Serving Up the Flute Cup! (Japanese:激闘のホウエン地方！挑戦バトルフロンティア！！The Hoenn Region, Site of Fierce Fights! The Battle Frontier Challenge!!) is the seventh episode ofPokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,092nd episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on December 29, 2019 and in the United States on June 12, 2020.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Ash and Goh are off to the Hoenn region to compete in the Battle Frontier Flute Cup, and when they arrive, Goh catches a Taillow! They soon meet Hodge, an imposing Trainer who’s confident he’ll win the competition—and sure enough, his Mightyena quickly defeats Goh’s Scyther and Scorbunny. But it’s a different story in the final round, when Ash and Mimey face off against Hodge and his Hariyama. Mimey’s calm battling style results in a victory, but when it declines to battle Mightyena, Ash sends in Pikachu—who uses a unique strategy to land the final blow and clinch the grand prize for Ash!
Plot
At theCerise Laboratory,Mimey leads the rest of the group through some morningkung fu exercises. Mimey points out thatMetapod's pose is perfect, leaving everyone confused as it doesn't have any limbs. Unexpectedly,Scorbunny kicks Metapod into a rock, sending everyone into a panic. AsProfessor Cerise mistakenly tries nursing the rock, Metapod assuresGoh that it's fine.
Goh gets a big surprise whenAsh tosses him hisbag, and says they're heading for theHoennregion. They arrive at theHoenn Battle Frontier, in time to compete in theBattle Frontier Flute Cup. Ash plans on entering withPikachu and Mimey while Goh hopes Scorbunny and hisScyther will do well. Goh isn't feeling as enthusiastic as Ash, but that subsides when aTaillow swoops by. He chases after it, and with onePoké Ball, he makes the catch. As hisPokédex updates, Goh learns that Taillow eatWurmple, so he calls on his newlycaughtTaillow to help him find a Wurmple. Goh and Scorbunny walk directly into aMightyena, and it becomes angry after Scorbunny pulls out a tuft of its fur.
Meanwhile, Ash meets aTrainer namedHodge, who is riding on hisHariyama's shoulder. He orders Ash to move away from the bins. Hodge has Hariyama lean forward so he can throw away a drink bottle, only to fall face-first into the bin. Ash pushes the bottle into the recycle bin and is left stunned by Hodge's quick recovery. Afterward, Hodge introduces himself, revealing he is fromLavaridge Town. Hodge reveals that he is also entering the Flute Cup, only revealing that he will be using Hariyama. The Mightyena from earlier, followed by Goh and Scorbunny, leap into view. As Goh prepares to catch Mightyena, Hodge intervenes, admitting Mightyena is already his Pokémon. Goh shows off his new Taillow, and Hodge comments on Goh's sincerity. Scorbunny prepares to kick Hodge for the snide remark, but Mightyena's snarl stops it, and it instead kicks Ash. Pikachu tries to defend his Trainer, but ends up electrocuting Ash.
Mimey and Ash at the Flute Cup
Soon, Hodge gets an update on his phone, and he learns that he is up against Goh in the first round. The Battle Frontier Flute Cup soon gets underway, with Hodge’s Mightyena battling Goh's Scyther. Goh takes a moment to consult hisRotom Phone, and learns that hisBug-type Scyther has theadvantage over itsDark-type opponent. Goh decides to play it safe by having Scyther boost itsattack power with aSwords Dance. Mightyena rushes in regardless, dealing a singleknockout blow withFire Fang. Goh apologizes to Scyther beforerecalling it and sending Scorbunny onto the field in its place. It tries to land aDouble Kick, but is flung back by Mightyena'sSnarl. TheBite Pokémon follows it up withCrunch, defeating Scorbunny and allowing Hodge to advance to the next round. Goh is left speechless by the defeat, and kneels down to comfort his defeated Pokémon. Despite his Pokémon making an instant recovery after a visit to thePokémon Center, Goh is struggling to cope with his swift loss. He remarks that catching is better than battling. He rushes out to catch himself a Wurmple, ignoring Ash's request that he watch the matches.
Mimey blocking Hariyama's attacks
Later, Ash and Hodge have breezed through the rounds and now face each other in the finals. Goh returns to the stadium in time to watch the match unfold. Ash leads with Mimey, while Hodge chooses to go with Hariyama first. Hodge orders aForce Palm, which Mimey easily avoids. Hariyama starts firing out a barrage of Force Palms, but Mimey continues to dodge them all with its kung fu techniques. With Hariyama exhausted from using Force Palm, Ash calls for aFocus Punch, and Mimey delivers a direct hit. Hariyama tries anArm Thrust, but Mimey'sReflect stops it from doing anydamage. Mimey continues to fend Hariyama off with Reflect until the Arm Thrust Pokémon finds itself trapped within the barriers of light. With its opponent immobilized, Mimey usesPsychic to deal the finishing blow. Like Goh, the commentator is astounded, and even remarks that he has a newfound respect for Mr. Mime.
With Hariyama down, Hodge sends out his Mightyena as his second and final Pokémon. Mimey has seemingly lost its will to battle, so Ash recalls it and sends Pikachu onto the field instead. Hodge starts with a Snarl, though Pikachu swiftly evades with aQuick Attack and lashes Mightyena with a swing of hisIron Tail. As he descends back to the field, Pikachu usesThunderbolt, which proves powerful enough to blow a hole in the stadium's ceiling. Hodge calls for aSucker Punch, so Mightyena speeds around Pikachu, almost invisible as it bides its time to attack. As Sucker Punch hits, Pikachu is thrown into the air. Ash orders anElectroweb aimed at the hole that Pikachu's Thunderbolt created in the ceiling, allowing the Mouse Pokémon to rebound with added velocity. Pikachu uses Iron Tail to smash directly into his opponent, knocking Mightyena out and winning Ash the Flute Cup.IdolHibana awards Ash a set of fiveflutes in honor of the victory. Hariyama stomps towards Ash at the winner’s podium, before Hodge offers a handshake. However, Hodge leans too far forward and hits the ground.
Afterwards, Goh congratulates Ash on the win and admits Mimey put up a great performance. Goh adds that battles really are fun, marking a real change of heart for the young Trainer. By nightfall, the boys return to the Cerise Laboratory where Goh proudly displays his three Wurmple.Chloe cannot understand why he caught three of the same Pokémon. Goh replies that it's part of a back-up plan that takes into account that Wurmple'sevolutionary pattern into eitherCascoon orSilcoon is unpredictable. Suddenly, Ash says it looks like the Wurmple are evolving, but quickly reveals that he was joking. Scorbunny kicks Ash for the bad joke, while Mimey plays Ash'sRed Flute.
Major events
Ash holding his prize set of flutes
Ash andGoh visitHoenn, with Goh visiting theregion for the first time.
