Scalchop King Competition

File:Scalchop King Playoffs competitors.png

Quattro, Ash and other competitors lining up

The Scalchop King Playoffs is a tournament held annually at Hotachi Island in the Decolora Archipelago, held specially for Oshawott and Dewott only. There is a competition for female Oshawott and Dewott and a competition for male Oshawott and Dewott. The prize is a golden scalchop crafted by an artist from the island and the honor to be Hotachi Island's symbol for one year, until the next Scalchop King Playoffs take place. It is hosted by Freddy O'Martian and is judged by a Don George and the island's Nurse Joy.

In the anime

In Crowning the Scalchop King!, when Ash and his friends were traveling on a cruise through the Decolora Archipelago, they noticed there were a lot of Oshawott and Dewott on board. They asked Parker what this was all about and he told them about the Playoffs held later that day at Hotachi Island. Excited, Ash decided to enter with his Oshawott.

When Ash and his friends arrived at the island, the competition for female Oshawott and Dewott had already taken place and and an Oshawott called Mijuka had won and was crowned queen. The winner of the competition for male Oshawott and Dewott would get to be king alongside Mijuka. At the competition site, Ash quickly gained a rivalry with Quattro, an overconfident competitor with a Dewott named Caesar.

Ash's Oshawott managed to pass all portions of the competition and reached the final, where he had to battle the other finalists, Quattro and Caesar. With all his strength, Oshawott managed to defeat Caesar and was declared the winner of the Playoffs. Ash was shocked to hear that Oshawott would have to stay on the island to be the island's symbol for one year, however. He prepared to say goodbye to Oshawott, as Oshawott had fallen in love with Mijuka, but at the last moment it was revealed that Mijuka loved Caesar instead. Heartbroken, Oshawott's scalchop broke in half, and this meant he was disqualified from the tournament. As runner-ups, Quattro and Caesar were then automatically declared the winners instead.

Contest portions

• Scalchop exhibition

All participating Oshawott and Dewott show their scalchops to the audience. The judges judge the scalchops on aspects like color and shape.
The ones with the best looking scalchops move on.

• Scalchop hitting

The Oshawott and Dewott need to throw their scalchops in a target, similar to a game of darts.

• Brick Break

The Oshawott and Dewott need to break a pile of bricks with their scalchops. They have to break as many bricks as possible.

• Scalchop performance

The Oshawott and Dewott need to deliver a performance by use of their scalchops. It is similar to the appeal round of a Pokémon Contest.

• Battle

In the final portion of the competition, the final two participants have a standard 1 on 1 battle over a pool with small platforms.

Notable competitors of the male tournament

• Quattro and Caesar (Winners)
• Ash and Oshawott (Disqualified)
• "Musai" & "Kojiron" and "Futachinyaru" (Disqualified)

Trivia

• The competition is similar to the Croagunk Festival of Pastoria City:
  • Only Pokémon of a certain kind or evolutionary family are allowed to enter.
  • It has a round where the competitors are judged for different aspects not particularly notable for those who do not have an eye for such aspects.
  • It features an round where a pile of bricks must be broken, similar to the Block Smash Event.
  • It has a battle round.
    • Similarly, Meowth competed in both Contests disguised as its main Pokémon and passed through two rounds without being caught before being eliminated.

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