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| Season | Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Season 23) · A tour of the regions arc (JN006–JN011) |
| Episode | Season 23, episode 7 · English episode 1087 · Japanese episode 1093 · Bulbapedia code JN007 |
| English title | Serving Up the Flute Cup! |
| Japanese title | 激闘のホウエン地方！挑戦バトルフロンティア！！ Gekitō no Hōen Chihō! Chōsen Batoru Furontia!! — “The Hoenn Region, Site of Fierce Fights! The Battle Frontier Challenge!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 29 December 2019 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 12 June 2020 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Deko Akao |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Wan, Tsū, Surī (One, Two, Three) – After the Rain · Pokémon Shiritori (Pikachu → Mew Ver.) – Pokémon Music Club |
| English opening | The Journey Starts Today – Walk off the Earth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Mightyena (US) · Mightyena (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Working My Way Back to Mew! (JN006) |
| Next episode | The Sinnoh Iceberg Race! (JN008) |
Plot episodeFlute CupMimey battles
Serving Up the Flute Cup! is the 7th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, the twenty-third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1087th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1093, Bulbapedia code JN007). It first aired in Japan on 29 December 2019 and in the United States on 12 June 2020. It falls within the season’s A tour of the regions stretch (EP6–EP11).
Synopsis
Ash takes Goh to the Hoenn region’s Battle Frontier, where Goh loses his first Trainer battle to a cocky boy named Hodge and Ash, battling with Mimey for the first time, wins the Battle Frontier Flute Cup. The day begins with Mimey leading the boys and their Pokémon through morning kung fu exercises, during which Scorbunny accidentally kicks Metapod into a rock and Professor Cerise frantically nurses the wrong patient. Ash then tosses Goh his bag and announces a trip to Hoenn, a region Goh has never visited. They arrive in time to enter the Flute Cup, Ash with Pikachu and Mimey, Goh with Scorbunny and Scyther. Goh is lukewarm about the tournament until a Taillow swoops past and he catches it with a single throw. Learning that Taillow eats Wurmple, he sends it out to help him find one, but Scorbunny angers a Mightyena by pulling out a tuft of its fur. Meanwhile Ash meets Hodge of Lavaridge Town, who rides on his Hariyama’s shoulder and topples headfirst into a bin while throwing away a bottle.
The Mightyena turns out to belong to Hodge, who sneers at Goh’s attitude, and the draw pairs the two in the first round. Goh’s Rotom Phone tells him that Scyther’s Bug type has the edge over Dark-type Mightyena, so he plays it safe with Swords Dance, but Mightyena knocks Scyther out with a single Fire Fang, then blows Scorbunny back with Snarl and finishes it with Crunch. Goh is left speechless. Scorbunny recovers quickly at the Pokémon Center, but Goh decides that catching is better than battling and runs off to look for Wurmple, ignoring Ash’s request to watch. Ash and Hodge both win through to the final, and Goh returns in time to see it. Mimey faces Hariyama and dodges every Force Palm with its kung fu, lands a Focus Punch once Hariyama tires, and uses Reflect again and again until Hariyama is trapped inside a box of light, then finishes it with Psychic, earning a new respect for Mr. Mime from the commentator.
Hodge sends out Mightyena, and when Mimey seems to lose interest, Ash recalls it and sends in Pikachu. Pikachu dodges Snarl, hits back with Iron Tail and fires a Thunderbolt so strong that it blasts a hole in the stadium roof, but Mightyena’s Sucker Punch, delivered almost invisibly fast, sends Pikachu flying. Ash orders Electroweb aimed at the hole in the roof, and Pikachu springs off the web at greater speed to slam Mightyena with Iron Tail, winning the Flute Cup. The idol Hibana presents Ash with a set of five flutes, and Hodge falls flat on his face when he leans in for a handshake. Goh admits that Mimey was wonderful and that battling is fun after all, a real change of heart. Back at the Cerise Laboratory he proudly shows off three Wurmple, explaining to Chloe that one Wurmple might evolve into Silcoon and another into Cascoon. When Ash pretends they are evolving, Scorbunny kicks him for the bad joke, while Mimey plays Ash’s new Red Flute.
Major Events
- The Battle Frontier Flute Cup. First trip to Hoenn and Goh’s first visit
- Goh catches a Taillow and, off screen, three Wurmple
- Goh loses his first Trainer battle to Hodge’s Mightyena
- Mimey battles for Ash for the only time, with Focus Punch and Reflect
- Ash beats Hodge in the final and wins the Flute Cup and a set of five flutes
- Mimey’s Poké Ball is shown for the first time
- The anime’s first Sucker Punch
Captures and evolutions
Taillow#0276 · Goh · caught with a single throw, with three Wurmple off screen
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Deko Akao.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto, Galar & beyond storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Sword and Shield battle music for Ash’s final against Hodge
Part of our Pokémon Journeys: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.