Reminded me of the Hoenn saga where May had to face a Delcatty in her second attempt to win her third contest ribbon and also reminded me of how their were similar problems between these two contests. While for May's Skitty there was the fact it was its first contest and it hadn't mastered its Blizzard attack, while for Ambipom it had to deal with its attract status.

But in other news I liked Dawn's appeal with Bunery and it wasn't surprising that Jessie didn't make the cut for the final round because I thought her act was ridiculous. Glad to see that her opponent Lila was an older Coordinatior who happened to be an old friend/rival of Dawn's mother.

Speaking of which two game rules that I noticed this episode broke, which is no surprise seeing as how the anime usually does this commonly is that Cherrim cannot transform without the direct Sunlight from Sunny Day and that Attract only wears off if the player switches out their Pokemon or if the one activated the condition is forced out of battle.

This was surely a very good episode, and to top it all off Dawn got her Celestic Town Ribbon! It was nice that we learned a bit about Johanna's past Coordinator days, we rarely heard much about Delia's, Caroline's, or Lola's past (this goes for the same for the moms in the games, Johanna was the most active of all of them). Though I got to ask why Dawn didn't battle with her other Pokemon, she used Ambipom for all the Contest's Battle Rounds which to me seems a bit boring. She could have used Swinub for at least one of them, it does need Contest experience. Anyway on to my review:

Remembering The Good Ol' Contests:
* This is interesting, we're getting a quick peek into the past of Johanna's Coordinator Days (If she had that Glameow since she was a kid, shouldn't it have evolved by now in the present?).
* Decoy? The move is called Substitute. You know, even though Substitute existed since Generation I, I've only seen it used in the anime during Generation IV by Shaymin and now Delcatty.
* Johanna lost! Now I'm wondering what's the purpose of this flashback? Is someone remembering it?
* Ah, so it was a story Johanna is telling Dawn, probably just a story to tell Dawn to be careful in Pokemon Contest, especially the Celestic Town one.
* Being this Lila is from Celestic Town, I have a sneaking feeling Dawn and her Pokemon are going to get some Contest Training in before the Celestic Town Pokemon Contest by a certain Poke StyIst.
* Ash is still figuring out a way to do battle Fantina, too bad these aren't a games or he could have just gone to a Pokemart and picked up some Awakening.
* Oh grand, a dress shop, though I'm kinda worried about Brock as I don't think any guy should that be excited about clothing. Though I do think Wallace's normal cloths looked better then his Stage Clothes.
* *Sigh* It seems like both Ash and Dawn are having no luck today. Dawn wasn't able to meet Lila and Ash and his Pokemon fell asleep while thinking... again...

A Rival Blast From The Past:
* It's the Celestic Town Contest already? Hm, what's going on the hall, and isn't that... whoa, talk about a quick pamper! Guess that is Lila... which Dawn had just confirmed.
* Lila knows who done is? I guess Johanna must have told Lila that Dawn was coming for the Celestic Town Contest. Though looks like Lila is in a bit of a rush...
* Lila is competing in the Celestic Town Contest! Well this episode title now makes a whole lot more sense. Oh, Cherrim, I was hoping it debut episode would be the one where Dawn would catch one but I guess this is okay too.
* That is how Cherrim transforms between its Sunshine Form? I thought we were going to see it unfold cause I was curious how it would do that. Even more strange is where its eyes are located on its Overcast Form.
* Speaking of it using Sunny Day, how exactly did it transform into Sunshine Form without the attack being used first? I don't think the spotlights are that bright (and if they are, I feel sorry for Ice-type Pokemon).
* We've gone past 5 minutes with no signs of Team Rocket, and being in a middle of a Pokemon Contest that only meant we were going to see Jessie soon... though I didn't expect to see her dressed as Fantina...
* Blah, Jessie is failing at imitating Fantina's accent. Hey, wait a second, Jessie already did that flying routine with Dustox! So much for "copying Fantina's skills".
* Buneary again? Dawn has been favoring Buneary lately and its ability to use Ice Beam. Almost messed up that ice skating trick, though as long as you made it look liek it was on purpose it's all fine.

Getting Down To The Gap:
* So Lila and Johanna must have talked before the Celestic Town Contest and thus how Lila knew Dawn was in it. So the battle between Lila and Johanna was more or a career cross road then a typical Pokemon Contest in Lila's case.
* Hold up, I don't think Lila would have been able to enter the Grand Festival with the ribbons she has. For one thing they are from I think it was said 20 years ago and she already has a Celestic Town Ribbon.
* Now the real reason sounds a bit more understandable, and though while Lila is looking to find something new from battling Dawn, this is also Dawn's chance to settle a score and beat her mom's rival.
* How come Dawn's picture is always the last one to come up? I guess maybe the judge might has subtracted some points for that minor skating miss-footing... I mean miss-earing.
* Did anyone's picture change positions at all? Lila's and Dawn's are in the same place, though I guess the others pictures could have changed no one was really paying attention to their's.
* Both Lila and Dawn looked to have decided they'll be staying with one specific battler, Delcatty for Lila and Ambipom for Dawn. Though I think against each other they should have chosen a different Pokemon of their's.
* Dawn, what do you mean if you lose you could just train and battle her again? I think this is just a one-hit comeback and after this Contest this is it for Lila.

Living A Past Battle:
* That was the same move Lila used on Dawn's mom! Though being it was at the beginning of the battle Dawn still has a chance to make those points up.
* Gah, Lila's Delcatty has Cute Charm! Wait... Ambipom's a female so that'll make Delcatty a male? That's pretty rare as only 1:3 Skitty/Delcatty are male for obvious reasons (maybe they should have a gender difference).
* Attract and Sleep? What's Delcatty going to afflict Ambipom with next? Confusion? And was it just me or did Delcatty Sing to the same melody as Jigglypuff?
* I guess so Ash, but Sing has a lower accuracy then Hypnosis so not exactly the same (game wise anyway). Though what Dawn does next might help Ash find a way to counter Hypnosis.
* A second Tiger Lilly Smile? Dawn better find a wat to deliver more damage in a more fashionable way... you know, right after Ambipom wakes up.
* You can scratch Dawn's Contest Battle helping Ash find a way to counter Hypnosis. Though that's the least of the present worries with Lila having Delcatty pulling another Substitute.

History Of Tricks Well Learned:
* Oh! I guess Dawn and Ambipom have learned from the last time that trick was pulled, brings uo the phrase "Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me".
* Man Attract Status is annoying, especially when you have a male Blaziken going up against a female Torkoal Body Slamming and Paralyzing you (Guess no one can guess why I'm referring too )
* Luckily Dawn knows that sometimes even in Attraction your Pokemon can still follow your commands. Though Ampibom's Double Team clones didn't deflect Sing, the real Ambipom was able to.
* That's a whole lot of Shift stars! Though it looks like now Dawn has figured out a way to stop all of Delcatty's attacks!
* Great ring of blossom? No, no, he combination of Swift and Spark looked to have formed a shape of a spiral galaxy, though each person to their own comparisons.
* Times up and both sides lost lots of points for that spiral galaxy collision, but Dawn was able to pull ahead. I guess Dawn settled the score between her mom and Lila.
* So Ash and co. (or maybe for this episode I should be calling it Dawn and co.) are allowed to pick something from Lila's store. Does this mean Dawn will have a new dress for Pokemon Contest cause the current one is getting old... Okay, Ash and Brock aren't allowed to pick out their own clothes anymore.
* How exactly did Dawn's and Lila's Contest Battle help Ash figure out a way to counter Fantina's Drifblim's Hypnosis? Either way I would be more worried about if Drifblim had Aftermath like it does in the games.