Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure! (Japanese: 別れと出会いのジュニアカップ！The Junior Cup of Farewells and Meetings!) is the 93rd episode of the Best Wishes series, and the 750th episode of the Pokémon anime. It aired in Japan on September 6, 2012 and in the United States on December 22, 2012.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
With his victory at the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, Trip has earned the privilege of battling Alder, the Champion of the Unova region! He and his Serperior have a clever strategy against Alder’s Bouffalant—but Alder’s experience and skill are overwhelming, and Trip is defeated. Some sage advice from Alder resonates with the young Trainer, though, and as he says goodbye to our heroes, he seems much calmer and happier as a result.
Ash, Iris, Cilan, and Dawn are still marveling at this surprising change when they encounter a young and rather frantic Trainer named Cameron, who hopes to be the first one in line for the Junior Cup! Ash has to tell him that he’s too late, and after a moment of frustration, Cameron and his Riolu dash off in search of Alder’s autograph.
Our heroes head back to Cynthia’s house, where Dawn tells them it’s almost time for her to go. She and Piplup are headed to the Johto region to participate in the famed Wallace Cup Contest, and they’re planning to draw on their experiences in Unova for some exciting new Contest moves. But before she leaves, Ash challenges Dawn to a battle! He chooses Pikachu, of course, and she calls on her Quilava. The two seem evenly matched, battling back and forth with some surprising strategies, and finally Cynthia declares the battle a draw. She compliments the skill of both Trainers and the many things they’ve learned on their journeys, and Ash and Dawn are excited to get such praise from a Champion!
They say their goodbyes, and just as Dawn’s plane is taking off for Blackthorn City, the frantic Cameron shows up again—just barely missing the flight. This turns out to be a good thing, though, because he intends to compete in the Unova League—which is not, in fact, being held in the Johto region. He proudly shows off his badge case, with its seven shiny Gym badges, and has a moment of panic when Ash points out that he’s missing one! Cameron decides to challenge the nearest Gym so he can get his eighth badge as quickly as possible, and he’s about to head off to Humilau City when Ash asks if he can tag along to watch the battle!
Meanwhile, Team Rocket’s Dr. Zager has been analyzing Meloetta’s song and gathering data from it, while Jessie and James are preparing to enter a mysterious underwater ruin as Meowth monitors them from a submarine. What could they be up to?
Plot
This plot summary is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this plot summary to add missing sections and complete it.
The episode starts out with a flashback to the second third round match in the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup where Ash and Iris battled with their Krokorok and Dragonite, respectively. The battle was turning in Iris's favor initially due to Dragonite apparently listening to her; however when Krokorok evolves and learns Dragon Claw, Dragonite goes on a rampage until Krookodile defeats him. Ash would then battle Trip and his Serperior with his Pignite, but despite his best efforts, he loses. Trip has won the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup and is allowed to have the chance to battle Alder. The battle was between Alder's Bouffalant and Trip's Serperior. Trip's Serperior has just used SolarBeam.
Serperior's SolarBeam goes forward, but Alder tells Bouffalant to rush forward. Bouffalant charges towards Serperior, but SolarBeam hits it. Though the attack had hit Bouffalant, Trip appears to be aware of something else. Eventually Bouffalant repels the attack from its body and is shown to be undamaged by the attack. Trip correctly states that Bouffalant's Ability is Sap Sipper. Cilan wonders why Trip used a Grass-type move when he was aware that it would not work on Bouffalant. Alder confirms Bouffalant's Ability as Sap Sipper, which allows Bouffalant to increase its attack power from Grass-type moves that hit it instead of taking damage from them. Alder claims his Bouffalant is unstoppable at this point, but Trip claims he is just going to have to prove them wrong and prove he is more powerful than Alder. Alder tells Trip if he wants to prove that, then he has to hit him with his best shot. Frustrated, Trip orders Dragon Tail. Serperior's attack hits Bouffalant's afro, but once again Bouffalant is unfazed. Alder tells Trip to show him what else he is got. Serperior then uses Leer which lowers Bouffalant's defense. Serperior then jumps into the air and attacks with Dragon Tail. Trip, in his mind, notes that he had purposely let Sap Sipper be activated, so that Alder and Bouffalant would let their guard down and then he followed that up with Leer to lower Bouffalant's defense. Finally he used Dragon Tail from above as a trap in order to hit Bouffalant's most vulnerable spot. Serperior's Dragon Tail then hits Bouffalant from below, which knocks Bouffalant away. Bouffalant lands on its feet, but to Trip's shock, Bouffalant is still unscathed by all those attacks. Alder commends the power, speed, and strategy Trip used, but he notes that Trip's strategy didn't work because he is fighting a champion. Alder orders Head Charge and Bouffalant charges forward. Desperate, Trip tells Serperior to dodge, but it's too late, Head Charge hits Serperior and knocks him out, giving Alder the win. Trip is greatly shocked that he lost to Alder despite all his calculations.
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