You didn't mention how Ash tried to catch that Deerling (and Iris) with a Pokeball as if he hasn't learned over the past four regions that you have to battle and weaken them first? As if being indirectly forced by a legendary to job to a newly-starting trainer wasn't enough...
I didn't? Dammit, I had multiple mentions of it in my first draft, I must have removed all of them by accident.
I think the only Unova resident with a line who hasn't commented on Pikachu's rarity has been Professor Juniper's assistant, a character so minor I didn't even mention her. Wanna know something funny? That's a guy.
>_______________>
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Ash/Paul (Sinnoh League) Ash/Paul (Lake) Ash/Gary (Johto League) Ash/Noland Ash/Brandon III Ash/Drake (Orange League) Ash/Blaine Ash/Clair Ash/Tyson (is that the name of the guy he lost to? I forget. Either way, the guy with the Meowth-in-boots) (Hoenn League) Ash/Tobias (Sinnoh League)
I'm intrigued about how nostalgia affects things.
Kind of scraping the barrel with a couple of those, but I wanted 10. Add or take some away if you want.
--
"The great fallacy is that the game is first and foremost about winning. It's nothing of the kind. The game is about glory." - Danny Blanchflower
Ash asks why Iris is coming along with her, and she insists it's the other way around... but we get no actual explanation other than that they're both main characters, I guess. The closest we get is "I thought I'd help you out." I’m going to cut the rest of this out of the episode, but this argument about who’s with who and the relative kidiness of each character continues the entire time. Eventually, Oshawott appears. Ash says "It's you... I remember!" and has a flashback to last episode like he's remembering something from years ago. Oshawott clearly wants to come with Ash, but Iris wants it because she likes cute things because… she’s a girl, I guess. I would like one main character female who doesn’t just want to catch cute things, you know? It’s been a consistent theme with all previous ones.
I do like how Oshawott throws Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder, though, and then deflects a thunderbolt with its shell. After like a minute and a half of Oshawott being all over him, Ash finally realizes that Oshawott wants to come... after Iris tells him. And Ash phrases the offer to come like it's only because Oshawott helped him out with Team Rocket, as if he only takes pokemon who help him out first. However, Oshawott is technically already owned by Juniper (which Ash only just now figures out), so Ash can't just catch it. Thus, he and Iris go to what I am forced to assume is a 7-11, And call up Juniper, who sends him Oshawott's pokeball. Just after this, the heroes meet Dan, a kid whose parents own a resort-spa-hotel. No, that’s literally how he introduces himself. What a douchebag. He’s concerned because wild Sandile have attacked customers in their sand… spa thingy, and driven away business. Iris squeals, because she "happens to adore resort-spas," which is why she lives in a jungle with a dragon as her only friend. Also: Dan becomes the first named Unova character not to talk about how rare Pikachu are.
Well, the heroes pad the episode for a bit until the Sandile in question appear, led by Sunglasses Sandile, who decided to steal Squirtle’s gimmick, I guess. It grabs Pikachu and Oshawott in its mouth and tries to escape, but Team Rocket captures them.
As they try to escape into the nearby mountains, the other wild Sandile free them. Team Rocket just kind of leaves. I get that writers are trying to make Team Rocket seem more competent and retreat strategically, but come on, now they are literally just appearing to waste the episode’s time.
Finally, Sunglasses Sandile frees Pikachu and Oshawott, taking them to some wild Deerling, Pidove, and Patrat. The Sandile talk to the pokemon, and then some geysers erupt. The heroes follow, and Dan thinks the Sandile are protecting the wild pokemon, and that they drove away the humans to warn them of the danger. Unfortunately, the geysers erupt in such a way that all of the wild pokemon except the Sandile are cut off by boiling water... including the Pidove, which could easily just fly away.
Fortunately, the Sandile are on the case, and build a bridge of themselves. The pokemon are too afraid to cross, so Ash goes over and helps them. I'm sorry, I just can't get over the Pidove here, when they finally cross, they even just fly over, they are in literally no danger at any point.
Well I guess everything is okay now, even though the geysers should still be blowing up. Dan’s parents turn the sand spa into a hot spring and the heroes leave… Sunglasses Sandile following them.
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
I do like how Oshawott throws Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder, though, and then deflects a thunderbolt with its shell.
I pretty much fell in love with Ash's Oshawott right there. And it only gets better. He's pretty much my favorite pokémon Ash has ever owned, and he had to knock Squirtle and Buizel away to get there.
I don't remember his battle with Clair well enough, sorry. I've replaced her with Conway.
Ash/Gary is probably the best. A two-parter with literally five seasons of build-up, and it's the only six-on-six battle where Ash doesn't use Pikachu. I really, legitimately like Ash not using Pikachu for once. Gary lacks Paul's strategy, but he makes up for it in sheer charisma and presence.
Ash/Paul (Sinnoh League) is probably the best in terms of simple battling. Paul's taunting just isn't as good as Gary's, but the actual battle itself is superior, yes. I just like Gary as a character more than Paul.
Ash/Drake is the first real battle in the entire damn show. It's the first six-on-six battle, the first time Ash fights someone who's legitimately strong but not completely out of his league (hey remember "Prima?"), and involves legitimate strategy on Ash's part. Its chief problem is that there's absolutely no investment in Drake as an actual character - he exists solely to be the end opponent, like Tobias, except beatable.
Ash/Noland is of course just pure Charizard action. Noland is a good enough character, I guess, but it's the first and only time one of Ash's pokemon goes up against a legendary and defeats it by itself (I don't count Sceptile/Darkrai because Heracross, Swellow, and technically Torkoal weakened it first). Charizard is probably my favorite of all of Ash's pokemon, so an opportunity for it to just beat into a powerful legendary, that also happens to be my favorite pokemon, is excellent.
Ash/Conway is a lot of fun because unlike the other battles here, Conway doesn't come off as just really straight-up strong; he's just a guy who relies heavily on clever tricks and planning ahead to take advantage of strange moves. And hell, Conway as a character at least has his creepy rapeface joke when around Dawn.
Ash/Paul (Lake) is just a really good battle, and the second time we really see Paul in action, using strategy and everything, the first being against Roark.
Ash/Tobias is "What if we put Ash up against an opponent whom he literally cannot defeat, no matter what he does?" The actual battle is good and everything, but that concept is obviously flawed from the start for reasons I won't get into, and if we had no investment in Drake's character, we have even less in Tobias, who exists solely to defeat Ash and disappear.
Ash/Tyson is pretty good, and at least Tyson has a personality (dammit Tobias), but Meowth in Boots is really the only notable part of the battle.
Ash/Blaine is more excellent Charizard action, but I'm afraid it's overshadowed by the later Ash/Noland. It is the first time Charizard actually does something, though.
Ash/Brandon III is fun times for bringing in Ash's original team (because **** you, Butterfree and Pidgeot), but aside from Charizard getting its ass kicked, I can't remember much about it, sorry.
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Part of the reason I ended up picking it was the anime. It was my (and a lot of people's) least favourite starter when they were first revealed, so I wonder if making him Ash's first Unova Pokemon - as well as making him so awesome - was a deliberate marketing decision.
(Most of the reason was because I found out that Serperior was worthless garbage in battle, despite having an excellent design. That, coupled with the awfulness of Meganium putting me off grass starters and the fact that Samurott was also a total badass made it an easy decision.)
Nice ranking, apart from Ash/Paul not being #1. Decent reasoning, too, except for the fact that I think even though you're right that there was 5 years of buildup for Ash/Gary, the majority of that was...crap.
Like, Paul made far more regular appearances and was kind of a shadow hanging over Ash and Ash's team. The Chimchar subplot helped that, too. Gary went missing for like a year at a time, it felt like. Certaiinly several months. So while Ash/Gary had 5 years of buildup compared to Ash/Paul's 4, the Ash/Paul buildup was far more substantial.
Oh and yeah Ash/Brandon...not memorable? Ash commanding Seismic Toss on a ghost type and getting punished for it? Pikachu vs. Regice?
--
"With Harry, it's cool. We don't speak a lot and he doesn't care if I smile or if I know who the next team we play is." - Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Honestly, I didn't even noticce until I had it pointed out to me, sorry.
XIII_rocks posted...
Oshawott is indeed hilarious and the best.
Part of the reason I ended up picking it was the anime. It was my (and a lot of people's) least favourite starter when they were first revealed, so I wonder if making him Ash's first Unova Pokemon - as well as making him so awesome - was a deliberate marketing decision.
(Most of the reason was because I found out that Serperior was worthless garbage in battle, despite having an excellent design. That, coupled with the awfulness of Meganium putting me off grass starters and the fact that Samurott was also a total badass made it an easy decision.)
I picked Oshawott because I hate Tepig's final form and knew I'd be using Lilligant, which left no room for Serperior.
XIII_rocks posted...
Nice ranking, apart from Ash/Paul not being #1. Decent reasoning, too, except for the fact that I think even though you're right that there was 5 years of buildup for Ash/Gary, the majority of that was...crap.
Like, Paul made far more regular appearances and was kind of a shadow hanging over Ash and Ash's team. The Chimchar subplot helped that, too. Gary went missing for like a year at a time, it felt like. Certaiinly several months. So while Ash/Gary had 5 years of buildup compared to Ash/Paul's 4, the Ash/Paul buildup was far more substantial.
Oh and yeah Ash/Brandon...not memorable? Ash commanding Seismic Toss on a ghost type and getting punished for it? Pikachu vs. Regice?
Oh man, I forgot about the seismic toss, good point.
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
As for Paul getting more screen time than Gary, it's true. Gary only ever fought Ash twice, and once was Eevee versus Pikachu. Gary really did need more screen time. If nothing else, though, Gary got actual closure. I know Paul couldn't have any closure other than what he got (continuing his own journey), but still.
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
As far as Trip calling Kanto the boonies, I'm pretty sure in the Japanese version he just made fun of Pallet Town. Which aside from Oak's lab, makes more sense since there's really nothing else in Pallet Town. And Oak's lab is more on the outskirts of the town anyway.
As for Paul getting more screen time than Gary, it's true. Gary only ever fought Ash twice, and once was Eevee versus Pikachu. Gary really did need more screen time. If nothing else, though, Gary got actual closure. I know Paul couldn't have any closure other than what he got (continuing his own journey), but still.
True - the character didn't, but at least the rivalry did.
--
"The great fallacy is that the game is first and foremost about winning. It's nothing of the kind. The game is about glory." - Danny Blanchflower
I could write a better opening song than this. I am serious, that is not an exaggeration.
Prove it.
Fine. Give me a bit.
XIII_rocks posted...
From: Anagram | #411
As for Paul getting more screen time than Gary, it's true. Gary only ever fought Ash twice, and once was Eevee versus Pikachu. Gary really did need more screen time. If nothing else, though, Gary got actual closure. I know Paul couldn't have any closure other than what he got (continuing his own journey), but still.
True - the character didn't, but at least the rivalry did.
Yeah. I know Paul can't have any real closure other than "he continues journeying," though, so I can't really hold it against them.
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Playing Platinum, and Giratina refuses to be caught. I got it down to what must literally be less than ten hit points, but I have nothing that can inflict status effects other than confuse with me. Should I blow my master ball, keep trying with ultra balls, or just kill the bastard?
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Hey Anagram, I'd like to extend a public thank-you for suggesting Bibarel as HM slave. This thing can learn just about anything, and I already have a Staraptor for Fly.
I'm kind of absurdly overleveled because I ran into that numbers guy near Pal Park as soon as I learned Surf and he blurted out "50" and I said "you're on", but here's my team. I just finished the Galactic Headquarters... awesome new additions there for Platinum. I liked fighting Saturn immediately after Cyrus, even if my team being so overleveled cheapened the hell out of the encounters.
Hey Anagram, I'd like to extend a public thank-you for suggesting Bibarel as HM slave. This thing can learn just about anything, and I already have a Staraptor for Fly.
I'm kind of absurdly overleveled because I ran into that numbers guy near Pal Park as soon as I learned Surf and he blurted out "50" and I said "you're on", but here's my team. I just finished the Galactic Headquarters... awesome new additions there for Platinum. I liked fighting Saturn immediately after Cyrus, even if my team being so overleveled cheapened the hell out of the encounters.
It's fun knowing one of those three starter Pokemon "Samurai" fought was Gary's, since if memory serves we don't actually discover that Gary chose Squirtle for a long- ass time, do we? I wonder if GameFreak ultimately settled on Eevee not to maintain a secret, not for gameplay-balancing reasons (...you get Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle... it can't be gameplay-balancing reasons, it just can't) but because they literally had no idea what Gary chose and didn't feel like calling up the show's producers.
Samurai tells Ash he's pathetic, but when Ash's Metapod evolves once again on touch alone, and Ash blurts out a single command, Samurai suddenly has deep admiration toward him and refuses to fight him again because he's just that good.
Sinnoh's very own Flint dons the persona of Brock's father and then proceeds to hide even that beneath a mustache. He looks suspiciously like a dude I used to know except much smaller. Unsurprisingly, I can't find any pictures of him right now and he'd probably just accuse me of stalking if I did, so we'll just say the bloke's name is Griff Morivan and he ever tells you he's going to maintain a website, laugh at him repeatedly until he walks away. Please.
Brock's a complete ass, but I guess that's what happens when you're raising ten siblings at the tender age of [age redacted] and the writers don't have a grasp on you yet anyway. To prove how loving toward his Pokemon he is, he has Onix wrap its stone body around Pikachu, suffocating him within inches of death, until Ash surrenders. Seriously, what a d***.
Later on in the episode we learn Brock doesn't actually want to hurt Pokemon, which is funny because previous paragraph, so Ash, refusing to give Misty the time of day enough to borrow her Staryu for a rematch, instead through no fault of his own triggers the sprinkler system. Sinnoh's very own Flint takes off not two but one of his disguises so that Brock can journey with Ash. I like how he's already talking about breeding; there's the Brock I remember.
The heroes travel to Mount Moon, where they soon meet this guy:
...what? Google search, you have failed me.
But seriously, Seymour is easily the best guest star yet, which... OK, it's the Pokemon anime and I'm six episodes in. This guy seriously steals the show early on, and it's a shame Team Rocket's antics roll over his potential screen time later into the episode. Oh yeah, by the way, Team Rocket was in the previous episodes but I'm not Anagram and don't actually enjoy summarizing things unless I'm either a.) making a point or b.) droning on for no reason, like the combo platter you're currently getting. But suffice it to say they should be dead already.
The Mount Moon episode ends with a very, very famous scene, the "Gary was here" bit. In retrospect it's actually not very, um... exciting, really, but I guess watching Ash pretend he's a sprinting Pidgeotto is worth it.
-- K | H | A | Q | Q | A | H | K "we're about 50 years behind the rest of western society." -icon on B8
THE BATTLE CLUB AND TEPIG'S CHOICE! "Tepig tepig tepig!" Score: 4/10
The heroes have reached Striaton City, and in only four episodes! Very nice. If this was the DP anime, it would have taken twenty-eight episodes and a movie to reach this point. Oh, wait, no, it's Accumula Town, the narrator just... lied to us, I guess. Iris tells Ash about the Pokemon Battle Club, which is an organization that lets you enter your pokemon profile and the type of pokemon you want to battle against. They arrive just in time to watch a Servine lose to a Dewott in one hit. Impressive.
The leader of the battle club is Don George, and don't worry, he comments about the rarity of Pikachu, and a random kid named Ihavenoname challenges Ash because of his rare Pikachu. Oshawott leaves its pokeball on its own and insists on fighting, but steps aside when the kid sends out his Dewott. Well… that’s still better than a lot of Ash’s pokemon.
The battle doesn't finish, however, because Team Rocket tries to break into the facility's storage room in which a "mystery pokemon" is contained. You would think Don George would know the pokemon in his own storage room, but no, he does not. Team Rocket runs off when they trip an alarm, and Don George checks out the security camera footage (and allows the heroes to watch even though, from his perspective, they’re random kids), and see that the pokemon escaped the facility when Team Rocket broke in. The pokemon is hard to see on the camera and appears dark and skinny, so Ash thinks it's an Umbreon. Don George, however, thinks this unlikely, but if it's really an Umbreon, it'll be a huge find, because… I guess… animals are never brought from continent to continent?
Ash finds the pokemon in question - a very skinny and dirty Tepig that's had a rope tangled around its snout, so it has a hard time eating. It runs away from humans, but Ash catches it and helps it. He takes it to Don George and explains the situation, and Don George suddenly remembers Tepig and how its abusive trainer tied it to a stake and left. Before Don George could help it, it tore itself lose from the stake and got the rope tangled around its snout, and I guess it’s been like that for weeks or something, it’s kind of unclear. Team Rocket shows up and does its thing and steals Pikachu with its... flying force field technology, I guess, and Tepig is very impressed by Ash's unsuccessful attempts to save Pikachu, and volunteers to help. It succeeds, and Team Rocket, again, just kind of wanders off. Okay, I admit. I now understand why they had to blast off so often, the alternative is just even more ridiculous.
Iris declares Tepig to be extremely cute, and as she is a girl, she likes cute things, because as we all know, girls have no characteristics other than “likes cute things” and sometimes “likes boys” (and only sometimes, Zoey). She asks to catch it, but it wants to join Ash, which disappoints her.
So, uh… the writers do realize that this is the third fire-type starter Ash has taken from an abusive trainer, right? Like… we have seriously had this plot twice before, and not in filler episodes or with minor pokemon, we had it with Charmander and Chimchar, possibly Ash’s two most important pokemon other than Pikachu. It is impossible that the writers don’t know they’ve done this before, right?
Right?
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Ash finds the pokemon in question - a very skinny and dirty Tepig that's had a rope tangled around its snout, so it has a hard time eating. It runs away from humans, but Ash catches it and helps it. He takes it to Don George and explains the situation, and Don George suddenly remembers Tepig and how its abusive trainer tied it to a stake and left. Before Don George could help it, it tore itself lose from the stake and got the rope tangled around its snout, and I guess it’s been like that for weeks or something, it’s kind of unclear.
"I could help Tepig but, eh... I'm not walking all the way to the storage room."
--
I fought SuperNiceDog, and SuperNiceDog won. "I like goldfish." Godric
Ash finds the pokemon in question - a very skinny and dirty Tepig that's had a rope tangled around its snout, so it has a hard time eating. It runs away from humans, but Ash catches it and helps it. He takes it to Don George and explains the situation, and Don George suddenly remembers Tepig and how its abusive trainer tied it to a stake and left. Before Don George could help it, it tore itself lose from the stake and got the rope tangled around its snout, and I guess it’s been like that for weeks or something, it’s kind of unclear.
"I could help Tepig but, eh... I'm not walking all the way to the storage room."
In fairness, that storage room is like at least seventy feet outside from the main entrance.
-- Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig. Started: July 6, 2005
Don't worry, Anna, Tepig will prove to be one of Ash's most useless Pokemon, right in front of Torkoal and Lapras.
You say that, but from where I'm at right now, aside from Pikachu (whom it's tied with), it's beaten more Pokemon during trainer battles than any of Ash's other Pokemon in BW. Of course it's possible that'll change in the nine episodes I haven't seen yet, but just figured I should point that out.
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http://i45.tinypic.com/fpchec.gif http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9413/cutepuppy16.png - Number of people that D'awwed: 69
Yeah, um... is that possible via Wi-Fi? It's hard to get much Wi-Fi going on tonight over here though. We're right next to Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL and it's the 4th of July. >_> If it is, let me know when I log onto AIM later (or here, or whatever) and I'll have one of us help you out. I mean, hell, I have Platinum, and we have HG and SS.
-- K | H | A | Q | Q | A | H | K "we're about 50 years behind the rest of western society." -icon on B8
Tepig is all about being cute(not so much as a Pignite). Oshawott is the funny one and Snivy is the badass. Of course, Scraggy will be the one to come out on top.
--
Hey, its that SuperNiceDog! Congrats to the Guru 2011 winner
Anagram says I can't do this; he says he's the last of the old guard capable of making it through the entire series. I'll show him. I'm going to become a Pokemon-Watching Master!
Hey Gen, where did you leave off? Curious how close to my drop-off point it was. I stopped in early Season 5.
-- K | H | A | Q | Q | A | H | K "we're about 50 years behind the rest of western society." -icon on B8
