From Z to Shining Z! (Japanese:アローラ最強のZ！カプ・コケコVSピカチュウ！！Alola's Strongest Z!Kapu-Kokeko VS Pikachu!!) is the 144th episode ofPokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 1,083rd episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on October 20, 2019 and in the United States on February 22, 2020.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
As the Alola Pokémon League’s exhibition match nears its conclusion, Tapu Koko appears—it wants to team up with Professor Kukui and battle Ash! Our hero responds by sending out Naganadel, and the clash of Island Guardian and Ultra Beast powers is an amazing sight. But Tapu Koko manages to overpower Naganadel, so Ash turns to Pikachu, his last Pokémon standing! Tapu Koko raises the stakes as it and Professor Kukui unleash a legendary Z-Move reserved for Island Guardians, but Ash and Pikachu rise to the challenge with their own Z-Move: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt! Once the dust clears, Tapu Koko falls, and Ash and Pikachu are victorious!
Plot
Ash'sexhibition match withProfessor Kukui continues, withTapu Koko having unexpectedly entered the match in the place of Kukui's final Pokémon and itsElectric SurgeAbility having covered the battlefield in anElectric Terrain.Naganadel usesSludge Bomb, but Tapu Koko usesSteel Wing to shield itself from the attack and proceeds to use the samemove offensively when Naganadel usesX-Scissor. Naganadel readies another X-Scissor, but it is hit by Tapu Koko'sDazzling Gleam. When Ash ordersDragon Pulse, everyone is shocked by this since Tapu Koko is aFairy-type Pokémon and thusimmune toDragon-type moves. However, instead of hitting Tapu Koko, the attack goes past it and hits the ground below, stirring a lot of dust, which obscures Tapu Koko's vision, giving Naganadel the chance to land an X-Scissor on its opponent. Tapu Koko charges through a barrage of Sludge Bombs to batter Naganadel with Dazzling Gleam andDischarge, which outruns Naganadel'sThunderbolt and defeats theUltra Beast. Ash takes a moment to thank Naganadel for its assistance beforerecalling it back to itsBeast Ball.
Ash callsPikachu as his final Pokémon, and has him start off with Thunderbolt, which collides with Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam. Pikachu usesQuick Attack, but it fails to strike the airborne Tapu Koko. Kukui orders Tapu Koko to retaliate with Dazzling Gleam, but Pikachu leaps out of the way and counters withIron Tail. Tapu Koko prepares to useNature's Madness, but Ash calls for anElectroweb, which contains the attack. Tapu Koko is again stunned by the stirred dust, allowing Pikachu to land a clean hit and send it toward the battlefield. Pikachu follows up with another Electroweb, pinning Tapu Koko to the ground. Tapu Koko attempts to break its restraints using Discharge, but Pikachu stops it with a Thunderbolt, creating a blinding yellow explosion of electricity.
After the explosion has cleared up, the Electric Terrain dissipates and Kukui congratulates Ash on how much he's grown during the League. Tapu Koko approaches Kukui, pointing at hisZ-Ring. Kukui realizes that Tapu Koko wants to launch aZ-Move, but he explains that it isn't possible as he already used up his Z-Move withIncineroar earlier. Determined, Tapu Koko breaks out into song and summons its fellowguardian deities toManalo Stadium. The united quartet begins harmonizing together, showering the stadium with glittering scales. Both Ash and Kukui's Z-Rings start glowing, signaling that theirZ-Power has been recharged. Tapu Koko also offers Kukui aTapunium Z, previously thought to have been only an ancient myth. Kukui is taken aback but complies with Tapu Koko's wishes. He calls out to Ash and orders him to launch his Z-Move at the same time, which Ash happily agrees to. Kukui performs the Z-Pose perfectly, passing on the ancient power to Tapu Koko. The ground trembles and the field fractures as a yellow headless giant emerges from underground, shocking everyone watching.
Everyone in the stadium is startled by the appearance of the gargantuan. However, Ash's attention quickly turns to hisZ-Power Ring as it begins sparking, hisElectrium Z suddenly transforming into aPikashunium Z. Ash promptly puts hishaton Pikachu's head and prepares his own full power Z-Move. Tapu Koko takes its position as the head of the titan as Kukui orders it to attack with the moveGuardian of Alola. As the titan's fist descends towards him, Pikachu unleashes10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt, and the two signature Z-Moves clash. With both Kukui and Ash giving all the power they can towards their respective Z-Moves, the two super-powered moves struggle against each other. However, the titan's body begins to fracture. As they continue to push themselves as hard as possible Ash and Pikachu briefly find themselves in a white void, where Ash tells Pikachu how they had felt the power ofAlola throughouttheir travels across theregion, feeling it as they battled, met new Pokémon, and made new friends, and now it was time to become one with that power. With extreme effort, Pikachu's ultimate Z-Move slowly but surely overpowers Guardian of Alola, causing the titan's body to crumble and creating a huge explosion of light that envelops Tapu Koko. The blinding collision clears, with Ash and Pikachu visibly exhausted by the combined effort. Tapu Koko begins to descend gently, before collapsing onto the debris-littered field.Hala makes the official judgment, ruling Tapu Kokounable to battle and proclaiming Ash as the winner of the exhibition match. Ash finally collapses from both exhaustion and relief, while the crowd erupts into cheers and applause, andAsh's classmates are overjoyed.
While Ash fully realizes he just won,Tapu Lele showers the battlefield in its sparkling scales, helping both Pikachu and Tapu Koko to recover from the exhausting battle. Kukui leaps forward and thanks Tapu Koko for its help with a handshake. Pikachu and Ash also thank their formidable opponents for the spectacular match. With theManalo Conference now officially completed, Professor Kukui takes a moment to gaze over the crowd and he declares the League a success. Ash agrees, earning himself a pat on the head from his mentor. Kukui warns Ash not to get too overconfident over his victory, and the young Trainer accepts the advice.
This is the first time in theanimated series where abattle has taken more than three episodes to complete.
This is also the first time in the animated series where two Z-Moves have been used by a singleTrainer in a single battle. While this is not possible in thecore series games, unless theplayer is assisted by theRotom Pokédex inUltra Sun and Ultra Moon, it should be noted that in this case using a second Z-Move is made possible due to intervention from theguardian deities.
