Japanese Title: Double Battle! Pikachu & Waruvile VS Pendror & Gamageroge!!
Original Airdate: February 2, 2012
US Airdate: June 9, 2012
It's time for the ultimate, decisive battle between Pikachu and Sunglasses Krokorok.
When a collision between Pikachu and Sunglasses Krokorok separates them from the twerps, they end up pressed into battle to help some kids who are being bullied. But when the smoke clears, the reason why Krokorok has returned can finally be attended to: Krokorok has tracked Pikachu across Unova to settle a score.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Been There, Shaped History: Not only has Krokorok been following Ash this whole time, it turns out he was the one responsible for getting that pen stuck in the gears of the Klinklang back in Chargestone Cave.
- Big Brother Instinct: A minor one showed by Ash towards Mick.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: Krokorok decides to put his rivalry with Pikachu on hold to help Mick learn how to battle. He even teams up with Pikachu in a double battle for the boy.
- Honor Before Reason: In their final fight, Pikachu accidentally knocks off Krokorok's sunglasses. Ash chooses to take the moral ground and allow Krokorok to get its sunglasses to keep the fight fair.
- In-Universe Factoid Failure: At first, Mick somehow decides that Pikachu must be a pre-evolved form of Zekrom. Granted, Pikachu is not native to Unova so he's never heard of it until now, but it's still an insane conclusion to draw given that Zekrom is a massive black mythological dragon, and Pikachu is a tiny yellow rodent.
- Determinator: Krokorok has been following Ash all this time just so it can have another battle with Pikachu.
- Now What?: After he's defeated, Krokorok looks like he's having an existential crisis. Then Ash offers him a spot on his team.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The episode acts as a homage to Doraemon, with the three boys Ash and friends meet being Expies of the three boys of the series.
- Mick to Nobita: Both are bespectacled boys who are mocked and excluded by the other kids. Mick is far less of a Butt-Monkey than Nobita, though.
- Glenn to Gian: Both are bullies who use intimidation to get their way. Though Glenn learns his lesson by the end.
- Sean to Suneo: Both are from a rich family and have a high opinion of themselves, but tend to get pushed around by the local bully.
- Ash, Pikachu, and Krokorok loosely take Doraemon's role, being the ones to help the downtrodden boy with his problem.
- The Latin American dub took notice of it, could count as Casting Gag:
- Mick is voiced by Laura Torres, who was Nobita's first voice actress in the 1979 series and reprised the role for the remake.
- Ash's current voice actor, Miguel Ángel Leal, voiced Dekisugi in the new Doraemon anime.
