BW084

Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 2

BW084   EP741 激闘タチワキジム！VSホミカ（後編） Fierce Fighting at Tachiwaki Gym! VS Homika!! (Part 2)

First broadcast Japan June 14, 2012 United States October 20, 2012

English themes Opening Rival Destinies Ending

Japanese themes Opening ベストウイッシュ！ Ending みてみて☆こっちっち

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 古賀一臣 Kazuomi Koga Assistant director 古賀一臣 Kazuomi Koga Animation directors 夏目久仁彦 Kunihiko Natsume 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 2 (Japanese: 激闘タチワキジム！VSホミカ（後編） Fierce Fighting at Tachiwaki Gym! VS Homika!! (Part 2)) is the 84th episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 741st episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on June 14, 2012 and in the United States on October 20, 2012.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

The Virbank Gym battle rages on between Ash and Gym Leader Roxie! Ash has finally managed to knock out Roxie’s powerful Koffing, but it soon becomes clear that her Scolipede is just as powerful, as it makes short work of Ash’s Leavanny. He has three Pokémon left to Roxie’s two—but the numbers advantage doesn’t necessarily mean Ash has the upper hand!

Next up is the Fire-type Pignite, who has an advantage over the Bug-type Scolipede—and in a fiery battle, switching between Flame Charge and Flamethrower, Pignite manages to take Scolipede down! But Pignite has been hit with Toxic, and it’s badly poisoned...at least until Roxie generously offers it a Pecha Berry to cure the poison.

Roxie is down to just one Pokémon left: her enormous Garbodor. The battle between Garbodor and Pignite is a wild back-and-forth exchange, and Roxie’s fans never stop cheering her on—so Iris decides Ash needs some moral support, and she and Axew start cheering for him! After Garbodor eliminates Pignite with a powerful Hyper Beam, Ash sends out Palpitoad...but their bout doesn’t last long, as Garbodor’s combination of Gunk Shot and Venoshock proves to be overwhelming.

Ash calls on his final Pokémon—it’s Pikachu, of course! Pikachu’s speed keeps it out of Garbodor’s reach for some time, but the big Pokémon eventually manages to grab Pikachu and land several direct hits with Double Slap—which triggers Pikachu’s special Ability, Static! Garbodor is paralyzed, giving Pikachu an opening to attack. But before too long, Garbodor shakes off its paralysis and tries to turn the tide again.

To lift Ash’s spirits, Iris breaks out the face paint and recruits Cilan to her cheering squad, and their drumming and chanting are loud and clear over Roxie’s rowdy crowd! With that morale boost, Ash and Pikachu battle back with a series of crackling Electric-type attacks, and with one last Electro Ball, Garbodor is down and out—and Ash has won the Toxic Badge, putting him directly on the path to the Unova League!

Plot

Ash's Gym battle against Roxie continues, with her Koffing having already taken out two of his Pokémon before getting knocked out by his Leavanny. However, Roxie has sent out Scolipede to follow up, who instantly struck Leavanny with Toxic. Badly poisoned and nearly unable to stand, Leavanny fires an Energy Ball which Scolipede dodges, and Roxie orders a Rock Tomb, trapping Leavanny in rocks. Scolipede launches a Sludge Bomb that hits Leavanny head-on, knocking him out.

Billy Jo taunts Ash having only half his team left, but Ash remains confident that they can win, sending out Pignite. Cilan remarks that Pignite is a great matchup against Scolipede for type. Ash orders Flame Charge, but Roxie catches on that Ash is attempting to boost Pignite's speed while dealing damage, and counters with Screech. The sound waves end up being disruptive enough for Pignite to break Flame Charge. Pignite fires Flamethrower, but Scolipede dodges again and poisons Pignite with Toxic. Ash encourages Pignite not to give up and calls for Fire Pledge. Pignite manages to stand up despite the poison, launching his pillars of fire that bathe Scolipede in flames, knocking it out. Roxie surprises Ash and his friends when she tosses Pignite a Pecha Berry, curing him of his poison, saying that it wouldn't be fun facing a poisoned opponent. Cilan is impressed at how Roxie is using the crowd in her favor, making for a truly uniquely flavored Gym. Iris isn't impressed and briefly runs off. Roxie sends out her third Pokémon, Garbodor, which Ash scans.

Ash orders another Flame Charge, but Roxie orders Garbodor to dodge, which it does by pushing against the ground with its arms and extending them, shocking Ash's group. Garbodor lands on Pignite, sending its weight down on Pignite. Garbodor grabs Pignite from underneath it and uses Double Slap on it. Cilan is amazed that Garbodor can extend its arms infinitely, pointing out that this will make it difficult for Ash's attacks to connect. Ash calls for Flamethrower, which Garbodor dodges in the same way, but as this happens Ash orders a Tackle. Pignite slams itself into Garbodor's extended arms, causing the Trash Heap Pokémon to come crashing down.

Ash orders Fire Pledge, but Roxie orders Garbodor to block it using its extendable arm. Garbodor blocks Pignite's fist from connecting with the floor, stopping the move, before proceeding to strike Pignite with Double Slap. Billy Jo rouses the crowd again, and Iris reveals herself to have brought along a ceremonial drum, much to Cilan's surprise, to cheer for Ash. Ash is happy that Iris is cheering for him, and orders a Fire Pledge from Pignite. Roxie counters with Hyper Beam, blasting through Fire Pledge and knocking Pignite out. Roxie remarks that she doesn't just stick to Poison-type attacks and techniques.

Ash sends out Palpitoad as his fifth Pokémon; Cilan once again points out the type advantage Ash has. Ash orders a Mud Shot, but Garbodor once again dodges in the same way. Roxie compliments Palpitoad for the strength of his Mud Shot before calling for another Hyper Beam, which Ash counters with Hydro Pump, cancelling it out. The water spray causes Pikachu to briefly take notice of Meloetta, who has been watching the battle; it quickly hides itself with invisibility. Ash orders another Mud Shot, but Garbodor responds with Gunk Shot, launching a trash bag that meets Mud Shot head-on. The trash bag bursts to release poison-coated garbage, striking Palpitoad and poisoning him as well. Roxie follows up with Venoshock as Garbodor soaks Palpitoad in green goop, shocking his system. Ash is stunned at this latest development as Cilan explains that Venoshock deals a lot of damage if the target is poisoned. Garbodor launches another Venoshock, dealing heavy damage to Palpitoad and fainting him.

Ash finishes up with Pikachu as his final Pokémon. Roxie again compliments Pikachu's cuteness while Ash says that Pikachu is strong, and ending things with equal numbers is alright with him. Cilan and Iris are worried that Ash is down to his last Pokémon. Roxie begins by ordering Double Slap, and Garbodor sends its arms out to lash at Pikachu. Ash orders continuous dodges with Pikachu weaving in and out of Garbodor's arms, causing Garbodor's arms to tangle up! Roxie is surprised at this new development as Pikachu uses Quick Attack, hitting Garbodor in the face. Garbodor tries to attack again, but Pikachu dodges and fires Thunderbolt to knock Garbodor over. As Garbodor gets up, Ash orders an Iron Tail, but Roxie has Garbodor swing its arms to throw Pikachu off, and orders a flurry of Gunk Shots. Pikachu is cornered by the flying exploding trash bags, and Roxie calls for Garbodor to grab Pikachu and pin him to the ceiling before releasing, letting Pikachu plummet into range of Double Slap and unable to counter. The crowd cheers Roxie on as Ash falters, unable to think of a way out. Distressed and angry, Iris drags Cilan off for another plan that Cilan is initially very unnerved with.

After continuous Double Slaps, Garbodor notices that its arm is somehow getting numb. Roxie orders for another Gunk Shot that hits, poisoning Pikachu. Ash is extremely worried at this point but much to his surprise, Iris and Cilan cheer him on with a pair of ceremonial drums and their faces all painted up. The sight encourages Ash and Pikachu as the latter manages to stand up. Roxie orders Garbodor to use Venoshock. Garbodor tries to attack, but suddenly Garbodor gets surrounded in electricity and becomes unable to use Venoshock which shocks Roxie. Roxie's band members note that Garbodor has been paralyzed, but they wonder how did that happen. Cilan shouts that Static has taken effect after Garbodor's Double Slap had hit Pikachu so many times, thereby severely hampering its movements. Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt which Garbodor unwillingly takes. Roxie calls for Venoshock. Garbodor attacks, but Ash orders Pikachu to use Electro Ball. Garbodor's Venoshock is unable to stop Electro Ball until the attack finally hits Garbodor, knocking it out. The stunned referee declares Ash the winner of the match.

Ash rushes onto the field to pick up his poisoned Pikachu, while Roxie retrieves Garbodor, handing him a Pecha Berry for Pikachu. Iris and Cilan congratulate Ash on his win, and Ash thanks them for the encouragement, though somewhat bemused by their face paint. Roxie is somewhat disappointed and surprised that she's finally lost, but nonetheless awards Ash with the Toxic Badge as her band and fans all cheer him on. Meloetta is visibly pleased at the result and flies away.

Major events

Ash holding the Toxic Badge

• Ash continues his Gym battle with Roxie and wins, earning himself the Toxic Badge and thus completing his requirement for the Unova League.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series: Black & White, please see the timeline page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Roxie
• Billy Jo
• Nicky
• Referee
• Boy
• Audience

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Garbodor

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Pignite (Ash's)
• Leavanny (Ash's)
• Palpitoad (Ash's)
• Garbodor (Roxie's)
• Scolipede (Roxie's)
• Meloetta (anime)

Trivia

• Team Rocket's Pokémon Live Caster: Kyurem VS the Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo*/Cofagrigus*
  • Team Rocket hijacks the Live Caster from Professor Oak at the beginning of this segment. They took over Professor Oak's role of taking charge of an eight-week movie-related promotion that gave fans a chance to win prizes.
  • Viewers could call one of three phone numbers to hear a mission from either Jessie, James, or Meowth. Ten random callers among those who picked the Team Rocket member with the most callers won a copy of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.
• This two-part episode marks the first time an episode has had its dub title leaked before airing in Japan, as the title was first revealed two days before this episode aired.
• The usual "To be continued" is omitted and replaced with "Next time... A new beginning!"
  • This is the only time this message is used on an episode that is not the final episode of the current series.
• This marks the first time Ash has not collected exactly the same Badges from the games the saga was based on, receiving the Toxic Badge instead of the Legend Badge as his final Badge.
  • Earlier episodes of Pokémon the Series: Black & White showed that the final slot in Ash's badge case was intended to hold the Legend Badge, implying that he was originally intended to challenge Drayden last, just like in Pokémon Black and White, only for this to be changed with the development of the sequels.
• This is the final episode to date where Pikachu activates his Static Ability.
• This is the first time Ash's Palpitoad has appeared on-screen since Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym!, 34 episodes ago, when he previously fought in another Gym battle.
• This episode marks the first time Ash battles a Gym Leader prior to their debut in a game, with this two-part episode debuting just over a week prior to the release of Pokémon Black and White 2.
• This is the final episode of Best Wishes! season 1. The following episode starts the Best Wishes! Season 2 arc.
• Iris and Cilan's face paint used motifs of fire and lightning; possible references to Reshiram and Zekrom. In addition, Iris is assigned the motif of lightning - in the games, Iris is the Gym Leader faced in Pokémon White version, of which Zekrom is its mascot.
• In this and the previous episode, Roxie says "Let's turn it up to eleven", referencing the movie Spinal Tap.

Errors

Roxie's hair error

• In one scene, the background appears over Roxie's hair. This error is fixed on the Japanese DVD version.
• In the scene right before Roxie sends out Garbodor, Scolipede's icon on the scoreboard represents that it is still in battle, although it had already been changed to represent its defeat.
• The Toxic Badge appears to move slightly during the scene where Ash announces that he has obtained it.
• At one point, Cilan's eyes have sclerae.

Dub edits

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		激戰立湧道館！VS霍米加！！（後篇）
Danish		Rock og rul i Virbank-salen! (Del 2)
Dutch		Lol trappen in de Virbank Gym! (Deel 2)
Finnish		Virbankin sali rytisee! (Osa 2)
European French		Un combat d'arène Rock and Roll ! (2ème partie)
German		Es rockt in der Vapydro-Arena! (Teil 2)
Greek		Χορεύοντας στο Στάδιο Βίρμπανκ! (Μέρος 2)
Italian		Sfida alla Palestra di Zondopoli! (Parte seconda)
Korean		격투 모란만체육관! 지우 VS 보미카!! (후편)
Norwegian		Sjokkerer Virbank Gym! (del 1)
Polish		Koncertowe starcie w Virbank! (Część 2)
Portuguese	Brazil	Um Show de Batalha no Ginásio de Virbank! (Parte 2)
	Portugal	Dando Música ao Ginásio de Virbank! (2ª parte)
Russian		Выступление в гиме Вирбанк. (Часть 2)
Spanish	Latin America	¡Sacudida en el Gimnasio Virbank! (Parte 2)
	Spain	¡Rock and Roll en el Gimnasio Hormigón! (2ª Parte)
Swedish		Det rockar loss på Virbank-gymmet! (Del 2)
Thai		การต่อสู้อันดุเดือดที่ทาจิวาคิยิม! ปะทะ โฮมิกะ!! (ตอนจบ)
Vietnamese		Quyết đấu tại nhà thi đấu Tachiwaki Đối đầu với Homika ( Phần 2 )

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.