#AND IRIS AND ALAIN REMATCH

[many-interests-life]

What few people understand is that Alain winning the Lumiose Conference made me feel bitter about the lack of interest in a rematch between him and Ash and all of “Curtains Up! Fight the Fights!” happening now that I know that Alain was undefeated against Ash and had unfinished business with Steven.

Well, I won't deny that the opening of the Masters Eight Tournament was awful! They rushed the opening and Alain's battle against Leon. As a matter of fact, I'm seeing a lot of reports that Ash should have battled Alain instead of Leon in the tournament.

However, while I won't deny that his matchups against Steven and Cynthia were great, to this day, I still think Ash should've battled Alain and Iris instead. And I can grunted both of those matches would've been good too!

[fandomstars]

Pokemon anime request! Ash’s companions (other than Alola) reacting to his championship win in the Alola league

Misty: Knew from the time at the Orange League that he’d make it, if anything he already did back then. But league being official was just the last step. Still wished he used many of his water type Pokemon.

Brock: He called it the minute Ash forfeit his first gym battle ever. This kid was going to go far. Now if he could just get Kukui and others to help get him some therapy.

Tracy: He was literally drawing Ash’s final league battle from frame to frame. Goes on to make the Pokémon anime series with input from Ash and his other friends across the regions.

May: Knew he’d make it someday, after all, he beat the Battle Frontier. Hopefully he waited to have a big feast until her plane hit Alola.

Max: He finally been able to start his journey. He had just won his first gym badge when the league began. He quickly rushed home to watch the rest with his family. His Treecko and Ralts cheering with him as Ash won it. Of course, he always has a small part of him, guilty for how he treated Ash when they first meet. Boy, if he could go back in time and tell his past self this.

Dawn: Always knew he was going to win someday. She knew Piplup was all for it, plus not having to worry about his Gible’s draco meteor. Just wished she’d had been able to see it in person. But she clearly made that up once he went for the masters tournament!

Iris: Despite their quibbles, she always knew Ash would exceed in Pokémon battling. Now she wished he had more dragon types, let alone used the ones he had besides an ultra beast. But she’s proud either way.

Cilan: He knew it like the back of his hand, like the lines of a cookbook, the station to a train. Yeah he’s basically part of the Ash fanclub and for sure is the co-founder that totally bet Ash would become the best one day.

N: He knew the moment he laid eyes on Ash, that he’d do great things. He’s one of the reasons he can tolerate Pokemon battles, even see the enjoyment and thrill in some cases, but mostly through Ash’s battles. He could defiantly feel Ashs Pokémon’s cheers from all over the region, and perhaps a certain legendary bird or more.

Clemont: He’s a gym leader after all, he could tell from each battle he did whether someone could go far if given the push. Ash was one of those, despite the fact he knew since he first battled him when they first meet.

Serena: Knew he had it in him, and hoped he’d be happy. Also he rejected her and their good friends to this day.

Bonnie: Cheered the loudest, now even more psyched to go on her own journey. Perhaps battle Ash and his mons along the way.

Basing this on if the Alola series was only a couple months since Kalos (since it started as a summer trip) and lasted about a year after, hence why Max is old enough to go on a journey, but Bonnie isn’t.

-

Bonus! Rivals (and by rivals I mean actual rivals. Not looking at you Cameron and others I forget. Sorry Gladion and others I know but this is excluding Alola.)

Gary: While he wish he could kick his 10 year old’s butt, but he knows Ash won’t have gone as far without his help. So he better mention him in his acceptation speech. But for real, he’s so proud of Ashy Boy.

Paul: Ever since he heard of Ash beating the Battle Frontier, he knew he was going to become a champion. Not that he’d admit it. No, but he’d totally admit he had the better rival battle out of all of Ash’s rivals.

Barry: Now Ash owes him 10 million more, for he knew Ash would become champion. He just wished he’d battle him for that.

Trip: Ever since he loss to Ash in the Unova league, he’s gone through a big change. Ash showed him what the perfect trainer is, caring for Pokémon and people alike. So yeah, he’s less of a jerk.

Alain: While he wished he got a rematch before Ash made it, he’s glad he did. No matter how much of a odd presence keeps saying Ash was the Kalos champ despite the outcome.

Sawyer: He’s Ash’s number one fan. Of course he was going to become champion. Of course, he wished to battle him again before he done so.

-

[ghostchanuwu]

Okay, does the anime still have the TRio? Or does everything that happened to the TRio in canon happens to the evil teams?

(Because I have the humorous mental image of poor Archie and Maxie getting drawn upon by Jigglypuff…)

Also does ash win Kalos league? And what happens to every evil team leader?

AniRedux TRio act more as a monitering group using the excuse of trying to steal Pikachu during the Kanto section but after the truth about Team Rocket is revealed they mainly just keep tabs on Ash and his group to make sure that they're alright (Leaf's direct orders since they don't want a suprise Lance 2.0 situation happening again)

(Oh hey look another cut who would have guessed)

-------------------

RR Alola bit it does hilariously enough happen to RR Ghetsis after his Hydregon got obliterated the dragon never stood a chance

Also fun little thing Jigglypuff is technically Meowth's little cohort!

-------------------

The Kalos League gets interrupted a bit earlier during Ash and Alain's match (theyre both down to their final 2 mons each) and that year's league is fully cancelled after most of the surrounding area had been deemed unsafe

They do however get their rematch in Masters 8 and Ash wins but just barely

---------------

AniRedux Team Rocket deviates HEAVILY from canon, Giovanni originally formed it as a defensive force for Viridian and Saffron along with it actively funding excavations into Mt Moon and assisting in natural growth of Diglett Tunnel making sure that it didnt disrupt any infastructure (Giovanni basically used is knowledge of ground types for some really good things), during Kanto arc he gives partial command to Leaf while he still acts as the face of Rocket to deture any attention that Leaf's opperations might attract from the league (Giovanni ends up getting one of the best ends out of all of them being able to reconnect with Silver since he was still an absent father)

Archie ends up disbanding Team Aqua and leaves it in Matt and Shelly's hands (they end up pairing off with Hoenn's Ranger Corp) knowing that his time as leader is at a close while Maxie on the other hand fled the region completely and was never heard from again although there are unsubstantiated rumors that he is still in contact with Archie, Tabitha completely took over dissolved Team Magma and had a little merger with Devon (Roxanne took over as head of Devon since neither of the Stone siblings wanted anything to do with it) while Courtney now seeing very little interest in Hoenn returns to Kalos (she was originally one of Lysandre's Admins and returns to that position)

Cyrus is much closer to his PokeSpe counterpart that in Cynthia smasks some sense into him when they duke it out (Red Chain controlled Palkia and Dialga vs Giritina) and he eventually mellows out choosing to live in a more secluded area of Sunnyshore having taken interest in building machines again (he does have a Rotom and all the appliances in the Eterna Galactic base were built by him as a little side project)

Ghetsis ends up getting frozen by Kyurem after it had went into an uncontrollable rage upon being freed (both N and Iris have to calm it back down with the both of them nearly getting frozen too when Reshiram was absorbed trying to guard Zekrom)

Lysandre almost is sucuessful in firing the Ultimate Weapon since it had a full charge, it doesnt hit itself and instead wipes Geosenge Town off the map completely (also the routes south and east of it) along with damaging quite a bit of Mirror Cave and Cyclage City, he is struck down by Yvetal since it still craves life energy and he is the only one left in the area that had not either been killed or turn to stone by the blast (Xerneas does bring life back to the area along with unpetrifying everyone although there were still heavy casualties)

Lusamine still gets hit with a heavy dose of Nihilego toxin but recovers even though it is much slower than she wished, her relationship with her children is still rocky but it is much better than it was before

Guzma opened up a café themed around bug types (Hau and Mallow decided to work there too to spread the joy of Alola's cuisine and culture through specialty malasadas) the Ultra Recon Squad has also claimed it as their favorite rest stop since its close to the motels and Zossie of course became addicted to the Tapu Cocoa

Rose handed off ownership of Macro Cosmos to Oleana literally minutes after Eternatus had been quelled and was almost completely out of the region until out of everyone Peony catches him as he was just about to leave the Crown Tundra and drags his ass back to Wyndon of course after thrashing his team to bits (steel v steel but Peony has much more battling experience along with an Aggron that knows flamethrower)

[xxtc-96xx]

How do you feel about the masters 8 so far? I’ve personally been rather disappointed by it. Even ignoring the fact it’s only 3 v 3 I have issue taken with the match ups we’ve seen. What was the point in bringing in Alain if he wasn’t going to rematch ash? Why did they bother making Iris champion if she wasn’t going to win a single match on screen?

They’ve been 3v3 more or less the whole time so I’ve accepted that, maybe the final battle will be 6v6.

I mean it’s a tournament and someone had to be canon fodder to Leon, frankly I’m glad if anyone was going to be Leon’s victim, thank goodness it was Alain XD I’m still mad at him for that BS in the XY champions after all the build up they had to Ash’s stupid greninja power up (since Cameron or Tobias wouldn’t be around lol) and everyone but Alain was a champion so someone had to lose to Cynthia too, Iris at least put up a good fight (but I’m not that sad about her loss either, she annoyed me in B&W)

My main complaint with journeys is they have a lot of good ideas but they always push through them too fast, I wish they let these arcs play out a bit longer but by this point I’ve accepted that’s just how it is so I’m rolling with it, they’ve definitely been leading up to this fabled ash vs Leon fight so I’m pretty sure Ash will beat Cynthia but I’m hoping it’ll still be an entertaining battle, it’s a face off people have wanted since D&P apparently

[jadeazora]

Well, at least there's some acknowledgement with Ash and Alain. Shame they won't get a rematch tho and Alain's gonna get his butt kicked.

Also, Iris' little hops and her and Ash grinning at each other. 🥺

[epicspheal]

Pokemon Journeys Episode 115

All right so it's time to take on this very controversial anipoke episode. Lowkey, I find it kind of funny that two of the most controversial episodes in the history of the anime have involved Alain. Poor guy I'm going to start with my favorite things about the episode. I really loved that we finally get to see Ash noted as the Alolan champion in the World Coronation Series. Finally, they gave him (some) props. As someone who started all the way back in OS saga, I've seen him win the Orange Island championship and conquer the battle frontier and I do hope at some point they do mention those feats too because those are also important to his legacy and Ash at this points deserves to be seen as the awesome trainer that he truly is. I also really loved the interactions between the masters 8. Especially Iris- she honestly really made the episode for me. I loved how her and Ash were running to the waiting area and bounding in like the excited children they are only to get a little nervous seeing the serious atmosphere from the other competitors. Also Iris thanking everyone when she was introduced in the opening ceremony and her reaction realizing she'd be going up against Cynthia was adorable. And of course I can't forget about her adorable selfie that she took with Cynthia and Diantha. It really showed that despite her being a powerful trainer, she's still young and new to the role as champion. Talking about my love for the interactions this episode actually leads to my first major criticism of the episode in that I definitely think that this episode should've been split into two. There was a lot going in this episode, a lot of which could have been better served if they were given more time. I personally definitely could watch an entire episode just focused on the masters 8 interacting. I think would be really cool. And now for the most controversial part of the episode the Leon vs Alain battle. Honestly I didn't really have a problem with the battle. In regards to the previous paragraph, I do think the battle could've definitely benefitted from having an entire episode to itself but I'm not upset with Leon cloberring Alain like he did. Admitetdly, I don't really have strong feelings towards Alain (or XY/XYZ anime) although I did enjoy the change of pace in the anime-verse due to his mega evolution special, so I understand that for fans of his they feel differently and see the battle as not that great for him. To me though, the fact that he got a clean win on Leon's Rillaboom is a huge feat as he's now the first trainer we've seen in the anime-verse get a KO on any of Leon's Pokemon. I'm specifying animeverse since we know from Raihan's league card he's the only person prior to the player in gameverse to KO a large number of Leon's Pokemon. Yes we can assume that in offscreen Land Raihan in the anime has KO'ed some of Leon's team, but that doesn't negate the fact this is our first on-screen KO in a trainer battle of any of Leon's team. I also really liked that Leon's Charizard didn't have to use Gigantamax to beat Alain's Mega Charizard X. Don't get me wrong, a G-max Charizard vs Mega Charizard would've looked awesome. But I think it's been important to the writers to show Leon doesn't have to rely on G-Max Charizard to secure a win (and we've seen that not only with this fight, but with Leon vs Flint in a prior episode). I will say I would've preferred Ash and Alain to rematch over Alain and Leon just because of the history. That being said, the Alain vs Leon and Ash vs Steven aren't the first time we've seen unpredictable matchups in anime tournaments. Think Gary and Ash not even battling at all in the indigo league contrary to their game and manga counterparts. Or even Trip and Ash being the first battle of the Unova league. The anime has been known to do wild matchups which I don't think is inherently bad because it reflects the true random nature of tournaments instead of how some anime/manga tend to make very convenient matchups. If anything I'm just far more salty they decided to bring back Alain instead of keeping Raihan in the Masters 8. We honestly didn't need two representatives from Kalos when Galar is the newest region. The Galar shafting has been a particularly thing I've loathed in journeys which brings me to my next point. Hop. Poor Hop. Okay admittedly I ugly-laughed when his Wooloo got knocked out in 10 seconds flat to Ash's Pikachu. That was hilarious. Of course I'm just over the moon to finally see Hop in the anime. Also I really loved the dynamic Goh, Hop and Ash had in the stands watching the Alain vs Leon battle. But even with all of that, Hop's inclusion in the episode just ends up being a painful reminder for me of what could've been. We could've had a more Galar-centric series where Hop could've been a rival to Ash. I think Ash and Hop could've had a great dynamic and Hop's already great character arc could've been enhanced in the anime. So seeing him being reduced to essentially a combination of the Furfrou guy from Kalos and Max when Ash faced Norman is disheartening to say the least. I feel like for me the sour taste this episode left in my mouth was really just a buildup of multiple snubs to Galar.

[sir-adrien-swagreste]

This Line Up Actually has me hyped up. Now I don’t know what the battle pairing will be but after thinking about it, this feels like the most appropriate set up:

Quarterfinals

Ash vs Alain - The Rematch we All need

Diantha vs Cynthia - The Battle of the Waifus

Steven vs Leon - The Cooltrainer Battle

Iris vs Lance - The Dragon Master Battle

Semi Finals

Ash vs Cynthia - The Battle that tells us if Ash is ready for Leon

Leon vs Iris - The Battle that adds motivation for Ash to beat Leon

Finals

Ash vs Leon - The Battle we’ve been waiting for (I better see Charizard vs Charizard &/or a Seismic Toss)

[thena0315]

I would much prefer the Master Tournament be a Round Robin so we can see more battles among the Champions + Alain.

The battles I really want to see:

Cynthia vs Steven

Ash vs Alain

Steven vs Lance

Cynthia vs Diantha

Diantha vs Lance

Steven vs Diantha

Cynthia vs Lance

The Top 5 Battles I REALLY want to see the MOST:

Ash vs Alain [Kalos League Rematch Battle]

Cynthia vs Steven [Historian Battle]

Lance vs Iris [Dragon Master Battle]

Diantha vs Alain [Mega Evolution Battle]

Ash vs Leon [Monarch Battle]

[punz4lyfe]

Potential spoiler alert for the first round of the masters 8 incoming (the matchups, that is, not the outcome):

Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed with the matchup choices for the first round of the M8. It’s not necessarily that two of the four matchups are basically predetermined because we knew from the start that Leon and Ash were pretty much shoo-ins for the finals, but I would have liked it if they paired Leon up with anyone except Alain (excluding Iris and maybe Cynthia). I’ll admit that an Ash vs Alain rematch was probably wishful thinking, especially since the removal of Greninja from the opening kind of confirmed that he wouldn’t be coming back for the tournament, but now it just feels like the only reason Alain is there is to make Leon look better, which feels…very unnecessary?? Because the series has spent the past 114 episodes driving home the fact that Leon is the Greatest Pokemon Trainer Ever.

I will say that I’m very much looking forward to Ash’s battle against Steven though, and maybe we’ll even be lucky enough to at least get a mention of Sawyer. Again, perhaps wishful thinking, but considering he played such a huge role in Ash’s Kalos journey, it would be nice to see the writers at least acknowledge him. And hey, if they can acknowledge May, who probably won’t ever appear again since her VA is sick, they can find a way to bring up Sawyer.

Also wishful thinking, most likely, but now I’m also rooting for Iris to pull off a huge upset against Cynthia just because NOBODY would see it coming.

Anyway, that rant went on longer than I planned. I’m sure the M8 will still be a great arc, I just wish the first-round matches had been scripted a little differently.

Don't worry spoilers, I already saw the previews.

It's entirely possible there will be a rematch between Ash and Alain. Like, because of Project Mew and Chloe's Eevee, even after Ash's battle against Leon, it's highly doubtful the story will just end because of that. So while Goh finishes up Project Mew with Gary and Horace and Chloe and Eevee make their own final choices, Ash would probably get some tie-ends as well to some of his stuff from past seasons.

I can very easily imagine Lance challenging him afterwards due to how hyped up that battle's been for a while, from Lance being one of the first members of the Master 8 appearing, to him being shown as one of Ash's upcoming challengers like Raihan and Cynthia, to Paul using a Gyarados against him, despite how the brackets are arranged. And same with Alain. The writers had to place him in the Master 8 instead of someone like Tobias or Alder for a reason, right? And he's always been interested in a rematch against Ash, so it's very likely for him to approach Ash sometime after the Master 8 Tournament. And since they'd no longer be binded by PWC rules, Ash could probably go to Greninja so they both can have a proper conclusion against Alain and his Charizard.

(remember that Serena was omitted out of the XYZ flashbacks in Clemont and Bonnie's episode not too long from her own return, so it's highly they are doing the same with Ash Greninja)

To me, it's like a 50/50 chance at this point for either Steven or Alain to mention Sawyer. And there's a chance May could get a reappearance sometime, maybe even after the Master 8 Tournament, due to how little of companion returns there are now. There's even a chance we'd just see everyone rooting and cheering for Ash during his battle against Leon. And in terms of VA, they can always just re-cast her if they absolutely have to.

And I'm sorry, but Iris is definitely not beating Cynthia any time soon. Remember how horrible of a time Axew had against Garchomp? Yeah, remember that same battle with a MEGA Garchomp.

[alolanrain]

How would you picture Ash’s rivals in the Wrong Kinda Au

* I did both main and lesser rivals.

Gary would be a lot harsher to Ash because of not only for what ever he had against Ash but because Ash also had fallen in love with the “unlovable” pokemon which made him even more weird in his eyes. Though he couldn’t really say anything too rude to Ash or else Ku would actively been on his ass the milliseconds Gary wasn’t in Ash’s field of vision.

Ritchie was still the same but a bit less friendly because Ku had lashed out at Sparky the moment it saw the Pikachu. Ash just thought it was a misunderstanding because he’s never seen Ku do that before to another Pokémon, he had a stern talking with Ku because he could only attack like that in battle or unless it, Ash, or any other Pokémon on the team was in mortal danger. Ku has sulked hard and it would still feint an attack at Sparky when both humans weren’t looking.

Tyson wasn’t as close as he was with Ash and the Hoenn gang because he didn’t end up saving them from the flock of Murkrow because Ku had one shot the bird Pokémon easily. Though he was about to help before the ghost Pokémon started attacking. Ash is a mystery to him because most dark/ghost/poison type mains are very dark and gritty, but Ian Instead he’s very bright and friendly. His Mimikyu makes up for the dark and gritty though.

Paul and Ash have a bit more of as strained rivalry because Ku keeps inhalating Paul’s four whole Pokemon. But other than that its the same as in the Anime.

Morrison was very weary of Ash and his very overpowered, almost Godly, Mimikyu. Especially since it had it out for literally everyone but Ash and it’s team mates. He was definitely on the receiving end of multiple glares and half ment aborted attacks from the ghost Pokémon. Though he still made fast friends with Ash.

Barry is very put off by Ku, he tries to be nice but the ghost Pokémon is just not having it with him. Their not really rivals but more acquaintances at best. Mostly because Ku still tries to swipe at Barry when he starts trying to fine people and it because a weak Shadow Claw attack when he tries and fine Ash.

Conway doesn’t understand Ash, he and his Mimikyu are very unpredictable in battle and outside of it as well. Conway really doesn’t know, and doesn’t really trust Brock and Dawns words, if Ash’s sunshine behavior is a ploy of some kind or if he’s really just that nice. It also doesn’t help that there is barely any kind of information know about Mimikyu’s so Ku is a very big plot hole to his plan when he battles Ash.

Nando is honestly the same as he is in the anime. He’s calm and very polite and is the only trainer since May that Ku doesn’t bat at. Though Ku is very interested in the harp Nando carry’s and plays on.

Tobias is very threatened by Ash’s Mimikyu, his team, and Ash himself. Dawn and Brock are nothing but tiny shadows to Ash’s glory shining sun in Tobias’s mind. Mimikyu ended up knocking out both Darkrai, Latios, and another two more Pokémon on Tobias’s team before personal bowing out of the rest of the fight. Ku had only pushed to battle Tobias first was because it wanted to set a warning to the man. Ash’s next Pokémon, a Dusknoir names Michael of all things, had a bit more trouble feinting his last two Pokémon but it did succeed. Tobias was eliminated in shame and his ego absolutely ruined. It also doesn’t help that all his mythical and Legendary Pokémon he was able to catch/buy off the black market/obtain in another way were taken out of his PO Box’s and the Darkrai and Latios stolen off his own belt without him looking. Later Ash had to have another conversation with Ku but he couldn’t really be mad since Latias ended up now having a new little brother in the end.

Bianca likes Ash the same as in the anime, though she is a bit more calm because Ku had accidentally let out a weak shadow ball in her direction when she came crashing into Ash the first time. Though she couldn’t fault the Pokémon because she did scare it. Her and Ash are fast and easy freinds.

Stephan is a bit more weary of Ku but not as much as Ash. For a trainer to easily command and take complete unrelenting control of any battle like Ash does scares Stephen. it’s really Iris and Cilan that he’s friends with but he won’t tell the black haired trainer that to his face.

Cameron is very curious of Ku and doesn’t really back down when Ku uses it shadow claw to pap the boys intruding face away like a Persian would to a toy. Cameron sees Ash as one of his rivals just like he does in the anime and they share the same friendship.

Trip could never seem to win against Ash and Ku, since Zekrom couldn’t really do what it did to Pikachu in the anime Ku retained its strength and power. Though the ghost Pokémon did vow to kick the dragon type legendary in the face when they meet again and ended up actual level to do it during the Victini incident. Ash actually ends up disliking Trip a lot more than he does in the Anime, if that’s even possible, and ends up not wanting to become rivals with Trip. Though Trip does kinda force it into Aah because of how easily Ku keeps taking down Trip’s whole team every time they cross path and battle.

Virgil isn’t really a Rival but Ku still hates the poor sod and his Eeveelution team.

Tierno and Trevor like Ash but end up kinda becoming more of Clemont and Serena’s rivals more than Ash’s. They like Ash but Ku ends up scaring them just a bit.

Sawyer is now the third person Ku willingly won’t bat at and is one of Ash’s main rivals instead of a side rival like he is in the Anime. Ash is able to easily show that all Pokémon are lovable and that there isn’t an inherently bad Pokémon type out there. He kinda becomes like a little brother to Ash and both Ash and most of his Kalos team adores him and really enjoys the company Sawyer brings.

Alain is very interested in Ash as a trainer more than Ku. like yeah he’s very surprised Ku took down his mega Charizard without really trying but Ash is just more interesting than the ghost type Pokémon. He sees Ash more as a Rival then a stepping stone and is ended up swaying into the group more and more until he’s kinda adopted in and now he’s traveling with Ash and the Kalos gang. He’s also very interested in how Ash immediately doesn’t trust Lysandre or the Lysandres Labs no matter how many good stories and how Alain and Mairin sing their praise about the man. Alain ends up finding much, much sooner then later ago it Lysandres plan and just how evil he and the Labs are.

Kiawe takes a much longer time to trust Ash since he doesn’t see Ash a lot day to day since he lives on Ula’ula with Kahuna Nanu and Acerola. It’s takes about until A Guardian Rematch for Kiawe to even start truly trusting Ash. (Note: Ash takes the Ula’ula grand trial and the Akala grand trial before taking Hala’s) even then Kiawe doesn’t trust Ku with anything.

Hau is literally just the same as the anime but Ku especially hates the boy because of its Alolan Richu. Hau doesn’t take it to heart at all since Ash really likes him and that’s all that matters. Richu does and it’s takes someone else from both teams to get the two to just fucking stop for at least a few minutes.

Gladion is very intrusive like he was in the beginning of the anime and Ku and Ash don’t like that at all. Ku ends up being the meanest it’s been in a very long time and stashing away Silvally in its poke ball on Ula’ula island in the back of Tapu Bulu’s temple. All parties don’t know how in the absolutely fuck Ku was able to do that without Ash noticing it, but Ku did and doesn’t regret it one bit. It takes to actually disobeying Ash after years when it comes to battling Gladion. The ghost type hates the trainer on a barely lesser level then Tobias and is not afraid to cause pain of Gladion tries to dig a second time into Ash’s past with Gods and the likes.

[gaycey-sketchit]

(Gary anon) Speaking of VA's, I heard one of the dub unfortunately passed yesterday due to health issues. May he rest in peace. (The big question now is if it's Alain's personal Chesnaught or he borrowed Chespie, I think the latter option would be a cooler reference) As much as most liked Gary's return and his current usage, I have seen growing concern that after that episode, it feels like him and Ash are kinda ignoring each other. Not helped the PWC and how other rivals are responding to it;

.

(Part 2) and the two not even congratulating each other for their progress so far. (I'm somewhat in that camp too. Gary's story is definitely not finished, so I'm reserving judgement cause it could get addressed. {Like Ash's Alola Champion recognition} But I do find it strange that after 4 episodes, he still hasn't been in one of those after-stories they post on Sunday, yet Gladion, and now Paul have. With Alain lying in wait. I hope my theory on them hiding something big with him post-Project)

(Part 3) (Mew isn't Goh-related. This isn't to say I don't want Gary and Goh to have a good end together when that story concludes) This is the most casual and friendly Ash and Paul has ever been with each other; can you imagine DP Paul sitting in the grass talking to Ash? Telling Electivire to go play? Even Goh had a better experience with him than Dawn did starting out. I don't blame the shippers for sucking it all up. (Heck, most of the "shippy" stuff I saw way before this episode is just)

(Part 4) (folks talking about the battles the two had and their ideals. You had a better chance of finding Coma romance fanon on the Japanese side, even then it was uncommon compared to other Ash M/M ships. Wouldn't be surprised if today marked a turning point) Heh, one has to wonder what it's like becoming a prophet from fanon stuff you made years ago. (I've seen a few trying to find some silver linings in them. Like, Ash is set up to fight the top 3 in rank in order)

(Part 5) (And most everyone understands why Cynthia vs Iris came to be. Alain vs Leon too, for different reasons. {This battle might not be the only thing Alain has to offer after losing} Lance vs Diantha is the hardest to tell what the outcome will be, which in a way is exciting. I'm pulling for Diantha since I find it more interesting than a Leon vs Lance rematch. That, and her being one of the least popular Champions. She deserves something)

Yeah :( He was so young too. Fuck cancer.

Oh, that is a question. I guess we'll see.

Yeah, fair... they had their moments in previous episodes but I don't think they acknowledged each other at all in JN113. What happened to them being closer than ever? There's still a little time so I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic, but... I'm a little nervous. Hopefully he gets a good ending, and good stuff for his relationships with Ash and Goh both.

Oh I meant no shade whatsoever, I totally get it. I've never really been into the ship myself but I'm glad they're having a good time.

Yeah, that must be wild. It's wild enough just seeing something happen in canon and being like "that happened in a fanfic I read!" but having, say, written that fanfic? I can't imagine. (Canon just ends up contradicting the stuff I put in fanfic, haha.)

Yeah, makes sense! I'm not too hung up on anything, I think it'll be fun to see how it all plays out. And yeah, we can probably guess the outcomes of most of these battles, but Lance vs Diantha? We'll just have to see. Diantha would probably be the more interesting outcome, yeah.

[jadeazora]

The animated Pokedoko trailer. Tbh, not a fan of most of the match-ups we got besides Iris vs. Cynthia since they have history. 😅 That said, I would have liked Iris vs. Lance too since they're both Dragon Masters. Steven and Diantha would be cool, kinda wanted to see that since XY, or even Cynthia vs. Diantha, and just throw Steven at Leon because someone has to go. (Though Cynthia vs. Leon would be absolutely nuts, she's the 2nd biggest threat this tournament. Taking her out in the first round would suck.)

I would have also loved a Ash vs Alain rematch. Like, he's the only one of Ash's true rivals to remain undefeated by Ash. Plus, it would have given us some proper closure between them after Kalos.

I'm pretty optimistic the battles will be good tho. It's also cool that Ash will be facing down Cynthia in the 2nd round (I don't think they'll go for another Ash vs. Iris, plus given Cynthia's reputation and popularity, the fanbase would probably riot 😅)

Bonus, a new screenshot of Alain. I hope he sticks around for a bit after Leon kicks his butt. I'd love for him to get some interaction with Ash:

[autumn-foxfire]

Yeah, Ash is the Alola Champ. I just thought maybe if he became the "World Champion" he wouldn't have anything more to do on his journey. Unless if Gen 9 is very lore-focused and has a good story the anime can use (unlike poor Galar who got condensed into a few ep, but I think pacing was fine, it's a quick plot that shouldn't be stretched out if they're not including every game bit) they could transition his research assisting with Goh to continue into researching Gen 9 Legendary Pokemon?

+ and Poke-Update! Ash just beat Raihan last episode, and we've gotten the finalists. The fandom is celebrating because they've been waiting for three years with their bets lol. I wasn't watching until now so this is all news to me. What a wait. The Masters 8 excluding Leon, are Ash, Iris, Cythnia, Diantha, Steven, Lance, and Alain! For whom everyone is expecting a Rematch to make things right after Kalos, and since Ash is obviously gonna fight Leon, he'll probably win that rematch.

Oh, I see what you mean now. I guess it would feel like the conclusion to his story if he becomes known as the world champion, having beaten the rest of the champions (except Wallace, I guess? I can't remember if he's just a gym leader in the pokemon series or if they followed the game and made him a champion... god it's been too long since I've actually followed the pokemon series, nowadays I just re-watch the episodes with my favourite characters from the games in).

I still struggle to believe they would retire Ash though and I doubt the franchise is going to stop making regions and games anytime soon so even if Ash wins the world championship, we'll probably follow him on a new adventure in the new regions to come.

[jadeazora]

And here's the announcement of the Masters 8! (I'm curious if Paul is going to help Ash train for Alain? Ash is also pretty surprised Iris made it into the Masters 8 too, but I'm looking forward to the possible rematch!)

Cynthia is, of course, #2 to Leon. (I figured she'd probably be second place. Leon's the one they're hyping up, but she's still the strongest in the games imo.)

[punz4lyfe]

Pokemon Journeys Episode 115 Review

Pokemon Journeys Episode 115. Let’s review:

Alright, the beginning of the Masters Tournament. How did things start off? Eehhh, something.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way, I really feel like the beginning was kinda rushed. Ash and Goh (without Chloe) just enter the Wyndon Stadium without any of them reflecting how far the former has come since the beginning of the PWC. Instead, they just go into it like any other PWC event. And for his debut, Hop didn’t really get that much glamor. Yeah, his curbstomp loss against Ash was highly appropriate, but the dude himself just makes his entrance to the anime by casually sliding in. Kinda lame for a character like him, don’tcha’ think?

While it was cute to see Ash and Iris run into the Champion Room together, I wish they had more screentime together beforehand. Iris could’ve told Ash what she’s been doing ever since their last battle, explaining how she was able to reach Rank 7 so fast afterwards despite her lower score. They could also reflect how far they’ve both come since their days traveling through Unova. Maybe even a mention of Cilan, too. And I really wished there was some interaction between them and the other members of the Master 8 once they arrived. Characters like Lance, Steven, Cynthia, or Diantha could’ve acknowledged how much Ash has grown since the days they first met him, possibly hearing of his own Champion title at Alola.

And c’mon, no meaningful interaction between Ash and Alain? Seems pretty lackluster if you ask, given how strong their friendship was in XYZ. Yeah, they share a look during the beginning ceremony, but Alain just gives off some sort of glare. I know it’s highly possible for the two to interact in later episodes, but there really should’ve been something more impactful, like the two talking beforehand that they might finally have the rematch they promised long ago, only for Alain to grow disappointed later on when he hears that his first match won’t be against Ash.

And then the first battle of the PWC, the battle between Leon and Alain. Oooooh boi, did this battle become infamous in a jiffy. While I’m not TOO against it like many other people, in a seriousness, Alain’s Mega Charizard should’ve lasted longer than he did. This is Alain’s Charizard mind you, the same Pokemon who can hold his own against Legendaries and defeat Ash’s Greninja, and he just loses to a few moves from Leon’s. Yes, Leon’s is strong, but now you’re just stretching things. He should’ve gone done with more of a fight. It’s like this is the writers’ response to the old poll in 2016 to reverse the outcome of Ash’s battle against Alain and now this is their way of saying “Oh, you want Alain to take an L? Here’s a fucking Alain L for ya.”.

The selfie of Iris, Cynthia, and Diantha was cute, tho.

Euuh, this episode gets a 5/10. Definitely could’ve been a better start to the Masters Tournament. Hopefully Lance vs. Diantha next month will make things better.

[punz4lyfe]

As much as I like him, I find it annoying that Gary is the ONLY rival of Ash’s that’s gotten to make any sort of reappearance that isn’t just a flashback. If the writers can find a way to bring back one of the girls who traveled with Ash every single season, there’s no reason they can’t find a way to bring back Paul, Alain, Sawyer, Trip, or Gladion. Hell, I’ll even take Morrison at this point, or even one of his “side-rivals” (or whatever you want to call them) from Unova.

I understand, but the possibilities of Ash's other past rivals returning are still there due to the World Coronation Series. Considering Korrina and Iris both decided to partake, it wouldn't be too Farfetch'd to believe the likes of Paul or Alain joined in as well.

Paul definitely has a high chance of returning, especially with the Gen. 4 remakes coming out soon, bringing the possibilities of the anime giving Sinnoh some screentime/callbacks, similar to how Diamond and Pearl did with Lyra and the Pokeathlon for Johto and how XYZ did with Alain's side-adventures for Hoenn.

Alain's chances are also high due to the aforementioned potential involvement in the WCS. In fact, just like with Iris, it would be very likely for Alain to reach out to Ash himself in order to request a rematch, a callback to their promise back at the end of the XYZ series. Adding on to that, it would also be a good excuse for Ash to reunite with Greninja and to show Goh their Ash-Greninja form.

Sawyer's kinda a maybe, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't return at all.

Trip's kinda a better maybe, but still not 100% certain he could return. Honestly, considering how much flack he received from Best Wishes due to his BS first-victory against Ash, unexplained animosity for anyone from Kanto, and Paul-like personality that was generally unexcused since Paul actually had experiences traveling through other regions before Kanto while Trip was just beginning, I wouldn't be surprised if the writers just decided to completely forget about Trip.

Gladion's chances are actually pretty big, even better than Paul and Alain's by a slight margin, because of the whole thing established in the end of Sun and Moon and Episode 37 of Journeys of him, Lillie, and Lusamine searching for his and Lillie's father. It would probably either be its own episode, mentioned through Ash's Alola friends whenever he or Goh revisit the region, or take place in an episode where Ash and Goh coincidentally meet up with him and the others. I doubt he would be involved with the WCS since he's too busy searching for his father, but he and Ash could have some sort of rematch.

Morrison, as well as Ash's side-rivals from Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos (ex. Conway, Virgil, Tierno, etc.), well, it's honestly pretty doubtful for them EXCEPT for Bianca actually, as there's some potential you could do with her by adapting some of her more mature traits from BW2, just as they did with Iris.

(tho i kinda hope for cameron to return just so ash can rightfully stomp the shit out of that gary stu with his own lucario as payback for that bs as hell victory against ash in the unova league but hey whatever)