Welcome to Bulbapedia, the free Pokémon encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Create your account and get started with editing pages!
staging.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net

Do not use this site for anything you are unwilling to lose!

AG035

From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
Jump to navigationJump to search
← AG034 : Having a Wailord of a Time
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
AG036 : The Spheal of Approval →
Win, Lose or Drew!
AG035.png
AG035   EP309
ハルカ！ポケモンコンテスト初挑戦！！
Haruka! The First Pokémon Contest Challenge!!
First broadcast
Japan July 24, 2003
United States May 29, 2004
English themes
Opening I Wanna Be a Hero
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening アドバンス・アドベンチャー
Ending ポルカ・オ・ドルカ
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka
Storyboard 秦義人 Yoshito Hata
Assistant director 秦義人 Yoshito Hata
Animation director 宍戸久美子 Kumiko Shishido
Additional credits

Win, Lose or Drew! (Japanese: ハルカ！ポケモンコンテスト初挑戦！！ Haruka! The First Pokémon Contest Challenge!!) is the 35th episode of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 309th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on July 24, 2003, and in the United States on May 29, 2004.

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Blurb

May enters Beautifly in the beauty contest, but Team Rocket is too late to enter their Dustox. At the competitions, the person in line right before May is none other than her rival Drew. Drew's Roselia gives an excellent performance, netting him an extremely high score. May is more determined than ever to beat Drew.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is busy holding a "charity drive" scam for PokéBlocks. A little old man stops to talk to them about PokéBlocks. The contest is heating up with a Milotic stealing the show. May is up again in the contest and she and her Beautifly toss a disc back and forth, like they practiced before.

In the next round, she has to battle Drew who defeats her. He then looses to the contestant with the Milotic. May and Drew part on good terms and the scene ends with the old man still intently talking to a slumbering Team Rocket about PokéBlocks.

Plot

May rushes towards the Contest Hall with Ash, Pikachu, Max, and Brock following behind. Luckily, she makes it just before the cut-off time. Realizing they have three hours to spare until the Slateport City Pokémon Contest begins, Brock asks what they should do. Ash admits he is hungry again from all the running, so the group leaves to find a restaurant. Afterwards, Team Rocket struts into the Contest Hall and performs their motto for the receptionist. The lady informs them that they have just missed the registration deadline, much to Jessie's disappointment. The trio sits on a park bench, wondering what to do next. They watch as a male Trainer is busy training with his Poochyena, rewarding it with some Pokéblocks. James suggests they sell Pokéblocks, with Jessie and Meowth cheering for the money-making scheme. Meanwhile, the Slateport Contest is about to get underway as Vivian steps onto stage. She presents the Slateport Ribbon and introduces the panel of judges, formed by the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee, Raoul Contesta; the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo; and the operator of the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy. Backstage, May is anxious, and her nerves are beginning to get to her. Ash, Max, and Brock comfort her as Drew smiles from around the corner.

The Appeals Round begins, and one after another, Pokémon Coordinators take the stage to showcase their Pokémon in such a way that their appearances and skills are highlighted. Soon it is Drew's turn, and he tells his Roselia to use Petal Dance, landing on the stage with a graceful curtsy. Roselia follows up with a twirling Stun Spore and Magical Leaf combination. For its grand finale, Roselia disappears into a blizzard of petals before slicing them with a Magical Leaf attack for a dazzling display. As Vivian comments on how beautiful it is, Drew earns the highest score yet, with a 29.4. Drew walks backstage and begins to talk to May. They are interrupted by Robert as he and his Milotic begin to perform. Milotic uses Safeguard, causing it to radiate with a green glow. Ash rushes out to check his Pokédex on Milotic, and Max adds that many say that Milotic is the most beautiful Pokémon, and Brock agrees. Milotic fans out its tail to show off its magnificent scales to the roaring crowd. The last entrant, May, is now up. She walks out onto the stage nervously. Vivian announces that this is her first Contest. May gets ready to send out Beautifly but falls. Vivian asks if she is alright and May replies yes, getting to her feet and releasing Beautifly. May throws a frisbee and Beautifly uses String Shot to whip it back. May orders Beautifly to use Gust to send the frisbee back, though May almost fails to catch it. May then tells Beautifly to use Silver Wind while spinning, which creates a Silver Wind tornado effect. May ends her performance with a bow, with Beautifly landing on her head. Drew is mildly impressed, and May earns a 24.9 much to her disappointment. May walks backstage and Drew hands her a rose, causing her to blush, until he explains that it is for Beautifly and not her, before saying that she still has a lot of training to do. Outside, Team Rocket is dressed up and ready to sell, but have no Pokéblocks. They are thinking about stealing some from the contestants, but change plans when an old man approaches and offers to teach them the secrets about Pokéblocks. They immediately agree, excited about learning the secrets. However, the old man's lecture causes all but James to fall asleep as he tries to take down notes.

May and Drew watch as the eight Coordinators moving on to the Contest Battles are revealed, including themselves and Robert. Brock worries that May has not had enough experience battling. May and Drew are revealed to be facing each other in the second round match-ups. As their battle begins, May sends out Beautifly and Drew calls out Roselia. Drew has Roselia use Magical Leaf, while May has Beautifly counter with a Gust. The manoeuvre works momentarily, but the Magical Leaf still injures Beautifly, costing May some of her valuable points. Drew informs May that Magical Leaf is a move that always hits. Roselia follows up with Stun Spore, but it doesn't affect Beautifly. Beautifly sends out String Shot, though it is shredded by Roselia's Magical Leaf, causing May to lose more points. May orders a Silver Wind, but it is countered by Petal Dance. Beautifly manages to fly up and avoid the petals, as Drew orders a Solar Beam. May has Beautifly use String Shot, but Roselia has fully charged its attack and scores a direct hit on its opponent. Beautifly looks worse for wear, as it drops to the battlefield in exhaustion. With only half the time up, the judges call battle off. Drew is the winner and moves on to the next stage, much to the disappointment of May and her friends. The boys find May backstage as she struggles to control her tears. They try to comfort her, admitting that losing is tough.

Everyone's focus turns to the television screen as Drew's Roselia takes on Robert's Milotic in the next round. Vivian reveals that Roselia has already taken some hits, and Robert appears to have the upper hand. Milotic lashes its opponent with an Iron Tail. Roselia sends out Magical Leaf, but Robert cuts through it with Twister. As time runs out, Robert is declared the winner and he goes on to win the whole Contest. May is cheering along with everyone else, having gotten over her sadness. As Drew leaves the Contest Hall, May runs out and tells him that she will win next time. Drew laughs and tells her that they will have to see about that. Back with Team Rocket, the man continues to tell the trio all about Pokéblocks well into the night, unaware that all his students are now fast asleep, with even James finally collapsing from exhaustion.

Major events

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

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Dustox

Trivia

  • The episode's title is a reference to the phrase "win, lose, or draw".
  • This episode was the first to air in Japan after the theatrical release of M06.
  • Team Rocket doesn't blast off in this episode.
  • This episode featured the first speaking appearance of Raoul Contesta and Mr. Sukizo.
  • Roselia's performance was similar to Dawn's Ambipom's performance in Team Shocker!, where the Pokémon disappeared from sight during their flashy big finish. However, Roselia did manage to pass to the next round, unlike Ambipom.

Errors

Drew's missing sleeves
  • Drew is missing his sleeves for a brief period after losing to Robert.
  • The old man explains to Team Rocket that Spicy Pokéblock increases a Pokémon's Smartness. However, in the games, it actually increases Coolness.
  • Ash and Max state that Beautifly has the advantage over Roselia because of its Bug typing. This is not true, as Roselia is part Poison-type, so Bug-type moves do normal damage to Roselia.

Dub edits

In other languages



← AG034 : Having a Wailord of a Time
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
AG036 : The Spheal of Approval →
Project Anime logo.png This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.
Retrieved from "https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=AG035&oldid=4100274"