XY127/Plot

Remo and Alain are in the middle of a Full Battle, and eventually, Alain's Charizard finishes off Remo's with a blow from a. The scoreboard reveals that Alain has managed to defeat five of Remo's Pokémon while losing only his own. Sitting in the gallery, Ash is spellbound by the match. reveals that Alain has only used two of his Pokémon in the Conference so far: Charizard and Metagross. Back on the battlefield, Alain looks forward to advancing to the finals after beating Remo's final Pokémon, while Remo sends out the trump card of his team, his Garchoo. Remo recalls the fierce training he's undergone since losing to Alain, and vows to beat him.

Remo opens the fight by Mega Evolving Garchoo, after which Mega Garchomp fires a. Alain commands his Charizard to dodge the barrage of meteors, but one manages to strike it. Without any further ado, Alain too, Mega Evolves his Charizard into Mega Charizard X. Remo has his Mega Garchomp use, but Mega Charizard X intercepts it in midair with a Dragon Claw. To Remo's astonishment, with both Pokémon still in the air, Alain commands Mega Charizard X to hurl its opponent through the air behind it and use. Both Trainers then, in unison, command their Pokémon to use Dragon Claw, but when the dust clears, Mega Garchomp is sprawled on the ground, knocked out, making Alain the first finalist. As the he leaves the arena, Professor Sycamore looks worriedly after his former assistant from his VIP seat.

Meanwhile, Ash is seen giving a brief speech to his team before his battle with Sawyer, telling them that after all they've been through together, he believes in them. Sawyer, too, is briefly seen reviewing his notes before the battle, just as eager in his own way.

In the stands, Ash's friends are anxious about Ash and Sawyer's match, too. Clemont acknowledges Sawyer as a potent threat to Ash, since he has already defeated Ash once. Having battled Sawyer himself, claims that Sawyer and Ash are similar in a way, though they battle differently. Clemont suggests that what Tierno felt was the result of Sawyer's close investigation and scrutinization of Ash's fighting style. Elsewhere, together in the VIP seats, Professor Sycamore and Diantha are eager to witness the battle between a pair with such different styles.

The stadium announcer then introduces Ash and Sawyer, who enter the battlefield. Alain is seen taking up a position to watch Ash's match, while Malva is seen ordering around again. Jessie is frustrated, certain that a beauty like her would be a much better subject than Ash any day of the week. James and tell her to hang in there just a little longer.

On the field, Ash and Sawyer are both determined to win. The referee explains the rules. Most notably, when half the party of either Trainer is knocked out, they will take a brief break to change the battlefield. Ash chooses as his first Pokémon, who emerges wearing a strange outfit. reveals that she designed it after Hawlucha approached her wanting a cape, saying it's only fitting for the forest champion's appearance on such a grand stage. In response, Sawyer sends out his.

Ash takes the initiative with a from Hawlucha, which directly hits Slaking, but Slaking doesn't even flinch. Next, Ash tries a, followed by an , again to little apparent effect. In the stands, Clemont notes that Hawlucha's battle style usually involves building his own momentum by taking attacks from his opponent, making a battle against an unmoving Slaking tough for him. Ash continues by ordering a barrage of Karate Chops, but while Slaking appears to be taking damage, it's still not reacting like it's being hurt by any of Hawlucha's attacks.

Sawyer then has his Slaking use, restoring its health. Wary of whatever strategy Sawyer's come up with, Ash resolves to push through before he can pull it off. He commands a High Jump Kick followed by an X-Scissor, and when they still appear to be having little effect, he orders Hawlucha to use. Upon seeing this, however, Sawyer yells out to Slaking to use. With a hard-hitting punch, Slaking's fist intercepts Hawlucha in the middle of his descent out of the air and sends him flying. Hawlucha hits a tree and falls to the ground, unconscious and out of the battle.

Ash compliments Sawyer on his superb strategy and sends out. Talonflame uses, but Slaking once again heals up with Slack Off. Nevertheless, Ash remains undaunted, confident that Hawlucha's attacks have had an effect, and orders a. Sawyer tries to counter this with a, but as Slaking stands to deliver its blow, its knee suddenly crumples and Talonflame is able to push past Slaking's attack to connect with its own. As Slaking reels, Ash quickly commands Talonflame to follow up with, and Talonflame is able to knock out Slaking.

Sawyer then summons his second Pokémon,. Clawitzer starts chasing Talonflame through the air using, a strategy inspired by Ash, but Talonflame evades its attacks. When Ash orders Talonflame to close in, Sawyer counters with an that freezes part of Talonflame's wing. Ash responds by using Flame Charge to melt away the ice, and Sawyer quickly orders an Aqua Jet to intercept the incoming Talonflame. When the steam from their collision clears, Talonflame is seen lying inert on the ground, giving the victory to Clawitzer. Outside the battlefield, Team Rocket observe that Ash seems to be having trouble, and Ash's friends worry that the battle is proceeding exactly as Sawyer has planned it.

Ash's next choice is, who he sends straight into the forest for cover. Jumping quickly from tree to tree, Pikachu emerges to attack with, but Clawitzer quickly dodges. Pikachu follows up with a, but Clawitzer dodges again. From midair, Clawitzer retaliates with an Ice Beam, but Pikachu manages to jump out of the way. Now sailing through the air itself, Pikachu uses and Clawitzer quickly counters with, and the two attacks cancel each other out. Both Pokémon come crashing down to the ground, but both remain on their feet when the dust clears. When Sawyer orders Clawitzer to use Aqua Jet next, Ash sends Pikachu back into the forest, where Clawitzer loses track of it. Pikachu jumps out of a tree with, but to Ash's surprise, Clawitzer clamps down on Pikachu's tail with its pincer. Sawyer directs Clawitzer to use, but before it can unleash its attack, Ash commands an Electro Ball which forms directly inside Clawitzer's pincer, setting Pikachu free with the blast. Before Clawitzer can recover, Pikachu blasts it with a Thunderbolt, finishing it off.

Sawyer chooses as his next Pokémon. Ash reprises his strategy of using the forest for cover and Pikachu again darts among the trees. In response, however, Sawyer calls out for Aegislash to use, and Aegislash starts chopping through whole trees. As Pikachu returns to the ground, Aegislash continues slashing through trees, which are now toppling over everywhere. As the episode ends, everyone is wary of what Sawyer's new strategy will turn out to be.