 |
|
| Season | Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends (Season 22) · The Manalo Conference arc (SM128–SM139) |
| Episode | Season 22, episode 38 · English episode 1064 · Japanese episode 1070 · Bulbapedia code SM130 |
| English title | Battling Besties! |
| Japanese title | マオとスイレン！友情のゼンリョクバトル！！ Mao to Suiren! Yūjō no Zenryoku Batoru!! — “Mao and Suiren! Super Full-Force Friendship Battle!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 14 July 2019 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 16 November 2019 · Disney XD |
| Screenplay | Masahiro Ōkubo |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Kimi no Bōken (Your Adventure) – Taiiku Okazaki · Taipu: Wairudo (Type: Wild, 2019 version) – Shōko Nakagawa |
| English opening | The Challenge of Life – Dani Marcus and The Sad Truth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Scizor (US) |
| Previous episode | Battle Royal 151! (SM129) |
| Next episode | The Battlefield of Truth and Love! (SM131) |
Plot episodeFirst roundLana vs Mallow
Battling Besties! is the 38th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends, the twenty-second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1064th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1070, Bulbapedia code SM130). It first aired in Japan on 14 July 2019 and in the United States on 16 November 2019. It falls within the season’s The Manalo Conference stretch (EP128–EP139).
Synopsis
The first round of the Manalo Conference begins, with Ash’s Meltan beating Faba, Guzma’s Scizor outwitting Ilima’s Mega Kangaskhan, Hau advancing, and best friends Mallow and Lana fighting a match of Z-Moves. Faba sends out Hypno, which uses Psychic to pull one of Ash’s Poké Balls from his belt and release Meltan; Faba spied on Ash’s team the night before and picked what he considered the weakest member, hoping to reach a battle with the Masked Royal. Ash sees that Meltan is eager and lets it battle. Hypno dodges Flash Cannon and blocks Headbutt with Reflect, but when it tries Hypnosis, Meltan grabs its pendulum and starts melting it. A direct Flash Cannon then knocks Hypno out, and Hala rules that Meltan used its natural abilities fairly. Ilima congratulates Ash before facing Guzma, whom the Team Skull Grunts cheer loudly from the stands.
Ilima’s Kangaskhan dodges Scizor’s Bullet Punch, and when Guzma’s Agility evades a second Power-Up Punch, Ilima Mega Evolves Kangaskhan. The mother and her grown child attack together with Parental Bond, Power-Up Punch, Rock Slide and Low Kick, but Guzma keeps Scizor moving so that both opponents line up, and the mother hesitates for fear of hitting her child. Three X-Scissors defeat her, Guzma advances and Ilima’s fans fall silent. In the next match, Hau’s Alolan Raichu outpaces Samson Oak’s Alolan Exeggutor, dodges Dragon Hammer with Quick Attack and wins with Focus Blast as Hala watches proudly. Finally, Lana’s Primarina faces Mallow’s Tsareena. Sparkling Aria blocks Magical Leaf, and Lana reveals that she taught Primarina Icy Wind to counter Grass types, bringing Tsareena to her knees.
Mallow tries to recall Tsareena, but it refuses to return and rises again, and Mallow remembers their history together from its days as a Bounsweet and a Steenee. Deciding to fight on, she and Tsareena embrace, her Grassium Z glows, and she performs Bloom Doom for the first time, covering the field in flowers. Lana answers with Oceanic Operetta, and the two Z-Moves cancel out in a shower of rain. Tsareena attempts a final Trop Kick, but exhaustion makes it stumble, and Primarina’s Aqua Jet knocks it out. A tearful Olivia declares Lana the winner. The two friends shake hands and praise each other, Mallow waves happily to the crowd, proud to have given everything, and the classmates who are still in the tournament vow not to lose, as Mallow and Lana leave the field hand in hand.
Major Events
- Manalo Conference, part 3. First round: Ash’s Meltan beats Faba’s Hypno, Guzma’s Scizor beats Ilima’s Mega Kangaskhan, Hau’s Alolan Raichu beats Samson Oak’s Alolan Exeggutor, and Lana’s Primarina beats Mallow’s Tsareena after Mallow’s first Bloom Doom
- Every classmate has now used a Z-Move
- The first Japanese episode after the twenty-second movie opened
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Masahiro Ōkubo.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Alola storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- The Japanese on-screen caption naming the Z-Move is removed
- Your Adventure plays as an insert song in Mallow and Lana’s match
Part of our Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.