XY118

← XY117 : Making Friends and Influencing Villains!

XY series

XY119 : A Full Strength Battle Surprise! →

Championing a Research Battle!

XY118   EP917 サトシ対チャンピオン・カルネ！VSメガサーナイト！！ Satoshi VS Champion Carnet! VS Mega Sirnight!!

First broadcast Japan May 5, 2016 United States August 5, 2016* August 6, 2016*

English themes Opening Stand Tall Ending

Japanese themes Opening XY&Z Ending プニちゃんのうた

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 米村正二 Shōji Yonemura Storyboard 樋口香里 Kaori Higuchi Assistant director 仲野良 Ryō Nakano Animation directors 上杉遵史 Junji Uesugi 千葉茂 Shigeru Chiba 内田裕 Yū Uchida Additional credits

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

Championing a Research Battle! (Japanese: サトシ対チャンピオン・カルネ！VSメガサーナイト！！ Satoshi VS Champion Carnet! VS Mega Sirnight!!) is the 118th episode of the XY series, and the 917th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on May 5, 2016 and in the United States on August 6, 2016.

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

Blurb

After hearing Gym Leader Olympia’s ominous prediction, Champion Diantha visits our heroes just as Ash and Greninja are doing some special training. To find out more about the bond they share in battle, Diantha challenges them, and Ash jumps at the chance!

Diantha’s Gardevoir easily evades every hit…until Ash and Greninja begin to merge. Gardevoir has to Mega Evolve to keep up, and the bond between Ash and Greninja intensifies like never before—until they both pass out!

Diantha promises to learn more about this bond and how it might relate to Olympia’s prediction. After his battle with the Champion, Ash is even more fired up for the Kalos League!

Plot

This plot summary is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this plot summary to add missing sections and complete it.

The episode begins with Olympia speaking with Diantha about her vision of the future crisis of Kalos. When Diantha's Ask about "Those deep green eyes", Olympia show her an image of Zygarde, wich make Diantha being impressed by recognizing it. Then is shown a scene with Ash and its Greninja stretching and racing each other, with Ash believing he could master the Ash-Greninja form if he "becomes" Greninja. They stay at the same speed until Greninja start jumping from branch to branch, with Ash mimicking Greninja, but he fall from a branch and Greninja helping him to stand up. Then, its shown that Serena, Clemont and Bonnie are waiting Ash and Greninja on a glade, with Bonnie worried about Greninja and Ash delay, with Clemont finding the ideia of "become a Pokémon" an absurd and Serena wanting Ash to not overdo with that ideia. Then its shown that Greninja reach first and Ash, very tired, reaching last. Then, Diantha reach the glade in a helicopter, jumping from it. Then it´s shown Squishy hiding in the bag. Then Ash asks Diantha why she are there, and she's says that she are there to find them and she says that listened Olympia Prophecy. Team Rocket is nearby, observing them. Diantha's speaks about the Kalos Crisis, and she shows an image of island attacked by Team Flare Weapon, and mention that's this its not the only place in Kalos with that state. She says that the danger mentioned on the prophecy refers to when Zygarde begins to act. She shows an image of Zygarde to the group and starts to explain its role. Team Rocket recognizes Zygarde as the Pokémon that Team Flare kidnapped. Clemonts remember the Prophecy and how Olympia says that them are involved somehow in the crisis. Then Diantha asks if something changed around them, and Bonnie comments about Ash's Greninja being amazing, and they explained her the phenomenon. Clemont remember what Olympia said about them when Greninja was a Frogadier. So Diantha asks Ash to show it to her in a battle against Her Gadervoir. So, Team Rocket start planning to steal Diantha's Gardevoir when it Mega Evolve. Diantha's notes theBattle Pulse Meter and asks about it, so Clemont explain how it's work. The battle starts, with Greninja trying to hit a few hits, with Gardevoir quickly dodging them. So Diantha comments that Ash's Greninja is well created, but don't feel any diference on the others. So, she start to attack with a Shadow Ball, So Ash tells Greninja to use Double Team to Dodge the attack, so Diantha say to use a Shadow Ball sequence to destroy the clones. So Ash says Greninja to use a Water Shuriken sequence, that was dodged by Gardevoir. So, She uses Moonblast, wich was dodged by Greninja, but he was hitted by the Shock Wave. Ash helped Greninja to stand up, and says the he have an ideia. He tells Greninja to use Water Shuriken, which was dodged and created a vapor cloud, wich was used to distract Gardevoir, which was hitted by Greninja's Cut. So, Greninja transforms on its Ash-Greninja form. The camera shows a Impressed Diantha. Team Rocket is impressed as well. Ash says Greninja to use Cut, wich was blocked by Gardevoir Shadow Ball, but deals damage to Gardevoir. Diantha says to Gardevoir to use Shadow Ball, wich was blocked by Greninja Water Shuriken. Then Greninja go towards Gardevoir using Cut, wich was almost dodged, but Gardevoir was hitted. Ash says Greninja to use Aerial Ace on Gardevoir, but Diantha Mega Evolved it and the attack was blocked. Ash says that the battle really started now and says Greninja to use Water Shuriken, the camera shows Ash and Greninja making the same movements while the attacked is been executed. The attacked was blocked by Gardevoir Shadow Ball, so Greninja uses Aerial Ace, wich was blocked by Gardevoir Reflect. So, Greninja used Double Team and later Cut, Gardevoir used Reflect, but the protection was destroyed by Greninja's Attacks. So, the water veil around Greninja was transformed in a Giant Water Shuriken on Greninja's Back. He used its new Water Shuriken to attack Gardevoir. Gardevoir used Shadow Ball to block Greninja's attack, but failed and was hitted by the attack. Ash says to Greninja to use Cut, but both faints in the process. While Diantha is going to check if Ash is okay, Gardevoir was captured by Team Rocket, but Gardevoir with its "Max Power" was able to escape from Team Rocket "Unbreakable Mega Ring" and used Shadow Ball to Blast off them. Ash wakes up looking for Greninja. She says Goodbye to the group and think about research more about Ash and Greninja power, for Kalos, Ash and his group sake. Its shown a quick scene of Lysandre saying that is the time to go to the final stage. And Ash promise to Greninja that they will become stronger and master their power as they prepare to leave.

Major events

Ash facing Diantha

• Olympia tells Diantha about the upcoming threat to Kalos.
• Ash and his friends meet up with Diantha again.
• Diantha informs Ash and his friends about various incidents happening all over Kalos, including the island that Team Flare used to experiment on, and about Zygarde.
• Ash's Greninja reaches its final Ash-Greninja form for the first time.
• Ash has a rematch against Diantha, which is interrupted when Ash overexerts himself during the battle and collapses with Greninja.

For a list of all major events in Pokémon the Series, please see the timeline page.

Characters

Humans

Pokémon Quiz

• Ash
• Serena
• Clemont
• Bonnie
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Sycamore (flashback)
• Sophie (flashback)
• Cosette (flashback)
• Alain (flashback)
• Lysandre
• Xerosic
• Mable (flashback)
• Aliana (flashback)
• Olympia
• Diantha
• Charlene (flashback)
• Carrie (flashback)
• Kathi Lee

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Diglett (US and international)
Pokémon Quiz: Mega Gardevoir (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Dedenne (Clemont's)
• Frogadier (Ash's; flashback)
• Greninja (Ash's; Ash-Greninja)
• Charizard (Alain's; Mega Charizard X; flashback)
• Weavile (Mable's; flashback)
• Druddigon (Aliana's; flashback)
• Meowstic (Olympia's; male)
• Meowstic (Olympia's; female)
• Gardevoir (Diantha's; Mega Gardevoir)
• Zygarde (Zygarde Core; Squishy)
• Zygarde (Zygarde Core and 50%; Z2; 50% in flashback)

Trivia

File:Title Card XY Ash V2.png

The title card segment focuses on Ash for this episode

• Poké TV: "Pokémon 24 Hours!" program focusing on Diantha and her Gardevoir.
• The English dub was released on iTunes on August 5, 2016, one day before the episode aired in the United States.
• Ash's Greninja remains outside of its Poké Ball for the entire episode.
• Music from Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice is used in this episode.
• An instrumental version of XY&Z is used during Ash's battle against Diantha.
  • There are also a few frames of animation re-used from the theme during the battle.
• An instrumental version of Team Rocket's Team Song is used as an insert song during Team Rocket's motto.
• Sawyer and Ash narrate the preview for the next episode.

Errors

• While Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena wait for Ash and Greninja to come out of the forest, Bonnie is standing to Clemont's and Serena's right, though when Ash and Greninja come out of the forest, their positions are switched with Clemont and Serena standing to the right of Bonnie.
• As Greninja gets ready to reach its final Ash-Greninja form, the star shape on its leg is cream instead of blue for a split second.
• When the Giant Water Shuriken forms, the webs on Greninja's right hand are missing.
• When Greninja throws its Giant Water Shuriken, there is a moment where the Battle Pulse Meter is missing from its wrist.
• When Team Rocket laugh as Gardevoir attempts to escape from their trap, Jessie is missing her lipstick.
• When Ash and his friends are talking with Diantha in front of the helicopter, Greninja is missing the webs on both of its hands.
• In the final scene, when Ash is standing with Greninja and Pikachu is on Ash's shoulder, the brown stripes on Pikachu's back are shorter than normal in the first shot, yet appear longer in the next shot.
• When Mega Evolving, Gardevoir's legs are coloured green instead of white.

• 
  Coloring error on Greninja's leg
• 
  Jessie without her lipstick

Dub edits

• XY&Z is replaced with an instrumental version of Stand Tall.

In other languages

Language		Title
Danish		En forskningskamp med mesterlig støtte!*
Dutch		Een onderzoekend gevecht met een Kampioen!
Finnish		Mestarin tutkimusottelu!
European French		Un combat pour la recherche !
German		Ein Kampf im Namen der Forschung!
Italian		Una ricerca da campioni!
Korean		지우 대 챔피언 카르네! VS 메가가디안!!
Norwegian		Mesterlig støtte til en forskningskamp!
Portuguese	Brazil	Patrocinando uma batalha de pesquisas!
	Portugal	Uma Campeã Num Combate de Pesquisa!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Una batalla en nombre de la ciencia!
	Spain	¡Un combate de investigación con la Campeona!
Swedish		En mästerligt stöttad forsknings-strid!

← XY117 : Making Friends and Influencing Villains!

XY series

XY119 : A Full-Strength Battle Surprise! →

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