XY127

Analysis Versus Passion! (Japanese: 準決勝フルバトル！サトシ対ショータ！！ The Semifinal Full Battle! VS !!) is the 127th episode of Pokémon the Series: XY, and the 926th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on July 21, 2016 and in the United States on October 8, 2016.
==Blurb==
Alain and Remo are battling in the semifinals of the Kalos League, and it’s clear these two Trainers have a heated rivalry—but Remo’s Mega Garchomp is no match for Alain’s Mega Charizard, and Alain moves on to the final round!
Next, Ash and Sawyer meet for the Full Battle they’ve been waiting for! Sawyer brings his cool-headed, analytical style, while Ash is all fired up as usual. The two Trainers seem pretty evenly matched—Sawyer’s Slaking beats Ash’s Hawlucha, Talonflame beats Slaking, Clawitzer beats Talonflame, and Pikachu defeats Clawitzer! Then, Sawyer calls forth Aegislash, and things are tense as the Royal Sword Pokémon chases Pikachu through the forest battlefield...
==Plot==
Remo and Alain are in the middle of a Full Battle, and eventually, Alain's Charizard finishes off Remo's with a blow from a . The scoreboard reveals that Alain has managed to defeat five of Remo's Pokémon while losing only his own . Sitting in the gallery, is spellbound by the match. reveals that Alain has only used two of his Pokémon in the Conference so far: Charizard and Metagross. Back on the battlefield, Alain looks forward to advancing to the finals after beating Remo's final Pokémon, while Remo sends out the trump card of his team, his Garchoo. Remo recalls the fierce training he's undergone since losing to Alain, and vows to beat him.
Remo opens the fight by Mega Evolving Garchoo, after which Mega Garchomp fires a . Alain commands his Charizard to dodge the barrage of meteors, but one manages to strike it. Without any further ado, Alain too Mega Evolves his Charizard into Mega Charizard X. Remo has his Mega Garchomp use , but Mega Charizard X intercepts it in midair with a Dragon Claw. To Remo's astonishment, with both Pokémon still in the air, Alain commands Mega Charizard X to hurl its opponent through the air behind it and use . Both Trainers then, in unison, command their Pokémon to use Dragon Claw, but when the dust clears, Mega Garchomp is sprawled on the ground, knocked out, making Alain the first finalist. As he leaves the arena, looks worriedly after his former assistant from his VIP seat.
Meanwhile, Ash gives a brief speech to his team before his battle with Sawyer, telling them that after all they've been through together, he believes in them. Sawyer, too, is briefly seen reviewing his notes before the battle, just as eager in his own way.
In the stands, Ash's friends are anxious about Ash and Sawyer's match, too. Clemont acknowledges Sawyer as a potent threat to Ash, since he has already defeated Ash once. Having battled Sawyer himself, claims that Sawyer and Ash are similar in a way, though they battle differently. Clemont suggests that what Tierno felt was the result of Sawyer's close investigation and scrutinization of Ash's fighting style. Elsewhere, together in the VIP seats, Professor Sycamore and Diantha are eager to witness the battle between a pair with such different styles.
The stadium announcer then introduces Ash and Sawyer, who enter the battlefield. Alain is seen taking up a position to watch Ash's match, while Malva is seen ordering around again. Jessie is frustrated, certain that a beauty like her would be a much better subject than Ash any day of the week. James and tell her to hang in there just a little longer.
On the field, Ash and Sawyer are both determined to win. The referee explains the rules. Most notably, when half the party of either Trainer is knocked out, they will take a brief break to change the battlefield. Ash chooses as his first Pokémon, who emerges wearing a strange outfit. reveals that she designed it after Hawlucha approached her wanting a cape, saying it's only fitting for the forest champion's appearance on such a grand stage. In response, Sawyer sends out his .
Ash takes the initiative with a from Hawlucha, which directly hits Slaking, but Slaking doesn't even flinch. Next, Ash tries a , followed by an , again to little apparent effect. In the stands, Clemont notes that Hawlucha's battle style usually involves building his own momentum by taking attacks from his opponent, making a battle against an unmoving Slaking tough for him. Ash continues by ordering a barrage of Karate Chops, but while Slaking appears to be taking damage, it's still not reacting like it's being hurt by any of Hawlucha's attacks.
Sawyer then has his Slaking use , restoring its health. Wary of whatever strategy Sawyer comes up with, Ash resolves to push through before he can pull it off. He commands a High Jump Kick followed by an X-Scissor, and when they still appear to be having little effect, he orders Hawlucha to use . Upon seeing this, however, Sawyer yells out to Slaking to use . With a hard-hitting punch, Slaking's fist intercepts Hawlucha in the middle of his descent out of the air and sends him flying back. Hawlucha hits a tree and falls to the ground, unconscious and out of the battle.
Ash compliments Sawyer on his superb strategy and sends out . Talonflame uses , but Slaking once again heals up with Slack Off. Nevertheless, Ash remains undaunted, confident that Hawlucha's attacks have had an effect, and orders a . Sawyer tries to counter this with a , but as Slaking stands to deliver its blow, all of the damage Hawlucha inflicted on it finally kicks in and it suddenly falters onto one knee, thus enabling Talonflame to push past Slaking's attack to connect with its own. As Slaking reels, Ash quickly commands Talonflame to follow up with , and it hits Slaking and knocks it out.
Sawyer then summons his second Pokémon, . Clawitzer starts chasing Talonflame through the air using , a strategy inspired by Ash, but Talonflame evades its attacks. When Ash orders Talonflame to close in, Sawyer counters with an that freezes part of Talonflame's wing. Ash responds by using Flame Charge to melt away the ice, and Sawyer quickly orders an Aqua Jet to intercept the incoming Talonflame. When the steam from their collision clears, Talonflame is seen lying inert on the ground, giving the victory to Clawitzer. Outside the battlefield, Team Rocket observe that Ash seems to be having trouble, and Ash's friends worry that the battle is proceeding exactly as Sawyer has planned it.
Ash's next choice is , who he sends straight into the forest for cover. Jumping quickly from tree to tree, Pikachu emerges to attack with , but Clawitzer quickly dodges. Pikachu follows up with a , but Clawitzer dodges again. From midair, Clawitzer retaliates with an Ice Beam, but Pikachu manages to jump out of the way. Now sailing through the air itself, Pikachu uses and Clawitzer quickly counters with , and the two attacks cancel each other out. Both Pokémon come crashing down to the ground, but both remain on their feet when the dust clears. When Sawyer orders Clawitzer to use Aqua Jet next, Ash sends Pikachu back into the forest, where Clawitzer loses track of it. Pikachu jumps out of a tree with , but to Ash's surprise, Clawitzer clamps down on Pikachu's tail with its pincer. Sawyer directs Clawitzer to use , but before it can unleash its attack, Ash commands an Electro Ball which forms directly inside Clawitzer's pincer, setting Pikachu free with the blast. Before Clawitzer can recover, Pikachu blasts it with a Thunderbolt, finishing it off.
Sawyer chooses as his next Pokémon. Ash reprises his strategy of using the forest for cover and Pikachu again darts among the trees. In response, however, Sawyer calls out for Aegislash to use , and Aegislash starts chopping through whole trees. As Pikachu returns to the ground, Aegislash continues slashing through trees, which are now toppling over everywhere. Everyone is wary of what Sawyer's new strategy will turn out to be.
==Major events==
* Alain's is revealed to have evolved into .
* Alain defeats Remo in a Full Battle in the semifinals, advancing to the finals.
* begins his semifinal Full Battle against Sawyer.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Jessie
* James
* Nurse Joy (flashback)
* 
* Alain
* 
* 
* 
* Sawyer
* Malva
* Diantha
* Remo
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international)
Pokémon Quiz: (Japan)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; Mega Charizard X)
* (Alain's; image)
* (Sawyer's)
* (Sawyer's)
* (Sawyer's)
* (Remo's; Mega Garchomp; Garchoo)
* (Remo's; image)
* (Remo's; image)
* (Remo's; image)
* (Remo's; image)
* (Remo's; Rhypo)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
==Trivia==
* Poké TV: "Burn! Pokémon Challenge!!" focusing on .
* and Sawyer narrate the preview for the next episode.
* The regular opening sequence is entirely replaced with clips from the third Pokémon the Series: XY movie.
** On a similar note, this episode was the first to air in Japan after the theatrical release of M19.
* This episode and the following one are the first to feature a proper Full Battle since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.
* Despite having existed since Generation III, this is the first time it's seen being used in the animated series.
* This is the first time since The Semi-Final Frontier!, 271 episodes ago, that Ash has participated in a Full Battle.
===Errors===
* When is hit by 's , the scoreboard shows Remo's old design. This also occurs when Mega Garchomp uses .
* Once Alain defeats Remo, in the split-second that it is shown, the scoreboard is missing his , only showing a in its place, when it was shown on the scoreboard the last time it was shown.
* When escapes from its Poké Ball, it is shown coming from 's side, when in fact it should have come from 's.
* When Ash sends out and the crowd stares at him, the 's beak is yellow instead of white.
* Before uses on , the scoreboard shows Ash's Talonflame and Hawlucha on the right-hand side of Ash's team, whereas they were shown on the left in a previous shot of the scoreboard and in the following shot when Sawyer's is added.
XY127 error 2.png|Remo in his old design
XY127 error 1.png|Swablu's miscolored beak
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
127
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Sawyer
Category:Pokémon League episodes
Category:Episodes in which a Champion appears
Category:Episodes featuring Elite Four members
Category:Episodes written by Akemi Omode
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Masakatsu Iijima
Category:Episodes directed by Fumio Maezono
Category:Episodes animated by Takashi Shinohara
de:Analyse gegen Leidenschaft!
es:EP930
fr:XY127
it:XY127
ja:XY編第127話
zh:宝可梦 XY 第126集