Japanese Title: Starting from Zero! Citron's Decision!!
Original Airdate: October 6, 2016
US Airdate: December 18, 2016 (iTunes and Amazon Video); December 24, 2016 (Cartoon Network)
In the aftermath of Team Flare's invasion, the citizens of Lumiose City try to get back on their feet. At the Prism Tower, Clemont rebuilds Clembot, and prepares it to resume its duties as the stand-in Lumiose Gym leader. As for Alain, he has to come to terms with his complicity in Team Flare's plot.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Always Someone Better: Ultimately addressed and deconstructed. Although he hasn't actually beaten Alain, Ash is more or less content with the final League battle, saying it brought him the rush of excitement and fun that no other battle has and wants Alain to promise him for another battle in the future. Alain, who is still reeling from the guilt of helping Team Flare, is amazed by Ash's ability to shrug off such defeats and injustices done to him, and came to realize he could not truly defeat Ash after all.
- Brought Down to Normal: Alain's Mega Ring and Charizard's Mega Stone are notably absent here. This is intentional as a later episode reveals that Alain gave them up to the police as part of his atonement for his role in Team Flare's plan.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Team Rocket's gadgetry is very handily dismantled by Ash and Alain's combined power (and without them using Mega Evolution or the Bond Phenomenon), with Serena and Clemont finishing off Inkay and Gourgeist in one blow. The trio lampshade sulkily that they didn't really stand a chance against the two league finalists, and surprisingly make this their final Kalos face-off with the twerps.
- Disney Death: Clembot is fully repaired by Clemont after its Heroic Sacrifice, but it completely lost all of its memories, essentially ensuring that the old Clembot is gone.
- Easily Forgiven: Ash forgives Alain for all of his past actions under Team Flare, regarding it as minor distractions. Alain is surprised as he himself hasn't even began to comprehend on where to atone.
- Medals for Everyone: Ash and his friends are awarded medals for fighting in the Battle of Lumiose and saving Kalos from Team Flare.
- Running Gag: Team Rocket damages Professor Sycamore's lab again.Sycamore: I'll go get my tools.
- Second Place Is for Winners: Out of the two finalists of the Kalos League, Ash is the only one who benefits in the long run. Alain's victory is compromised by his guilt for helping Team Flare as well as trying to find a new purpose in life. Meanwhile, Ash gets acknowledged by young trainers such as Alvin as the League finalist and inspiration to take on the Kalos League themselves. And since Kalos League award ceremony never took place thanks to Team Flare, it has been re-modified to officially accommodate everyone who took part in saving Kalos as champions, essentially putting Ash on equal rank with Alain with official League results rendered null and void.
- Time Skip: This episode takes place some time after the Flare incident, with everyone working hard rebuilding Lumiose City (the Gym being the focus for the main cast) and Mairin preparing a welcome home party for Alain, who is implied to have been under police interrogation for his role as a member of Team Flare.
- Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Team Rocket actually lampshade how exceptionally bad they got this series after a particularly bad Curbstomp Battle, their gadgetry is handily torn apart by Ash and Alain, who have progressed into League Finalists throughout the series, while their two Pokemon, Inkay and Gourgeist, who were a threat to the twerps in earlier episodes, here get easily crushed by Clemont and Serena with one hit each. This is actually the last time they directly face the twerps this series, it got that uneven.
