DP123

← DP122 : Stopped in the Name of Love!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP124 : To Thine Own Pokémon Be True! →

Old Rivals, New Tricks!

DP123   EP589 ポケモンコンテスト！タツナミ大会!! Pokémon Contest! Tatsunami Tournament!!

First broadcast Japan April 16, 2009 United States September 5, 2009

English themes Opening ~Battle Cry~ (Stand Up!) Ending

Japanese themes Opening ハイタッチ！ Ending もえよ　ギザみみピチュー！

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 日高政光 Masamitsu Hidaka 山本珠代 Tamayo Yamamoto Assistant director 細谷秋夫 Akio Hosoya Animation director たけだゆうさく Yūsaku Takeda Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Old Rivals, New Tricks! (Japanese: ポケモンコンテスト！タツナミ大会!! Pokémon Contest! Tatsunami Tournament!!) is the 123rd episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 589th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on April 16, 2009 and in the United States on September 5, 2009.

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

Synopsis

Ash, Pikachu, Ambipom, Barry, and his Empoleon are exercising and practicing for the upcoming Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament while Brock, Dawn, and Piplup watch. Kenny comes up to them and tells Dawn that she should be focusing on the Sandalstraw town Contest for her fifth ribbon. She tells him that she was just putting the finishing touches on their moves and says that she's entering Ambipom for both rounds which surprises Kenny. Jessie is also participating in the Contest for her third ribbon and James lets her use his Mime Jr.

Dawn starts some last minute practice with Kenny while Ash and Pikachu practice ping pong with Barry and Empoleon. Mamoswine shows some interest. After the practice begins an Ice Shard is launched at them which Ambipom smashes with Double Hit. Dawn asks Mamoswine if it was responsible for that Ice Shard asks if Mamoswine wants to compete in the contest too to which Mamoswine ignores. Dawn and Ambipom get back to practicing and Mamoswine sends another Ice Shard their way. Dawn says she's sure Mamoswine wants to compete but Mamoswine still refuses to show real interest which makes Piplup angry. Dawn is positive that someday Mamoswine will compete in a Pokémon Contest. Brock thinks that Mamoswine wants some attention and reminds Ash of how Ambipom used to act while she was still an Aipom.

Round 1

The contest is underway and Marian introduces the coordinators while Ash, Brock, Barry, Pikachu, Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, and Mamoswine watch and cheer Dawn on. Barry says that he's never to been to a real contest before. Marian introduces the judges Raoul Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Sandalstraw's Nurse Joy.

Jessie disguised as Jessilina is the first entrant and calls Mime Jr. out with a Heart Seal effect. James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet cheer her on from the top of the stands in disguises. Jessie tells Mime Jr. to use Teeter Dance but Mime Jr. sits on the floor in seemingly meditation which confuses the judges, audience and Ash and co. Lights emanate from Mime Jr. and it uses Teeter Dance while on its head. Everyone in the stadium is affected by the Teeter Dance and enjoy it. Dawn and Kenny watch from the back room and Dawn comments on Jessilina's change of style. The people here are not affected by Mime Jr.'s Teeter Dance. The judges love Mime Jr.'s presentation. A montage is played of the next coordinators.

The next coordinator is Kenny and he calls out his Machoke with a Bubble Seal. Machoke uses Focus Energy to show off muscles. An enormous dumbbell weighing three times Machoke's body weight is lowered onto the stage. Machoke uses Strength to lift it with one arm and switches to the other. Barry says that he wants to eventually catch a Machoke. Brock comments on how contest moves are usually graceful and beautiful so it was a smart move for Kenny to show off how strong Machoke is. Dawn admires from the back room while Jessie is indifferent. Kenny jumps up and handstands on top of the dumbbell Machoke is holding ending their presentation. The judges love it. Kenny tells Dawn that there's no way she's beating him and that he saw her compete in the Wallace Cup. Kenny says his big goal is to win and get ahead of Dawn.

Dawn is next and calls out Ambipom with a Song Seal and orders for Double Team and Focus Punch. Ambipom Double Teams into a circle, uses Focus Punch on the ♪'s and ♫'s, dances in midair and covers the stage with sparkles. Brock comments on how Ambipom and Dawn are totally in sync, and Mamoswine opens its eyes to watch. Kenny cheers Dawn on from the back room. Then Ambipom uses Swift, hits the stars with its tail as a ping pong move, and spins around in midair swirling the stars around herself. Ambipom uses Double Hit and the stars break into sparkles. Marian and the judges love her performance and Mamoswine is impressed. Ash and co. notice Mamoswine watching and ask Mamoswine's opinion of Dawn's performance but goes back to napping.

Dawn joins Ash and co. in the stands and is extremely nervous about making it into Round 2. Dawn tells them that Kenny said he's very determined to win the contest and Ash encourages her. Jessie, Kenny, and Dawn make it into Round 2. Mamoswine shows some interest, Brock advises her to stay calm and Kenny and Dawn exchange friendly rivalry. Meowth and James praise Jessie and Mime Jr. Jessie will be using her Seviper in Round 2.

Round 2

Jessie, Dawn and Kenny defeat their first matched coordinator. Jessie and Dawn battle in the semifinals and Dawn defeats her easily. James and Meowth are afraid are what will happen to them because Jessie lost.

Dawn and Kenny make it to the finals. Dawn uses Ambipom while Kenny uses his Prinplup. Mamoswine is wide awake and watching. Kenny begins with a Drill Peck and Dawn counters with Swift. Ambipom uses Double Team and Prinplup uses BubbleBeam. Ambipom hits the BubbleBeam back with a Focus Punch. Prinplup uses Metal Claw to hit them back again turning the contest into a ping pong match. Marian says this ping pong exchange during a contest battle is a first. Prinplup uses BubbleBeam again right after a Metal Claw and Ambipom uses Double Hit to pop the bubbles. Prinplup uses Drill Peck, Ambipom uses Focus Punch and the two collide in midair. Prinpup uses Metal Claw while nosediving and spinning. Ambipom goes for a direct attack and tries to use Double Hit but it fails and Prinplup uses Drill Peck. Kenny wins the Contest with Ambipom knocked out, the most points, and 1:20 left on the clock. Dawn praises Ambipom and Ash and co. are saddened. Jessie says that she needs another Pokémon to partner with for the next contest and Meowth swears that he will win the next contest. Raoul Contesta praises Kenny and hands him the Sandalstraw Contest ribbon. Kenny says the ribbon belongs to his Prinplup and Machoke. Dawn thinks she was hung up on getting her fifth ribbon, and Brock says she should be proud for how well she performed in this contest.

Kenny leaves to train and catch more Pokémon. Both Dawn and Kenny promise that they will defeat the other the next time they meet. Barry suggests that Dawn should participate in the upcoming Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament because of how well Ambipom did during the ping pong exchange.

Major events

• Dawn loses the Sandalstraw Contest in the final battle round which also results in her first loss to Kenny.
• Kenny wins the Sandalstraw Contest and his fourth ribbon.
• Ambipom discovers her talent for ping pong.
• Dawn decides to enter the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament along with Ash and Barry.

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Marian
• Raoul Contesta
• Mr. Sukizo
• Nurse Joy
• Kenny
• Barry
• Coordinators

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Aipom (Ash's; flashback)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Mime Jr. (James's)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Buneary (Dawn's)
• Pachirisu (Dawn's)
• Ambipom (Dawn's)
• Mamoswine (Dawn's)
• Happiny (Brock's)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Prinplup (Kenny's)
• Machoke (Kenny's)
• Empoleon (Barry's)
• Gabite (Ursula's; flashback)
• Gastrodon
• Haunter
• Vulpix
• Drowzee
• Stunky
• Flareon
• Seedot
• Bronzong
• Smoochum
• Shellder
• Masquerain

Trivia

• This is the first episode in which Kenny is seen obtaining a ribbon on-screen. All others were shown on television.
• This episode is similar to a contest in a previous episode, Team Shocker!, as Dawn uses only Ambipom, loses the contest, and Kenny participates.
• This is the first time since Arrival of a Rival that Dawn has lost in the second round in an official contest.
• As of this episode, Kenny is the third coordinator to include oneself in the appeal rounds of a contest with May and Jessilina preceding him.
• In this episode, Ambipom participates in what turns out to be her final contest.
• This is the first contest after its capture in The Thief That Keeps on Thieving! that Jessie did not use Yanmega in.
• The dub's title is based on the phrase, Old Dog, New Tricks.

Errors

Piplup's missing "cape"

• During the second round battles, Ambipom uses Double Hit on a Haunter. As a Normal-type move, it should not affect Haunter, a Ghost-type Pokémon.
• Just before Marian announces the finalists, Piplup's "cape" is missing.
• In one scene, Empoleon's neck is colored the same as its mouth.
  • In the next scene, the bottom portion of Empoleon's mouth is colored black.

Dub edits

← DP122 : Stopped in the Name of Love!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP124 : To Thine Own Pokémon Be True! →

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