Familiarity Breeds Strategy! (654)

[catzeye]

I thought this episode was good. I just didn't the lineup for both Ash & Shinji. It looks the producers are setting up Ash's Johto PKMN to lose against the Darkrai trainer while his Sinnoh PKMN get all the fame & glory of defeating Shinji.

Ash's Sinnoh Pokemon need this win. At least if the Johto Pokemon go up against the Darkrai trainer they'll be going up against some truly powerful opponents.

The entire conversation before the battle is probably one of my favorite moments in Pokemon History, Especially where Paul says he hates Ash for being like Reggie. Very powerful moment.

I agree. Best conversation ever. The fact that we get a reason for the intense hatred gives Paul some character development.

 

[Shego]

So far Ash going well in the first part of the episode. I like how Buizel use Ice Punch on Gastordon's belly. A perfect hit but then Drapion came along.

 

[SmartD]

The final rival battle between Ash and Paul begins. So far Ash was in the lead, but Paul makes a come back with Drapion. I can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

 

[Linkdarkside]

so far so good Infernape defeated Aggron whit a Mach punch(4X Damage),then Staravia struggling against a Gastrodon body slam ,then used close combat on the floor to escape was amazing.

Buizel then defeat him using Ice punch but paul then use a scary Drapion,

funny how all of Paul pokemon name finished in on .

 

[Torpoleon]

I loved this episode. It is a great way to start off one of my favorite battles. Nice to see Infernape & Buizel with a win. This is Buizel's first win against Paul! I do understand why Ash is using his Pokémon from the full battle too. Can't wait for more!
10/10

 

[Dattebayo]

So it begins, I really hope Ash wins this time or else I'll lose all respect for both him and Paul. Ash really should've used Torterra to take on Paul's Drapion.

 

[AmericanPi]

I just watched this in English 30 minutes ago! It was really awesome; lots of intense battling between Ash and Paul. The only thing I didn't like was Ash not switching out Staraptor earlier, when it was Body Slammed by Gastrodon.

Anyways, I also love the conversations before the battle, with Paul saying that Ash was like Reggie. There were also some cute little Ikarishipping moments there. <3

I can't wait for Part 2 to come out! But I'll have to watch it online, because I'm going on vacation next Saturday.

 

[MidnightMelody]

I just watched this in English 30 minutes ago! It was really awesome; lots of intense battling between Ash and Paul. The only thing I didn't like was Ash not switching out Staraptor earlier, when it was Body Slammed by Gastrodon.

Anyways, I also love the conversations before the battle, with Paul saying that Ash was like Reggie. There were also some cute little Ikarishipping moments there. <3

I can't wait for Part 2 to come out! But I'll have to watch it online, because I'm going on vacation next Saturday.

No new episode next week due to Christmas. Not sure about the week after. I think we get new eps once Jan is here which means we end the DP arc by Feb the same time Japan airs the DP special. How ironic.

 

[AmericanPi]

No new episode next week due to Christmas. Not sure about the week after. I think we get new eps once Jan is here which means we end the DP arc by Feb the same time Japan airs the DP special. How ironic.

Oh really? Then I can enjoy my vacation without worrying about missing an episode.

Speaking of Christmas, I think I should change my avatar to a Christmassy one.

 

[TheNewGuy]

So it begins, I really hope Ash wins this time or else I'll lose all respect for both him and Paul. Ash really should've used Torterra to take on Paul's Drapion.

heh heh.

Sucks there's no episode next week, I want to see this battle in English finally.

Pretty standard fare so far. The music in the Japanese version was obviously far superior. I wish they'd have kept the music that played during the Infernape/Aggron and Buizel/Gastrodon fights as well, that synced perfectly with the action taking place. A shame, though it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting.

The Japanese version is by a distance the best battle in the history of this anime, so I hope the English version doesn't dilute it too much.

 

[Vernikova]

Gastrodon's Counter Shield is the only thing worth commenting about as well as Buizel winning a battle. Of course Buizel is terrible again but whatever. The animation was pretty good too.

 

[Lorde]

Well this was an interesting start to Ash and Paul's second six-on-six battle. It looked like Paul's Lairon evolved into Aggron. That was something that was expected though, considering how hard Paul trains his Pokemon. I really liked that training scene at the beginning of the flashback since it showed Ash doing a few last minute adjustments to his strategy. I also loved Piplup's outfit since it made Piplup look cute. Seeing Paul talking to his brother was something that I found pretty interesting (even if Dawn showed up to ruin it haha). Really though, I enjoyed seeing her talk to Paul, alone. Back in the present, Pikachu was having trouble fighting a brute like Aggron. It was really embarrassing seeing Ash use Pikachu though, since not many of its attacks were good against it. Infernape versus Aggron was pretty awesome, since it was able to defeat Paul's Aggron with relative ease. Paul went with Gastrodon since it had a type advantage over Infernape, but I was glad that Ash used his head and went with Staraptor instead. Seeing Gastrodon's Muddy Water Counter Shield was cool though; I'm glad Paul taught that to his Pokemon. Staraptor was doing pretty well, until it got Body Slammed by Gastrodon. That scene was sort of funny though (maybe I just have a dirty mind?). Gastrodon managed to be too much for Staraptor, so Ash went with Buizel. I didn't think it was the best idea, but Buizel took advantage of Gastrodon's Ice Beam and used its Ice Aqua Jet to win that battle. I was so impressed with Buizel, but then Paul sent out his new Drapion, and I knew things had gotten serious. Things ended in a cliffhanger, but I have a bad feeling about the result of that fight. Anyway, a decent start to Ash and Paul's battle. 8/10.

 

[playerking]

Question, why was there no element field like previous battles?

 

[Vernikova]

My guess would be that the grass field is what was randomly chosen to be that field. Or it was chosen for a more even field of battle.

 

[Shneak]

Kind of a step backward compared to last week, but then again, it's a 3-parter. The editors did a weird job starting the battle, and then having a flashback. The battle's been good so far. I'm glad Counter-Shield and Ice Aqua Jet were used, and Buizel got a win.

8/10.

 

[ZangooseLord]

Is it just me, or did Brock sound like Batman after Aggron got burned? After seeing what Metal Sound looks like, I assume it's the Pokemon universe's equvalent, more or less, of a dog whistle. You know, how Pokemon cringe at the sound, but humans can barely hear it? Just sayin'...

 

[WaterDragon trainer]

This episode was great. It was kinda cool to see Metal Sound. I was not aware that Flare Blitz had a chance of inflicting a burn (I thought it was just a Fire Type Double Edge and nothing more). It was interesting that Paul used the shield tecnique Ash used. The battle so far was quite intense.

 

[randomspot555]

This episode was great. It was kinda cool to see Metal Sound. I was not aware that Flare Blitz had a chance of inflicting a burn (I thought it was just a Fire Type Double Edge and nothing more). It was interesting that Paul used the shield tecnique Ash used. The battle so far was quite intense.

I too had no idea Flare Blitz could inflict a burn. But I looked it up and yep, it has the 10% chance just like many other Fire-type moves.

I thought this dub was pretty good, though the music was nowhere close to as good as the music chosen for the Japanese raw. Some of Dawn's lines didn't really come off too well, such as the two times she scolded Barry (once before the battle, and once during).

The battle, though, still retained the elements that made it great in the raw. Glad to hear that Drapion kept it's Japanese cry.

 

[the1stpkmnfan]

The beginning part of the episode got me really pumped up, having Ash and Paul prepared for their battle, and Dawn/Paul talking with each other for the first time. Freaky.

Im also happy that Team Rocket is now working inside the stadium for their business; wonder where theyll be put next, after hopefully being promoted again. But it was silly of them to be watching the battle when Infernape and Staraptor were on a roll.

Aggron was a tough looking Pokemon, along with its Ability and moves. Paul is impressing me with his newly acquired Pokemon so far.

I loved it when Infernape gave it a good Mach Punch in the face, and make some massive damage. I couldnt stay in my seat. xD

Gastrodon was a interesting choice. I was blown away when he was inspired from creating a Counter Shield with it using Muddy Water; just like Chimchar/Buizel and Pikachu make their own shields before.

After watching the part where it traps Staraptor with Body Slam, only made me wonder how he was going to escape from its clutches. Then remembeing Close Combat, doing so on the ground was a smart move! haha

Then Buizel ending it with Ice Punch was a nice idea; and a pretty good win.

Drapion; oh my. This looked like trouble was about to arise. Plus I thought Paul might get one, after seeing him trying to catch one many episodes ago (back in Season 11). Cross Poison and its own senses were deadly amazing. No question that Drapion is going to love some big marks on Ash's team.

Until the next part of Ash and Pauls battle, guess we have to wait. But I know itll be worth it! This is really pumping me up. XD

 

[raz1337]

It's The Ties That Bind all over again.