BW016

← BW015 : The Battle According to Lenora!

Best Wishes series

BW017 : Scraggy—Hatched to be Wild! →

Rematch at the Nacrene Gym!

BW016   EP673 再戦シッポウジム！新技炸裂！！ The Shippou Gym Rematch! An Explosive New Move!!

First broadcast Japan January 13, 2011 United States May 21, 2011

English themes Opening Black and White Ending

Japanese themes Opening ベストウイッシュ！ Ending 心のファンファーレ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 矢嶋哲生 Tetsuo Yajima Assistant director 岩崎友和 Tomokazu Iwasaki Animation director 原田峰文 Minefumi Harada Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Rematch at the Nacrene Gym! (Japanese: 再戦シッポウジム！新技炸裂！！ The Shippou Gym Rematch! An Explosive New Move!!) is the 16th episode of the Best Wishes series, and the 673rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on January 13, 2011 and in the United States on May 21, 2011.

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

Blurb

Before returning to the Nacrene City Gym for a rematch against Lenora, Ash has decided to get some practice in first. He heads to the Pokémon Battle Club and enlists the aid of Don George for some special training. With the aid of a lavishly equipped training room, Ash, Tepig, and Oshawott train intensely, and all three increase their speed and power—just what’s needed to win at the Nacrene Gym!

The rematch is another two-on-two battle. Lenora uses her Watchog and Herdier (newly evolved from the Lillipup Ash faced last time), and Ash uses Tepig and Oshawott. Right away, Lenora can see the big improvement in the speed and power of Ash’s Pokémon, but she’s not about to go easy on them! When she uses her famous combination of Herdier’s Roar and Watchog’s Mean Look, Ash has the perfect counterattack, and Oshawott springs into action with its newly learned Aqua Jet! By odd circumstance, both Oshawott and Watchog end up unable to battle, leaving each side with one Pokémon. A fierce battle ensues between Tepig and Herdier, but Tepig’s speed and power prove undeniable. Ash and Tepig emerge victorious and win the Basic Badge!

Next, our heroes head off toward Castelia City, where Ash hopes to win his third Gym Badge in the Unova region!

Plot

As the episode begins, Don George brings Ash, Iris and Cilan to a gymnasium, which has all kinds of weights and other machines to help train Pokémon. Don George boasts that he takes pride in the practice area of his Battle Club, and tells Ash to feel free to train to his heart's content. Ash thanks him, and Don George says that they will start with Tepig and points out a treadmill. Ash is excited, and calls out Tepig from his Poké Ball.

Don George advises Ash that in order to win against Lenora, he will need to raise the speed of his Pokémon, as well as the power of their moves. Ash encourages Tepig to train thoroughly, but Ash is not getting off so easy! Don George shoves Ash forward, and says that he has to train as well. Ash is confused, so Don George explains that in order to not become startled by the combo of Roar and Mean Look, as well as to gain the ability to act promptly, the Trainer needs to improve his own skills as well. Ash says that he understands, and that he will do it.

As Ash and Tepig are running on the treadmill, Ash encourages Tepig, to which Tepig replies enthusiastically. Don George then raises the speed on the treadmill. Axew then gets excited, and wants to run on the treadmill too, but Iris picks him up, and warns him that the treadmill is not a toy. Don George then announces that the warm-up session is over, and that they will move on to the next step. He then uses the controls to cause small cannons to come out of the wall in front of Ash and Tepig, much to their joint dismay! Don George announces that the true training will now begin, and says to pretend that the rubber balls that will shoot out of the cannons are Shadow Balls, and to dodge and attack them.

A pair of balls then shoots out of the cannons, one of which Tepig successfully dodges, much to Ash's delight. However, Ash is not so lucky, as while he is busy congratulating Tepig, he takes the other rubber ball to the face, and falls backwards off the treadmill. Cilan and Iris rush over, and Cilan asks if Ash is okay, while Iris comments that Ash is a child if he can't even dodge that. Ash makes the excuse that he just let his guard down, and asks Don George if he can try again, to which Don George agrees. Ash and Tepig get right back up on the treadmill, and Ash encourages Tepig with newfound determination, to which Tepig replies enthusiastically. Don George orders them to dodge and attack, reminding them that the Shadow Balls that Lenora and her Pokémon use are not this easy.

He fires off a barrage of rubber balls, all of which Ash and Tepig dodge successfully. Iris comments that now they are starting to get in shape, and Cilan encourages them to do their best. Don George then says that he is going to ratchet up the speed on the machine another notch, and says that now they will even have Shadow Balls coming from behind. After he says this, another pair of cannons pop out of the floor behind Ash and Tepig, and all four cannons then fire a barrage at them. Ash tells Tepig to block them with an Ember attack, and Tepig tries his best, but the balls end up knocking them backwards off the treadmill again. Ash comments that it is just no use, that Ember is just not strong enough, but Don George reaches to help Ash up, reminding him that by continuing to practice, Tepig's speed and the power of his moves will increase, and encourages Ash to aim for new heights with Tepig, to which Ash and Tepig both agree wholeheartedly. Ash then continues to train with Tepig.

Some time later, Ash and Tepig are both exhausted, and Iris observes that compared to when they started, their speed seems to have gone up quite a lot. Cilan comments that in order to win against Lenora, they are going to have to develop a richer and sharper taste. Don George says that is enough for now, and suggests that Tepig be allowed to rest for a while, while Oshawott and Ash train together next. Ash agrees. Don George then shows Ash (now dressed in swimming trunks) and Pikachu to a room with a large swimming pool, and Ash calls Oshawott out of his Poké Ball, saying that it is his turn now. Oshawott enthusiastically jumps into the pool, and happily begins to swim back and forth, but Ash reminds him that they are there to train, not to play. Don George agrees, and moves to the controls. He says that he will put a current into the pool, and that Ash and Oshawott should swim against the current to increase their physical strength and explosive power. Ash and Oshawott agree.

We then check in with Iris and Cilan, who are with Tepig in a cafeteria-like room in the Battle Club. Iris says that she was sorry to keep Tepig waiting, and Cilan gives Tepig a bowl of Pokémon food, which makes Tepig very happy. Cilan notes that Tepig worked very hard, and that he should be sure to eat up. Then Iris notices the absence of Axew, noting that he was just here a moment ago.

We then go back to Ash and Oshawott. Oshawott is working hard to swim against the current, with encouragement from Ash. Don George admonishes that they won't be able to win against Lenora like this, and to swim with all of their might. We then notice Axew, who wanders over to the control panel and jumps up on top of it. Loving all of the bright lights and colors, Axew starts hitting buttons at random, which causes a massive wave to sweep Ash and Oshawott away. Don George is shocked, and Pikachu draws his attention to Axew. Then Iris, Cilan, and Tepig enter the room, with Iris happy to have found Axew. Ash takes Oshawott under his arm, and asks if he is all right, then says that they are not done practicing yet, and that he won't lose, to which Oshawott responds in the affirmative.

Then Ash hurls Oshawott up a waterfall-like part of the pool, and Don George says to slide back down, but on the way back down, Oshawott begins to glow blue and be covered with water, which shocks everyone. Don George orders Oshawott to aim for a target on the wall, but Oshawott falls just short of the target, landing on a pad in front of it. Iris, Cilan and Axew run up, and Iris congratulates Oshawott, and wonders if that move could have been Aqua Jet. Cilan says that it seemed to be, but that it had a slightly strange taste though. Ash is so excited that Oshawott learned Aqua Jet that he slips and falls back into the pool. Don George asks if he is all right, to which Ash responds in the affirmative. Ash says to Oshawott that he never thought he would learn such a move, and that Oshawott is amazing, which causes Oshawott to be very proud of itself, and everyone laughs.

Later on, Ash and Tepig are back on the treadmill, dodging rubber balls again, and Tepig's Ember attack is noticeably more powerful than before, as he is able to block several balls at once with it, and the ball on his tail glows red before he uses it now. Cilan comments that Tepig's speed and the power of his Ember have increased dramatically, and that the result of all of their practice is starting to show. Ash vows that they will definitely win against Lenora this time, and encourages Tepig to go for it. Suddenly Tepig starts glowing red, and is surrounded by fire, which shocks everyone, and causes Ash to exclaim with delight.

The next day, back at the Gym, Lenora says that she knew Ash would come, and that she was waiting for him. She observes that Ash looks like he has toughened up quite a lot, and that it is written all over his face. Ash says that he practiced at the Pokémon Battle Club, and he vows to win today and get the Badge. Lenora says that as always, she feels that she can count on Ash, and that she will provide him with her own kind of welcome then. She then pulls out two Poké Balls and says that Ash's opponents today will be these two Pokémon. Ash is unsurprised to see Watchog, but he doesn't recognize the other Pokémon, so he pulls out his Pokédex to scan it, and finds out that it is Herdier, the evolved form of Lillipup.

Iris is shocked to see that Lenora will be battling with different Pokémon from the last battle, especially the evolved form of Lillipup, but Cilan posits that Lenora may have thought that was a better way to bring out Ash's strength, given his progress. Ash says that Herdier is without a doubt even stronger than Lillipup, and that he is getting more and more fired up! Lenora observes that Ash has taken a liking to Herdier, and says that it will be battling first, and then recalls Watchog. Ash then pulls out a Poké Ball and says that he will show the results of their practice. He then sends out Tepig to battle first. Ash praises Tepig's fighting spirit, and Hawes takes his place as the referee and announces that the Pokémon battle between the Gym Leader Lenora and the challenger Ash from Pallet Town will now begin. Hawes then lays out the rules, stating that each Trainer will use two Pokémon, and that Ash will have the first move, then signals for the battle to begin. Ash calls for an Ember attack from Tepig to start things off...

...But before the attack can land, Lenora calls for a Protect attack from Herdier, which completely blocks Tepig's Ember. Then Lenora calls for a Shadow Ball counterattack from Herdier. Herdier attacks by launching four spinning Shadow Balls at once, and Ash orders Tepig to dodge, which he does successfully. Then Tepig jumps up and Ash calls for Tepig to block the Shadow Balls with an Ember attack, which he does, the Ember and Shadow Balls causing a huge cloud of smoke on the battlefield. When the smoke clears, Lenora comments that she can see that Ash and Tepig increased their speed and the power of their moves.

Then Ash calls for a Tackle attack from Tepig, but in response, Lenora calls for a Roar attack from Herdier, which stops Tepig in his tracks, and forces him back into his Poké Ball, and forces Oshawott to come out on the battlefield. Then Lenora switches Herdier for Watchog, and immediately orders a Mean Look attack, trapping Oshawott and preventing Ash from switching out. Ash then says that he knew that Lenora would use this strategy, and Lenora responds that she hopes that means that he has a counter for it...

...Ash responds that of course he does, and calls for a Razor Shell attack from Oshawott. Lenora orders Watchog to dodge, but Oshawott manages to land a hit from his attack, which prompts a remark from Lenora that Oshawott's speed has increased as well. Then Ash orders Oshawott to show them his new move, and orders an Aqua Jet attack. Unfortunately, Oshawott is still having problems aiming, and after zooming crazily around the Gym he crashes. Ash asks Oshawott if he is okay, to which he responds in the affirmative, and then Ash tells him to try Aqua Jet once more. Once again however, Oshawott zooms around crazily, then crashes.

Iris cannot believe that it happened again, and Cilan comments that he can't help but think that Oshawott's Aqua Jet has a weird taste. Lenora then comments that she is impressed with how much Oshawott's speed has increased and how he has even learned Aqua Jet, but says it seems he hasn't mastered it completely yet, and that Ash will not be able to win against her like this! Ash then vows to win, no matter what, and orders a Water Gun attack from Oshawott. Unfortunately, before the attack can land, Watchog dodges, and then Lenora orders a Confuse Ray attack, which confuses Oshawott.

Ash is in a state of disbelief, and Lenora explains that no matter how well it has trained, now that it is confused, there is nothing to be done about it. Then Lenora states that it is their turn, and orders a Thunderbolt attack from Watchog. Ash orders Oshawott to block it with his scalchop, which he does at first, but he is eventually overwhelmed by the power of the attack, and takes major damage. Ash tells Oshawott not to give up, and orders a Water Gun attack. However, due to the confusion, Oshawott ends up hitting the wall, which causes Ash to call out to him to snap out of it. Then Cilan observes grimly that not only is Oshawott confused, but he has taken a lot of damage from an Electric type move that he has a disadvantage against, and that right now, he can only fight a battle full of unpleasant flavors. Iris is incredulous that they might lose again, after all of that hard work training.

Ash vows again not to lose the battle, no matter what, and calls for another Aqua Jet attack from Oshawott. Lenora says that it is time to end this, and calls for another Thunderbolt attack from Watchog. The attack causes Oshawott to ricochet off of the ceiling, straight towards Watchog! Oshawott impacts down on Watchog, causing a huge explosion, and when the smoke clears, both Watchog and Oshawott have fainted. Hawes declares that they are both unable to battle. Cilan observes that due to getting hit by the Thunderbolt, the unstable Aqua Jet landed a direct hit, and coincidence clashed with coincidence, resulting in perfect harmony. He then comments that Pokémon battles are truly fun. Iris then observes that both Ash and Lenora only have one Pokémon left, and that he just needs to win against Herdier to win the Badge, which means that it is time for Tepig vs. Herdier, round two...

Ash recalls Oshawott to his Poké Ball, congratulates him and tells him to take a long rest. Lenora then says that Ash surprised her, that she didn't think that Watchog would be defeated, but comments that Ash's luck won't last forever, then calls out Herdier. Then Ash calls out Tepig, and just like round one, calls for an Ember attack to start things off. Just like last time, Lenora calls for Herdier to use Protect, which completely neutralizes Tepig's Ember attack. Then Ash calls for Tepig to use Tackle, which is a hit, and sends Herdier sprawling. Cilan comments that the taste of Tepig's movements is rich and sharp enough, and that they already were before, but the result of their practice really shows. Then Ash calls for Tepig to use Tackle once more, and in response, Lenora calls for Herdier to use Shadow Ball. Tepig tries to dodge, but it gets hit, and sends Tepig sprawling.

Iris observes that Tepig couldn't dodge because he was in too close, and Cilan comments that speeding up and attacking up close was good, but it ended up backfiring this way. Ash asks if Tepig is all right, and it responds in the affirmative. Lenora comments that Tepig is trying his hardest to live up to Ash's expectations, and that their bond is truly wonderful. However, she says that she is the Gym Leader of the Nacrene Gym, and that she won't go easy on him. Lenora then orders Herdier to use Giga Impact, which causes a huge explosion, and sends Tepig sprawling. Iris cannot believe the amazing power that Herdier has, and Cilan says that he expected nothing less from a Normal type user, and notes that Lenora is presenting different kinds of moves with excellence. Iris chides Cilan for saying such carefree things, and wonders if Ash will be in trouble at this rate.

Ash exhorts Tepig not to give up, and tells him that he can still fight, and that Ash believes in him, and Tepig stands up. Lenora commands another Shadow Ball attack from Herdier, which Ash commands Tepig to dodge, but it is obvious that Tepig is running out of steam. Iris and Cilan comment that Tepig is being cornered, and that if it gets hit one more time, it will be over. Recognizing Tepig's weakness, Lenora calls for another Shadow Ball attack from Herdier, and Ash encourages Tepig to dodge. Then Ash says it is time to finish this, and calls for Tepig to unleash all of his Fire power, and use Flame Charge! In response, Lenora calls for another Giga Impact from Herdier, and the two attacks collide in a huge explosion! As the dust clears, both Herdier and Tepig struggle to stand up, and are both urged to get up by their Trainers. Finally they both get up and both stare down at each other for a brief moment until finally Herdier faints, and Hawes declares that Herdier is unable to battle, and Tepig wins, and that the winner of the match is the challenger, Ash!

Ash runs forward to thank Tepig for all of his hard work, and Iris and Cilan run forward to congratulate the two of them as well. Cilan comments that today's main dish, Tepig's Flame Charge, was truly effective, and that this battle had a profound taste. Lenora comes up and says it is just as Cilan said, and that Ash is quite something. Hawes comments that he never thought that Ash would use Flame Charge at that point, and both he and Lenora were really shocked. Lenora says that she fell in love with the way that Ash battled, and Ash thanks her. She then presents him with the Basic Badge, and tells him to keep fighting by believing in his Pokémon.

Later on that day, back at the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy gives Ash his Egg back, and says that she examined it, and it is growing nicely, and she is sure it should hatch soon. This excites Ash, and she tells him to keep raising it with care, which he agrees to do. Outside, Cilan finds that of all the towns with a Gym, Castelia City is the closest. Iris asks if Ash will challenge the Castelia Gym, and Ash responds that of course he will, and he will get his third Badge as well.

Major events

• Ash's Oshawott learns Aqua Jet while his Tepig learns Flame Charge.
• Ash battles Lenora again and manages to defeat her, earning the Basic Badge.
• Ash learns that the next Unova Gym is at Castelia City.

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

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Herdier

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Lenora
• Don George
• Hawes
• Nurse Joy

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Herdier

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Oshawott (Ash's)
• Tepig (Ash's)
• Audino (Nurse Joy's)
• Lillipup (Lenora's; flashback)
• Herdier (Lenora's)
• Watchog (Lenora's)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster: Scolipede
• This marks the first time since Pokémon - I Choose You! that Jessie, James, and Meowth do not appear in a regular episode of the Pokémon anime, excluding the clip show episode AG120. They will have regular absences from the series from this point on.

Errors

• As the group observes Ash and Tepig running on the treadmill, Axew's head is discolored.
• In the dub version, in one scene, Lenora's sleeves are colored the same colors as the background.
• In the dub version, in one scene, the beige and orange colors on Lenora's headband swapped the places with following orders, orange goes with beige and ends with an orange color.

• 

  Coloring error

• 

  Lenora's sleeves error in the dub version

• 

  Lenora's headband error in the dub version

Dub edits

• The dub states that Lenora's Herdier evolved from her Lillipup, but this was never stated in the original Japanese version.
• Lenora's apron is once again removed in the dub.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		再次挑戰七寶道館！新絕招爆發!!
Danish		Omkamp i Nacrene Salen!
Dutch		Rematch in de Nacrene Gym!
Finnish		Uusintaottelu Nacrenen salilla!
German		Ein großartiges Rezept für einen Kampf!
Greek		Ρεβάνς στο Στάδιο Νάκριν!
Hindi		Nacrene Gym में हुआ री-मैच! Nacrene Gym me hua Re-match!
Indonesian		Pertarungan Kembali Gym Nacrene! Jurus Baru Meledak!!
Italian		Rivincita alla Palestra Zefiropoli!
Korean		칠보체육관 재도전 새로운 기술 작렬!!
Norwegian		Revansj i Nacrene-Gym! (sic)
Polish		Rewanż w Sali Nacrene!
Portuguese	Brazil	A Revanche no Ginásio de Nacrene!
	Portugal	Desforra no Ginásio de Nacarina!
Russian		Реванш в Гиме Накрин!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Revancha en el Gimnasio Nacrene!
	Spain	¡Revancha en el Gimnasio Esmalte!
Swedish		Revanchmatch på Nacrene-gymmet
Thai		ศึกรีแมตท์ที่ชิปโปยิม! พัฒนาเทคนิคใหม่!!

← BW015 : The Battle According to Lenora!

Best Wishes series

BW017 : Scraggy-Hatched to be Wild! →

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