Another layer of brilliance I just realized is that this battle was also a reference to the general style of battles in Black and White, as seen in Gym matches, Don George Tournaments, one-time things, and so on.
Black and White tended to emphasize who a Pokemon was as a character through battles and skirmishes. This was also synched to how they would characterize the trainers who took part in them in a given battle, both as participants using those Pokemon and as audience observers reacting to how thing play out. (This isn't new in itself, but BW was where this was the most emphasized, in my opinion. It's one of the reasons BW's battles are in my heart and mind, despite not always adhering to the Shonen-esque flashiness as heavily and as forwardly as some of the other series.) This meant a lot of characterization establishment and growth establishment happened during these fights (which explains why many Pokemon evolved in the midst of a battle).
Today's battle did just that.