January 12th: PM2019 008: Don't Give In, Pochama! An Ice Floe Race in the Sinnoh Region!!

[Dephender]

Satoshi and Go have met a disheartened and worn-out Pochama in Kuchiba's port. It appears this Pochama comes from the Sinnoh region and has gotten lost, so they decide to take it back home.

Screenplay 土屋理敬 (Michihiro Tsuchiya)
Storyboard 尼野浩正 (Hiromasa Amano)
Episode Director 上野史博 (Fumihiro Ueno)
Animation Director 篠原隆 (Takashi Shinohara)

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Promo illustration by Hitoshi Ariga:

https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1192683464505479168

 

[nuzamaki90]

An episode in Sinnoh...about a Piplup..racing a Croagunk..

hmmmmm. Nah it couldn’t be..but maybe...no..unless?

 

[1rkhachatryan]

Um....that has to be Dawn and Brock, the pokemon choices are way too on the nose lol.

 

[Ashton Ketchum]

Sinnoh confirmed!

 

[Red and Blue]

My gut feeling tells me it's a wild Piplup and Croagunk instead of Dawn and Brock's

 

[mysticalglacia]

If this really does end up being Dawn and Brock, count me in as impressed. Excited to come back to Sinnoh this early; can they just announce the remakes already? They’re being so obvious

 

[Alola Adventurer]

My gut feeling tells me it's a wild Piplup and Croagunk instead of Dawn and Brock's

Same, but I do find it slightly odd that out of all of the episodes, episode 7's title wasn't revealed and this episode takes place right after that one.
But I'm going with that being just a coincidence.

 

[lolipiece]

It's always possible these could be stand-ins.

Like how the Meloetta shorts (I think it was one of those) had stand-ins for certain Pokemon like Misty's Togepi (which, for obvious reasons, couldn't possibly happen anymore).

 

[dman_dustin]

Would be weird for Brock or Dawn to show up.

Would also be weird to have a Piplup racing a Croagunk even wild ones. Or even random trainer's ones. Sure Dawn's Piplup racing Brock's Croagunk racing would be weird as well, but honestly I'm not sure how choosing these two characters make sense. Why not have it be Buizel and Piplup if it was going to be random?

Until I get a sense of how this series is going to go, I'm going to be unable to make any sort of guesses here.

 

[Red and Blue]

Also did Dawn's Piplup and Brock's Croagunk have a rivalry? If not I have more reason to believe they are wild

Same, but I do find it slightly odd that out of all of the episodes, episode 7's title wasn't revealed and this episode takes place right after that one.
But I'm going with that being just a coincidence.

Possibly because it has an unrevealed Gen 8 Pokemon in the title.

 

[RedR]

Since there is no description, and we have no information on the episodes before this, it could easily be Dawn and Brock's pokemon. Maybe they traveled to Sinnoh to compete, and there was a reunion in Episode 7?!

 

[Eddieursa]

Piplup and Croagunk were also seen together in the first poster of the new anime. As much as we can think of it, I don't think they are Dawn and Brock's Pokemon.

Seeing how they like to compete, I believe Ash and/or Go could capture them. Ash could capture Piplup and complete his starters from Sinnoh. I mean, Dawn captured a Cyndaquil/Quilave like Ash, so now Ash could capture a Piplup like Dawn. Having one of Brock's Pokemon could be fun for Ash too, but maybe Croagunk will be captured by Go. Either way, it will be funny.

EDIT: By the way, what happened with the episode 7?

 

[dman_dustin]

Also did Dawn's Piplup and Brock's Croagunk have a rivalry?

Just rechecked, unless the information was lacking it was actually Buizel that Crogunk had a "rivalry" with (which I do remember that), I can't quite remember if Croagunk and Piplup ever interacted in any noticeable way.

 

[RedR]

Piplup and Croagunk were also seen together in the first poster of the new anime. As much as we can think of it, I don't think they are Dawn and Brock's Pokemon.

Seeing how they like to compete, I believe Ash and/or Go could capture them. Ash could capture Piplup and complete his starters from Sinnoh. I mean, Dawn captured a Cyndaquil/Quilave like Ash, so now Ash could capture a Piplup like Dawn. Having one of Brock's Pokemon could be fun for Ash too, but maybe Croagunk will be captured by Go. Either way, it will be funny.

EDIT: By the way, what happened with the episode 7?

The announcment was mysteriously skipped... hmm... Why would they skip that episode...?

 

[mysticalglacia]

Eh, I doubt Ash will ever catch Piplup. When May and Dawn caught starters Ash also had, it was for remake promotion purposes. Piplup is also Dawn’s signature Pokémon, the one you instantly associate with her. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Cyndaquil- while known- aren’t so linked to Ash like Piplup and Dawn.

Croagunk is whatever. It’d be more of an odd capture than anything

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

If its wild Pokemon it's bs. I dont expect it to be dawn and Brock simply coz the anime doesn't care about continuity but why those two Pokemon. Ugh this better not be trolling. I'm hoping they withheld the seventh episode title coz it reveals Ash meeting dawn and Brock again leading to this episode. Pls don't let this be a troll. Why specifically these two Pokemon. If it is wild atleast mention Brock dawn.

 

[Eddieursa]

Eh, I doubt Ash will ever catch Piplup. When May and Dawn caught starters Ash also had, it was for remake promotion purposes. Piplup is also Dawn’s signature Pokémon, the one you instantly associate with her. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Cyndaquil- while known- aren’t so linked to Ash like Piplup and Dawn.

Croagunk is whatever. It’d be more of an odd capture than anything

You are kidding, right? Of course Bulbasaur if linked to Ash. Aside Pikachu, he's the Pokemon who has traveled with Ash most time. Through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and most of Johto. Bulbasaur spent 5 seasons in Ash's team.

And the remake purposes, Sinnoh is going to have theirs this Genration, so Ash capturing a Piplup sounds fitting. Also, Piplup/Prinplup/Empoleon look better as Water Pokemon than Inteleon. Finally, back in Sinnoh, Piplup and its evolutiones were the most common starter. There was this Contestant friend of Dawn, Barry and some other, I think.

The announcment was mysteriously skipped... hmm... Why would they skip that episode...?

Only one reason to do it, because its title must contain a HUGE spoiler, similar to how they hide the title of one of the last episodes on Alola, to hide Ash's victory.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

My gut feeling tells me it's a wild Piplup and Croagunk instead of Dawn and Brock's

I have the same feeling.

They probably just picked these two as a little nod to those who've watched DP. That way they don't have to be on-the-nose with continuity but throwing something for the old fans to appreciate at the same time.

 

[Rune Knight]

Please please please be Dawn and Brock's pokemon... oh man I'm dying here..!! :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

 

[quake]

Eh, I doubt Ash will ever catch Piplup. When May and Dawn caught starters Ash also had, it was for remake promotion purposes. Piplup is also Dawn’s signature Pokémon, the one you instantly associate with her. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Cyndaquil- while known- aren’t so linked to Ash like Piplup and Dawn.

Croagunk is whatever. It’d be more of an odd capture than anything

You're joking right? Bulbasaur and Squirtle are just as known as Ash's pokemon on the same level as Pikachu and Charizard. The four of them are always going to be linked to Ash