It's the last bout of Ash's match against Cynthia, and he's already in a rough spot. With only Lucario left standing, and Cynthia having two Pokémon left, it doesn't look good for the Alolan Champion. As Cynthia Dynamaxes her Togekiss to wrap the battle up, Ash is left with no choice but to Mega Evolve Lucario...and hope that it's enough to win. But it will take more than hope to beat Cynthia. Can he do it?
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Batman Gambit: Cynthia keeps piling this on by having her Togekiss Dynamax, which not only throws off everyone's expectations she was going to Mega Evolve her Garchomp, but in the event she failed to knock Lucario out, she could use the speed boosts from all the Max Airstreams to make Togekiss harder to hit, at which point Lucario would either fall or be in far worse a shape to battle Garchomp, knowing Ash has no Pokémon left and that Lucario will be so determined to win no matter what. This time, it fails because she underestimates the strength of Ash and Lucario's bond, which gives them just enough edge to win.
- Bring It: Leon is more than eager to take on Ash.
- Call-Back: Just like when he won the Alola League, Ash is completely stunned when he defeats Cynthia.
- The Cameo: Ash's Greninja is briefly seen when Ash and Lucario tap into their bond, marking the Water/Dark type's final appearance in the anime under Ash's tenure as the lead.
- David Versus Goliath: Mega Lucario is the David and Dynamax Togekiss is the Goliath, towering over Lucario. The David ultimately wins.
- Defeating the Undefeatable: With the match over, Ash becomes the first person to ever defeat Cynthia and her Garchomp, a feat not even Flint or Paul got even close to.
- Didn't See That Coming: Cynthia loses due to not realizing how strong Ash and Lucario's bond was.
- Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: The Steel-type Bullet Punch takes down the part Fairy-type Togekiss.
- Graceful Loser: Cynthia is not at all disappointed that she lost; in fact, Ash beating her actually motivates her not to retire, convinced she's got more to learn.
- Made of Iron: Cynthia's Togekiss takes a lot of beatings, including from several super effective Bullet Punches, but it takes a good chunk of the episode before Ash and Lucario are able to finally bring it down. Not even a Giant Aura Sphere is enough to knock it out.
- Shout-Out: The title refers to the song "Whistle While You Work" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
- Stunned Silence: Ash is in complete disbelief that he actually managed to beat Cynthia when the match is called in his favor.
- Warrior Therapist: By beating Cynthia, Ash unwittingly reignited her passion for battling and convinced her not to retire.
- Wham Shot: At the last bout of the match, both Lucario and Garchomp are knocked to the ground, both wounded and exhausted...and only Lucario gets up.
- Worf Had the Flu: Garchomp taking damage during her battle with Sirfetch'd was what allowed Lucario to win.
- Worthy Opponent: Ash's Lucario and Cynthia's Garchomp both earn each other's respect this match.
