I'm kinda disappointed...
Ampharos VS. Skitty was kinda...fake. I mean, what are the odds of a not-very-hard trained Skitty beating an Ampharos, a 3rd stage Pokemon. Yeah, May HAD to win, but it isn't the most ethical outcome in the world.
The carnival was kinda cute. I think Ash and Max kinda share that "let's get going to find Pokemon!" kiddie thing, and that's really sweet. And then while May and Max are fighting, Ash and Brock stand on the sidelines, being mature and remembering when Ash and Misty used to act like that. I love the Hoenn group--it fits so well!
But...here's my rant.
Ash Ketchum is not a steady character. At first it seems as if he's learning so much in Hoenn, working strategies, taking his time, forming a plan, using his brain. But then every time the writers want him to lose, they make him a stupid newbie again, and he forgets everything he's ever learned. It's agitating.
Take Ash VS. Drew for a second. Ash, had he been using his techniques from when he battled Brawly, probably would've come off as a much tougher opponent, even though he had to lose. But instead, it's "Taillow, do this!...wait. It didn't work. So I lose! Oh well, you did great." I despise it.
But then when Ash has to win, he gets smart. Take Ash VS. Flannery. Corpish hitting Torkoal's shell from the side like that was absolutely genius! Now why can't he take that genius and channel it into somewhere where he has to lose, but still comes off as though he tried his best?
So I come to this match. Ash knows ALL TO WELL that he can't have Torkoal use Overheat so many times. He also knows that talking so much isn't going to get him anywhere either. And he ALSO knows that confidence alone is stupid. But guess what? Ashy boy has to lose, and he has to lose badly. Why? Because the writers don't realize that characters learn from experience!!!
Oh sure, you may think that May and Skitty are getting better. And they probably are. But I'll bet you that the next time they're obliged to lose, it'll be by a lot. Or maybe this is only an Ash thing. Who knows.
But I'm really sick of it. The writers have got to make Ash more consistent. It annoys the crap out of me when my favorite character loses a match he should've put up a good fight for, if not won. Imagine if this kind of thing happens during the Hoenn League! Horrible, just horrible.
That's the end of my rant. Scream at me if you will, but I've voiced my opinion, and that's all that matters to me now.