SM036

Trials and Determinations!

SM036   EP975 ライチの大試練！一番ハードなポケモン勝負！！ Lychee's Grand Trial! The Hardest Pokémon Match!!

First broadcast Japan August 3, 2017 United States October 21, 2017

English themes Opening Under The Alolan Sun Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター -20th Anniversary- Ending ポーズ

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 小柴純弥 Junya Koshiba Animation director 大西雅也 Masaya Ōnishi No additional credits are available at this time.

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Trials and Determinations! (Japanese: ライチの大試練！一番ハードなポケモン勝負！！ Lychee's Grand Trial! The Hardest Pokémon Match!!) is the 36th episode of the Sun & Moon series, and the 975th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on August 3, 2017 and in the United States on October 21, 2017.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

The day of Ash’s grand trial against Kahuna Olivia is finally here, and it’s a Double Battle! Olivia’s Probopass and Lycanroc face off against Ash’s Rowlet and a strangely aggressive Rockruff. After Olivia sets a trap on the battlefield, Ash instructs Rowlet to grab Rockruff by the scruff of the neck so they can fly above it. They defeat Probopass, but Rockruff lashes out at Rowlet and knocks it out!

Rockruff feels terrible about this but soon regains its focus and takes Lycanroc down. Ash wins the grand trial and the Rock-type Z-Crystal, and Olivia has an explanation for Rockruff’s unusually aggressive behavior—she thinks it’s going to evolve soon!

Plot

At the beginning of the episode, Ash is training with Rowlet trying to perfect the Grass-type Z-Move, Bloom Doom. Ash got the Grassium Z after beating Totem Lurantis in a battle. Mallow tells Ash how to pose properly after the Z-Move failed. When Ash's Pokémon join Ash after the Z-Move practice, Rockruff bites Ash when Ash patted Rockruff. Rockruff looked more fired up than usual.

Before the Grand Trial, Olivia was seen in the Ruins of Life, praying to Tapu Lele, the island guardian and she told Tapu Lele that she will be challenging Ash.

Ash and friends head over to the Ruins of Life where Professor Kukui tells Ash that this will be the place where Ash battles Olivia. They head into a forest area where the rectangular stone battlefield is surrounded by large amounts of flowers and ancient stone pillars. Olivia comes onto the battlefield with Lycanroc and Ash's Rockruff gets worked up more than before and starts barking at Olivia and Lycanroc. Rockruff bites Ash again when Ash tries to control Rockruff. It leaps out of Ash's hands and wants to battle Lycanroc. It is revealed by Olivia that the battle is a double battle due to Ash's impressive handling of Z-Crystals, his success with performing Z-Moves and previous successes with his trials. Olivia is going to use Probopass and Lycanroc whilst Ash is going to use Rowlet and Rockruff.

Ash begins with Rowlet using Leafage and Rockruff using Rock Throw. Lycanroc uses Rock Slide to destroy the incoming attacks and blows away Rowlet and Rockruff. Probopass uses Stealth Rock and creates large rock pillars which surround Rowlet and Rockruff. Rowlet grabs Rockruff and flies out of the trap whilst using Leafage. Leafage makes contact on Probopass. Probopass reacts by making its little noses use Magnet Bomb but Rockruff uses Rock Throw to blow them away. However, one remains and uses Magnet Bomb causing damage to Rockruff and Rowlet. They are pushed back into the pillar trap.

Rowlet and Rockruff have taken a large amount of damage and look exhuasted but Ash is still fired up and ready. Probopass uses Zap Cannon whilst Lycanroc uses Accelerock. Rowlet quickly reacts with Leafage which makes contact. Lycanroc uses the little noses to jump into the sky to catch Rowlet and makes contact with Accelerock. Zap Cannon was fired to Rowlet but Rockruff pushed one of the little noses to the Zap Cannon which protected Rowlet. Rowlet thanks Rockruff but Rockruff barks loudly back. Rockruff's impatience and fieriness has elevated dramatically.

Olivia tells the mini noses to surround Rowlet and Rockruff. Olivia uses her Z-Move with Lycanroc. Ash tells Rowlet to fly in the air with Rockruff. Lycanroc uses Continental Crush and Rowlet and Rockruff stay directly underneath the rock but quickly fly away thus not taking any damage and crushing the stone pillars in the process. Olivia reacts by making Probopass use Giga Impact and Lycanroc use Rock Slide. Rowlet uses Leafage to destroy the Rock Slide and Rockruff uses Bite on Lycanroc. But Rockruff doesn't get there in time and Probopass turns around and makes contact with Rockruff. Rockruff is thrown against the cliff-face but comes back and uses Bite on Lycanroc and makes contact. Probopass uses Magnet Bomb on Rowlet but uses manoeuvring to make the little noses attack Probopass instead. Ash then decides to use the Grass-type Z-Move with Rowlet. To stop Ash from using it, Probopass uses Giga Impact but doesn't reach Rowlet in time. This time Ash got the Z-Move right and Probopass got attacked by Bloom Doom and was declared unable to battle.

Rockruff is getting even more worked up. Unfortunately, Rockruff resists Rowlet when trying to lift Rockruff into the air and uses Bite on Rowlet. This made Rowlet unable to battle and Rockruff realises his mistake. Rockruff becomes really sad but Ash has already forgiven Rockruff. Ash said he will battle alongside Rockruff by using Rockruff's Rock Throw pose (on all fours on the floor and copying Rockruff's Rock Throw). Rockruff uses Rock Throw whilst Lycanroc uses Accelerock. They both make contact. Rockruff uses Bite but misses and Lycanroc reacts with Rock Slide. Rockruff uses the rocks to jump, gets close to Lycanroc and delivers a Rock Throw at close range. As a result, Lycanroc falls onto the battlefield and is also pronounced unable to battle. Ash wins his Grand Trial. However, Rockruff faints in exhaustion.

Olivia and friends praise Ash and Olivia gives Ash a Rock Type Z-Crystal, Rockium Z, for winning the battle, which is his fourth Z-Crystal. Olivia being quite elated, falls over when giving him the Z-Crystal but gets back up. Ash shows Rockruff the Z-Crystal, but this doesn't help its upset feeling about attacking Rowlet. Olivia tells Ash that Rockruff is going to evolve soon. Kukui tells Ash that Rockruff behave this way when they are close to evolving, becoming more aggressive and independent. After the battle, Tapu Lele's sparkle can be seen raining down on the battlefield. Ash and friends see Tapu Lele in the sky for a brief moment.

Major events

Ash holding the Rockium Z

• Ash and Rowlet perform Bloom Doom for the first time.
• Ash defeats Olivia in the Akala Island grand trial, earning a Rockium Z as a reward.
• Olivia informs Ash that his Rockruff will evolve soon.

For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Lana
• Kiawe
• Lillie
• Sophocles
• Mallow
• Professor Kukui
• Olivia
• Gladion (flashback)

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Probopass

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Rotom (Rotom Pokédex)
• Rowlet (Ash's)
• Rockruff (Ash's)
• Litten (Ash's)
• Popplio (Lana's)
• Turtonator (Kiawe's; flashback)
• Vulpix (Lillie's; Alola Form; Snowy)
• Togedemaru (Sophocles's)
• Steenee (Mallow's)
• Lycanroc (Olivia's; Midday Form)
• Probopass (Olivia's)
• Lycanroc (Gladion's; Midnight Form; flashback)
• Tapu Lele (anime)

Trivia

• Poké Problem: Which Pokémon does Olivia send out to battle along with Lycanroc in today's episode?
  • Host: Professor Kukui
  • Choices: Alolan Geodude, Boldore, Tapu Lele, Probopass
  • Answer: Probopass
• This episode marks the first time in the anime that a Pokémon is knocked out by its partner during a Double Battle.
• Alola!! is used as an insert song this episode.
• Lillie, Kiawe, Ash, Sophocles, Professor Kukui, Mallow, and Lana narrate the preview for the next episode.
• The English dub title is similar to that of two other episodes.
• Ash and Olivia read the Who's That Pokémon? segment in the English dub.

Errors

• When Ash commands Rowlet to use Leafage at the start of the battle, Rowlet's wings glow, but when Rowlet is shown again, they aren't and then start to glow again.
• When Ash takes the Rockium Z from Olivia's hand, she is still shown holding it in her hand.

Dub edits

• The Japanese text depicting Bloom Doom and Continental Crush's names are edited out in the dub.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		麗姿的大考驗！最艱辛的寶可夢對決！！
Danish		Prøve med et endeligt mål!
Dutch		Beproevingen en vastberadenheid!
Finnish		Päättäväisyys koetuksella!
European French		Épreuves et détermination !
German		Erneut geprüft hält noch besser!
Italian		Prova e riprova!
Norwegian		Prøver og besluttsomhet!
Brazilian Portuguese		Provas e determinações!
Latin American Spanish		¡Prueba y determinación!
Swedish		Akala-öns Stora Prövning
Thai		การทดสอบใหญ่ของไรจิ! การต่อสู้ที่สุดโหด!!

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.