PJ116: Pride of a Champion!

is the 26th episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
The Masters Eight Tournament continues as the action moves to the second match of the first round: Lance, Champion of Kanto and Johto, versus Kalos Champion Diantha! Ash, Goh, and Hop watch from the stands, and there’s plenty of action. It’s three on three, starting with Lance’s Dragonite and Diantha’s Aurorus. Both teams are skilled, but the first bout goes to Lance! Next, Diantha brings out Gourgeist, while Lance switches Dragonite out and sends in Gyarados. Diantha wins, and the battle continues until finally it’s down to Lance’s Dynamax Dragonite versus Diantha’s Mega Gardevoir. Mega Gardevoir is victorious, and Diantha advances to the semifinals! Next up? Iris versus Cynthia!
==Episode plot==
The second match of the Masters Eight begins, with Lance and Diantha facing off. As their first Pokémon, Lance sends out his Dragonite while Diantha sends out her Aurorus. Diantha has Aurorus use Light Screen, while Lance has Dragonite use Hyper Beam, with Aurorus negating most of the damage with the barrier. Diantha uses the opening to have Aurorus use Blizzard, dealing super-effective damage against Dragonite, but it was able to endure it. Dragonite then body slams Aurorus, who also endures the attack. Lance orders another Body Press, but Diantha has Aurorus use Reflect to block most of the attack. As the other competitors watch, Cynthia remarks that Diantha already has the advantage. Aurorus uses Rock Slide, but Dragonite counters with Whirlwind, knocking Aurorus out.
Diantha then sends out Gourgeist, much to Jessie's delight as it reminds her of own Gourgeist. Seeing that Dragonite had taken too much damage, Lance recalls it for Gyarados. Gourgeist immediately uses Light Screen, followed by Trick-or-Treat to turn Gyarados into an additional alongside its normal / types. Gyarados uses Aqua Tail, which Gourgeist endures due to Reflect. Gyarados then uses Dragon Pulse, but Gourgeist strikes first with Shadow Sneak; despite this, Gourgeist still gets hit by Dragon Pulse. Gyarados attempts another Dragon Pulse, but Gourgeist uses Phantom Force to dodge it before slashing it with its hands, although it still ends up taking the hit again. Fortunately, Gyarados faints from this attack.
Lance then sends out his Hydreigon. Gourgeist uses Trick-or-Treat, but Lance ignores it and has Hydreigon use two Dark Pulses to finish Gourgeist off, as Reflect concludes. Diantha then sends out Gardevoir as her final Pokémon, who she immediately Mega Evolves and uses Shadow Ball, but Hydreigon counters with Tri Attack. Hydreigon uses Flash Cannon, but Gardevoir counters with Psychic and follows up with Moonblast, finishing Hydreigon off.
Lance sends out Dragonite once more and proceeds to Dynamax it. Mega Gardevoir uses another Moonblast as Dragonite uses Max Hailstorm, causing the arena to begin dropping hail. Dragonite then uses Max Strike, but Gardevoir endures and uses Shadow Ball. Dragonite cancels the attack by using Max Wyrmwind. As the two Pokémon continue to be pelted by hail, Diantha realizes Lance's plan, along with Ash, as he intends to take a gamble by letting it endure a few extra attacks before going all-out. As the hail subsides, Dynamax wears off and Lance orders a last-ditch Hyper Beam, but Gardevoir dodges and finishes Dragonite off with Moonblast.
With Lance's Pokémon all eliminated, Diantha is the winner and advances into the semi-finals. Lance concedes and expects to see much in her match against Leon. Hop is confident that his brother would win despite Diantha's battle style. As Diantha returns inside, Team Rocket interviews her. Diantha thanks her fans at Kalos for the victory, before Jessie butts in and tells her to have Gourgeist win her next match. Elsewhere, Ash catches up to Lance, who tells him to hang on as his battles are over. Iris then catches up to Ash, as her match against Cynthia is next. As she goes off to the stadium, she asks the two to wish her good luck in the upcoming match.
As the third match starts, Cynthia sends out Gastrodon while Iris sends out Excadrill, much to Ash and Pikachu's delight, as they haven't seen him in a long time.
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Lance's Hydreigon
*Diantha's Aurorus
*Diantha's Gourgeist
===Move===
*Trick-or-Treat
*Body Press
*Max Wyrmwind
==Gallery==
==Notes==
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches
Category:Episodes featuring Champions
Category:Episodes featuring Mega Pokémon