Fire Training Battle! Ash VS Paul!! (1203)

[SevereRacccon6]

Yknow what it ended up with a 2-1 win for ash however Lucario used the Aura boost or whatever so i consider Gyarados v Lucario a tie tbh

If lucario didnt get out of that bind it was unironically GG

Really wish paul still would went with Electivire Torterra + 1 and aobsolutely ****ed ash but he went with some random mon, still a good battle, paul was clearly just tryna train ash

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

Okay from first glance I really loved this episode! The flashbacks of DP were perfect man, and the training montages of all the mons made me so emotional, thats the content I want!!
Reserves deconfirmed sadly
The battle animation was also really nice and I liked Paul's character here
However, this episode just kinda stings to me coz well, we know reserves won't be used ever again and I'm still a bit salty about the matchups
Idk its the previews that kinda made me salty ngl
The episode itself was done really well, although I'll have to rewatch the battles later

 

[Ultra Beast Lover]

It must have been a big surprise

Of course, why am I not surprised? I'm sorry, I don't want to be negative all the time, but this saga had potential. It was setting things up like Ash hearing Lugia talk to it and doing things we always wanted Ash to do like catch a Riolu. We would've had to deal with Go as a downside but it could have been a fun if bizarre saga. I'd be ok with Ash using his current team if we saw them actually grow and train over the course of the series but they haven't. Heck, they could have visited the lab every once in a while for a mini arc for each Pokemon as a "passing the torch" thing but no, no they're "already super dooper powerful".

Worst. Fanfic. Ever.

 

[Blue Saturday]

Will see this with subs and come back for a real review but man did it feel so fast.

Not sure how I feel about Shinji being a gym leader of all things and the newer more modern battling style not being as “drawn” out definitely doesn’t suit his style as an opponent. The big thing on his Pokémon was they were brutal and lasted, battles these days are so rapid I feel like you don’t get to see that shine through as much is my only criticism but he was only here to train Satoshi. Where are the insane strategic and stuff that surprises you? The drawn out agony (maybe not agony since he’s more like post-development Vegeta) but a better sense of hmm…pace and weight?

 

[Aryash Bajaj]

Pros -
Hawlucha
The training montage was fun.
Infernape was cool.
Liked seeing the reserves again.
Ash is already looking for other options in contests. Needs a little skip in his steps and Ashley would be running for showcases.

Mehs-
Paul is a gym leader now or atleast hopes to be one ? Sort of an oddball here.
Shillcario survived battling Hawlucha. Somehow I doubt that would happen if chacal surestimé didn't have plot armor.
Oh cool genger was abandoned so it can feel at home with the fire types. Would have liked him if it wasn't the tired trope played out for the 37th time.

Cons -
Another rushed badly choreographed battle. Hopefully they were saving budget for the master class.
Reserves being used as personal trainers for Ash's worst team since Johto
Paul didn't participate in PWC because he "wasn't impressed by it" ? He's a trainer who likes competition and respects strength. I call BS.

6/10 Somehow the Paul parts were downgraded from the rest of the episode heavily, opposite if what my expectations were. Reserves were nice and they carried the episode. Not sure how much Ash not using reserves affects my judgement of this episode. Shillcario please slip on a banana peel.

 

[Ragnarok4]

Man if only this series was based in a lab so we can see this many pokemon that peole care about interact. Would’ve been great to have them interact and train the newbies organically like we saw here or just have more lowkey moments. Honestly it’s such a shame this series couldn’t just be based in a lab.

…..wait a minute.

the most based comment of all

 

[PokemonBattleFanatic-]

He still had a similar battling style, is clearly very strong, and I loved - loved - the way Gyarados tried to bind Lucario. It's a great character quirk and again consistent with how he battled with Drapion/Electivire during the league battle

My only issue with the battle was Paul didn't implement any real strategies like he did in their previous battles,outside of the part that you mentioned about Gyarados/Lucario it was flat out pure power.Overall I'd say this is their 5th best battle they had in the series.

 

[Dragonsoldier77]

I really don't get why people are so upset about Ash not using reserves. Weren't you all complaining about the returning characters overshadowing this serie's new plot and characters for fanservice the entire run? Why is it that NOW you want Ash's old pokemon to overshadow his new ones for pure fanservice? This episode fits perfectly with the "passing of the torch" theme this series is going for, every returning character and pokemon helps Ash and his pokemon, Go, and Koharu in their current journeys. I'd love to see reserves too, but Ash not using them was never a problem and still isn't, specially now that it fits with the narrative.

Ignoring the assumption that people are hiveminds that have one opinion onstead of being varied for a sec, i think i’ve literally seen nobody complaining about old characters ‘overshadowing’ new characters. Especially since people have for the most part been happy when it happens, though maybe not after depending on the execution.

Same goes reserves, most people i’ve seen have wanted them to come ever since it was revealed to be a world tournament. People i’ve seen that unironically wants ash to only use his JN team have numbered in the most minuscule ammount if not nil.

So i have no idea why you’re even trying to imply a shift of opinion.

 

[Ragnarok4]

My only issue with the battle was Paul didn't implement any real strategies like he did in their previous battles,outside of the part that you mentioned about Gyarados/Lucario it was flat out pure power.Overall I'd say this is their 4th best battle they had in the series.

Paul didn't lose, that's something

 

[nuzamaki90]

He really said that?

Yea, it’s too noisy/flashy for him. Which is hilarious because it’s so in character I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before.

 

[k6666]

Paul doesn’t need startegy he just train ash

I’m really impressed with Him , He can still push ash with his new mons , Without aura boost and Gengar New Move Ash would Lose , It’s sad he only appear once

Ash need got beat up to face reality that he not that strong enough with his JN team

 

[Lord Godwin]

Yea, it’s too noisy/flashy for him. Which is hilarious because it’s so in character I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before.

I honestly would prefer him saying he ended up 10 and didn't have time to challange anyone else for a Spot in the master 8...

 

[Aryash Bajaj]

Yea, it’s too noisy/flashy for him. Which is hilarious because it’s so in character I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before.

That's malarkey. Pokemon Leagues are also flashy, he competed in 4 of them.

 

[Speed22]

Ash is already looking for other options in contests. Needs a little skip in his steps and Ashley would be running for showcases.

>Ash considering contests.

What? The writers are actually going to have Ash give up on or retire from battling after the PWC aren't they?

 

[Blue Saturday]

That's malarkey. Pokemon Leagues are also flashy, he competed in 4 of them.

I think that refers to the theatrics and “clout” of the PWC essentially being sensationalized and celebrity-esque versus more grounded like a Pokémon league. Trainers using eye-catching, showy catchphrases and charismatic things like Daimax.

Still a bit odd though a response but Tomoika knows Shinji best.

 

[Ragnarok4]

Jobbernite

 

[Nikinini]

No it does not fit with the narrative one bit. He is battling in the world champion ships. Not a regional league. There is a huge differencd. This is a summation of his journey. Heck, if they included this so called "passing of the torch" i tk the series from before, atleast it would have made some sense, but in one episode with a few scenes there is zero buildup. Usually i love the regional team getting the spotlight because it closes their arcs up quite well. Here none of his team members have any arcs to be closed up

Exactly, this is a summation of his journey, which is why every important part of it is coming back to pass the torch to his current team and friends. Whether you like it or not, it does fit with the narrative.

With how Journeys has been handled and the lack of actual Galar Pokemon that Ash has caught I'd argue that giving him a brand new team is actually extremely unnecessary.
The whole season should have been him using reserves throughout all of the 130+ episodes.

I love the lack of Galar pokemon. I'm tired of Ash catching the same predictable team of exclusively new pokemon, we've seen that for 20 years straight, he needed a brand new team with old and unexpected mons.
Could this series have been about him using exclusively his reserves? Yes, but that's not the route they decided to go in, and there's nothing wrong with that. All I'm saying is that I'm seeing the same people who complain about returning characters complaining about the lack of reserves, which is contradictory.

Ignoring the assumption that people are hiveminds that have one opinion onstead of being varied for a sec, i think i’ve literally seen nobody complaining about old characters ‘overshadowing’ new characters. Especially since people have for the most part been happy when it happens, though maybe not after depending on the execution.

Same goes reserves, most people i’ve seen have wanted them to come ever since it was revealed to be a world tournament. People i’ve seen that unironically wants ash to only use his JN team have numbered in the most minuscule ammount if not nil.

So i have no idea why you’re even trying to imply a shift of opinion.

The "Journeys is bad because it's pure fanservice instead of developing it's own story" is the most common complain I see about it everywhere. And again, I see the same people who say that now upset abotu the lack of reserves.

 

[nuzamaki90]

That's malarkey. Pokemon Leagues are also flashy, he competed in 4 of them.

The VA for Gary gave a similar reasoning in an interview a couple months back. Gary didn’t join the PWC because it was “too crowded, ie too many trainers to bump heads with as opposed to a straight forward competition like the Pokémon League Conferences.

 

[Almighty Zard]

That's malarkey. Pokemon Leagues are also flashy, he competed in 4 of them.

agreed, that's kind of OoC for him, after all we've seen plenty of other people in the PWC who take it pretty seriously despite the "theatrics"

On the subject of "reserves" did Ash say anything about that? or we just going off the previews?

also, Gengar's usage of wil-o-wisp was awesome.

>Ash considering contests.

What? The writers are actually going to have Ash give up on or retire from battling after the PWC aren't they?

Is this actually a thing?

 

[DankOverlord]

Paul didn’t join the PWC because he’s not a fan of it hahahahhaa

Finally an in-character reason. Even he knows it's a travesty and a joke of a "World Coronation"