AG136

The Symbol Life (Japanese: 初陣！バトルファクトリー！！（後編） First Battle! Battle Factory! (Part Two)) is the 136th episode of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, and the 410th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on July 28, 2005, and in the United States on April 22, 2006.
==Blurb==
Ash has opted to battle Articuno with Charizard in his Battle Factory match. Now he's busy training with Charizard, who has gotten even stronger during its time in the Charicific Valley. Team Rocket, secretly watching from the roof of the Battle Factory, are hopeful they can snatch the impressive Pokémon for themselves. But when the battle gets underway, the roof of the Battle Factory opens and they fall into the main chamber where everyone can see them.
Articuno and Charizard waste no time in clearing out the intruders before Noland and Ash get down to business. This Articuno is tough and knows a Water-type attack, so Charizard is in for a rough time. The two Pokémon wage a fast-paced flying battle that looks like it might end in Noland's favor as Articuno ices up Charizard's wing. Good thing for Ash that Charizard has a new trick in store: Overheat!
Articuno also packs a powerful Steel Wing, but Charizard grabs it mid-attack and turns the move into a Seismic Toss. Articuno tries to get back up and battle, to no avail. Ash is awarded the Knowledge Symbol along with a Frontier Folio to hold his Battle Frontier Symbols, and Noland congratulates him on a battle well-fought. Next stop, the Battle Arena!
==Plot==
The morning sun rises up as alongside soar into the sky to test 's strengths in preparation for his upcoming clash. Charizard showcases his incredible flight control and an impressive , a testament to his time under in the Charicific Valley. Ash orders a attack. A dazzling stream of yellow-green flames erupts from Charizard's mouth, neatly blasting a hole through a cloud. He calls for some high-altitude flying, and Charizard shoots straight up, stunning and Max with his . watches the practice session through their binoculars, and they are also impressed by Charizard’s performance. Jessie suggests they wait until Charizard tires out , and then they'll swipe the Legendary Pokémon for . wants to know what they'll do if Charizard gets beaten, and Jessie says they'll steal Charizard instead.
Later, Sergio leads Ash, and Scott into the Battle Factory's arena. Noland soon steps onto his battle platform, and tells Ash that it's been a while since he's had a top-notch opponent, and he hopes Ash knows that he won't hold back. Ash says that he was counting on it, and Noland calls in Articuno, while Ash sends out Charizard. Seeing as the match will quickly into an aerial display, Scott escorts Brock and the others up to the stands for better viewing. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is atop the Factory roof, to which Meowth explains that they'll cut a hole in the roof, and when Articuno flies high enough, they'll grab it and head off to the Boss. However, the trio's scheme fails when the rooftop opens in preparation for the aerial match-up. Team Rocket hits the battlefield hard but bounces back with a recital. Articuno uses and freezes the trio before Ash uses Charizard's Flamethrower and Pikachu's to send them blasting off.
The match finally begins, and both Charizard and Articuno fly up into the air. Charizard uses Flamethrower, which scores a direct hit after overwhelming Articuno’s countering Ice Beam. Ash is exultant that Charizard can stand up to Articuno, but the Legendary bird flies straight back into the air, not looking any worse for wear. Ash calls for another Flamethrower, but Articuno uses its speed to evade the attack and fly right past the . Noland tells Articuno to spin in a steep dive and Ash tells Charizard to fly right for it. Articuno uses , which disorientates Charizard, before battering its opponent to the ground. Charizard stands up, shaking his head. He looks up just in time to see Articuno fly straight for him out of the mist cloud. Ash calls for Dragon Breath, and though Articuno dodges twice, it is hit on the third try. Charizard rushes in to grab his opponent, though Articuno escapes with ease. Noland calls for Ice Beam, and it strikes Charizard on the wing. Ash calls for Flamethrower, which Articuno dodges and hits Charizard with a attack. Charizard falls from a huge height and crashes into the earth again.
Charizard stands up, growling. It looks battered, but Articuno is still unmarked. Articuno uses a , sending Charizard into the wall. Ash calls for Charizard to get up, but he hunches his neck in pain. Ash is getting really nervous and thinks he may have only one chance left. However, his focus quickly returns to the match as Articuno uses another Ice Beam. Charizard soars away, though his wingtip is frozen in the process, causing him to lose control. Articuno follows up with Water Pulse, turning the ice into projectile shards. Charizard shields himself with his wings and enters into a steep climb, though his speed is greatly reduced thanks to his frozen wingtip. Charizard launches a Flamethrower to counter, but Noland’s combination of Ice Beam and Water Pulse still hits its mark. 
Noland tells Articuno to finish the battle by getting above Charizard. Ash realizes it's time to use that attack Charizard learned all on his own. He tells Charizard to get above Articuno and use . Charizard glows bright red, and the ice on his wing melts. Both Pokémon zoom higher and higher into the air before Charizard releases his built-up Overheat attack. However, the Legendary bird counters with Water Pulse, which collides with Overheat in an explosion and intense flood of light. Noland orders a Steel Wing attack, with Articuno bursting from the smoke and scoring a direct hit. Charizard looks tired and very battered, while Articuno is still as strong as ever. Brock realizes that Charizard won't be able to withstand another direct hit by any attack. Ash knows that he can't use Overheat anymore, as it won't be as effective. He realizes that there is only one chance left to win the battle.
Noland tells Ash he has battled bravely, but it's time to end the match. As Noland orders another Steel Wing, Charizard stays unmoving in midair, as May, Brock, Scott, and Max watch in anxiety. Right before Articuno can strike, Ash orders Charizard to grab it. Charizard grabs the glowing wings with his claws, taking both Noland and Articuno by surprise. Ash directs Charizard to perform a . Charizard brings Articuno in close and spins downward directly into the battlefield. After the dust cloud settles, Charizard does not move while Articuno struggles to its feet. Sergio is about to rule Charizard out, but Noland orders him to wait. Articuno collapses while Charizard manages to stand up. Sergio awards Charizard the win, defeating a Legendary Pokémon, and giving Ash his first Battle Frontier Symbol, the Knowledge Symbol, in the process. Noland also hands Ash a Frontierfolio to store all of his future Symbols in. Afterward, Articuno sets off once again and Charizard heads back to the Charicific Valley. Following Scott's suggestion, Ash and his friends soon leave for the next Battle Frontier facility, the Battle Arena, which Max reveals isn’t too far away.
==Major events==
* Ash's Charizard is revealed to have learned and .
* and Charizard battle and defeat Noland and , earning Ash his first Frontier Symbol, the Knowledge Symbol.
* Ash receives the from Noland.
* Ash learns that the next facility is the Battle Arena, and decides to head there.
* Charizard returns to the Charicific Valley.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* Max
* Jessie
* James
* Noland
* Scott
* Sergio
===Pokémon===
Pokémon Trainer's Choice: 
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; leaves)
* (; befriended)
==Trivia==
* This episode's English dub title is a pun on the phrase "".
* This episode marks the first time that a Legendary Pokémon has been defeated in a one-on-one with a non-Legendary Pokémon.
* This is the only Frontier Brain challenge that was dubbed by 4Kids, as 4Kids discontinued dubbing the anime in Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
* This is the last episode in which Greg Abbey is the voice of Scott.
* Music from The Power of One, specifically a bit of 's theme, plays while is using on .
* Articuno's eyes did not turn to swirls when it was knocked out like with most Pokémon; they merely stayed closed when it collapsed in this episode.
* Parts of this episode were reanimated and used for flashback material for The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion. This is the only episode from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire to be used in said episode.
===Errors===
* When Charizard is falling to the ground, the characters are on the ground, but in the next shot, they are on platforms.
* When Articuno hits Charizard's wingtip with , three frames show Charizard with two left wings, one frozen and one not frozen.
* When Charizard uses against Articuno's combination attack, the ice on its wingtip disappears.
* When Scott says that a direct hit is needed for to be effective, the pattern on 's bandanna has its colors reversed.
* When Noland tells Articuno to finish the battle with , his glove is missing.
* In the English dub:
** When explains to and Max what the Charicific Valley is, he mispronounces 's name.
** Before the battle begins, Scott says that he will finally see battle, but he was the referee of Ash's battle against Agatha just a few episodes ago.
** When Charizard is first hit by Ice Beam, Max states that the move should have no effect on Charizard since it is a type. attacks on Fire-type Pokémon are in fact , not ineffective. Furthermore, since Charizard's secondary type is , Ice Beam should do normal damage.
** Scott says, " attacks lose their effectiveness and cause less damage each time they're used." While partially true, it implies that only the move itself loses power instead of its actual effect, which lowers the Pokémon's and thus the effectiveness of all special moves. This has been a persistent error since the first time Overheat was used in Ash's Gym with Flannery in Lavaridge Town.
AG136 error.png|Charizard's wing error
AG136 error 2.png|May's miscolored bandanna
AG136 error 3.png|Noland's missing glove
===Dub edits===
====Pokémon Trainer's Choice====
* Question: Trainers, which of these Pokémon has only one evolution?
* Choices: , , 
* Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose Spoink, you were right!
==In other languages==
136
Category:Episodes written by Masashi Sogo
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Jōji Shimura
Category:Episodes directed by Keizō Nakamura
Category:Episodes animated by Yūsaku Takeda
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes with Frontier Brain challenges
Category:Episodes in which Ash receives a Frontier Symbol
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
de:Ein Trumpf im Ärmel!
es:EP413
fr:AG136
it:RZ136
ja:AG編第136話
zh:宝可梦 超世代 第135集