SM143

Fiery Surprises! (Japanese: 決着！ガオガエンVSニャヒート！！ Conclusion! VS !!) is the 143rd episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 1,082nd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on October 13, 2019 and in the United States on February 15, 2020.
==Blurb==
With three Pokémon left on each side during the Alola Pokémon League’s exhibition match, Ash’s Naganadel is up against Professor Kukui’s Lucario. A strategic Dragon Pulse lands another win for Ash—and the first-ever battle victory for Naganadel!
Then, it’s Torracat’s rematch with Incineroar. The flames burn hotter than ever, and when the smoke clears, Torracat is on top! Triumphant, it suddenly evolves and becomes an Incineroar itself! But all the excitement leaves it too exhausted to continue.
Just as Professor Kukui is about to send out his final Pokémon, Tapu Koko appears—and decides that it wants to battle Ash instead! Just how will Ash approach this history-making matchup?
==Plot==
The Full Battle between and continues as foils 's with . Naganadel retaliates with , but this fails to affect Lucario due to its immunity to attacks. Lucario uses , which Naganadel dodges. It reappears behind Lucario to land a surprise , but Lucario manages to brace itself and emerges unscathed. Lucario then goes in for another Close Combat, but the shoe is on the other foot this time; Naganadel foils Lucario's attack with X-Scissor. Kukui has Lucario use , dodging Naganadel's X-Scissor attacks before coming in from above and hurtling its opponent onto the ground. As the dust settles, Naganadel gets up, and both it and Lucario are commanded by their Trainers to use Dragon Pulse, resulting in a massive explosion. Naganadel then charges in, and Lucario prepares to use Close Combat, as Ash commands Naganadel to use another X-Scissor. While Lucario holds back Naganadel's main stinger, Naganadel aims its other two stingers at it and lets out a powerful Dragon Pulse, launching Lucario back. Lucario tries to recover, but it succumbs to its damage and falls in defeat. Naganadel is thrilled with its debut victory, spinning around in celebration. Professor Kukui recalls Lucario and commends Ash for using his earlier strategy to defeat against him. Ash then recalls Naganadel, congratulating it on winning its first proper battle.
The two opponents decide to resume their fiery clash, sending out and . Torracat's bell is still flaring from absorbing Incineroar's from their earlier clash. Both sides slowly prowl around one another, exchanging intense stares as they size each other up. The rivalry flares again as Torracat and Incineroar approach with and respectively. Torracat manages to knock Incineroar off balance, before rebounding to land a direct Flame Charge on it. Ash then orders Torracat to use , but Incineroar's Throat Chop overpowers it.
Kukui, anticipating increasingly heated clashes, has Incineroar use , boosting both its power and endurance. It then blocks Torracat's with its bare hands before crushing the flames with its brute strength. Torracat leaps into action with Flame Charge, first striking Incineroar in the chest before going for an attack from above, and then behind to knock Incineroar onto the ground. Following the triple hit, Torracat rushes in for a Fire Fang, only to be grabbed by Incineroar. As Torracat attempts to paw at its opponent, Incineroar hits him with a Throat Chop. Torracat picks itself up and erupts into flames, and Incineroar does the same. Torracat then scores a direct hit with , knocking Incineroar to its knees.
The heat swells as Incineroar gets up, causing both sides to glow with a vibrant red hue. Both Ash and Kukui equip their Z-Rings with their Firium Zs, setting the battlefield alight with a double . As the fireball continues to swirl, Torracat and Incineroar are ordered to rush inside. A massive explosion occurs as Incineroar's Throat Chop and Torracat's Revenge collide. Both sides remain standing, breathing heavily from their exhaustive efforts. Torracat wills itself to resist collapsing, though Incineroar is overwhelmed and collapses, knocked out. Torracat commemorates the victory over its long-time rival with a mighty roar as it evolves into an , surprising everyone. Ash rushes to officially congratulate his newly-evolved Pokémon, only to notice Incineroar is frozen in position; it turns out that the evolution process used up the last of its energy, and it has now also fainted. Hala observes carefully before fatefully ruling Ash's Incineroar out of the match as well.
Ash and Kukui each recall their Incineroar and Kukui congratulates Ash but reminds him the battle isn't over yet, as he still has one Pokémon left. As he prepares his to send out his final team member, suddenly arrives at Manalo Stadium. The guardian deity slaps away Kukui's Poké Ball, and Ash realizes it came here to battle them. Tapu Koko agrees, so Kukui allows for the surprising addition to let it be his final Pokémon against Ash. The crowd erupts into cheers as the already intense Full Battle becomes an unprecedented spectacle of power. Pikachu is prepared to take on his rival, though Ash instead calls on Naganadel for assistance first. As Naganadel prepares for battle, Tapu Koko's transforms the battlefield into an .
==Major events==
* continues his against .
* Ash's Naganadel uses for the first time and is revealed to have learned and .
* Ash's evolves into .
* takes over as Kukui's final Pokémon in the match.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* Ash's Incineroar
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Wicke
* 
* Hala
* Olivia
* Nanu
* Hapu
* Hau
* Caster
* Crowd
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: 
* ()
* ()
* (; evolves)
* (; newly evolved)
* ()
* (; flashback)
* ()
* ('s; Sandy)
* (; Ride Pokémon)
* ()
* (; Alolan form)
* ('s; Alolan form; Snowy)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ('s; Mimey)
* ()
* ('s)
* ()
* (Hau's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* ()
* (anime)
==Trivia==
* Poké Problem: How will the battle between and end in today's episode?
** Host: 
** Choices: Lucario wins, a draw, Naganadel wins, it never ends
** Answer: Naganadel wins
* Ash-Greninja Appears! is used as an insert song when and use with and , respectively.
* The Kalos Elite Four theme is used at the beginning of Torracat and Incineroar's battle.
* This episode marks the first time in the that a Pokémon has fainted just after its evolution.
* This marks the first time since Round One - Begin!, 1,007 episodes earlier, that one of has evolved during a Pokémon League .
* This episode marks the first time that:
** A first partner Pokémon has fully evolved under Ash's ownership since his fully evolved into in Fighting Ire with Fire!, 453 episodes earlier.
** Ash has defeated a in an official battle without losing a Pokémon against it.
* This is the only time one of Ash's Pokémon other than has used an move while under his ownership.
* The ending animation is updated to include Ash's Incineroar.
* Professor Kukui, Ash, and Hala narrate the preview for the next episode.
* Ash and Professor Kukui read the Who's That Pokémon? segment in the English dub.
===Errors===
* When Incineroar grabs Torracat, Incineroar's left pupil is much smaller than normal.
* In the English dub, when Ash and Professor Kukui command Torracat and Incineroar to use and , respectively, Ash mistakenly calls out "Night Charge".
===Dub edits===
* The Japanese texts depicting Inferno Overdrive's name are edited out in the English dub.
==In other languages==
143
Category:Pokémon League episodes
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 in which a Mythical Pokémon appears
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 evolves
de:Feurige Überraschungen!
es:EP1086
fr:SL143
it:SM143
ja:SM編第143話
zh:寶可夢 太陽＆月亮 第143集