The All Pokemon Scoop Part 1 - The Kalos League, 6th Time's The Charm!

[csrdevil]

Hello Pokelovers!

Salutes',salutes'! To those of you tired (and I don't blame them if slightly bored) with my exceptionally long articles on everybody's favorite anime show, I bring you the "The All Pokemon Scoop". Basically they are all a series of short burst articles aimed at discussing previous and/or contemporary issues in Pokemon thus far. Part one as you can gather from the title aims at taking an "objective" viewpoint if you like, towards uncovering Ash's Kalos League aspirations this fall, as the Pokemon company's nears an unprecedented 20th year of success. If you want more comprehensive reviews of all the regions, please read my "The Kalos League" threads for further info. I am working towards an exclusive preview of the Kalos League, by breaking down all of the 6 segions our hero has visited thus far. So without further ado,

Pokeball go!

Ash’s Kalos League Hopes And Its Aftermath

As the Kalos league looms in the not too distant horizon, we not only take a look at the excitement it brings, but also the pressing questions it poses alongside. Namely, questions such as our hero's chances of winning it all, this time around. Sadly there are little indications as to how Ash v6.0 will actually perform. But a prudent reminder to all you Pokelovers, we are not after all in charge of the franchise. Given our way we might have gotten Ash (Satoshi) to win every tournament or battle he has ever competed in! But we can't. And also, where is the fun in that?

No, the truth is, it is up to the writers to decide. They can make Ash reach the giddying heights of the semi-final frontier and then deliver an unexpected low blow, like the one which goes by the name of “Tobias”. Or they are perfectly capable of producing something like the Unova league, a sorry excuse of an official Pokemon League tournament, not to mention make our hero look completely like an average Joe. I think “regression” was the term used consistently by everyone.

But interestingly, there were even more tantalizing questions raised about the main intent of the franchise developers i.e. where they see this global brand heading towards. For example, some have stated that if the writer’s had handed Ash a victory berth in one of the previous major Pokemon Leagues or indeed hand him one in the upcoming Kalos League, his character will cease to exist. Meaning he will lose all purpose and will be replaced by some other 10 year-old jock, who we may not like. Just like in Yu-Gi-oh. Or he may have to then settle for another season or two during which, some have stated, that he will go on to compete in the fabled “Champions League”, meet and defeat the elite four, and then perhaps beat the regional champion and become Pokemon master, effectively terminating his Pokemon journey. And then that’s it.

Excellent theory. Here is what’s wrong with it though, and the key word is “regional”.

A lot of people have argued that this is what will happen after the Kalos league. But aren’t we forgetting something?


If indeed it plays out according to the scenario suggested above, Ash Ketchum will indeed become champion, but of the “Kalos” league, “not” of the world. Let me clarify, he will not become Pokemon master. Or do you sincerely expect me to believe that conquering one region will make him the ultimate Pokemon trainer, where there have been regions housing trainers not to mention champions, who he didn’t even get close to beating. What about them?

So please Pokefans, do not be afraid. For I am sure, the writers will not do something as heartless or indeed commercially damaging as taking our beloved pint sized hero off the charts. If anything, conquering the Kalos league (if he actually manages to do it) will be just his first tentative step towards his ultimate goal of becoming a Pokemon master. Remember there are still the previous leagues to conquer, and who knows if the writers are already in the process of planning newer regions and leagues for our hero to look forward to. Remember, Ash is still being advertised as a 10 year old (although I am not sure why, cause it defies the laws of nature, he should’ve been at least in his teens by now!). That fact alone is suggestive of the franchise's steady continuation, bearing in mind of course its current audience and fan base, which is growing at an alarming rate every second. So there is reason for optimism. Yes, what I mean to say is even if he wins, the show will be and should be continued. Trust me, the writers will find a way. And there is always the possibility of Ash continuing his tell-tale losing trend at the big leagues.

Dear Pokefans, now before I nibble down to what I think about Ash’s Kalos league aspirations, please allow me to address a few more of the issues you and Pokefans across the world, have constantly been in war with.


The Verdict

Sadly the answer is...no. He won’t win. The reason is purely a financial one. I think the developers simply will not allow it, given the franchise’s popularity around the world. They will go on for god knows how long. And honestly I don’t mind. For as far as I am concerned they can go on forever, as long as they make some major tweaks into the series (perhaps some like the suggested ones above).

As far as Ash’s tournament hopes go, there really isn’t much information to deduce what his performance will be like. Although having said that, he certainly has an interesting array of Pokemon at his disposal this time around and remember, there is one more slot still to be filled, before he completes his tell-tale team of 6.

Ash Ketchum promises a lot, and admittedly tends to deliver as well, more often than not. But his exploits in the big leagues has left a lot to be desired with. But we have to factor in the developer’s determination to keep him afloat in the anime for as as long as possible. Time and again this has come back to haunt him during the leagues. But he knows that Pokefans across the world will have their fingers crossed for him, when he finally goes for it. Hoping that he will make them proud.


Will we see the naive Ash who gets close but disappoints in the big time? Or will we see the one can light up the world with his uncommon “out of the box” thinking? Like in the Johto and most particularly in the Sinnoh league?

Only time will tell. Good luck to Ash's future endeavours. I believe.

 

[csrdevil]

Hi Pokelovers, csrdevil **salutes**.

I am back again with another one of my "Pokemon scoops". Part two which I enjoyed making immensely, is a tribute of sort rather than a comprehensive analysis of Ash's best ever Pokemon battle. In my opinion anyway. Read on!

Pokeball go!

Ash’s Ketchum’s Best Pokemon Battle

People, we have stuck with this guy through thick and thin, witnessed many amazing battles throughout the years. Now we can argue all day as to which one was his best ever. Now I have no intentions of getting into that, and others may have perfectly good reasons to believe that battle A or battle B, is still Ash’s most glorious moment up to date. And I respect that, I do. But if anybody asks me what I think, well…I will have two words for that person.

Ash. Paul.

Now, I understand many will slaughter me instantly and say that I am forgetting to include a certain Gary Oak into my equation but people, you have to understand. Once, that was my favourite battle too. Until I crossed paths with Paul.

Now guys, you can argue that I only like it because of reasons such as the fact that the battle spanned throughout almost three episodes. Its conclusion, brought about Ash’s first semi-final appearance ever, which frankly (admit it guys) got the hopes up of every single Pokemon fan out there old or young. They must’ve thought that at long last, at long last, this is it. Sadly however that wasn’t to be the case.

Anyways, even though these were, I admit, major contributing factors in my judgement, this wasn’t the first and foremost reason.

For me, the main catalyst behind singling this battle out as Ash’s greatest achievement was Ash himself. It was because after such a long time, in fact, for the first time since that awe inspiring triumph against Gary Oak in the Johto league eons ago, I finally again got to see the true Ash Ketchum. The very Ash Ketchum who has that inexplicable knack of producing the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, when up against overwhelming odds. That’s the Ash Ketchum, Pokefans around the world admire and love. Not the lacklustre Ash, who they got frustrated of in the Hoenn league, and consequently in the Unova league.

Paul had a fairly conspicuous entry into the franchise, but the writers acutely expanded and developed his character throughout the Diamond and Pearl series. They did such an excellent job that by the time the events at Lake Verity had unfolded, here at last was a trainer whom I desired nothing more than to be seen beaten. And Ash Ketchum, had to be the one to do it. I am sure if the Pokemon world were real, I think Ash would’ve felt the same way.

And boy did I get my wish.

After I had watched it, I went back and revisited all of Ash’s previous league exploits. I analysed every episode, this time with a fine tooth comb. I tried to come up with something that may convince me that no, there must’ve been some other battle which eclipses this one (including yes the famous Johto league encounter between Ash and Gary). At first I thought, perhaps the series before was limited by technology. Perhaps the animation sequences were simply better in 2007 (roughly about the time when “DP: Sinnoh league Victors” episodes were broadcasted) than it was back in 2000 or 2003 (roughly about the time the Kanto and Johto leagues were broadcasted, respectively).

But no it was not. In fact almost all anime produced till today, is done so using more or less the same traditional methods such as hand-drawn animation, with a few subtle touches of modern technology present of course, such as elements of CGI. And it was bluntly evident in DP too, but it didn’t make a telling difference. No, I tell you there wasn’t a single battle I found (and I am talking about battles after the Sinnoh League as well) where I felt the same level of intensity. There wasn't a single battle where Ash was forced so frequently to think out of the box. He was suffocated constantly by his adversary Paul, so much so that he had to morph and adapt with every second the battle raged on.

C'mon have you ever seen him switch Pokemon so much in a battle? Usually our hero is much more stubborn and robust with his choices. He was pushed to the very brink by Paul, in order to carve out such a narrow victory. I understand the Kalos league is yet to make its mark, but trust me it will do well to outclass the quality battle we saw between Ash and Paul.

Back to the battle itself, no sorry, it wasn’t a battle. It was an all-out street brawl. At times, it was like watching a very tactical boxing match between two trainers who were reluctant to give each other any breathing space, forget respect. Each battled with the sheer desire to gaining a telling upper hand over the other, and oversee a defining victory. We know Paul tried to achieve that with a carefully devised plan, but once the true Ash Ketchum comes out, even the most well laid conspiracies tend to melt into putty. Thus, when Infernapehad landed that well-placed Mach Punch on Ninjaskto knock it out, the Japanese commentator (in the English sub versions of course) summed up my emotions perfectly. He screamed, “This has become a battle of toing and froing!.”
How right he was. Between Ash and Paul, it was a case of you miss buddy, and I will hit!

At the last, Ash perhaps shaded Paul in terms of will power and some absolutely out of this world thinking. Can I give you guys some advice? Go and watch the Japanese dub version and then decide for yourself. Till today I get goose bumps when I watch it. The part where Ash's Gliscorlands a successful giga impact on Drapionand then rolls back into the air successively to evade giga impact's secondary effect (not being able to move for a while), still sends shivers down my spine. Why? You have to see it to believe it!

 

[csrdevil]

Hey guys, a million salutes' again to you crazy Pokefans you!

Yeah, it's me again. Back again with a really, really quick scoop. This one is still vividly decorated with nostalgia but with rather sad undertones I'm afraid compared to the more brighter pastures in the last two. This ladies and gntleman is what I'd like to call traditionally "a cacophonous disaster", on past of the developers and also the story maker (of the Pokemon company of course!). Without further ado...

Pokeball go!

Ash’s Worst Performance In A Major Pokemon League

Do we really need to guess here?

Combined with the developer’s obvious intent to rush and finish the tournament quickly (in order to accommodate XY) and with Ash’s own naivety, the Unova League turned out to a compilation of the worst performances that I have ever seen from our beloved hero. I am sure a majority of Pokefans will agree with me on this at least. It was absolutely shambolic.

Again as mentioned before, Ash, then and there, was back to his infuriatingly naive self. The developers did not help matters by getting Ash to battle Trip (his “major” rival in the best wishes series by the way) in a one-on-one first round battle. I mean, really? And then they got him knocked out by a jungle punk with an overgrown Hydreigon, and oh so conveniently evolved Riolu. A guy, who didn’t even know he had to bring six Pokemon to begin with? What a joke.
What’s more maddening was Pikachu's manner of defeat to Cameron's Lucario, considering the fact that it managed to beat a "Mega" Lucarioin Pokemon XY, which is supposed to be twice as powerful as the normal one.
And don’t give me the “oh but Pikachuhad battled three times prior to its match-up against Lucario in that battle. It must’ve been tired! And besides, Riolu hadjust evolved”.
Hey, I’ve got news for you. Riolu battled “three” times as well, the same as Pikachu.

His defeat also meant that this was the first tournament in which Ash, on paper at least, had actually “regressed” (the term people kept using) as a Pokemon trainer. It is enough to make us avid Pokemon lovers rightfully lash out at the writers, asking “what were you thinking?”

And in truth Ash’s Pokemon team for that particular tournament wasn’t exactly ‘great’ either.

I mean, c’mon. Pignite? Oshawott? Snivy? These aren’t world beaters.
He had a whole arsenal of Pokemon to choose from and he decided to stick with what I think were sub-standard Pokemon. Especially Oshawott, which according to me, was an absolute joke compared to Ash’s Palpitoadwhich looked much more slick, confident and consistent. It actually has a future.

 

[csrdevil]

Hi guys, csr back again with another scoop, not a new one exactly, more like a chewing gum which has had all the flavour sucked out of it. But hey, I enjoyed compiling this piece more than all the others put together. I have stated constantly throughout this particular article that it is a topic which is heatedly debated among Pokemon fans. My apologies as such, if I have failed to overlook any finer details. But I've done my best. And this is what I came up with next.

That kinda rhymed.

Pokeball go!

Ash’s Best Possible Pokemon Team

Again, this is open for discussion and I really don’t want to get into any arguments with anyone here. It is just what I think would serve Ash well, should he decide to go with it. I have selected a team of six for a full battle format. I have included three substitutes and three future prospects. In case you are wondering, this is exactly how a soccer team is built. I only did it with err…Pokemon.

01 Pikachu

Can anyone think of a team of Pokemon for Ash, without Pikachu in it? Probably not.

For one, it is always with Ash on his journey. Secondly, it is his only electric type Pokemon ever. And thirdly, because of its all-round popularity across the franchise that makes it invaluable to the team. So that’s why I chose it.

Buzzzzz! Wroooong!

These are of course not the only reasons I think it deserves the no.1 slot in my team. No, absolutely not. I have practical reasons to support my case, along with ones that were practically forced on me.

Pikachu has been maddeningly “soft” at times, for a Pokemon of its stature, level and reputation. But time and again it has dragged Ash out of some difficult spots. Most notable of these, was its victory in the Orange Leagues not to mention quite a few high profile Gym Battles (Mega Lucario). And of course who can forget that absolutely crucial victory against Paul’s Frosslass? When its iron tail broke Frosslass's hail apart and we saw Paul smile that rye smile, as if he knew. He knew, he was finally up against it. That victory also gave Ash and Gliscor the very momentum they needed to eventually knock Paul’s formidable Drapion out. Although I wish to take nothing away from Ash’s and Gliscor’s pedigrees as trainer and Pokemon respectively. That also contributed to the victory as well.

Anyways, don’t be fooled by its “yellowy” cuteness. That Pikachu of his when on song, can light up and entire city if needs be with its bone juddering thunderbolt attack. Although I was disappointed when Pikachu downgraded from bolt tackle to quick attack again in the Unova series, I can understand that. For Bolt tackle, has recoil damage. But beware of its razor sharp iron tail, and of course the newly learned Electro Ball as well, which floats like a butterfly but stings like a bee.

02 Charizard

Well there always has to be a slot reserved for a fire Pokemon in your starting eleven (whoops sorry six), and in my case, Charizard is the best candidate to occupy that position. Why? My dear Pokefans, only because of the fact that it epitomizes what’s expected and required of a high level Pokemon.


It does not disappoint.

All the battles it has lost thus far have been either because its trainer doesn’t know its adversary that well (Blazikenanyone?), or on instances where it was genuinely just about shaded in terms of skill. And when I say just, I mean just (look at what it did to Harrison’s Blaziken, he couldn’t use it later and ended up being eliminated from the tournament after Ash). But it never lacks the passion and commitment, and always delivers results in the big occasions. Victories against Gary’s Blastoiseand Noland’s Articunorespectively, is concrete proof of that. One may argue that Infernape deserves that berth due to its added advantage of speed, but trust me it doesn’t quite yet reached the level Charizard is at. And when it comes to power, Ash’s Charizard is not short of it. Or have you forgotten Charizard’s ability is Blaze too?
It was shown to have a disappointing combination of attacks during its Unova debut (dragon tail? really? when it knew seismic toss?), but it can only get stronger. One can’t help but wonder how far Ash could’ve gone in the Hoenn and Unova leagues if he had Charizard in his team. The Unova league certainly would’ve been a lot easier on the eye. Well it is certainly available for the Kalos league now that it is with Professor Oak, having completed its training with Charla in the Charicific Valley. I hope Ash grows some brains and picks it up for the Kalos league.

03 Sceptile

Ok, now I admit I am favouring speed when choosing Sceptile. But, make no mistake. Ash’s Sceptile definitely has the right balance of speed and power, as well as a wealth of experience under its belt.

Having battled in the Hoenn and more excitingly, in the Sinnoh League where it gained even more sagacity, Sceptile ended up being “the” only Pokemon which eventually knocked out Tobias’s devious Darkrai.

In truth, Sceptile was a no brainer. Had it not been in Ash’s disposal, I probably would’ve sided with Bayleaf. But Bayleaf hasn’t evolved yet, so we do not yet have a full measure of capabilities. And also in all honesty, I have no faith in Torterra. It is slow and sluggish. It doesn’t lack power or commitment (neither of Ash’s Pokemon do), but power accounts for only so much. It was a tie between Bulbasaurand Snivyas my third choice, but I am not sure they will do too well when battling with higher levelled opponents. Thus, in comes Sceptile.

Docile, agile, cunning and certainly powerful, it is Ash’s best option when it comes to grass Pokemon. We are yet to see him catch one in Kalos, but even if he does catch one (and he is running out of time to do so), it will do well to draw comparisons with Sceptile. A combination of long range and close range attacks in solarbeam , leafblade, leaf storm and agility make up Sceptile’s attacking options. They are a good match with its incredible speed and jumping prowess.

04 Greninja (Oh sorry! It's GRENINJA-EX!!!!)

Another cool customer in Ash’s endless armoury of talented Pokemon, Greninja seems to improve with every episode (forget battle) that I have had the pleasure of seeing it in.

Starting out as a precocious and picky little Pokemon, Froaky, Frogadier was never one to back down from a fight. Recognizing similar traits in Ash, Froakie decided to accompany him. And boy, are we luckyit did.
Honestly, I don’t think with the water Pokemon Ash currently has (with the exception of Buizeland Corphish who tied for second place), are actually good enough. Nor will it convince the legion of loyal fans backing him to win the Kalos league this year. But with Greninja on his side, and a possible upgrade to a Greninja, here is a Pokemon which does seem to be a shrewd acquisition. With its unparalleled speed, a mixture of powerful long range and close range moves such as water shiruken and cut respectively, Greninja looks to be the complete. It can only improve and improve from here on. And best of all, it can use aerial ace. Aerial ace! What!?

(Hey guys, I'll review Greninja in depth later on in my Kalos preview. As such I've decided to keep matters short here)

05 Swellow

The alpha and omega of Ash’s flying type Pokemon, Swellow is a true warrior and another no brainer. One may argue that I am ignoring Talonflame here, but even though it has been impressive thus far, it is yet to reach a level where it can actually oust Swellow. Why? Here’s why.

From the time it was a Taillow, Swellow has always proved to be a tough nut to crack. Remember how it resisted capture for the umpteenth time? It wasn’t until it was truly exhausted and literally paralysed having deflected one high level thunderbolt after the other from Pikachu, before finally succumbing to them. And there we have it. One of the prime reasons it is so precious and special. It has that uncanny ability to deflect electricity (despite being a flying type Pokemon). Swellow deserves the top spot in Ash’s flying Pokemon list, I don’t care what anybody says.
Perhaps it lacks a bit of power compared to Ash’s other Pokemon, but boy does it make it up with its iron clad determination which in my opinion, is second to none (perhaps and only perhaps, matched by Ash’s Infernape, in light of all the evidence seen thus far).

As mentioned right from its debut as a Taillow, Swellow has been tough and persistent. It has been noted many times in the anime how Swellow was overly stubborn and would fight to its last breath in a battle, rather than give up. Don’t trust me? Revisit all the crucial battles it has won and see for yourself. Particularly the ones in episodes such as “Sky High Gym Battle” or “Solid as a Solrock”, where Ash actually ordered a thunder attack on it. Swellow, determined to win their battle against Tate and Liza, took the attack and used it to win the double battle. And don’t forget what a nightmare it turned out to be for Tyson in the Hoenn League, almost single-handedly knocking out three of his Pokemon. It showed some spirit.

06 Hawlucha

Believe me no.6 was an incredibly hard choice for me, but Ash’s Hawlucha probably just about scrapes it, on grounds of current form. And also, in all honesty, due to its all-round awesomeness!

Here is a Pokemon which not only battles with grace and composure, but with a bit of flair as well. It is just as capable of surprising you with its agility as it can with its flying prowess as well. And that was another huge contributing factor in its bid to make the “team”. Its dual characteristic as a flying/fighting type Pokemon. You won’t find many like it. In fact I think it is one of a kind.

Hawlucha has the heart of a lion. There is nothing it doesn’t take seriously. But it is also known to have a soft mellow side to it, displayed particularly in its almost brotherly affection for Noibat.

It may look like it, but Hawlucha is not all about speed. Not only can it throw an opponent off guard with its amazing flying abilities, its close range attacks (namely high jump kick and karate chop) pack a punch as well. They certainly have that “oomph” factor. That again is based on evidence seen up till now. But it remains to seen whether or not Hawlucha carries on this impressive form and delivers that crucial consistency it has been showing, when it comes to the big time. The Kalos League.

The Super Subs

I realized I have named a couple of unknown entities in the form of Hawlucha and Frogadier in my team, but I have done so within the best of my understanding, whilst staying within my knowledge of Pokemon. Now, should anything unfortunate happen and those two start disappointing or don’t live up to their exciting potential, I have a couple of excellent replacements waiting in the wings.
Heracross

Enigmatic is just one word to describe Heracross. It gained legendary status in my books when it deflected Gary’s Arcanine’s damaging close range flamethrower with just a powerful swipe of its buzzing wings. Eventually it managed to beat it with the most powerful attack known in Pokemon, mega horn (as stated in the English dub). Steady operator to have at your disposal, don’t you think?
Its sleeptalk move against Nando made me admire its grit and guts even more. It continues to grow every time I see it and has a wealth of experience in its belt. Keep it up Heracross! Keep sucking Bulbasaur’s pollen as often as you can! We hope we get another chance to see your impressive battle style in the Kalos league.
Infernape

No doubt when it comes to solidity and a bit of fiery determination, Infernape is the Pokemon to go to. Apart from being a consistent performer, Infernape finally mastered Blaze in the battle against Paul and it will give anyone a good match. Charizard just shaded it in my list in terms of experience and power. And the other Pokemon were only selected to maintain overall diversity in the team and to avoid any reliance on a particular type only. Otherwise, Infernape would’ve made it easily. That flare blitz of its, is prone to having devastating effects on opponents, as Paul found out to his cost. With a "Pokemon" of the match display in that battle, Infernape knocked out Aggron, Ninjask and Electivirerespectively. Not to mention turning the tables on Paul by doing that amazing underground flare blitz. Classic.
Talonflame

When it came to selecting a flying type for Ash’s starting line-up, unfortunately I had to strikeTalonflame off of the equation, simply because I haven’t had seen nearly enough of its abilities and I had a wealth of other quality options to choose from. But boy whatever I have seen thus far has certainly impressed me. I don’t know about you guys.
One, particular reason behind this selection, is its other role as Ash’s primary fire type Pokemon in the Kalos region. Although it only knows one fire-type move so far (which is disappointing) it has recently learned brave bird which certainly is a game changer when used. One can only assume that it will learn a decent fire type move as the series progresses or in time for the Kalos League.

Flying and fire is an effective combination and the fact that it can reach speeds of up to 310 miles per hour, is not too bad either. I have a feeling we are yet to see the best of Talonflame, but its ‘Swellow-like’ displays are certainly encouraging. Thus far it (alongside Hawlucha) has racked up a string of impressive performances in the Kalos region.

Honorary Mentions

I had to do this. I didn’t wanna freeze anybody out. Everyone of Ash’s Pokemon have played a crucial part in his journeys, and in his previous battles.

But if I had to narrow it down, I would choose the trio of Donphan, Gliscor (primarily due to the fantastic training routine it was put through by the air battle master, which culminated into that defining performance against Paul in the Sinnoh League) and Krookodile(which is another one of Ash’s “dark” horses, and impressively enough knows aerial ace as well).

The Most Exciting Future Prospects

Gible

I was literally dancing the Brazilian samba dance when Ash decided to go after a Gible in “A Rivalry To Gible On!”. But instead I was left left to tear my hair out, when a wimp like Khoury caught it in the end. So fair to say, I was crying tears of joy when he finally got it in “Got a Get A Gible”. Though frustratingly, he was left with next to no time to develop it (possibly into its last and most powerful form, Garchomp). Nonetheless Gible, proved to be an astute acquisition. A mixture of good energy and power, Gible mastered draco meteor just at the right time helping Ash gain the edge in a very tricky battle against Conway. It has certainly has set itself up nicely for a mouth-watering future, a future which hopefully oversees its evolution into a Garchomp. Gible also marked an interesting change in Ash’s Pokemon catching exploits. It became Ash’s first dragon type Pokemon ever.
Palpitoad

Now, I happened to have missed the episode when Ash actually caught Palpitoad. But when it made its competitive debut in a Club Battle Tournament against Burgundy's Stoutland, let me tell you,
I.Was.Impressed.

There is a way in which it carries itself, that steely glare, that unnerving confidence that serves it so well. What with effective long range attacks like mud shot, hydropump and supersonic, not to mention a rare dual trait as a ground Pokemon, Palpitoad would probably would have made my starting line-up as Ash’s water Pokemon, had it not been for Frogadier of course. All in all, an exciting prospect as well. It probably was Ash’s best catch in the Unova region (closely followed by Boldoreand Krookodile). Oshawott, in my opinion looks completely pathetic next to it.
Scraggy

As far as untapped potential goes, Scraggy seems to be sitting on an entire treasure chest of it. A treasure chest yet to be unlocked of course. But the key perhaps lies in its very unusual and unorthodox battle style. It certainly is far from reaching its peak as of yet, but who knows? Ash certainly was inclined to give it all the necessary experience it needed, using it in the Pokémon Clubsplosion tournament in “The Clubsplosion Begins!”. Understandably enough, it made a shaky start, but gradually began to impress as the tournament progressed, losing only to eventual runners-up Thro.

Scraggy also has a very interesting trait in its arsenal, that some of us may not know about. It is also part dark type. In the past I have grown frustrated with Ash’s (and the writer’s) lack of enthusiasm towards gathering psychic and dark type Pokemon.

But Ash’s capture of Krookodile, Scraggy and most recently Noibat, finally seems to be breaking that trend. That focus blast of it is powerful, but needs a bit of direction. Learning a few dark type moves wouldn’t go amiss either, but Scraggy is definitely one to keep an eye out for, if it makes another competitive appearance in the future. That trick where it lifts its sack up to deflect attacks, is a truly nifty little feature.

Noibat

And speaking of Noibat, boy was I shedding tears of joy when Ash decided to take baby Noibat along with him for his journey. If Alexa's Noivern is anything to go by, I think he has bagged himself a real gem in it.

In truth we are yet to see much of it in battle, but with time on its side (something Gible didn’t have), and a potential evolution to the powerful dragon/psychic type Noivern, Noibat seems destined for greatness. What it lacks in experience in battle, Noibat seems prepared to make up for it with determination as it showed in “A Relay in the Sky!”

It's a premature combination of moves that Noibat is capable of the moment, but the recently learned move 'acrobatics' will give it a much needed shot in the arm.

P.S. - Part 5 is a bit further behind in the forums list. You have to dig it out if you guys wanna read more. It's titled,

"The All Pokemon Scoop Part 5 - Open Letter To Pokemon Developers"

 

[Athena]

Moved to the Pokémon Anime forum for proper discussion.

Also, since the threads were posted so close together and are all a part of the same topic, I have merged them together for easier discussion. You may wish to update the title to reflect this.