BW104

← BW103 : Curtain Up, Unova League!

Best Wishes series

BW105 : Lost at the League! →

Mission: Defeat Your Rival!

BW104   EP761 熱闘！ライバルバトルを勝ちぬけ！！ Fierce Fighting! Win Out in the Rival Battle!!

First broadcast Japan November 29, 2012 United States March 16, 2013

English themes Opening It's Always You and Me Ending

Japanese themes Opening やじるしになって！ Ending みてみて☆こっちっち

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard 牧野吉高 Yoshitaka Makino Assistant director 吉村文宏 Fumihiro Yoshimura Animation director 篠原隆 Takashi Shinohara 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

Mission: Defeat Your Rival! (Japanese: 熱闘！ライバルバトルを勝ちぬけ！！ Fierce Fighting! Win Out in the Rival Battle!!) is the 104th episode of the Best Wishes series, and the 761st episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on November 29, 2012 and in the United States on March 16, 2013.

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

Blurb

The Unova League qualifying round between Ash and Trip continues, with Trip’s Serperior appearing to have victory—and Pikachu—all wrapped up! But Ash is determined not to let his rival knock him out of the competition, and a combination of Iron Tail and Electro Ball turns the tables, allowing our hero to move on to the main event!

And so it begins with Cameron vs. Bianca as the first match of the day. Cameron’s Samurott immediately goes on the offensive against Bianca’s Escavalier, and though Bianca maxes out Escavalier’s defensive power with Iron Defense, a successful double Razor Shell from Samurott still gets through, and Escavalier is out.

Bianca calls up Emboar, which seems like a strange choice—as a Fire type, it’s at a disadvantage against the Water-type Samurott. But Bianca’s strategy is sound—Emboar uses Attract, and Samurott is immediately smitten! With a couple of powerful Fighting-type attacks, Samurott is down for the count. Cameron then calls on his beloved Riolu, who proves to be quite a powerhouse despite its small size. Its speed, dexterity, and expert timing—combined with moves like Copycat and Vacuum Wave—are enough to finish Emboar off, and Cameron claims the first win in the Unova League’s main event!

Plot

Ash and Trip begin their qualifying round battle of the Vertress Conference, with Iris, Axew, and Cilan watching in the stands. Ash is using Pikachu, and Trip is using Serperior. Pikachu immediately takes a big hit from Serperior's Dragon Tail and lands on the ground hard. Iris and Cilan then start worrying about Pikachu since he has taken so much damage from just one attack, given Serperior's speed and power are both forces to be reckoned with. Ash encourages Pikachu to get up, and he slowly does, but falls right back into the same position after taking a blow from Serperior's Energy Ball. Serperior then launches a barrage of Dragon Tails, and with all the damage Pikachu has taken, he is not able to dodge all of them and gets hit again. Serperior immediately follows up with Wrap, squeezing Pikachu hard with his tail.

Iris and Cilan continue worrying about Pikachu now that he has taken several hits and is probably close to the edge, but Ash is not willing to give in, so he commands a Thunderbolt. However, Serperior is commanded by Trip to stick his tail into the ground. The ground absorbs the Thunderbolt's electricity and negates all damage, making Ash take on a surprised look. Trip then commands Serperior to squeeze Pikachu with even more force, and Pikachu's head turns blue making him look like he will faint at any second. Ash declares that he can't lose to Trip again, and proceeds to flashback to his previous battles against him; Pikachu failing to defeat Snivy on his first day in Unova, his own Snivy losing to Trip's Frillish at the Battle Club despite the type-advantage, Tepig tying with Vanillish again despite the type-advantage, and, despite evolving and once again having the type-advantage, Pignite falling against Serperior at the Junior Cup. Ash knows that if after all this time he still can't win against Trip then his whole Unova journey will have been a waste.

Later, Bianca, Virgil and Cameron are all shown to have won their qualifying round battles. Bianca's Emboar beats Mikael's Watchog with a combination of Arm Thrust and Hammer Arm, Virgil's Vaporeon beats Ultimo's Crustle with Hydro Pump, and Cameron's Ferrothorn beats Kendrick's Eelektross by firing Pin Missile into its mouth.

Meanwhile, Pikachu is still being Wrapped by Serperior. Iris and Cilan try to encourage Pikachu to do something by cheering him on, just as Stephan, Bianca, and Cameron all greet them. They all immediately notice that Ash appears to be losing, and they all cheer Pikachu on. After much struggling, Pikachu eventually passes out. Knowing this is his chance, Trip commands Serperior to smash Pikachu into the ground. However, Pikachu regains consciousness in the process, just as Ash gets the idea that Pikachu can use Iron Tail to cushion his landing. He then commands this, and Pikachu pulls it off, freeing himself from Serperior's grasp. Pikachu then attempts to attack Serperior with another Iron Tail, but Serperior overpowers him with Dragon Tail. Feeling confident that he will emerge victorious, presumptuous Trip says "You've battled well, but it's over now." to Ash who responds negatively. Ash quickly comes up with an idea and immediately puts it into action; he commands Pikachu to use a combination of Iron Tail and Electro Ball, and Trip commands Serperior to intercept with Dragon Tail. As both Pokémon execute their attacks, a huge explosion billows.

After the smoke clears, Pikachu looks extremely weak, but takes a quick look at Serperior and starts jumping for joy. After seeing this response, Trip's confused look turns into a shocked one when he sees that his Serperior has been defeated. Everyone in the stands begins to go crazy, especially all of Ash's friends since Pikachu defeated such a strong Pokémon against all odds and gained Ash access to the next round. In the next scene, Ash enters the Pokémon Center and sees Trip. He goes to ask him if he is leaving, and Trip points out that he still has a long way to go to defeat Alder if he doesn't go out and train. He and Ash then agree that they should both give it their all, and they shake on it as Trip leaves.

As day turns to night, Ash, Cilan, Stephan, and Cameron are all relaxing in the sauna room of their hotel, and Ash is commended by his friends for battling like a champion against Trip. In the next scene, Ash's Pikachu and Oshawott are both relaxing in a hot tub. Cameron's Riolu comes along and splashes Oshawott and Pikachu with hot water upon entering the tub, making it and the latter start having a splash fight. However, Riolu takes it a bit too far and provokes Pikachu to use Thunderbolt. Riolu quickly gets out of the water, but Oshawott gets hit by the electricity and becomes badly injured. Ash, Cameron and Stephan hear Oshawott's cry and run into the other room to see what happened. When Ash sees the Sea Otter Pokémon unconscious, he becomes worried about him.

The next day, the main event of the Vertress Conference begins, and the two sides (Bianca and Cameron) get ready to start their battle. Ash, Iris, Cilan, Stephan, and Virgil are all watching in the stands, and are conflicted since they are watching a battle between two of their friends and don't know who to cheer for. Cameron doesn't know which of his Pokémon to start with, so he smacks himself with his headband to give himself an idea. After, he sends out his Samurott. In response to this, Bianca chooses Escavalier.

Samurott starts off with a Hydro Cannon, but Escavalier dodges and uses Iron Defense. Samurott tries for another Hydro Cannon, but Escavalier does the same thing: dodging and using Iron Defense. Samurott then uses a Razor Shell, but Escavalier yet again dodges and uses Iron Defense. Everyone watching in the stands becomes confused at this since Bianca can't win on defense alone. However, Bianca does finally take offense and have Escavalier use Fury Attack. Samurott demonstrates her defensive skills and counters with Razor Shell, finally striking Escavalier on the head. However, it appears to have taken minor damage given its maximized defense. Cameron begins worrying that Escavalier's defense will be too tough to handle, so he again smacks himself with his headband for an idea. He then realizes that even the strongest defense is susceptible to internal damage, so he has Samurott use a double Razor Shell. Escavalier dodges the first one, but takes a direct hit from the second one and begins shivering.

After a short while, Escavalier, despite having maximized its defense, faints. Cameron praises Samurott for breaking through a tough barrier, and Bianca recalls Escavalier and immediately sends out her Emboar. Iris becomes surprised at this since Fire-types like Emboar are weak to Water-types like Samurott.

Cameron has Samurott use a combination of Aqua Jet and Hydro Cannon, which both land and cause Emboar massive damage. Ash then looks disappointed since he wanted to see Cameron's Riolu in action, but most likely won't since Samurott is very close to defeating Emboar at this point. However, Emboar is commanded by Bianca to use Attract, and Samurott becomes infatuated right on cue. Knowing this is her chance, Bianca has Emboar go in for a combination of Arm Thrust and Hammer Arm, which both land, knocking Samurott out despite her type advantage.

Everyone in the stands becomes impressed that Emboar was able to beat a Water-type, and Bianca praises him for the same reason. Cameron recalls Samurott and picks Riolu as his second Pokémon. Ash is no longer disappointed now that he does get to see Riolu battle, and Bianca initially has a hard time working up the nerve to battle a Pokémon as adorable as Riolu. However, she pulls herself together and gets ready to finish it.

Bianca commands an Arm Thrust, but Cameron commands Riolu to dodge. Emboar then goes in for a Hammer Arm, but Riolu shuts Emboar's attack off with Circle Throw, and everyone watching the battle becomes impressed at Riolu's battling skills. Emboar gets up, but is immediately hit by two of Riolu's Force Palms in a row, landing on his stomach. However, this gives him an opening to grab Riolu's leg and chuck it across the battlefield. After recovering, Riolu dodges Emboar's Flamethrower and uses Copycat. After completing this, Riolu fires Emboar's Flamethrower right back at him. As Emboar is beginning to look like he's on the brink of defeat, Cameron commands Riolu to use Vacuum Wave, which lands and creates a violent explosion. As the smoke clears, Emboar is revealed to have fainted, making Cameron the winner of this battle.

Bianca recalls Emboar and starts to cry because of her loss, while Cameron and Riolu are jumping for joy because of their victory. Everyone in the stands commends the two for a great battle, and Ash informs Pikachu that they will both beat Cameron when it comes time for them to battle.

Major events

• Ash defeats Trip, eliminating the latter from the tournament.
• Ash and Trip make peace with each other.
• Virgil, Bianca, and Cameron defeat Ultimo, Mikael, and Kendrick, respectively, advancing them to the next round.
• Cameron defeats Bianca, eliminating the latter from the tournament.

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

Characters

Dare da?

Humans

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Nurse Joy
• Trip
• Bianca
• Stephan
• Cameron
• Virgil
• Freddy O'Martian
• Mikael
• Ultimo
• Kendrick
• Katharine
• Dino
• Antonio
• Emmanuel
• Flora
• Geraldo
• Ramone
• Manning
• Kenton
• Russet

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Vaporeon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Oshawott (Ash's)
• Pignite (Ash's; flashback)
• Snivy (Ash's; flashback)
• Tepig (Ash's; flashback)
• Audino (Nurse Joy's)
• Serperior (Trip's)
• Snivy (Trip's; flashback)
• Frillish (Trip's; flashback)
• Vanillite (Trip's; flashback)
• Emboar (Bianca's)
• Escavalier (Bianca's)
• Riolu (Cameron's)
• Ferrothorn (Cameron's)
• Samurott (Cameron's)
• Eevee (Virgil's)
• Vaporeon (Virgil's)
• Watchog (Mikael's)
• Crustle (Ultimo's)
• Dwebble (Ultimo's)
• Eelektross (Kendrick's)
• Tranquill (Ramone's)
• Minccino (Katharine's)
• Sandile (Antonio's)
• Foongus (Flora's)
• Blitzle (Trainer's)
• Deerling (Trainer's; ×2)
• Pidove (Trainer's; ×2)
• Patrat (Trainer's)
• Woobat (Trainer's)
• Gothitelle (Trainer's)

Trivia

Preview image from the Episode N teaser

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster: Preview of upcoming episodes and the Unova League Pokémon World Tournament download*/Samurott*.
• This episode marks Ash's first and only victory against Trip.
• Trip's Serperior's use of his tail as a lightning rod for Pikachu's Electric attack is similar to the tactic used by Jeanette Fisher's Bellsprout in The Fourth Round Rumble.
• Cameron's Samurott is revealed to be female in this episode.
• This episode was followed by a brief teaser for Best Wishes Season 2: Episode N.
• Iris narrates the preview for the next episode.
• This episode marks Trip's last physical appearance.

Errors

• In one of the crowd shots, Woobat's wings are colored blue like its body, instead of black.
• When Kendrick gives his Eelektross a command, he says "Crunch Claw", when he should have said Crunch.
• In the Italian dub, the names of the moves Thunderbolt and Flamethrower are switched around: Bianca commands her Emboar to use Thunderbolt, and Ash commands his Pikachu to use Flamethrower.

• 

  Woobat's blue wings

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		熱鬥！從勁敵對戰中勝出！
Dutch		Missie, versla je rivaal!
Finnish		Tehtävä: Voita kilpailijasi!
German		Der Rivale darf nicht gewinnen!
Greek		Αποστολή: Νίκησε τον Αντίπαλο Σου!
Italian		Missione: vincere a tutti i costi!
Korean		뜨거운 시합! 라이벌 배틀에서 승리하라!
Norwegian		Oppdrag: Beseir din rival!
Polish		Misja: Pokonać rywala!
Brazilian Portuguese		Missão: Derrote o Seu Rival!
Russian		Задача: одолеть соперника!
European Spanish		¡Misión: Derrotar a tu rival!
Swedish		Uppdrag: Besegra din rival!
Thai		การต่อสู้ที่ดุเดือด! เอาชนะคู่แข่งให้ได้!!
Vietnamese		Trận đấu sôi sục! Phải giành chiến thắng trước kình địch!

← BW103 : Curtain Up, Unova League!

Best Wishes series

BW105 : Lost at the League! →

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