PJ109: Aim for the Eight!

is the 19th episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
It’s time for Ash’s battle against Raihan—the winner gets to compete in the Masters Eight Tournament! As Leon watches, the three-on-three battle begins with Raihan’s Flygon versus Ash’s Dragonite. But Flygon overwhelms Dragonite, and Raihan is in the lead! Then, Ash chooses Gengar. Flygon attacks fiercely, but after recovering from an attack, Gengar Gigantamaxes! Flygon is taken down, and then Gengar and Raihan’s Goodra knock each other out! With one Pokémon left on each side, Raihan chooses Duraludon, while Ash chooses Lucario. Although Duraludon Gigantamaxes, it’s no match for Ash and Lucario’s new technique: G-Max Aura Sphere. Ash wins the battle, officially becoming a member of the Masters Eight!
==Episode plot==
After recalling Dragonite, Ash chooses Gengar as his second Pokémon. While Gengar manages to evade Flygon's Steel Wing, his Ice Punch fails to land, leaving Gengar just as vulnerable against Flygon's hit-and-run strategy as Dragonite had been. Following a series of Dragon Claws, Gengar is struck by a super effective Crunch, dealing heavy damage to it. Goh is getting worried, since losing Gengar now would leave Ash with just one Pokémon against Raihan's three, putting him in a severe disadvantage. As Gengar wearily stands back up, Raihan asks Ash why he wants to battle Leon, because to him, the desire to challenge Leon needs to be supported by a desire to defeat him, a desire that he has in spades. Ash, however, declares that he too wants to defeat Leon, and refuses to lose here in order to realize that goal.
Seeing that Gengar is getting tired, Ash changes his initial plans, apologizing to Lucario for not being able to Mega Evolve it now as he slips on his Dynamax Band and Gigantamaxes Gengar. Using Gigantamax Gengar's giant mouth, Ash has it suck away the sandstorm, leaving Flygon exposed and wide open for G-Max Terror, which scores a direct hit. Raihan attempts a counterattack with Crunch, but Flygon is stopped on its tracks by a super effective Max Starfall, defeating it and evening the odds.
Raihan selects Goodra to be his second Pokémon and has it use Rain Dance, further demonstrating his weather-based strategies. Utilizing the rain to its advantage, Goodra launches a rapid-fire offensive with Thunder, Surf and Hydro Pump, all of which deal devastating blows. Ash considers recalling Gengar, but as he sees its willingness to keep going, Ash decides to keep it out. Goodra attempts another Surf, but this time, Gengar is able to deflect it with its tongue. Gengar attacks with Max Starfall, while Goodra uses Hydro Pump, both moves hitting their targets. Gengar reverts to its normal size as both Pokémon collapse, resulting in a double knockout and leaving both Trainers with one Pokémon each.
Both sides recall their Pokémon and send out their last fighters, Lucario and Duradludon. While Ash has already used his once-in-a-battle power-up, Raihan still has his Dynamax to use, and he puts it to use by immediately Gigantamaxing Duraludon. Lucario uses Double Team to confuse Duraludon, before using Aura Sphere, which, however, doesn't faze the Gigantamax Pokémon at all despite the move being super effective. After a second Aura Sphere provides equally lackluster results, Raihan starts his counteroffensive with Max Steelspike, which Lucario is unable to completely avoid. Raihan then has Duraludon unleash its strongest attack; G-Max Depletion, which envelops the fatigued Lucario in a swirling tornado of energy. To Raihan's surprise, however, Ash is perfectly calm about this situation, as is Lucario, who is standing still inside the vortex and charging up an Aura Sphere. 
Ash and Lucario's Auras are in perfect sync as Lucario raises the growing Aura Sphere over its head, causing the G-Max Move to dissipate around it, much to Raihan's shock. Goh realizes that this Aura Sphere is similar to what Lucario did after its training with Greninja, except that it's even bigger than last time despite Lucario not being Mega Evolved. Drawing power from the Aura of its teammates, Goh and his partners, and even Greninja all the way back in Kalos, Lucario's Aura Sphere grows to a gigantic size, and Ash dubs it "G-Max Aura Sphere". Raihan orders a counterattack with Max Rockfall, but the abnormally large Aura Sphere powers through it and hits Duraludon, knocking it out. Dan declares Ash the winner of the match, causing his and Raihan's rankings to swap. Ecstatic at the victory, Ash and Pikachu congratulate Lucario for the win. Raihan approaches Ash and concedes defeat before taking a selfie with him, swearing to defeat both him and Leon one day and that he had better not lose until then. 
With the season's final Promotion Match completed, the eight Trainers advancing to the Masters Tournament have been decided. In addition to Ash, who is now ranked eighth, said Trainers include Unova Champion Iris; Lumiose Conference winner Alain; Kalos Champion Diantha; the combined Champion of Kanto and Johto, Lance; Hoenn Champion Steven Stone; Sinnoh Champion Cynthia; and Leon, the undefeated Monarch and Galar Champion.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Raihan's Flygon
*Raihan's Goodra
===Move===
*G-Max Depletion
==Trivia==
*This marks the first World Coronation Series battle promotion that Ash won with a Pokémon other than Dragonite.
*The title is a reference to the manga Aim for the Ace!.
==Gallery==
==Notes==
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches
Category:Episodes featuring Mega Pokémon
Category:Episodes featuring Champions