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| Season | Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends (Season 22) · The Manalo Conference arc (SM128–SM139) |
| Episode | Season 22, episode 41 · English episode 1067 · Japanese episode 1073 · Bulbapedia code SM133 |
| English title | Battling on the Wing! |
| Japanese title | 鳥上決戦！ブレイブバードVSゴッドバード！！ Chōjō Kessen! Bureibu Bādo Tai Goddo Bādo!! — “Bird Battle! Brave Bird VS God Bird!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 4 August 2019 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 7 December 2019 · Disney XD |
| Screenplay | Jun’ichi Fujisaku |
| 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? | Pikipek (US) |
| Previous episode | Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Strategy! (SM132) |
| Next episode | The Road to the Semifinals! (SM134) |
Plot episodeAsh beats HauKiawe vs Sophocles
Battling on the Wing! is the 41st episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends, the twenty-second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1067th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1073, Bulbapedia code SM133). It first aired in Japan on 4 August 2019 and in the United States on 7 December 2019. It falls within the season’s The Manalo Conference stretch (EP128–EP139).
Synopsis
Rowlet defeats Hau’s Decidueye with Feather Dance and Brave Bird to put Ash into the semifinals, and Kiawe and Sophocles begin their quarterfinal between Charizard and Vikavolt. Nanu removes the empty cloak from the field, and Rowlet takes to the air. Decidueye’s Leaf Blade narrowly misses, Rowlet flies through Razor Leaf to land a Seed Bomb, and their Razor Leaf exchanges cancel out. Kiawe guesses that Ash is waiting for a chance to land a one-hit Brave Bird, though Lana worries about the recoil. Decidueye keeps kicking Rowlet away, pins it with Spirit Shackle and slams it into a wall, but Rowlet’s newly mastered Feather Dance softens the blows. When Rowlet’s Brave Bird collides with Decidueye’s Sky Attack, Decidueye rises while Rowlet lies still, and Nanu declares Hau the winner, until Hala points out that Rowlet has simply fallen asleep.
Ash wakes Rowlet, Nanu apologises for his hasty call and the match resumes. Decidueye knocks away Rowlet’s Everstone and binds it with Spirit Shackle before preparing Sky Attack, and Ash and Toucannon’s flock flap their arms and wings to urge Rowlet on. The Feather Dance absorbs Decidueye’s attack completely, and Rowlet, now above its opponent, knocks Decidueye out with a direct Brave Bird. Hau congratulates Ash and asks for another battle someday, then breaks down in tears and accepts a hug from his grandfather backstage. Meanwhile, Ash’s Meltan wanders onto a rooftop and spins its hex nut to call to other Meltan. Team Rocket’s van does a roaring trade, and at the den, Bewear and Stufful are served fruit drinks in their hot spring by a mechanical Oranguru.
Backstage, Sophocles tells Kiawe that he once thought beating him was impossible, since Kiawe was the first of them to get a Z-Ring and his grandfather is an island kahuna, but that he has come to love battling and has no intention of losing. Caster introduces them as classmates and rivals, and Hala starts the match. Charizard’s Flamethrower and Fire Punch miss as Vikavolt speeds past, and it dodges every strand of String Shot and twists away from Signal Beam. As Charizard climbs for Aerial Ace, Vikavolt switches to Zap Cannon and hits it directly, paralysing it. Sophocles activates his Z-Ring, and Vikavolt wraps Charizard in sticky threads for Savage Spin-Out, leaving the outcome of the quarterfinal hanging until the next episode.
Major Events
- Manalo Conference, part 6. Rowlet beats Hau’s Decidueye with Feather Dance and Brave Bird
- Kiawe and Sophocles’ quarterfinal begins
- Meltan calls the wild Meltan
- Sophocles appears without Togedemaru, the only time he does
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Jun’ichi Fujisaku.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Alola storyline.
Part of our Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.