SM078

Twirling with a Bang! (Japanese: 激突ウルトラビースト！ドンドンバチバチ大作戦！！ Ultra Beast Clash! The Great Crackling Rumble Operation!!) is the 78th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 1,017th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on June 7, 2018, in New Zealand on October 5, 2018, in Canada on October 27, 2018, in Australia and the United Kingdom on October 31, 2018, and in the United States on November 10, 2018.
==Blurb==
Ash is back on Melemele Island, watching a fireworks display with his Pokémon School classmates. Toward the end of the show, a strange creature starts creating even more fireworks—by making its own head explode! The next day, Lusamine summons the Ultra Guardians to deal with this Ultra Beast!
When our heroes go after it, they discover a second Ultra Beast, and the two creatures face off, flinging fireworks and sparks around so no one can get close. At Ash’s suggestion, the Ultra Guardians stage their own fireworks show, combining their Pokémon’s moves into a gorgeous display that distracts the Ultra Beasts long enough to catch them!
==Plot==
At night, and watch as fireworks light up the sky. The display ends and the crowds quickly disperse, though Ash and his classmates notice a rogue firework go off. It suddenly retracts into a round white ball and begins bouncing around. checks his information pamphlet which states that the fireworks show should be over, but the group and some of the crowd enjoy the encore. The white ball object returns to the body of a , who happily performs on a rock out at sea. It rushes over to the group and explodes. The startled crowd continues to be amazed by the walking firework's theatrics. A few more explosions cause an Ultra Wormhole to open and a to land on Alola's shores while the crowd watch the being flee across the ocean.
The next day at the Pokémon School, the heroes wonder if yesterday's mysterious creature was an Ultra Beast. rings the school bell furiously and sends the students to the Ultra Guardians base underneath the school. The group quickly morph into their costumes and reach the base where the activated monitor displays Wicke, and . Lusamine greets the Ultra Guardians, and after analysing footage from last night's fireworks festival she has deduced that the mysterious creature is indeed an Ultra Beast. updates its data on Blacephalon, informing the Ultra Guardians that it explodes its head and absorbs people’s reactions to energise itself. The lights suddenly go out, putting into a panic. His provides some light with her sparks to calm him down. Lusamine's switches on the back-up power and Lusamine announces that they have such detected the Ultra Aura on Melemele Island’s by some power lines. The Ultra Guardians are dispatched on their Ride Pokémon to the scene.
The group soon arrive, but are surprised to see a different Pokémon, Xurkitree instead of a Blacephalon. Given that they arrived at the right scene, they believe it is an Ultra Beast as well. Xurkitree rears itself from the power lines and goes on the attack. It sends a bolt of electricity towards the Ultra Guardians, but they manage to avoid, before continuing to feed on the power lines. Lusamine calls through and confirms the group's suspicions, and Wicke stops the electricity flow to the area. As predicted the Ultra Beast was feeding off the electricity, Xurkitree begins to spasm as its source is stopped. While Ash and Sophocles send out their Pokémon to confront Xurkitree, the other Ultra Guardians have their Beast Balls on standby. Ash tells to use , and Sophocles has his and Togedemaru use and respectively. The large bolts of electricity instantly draw Xurkitree's attention and it leaps off the electricity tower and a pursuit ensues. Just as Kiawe, Lillie, and are about to throw their Beast Balls, Blacephalon arrives unexpectedly and explodes. 
Blacephalon's attention soon turns to Xurkitree, and the two engage in a show of light. With the pair distracted, Kiawe calls for everyone to have their Beast Balls at the ready. When they throw them, the balls get caught up in the light display and miss their targets. The wired-like Ultra Beast emits electrical whirlpool which fuses with Blacephalon's blasts to create an incredible galaxy-looking display. Lusamine calls through again, she informs the group that the wired-like creature is an Ultra Beast called Xurkitree, an Electric-type Pokémon that creates shockwaves. She, like Lillie, is deeply concerned, and states that the two Ultra Beasts are rivals who will likely continue to compete in an escalating performance battle that threatens the Alola region. Ash suddenly comes up with an idea: to use the group's Pokémon to launch a firework of their own. Everyone is in agreement, so Ash sends out , Kiawe calls on his , Lana's Popplio, Snowy, Mallow's Steenee and Charjabug all lend a hand.
Togedemaru and Charjabug use Zing Zap and Discharge, to fuse with Pikachu's . Popplio follows with a , Steenee fires . and Turtonator's , and the Poké Ride , and send out a . Xurkitree and Blacephalon stop to watch the performance, as Snowy adds a to the swirling display. chimes in with its own attack, and surrounds the fireball with red sparkles. With the two Ultra Beasts distracted, Ash calls on Lycanroc and it unleashes its exclusive Z-Move, . As the dust clears, the pair of Ultra Beasts are shown to be stumbling around and weakened by the attack. Lana throws her Beast Ball while Lillie follows suit, and with a helpful sepal whip from Steenee, the Ultra Beasts are . Lusamine, Wicke and Burnet marvel at the Ultra Guardians' growth and are relieved to have the situation resolved. 
The next day they join the Ultra Guardians, and watches from overhead, as Xurkitree and Blacephalon to their respective worlds. The students later return to school, where Kukui announces that their duty is not over yet. Since the Ultra Guardians' success, several event venues have requested for the heroes to repeat their firework performance. Everyone wonders if they can recreate it, and Lana sees the request as a lucrative business opportunity.
==Major events==
* and go on their third Ultra Guardians mission.
* Ash and perform for the first time.
* The Ultra Guardians a and a and them back into Ultra Space.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* 
* 
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Wicke
* 
* Citizens
* s
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: 
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; )
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ('s; Ride Pokémon)
* ()
* (; Alolan form)
* ('s; Alolan form; Snowy)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Samson Oak's)
* ()
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* ()
* (Ride Pokémon)
* (Ride Pokémon)
* (Ride Pokémon)
* (Ride Pokémon)
* (Ride Pokémon)
* (Alolan form; multiple)
* (; new; released; debut)
* (; new; released; debut)
==Trivia==
* Poké Problem: Which island do the Ultra Guardians visit for their mission in today's episode?
** Host: :
** Choices: Melemele Island, Akala Island, Ula'ula Island, Poni Island
** Answer: Melemele Island
* The "To Be Continued" text at the end of the episode appears at the top right corner of the screen instead of either of the bottom corners.
* Future Connection used as an insert song for the completion of the Super Special Pokémon Fireworks and for Ash's Lycanroc's Z-Move.
* , , and narrate the preview for the next episode.
* When the Beast Balls fail to capture and , and 's faces briefly change to resemble the face of Popuko from the manga series .
* Some of Blacephalon's dance moves at the beginning of the episode are references to some of 's famous dance moves, such as the .
* This the only Ultra Guardians episode where a character other than Ash successfully catches an Ultra Beast.
* The TVNZ OnDemand website incorrectly lists the episode as having aired on October 1, 2018, four days before it actually became available to watch.
===Errors===
* When is performing with and , its lower jaw isn't colored red.
* In the dub, is mistakenly called Route 4.
* In the dub, when Ash asks for 's help to distract Xurkitree, Ash's voice can be heard instead.
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
078
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:Ultra Guardians episodes
Category:Episodes in which an Ultra Beast appears
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon
Category:Episodes in which a main character releases or gives away a Pokémon
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:Ein Feuerwerk der Superlative!
es:EP1021
fr:SL078
it:SL078
ja:SM編第78話
zh:宝可梦 太阳＆月亮 第78集