DP111

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Saving the World from Ruins!

DP111

EP577

鋼鉄島の遺跡！
The Ruins of Steel Island!

First broadcast

Japan	January 22, 2009
United States	June 20, 2009

English themes

Opening	Battle Cry - (Stand Up!)
Ending

Japanese themes

Opening	ハイタッチ！
Ending	あしたはきっと

Credits

Additional credits
Animation	Team Iguchi
Screenplay	冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka
Storyboard	日高政光 Masamitsu Hidaka
Storyboard	山本珠代 Tamayo Yamamoto
Assistant director	古賀一臣 Kazuomi Koga
Animation director	広岡歳仁 Toshihito Hirooka

Screenshots on Filb.de

Saving the World from Ruins! (Japanese: 鋼鉄島の遺跡！ The Ruins of Steel Island!) is the 111th episode of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, and the 577th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It aired in Japan on January 22, 2009 and in the United States on June 20, 2009.

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

Blurb

Team Galactic has taken over the Iron Island ruins, where their Spear Key has unleashed a strange energy from the ruins. On top of that, the frequency from their machines has driven the local Steel-type Pokémon berserk! The energy has overwhelmed Riley's Lucario, and Lucario attacks Riley and our heroes. Fortunately, Riley is training to be an Aura Guardian, and he uses his own Aura to shield everyone. At Riley's insistence, Pikachu hits Lucario with a Thunderbolt—Lucario backs off, but then it charges Team Galactic! In the meantime, the energy from the ruins has triggered reactions from distant Mt. Coronet and even the meteorites in Veilstone City, and scientists around the region are scrambling to figure out what's happening.

Back on Iron Island, Commander Mars' Purugly defeats Lucario, but Riley realizes Lucario was trying to destroy Team Galactic's machines. As our heroes run to finish what Lucario started, Piplup falls into the same cavern where Barry and Team Rocket were trapped after their own scrap with Team Galactic. When Dawn tries to help get them out, an angry Steelix knocks her into the cavern! Riley holds Steelix at bay while Ash and Brock finish the mission; as soon as Pikachu destroys Team Galactic's machinery, Steelix and the island's other Steel-type Pokémon calm down.

This also shuts down the ruins, so Team Galactic beats a quick retreat. As a parting gift, they wire the ruins with enough explosive to blow up Iron Island. Riley and Lucario run to disarm the bombs, but Ash and Brock need to rescue their friends from the cavern. James' Carnivine comes to the rescue: it uses a new move, Vine Whip, to help pull itself to the surface, then pulls up everyone else. As our heroes rejoice, Commander Mars, now a safe distance from the island, hits the detonator for the explosives. The whole island trembles, but remains intact!

Riley and Lucario used their combined powers of Aura to contain the detonating bombs and channel them high above the island to explode harmlessly. With everything quiet for now, Cynthia's grandmother Carolina flies in to examine Team Galactic's handiwork. Both the ruins and Team Galactic's machine are made of the same compound as the Veilstone meteorites; Team Galactic must be using that to locate Spear Pillar, a key to summoning Dialga and Palkia. Riley offers to help Carolina survey the island, but Ash and his friends have other things on their mind. They part on friendly terms with Barry, then get on the ferry. Their destination: Dawn's next Contest and Ash's next Gym battle!

Plot

After succumbing to Team Galactic's low-frequency energy wave, Lucario prepares to strike at Ash and his friends with an Aura Sphere. However, Riley blocks it using his aura, revealing that he and Lucario are actually training to become Aura Guardians. Riley tries to recall it to its Poké Ball, but Lucario breaks it with an aggressive Bone Rush. Ash rushes in and defends Riley from another strike of Bone Rush. Brock and Ash then restrain Lucario from taking further action, while Riley unexpectedly asks Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on Lucario. Ash is hesitant to hurt Lucario but acquiesces upon Riley's assistance. Pikachu unleashes Thunderbolt and electrocutes Lucario, along with Brock and Ash who are still holding on, but it continues to behave irately and runs directly to the wave-emitting Iron Ruins.

While the energy continues to beam from the Iron Ruins and onto Mount Coronet, laboratories across Sinnoh are receiving trace information, while Reggie takes note of the meteorites in the Veilstone City park emitting the same energy. Commander Mars reports her findings back to Team Galactic Headquarters, indicating the likely location of the legendary Spear Pillar is somewhere on Mount Coronet. Cyrus orders the Iron Island operation to continue while they receive data back at HQ.

As Lucario rushes towards the ruins, Mars has her Golbat and Purugly on standby. Lucario is eventually struck down by Shadow Ball and Purugly's Fury Swipes. Though Ash is worried for Lucario, Riley suggests they go after Team Galactic's machine, as Lucario was charging at it with clear intent. While jumping over a big hole, Piplup accidentally falls in but Dawn discovers this is the hole where Barry and Team Rocket are. Dawn stays behind to help while Ash, Brock, and Riley go on ahead. Her efforts are interrupted when a Steelix bursts from underground, causing Dawn to fall in as well. As Steelix pushes its head into the crevasse, Riley intervenes and uses his aura to shield Dawn and the others from harm. With Riley now occupied, Ash and Brock go ahead. Ash has Staravia carry Pikachu on his back while Brock's Sudowoodo and Croagunk attack Mars’s Golbat army with Double-Edge and Brick Break. Though Mars and Purugly attempt to hold them at bay, Staravia uses Brave Bird to defeat more Golbat while Pikachu delivers a devastating Thunderbolt that destroys Galactic's machine. The resulting explosion knocks the Spear Key loose, but it is quickly recovered by a Golbat and handed to Mars. The energy finally ceases, and the Steel types stop behaving aggressively, restoring Lucario to its original state and saving Dawn, Barry, and Team Rocket from the Steelix.

Ash and Brock's intervention has left Team Galactic with only 60% of Mt. Coronet scanned and the location of Spear Pillar is still undetermined. Cyrus pushes for a tactical retreat and orders the ruins to be obliterated. Mars follows orders, and while defeated, she escapes with the Spear Key. Before her helicopter departure, Mars informs Riley and the others that she has installed bombs in the ruins with enough force to obliterate the entire island. She promises she's not bluffing and that she'll detonate the bombs when she feels like it, taunting the heroes to start running while they still have time. Lucario scans the area and locates the explosives underneath the ruins. He orders Ash and the others to leave while he and Lucario handle the situation. Journeying underneath the ruins, he is horrified by the number of explosive devices planted on each pillar, knowing Mars plans to make full use of her threat.

Dawn, Barry, and Team Rocket are mortified over the threat of the explosives, with Jessie hurriedly recalling Wobbuffet, Seviper, and Yanmega. Ash has the idea of having Chimchar use Dig to help everybody escape the hole, but the ground is too hard, making the situation even direr. James and Mime Jr. begins to cry as their fear uncontrollably washes over. Carnivine, watching James's sobbing, begins to glow with a green light and releases two vines from its body, which Barry identifies as Vine Whip. James is overjoyed over Carnivine's new move, which with the aid of Grotle, begins to pull everyone out of the hole.

Now at a safe distance, Mars detonates the bomb. Iron Island shakes, but oddly there is no explosion. Mars is infuriated and presses the detonation button repeatedly but finds herself confused when her crew members reveal that the sensors indicate explosions are taking place. Deeply concerned about Riley, Ash and the others rush over to the ruins. Meanwhile, Riley and Lucario have managed to contain the explosion inside a massive aura bubble. With a scream of effort, they launch the contained explosion bubble into the sky, allowing it to explode without damage to the island. Riley and Lucario emerge from the ruins completely drained, but otherwise unscathed.

Team Rocket soon leaves in their submarine, determined to get their revenge on Team Galactic for wanting to destroy the world. Having analyzed the spikes in energy from the Celestic Town Historical Research Center, Professor Carolina arrives to investigate the Iron Ruins further. Her preliminary analysis reveals that Team Galactic located the Iron Ruins with a radar-like machine made from the stolen Veilstone City meteorites. Furthermore, both the machine and the Iron Ruins are emitting special frequencies that resonate with one another resulting in a sound wave that makes the Steel-type Pokémon act violently and suffer intense pain. In addition, Carolina reveals that the Iron Ruins can reveal the location of Spear Pillar - the location at which Dialga and Palkia may be summoned to this world. At Carolina's request, Riley agrees to help her study the island's mysterious connection with the Veilstone meteorites and Spear Pillar. The following morning, Ash's group says goodbye to Barry and Empoleon as they leave for Chocovine Town and Dawn's next Contest. Ash and Barry vow to keep training hard and face off against each other at the Sinnoh League.

At the Team Galactic Headquarters, Mars apologizes to Cyrus for her failure in destroying Iron Ruins. Cyrus tells her the failure is only a temporary setback, and places Saturn in charge of excavating Spear Pillar. Even with only a 60% scan, Team Galactic has still made headway in their search for the Spear Pillar and their quest for the ability to control the powers of Sinnoh space-time.

Major events

Ash and his friends stop Team Galactic's Iron Island operation.
James's Carnivine learns Vine Whip.
Team Galactic escapes with the Spear Key again.
Team Galactic learns that Spear Pillar is located somewhere on Mt. Coronet.
Professor Carolina arrives on Iron Island to investigate the connection between the island ruins, Veilstone City's meteorites, and Spear Pillar.

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

Debuts

Humans

Charon

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Pikachu (Ash's)
Meowth (Team Rocket)
Piplup (Dawn's)
Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
Mime Jr. (James's)
Staravia (Ash's)
Grotle (Ash's)
Chimchar (Ash's)
Sudowoodo (Brock's)
Croagunk (Brock's)
Seviper (Jessie's)
Yanmega (Jessie's)
Carnivine (James's)
Empoleon (Barry's)
Lucario (Riley's)
Purugly (Mars's)
Staraptor (Reggie's)
Golbat (Team Galactic Grunts'; multiple)
Magnemite (multiple)
Magneton (multiple)
Lairon (multiple)
Aron (multiple)
Geodude (multiple)
Skarmory (multiple)
Steelix
Aggron
Kricketot (×2; under Reggie's care)
Bidoof (×3; under Reggie's care)

Trivia

Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Examination: Skarmory
During the title card sequence in the Japanese version, the title card music from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire is played instead of the normal music.
Music from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea is used as background music.
The way Carnivine learned Vine Whip is somewhat similar to how Arbok and Weezing evolved.
This episode marks the second time in the anime that one of Team Rocket's Pokémon is seen learning a new move.
- The first time was James's Cacnea in Once There Were Greenfields. Both of them are also James's Pokémon, and Grass types as well.
The ruins discovered by Team Galactic have the same name as a real in-game location in Platinum.
Team Rocket doesn't blast off or recite their motto in this episode.
The Polish dub title is a reference to Team Rocket's first motto.

Errors

Dub edits

Music from Pokémon Heroes is used in addition to the music from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		鋼鐵島的遺跡！
Czech		Světu hrozí rozvaliny
Danish		Ruinerne på Iron Øen
Dutch		Red de ruïnes!
Finnish		Maailmaa uhkaavat rauniot!
European French		Les vestiges de l'île de Fer!
German		Auf den letzten Drücker!
Italian		Salviamo il mondo dalla rovina!
Korean		강철섬의 유적을 지켜라!
Norwegian		Ruinene på Iron øya!
Polish		Uchronić świat od dewastacji!
Portuguese	Brazil	Salvando o Mundo da Ruina!
Portuguese	Portugal	Salvando o Mundo das Ruínas!
Romanian		Salvând Lumea de la Ruini
Russian		Руины Железного острова! Ruiny Zheleznogo ostrova!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Salvando al Mundo de las Ruinas!
Spanish	Spain	¡Salvando al Mundo desde las Ruinas!
Swedish		Rädda Världen från ruiner!