BW92: Ash, Iris, and Shootie! The Last Battle!!

[Hidden Mew]

Not to mention seeing Trip battle Adeku finally resolves that little subplot once and for all, meaning Trip has no reason to win the league plotwise.

I don't really see how that would resolve that subplot since Trip would probably still want to battle Alder again anyway, so he would have a reason to want to win the Unova League. I'd imagine that he would be happy to battle Alder, even though he didn't take the first opportunity he had to do so, after winning the tournament, but I'm not sure if it would be completely resolved, especially since I thought that Trip wanted to defeat Alder to become the new Champion, although I could be mistaken given how long it's been since I saw the episode where they met Alder. Even if he defeats Alder in battle, which probably would only be another single match, it wouldn't make Trip the official Champion or be as satisfying as having a full battle with him.

I just hope Ash's win doesn't come cheaply, I'd like to see Dragonite take some damage before going down.

That would be nice. I'm still not sure if I like the idea of another evolution saving Ash from losing in the middle of the battle, but the fact that it's Krokodile, which is just awesome, it doesn't appear to learn a new move like in other cases and he defeats Iris makes it a bit easier to take it. I would prefer Dragonite taking in some significant damage before Krokorok evolves as well just so that the defeat is more believable and in turn more satisfying to see.

[Masurao]

That would be nice. I'm still not sure if I like the idea of another evolution saving Ash from losing in the middle of the battle, but the fact that it's Krokodile, which is just awesome, it doesn't appear to learn a new move like in other cases and he defeats Iris makes it a bit easier to take it. I would prefer Dragonite taking in some significant damage before Krokorok evolves as well just so that the defeat is more believable and in turn more satisfying to see.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't mind Krokorok evolving here. It feels deserved, unlike let's say...Boldore. It certainly doesn't feel as cheap as Iris being handed a Dragonite, that appears to be stronger than her other on-hand Pokemon, with large type coverage. I agree that it's also a plus that Krokorok didn't learn a Dragon-Type move, to secure it's victory and instead won with move it already has. Though, I must admit...it IS kinda funny seeing Dragonite look irritated that it lost.

In other news, looking back at the old scan, all three of Cilan's Pokemon were mentioned...meaning that Trip might get a rematch as well. Seeing Burgundy defeat Cilan here would be nice, but I have a feeling she'll get taken out by Trip before she even get's the chance.

[Silktree]

In other news, looking back at the old scan, all three of Cilan's Pokemon were mentioned...meaning that Trip might get a rematch as well.

He might, but the title implies otherwise. Using that old magazine's wording as a hint for anything but the first Junior Cup episode is a stretch; by that logic Ash would be forced to use Leavanny all the time, which isn't the case.

[Kenji-girl]

I really doubt anyone important is going to battle Trip in the semi-finals. If they were, why aren't they in the title as well? It's probably one of the minor competitors.

[Ash's Battle Coach]

I'm kinda surprised (though kinda not) that their having Iris use Dragonite for all her matches. What was the point of Axew learning Giga impact right before this tournament? It seems unfair to her other pokes that are being shafted. I agree that it is better for Krokorok to evolve and not win by learning outrage or something, and its evolution does seem a lot more justified than some of the other evolutions we've seen this series. I still want Krookodile to learn a new move though, It's still lacking that fourth move.

I wonder who Ash will use in the final. Oshawott maybe?

[HumanDawn]

but we now have seen an example of just how strong Dragonite is in this week's episode,

Yes. A beatable Pokemon that got beaten by a Dragon-type, the type that it is at a disadvantage to. Beating 2 Ice-types in a row isn't a stretch when it could use Flamethrower, a move that is very effective against Ice-types.

Even with Dragonite losing here, it doesn't undo the damage done to Dawn and especially Georgia

Dragonite beating Dawn and Georgia isn't bad. It's not as if Iris had anything to do with it since all she's doing is standing and yelling at it to obey her. It was as if they lost to a wild Dragonite. Buizel's performance in its capture episode in DP is an example of that. It managed to beat 3 Pokemon a row, but in Dawn's command in her first Double Battle 7 episodes later it lost to Pikachu. All the writers are doing is continuing with what they established in DP. Iris apparently lost in its battle against Ash's Krookodile because it was finally in her command(or so it is looking like judging by the scans).

Anyway, I agree there is no point to gauge certain power levels of Pokemon because Trip has the most powerful weapon of all: the power of plot convenience, because anything related to Alder apparently entitles Trip to butt in and shove the characters more interesting than him under the bus. And I can't help but feel this is going to be a grandiose waste of time when Trip wins and gets to battle Alder.

Plot convenience? It really isn't a stretch in this case. Trip heard about the tournament's reward(i.e. The chance to battle Alder in an official battle) and decided to train harder with his regained lust to battle and beat Alder to be established as a threat to others. He wants to be a trainer that is meant to be taken seriously. 2 losses in the first round isn't going to make him look worthy. Winning this tournament might finally give him that.

Comparing this tournament to the Wallace Cup is an insult IMO because at least its purpose was reasonable and made sense, getting Dawn out of her rut losing streak and re-invigorating her Coordinator's spirit. This tournament serves to... coddle Trip, who has had NO screentime since Donamite,

You're comparing apples to oranges here. Dawn is part of the main cast, so she gets screentime in every episode. Trip isn't, so he can't possibly get as much. Regarding the Wallace Cup, I felt that it was handled horribly in getting Dawn out of her losing streak and re-invigorating her Coordinator spirit. She managed to beat May and win the Wallace Cup, which I thought was incredibly cheap. With Trip, we know that he got many gym badges like how Ash managed to do in Kanto as a beginner.

Iris here only technically beat Dawn in the previous episode because her Dragonite did everything as a wild Pokemon. If Iris could have commanded it I think the result might have been different. Even then, Mamoswine is a contest Pokemon that uses moves and combinations that are meant to be beautiful, not strong and super effective. Iris didn't beat Dawn in a contest battle. If it was a contest battle, Dawn would have obviously won. Story-wise, Iris has something to gain from this too like Dawn did in the Wallace Cup. Controlling a Dragonite would help her towards her goal. In my opinion, I think that this tournament is already being handled better than the Wallace Cup. The episodes haven't aired yet, but that's what it's looking like. Iris didn't win it like Dawn did.

Hmm... Comparing this tournament to the Wallace Cup in a debate thread in The Pokemon League sub forum sounds like a great idea. I'll be sure to make one for further debate there.

so any "progression" being shown from him will come off as cheap and forced as it always does,

Like how Bianca progressed with offscreen training, Trip will progress the same.

and feels like a last-ditch effort to make Trip "interesting" or to instill some kind of "meaning" in the rivalry with Ash, which I can't help but feel will be too little, too late.

I already found Trip to be interesting before this tournament, so it's really not a last-ditch effort when people can find a character to be interesting at any time.

The fact that they axed Bianca and Stephan out of this tournament just screams as an excuse for Trip to even make it past the first round. tl;dr: Trip does not deserve this kind of pandering,

Trip could have trained harder and gotten better than them anyways. Or... used a stronger Pokemon that wasn't the Fighting-type that he had to use to compete in the Donamite. Oh and, didn't Cilan beat Trip? They could have made up and excuse to axe him too(like being focused in evaluating the trainers to become a better Pokemon Sommelier instead of battling).

and along with Iris' overpowered Dragonite have effectively screwed this entire tournament.

2 wins and 2 loses don't scream overpowered to me. If Dragonite beat Mamoswine and Beartic with ease, I would logically agree with you. Since the episodes haven't aired yet, I can't say for sure.

[SammyW27]

Krokorok evolving doesn't bother me. We've seen it take down strong opponents like Brycen's Beartic and train onscreen.

And hey, that's still way better than the other evolutions that was just for Ash to get a win instead of using little things like "skill" and "strategy". Especially in Gym battles...

Come to think of it, Krocky Smalls has actually been one of the better members of the Unova Team (even if him being with Ash means no Plasma 2 parter)

[PokeMasterCroatia1997]

But who is then 4th semi-finalist? I know that Ash Vs. Iris battle is confirmed with Ash Krokorok Vs. Iris Dragonite, but Ash Krokorok evolves into Krookodile and wins, earning Ash spot in the finals or becoming the winner of the tournament because its still unknown where Ash and Iris face off.

[Musashi]

They face off in the semi-finals.

[Hellion]

While I'm glad that Waruvial is happening here, and that it's not learning Imperial Wrath to beat Kairyu, it's kind of bittersweet because while Kairyu and Iris are losing, they're losing two rounds too late. I like Waruvial as a character, and I definitely think the evolution is earned. Personally, I don't have a problem as a rule with new moves or evolutions happening in the middle of battles, as long as there's something sustaining it, as long as it makes sense within the battle and the overall story, and here it does. Still not completely sold on Waruvile as a character, as I think he could be more personable and stand out more, but I hope this battle will give him a chance to shine, both in terms of skills and personality.

Shooti v Satoshi in the finals makes sense to hype the League, but I can't say I'm really rooting for either or find either's story or their rivalry particularly compelling. I expect Shooti to beat Satoshi, lose to Adeku because he hasn't understood that strength isn't everything, which he'll learn when Satoshi beats him in the League.

What this seems to indicate for the actually interesting characters present in this tournament (Dent, Hikari and Cabernet) looks grim. Seems like Cabernet will lose in the first round to Shooti and that Dent and Hikari will have quick wins over Cotd before losing in the second rounds (possibly the semis for Dent since all three of his pokémon were mentioned as being present in the original scan). Hope they look good in their battle and we actually see them shine, though I'm not holding my breath there, and that they're entertaining on the sidelines.

[Reivaxe]

Dragonite beating Dawn and Georgia isn't bad. It's not as if Iris had anything to do with it since all she's doing is standing and yelling at it to obey her. It was as if they lost to a wild Dragonite. Buizel's performance in its capture episode in DP is an example of that. It managed to beat 3 Pokemon a row, but in Dawn's command in her first Double Battle 7 episodes later it lost to Pikachu. All the writers are doing is continuing with what they established in DP. Iris apparently lost in its battle against Ash's Krookodile because it was finally in her command(or so it is looking like judging by the scans).

I'm just using context clues here but it seems that Dragonite started to obey in the mid of the Dawn Battle.... likely because contest battling is something it's never seen and it was on the verge of loosing before that. Mainly because she seems to have complete control in the scans, as if she were commanding any of her Pokemon ... and it would make NO sense to have Dragonite start obeying in the start of THIS match instead of the mid-point of the past match. So yeah, I would count that as the battle where she gains control over Dragonite and gets their first win as a team.

And looking at the scans .... I would say that the fight is pretty fast with a evol hex tossed in for Ash to win. Looks one-sided until the evolution and using ice-beam makes sense. If I had to guess I would say that the Rock Attack hit Dragonite along with a wave of ice chunks for massive damage. In which case I don't think the lose was because of Iris commanding it ... it's pretty normal for Pokemon to win a match they evolve in no matter who they're facing.

[WildGamer]

Why do people say that Ash has to lose to Trip in order to win at the league? I don't think Ash has ever lost a league match against his primary rival of that series - that's where he shines and all his hard work comes to fruition. Even if he beat Trip here I wouldn't think he'd lose at the league. Ash losing to Kenyan at the league is more plausible than losing to Trip at the league imo since Trip is the 'main' rival.

[Wyvernphlare]

Here's a possibility about the fourth semifinalist they battled and lost in the previous episode, making Iris VS ash the penultimate battle of tourney. So there doesn't have to be a extra

[Musashi]

The comic said the Iris/Satoshi battle was the semifinal.

[Wyvernphlare]

The comic said the Iris/Satoshi battle was the semifinal.

Yes the penultimate match is in the semi finals. -_-

Wait does the semifinal singular mean second match of the semi finals if so I was right but I never heard that use before.