DP186

Familiarity Breeds Strategy! (Japanese: ライバル決戦！サトシ対シンジ！！ Rival Decisive Battle! vs !!) is the 186th episode of the, and the 652nd episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on August 5, 2010 and in the United States on December 18, 2010.

Synopsis
Having both progressed through the initial rounds of the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's finally time for and Paul's long awaited league battle. With, , and  (acting as a cheerleader) watching from the stands,  selling snacks to the audience and  Cynthia and Charles Goodshow observing too, both competitors are brought into the main stadium where they will conduct a Full Battle to decide who will get through to the semi-finals. Ash decides to begin with, and Paul sends out his first Pokémon,. The two Trainers face off, both aiming to settle their long-standing rivalry once and for all...

The action then shows a flashback of Ash preparing for his battle against Paul by getting in some last-minute training alongside, which has recently returned from its training with McCann the Air Master. Gliscor practices in a session with Dawn's  while  watches from Ash's side. After commending his Pokémon on how much its improved since being left for training, Ash reflects on his past battle with Paul, on how badly he lost and how much he's hoped to have improved. Inside the Pokémon Center, Dawn preps Piplup and gives him his new cheering uniform. Meanwhile, Paul talks to Reggie about his upcoming battle with Ash just as Dawn enters the lobby looking for her friends, but she quickly ducks out of sight. Reggie regrets not being able to be there, but Paul understands that he cannot just drop his responsibilities. Reggie wishes Paul luck and hopes that he wins the match. Paul discovers Dawn eavesdropping and as they walk outside, Paul confesses his main problem with Ash... his talk about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength and how any Pokémon has the potential to be strong reminds him a lot of Reggie. Dawn points out to Paul that just as Reggie is Reggie, Ash is Ash and does things his own way. Everyone soon meets outside, and Paul tells Ash the he will see him on the battlefield to which Ash agrees.

Returning to the present, Paul begins by having Aggron use, and Ash has Pikachu counter with and the two  moves impact canceling each other out. Paul then tells Aggron to use. A high-pitched noise is produced from Aggron's horns which causes pain to Pikachu. In the stands, is also affected and can barely move, leading Jessie and James to cheer for Ash in order to make sure no-one notices Meowth. Piplup is also affected by the attack as Brock explains that Metal Sound lowers a Pokémon's special defense. Ash instructs Pikachu to use to stop Aggron's attack, and Pikachu manages to pull it off, stopping Aggron as well as causing a little damage. Pikachu then uses, speeding towards Aggron. Paul counters with Aggron's, hitting Pikachu and sending him flying, rolling back onto his feet. Ash knows Pikachu is struggling and decides to call him back to save for later and substitutes with. Cynthia recognizes Infernape as the she once battled while Team Rocket are excited to see Infernape battle, having had a soft spot for it since the Tag Battle Tournament. Paul tells Aggron to use while Ash tells Infernape to counter with. The two powerful and dangerous attacks collide. The two are sent backwards, and Infernape suffers from the recoil. Unfortunately, Aggron has the Ability which cancels out the normal recoil from Double-Edge... but luckily for Ash, it turns out that Aggron has suffered s from Flare Blitz. Ash then instructs Infernape to use, and Paul orders Aggron to use Flash Cannon, but Infernape lands the fast Mach Punch before Aggron can fire, sending Aggron flying into the wall behind Paul and crushing the surface on impact. When the smoke clears it is unable to battle, giving Ash the lead.

Paul then sends out his and Ash calls back Infernape and sends out. Gastrodon begins with and Staraptor uses  and connects; Gastrodon continues using Muddy Water, circling its head above its body, and clips Staraptor. It quickly becomes clear that Gastrodon is using Ash's Counter Shield technique. Ash instructs Staraptor to dive down and use Aerial Ace, and Gastrodon counter-attacks with, trapping Staraptor with its soft body. Gastrodon then uses and shoots it straight up into the sky, which then picks up speed as it comes down. Gastrodon watches it intently; Ash and the gang realize that it will jump away at the last second, giving no time for Staraptor to dodge it. Just when all seems lost, Ash has Staraptor use by banging hard into the ground, lifting him up, which knocks off Gastrodon and he escapes the Water Pulse. Paul orders Gastrodon to use while falling backwards, bringing the in-flight Staraptor to a screeching halt and crashing onto the field. Knowing Staraptor is at a big disadvantage since Gastrodon knows Ice Beam, Ash decides that he will have to recall Staraptor for later and change his strategy. Ash calls back Staraptor and sends out. At this point, Paul points out that what Ash is doing is too predictable now. He knows Ash is just trying to get rid of all the frustration his Pokémon felt from that loss back at Lake Acuity into his advantage here which is why he brought them all back for this battle. Ash states he is correct and that this is all what his Pokémon want. He knows they lost to him back at Lake Acuity, but they are still beating him here no matter what. Buizel agrees immediately to what Ash has said. Gastrodon uses Ice Beam again and Buizel uses, turning it into Ice Aqua Jet to hit Gastrodon. This hits Gastrodon and causes it to jump up and Gastrodon then goes for Body Slam, and Ash thinks quickly and instructs Buizel to meet the attack with, causing Gastrodon to faint.

Ash settles himself, adjusting his cap and knows that the hard part of the battle has only just begun. At home in Veilstone City, Reggie watches the broadcast, remarking that Paul had a back-up plan of Gastrodon using Ice Beam if Staraptor escaped, and wonders if Ash figured out that Paul had planned to sacrifice Aggron and Gastrodon all along in the first place. If not, he will need to do so right away.

Paul sends out and attacks with, which Buizel cancels out with its Counter Shield technique. Drapion then uses, which Buizel dodges by sliding behind Drapion. Buizel uses at Drapion's back, who blocks the attack with its tail. Drapion grabs Buizel with its tail, twisting around its torso to menace the struggling Buizel and ending this segment of the battle.

Major events

 * In the Lily of the Valley Conference quarter-final, and Paul begin their second Full Battle.
 * Paul is revealed to have obtained a and a  while his  is revealed to have evolved into an.

Pokémon debuts

 * (East Sea)

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Paul
 * Reggie
 * Mr. Goodshow
 * Cynthia
 * Referee
 * Audience
 * Mr. Goodshow
 * Cynthia
 * Referee
 * Audience

Pokémon

 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (Paul's)
 * (Paul's)
 * (Paul's)
 * (Reggie's)
 * (Reggie's)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (Paul's)
 * (Paul's)
 * (Paul's)
 * (Reggie's)
 * (Reggie's)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Trivia

 * Oración and music from Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea and Giratina and the Sky Warrior are used as the background music in this episode.
 * After seeing Ash's Gliscor fight Dawn's Mamoswine, does a pose similar to the pose of Gligarman from The Superhero Secret.
 * This episode marks the final appearance of 's for this series.
 * The dub title is a reference to the idiom familiarity breeds contempt.

Errors

 * As was about to be frozen while in its, its mouth was orange.
 * While Buizel was about to hit Paul's Gastrodon with, the part below its mouth was green.
 * After Paul's Gastrodon is knocked out, the mid-part of its head was colored the same as the lower half of its body. This is also seen when the knocked out Pokémon was shown of the screen of the scoreboard.
 * When Buizel uses Ice Aqua Jet, the two stripes on its back are gone.