DP161

Yes in Dee Dee, It's Dawn! (Japanese: 開幕！ポケモンコンテスト・アサツキ大会！！ The Curtain Rises! Pokémon Contest - Tournament!!) is the 161st episode of the, and the 627th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on January 28, 2010 and in the United States on June 26, 2010.

Blurb
Our heroes finally make it to Daybreak Town for Dawn's next Pokémon Contest, where they suddenly come across a Plusle and Minun who happen to belong with one of Dawn's rivals, Ursula. The two cute Pokémon scare Dawn half to death, which perplexes the rest of our heroes. Dawn explains that when she was in kindergarten, she was part of a team responsible for taking care of the class Plusle and Minun. Once, they zapped her for chasing them around and then holding them a bit too tight, making her hair stand on end and sparkle, prompting the nickname "Dee Dee Dancer," or "Dee Dee" for short. Ursula overhears this story and taunts Dawn with it, vowing to beat her in the Daybreak Contest.

Since it's a Double Performance, all Coordinators use two Pokémon. Dawn's Piplup and Buneary prove masterful, sending Dawn on to the second round, along with Jessilina (Jessie in disguise) and Ursula. Ursula assures Dawn she'll beat her in the upcoming round. But Dawn, with renewed confidence after her successful performance, has other ideas in mind!

Plot
The day before the Daybreak Contest will take place, the gang arrives in town. and her Pokémon are enthusiastic to win their fifth Ribbon, so they all head towards the Contest Hall to practice. comments that Dawn must want to work on her "Flame Ice" combination right up until the main event, but warns that she can't just depend on "Flame Ice" and needs to rehearse other appeals as well. As they finally reach the Contest Hall where other Coordinators are practicing, Dawn assures him that she's well aware of that, and is confident that they will win the Contest. Her mood suddenly plummets, however, when she spots a Coordinator's and. Her face goes pale and she slumps to the ground, loudly proclaiming her displeasure as Ash and Brock look on in confusion.

Just as Ash is asking Dawn what's wrong, the Coordinator with the two Cheering Pokémon turns around to see what the commotion is. As everyone recognizes who it is, Dawn calms down a bit and looks up - it's Ursula! Ursula comes over to greet the group, and Dawn stands back up, sheepishly commenting that it's been a while since they last met. Noting that Dawn must be taking part in the Daybreak Contest as well, Ursula asks how many Ribbons Dawn has earned. Dawn answers that she has four, but Ursula isn't particularly impressed; she, too, has four Ribbons, meaning that both of them are competing for their fifth. Dawn isn't worried, though, and asserts that she's been trying hard for the sake of her Pokémon, who happily give a cheer.

Ursula still isn't impressed as she claims that she is the more amazing one - she has her trump cards specially raised for double performances, Plusle and Minun! As the two s jump out with their electric pom-poms, Dawn once again goes pale and falls to the ground. Ash asks what she's so afraid of; Brock adds to that sentiment, pointing out how cute Plusle and Minun are. Ash reasons that it can't be the first time she's seen the Pokémon, and pulls out his Pokédex to look them up.

Despite the Pokédex's claim that Plusle and Minun boost vitality, Dawn still wants nothing to do with them, and stretches out her arms to keep them away. Ursula notes how rude it is of Dawn to hurt her Pokémon's feelings in such a way, and the Cheering Pokémon agree. Dawn lowers her arms, apologizing, before Ursula decides to do her a favor and let her see Plusle and Minun's appeal - so she better take a good look and get a good sense of the pressure she's under! On cue, Plusle and Minun produce their pom-poms made of sparks and jump towards Dawn, who shudders as they dance on either side of her, producing static electricity between them... and with a sudden explosion, Dawn's hair is standing on end, glittering with sparks.

Ursula finds this effect funny, and Brock leans over to let Dawn know that her hair is sparkling like a diamond. In shock, Dawn mutters under her breath about the glitteriness "D-Diamond?!" before blacking out and falls backwards, to the surprise of all present.

Meanwhile, is hiding in the bushes off to the side, with Jessie dressed in her Jessilina costume. recognizes Ursula as the Coordinator who used a in the Chocovine Contest, and James notes that, as usual, she's picking a fight with Dawn. Jessie, however, doesn't care to give her opponents any thought - she has no intention to lose either way. Meowth agrees that Jessie's victory is guaranteed, and James adds that his will be performing its most ultimate appeal. After the trio takes a moment to appreciate the days of suffering the Bug Catcher Pokémon went through for the sake of practice, Jessie assures them of certain victory, and the three put their hands in the middle to share a team cheer.

Back at the Pokémon Center, the gang is watching over Dawn, who still hasn't woken up. shakes her arm worriedly before Dawn's eyes finally open and she jolts into a sitting position, checking to make sure her hair is back to normal. Relieved to find that it is, she gives a sigh. Brock asks if she's all right, and Ash offers her a mug of warm milk, which she accepts after putting her hat back on. After taking a sip, she smiles and says that even Ash can be sensible at times, but Ash says that he only asked Brock what to do; Brock speaks up and adds that drinking something warm should help her calm down. Piplup shows concern for her as well, and Dawn assures him that she's all right.

At this point Ash asks Dawn what happened, with Brock adding that it's strange to be so scared of Plusle and Minun. Dawn agrees that it's strange, her face falling. Brock asks if something happened to her in the past, from which Ash reasons that she must have failed at capturing a Plusle and Minun at some point. Dawn insists that this isn't the reason, but still seems reluctant to explain. Though Brock tells her that she doesn't have to talk about if she doesn't want to, Dawn explains that she had been planning to tell them the reason at some point anyway.

Dawn goes on to tell them a story of something that happened when she was in kindergarten. She,, and Leona had been put in charge of taking care of the Plusle and Minun at their school - feeding them, changing their water, and cleaning their living area. One day, however, Dawn was chasing after the two Pokémon while Kenny and Leona were diligently attending to their duties. Her two childhood friends quickly got irritated by her fooling around, and tell her to do her job. Dawn, finally catching Plusle and Minun in her arms, insists that she is helping, by keeping hold of them so that they don't get in the way of changing their food and cleaning. The Cheering Pokémon in her arms yell out in protest and struggle to get free, but Dawn scolds them, telling them that it isn't time for playing.

Kenny realizes that the Pokémon don't like being handled in such a way, but Dawn insists that there's nothing to worry about - she's great friends with Plusle and Minun! She hugs them closer to prove her point, and the two Pokémon, finally reaching their limit, unleash an Electric attack to get her to let go. The attack works, and as Plusle and Minun scamper off, Dawn looks completely stunned, her hair sticking out on end and glittering with static electricity. Leona asks if Dawn is okay, to which Dawn weakly answers the affirmative. Kenny points out how Dawn's hair is sparkling like a diamond, Leona adds that it reminds her of dandruff. Building off both his and Leona's words, Kenny declares that he's going to call her Diamond Dandruff from that day on or for short.

Later on, during storytime, Dawn's glittering hair is attracting quite a bit of attention from her classmates. In the middle of the story, Kenny suddenly stands up and cuts the story off by shouting out Dawn's new nickname; their classmates begin whispering and laughing at the nickname, causing Dawn to start crying in utter humiliation.

Returning to present time, Ash, Brock, and Piplup finally understand the origin of Dawn's nickname. Dawn still doesn't understand why the Plusle and Minun had attacked her, though, and as she's mulling this over her friends begin to laugh. She gets mad at them for laughing, but Ash insists that it's funny, as Piplup continues to laugh especially hard. Brock clears his throat then and explains that Pokémon never attack without reason. Ash agrees, pointing out that it was because Dawn had been chasing after Plusle and Minun. Though shocked that it was her fault, Dawn realizes that it must be true, and looks upset. Ash insists that she doesn't have to worry, though, and that she shouldn't let it bother her. Brock adds that there are often such stories that, though they might have been a big incident at the time, aren't really such a big deal. Dawn gloomily agrees, and Ash encourages her to beat Ursula in the Contest the next day, in order to overcome the past. Piplup cheers in agreement, and Brock adds that Ash is right, it's a great chance to cut off regrets from the past! A bit taken aback, Dawn says that that's a bit much, but agrees that it's a great chance, and assures them that there's no need to worry!

Across the room, however, Ursula has been listening in, and seems quite pleased with what she's heard as she laughs to herself.

The Contest than continues with Jessie, Ursula, and Dawn in the appeal round and all three advance to the final round.

Major events

 * and arrive in Daybreak Town and meet up with Ursula again.
 * Ursula is revealed to have obtained a, a , and a.
 * Ash and learn that  has a fear of Plusle and Minun.
 * Ash and Brock learn why Dawn's friends and Leona call her Dee Dee (Japanese: ピカリ Pikari).
 * Dawn, Ursula, and Jessilina all enter the Daybreak and advance to the Battle Stage.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Nurse Joy
 * Zoey
 * Candice
 * Ursula
 * (flashback)
 * Johanna
 * Marian
 * Mr. Contesta
 * Mr. Sukizo
 * Leona (flashback)
 * s
 * Kindergarteners (flashback)
 * Kindergarten Teacher (flashback)
 * s
 * Kindergarteners (flashback)
 * Kindergarten Teacher (flashback)

Pokémon

 * (Ursula's)
 * (Ursula's)
 * (Ursula's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (Coordinator's)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Trivia

 * Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Examination:
 * In 's flashback about her kindergarten days, the teacher tells a tale to the students about a and a, which mimics the fable.
 * Mike Pollock returns to his role as Raoul Contesta, while Billy Beach takes over the role of Mr. Sukizo due to the departure of Craig Blair from the series.
 * This is the last episode in which Rhonda Krempa provides the voice of.
 * In the episode, Dawn's Piplup returns to his Poké Ball again temporarily.
 * During her performance, Jessie uses an -shaped flute, which is possibly a reference to the she once had.
 * Which One ~ Is It? returns to its original animation.
 * Music from Pikachu's Peek-a-Boo, Gotta Dance, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, and Giratina and the Sky Warrior is played during this episode.
 * An instrumental version of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ is played during Dawn's Appeal round.
 * doesn't blast off or recite their in this episode.

Errors

 * In the beginning of the episode, when Team Rocket are talking to each other, makes a noise, preceded by a Poké Ball sound. At this time, however, Wobbuffet was already outside of its Poké Ball.
 * 's colored cheeks are missing in one frame during the flashback.
 * During the appeal montage, a and a  are both seen using  despite neither being able to legally learn the move.

Dub edits

 * Dawn's nickname of "Dee Dee" is explained as an abbreviation of "Diamond Dandruff".
 * The song that Jessie plays is different.

In other languages
Lucia mit dem Leuchtstrubbelkopf! EP630 DP161 DP161 DP編第161話 精灵宝可梦 钻石＆珍珠 第159集