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The Fight Over the Crystal! Team Rocket VS Team Skull!! (968)

Frozocrone

Miraculous!
wtf that's wood hammer!? Man at least make it glow green.... does anyone know the reasoning why Mimikyu would have wood hammer in it's moveset? Idk why it's even in it's moveset in the games... lol. I always thought that was shadow claw but after some research I realize one uses the tail, the other a claw from beneath the sheet... weird still lol. Is mimikyu's tail supposed to be made out of wood or soemthing?

Jessie for Grassium-Z/Mallow rival confirmed?

Idk why but certainly fun to see
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
wtf that's wood hammer!? Man at least make it glow green.... does anyone know the reasoning why Mimikyu would have wood hammer in it's moveset? Idk why it's even in it's moveset in the games... lol. I always thought that was shadow claw but after some research I realize one uses the tail, the other a claw from beneath the sheet... weird still lol. Is mimikyu's tail supposed to be made out of wood or soemthing?

It's probably a fake tail to make it look more like Pikachu.
 

345ash-greninja

Auto-Memories Doll
I believe Meowth's moves are Scratch, Fury Swipes, Walk like Human, Talk like Human.

I just checked Bulbapedia and saw that Meowth's moves are Fury Swipes, Scratch and Bite. So yay, Meowth can use Blackhole Eclipse! :D
 

Akkipeddi

All set to be a nice guy
I just checked Bulbapedia and saw that Meowth's moves are Fury Swipes, Scratch and Bite. So yay, Meowth can use Blackhole Eclipse! :D

Maybe be could, but I still think that Bewear would be the one who will use Z moves.
 

UltimateNinja

Praying for the holy relics
It being a flaw is subjective though, given that Team Skull were never meant to be more than failure trainers who turned into troublemaking rebels. Turning any of them aside from their leaders into remotely competent villains would undermine the whole point of them. While Team Flare's plan was marginally different in the anime, they were still essentially the same in their methods and goals (i.e. use the power of a Legendary pokemon to enact a worldwide genocide that would allow them to inherit the world).

It's more like how they were portrayed in the games what really felt like a flaw. Their main role in the games were to hide the real villains until Lillie was kidnapped. Until then, they were portrayed as the main antagonist and only antagonist of the games, while the AF seemed to be the nice team. Even portrayed to be a not so serious team, the things they did for the plot to progress until the point Lillie was kidnapped (60/70% into the game) was almost nothing. And the main problem of them and for me was that they were portrayed like some real idiots, despite them having far more screentime than the AF . It would've been not as bad if the games actively tried to hide the real villains, but the games failed to hide it already in the first cutscene, were they already showed the AF to be the real deal. It's not only a TS flaw, but more of a flaw of the plot and the anime shouldn't go to the same direction.
 

345ash-greninja

Auto-Memories Doll
Maybe be could, but I still think that Bewear would be the one who will use Z moves.

But at the end of the episode, Meowth was the one doing poses with the Z-crystal which might be an indication that Meowth will use the Z-move.
 

TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
It's more like how they were portrayed in the games what really felt like a flaw. Their main role in the games were to hide the real villains until Lillie was kidnapped. Until then, they were portrayed as the main antagonist and only antagonist of the games, while the AF seemed to be the nice team. Even portrayed to be a not so serious team, the things they did for the plot to progress until the point Lillie was kidnapped (60/70% into the game) was almost nothing. And the main problem of them and for me was that they were portrayed like some real idiots, despite them having far more screentime than the AF . It would've been not as bad if the games actively tried to hide the real villains, but the games failed to hide it already in the first cutscene, were they already showed the AF to be the real deal. It's not only a TS flaw, but more of a flaw of the plot and the anime shouldn't go to the same direction.


Except...Lillie is stealing Nebby in that first cutscene, so Aether has a reason to be after her. The game did actively try to hide the real villains. It's not like the small children the game is aimed at would've seen through the facade. And again, Team Skull is a bunch of morons. They aren't there to progress the plot. Lillie and Nebby are.
 

Satomine Night

The Power of Z!
I just checked Bulbapedia and saw that Meowth's moves are Fury Swipes, Scratch and Bite. So yay, Meowth can use Blackhole Eclipse! :D
When was the last time Meowth used Bite?

But at the end of the episode, Meowth was the one doing poses with the Z-crystal which might be an indication that Meowth will use the Z-move.
Meowth could have been the one posing because he's Meowth, or because he is the only Team Rocket Pokémon aside from Wobbufett with wrists. IMO, that whole scene was just more proof that Team Rocket have no idea what they are doing or how to use Z-moves. Meowth was wearing the Z-Ring with the Z-Crystal (which is supposed to be worn by the Trainer), and he was posing on his own, and not in sync with Jessie or James.
 

lemoncatpower

Cynical Optimist
When was the last time Meowth used Bite?


Meowth could have been the one posing because he's Meowth, or because he is the only Team Rocket Pokémon aside from Wobbufett with wrists. IMO, that whole scene was just more proof that Team Rocket have no idea what they are doing or how to use Z-moves. Meowth was wearing the Z-Ring with the Z-Crystal (which is supposed to be worn by the Trainer), and he was posing on his own, and not in sync with Jessie or James.

i also think that ever since Meowth got beaten by Litten, it's safe to say he's more of a human character who isn't going to be a main battler or anything as per usual, especially with TRio having other pokemon now. It's like They just like to remind people that he is still a pokemon and has those abilities, but doesn't excel or practice them.
 

345ash-greninja

Auto-Memories Doll
When was the last time Meowth used Bite?
I don't remember. Do you?


Meowth could have been the one posing because he's Meowth, or because he is the only Team Rocket Pokémon aside from Wobbufett with wrists. IMO, that whole scene was just more proof that Team Rocket have no idea what they are doing or how to use Z-moves. Meowth was wearing the Z-Ring with the Z-Crystal (which is supposed to be worn by the Trainer), and he was posing on his own, and not in sync with Jessie or James.

Maybe, truly speaking I wasn't fully serious when I made that comment. Meowth is more of a human character rathan than a Pokemon so it's unlikely he will battle much. But maybe.....there is an outside chance that Meowth will use Blackhole Eclipse very rarely, maybe once or twice.
 

Frozocrone

Miraculous!
When was the last time Meowth used Bite?


Meowth could have been the one posing because he's Meowth, or because he is the only Team Rocket Pokémon aside from Wobbufett with wrists. IMO, that whole scene was just more proof that Team Rocket have no idea what they are doing or how to use Z-moves. Meowth was wearing the Z-Ring with the Z-Crystal (which is supposed to be worn by the Trainer), and he was posing on his own, and not in sync with Jessie or James.

Episode 8 lol...
 

diakyu

Well-Known Member
It was a big flaw in the games. TS just was poorly handled, even as a plot device to hide the AF as the real villains. They did nothing and their behaviour and they never were a real threat in the games, which they sadly reflected in today's episode. Maybe they could improve them like they improved TF in XYZ?It wouldn't be as bad if they would push their or AF plans forward in the future more decently. That's my problem and what I am hoping right now, not for the writer to do the same flaws like in the games.
How is it a flaw when it's the entire point of Team Skull? They're tools to be used by Lusamine and they don't even figure it out because they're stupid. I could understand if Aether showed up and were all joke characters but the point of Team Skull is that they are rebels of society who are just too cool for school, and because of their mindset they are easily manipulated by someone (Lusamine) who is smarter than them. In the end you're supposed to feel for them because they're a group of kids who just want to fit in but sadly picked the wrong way to go about it by joining Team Skull. Making them competent and strategical is missing what they stand for entirely.

It's more like how they were portrayed in the games what really felt like a flaw. Their main role in the games were to hide the real villains until Lillie was kidnapped. Until then, they were portrayed as the main antagonist and only antagonist of the games, while the AF seemed to be the nice team
The biggest misconception of Sun and Moon's plot is that Aether being evil was meant to be some kind of shocking reveal. It's in the first cutscene.
 
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Akkipeddi

All set to be a nice guy
Basically Team Skull is like a family for all trial rejects formed by Guzma. They are rejects of society and formed a gang with no real evil intentions other than to just cause trouble. It was because of this that Lusamine, being highly manipulative, was able to trick Guzma into doing her bidding in exchange for recognition which he and the grunts always wanted.
 

lemoncatpower

Cynical Optimist
Basically Team Skull is like a family for all trial rejects formed by Guzma. They are rejects of society and formed a gang with no real evil intentions other than to just cause trouble. It was because of this that Lusamine, being highly manipulative, was able to trick Guzma into doing her bidding in exchange for recognition which he and the grunts always wanted.

sort of like how real anarchist groups come about, rejects that didn't make it so they blame the system and act against it. Although the system usually sucks too but that's a different story. They're very real life like imo.
 

Sceptile Leaf Blade

Nighttime Guardian
I'm not too surprised Mimikyu beat Raticate. Raticate was already weakened, Mimikyu has already been proven to be quite strong, it had the Disguise to absorb a hit, and it had a type advantage. Not sure if it used Wood Hammer or Shadow Claw before Play Rough, it knows both and it was coloured like Shadow Claw but drawn like Wood Hammer.

Btw, on Meowth trying a Z move, isn't Meowth technically still a wild pokémon, as in, his own trainer? Maybe he could do a Z move this way, idk.
 

345ash-greninja

Auto-Memories Doll
well, he might have used it a few times later, but it hasn't used bite since OS. (i think)

I guess so. He does know Night Slash as well, but well...he hasn't used it since the move looks too....scary. :D
 

Frozocrone

Miraculous!
What? You mean OS episode 8???

Yeah, or at least that's how far back one has to look. Could have used it earlier, but idk.

Apparently he knows Night Slash but it's too scary to use so...yeah. Continuity!
 
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