This article is about an episode of the Pokémon animated series that has not been dubbed into English. As such, its coverage may contain romanized Japanese names, rather than dub names.
(Japanese: チャンピオンの誇り!ワタルVSカルネ!!Champions' Pride! Wataru VS Carnet!!) is the 116th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,201st episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on July 8, 2022.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
The second battle of the World Coronation SeriesMasters Tournament's first round is about to get underway as Lance and Diantha enter the Wyndon Stadium battlefield. In the stands, Ash tells Goh and Hop how he's actually battled againstDiantha before, much to Hop's amazement. Elsewhere in the stadium, Team Rocket is continuing their live coverage of the event, although Jessie refuses to acknowledge Diantha as a superior actress to her. Both Champions give speeches about how they shoulder the hopes of the Trainers of their respective regions and look forward to facing each other. Dan explains the usual rules: the battle will be three-on-three, with substitutions allowed to be made at any time. Moreover, each competitor may only use one of either Dynamax, Mega Evolution, or Z-Moves per battle.
At Dan's signal, the first pair of Pokémon is sent out. Lance leads with his Dragonite, while Diantha's first choice is Aurorus, which Goh looks up in his Pokédex. Lance makes the first move by ordering a Hyper Beam, but it ends up being heavily weakened by Aurorus's Light Screen. As Dragonite is forced to recharge after using Hyper Beam, Diantha uses the opportunity to hit Dragonite with a super effectiveBlizzard. Despite taking heavy damage from the attack, Dragonite is able to endure it and, immediately after it has finished recharging, deals its own blow of super effective damage with Body Press. The second Body Press, however, is softened up by Reflect, giving Aurorus a double layer of protective barriers to hide behind. In the locker room, Iris is infatuated with the aurora-like effect the two screen moves have created, while Alain notes that the defensive moves will fade eventually. Based on the current status, both Steven and Cynthia believe Diantha currently holds the advantage. Undeterred, Lance has Dragonite attack with Twister, while Aurorus uses Rock Slide. Both attacks hit their mark, but unlike Dragonite, Aurorus is unable to withstand the hit and faints, giving Lance the first victory of the match.
As Diantha recalls her fainted Pokémon, Lance decides recall Dragonite. Diantha's second Pokémon choice is Gourgeist, which elates Jessie, as she once owned a Gourgeist as well. Against the Ghost/Grass opponent, Lance chooses his Red Gyarados. Gourgeist begins the round by using Trick-or-Treat. Hop explains to Ash and Goh that Trick-or-Treat is Gourgeist's signature move, which adds Ghost to the opponent's type. Therefore, as Ash notes, should Gyarados be struck by a Ghost-type move, that attack will be super-effective. Gyarados attacks with Aqua Tail, which pushes Gourgeist back even with Reflect still active. Knowing that the effect of Light Screen will end soon, Lance orders a Dragon Pulse. Before the attack can go off, Gourgeist attacks first with Shadow Sneak, which, thanks to Trick-or-Treat, deals big damage on Gyarados. The Dragon Pulse is still successfully fired, however, hitting Gourgeist just as Light Screen fades away. Lance aims for a finishing blow with Ice Fang, but Gourgeist uses Phantom Force to evade it. Although Gyarados manages to hit Gourgeist with a Dragon Pulse afterwards, the damage from Phantom Force is too much for it to withstand and it faints, evening the odds. Team Rocket is overcome with joy at seeing Gourgeist succeed, declaring through tears of happiness that the first Pokémon they steal will be Gourgeist
Lance's third Pokémon is Hydreigon, which Diantha also feels prepared for, having Gourgeist use Trick-or-Treat on it. Ignoring this, Lance has Hydreigon use Dark Pulse. Not only does the attack hit its mark just as Reflect fades away, but it also causes Gourgeist to flinch, leaving it open for another super effective Dark Pulse. The attack is enough to defeat the Pumpkin Pokémon, much to Jessie's dismay. Talking to Gyarados's Poké Ball, Lance thanks it for enabling this victory. As Ash predicts successfully, Diantha's third and final Pokémon is her ace, Gardevoir, whom she immediately Mega Evolves. Diantha orders a Shadow Ball, but to her surprise, Hydreigon successfully counters with Tri Attack. Lance declares that the best defense is a strong offense and calls for Flash Cannon. However, this time Lance is the one the receiving end of surprise as the attack is easily dispersed by Gardevoir's Psychic. Gardevoir launches a Moonblast, and though Hydreigon attempts to withstand the attack, it is engulfed by a massive explosion and knocked out, meaning that both Trainers now have just one Pokémon left.
Dragonite reenters the battlefield, full of confidence. Lance wastes no time in using his Dynamax Band to Dynamax Dragonite, increasing its stamina in the process. Iris is excited to see Dragonite grow to gigantic size, while Alain adds that, unlike how the effects of Mega Evolution remain throughout the entire duration of battle, the effects of Dynamax only last for a limited amount of time. He theorizes that the outcome of the battle will hinge on that fact. Gardevoir's Moonblast powers through Dragonite's Max Hailstorm and scores a hit, which the Dragon Pokémon successfully endures. Max Hailstorm's secondary effect results in hail starting to fall over the battlefield, slowly chipping away at the stamina of both Pokémon. Diantha notes that summoning hail is a rather risky tactic, but also wonders if Lance did it because he is confident in Dragonite's ability to withstand the damage. Lance orders a Max Strike, which engulfs Gardevoir, but even while being pummeled by the Max Move, Gardevoir is still able to use Shadow Ball. Dragonite counters with Max Wyrmwind, which, while useless against a Fairy type like Gardevoir, is still able to completely stop and dissipate the Shadow Ball before it can make contact. Both Diantha and Ash surmise that Lance is trying to keep Dragonite standing so he can attack as soon as its Dynamax state ends. This is proven true moments later as Dragonite returns to normal size and fires a Hyper Beam. Diantha is unconcerned and has Gardevoir attack with Moonblast, evading the Hyper Beam and dealing the finishing blow. Dan declares Diantha the winner of the match, meaning that she'll be advancing to the semifinals to be Leon's next opponent.
In the stands, Ash is impressed by both Lance and Diantha, while Hop is confident that his brother will defeat Diantha in their battle. Steven notes how Diantha's battle strategy changes with each Pokémon she uses, calling his fellow Champion an enigma. Leon believes Diantha would rather call a battle a performance, adding he looks forward to performing alongside her in their upcoming battle. In Diantha's post-battle interview with Team Rocket, Diantha thanks her fans in Kalos, while Jessie gets up in her face and insists that she use Gourgeist as her final Pokémon in the next battle, much to Diantha's confusion.
Backstage, Ash meets with Lance. Lance seems positive, despite his defeat, and tells Ash to hang in there. Ash is then approached by a very excited Iris, who says the first two battles have her wound up and wanting to let loose. Ash wishes her good luck against Cynthia, and she eagerly rushes to the battlefield. Once both competitors are in place, Dan gives the signal to send out the first Pokémon. Iris's lead is her trusted starter Pokémon, Excadrill, which Ash is excited to see again. On the opposite side of the field, Cynthia sends out Gastrodon as her first Pokémon, marking the start of the battle between the Sinnoh and Unova Champions.
This episode marks the first physical appearance of an Aurorus in the anime since the species's debut in Coming Back into the Cold!, 379 episodes earlier.
In addition, this marks the first time Aurorus has received a Pokédex entry in the anime, despite having debuted 379 episodes earlier.
This episode marks the first physical appearance of Ritchie and Sparky in the main series since A Promise is a Promise, 979 episodes earlier.
This episode also marks the first appearance of Jackson in the anime since Johto Photo Finish, 929 episodes earlier.
When Goh asks Ash about him knowing both Lance and Diantha, the inside of Hop's eye is colored black instead of white. This error is not present during the episode's preview at the end of the previous episode.