SM077

Guiding an Awakening! (Japanese: クチナシの大試練！ルガルガン覚醒！！ 's Grand Trial! Awakens!!) is the 77th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 1,016th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on May 31, 2018, in New Zealand on September 28, 2018, in Canada on October 20, 2018, in Australia and the United Kingdom on October 30, 2018, and in the United States on November 3, 2018.
==Blurb==
Ash's grand trial on Ula'ula Island is in full swing, and the kahuna has lots of twists and turns in store for the battle!
Following Ash's victory at the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart, Ula'ula Island Kahuna Nanu agrees to battle him in a grand trial! But there's a catch—Ash must defeat three of Nanu’s Pokémon using only one of his.
He chooses Lycanroc, whose training has paid off, as it quickly defeats Nanu's Krookodile. Next up is Sableye, and Lycanroc lands another win. But when Nanu sends out his Alolan Persian and begins taunting Ash, Lycanroc's temper begins to flare—leading Ash to realize that Lycanroc is channeling that anger into power! Determined, Lycanroc learns the move Counter and defeats Persian. Ash wins a Lycanium Z and his third grand trial!
==Plot==
Accompanied by Nanu, Acerola enters the empty Ruins of Abundance and leaves an offering of . Later, , with the Rockium Z equipped to his Z-Power Ring, challenges Nanu to a grand trial . At the battlefield, Acerola wishes Ash good luck as she takes her position as the referee. It is revealed that in order for Ash to clear the Ula'ula Island grand trial, he must defeat three of Nanu's Pokémon with only one of his. Ash uses and tells the judgmental Nanu that Lycanroc is motivated.
Nanu calls out his , but Lycanroc remains unfazed by its opponent's Ability. When Acerola calls for the match to begin, Nanu starts off with , which Lycanroc avoids, only to fall into a . Krookodile uses another Mud-Slap, and Lycanroc's eyes turn red after its fur is dirtied. This time, however, it simply jumps out of the Sand Tomb, and its eyes return to normal as it shakes off the mud. Ash tries to order Lycanroc to use , but he remembers Krookodile used to defeat Lycanroc last time. He opts to use instead, but Krookodile destroys it with its tail. Ash repeats the move, but Krookodile uses the same tactic to defend itself.
Nanu realizes that Ash is attempting to avoid close-range combat and has Krookodile approach with . Lycanroc dodges it and uses another Rock Throw, but the attack is again swatted away by Krookodile's tail. Nanu claims the battle is getting boring and calls Ash gutless for his fear of Krookodile's Counter, reminding him that a Pokemon battle is meant to be an exchange of power. Lycanroc also shares these sentiments, so Ash orders Accelerock. Krookodile goes to use Counter, but is struck by Lycanroc's speed before it has the chance, much to Nanu's surprise. Krookodile is overwhelmed by Lycanroc's follow-up Rock Throw and subsequently defeated. Ash thanks Nanu for his sharp words, which he says motivated him to fight. Nanu says lying can be a good strategy and that he planned to lure Ash into a Counter situation.
Nanu sends out his and starts the match off with . When Lycanroc's Rock Throw cancels out the attack, Sableye follows up with , which inflicts some damage on Lycanroc. Ash calls for , but it collides with Sableye's . Before Lycanroc can attack again, Sableye freezes it in place with . Ash calls for an attack, but Lycanroc is unable to move and is subsequently struck by several Shadow Claws. After being hit by Shadow Sneak, Lycanroc reverts to its red-eyed form and goes on to evade another onslaught of Shadow Claws. Nanu takes a moment to inform Ash that Lycanroc seems to be much stronger whenever it is angry, but Ash fears his Pokémon will not listen to his instructions. He has Lycanroc use , which defeats Sableye. Nanu recalls his Pokémon, surprised by Lycanroc's new move, while Ash notices Lycanroc is panting heavily from exhaustion. This prompts to approach and deliver a Sitrus Berry, which rejuvenates Lycanroc.
Nanu's is sent out. Its strikes Lycanroc down, but Persian takes a hit from Lycanroc's Stone Edge. Nanu takes another swipe at Ash, noting that Lycanroc could perform better without its . While Ash is angered by Nanu's inflammatory comments, Persian lands a on Lycanroc. The attacks hits its mark, and Rotom quickly realizes that this is another distraction tactic. Lycanroc shakes off the attack, but after another two Dark Pulses it again enters its red eyed state. Nanu admits he is trying to make Lycanroc lose control and earn himself the victory. Ash calls for Lycanroc to calm down, while Nanu continues to call Ash a worthless Trainer. Nanu sees another opportunity as Ash is again enraged, and Persian strikes Lycanroc with a . Nanu argues that he is a specialist and defends his so-called unfair tactics. As Persian is about to finish Lycanroc off, Ash call for his Pokémon to calm down. Lycanroc suddenly turns on Ash and knocks him to the ground.
Ash gazes into Lycanroc's red eyes and realizes that it is a sign that it grew in power, and was not blinded by rage. He apologizes for not noticing Lycanroc's control over its power and for becoming distracted by Nanu's comments. Lycanroc nudges Ash and accepts the apology, which allows the match to resume. Lycanroc dodges several Night Slashes and responds with a new move, Counter. Nanu is amused by the development and resorts to using his Z-Crystal. He activates its power and has Persian perform . However, Ash replies with a Z-Move of his own and has Lycanroc unleash a . The large mound of rock is consumed by the black hole, and the two attacks cancel each other out. Lycanroc follows up with Accelerock, and Persian is defeated. Acerola officially calls the match, with Ash winning the grand trial.
Nanu congratulates his opponent and pulls out a Darkinium Z, though he quickly retracts his offering and notes that Ash isn't the type of guy that would use it. Instead he gives Ash a different Z-Crystal, a Lycanium Z. Ash is amazed as Nanu explains that the Z-Crystal is exclusive to Lycanroc. A sudden ring of a cow bell causes the group to look up, and it is Tapu Bulu who drops another Sitrus Berry to Lycanroc.
Later, Ash and his Pokémon leave Ula'ula Island, with Acerola waving him off and wishing for his return someday soon. Ash waves goodbye to her, and invites her to visit the Pokémon School one day. As the ship sails into the distance, Nanu watches on and admits Ash is an interesting guy. Acerola points out that he could have said goodbye to Ash, but Nanu shrugs off the idea. Acerola still feels that Nanu enjoyed the battle, though Nanu notes that he couldn't afford to slack off and did his best. As they sail into the sunset, Ash readies his Pokémon and hopes to clear the next Grand Trial.
==Major events==
* Ash's Lycanroc is revealed to have gained control of its red-eyed state, allowing it to be used as a temporary power boost.
* Ash's Lycanroc learns .
* battles Nanu in the Ula'ula Island grand trial and wins, earning a Lycanium Z as a reward.
* Ash leaves Ula'ula Island and returns to Melemele Island to rejoin .
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* Nanu
* Acerola
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: (US and international), (Alolan Form) (Japan)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; )
* ()
* ()
* (Nanu's; Alolan form; ×2)
* (Nanu's)
* (Nanu's)
* (Nanu's; Alolan form)
* (Acerola's; ; Mimikins)
* (Ride Pokémon)
* ()
==Trivia==
* Poké Problem: Which one of these is the final Pokémon Nanu sends out in today's episode?
** Host: :
** Choices: , Mimikins, , 
** Answer: Alolan Persian
* Aim to Be a Pokémon Master -20th Anniversary- is used as an insert song when and perform .
* , , Ash, , , , and a all narrate the preview for the next episode.
* Despite the move having existed since Generation IV, this is the first time has been used in the .
** As of this episode, all variations of have been used in the animated series.
* The period from Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime? to this episode marks the longest time Ash has been without or classmates in the animated series, being a span of five episodes.
* This is the first episode to feature fewer than four human characters (including flashbacks).
** This is also the first episode where Ash is the only human main character to appear in any form.
* Ash, Acerola, Nanu, and read the Who's That Pokémon? segment in the dub.
* While Ash had participated in Gym s where he and the Gym Leader did not have the same number of Pokémon participating in the battle (particularly his rematch against Whitney and battle against Roxie), Nanu's trial is the first official match where Ash had to use less Pokémon rather than the Gym Leader or Island Kahuna.
===Errors===
* The closed captions for the dub mistakenly show the answer to the Who's That Pokémon? segment as "It's Sableye! (Alolan Form)".
===Dub edits===
* The kanji for "grand trial" used in the Japanese VS screen was changed to "VS".
File:SM077 Ash VS Nanu.png|Ash facing Nanu in the Japanese version
File:SM077 Ash VS Nanu dub.png|Ash facing Nanu in the dub
==In other languages==
077
Category:Episodes written by Shōji Yonemura
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Kaori Higuchi
Category:Episodes directed by Kazuaki Mōri
Category:Episodes animated by Masaya Ōnishi
Category:Episodes with trials
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character receives a Z-Crystal
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which an Ultra Beast appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
Category:Episodes which aired in New Zealand before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Canada before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Australia before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
de:Wachgerüttelt!
es:EP1020
fr:SL077
it:SL077
ja:SM編第77話
zh:宝可梦 太阳＆月亮 第77集