SM138

Final Rivals! (Japanese: 決勝戦！最強ライバル対決！！ The Finals! The Strongest Rival Showdown!!) is the 138th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the 1,077th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on September 8, 2019 and in the United States on January 11, 2020.
==Blurb==
The Alola Pokémon League finals are underway, with Ash facing off against Gladion! Delia and Professor Oak arrive before the match—just in time to see Meltan evolve into the powerful Melmetal! Melmetal’s strength is awesome, and it takes Gladion and Silvally by surprise on the battlefield. But when Silvally changes into a Fighting type, it soon leaves Melmetal unable to continue. Ash sends in Pikachu, who manages to take down Silvally with a creative strategy, but our heroes are in for a surprise of their own when Gladion’s second battling partner, Lycanroc, is revealed to be Zoroark instead! Now it’s Pikachu versus Zoroark, as the battle continues!
==Plot==
 greets , Mimey, and as their ship arrives at Manalo Stadium. Delia congratulates her son on reaching the Manalo Conference finals, while Oak admits he wants to see . Ash introduces him to the sleeping Meltan, but when Oak takes it, Meltan responds with . Then, Meltan jumps off Professor Oak's hand and starts spinning its nut, which emits sound-waves. Oak realizes this is the odd behavior that has been mentioned in the reports. At that moment, emerge from the sea and gather around Ash's Meltan, whereupon they begin to dance together. The Meltan begin to create a strong electrical surge, and they eventually evolve into a single .
Oak explains that Melmetal has only been described in old books, but it has not been mentioned that it is an of multiple Meltan. The proud Melmetal begins spinning and hitting the water with its hands. Kukui claims this could be a new move and settles on the name . wakes up in shock to see Melmetal, but it soon nestles in its friend's central chest cavity. With Melmetal now on his team, Ash leads his Pokémon into a cheer for the upcoming finals match.
The next day, Ash's friends sit among the audience, along with their Pokémon, anticipating an intense match. Kukui steps onto the battlefield, taking his position as the grand final round's referee. Ash sets his hat before stepping onto the field. As Ash followed by take their positions, Caster recalls each of their paths to the finals. Meanwhile, settle in below their food truck to watch the match. Jessie remarks that she should've been in the finals, but admits that she went up against James earlier on. Jess then turns attention to James as he is putting the finishing touches to their latest mecha in time for the awards ceremony. The trio sneer and cackle as they imagine stealing all of the Pokémon at the Pokémon League. Back at Bewear's den, and exit the hot spring for another snack break. However, the robot starts to malfunction.
Kukui, acting as the referee, announces the round rules - a three-on-three match. Delia has Mimey record the match on a camcorder. Gladion makes his first selection, , while Ash calls out Melmetal, surprising in the stands. Ash informs Melmetal that the winner will be the one who strikes first, so his Pokémon takes the initiative and rushes forward. Seeing Melmetal's confidence, Ash orders a Double Iron Bash. Melmetal flexes its muscles, and spins around to attack, and strikes Silvally on the second attempt. Ash calls for another Double Iron Bash, though Silvally combats the attack with an and leaps to the side to avoid another hit. Melmetal spins yet again, so Gladion orders a . However, Ash calls for a Flash Cannon, which batters Silvally to the ground.
Gladion opts for another strategy by having Silvally move in a zig-zag pattern to confuse Melmetal. The technique works as planned and Silvally manages to land a Crush Claw, leaving Melmetal reeling from the strike. Gladion then equips Silvally with a Fighting Memory, it into a type. As Silvally approaches with a , Melmetal responds with Flash Cannon. However, Melmetal's attack misses its mark, and it is knocked about by Silvally's attack. Melmetal regains its balance and attempts another Double Iron Bash. Silvally keeps its distance and lands an Air Slash on its opponent. Melmetal endures the hit and sends Silvally backwards with a second strike. Ash orders a Flash Cannon, and Melmetal follows through despite its visible exhaustion. Silvally lands its Multi-Attack first, while Melmetal's attacks suffers a delay before collapsing in defeat.
Ash recalls Melmetal before sending Pikachu onto the field. Pikachu rushes forward, though Silvally simply tilts its head to the side to evade the . Ash orders a follow up , but Silvally catches the attack with its Crush Claw. Gladion calls for an Air Slash, which Pikachu narrowly escapes and enters into a Quick Attack to get away from his opponent. Silvally corners him, so Pikachu tries an which fails. Pikachu launches another Electroweb and rushes towards it, using the added momentum to land a direct Iron Tail on Silvally. The surprising rebound knocks Silvally out of the match.
For his second Pokémon, Gladion sends out . Ash braces Pikachu for its , but is shocked when it uses , a move Lycanroc cannot learn. Lycanroc rushes forward to attack and slashes through Pikachu's Electroweb with a . However, the web only proved to be a distraction as Pikachu unleashes a Thunderbolt on Lycanroc. The attack reveals Lycanroc was only an as Mohn's Zoroark is fully revealed to everyone. Gladion calls upon his father's strength to guide him as he orders Zoroark to charge forward for another attack as the finals match continues.
==Major events==
* , , and Mimey arrive at Manalo Stadium to watch 's in the Manalo Conference finals.
* The arrive at Manalo Stadium and reunite with Ash's .
* The wild Meltan with Ash's Meltan, causing it to evolve into and learn .
* Ash begins his battle with in the finals.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* ()
==Characters==
===Humans===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Jessie
* James
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Wicke
* 
* Hala
* Olivia
* Nanu
* Hapu
* Mohn (flashback)
* Hau (flashback)
* Guzma (flashback)
* Crowd
===Pokémon===
Who's That Pokémon?: 
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; )
* ()
* (; evolves)
* (; newly evolved; debut)
* ()
* ('s; Sandy)
* (; Ride Pokémon)
* ()
* (; Alolan form)
* ('s; Alolan form; Snowy)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; flashback)
* ('s; Mimey)
* ()
* (; )
* ()
* ()
* ('s; flashback)
* (Hau's; flashback)
* (Guzma's; flashback)
* (Trainer's)
* ()
* ()
* (; multiple; evolve)
* (anime)
==Trivia==
* Poké Problem: One of will evolve in today's episode. Which one is it?
** Host: 
** Choices: , , , 
** Answer: Meltan
* As of this episode, all of the have made an appearance in the main series.
** This makes it the first time in the animated series where all Pokémon introduced in the concurrent generation have physically appeared in the corresponding series.
*** This also marks the first time that every Mythical Pokémon from the concurrent generation has appeared in a main series episode during the corresponding series.
* This is the first time since the Silver Conference, 17 years and 808 episodes ago, that and have come to see Ash battle in a in person.
* This marks the first time in the where a move is being seen given a name.
* This is the first episode to show multiple VS screens during a single battle.
* Unlike the , Gladion's Zoroark's did not replicate 's Ultra Ball.
* This marks the first time Ash has used a Pokémon other than to battle Gladion.
* The ending animation is updated to include Ash's Melmetal.
* Caster narrates the preview for the next episode.
===Errors===
* When uses after a type, its body lacks the color changes that reflect said type, instead having its coloration.
* In the dub, "" is incorrectly called "" during one scene.
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
138
Category:Pokémon League episodes
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Gladion
Category:Episodes written by Jun'ichi Fujisaku
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Noriaki Saitō
Category:Episodes directed by Junya Koshiba
Category:Episodes animated by Makoto Shinjō
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a Mythical Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon evolves
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears
de:Rivalen bis zum Schluss!
es:EP1081
fr:SL138
it:SM138
ja:SM編第138話
zh:宝可梦 太阳＆月亮 第138集