Japanese Title: Lychee's Grand Trial! The Hardest Pokémon Match!!
Original Airdate: August 3, 2017
US Airdate: October 21, 2017
Wrong target, Rockruff.
Ash finally challenges Olivia for the Akala Grand Trial! It will be a Doubles Battle, as Midday Lycanroc and Probopass are pitted against Rockruff and Rowlet. Rockruff, however, is not in a terribly cooperative mood, and is getting more and more Hot-Blooded. Will this throw a wrench in Ash's plans to get the Rockium Z?
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Even though it's not yet evolved, Rowlet uses Bloom Doom to beat fully-evolved Probopass.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Rockruff realizes it messed up the moment it attacked and fainted Rowlet. Despite winning alone, it still laments after the battle.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Rockruff forcefully insists on taking on Midday Lycanroc one-on-one by attacking and fainting Rowlet. Subverted as this is the point it realizes it took things too far.
- Took a Level in Badass: Ash wins the Akala Grand Trial, and gets the Rockium Z as a reward. Rowlet also learns the Grass-type Z Move, Bloom Doom in the process.
- Training Montage: At the beginning of the episode, Mallow helps Ash perfect the Grassium Z move, Bloom Doom with Rowlet.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Everyone was shocked that Rockruff hurt Rowlet. Olivia reminds Ash that Rockruff get more aggressive when they near readiness to evolve, something RotomDex had told him before.
