Thread: S16 EP07 "Mission: Defeat Your Rival!"

Biggest deus ex machina of all time. It was bad enough they had Trip go out in the first round, but...this is pathetic, writers. Serperior was giving him a run for his money, and then Pikachu just 1hko's it, without even static kicking in.

Originally Posted by Queen Cynthia

Speaking of Ash and Trip, I'll now come to my main point of criticism. I don't have to repeat what was already said, I just would like to add that it must have been one of the most disappointing and illogical battles in the history of Pokemon! Or let me put it this way:

A Pokemon that is on the verge of defeat
+
An almost undamaged opponent
+
An Iron Tail attack that was shown to be considerably weaker than his opponent's corresponding tail attack
+
An Electro Ball attack that shouldn't do much against a much faster opponent
+
A totally unexplainable combination of two moves, which when used alone didn't do much, that OHKOed an opponent known for its strength as if by magic
________
= Pikachu wins....
WHAT???

Ok, let's just forget this poor example of an episode and move on to the next one.

What I could understand (or I tried so hard to believe it myself) is that Ash used iron tail + electro ball to repel dragon tail back to serperior, so, the snake was KOH'ed by a three-attack combo strike.

But, it doesn't matter at all. A petty end to a petty excuse for a rival.

I'm sorry, but this was a bad episode.

The dub is fine (due to lack of Jimmy Zoppi's Meowth), but the episode itself is a bunch of bull crap.

The only funny thing was Trip's face when he lost. But that's basic, right? ;)

Seriously, all the hype BW brought to Ash vs. Trip, and this is what it led to? I was expecting some badass epic Ash vs. Paul-esque battle (and I didn't even like DP, but that was one of the few things I loved about it). No, no, no...let's just knock out Trip in Round 1 in a place no one even considers remotely important. -_-

That's just the tip of the iceberg for those of you who stick solely to the dub. Believe me, this league is something else. XD.

Ok ok I just mentioned this somewhere else but

Unova can now be summed up as "A bad Trip"

See the play on words I used there. Beat that none Dub version!!!

Heck honestly, I'd rather have Ash lose in the first round and let Trip go on. That's how much I disliked the results of this match. I'd like to have seen more of Trip's team, seriously he may have been dull as dirt but the guy had some of BW's finest (well except for the ice cream cone, I wish it got melted by Tepig in their 3rd battle, and Conkeldurr desperately needed at least ONE win).

That's why they needed a FULL battle. I mean like I said before Trip was a crappy rival but it was the one BW seemed to promote their "rivalry" and Gary, Morrison, Tyson and Paul all got full matches against the Pokemon Version of Peter Pan (since Ash doesn't seem to grow up).

Originally Posted by SonGoku

That's just the tip of the iceberg for those of you who stick solely to the dub. Believe me, this league is something else. XD.

Haha you got that right! Can't wait to see what everyone's reaction to the league results in only a few more episodes.

Originally Posted by Codface

Ok ok I just mentioned this somewhere else but

Unova can now be summed up as "A bad Trip"

See the play on words I used there. Beat that none Dub version!!!

The only thing I actually hate about the Unova Saga is the Unova League. It's just...wow. :/

The dub stopped using puns since Black and White began. Though, I have a feeling once TRio become goofballs again in Episode N, Mr. Cathcart will go back to his TRio's "Dr. Seuss" mode, "Dig it! Jack," and the other things we love...XD.

To everyone saying that Escaviler took in two Razor Shells and got KO'd afterwards, even though it used Iron Defense three times, there is still the chance it could have gotten a critical hit. Yes, it can have Shell Armor as an abillity, but it can also have Swarm instead, so it wouldn't be surprising if Escaviler had Swarm and couldn't handle taking in those critical hits. Razor Shell can also lower Defense, so that's another possibility.

Ash vs. Trip was complete bull, though. Pikachu was on the verge of getting KO'd the entire match, and Pikachu still somehow not only survives, but takes out Serperior in one hit.

Just re-watched the episode and like most things when you look at them again you catch on to things you didn't notice the first time:

-How long was Pikachu being wrapped by Wrap attack we see the finishing moments from Virgil and Bianca's matches AND the time it took for those two and Stephan to get to the arena where Ash was battling seriously, and the announcer even mentioned there were wins going on in other matches so I don't know which is more "impressive" the length of time Serperior had Pikachu wrapped or how much air Pikachu was able to hold before passing out

-Just like Electivire had Pikachu wrapped in its tail(s), Trip made a mistake of trying to toss Pikachu into the ground only for Iron Tail to be used in order to escape. Anyone remember that in the Paul/Ash match in the Sinnoh League?

-Ok in past off the wall Ash moments, we see him notice something before calling out either a combo move or maneuver winning the match; Swellow using Wing Attack on the field to kick up dirt and then take out Shiny Swellow in Hoenn Gym #6, using burnt leaves from Turtwig against Roark's Rampardos to land a finishing Razor Leaf, etc. But here what happens? Ash just notices Pikachu's cheeks sparking and then calls for Iron Tail/Electro Ball.

Alright, what "sparked" inspiration for that kind of attack?

-Trip's face when he saw he lost, whoa haha

-FINALLY, Ash accepts that he can't "change" everyone into being a goody goody person. Since Trip told him that's that when it comes to him wanting to surpass Alder, he had to train and honestly, just sitting around watching a whole league after losing in the first round. I'd be more concerned on training harder than just sitting around myself.

-It was great seeing how Cilan talked about Iron Defense having a LIMIT on the amount of times it can be used to raise a Pokemon's defensive powers!

-Let's see yeah I know in the games (if I'm right I'm just talking about my own experiences in the game) boosting your defensive increases the chance of getting hit with a critical move that can knock you out in one move even if your Defense or Sp. Defense is maxed out. Even if that first Razor Shell lowered the metal bug's defense it would have went down like 1 point so that other Razor Shell had to be a critical to win, notice after that Razor Shell Excaviler was glowing like it had used Iron Defense maybe that showed its defense was lowered OR just to show that the attack did little to no damage

But hey we just saw a pitiful excuse for a win from Pikachu over Serperior but still this one was a little more believable I suppose

-I feel that the only reason Riolu battled was because Ash wanted to see it battle, I know that sounds weird but that's what it seemed like

-The sauna scene haha the only parted I liked was when Ash was questioned on how he pulled off that win over Trip and seeing as he couldn't explain pretty much tells us that even he couldn't believe he pulled off such a bulls**t win

-Attract was unexpected but I guess its the anime version of Bianca favorite move like in the games her favorite move for her team is Return.

-Haha, so many things run through my head seeing Riolu dominate Emboar;

The writers were using a fan favorite (Riolu) to take down Emboar since fans are pissed over a 3rd Fire/Fighting, the least favorite of the 3 and the worst to be honest

Riolu is adorable and it has the moves to make up for the size difference

Copycat needed a debut and I loved it!

-Seeing Bianca crying and whining after losing could have been erased I mean she's grown during the series and seeing that scene kind of erased any progress that she may have been shown to have gained.

-Oh Ash be careful what you wish for wanting to fight Riolu...

I found it funny with Cilan said he was amazed by Ash's creativity, Ash isn't even half as creative as he was back in Battle Frontier or DP! He could of had Pikachu get in close then spin on his back doing thunderbolt but instead he just stood there while Trips Serperior dominated Pikachu! I don't see how he can make it to the top 4 again if he battles like this, so pathetic..

Originally Posted by Dragon Master Dan

I found it funny with Cilan said he was amazed by Ash's creativity, Ash isn't even half as creative as he was back in Battle Frontier or DP! He could of had Pikachu get in close then spin on his back doing thunderbolt but instead he just stood there while Trips Serperior dominated Pikachu! I don't see how he can make it to the top 4 again if he battles like this, so pathetic..

Man, you just summed up what I'm sure a lot of other fans were thinking! I mean that combo seemed so force as an excuse just to get Pikachu past Serperior.

You are right, he did just stand there while his buddy was getting bashed and trashed.

What really made me mad but it could be expected; the writers de-powered Serperior's move set. Let's see at the Jr. World Cup; Dragon Tail, Leer, Solarbeam and Frenzy Plant

Here it was; Energy Ball (de-power of Solarbeam), Dragon Tail and Wrap (a substitute of either Frenzy Plant or Leer) and an unseen 4th move possibly Frenzy Plant.

It just seemed TOO staged to me.

Originally Posted by Paulisthebest

Originally Posted by Dragon Master Dan

I found it funny with Cilan said he was amazed by Ash's creativity, Ash isn't even half as creative as he was back in Battle Frontier or DP! He could of had Pikachu get in close then spin on his back doing thunderbolt but instead he just stood there while Trips Serperior dominated Pikachu! I don't see how he can make it to the top 4 again if he battles like this, so pathetic..

Man, you just summed up what I'm sure a lot of other fans were thinking! I mean that combo seemed so force as an excuse just to get Pikachu past Serperior.

You are right, he did just stand there while his buddy was getting bashed and trashed.

What really made me mad but it could be expected; the writers de-powered Serperior's move set. Let's see at the Jr. World Cup; Dragon Tail, Leer, Solarbeam and Frenzy Plant

Here it was; Energy Ball (de-power of Solarbeam), Dragon Tail and Wrap (a substitute of either Frenzy Plant or Leer) and an unseen 4th move possibly Frenzy Plant.

It just seemed TOO staged to me.

It's so frustrating to see Ash so dumb and useless. There's no point in them bringing any of his old Pokes back because his current team may be underdeveloped, though remember in the anime if the trainer is very skilled (such as a member of the elite four or champion e.g Cynthia) they can bring out the full potential of a Pokemon. Until Ash actually starts battling strategical like he used to, then even with all his best Pokes he's not going to get anywhere.

I don't see how they expect the show to keep going with the fans keeping their interest when they do stuff like this!

If you want to talk about Ash being reset, make sure it's actually relevant to the episode at hand. Otherwise, you can discuss the issue freely about it here.

I think there has been enough complaints and please could we just think of some good parts in this episode.

Originally Posted by Chocadial

I think there has been enough complaints and please could we just think of some good parts in this episode.

People are free to give criticism and complaints as long as they're on topic and follow the rules. Don't stress over other people's opinions.

Seriously, there were more cons than pros within the episode. I mentioned a few things that I liked but really the only positives for me were Trip leaving, finally hearing someone mention that moves like Iron Defense have a limit, Riolu in action, debut of Copycat and maybe a couple of other things.

If you think people are complaining now just wait a couple more episodes...