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| Season | Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Season 10) · Hearthome City: the Contest & the Tag Battle arc (DP048–DP052) |
| Episode | Season 10, episode 48 · English episode 512 · Japanese episode 516 · Bulbapedia code DP049 |
| English title | Dawn’s Early Night! |
| Japanese title | ポケモンコンテスト！ヨスガ大会！！ Pokemon Kontesuto! Yosuga Taikai!! — “Pokémon Contest! Yosuga Convention!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 4 October 2007 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 26 January 2008 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Together – Fumie Akiyoshi · Kimi no Soba de ~Hikari no Tēma~ (By Your Side ~Hikari’s Theme~), Pop-Up Version – Grin (omitted on the original broadcast; the credits ran over the opening) |
| English opening | Diamond and Pearl – Chris “Breeze” Barczynski |
| Previous episode | Satoshi and Hikari! Facing a New Adventure!! (DP048) |
| Next episode | Tag! We’re It…! (DP050) |
Plot episodeHearthome ContestDawn eliminated
Dawn’s Early Night! is the 48th episode of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, the tenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 512th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 516, Bulbapedia code DP049). It first aired in Japan on 4 October 2007 and in the United States on 26 January 2008. It falls within the season’s Hearthome City: the Contest & the Tag Battle stretch (EP48–EP52).
Aired on 26 January 2008 straight after Sandshrew’s Locker!; it is episode 48 in the English numbering because DP048 was never dubbed. New Zealand initially skipped it for unknown reasons and showed it later in repeats.
Synopsis
Ash sprints ahead to the Hearthome Gym, eager for his third Badge, only to find the doors shut and a note saying the Gym Leader is away for a long time. Nando arrives to confirm it and suggests the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, in which pairs of Trainers battle through several rounds, and Ash decides to enter with Brock as his partner. The Contest reminds Dawn she still needs to register, and on the way Nando reveals he has one Ribbon and one Badge. At the Contest Hall they find Zoey, her leg fully healed, who meets Nando for the first time and is openly critical of his plan to chase both Gyms and Contests. Meanwhile Jessilina trains Dustox and Seviper but decides to perform with Mime Jr. instead.
The next day the stadium roof opens and Marian introduces the Double Performance format and the judges. Nando’s Sunflora and Kricketune blend Grass Whistle and Sing with his harp, winning Zoey’s respect. Dawn’s Pachirisu and Piplup wrap Sweet Kiss hearts inside Bubble Beam, then fill a Whirlpool with Discharge until it vanishes in a shower of sparkles, and the judges praise both power and visuals while Johanna watches at home in Twinleaf Town. Jessilina’s Mime Jr. and James’s Cacnea mimic Needle Arm, hug and tickle her as they spin around the stage and turn Pin Missile into fireworks for a very high score. Zoey’s Glameow breaks Shellos’s Mud Bomb with Iron Tail, slices a wave of Secret Power with Shadow Claw and splits a Water Pulse into a spray of rainbows.
Dawn is sure she has advanced and even predicts a final with Zoey, but when the results appear, Nando, Zoey and Jessilina are through and she is out. Her Pokémon and friends try to comfort her, but she runs outside and screams in frustration, and Zoey suggests giving her space. In the Battle Stage, Nando’s Kricketune and Roselia corner Seviper and Dustox and drain Jessilina’s points with X-Scissor, and back in her travelling clothes Dawn watches from the stands as Nando beats Zoey in the final to win the Hearthome Ribbon. That night Johanna, on the videophone, suggests that Zoey is the right person to talk to Dawn, and on the balcony Zoey admits she found Nando inspiring and tells Dawn to stop moping and work toward next time, and Dawn finally cheers up.
Major Events
- Hearthome Contest. Dawn fails to pass the Performance Stage
- Nando beats Jessilina and Zoey for the Hearthome Ribbon
- Zoey consoles Dawn
- The Hearthome Gym Leader is away
- The first time Sinnoh Contests are called Super Contests
- No ending in Japan (one-hour special with DP050)
- Initially skipped in New Zealand
Trivia
- The English title plays on "by the dawn’s early light", the season’s second "Star-Spangled Banner" pun, for Dawn’s early exit.
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Sinnoh storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- No ending on the original broadcast; the credits moved into the opening
- Paul’s Torterra, Ursaring and Weavile added to Together
Part of our Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.