Her promotion to Champion directly mirrors her role in the Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 games.

By defeating Iris , Ash reaches Rank 99 , officially advancing to the Ultra Class (Hyper Class in the Japanese version).

Fans finally see the payoff of Iris's journey as her Axew is shown fully evolved into a powerful Haxorus.

Ash switches to his newly caught Dracovish , who surprises and defeats Iris's Dragonite with a powerful Ice Fang .

Pokémon (2019) Episode 65, titled (Japanese: Dragon Battle! Satoshi vs. Iris!! ), is a major milestone in the Pokémon Journeys series. It features the highly anticipated return of Ash’s former traveling companion, Iris , and showcases a high-stakes battle in the World Coronation Series. Plot Overview

Both trainers lead with Dragonite . Ash's Dragonite is initially overwhelmed by Iris's more aggressive and experienced Dragonite, but Iris eventually uses her "dragon empathy" to help Ash's Pokémon relax and enjoy the battle.

This episode marks the first official battle for Ash’s Dracovish.