JN086

A Battle of Mega Versus Max! (Japanese: メガシンカ対キョダイマックス Mega Evolution VS ) is the 86th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,171st episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on November 5, 2021, in Canada on February 26, 2022, in South Africa on April 19, 2022, in Australia on May 12, 2022, and in the United States on May 26, 2022.
==Blurb==
Continuing their World Coronation Series Ultra Class battle, Ash, Bea, and their Pokémon continue to bring incredible excitement to the stadium! Bea’s battling style is fierce as usual, and her Fighting-type Pokémon unleash one skilled move after another. But Ash continues to come up with unusual ways to battle on the fly, which prompts real respect from his Gym Leader opponent. When Bea Gigantamaxes her Machamp and Ash Mega Evolves his Lucario, the intensity reaches a whole new level. Lucario’s newly enhanced power manages to overwhelm Machamp, and Ash emerges victorious, bringing him one step closer to a chance at battling Leon!
==Plot==
 and Bea's second World Coronation Series rematch at the Stow-on-Side Stadium continues with Bea's holding back Ash's Lucario's with . However, with some quick thinking, Lucario transfers the attack energy from its fists to its feet and strikes Machamp, freeing itself from the 's grasp. Ash then switches Lucario out in favor of . In the stands, Goh is surprised, as he had been expecting Ash to use , but explains that Ash wants to face Bea's Pokémon with his own types.
Sirfetch'd makes its first move with . Bea launches a counterattack with , but Sirfetch'd's attack manages to find an opening and hit Machamp. Bea then performs her own switch, recalling Machamp and sending out . While Hawlucha's is blocked by Sirfetch'd's shield, the Wrestling Pokémon easily dodges both a and a , before using . Sirfetch'd meets the attack with a Night Slash, but is overpowered and defeated, giving Bea the first knockout of the match.
Ash recalls Sirfetch'd and has take its place on the battlefield. Hawlucha starts charging up for a Sky Attack again, dodging Pikachu's while doing so. Thinking fast, Ash has Pikachu use on the ground and use while standing on his tail, causing his body to start vibrating rapidly. Hawlucha's Sky Attack strikes, but ends up being blown back by Pikachu's vibrations, although both sides suffer damage as a result. This strategy reminds Goh of the strategy Ash used against Visquez at the Vermilion Gym, although back then, only Iron Tail was used. Korrina explains that using Quick Attack created vibrations around Pikachu, which lessened the damage he took from Sky Attack and also dealt some damage on his opponent. Bea admits her admiration towards Ash's improvisational skills as she commands Hawlucha to use . However, the attack is intercepted by a Thunderbolt from Pikachu, dealing damage on Hawlucha and defeating it, leaving both s with two Pokémon each.
Bea recalls Hawlucha and sends out . Pikachu uses Quick Attack, but while the move makes contact, it also allows Grapploct to ensnare Pikachu in a tight . Ash calls for a Thunderbolt, but when it becomes clear that Octolock is preventing Pikachu from gathering enough strength to use the move, he instead tells him to relax and stop struggling against the move. Bea, however, won't fall for this tactic again, and has Grapploct strike Pikachu with a relentless , taking him out of the fight and leaving Ash with just one Pokémon.
Ash retrieves Pikachu and sends out Lucario. Wanting to preserve Lucario's strength for Machamp, Ash decides to settle things with Grapploct with a single move, ordering an , while Bea calls for a . The two moves clash, but Lucario's attack pushes through, defeating Grapploct. Bea recalls her defeated partner and sends out Machamp, declaring that she'll dig in her heels.
Knowing that their Pokémon have already taken considerable damage, Ash and Bea prepare for the final clash. Bea recalls Machamp, actually smiling at how exciting the battle has been, before declaring that Ash is worthy of her respect, and Gigantamaxes Machamp with her Dynamax Band. Ash responds by tapping his Key Stone, which reacts with Lucario's Lucarionite and causes the Aura Pokémon to Mega Evolve. Lucario attacks with Aura Sphere, which clashes with Machamp's , canceling both moves out. Lucario next charges in for a . Despite getting thrown back by , Lucario quickly regains its footing and lands the attack anyway. Machamp charges Dynamax power into its fists before executing its signature G-Max Move: . Ash tells Lucario to brace itself, and while the devasting move connects, Lucario manages to endure it, surprising Bea.
Lucario starts its counterattack, running up Machamp's arm and striking it in the face with an Aura Sphere. The impact causes the giant Pokémon to topple and revert to normal size. However, it is not defeated yet, and its power boost from its G-Max Move still remains. As Lucario charges in, Machamp uses this power boost to locate Lucario's weak spot, and attacks towards it with Bullet Punch, while Lucario meets the attack with a Force Palm. While the two Pokémon attempt to overpower each other, Lucario's Force Palm suddenly transforms into a new move. In the announcer's booth, recognizes the move as . Lucario's move powers through and strikes Machamp, creating an explosion. When the smoke clears, Machamp attemps to stand back up, but quickly collapses. With this knockout, the Drone Rotom rules Ash as the winner of the match. Lucario reverts to normal and collapses on its Trainer's arms, Ash's rank rises to 36, and Leon leads the audience into an applause before departing.
That evening, Ash, Goh, Korrina, and Bea stand on the empty Stadium's battlefield. Goh and Korrina congratulate Ash on his victory, while Ash laments on Leon leaving so soon after the match. However, Bea figures this is for the best, saying they should only meet on a battlefield. Bea promises to Ash that they'll battle again someday, sharing a fist bump with him and finally referring to him by his name, showing that she finally acknowledges him.
==Major events==
* Mega Evolves his for the first time.
* Ash's Lucario learns .
* Ash continues his second World Coronation Series rematch against Bea and wins, bringing his rank to 36.
* Ash and Goh return to Vermilion City.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* Gigantamax 
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* Goh
* (fantasy)
* (fantasy)
* 
* Bea
* Raihan (fantasy)
* 
* Announcer
* Crowd
===Pokémon===
* ()
* (; Mega Lucario)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Bea's)
* (Bea's)
* (Bea's; Gigantamax)
* (Drone Rotom)
==Trivia==
* Get Inspired! Let's Solve a Poké Riddle!!: 
* The Dare da? segment is replaced with eyecatches of , Goh, and for this episode.
* This episode marks the first time Ash Mega Evolves one of his Pokémon.
** As of this episode, is the only original series protagonist who has not been shown using Mega Evolution.
* This marks the first time a Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed Pokémon has reverted to normal before being defeated in the .
* Music from Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice is used in this episode.
* is the only Pokémon to be portrayed with the traditional swirly eyes upon fainting in this battle.
* Bea's lines before Gigantamaxing Machamp and before launching are direct quotes from her first battle with the in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
* Chloe, Chloe's Eevee, Goh, a , Ash, Regina, and Pikachu narrate the preview for the next episode.
** A special preview for JN089 and JN090 was aired after this episode.
===Errors===
* When Ash recalls and looks at its , the upper part of his right-hand glove is missing.
===Dub edits===
* The Japanese text depicting the Stow-on-Side Stadium's name is edited out.
==In other languages==
086
Category:Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka
Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Yūji Asada
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Yūji Asada
Category:Episodes directed by Yūji Asada
Category:Episodes animated by Masaaki Iwane
Category:Episodes animated by Izumi Shimura
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes with World Coronation Series matches
Category:Episodes in which a Champion appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
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 Australia before the United States
de:Ein Kampf von Giga gegen Mega!
es:EP1175
fr:LV086
it:EP086
ja:新無印編第86話
zh:宝可梦 旅途 第86集