Lost Leader Strategy! – Pokémon Season 11, Episode 14

Plot episodeMaylene & Reggie debutAsh beats Reggie

Lost Leader Strategy! is the 14th episode of Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension, the eleventh season of the Pokémon anime, and the 529th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 533, Bulbapedia code DP066). It first aired in Japan on 7 February 2008 and in the United States on 19 July 2008. It falls within the season’s Veilstone: Maylene, Reggie & Team Galactic stretch (EP66–EP70).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

Arriving in Veilstone City, Ash, Dawn and Brock see glowing blue spheres streaking overhead, and Ash recognises them as Aura Spheres. Following them to a fenced training area, they find a pink-haired woman sparring furiously with a Lucario, even kicking one of its Aura Spheres back at it, until Lucario’s Bone Rush fades in mid-strike. Suddenly a Thunder crashes down beside the group: Paul’s Electabuzz has been watching from behind a tree, and a brawl breaks out between it, Piplup and Pikachu that shocks everyone who tries to intervene, until Lucario stops the fight with an Aura Sphere. A purple-haired man named Reggie collects Electabuzz and introduces himself as Paul’s older brother, a Pokémon Breeder looking after Paul’s team while Paul trains. The woman, it turns out, is Maylene, the Veilstone Gym Leader, but she refuses Ash’s challenge, and Lucario angrily blasts her with an Aura Sphere for it.

Reggie explains that Paul recently beat Maylene using Flying-types: his newly evolved Honchkrow overwhelmed her Meditite and Machoke, and the Magmar he caught to replace Chimchar burned down Lucario, winning him the Cobble Badge. Since then Maylene has doubted herself, admitting that she and her Pokémon were out of sync, and when her Black Belts confront her about her moping, she runs off. Dawn finds her meditating by a river, and the two share their doubts: Dawn has lost two Contests in a row, and Maylene feels she has let Lucario down. Team Rocket appear and try to recruit Lucario, Jessie even offering it chocolate, but its Bone Rush sends them flying. Maylene thanks Lucario, and Dawn realises that all Lucario really wants is to battle. On impulse, Dawn challenges Maylene to a Gym battle, and Maylene accepts.

Meanwhile Reggie wants to see what kind of rival Ash is for his brother and sets up a three-on-three battle. Ash’s Turtwig beats Reggie’s Bibarel with Energy Ball, but Reggie’s Swalot defeats Staravia, using Stockpile and Spit Up to overpower Quick Attack and Aerial Ace. Reggie’s last Pokémon is Staraptor, which demonstrates Brave Bird against Pikachu, yet Pikachu’s Volt Tackle wins the match for Ash. Impressed, Reggie offers to help Staravia learn Brave Bird. When Reggie suggests that Maylene battle Ash, Dawn insists that she has claimed the first Gym battle, and the episode ends with Dawn preparing for her first-ever Gym challenge. The episode marks the animated debut of Bone Rush, and it aired in Japan a week after the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which Lucario is a playable fighter. Maylene is voiced in English by Rachael Lillis, the 4Kids-era voice of Misty and Jessie.

Major Events

• Veilstone City. Maylene, Reggie and the referee Connally debut
• Paul has already won the Cobble Badge with Honchkrow and Magmar
• Ash beats Reggie three-on-three
• Dawn challenges Maylene
• The anime debut of Bone Rush
• Lucario’s and Honchkrow’s TV debuts
• Aired in Japan a week after Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Lucario#0448 · DP066
• Honchkrow#0430 · DP066

Captures and evolutions

• Murkrow → Honchkrow#0430 · Paul · evolved off screen

Trivia

• The English title plays on a loss-leader strategy, for a Gym Leader who has lost her confidence.
• The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Sinnoh storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• Maylene is voiced by Rachael Lillis, the 4Kids-era Misty and Jessie, the first former main-cast member to return
• Bill Rogers takes over Lucario from Sean Schemmel
• The Pokémon Symphonic Medley and an instrumental cut of Together

Part of our Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.