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Serena never finishing a battle

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Ubermuk

Sticky & Sweet
Did Serena have any notable wins against TRio? I can't remember and I know that fights against TRio don't count but I'm still curious.
 

DatsRight

Well-Known Member
Did Serena have any notable wins against TRio? I can't remember and I know that fights against TRio don't count but I'm still curious.

It was sorta the same deal as usual formula. Pikachu usually dealt the 'blasting off' blow, but Serena and others tended to completely dominate them in whatever contribution they got after the first season or so (Season One TR had odd times of getting in a hit or overpowering the twerps until some interruption stopped them, though only Ash tended to get the rare battles that qualified as full two way fights).
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
I personally don't count teamwork scenarios as wins for the traveling companions if Pikachu or one of Satoshi's other Pokemon delivered the finishing blow. I suppose that Serena's lucky that she was even able to get involved against the Rocket-dan, but most of those instances were more cases of her not being the one who finished the battle.
 

DatsRight

Well-Known Member
I personally don't count teamwork scenarios as wins for the traveling companions if Pikachu or one of Satoshi's other Pokemon delivered the finishing blow. I suppose that Serena's lucky that she was even able to get involved against the Rocket-dan, but most of those instances were more cases of her not being the one who finished the battle.

This is really why it would have been nice to have more episodes for the twerps where they didn't interrupt. It was barely worth anything in terms of skill showcase ultimately and often just felt like an excuse to not write a proper third act. They didn't have a funny chemistry with TR most of the time, especially Serena.

It's the same reason I was unimpressed by Mallow's episodes, TR felt like padding because her character couldn't hold a story, though even she at least grew out of it. Nearly all of Serena's focus had these awkward anti climaxes.
 
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Ignition

We are so back Zygardebros
While I think she had a fair amount of issues, I think Serena was fine. I thought her getting a grasp of what she wanted to do with her life and figuring it out herself is a very relatable topic that was done well. As I said, I would've preferred some changes like an extra Pokémon or two (though I could excuse that for Pancham evolving) and doing more like she did during Team Flare's take over, but I don't think she was that bad
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
While I think she had a fair amount of issues, I think Serena was fine. I thought her getting a grasp of what she wanted to do with her life and figuring it out herself is a very relatable topic that was done well.
I'm pretty sure everyone liked that about her.

It's just things went south quickly when we saw what she chose to do.

It's kind of like an 18-year old saying it's time for them to make their own life choices...but they immediately end up drinking an entire 6-can pack of beer...of 3 other packs.
 

Sham

The Guardian of Ruin and Birth
Someone brought up how Serena basically stole May’s plot and while I’m not biased enough to say they should of went more in depth of May finding a goal besides 9 or 10 episodes; I did prefer her overall story better
 
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Ignition

We are so back Zygardebros
I'm pretty sure everyone liked that about her.

It's just things went south quickly when we saw what she chose to do.

It's kind of like an 18-year old saying it's time for them to make their own life choices...but they immediately end up drinking an entire 6-can pack of beer...of 3 other packs.
Is there a specific instance you're referring to? I'm assuming you mean either choosing Showcases or Contests at the end of her run.
 

AuraChannelerChris

Easygoing Luxray.
Is there a specific instance you're referring to? I'm assuming you mean either choosing Showcases or Contests at the end of her run.
Any time she had focus with her mother is when Serena was interesting, especially when she told her mother she wasn't going to do Tauros racing.

(Not when she took her sweet *** time choosing what to do like 40 episodes later. For a show, that's just stupid.)
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
Sham said:
Someone brought up how Serena basically stole May’s plot and while I’m not biased enough I to say they should of went more in depth or May finding a goal besides 9 or 10 episodes; I did prefer her overall story better

That seems like something that would've fit with the whole "XY is the new AG" mantra that many viewers liked to point out whenever XY emulated something from AG, although that's not fair to Haruka because even she wasn't as indecisive about her goal as Serena was.
 

Ignition

We are so back Zygardebros
Any time she had focus with her mother is when Serena was interesting, especially when she told her mother she wasn't going to do Tauros racing.

(Not when she took her sweet *** time choosing what to do like 40 episodes later. For a show, that's just stupid.)
Oh ok gotcha. That was one of the gripes I was referring to. While I like that she had a moment where she wasn't sure on what to do, I agree that it shouldn't have taken that long to get a start on something especially since she didn't do much else before then.
 

Sham

The Guardian of Ruin and Birth
That seems like something that would've fit with the whole "XY is the new AG" mantra that many viewers liked to point out whenever XY emulated something from AG, although that's not fair to Haruka because even she wasn't as indecisive about her goal as Serena was.
Let’s be honest people only really said that because they brought back a four man squad instead of the usual three. I do see the similarities but I definitely think the writers were more fastidious with May’s goal. I’m not that upset with Serena’s length of her decision but more so of the fact we waited a year for a watered down product of something created 7 years earlier.
 

Moonlight Starlight

Well-Known Member
Let’s be honest people only really said that because they brought back a four man squad instead of the usual three. I do see the similarities but I definitely think the writers were more fastidious with May’s goal.
May's goal was rush finding what she wants to do. But it didn't add anything to her character doing Contest. I see contest handle more great into Dawn's character and showcases for Serena's character being a non battler. I don't want Serena do contest turning her into a 2.0 Dawn. I want her to be her own different character doing something different than not being a version to another character even though both Serena and Dawn look like versions to the 1st generation character of Leaf/ Green.
 

Jeal

Well-Known Member
Serena was seldom in a battle she took a hit, whenever it looked like she would that was usually the sign it was gonna end prematurely. It's also why Braixen having a fluent defensive battle style in her last battle felt weird.

Again I don't think the lack of battling is a problem, but more that Serena didn't get a great agency besides these 'phony battles'. They could have used her character to try some more diverse plots to ease into SM's format, quieter more character driven episodes that didn't try to force in a half-battle or Team Rocket faceoff that took away focus. I would have been fine with some episodes that didn't have any sort of competitive interruption and just let her work as a character standalone.

Even just making Serena a more advanced 'utility mon' trainer could have worked out, especially since, unlike the SM students, she wasn't limited to one typing.
Man, I and other users already disproved your statements about Serena a million times. How many years will you keep repeating the same lies with the same arguments?
 

Sham

The Guardian of Ruin and Birth
May's goal was rush finding what she wants to do. But it didn't add anything to her character doing Contest. I see contest handle more great into Dawn's character and showcases for Serena being a non battler.
Contests was a device to show how May has spent so much time trying to be like Ash subconsciously; that she doesn’t know or have her own styling of battling and because of that needed to branch away so she could find her own way of battling by herself.
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
Someone brought up how Serena basically stole May’s plot and while I’m not biased enough to say they should of went more in depth of May finding a goal besides 9 or 10 episodes; I did prefer her overall story better

Kind of sad they probably couldn't (or didn't want) to get May back. She inspiring Serena like she had been inspired in the past would be a nice way to bring May's story full circle.

Well, I guess things are the way they are so no sense lamenting about the lost possibilities
 

Moonlight Starlight

Well-Known Member
Kind of sad they probably couldn't (or didn't want) to get May back. She inspiring Serena like she had been inspired in the past would be a nice way to bring May's story full circle.

Well, I guess things are the way they are so no sense lamenting about the lost possibilities
I can see May make since being in the cameo of XY than Iris and having the same goal as Serena being a performer trainer. I would see these two interact with each other great having a great chemistry.
 
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