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.
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
The battle between Trip and Ash continues... Pikachu manages to get up after getting hit by Serperior's Dragon Tail. Before Pikachu could have retaliated, Serperior hits him with Energy Ball and Dragon Tail. Then Serperior uses Wrap and Pikachu is in a tight squeeze. Ash calls out for a Thunderbolt, but Serperior merely passes the electricity underground by burying his tail and using it as a lightning rod.
Ash yells to him, and all the memories of his previous battles come on his mind. Ash quickly hatches a new plan. As Pikachu's tail was outside of Serperior's grip, he commands an Iron Tail which allows him to break free. Once more, the attack is repeated, but Serperior's Dragon Tail once again causes Pikachu to flinch. Ash, to Trip's sheer astonishment, orders Pikachu to gather electricity on his tail and he uses a unique Electro Ball and Iron Tail combo. Serperior counters with Dragon Tail, and a large explosion occurs. When the smoke clears, Pikachu collapses onto the ground, but manages to stand up within a few seconds with faltering steps. Serperior, however, is unconscious, and Trip has been defeated. Their rivalry ends, and friendship blooms its first bud.
With Trip and Ash's battle done, the League goes on to the first round. Cameron is matched up with Bianca, and their battle begins in earnest. Bianca starts up with her Escavalier, while Cameron goes on with Samurott. Escavalier uses Iron Defense several times, but Samurott still manages to beat it. Next up, Bianca sends out Emboar. Cameron thinks that he will win because of type advantage, but Bianca surprises everyone by using Attract on Samurott to infatuate her, and then knocks her out. Now one on one, Cameron sends out his Riolu. Riolu displays quite a battling prowess, and manages to turn hostile situations into an advantage. Riolu finally knocks out Emboar with a Vacuum Wave, giving Cameron the win, and knocking Bianca out of the Vertress Conference.
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