DP039 : Steamboat Willies!
Diamond & Pearl series
DP041 : A Stand-Up Sit-Down!
Top-Down Training!
DP040.png
DP040   EP506
チャンピオン・シロナ登場!
Enter Champion Shirona!
First broadcast
Japan July 19, 2007
United States December 8, 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〜(PopUp.Version)
Credits
Animation Team Iguchi
Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka
Storyboard 日高政光 Masamitsu Hidaka
Assistant director 宮原秀二 Shūji Miyahara
Animation director たけだゆうさく Yūsaku Takeda
Additional credits

Top-Down Training! (Japanese: チャンピオン・シロナ登場! Enter Champion Shirona!) is the 40th episode of the Diamond & Pearl series, and the 506th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on July 19, 2007 and in the United States on December 8, 2007.

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

The episode starts off with a stadium filled with people. Lucian and Cynthia are battling with their Pokémon, Bronzong and Garchomp. Bronzong used its Flash Cannon on Garchomp which Garchomp was easily able to escape, coming out unscathed by blocking the attack with its fin.

Ash and his friends were sitting in a Pokémon Center, watching the battle on television. Garchomp was able to use Giga Impact, knocking out Lucian's Bronzong. Ash was pumped as he watched the battle. He and the gang overheard someone say that Cynthia had shown up at a place called Amity Square.

The episode then switches to Cynthia and Team Rocket. Cynthia seemed indecisive about what kind of ice cream she wanted. She is later seen with a stone containing images of Palkia and Dialga. This is when Ash and friends show up, adding more to the people surrounding Cynthia. All of sudden, Paul shows up.

Ash is seemingly excited about seeing Paul, saying that he's finally got two Badges. After asking how many Paul has received, Paul replies with 'it's none of your business'. He then challenges Cynthia to a battle. Many people in the crowd are shocked when Cynthia agrees. Paul says that he wants a six-on-six match. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is watching the battle.

Cynthia calls out her Garchomp, while Paul chooses Chimchar. Paul commands Chimchar to use Fire Spin and then Dig. Once hit with Fire Spin, Garchomp also used Dig under Cynthia's command. The dig collided with Chimchar, knocking it out.

Paul then uses Weavile against Garchomp. He commands for his Weavile to use Blizzard, which seems to have no effect on Garchomp, despite being super-effective. Garchomp then uses Dragon Rush, which causes Weavile to freeze. Instead of trying to dodge, Paul tells Weavile to use Ice Beam. However, Garchomp was able to dodge the attack and slammed itself into Weavile, knocking it out cold.

Paul then sends out Murkrow. Immediately, he tells Murkrow to use Haze, which Garchomp dodges. Murkrow flies behind Garchomp and Paul tells it to use Sky Attack. Cynthia counters with Giga Impact. After returning his fallen Murkrow, he sends out Torterra.

He commands Torterra to use Giga Drain. Since Giga Impact left Garchomp unable to move, Giga Drain was able to hit. After Giga Drain, Torterra uses Frenzy Plant. Garchomp is able to block the attack with its fins. Cynthia then tells Garchomp to use Brick Break. Garchomp pushes the vines from Frenzy Plant away and jumps into the air, hitting Torterra with Brick Break on its head and knocking it out.

Paul then gives up the battle, to which the crowd responds by poking fun at him. Ash, with new found respect, tells them to knock it off and compliments Paul. Paul says goodbye to Cynthia and walks away. Ash realizes that isn't where the Pokémon Center is, and Cynthia demands that Paul go to the Center to heal his Pokémon.

Unfortunately, when the got there, Nurse Joy claims that she needs to perform surgery on an injured Pokémon. Cynthia decides to heal Paul's Pokémon by herself, to which Brock says that he'd love to help out. Croagunk comes out of its Poké Ball to use Poison Jab, but stops once it sees Cynthia.

The episode switches to Cynthia treating Paul's Torterra. She moves over to Chimchar, giving it a pill. Chimchar falls asleep and the episode goes to Team Rocket, who are hiding outside the window. Team Rocket claims that they are going to steal Paul's Pokémon.

Cynthia then tells Paul that his Pokémon are all healed and well trained, especially his Torterra. This is where Paul reveals that Torterra was his very first Pokémon. He also says that he traveled around Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, where he caught his Murkrow and Weavile, failing to win any of the leagues, before coming back to Sinnoh, where he caught his Chimchar.

When Cynthia compliments Chimchar, Paul complains that Chimchar didn't do well against Garchomp. Ash then argues that he didn't care how many Pokémon got hurt, to which Paul responds with "your point?". Ash asks why Paul doesn't care about his Pokémon. Paul claims that his Pokémon will then become spoiled and not try hard enough in battle, and Chimchar was the perfect example.

Ash becomes angrier, saying that he has to support his Pokémon. Upon Paul saying that he wants to become stronger, Cynthia took them back to the stone tablet she was at earlier in Amity Square. She reads the tablet to them. She claims that before reading this tablet, she used to train endlessly. Then she discovered that all Pokémon have different personalities and she wanted to get to know all of them.

Meanwhile, back at the Pokémon Center, Team Rocket hover over the still sleeping Chimchar. Before trying to steal all of Paul's Pokémon, Nurse Joy catches them. Team Rocket makes a run for it, just grabbing Chimchar. Outside the center, the gang is headed back and sees Team Rocket with Chimchar. They chase after Team Rocket, who try to make a get away in their balloon. Chimchar then wakes up, using Ember on Team Rocket. Before Ash could react and call out Staravia, Paul sends out his Ursaring and tells it to use Hyper Beam. Chimchar jumped away from Team Rocket right before the attack collided with them, sending them blasting off.

Chimchar fell to the ground, getting injured once more. However, Paul didn't care, calling Chimchar useless for being captured by Team Rocket. Dawn said that it wasn't Chimchar's fault, since Chimchar was sleeping. Cynthia was able to stop the yelling when she said the only thing that matters was that Chimchar is okay. She advised Paul to stay the night at the Center.

The episode switches to the Center. Ash and the others are watching Sinnoh Now. A newscast about ancient ruins in Celestic Town held the Lustrous Orb, which is related to the legendary Pokémon Palkia. The Lustrous Orb is related to the Adamant Orb, on display in Eterna City. The Lustrous Orb is said to increase the powers of Palkia.

Cynthia then decides it was time to head to Celestic Town, saying goodbye to our heroes.

Major events

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

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon debuts

TV episode debuts

Characters

Humans

Pokémon


Trivia

 
Cynthia next to a tablet that has Unown on it

FRIEND
SUBETE NO
INOCHI HA
BETSU NO
INOCHI TO DEAI
NANIKA WO UMIDASU

The translation which is recited by Cynthia in the dub is When every life meets another life, something will be born; this is correct, although she omits the "Friend" at the beginning of the inscription.

Errors

 
The error

Dub edits

  • The dub places the setting of the episode as Amity Square, while the Japanese version just places it in a nature park that is unique to the anime.

In other languages



DP039 : Steamboat Willies!
Diamond & Pearl series
DP041 : A Stand-Up Sit-Down!
  This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.