Guess who's coming back in epi 160?

[Jo-Jo]

Woah, Harley's back? I didn't expect him this early. Or for him to appear again before Drew, for that matter. Well, it's a point in favour of my theory that the writers are keeping Drew on the backburner so they can focus on May vs. Harley, anyways.

I'm a bit worried about this episode, though... if this is Munchlax's big battling debut, it seems quite likely to me that May will win. But what's the point in bringing Harley back only to have a replay of the Saffron contest? Usually the writers give May different main opponents in every contest per region. E.g., in Hoenn, it went: Drew (Slateport), Grace (Fallarbor), Timmy (Verdanturf), Savannah (Rubello), Kelly (Lilicove), Harley (Izabe), Eriko (Pacifidlog). But now we've got Harley in both Saffron and wherever this upcoming ep is set. It's unusual, that's for sure.

One thing to bear in mind, though, is that IF - and that's a big if - Harley wins, he likely won't appear again until the Grand Festival. Because if the writers give him a victory, it's because they want to build up the tension and make him seem like someone May needs to worry about in the GF. If they have him win now and bring him back later on in another contest, then they can only make May beat him again and the structure will be messed up.

As for Drew, I hope he puts in a showing before too long. Like I said, I think the writers are holding off on the May/Drew stuff at the moment because they want to stall that rivalry for another region… but still. I miss him.

 

[Manene!]

This episodes going to suck etheir way.

MAY WINS:
Munchlax wins his first battle making people say: "Looks like we have our new "Super Skitty". I can believe it one his first battle!"

MAY LOSES:
Munchlax loses his first battle. Most likely making people say: "That fat lard of [BEEP] sucks! It will never win, He's weak!"

I'm dreadfing this episode.

 

[Heracross]

I really don't think many people would be dissappointed with Gonbe losing. Quite the opposite I would say.

 

[CyberCubed]

MAY LOSES:
Munchlax loses his first battle. Most likely making people say: "That fat lard of [BEEP] sucks! It will never win, He's weak!"

Why would people care if Munchlax and May lose? I mean

A) A lot of people despise Munchlax and would like to see it take a beating

B) May needs to lose at least one contest this region. It would be crappy writing to have her win every single contest without taking a loss or two.

C) Harley needs to redeem himself for the loss at Saffron. This is really Harley's last chance to prove himself to be a worthy rival again. Hopefully the writers realize their mistake of having him lose at Saffron, and are now going to rectify it by having Harley win this one

D) Who cares if Munchlax has barely been doing anything? This is just the Battle Frontier season. We KNOW that Munchlax will be shoved down our throats once we get to the D/P region. It'll be on the show for a whole 'nother 3 year + region. Munchlax not getting much screentime now doesn't make a difference, it'll be here forever.

E) I don't know about anyone else, but I'd love to see Harley rub his victory in May's face and make her burst into tears. Harley's first appeareance showed what a real rival is suppossed to be like, he's not a nice guy. And hey, if May runs off depressed and bursting into tears then there's a chance that we'll get another one of those Ash comforting scenes. Scenes where Ash tries to cheer May up are always a plus in my book, I loved the interaction between the two after the Rubello contest loss, in the Donphan episode of Hoenn where May thought she missed the chance to enter the GF, and at her first contest lost in early Hoenn. Ash IS suppossed to be her mentor, let's see him act like it again.

 

[Jo-Jo]

In a way I think it'd be a bit lame if Munchlax lost. There's been all this foreshadowing that it's going to turn out to be a powerful Pokemon, and then just when it gets a chance to really prove itself... it loses, for no particular reason except that the fandom hates it? Meh, sounds a bit pointless to me.

On the other hand, Harley losing again, just two contests after his last pounding, would likely be even lamer. So I guess I'll root for him to pimp-slap Munchlax along with everyone else.

One thing, though... I love Harley and all, but why does a rival have to be mean and nasty in order to be a good character? There's a difference between a rival and a villain. Maybe I'm just in Drew-defender mode, since he's usually the one who gets criticised in order to make Harley look better, but I don't see the necessity to play the two boys off against each other. I love that May has two very different kinds of rivals. Drew and Harley make great foils for each other. IMO a small part of the reason the writers came up with an 'evil' rival for May in the first place was to provide a contrast with Drew.

I like the idea of Harley making May cry, though. Muahahaha. But not Ash comforting her. There's a reason Ash and Harley never interact. The character Harley is most associated with in the storyline after May is Drew, and to a lesser extent, Max and Jessie.

 

[MaskedManAbsolkid]

Gonbe is on thin ice though.

Can the ice break and leave him there? *hopeful*

I like him, I'm just worried he'll join the group of supers.

 

[The Big Al]

In a way I think it'd be a bit lame if Munchlax lost. There's been all this foreshadowing that it's going to turn out to be a powerful Pokemon, and then just when it gets a chance to really prove itself... it loses, for no particular reason except that the fandom hates it? Meh, sounds a bit pointless to me.

Because Caterpie is a power house against TR and the battle against Vileplume sucked.

On the other hand, Harley losing again, just two contests after his last pounding, would likely be even lamer. So I guess I'll root for him to pimp-slap Munchlax along with everyone else.

Welcome.

One thing, though... I love Harley and all, but why does a rival have to be mean and nasty in order to be a good character? There's a difference between a rival and a villain. Maybe I'm just in Drew-defender mode, since he's usually the one who gets criticised in order to make Harley look better, but I don't see the necessity to play the two boys off against each other. I love that May has two very different kinds of rivals. Drew and Harley make great foils for each other. IMO a small part of the reason the writers came up with an 'evil' rival for May in the first place was to provide a contrast with Drew.

I never liked Drew his worthless plant. He's too much of a sissy and isn't willing to point out bluntly that he's better than May. WE finally get a character who will make sure May hear's it for losing but she doesn't lose.

I like the idea of Harley making May cry, though. Muahahaha. But not Ash comforting her. There's a reason Ash and Harley never interact. The character Harley is most associated with in the storyline after May is Drew, and to a lesser extent, Max and Jessie.

Agreed. I want to see May bawl her eyes out. She hasn't lost in two years and it's about time.

 

[Gravy]

Agreed. I want to see May bawl her eyes out. She hasn't lost in two years and it's about time.

Um...would 'The Grand Festival' happen to ring any bells? [/nitpick]

Eh, I have nothing else to say on the matter, except that I wholeheartedly agree with Cybercubed. Ironically enough, if Haruka looses we're going to gain a whole lot more out of that loss.
Screw that "May should win because Harely is a big meanie" attitude, says I. Do something different and don't roll along the same rails each time~

 

[The Big Al]

That's the same thing as saying Ash lost in the league. I mean in your basic contest.

 

[Jo-Jo]

Harley winning has all the usual problems - he's a bad guy, he'll invariably cheat, bad message for the kids, blah blah blah. It might be interesting, though, if this one time he doesn't do anything underhanded and manages to win.

Because Caterpie is a power house against TR and the battle against Vileplume sucked.

....Whu-?

I never liked Drew his worthless plant. He's too much of a sissy and isn't willing to point out bluntly that he's better than May.

WTF? He tells May he's better than her all the time. As for being a sissy... *snerk* I guess that's why he came second in the Grand Festival, then.

 

[Gravy]

That's the same thing as saying Ash lost in the league. I mean in your basic contest.

But still, a loss is a loss, is a loss. And seeing as she was so dreadfully close to reaching her goal, I'd have thought it would have been considered to be a much more significant loss at that. She did learn a few things from the entire expercience also, so....blah~

 

[The Big Al]

But he's not mean about it. He's like Gay after they neutered him in Johto. He acts superior but doesn't have that personalty that makes you want to beat him.

You think coming second in the Grand Festival proves he isn't a sissy boy? Have you forgotten who you are talking to?

 

[V Faction]

But he's not mean about it. He's like Gay after they neutered him in Johto. He acts superior but doesn't have that personalty that makes you want to beat him.

Quoted for humor.

 

[Judai Yuki]

Umm couldnt a draw happen people?

 

[Haunter Hunter Sohrab]

What would be nice for me is if May would lose even before getting a chance to battle Harley. But that probably won't work since it hasn't happened in contests before.

 

[Jo-Jo]

Pfffft, Drew's a smug little prat. Just because he's capable of being a nice guy too doesn't make him some weepy happy-clappy sort. And he came fairly close to making May cry in the Grand Festival, come to think of it.

 

[CyberCubed]

Harley winning has all the usual problems - he's a bad guy, he'll invariably cheat, bad message for the kids, blah blah blah.

Erm Jo-Jo, did you see the title?

"Gonbe's Battle Debut! Harley and Taking the Game Seriously!!"

If Harley battles fair and square this time without trying to trick her like the title suggests, then there's no "bad message" for kids.

Besides, everytime May has lost in a contest there was always someone there to cheer her up and reassure her to do better next time. It's a learning experience. If Harley rubs his win in May's face and makes her burst into tears, then she can always run crying into Ash's arms again.

 

[Jo-Jo]

I wouldn't say that 'Taking The Game Seriously' proves that Harley isn't going to cheat. The way that sentence is structured, I'd guess it's going to be May who'll take things seriously.

Either way, though, it does imply that the May-Harley rivalry is going to step up a notch, which can only be good. ^_^

Besides, everytime May has lost in a contest there was always someone there to cheer her up and reassure her to do better next time. It's a learning experience. If Harley rubs his win in May's face and makes her burst into tears, then she can always run crying into Ash's arms again.

:X 'Again'? The ONE time she cried after losing a contest, she sat backstage and was comforted by Ash, Max and Brock. Not that any of them were at all successful - it was watching the battle between Drew and Robert that cheered her up. In Rubello, she was down, but she didn't cry, and she's never ran crying into Ash's arms.

 

[CyberCubed]

I'm not talking literally of course.

In Rubello town she did rub a tear out of her eye after Ash sat next to her on the bench and reassured her. Likewise in the Donphan episode when May thought she missed the chance to enter the GF because of Team Rocket, Ash put his hands on her shoulders and tried to reassure her, even though she burst into tears.

I'm not saying there has to be an Ash comforting scene. I'm just saying that if Harley ever rubs his victory in May's face and she ends up crying again, then she always has Ash and Brock to cheer her up. There doesn't have to be a sad ending if Harley wins, Ash and Brock won't let May feel depressed. That's why everytime May has lost (first contest where Ash blames himself for her loss, and the three of them come to cheer her up, Rubello when Ash goes alone to cheer her up and sits on the bench next to her, Donphan episode where Ash tries to tell her to go ahead and enter for the last contest and he would go look for Max while putting his hands on her shoulders, and Grand Festival where Ash goes and gets Ice Cream for May to cheer her up a bit).

If Harley acts nasty to her, she's always going to have her friends to back her up. I'm putting emphasis on Ash because not only has he done it before, but because he's suppossed to be her mentor, and he's there to make sure she succeeds.

 

[Judai Yuki]

Harley has cheated b4 when??and couldnt it be a draw?