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| Season | Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends (Season 22) · The Manalo Conference arc (SM128–SM139) |
| Episode | Season 22, episode 40 · English episode 1066 · Japanese episode 1072 · Bulbapedia code SM132 |
| English title | Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Strategy! |
| Japanese title | ジュナイパーを攻略せよ！ Junaipā o Kōryaku seyo! — “Overcome Junaiper!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 28 July 2019 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 30 November 2019 · Disney XD |
| Screenplay | Akemi Omode |
| 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? | Wingull (US) |
| Previous episode | The Battlefield of Truth and Love! (SM131) |
| Next episode | Battling on the Wing! (SM133) |
Plot episodeQuarterfinalsAsh vs Hau, part 1
Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Strategy! is the 40th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends, the twenty-second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1066th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1072, Bulbapedia code SM132). It first aired in Japan on 28 July 2019 and in the United States on 30 November 2019. It falls within the season’s The Manalo Conference stretch (EP128–EP139).
Synopsis
Gladion’s Lycanroc ends James’s League run, and Rowlet learns Feather Dance from its foster family before facing Hau’s Decidueye in a quarterfinal of Z-Moves and decoys. Wingull’s message brings Toucannon, Trumbeak and a flock of Pikipek flying to Manalo Stadium. Ash’s friends suggest that Torracat’s Fire moves would be a safer choice against a Grass type, but Ash insists on Rowlet, and Kiawe backs him after seeing Rowlet’s enthusiasm. At the stadium, Jessie hands James the Z-Power Ring and demands that he win, and Mareanie promises to do her best so that James can reach the Masked Royal. Gladion’s Lycanroc dodges Sludge Bomb, raises its power with Swords Dance and answers James’s Black Hole Eclipse with Continental Crush, hurling a boulder into the black hole so that the two Z-Moves cancel out.
Lycanroc’s Stone Edge then wins the match, and Nanu notices that the boulder trick echoes a strategy Ash once used against him. Backstage, Jessie surprises James by giving him a can of Komala Coffee instead of a scolding, Meowth declares that Team Rocket will find another way to conquer Alola, and the relieved James is affectionately poisoned by Mareanie. Meanwhile, Toucannon demonstrates Feather Dance, which Rotom says will weaken Decidueye’s attacks, and Ash and Rowlet practise it until Trumbeak and the Pikipek return with a Decidueye-style cloak for Rowlet. Backstage, Hau tells Ash that he wants to beat him to prove himself, and Ash replies that he means to win the whole conference. Ash’s Pokémon come out to cheer, and Toucannon’s flock perches on the roof to watch.
Nanu starts the match. Decidueye’s Razor Leaf is dodged, and Rowlet’s Seed Bomb sends its Everstone flying, but Decidueye knocks it away with Leaf Blade. Ash launches Bloom Doom early, and Decidueye simply flies above the Z-Move, with Hau calling the tactic predictable. Decidueye then pins Rowlet to the ground with Spirit Shackle, and Hau reveals a Decidium Z and unleashes Sinister Arrow Raid. The Z-Move strikes home, but when the dust clears, only Rowlet’s cloak is pinned to the field: Rowlet used it as a substitute and escaped. Hau, undaunted and impressed by the trick his friend has pulled, promises that his next attack will not miss, and the episode ends with the quarterfinal still undecided and Rowlet hovering above the battlefield, ready for the next exchange.
Major Events
- Manalo Conference, part 5. Quarterfinal: Gladion’s Lycanroc beats James’s Mareanie when Continental Crush cancels Black Hole Eclipse
- Rowlet learns Feather Dance from its Toucannon foster flock
- Ash and Hau’s quarterfinal begins, and Hau reveals a Decidium Z
Trivia
- The English title plays on the saying “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, as Rowlet copies Toucannon’s Feather Dance.
- The screenplay is by Akemi Omode.
- 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
Part of our Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.