Pokémon anime

Don't you mean May?

Yes. I'm stupid, you all know this, and fixed.

• Ash's team has so much personality but they barely get to do anything in this season if it's not a PWC match ARRGHH.
• Bunnelby evolved but not Chespin? Man, I knew people hated his evolutions (I don't) but damn. But it's good to see his whole team again.
• Goh needed a stick to fetch the Pokeball, that's cute.
• The future is now thanks to science, I missed that gag.

There's so many cute gags too:

• Dragonite lifts up Clemont for like the half whole episode
• Bonnie holding onto Dracovish like a tree
• Dragonite treating Chespin like Melmetal does with Rowlet
• Diggersby vs Lucario
• Bonnie practicing the movements with the others.

Alright lets' watch 104. Weird they ignored Serena, not even a mention of what she's been up too.

Like, I'm assuming Serena isn't that popular in Japan, so the writers are just ignoring her.

One Strip! One Strip!

Or they're planning a huge surprise involving Serena.

Serena is one of the trainers in the Master Class.

But seriously, though. We've only got like five known Master Class trainers, if I'm not mistaken?
I'd honestly be surprised if there's an Electric-type specialist in that Class.

Cibrylls have trouble picking which avatar to use at times, so it changes on a whim at times~

There was a poll in Japan about pokegirls if you google it and Serena came first and she is one of the most popular Satoshi ships even in the japanese side of the fandom so....

Edited by Rasaga on Apr 3rd 2022 at 12:25:16 PM

I had Serena more likely to appear in the Sylveon-focused episode... which is this coming Friday. Sadly this appears to be Lisia's focus episode, so the odds are slim. I did have Lisia as an option for Sylveon's owner. But the title of the episode gives me pause. I mean, Wallace and Ash may count as an "encounter", but it's not really a reunion. So unless Chloe and Lisia were once friends or Chloe's Eevee is the daughter of said Sylveon, then we may yet be in for a surprise...

---

Personally, I'd rather that we only know 3 Master Class members: Lance, Cynthia, and Leon; Raihan and Flint should be Ultras. Granted, I would also have had a whole bunch of Ultras in Great. Drasna would still merit Ultra, but she should have been early in Ash's cycle as an Ultra, not near its end.

At this point in time, we should only know a quarter of the Pokemon Competitive Scene, at most, even if that quarter consists of several of the most competitive regions; e.g. the Home Regions of Japan/Ransei being the equivalent of the Home Nations in Association Football. The World of Pokemon is still vast, allowing for several Cryptic Background References to be filled in^note RIP: "Indian Elephant" as of SwSh as later generations give us more regions to explore, e.g. Poke-Iberia in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. These references would include their champions, some of whom would be strong/skilled enough to be Masters themselves.

Then again, since the Pokedex is subject to Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale, I shouldn't be surprised that the Anime writers would also be subject to this.

Conversely, Ash's ascension to Ultra Class should have been this Series' Finale, not nearly a year ago. In my opinion, an Elo-based league justifies Exponential Plot Delay: the higher you get, the fewer there are above you and the smaller the gains you get from fighting those below. There is one factor that could explain the rapid progression, which I'll get to later. Still, Ash beating Drasna should not have had the yield that it did, especially with where he's at now; the leap in ranking he got would have been more consistent with Ash beating Diantha than Drasna.

---

As for those aforementioned gains, Ash is now ranked ninth. That's right: Ash jumped ahead of 40% of the trainers that were ahead of him, and is now at the Head of the Ultra Class; only the Masters Eight themselves remain.

Given the above spoiler, I submit that we are now in Hap-Con 3 for Ash's (retconned/"on-camera") Series Goal; with the projection of a Masters Eight Tournament with Ash as the #8 or #7 Seed resolving before November.

Basically, if the Ultra Class is Victory Road, then Ash has reached the "room" just before the exit. Of course, I would still expect Ash to have to fend off at least 1 challenger before facing Flint for his Masters Eight slot, said challenger being the proverbial "Rival rematch right when you reach said Exit from Victory Road", in the next couple of months. But that still means probably 12 "outs" before the Masters Eight, and between 18 and 42 "outs" from there to Monarch. The writers can always turn this around; but if they want to do so without alienating the fanbase, (again,) they'll have to act fast.

Perhaps this path seems more apparent in hindsight, the Aborted Arc that was the Sinnoh Elite Four notwithstanding, since the Masters Eight is an expy of SwSh's replacement for the Elite Four, i.e. a Galrian-based tourney. This status explains Ash's accelerated progression through the Classes: as a Galarian-based plotline, it needs to be resolved before the current generation ends. Though it doesn't justify promoting his opponents by a half-grade from the classes that their in-game titles suggest.^note Iris's game-based cred has Ultra status, but giving her anime self that cred created its own problem.

Goh's plot, by contrast, was based more off of Pokémon GO than anything from Gen VIII. Therefore, Goh's plot is not necessarily subject to the Game Release schedule.

And, again, I know that Ash wouldn't (or shouldn't) consider himself a Master just by making the Masters Eight. But it would be a step towards that. And, with how vague Ash's goal is, it may be the only measurable step. And, thus, the only step we ever get to see.

They can’t just donate money to get Mays VA back.

Her VA suffers from a disease that ruins her ability to talk OR sing and it doesn’t have a cure. She retired a decade ago cause that’s when it went in full force.

Every accusation by the GOP is ALWAYS a confession.

Per this, does the backlash against the Kalos League better fit Overshadowed by Controversy or Audience-Alienating Ending? AAE requires that fans retroactively stop caring about the series thus no longer rewatch it or like it as opposed to still liking it prior and just disliking/pulling Fanon Discontinuity on the ending.

Has XY gotten that specific type of backlash such fans are now skipping over it. Is it being any more skipped over than the other installment given the 1000+ episode length of the series making rewatching prohibitive anyway?

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught on Apr 4th 2022 at 9:21:12 AM

Any guesses who the top 8 are? Cynthia is probably up there.

The Protomen enhanced my life.

8. Flint 7.raihan 6-3 maybe Steven, Lance, and two other strong trainers 2. Cynthia 1. Leon

Ferot, Ash versus Alain doesn't qualify for Audience-Alienating Ending, solely because it isn't even the ending of X&Y. Quote your reference, (emphasis added):

In fact, the listed debate proves that Ash's defeat overshadowed the true climax and Season Finale^note barring the denouement episodes, including a Post-Climax Confrontation which didn't involve Alain of the X & Y series.

EDIT 2: In fact, the fact that AAE is a sub-reaction of OBC lends me to believe that it should stay there. If it doesn't qualify for OBC, then it certainly doesn't qualify for AAE.

EDIT: Paul would more likely be The Rival whose challenge Ash must defeat for the right to face Flint; i.e. the Rival that suddenly pops up as you're about to exit Victory Road.

Edited by DonaldthePotholer on Apr 4th 2022 at 4:50:26 AM

Saw a theory that Paul could be in the Masters 8. Don't know how likely that'd be though.

So far I know, the currently known top 8 are Leon (#1), Lance (last seen at rank 2), Raihan (rank 7 prior to JN027), Cynthia (ranking unknown), and Flint (rank 8).
Aside from Leon, the others' ranks may end up having changed by the time Ash reaches Master Class.
So far, we only have a Gym Leader, an Elite Four, and three Champions.
Though to be honest, I'm actually hoping Tobias (with his Legendaries and Mythicals and whatever else he has) is in the Master Class just so that Ash can beat the guy.

Cibrylls have trouble picking which avatar to use at times, so it changes on a whim at times~

God, that would be something. I have been wanting to see Tobias' full team for what is now half the show's run.

Oh welp, Serena's return leaked lmao.

https://twitter.com/xAuraZora/status/1511222760227418114?t=Ev03yLn7U_OWKxMP6AGtFg&s=19

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.

We'll need verification from other independent sources like magazine scans or a voice cast list for this week's episode.

Because it's rather strange to suddenly hide of one of the most popular Pokegirls of all sudden without promoting it to the roof. Like, they didn't hide Dawn... or Greninja... or Paul.

Well, all you need to do is connect the myriad dots generated by the recent and future episodes and plot line drops. You don't need fake art like this; such arts actually reduce the chances of the listed occurrence happening.

If Serena is in this episode, then I'm wanting Deshaun Watson to the Browns-level surprise and reactions.

All honesty, though, aren't the cast lists already up?

So I did a little test with the Waifu2X to see the authenticity of the leaked poster with official low-res posters, because I noticed heavy distortions with the ribbon and Eevee's toes in that leaked one. It could be a sign of fakery... or authenticity depending on how Waifu 2 X would affect the artwork. Well, the results should speak for itself.

Why is Dawn (or Hikari) talking to a pallet swap version of herself?

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.

Dialga Palkia shenanigans, basically.

Watch Symphogear

AU version.

AU Jesse, James, and Meowth was also more competent but still lost in the end.

Every accusation by the GOP is ALWAYS a confession.

It dodoesn'make sense to hide Serena coming back when literally every other companion or rival got month long promotion to coming back

What? That her return would signal Ash leaving the anime and finally grow up?

Then again, he did win the Alola League and is now one number away to get into the Top 8 Master Rank.

I would love it if Tobias came back too XD

The Protomen enhanced my life.

So how many episodes do they have to wrap things up assuming their not letting stuff go into the next series?

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."