JN012

(Redirected from SS012)
JN011 : Best Friend...Worst Nightmare!
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
JN013 : The Climb to Be the Very Best!
Flash of the Titans!
JN012.png
JN012   EP1097
ダイマックスバトル!最強王者ダンデ!!
Daimax Battle! Dande, The Greatest of Them All!!
First broadcast
Japan February 9, 2020
United States June 12, 2020
English themes
Opening The Journey Starts Today
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening 1・2・3
Ending ポケモンしりとり(ピカチュウ→ミュウVer.)
Credits
Animation Team Kato
Screenplay 米村正二 Shōji Yonemura
Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada
Animation directors 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane
志村泉 Izumi Shimura
Additional credits

Flash of the Titans! (Japanese: ダイマックスバトル!最強王者ダンデ!! Daimax Battle! Dande, The Greatest of Them All!!) is the 12th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,097th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on February 9, 2020 and in the United States on June 12, 2020.

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

The World Coronation Series is here, and Ash and Goh have tickets to watch the final match! In a thrilling battle, Lance of the Kanto Elite Four and his red Gyarados go up against Leon, the undefeated Champion of the Galar region, and his Charizard. The action kicks into high gear when Gyarados becomes Dynamax Gyarados and Charizard becomes Gigantamax Charizard. The two Pokémon trade overwhelming attacks, but Charizard’s G-Max Wildfire stops Gyarados in its tracks, giving Leon yet another victory! But just as the battle wraps up, a Gigantamax Drednaw appears and starts to wreak havoc on the stadium. What will happen next?

Plot

At the Cerise Laboratory, Professor Cerise hands Ash and Goh a ticket each to the World Coronation Series finals. Ren and Chrysa explain that, like Leagues around the world having a regional Champion, the World Coronation Series is where the Monarch is decided. Given that these are the finals, this means the winner will officially be the strongest Trainer in the world. Professor Cerise says that it takes place in Galar, hinting that the stadium where the battle takes place will be full of surprises.

As soon as Ash and Goh's plane enters Galarian airspace, the lights inside the plane suddenly go out. As a stewardess tries to keep the passengers calm, Ash and Pikachu look out the window, sensing something coming closer. Just then, a giant Pokémon flies past the plane, its form obscured by the clouds. In response, Pikachu's tail sparks a little. As the Pokémon flies away and its silhouette disappears from view, the lights turn back on, leaving both Ash and Goh excited about Galar's unsolved mysteries.

The plane soon lands in Galar, and a short bus ride later, Ash and Goh arrive at their destination in Wyndon. Ash asks where the stadium is, and Goh informs him that they're right in front of it. Ash looks around, confused, until Goh directs his head upwards, and Ash is completely blown away by the sheer size of Wyndon Stadium. Goh is excited to go catch some Galar Pokémon, but Ash, jumping to the bits to see the match, drags Goh with him to the stadium. As the two take their seats, they're noticed by Team Rocket, who are sitting a few rows above them. However, unlike usual, they're not after Pikachu this time, having instead been assigned by Giovanni to capture Galar's gigantifying Pokémon, having even received a Rotom Phone for this purpose.

The lights in the stadium turn off and a colorful light show starts as the announcer welcomes the audience to the finals of the World Coronation Series. The top eight Trainers certified by the Pokémon Battle Commission, known as the "Masters Eight", have participated in a fierce tournament, and now, only two finalists remain to compete for the title of Monarch. The first finalist is Lance, a member of the Kanto Elite Four, the winner of the Driftveil City Pokémon World Tournament, an active member of the Pokémon G-Men, and an expert Dragon-type user. His opponent is Leon, Galar's undefeated Champion and superstar, who once defeated 100 challengers from all over the world. The referee, Dan, enters the field on his Aegislash and explains the rules: each side uses one Pokémon, and the battle is over when one side's Pokémon is unable to battle. Lance says that he's seen Leon's skills in his previous battles and expected him to get this far. Leon, in turn, talks how the audience can be a bit cruel, as they want nothing more than to see one of them lose. But he loves pushing through that fear to seize another victory. He says that his invincibility is the result of him learning from every battle he takes part in or sees. Lance declares that words are unnecessary, as it's time to battle and see which one of them is the stronger one.

Both Leon and Lance send out their Pokémon. Leon's choice is his ace, Charizard, while Lance sends out his Shiny Gyarados, much to Goh and Ash's excitement. Dan gives the signal to start the battle, and Leon makes the first move, ordering a Flamethrower. Lance counters by ordering Gyarados to use Hyper Beam. The two attacks clash, until Gyarados's attack finally overpowers the Flamethrower, but Charizard successfully evades it, causing it to instead hit the audience safety barrier. While Gyarados is recharging, Leon takes the opportunity and tells Charizard to attack with Air Slash, but Lance, well aware of Hyper Beam's drawback, has Gyarados smack some rocks off of the battlefield to block the move. Leon orders another Flamethrower, but instead of blocking or dodging it, Lance orders Gyarados to use Dragon Dance, increasing its Attack power and Speed, at the cost of the Flamethrower making a direct hit. Lance orders Gyarados to use Aqua Tail, and the super-effective move scores a direct hit, knocking Charizard to the ground. Goh realizes that Lance knew that since Flamethrower was not very effective on Gyarados, it was worth to take the hit while increasing Gyarados's power and speed.

Lance orders Gyarados to use Ice Fang repeatedly. Thanks to the boosts provided by Dragon Dance, Gyarados is able to rapidly attack Charizard multiple times in succession, dealing notable damage. Leon disrupts the rapid fire attack by having Charizard use Fire Spin, trapping Gyarados in a vortex of fire. Lance has Gyarados put out the flames with Aqua Tail, before resuming the Ice Fang assault. However, at that moment, Leon reveals his secret trump card and has Charizard use Thunder Punch, interrupting Gyarados's attack and inflicting great damage on the Atrocious Pokémon. Leon orders more Thunder Punches, but Gyarados blocks them all with Aqua Tails.

Both Leon and Lance are determined to keep the battle going and recall their Pokémon in preparation for their next moves. Lance activates the Dynamax Band on his wrist, causing Gyarados's Poké Ball to grow giant, before throwing it and sending out his now-Dynamaxed Gyarados. Ash and Goh are astounded to see Dynamaxing being used in Galarian Pokémon battles, and understand that this is what Professor Cerise had meant with the stadium being "full of surprises". Team Rocket is also excited to witness Dynamaxing with their own eyes. Leon responds to Lance's move by Gigantamaxing his Charizard, making the match a Dynamax battle.

Lance orders a Max Geyser, but Leon counters by having Charizard use Max Lightning, disrupting the Max Geyser and dealing massive damage on Gyarados. Lance follows up with Max Strike, which Leon counters by telling Charizard to use Max Airstream, which not only pushes Charizard out of the attack's way, but also hits Gyarados, dealing even more damage. Deciding to finish the match, Leon calls out for Charizard's signature G-Max Move, G-Max Wildfire. Lance desperately calls for a Max Guard, which successfully stops the G-Max Move. However, Leon's confidence remains unfaltering, and as soon as the Max Guard dissipates, G-Max Wildfire's secondary effect kicks in, engulfing Gyarados in flames to deal additional damage. Having already suffered a lot of damage in the battle, Gyarados is unable to withstand this and faints, reverting to its normal size as a result. Dan makes the official judgement, declaring Gyarados unable to battle and Leon the winner, making him the Monarch. In the stands, Ash and Goh are amazed at Leon's strength.

 
Lance and Leon after their battle

Lance recalls his defeated Pokémon and smiles at Leon. Leon compliments Lance's Dynamax, and Lance reveals that he had once trained at Galar's Dragon Gym, and had been so influenced by the Gym's uniform and its rich history, that he had based his current outfit on it. He adds that while he lost, he's still happy to have witnessed the rise of a new Monarch. He raises Leon's hand in the air, officially announcing him as the Monarch. As the announcer soon reconfirms this statement, Ash declares that he wants to battle Leon, much to Goh's astonishment.

Outside the stadium, Team Rocket is also feeling excited about the battle they just witnessed, but realize that they must also get back to catching Pokémon. Just then, Wobbuffet notices something, and the trio sees a Drednaw emerging from behind a nearby bush. They use their Rotom Phone on it, but it doesn't provide them with much information of it. Still, they figure that since it's a Galar Pokémon, it must be able to grow giant, and they decide to capture it. As such, they call for Pelipper, who drops them the Rocket Prize Master. As has become a custom by now, they use Meowth's coin to vend some Pokémon, but only one Poké Ball comes out. James remembers how the last time they got only one Poké Ball, the Pokémon inside had turned out to be a Wailord. Jessie excitedly throws the Ball, only for just a small Bellsprout to emerge. The trio is dumbstruck, but Jessie nevertheless decides to go with what they have, and calls for a Power Whip. Despite its small size, Bellsprout quickly proves its strength by dealing heavy damage on Drednaw. Jessie tells Bellsprout to keep attacking, but Drednaw dodges the second Power Whip, causing it to hit the ground instead. From the forming cracks, a sudden red light emerges and engulfs Drednaw, causing it to Gigantamax, much to Team Rocket's horror. Jessie tries to throw a Poké Ball at it, but her throw is completely off and the Ball falls to the ground. With Bellsprout being too afraid to attack anymore, the Rocket trio is left with no choice but to flee into the stadium, with Drednaw following them by extending its long neck after them. Drednaw's head pushing through the narrow corridors results in the whole stadium shaking, causing panic inside.

Major events

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

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

 
Dare da?

Pokémon

 
Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Charizard

Trivia

 
Lance's Gyarados sparkling as it exits its Poké Ball

Errors

  • In the scene where Leon Gigantamaxes his Charizard, his Dynamax Band is facing downwards. In the next shot, however, it is shown to be the other way around.
    • Also, Ash's right hand is shown to have six fingers.
  • When Team Rocket is exiting the stadium, Meowth is between James and Wobbuffet. However, in the next shot, he is between Jessie and James.

Dub edits

In other languages



JN011 : Best Friend...Worst Nightmare!
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
JN013 : The Climb to Be the Very Best!
  This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.