JN125

Whittle While You Work! (Japanese: セミファイナルⅣ　「衝撃」 The Semifinals IV: "Impact") is the 125th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,210th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on September 16, 2022, in Canada on March 4, 2023, in South Africa on March 14, 2023, in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2023, in Australia on May 1, 2023, and in the United States on June 23, 2023.
==Blurb==
The second match of the Masters Eight Tournament semifinals continues with Ash battling Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. The six-on-six Full Battle has promised lots of action…and it has certainly delivered! With five of Ash’s Pokémon already eliminated, it’s now up to Mega Lucario. First up is Cynthia’s Dynamax Togekiss, and Lucario wins, leaving Cynthia with only Garchomp. This is the last battle of the match, and both Pokémon fight hard, but Lucario’s endurance gives Ash the victory! Moving on to the finals round, our hero now must prepare for his toughest battle yet—against Leon!
==Plot==
The second Pokémon World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament semifinals between and continues. Faced with the surprising move of Cynthia Dynamaxing rather than Mega Evolving , Ash uses his Key Stone to Mega Evolve . Mega Lucario attacks with while Togekiss counters with . Lucario leaps into the cyclone to continue its attack, but the fierce winds blast it out, while Togekiss smothers the Aura Sphere with its body. Furthermore, Max Airstream's effect increases Togekiss's . Refusing to give in, Ash calls for , while Cynthia counters with Max Airstream once more. This time, however, Lucario leaps over the cyclone and begins pummeling Togekiss, dealing damage. The onslaught causes Togekiss to crash into the ground, but, to everyone's shock, it manages to get back up, its speed increasing once again. Cynthia orders a third Max Airstream, which meets Aura Sphere as it charges up. Ash and Lucario draw their aura together to fight back, while all the way in Kalos, feels the surge of power occur as "Giant Aura Sphere" pushes forward and finally breaks through to score a direct hit on the , much to Cynthia's shock and awe. Togekiss reverts to its normal size and collapses to the ground, but soon gets up once more, its speed bolstered a third time. Cynthia expresses her excitement over the battle and continues, Togekiss flying around at high speeds and avoiding Lucario's Bullet Punch attempts. When Cynthia calls for , Ash counters with to avoid the attack, but Togekiss destroys the copies before it can be struck by Aura Sphere. However, it fails to overpower Bullet Punch and is repelled, finally being declared unable to battle. Cynthia recalls and thanks Togekiss, while Ash praises Lucario. 
With only one Pokémon left for both participants, Cynthia calls upon Garchomp one final time, marking the start of the battle's climax. Backstage, Diantha and compare the damage both Pokémon have received in their respective battles, believing the battle is a toss-up. Seeing Ash and Lucario's powerful connection, Cynthia and Garchomp think back to their past travels together over their many years: from playing together as children, to fishing up a , Garchomp's evolutionary road from , viewing the mural at Amity Square, and their countless battles as partners on their shared road to the present. Cynthia declares they will be the ones to battle Leon and calls for . Lucario counters with Bullet Punch, before following it up with an Aura Sphere, triggering a large explosion that damages both Pokémon. Cynthia's excitement peaks as she exclaims how she has longed for a battle this intense. Lucario and Garchomp begin trading blows with Bullet Punch and , turning the battle into an all-out slugfest as the two try desperately to knock the other out. Eventually the flurry of blows stops and both Pokémon back off, clearly running low on energy. When Lucario drops to one knee, Cynthia takes her chance and orders Dragon Claw once more, but Lucario musters the last of his strength to counter with . Both attacks score devastating blows and both Pokémon simultaneously hit the dirt, seemingly unable to continue. After several agonizing moments of deafening silence, Lucario slowly rises to its feet, while Garchomp remains motionless on the ground. Dan declares Garchomp unable to battle and Ash the winner of the match, allowing Ash to advance to the finals.
Ash stands stupefied as cheers shower down on him, unable to quite believe he has actually managed to defeat Cynthia. It is not until he sees jumping for joy does he fully realize his victory. Bursting with excitement, he rushes forth and hugs Lucario. In the stands, Goh and Hop cheer for Ash's victory, as do , who are overcome with emotion that their twerp has now toppled the s of both Hoenn and Sinnoh. In Pallet Town, at Oak's lab rejoice, while fights off tears. Meanwhile, Leon is fired up and can't hold back his own excitement over facing Ash in the finals. Garchomp accepts Lucario's paw and rises to her feet, while Cynthia congratulates Ash on his triumph. She praises his unparalleled connection with all of his Pokémon, admitting that she still has much to learn, and adds that she hopes to battle him again in the future. Meanwhile, the announcer reveals that the matchup of Ash versus Leon in the finals will be another six-on-six Full Battle to decide who gets the title of Monarch.
Cynthia reconvenes with Diantha in the tunnel and apologizes for losing. Cynthia admits that battling provides her with a thrill that can't be surpassed, choosing to continue on with her career as a Pokémon Trainer, rather than retiring like she previously planned, while still moving forward with her fields of research, much to Diantha's happiness. Outside, Ash summons his team to thank them for their victory. However, he adds that now that they have reached the finals and their goal of battling Leon, they can't back down and will emerge victorious. As the team cheers, they begin preparing to face their strongest opponent ever.
==Major events==
* The Full Battle between and ends in Ash's victory, advancing him to the finals to face .
* Cynthia changes her mind about retiring from s.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* Goh
* Jessie
* James
* 
* 
* 
* Diantha
* 
* Hop
* Dan
* Vic
* Toria
* Announcer
* Crowd
===Pokémon===
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* (formerly )
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* (; Mega Lucario)
* ()
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* ()
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* (; )
* (; flashback)
* (; flashback)
* ()
* ('s; flashback)
* ('s; Dynamax)
* (Dan's)
* (Trainer's; flashback)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's; ×2)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's; Alolan form)
* (Trainer's; Galarian Form; ×2)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
==Trivia==
* Get Inspired! Let's Solve a Poké Riddle!!: 
* This episode marks the first time that is defeated in an onscreen battle.
** This episode also marks the first time Cynthia's Garchomp has been knocked out onscreen.
* James's Morpeko is seen eating Poffins after the battle as a reference to Cynthia's home region.
* Shinji Miyazaki's music from Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice is reused as background music in this episode.
* The ending shot of the episode features a scarlet horizon in the sunset and a violet starry sky, possibly referencing .
* This episode marks the final physical appearance of Ash's Greninja.
* The Dare da? segment is replaced with eyecatches of , Goh, and for this episode.
* Goh's Rotom Phone narrates the preview for the next episode.
* The English dub title is a reference to , a song from the 1937 animated film, .
===Errors===
===Dub edits===
* Similar to Aim For The Eight!, Ash likening 's giant to a G-Max Move by calling it "G-Max Aura Sphere" (Japanese: キョダイはどうだん Wave Bomb) is removed in the dub, instead calling it "Giant Aura Sphere".
==In other languages==
125
Category:Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Noriaki Saitō
Category:Episodes directed by Mayu Numayama
Category:Episodes by one-time animation directors
Category:Milestone episodes
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes in which a Champion appears
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches
Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes which aired in Canada before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in South Africa before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Australia before the United States
de:Schritt für Schritt dem Ziel näher!
es:EP1214
fr:LV125
it:EP125
ja:新無印編第125話
zh:宝可梦 旅途 第123集