DP013

← DP012 : Arrival of a Rival

Diamond & Pearl series

DP014 : Leave It To Brocko! →

A Staravia Is Born!

DP013   EP479 ムックルがんばる！ Mukkuru Perseveres!

First broadcast Japan December 21, 2006 United States June 25, 2007

English themes Opening Diamond and Pearl Ending

Japanese themes Opening Together Ending 君のそばで 〜ヒカリのテーマ〜

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 十川誠志 Masashi Sogo Storyboard 山田浩之 Hiroyuki Yamada Assistant director 山田浩之 Hiroyuki Yamada Animation director 新城真 Makoto Shinjō Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

A Staravia is Born! (Japanese: ムックルがんばる！ Mukkuru Perseveres!) is the 13th episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 479th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on December 21, 2006 as a part of a one-hour special along with DP014.

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

Synopsis

The episode opens with Starly diving down into a clearing in a forest. Ash tells it to use Aerial Ace, and it does so, flying along the ground towards a target on the base of a tree. Ash tells it to pull up, and it flies up the trunk of the tree, before looping around for another go. However, this time Aerial Ace fails, and Starly crash-lands, injuring its leg. The group rushes over to check if it is okay and Brock says that it is just a minor injury, and all it needs is a bandage and some potion. Ash comments that they still need to do some more practice on Aerial Ace.

A nearby bush rustles and Rosebay steps out of it. After the members of the group introduce themselves, and Croagunk Poison Jabs Brock to stop him flirting, Rosebay says that she is observing the Pokémon in the forest. Rosebay then shows them a Swablu nest in another part of the forest, before giving Ash her binoculars. Ash sees the nest for himself, then passes the binoculars to Dawn, who comments that there aren't any Swablu in the nest. Rosebay leads the group to higher ground, before commenting that the Swablu should have returned to the nest by that time. She also mentions that the bird Pokémon population has recently been shrinking. Ash and Dawn offer to help her out.

Rosebay leads the group to a Hoothoot colony, but nobody can see or hear any Hoothoot. Starly flies down to the group and reports that it can't see any either. Ash asks if its leg feels better, then tells it to have one more look around.

Meanwhile, four Swellow are flying through a valley. As they swoop around a corner they are surprised by a large net, which catches them and shakes them out into a cage underground. Team Rocket walks into view, and mentions that it was a good idea to put their trap there, as all the bird Pokémon in the forest fly through the valley. Meowth then describes how the bird Pokémon will please the boss by flying him around in his chair.

Starly flies into the valley, noticing a group of three Swellow below it. All four get caught in Team Rocket's trap. Starly gets up and notices all the bird Pokémon in cages around it. Some of them are pecking at their cage when Meowth enters and laughs at them.

Ash becomes worried about Starly, as it has been gone a long time. Rosebay realizes that all the bird Pokémon use the valley path, so that must be where they are. The group decides to hurry there as Starly might be in trouble.

Inside the cages, Starly walks up to a Hoothoot and starts talking with it. Inside Team Rocket's secret base, Meowth reports back to Jessie and James, who ask him to sort out their gift for the boss. Meowth insists on a 'vote,' so the group plays Rock Paper Scissors. Meowth loses, and gloomily asks what the others will be doing. They respond by starting to sunbathe. Up on the edge of the valley, the group spots Team Rocket, and Rosebay notices a Pidgeot in Team Rocket's net. Ash tells Pikachu to help it. Pikachu runs off and frees it from the net just as it is closing. Ash then orders Pikachu and Pidgeot to gather as many bird Pokémon as they can find, in order to rip down the net. The rest of the group runs off to free the Pokémon Team Rocket has already captured.

In the underground base where Carnivine, Cacnea and Seviper are guarding the door to the cage room, Meowth walks in and puts a ring around a Swablu, immobilizing it. Starly and Hoothoot signal each other, and Hoothoot uses Hypnosis on Meowth; he releases Swablu.

As the humans approach Team Rocket's base, they sneak in the front door and climb down a ladder to an underground tunnel containing monitors for the security cameras. Ash sees Starly on one of the monitors. In the meantime, the bird Pokémon and a hypnotized Meowth are digging an escape tunnel from the cage room.

Jessie and James wake up as a very large group of bird Pokémon fly towards their base. They panic when they notice Pikachu, who is leading the group from Pidgeot's back. Pikachu calls out to the Pokémon and they all attack the net, ripping it to pieces. The group, still underground, watches on the security camera screens. Jessie and James rush to some controls, wondering where Meowth is. In the cage room Meowth and Starly are watching as all the other Pokémon leave through the escape tunnel, with Hoothoot leaving last. As Meowth snaps out of the hypnosis, he calls in Seviper, Cacnea and Carnivine. They surround Starly, as the group runs into the room.

The ground starts to shake as Team Rocket's mecha rises from the ground. A ladder drops down, and Team Rocket's Pokémon climb the ladder into the mecha. Meowth admits to Jessie and James that he was hypnotized and let the Pokémon escape. Jessie pushes a button, and nets pop out of the mecha's arms. The Pokémon flee out of the escape tunnel, with the group following behind. Ash yells for Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but, as usual, it doesn't affect the mecha, which is made of wood. Team Rocket then tries to Stomp on the group with their mecha, but they run out of the way, and the foot falls into the escape tunnel, making it fall over.

After they climb out of the remains of their mecha, Team Rocket recite their motto. Ash's Starly uses Wing Attack, but Jessie calls out Dustox, and tells it to use Gust, which blows Starly away as Ash comments on its strength. James tells Cacnea to fire Pin Missiles at Pikachu, who uses Quick Attack to dodge it. Brock sends out Bonsly. Jessie commands a Gust from Dustox. The first blows Bonsly back, but the second time balls on Bonsly's head begin to glow, and Bonsly uses Gust, blocking the attack. Brock realizes that Bonsly has learned Mimic. Jessie tells Dustox to use Psybeam, but Brock tells Bonsly to dodge it and use Mimic. The resulting Psybeam knocks out Dustox.

The groups start running toward each other when Starly flies up high and starts to glow. Its bandage falls off, and it evolves into Staravia. Staravia then uses Aerial Ace to make Team Rocket blast off. Staravia lands, and Dawn checks it on her Pokédex. The other bird Pokémon then fly off, with Hoothoot waving goodbye to Staravia. The group leaves Rosebay and continues on its journey, with Staravia flying overhead.

Major events

• Brock's Bonsly learns Mimic.
• Ash's Starly evolves into a Staravia and learns Aerial Ace.
• Jessie's Dustox is revealed to know Gust.

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

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Ash's Staravia

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Dawn
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Giovanni (fantasy)
• Rosebay

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Starly (Ash's, evolves)
• Staravia (Ash's, newly evolved)
• Bonsly (Brock's)
• Croagunk (Brock's)
• Dustox (Jessie's)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Carnivine (James's)
• Pidgey
• Pidgeot
• Spearow (colony)
• Fearow (colony)
• Hoothoot
• Natu (colony)
• Taillow (colony)
• Swellow (colony)
• Swablu (colony)

Trivia

• Ash trying to teach Starly how to use Aerial Ace is similar to how he tried to teach Swellow how to use it in AG091 and AG092. However, he didn't use the strategy Vladimir and his Pidgeotto taught him in those episodes.
• Professor Oak's lecture: Ash's Pikachu
  • Pokémon senryū: パートナー　サトシとピカチュウ　いいかんじ Pātonā, Satoshi to Pikachū, ii kanji "Partners Satoshi and Pikachu: a pleasant feeling."
• The episode title is a pun of A Star Is Born.
• This is one of the few episodes of the Diamond & Pearl series where Dawn's Piplup does not appear.
• This is one of the few episodes in which more than one main character's Pokémon learns new moves.
  •  A similar occurrence happened in the original series, but that involved one Pokémon learning two moves.
• The scene of Pikachu flying on Pidgeot in the flock of bird Pokémon is very similar to one in another episode, which also appeared in the original opening.

Errors

•  When Ash was going to find Starly, Pikachu's right cheek was gone.
•  When Meowth was holding a Swablu, a Taillow in the background has its belly the same color as its body.
• In one of the scenes where Starly was learning Aerial Ace, its plume was the same colour as its body.

Dub edits

• In the dub, they accidentally called Pidgeotto its evolved form, Pidgeot, when it was in the cage.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		姆克兒加油！
Czech		Zrodila se Staravia
Dutch		Er is een Staravia geboren!
Finnish		Staravia syntyy!
European French		Un Etourvol est né !
German		Aus der Luft ins Netz!
Italian		La nascita di uno Staravia & La foresta è salva
Polish		Narodziny Staravii
Portuguese	Brazil	Nasce um Staravia!
	Portugal	O Nascimento de um Staravia!
Romanian		Nașterea unui Pokémon Staravia
Russian		Старавия Рожден!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Ha nacido un Staravia!
	Spain	¡Ha nacido un Staravia!
Swedish		En Staravia föds

← DP012 : Arrival of a Rival

Diamond & Pearl series

DP014 : Leave It To Brocko! →

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