PJ018: Destination: Coronation!

is the 18th episode of , and of .
==Synopsis==
Ash has entered the World Coronation Series so he can have a rematch with Leon! But first, he needs to challenge a strong Trainer with a high ranking so he can work his way up the competitive ladder. Luckily for him, the acting Vermilion Gym Leader, Visquez, is hoping to challenge someone, too! Each Trainer can use two Pokémon, so Ash chooses Pikachu and Gengar, while Visquez teams up with Raichu and Electrode. Visquez has outstanding battle skills, but as always, Ash is thinking outside the box when it comes to strategies. He wins the match, immediately raising his rank to 3,763! On to the next challenge!
==Episode plot==
At the Cerise Laboratory, Ash signs up for the World Coronation Series and is excited to see 100 other Trainers registered for the competition. Goh did state that the World Coronation Series is one of the most popular competitions, while his Raboot is chilling out watching the boys on their phones. Ash is happy that he gets to battle other Trainers as rivals in many battles he's planning to take on. Ash notices that other Trainers are signing up after them, to which Ren states that new Trainers entering the competition start at Normal Class and work their way up to the Super, Hyper, and Master Classes. Professor Cerise explains that everyone shares the same goal in the World Coronation Series, and new Trainers' performances are based on whether they win or lose their first battle, making their first match very important.
Ash understands that he needs to advance to the Super Class to battle Leon, and the only way to do it is to battle his way through the Normal Class. Ash even sees Pikachu and Gengar are fired up for the challenge too. Ren suggests that the best way for Trainers to climb through the ranks is to find a competitor with a higher rank than him. Ash agrees and tries to search for a Trainer in Vermilion city nearby. Ash finds a Trainer who turns to be the substitute Gym Leader in the Vermilion Gym. Ash is surpised as he remembers Lt. Surge being the Gym Leader; Cerise explains he left on a training journey to refine his skill over -type Pokémon while his replacement, Visquez has taken his place at the Gym and is quite formidable as well. Ash and his Pokémon are getting fired up for the challenge.
As Ash and Goh head to the Vermilion City Gym, Goh asks if Ash already got the Gym's Badge, which Ash confirms as he earned it from Lt. Surge after beating his Raichu and it was his third badge when he began his journey. Just then, a Spearow flies by and catches Goh and Raboot's attention. Goh apologizes to Ash as he has plans to do, as ee and Raboot head off to catch the Spearow. At the Vermilion City Gym, a battle is taking place between a Trainer named Steve and Visquez. Visquez praises Steve for his skill, but he lacks the most vital thing he needs in order to surpass them: spirit to conquer himself. Visquez finishes off Steve with her Raichu ending the match with Volt Tackle, defeating his Hypno.
Steve is a bit depressed but accepts his defeat with Visquez, who tells him he can come back again once he is fully trained. After the battle is over, Visquez praises her Raichu for the hard work it does and sees that it still wants to battle. Visquez wishes that there were someone in the World Coronation Series to battle, as her men states that her rank of 2109 has stayed the same. However, Visquez checks her phone and sees there's a Trainer nearby. Ash and Pikachu arrive to the gym where they meet Visquez and her men, who recognize Ash as the challenger participating. Ash introduces himself to Visquez and challenges her to a World Coronation Series battle, which she accepts. Inside the gym, Visquez tells Ash she heard a lot about him from Lt. Surge, as he and his Pikachu had challenged him before and defeated him and his Raichu.
Goh and Raboot finally, arrive at the gym, where Goh has successfully captured the Spearow. Ash congratulates on his friend's capture and readies himself for his own task. Ash tells Visquez that he just signed up for the World Coronation Series and she'll be his first opponent, which the latter accepts and is honored to be his opponent. A Rotom Drone appears as it is part of the World Coronation Series as the referee, which Ash is happy to see one for the first time. The Rotom Drone explains that the battle will be a 2v2, and both Trainers are free to switch out Pokémon, and the battle will be over once either side's Pokémon are all defeated, and the winning side takes the victory. As everyone watche the battle, Goh notices some dents in the walls.
The battle starts with both Trainers sending out their first Pokémon: Ash sends out Pikachu, while Visquez sends out Raichu. As the battle begins, Visquez orders Raichu to use Thunderbolt while Ash and Pikachu counter with theirs, with both Thunderbolts colliding with each other, canceling each other out. Visquez calls for a Volt Tackle, while Ash tells Pikachu to use Iron Tail and stand on his tail while he takes the attack. Visquez and her friend realize Ash and Pikachu are using the same tactic from their battle with Lt. Surge, which involves Pikachu diverging all the electricity into the ground while he uses Iron Tail to help absorb the impact of Raichu's attacks. As Pikachu struggles to withstand the attack, Raboot seems worried for Pikachu but tries to hide it from anyone.
Raichu manages to break through Pikachu's defense, and knock it skyward. Raichu then jumps up and catches Pikachu, while throwing him around. Raichu releases Pikachu, but Ash tells him to Iron Tail, which he uses to roll up the wall and tries to attack, only for Raichu to use Reflect, blocking Pikachu's attacks. Visquez sees that Ash and Pikachu are very skilled in battle, to which Ash tells the former that anyone can try to turn things in any way possible in the last minute of a battle. Ash recalls Pikachu, stating that he did his best and doesn't want to push himself. Ash then summons Gengar, who is ready to battle.
As the battle continues, Ash orders Gengar to use Night Shade. Visquez tries to counter with Thunderbolt, but Gengar dodges and lands a hit on Raichu. Ash tells Gengar to continue with Ice Punch while moving at incredible speed. Visquez commands Raichu to use its tail to catch Gengar. However, due to Gengar's intangibility, Raichu's tail goes right through it, while Gengar delivers its devastating Ice Punch on Raichu. Visquez then tries to use Volt Tackle, but Ash has Gengar use Psychic, which stops Raichu's attack and sends it straight to the wall, leading to its defeat. Ash and Gengar are happy for their first battle, with Goh praising his friend and Gengar's skills in battle.
Then, Visquez brings out her second Pokémon, Electrode, as it was able to defeat Gengar. After Gengar got defeated, Ash brings out Pikachu again as he was able to do some damage on Electrode, but the Ball Pokémon has shown to be a tough Pokémon for the Mouse Pokémon. However, Ash was able to come up with a strategy with Pikachu as they were able to defeat Electrode, but it activated its hidden ability, Aftermath. Realizing this, Ash had Pikachu use Electroweb in order to avoid the damage from Electrode's Aftermath. Ash and Pikachu were excited to have their first World Coronation win, which brings his rank up. After the battle, Visquez tells Ash that she gonna tell Lt. Surge how much he's grown and he hopes to battle him again one day. 
==Debuts==
===Pokémon===
*Goh's Spearow
*Rotom Drone
==Trivia==
*"Who's That Pokémon?:" Raichu
*This is the first time a Ball Pokémon, like Voltorb or Electrode, came out of a Poké Ball.
*English TV guides listed the original character names for this one: "To boost their ranking, Satoshi, Pikachu, Go, and Rabbifuto head out to face Matis; with Matis away, the Gym is now being run by Visquez; during the battle, Satoshi recalls Pikachu and sends out Gangar"
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes featuring Gym Battles
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
Category:Episodes with Pokémon World Championship matches
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes featuring Champions