Impressive episode. I'm loving Team Rocket limelight episodes this series, having Team Skull get some individual focus works great too (the female grunt really loves Meowth).
Kukui is actually shown TEACHING in school. Love Rotom being an assistant of sorts too. A bit of hype bait with the students wanting to try out the Z Moves (I didn't notice Lillie practicing though). Another retro remix with Kalos Route 4 theme. I would have loved the original Rocket-dan Danka during the climax, though at least the Alola version is heard.
Love TR using their base for mission agenda and James drill instructing the Pokemon. Meowth's fantasy using Z Moves to blast off Ash and Pikachu was funny too.
Interesting that Mimikyu seems to be slowly becoming more obedient towards Jessie. Either it's gaining a bond or it didn't consider Shiron a worthy target. Shame Wobbuffet disappeared the whole climax though, when is this series gonna have him in action anyway?
A lot of cute villainous valour this episode. TR use a genuinely decent strategy, and even abort the mission when some of their comrades come into danger. Skull make amusing rivals since they're a villain team on the Trio's level this time (maybe lower), and the two sides going in and out with teaming up or trying to double cross each other, albeit with neither of them quite having all the cards. Really hope we see more of this throughout the series. I like rivalries where both sides are actually evenly comical and fallible, they're so rare compared to one sided ones. And it makes it more suspenseful due to not knowing who might win. Even just the idea of TR legitimately rivalling the cast in the hunt for Z Crystals would be fun.
TR get Darkium Z....but can't use it without the ring. Hope they get hold of one, it would feel in character for it to be all a shaggy dog story where they repeatedly fail the whole series (or lose the crystal as soon as they finally get one) but come on, let them level grind just once. Check out those poses at the end, they HAVE to try the Z Moves now.