Chloe gets word that there's a Sylveon trainer in Lilycove City for a Pokémon contest, and is roped by Lisia, niece of the world-famous Wallace, into participating. Although nervous about giving it a try, an old friend from journeys long ago bumps into her and encourages Chloe to give it a try. Meanwhile, Ash and Goh are already in Lilycove for the latter to try and catch an Altaria, and word breaks of Chloe's contest debut. As the duo rush over to see her, Ash is roped into a battle by Wallace himself!
When In Doubt, Give Tropes a Try!
- Arc Words: "Whenever in doubt, give stuff a try!" It also doubles as Serena's new Catchphrase.
- Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Out of all the performers in the contest, only Lisia, Serena, and Chloe (via May's outfit)—the three most feminine performers of the bunch—wear outfits that show off their stomachs.
- Berserk Button: Wallace seems to get irked every time Steven Stone is mentioned and is annoyed that Ash remembers Steven and not him. He even refers to Steven as "What's His Name".
- Birds of a Feather: Serena and Chloe, both of whom started out their journey being unsure of themselves and what path they wanted to take, as well as Eevee owners, get along quite well when they first meet.
- Book Ends: Chloe met her first Eeveelution, Vaporeon, in Lilycove and now she meets her last, Sylveon, here.
- Breaking Old Trends:
- Ash is given a second Rain Badge for beating Wallace, marking the first time he's given a badge he already owns.
- This is the first contest in the anime that neither Mr. Contesta nor Mr. Suziko appear to judge a contest (albeit because this is a Contest Spectacular based on Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and not how contests were previously shown in the anime).
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Implied with Wallace, who claims he could take back the title of Champion from Steven Stone if he wanted to, though his tone of voice indicates he's not interested at the moment.
- The Bus Came Back: Besides Serena and her entire Pokémon team, Wallace comes back for the first time since Diamond and Pearl.
- Call-Back:
- It's mentioned that Kiley contacted the Cerise Laboratory because he wanted to let Chloe know about the Sylveon trainer in Lilycove, with Chloe remembering him as the Vaporeon trainer.
- Serena has several flashbacks to her and her Sylveon's history during the XY series, including how they first met, one of their showcases, and the moment where she evolved in Sylveon.
- Wallace makes mention of the Wallace Cup to Ash by specifically mentioning May and Dawn's participation, no doubt remembering Ash from when he also partook in it.
- Chloe has Eevee channel her Copycat ability by recalling all the Eeveelutions they encountered.
- Cool Big Sis: Serena acts as this for Chloe in mentoring her.
- Continuity Nod: Ash and Goh are in Hoenn because the latter was inspired by the former's recent battle against Drasna to try and catch an Altaria for himself. He misses the first one, but he's able to catch the second one off-screen.
- Costume Evolution: Serena's changed up her entire ensemble for a grey hat, a dark grey turtleneck sleeveless sweater, a red and white plaid skirt, stockings, long brown boots, red bow-shaped earrings, and a red bracelet. It's more of a hybrid between her first and second looks in the anime, but her haircut is more evocative of the latter. Also doubles as a Significant Wardrobe Shift to show how much she's grown in confidence.
- Diabolus ex Machina: Wallace serves no purpose in the episode's story other than being a convenient distraction for Ash, preventing him from going to the Pokémon Contest and get a surprise reunion with Serena there. And if that's not enough, an Altaria suddenly shows up shortly after Ash wins, causing Goh to forget about the Pokémon Contest as well as he attempts to catch the bird, ensuring that Ash will not meet Serena until literally the end of the episode.
- Double-Meaning Title: While "For the First Time" refers to Chloe meeting Serena, the "Reuniting" part points towards the audience (and briefly Ash) getting a chance to see the character again after the end of the XY series.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Serena's philosophy of ""Whenever in doubt, give stuff a try!" is largely based on what Ash told her back in Pokémon the Series: XY, specifically repeating Ash's words "There's nothing you could ever do that's a waste of time!" in the episode "Performing a Pathway to the Future!". However, Serena doesn't mention to Chloe about her time with Ash, so Chloe is unaware that these helpful words came from someone she often sees as an immature boy with childish dreams.
- Much of the episode's drama revolves around the audience knowing that Serena and Ash are both in Lilycove City and have many opportunities to have a reunion... but neither of them are aware of that. This is most prominent when Goh tries to take Ash to see Chloe's performance in a Contest, only for Wallace to appear out of nowhere and challenges Ash in a three-on-three battle, preventing the two of them from seeing Serena on stage.
- Famed In-Story:
- Lisia is a legend in Hoenn for her Contest skills, and ties in the Pokémon contest with Serena.
- Likewise, Serena's made quite a name for herself since she arrived in Hoenn and was actually favored to win the contest. The same goes for her Sylveon.
- Fanservice Pack: Upon first being seen, Serena's new look emphasizes that she's matured since she was last seen. There's even a shot of the ocean sparking behind her!
- Foreshadowing: Serena makes mention of May by her nickname "The Princess of Hoenn". It turns out that she just doesn't know her by reputation, as the two are seen in JN132 performing together.
- The Ghost: May is mentioned twice, but she doesn't actually appearnote .
- Graceful Loser: Lisia doesn't mind tying with Serena—in fact, she offers her to be part of an idol unit. Her uncle Wallace is equally dignified in his defeat, and is impressed with Ash's skills.
- Ironic Echo: Serena helps Chloe to overcome her nervousness with her new Catchphrase: "Whenever in doubt, give stuff a try!" Chloe later repeats those words to her when Serena is unsure on whether or not to join Lisia's Idol Unit.
- Maybe Ever After: Unlike the other companions' return in Journeys, Ash and Serena's farewell to each other is a prolong goodbye with the ship departure literally being the only reason why they're suddenly separated. The romantic sunset and Serena gazing at the horizon where Ash used to be before turning back with Sylveon reinforces the notion that Ash and Serena's friendship may blossom into something more in their futures.
- Missed Him by That Much: Subverted. Ash and Goh run right past Serena to meet up with Chloe before the boat leaves, and it looks like the two will have missed one another, but the two are able to get a quick conversation in before they go too far out of sight.
- Mysterious Animal Senses: Somehow, Chloe's Eevee is able to detect Serena's Sylveon and find her.
- Mythology Gag:
- Lisia's quotes are taken directly from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, as is the contest outfit that Chloe wears (which is specifically mentioned as having been worn by May).
- Serena's new outfit is also one of the many obtainable outfits for the female player in Pokémon X and Y.
- Nice Girl: Lisia is pretty sweet to everyone she meets, giving nothing but words of encouragement to Chloe and even later inviting Serena to join an Idol Unit. No wonder she has such an adoring legion of fans.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
- Ash manages to best Wallace in a battle, but only key portions of the battle are shown in between Goh trying to watch Chloe in the contest on his Rotom Phone.
- Implied for the unseen May, whose nickname of "The Princess of Hoenn" clarifies she's held in a much higher regard than her last appearance on Diamond and Pearl.
- Goh has a Pokéball in hand just before the boat leaves, mentioning he was trying to catch an Altaria. The implication is that he did catch it, but how he did isn't seen.
- One Degree of Separation: Much of the episode hinges on the audience knowing that both Serena and Chloe know Ash, but they don't learn about that connection until he arrives to greet Chloe at the docks by the end of the episode.
- Running Gag: Much to Goh's dismay, Wallace drags out his battle with Ash and causes him to miss the contest. Just when Goh thinks the battle's over, Wallace keeps interrupting.
- Ship Tease: Just as he bumps into Serena, Ash quickly talks about his goals while she does the same with hers before the boat gets too far, a wandering gaze in both of their eyes. Guess that kiss she gave him last had more of an effect on him than he thought. Bonus points for this all occurring on an actual ship.
- Signature Mon: Lisia has Altaria, and Serena has her Sylveon, both of which have become famous throughout the Hoenn region.
- Took a Level in Badass:
- After beating his first Elite Four member only last episode, Ash accomplishes his next major growth by beating a former Champion in the form of Wallace, albeit mostly offscreen.
- Serena's Braixen has evolved into a Delphox, and her Pancham has learned Ice Punch.
- Chloe manages to overcome her nervousness and pull off a spectacular performance with Eevee.
- An implied offscreen variation occurs with May, whose nickname is mentioned by Serena as carrying serious respect on the contest circuit.
- The Unreveal: It's never shown if Chloe won the Normal Class rankings.
- Wham Shot: When Sylveon is first seen, Chloe and Eevee happen to catch a glimpse of her trainer...Serena!
