PJ132: Partners in Time!

is the 42nd episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
The final round of the Pokémon World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament is roaring along, and the power generated by 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt and G-Max Wildfire causes a storm of Galar particles! But the Legendary Pokémon Eternatus appears, quelling the disturbance and recharging Leon and Ash’s Dynamax bands. Leon Gigantamaxes his Cinderace, and Ash has Pikachu Gigantamax, too. Pikachu wins the matchup, leaving it and Leon’s Charizard to battle to the end. The battle is like nothing anyone has seen before, and all of Ash’s friends and Pokémon show him and Pikachu their support. In the end, Pikachu wins, and Ash becomes the new World Champion!
==Episode Plot==
Eternatus has appeared above Wyndon Stadium during the Masters Eight Tournament finals. Reporting the situation to her grandmother, Sonia informs Professor Magnolia of the high activity of Galar particles in the area, which is likely the reason why Eternatus was drawn there. With a roar, the Legendary Pokémon fires a Dynamax Cannon into the sky, causing the dark clouds above the stadium to part and the Galar particle to stabilize, showing that Eternatus had come here to protect Galar. Following one more roar, Eternatus flies away. Leon thanks Eternatus for protecting them and points out to Ash that the Gigantic Pokémon left them a parting gift in the form of recharged Dynamax Bands. He recalls his Charizard and uses his rejuvenated Dynamax Band on Cinderace's Poké Ball, performing his second Gigantamax in this Full Battle. Ash decides to respond in kind, loading Pikachu with power from his own Dynamax Band and tossing him to the battlefield as the Mouse Pokémon Gigantamaxes as well. Both Pokémon launch their respective G-Max Moves, G-Max Fireball and G-Max Volt Crash. Both attacks land, despite the attempts at holding them back, creating a pair of giant explosions. When the smoke clears, it turns out the extreme power exerted by the two Pokémon has caused them to revert to normal prematurely. Moments later, Cinderace collapses, ending the Gigantamax showdown in Pikachu's victory and leaving both Trainers with their last Pokémon.
Leon sends Charizard back out, preparing for the final clash between two partner Pokémon. Leon thanks Ash for giving him such an exciting battle and resolves to keep doing his best until the very end. Ash is also fired up, declaring the this battle is a culmination of everything he's experienced since he first met Pikachu, which is why he fully intends to win. Pikachu begins the confrontation with Quick Attack, avoiding an Ancient Power before landing a hit that he tries to follow up with Iron Tail. Charizard pushes Pikachu back with its own tail and then uses Air Slash to bombard both Pikachu and the battlefield around him. A Fire Blast follows, which Pikachu stops with Electroweb, giving him enough time to get out of the blast radius. Next comes a meeting of Fire Blast and Thunderbolt, which pushes both Pokémon back. When Pikachu uses Iron Tail once again, Leon lets Charizard take the hit, leaving Pikachu open for a close-range Dragon Pulse that blows him back, with him only narrowly escaping its full force by blasting it apart with Thunderbolt.
Ash and Pikachu are still far from done and express their determination with a grand display of Electric power from Pikachu. Filled with excitement, Leon and Charizard respond in kind with a show of Charizard's Fire power. While Sonia looks down at Leon from the stands and reminisces how much he has grown since she first battled against him as a child, Pikachu strikes Charizard with a blindingly fast Quick Attack. Once more, Charizard uses Ancient Power, which Pikachu evades by jumping from floating rock to another, until he's running upside down along the arc running over the stadium. Charizard pursues Pikachu while using Air Slash, which Pikachu meets with a series of Iron Tail as he drops back down. Dodging Pikachu's last Iron Tail swing, Charizard releases another Fire Blast. Ash calls for a Thunderbolt to stop it, but Pikachu fails to react in time, allowing Charizard's devastating Fire move to finally make contact. When the smoke clears, it becomes clear that Pikachu has taken heavy damage from the hit. The entire stadium and all of Ash's friends watching the battle descend into a deafening silence while Pikachu breathes heavily and struggles to stay conscious. Pikachu's vision grows blurry, and he collapses.
Pikachu recalls Ash's words from the day they first met and how he shocked him on sight. He then wakes up in a white void, with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Butterfree, and Pidgeot appearing around him. Looking around, Pikachu sees the rest of Ash's Kanto Pokémon, as well as his Pokémon friends from Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and the current team, all cheering for him. Finally, Ash himself also appears, telling Pikachu how all of their companions are at their side. With the support of his friends from past and present alike on his side, Pikachu stands back up and releases a massive burst of electricity, which also occurs in the real world. Flipping his hat backwards, Ash declares that the next attack will finish it. Leon grows equally excited and tosses his own hat aside to show he's putting everything into his next blow as well. Filled with passion, Ash and Leon order their respective partners to use Thunderbolt and Fire Blast while diving at each other. The two fired-up Pokémon crash into each other in a literal head-to-head collision, putting everything they have into use in order to overpower the other.
Waking up at a Pokémon Center, Pikachu sees Ash and apologizes for losing, but Ash tells him otherwise. Following the fierce clash, both Pokémon are pushed back. Charizard lets out a determined roar, but then slowly keels over and falls down. The official judgment is made: Charizard is unable to battle, meaning that the winner of the Masters Eight Tournament and the new Monarch is Ash. The stadium explodes with cheers at the birth of a new World Champion and Ash rushes to scoop the thoroughly exhausted Pikachu into his arms for a celebratory hug. Back at the present, Ash congratulates Pikachu for winning the battle as his partner happily jumps into his arms once again. Leon enters the room and thanks Ash for the fun battle before telling him how this match actually reminded him of his first-ever battle against Sonia, which had taught him the excitement of battling and even the frustration of losing. He declares that from now on, he's just another challenger, and both he and Ash promise to battle again someday. They are then joined by Dawn and Chloe, who remind them of the awards ceremony. With the whole world watching, Leon presents Ash with the golden trophy, which is initially so heavy he need the support of his team to lift it. At Professor Oak's Laboratory, all of Ash's Pokémon let off a fireworks display of moves as they joyously celebrate their Trainer's victory. Cynthia and Diantha decide to have a friendly battle after what they just saw. In the stands, Dawn and Chloe congratulate Ash while Team Rocket is so caught up in their happiness at Ash winning that they completely forget about their plan to steal his Pokémon. The entire stadium cheers for Ash as he raises the trophy up high and the World Coronation Series season comes to a close.
The next morning, Ash is woken up from his sleep at the Rose of the Rondelands hotel by a phone call from Goh. Figuring it must be about Mew, Ash wakes up Pikachu and happily responds to the call.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Gigantamax Cinderace (Leon's)
===Moves===
*G-Max Fireball
==Trivia==
*"After the story": 
*This is the last episode to air before Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet is released.
*This marks the first time Leon's Charizard is seen defeated onscreen.
**In addition, this also marks the first time Leon has been defeated in battle on-screen.
*As of this episode, every main character from the has physically appeared in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
**This episode features twenty human main characters, the highest amount in any episode up to this point.
*This is the first episode to air a special screening in Japan about the events of the episode, airing at in .
**In addition, this is the first episode to ever be live streamed on social media.
*The title is a reference to the Partners in Crime television series, which is in turn an adaptation of Agatha Christie's short story collection with the same name.
**The title may be also referenced from the RPG Mario game Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
*During Ash's conclusion with Leon, Aim to Be a Pokémon Master is used as an insert song, while in the dub, Pokémon Theme is used.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes featuring Champions
Category:Episodes featuring Legendary Pokémon
Category:Episodes featuring Ultra Beasts
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Pikachu
Category:Episodes featuring alternate colored Pokémon
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches