PJ118: Battling as Hard as Stone!

is the 28th episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
The Pokémon World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament is in full swing, and the final match of the first round is between Ash and Steven Stone, the Champion of Hoenn! First, Steven’s Metagross takes on Ash’s Dracovish, but when Steven realizes that Ash is predicting his moves, he switches out Metagross for Aggron. Aggron takes down Dracovish, so Ash brings out Gengar to get revenge. Next, Steven’s Cradily defeats Gengar, meaning Ash has one Pokémon left—Pikachu! It defeats Cradily, but then Steven Mega Evolves his Metagross. It seems Pikachu can’t land a single attack…until Ash uses 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt, winning and securing his spot in the semifinals!
==Episode plot==
As Ash and Steven head into the stadium, Team Rocket begins their livestream of the match, with Jessie remarking that Ash's chances of winning seems to be low. Goh arrives at the stand and asks Hop to slide over; he does and asks why, only for Iris to appear, much to his surprise. Iris takes a liking to his Wooloo while Goh explains that Iris wanted to watch in-person rather than through the television.
Ash sends out Dracovish while Steven sends out his Metagross as their first Pokémon. Dracovish uses Water Gun, while Metagross dodges and uses Agility and Psychic; Dracovish uses Fishious Rend as the two collide. Ash then realizes that his warm-up with Paul earlier was meant to handle Steven's strategy, while Paul and Reggie watch, the former smiling seeing that Ash was following his advice.
Steven then decides to recall Metagross for his Aggron, while telling Ash that he is the strongest trainer in all of Hoenn as its people watch, including Harley. Ash in turn says the same, while his friends and his Pokémon at Oak's lab also watch the match. Dracovish uses Dragon Rush, which is met by Aggron's Heavy Slam that sends Dracovish flying away. As Dracovish stands up, Ash asks it if it could still battle, which it affirms, but it quickly collapses and faints, much to his surprise.
Ash then sends out Gengar, immediately ordering Will-O-Wisp, dealing massive damage due to its -typing. Aggron then gets burned from the attack, much to the delight of Ash's fire Pokémon and Steven's surprise. Aggron uses Smart Strike, but the burn weakens it enough for Gengar to survive the attack. Aggron uses Rock Tomb, with Gengar countering using Dazzling Gleam and knocking Aggron back. However, it still stands, much to their surprise, but Aggron then collapses, the burns penetrating its armor.
Steven calls out his Cradily, who Gengar taunts as it uses Power Whip to grab him. Cradily then uses Ingrain to heal itself as Alain and Diantha remark that it's a message stating that Steven intends to take Gengar down, as he knows that he can't switch Cradily out. Gengar tries to break out with Sludge Bomb, but the attack fails to deal enough damage as Ingrain restores Cradily. Cradily charges Meteor Beam, but Gengar counters with Dazzling Gleam and attempts to go on the offensive with Shadow Ball, but Cradily deflects it and hits him with Power Whip, knocking him out.
Down to his last Pokémon, Ash decides to send Pikachu. Cradily attempts Rock Blast but is hit in the face by Quick Attack, but nonetheless launches it. Pikachu jumps on the rocks into the air, where Cradily tries to grab him with Power Whip, but Pikachu collects them all with Electroweb, much to Steven's shock. Pikachu then uses the opening to use Iron Tail on Cradily, knocking it out.
Steven then sends out Metagross once more and Mega Evolves it. Pikachu tries to use Thunderbolt but Metagross evades each attempt before landing a devastating Meteor Mash, although Pikachu endures the attack. He then tries to use Iron Tail, but Metagross grabs him with Psychic. Pikachu manages to endure again, so Ash decides to unleash the Z-Move 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. While Metagross manages to dodge the initial strikes and gets behind Pikachu, he manages to redirect a bolt towards it before the rest connect, severely damaging Metagross. As it is left dazed, he proceeds to use Iron Tail, defeating Metagross and eliminating Steven from the tournament, resulting in Ash facing Cynthia in the semifinals. Everyone is left impressed, including Team Rocket.
Steven thanks Ash for the match, stating that the bond with his Pokémon allowed him to win. Outside the stadium, Alain, Iris and Steven bid farewell to Ash, wishing him luck and expecting him to win the tournament. Back inside, Leon observes the stadium as the quarterfinals are expected to begin soon.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Steven's Cradily
===Move===
*Smart Strike
==Trivia==
*"Aim to Be a Pokémon Master (20th Anniversary)" was playing when Ash was using his Z-Move with his Pikachu as they were synchronizing.
==Gallery==
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches
Category:Episodes featuring Champions
Category:Episodes featuring Mega Pokémon