SM010

Trial and Tribulation! (Japanese: 出るかZワザ！大試練への挑戦！！ Will the Z-Move Work! Challenge the Grand Trial!!) is the tenth episode of the, and the 949th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on January 12, 2017 and in the United States on May 20, 2017.

Blurb
Ash faces off against Kahuna Hala in his first grand trial! His Rowlet defeats Hala’s Crabrawler, but it’s so exhausted afterward that it falls asleep in midair! Hala’s next Pokémon is the powerful Hariyama, who withstands every attack Pikachu tries. Hala unleashes the Fighting-type Z-Move, All-Out Pummeling—but thanks to Quick Attack, Pikachu dodges every hit. Then Ash’s own Z-Move, Breakneck Blitz, overwhelms Hariyama and wins the grand trial!

Hala intends to give Ash the Z-Crystal he favors, Fightinium Z, but Tapu Koko swoops in and replaces it with an Electrium Z. So Ash has his second Z-Crystal, and Pikachu is excited about getting to use Gigavolt Havoc again!

Plot
At 's house, is serving  and  some Pokémon food, as Kukui, reading a newspaper, notices an article about Ash's achievement the previous day. starts reading the article out loud, informing everyone in the room that Ash is due to receive a certificate from Officer Jenny as a recognition of his work. Just then the doorbell rings, and Ash rushes to open the door. Opening the door, he comes face to face with Officer Jenny and. She thanks Ash for helping her find a partner for herself, and Rotom states that Gumshoos is a perfect Pokémon to be Jenny's partner. As Ash is due to have his grand trial against Hala later that day, Jenny offers to drive Ash and Kukui to Iki Town, which they gladly accept. Kukui then reminds that Jenny also had another reason to come, and she, reminded of the fact, hands Ash the certificate promised to him.

Later in Iki Town, Officer Jenny departs to continue her duties, while Ash and Hala are praying for 's blessing for their upcoming battle at the Ruins of Conflict. Ash is getting uncomfortable for having to keep sitting still, but eventually Hala tells that they're done here. Ash asks if Tapu Koko heard them, and Hala answers that it's not certain, as Tapu Koko is a very fickle creature. Just then, the two hear Tapu Koko's cry echo from afar, confirming that it had been listening to them.

Back in Iki Town, Professor Kukui asks Ash if he remembers how to do the Z-Move pose, and Ash assures him that he has practiced it well enough to remember it. Kukui also warns Ash that a Z-Move can only be used once per battle, meaning that the moment to use it must be chosen carefully. With technicalities out of the way, Kukui takes his position as the referee of the grand trial battle. As the battle is about to begin, Ash sends out, which Rotom is surprised to see being wide awake when coming out of its Poké Ball. Hala sends out his own Pokémon, a, which Rotom gives Ash information about, not forgetting to mention that since Rowlet is a Flying Pokémon, it has a type advantage over the Crabrawler. Crabrawler starts the battle with a, which Rowlet avoids before countering with a attack, dealing super effective damage on its opponent. Ash orders Rowlet to use Peck again, but Crabrawler manages to grab Rowlet before the attack can connect. By Hala's command, the Boxing Pokémon then uses, sending Rowlet flying into the air, where it then gets struck by a powerful. Rotom is worried about Rowlet having taken a lot of damage, while Kukui comments how Hala's Crabrawler is just as strong as ever.

Up in the air, Rowlet manages to get itself back together, and Ash tells it to use, which, much to Ash's shock, gets completely blocked by Crabrawler's Bubble Beam. While Ash marvels his opponent's strength, Rowlet suddenly sneaks up behind him, causing Ash to jump. This, however, gives him an idea, and he tells Rowlet to use Leafage and sneak up behind Crabrawler. The tactic succeeds, allowing Rowlet to land a surprising Peck attack on Crabrawler. A flurry of more Pecks follows, Crabrawler being unable to dodge any of them. Finally Hala calls Crabrawler to block Rowlet's attack with its pincer, allowing it to land a Power-Up Punch with the other pincer. Hala follows up with a command for Brutal Swing, but Rowlet manages to avoid the attack and strike back with, sending Crabrawler slamming into the ground and causing it to faint. As Hala recalls Crabrawler, Ash and his partners congratulate Rowlet on its victory. Suddenly Rowlet starts snoring, and Rotom, upon closer inspection, informs Ash that Rowlet has fallen asleep and is now sleep-flying. While Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom attempt to wake Rowlet up, Hala calls his to the battlefield. All attempts to wake up the tuckered-out Rowlet fail, leaving Ash with no choice but to recall it. Rotom provides Ash with basic information about Hariyama, mentioning that it's able to send a truck flying with a single punch, which is equal to the weight of 1667.

Both Pikachu and Hariyama prepare for battle. Ash takes the initiative by having Pikachu use, but Hariyama counters with , grabbing Pikachu by the tail and stopping the attack. Hala continues by having Hariyama use, which sends Pikachu straight into the ground. As Kukui compliments on Hala's combination attack, Ash has Pikachu use, but the attack is stopped by Hariyama's , which then proceeds to repeatedly strike Pikachu, dealing a lot of damage on the Mouse Pokémon. Finally Ash finds an opening, and has Pikachu slip past Hariyama before counterattacking with. However, even though the attack makes a clean hit, it doesn't seem to hurt Hariyama too much. Ash is getting nervous, thinking about using his Z-Move, but he also acknowledges the fact that he only has one shot at using it. Hala then commands Hariyama to use, which Kukui considers to be a ruthless move on Hala's part, as it increases the user's power to its maximum, but also takes away half of their health. With the power-up complete, Hala prepares to use his own Z-Move, striking up synchronized poses with Hariyama as energy flows from his Z-Crystal to his Pokémon. Ash tells Pikachu to use to avoid the upcoming attack, just as Hala and Hariyama unleash the Fighting-type Z-Move:. Pikachu does his best to avoid the Z-Move, but is ultimately hit, sending him flying backwards. Despite this powerful hit, however, Pikachu is still capable of getting back to his feet, impressing Hala, who says that he should've expected as much from someone whom Tapu Koko has taken interest in.

Ash, following his usual attitude, isn't giving up, and has Pikachu charge at Hariyama with Quick Attack and run around the Arm Thrust Pokémon. While Hariyama is unable to get a clear fix on Pikachu, Ash has Pikachu use Iron Tail, striking Hariyama on the leg and causing it to fall on its knee. Seizing the chance, Ash and Pikachu prepare to use their own Z-Move, striking up their well-practiced and well-synchronized poses, causing Ash's Normalium Z to glow and charge Pikachu up with Z-Power. Feeling the power that connects him and Pikachu, Ash has Pikachu unleash its Normal-type Z-Move:. The powerful attack hits Hariyama head-on, sending the huge Pokémon flying out of the field. While Ash and Pikachu celebrate successfully using their Z-Move, Kukui sees that Hariyama has fainted, making Ash the winner of the battle. After recalling his defeated Pokémon, Hala turns to Ash, congratulating him and his Pokémon on the well-fought battle and the joyful way he used the Z-Move. As the Kahuna of Melemele Island, Hala declares Ash having passed his grand trial, which Kukui decides to hold a celebration for. Hala reaches inside his sleeve and presents Ash with a Fightinium Z as a reward for defeating him. Ash thanks Hala for his gift, but just as he reaches out to take the Z-Crystal, a cry echoes across the landscape, and something blindingly fast swooshes by them. Kukui wonders if it was Tapu Koko, which is quickly confirmed as it turns out that the Fightinium Z on Hala's palm has been replaced with an Electrium Z. Surprisingly, Hala bursts out laughing, saying that it's extremely peculiar for Tapu Koko to take interest in a challenger like this. He wonders if there ever will be a time when he'll understand its reasons, but nevertheless, he then hands Ash the Electrium Z, which the young Trainer gladly accepts. Hala then turns to Professor Kukui, asking if he could join the planned celebration, which Kukui is happy to let him do. Ash asks if he could invite to the celebration as well, as it was thanks to them that he was able to get his Z-Crystal in the first place. Hala thinks it's a great idea, and tells Ash to feel free to invite his friends to join them.

Later that night, Ash, his classmates, Kukui, Hala, Officer Jenny, and their Pokémon all join together in a feast to celebrate Ash passing the grand trial. While the feast is going on, Ash and Pikachu walk away from the crowd. Ash, looking at his new Electrium Z shining in the moonlight, thanks Tapu Koko for watching over his grand trial, and promises to show it a successful the next time they battle.

Major events



 * and perform  for the first time.
 * Ash battles Hala in the Melemele Island grand trial and wins.
 * Hala goes to reward Ash with a Fightinium Z, but switches it with an Electrium Z, which Ash receives instead.

Humans

 * Officer Jenny
 * Hala
 * s (flashback; picture)
 * Citizens (flashback; picture)
 * Officer Jenny
 * Hala
 * s (flashback; picture)
 * Citizens (flashback; picture)
 * Hala
 * s (flashback; picture)
 * Citizens (flashback; picture)

Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?:
 * ('s; Ride Pokémon)
 * (taking care of)
 * (Hala's)
 * (Hala's; debut)
 * (picture; flashback)
 * (picture; flashback)
 * (Alola Form; picture)
 * (Alola Form; picture)
 * (Hala's)
 * (Hala's; debut)
 * (picture; flashback)
 * (picture; flashback)
 * (Alola Form; picture)
 * (Alola Form; picture)
 * (Alola Form; picture)
 * (Alola Form; picture)

Trivia

 * Poké Problem: What do you get if you pass my grand trial?
 * Host: Hala
 * Choices: Waterium Z, Firium Z, Fightinium Z, Electrium Z
 * Answer: Fightinium Z
 * A new VS screen is used during the battle between Ash and Hala.
 * This marks the first use of a VS screen in the.
 * ,, and narrate the preview for the next episode.
 * Parts of the scene where Ash faces Hala before they start their would be recycled to the scene where Ash faces Olivia in his dream in Currying Favor and Flavor!.
 * The English dub title is similar to that of a previous episode and a later episode.
 * Despite physically appearing, all of do not have any lines of dialogue in this episode. This is the first time in the  such an occasion has happened.
 * Ash and Hala read the Who's That Pokémon? segment in the dub.
 * Ash and Hala read the Who's That Pokémon? segment in the dub.

Dub edits

 * The kanji for "grand trial" used in the Japanese VS screen was changed to "VS".
 * The Japanese text depicting and 's names are edited out in the dub.

In other languages
Doppelt geprüft hält besser! EP953 SL010 SM010 SM編第10話 精灵宝可梦 太阳＆月亮 第10集