| Weekend Warrior
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ライバルはサラリーマン！？
Rival is a Salaryman!?
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First broadcast
| Japan
|
November 10, 2005
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| United States
|
September 23, 2006
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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Weekend Warrior (Japanese: ライバルはサラリーマン！？ Rival is a Salaryman!?) is the 151st episode of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 425th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 10, 2005, and in the United States on September 23, 2006.
Blurb
It's time for the Silver Town Pokémon Contest, and May is ready to win! As the show starts, one last competitor arrives late: a businessman named Jeremy. He doesn't look like much, but after May makes her big entrance with Squirtle, she's surprised to see Jeremy dressed up like a rock star onstage with Butterfree! However, Jeremy's wife and son show up and demand that he stop his embarrassing Contest antics.
With encouragement from May, Jeremy stands up to his family and explains how important Contests are to him. No matter what, he's going to compete! Both May and Jeremy make it to the finals, but will Jeremy's family come back to watch? Outside the Contest, his wife remembers how she met him back when he was a real musician. As she reminisces, she starts to think what Jeremy's doing isn't so silly after all.
Back at the Contest, Jeremy sends his trusty Venusaur to battle May's Combusken. As a Fire-type Pokémon, Combusken should have the advantage, but Venusaur is too tough to be defeated that easily. Venusaur also has a powerful Frenzy Plant attack, and soon May is losing points fast. She risks it all on one last Sky Uppercut and Combusken knocks Venusaur out just before time is up. Victory goes to May! And Jeremy may not have won the ribbon, but his family finally respects him as a Pokémon Coordinator. A happy ending all around—except for Team Rocket, who goes hunting for berries and finds Beedrill instead!
Plot
May prepares her team for the upcoming Silver Town Pokémon Contest when she loses Squirtle backstage. During her search, May approaches Mandy and her son Nicholas for insight. However, they admit they haven't seen Squirtle, and rush off to continue their own search for someone themselves. Just then, Ash, Brock, and Max appear, to which May explains that she's lost Squirtle. Brock smiles and tells her that Squirtle is right here. At this, Squirtle appears from behind Brock's leg, wearing lots of flowers, much to May's delight.
Outside, James points out a poster for the Silver Town Contest. Surprisingly, Jessie isn’t interested, admitting that there's more important things to do right now, like running their Pokéblock shop.
Back in the Contest Hall, Lilian warms up the gathered audience with her opening speech and presents the three judges; Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee, Raoul Contesta; the Head of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo; and the operator of Silver Town's Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy. Next, she calls all of the participating Coordinators onto the stage. Just as Lilian is about to get the Contest underway, an assistant man runs up to Lilian and whispers something in her ear. Lilian nods and tells the audience that one of their Coordinators is a little late. The Coordinator in question, wearing a suit and carrying a heavy bag, bursts through the door and tells her to stop, worried that he's been disqualified for being late. Lilian asks if he is Jeremy, and he says that he is. He apologies over and over for being late, and Lilian says that it's okay, and directs him to line up with the other Coordinators. However, he trips causing the audience to laugh. May smiles, knowing the embarrassment of doing something like that.
Squirtle finishing its performance
Lilian starts the Appeals Round. May is introduced and allowed to do her appeal. May starts things off by sending out Squirtle. As soon as Squirtle comes out of its Poké Ball, it starts to use Ice Beam while spinning around rapidly. This creates a beautiful rain of sparkles which rain down on Squirtle as it lands and bows. May orders Squirtle to use Bubble, and Squirtle does so, creating lots of beautiful bubbles surrounded by a large bubble. When May calls for an Ice Beam, Squirtle leaps onto the large bubble, bursting all of the smaller ones with the ice-cold energy beam for a sparkling display before using Ice Beam on the huge bubble to create a large ice sculpture and finishing up by smiling and posing atop one of the ice pillars. The crowd claps loudly, and the judges are greatly impressed with the performance May delivered.
Lilian asks for Jeremy to enter, and the crowd laughs, remembering his antics from before. The laughing stops however, when the lights go dim and rock music starts to play as Jeremy walks in wearing heavy metal gear with a pair of shades. Jeremy calls out his Butterfree, and orders it to use Stun Spore and Poison Powder, creating a huge wave of orange and purple powder. The whole Hall is lit up by a beautiful green light as Butterfree uses Safeguard. Jeremy’s performance is abruptly interrupted by his wife and son, whom May earlier encountered backstage. Mandy and Nicholas orders Jeremy return home immediately and save them the embarrassment. Jeremy tries to explain that being a Coordinator and entering Contests is a lifelong dream and something he enjoys doing. He prepares to take his family backstage to discuss further when May steps forward to support Jeremy. Mandy reiterates her negative sentiments, leading Jeremy to pipe up again, clarifying the effort needed to create a great performance, and become a great Coordinator. Jeremy bows to the audience, and asks them if they will forgive him and accept his appeal. One of the men in the crowd begins to clap, and the rest of the audience follow, all touched by his emotional speech.
In the Contest Hall, the next stage has begun as four contestants are chosen to do battle. May and Combusken go up against a Coordinator and his Exeggutor, which she easily defeats with Fire Spin. Jeremy and his Venusaur also do well in their match, going up against a girl and her Vileplume. Jeremy's son watches the battle and is amazed by his father's battling skill. As Lillian announces that May and Jeremy have reached the finals, Nicholas rushes outside to his mother to inform her that dad is performing remarkably well. She doesn't look too happy, however, and her son tries to cheer her up. Mandy recalls when she first met Jeremy, back when he was in a traveling rock band. Thinking back all those years, and remembering her husband's love for Pokémon makes her realize and accept Jeremy's feelings.
Back in the Contest Hall, the final round is about to begin. May sends out Combusken and Jeremy sends out Venusaur. Jeremy doesn't waste anytime, though, and orders Venusaur to use Razor Leaf. May has Combusken counter with Fire Spin, which burns Venusaur's razor-sharp leaves to ashes. Before the vortex of fire can get to Venusaur, Jeremy tells Venusaur to use Vine Whip. Venusaur fires its vines straight into the attack, causing the flames to disperse. This attack lowers May's point's bar, much to her distress. Jeremy decides to get serious and has Venusaur summon a Frenzy Plant. A multitude of giant, thorny roots take over the battlefield, striking Combusken down and withering May's points to a quarter. May is taken aback, but regains her focus as Ash instructs her to look at Venusaur. After such a strong attack, Venusaur must recharge, leaving the Seed Pokémon open to be attacked itself. Without a moment to spare, May orders a Quick Attack followed by a barrage of Pecks. With that, Combusken charges at Venusaur and stabs away at its health. Jeremy grits his teeth as he remembers the drawback to using Frenzy Plant. Jeremy risks it all with another Frenzy Plant. May tries to attack Venusaur with Combusken's Fire Spin, but the Frenzy Plant blocks the attack and rips through the air again towards Combusken. May orders Combusken to rush towards its opponent with a Quick Attack. Combusken fails to clear the thorny obstacles and is struck, reducing May's points to a dismal level. Even so, May orders Combusken to attack with Sky Uppercut. Combusken jumps onto one of the vines and runs straight at Venusaur. Reaching its target, Combusken uses Sky Uppercut on Venusaur and sends it crashing to the ground. With three seconds remaining, Venusaur is declared unable to battle and the crowd cheers.
All the Coordinators gather on the stage, and Lilian presents May with the Silver Ribbon. May celebrates with Squirtle and Combusken over their second Kanto Contest Ribbon. Outside the Contest Hall, Jeremy walks away before he is stopped by his wife and son. They congratulate him on such an awesome battle, though Jeremy is unsure of how to take their newfound appreciation. The three walk off together, ready for home. Meanwhile, Team Rocket’s search for Berries continues into the night. After Jessie mistakes a Beedrill's stinger for a Berry, she and her teammates are forced to flee from the angry swarm of Beedrill.
Major events
May holding the Silver Ribbon
- For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, please see the timeline page.
Debuts
Humans
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Trivia
- Smile is used as background music in the ending scene.
- This is the first episode to use music from Destiny Deoxys, at the start of the episode. However, it is replaced in the dub.
- 4Kids background music is used in this episode.
- Despite the move existing since Generation I, this is the first time Poison Powder is used in the animated series.
- Team Rocket doesn't recite their motto.
- As a rocker in his youth, Jeremy bears a strong resemblance to Giovanni. In addition, he resembles Mr. Sukizo in his working clothes and Scott in his rocker clothes.
- Coincidentally, Jeremy also shares his English voice actor with the former two characters.
Errors
- A light-blue Marill, a blue-and-green Breloom, and a Shroomish with spots the same color as its head appear as extras. These are not Shiny, but rather just coloring errors, like Pidgey on the cuckoo clock in Pokémon Emergency!.
- In the same scene, a Linoone is shown in the background. Its body bears the Shiny Linoone stripes, but its main body is orange, which is also a possible coloring error.
- When Jeremy tells Butterfree to use Poison Powder and then Stun Spore, Butterfree used Stun Spore before Poison Powder.
- When Butterfree created the Poison Powder and Stun Spore, the Stun Spore came out of its left wing while the Poison Powder came out of its right wing. When Butterfree was about to merge the two powder moves, they swapped places.
- In the Latin American and Dutch dubs, Jeremy mentions in his flashback that he had a Venusaur, even though the flashback depicts it as an Ivysaur.
Dub edits
In other languages
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
European French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Korean
Norwegian
Brazil
Portugal
Russian
Latin America
Spain
Swedish
