October 6th: SM142 - Burn with Passion! Get Filled with Intensity! A Full Battle!!!

[Doppelgänger]

Gible was a beginner's luck kind of Pokemon. Despite being unevolved, it knew Draco Meteor and was from a powerful species of Pokemon and was Ash's only Dragon-type. Using it was a defensible move.

Torkoal had experience battling Registeel, and as a Battle Frontier veteran there's reason to think he might be stronger than Torterra or Buizel. But for a neutral matchup against Dakrai, he had no niches or role on that team. If Ash needed an Ice-type resist, Glalie and Corphish were better choices.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

About all the Pokemon have looked just fine in SM. I don’t think Pokemon like Infernape would suffer in this art style lol. Hell, we have a Charizard in the main cast and he looks fine alongside a Krookodile from Nanu. Don’t be silly, Sceptile that’s somehow a banana!

The only Pokemon that looks different is Kiawe's Charizard, but that may be because he's a grandpa like Tracey's Scyther.

Every other Pokemon looks the same as before, except for their outlines being made thinner like every other human character.

Ash is the different one for veeeeeeery obvious reasons.

 

[mysticalglacia]

The issue with reserving them for epic-tier opponents is they never appear anymore, so with Ash's All-Star team growing each season, individual Pokemon will be competing for space. And, if Ash DOES use his six strongest Pokemon...five of them, at least, are going to get KO'd, some in ways that fans won't like. Leaving fans to lionize the aces left out of the team, like those thinking Infernape should have been used over Heracross against Tobias.

It's ironic; although Ash has been the poster child for "it's OK to lose", fans won't tolerate an ace Pokemon losing to an opponent they think is beneath it. The beauty of Pokemon is that because of type matchups, Infernape COULD lose to Cameron's Sawanna. But the perception of an ace overcoming all hardship creatively limits what the writers could do.

For me, Infernape v. Mega Lucario is a fair match. Infernape has the type advantage, while Lucario has the edge in power and speed. Much like Turtonator v. Mega Steelix, an equal matchup is tense because the battle doesn't lean too heavily in one direction to spoil the outcome. So I'd be fine if Infernape were used but lost in that scenario.

You have a point; some of them inevitably would need to lose. I don’t have any issues with that, as long as they put up a good fight and are against worthy opponents. Turtonator vs. Mega Steelix, Greninja vs. Mega Charizard, and Sceptile in the Tobias battle are all good examples of that. But when it comes to aces, having them lose to obviously, blatantly underpowered Pokémon feels like a slap in the face, since there have been entire narratives molded around the progression and climax of their strength. Undoing that for the sake of creatively unpredictable matchups would feel cheap and disingenuous. It’d be like Greninja losing to Sawyer’s Slurpuff or Infernape losing to Barry’s Empoleon; despite the type advantages the latter two have on the former two, there is a very noticeable difference in power levels, which makes them winning seem improbable.

I’d be fine with something like Infernape vs. Mega Lucario. Infernape winning but then fainting against Kukui’s next Pokemon, or him very very narrowly losing would both be acceptable outcomes, as long as they show that he’s no pushover- he’s one of Ash’s best aces, after all. I think that’s all anyone really wants, honestly: genuinely well-written, tense matchups between equals.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

If it isn't Poipole or Solgaleo to use as 6th pokemon who then?

 

[Revolver Furious Dragon]

If it isn't Poipole or Solgaleo to use as 6th pokemon who then?

It could be anything. For all we know they put all his reserves in a hat and drew one out at Random. But my guess would be something like bulbasaur, which has already appeared in sun and moon.

He could even borrow something from a friend. Like Lillie's vulpix, as a call back to the episode where they all switched partners

 

[Leonhart]

Honestly at this point I'm just hoping this battle goes into ep 143 AT LEAST.

If the battle starts here then I'd hope that it lasts until the next episode as well, but given that this battle has no real stakes since Satoshi already won the Alola League anyway, I could see the match lasting just this one episode. That's the cynical part of me coming out, but I'm hoping that I'm wrong.

 

[sheld999]

i know this may sound stupid but with rumors of pikachu getting a form in galar what if this happens during their battle? like ash is using pikachu for a bit then bam it goes into a form gets big... Ash is confused and Royal mask is like ... ash my boy that is called dianmaxing used it wisely

 

[Bortgreen]

i know this may sound stupid but with rumors of pikachu getting a form in galar what if this happens during their battle? like ash is using pikachu for a bit then bam it goes into a form gets big... Ash is confused and Royal mask is like ... ash my boy that is called dianmaxing used it wisely

Dynamax requires a special device, some kind of special area AND returning to pokeball
Not going to happen at least in SM

 

[TheWanderingMist]

Dynamax requires a special device, some kind of special area AND returning to pokeball
Not going to happen at least in SM

Nah, Ash's Pikachu will get a special version that doesn't require the PokeBall.

 

[Leonhart]

i know this may sound stupid but with rumors of pikachu getting a form in galar what if this happens during their battle? like ash is using pikachu for a bit then bam it goes into a form gets big... Ash is confused and Royal mask is like ... ash my boy that is called dianmaxing used it wisely

I've seen people predict this before, but I just don't like the idea of a Galar-exclusive game mechanic making its debut in this battle before the Galar saga even begins. Some might say that it could inspire Satoshi to visit Galar once SM is over, but I don't think that he would need any special kind of motivation to travel to that region since all he'd have to know is that there's new Pokemon there, and he'd rush to Galar in an instant.

 

[CMButch]

i know this may sound stupid but with rumors of pikachu getting a form in galar what if this happens during their battle? like ash is using pikachu for a bit then bam it goes into a form gets big... Ash is confused and Royal mask is like ... ash my boy that is called dianmaxing used it wisely

I really hope Pikachu doesn't get Galar version ,we already have Alolan Raichu. Give other Pokemon forms...

 

[Doppelgänger]

I don't think Pikachu will have any power up that changes his physical appearance. He could theoretically Dynamax, but never Gigantamax. Pikachu is unique among the Nintendo mascots in that much of his trademark value is tied to his consistent appearance. When GameFreak wants a new "forme" they create a Pikaclone, or two.

If Mimikyu follows Team Rocket to Galar I hope it gets Dynamax. It would create a power dynamic like during Goku and Vegeta's first battle, where Vegeta was stronger and THEN transformed into a Great Ape. It makes the rivalry feel more fierce.

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Pikachu is cursed to have unique moves or exclusive held items, but never a new form. That's for Raichu to have.

 

[mehmeh1]

I don't think Pikachu will have any power up that changes his physical appearance. He could theoretically Dynamax, but never Gigantamax. Pikachu is unique among the Nintendo mascots in that much of his trademark value is tied to his consistent appearance. When GameFreak wants a new "forme" they create a Pikaclone, or two.

If Mimikyu follows Team Rocket to Galar I hope it gets Dynamax. It would create a power dynamic like during Goku and Vegeta's first battle, where Vegeta was stronger and THEN transformed into a Great Ape. It makes the rivalry feel more fierce.

The leak that has been 100% right until now (even if some unrevealed things could be deliberately fake) said that Pika would get a Gigantamax form that would look like old Pika (the fat one, though Idk if it'll be his rgb design or his yellow design)

 

[Red and Blue]

I know, but Ash's Pikachu won't get it. It would better suited for a rival to set up melodrama.

Dont see why not. The Pikachu transformation would be temporary. I dont see it as any different than his signature Z move with Ash's hat

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Because we all want Pikachu to be the regional ace after Unova with a unique transformation that screams "ace me Ash."

Please, no.

 

[Doppelgänger]

Temporary didn't stop genwunners from hating the Mega Charizard forms, or the idea of "Digivolving" Pokemon as a concept. Super forms and nostalgia tend to not mix, because the super form can very easily be interpreted as a new character completely.

Because we all want Pikachu to be the regional ace after Unova with a unique transformation that screams "ace me Ash."

Please, no.

Fat Pikachu would be funny to see, NGL.

 

[Bortgreen]

Dont see why not. The Pikachu transformation would be temporary. I dont see it as any different than his signature Z move with Ash's hat

Isn't Gigantamax possible only by certain pokémon of a species? I don't think Ash's Pikachu would be able to do it

 

[Revolver Furious Dragon]

Isn't Gigantamax possible only by certain pokémon of a species? I don't think Ash's Pikachu would be able to do it

Ash's greninja couldn't mega evolve but they found a way around it.

Not saying I think Pikachu will gigantimax but it's not out of the realm of possibility for the writer's to come up with something even if it can't do it in game

 

[AuraChannelerChris]

Isn't Gigantamax possible only by certain pokémon of a species? I don't think Ash's Pikachu would be able to do it

By certain species, it's always the last evolution/only form.

I highly doubt Pikachu can Gigantamax, so Ash will just milk, er, main the starter that doesn't get Pignited.