Whittle While You Work! (Japanese: セミファイナルⅣ「勝負」, Hepburn: Semifinal IV: "Shoubu", trans. Semifinal IV: "Battle") is the 35th episode of Pocket Monsters (2019 series), and Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series of Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
Synopsis[]
The second match of the Masters Eight Tournament semifinals continues with Ash battling Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. The six-on-six Full Battle has promised lots of action…and it has certainly delivered! With five of Ash’s Pokémon already eliminated, it’s now up to Mega Lucario. First up is Cynthia’s Dynamax Togekiss, and Lucario wins, leaving Cynthia with only Garchomp. This is the last battle of the match, and both Pokémon fight hard, but Lucario’s endurance gives Ash the victory! Moving on to the finals round, our hero now must prepare for his toughest battle yet—against Leon![1]
Episode plot[]
Following up from Dynamax Togekiss, Ash decides to Mega Evolve Lucario and has him use Aura Sphere, but Togekiss uses Max Airstream, causing him to be knocked away. Ash tries a different approach with Bullet Punch, where Lucario manages to tip Togekiss over by hitting from a different angle. However, Togekiss endures the attack and charges up another Max Airstream, so Lucario begins charging up his special G-Max Aura Sphere, taking the energy of all of his friends to the point that even Ash's former Greninja senses it while completing his mission.
The powerful Aura Sphere manages to push back the Max Airstream and hits Togekiss, but it endures the attack due to it being less effective. Togekiss begins flying around Lucario to prepare for Sky Attack, which Lucario dodges using Double Team. He tries to charge up another Aura Sphere, but Togekiss is moving too fast and nearly hits him, so Ash improvises by using Bullet Punch again, colliding with Togekiss. However, Lucario manages to hit it, causing it to faint.
Cynthia brings out Garchomp once more. She reminiscences about her past and that she intends to win before having her use Scale Shot, which Lucario parries with Bullet Shot before the two engage in melee combat using Dragon Claw and Bullet Punch, both Pokémon landing hits on each other. After landing critical hits, they back off; after seeing Lucario stumble, Cynthia orders Garchomp to finish him with Dragon Claw, but Lucario roars and uses Reversal as both strike each other again, causing them to collapse and leaving the match uncertain.
However, Lucario does not revert to his normal form and gets back up soon afterwards, so Dan takes a closer look and declares Garchomp unable to battle, making Ash the winner. Ash is briefly shocked by this before running up to him with Pikachu, celebrating their victory as they would now face Leon in the finals. Everyone, including Ash's friends and Pokémon, are delighted by the victory. Leon himself is also impressed, wanting to make the finals something to remember.
Cynthia thanks Garchomp for her performance before Lucario walks up and offers his paw to her. Garchomp accepts and puts her claw out as Cynthia extends her hand to Ash, who takes it. Cynthia thanks him for the match, as he showed her that she still has much to learn. As she leaves the stadium, she catches up with Diantha, where she reveals to her that she changed her mind and intends to continue battling. Outside the stadium, Ash tells his team to prepare for their battle against Leon, all of whom accept with enthusiasm.
Debuts[]
Pokémon[]
Trivia[]

Leon watching Ash on television, thinking to himself
- "After the story":
- Leon
サトシ、お互い全力でバトルだ! (Satoshi, otagai zenryoku de batoru da!, Ash, we'll both battle with everything we've got!)
- This marks the first time that Cynthia has been defeated in an official battle, breaking her winning streak.
- In addition, this also marks the first time Cynthia's Garchomp has been defeated in battle.
- At the conclusion of the episode, Ash's Lucario will be the last distribution to tie to the World Coronation Series Masters Eight tournament.
- Additionally, it is also the last Pokémon Ash uses in his match against Cynthia and the one who seized victory in the match.
- Ash's Greninja sensed Ash and Lucario's Aura during their battle.
- The title is a reference to "Whistle While You Work", a song from the 1937 Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ (n.d.) . "Whittle While You Work! | Pokémon TV (pokemon.com)". From The Official Pokémon Website | Pokemon.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024.