The Final Four! (Japanese:準決勝！カキVSグラジオ！！The Semifinals!Kaki VSGlazio!!) is the 135th episode ofPokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 1,074th episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on August 18, 2019 and in the United States on December 21, 2019.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Four Trainers are ready to compete in the Alola Pokémon League semifinals: Ash, Gladion, Guzma, and Kiawe. Mimo has come to cheer Kiawe on, but after getting lost on the way to the stadium, she is confronted by Team Skull! Gladion saves the day—and then goes on to battle her big brother!
The first match of the semifinals reflects much hard work and skill by both Trainers. When Marowak is knocked out, Kiawe brings out Turtonator—and when it defeats Gladion’s Lycanroc, he calls for the mighty beast Silvally! Now it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious and move on!
Plot
As his semifinals match againstGladion approaches,Kiawe takes onAsh in atrainingbattle.Kiawe's Turtonator strikesTorracat withDragon Tail, while Torracat responds with aRevenge attack that pushes Turtonator back. The boys end their training session after Torracat'sFire Blast collides with Turtonator'sFlamethrower. Later, the group goes to the docks to meet up with Kiawe's sisterMimo, but they find she is nowhere in sight.Sophocles, having spoken to the concierge, informs Kiawe that the boat arrived 30 minutes earlier. Kiawe rushes over toManalo Stadium, suspecting Mimo went there.
Meanwhile, Mimo is lost as she wanders atop the stadium, when she spotsTeam Skull Grunt trioTupp,Rapp, andZipp 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 anAir Slash. Gladion orders the trio to scram. Tupp, however, refuses to back down until Gladion’s intimidating glare proves too much and the grunts leave. Gladionrecalls Silvally to itsPremier Ball. Mimo introduces herself, explaining that she hopes to see her 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 reminds her that in the future, 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 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.
Team Rocket, 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.Meowth realizes that they are on the verge of losing their evil.Jessie andJames, now proudly wearing theirTeam Rocket uniforms, declare that they will aim to perform righteous evil, setting their sights on stealing theManalo 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 realizes that they will need to continue selling doughnuts to fund their evil schemes. Back atBewear's den,Stufful andBewear step out of their hot spring after feeling hungry. TheOranguru robot emerges from the tree hollow and offers the pair a bowl of honey-dippedBerries 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 hisMarowak, while Gladion selectsLycanroc. Kiawe makes the first move, but Lycanroc dodges and jumps away as theBonemerang makes its return. Lycanroc powers up withSwords Dance before unleashing aStone Edge. Marowak evades the jagged stones and rushes in for a retaliatoryIron Head attack. Lycanroc is prepared as it strikes Marowak with Stone Edge, sending Marowak flying onto the field. Kiawe tries another strategy and usesFlare Blitz to evade Lycanroc's Stone Edge defense before hitting it with Iron Head. As Marowak leaps away, Lycanroc quickly recovers and responds 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 sharpened stones with his Dragon Tail and swats Lycanroc into a wall. As Lycanroc recovers, Turtonator readies another Dragon Tail attack. Lycanroc braces for impact, with itsCounter staving off the attack and sending both sides backward. The two sides stand back up, and Turtonator soon engulfs his opponent in a Flamethrower. Gladion has Lycanroc take the attack, causing it to enter its red-eyed state, before launching into anOutrage. Turtonator turns his back and Lycanroc rushes directly into an explosiveShell Trap, which takes Gladion by surprise. Lycanroc, however, is still energized and rushes in for another Outrage. Kiawe orders another Shell Trap, but Lycanroc bypasses the Shell Trap and strikes him 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 his shell, Turtonator unleashes a ball of energy whichCaster announces was aFocus Blast. 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.
WhenTeam Rocket is celebrating their donut sales, the ice cubes in their drinks disappear right before they cheer, and reappear as they start drinking.
