A Timeless Encounter! (Japanese: サトシ、時を超えた出会い!Satoshi, Encounter Beyond Time!) is the 125th episode of the Sun & Moon series, and the 1,064th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on June 9, 2019 and in the United States on October 12, 2019.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
While Ash and his Pokémon train for the upcoming Alola Pokémon League, they accidentally startle a nearby Celebi. The Mythical Pokémon flees back in time—and brings Ash and Torracat with it! Unaware that he’s in the past, Ash meets a young boy who, unbeknownst to him, is actually a younger Professor Kukui. The boy wants to learn about Pokémon moves, and Ash and Torracat demonstrate some of their skills, even receiving a Firium Z from a Totem Trevenant. But the fun suddenly ends when Celebi transports our hero back to the present day. Ash wonders where the boy went, but he’s also happy to see all his Pokémon again!
Plot
A Celebi flies through a time ripple and stumbles across Ash and his Pokémon while they are in the middle of a practice battle. Meanwhile, over at the Professors' residence, Professor Burnet shows her husband one of his childhood photos. Kukui is embarrassed by it, admitting that he was only five years old at the time, but Burnet finds it adorable. He asks where she found it and Burnet pulls out an old book she found in a storage closet. Kukui is thrilled to see his old "Book of Pokémon Super Moves" and reminisces about the times he used to spend watching Hala's battles. He reveals that, as a child, he tried to challenge Hala, but the Island Kahuna admitted that he was still too young at the time. Kukui, however, was unfazed and proudly showed off his Firium Z. Burnet then spots the Litten in the photo, and Kukui explains that Litten was actually his parent's Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Torracat uses Fire Blast and Lycanroc counters with Stone Edge. The resulting explosion whips up a powerful gust that prompts Celebi to time travel in order to escape. However, it also accidentally transports Ash and Torracat into the past along with it. Torracat encounters a Litten and recognizes it as Kukui's Incineroar, after which a younger Kukui emerges from the bushes. Kukui is thrilled to see a Torracat in person and tries to pat it, but Torracat is intimidated and distances itself. As Ash pats Torracat to settle it down, Kukui spots Ash's Z-Power Ring and asks if he is participating in the island challenge. Kukui shows off his own Firium Z and Ash admits that he doesn't even have that Z-Crystal yet. The young Kukui declares himself the winner before asking Ash to show him a fully-fledged Inferno Overdrive. Though initially hesitant, Ash borrows Kukui's Firium Z and aims it an attack at a rock. Ash takes a moment to recall how Kiawe performs the Z-Move and, to his surprise, his own attempt at it works. The Inferno Overdrive destroys the rock into small fragments, astounding Kukui, who gives Ash the nickname "Move Kahuna". He then challenges Ash to a battle, and Ash accepts.
As a crowd of wild Pokémon assembles around them, Ash nicknames Kukui "Roarie" because of his signature Incineroar hat, which Kukui accepts. He orders Litten to use Ember, but Torracat swats away the move with its front paw before using Flame Charge and following up with Fire Blast. Roarie struggles to think of a counterattack, but Litten is quickly knocked out. He starts crying at his loss, but Litten begins licking his face to cheer him up. Ash walks over and tells Roarie that they can battle another time, but Roarie claims using Fire Blast was unfair. Ash admits that it was Roarie who wanted a full-power battle but says there is always the chance of Roarie winning next time. The advice invigorates Roarie, who tells Litten that they will continue to get strong enough to beat the Move King.
Torracat tugs on Ash's shorts to alert him that they are being watched, but Roarie admits the wild Pokémon are his friends and waves them over. The Pokémon quickly run out of the woods and surround the two Trainers. Shortly after, a TotemTrevenant approaches them. Roarie runs towards Trevenant, referring to it as Elder. As he leaps onto one of Elder's roots, Roarie admits that the Totem Pokémon gifted him with the Firium Z. Elder suddenly sneezes, and Roarie has Litten use Scratch to ease its symptoms.
Suddenly, a rainstorm approaches, forcing Elder to manipulate the trees into forming a shelter for all of the Pokémon, Ash, and Roarie. Ash's attention turns to the book in Roarie's hands, and he explains it is his move index. Roarie says seeing moves in-person is much better and asks Ash how Torracat learned Fire Blast. When Ash says he practiced, Roarie is curious about Ash's battling experiences, and Ash explains that before coming to Alola, he traveled to many cities to compete in Gyms. Ash adds that a successful Trainer earns a Badge, and with enough Badges, they can compete in the region's Pokémon League. The sound of a battle festival excites Roarie, and he asks what happens after if one wins a League. Ash doesn't answer, instead, he mentions his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. Roarie doesn't understand the concept but declares that he wants to become a Master too.
The rain suddenly eases and the sunlight illuminates the area once again. Ash and Roarie thank Elder for its help. However, Trevenant begins sneezing again. Litten rushes to Scratch its back, but the cure doesn't work this time. Litten urges Torracat to assist, and together the pair climb up into Trevenant's head canopy. Ash quickly reaches the top of Trevenant's head, and with a helpful lift from a Heracross, Roarie also joins him. Ash and Roarie soon spot the problem, a horde of Cutiefly seeking refuge. He and Ash lift them out of Trevenant's shrubbery before using their Fire Pokémon to dry off their wet wings. The Cutiefly soon flutter away and Trevenant is feeling relieved. Elder produces a Firium Z, and it lands in Ash's hand. Roarie admits that he got his Z-Crystal after he first helped Elder, and so Ash accepts the gift.
Celebi soon flies by and notices an aura radiating from Ash and Torracat. As Ash and Torracat leap down from Trevenant's head, Celebi whisks the pair back to their own time. Roarie lands on the ground, only to notice Ash’s mysterious absence, though Trevenant and Litten are unable to offer any insight. Back in his own time, Ash turns to Elder but notices that only a tree trunk with overgrown remains. Ash's other Pokémon rush over to greet their Trainer, greatly relieved to see him back. Ash notices that Lycanroc and the others appear particularly dirty, but he is unable to understand their Pokémon speech replies. Rotom then returns after trying to chase down Celebi for a snapshot.
Later, Ash and his Pokémon return home to see Burnet preparing lunch. She spots his dirty hands and orders Ash to wash his hands at once before calling Kukui in for the meal. As Ash follows through, Rotom happily shows Burnet its picture of Celebi. She is startled to see the Mythical Pokémon, admitting that it must have been drawn to the forest's natural beauty. Meanwhile, Ash calls Kukui over for lunch. Kukui slots in his childhood photo as a bookmark before closing up his move guidebook.
The English dub was released on Google Play on October 8, 2019, four days before the episode aired in the United States. However, the episode was pulled later that day.
The English dub title of this episode is also nearly identical to the official Japanese title for the same movie.
The plot of the episode also has similar elements to the movie, with Ash meeting a young version of a Professor and their Fire-type starter due to the actions of a Celebi. The episode also focuses on Kukui's book on Pokémon moves, as it did with Sam's sketchbook to identify the past and present versions of the Professor as one and the same.
This episode marks the first use of the move Ice Ball since The Great Eight Fate!, 680 episodes earlier. This is also the first time the move has been used by a Pokémon outside of the Spheal evolutionary line in the anime.
This episode marks the first appearance of a Celebi in the anime since its cameo in Meloetta's Moonlight Serenade, nearly seven years earlier.
This is one of the rare times in which a Pokémon is shown as deceased, with the Totem Trevenant now resembling an old ordinary tree.
When the wild Pokémon are about to watch Ash and Kukui's battle, the three Diglett have a lighter mound of stone underneath them than in the wide shot before they rush towards the two, where the mound is black.