BW097

← BW096 : Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

BW098 : Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige! →

Unova's Survival Crisis!

BW097   EP754 霊獣フォルム総進撃！イッシュ最大の危機！！ The Reijuu Formes Advance! Isshu's Greatest Crisis!!

First broadcast Japan October 4, 2012 United States January 26, 2013

English themes Opening Rival Destinies Ending

Japanese themes Opening やじるしになって！ Ending ロケット団よ永遠に みてみて☆こっちっち*

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Unova's Survival Crisis! (Japanese: 霊獣フォルム総進撃！イッシュ最大の危機！！ The Reijuu Formes Advance! Isshu's Greatest Crisis!!) is the 97th episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 754th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on October 4, 2012, in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2012 and in the United States on January 26, 2013.

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

Blurb

Team Rocket has captured Meloetta, brought it to the Undersea Temple, and used a recording of Meloetta's song to raise the temple to the surface. As Operation Tempest continues, Giovanni acquires the mysterious Reveal Glass and uses it to summon the three Legendary Pokémon Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus!

Meloetta's protector, Ridley, explains that whoever controls Meloetta also controls these three ancient powers. Team Rocket’s plan is just the latest attempt by evildoers over the years to take over the Unova region using the power of the Reveal Glass. Our heroes watch in horror as the three Legendary Pokémon change into Therian Forme and prepare to wreak havoc upon Unova! As Ash and Pikachu escape from their cage, an enormous Pokémon battle takes shape: Iris's Dragonite, Cilan's Pansage, Cynthia's Garchomp, Ridley's Golurk, and Ash's Unfezant join with Pikachu to stand against the fearsome Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus. A crackling attack from Thundurus almost strikes Iris down, but Pikachu flings itself into the bolt's path to protect her. Using the extra electricity it absorbed from that attack, Pikachu launches a massive Electro Ball to overpower Team Rocket and free Meloetta!

But Giovanni still holds the Reveal Glass, and without Meloetta's calming influence, he is completely overcome with evil ambitions: instead of conquering the Unova region, he now wants to destroy it! But Jessie, James, and Meowth intervene to sway their Boss from this disastrous path. As soon as he returns to his senses, Team Rocket reluctantly retreats.

Ridley uses the Reveal Glass to return the three Legendary Pokémon to their Incarnate Forme, and Meloetta soothes their rage with its song. With disaster averted, Ridley and Meloetta bid our heroes farewell and prepare to return to home. But Ash knows they will meet again someday, and all eyes once again turn toward the Unova League!

Plot

Continuing from where the previous episode left off, Giovanni has raised the Abyssal Ruins using Meloetta's song, bringing Team Rocket's Operation Tempest to its final phase. Ash and Pikachu are still trapped in a containment cube at the temple, unable to do anything to stop Team Rocket. Giovanni orders the Reveal Glass to summon the three great powers, and in response, it emits a ray that begins forming a storm in the sky.

Meanwhile, Jervis escorts Cynthia, Ridley and Ash's friends across Undella Bay to reach the ruins. Ridley suffers physical pain as a result of Team Rocket harming Meloetta. He relates the story of the ruins to the others: long ago, an ancient society living there used the Reveal Glass to control the forces of nature with wisdom, but people soon grew corrupt and began fighting to use the Reveal Glass for their own selfish ends. Meloetta, seeing the destruction being wrought by the conflict over the Reveal Glass, sealed it away by sinking the Abyssal Ruins to the bottom of the ocean. The seas grow rougher as Ridley warns that Team Rocket plan to use Meloetta to control the forces of nature, giving them the ability to rule Unova.

Three portals open in the sky over the Abyssal Ruins. Ridley recognizes the forces of nature as they descend, identifying them as Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus. Once all three have fully emerged, Giovanni welcomes them and urges the Reveal Glass to turn them into their "other form." As this happens, Ash cannot sit still any longer. He tells Pikachu to try breaking out of the cube once again, by focusing Iron Tail on a single point. This soon breaks the cube, and Ash scales the temple to try and save Meloetta, but Jessie and James send Woobat and Yamask to stop him. They blow him and Pikachu off the temple with Air Slash and Shadow Ball, but the pair are saved by Ridley's Golurk.

Ash and Pikachu reunite with the others at the base of the temple. Resolving to stop Team Rocket's plans, they assemble a group of their Pokémon: Garchomp, Dragonite, Pansage and Unfezant with Pikachu accompanying them. Dragonite flies off without orders from Iris, leaving the others to follow, but the entire group are soon pushed back by a burst of red light from the Reveal Glass. Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus transform into their Therian Formes, and as the light recedes, it briefly surrounds Giovanni's body and fills his eyes as well. Taking control of the ruins' power, Giovanni orders the forces of nature into battle.

Dragonite recklessly takes on the Legendary Pokémon ahead of the others, against Iris's pleas. Tornadus and Landorus easily overwhelm Dragonite using Air Slash and Stone Edge, sending him crashing back to the base of the temple. While he is stunned, Thundurus descends and prepares an immense electrical attack to finish him off. Iris steps in front of the attack to protect him, but then Pikachu jumps in the way to protect her, absorbing the elctricity from the blast. Iris's act helps her finally begin to connect with Dragonite, and he starts to display a newfound sense of trust in her. He rejoins the battle alongside the others, but they fail to make much headway against the forces of nature.

Giovanni commands the forces of nature to unleash their true power, causing Meloetta to scream out in pain as the Reveal Glass empowers them further. The eyes of the forces of nature become fully red, and they knock all of their opponents into the ocean with a single onslaught of moves. The forces of nature begin to activate their true power, combining their respective abilities to create a portal that freezes Undella Bay and a portion of a nearby city, where Officer Jenny wonders what is taking place. At the ruins, Dr. Zager comments to the others that this is what the ancient people fought over: the ability to unleash a neverending wave of natural disasters.

The heroes' Pokémon burst from the ice to continue the battle, while at the same time, Ash reaches the top of the ruins again. He confronts Giovanni, who dismisses his challenge. Jessie and James call forth Woobat and Yamask again, but when Ash orders Pikachu to use Electro Ball against them, it turns into a gigantic, supercharged version of the move as a result of the excess energy from Thundurus's earlier attack. Electro Ball ends up obliterating the top of the temple, freeing Meloetta from its restraints and sending Team Rocket and the Reveal Glass flying right off. However, Giovanni gets completely overcome when he accidentally looks into the glass, causing him to scream in pain when the Reveal Glass blasts a beam of light right into his face.

Unfezant recovers Meloetta and brings it to Ash, but Jessie, James and Meowth demand he return it. Giovanni suddenly interrupts them and says they no longer need Meloetta, but as he stands up amidst the rubble, he is shown to have completely red eyes and a glowing symbol from the Abyssal Ruins on his forehead. Ridley, Iris, Cilan and Cynthia arrive, and Ash gives Meloetta to Ridley, but then warns his friends that the battle is not yet over. While the forces of nature overwhelm the heroes' Pokémon, Giovanni rises up and shouts that his goal is destruction. This horrifies his subordinates; James tries to remind him that their goal is to conquer, and in response to Meowth's question, Dr. Zager admits that he has no idea what is happening. Giovanni calls the forces of nature to his side and commands them to destroy all of Unova. Dr. Zager speculates that losing Meloetta may have caused Giovanni's condition, and Ridley confirms this, explaining that the three Legendary Pokémon control the power of nature and Meloetta acts as a balance on that power. With that balance no longer in place, Giovanni's sanity has been consumed by his own ambitions, turning his goals to destruction and chaos. Rejecting this, Jessie, James and Meowth leap toward Giovanni and shove him outside of the area of the temple's influence, releasing him from its control. They help him up, and he wonders what happened, having no recollection of what took place while he was possessed. Dr. Zager tells him they cannot control the Legendary Pokémon without Meloetta and recommends they retreat, which Giovanni agrees to. When Ash calls to them and asks where they're going, James merely has Yamask use Haze to provide cover. Team Rocket return to their jet and fly off, with Jessie and James remarking that Pikachu truly is special after all.

The heroes' Pokémon continue fighting the forces of nature. Ridley returns the Reveal Glass to its pedestal, tells Meloetta they must stop the rage of Landorus and the others, and asks the Reveal Glass to grant him his wish. The Reveal Glass releases a gentle light that wraps around Meloetta as the Mythical Pokémon begins to sing. Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus calm down and stop fighting, then approach the Reveal Glass, which turns them back to their Incarnate Formes and ends the conflict.

Aboard the Team Rocket jet, Giovanni reflects upon how his own ambitions nearly brought about his demise, then orders a return to Team Rocket HQ in Kanto.

With the crisis at an end, the forces of nature fly off peacefully. The Abyssal Ruins sink back beneath Undella Bay, taking the Reveal Glass with them. That evening, the group bids farewell to Ridley and Meloetta. Oshawott cries at the prospect of having to say goodbye to his crush, but he is comforted by Pikachu and Iris's Axew as Ridley and Meloetta fly away on Golurk.

Major events

• Giovanni successfully summons the forces of nature and uses the Reveal Glass to turn them into their Therian Formes.
• Dragonite begins to fully obey Iris, though his rogue attitude still remains.
• Meloetta is freed from Team Rocket's control and manages to calm down the forces of nature.
• Giovanni withdraws Team Rocket (including Jessie, James, and Meowth) from Unova and returns to Kanto.
• Meloetta leaves with Ridley.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Tornadus (Therian Forme)
• Thundurus (Therian Forme)
• Landorus (Therian Forme)

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Jessie
• James
• Officer Jenny
• Giovanni
• Cynthia
• Dr. Zager
• Jervis
• Ridley
• The Protectors (flashback)

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Persian (US and international) Landorus (Therian Forme) (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Unfezant (Ash's; female)
• Oshawott (Ash's)
• Dragonite (Iris's)
• Pansage (Cilan's)
• Woobat (Jessie's)
• Yamask (James's)
• Garchomp (Cynthia's)
• Golurk (Ridley's)
• Meloetta (anime)
• Tornadus (anime; both Formes)
• Thundurus (anime; both Formes)
• Landorus (anime; both Formes)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster: Team Rocket's old Pokémon*/Drilbur*
  • Viewers could call one of three phone numbers to want either Wobbuffet, Mime Jr., or Dustox to return to the series. Three random callers won a Nintendo 3DS XL with a prepaid gift card, which allows the player to gain access to the Pokémon Dream Radar.
• When first aired, Team Rocket Forever was used as the ending theme for this episode instead of Look Look☆Here. Subsequent re-airings use Look Look☆Here, and even on Japanese DVD releases.
• Iris narrates the preview for the next episode.
• This is the season finale of Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies.
• This is the first episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White to have a Pokémon that doesn't appear in the episode, in the United States and international versions of Who's That Pokémon?, or Dare da?.
• This episode was aired in several countries before its airing in the United States:
  • On December 31, 2012, it was aired in the United Kingdom, 26 days before.
  • On January 3, 2013, it was aired in Italy (on K2), 23 days before.
  • On January 10, 2013, it was aired in Poland (on Disney XD), sixteen days before.
• This episode aired on January 26, 2013 in Latin America, at the same time as the United States airing.
  • It was supposed to air in English but it was erroneously broadcasted on Cartoon Network USA via the Secondary Audio Track on all U.S. and U.S. territories using the dubbed Latin American Spanish track, which was scheduled to debut in November 15, 2013.
• This episode marks the final appearance of Dr. Zager.
• The giant Electro Ball that Pikachu uses after being supercharged by Thundurus is a recycled element from the unaired BW024, where Pikachu was to use a giant Electro Ball to destroy the Meteonite after being supercharged by it.
  • The Abyssal Ruins' backstory as the seat of an ancient civilization that was destroyed by the use of an artifact at its center is also recycled from the same episode, where the Relic Castle and the Meteonite filled similar roles.

Errors

• When Giovanni calls out to the Reveal Glass just before the forces of nature change Forme, the yellow stripes on the sides of his uniform briefly disappear.
• In one scene, the background appears over Dragonite's tail.
• During one scene between Iris and her Dragonite, Dragonite's right pupil has its original look.
• Just before Jessie, James, and Meowth push Giovanni off the pedestal while he is possessed, his eyes are colored white when they should still be red.
• When Oshawott is crying that he was about to say goodbye to Meloetta, Axew's eyelids when he is sad are white.

• 

  Giovanni's uniform missing its stripes

• 

  Dragonite's tail error

• 

  Dragonite's pupil error

• 

  Giovanni's eyes incorrectly colored white

• 

  Axew's eyelids error

Dub edits

• In the original version of the episode, Tornadus's voice changes to become much higher pitched when it changes into Therian Forme. This is not retained for the dub, in which all three of the forces of nature have the same voices in both Formes.
• When Giovanni becomes possessed, both his eyes and the seal on his head are changed from red to a much lighter color.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		靈獸型態合力進擊！合眾最大的危機！！
Danish		Unova i fare!
Dutch		De Overlevingscrisis van Unova!
Finnish		Unova selviytymis kriisissä!*
European French		Menace sur la région d'Unys !
German		Kampf um die Zukunft der Einall-Region!
Greek		Η Κρίση Επιβίωσης της Γιούνοβα!
Italian		Tutti uniti per Unima!
Korean		영물폼 총진격! 하나지방의 최대 위기!
Norwegian		Unovas overlevelseskrise!
Polish		Walka o przetrwanie Unovy!
Portuguese	Brazil	A Maior Crise de Unova!
	Portugal	Crise de Sobrevivência de Unova!
Russian		Существование Юновы под угрозой!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Unova y su Crisis por Sobrevivir!
	Spain	¡La Supervivencia de Teselia en Peligro!
Swedish		Unovas överlevnadskris!
Thai		ฟอร์มอสูรรวมตัว! ความวุ่นวายครั้งใหญ่ของอิชู!!
Vietnamese		Đòn tấn công của các linh thú! Nguy hại tột cùng cho Isshu

← BW096 : Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

BW098 : Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige! →

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