BW108

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Pokémon the Series: Black & White

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A Unova League Evolution!

BW108   EP765 決着イッシュリーグ！ピカチュウ対ルカリオ！！ Isshu League Conclusion! Pikachu VS Lucario!!

First broadcast Japan January 10, 2013 United States April 13, 2013

English themes Opening It's Always You and Me Ending

Japanese themes Opening やじるしになって！ Ending みてみて☆こっちっち

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 藤田伸三 Shinzō Fujita Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

A Unova League Evolution! (Japanese: 決着イッシュリーグ！ピカチュウ対ルカリオ！！ Isshu League Conclusion! Pikachu VS Lucario!!) is the 108th episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 765th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on January 10, 2013 and in the United States on April 13, 2013.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

Now that Cameron’s Riolu has evolved into Lucario in the midst of his Unova League battle with Ash and Snivy, the heat is really turning up! After evolving, Lucario’s powerful moves are even stronger than Riolu’s were, and Snivy is defeated.

Ash then calls upon Pikachu, who hasn’t fully recovered from its earlier battles. Pikachu’s power and tenacity are amazing as always, the result of the strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon, and it battles Lucario almost to a standstill. But Lucario manages one final Aura Sphere to seal Pikachu’s defeat. Ash is out of the Unova League, and Cameron moves on to the semi-finals...

...where he’s up against Virgil and Team Eevee, and Flareon’s type advantage finally overcomes the powerful Lucario! Virgil’s Eevee proves to be a fierce competitor as well, knocking out his final opponent’s Druddigon to win the Unova League!

After our heroes bid a fond farewell to their friends and rivals, we leave Ash contemplating all the wonderful adventures yet to come—and feeling more determined than ever to make his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master come true!

Plot

Ash and Cameron's Full Battle resumes, with Ash left with his Snivy and Pikachu. Although Cameron only has his newly-evolved Lucario, things are just getting started. Ash has Snivy score a quick hit with a Leaf Blade. Recovering quickly, Lucario counters with a Force Palm that throws Snivy across the field. Bianca remarks that Lucario's Force Palm is much stronger than it was when it was just a Riolu, to which Stephan states it is because Lucario had just evolved. Ash has Snivy use Vine Whip, but Lucario blocks the attack. Not willing to give up, Ash has Snivy keep attacking Lucario with a barrage of Vine Whips, but Lucario keeps blocking them. Seeing an opening, Cameron has Lucario grab onto Snivy's vines and use Circle Throw, slamming Snivy into the ground. As the dust clears, Snivy appears to have been knocked out. With some encouragement from Ash, she manages to get up and continue the battle. Wanting to end the battle quickly, Cameron has Lucario demonstrate his new move Aura Sphere. Snivy attempts to dodge, but the attack follows her and lands a direct hit. The attack generates an explosion that throws Snivy to the ground causing her to faint. Eliminated from the battle, Ash is left with just Pikachu.

Cilan comments that although both Trainers are left with one Pokémon each, Pikachu hasn't yet recovered from his earlier battles with Cameron's Swanna and Samurott. Starting the battle, Pikachu strikes first with Quick Attack. Wanting to wrap the battle up as fast as possible, Ash has Pikachu use two additional Quick Attacks. Lucario looks like it is almost beaten so Ash orders Pikachu to go in close with Iron Tail, but Lucario manages to slide away. Jumping up, Lucario comes in from above with Force Palm, throwing Pikachu across the field. Cameron has Lucario follow up with Aura Sphere. At the same time, Pikachu lets off an Electro Ball. The attacks collide in midair and explode, throwing both Trainer's Pokémon away. Both Pokémon are able to get up, but Pikachu looks like he is struggling more.

Pausing the battle, Cameron talks with Ash, saying he feels great competing in the Vertress Conference. Ash says he feels likewise and they continue the battle. Both Pokémon run toward each other. Lucario attempts to land a Force Palm, but Pikachu jumps over Lucario and dodges the attack. Not wanting to give up, Lucario follows and grabs Pikachu, tossing him high into the air with Circle Throw. Almost cat-like, Pikachu somersaults in the air and lands lightly on his feet. Following up, Pikachu hits Lucario with a powerful Thunderbolt and goes in close to hit with a Quick Attack. Pikachu is visibly exhausted but comes back around with an Iron Tail. Cameron and Lucario are determined not to give in though and Lucario uses Copycat which turns into Iron Tail as well. The two attacks collide which causes an explosion. Falling from the cloud, the two Pokémon hit the ground hard. Both Trainers encourage their Pokémon to be the first to get up, and they soon do so. Ash tells Pikachu to use Electro Ball with everything he has while Cameron orders Lucario to charge up an Aura Sphere. The two attacks collide, but Lucario's Aura Sphere manages to push away Pikachu's Electro Ball and it hits Pikachu, ending the battle. The referee makes the call, awarding Cameron the victory as he moves on to the Top 4. Both Trainers congratulate each other and their Pokémon.

The next day, Cameron and Virgil are battling in the semi-finals. Cameron is left once again with only Lucario while Virgil still has three Pokémon left. Recalling his Espeon, Virgil calls out his Flareon. Cameron, not worried about typing, has Lucario go in with a Force Palm, but Flareon uses Double Team to evade the attack before using a super-effective Flamethrower, but Lucario is still able to battle. Hoping to get an idea, Cameron tries snapping his headband, but nothing comes to mind, so he just has Lucario attack with Aura Sphere. Flareon counters with Fire Blast, punching through Aura Sphere and striking Lucario out for the count. With his last Pokémon down, Cameron loses the semi-final.

Later, Virgil and Team Eevee take on Dino in the Vertress Conference finals. Both sides are down to their last Pokémon, Virgil’s Eevee versus Dino’s Druddigon. Druddigon uses Dragon Rage, but Eevee evades the attack with Dig. Coming out of the ground, Eevee hits Druddigon with Iron Tail, throwing Druddigon to the ground. Finally, Eevee knocks out Druddigon with Trump Card, making Virgil the winner of the Vertress Conference. Meeting up by a fountain, Ash, his friends and many Unova rivals congratulate each other on their efforts. Virgil’s older brother Davy soon arrives to pick Virgil up, the group says farewell to him as he flies away. Just then, Bianca runs up trying to catch Virgil, but is late and knocks Ash into the fountain. She instead gives everyone the Casteliacones to enjoy. Cameron and Lucario devour theirs and run off to train. Bianca decides to head back home and leaves immediately.

Ash and Stephan return to the sauna to discuss their plans for the future. While Ash has no plans of returning to Pallet Town, both Trainers vow to get stronger for a rematch. At the hotel, Cilan and Iris are packing but Ash has slipped away to go back to the stadium to reflect on his performance and what it took him to get here. After the flashback ends, Ash declares that his journey is not over yet. Soon Cilan and Iris find him staring at the sunset, and call him over so they can get going.

Major events

Virgil holding the championship trophy

• Ash loses his Full Battle against Cameron in the quarterfinals, placing him in the Top 8.
• Virgil defeats Russet in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals.
• Cameron is revealed to own a Watchog.
• Virgil defeats Cameron in the semifinals, advancing to the finals.
• Virgil defeats Dino in the finals, winning the Vertress Conference.
• The Vertress Conference ends.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Characters

Dare da?

Humans

• Ash
• Iris
• Cilan
• Trip (flashback)
• Bianca
• Burgundy (flashback)
• Stephan
• Georgia (flashback)
• Cameron
• Virgil
• Chili (flashback)
• Cress (flashback)
• Luke (flashback)
• Sylvester (flashback)
• Don George (flashback)
• Freddy O'Martian
• Dino
• Katharine
• Antonio
• Ramone
• Emmanuel
• Flora
• Kenton
• Manning
• Geraldo
• Russet
• Davy
• Referee

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Lucario

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Axew (Iris's)
• Oshawott (Ash's; flashback)
• Snivy (Ash's)
• Emolga (Iris's; flashback)
• Pansage (Cilan's; flashback)
• Snivy (Trip's; flashback)
• Zebstrika (Stephan's; flashback)
• Sawk (Stephan's; flashback)
• Pawniard (Georgia's; flashback)
• Lucario (Cameron's)
• Riolu (Cameron's; flashback)
• Samurott (Cameron's; flashback)
• Hydreigon (Cameron's; scoreboard)
• Ferrothorn (Cameron's; scoreboard)
• Swanna (Cameron's; scoreboard)
• Watchog (Cameron's; scoreboard)
• Eevee (Virgil's)
• Flareon (Virgil's)
• Espeon (Virgil's)
• Zorua (Luke's; flashback)
• Golett (Luke's; flashback)
• Druddigon (Dino's)
• Darmanitan (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Mandibuzz (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Cofagrigus (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Leavanny (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Galvantula (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Chandelure (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Gigalith (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Seismitoad (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Heatmor (Dino's; scoreboard)
• Chandelure (Ramone's)
• Lilligant (Ramone's; scoreboard)
• Beartic (Ramone's; scoreboard)
• Durant (Ramone's; scoreboard)
• Seismitoad (Ramone's; scoreboard)
• Klinklang (Davy's)
• Tympole

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster: Emboar
• This is the only time Ash's League placement has regressed compared to the previous tournament.
• This episode concludes the six-part Vertress Conference arc.
• The full version of Be an Arrow! is played during the flashback scenes close to the end of the episode.
• The ending of the episode is a direct callback to the ending of Friends to the End, as Ash stands in the middle of the arena and has flashbacks of his journey while the sun rises over the league torch and the full theme song plays.
• The scene where Ash is staring at the sun rising is similar to the final scenes of Aim to Be a Pokémon Master.
• Before showing Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster, this episode was followed by a trailer for the upcoming Episode N saga.
• This is the first time a different animation for Snivy's Leaf Blade has been used.
• This is the only episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White to feature a Full Battle.
• This is the final episode of the Best Wishes! Season 2 arc.
• This episode marks the final main series appearances of Cameron and Virgil.
• This episode marks the last time Ash has used Snivy in an official battle.

Errors

Lucario's ear error

• In the scene right after Pikachu's final use of Quick Attack on Lucario, Lucario's ear is completely black instead of blue and black.
• In the Brazilian Portuguese and Hindi dubs, the narrator says that Lucario evolved into Riolu.
• In the Polish dub, Eevee is incorrectly referred to as male.

Dub edits

• Be An Arrow! is replaced with an extended version of Rival Destinies during the flashback scenes.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		決戰合眾聯盟！皮卡丘對路卡利歐！！
Danish		En udvikling i Unova-ligaen!
Dutch		Een Unova League evolutie!
Finnish		Unova-liigassa kehittynyt!
European French		Évolution à la Ligue d'Unys !
German		Weiterentwicklung bei der Einall-Liga!
Greek		Εξέλιξη στο Πρωτάθλημα Γιούνοβα!
Italian		A un passo dalla vittoria!
Korean		결착 하나리그! 피카츄 VS 루카리오!
Norwegian		En Unova league utvikling!
Polish		Ewolucja w Lidze Unovy!
Brazilian Portuguese		Uma Evolução na Liga Unova!
Russian		Эволюция Лиги Юновы!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Una evolución de la Liga Unova!
	Spain	¡Evolución en la Liga de Teselia!
Swedish		Utveckling under Unova-ligan!
Thai		ผลการแข่งอิชูลีค! พิคาชู ปะทะ ลูคาริโอ!!

← BW107 : Cameron's Secret Weapon!

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

BW109 : New Places...Familiar Faces! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.