News Articles
Oct 24 2010
Pokémon Smash 4
Pokémon Smash Episode 4, Happinas' Happy Nurse! / The New Plan to Teach the New Members About Pokémon, the 'Pokémon Quiz Caravan' Meeting / Releasing 22 New Pokémon at Once / News on the Battle Subway! (ハピナスのハッピーナース！ / 新メンバーにポケモンを教える新企画「ポケモンクイズキャラバン」開催 / 新ポケモン22匹一挙大放出 / バトルサブウェイの情報も！), aired today in Japan.
The narrator started off the show by calling it a 'Pokémon Entertainment Show!' as it transitioned to Yamamoto standing in the middle of the set playing an Ocarina. A clip from Pokémon Sunday episode #81 is shown and in that episode Golgo juggled some buckets and was able to kick one from his foot and catch it with another one that was attached to his head. He tried to do the same trick again but wasn't able to do it this time after trying multiple times.
Shoko-tan introduced the theme for this weeks episode which was 'The Beauty of Friendship' （友情のすばらしさ） and the episode is part of the Pokémon Library (ポケモンライブラリー). This weeks episode, Happinas' Happy Nurse! is from the original series. A full summary of this episode is available in the episode guide.
After the rerun, President Choi Hong-Man shows up in a happy mood and says 'PokéMorning!' to everyone. Golgo comes over to greet him and they shake hands. Golgo quickly realizes how strong he is as his hand is almost crushed during the handshake. The crew gives him a bunch of apples and he is easily able to crush with his bare hands. They are all impressed with his strength.
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Golgo and Red head off to present the Pokémon Quiz Caravan (ポケモンクイズキャラバン) with the International Group at the Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Elementary School (神奈川県 相模原市立 内郷小学校). There they met 32 grade four students and Zoroark. The students show Red and Golgo the outdoor sumo wrestling ring and preform a demonstration.
Golgo states that this quiz would be based on Pokémon Black and White. The first batch of questions would be answered in a Yes (O) or No (X) format and the teams would all have to decide which was the right answer and stand on the appropriate side of the line if they didn't want to get eliminated from the quiz. Kibago Team ended up winning as they were the only team to answer all 6 questions correctly.
Below are the questions that were asked:
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is the title of the new animated series that started this fall called Pokémon Black and White? (この秋スタートしたアニメ新シリーズのタイトルは「ポケットモンスター ブラック・ホワイト」である)? | [s](X) No - Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! (ポケットモンスター ベストウイッシュ)[/s] |
| 2 | Is Zekrom drawn on the packaging of Pokémon Black? （ポケットモンスター ブラックパッケージに描かれているのゼクロムである） | [s](X) No - Reshiram (レシラム) is on the cover.[/s] |
| 3 | Card Game Rules - Should you give thanks and forfeit before starting a battle? (カードゲームルール - バトルを始める前にするにとは礼である) | [s](X) No - Handshake before the battle （バトルの前に必ずするのは握手）[/s] |
| 4 | Is Kumasyun the 'Cold Catching Pokémon'? (クマシュンは「かぜひきポケモン」である) | [s](X) No - Kumasyun is the Freezing Pokémon. （クマシュンは「ひょうけつポケモン」）[/s] |
| 5 | Is Dent's Pokémon partner Hiyappu? (デントのパートナーポケモンはヒヤップである) | [s](X) No - Dent's Pokémon partner is Yanappu （デントのパートナーポケモンはヤナップ）[/s] |
| 6 | Does the first Pokémon Card Game BW set have a set for girls? (ポケモンカードゲームBWはじめてセットには女の子用のセットがある) | [s](O) Yes [/s] |
Golgo made the International team apologize since they got eliminated at question 4 even though the week before Director Masuda was in studio talking about the Kumasyun Pokémon Smash event.
A Pokémon Card Game News segment was shown just after the commercial break and it showed some of the new cards from the latest Pokémon BW Collection Sheet sets.
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The next segment featured a '4 Legged Quiz' (３人４脚ばらまきクイズ) where teams of 3 had their legs tied up and they were sent out to find a specific Pokémon card based on type or information that was called out. Players would have to know the correct Pokémon types for the cards that were distributed throughout the school grounds and then return back to Red.
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The next quiz was called the Rotation Quiz (ローテーションクイズ) which was loosely based off the idea from the new feature in Pokémon Black and White that allows players to rotate their Pokémon's position around during triple battles. Each team was broken up into 3 people and each of them wore a hat with either Tsutarja (ツタージャ), Pokabu (ポカブ) or Mijumaru (ミジュマル) on it. A wheel with the corresponding Pokémon was in front of them and Golgo would spin it to determine which team member was required to answer the question. A team could buzz in if a member knew the answer but the team member than knew the answer might not be chosen to actually answer it.
Below are the questions that were asked:
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where does Pocket Monsters Best Wishes take place? (ポケットモンスター ベストウイッシュ物語の舞台は？) | [s]The Isshu region (イッシュ地方)[/s] |
| 2 | How many Pokémon can a player have in their party? (手持ちにできるポケモンは何びきまで？) | [s]6 members （６ぴき)[/s] |
| 3 |  What kind of energy is this? (これは何エネルギー？) |
[s]Fire (炎)[/s] |
| 4 | Who is Iris's Pokémon partner? (アイリスのパートナーポケモンは？) | [s] Kibago (アイリス)[/s] |
| 5 | Minezumi is the Lookout Pokémon, what kind of Pokémon is Miruhog? (ミネズミは「みはりポケモン」でつがミルホッグはなにポケモン？) | [s]Precaution Pokémon (けいかいポケモン)[/s] |
| 6 | What is the name of Rocket Gang's boss? (ロケット団のボスの名前は？) | [s] Sakaki (サカキ)[/s] |
| 7 | What is the name of the ticket that is required to get Victini? (ビクティニを手に入れるために必要なチケットの名前は？) | [s]Liberty Ticket (リバティチケット)[/s] |
During the marketing department segment, Mijumari showed some of the upcoming cards from the BW Boys and Girls Starter Kits which will be released in Japan on October 29th, 2010. The segment specifically showcased the Shimama (シママ) 005/009 card from the CS1 Pokémon BW Collection Sheet set and how it can evolve into a Zebraika (ゼブライカ) when the new card in the Pokémon Card Game BW Boy and Girl Starter Kits (018/037) is released.
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Shoko-tan and the announcer showcased 22 of the 5th generation Pokémon at the end of the show and gave brief details of each of them to get the audience more familiar with these new Pokémon.
Characters and Pictures from this episode have been added to the episode guide. You can also comment and discuss this episode on the forum. Also be sure to rate this and other episodes in the episode guide.
Oct 17 2010
Pokémon Smash 3
Pokémon Smash Episode 3, Do Coil Dream of Electric Mice!? / The Adventure Division's Great Investigation of Different Types of Sommeliers / Director Masuda from Game Freak Visits! / The Desicion to Distribute the New Pokémon 'Kumashun' via Wi-Fi! (コイルはでんきネズミのユメをみるか!? / アドベンチャー部がいろいろなソムリエを大調査 / ゲームフリーク・増田部長が登場！／新ポケモン「クマシュン」のWi-Fi配信が決定！), aired today in Japan.
Golgo and Maria introduced the anime rerun theme for this week which was once again the Pokémon Library (ポケモンライブラリー). This weeks episode, Do Coil Dream of Electric Mice!? ! is from the orginal series. The episode features a bunch of Magnemite and Grimer as the power as been disrupted at the power plant and Satoshi and friends go to investigate.
Yamamoto explains that the new character on the anime series, Dent is a Pokémon Sommelier. Akiyama asks if anyone knows what a Pokémon Sommelier and no one responds and Shoko-tan looks clueless. A clip featuring Dent from BW005 is then shown to explain what a Pokémon Sommelier is and Dent states: "Based on their abundance of knowledge and experience, they determine the compatibility between Trainer and Pokémon and give them advice on how to become better friends. That's our duty as Pokémon Sommeliers."
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Robert go out on a great investigation to find out information about different types of Sommeliers. Baba dresses up as Dent as they went out on their investigation. This first stop was Takashimaya Nihonbashi, Tokyo (東京 日本橋 高島屋), a multi-floor department store in Chuo Ward. There they met Wine Vinegar Sommelier Uchibori Mitsuyasu (酢ムリエ 内堀光康) at his Oaks Heart (オークスハート) fruit vinegar stand. He introduces himself as a "su sommelier", a "summelier", "su" being Japanese for vinegar (私は酢のソムリエ酢ムリエと申します).
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Yamamoto was the first to sample a provided drink, a Raspberry dessert vinegar (飲む木いちごの酢). Yamamoto takes a small sip and quickly replies that its really good. The narrator explains that the drink is quite sweet and is intended as a complement drink with dessert. The next drink sampled was Muscat Vinegar (飲むマスカットの酢), another Dessert Vinegar which Baba tried. Baba says "Sweet" (あまい) after he tastes it. Made from Muscat grapes, the grapes are typically used for dessert wines. The final drink, Super Vinegar 20 (スーパービネガー) was tasted by Akiyama. He takes a small sip and its quite evident that he didn't like it because he began to choke and cough and wasn't able to respond. The Super Vinegar 20 is the most acidic vinegar in the world made from rice. Akiyama and Uchibori Mitsuyasu then had a blind tasting test to see if they could tell what the drink was that they were drinking and were told to comment on it. Uchibori Mitsuyasu was easily able to beat Akiyama.
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Robert's next stop was the Great Lantern Rice Shop in Asagaya, Tokyo (東京 阿佐ヶ谷 大提燈米穀店) in Suginami ward. There they met Rice Sommelier Akira Nakashima (中島晢). Robert asked him about the what makes the best tasting rice (美味しいお米の条件). He replied that there are three things that affect the taste and quality of rice: 1. Seasonal temperature difference (四季の温度差), 2. Lot of nutrients (栄養分が多い土), 3. Clean Water (キレイな水).
Akira and Yamamoto did a tasting test to see if they could identify what they were tasting. There were three types of rice that they had to choose from. Koshihikari (コシヒカリ) is a popular variety of rice cultivated in Japan in the Uonuma area as it is one of the most expensive rice in all of Japan. Hitomebore (ひとめぼれ) is a short grain rice and the grains are glossy and soft when cooked but have a sticky yet smooth texture and Akita Komachi (あきたこまち) rice. Akira won the tasting test by correctly identifying the Koshihikari rice.
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Director Masuda from GAME FREAK was in studio on today's episode to announce the details of the first Pokémon Smash Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection download event. The official Japanese Pokémon website as well as the latest issue of CoroCoro magazine announced earlier in the week that event will begin on October 22nd, 2010 and will run until November 29th, 2010. The rare 5th generation ice-type Pokémon Kumashun (クマシュン) will be available to download. It is also special because it can learn the following attacks: Cut (いあいぎり), Strength (かいりき) and Surf (なみのり). The OT is PokéSma (ポケスマ), its IDno. is 10220, Kumashun (クマシュン) is stored in a Cherish Ball and its level 15.
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Characters and Pictures from this episode have been added to the episode guide. You can also comment and discuss this episode on the forum. Also be sure to rate this and other episodes in the episode guide.
Oct 10 2010
Pokémon Smash 2
Pokémon Smash Episode 2, Manene Enters! House of Relaxation! / An Investigation of Mysterious 'Power Spots' That Make Good Things Happen in the Games! /Group Member Baba of the Adventure Division Gets in Trouble!? (マネネ登場！休息の館！ / ゲームをやるだけで色んなイイことが起こる不思議な「パワースポット」を調査！ / アドベンチャー部の馬場隊員が大変なことに！？), aired today in Japan.
The show starts off with the guys passing around a basketball while the girls are busy cleaning up the headquarters. Shoko and the girls get a bit mad that the guys are fooling around and as soon as Golgo shows up, he puts the guys in their place.
The Hana introduce the anime rerun theme, Pokémon Library (ポケモンライブラリー). This weeks episode, Manene Enters! House of Relaxation! is from the Advanced Generation series. Kojiro arrives at one of his mansions to help care for his Chirean and he encounters a Manene who he and his fellow Rocket Gang members instantly fall in love with.
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Returning from the repeat show, Professor Red notes that there is a large rope on the floor and inquires as to the reason it is there. Golgo explains that they would be having a sporting event where the Technology Division (テクノロジー部) and the Adventure Division (アドベンチャー部), which includes Red and Robert, would face off against the Marketing Division (マーケティング部) and the International Division (インターナショナル部), which includes Shoko, Misaki, Hana and Maria, in a game of Tug-o-War. The girls pull with all their might but the guys just seem to be relaxing as the teams are not evenly matched in terms of strength. Suddenly Chief Executive Officer Choi Hong-Man appears and wants to know what is going on. He quickly goes onto the girls team and with his overpowering strength, he manages to defeat the guys team. The girls all celebrate their victory over the guys.
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Robert then head out to do an Investigation of Mysterious 'Power Spots' That Make Good Things Happen in the Games! Their first stop is Sarugaku's Ancient Dwelling Park (Shibuya, Tokyo) [猿楽古代住居跡公園 （東京都 渋谷区）]. The narrator explains that the park was the location of an ancient dwelling and it is considered to be 'Power Spots'. Sitting on a bench is considered to be the source of the power. When Robert arrived one of the benches was free and they decided to go sit down but before they could and old man who was walking with a cane sat down on it and put his bag on the bench as well. Moments after the old man sat down, he could feel the power surging through him and he pulled out two dumbbells can began some weight training on the bench.
Robert decide to polity ask the younger, yet bigger guy on the other bench if they could have a turn sitting on it because he was only listening to music. The guy didn't hear him because he had earphones on and his eyes were closed. Robert then tries to sit down beside him but he was swaying from side to side and quickly pushed them off the bench. Since asking politely didn't work, Yamamoto gets a box and a wedge to use as a lever so they can pry the younger guy of the bench. Yamamoto's idea proves to be bad as the guy is to heavy to be budged using the lever by himself. All three members of Robert try to combine their strength but they end up breaking the lever in half instead of prying the guy off the bench.
Akiyama decides that its his turn to think of a plan and he reveals a large fan. Yamamoto hits the guy over the head with the fan which instantly gets his attention. The guy gets bad and Yamamoto is intimidated by his large stature and runs away as the guy follows him. Baba and Akiyama then sit down on the bench and pull out their DS's. Before they can really get into playing them, a person starts tapping Baba on the shoulder a few times until Baba finally turned around to see it was the younger guy that was on the bench before them and he had Yamamoto over his shoulder. The guy hits Robert over over the head continuously.
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Since their last location wasn't too successful, Baba decides to take the Adventure Group to a 'Nepal & Indian & Asian Restaurant NATURE POWER'. The Nature Power Store Manager brought them some curry (カレー) to try. The seasoning contains precious seasoning that you only get at a height of over 3000m in the Himalayan mountains. Robert hoped that the Nature Power of the curry would translate to better gameplay but Baba just ended up sweating to death from the 'maxed power' curry.
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The International Division (インターナショナル部) girls went to the Odaiba McDonald's which has been transformed to featured a "Black and White" style throughout the restaurant. Many of the 5th Generation Pokémon are prominently displayed. The Odaiba location is the only McDonald that will feature the renovation and only for a limited time from September 18th to October 18th, 2010.
The Odaiba location also features a Poké Power SPOT, which allows players to get more experience after Pokémon Battles and makes it easier to capture Pokémon. At the Poké Power SPOT, the girls each test how well the Experience Power (けいけんちパワー), Money Power (おこづかいパワー) and Discount Power (やすうりパワー) upgrades work in the games. First Hana uses her Level 22 Yanappu (ヤナップ) to battle a level 19 Harderrier (ハーデリア). Hana won the battle and her Yanappu received 637 experience points without the Poké Power SPOT upgrade. Misaki did the same battle over again by activating the Experience Power (けいけんちパワー) in the C-Gear and received 1274 experience points for her Yanappu, significantly higher for battling a Pokémon at level 19.
Maria then battled the same trainer in the game that normally would only give 760yen but with the Money Power (おこづかいパワー) upgrade on, she received 2280yen. Hana then activated the Discount Power (やすうりパワー) upgrade and went to the Pokémon Center in the game to buy some items. The girls all noticed that the price of goods was significantly cheaper. They specifically noticed that the monster ball was 100yen instead of the regular 200 yen. This gets Hana excited and she says in English: "Wow! You can buy a lot!". The narrator then shows that the power cuts the price of products at the Pokémon Center in half.
Characters and Pictures from this episode have been added to the episode guide. You can also comment and discuss this episode on the forum. Also be sure to rate this and other episodes in the episode guide.
Oct 03 2010
Pokémon Smash 1
The first episode of Pokémon Smash, Lizardon! I Choose You!! / The New Members and President Enter / Let's Study the Basics of BW Pokémon! / What is Robert's Assignment? (リザードン！きみにきめた!! /新メンバー＆会長が登場！／BWでポケモンを基礎から学ぼう！／ロバートの配属は？), aired today in Japan. Pokémon Smash replaced Pokémon Sunday (ポケモン☆サンデー) in the same 7:30am to 8:30am time slot on TV Tokyo.
At the end of the final episode of Pokémon Sunday, Golgo announced that the PokéSun company was being disbanded. The song 'Auld Lang Syne' played in the background as he announced it. That clip aired at the beginning of Pokémon Smash as a little reminder of what has occurred.
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The show begins with three girls walking and looking around the new Pokémon Enterprise (ポケモンエンタープライズ) headquarters. The girls talk in English and one of the girls talks in Italian. The girl in the yellow shirt says: "Okay everybody! C'mon!" (オッケー！ エブリバディ カモン！) and they walk off with Zoroark. Robert appear just after the girls leave and they wonder who they are. Yamamoto spots them returning and Robert hides behind the glass at the back as they watch what they are doing.
The girls introduce the anime rerun theme, Pokémon Library (ポケモンライブラリー). This weeks episode, Lizardon! I Choose You!! is from the Orange Islands arc. A full summary of this episode is available in the episode guide.
After the rerun episode concluded, the three mysterious girls return to the main set and they hear a noise come frmo Robert's direction. Akiyama makes a "Pika" noise but that doesn't fool them and Robert is discovered. Robert start to inquire who they are and why they are there just as Golgo, Red and Shoko appear. Golgo says he'll explain everything and tells everyone to take a seat.
Golgo starts off by saying that the PokéSun Company is no longer and has been replaced with Pokémon Enterprise (ポケモンエンタープライズ), P.e for short. TIM group which includes [Red Yoshida (レッド吉田) & Golgo Matsumoto (ゴルゴ松本)], Robert (ロバート) group which includes [Ryuuji Akiyama (秋山竜次),
Lucario, Hikozaru and Yamirami will not be appearing on the show as the regular Pokémon anymore. Lucario, an obvious fan of the Barry Manilow song Copacabana, retired to Copacabana, a borough in the southern area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Shoko-tan showed a picture of Lucario on the beach in Copacabana waving. A picture of Hikozaru in front of the Effel Tower in Paris, France was also shown by Shoko-tan. Lucario and Hikozaru have been replaced by Mijumaru and Zoroark.
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Each of the new girls took turns introducing themselves to the cast and audience. The first to introduce themselves was Misaki (ミサキ). Golgo asks her what she is good at and she replies that she is good at Kyokushin Karate (極真カラテを…). Golgo then asks her what her favorite food is and she replies "Peach" (モモ). Golgo once again asks her a question, this time asking her what her favorite Pokémon is. Misaki replied Hihidaruma (ヒヒダルマ).
Next to introduce themselves was Hana (ハナ). Hana can speak English and Japanese. She said that her favorite Pokémon is Shikijika (シキジカ). She then stated that her favorite foods are Hot Dogs and savoury Pancakes. (好きなたべものはホットドッグと お好み焼きです。) She then said her talents are: English and Swimming (特技 英語 水泳). Golgo asked her how far she could swim and she replied 1,000M (1km). She then pretended to swim and then sang the English alphabet song.
Finally, Maria (マリア) was the last girl to introduce herself. She stated that she was 11 years old and that her favorite Pokémon was Shimama (シママ). Maria had introduced herself by saying "ciao" and Yamamoto asked what language the "ciao" greeting was from. She answered Italian. Golgo then asked her what her favorite kind of Pizza was. She replied Margherita pizza (マルゲリータです).
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Golgo then announced the new positions of the Pokémon Enterprise members. Golgo announced Professor Red was assigned to the Technology Division (テクノロジー部) where he development of inventions. Shoko-tan and Mijumaru were assigned to the Marketing Division (マーケティング部) where they will promote new merchandise and report the latest Pokémon news. Misaki, Hana and Maria were assigned to the International Division (インターナショナル部). After taking exception to almost being forgotten, Robert and Zoroark were assigned to the Adventure Division (アドベンチャー部).
Robert take exception to being assigned to the Adventure Division as they realize that it could be dangerous. Golgo explains that the assignments were decided on by the Pokémon Enterprise President. Robert still continues to argue until the President, who was revealed as Choi Hong-Man (チェ・ホンマン), picks up Akiyama and then puts the three Robert members into a headlock. They quickly change their attitude as Misaki comes to the rescue with her karate skills and distracts the president by giving him a Musharna (ムシャーナ) which he instantly takes a liking to. He then walks of with the Musharna.
Shoko-tan then introduced the 'Let's Study the Basics of BW Pokémon!' segment where they discussed some of the basic aspects of playing Pokémon Black and White. Maria played the game with Shoko's supervision and she was able to capture a Minezumi (ミネズミ) with a monster ball.
The narrator then explained the different types of monster balls. The Monster ball (モンスターボール), which is the basic Pokémon capturing device that allows players to catch wild Pokémon by throwing it at a weakened Pokémon. The Super ball (スーパーボール), which has a higher chance of capturing a wild Pokémon compared to the standard Monster ball. The Hyper ball (ハイパーボール), which has twice the catch rate of the standard Monster ball. Next the narrator explained the Dark ball (ダークボール) which has a higher chance of catching Pokémon when used a cave or at night. The Repeat ball (リピートボール), which allows players to capture Pokémon easier if they are in their dex and finally the Quick ball (クイックボール) which works best when used at the beginning of a battle.
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The next segment of the show focused on Type and Compatibility (タイプと相性). A chart showing the 5th generation starter Pokémon was displayed and it explained how the various types interacted with each other. For example, Fire is strong against Grass type Pokémon while Water types are strong against Fire types. Robert did a demonstration to show how different types affect each other. For the demonstration, Yamamoto emulated a Steel type (はがねタイプ) Pokémon by wearing a gray poncho. Akiyama used different 'attacks' on him to show the effect it would have. Akiyama used a squirt gun on Yamamoto's face to emulate the water type attack Water Gun (みずでっぽう) and Baba explained that its attack effectiveness was normal. Akiyama then fed Yamamoto a green drink to emulate the new grass type move Grass Mixer (グラスミキサー). Akiyama then put Yamamoto's feet in a bucket of ice to emulate the Ice Shard (こおりのつぶて) attack. Baba then explained that those two moves were weak against Steel type Pokémon and their damage was reduced. Akiyama decided to use a Fire type attack this time and got a hot wet facecloth to emulate the new 5th generation move Devastate (やきつくす). He put it on Yamamoto's face and from his reaction, it was evident that it was a lot more effective than the last two moves. The narrator then explains that Fire type moves double the damage to Steel type Pokémon.
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At the end of the show, the Japanese pop/rock group AAA was on to explain that their new song titled "Endless Fighters" is the new ending theme song for Pokémon Smash. AAA was recently on Pokémon Sunday for a few episodes and was also doing the BW Searcher campaign for the launch of Black and White in Japan. The song will be available on AAA's new single CD which will be released on November 17th, 2010. Portions of the song were played during the ending credits and final clips of the show.
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Characters and Pictures from this episode have been added to the episode guide. You can also comment and discuss this episode on the forum. Also be sure to rate this and other episodes in the episode guide.
