DP006

←	DP005 : Gettin' Twiggy With It!

Different Strokes for Different Blokes!

DP006

EP472

迷いの森！シンジふたたび！！
Bewilder Forest! Shinji Returns!!

First broadcast

Japan	October 26, 2006
United States	June 12, 2007

English themes

Opening	Diamond and Pearl
Ending

Japanese themes

Opening	Together
Ending	君のそばで〜ヒカリのテーマ〜

Credits

Additional credits
Animation	Team Iguchi
Screenplay	米村正二 Shōji Yonemura
Storyboard	浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Assistant director	浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Animation director	岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane

Screenshots on Filb.de

Different Strokes for Different Blokes! (Japanese: 迷いの森！シンジふたたび！！ Bewilder Forest! Shinji Returns!!) is the sixth episode of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, and the 472nd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on October 26, 2006 and in the United States on June 12, 2007.

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

Blurb

When Ash runs into his new rival Paul, Ash wants a rematch—and a chance to show off his new Turtwig. The battle takes an unexpected turn when Turtwig disobeys Ash's orders, and is then accidentally kidnapped by Team Rocket during their latest attempt to grab Pikachu. Naturally our heroes thwart Team Rocket's plans, but Ash and Paul are knocked off a cliff in the process. Ash tells Dawn and Brock to meet him on the other side of the surrounding forest. He's ready to team up Paul to get out of the woods together, but Paul isn't interested and walks away.

Ash soon discovers that the forest is full of Stantler, and he keeps getting lost in the illusions created by their antlers. On the bright side, he and Turtwig have a chance to spend some time together reconciling their differences. Eventually they find their friends again, along with the inevitable swam of Beedrill. If that wasn't enough, our heroes are then chased out of the forest by a grouchy Ursaring. Of all people, it's Paul who comes to the rescue and catches Ursaring in the process.

Now Paul and Ash are free to finish their interrupted battle. Ash and Turtwig show off their new and improved teamwork, but even that just isn't enough to beat Paul and his Chimchar. Paul walks away, smug in his victory, and now Ash is more determined than ever to beat him the next time they meet!

Plot

During a peaceful day in the middle of the forest, Ash and his friends are preparing for a delicious meal cooked by Brock. While Dawn is laying plates on the table, Aipom happily picks tasty oranges from the trees above. Piplup calls up to Aipom, wanting an orange himself. Aipom teases Piplup by sticking out her tongue, but she accidentally drops the fruit directly into Piplup's mouth. An argument soon erupts. Turtwig rushes over to break it up, but is quickly slapped away by the quarreling pair. Aipom escalates the fight to another level and fires off a Swift attack at Piplup, who responds with a Bubble Beam. The two attacks collide and explode, which brings Ash and Dawn's attention to the squabble. Piplup and Aipom ignore their Trainers’ orders and continue fighting. Turtwig jumps in once again, taking a direct Focus Punch and Piplup's Peck. Not impressed by this, Turtwig lets out a roar and attacks both Pokémon with a furious Razor Leaf barrage which calms the situation. Ash thanks his Pokémon for breaking them up, and Turtwig bites his head affectionately. Ash laughs, and tries to shake Turtwig off, but is stopped when a voice from behind him calls out. Turning around, Ash is shocked to see his serious rival, Paul. The young Trainer nods and smirks at Ash's reaction.

The two exchange taunts and Ash is again shocked to hear that Paul is also heading to the Oreburgh Gym. Paul asks if that Turtwig is his, and Ash confirms this, saying that he caught him recently. Paul smirks, not looking impressed. Ash is infuriated by Paul's arrogance and demands a battle from him. Paul agrees, pulling a Poké Ball from his belt and calling out his Chimchar. Dawn reminds Ash that Turtwig has the type disadvantage against a Fire Pokémon like Chimchar. Ash, however, is determined to prove his strength. Brock offers to referee the match, but Paul replies that there will be no doubt who will win.

Paul offers Ash the first move. Ash accepts, starting things off with a Tackle. However, Chimchar makes a speedy dodge and lashes Turtwig with a Scratch attack. Ash orders Turtwig to use Razor Leaf, though Chimchar somersaults backward to avoid the attack. Chimchar follows up with Ember. Ash orders Turtwig to dodge, but oddly enough Turtwig just stands there and takes the attack, sending him backward. Ash asks what's wrong with Turtwig, though Turtwig responds by shaking his head. Noticing the sun, Ash has an idea and tells Turtwig to use Synthesis, which replenishes his energy. Chimchar spins into a Flame Wheel attack. Turtwig again makes no effort to try to avoid the attack and is engulfed by fire. Chimchar jumps back after smashing into the injured Grass Pokémon, and Ash asks Turtwig if he can continue. Ash tells his Pokémon to attack again but is stopped by a net fired from the sky.

Ash and everyone else look up to see Team Rocket's balloon and Jessie, James and Meowth leering down at them. The three start to recite their motto but are cut off when Paul has Chimchar use Ember on them. Paul orders Team Rocket to get lost for interrupting his match and calls them pathetic as they begin to fight among themselves. James sends out Carnivine, eager to silence the arrogant young Trainer. Carnivine isn't too interested in a battle, however, and happily chomps down on James's head before James tells it to use Bullet Seed. Happy at its fill, Carnivine jumps up and fires off the attack as told. Ash tells Paul to get out of the way, but Paul refuses to move and orders Chimchar to use Ember to deflect the attack. Chimchar does so, and Ash tells Turtwig to use Razor Leaf to break out of the net. Ash runs and grabs the falling Turtwig, before having Pikachu use Thunderbolt to get rid of Team Rocket.

The force of the explosion, however, sends Ash, Paul, and Chimchar over the edge of the cliff they were fighting on. Paul remains calm and focused as they fall, however, landing on a protruding tree and jumping down safely. Though Ash continues to plummet, grabbing hold of Turtwig and landing headfirst into the water below. Brock and Dawn call down to Ash, asking if he's okay, and Ash waves to assure them he is fine. They decide to meet up on the far side of the forest. Ash hears a sound behind him and looks over to see Paul recalling Chimchar back to his Poké Ball before walking off into the forest. Ash decides to try to take the opportunity to befriend Paul, but Paul makes it clear that he has no intention of being nice to or cooperating with Ash. He continues to walk, reminding Ash to be wary of Stantler as they are in Bewilder Forest after all.

Ash tries to follow Paul but finds himself and Turtwig trailing behind. As Ash tries to gauge his surroundings, a Stantler pops its head from some nearby bushes and stares intensely at him. Ash takes the opportunity to scan it with his Pokédex, which warns that Stantler has the ability to warp reality. The Stantler's antlers promptly light up and transport Ash and Turtwig into an illusion. The pair finds themselves in a huge empty field, and are left perplexed when they walk back to where they started, at the waterfall. He and Turtwig walk back into the forest, only to be stopped by the Stantler again, who repeats its illusion-inducing Hypnosis attack. This time, Ash and Turtwig are tricked into thinking that they are in the middle of a hot and vast desert. After some thinking, Ash realizes what is going on – he is trapped in one of Stantler’s illusions. Hoping pain will help him escape, Ash tells Turtwig to bite his head. Turtwig does so, and the pain rips Ash out of the delusion and back into the forest. Ash soon finds that maybe it was safe in the illusion desert, as not one, but many Stantler appear and use their Hypnosis attacks on Ash at the same time. This time, Ash finds himself flying through the air happily with Turtwig by his side. In reality, Ash and Turtwig are flailing around the floor in deluded joy. Watching all of this is Paul, who isn't impressed by Ash being so easily manipulated by the Pokémon. Paul calls out his Chimchar and has him use Ember to send the Stantler fleeing. Ash emerges from his fantasy and is surprised to see Paul again. As he is about to thank Paul for saving him, one of the Stantler appears and stares angrily at Paul for just attacking it. Paul isn't impressed and tells his Chimchar to use Flame Wheel. Chimchar does so, rolling into a flaming ball and slamming hard into Stantler and knocking it back. Paul throws a Poké Ball and catches it. Ash thanks Paul for helping him, but Paul doesn't appear interested. Instead, he examines the Poké Ball containing Stantler with his Pokédex. As Stantler only knows Tackle, Paul immediately releases it back into the forest. Ash asks why he released it, and Paul tells him that it was too weak for his needs. Ash says that he thought Stantler wanted to be friends, to which Paul replies that friends are "just useless".

Outside the forest, Dawn explains to Brock that Bewilder Forest is home to a herd of Stantler, who are known to deliberately disorientate travelers. Brock says that they should go in and look for Ash, regardless of the danger, so they enter the forest. Meanwhile, Ash is trying to get Turtwig to eat an apple that he picked from a tree. Turtwig coolly tries to get Ash to eat it himself, but a stomach rumble makes them both think otherwise. As Turtwig munches on his half, Ash admits Turtwig is rather stubborn. He informs Turtwig that they are friends and that he was asking him to dodge during the match against Paul because it was the right thing to do. Turtwig nods and agrees, but their talk is disturbed by another Stantler that appears from the bushes. Ash covers his eyes quickly and runs in the opposite direction before slamming into a tree which disturbs a whole swarm of Beedrill. The Beedrill start to chase him, but during the chase, Ash is spotted by Brock and Dawn who wave to him happily. They both soon notice the Beedrill and Ash, so the reunited trio begins running for their lives. Ash is soon stopped however when he bumps into a large Ursaring. Although this scares the Beedrill away, Ash finds himself cowering in the shadow of the very angry Ursaring. Turtwig steps forwards and bites onto Ursaring's head to defend his Trainer. Ursaring manages to shake him off, though Turtwig again launches himself and headbutts the attacking Pokémon. Ash smiles and thanks Turtwig for saving him, before telling Pikachu to use Iron Tail and for Turtwig to use Razor Leaf. The combo effort hits its mark, but Ursaring becomes even more frustrated and fires a Hyper Beam into the air. Ash and his friends flee as Ursaring stampedes behind them. Ash notices Paul on the road in front of them, and they get out of the way as Paul tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel to knock out Ursaring. Once again, Paul catches the Pokémon, and Dawn congratulates him. However, Ash isn't impressed and tells her that even though he caught it, he probably won't keep it. Paul scans the Poké Ball, however, and liking what he sees, puts Ursaring's ball on his belt after concluding that the Pokémon is good enough to meet his standards.

After a brief conversation, Paul says that they should have another Pokémon battle. Ash wonders what Pokémon Paul will use, and both Trainers get into their positions. Ash tells Turtwig to use Tackle, and Paul, using Chimchar, tells it to use Scratch. This time, however, when Ash tells Turtwig to dodge, Turtwig complies, making Chimchar's attack miss. Ash orders a Razor Leaf flurry, though Chimchar counters with Ember. Ash decides to take a much more direct approach, so Turtwig rushes in for a Bite attack. Paul remains cool however and has Chimchar Dig underground to dodge the attack. As everyone tries to work out where Chimchar will appear, Chimchar emerges from underground and lets loose a sneak Scratch attack on Turtwig. Ash tells Turtwig to keep calm and use Bite, but Paul just responds with another Dig attack. Chimchar dives underground yet again. After teasing his confused opponent, Chimchar lands a Scratch attack on Turtwig. Ash switches things up and has Turtwig fire a Razor Leaf attack into Chimchar's dugouts. Chimchar emerges from underground, screeching in pain. Paul orders an Ember attack, but Turtwig dives underground to dodge the flames. Paul anticipated the turnaround strategy, so he has Chimchar fire an Ember into the holes. Turtwig is flung out of hiding, engulfed in fire.

Ash has Turtwig use Synthesis to heal himself, however. As Chimchar heads toward Turtwig with Flame Wheel, Ash orders Turtwig to go back underground, Turtwig is shocked, though Ash tells him to trust him, and at the last moment, Turtwig follows orders. Chimchar rolls past before switching into an Ember aimed at the holes. Ash calls for a Bite attack, and Turtwig successfully latches onto Chimchar's head. Paul decides to take the battle underground, so Chimchar, with Turtwig still attached to his head, leaps underground. Paul smiles at Ash's shock and tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel. Flames burst out from the holes, and both Pokémon are thrust above ground, engulfed in fire. Turtwig, however, stands to his feet, still determined to battle. Turtwig rushes forward with Tackle, colliding into Chimchar's Flame Wheel. When the smoke clears, Chimchar is the one left standing, and Turtwig is knocked out, leaving Paul as the winner. Ash falls to his knees and apologizes to Turtwig, before thanking him for putting up such a great fight. Chimchar dances happily and Paul scolds the Chimp Pokémon for doing so before recalling him. Ash calls out to Paul, but Paul doesn't care about anything anyone as weak as Ash wants to say, and walks off. Ash stares at the departing Paul while full of anger, and is set on beating him next time.

Major events

Ash and his friends encounter Paul again.
Paul's Chimchar is revealed to know Dig.
Paul catches a Stantler but subsequently releases it.
Paul catches an Ursaring.
Ash has a battle against Paul and loses, suffering his first loss to Paul.

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

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Paul's Ursaring

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Trivia

Pokémon senryū

Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia: Pokémon Coordinators
- Pokémon senryū: ポケモンと　うつくしくあれ　コーディネーター Pokémon to utsukushiku are, Kōdinētā. "Being beautiful with Pokémon, that is a Coordinator."
The ending animation of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ is updated to include Ash's Turtwig.
Music from Jirachi: Wish Maker and Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and an instrumental of Advance Adventure are used in this episode.
4Kids background music is used in this episode.
The episode's English dub title is a pun on the phrase "Different strokes for different folks".
The episode's title is formatted as Different Strokes for Different Blokes on Pokémon.com, without the exclamation mark.
Ash's Turtwig and Dawn's Piplup remain outside of their Poké Balls for the entire episode.
This is the first episode of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl where Wobbuffet doesn't appear.
Dawn narrates the preview for the next episode.
Both species of Pokémon Paul catches in this episode would go on to gain evolved forms in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Errors

Ash's miscolored hair

When Team Rocket blasts off at the beginning of the episode, Wobbuffet can be heard, despite him not being out of his Poké Ball.
Before Dawn and Brock enter Bewilder Forest, the top of Brock's shoes is the same color as his pants.
In a scene where Ash is pushed down by Ursaring, the fringe of his hair is colored the same as his skin.
Although the Finnish dub has left move names untranslated from the English dub since Fear Factor Phony, Paul uses Finnish names of Ember and Flame Wheel in this episode, one time each.

Dub edits

In the English dub, after having the motto interrupted, James mentions being replaced by Butch and Cassidy next. In the original Japanese version, he just gets angry at Paul for attacking Team Rocket and interrupting the motto.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		迷幻之森！再次遇見真司！
Czech		Co trenér, to styl
Danish		Hver mand sin kampstil
Dutch		Elk kereltje zingt zoals die gebekt is!
Finnish		Kuin yö ja päivä
European French		Une rencontre enflammée !
German		Stur wie ein Pokémon!
Hebrew		מכות שונות לברנשים שונים
Italian		Il bosco delle illusioni & Promessa di rivincita
Korean		환상의 숲, 진철, 다시 나타나다
Norwegian		Mange slag på en dag
Polish		Dla każdego coś innego
Portuguese	Brazil	Duas Ações, Duas Reações!
Portuguese	Portugal	Cada um é para o Que Nasce!
Romanian		Lovituri Diferite pentru Indivizi Diferiți
Russian		Каждому бойцу свой удар по лицу!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Diferentes Estilos de Batalla, Diferentes Pokémon!
Spanish	Spain	Jugadas diferentes para chicos diferentes
Swedish		Snabbt, ge mig en bättre attack!
Thai		ป่าวงกต! พบชินจิอีกครั้ง!