I thought this episode was superior to the previous Pokeringer, when it was Swellow, basically one hit and Ash won. At least in this one Staraptor got to battle a bit before winning.
I absolutely love it, the battle between Ash and Paul is by far the best match between them, even if it wasn't a technical match.
Shame James lost so early, but I blame Yanmega for that, and the fact Skiploom basically owns the wind, and wouldn't get as affected. James took the loss better than last time, although he went crazy. I think James talent as a Pokeringer are highly exaggerated. I think he can beat some weak trainers but I think that's about it.
Since Ash did beat Paul, I think its obvious Ash is prodigy, even if he could care less about the weather and stuff. Shame only James, Paul, and Ash entered.
And Staraptor that thing is huge, and close-combating Honchkrow to the the face was awesome. Not to mention the way the wind blew it's crest like it was emo, was just awesome.