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| Season | Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies (Season 15) · Nimbasa City & the Champion arc (BW049–BW052) |
| Episode | Season 15, episode 2 · English episode 703 · Japanese episode 708 · Bulbapedia code BW050 |
| English title | Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym! |
| Japanese title | ライモンジム！華麗なる電撃バトル！！ Raimon Jimu! Karei naru Dengeki Batoru!! — “Raimon (Nimbasa) Gym! Magnificent Electric Shock Battle!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 29 September 2011 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 25 February 2012 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Junki Takegami |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Besuto Uisshu! (Best Wishes!) – Rica Matsumoto · Pokémon Ieru kana? BW (Can You Name All the Pokémon? BW) – Takeshi Tsuruno |
| English opening | Rival Destinies – Alex Nackman & Kathryn Raio |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Tynamo (US) |
| Previous episode | Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader! (BW049) |
| Next episode | Lost at the Stamp Rally! (BW051) |
Plot episodeBolt BadgeTynamo debuts
Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym! is the 2nd episode of Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies, the fifteenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 703rd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 708, Bulbapedia code BW050). It first aired in Japan on 29 September 2011 and in the United States on 25 February 2012. It falls within the season’s Nimbasa City & the Champion stretch (EP49–EP52).
Synopsis
Ash wins the Bolt Badge from Elesa after his carefully planned strategy falls apart and he learns to trust Pikachu instead. Ash has Professor Juniper send him Pokémon for the match, and his Palpitoad, chosen for its Ground type, shrugs off Zebstrika’s Flame Charge and Double Kick before Supersonic, Mud Shot and Hydro Pump knock it into the wall.
Elesa’s Emolga then infatuates Palpitoad with Attract and finishes it with Aerial Ace. With no backup plan, Ash runs to the Pokémon Center to fetch Snivy, whose own Attract fails because both Pokémon are female, and Emolga’s Acrobatics and Aerial Ace defeat her too. As the referee threatens a forfeit, an annoyed Pikachu shocks Ash into choosing him, and its Quick Attack beats Emolga.
Elesa’s ace, Tynamo, slams Pikachu again and again with lightning-fast Tackles until Pikachu blasts the flat arena into rough ground with Thunderbolt, forcing Tynamo to come straight at him. Pikachu dodges at the last moment and knocks Tynamo out with Iron Tail. Elesa awards Ash his fourth Badge and points him to Driftveil City, but the Driftveil Drawbridge is closed for repairs, so the group must wait in Nimbasa.
Major Events
- Ash wins the Bolt Badge. Professor Juniper sends Pokémon for the match
- Palpitoad beats Zebstrika and falls to Emolga
- Snivy, fetched from the Pokémon Center mid-battle, loses to Emolga — the only time Ash changes his party during a Gym battle
- Pikachu beats Emolga and Tynamo with Quick Attack and Iron Tail
- Ash’s fourth Badge
- The Driftveil Drawbridge is closed
- Tynamo’s TV debut
Pokémon making their anime debut
Tynamo#0602 · BW050
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Unova storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- The Best Wishes! instrumental is replaced in the dub by an instrumental of Rival Destinies
- “As I’m Lost ~By Your Side~”
Part of our Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.