Ash's first Ultra Class Battle is here, and he's up against an old friend - the Sinnoh electric Gym Leader, Volkner. And as he soon discovers, this match isn't going to be easy!
Tropes
- Batman Gambit: Volkner knew Ash would be using Pikachu, so he set things up to make him be forced to fight Electivire, who is immune to Pikachu's electric type moves thanks to their Motor Drive. Electivire gets knocked out when the Z-Move proves to be too much for Motor Drive to handle.
- The Cameo: Torterra and Infernape cameo when Ash is recalling his gym battle with Volkner.
- Continuity Nod: Volkner is surprised to see Pikachu with Electroweb since he didn't know it during their first battle.
- Elemental Absorption: While Motor Drive can absorb most Electric-type moves, it fails to absorb 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt and knocks out Electivire.
- Glass Cannon: Rotom is strong enough to knock out Gengar and give Lucario trouble, but all it takes is a Reversal (which gets stronger as the user takes damage) to knock out the Electric/Flying-type.
- Phlebotinum Overload: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt is so powerful that it overpowers Electivire's Motor Drive and knocks him out.
- The Reveal: Volkner tells Ash that Cynthia is part of the Masters Eight.
- Tempting Fate: Volkner applies pressure to Ash in order to force Pikachu to use his Z-Move which Volkner claims he was waiting for. Said Z-Move knocks out Electivire after overpowering Motor Drive.
- Weak, but Skilled: Despite not possessing Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax, Volkner proves his worth as the strongest Gym Leader of Sinnoh by using a mix of strategies (including Terrain Effects, status ailments, combination moves, super-effective moves and abilities along with applying precise switching pressure).
- Worthy Opponent: Ash clearly has fond memories of his battle with Volkner, and he bought his Z-Ring with him so he'd get a taste of what the most powerful electric type move is like. The feeling is mutual on Volkner's end, and tells Ash after his loss that he'll definitely make it to the Master Class.
