#NO BUT THE FACT THAT HE USED GYARADOS GARCHOMP AND METAGROSS?!!

[immamapletreekid]

omg todays ep ;o;

[epicspheal]

Pokemon Journeys Episode 114

I have to say I really enjoyed this latest episode a lot. As someone who was a huge fan of the Pokemon anime during the DP eras (this was when I started watching the sub and really getting into the online Pokemon fandom) watching the development the rivalry between Ash and Paul. Easily the best done in the entire anime. So obviously once I heard that Paul was coming back I was curious to see how he would be handled And Journeys did not disappoint. I really like how they kept Paul’s seriousness and blunt approach (intimidating Goh and downing Ash’s name for a technique) but still showed how much he improved. Seeing him treat both Ash and Infernape as equals was heartwarming after all of those heated exchanges in the DP era (especially the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament and the Lake Acuity battle). It was nice to see that everytime his Pokemon fainted he told them “job well done” which we didn’t see until the final battle between him and Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference once Electivire is finally defeated by Infernape. He even told Electivire to go play with the other Pokemon. If I went back in time and told my middle school self that Paul would do that, she’d look at me like I was crazy.

Now even though I would have loved to have seen Paul participate in the World Coronation Series (as one of my complaints about the WCS is that there was a lot of time spent on random COTDs that could’ve been used to have battles against past rivals/league opponents as well characters from the games that had yet to debut), I’m okay with his rationale for not participating being that he isn’t one for such festivities. First off this is a super relatable reason as I’m not one for big public events either.  But most importantly this is very in character to his DP persona. Back in Sinnoh his main drive to get stronger was to be what his brother couldn’t, someone capable of being able to beat high tier trainers like Brandon. He didn’t care for festivities back then either, as he wasn’t super enthused to be in the Hearthome tag battle tournament and he criticised Ash for his pariticpation in the Wallace cup. Even his participation in the Lily of the Valley Conference had more to do about him one-upping his brother. But now that he’s grown as a person and no longer ties his gains of strength to one-upping Reggie he’s more secure and can train and battle his own way. Which means no big showy tournaments.  Before I talk about the Ash vs Paul battle, I want to back it up a bit and talk about seeing all of Ash’s Pokemon at the Oak Ranch. I’ve mentioned this before but I got into Pokemon through the anime back in the Original Series 4Kids era. So seeing Pokemon’s mons from Kanto to Kalos was a really heartwarming touch for me as a long time Pokemon fan. While I am a little upset that his reserves won’t get a chance to shine in the Masters 8, I’m still glad they could help train his journeys tema. Special props goes out to the fire type squad teaching Gengar how to utilize Will-O-Wisp, with Oak commenting that this was a new observation even for a seasoned academic like himself.

Now to the battle. I loved how Paul didn’t use Pokemon he’s used before in Sinnoh to keep it from being a repeat of both the Lake Acuity and Lily of the Valley conference battles. Even more amazing, how he used the aces of three of the masters’ 8 opponents: Gyarados for Lance, Metagross for Steven, and Garchomp for Cynthia. And it was cool to see how Paul could easily go toe-to-toe with Ash even now. But the highlight was definitely how Paul acted through the battle, pushing Ash and using a wake-up call speech to motivate him. Not only is it indicative of how much Paul has grown to respect Ash (as he didn’t resort to cheap insults like in DP) but it’s also nice foreshadowing the fact that Paul had been asked to beocme a gym leader. How he pushed Ash in that battle is something that would definitely be needed for his future challengers at his gym. All in all this was a superb episode!

[bainhardt]

#RibbonQuest2019 - Part 9: It’d take a Mira-cle

Ahh, Battle Tower... the killer of progress. Being stuck here indefinitely takes its toll on you, makes you question why you ever embarked on such a fool’s errand in the first place, why you thought you ever stood a chance. How long have I been sleeping on the couches in this lobby? The attendants know me by name, and the other trainers are starting to complain that I smell.

And I’m saying all of this after a first-try Double Ability Ribbon.

Jin had to fight again, but thankfully under nowhere near as dire circumstances as last time. Whew.

The Explosion-Protect strategy worked wonders for me, and only required I adapt very rarely. Oh, before I forget to explain: Metagross uses Explosion, and your other Pokemon uses Protect. Everything dies, and you win. What an innovation! I want to thank the person who came up with that one personally.

Anyway, as I mentioned, I acquired the ribbon after only the first attempt, helped along by the fact that it’s the first of the ribbons to only require winning one battle to earn. Yes, as a mercy at this most grueling part of the adventure, the Multi, Double, and Pair Ability Ribbons only require you clear battle 50, proven by the fact I lost immediately afterwards. One more down, I suppose.

Multi Ability next was going to be the highest mountain we’d have to scale in this entire challenge, so I figured I’d get hiking it as soon as possible. What I didn’t realize was that this decision would end up locking me in the most drawn-out and torturous portion of my entire Ribbon Quest... My skills were tested to their absolute limits, and I suffered abuse after unspeakable abuse. This trial brought me closer to quitting than anything I could have imagined when I first started collecting ribbons.

Helped along in my numerous, numerous attempts would be the Stat Trainers, a group of NPCs most anyone who’s played Platinum should recognize. I came to know them rather intimately in this time, and ended up learning their unique differences as I used them all relatively interchangeably. Except Cheryl. Using Cheryl is like choosing to give up.

No one wants to see that, Cheryl.

Riley can be pretty strong. If he’s got Garchomp, Salamence, or Dragonite, you take him. Otherwise, he’s kind of a tossup. I learned the hard way that he chooses some... unconventional movesets, which may or may not utilize his “high attack” team to its full potential.

Marley is a great choice. She uses a mix of attack or special attack Pokemon, as long as they’re fast. Her team can be fragile, though, so I typically had to wait until she was bringing Flying types or Levitate Pokemon or I risked bringing her down with my Earthquake spam. And waiting for that can take a while... I think Marley likes to play favorites.

In the end, I found Mira suited my needs best, especially because I was typically leading with Beldump for hefty physical damage. I could usually rely on her special attackers to take out opposing threats, plus they have good type coverage. And while everyone is allowed at least one, Mira has five legendary Pokemon!

But wait... if Heatran is here, what’s Buck up to? Is he okay?

Eh... I’m sure he’ll be fine.

Well, diving into the thick of it, it took me longer than a month just to even reach battle 50 once. The first time I hit battle 49, I was abused by a Walrein landing two Fissures on our Pokemon. The second time I hit battle 49 I won, earning my shot at the ribbon. And in all that time I never gave Cheryl a chance, so I figured she could help me out with Beldump’s main weaknesses - Fire and Ground. Makes sense, right?

Even though I switched to Jin in the hopes of wasting everyone’s time, there was one problem - Cheryl’s Milotic wasn’t using Surf, opting instead to blast Marowak with Ice Beam. My entire plan went straight down the drain faster than I could even process.

Fuck you, Cheryl.

But I’d done it once; I knew it was only a matter of time until I’d get another shot. Persistence was the name of this game, and I was getting better at it every day. I cannot recommend partner cycling enough: once your streak is around 35+ and you don’t want to risk losing it, you can set the clock to 11:59 over and over, because the allies’ Pokemon rotate at the midnight reset.

In my attempts to climb once again to battle 50, Mira would prove invaluable more often than anyone else. I was hoping I’d get to bring her along for battle 50 itself, but opted to use Riley instead once I finally had my second chance. Why? Well, in the hopes of correcting my embarrassment with Cheryl and her Milotic from before, I was tempted into accepting his Gyarados and Slaking as my allies.

Now, before this post stretches as long as the full elapsed time I had to spend overcoming this challenge, I’m thrilled to say I finally succeeded. I seriously wish I’d recorded battle 50, because goddamn was it exciting. Jin managed to draw turn after turn of attacks away from Riley’s Pokemon through a combination of Fly and Protect, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Beldump, you are a beast. Jin, you’re still just a duck, but you’re becoming a slightly more impressive duck with every new ribbon. I am so fucking proud of both of you.

Anyway, despite how badly I want to celebrate (though I honestly am already), I’ve got one final ribbon to snatch from deep in the evil depths of this hell known as Sinnoh Battle Tower... the Pair Ability Ribbon. I know I’m going to begin by trying the same Explosion-Protect strategy from normal Doubles, but I have no idea if that’ll work quite the same. Ribbon Gang, let’s get back at it.