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This article is about an episode of the Pokémon anime that has not been dubbed into English. As such, its coverage may contain romanized Japanese names, rather than dub names.

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Cream of the Croagunk Crop! (Japanese: ノモセ大湿原のグレッグル祭り！? The Gureggru Festival of the Nomose Great Marsh!?) is the 82nd episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 548th episode of the Pokémon anime. It aired in Japan on June 5, 2008 .

Ash and his friends have arrived in Pastoria City and head to the Gym. The Gym Leader, Wake, comes out but denies Ash's request for a Gym Battle because of an urgent matter. The group decides to accompany him instead and follow him onto a train. Where are they heading?

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

Synopsis

Ash and co. arrive at Pastoria City and run into Crasher Wake. He introduces himself and Ash immediately challenges him to a Gym Battle. Crasher Wake says he has some business to attend to and asks Ash and co. if they'd like to accompany him.

They hurry to catch the tram that takes them through the Great Marsh. When they arrive, Crasher Wake rushes ahead and they arrive at an open field at sunset. They're startled by glowing eyes in the bushes, which turn out to be a bunch of wild Croagunk. Then, they follow a bunch of Croagunk trainers to a giant Croagunk Temple. They meet up with Crasher Wake again, who informs them of the Croagunk Festival and the ancient tradition of battling Croagunk, with the leader becoming Champion of the Great Marsh.

Brock intrudes in an argument between Nurse Joy and Hiroki, a blue-haired boy whose Croagunk won last year's Croagunk Championship. Brock goes crazy for Nurse Joy, proposing a marriage of their Croagunk, only to be Poison Jab'd by his own Croagunk..and dragged off-screen.

Team Rocket arrives at the Great Marsh. James recalls his childhood, during which he first met and rescued his Carnivine, who was trapped in the Great Marsh mud.

Ash and co. enjoy the evening festival, eating Croagunk cookies and watching Croagunk-shaped fireworks. Crasher Wake MCs the event and introduces Hiroki, the defending Champion, who places his Croagunk's crown on a pedestal - to be won by this year's Champion. Crasher Wake, a policeman, and Nurse Joy judge the competition.

All of the Croagunk take turns coming on stage, crouching, and croaking. The judges are excited by their performance, but Ash. and co are confused. Brock's Croagunk takes the stage and the judges are impressed by his Croagunk's croak.

Team Rocket dresses Meowth up in a Croagunk costume and sends him out on stage. Meowth is thoroughly embarrassed, but the crowd and judges go wild for it. Hiroki is unimpressed.

Crasher Wake announces the brick-breaking contest. Brock's Croagunk uses Brick Break and breaks all of the bricks! Meowth takes the stage next, to high anticipation. He charges up, attacks the bricks, but can't break a single one.

Crasher Wake announces a championship battle between Brock's Croagunk and Hiroki's. They take to the boxing ring and begin the match! Hiroki's Croagunk uses Cross Chop. The dueling Croagunks trade jabs and Dawn has trouble figuring which one is which.

Out of nowhere, Team Rocket storms the festival in a giant Croagunk robot. It's tongue steals the prized crown. Brock and Hiroki's Croagunks attack the robot, but are trapped by the tongue. Crasher Wake steps in to help, but suddenly remembers that he left of all his Pokéballs at the gym! Everyone else's Croagunks attack the giant robot, but they're scooped into its belly! Nurse Joy's Croagunk heavily damages the robot, followed by Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

Crasher Wake retrieves the crown and asks the crowd if they agree that Nurse Joy's Croagunk won this year's championship. He awards her with the crown.

Afterward, Crasher Wake tells Ash that he was impressed by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. They finish out the tradition Croagunk Festival evening with dancing.

Major events

• Ash and friends arrive in Pastoria City and meet its Gym Leader, Crasher Wake.
• How and where James caught his Carnivine is revealed.
• Nurse Joy's Croagunk wins the Croagunk Championship.

Debuts

• Crasher Wake

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Brock
• Dawn
• Jessie
• James
• Crasher Wake
• Nurse Joy
• Hiroki

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Croagunk (Brock's)
• Carnivine (James's)
• Croagunk (Nurse Joy's) (Guremi)
• Croagunk (Hiroki's) (Gurekichi)
• Croagunk (many)

Trivia

• Details of this episode were actually made known in K-Zone, a children's magazine, before any official Japanese episode listing.
• Instead of Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture, the end of the episode featured a memorial to Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. This is part of a countdown to Giratina and the Sky's Bouquet: Shaymin
• Learning how James and Carnivine met could explain why Carnivine is so affectionate.
• Pokémon Ondo is used as background music.
• The background music from Pikachu's Goodbye during the forest scene with the chanting Pikachu is also used in this episode.
• The segment where Brock fantasizes about marrying Nurse Joy and his Croagunk marrying hers echoes that of a similar fantasy he had in Hassle In The Castle where he dreamed of marrying a woman while his Zubat married her Zubat. Coincidentally, both Croagunk and Zubat (now Crobat) are Brock's only Template:Type2s.
• The dub title refers to the phrase "the cream of the crop".
• James caught his Carnivine in the Great Marsh (which makes sense, since it is the only known place to catch a Carnivine in Sinnoh), yet he keeps it in a regular Poké Ball, rather than a Safari Ball, though this may be because he officially captured it outside of the Marsh. A similar situation was made with Ash's Tauros where, despite their being captured in Safari Balls, they occasionally appear in Poké Balls.

Errors

Dub edits

• Hiroki's hair was changed to brown with no sunglasses.

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