DP055

Throwing the Track Switch

DP055   EP521 エイパムとブイゼル！それぞれの道!! Eipam and Buoysel! Respective Roads!!

First broadcast Japan November 22, 2007 United States April 26, 2008

English themes Opening We Will Be Heroes Ending

Japanese themes Opening Together 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 奥村よしあき Yoshiasa Okumura Assistant director 秦義人 Yoshito Hata Animation director 木下和栄 Kazue Kinoshita Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de This episode was originally scheduled to air on November 15, 2007.

Throwing the Track Switch (Japanese: エイパムとブイゼル！それぞれの道!! Eipam and Buoysel! Respective Roads!!) is the 55th episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 521st episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on November 22, 2007 and in the United States on April 26, 2008.

While in a training session with the group, Zoey notices that Aipom is more interested in Dawn's battle style while Buizel is more interested in Ash's battle style. Meanwhile, James is depressed about leaving Cacnea.

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

Synopsis

When Dawn and her friends run into Zoey on their way to Solaceon Town, the two Coordinators can't resist having a practice battle. At the same time, Ash has Chimchar and Aipom battle each other to train for his upcoming Gym battle. But Dawn's Buizel is distracted by the battle between Chimchar and Aipom, while Aipom keeps trying to watch the Contest battle between Buizel and Zoey's Glameow. It seems as if Buizel would rather be battling while Aipom would rather be in a Contest, so Zoey makes a bold suggestion: why doesn't Dawn trade Buizel for Ash's Aipom?

Dawn and Ash aren't sure if that's a good idea. To test the waters, Ash suggests that he use Buizel to battle Brock, and Dawn can use Aipom to battle Zoey. But before the battle can get very far, Jessie and Meowth show up in disguise. James is miserable now that Cacnea is gone, so his teammates are determined to cheer him up-by stealing Aipom and Buizel!

But James, unaware of the plan, accidentally blows Team Rocket's cover. Jessie's Seviper uses Haze and Team Rocket makes a grab for Aipom and Buizel anyway, but they end up snagging Glameow and Sudowoodo instead. Ash and Dawn use Aipom and Buizel to defeat Team Rocket, and it looks like Ash's attacking style is a good match for Aipom while Aipom's flair is a good match for Dawn. They complete the Pokémon trade, then get back on the road to Dawn's next Contest!

Major events

• Dawn learns that the next Contest will be held in Solaceon Town.
• Ash and Dawn trade their Aipom and Buizel.

Debuts

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Zoey
• Kenny (on television)
• Marian (on television)
• Contesta (on television)
• Two unknown trainers

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Mime Jr. (James's)
• Aipom (Ash's; traded to Dawn)
• Staravia (Ash's)
• Chimchar (Ash's)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Buneary (Dawn's)
• Pachirisu (Dawn's)
• Buizel (Dawn's; traded to Ash)
• Sudowoodo (Brock's)
• Croagunk (Brock's)
• Happiny (Brock's)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Dustox (Jessie's)
• Carnivine (James's)
• Glameow (Zoey's)
• Prinplup (Kenny's)
• Ponyta, (silhouette; traded between two trainers)
• Munchlax, (silhouette; traded between two trainers)

Trivia

• Music from Jirachi: Wish Maker, an instrumental version of Together, Hello! Thank You!, and the title theme from Pokémon 4Ever are used as background music.
• The music of the Abandoned Ship is used as background music in a scene with Team Rocket.
• Jessie says the title of the song とりかえっこプリーズ Trade Please.
• This is only the third time a main anime character has traded Pokémon. The first time was in Battle Aboard the St. Anne!, where Ash traded his Butterfree to a Gentleman for a Raticate, but soon traded back, while the second was in Tricks of the Trade, where Jessie traded her Lickitung for a Wobbuffet.
• Professor Oak's lecture: Shellos
  • Pokémon senryū: カラナクシ　にしとひがしで　いろちがい Karanakushi, nishi to higashi de, iro chigai "Karanakushi, the Western and the Eastern are, alternate colored"
• Ash narrates the next episode preview.
• This is one of the few episodes Brock doesn't flirt with Nurse Joy, although earlier in the episode while he was making a medicine for Ash, he said he wouldn't waste Nurse Joy's time when she could be working.

Errors

• When the two trainers were trading before Dawn and Ash, it showed the shadow of a Rapidash instead of a Ponyta.

Dub edits

In other languages

• Latin American Spanish: ¡El intercambio!
• Iberian Spanish: ¡Intercambio de Pokémon!
• Brazilian Portuguese: A hora da troca!
• Polish: Czas na zmiany
• Dutch: De grote verwisseltruc!
• Italian: Scambio di Pokémon!
• Finnish: Vaihtelu virkistää!

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