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| Season | Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (Season 18) · Rivals, ninjas & a postponed voyage arc (XY050–XY054) |
| Episode | Season 18, episode 2 · English episode 845 · Japanese episode 851 · Bulbapedia code XY051 |
| English title | When Light and Dark Collide! |
| Japanese title | ルチャブルとダークルチャブル！ Ruchaburu to Dāku Ruchaburu! — “Luchabull and Dark Luchabull!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 27 November 2014 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 7 February 2015 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Junki Takegami |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mega V (Mega Volt) – Yūsuke · Doridori (DreamDream) – Shōko Nakagawa |
| English opening | Be a Hero – Ben Dixon and The Sad Truth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Snubbull (US) |
| Previous episode | Pathways to Performance Partnering! (XY050) |
| Next episode | An Undersea Place to Call Home! (XY024) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeHawlucha vs Dark HawluchaSuper Pokémon Battle show
When Light and Dark Collide! is the 2nd episode of Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest, the eighteenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 845th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 851, Bulbapedia code XY051). It first aired in Japan on 27 November 2014 and in the United States on 7 February 2015. It falls within the season’s Rivals, ninjas & a postponed voyage stretch (EP50–EP54).
Premiered at 3:00 p.m. on 7 February 2015 in Cartoon Network’s four-hour marathon, straight after XY050, and was repeated in the 8:00 a.m. slot on 14 February; Zap2it first listed it as “When Dark and Light Collide!”.
Synopsis
Ash’s Hawlucha steps in as the hero of a staged Super Pokémon Battle show, and its sincere fighting spirit reawakens the passion of the show’s veteran villain, a Shiny “Dark Hawlucha.” On the way to Coumarine City the group hears a scream in a forest and finds a Snubbull menaced by a dark-coloured Hawlucha. Pikachu’s Thunderbolt misses, a Gallade rushing in to protect Snubbull lands badly and hurts its foot, and the furious Snubbull bites Ash with Thunder Fang. Then the lights come on: they have barged into a rehearsal, and the director, Carl, is not pleased. At the Pokémon Center Carl explains that his Super Pokémon Battle show mixes acting with battling, and Nurse Joy reports that Gallade needs two or three days to heal. Bonnie suggests Ash’s Hawlucha as a replacement, and Carl rewrites the script so that “Shining Hawlucha the Hero” rescues Lady Snubbull from Dark Hawlucha, appearing to lose before winning in the end.
At rehearsal, Ash’s Hawlucha does not understand that the fight is staged; when Carl’s Hawlucha grabs it, it breaks free and turns the practice into a real fight that has to be stopped. Hawlucha sulks on a bridge until its friends encourage it, and the group overhears Dark Hawlucha practising its diving attack. Carl explains that Dark Hawlucha was once a champion of the Kalos Fighting Tournament but was injured and has never fought at full strength since, so he created the shows as a gentler stage for it. That night Ash and Hawlucha rehearse together while Dark Hawlucha secretly watches. Team Rocket, meanwhile, plan to steal the show’s Pokémon for the Boss or for battle shows of their own.
On opening night Jessie cannot resist the spotlight and runs onstage in a red dress, James and Meowth behind her, and the trio reveal themselves with their motto. Inkay’s Psybeam knocks out Pikachu, and Team Rocket go after both Hawlucha, who end up back to back and agree to work together. They dodge Psybeam and Shadow Ball, strike Inkay and Pumpkaboo and blast Team Rocket off, while the audience assumes it is all part of the show. In the main event Ash’s nervous Hawlucha stumbles onto the stage, and Dark Hawlucha offers it a hand before the two launch into a battle that goes far beyond the script. As the crowd cheers, Carl sees an expression on his partner’s face that he has not seen in years. Shining Hawlucha wins and helps its rival to its feet, and the next morning Carl thanks the group and reports that Gallade’s leg has healed.
Major Events
- Hawlucha vs Dark Hawlucha. Ash’s Hawlucha replaces an injured Gallade as the hero of Carl’s Super Pokémon Battle show
- The villain, a Shiny Hawlucha and a former Kalos Fighting Tournament champion, rediscovers its passion
- The first Japanese episode after Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
- V (Volt) insert song
- Debut of Carl
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kalos story.
Changes in the English Dub
- V (Volt) plays as an insert song for Hawlucha’s battle with Dark Hawlucha
Part of our Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.