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| Season | Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (Season 25) · Marnie, the Monarch & a return to Kalos arc (JN099–JN104) |
| Episode | Season 25, episode 14 · English episode 1184 · Japanese episode 1190 · Bulbapedia code JN104 |
| English title | Taking Two For The Team! |
| Japanese title | ハイパークラス！VS四天王ドラセナ！！ Haipā Kurasu! Tai Shitennō Dorasena!! — “Hyper Class! VS Dracaena of The Big Four!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 1 April 2022 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 24 February 2023 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Wan, Tsū, Surī (One, Two, Three) – Satoshi & Go (Rica Matsumoto and Daiki Yamashita) · Batsugun Taipu (Supereffective Type) – Pokémon Music Club |
| English opening | With You – Echosmith |
| Previous episode | The Future is Now, Thanks to Strategy! (JN103) |
| Next episode | Reuniting for the First Time! (JN105) |
Plot episodeAsh vs DrasnaRank 9
Taking Two For The Team! is the 14th episode of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, the twenty-fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1184th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1190, Bulbapedia code JN104). It first aired in Japan on 1 April 2022 and in the United States on 24 February 2023. It falls within the season’s Marnie, the Monarch & a return to Kalos stretch (EP99–EP104).
Released on Netflix in the US on 24 February 2023 with the second part (JN103–JN117); Teletoon had premiered it in Canada on 27 August 2022.
Synopsis
Ash’s Sirfetch’d and Dracovish defeat Elite Four member Drasna’s Noivern and Mega Altaria in a World Coronation Series battle at the Lumiose City stadium, lifting Ash to ninth place, one step from the Master Class. Before the match, Wikstrom drops by to admire Ash’s evolved Sirfetch’d, and Drasna arrives with her Altaria, all friendly smiles until she grips Ash’s hand and makes it clear that she means to end his winning streak. In the stands, Goh is charmed by her smile, but Clemont insists it is only a front, and Bonnie reveals that he once lost to Drasna. Sirfetch’d blocks Noivern’s Super Fang with its shield and hits back with Brutal Swing, but Boomburst shakes the field, knocks the shield away, and a Dragon Pulse sends its leek flying. Using the rubble as footing, Sirfetch’d recovers its weapons and launches Meteor Assault, which Noivern blocks with its wings before landing another Dragon Pulse. Unable to move after its big attack, Sirfetch’d is recalled.
Dracovish’s Ice Fang and Noivern’s Super Fang both connect, so Drasna switches to Altaria, whose swaying plumes entice Dracovish into charging without orders, only for Cotton Guard to absorb its bite; Bonnie notes that the same tactic beat Clemont. Drasna then Mega Evolves Altaria, whose Sky Attack outpaces Dracovish, and whose Play Rough leaves Dracovish too enchanted by its soft feathers to fight back. Ash has Dracovish soak the plumes with Water Gun, which also cancels another Sky Attack, but Dragon Rush has no effect, since Mega Altaria is now part Fairy type. When Breaking Swipe and Ice Fang collide, Ash recalls the tiring Dracovish, but it bursts out of its Poké Ball to cheer for Sirfetch’d. Sirfetch’d meets a second Breaking Swipe with Meteor Assault, and in the explosion Altaria reverts and faints, while Sirfetch’d collapses after spending its last strength. Wikstrom weeps at its noble spirit, and Sirfetch’d returns at once to cheer for its friend.
For the final round, Drasna sends Noivern back in, admitting that Ash has pushed her further than she expected. Noivern’s Dragon Pulse overpowers Dragon Rush, and Boomburst buries Dracovish under falling debris, but with Ash and Sirfetch’d cheering it rises again. Dragon Pulse and Dragon Rush collide in a massive explosion, and when the smoke clears Noivern has fainted, giving Ash his first victory over an Elite Four member. His ranking jumps from 15th to ninth, the top of the Ultra Class. Outside the stadium, Drasna congratulates Ash, warns him that the battles ahead will be tougher still, and promises with Wikstrom to cheer him on. Impressed by Drasna’s strength and sense of responsibility, Bonnie kneels and asks her to marry her brother, leaving Drasna blushing while the mortified Clemont hauls Bonnie away with his Aipom Arm.
Major Events
- Ash vs Drasna. Ash’s Sirfetch’d and Dracovish beat the Elite Four’s Drasna, whose Noivern and Mega Altaria fall to Dragon Rush and Meteor Assault, and Ash rises to rank 9, the top of the Ultra Class
- His only win over an Elite Four member
- Clemont and Bonnie’s last speaking appearance
- Bonnie proposes that Drasna marry Clemont
- The intro was omitted in the one-hour special
Trivia
- The English title plays on the phrase “taking one for the team”, for Ash’s two-Pokémon win over Drasna.
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto, Galar & beyond storyline.
Part of our Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.