PE05

← PE04 : The Plan

Pokémon Evolutions

PE06 : The Wish →

The Rival

PE05   ザ・ライバル The Rival

First broadcast Japan December 2, 2021 United States December 2, 2021

English themes Opening N/A Ending

Japanese themes Opening N/A Ending N/A

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay Benjamin Townsend Benjamin Townsend Storyboard 吉岡忍 Shinobu Yoshioka Assistant director 冨安大貴 Daiki Tomiyasu Animation director No additional credits are available at this time.

The Rival on The Pokémon Company International's official English YouTube channel. The Rival on The Pokémon Company's official Japanese YouTube channel. (Japan only) Review thread on BMGf

The Rival (Japanese: ザ・ライバル The Rival) is the fifth episode of Pokémon Evolutions. It was first released on The Pokémon Company International's official English YouTube channel, Pokémon TV, and The Pokémon Company's official Japanese YouTube channel on December 2, 2021.

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

Blurb

No matter how fast you run, your rivals are always one step ahead, pushing you to better your skills. Eventually, you’ll have to face your rival in your travels… for Barry, that time has come.

Plot

Arriving at the Battle Tower, Barry is guided to the top floor to challenge Palmer. Under the weight of facing his father, Barry struggles with self-doubt as he and Palmer send out their first Pokémon, and he starts to flashback to pivotal moments in his journey.

At Lake Verity, Barry and Lucas are attacked by a pair of wild Starly when they bump into a discarded briefcase. The briefcase falls open, revealing a trio of Poké Balls. The two friends grab a Chimchar and Piplup from the selection and send them into the fray, successfully chasing away the Starly. Barry resolves to become a Pokémon Trainer strong enough to challenge his father.

Palmer's Milotic releases a powerful Dragon Pulse, sending Barry's Heracross crashing into the wall behind him. As Barry tenses up from the sheer display of strength, Palmer simply smirks from the shadows.

Barry's journey takes him to the Oreburgh Gym, where his Piplup withstands a Headbutt from Roark's Cranidos and defeats it with Bubble. Roark acknowledges his loss, much to Barry and Piplup's delight. As Barry inserts the Coal Badge into his Badge case, he wonders if Roark might be strong enough to challenge Palmer before he realizes his thoughts have been drifting, and he heads to the next destination with Piplup.

Continuing the battle, Barry's Staraptor scores a direct hit on Palmer's Dragonite with a crushing Aerial Ace, prompting Barry to cheer. The intensity of the battle causes Barry's Badge case to slip out from his pocket and fall open, showing his full collection of Badges from the Sinnoh region.

Barry confronts Jupiter and her Skuntank at Lake Verity, declaring that he's going to be the Pokémon Champion and asking Jupiter to bring it on. Jupiter has Skuntank deploy a Smokescreen, causing Prinplup to miss with its Bubble Beam before defeating it with Night Slash. Mocking Barry for his sentiments and belief that he could ever challenge Team Galactic, Jupiter brings the captured Uxie away as Barry stews in his defeat. For the first time in his journey, Barry wonders if he might never become strong enough to face his father.

Back in the present, Palmer's Rhyperior launches its Rock Wrecker and takes Staraptor out of the fight.

At the Spear Pillar, Lucas confronts Dialga, Cyrus, Mars, and Jupiter, the latter two having sent out their Purugly and Skuntank respectively. Barry arrives on the scene, and Jupiter mocks him again after recognizing him. The two friends send out their Infernape and Empoleon, with Infernape easily sending Mars's Purugly flying with Close Combat, while Empoleon successfully withstands Skuntank's Flamethrower and Night Slash before knocking it back with Metal Claw. Defeated, an amused Jupiter acknowledges that Barry has gotten stronger since their last encounter.

In the present, Barry's Empoleon manages to dodge a Thunderbolt from Rhyperior before retaliating with Hydro Pump, defeating it and winning the match for Barry. Laughing, Palmer congratulates Barry for the great battle, and muses that now Barry has defeated his own father, who will he beat next.

Major events

• In a series of flashbacks:
  • Lucas and Barry start their Pokémon journeys.
  • Barry defeats Roark and earns the Coal Badge.
  • Barry is defeated by Jupiter at Lake Acuity, allowing Team Galactic to capture Uxie.
  • Lucas and Barry battle against Team Galactic at the Spear Pillar.
• Barry challenges Palmer at the Battle Tower and wins.

Characters

Humans

• Lucas (flashback)
• Barry
• Roark (flashback)
• Palmer
• Cyrus (flashback)
• Mars (flashback)
• Jupiter (flashback)
• Team Galactic Grunts (flashback)
• Trainers
• Receptionists

Pokémon

• Chimchar (Lucas's; flashback)
• Infernape (Lucas's; flashback)
• Piplup (Barry's; flashback)
• Prinplup (Barry's; flashback)
• Empoleon (Barry's)
• Heracross (Barry's)
• Staraptor (Barry's)
• Cranidos (Roark's; flashback)
• Milotic (Palmer's)
• Dragonite (Palmer's)
• Rhyperior (Palmer's)
• Purugly (Mars's; flashback)
• Skuntank (Jupiter's; flashback)
• Turtwig (Trainer's)
• Pikachu (×2)
• Starly (×2; flashback)
• Uxie (flashback)
• Dialga (flashback)

Trivia

• This short is the first one to air after the release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and is related to its story.
• The two Pikachu in this episode wear the hats of Lucas and Dawn.

In other languages

Language		Title
Dutch		Het rivaal
European French		Le rival
German		Der Rivale
Italian		Il rivale
Brazilian Portuguese		O Rival
Russian		Соперник
Spanish	Latin America	El rival
	Spain	El rival

← PE04 : The Plan

Pokémon Evolutions

PE06 : The Wish →

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