SM135

(Japanese: 準決勝！カキ対グラジオ！！ The Semifinals! VS !!) is the 135th episode of the, and the 1,074th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on August 18, 2019.

Plot
As his semi-finals match against approaches,  takes on  in a training. Kiawe's Turtonator strikes with a. Torracat replies with a attack, pushing Turtonator back. The boys end their training session after Torracat's collides with Turtonator's. Everyone is looking forward to Kiawe's battle. admits she will cheer for her brother, and Kiawe admits that there is nothing better than an older brother having his little sister's support. is then reminded that they are meeting up Kiawe's sister Mimo. They go down to the docks, but Mimo is nowhere in sight. Kiawe starts panicking, but Mallow urges him to calm down,, having spoken to the concierge, informs Kiawe that the boat arrived 30 minutes earlier. So Kiawe rushes over to the Manalo Stadium, suspecting Mimo went there.

Meanwhile, Mimo is lost as she wonders atop of the stadium, when she spots trio Tupp, Rapp and Zipp graffitiing the pavement. She orders them to stop, but the grunts decide to send out their Pokémon to deal with her. As they prepare to attack, Gladion's Silvally steps in and lashes the grunt’s Pokémon with an. Gladion orders thee trio to scram. Tupp, however, refuses to back down until Gladion’s intimidating glare proves too much and the grunts leave. Gladion recalls Silvally to its. Mimo introduces herself, explaining that she hopes to see brother battle today. Gladion realizes Mimo is Kiawe's younger sister and escorts her to the stadium. Mimo grabs a hold of Gladion’s hand, causing Gladion to remember his own sister, Lillie, though he brushes the thought off. On their way, Kiawe rushes to hug his sister, overjoyed to see that she is fine. He then realizes Gladion is standing there, and Mimo clarifies that Gladion saved her from Team Skull. Kiawe thanks him, though Gladion replies that it was nothing. Lillie and the others suddenly arrive and are relieved to see Mimo is fine. Mimo apologizes for making them worry, though Kiawe remind her that next she should wait till he arrives. Gladion decides to make a move, and Kiawe replies that he will see him at the match. Mimo is left puzzled, and she is then shocked to learn that her big brother is facing Gladion. Kiawe assures Mimo that everything will be fine, declaring that with her support he will be unbeatable. Mimo, however, has her doubts.

, in their food truck, toast each other with drinks for selling all of their doughnuts before noon. They quickly feel at odds however, admitting that something is amiss. realizes that they are on the verge of losing their evil. Jessie and James, now proudly wearing their Team Rocket uniforms, declare that they will aim to perform righteous evil, setting their sights on steal the Manalo Conference trophy prizes. Meowth adds that they need a bigger plan, suggesting they steal all of the contestants' Pokémon. James notes that they will need a new mecha to achieve their goals, so Jessie states they need to get funding for that. Team Rocket then glumly realize that they will need to continue selling doughnuts to fund their evil schemes. Back at Bewear's den, and  step out of their hot spring after feeling hungry. The robot emerges from the tree hollow and offers the pair a bowl of honey dipped  to enjoy. Bewear and Stufful promptly return to relaxing in the water with their snack.

Guzma greets his gang of grunts, declaring that he will destroy the entire League. As the grunts cheer, Plumeria warns Guzma not to let his guard down when he faces Ash in the semi-finals. Guzma brushes off her concerns, declaring that he is an unbeatable Trainer. Plumeria looks despondent as the grunts cheer for their leader, and she admits that they don't realize why Guzma is undefeated.

On the battlefield, Kiawe and Gladion confront each other. Olivia steps onto the battlefield as the referee, but trips over. After recovering, Olivia declares that she wants to see the most out of both opponents, adding that both sides will now use two Pokémon. Kiawe calls out his, while Gladion selects. Kiawe makes the first move, but Lycanroc dodges, and jumps away as the makes its return. Lycanroc powers up with before unleashing a. Marowak evades the jagged stones and rushes in for a retaliatory. Lycanroc is prepared as it strikes Marowak with Stone Edge, sending Marowak flying onto the field. Kiawe tries another strategy, and uses to evade Lycanroc's Stone Edge defense before hitting it with an Iron Head. As Marowak leaps away, Lycanroc quickly recovers and responses with a Stone Edge to knock Marowak out of the match.

Mimo starts to cry, but instantly cheers up when Kiawe calls out his next Pokémon, Turtonator. Gladion has Lycanroc use Stone Edge, though Turtonator demolishes the move with its Dragon Tail and swats Lycanroc into a wall. As Lycanroc recovers, Turtonator readies another Dragon Tail. Lycanroc braces for impact, with its staving off the attack and sending both sides backwards. The two sides stand back up, and Turtonator soon engulfs its opponent in a Flamethrower. Gladion has Lycanroc take the attack, causing it to enter its red-eyed state, before launching into an. Turtonator turns its back and Lycanroc rushes directly into an explosive, which takes Gladion by surprise. Lycanroc, however, is still energized and rushes in for another Outrage. Kiawe orders another Shell Trap, but Lycanroc bypasses Turtonator and strikes it from the front. Kiawe is in distress, as Outrage should've made Lycanroc uncontrollable. Lycanroc then unleashes a barrage of punches, striking Turtonator each time. Kiawe orders Turtonator to focus and endure the attacks. As Lycanroc takes a swing at Turtonator’s central hole in its shell, Turtonator unleashes a ball of energy which Jīkyō announces was a. Kiawe is pleased and has Turtonator follow up with another Focus Blast which defeats Gladion’s Lycanroc. As the battle turns to a one-on-one clash, Gladion sends out his Silvally to take on Turtonator.

Major events

 * begins his against  in the semifinals.
 * Kiawe's Turtonator learns.

Humans

 * Jessie
 * James
 * Professor Burnet
 * Hala
 * Olivia
 * Nanu
 * Hapu
 * Wicke
 * Acerola
 * Hau
 * Mimo
 * Guzma
 * Plumeria
 * s
 * Tupp
 * Rapp
 * Zipp
 * Jīkyō
 * s
 * Crowd
 * Mimo
 * Guzma
 * Plumeria
 * s
 * Tupp
 * Rapp
 * Zipp
 * Jīkyō
 * s
 * Crowd

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?:  (Sandy) (Japan)
 * ('s; Sandy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (Alola Form)
 * ('s; Alola Form; Snowy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (Acerola's; ; Mimikins)
 * (Tupp's)
 * (Rapp's)
 * (Zipp's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (Acerola's; ; Mimikins)
 * (Tupp's)
 * (Rapp's)
 * (Zipp's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (Trainer's)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)
 * (fantasy)

Trivia

 * Poké Problem: Who comes to Manalo Stadium in today's episode?
 * Host:
 * Choices:, Hobbes, , Mimo
 * Answer: Mimo
 * , Mimo, Lana, and narrate the preview for the next episode.
 * Lana lies about what the next episode's title is before revealing her lie. The real episode title is then read out.