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| Season | Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (Season 7) · Road to Petalburg: Lombre, Grovyle & the Balance Badge arc (AG063–AG070) |
| Episode | Season 7, episode 28 · English episode 341 · Japanese episode 344 · Bulbapedia code AG068 |
| English title | A Double Dilemma |
| Japanese title | パパはアイドル！？いつわりのジムリーダー！！ Papa wa Aidoru!? Itsuwari no Jimu Rīdā!! — “Dad’s an Idol!? The False Gym Leader!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 18 March 2004 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 5 March 2005 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Junki Takegami |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Advance Adventure – GARDEN · Smile (second version) – Toshiko Ezaki |
| English opening | This Dream – David Rolfe |
| Pokémon Trainer’s Choice | Which Pokémon is best against Corphish? — Minun |
| Previous episode | Go Go Ludicolo! (AG067) |
| Next episode | Love, Petalburg Style! (AG069) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeTeam Rocket pose as Norman’s familyMay beats Ash
A Double Dilemma is the 28th episode of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 341st episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 344, Bulbapedia code AG068). It first aired in Japan on 18 March 2004 and in the United States on 5 March 2005. It falls within the season’s Road to Petalburg: Lombre, Grovyle & the Balance Badge stretch (EP63–EP70).
Synopsis
Arriving in North Petalburg, the group stop at the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy and a greengrocer named Rose recognise May and Max as Norman’s children. Word spreads fast, and a crowd of Norman’s fans, including the reporter Dee Dunstan, mobs the siblings, gushing over May’s Contest Ribbons while pushing Ash and his Badges aside. Meanwhile, a hungry Team Rocket notice that the town is full of Norman merchandise and posters of him and Caroline. They decide to impersonate the Gym Leader’s family and sell autographs, with James as Norman, Jessie as Caroline, Wobbuffet as Max and Meowth as May. A man who claims to have grown up next door to Norman inspects them, notes Wobbuffet’s blue skin and Meowth’s small size, and declares them genuine anyway, and the fake family start making money.
Overwhelmed by the attention, May and Max show off their Contest moves, with Beautifly’s Silver Wind and Skitty’s juggling. Then two boys report a strong Trainer who has been beating everyone’s Pokémon, and the fans pressure May into taking him on. The crowd carries the siblings on a decorated palanquin to the park, and the mystery Trainer turns out to be Ash. With Pikachu exhausted, Ash uses Taillow against Torchic. Taillow lands Peck and Wing Attack, but every move draws boos from the crowd, and as Ash grows distracted, Torchic’s Ember swells into a huge flame that knocks Taillow out. Rose declares May the winner, Max questions the ruling and Dee interviews a delighted May. Then a man rushes in to report that Norman is selling autographs by the fountain, with his children beside him.
The fans march the real May and Max to the fountain, trapping Team Rocket between two crowds. The siblings are briefly excited at the thought that their parents are in town, until they notice the strange-looking “Max” and “May”. Rose and her husband argue over which family is genuine, and each side accuses the other of being impostors until May’s Torchic burns the disguises away with Ember. Revealed, Team Rocket send out Cacnea and Seviper. Pikachu’s Thunderbolt stops Pin Missile, but under cover of Seviper’s Haze the trio escape, grabbing Torchic instead of Pikachu. From a tree, Pikachu’s Quick Attack frees Torchic and the stolen money, Torchic lands safely in May’s arms and a Thunderbolt destroys the balloon. Rose and Dee shower praise on Ash, though they really mean Pikachu, and that evening the group leave for Petalburg City.
Major Events
- Norman’s fan club mobs May and Max
- Team Rocket impersonate Norman’s family
- May’s Torchic beats Ash’s Taillow
Trivia
- The English title plays on the two Norman families of North Petalburg.
- The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Hoenn story.
Changes in the English Dub
- The Poké Ball emblem on Ash’s Badge case redrawn
- Pokémon Trainer’s Choice (dub only, in place of Who’s That Pokémon?): which Pokémon is best against Corphish? Answer: Minun
Part of our Pokémon: Advanced Challenge guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.