The Best Episodes of Pokémon Season 22

Get your tissues ready, because this episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Legends is a real tearjerker. On Poni Island, Hapu tells Ash and friends about a strange mist created by Tapu Fini. When people and Pokémon venture into the fog, they can be temporarily reunited with loved ones who have passed on. Ash, Mallow, and Hapu herself all encounter the mist, and when Lillie and Gladion emerge from it, a shocking revelation sets the stage for an exciting mystery!

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As the Alola Pokémon League races toward the finish line, Gladion and Zoroark unleash the Z-Move Never-Ending Nightmare against Pikachu. But Pikachu stops in its tracks to meet the threat head-on with Breakneck Blitz: a strategy that’s pure Ash! The clash of Z-Moves leaves both Pokémon unable to battle, and Ash and Gladion both respond by sending out their Lycanroc for the final stretch of the match. The two Lycanroc battle to new levels of intensity, ending with a Counter-versus-Counter showdown—and a momentous, hard-earned win for Ash! At long last, our hero is crowned the Champion of the first-ever Alola Pokémon League!

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Professor Oak has finished his research on the mysterious new Pokémon Ash reported and names the new Pokémon Meltan, a Steel-type. One of the Meltan has grown attached to Ash's Rowlet and stows away in Ash's backpack with Rowlet to join them all at the Pokémon School, but after an incident with a Murkrow, it loses its Hex-Nut. Rowlet tries to replace it but nothing he tries seems to work, so he and Meltan head out to find its Hex-Nut. However, they run into Team Rocket, who have found Meltan's Hex-Nut and are still after all the Meltan. Will Rowlet be able to protect Meltan?

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The Alola Pokémon League quarterfinals continue at a lightning pace, and Ash and Rowlet are in the midst of their battle with Hau and Decidueye. The attacks fly furiously—just like the competitors themselves—until it appears that Rowlet is unable to battle. But Hala notices that Rowlet hasn’t lost yet…it’s actually just sleeping! The battle restarts, and after mastering a new move, Rowlet ends up victorious! Then, Kiawe and Charizard face off against Sophocles and Vikavolt, and the latter two successfully pull off a Z-Move—will Charizard be able to escape the devastating attack?

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Ash and Guzma’s battle continues in the second half of the Alola Pokémon League semifinals! After the surprising defeat of Guzma’s Scizor, his Golisopod is left to take on Ash’s Torracat. Unfortunately, the exhausted Torracat is quickly defeated, leaving it up to Pikachu to face the powerful Golisopod. During the fierce battle, new details come to light, revealing why Guzma is so determined to bring down Professor Kukui and the Alola Pokémon League. Can Ash and Pikachu overcome this determined adversary?

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The Masked Royal is finally unmasked—he’s Professor Kukui! It’s time for the Alola Pokémon League’s exhibition match, and Ash is more excited than ever to battle his mentor in a six-versus-six Full Battle. First up are Torracat and Incineroar, and when Incineroar’s Blast Burn attack pelts Torracat with overwhelming flames, Torracat surprises everyone by absorbing the fire into its own body! But the heat becomes too much for Torracat, and it retreats from battle for the time being. Ash then sends out Lycanroc, who uses a shard from its Stone Edge attack to land a blow on Incineroar. Professor Kukui responds by sending out Braviary—what will happen next?

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When Hapu learns that Ash wants to battle Tapu Fini for his Poni Island grand trial, she lectures him about the true meaning of a grand trial, and Mudsdale backs it up with a tremendous kick! Ash goes flying and lands near Gladion, who’s also come to challenge the Island Guardian. The two rivals decide to battle each other instead, in a Lycanroc showdown: Gladion’s Midnight Form versus Ash’s Dusk Form! Hapu reluctantly agrees to be the referee, and as the battle continues, she begins to understand Ash’s determination. After Gladion wins, Tapu Fini makes an appearance, and our heroes wonder if it will listen to their request…

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The Alola Pokémon League is underway, and it promises to be full of action, drama, and surprises! The qualifying round is a Battle Royal competition among 151 different Trainers, and only the top 16 will make it to the next stage! A free-for-all ensues, with our heroes battling against and alongside friendly rivals like Pikala and Hiroki as well as returning foes like Viren’s cronies and Plumeria from Team Skull. When the dizzying action finally winds down, the entire Pokémon School class, Hau, Gladion, and even a disguised Team Rocket are among those left standing! Now, the question is: who will make it all the way to the top?

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Now that the Alola Pokémon League’s qualifying round is over, it’s time for the real matches to begin! Ash faces off against the scheming Faba, and crowd favorite Ilima takes on Team Skull’s Boss, the foul-tempered Guzma. But perhaps the most exciting match of the day occurs when Lana and Primarina battle against Mallow and Tsareena. The two may be best friends outside the arena, but that won’t stop them from giving their all during this battle!

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As the Alola Pokémon League quarterfinals rage on, Kiawe and Charizard face off against Sophocles and Vikavolt in the third battle. Both sides show impressive offense and defense, making it clear they’ve trained hard. But Vikavolt’s Wild Charge attack isn’t enough to stop Charizard’s Supersonic Skystrike Z-Move, and Kiawe and Charizard end up on top! In the fourth match, Lana and Primarina battle Guzma and Golisopod, but Guzma’s intense battling style takes Lana and Primarina by surprise. Despite a valiant effort, Primarina takes significant damage and loses the battle, but everyone agrees Guzma won fair and square. Next up are the semifinals: Kiawe versus Gladion and Ash versus Guzma!

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The Alola Pokémon League’s exhibition match continues with a dizzying array of Pokémon! Braviary manages to defeat Ash’s Lycanroc, and then Rowlet takes down Braviary with a powerful Brave Bird attack. Professor Kukui then calls on Venusaur, who traps Rowlet in its flower! Thanks to Feather Dance, Rowlet escapes unscathed—but then falls to Venusaur’s Sludge Bomb attack. Next up is Torracat’s fiery return to defeat Venusaur, followed by Pikachu versus Empoleon. After a dizzying Whirlpool, Ash switches in Melmetal, who takes down Empoleon but can’t withstand Incineroar’s flames. Each Trainer has three Pokémon still standing as Professor Kukui sends out Lucario, Ash responds with Naganadel, and the battle continues!

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We’ve reached the Alola Pokémon League semifinals! Ash is lined up to challenge Team Skull’s Guzma, but first, Kiawe will take on Gladion. Their battle allows each competitor to use two Pokémon, and given the skills possessed by both Trainers, this is going to be an exciting match. Gladion has chosen Lycanroc and Silvally to go up against Kiawe’s Alolan Marowak and Turtonator—four powerful Pokémon that have been trained to win. Lycanroc faces Marowak first, but there’s no way we’re going to spoil the outcome. We will say this, though: it’s an extremely heated battle with a cliffhanger that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next episode!

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The Kaki/Gladio battle continues, with Bakugames now facing Glazio's Silvally, but will Kaki's Z-move be enough to win the battle? With Satoshi inspiring both of them, who knows? Then comes the match everyone's on the edge of their seats for ... another 2-on-2, and it's Satoshi vs. Guzma! But Guzma's supposedly never been defeated! First out for Guzma is Hassam, and Satoshi chooses Nyaheat. Just as the battle gets started, Guzma switches out and brings in Gusokumusha, but when Nyaheat begins to get the upper hand, Gusokumusha uses Crisis Prevention to forcibly switch-out with Hassam, who takes major damage, shocking everyone including Guzma! What's with Gusokumusha? And just how long can Rocket-Dan's robot-Yareyuutan keep Kiteruguma and Nuikoguma in that hot spring?

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Just as Ash is crowned Champion of the Alola Pokémon League, an Ultra Wormhole opens above the stadium, and an angry Guzzlord appears! Ash had battled it previously in a parallel world, so he tells Alola’s island kahunas about the Ultra Beast’s weak spot. But before they know it, two more Guzzlord appear! The kahunas and Pokémon School class leap into Z-Move action to defeat the first two, while Ash, Pikachu, and the Masked Royal reunite with Naganadel—formerly Poipole—and use Gigavolt Havoc to send the third one packing. The resulting explosion blows off the Masked Royal’s mask, revealing his true identity: Professor Kukui!

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As our heroes prepare for a break from Pokémon School, Lana makes a surprise announcement: they have visitors! Who? None other than Misty and Brock! Everyone’s excited to show Ash’s longtime friends around Alola, and when Ash tells them about Treasure Island—a place he and Pikachu previously visited—they’re off! They meet up with a group of Mantine who love to surf, but Team Rocket is determined to make a splash—by catching the Mantine and Pikachu! But they’re no match for our heroes, who shower the trio with a series of attacks that send them blasting off again…just like old times!

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Brock and Misty are having quite a busy vacation in Alola! Ash and the Pokémon School gang admire Brock’s culinary skills, boosted by delicious ingredients from Kiawe’s family farm. They decide to visit the farm on Akala Island—mostly because Brock has been determined to meet the beautiful Kahuna Olivia! Like many of Brock’s crushes, Olivia is taken aback…but the two are soon bonding over their shared love of Rock types, and when Team Rocket attacks, they respond with a paired-up Z-Move! Brock and Misty’s visit ends with a beautiful fireworks display and promises to return to Alola for more vacation fun!

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As the Alola Pokémon League continues, it’s time to decide on four more competitors to move to the next round! First up is Sophocles and Vikavolt against Mina and Ribombee, and while Ribombee is powerful, it’s no match for Vikavolt’s Signal Beam! Then, it’s a Team Rocket showdown as James and Mareanie take on Jessie and Wobbuffet. The match is close, but James decides to give it his all—and wins! After that, Kiawe and Marowak defeat Acerola and Rapooh in a ghostly clash, and Lillie and Snowy face off against Gladion and Umbreon. Lillie’s skills are impressive, but Gladion still pulls off the win. On to the next round!

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On the night before the Finals, Hanako, Barri-chan and Professor Okibo arrive at Manolo to cheer for Satoshi. The wild Meltan also arrive, and with their help, to everyone's surprise, Meltan evolves into Melmetal! The next day is the ultimate showdown between two strong rivals ... Satoshi vs. Gladio! This time, it's a 3-on-3 match. For their first Pokemon, Gladio chooses Silvally and for Satoshi Melmetal makes its battle debut! Unfortunately, Silvally is too strong and Melmetal is defeated. Satoshi sends in Pikachu, who defeats Silvally. Gladio sends in Lugarugan ... but there's something not quite right about Lugarugan.

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Rowlet is determined to battle Decidueye in Ash’s Alola Pokémon League quarterfinals match against Hau, but first it needs some additional training. And just in the nick of time, Toucannon and its flock arrive to teach Rowlet a new move! Meanwhile, at Manalo Stadium, Gladion and his Lycanroc defeat James and Mareanie…and then Ash is up next! Rowlet enters the battlefield dressed in a Decidueye costume, which ends up becoming a decoy against the real Decidueye’s Sinister Arrow Raid attack! With Rowlet still standing, how will the rest of the match play out?

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Some mysterious and unknown Pokémon have arrived on Melemele Island, and they eat metal! They start wreaking havoc across the island, including eating the tools at the Pokémon School, the equipment in the Ultra Guardians' headquarters and even James's precious bottle cap collection. James is enraged and decides to chase down the Pokémon to get his revenge. Just who and what are they and why is one of them hanging around Ash's Rowlet?

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After much planning, Professor Kukui has finally announced the formation of a Pokémon League in Alola. However, while the rest of Alola (including Team Rocket) celebrates and gets ready, Team Skull's leader Guzma is enraged and decides that he will destroy the new Pokémon League, and heads over to the Pokémon School to confront Kukui. Before things can get ugly, Ash challenges Guzma to a battle. It's Pikachu vs. Guzma's Golisopod; who will win, and why does Guzma hate Kukui so much?

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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!

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As our heroes continue their research projects, Sophocles wants to help Charjabug evolve. The pair set off to Vast Poni Canyon and encounter Horacio, who wants his own Charjabug to evolve first. But when Horacio ends up in danger, Sophocles’s Charjabug springs into rescue mode and evolves into Vikavolt! Meanwhile, Lana has her heart set on training, but she’s disappointed because her mentor, Ida, is about to depart Poni Island. Still, Popplio and Sandy have fun playing with Ida’s Primarina, and when Lana decides to show Ida what she’s capable of, Popplio evolves into Brionne! As congratulations, Ida gives Lana her own Primarium Z and encourages her to continue training.

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Ash and Kiawe set off to challenge Tapu Fini to a grand trial, but when they get no response, they decide to battle each other to attract its attention. When the battle gets out of hand and starts to damage the surrounding ruins, Ash finds himself trapped in an energy field as punishment, and a mysterious old man tells Kiawe he must return with a scale from Tapu Lele to rescue his friend. Kiawe completes his quest just in time—and when Tapu Fini appears and gives him a Z-Crystal, it becomes clear that this was Kiawe’s grand trial! Meanwhile, Mallow has been working with Hapu to develop new recipes using Poni Radishes. Two more research projects completed!

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Following her standing up to Tapu Fini, Hapu has finally become the Island Kahuna of Poni Island, and Ash challenges her to her Grand Trial. Her trial requires Ash to battle her with just one Pokémon. With Hapu using her Mudsale, Ash and Pikachi face a tough battle. Will they be able to win the Grand Trial and finish Ash's research project?

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