"All ready to go but you don't know where you're going - just like a kid."
Score: 6.5/10
The heroes have reached Striaton City (for real). There, they meet Cilan, who compliments Axew and, you guessed it, comments about the rarity of Pikachu in Unova. You’d think that, if they’re so rare, every single person in Unova wouldn’t instantly recognize them, but okay. He is a Pokemon Connoisseur, which is someone who titles his job in such a way as to make the target demographic for the cartoon unable to spell it. Ash asks for directions to the gym, so Cilan takes them there, pretending he’s not a gym leader as he does.
Unfortunately for Ash, the gym is a dual gym-restaurant. Cilan and his brothers attempt to serve Ash, but Ash, annoyed, simply tries to leave. The brothers finally reveal that they are, in fact, gym leaders. They also reveal that they're armed not just with pokemon, but with something far, far more vile: fangirls.
You really have to wonder what's with the girls on the left, there. Do they think they show their love for the brothers most effectively by dancing with each other? And… well, these brothers are… only slightly less fabulous than Tucker, really. Anyway, the girls love to watch the brothers battle challengers while wearing skimpy cheerleader outfits despite being like ten years old. Cilan explains that Ash must choose his opponent: Pansear, Panpour, or Pansage. God Panpour looks stupid, was that really the best they could do?
Ash instead chooses to battle all of them because he wants to battle as many new pokemon as possible, and the best way to do that is by compromising his ability to win in gyms. The gym leaders agree, so long as Ash accepts that he'll have to win two matches out of three.
First up is Chili. Ugh, fire puns. "Alright, I'll be turning up the heat and showing you how to cook!" That doesn't even make sense in context argh. Ash decides that since he's fighting a fire type, he'll use Tepig. Well, since Chili is an expert in fire pokemon and Ash isn't, I'm sure the gym leader will win easily.
Next up is Cress and his Panpour, so, because he countered fire with fire, Ash predictably sends out Oshaw-- Pikachu. Okay. Ash does his best to ensure Pikachu loses by using only the most predictable possible methods of attacks, and he succeeds.
Next up is Cilan. Since he's up against a Pansage, Ash sends out Pido-- Oh God, Oshawott. Pidove is the new Pidgeotto, isn't it? Oshawott, however, does not want to battle a grass pokemon, so Ash lies to it and says "you're the only pokemon that can get the job done." Ash's lies convince Oshawott to take the challenge. Well, I'm sure Oshawott won't get literally raped.
Ash tells Oshawott to hit Pansage with water gun, and when it fails, his advice is "aim better." It works, but oh yeah, Pansage is a grass pokemon and doesn't take much damage. Worse, it uses solar beam. Wow, huh, that seems kind of out of control for the first gym of the region. I mean, this isn't as bad as Falkner's Pidgeot, but still, this is a little intense for people with level 5 Lillipups and stuff. As the solar beam moves toward Notpiplup, the episode ends on a cliffhanger.
I reserve judgment on Cilan’s worthiness as a protagonist until I see more of him.
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Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig.
Started: July 6, 2005