DP168

←	DP167 : Teaching the Student Teacher!

Keeping In Top Forme!

DP168

EP634

飛べシェイミ！空の彼方へ！！
Fly, Shaymin! Far into the Sky!!

First broadcast

Japan	March 18, 2010
United States	August 14, 2010

English themes

Opening	We Will Carry On!
Ending

Japanese themes

Opening	サイコー・エブリディ！
Ending	ドッチ～ニョ？

Credits

Additional credits
Animation	Team Kato
Screenplay	米村正二 Shōji Yonemura
Storyboard	うえだしげる Shigeru Ueda
Assistant director	うえだしげる Shigeru Ueda
Animation director	緒方厚 Atsushi Ogata

Screenshots on Filb.de

Keeping In Top Forme! (Japanese: 飛べシェイミ！空の彼方へ！！ Fly, Shaymin! Far into the Sky!!) is the 168th episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 634th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan as a one-hour special on March 18, 2010, along with Pokémon Ranger: Heatran Rescue! and in the United States on August 14, 2010.

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

Blurb

While doing some training in the forest, our heroes come across a mysterious girl sleeping in a boat...that's about to go over a waterfall! Fortunately, Brock acts quickly and dives in to save her. Once safe, she asks Brock to take her over the mountain, where she needs to find a "secret garden."

Although the girl, named Marley, is secretive at first, she opens up enough to explain that she is caring for a sick Shaymin. It turns out that Shaymin has ingested some poison from a Seviper attack, but not just any Seviper—Team Rocket's Seviper! They had been trying to steal Shaymin from Marley since the previous evening, and have shown up today to try again. Team Rocket makes a third attempt to steal Shaymin, but our heroes—and Marley—finally send them blasting off in their usual style.

Marley has been trying to get Shaymin to transform into Sky Forme, allowing the Pokémon to go on its flower-bearing journey. Up until now, Shaymin has preferred to stay with her. After finding one of the last remaining blooming Gracidea flowers in the field, Shaymin finally attains Sky Forme. The now-winged Pokémon, joining with two other Shaymin in Sky Forme, bids a fond farewell to Marley and our heroes.

Plot

On their way to the Sinnoh Grand Festival, Ash and Dawn are practicing for their upcoming battles and Contest, while Brock is preparing a meal. Dawn starts off with having Piplup use Whirlpool. She then praises Piplup for its "greater than great" Whirlpool. Brock is kneeling by a river getting ready to clean a net full of berries when he sees a mysterious boat floating down the river. He then notices that a girl is fast asleep in the boat. He attempts to wake her while walking with the boat. That's when he realizes that it is headed straight for a huge waterfall. He starts yelling at her to try and wake her, but to no avail. He then wades into the water and heroically grabs the boat and blocks it from falling.

After the opening theme, the scene shows Brock a couple of feet before the waterfall when he notices that there is a rope in the boat. He calls out Happiny, who proceeds to toss the entire boat and Brock onto the shore. Ash and Dawn come running up asking if he's okay. He says that he's okay and directs their attention to Marley. As the camera scrolls up her motionless body, Dawn asks if she is real or not. Suddenly Marley opens her eyes and gets up. The first thing she asks is for the whereabouts of her basket which is still in the boat with her. She is thankful that the basket is unharmed and asks Brock why he's all wet. Brock seems confused by this question when Ash pipes in and semi-sarcastically says that she was about to go over a waterfall. Dawn then tells her that's why he is wet. Marley responds by verbally assuming that Brock's name is Brock. Dawn agitatedly responds that she should at least thank Brock for saving her, but Brock shrugs it off. Marley exits the boat and asks who Dawn and Ash are. Ash and Dawn are taken aback by her complacent attitude and quickly introduce themselves and their Pokémon. Brock asks Marley why she was sleeping in the boat, she tells them that she was hiding and had accidentally fallen asleep. She also explains that there was a group of "very bad people" after her. She then turns to Brock and asks him to protect her. She explains that she has to go to the other side of what seems to be Mt. Coronet. Ash and Dawn interject by saying that she can't just expect them to just say yes and bring her over the mountain, she tells them off by saying that she wasn't asking them which angers Ash.

While Brock is thinking, Dawn tells him that Marley will be fine by herself. Brock tells Dawn that if Marley is being chased and that the group is going that way anyway, that they can go together, an idea which Ash and Dawn seem almost sickened by. The scene switches to the four walking along a trail. Brock asks Marley where she will be heading after crossing over the Mountain. She says that she is headed to a very secret garden. Ash tries to get more information but Marley won't tell any more. Dawn asks Marley why all the bad people are after her and Marley sarcastically responds "It's because I’m an alien". Ash and Dawn are surprised by this and excitedly ask if she is kidding. She very calmly says "I'm kidding". Piplup's stomach starts to growl so Brock starts getting out Pokémon food. Marley stresses how she's in a hurry and is reassured by Brock that it won't take long. Marley is staring at Piplup and Pikachu happily eating when she suddenly announces that she is going for a walk. The three are very surprised by Marley's strange behavior.

The scene then switches to Marley opening her picnic basket and letting out an injured Shaymin. The Shaymin is dirty and doesn't eat Pokémon food when Marley tries to feed it. She insists on it eating but it just won’t. The scene switches back to Ash commenting on how long Marley has been gone for, the group decide to find her. When they do they see her with the Shaymin. Ash instantly recognizes it but Dawn has to pull out the Pokédex to check it. Brock comments on how weak Shaymin looks and Marley says that it has been that way since the morning. Brock examines it and Shaymin coughs up gas. Brock informs Marley that Shaymin has been exposed to a poison of some kind. Brock then explains how Shaymin can use a move called Seed Flare Marley then recalls Shaymin inhaling a Seviper's Haze earlier that morning. Brock feeds Shaymin a Pecha Berry to rid it of the poison. Shaymin coughs smoke and then explodes in a huge plume of black smoke. When the smoke clears Shaymin looks completely healed. He then feeds it a Sitrus Berry to help regain strength. After eating, it jumps up and utters a cry of happiness. Marley comments on how Brock is almost like Nurse Joy. Ash tells Marley that Brock wants to be the world’s best Pokémon breeder. Dawn asks Marley why she keeps Shaymin in a picnic basket and Marley says it's because the bad people are after Shaymin.

The camera then pans to Team Rocket hiding behind a tree. Jessie is annoyed that Marley had to get "tangled up with the twerps". Jessie makes a comment about the all-nighter that they had pulled and how they deserve to steal Shaymin. The scene melts into a flashback. Team Rocket is walking along the path when Meowth spots Shaymin waddling down the path. He exclaims about how rare it is and frightens it into running away. James then makes a comment on how Shaymin "ranks high as a really rare primo Pokémon". Team Rocket decides to chase it while yelling "Yoo-Hoo!". Shaymin runs up Marley's leg and hides on her shoulder. Jessie immediately sends out Yanmega and commands it to use SonicBoom, which propels Marley and Shaymin a couple of feet, away on the ground. Marley leans up enough to ask Shaymin if it's alright, then Jessie says that they've earned Shaymin. James says "It's finders keepers and losers losers!" Marley tells Team Rocket that Shaymin doesn't want to go with them when Meowth tells her that her ribbon is on too tight. She asks who they are which throws them into their newest Sinnoh Motto. During the motto, Marley and Shaymin slip away unseen which leaves Team Rocket shaking their heads in search for her. The next scene shows Marley trotting away with Shaymin while commenting on how boring Team Rocket is. This angers Jessie and prompts Team Rocket to give chase. Marley sends out her Arcanine and has it use Flamethrower on Team Rocket. This burns them up and creates a massive explosion which sends them blasting off once again. The flashback fades out and starts off with James saying "There isn't a blast-off big enough for Team Rocket!"

The scene goes to the gang walking on a trail. Ash is in awe of the story that Marley had apparently been telling them. She says that she had tried to say goodbye to Shaymin once before, which prompts another flashback. It's late evening by a lake. The sun is going down. Shaymin, Marley and her Arcanine are by the shore. Marley says that she knows Shaymin go on a flower bearing journey and if she remembers correctly, a Gracidea Flower Garden is just over the mountain. She also tells Shaymin to hurry or it will miss all the flowers. Shaymin walks a couple of steps and then turns its' neck so that they stare into each other’s eyes. Shaymin eventually turns away and wanders off. The scene turns to the middle of the night. Marley is in her sleeping bag while narrating that she was having trouble falling asleep. She turns over in her bag and Shaymin walks right up to her and snuggles in her sleeping bag. It comes out looking elated for being back with Marley. She has a really confused look on her face for a second and then finally gives in. She lets Shaymin sleep in her bag and promises to accompany Shaymin to the Gracidea Flower Garden. While falling asleep she comments on how Shaymin is so warm and cozy.

It's the next day and Marley is still partially narrating. She's walking down a trail when Team Rocket burst out of the tree line yelling "Ta Da!". Marley shows her distaste for the three, and James replies that they've been searching all night to find Shaymin. Marley gets ready to send out Arcanine, but Jessie beats her to it by calling out Seviper. Seviper uses a Haze attack. James runs up and grabs Shaymin, who starts to suck all the smoke into its body. Meowth realizes what’s happening and warns James about Seed Flare. Shaymin explodes with Seed Flare and flies into Marley’s arms. She hops on Arcanine and rides away. She sees a boat and quickly jumps in, putting Shaymin in a nearby basket. While in the boat, she sees Team Rocket running into the forest but unable to locate her. Marley then lies down on the boat and falls asleep. The flashback ends and Marley has finished telling her story. Ash and Dawn reassure her that they'll protect her and Shaymin from harm. They come up to a tunnel and Marley announces that the Gracidea Garden is just beyond the tunnel. Team Rocket pops up from behind a rock and states that they're going to ambush the gang at the Flower Garden. After the commercial, the scene is back on the gang. Piplup, Pikachu, and Shaymin are all having a good time playing around while walking. Piplup and Pikachu trip on a sleeping Shroomish, who proceeds to use PoisonPowder on them. Shaymin sucks it all in with Seed Flare and then releases it, scaring off the Shroomish. Piplup and Pikachu are still poisoned, but Shaymin waddles over and uses Aromatherapy on both of them, healing them. Marley points out that they're almost at the end of the tunnel, and that there will be a huge Gracidea Flower Garden at the other end.

When the gang reaches the Garden, they're all in shock. All of the flowers have died, which means no transforming for Shaymin. Ash has the idea of combing the dead garden to look for just one that is in bloom. The rest comply and get to work. The search isn't going well. There isn't a flower in sight. All of a sudden, Brock looks up and sees a sprout still in bloom, only problem is that it's on a huge rock. With precision timing, Team Rocket bursts out in their giant Mecha Caterpie. The head of the mecha opens and brings out Team Rocket on a platform. They show their faces and Marley groans "Oh no, not them again". They say a couple words and then use Mecha Caterpie's String Shot. Ash commands Pikachu to use Thunderbolt and Dawn has Piplup use BubbleBeam against it. The attacks collide and explode in mid-air. Ash brings out Torterra and has it use Energy Ball. The Energy Ball knocks Team Rocket on the ground. Team Rocket's robot starts crawling towards the gang when Brock has the idea to have Dawn's Buneary use Ice Beam underneath Team Rocket, so that they have no traction. Now that Team Rocket is immobilized, Ash has Torterra use Rock Climb and Dawn has Piplup use Whirlpool. The attacks land dead center and send Team Rocket spinning away. Ash yells that they did it, but James lets out an evil laugh while Meowth engages stage 2 of the mecha. The back of the Caterpie pop open and Butterfree mecha pops out, just like a butterfly crawls out of a cocoon. They begin charging a "Robo-Hyper SolarBeam." They shoot it at the ground, knocking Ash and friends off their feet. After the smoke clears, Marley looks for Shaymin, which she can't find. Brock points out to her that it is climbing the rock so it can get to the Gracidea and transform into Sky Forme. The scene cuts to another Thunderbolt/BubbleBeam combo that the Mecha Butterfree dodges with total ease. Team Rocket is feeling unstoppable and begins gloating. They decide to give Ash and friends a blast off of their own. They start charging another SolarBeam, when Marley cheers on Shaymin to reach the Gracidea. The pollen is floating from the flower to Shaymin, and it starts to transform. Once done, Shaymin jumps into Marley’s arms for a quick hug then flies through the antennae of the mecha Butterfree, cutting them to shreds. They explode and break away. They begin a high speed sky chase, with Shaymin in the lead. Shaymin gets going so fast that Team Rocket are unable to keep up. They stop for a second and then get hit hard from underneath. Team Rocket uses "Robo-Hyper Gust" which knocks Shaymin off course. The last Gracidea blow away in the wind, Shaymin is falling, but recovers and uses Air Slash. This cuts Team Rockets mecha straight in two. Team Rocket blast off, but a worn out Shaymin falls straight into the patch of ice from Buneary. When Shaymin touches the ice, it transforms back into Land Forme. The gang are wondering what to do, when two more Shaymin appear. Magically, a Gracidea bud blooms right in front of them, so the Shaymin use it to transform. Once transformed, they take to the skies and fly in happy circles. Marley tells Shaymin that it's time for it to go on the Flower Bearing Journey. Shaymin is sad to leave Marley, but knows it has to or else it will transform by night fall. Marley says that she hopes to see Shaymin again. Then the Shaymin fly away, but not without revealing its voice to thank Marley.

Major events

Ash and his friends meet Marley.

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

Debuts

Humans

Marley

Pokémon

TV episode debuts

Shaymin

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Trivia

Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture: Bronzong
Music from Celebi: Voice of the Forest, Gotta Dance, Jirachi Wish Maker, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, and Giratina and the Sky Warrior is played during this episode.
The title is a reference to the phrase 'top form'.
Due to a mishap where the Japanese title for the next episode was announced in dub schedules prior to this episode's dub title being revealed, some people were initially and mistakenly led to believe that this episode was being skipped in the dub.
Because Brock was able to cure Shaymin with a Pecha Berry, it is implied that Shaymin became poisoned by Haze, an Ice-type move. This appears to be an unwanted effect of Seed Flare not being fully executed rather than a direct result of being exposed to Haze.
- Interestingly, Haze had the power to cure status aliments in Generation I and II.
Throughout this episode Ash, Dawn, and Brock all talk about Shaymin and recognize it immediately. This is probably references of the events that happened in Giratina and the Sky Warrior.

Errors

In one scene Dawn's skirt is miscolored black instead of pink.

Dub edits

In the Latin American dub, Meowth calls Marley a "sleepy emo" instead of "sleepy twerpette".

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		飛翔吧潔咪！前往天空的彼端！！
Danish		I Top Form til Sky Forme!
Dutch		In Topvorm Blijven!
Finnish		Kaivattu Sky Forme!
German		Auf die Form kommt es an!
Indonesian		Terbanglah Shaymin! Jauh ke Atas Langit!!
Italian		Mantenere la forma migliore!
Norwegian		I toppform til Sky Forme!
Polish		Zostań w szczytowej formie!
Portuguese	Brazil	Mantendo a Boa Forma!
Portuguese	Portugal	Em Grande Forma
Spanish	Latin America	Siguiendo en la cima por mí
Spanish	Spain	Mantenerse en la mejor forma
Swedish		Toppa formen till Sky forme!