The Battle Club and Tepig's Choice (663)

[Cobalt_Latios]

He just had new instructions for them. They were ordered to go to Sanyo City, contact the headquarters from there and investigate at "a certain place".

Oh, so now it actually makes sense for them to go to Sanyo City... exactly where Ash is going. So, in a way, they're not exactly following him, they just happen to be in the same area.

This is gettin' goooood.

C_L

 

[Locormus]

So another episode and yet we haven't seen Koromori yet , I'm sure the writers know what their doing.
Iris getting upset that Pokabu also wanted to Join Ash. Could this be a hint that the 3rd and final starter Tsurtaja might in fact join Iris?.

Anyway this isn't the place for this. Staying on topic I give this episode a 9

Tsutaja with Iris could be possible.. We haven't seen any evidence to support it going to another other then Ash using his pokemon to fight it, which could result in Tsutaja disliking Ash.. Just look at it like this:

Girls don't like guys that over do it, or that try to push themselves onto them.. Which might be just the thing that Ash is doing.. Then it decides to go with Iris.

Wow. ash catches an Isshu pokemon, who's also an abused fire type pokemon. *Yawn.* But lovin' the fact that TR never blast off anymore. Yeah, finally a competent TR.

I dislike the idea of Team Rocket acting out this new style the entire time.. I miss the old Team Rocket I guess. They were a huge part of what made the show, and they just changed drastically.

None complained about bayleef and sceptile. What's wrong with infernape and pokabu evos. As far as I am concerned they are totally different. Emboar can hardly be a fast, agile mach-puncher. Emboar will be the cudgel instead of the spear, if you know what I mean.

Lol..

Infernape is a spear! It goes in for the kill.
Primeape is a thrown brick! It goes in for the kill and beats the crap out of it when it's down.
Emboar is a baseball bat! It waits for the opponent and then clubs it to death. xD

Though that kinda worries me.. You know what happened to the last pokemon that relied on waiting for the opponent to come near and then hit it hard?

I completely agree. I was just saying that if pokabu choses to evolve to the fullest (along with miju) that might not be such a bad thing.

I wouldn't mind that at all! The thing that I'd mind the most is if Tsutaja decides to evolve to Janobii and stay as that. To me Janobii is the worst middle stage yet, so that's highly personal I guess, and it being knocked around by a Futachimaru in this episode didn't help it either..

For me these are now my speculations on the starters:

1. Futachimaru, Chaobuu, Tsutaja (2 evolutions)
2. Futachimaru, Emboar, Tsutaja (3 evolutions)
3. Futachimaru, Chaobuu, Jaroda (4 evolutions)
4. Futachimaru, Emboar, Jaroda (5 evolutions)
5. Daikenki, Chaobuu, Tsutaja (3 evolutions)
6. Daikenki, Emboar, Tsutaja (4 evolutions)
7. Daikenki, Chaobuu, Jaroda (5 evolutions)
8. Daikenki, Emboar, Jaroda (6 evolutions)

So yeah, that's eight scenario's that I wouldn't mind.. In Sinnoh Ash had four evolutions between his Water/Grass/Fire trio, so that leaves me to think of the two to four evolution possibilities. Of which my favourites rank:

6 (4 evo) > 2 (3 evo) > 5 (3 evo) > 3 (4 evo) > 1 (2 evo)

Pikachu, Kenhouro, Daikenki, Emboar, Tsutaja, Doryuuzu: Looks nice doesn't it?

 

[pokemonloverXD]

I lol'ed when Mijumaru just randomly popped out of its Pokeball trying to have the battle all to itself, it even pushed Pikachu aside then when Futachimaru appeared, it went from over-confident to scared, then it just leave the battle to Pikachu. Mijumaru was handled very well, I enjoyed watching it in every ep so far ^^

And poor lil'Pokabu, it looked so thin and so weak, just so pitiful... kinda cute though at some points. It also suffered the same fate as Charmander and Chimchar, got abandoned by its trainer... and like the other 2, he also got adopted by Ash which is a good thing. Boy, I hope it'll just stay Pokabu, its evos are just too... meh

I really liked the part where Pikachu got attacked by the boxes, it was so funny and cute. Also the part where Iris said she wanted to catch Pokabu but the lil'pig simply refused and wanted to be with Ash which is kinda like Mijumaru in the previous ep. Iris got rejected by the Pokemon twice which is funny, if Tsutaja does that too, I'll be rolling on the floor laughing.

Anyway, I liked this ep alot, very entertaining ^^

 

[Juputoru]

Pokabu's cute and all, but I still think Miji's cuter. That said, gaunt Pokabu looked so sad that I actually felt sorry for the little thing.

Iris is kinda hypocritical calling Ash a kid all the time, but getting overly excited about Pokemon and poking and pulling on them and then being confused when they don't like her that much. But that's what makes her endearing~

Also, I'm seriously having trouble adjusting to serious Team Rocket. THEY'RE BLASTING OFF AGA-wait, no, they're just hangliding away.

 

[Kojo]

This was a good and entertaining episode.

Lol'd when Mijumaru popped out of its ball to battle and after it saw its evolution it backed out

Also lol'd when Iris gets rejected by yet another Pokemon

I thought Pokabu was weird at first, with it being all skinny. It's no wonder why they thought it was an Umbreon. I hate how Mamepato and Kibago are pretty much ignored though. 4 episodes and Kibago STILL hasn't done anything. Also, serious Team Rocket is 100x better than the old lolteamrocket. They actually seem like a part of the show this time instead of some lame gag that wastes time for every episode.

 

[TrainerOfLegend]

None complained about bayleef and sceptile. What's wrong with infernape and pokabu evos. As far as I am concerned they are totally different. Emboar can hardly be a fast, agile mach-puncher. Emboar will be the cudgel instead of the spear, if you know what I mean.

I see what you mean. Now that I think about it, no matter how much anyone dislikes the evolutions Pokabu and Miju should evolve completely.

 

[raz1337]

Battle club so gave an idea for a sig.

 

[Victorian Rush]

I seriously loved this episode.

Can Mijumaru get anymore priceless? It's been in like 4 episodes and I already love that little otter. I think he's becoming my second favorite of Ash's Pokemon, just behind Pikachu and tied with Gible.

Poor Pokabu, Charmander's back-story seemed less harsh to me then Pokabu's.

Hehe, I love Pikachu getting attacked with the boxes and I just love his face when he got hit with the sink.

Hehe, Iris got rejected by two Pokemon. That's kind of funny

I seriously miss the old Team Rocket and their blast-offs. Not to mention, I miss Wobbuffet just popping up out of nowhere. This Team Rocket is definietly gonna take some getting used to.

All in all, I'm really beginning to enjoy Best Wishes so far and I'm really looking forward to the next episode.

 

[Lorde]

Well I finally had time to catch up with this new Best Wishes episode. Looks like we get an interesting one this time, showcasing the Fire Starter Pokemon from the Isshu region; Pokabu. I don't have much to say about that actual Pokemon, so I'll try to be neutral about it and not bash it, however, don't hold your breath haha. I'd also like to take the time to mention that this will be my final essay review since I think I've gotten the point across and there's no real need for me to post huge walls of text. Anyway here we go with the actual episode review lol. The episode started out great, with Ash and Iris finally having arrived in the second Isshu region town; Karakusa Town! Pretty cool to have them arrive this quickly, which doesn't usually happen but it's a nice change of pace.

I automatically fell in love with the anime's version of the Karakusa Town background music since it's better than the original haha. I also just noticed this; the clouds in the background look different and they actually move for once! Nice touch to the Best Wishes animation in my opinion. Iris mentions the Pokemon Battle Club and Ash is confused seeing as how he doesn't know what the heck that is haha. Well thankfully, Iris shows Ash the way and they arrive at the club where they'll be sippin' that bub, I mean battling. I have to say though, and I don't mean to complain, but Iris' voice has started to get a little annoying now; it sounds too childish and sweet. Iris then showed Ash that high-tech computer with trainer profiles which was interesting in it's own right. The Opening interrupted things though since this is my first time watching the full episode haha.

Moving right along now, Ash and Iris enter the the battle room where the battles take place in the Battle Club. Ash sees a Janoby and Futachimaru in battle and scans them in the IsshuDex. I noticed that the Isshu Trainer Battle music played in the background though I'm sorry to say, it wasn't too great as I had expected. Janoby and Futachimaru had a really quick battle right before Janoby went and lost and it's trainer had to take it to the local Pokemon Center. We were then introduced to Don George who seems to run the Battle Club. Don George pet Pikachu and then the boy with Futachimaru asked Ash if he could battle Pikachu which of course, Ash agreed to. Just when the battle between Ash and the trainer was about to begin, freaking Mijumaru pulls a "Psyduck" and pops (yes Ash-kid, pops) out of it's Pokeball for some reason! What is this, the Kanto Series? Honestly.

What I did like about Mijumaru however, was that it wasn't over it's dislike of Pikachu as seen when he shoved Pikachu out of the way haha. Then, just as the trainer sends out his Futachimaru, Mijumaru sends Pikachu out instead! Haha that was cute and funny! I am worried about Mijumaru's courage however. The battle begins and we get Wild Isshu Pokemon battle music! Pikachu used it's Iron Tail against Futachimaru and it scored a direct hit! However, Futachimaru wasn't completely out of the battle yet as shown when, in the next scene, it dodged Pikachu's Volt Tackle. That's almost unheard of in Pokemon since Pikachu's Volt Tackle is reliable. Anyway, Pikachu crashes and then Futachimaru took the chance to use Shell Blade against Pikachu, which seems to have done some damage. Team Rocket appears outside of the Battle Club's shed after that, but a shadowy figure was in that shed with them.

The shadowy Pokemon sounds off the shed's alarm system which scares Team Rocket away and then it sounds in the Battle Club itself, interrupting Ash's battle. Well it's a good thing since he was going to lose anyway in my opinion. Don George's men tell him that someone was breaking into their shed and they hurry there, though Ash and Iris only went to see the mysterious Pokemon. After investigating the shed, they then scan the surveillance video and find that a shadowy Pokemon was at the shed, followed by Team Rocket who Ash recognizes at once. Why didn't Team Rocket just break the camera? Whatever. They then review the film and try to find out which kind of Pokemon that was in the shed and Ash assumes it's an Umbreon due to it's dark appearance. Hmm. The men from the Battle Club, instead of sippin' that bub, decide to search for Umbreon. However, Team Rocket overhears and they come up with some sort of evil plan.

Team Rocket decides to paint Meowth black in order to disguise it as Umbreon to distract the men from the Battle Club. Sigh, I miss the funny Team Rocket. This new smart Team Rocket is boring. Anyway it works since the men chase after Meowth. Iris on the other hand, tries to lure the mystery Pokemon with food and then runs in search of the Pokemon. Ash had Pikachu and Mijumaru wait behind while he searched for it too, but that was a mistake. Mijumaru started eating the food and Pikachu tried to stop it, but the little brat pushes Pikachu away and Pikachu chased into boxes. I laughed when Pikachu got hit in the head with those boxes though haha. Ash encounters the mystery Pokemon, however it turned out to be a Pokabu! Ash scans it in his IsshuDex, though this Pokabu looked weakened and hurt compared to other Pokabu we've seen. Ash then noticed that it's mouth was shut with some sort of bands and he tries to remove it but the Pokabu ran away.

Ash chased after it with Iris but when they cornered Pokabu, it shot in and Ash's face. No pun intended. Ash then proceeded with removing the bands and Iris looked impressed with Ash's handling of the wild Pokabu. They also cleaned it up and fed it which was nice to see. Meowth gets cornered by those Battle Club guys and then they started crying for some reason lol. Meowth then revealed that it was actually a Meowth and he shocked the men with it's ability to speak. Team Rocket then returned to the shed and started picking up the boxes but noticed that Pikachu was underneath one of those, knocked out. How freaking convenient for them haha. Ash and Iris returned to the club with Pokabu and Don George recognized it as having once belonged to a trainer who left it in Karakusa Town after it lost too many battles. That sounds like a cruel story to be honest. It's even worse than the story Charmander and Chimchar got so I regret complaining about Pokabu before ;_;

Ash and the others then spotted Team Rocket running off with Pikachu and a battle quickly ensued! Before Mijumaru can score a hit against Team Rocket however, Meowth uses some machine to create a force-field and then Team Rocket takes off in the air. Pokabu then helped Ash by sending flames from it's nose towards Team Rocket, causing their machine to explode and Pikachu to be freed. Ash caught Pikachu and saved it, but Team Rocket took off in gliders which was cool, yet annoying too. I hate new Team Rocket. Anyway after all was said and done, Iris attempts to capture Pokabu but Pokabu wants to be Ash's Pokemon so he proceeds to capture it, without a battle. Ugh. Well at least he has another Isshu Starter on his team, that's worth something. The episode ends with Pikachu trying to explain it's side of the story but Ash doesn't understand haha. Team Rocket gets new instructions from Giovanni in the end though. Anyway, it was actually a perfect episode. I complained before but the plot was actually really good and I liked Pokabu overall. 10/10 for once! Too bad you're not gonna reach their telephone.

 

[Cazak]

I liked Pokabu a lot in this episode, but I liked Mijumaru a lot more. But I still hope it evolves, and retains its personality while in its 2nd stage, but change to be the fighter in its final form.

 

[TurtwigFan1]

I really, thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Mijumaru is just so cute and awesome. It's reaction when Futachimaru came out was priceless! Poor Pokabu, it's backstory was horrible (yet oddly familiar ) but I'm glad Ash caught it.

Like a lot of people, I still miss Team Rocket from the good ol' days. Advanced Challenge is currently showing over here and to be honest, it's much more fun to see them blasting off with Wobbuffet in tow.

 

[Treecko Girl]

Poor Pokabu.
Starvation is a new one for the animé.
This episode pulled a few heart stings.

 

[kickachu]

I think Pokabu might not stay for long because I just saw the special preview since in it Ash and his friends are in a pokemon center and there's only pikachu and 2 pokeballs so Pokabu might get sent to oak's

 

[Paul Ketchum]

I think Pokabu might not stay for long because I just saw the special preview since in it Ash and his friends are in a pokemon center and there's only pikachu and 2 pokeballs so Pokabu might get sent to oak's

I doubt it.

Even if Pokabu were to get Oak'd, it wouldn't be this soon.

 

[yeminied]

I feel terrible but about 3/4 of the way through I started to fiddle with things on my desk because it was so boring. Granted I don't know Japanese but the last three episodes held my attention, this one not so much.

I'm not happy Ash has four Pokémon four episodes into the series but by the looks of things we'll have a filler saga after Isshu.

And Pokabu was looking oddly shaped when Ash was holding the thing up.

 

[pokemon_exceeder]

Maybe pokabu belonged to Damian who was the owner of Ash's charmander then abandoned it since he thought it was weak i mean maybe he got another fire type then since it lost to shejinka it was thought of weak and tied it up like he left charmander in the rain

 

[dman_dustin]

I'm not happy Ash has four Pokémon four episodes into the series.

Unless you mean in the future, it will be boring cause Ash has had the same team for "X" amount of episodes (evolutions or not) I can't see how filling up one's team really early is such a bad thing. The Pokemon will likely get developed a lot more if they are caught at the last moment (like right before the league or something like that).

So yeah Ash with a full team by BW020 or something doesn't sound exactly like a bad thing. Especially since:

1. There are always bad guys, let's face it here, if you have to deal with bad people, you need a minumum of 5-6 Pokemon, anything less might not cut it very well since you may have to adapt to a better type.

2, The series takes so long to go through a region, while in games you can get to the last badge in approximately 24 hours of gameplay. Catching a specific Pokemon at the right time, would just take too long. For example no one wants to wait until BW100 before Ash catches his 4th Pokemon just because his 4th Pokemon hypothetically speaking is around gym number five in the games and can only be found there.

 

[Cazak]

Maybe pokabu belonged to Damian who was the owner of Ash's charmander then abandoned it since he thought it was weak i mean maybe he got another fire type then since it lost to shejinka it was thought of weak and tied it up like he left charmander in the rain

Sounds like a good idea. It would be real amazing if Ash and co. turn out to meet Pokabu's old trainer, and it turns out to be Damien. Ash never really battled him. I so hope to see Ash pwning him. And add Charizard to the episode, and it will be priceless.

 

[Tyrannozilla]

Yeah, my lack of Japanese comprehension likely contributed to me not being aware of this. Once I see this episode subbed (which should be anytime now, I have enough subscriptions to know when one will eventually appear), then I'll probably understand more of what's going on.

I found a subbed version on gogoanime.com

 

[shac]

I think Pokabu might not stay for long because I just saw the special preview since in it Ash and his friends are in a pokemon center and there's only pikachu and 2 pokeballs so Pokabu might get sent to oak's

That could be very easily from the beginning of next week's episode, before Ash has caught Tsutaja, if he does that is...