DP055: Throwing the Track Switch

is the 3rd episode of Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension.
==Synopsis==
When Dawn and her friends run into Zoey on their way to Solaceon Town, the two Coordinators can't resist having a practice battle. At the same time, Ash has Chimchar and Aipom battle each other to train for his upcoming Gym battle. But Buizel is distracted by the battle between Chimchar and Aipom, while Aipom keeps trying to watch the Contest battle between Buizel and Zoey's Glameow. It seems as if Buizel would rather be battling while Aipom would rather be in a Contest, so Zoey makes a bold suggestion: why doesn't Dawn trade Buizel for Ash's Aipom?
Dawn and Ash aren't sure if that's a good idea. To test the waters, Ash suggests that he use Buizel to battle Brock, and Dawn can use Aipom to battle Zoey. But before the battle can get very far, Jessie and Meowth show up in disguise. James is miserable now that Cacnea's gone, so his teammates are determined to cheer him up-by stealing Aipom and Buizel!
But James, unaware of the plan, accidentally blows Team Rocket's cover. Seviper uses Haze and Team Rocket makes a grab for Aipom and Buizel anyway, but they end up snagging Glameow and Sudowoodo instead. Ash and Dawn use Aipom and Buizel to defeat Team Rocket, and it looks like Ash's attacking style is a good match for Aipom while Aipom's flair is a good match for Dawn. They complete the Pokémon trade, then get back on the road to Dawn's next Contest!
==Episode plot==
Team Rocket is about to have dinner. Jessie and Meowth offer James his favorite food, but James is not interested, saddened by his giving away Cacnea. Jessie and Meowth think about what should they do. Meanwhile, Dawn sees a Contest on TV, where her friend, Kenny, wins a ribbon, marking his second. Zoey came in the room and sees Pikachu and Ash lying around, as they ate too much. Brock prepares a concoction for them, as he appreciates Nurse Joy's valuable time. Dawn is worried about this, though Ash knows she will catch up with Kenny in no time. Dawn hears the next Contest is in Solaceon Town, which is before Veilstone City on the road. Ash agrees they could stop there for Dawn's Contest.
Dawn asks Zoey to participate, but she does not have time to be in. Still, they agree to practice tomorrow. Ash and Pikachu try Brock's concoction, but are disgusted by the taste. Still, it did work, as they are more dynamic. Next day, Dawn sends Buizel for the fight. Ash sends Chimchar and Aipom for his own fight and tells Brock to watch over. Buizel uses Water Gun, but gets countered by Glameow's Iron Tail. Aipom sees the glitter from the collision, almost ignoring Ash's orders. Dawn is a bit concerned about Buizel, so she shows it needs to display power. Aipom spins and uses Focus Punch, while Chimchar evades. Buizel sees them, but gets ready for Dawn's orders. Buizel uses Aqua Jet and strikes, though Glameow uses Shadow Ball and takes advantage of it to display glitter. Dawn is not very impressed and tells Buizel it could've turned its body to display a better view.
Chimchar uses Flame Wheel, but misses. Aipom uses Swift, though Chimchar dodges the stars. Buizel sees them training and Zoey tells Dawn it is more interested in Ash's training than her own. With Focus Punch, Chimchar stops the Flame Wheel. Aipom uses Swift and jumps to star to star, but Ash warns her she is like in a Contest. Zoey concludes they are acting as a team - after all, Aipom sees Dawn's training before the Contest every time. Still, Dawn tells Buizel to focus on appeals. Zoey stops the training as she reminds everyone what she said back at the Jubilife contest about Aipom being raise by Dawn, which everyones remembers. After watching their training, Zoey realizes that she is right because Aipom loves to perform in Pokémon Contests, while at the same time Buizel is being forced into something that he isn't interested in and is more into battling. Zoey proposes that Ash and Dawn should trade them, much to their surprise. Jessie and Meowth overhear them and know it might be a bit dangerous to trade the Pokémon, as they will become better in the hands of the other, so Jessie tells Meowth they should get them for Team Rocket. James is not interested, as he has the post-Cacnea syndrome.
The heroes witness a trade. The men put the Poké Balls and pull a switch. The machine exchanges the Pokémon and the men get the Pokémon. Nurse Joy asks if they want to trade, but is told the problem - while Buizel and Aipom would be better in the others expertise, but are hesitating because they have worked hard for their current trainer and have a bond with them. Nurse Joy gives them some assurance, after hearing this Ash thinks for a while then comes up with an idea, as he tells everyone that he will team up with Buizel in a battle against Brock while Dawn does the same with Aipom against Zoey. Brock gets Ash's suggestion as he sees that he wants to see if Buizel and Aipom work well with him and Dawn. Before the battle, Zoey sends Glameow and Brock his Sudowoodo. Suddenly, Team Rocket approaches, Jessie, Meowth and Wobbuffet, dressed as people that will raise their Pokémon. However, James comes and wants to know what are they doing, blowing their cover.
Jessie and Meowth jump on him as they tell him that they're doing this scheme for him in order to snap him out of his funk of losing Cacnea by catching some new Pokémon for him. Hearing this, James is touched that his friends did all this for him and hug each other. Not wanting his friends effort be in vain, James sends Carnivine, while Jessie brings out Dustox and Seviper. Dustox uses Psybeam and Carnivine Bullet Seed to attack them, while Seviper uses Haze. Ash sends Staravia, who uses Gust to clear the smoke. However, instead of grabbing Buizel and Aipom, Seviper and Carnivine grabbed Sudowoodo and Glameow. Despite the mix up, James is still pleased they got Glameow and Sudowoodo, but Zoey, who admits they are touched by this emotional moment points out they are still thieves, both Ash and Dawn say they will battle them. Carnivine uses Bullet Seed and Dustox Psybeam. Aipom counters with Swift, stopping the Psybeam. Dustox uses Whirlwind, but gets hit by Sonic Boom. Buizel defeats Dustox with Aqua Jet. Seviper uses Haze, so Aipom uses Double Team, then clear the smoke by waving their tails by using Focus Punch. With Water Gun, Team Rocket is blasted off.
Brock and Zoey are glad Sudowoodo and Glameow are rescued then thanked their friends for saving their Pokémon. Ash and Dawn now know the trade could be good for both of them. They place the Poké Balls and turn the lever. They send the traded Pokémon and anticipate to use the Pokémon in Gym Battle/Contest.
==Trivia==
*James's Cacnea has been removed from the opening credits.
*Music from Jirachi: Wish Maker, an instrumental version of Together, Hello! Thank You!, and the title theme from Celebi: Voice of the Forest are used as background music.
*The music of the Abandoned Ship is used as background music in a scene with Team Rocket.
*This episode marks the first time that Ash or any of his friends has conducted a trade with each other.
===Mistakes===
*As Jessie and Meowth finish their plotting, Meowth's charm has 3 lines on it instead of the usual 4.
*When Jessie sends out Dustox, its mouth doesn't move.
*While Croagunk was watching Happiny and Buneary, his irises were missing making his eyes only yellow.
*The Brazilian Portuguese dub wrongly states that Piplup is female.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Dawn
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
Category:Episodes in which a main character releases or gives away a Pokémon
Category:Episodes in which a main character trades away a Pokémon
Category:Episodes focusing on Team Rocket