Getting a Jump on the Competition!

SM060   EP999 リーリエ飛びます！ポケゾリジャンプ大会！！ Lilie Soars Through the Air! The PokéSled Jump Tournament!!

First broadcast Japan February 1, 2018 United States July 5, 2018* July 9, 2018*

English themes Opening Under The Alolan Moon Ending

Japanese themes Opening アローラ!! Ending ポーズ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 米村正二Shōji Yonemura Storyboard 下田正美Masami Shimoda Assistant director 牧野吉高Yoshitaka Makino Animation director 篠原隆Takashi Shinohara Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGfClosed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Getting a Jump on the Competition! (Japanese: リーリエ飛びます！ポケゾリジャンプ大会！！Lilie Soars Through the Air! ThePokéSled Jump Tournament!!) is the 60th episode ofPokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 999th episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on February 1, 2018, in New Zealand on June 5, 2018, in Canada on June 30, 2018, and in the United States on July 9, 2018.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

The Pokémon School students, Professor Kukui, and Kahuna Hala are visiting Mount Lanakila on Ula’ula Island, where they meet Cerah, a star of the Pokémon Sled Jump event. With the help of her Alolan Ninetales, Cerah introduces our heroes to the sport, and Lillie and Snowy are excited to try it together—even regaining their confidence after crashing during a practice run.

The two of them fly high in the competition, and Snowy shows off a new move: Aurora Veil! Although Kahuna Hala and his newly evolved Crabominable are the winners, everyone agrees that Lillie’s jump was excellent, and she’s excited to keep working with Snowy as a team!

Plot

Professor Kukui takes the class toUla'ula Island'sMount Lanakila to meet withHala and watch hisCrabrawler evolve. As everyone else enjoys the snow, Kukui informsLillie thatSnowy'sEgg was found on Mount Lanakila. The group makes their way up the mountain and observes a group ofSnorunt andAlolanSandshrew along the way. Kukui notes that there aren't many places in Alola to see snow-dwelling Pokémon. Following Hala's request, the group stops for a break, as everyone shows what food and drinks they brought. WhenSophocles finds a mysteriousfootprint in the snow,Rotom Pokédex evaluates the footprints and believes it is an undiscovered 10-foot-tall Pokémon. Snowy sniffs the air before running off, and Lillie follows in pursuit, as does the rest of the class. Lillie catches up to Snowy when it suddenly stopped, and a yell breaks the silence. Just then, a woman riding on a snowboard has herAlolanNinetales jump down and protect the duo with itsAurora Veil as she jumps over their heads on a snowmobile.

The woman immediately stops and apologizes to Lillie for the near-collision. However, Lillie is more focused on the woman's Ninetales, who is nudging up to Snowy. The woman reveals that Ninetales used Aurora Veil before, making Lillie eager to teach Snowy the move. Ash, Sophocles, and Rotom run to the scene; and Sophocles and Rotom recognize the woman asCerah, Alola's best PokéSled Jumper. The group introduces themselves to Cerah, who notes that she will be late for an upcoming training session, with the event happening tomorrow.

She rides off just as Sophocles, Lillie, and Ash are called over to a battle between Hala's Crabrawler and a wildSneasel. The match ends quickly, with Sneasel defeated after Crabrawler uses itsPower-Up Punch. In a blue light, Crabrawler evolves into aCrabominable. It punches the snow in excitement, leaving behind a mark that Rotom quickly identifies as the "footprint" that was seen earlier. Hala admits he also came to the island to participate in thePokémon Sled Jump Games. Ash remembers it as the tournament that Cerah spoke of, while Sophocles tellsMallow andLana that they met her earlier, leaving the two envious. Hala explains that Cerah is a guest competitor, upon which Kukui encourages everyone to go see the venue.

The group makes their way to the venue and watches as a man'sGlalie usesDouble Team before descending down. Cerah catches up with the group, and informs them that they could rent a sled and enter the competition. Kiawe, Ash, and eventually Lillie, with some encouragement from Lana and Mallow, decide to take part.Team Rocket watches on and also decides to enter the tournament, hoping to win the prize.

Cerah escorts the group to her childhood jump track and demonstrates with her Ninetales. While up in the air, Ninetales emitsFrost Breath, which dazzles everyone. Ash andPikachu are next, but they merely slide down and jump. Rotom reminds Ash that Pikachu had to use a move, but Cerah still commends his effort and decides to have the group focus on jumping and landing first. Kiawe goes, but he falls down instead of flying over the snow jump, as Rotom informs him thatTurtonator is quite heavy. Lillie goes with Snowy, but during the descent, she becomes overwhelmed by the speed and closes her eyes. Cerah reminds her to keep her eyes open, and Lillie does so just before she crashes into the snow. Then, Ash repeats the jump and has Pikachu useThunderbolt, though he is electrocuted.

Meanwhile, Snowy wishes to continue, though Cerah senses Lillie's fear. Lillie remains adamant that she will be fine, but Cerah tells Lillie that she was much like her when she first started out. After watching a friend, Cerah was determined to learn to PokéSled Jump, despite her mother wishing her to take up piano lessons. After a bad fall with her then-AlolanVulpix, she developed a fear of jumping that was quickly quashed by Vulpix's support. Cerah's story restores Lillie's focus, but Mallow interjects and says that she will have to get use to the speed first.

Kiawe calls on hisCharizard to take him and Lillie across the sky. With that, Lillie gains confidence and overcomes her fear. She again attempts a jump with Snowy, and everyone is thrilled when it is successful. Lillie moves on to the next stage; incorporating a move into the jump. She hopes to have Snowy use Aurora Veil, though Cerah informs her that in order to use the move, it must behailing. Lillie replies that she and Snowy have been practicing theirHail as well. Lillie and Snowy return to the top of the slope and it uses Hail, but its first attempts to use Aurora Veil are unsuccessful. However, Lillie continues to practice, and by sunset, Snowy performs a successful Aurora Veil. Kukui calls it a day, and everyone returns to thePokémon Center.

The next day, the Pokémon Sled Jump Games begins, with the announcer and aPokémon Sled Jump master with over 40 years of experience observing the event. The announcer is impressed by Kiawe and Turtonator's spinningFlamethrower, though the Pokémon Sled Jump master criticizes the jump's distance as too short. Next isJessie, posing as "Jessicle" withMimikyu. The pair slide down, with Mimikyu using severalShadow Ball to speed up, though the Pokémon Sled Jump master claims he invented that technique 50 years ago. Once they are up in the air, Mimikyu spins its tail, usingWood Hammer. Out of nowhere,Bewear appears and snatches Team Rocket away, leaving the judges confused. Next up are Hala and Crabominable. Before jumping, Crabominable launches a Power-Up Punch at the ground, sending the pair flying into the air, though the Pokémon Sled Jump master claims that he would have gotten higher 60 years ago. Hala pulls out two fans and hits his belly to imitateBelly Drum. The judges are impressed by theisland kahuna's display. Ash and Pikachu slide down, and once they are up, Ash presses his Z-Ring to have Pikachu useGigavolt Havoc, though the move sends the pair backwards. The Pokémon Sled Jump master is astounded and concedes that he believes his negative jump record from 70 years ago was just broken.

Eventually, it is now Lillie's turn, and after jumping, she has Snowy perform Hail. A sudden gust of wind almost blows her off course, however, though she regains her composure and follows it with an Aurora Veil to make a successful landing. The crowd and announcer enjoy the spectacle, though the Pokémon Sled Jump master states he could have done better 80 years ago. The announcer introduces the crowd to Cerah, there to perform an exhibition jump whilst the competitor's scores are tallied up. Ninetales's Frost Breath propels Cerah and the sled upwards, then they follow it with a combinedDazzling Gleam and Aurora Veil. The spectacular display amazes the crowd, and the Pokémon Sled Jump master compares the performance to himself 90 years ago.

With the votes now in, the announcer declares Hala and Crabominable as the winner. The Pokémon Sled Jump master announces the prize, a 99-year-old woodenSlowpoke sled, which leaves the crowd in disbelief over the anticlimax. Later, Lillie apologizes to Snowy for not winning, as she hoped to make her happy. Cerah approaches Lillie and reassures her that her frustrations are normal, and explains that it will turn into the drive needed to succeed. Lillie nods in agreement and thanks Snowy for its partnership. With everything over, Kukui announces that it is time for the group to return toMelemele Island.

Major events

• Ash visitsUla'ula Island for the first time.
• Hala'sCrabrawler evolves intoCrabominable.
• Snowy is revealed to knowHail and learnsAurora Veil.

For a list of all major events inPokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, please see thetimeline page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Ninetales (Alolan form)
• Crabominable
• Sandshrew (Alolan form)

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Lana
• Kiawe
• Lillie
• Sophocles
• Mallow
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Kukui
• Hala
• Cerah
• Pokémon Sled Jump master
• Sportscaster
• Trainers
  • Sky Trainer

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?:Ninetales (Alola Form)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Rotom (Rotom Pokédex)
• Rowlet (Ash's)
• Lycanroc (Ash's;Dusk Form)
• Litten (Ash's)
• Popplio (Lana's)
• Charizard (Kiawe's;Ride Pokémon; flashback)
• Turtonator (Kiawe's)
• Marowak (Kiawe's;Alolan form)
• Vulpix (Lillie's;Alolan form;Snowy)
• Togedemaru (Sophocles's)
• Charjabug (Sophocles's)
• Steenee (Mallow's)
• Mimikyu (Jessie's)
• Crabrawler (Hala's; evolves)
• Crabominable (Hala's; newly evolved; debut)
• Vulpix (Cerah's;Alolan form; flashback)
• Ninetales (Cerah's;Alolan form; debut)
• Emolga (Sky Trainer's)
• Emolga (Trainer's)
• Kangaskhan (Trainer's)
• Drifloon (Trainer's)
• Mankey (Trainer's)
• Snorlax (Trainer's; ×2)
• Glalie (Trainer's)
• Magnemite (Trainer's)
• Lillipup (Trainer's)
• Snorunt (Trainer's)
• Pichu (Trainer's)
• Sneasel (Trainer's)
• Bewear (anime)
• Snorunt (×4)
• Sandshrew (Alolan form; ×2; debut)
• Sneasel

Trivia

• Poké Problem:In today's episode, a competition known as thePokéSled Jump Tournament is held. Who'll be the winner?
  • Host:Lillie
  • Choices: Lillie,Kiawe,Hala,Ash
  • Answer: Hala
• Thenarrator,Mallow,Lana, and Lillie narrate the preview for thenext episode.
• The Englishdub title of this episode is a pun on the saying "getting a leg up on the competition".
• The English dub was released for sale onPrime Video on July 5, 2018, four days before the episode aired inthe United States.
• Ash andhis classmates wear their winter clothes for the entire episode, aside from Kiawe at the beginning.
• This episode marks the first appearance of aSnorunt in theanimated series since its cameo inAn Old Family Blend!, 351 episodes earlier.
• Ash, Mallow, Lana,Sophocles, Kiawe, Lillie, Hala, andProfessor Kukui read theWho's That Pokémon? segment in the English dub.

Errors

• When Lillie is riding on her sled, one of her pigtails briefly turns white.
• WhenCerah performs the exhibition jump, her ponytail is missing for a brief moment.

Dub edits

• The Japanese text depictingGigavolt Havoc's name is edited out in the dub.

In other languages

This episode article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation.

• Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon episodes
• Episodes focusing on Lillie
• Episodes written by Shōji Yonemura
• Episodes by one-time storyboarders
• Episodes directed by Yoshitaka Makino
• Episodes animated by Takashi Shinohara
• Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
• Episodes which aired in New Zealand before the United States
• Episodes which aired in Canada before the United States