Preview XY059: Satoshi and Serena's First Date!? The Tree of Promises and the Presents!!

[Olive]

I wouldn't at all deem it inconceivable that Team Rocket would try to pull of some sort of present heist and make off with Ash and Serena's purchases, leading Ash to pursue them and then battle them to get it back..

But how could Ash and Serena battle Team Rocket if they don't have any Pokémon with them at the moment? And how would Team Rocket benefit from stealing some presents?.

Touché.

That was just my attempt at rationalizing the circumstances that would have led Ash to be running through a forest at sunset as if ready for a battle. Though it occurs to me now that the scene of Ash at the end of the preview does not necessarily have to take place at sunset; it could instead be sunrise at the start of the episode, and if that is the case Team Rocket would not have be involved in that particular scene at all, which would also allow it to fit into episode's timeline much more fluently perhaps than if it did take place at sunset.