A Sandshrew's Storm! An Ice Hole Double Battle!! (1023)

[Vipsoccermaster]

Great episode! Typical of the group getting split up, thanks to Turtonator, but during the split-up, some minor development on Mallow and Sophocles, while major development on Lillie. Props to Lillie for taking on her first double battle (smart of her to remember tactics used from the grand trial battle between Ash and Olivia), and getting the Ice Stone and Icium Z. She can't use the Icium Z as she doesn't have a Z-Ring, so she is currently where Team Rocket was before they got their Z-Ring. And yeah, let Snowy decide if she wants to evolve into Alolan Ninetales. It's the Pokémon's choice in the anime, not particularly the trainer.

As for seeing Alolan Sandshrew and Alolan Sandslash, very cool to see them. Liked seeing the Alolan Sandshrew doing their best to protect their territory from Tyranitor.

Pikachu and others we didn't get to see much. Ash and Kiawe supposedly being "lucky" to go into cold weather, encounter wild Pokémon that Ash stumbles upon...so funny.

Oh, and I loved how Lana ignores Rotom's analysis of which path to take. We have no time for your analysis, Rotom-dex!

 

[LilligantLewis]

let Snowy decide if she wants to evolve into Alolan Ninetales. It's the Pokémon's choice in the anime, not particularly the trainer.

Plus, no Pokémon on the main cast has ever done a Stone Evolution.

Oh, and I loved how Lana ignores Rotom's analysis of which path to take. We have no time for your analysis, Rotom-dex!

not only that, but also, it was irrelevant analysis as it kept just saying that every path had equal odds.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

It's out in Dutch. And I still like it a lot. A part of me wishes we got a bigger battle with Tyranitar, maybe show off Snow Cloak as well, but another part of me realises that that wasn't feasible. There wasn't all that much that could've been cut from this episode. You need the premise to split up the group (although I guess you could also have the entire group there with Lillie instead of just Mallow and Sophocles), you need a bit of time for the characters to start to care about the Sandshrew and what is going on, and so on. You could probably cut out a minute or three and give that to the battle, but whether that'd be enough to really elevate it? I'm not sure. And hard-core battling isn't really what Lillie is about. Her hurdles are about overcoming her fears and gaining confidence, not battling smarts. The battle we got was appropriate for the stage Lillie is at at this point in the series.

On the battle, it was kind of a curbstomp. From the moment the battle started and Lillie used Aurora Veil she was in control of the battle and Tyranitar couldn't really do much. I can see why that feels a bit cheap. There was no unexpected hurdles to overcome during the battle, her first attempt worked out great. But I still feel like Lillie deserved Icium Z. In the second episode of Sun and Moon Kiawe already said that Z-Moves are only for those that fight for something greater than themselves. And that's exactly what Lillie did here. She didn't join in the fight expecting a reward, she joined to help protect the Sandshrew. Her selflessness and willingness to help, combined with her sense of strategy which allowed them to scare Tyranitar away was what earned her that Z-crystal.

On whether or not Sandslash is a totem pokémon. It didn't have the aura, but it was a bit bigger than normal. I feel like most totem pokémon are a lot bigger than what this Sandslash was though, most of them are like at least twice their regular size. This one was more like 20% larger than regular Sandslash. But it did reward Lillie with the Z-crystal and Mallow does mention that it's probably a totem pokémon. I think the answer might be something in between, maybe it's a totem pokémon still in training and not yet blessed by Tapu Bulu.

 

[Soaring Pikachu]

I can really dig the background and scenery for this adventure. It looks really good.

A member of the crew getting a Z move and Ice stones too? This seemed like a normal episode but the good guys actually gained a lot. (though it looks like the evolution stone won't be used for a while yet)

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Kukui is the cheapest kind of teacher for sending his students all alone without a ride home. (Okay, MAYBE they wanted to walk, but that's just a maybe.)

Mallow: My dream is the watch people smile while eating my food!

...Wow. It's NO wonder Mallow is absolutely boring as a character. Her dream has already finished! She doesn't need any development!

Are we sure that Sandshrew was a Totem? There was no aura at all.

That Sandstorm was awfully made to be convenient. It pulled Vulpix and Lillie into the battle, and then the Stone Edge (overused move, by the way) neatly creates a barricade of rocks PERFECTLY lined up to keep Mallow and Sophocles from interfering.

Sweet goodness, Lillie. You hit the jackpot with your own Icium-Z crystal AND an Ice Stone for Vulpix. Time to grow up into an adu-

Lillie: I think you need to decide.

Vulpix: No! The plushie sales will plummet if I do evolve too early!

As always, this show hates evolutions for the main cast. Probably the same reason why May's Combusken took an awful long while to evolve into Blaziken.

This episode is very awkward. I say that because it didn't even bother to show any hi-jinks involving Pikachu's team. Nope. Just one scene showing they were together...and skip all the way to the end where they reunite with no problems. They got a freakin' troublemaker in Poipole and yet that's not enough to warrant ANY more scenes for them? Am I really watching the same show that LIKES shoving divided groups into our faces? (All in the name of giving Lillie development, I guess.)