DP008: Gymbaliar!

is the 8th episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
There's a new Gym in Sinnoh, and Team Rocket is in charge! With Jessie as Princess Powerzone, the Gym Leader, and James as a crooked referee, there should be no way they can lose to their latest challenger—yet somehow they do. After the battle, Meowth goes out to get snacks and comes back home with an ominous Croagunk on its tail. Croagunk isn't impressed by Team Rocket, but they're impressed by Croagunk's Poison Jab move, so they recruit the Pokémon to help them out.
Elsewhere, our heroes encounter a Scizor and its Trainer, Minnie. Minnie is headed for the Powerzone Gym because she's heard that losing Pokémon can stay at the Gym to receive extra training. Minnie thinks it would be good for her Scizor, and Ash and his friends can't resist the chance to tag along. Ash wants to battle first, but Jessie wisely pretends not to hear him and chooses to battle Minnie instead.
James' creative refereeing gives Croagunk the victory over Minnie's Scizor, so Minnie lends Scizor to the Gym for training. Ash and Aipom are up next, but when Aipom wins, Jessie declares that Ash must battle her again—with Pikachu! That's the cue for Team Rocket to unmask themselves and their Pokémon-grabbing plan... which turns out to be no match for our heroes. Another Team Rocket scheme, foiled!
This still leaves the problem of all the Trainers who left their Pokémon with the Powerzone Gym. Minnie volunteers to watch over the Pokémon until their Trainers return, but Croagunk doesn't have a Trainer. So when Brock asks Croagunk if it wants to join him, it accepts. It's an easy catch, but it won't be that easy for Brock now that Croagunk is there to use Poison Jab every time he tries to swoon over a pretty girl!
==Episode plot==
Jessie's Dustox battles a Marowak. The former uses Stun Spore, but gets deflected. Dustox dodges Marowak's Bonemerang, but the bone returns and hits her. Marowak defeats Dustox with Bone Club. The challenger, Jeffrey, wins and gets a badge, making James sad. Meowth goes to the grocery and buys some drinks. He spots a Croagunk and makes him nervous. Meowth ignores it and goes away, but he realizes its following him. He runs away and comes back to Jessie and James. The Croagunk followed him to there. Meowth translates that Croagunk thinks they are boring. James goes to modify its face to make it look happier, but gets hit by a Poison Jab. The Croagunk is still bored, but Jessie has an idea.
Meanwhile, the heroes continue to go to Jubilife City and see that an Scizor approached them. A trainer comes and Brock flirts with her. The woman says they are on their way to a new Gym named Powerzone Gym. The woman's name is Minnie and the heroes introduce themselves. Later, they approach it. Inside, Croagunk battles a Sandslash. Sandslash uses Sand Attack, but Croagunk dodges and defeats it with Poison Jab. Since Sandslash got defeated, Team Rocket take the trainer's Poké Ball to improve the Pokémon. Team Rocket see the heroes and think about this through. Jessie picks Minnie first to fight.
thumb|The gang and Minnie at the "Powerzone Gym"!
James tells it is a 1-on-1 battle. Dawn wants to see the badge. James and Meowth are surprised, as they have no other "badges". James presents the badges - bottle caps. The heroes are not much impressed, though James yells at them for that thought. Brock shouts for Minnie to win, but gets pounded by Jessie. Jessie calls for the referee James, who tells Jessie wins this. Croagunk starts with Poison Sting, but Scizor evades and uses Quick Attack, then Slashes Croagunk. Scizor defeats Croagunk with a Metal Claw. James goes to call Minnie a winner, but Croagunk stands up. The latter uses Brick Break and Scizor misses, but Croagunk repeats its attack and hits Scizor. The latter gets defeated by the former's Poison Jab. Team Rocket tells Minnie they will "train" it. Still, it is Ash's turn, but Jessie tells it is time for lunch, so they go out, while Jessie makes her next plan.
Ash sends Aipom. Croagunk uses Brick Break, but misses and Aipom retaliates with Swift, then uses Focus Punch, hitting Croagunk, though it counter-attacks with Poison Jab. Aipom is stun by the attack and Croagunk attacks once more. Aipom uses Double Team and follows with Swift to attack. Aipom defeats Croagunk with Focus Punch. James tells Ash is the winner, but Meowth says that it is not over - the winner is only one who defeats Pokémon twice in a row. Jessie sends Dustox and Ash about to send his Turtwig, but Jessie stops him and the rules tell the challenger's Pokémon is the Gym Leader's choice and states that Pikachu must battle. Ash has no choice but to send him. Suddenly, before something could happen, Pikachu is taken by a mecha hand, the Gym crashes and Team Rocket take their disguises off in their balloon. The heroes go after them, leaving the Croagunk alone. Ash sends Starly, who pops the balloon using Quick Attack after striking a mark the first two tries. Pikachu is freed from the net. Jessie sends Dustox to battle, but she, along with Team Rocket, gets blasted off by Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
Minnie gets her Scizor back and promises to give the Poké Balls to their trainers, as she does not want to go on a journey yet. They soon see Croagunk, who didn't blast off with Team Rocket. Croagunk wants to go with Brock, who takes out a Poké Ball out and catches Croagunk. Minnie says goodbye and Brock flirts with her again. Croagunk comes out and uses Poison Jab on Brock and pulls him away.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Croagunk (Brock's)
===Move===
*Poison Jab
==Trivia==
*The title is a portmanteau of "gym", "Jambalaya", and "liar".
*This episode was the first to have the return of an old running gag, with a new twist: whenever Brock flirts with a pretty girl, Croagunk would Poison Jab him and then drag him away.
*Meowth breaks the fourth wall, saying "there's three minutes left" when there is three minutes left in the episode (when watched without commercials).
*This is the first episode to have sparkles whenever a Pokémon exit out of a Poké Ball.
===Mistakes===
*Jessie's Dustox used Stun Spore, despite the attack is not available for it in the games.
*When Jessie ordered Croagunk to use Poison Sting during Minnie's battle, it used Brick Break.
*When Croagunk used Poison Jab on Minnie's Scizor, it injures it when originally, Poison type moves doesn't affect Steel types like Scizor.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Brock
Category:Episodes focusing on Team Rocket
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon