym battle -- but Max spots a poster for a Pokémon Contest is due to begin the next day. May is delighted, and Ash's ambitions for his next badge will have to be put on hold as May quickly decides to enter. Brock, however, notices a mysterious symbol on the contest poster -- "R1", which the group is at a loss to identify. Fortunately, Nurse Joy quickly explains that any entrant to this contest must have one ribbon already. In the Pokémon center, May also encounters Drew, who is also entering the Pokémon Contest (and insults May, as usual). However, as May's temper rises, Drew is engulfed by a swarm of rabid female fans (vaguely reminiscent of our old pal, Gary Oak). Drew isn't exactly happy to see these fans, as they lean towards the obsessive side, but May becomes miffed and jealous nonetheless. However, the jealously is forgotten when one of the girls recognizes May and the group crowds around her, instead. However, the fans seem more interested in Norman than either May or Max. During the discussion, Savannah, the head of the group, explains that they saw May in the Verdanturf Contest and that she will be entering this contest, making May realize she’s got a new, albeit friendly, rival. The group also introduces themselves with a cheer as the MFP ("Mothers for Pokémon"), and that they are a group of wives and mothers who love Pokémon. They decide to throw a party for May and Max, and one of the MFP tells Ash that he isn't on the list of "Promising and Handsome Young Trainers". Meanwhile, Team Rocket enters the town verily fatigued, but Jessie, upon seeing the contest poster, decides to enter. James and Meowth groan. Since she has yet to win a contest, Jessie has no ribbons -- so after a shouting match with an official, she resolves to steal one and enter the R1 exclusive contest anyway.

Back at the reception, Savannah and the MFP complement May and her father, Norman. Meanwhile, Ash mutters angrily (as he has now become the jealous one) that he does all the hard work, training, and gym battles. Nonetheless, Ash vehemently denies his jealousy when Max asks him about his complaining. At the other table, Savannah and May realize that neither of them have picked Pokémon for the contest! Savannah shows May her Lairon and Flareon (whilst complementing Brock on his knowledge of homemaking skills, which sends Brock to fantasy land). While showing May her Pokémon, Savannah reveals that this R1 competition requires the use of two Pokémon -- different ones for primary and secondary rounds. While Savannah merely has to decide the order, May faces a more difficult decision -- picking two candidates from her four Pokémon lineup. While Brock and Savannah go grocery shopping and meet Savannah's daughter Sandra, May, Ash, and Max talk the Pokémon choice over. Ironically, Sandra presents a seemingly substantial level of maturity, apologizing for her mother's sophomoric behavior and excitement over the contest and the MFP. Savannah and Sandra invite the company to dinner in the end.

May trains late into the night, testing all four of her Pokémon to see which is the best choice for the upcoming contest. Bulbasaur stumbles and trips in its attempted combination, but May remains confident and happily remembers the complements she got from the MFP earlier that day. Her reminiscence is interrupted by Drew's voice, calling out orders to his new Masquerain. Drew notices May watching her, and brags that "winning this contest will be a cinch." Drew also notices May's Pokémon, and inquires about her new Bulbasaur -- a rare find in the Hoenn Region. Drew insults May's Bulbasaur as undisciplined, which is probably an accurate assessment. Nonetheless, Drew's comments provoke May and she decides to use Bulbasaur in the contest -- a decision which startles the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Savannah nears the breaking point from stage fright, but completely forgets her fear at the sight of Bulbasaur, which she says was her first Pokémon long ago. May and Savannah decide to start a practice battle to train -- Bulbasaur having the disadvantage against Savannah's Flareon. However, the battle is cut short by Team Rocket's interruption, which Jessie and James sporting a new ribbon-theft based motto, "To Protect My Entry Status From Devastation! To Allow a Certain Contestant to Complete Her Registration! To Denounce the Evils of Losing, that's True! To Extend Her Winning Streak From Zero to Two!" James and Meowth are less than enthusiastic about the theft operation, but Jessie certainly is and sends out her Dustox to combat the Pokémon Savannah and May already have out. However, Ash, Brock, and Max quickly arrive on the scene. Flareon's Flamethrower is deflected by Wobbuffet, but Ash's Pikachu and Brock's Lotad and Mudkip are quickly called out to join the battle. Wobbuffet again deflects Pikachu's Thunderbolt and a pair of Water Gun attacks. Jessie orders her Dustox to attack Sandra, though, and that's the breaking point for Savannah -- she becomes angry that Jessie would dare attack her daughter and orders Flareon to launch another attack. The blue punching bag, Wobbuffet, steps forward -- but the attack was aimed at the balloon, not Wobbuffet. Team Rocket goes down in flames. Jessie declares that she would rather give up James and Meowth than the ribbons (which angers James and Meowth) and they convince Jessie to surrender the ribbons to the group. Sandra and Savannah launch a Water Pulse which sends Team Rocket blasting off... and the day is done, for tomorrow is the start of the Contest.

Major events

• Drew reveals that he has a Masquerain.

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

• Savannah
• Sandra

Pokémon debuts

• Masquerain
• Lairon

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• May
• Brock
• Max
• Jessie
• James
• Drew
• Nurse Joy
• Savannah
• Sandra
• MFP (Mothers For Pokémon) members

Pokémon

Pokémon Trainer's Choice: Arbok

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Torchic (May's)
• Beautifly (May's)
• Skitty (May's)
• Bulbasaur (May's)
• Lombre (Brock's)
• Mudkip (Brock's)
• Dustox (Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Masquerain (Drew's; debut)
• Lairon (Savannah's; debut)
• Flareon (Savannah's)
• Magnemite
• Igglybuff
• Umbreon
• Misdreavus
• Teddiursa
• Wingull
• Shroomish
• Makuhita
• Plusle
• Roselia
• Spinda
• Spheal
• Aron

Trivia

• In this episode, Team Rocket uses a variation of their motto.
• The dub title is a pun of the phrase "a man with a plan".
• The contest poster in the beginning of the episode showed a Bulbasaur among other Pokémon. May chooses to use her Bulbasaur this episode.
• When Savanah is asking May if she is Norman's daughter, a picture of a pink Butterfree can be seen in the background.

Errors

• This most infamous Trainer's Choice incorrectly claims that Arbok evolves into Seviper. Arbok and the other two choices, Sableye and Suicune don't evolve at all, and Seviper is the only Pokémon in its evolution chain.[1]
• In both the original and the dub, May mentioned that she used Skitty in the Fallarbor contest, but she actually used Beautifly in the contest in question.
• When Team Rocket does their motto, Jessie states that the contest is tonight, but at the end of the episode, May says the contest is tomorrow.
• Also in Team Rocket's Motto, James states that Jessie's winning streak would go from zero to two, but with May's two ribbons and Savannah's ribbon, her "winning streak" would be three.
• Savannah says Brock knows his vegetables when he points out the perfect tomatoes, despite the fact that tomatoes are in fact fruits.

Dub edits

Pokémon Trainer's Choice

• Question: Trainers, Which one of these Pokémon evolves into Seviper?
• Choices: Sableye, Arbok, Suicune
• Answer: OK, trainers! If you chose Arbok, you were right!

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		強敵！媽媽協調訓練家登場！
Finnish		Fanihuumaa
European French		Groupie pour la vie
German		MFP-Girls wollen Spaß!
Hebrew		מועדון מעריצים moadon ma'aritsim
Italian		L'ammiratrice
Portuguese	Brazil	Uma Fã com um Plano
	Portugal	Uma Fã com um Plano
Spanish	Latin America	¡Un admirador con un plan!
	Spain	Una fan con un plan

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