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| Season | Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Season 23) · Rivals & setbacks arc (JN031–JN041) |
| Episode | Season 23, episode 39 · English episode 1119 · Japanese episode 1125 · Bulbapedia code JN039 |
| English title | Octo-Gridlock at the Gym! |
| Japanese title | サトシ対サイトウ！攻略たこがため！！ Satoshi tai Saitō! Kōryaku Tako-gatame!! — “Satoshi VS Saitou! Conquer the Octopus Hold!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 27 September 2020 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 5 March 2021 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Wan, Tsū, Surī (One, Two, Three) – Nishikawa-kun and Kirishō · Pokémon Shiritori (Mew → Zamazenta Ver.) – Pokémon Music Club |
| English opening | The Journey Starts Today – Walk off the Earth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Grapploct (US) · Grapploct (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Restore and Renew! (JN038) |
| Next episode | A Crackling Raid Battle! (JN040) |
Plot episodeAsh vs Bea, a draw
Octo-Gridlock at the Gym! is the 39th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, the twenty-third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1119th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1125, Bulbapedia code JN039). It first aired in Japan on 27 September 2020 and in the United States on 5 March 2021. It falls within the season’s Rivals & setbacks stretch (EP31–EP41).
Released on Netflix on 5 March 2021 with the rest of the fourth batch; POP had premiered it in the UK on 3 March 2021.
Synopsis
Ash travels to the Cianwood Gym in Johto for a World Coronation Series rematch with Bea, and this time Riolu breaks free of Grapploct’s Octolock, earning Ash a hard-fought draw. Goh bursts in during training with news that Bea has climbed to 193rd, and the boys take a boat to Cianwood City, where she is training with Gym Leader Chuck, her Grapploct trading blows with his Poliwrath. Bea remembers Ash only as “the Riolu Trainer,” which catches him off guard, but she accepts his challenge, and Chuck, who recognises Ash from their old Gym battle, lends them the arena. Ash mentions that he has fought his way back into the Great Class. In the two-on-two match, Bea’s Hitmontop spins through Pikachu’s Thunderbolt with Gyro Ball and clashes with Iron Tail; Quick Attack and Electroweb break its spin, but Focus Energy and several Triple Kicks hit hard.
Pikachu strings Electroweb threads across the arena, and each time Hitmontop’s Gyro Ball tears through them it is slowed and hurt, until an Iron Tail and a Quick Attack knock it out. Bea sends out Grapploct, which leaps over Quick Attack and batters Pikachu with Close Combat, shrugs off Thunderbolt and wraps it in Octolock. Pikachu struggles against the squeezing tentacles but cannot fire a close-range Thunderbolt or break the grip with Iron Tail, and Grapploct finishes it with Liquidation—Pikachu’s first World Coronation Series defeat. Ash then chooses Riolu to face Grapploct, the very Pokémon that beat it at the Fighting Dojo. The two stare each other down before Riolu moves first, sending a Vacuum Wave straight through Grapploct’s Liquidation and startling Bea. Ash tells Riolu to pull back quickly so that it does not get tangled in the tentacles, then smiles as Bea orders Octolock and deliberately lets Riolu be caught.
Riolu calmly studies Grapploct’s movements while Bea, curious, lets the plan play out. On Ash’s command it closes its eyes, builds up a field of energy and releases a point-blank Force Palm that breaks the hold and knocks Grapploct back. The two then clash, Close Combat against Force Palm, and collapse at the same moment; the referee declares a draw, so neither ranking changes. Chuck praises both Trainers and lays out a dessert picnic, explaining that sweets restore stamina, and everyone is surprised to see the stoic Bea devouring cake. She compliments Ash’s counter to Octolock but makes clear that she aims to climb the rankings and beat Leon, and Chuck explains that her competitive spirit comes from her father, a karate teacher in Galar. When Bea vows to battle “the Riolu Trainer” again, Ash cheerfully reminds her that his name is Ash. Back at the lab, Goh reveals that he caught a Chinchou while fishing, having refused to leave until sunset.
Major Events
- World Coronation Series, battle 11. Ash is back in the Great Class
- At the Cianwood Gym his Pikachu and Riolu draw with Bea’s Hitmontop and Grapploct, Bea now ranked 193rd, Ash’s only known Series draw and Pikachu’s first Series loss
- Chuck’s first appearance in person since EP209
- Goh catches a Chinchou, the ninth straight episode in which he gains a new Pokémon
- The last episode in the Sunday 6 p.m. slot
Captures and evolutions
Chinchou#0170 · Goh · fished up off screen: a new Pokémon for the ninth episode running
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto, Galar & beyond storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- An animation error in Riolu’s colour is fixed
Part of our Pokémon Journeys: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.