Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl - Set One, Vols. 1-2

Ash and Brock are back for more Pokémon battles and adventures!
Joining them is Dawn, a young girl who dreams of one day becoming a great Coordinator like her mother. Together the three travel through the Sinnoh region, collecting new Pokémon, facing down Team Rocket, and training hard to be the best!

This 99-episode adventure from 2006 features characters, places, and Pokémon from the Sinnoh region, the setting for the Diamond and Pearl edition of the video game. Ash, Pikachu, and Aipom set out from Pallet Town in hopes of winning battles and badges. Almost immediately, they meet up with Brock, who has become a skilled Pokémon healer, and Dawn, an argumentative 10-year-old who wants to become a star Coordinator. Professor Rowan presents Dawn with a Piplup, a penguin-like Pokémon, while Ash acquires a Grass-type Turtwig. Brock befriends a Croagunk, a frog-like Poison Pokémon who slaps him and drags him away whenever he begins romancing Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, or some other hapless girl. Ash acquires a rival in Paul, a rude trainer who treats his Pokémon with neither respect nor affection: Their competition runs through the series. Most of the episodes represent Poké-business as usual. Ash tries entering a Contest with Dawn, but his focus on battle moves rather than grace quickly gets him eliminated. Dawn learns how to use a Pokéball and begins developing routines for the Contest circuit. Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket build increasingly elaborate machines to capture Pikachu and other Pokémon, but invariably go down in flames. Ash fails in his initial attempt to win the Coal Badge from Roarke of the Oreburg Gym, but with 82 episodes to go, he doesn't need to hurry. (Rated A, suitable for All Ages: minor cartoon violence.) --Charles Solomon

(1. Following a Maiden's Voyage! 2. Two Degrees of Separation! 3. When Pokémon Worlds Collide! 4. Dawn of a New Era! 5. Gettin' Twiggy with It! 6. Different Strokes for Different Blokes! 7. Like it or Lup It! 8. Gymbaliar! 9. Setting the World on its Buneary! 10. Not on My Watch Ya Don't! 11. Mounting a Coordinator Assault! 12. Arrival of a Rival! 13. A Staravia Is Born! 14. Leave it to Brocko! 15. Shapes of Things to Come! 16. A Gruff Act to Follow! 17. Wild in the Streets!)