Once More With Reeling! (Japanese: サトシVSハルカ！ラストバトル！！Satoshi vs. Haruka! Last Battle!!) is the 191st episode of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 465th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on September 7, 2006, and in the United States on February 24, 2007.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Blurb
The kids are at Terracotta Town, where May and Max will catch a boat back home to Hoenn. The town happens to be hosting a festival, complete with its very own Pokémon Contest. Ash figures it's unofficial, so he wants to compete. Both Ash and May sign up, with Ash using Pikachu and Sceptile, and May using her Eevee and Combusken.
Nurse Joy is the MC, doing her best Lillian impersonation. May goes first, impressing the crowd by having Eevee use Dig and Shadow Ball to create a fireworks display. Ash is equally impressive when Pikachu uses Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, and Iron Tail to create electric rings that buzz around the arena. At the end of the first round, May is in first place with Ash a close second, both of them advancing to the finals against each other.
Between rounds, Team Rocket shows up in a parade float, tossing Pokémon food out so they can lure the Trainers' Pokémon into a net. Sceptile frees the Pokémon from the net and Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, but Combusken seems to be ill and can't attack. Just then, it evolves into Blaziken, and uses Blaze Kick to send Team Rocket packing.
The contest resumes, and Ash and May shake hands and start the battle. When Blaziken dodges all of Sceptile's attacks, Ash starts to lose points. He finally connects with Pound, but Blaziken returns with Fire Spin. The two Pokémon begin to lose points at roughly the same rate. Eventually both Pokémon are weakened, and Sceptile's Ability Overgrow kicks in. Blaziken's Ability Blaze also appears, and the two commence their battle. Eventually Blaziken fires Overheat and Sceptile responds with SolarBeam, with the two attacks colliding. The results of this attack will determine the outcome of the match, but no one can see the scoreboard, now obscured by a thick cloud of smoke.
Ash and May go to the Contest Hall and register. Ash signs Pikachu for the first round and Sceptile for the second. May chooses Eevee for the first round and Combusken for the second. This Contest is special in which only the two highest scoring contestants in the Appeals Round will move to the Battle Round.
The Appeals Round begins with the local Nurse Joy as a judge. May takes the stage first with her Eevee. It uses Dig to form several holes on the battlefield. From underground, Eevee launches Shadow Ball through the holes to create a fireworks display, impressing the crowd. Other Coordinators take the stage, some performing better than the others.
Pikachu in the Appeals Round
Finally, Ash takes the stage. Even though this is his Contest debut, the crowd cheers him on for being in the top eight of the Ever Grande Conference. Pikachu executes Quick Attack and Thunderbolt to create an electric ring before using Iron Tail to send him bouncing across the field. Pikachu repeats the move to create a group of bouncing electric rings. The Appeals Round ends, and the top two are decided. May takes first place with Ash as the runner-up.
During the break, Ash and May take time to practice. Team Rocket arrives in a giant ship float, attracting the competing Pokémon with food. They capture the Pokémon with a giant net. When Ash and his friends confront them, Team Rocket removes their disguises and perform their motto. Afterward, they launch another net to capture Pikachu and prepare their getaway. Ash and May come after them, and May commands Combusken to use Mega Kick. Team Rocket duck to avoid the attack, but the net is hit. Septile catches it, freeing the Pokémon in the process. Ash commands Pikachu to shock Team Rocket with Thunderbolt and May is about to deliver the final blow with Fire Spin, but she discovers that Combusken has collapsed and is completely exhausted. It then evolves into Blaziken and takes off to face Team Rocket. The trio are amazed and launch a net to capture him, but Blaziken easily destroys it and uses its newly-learned Blaze Kick to destroy the float, sending Team Rocket blasting off.
The second round pits May's Blaziken against Ash's Sceptile. Max doesn't want either of them to lose. May and Ash shake hands before the Contest Battle begins. It appears that May has the advantage, but the match is fairly even, both Pokémon matching opening executions.
Sceptile opens with Pound, Bullet Seed, and Leaf Blade. Blaziken dodges them all, and Ash loses points. To make up for it, Sceptile chases Blaziken towards the wall, preventing it from dodging Pound. Sceptile fires Bullet Seed, but Blaziken's Fire Spin neutralizes it and hurts Sceptile. Blaziken attacks with Sky Uppercut, but Sceptile dodges, taking May's points. Sceptile's Leaf Blade and Pound attack knock down Blaziken, setting points even at the halfway mark. Sceptile follows up with Bullet Seed and Pound. It tries Leaf Blade, but Blaziken dodges. Blaziken attacks with Sky Uppercut, but Sceptile matches it with Leaf Blade, negating both attacks. Blaziken uses Blaze Kick but Sceptile's Pound matches it as well.
With one minute left, the points are identical, but both Pokémon are exhausted. Sceptile activates Overgrow, and Blaziken matches with Blaze. Neither Pokémon can gain an advantage, with moves evenly matched. Sceptile's Leaf Blade and Pound match Blaziken's Sky Uppercut and Blaze Kick. Ash and May lose points fairly evenly. With ten seconds left, Sceptile unleashes Solar Beam while Blaziken fires Overheat. The attack creates a big explosion that covers the scoreboard just as the time runs out, leaving everyone in anticipation for the final results.
The TerracottaContest was promoted using a recolored version of the international Pokémon logo (that shows the word "Pokémon" in red letters bordered in a yellow outline, while the actual logo has yellow letters that are bordered in blue).
This is the last time to date where Max encounters Team Rocket.
As of this episode:
A first partner Pokémon of every type has evolved outside its native region at least once.
Water is the only first partner Pokémon type to not have a Pokémon with a confirmed Ability in the animated series.
Also, Water is the only first partner Pokémon type to have not evolved in two different regions.
Errors
The coloring error
In one scene, as the camera looks down on the Team Rocket float and the various Pokémon come running up to them, the dorsal fin on their Magikarp net launcher is red.
As Team Rocket hauls in the nets, the nets are opaque, though this is likely an animation simplifier.
In one scene towards the end, when Blaziken uses Overheat, its eyes are red instead of blue. However, this may have been intentional.
The announcer incorrectly states that Overgrow increases the power of all attacks and implies the same for Blaze.
At the end of the episode, in the last panel, Sceptile and Blaziken are nowhere to be seen.
