Watching Serena charge head-on into a barrage of Seed Bomb attacks was a new thing as well - except for the time she tackled Pumpkaboo back when she caught Pancham, she's never behaved quite that recklessly in dangerous situations. The strategy of having a character stand up in front of a Pokémon that is about to be attacked in order to gain its trust is by no means a new concept, but it still works well in this situation, although I have a hard time believing that neither Braixen nor Pancham could have pulled some kind of counterattack when Gourgeist launched another Seed Bomb. Even so, the scene would not have been as powerful if Serena had tried to fight back rather than take the hit for Eevee, and I liked the way it ultimately played out. I wish Clemont had done more than hold Bonnie during Team Rocket's attack, though. Ash and Serena were the only two really fighting back, and Pikachu was hit by Inkay's Foul Play a little too easily while Serena's Pokémon had total command of the battle. But again, the episode is about Serena, not Ash, so I'll forgive that. And the ending with Chespin, Bunnelby, and Eevee was nice for that last little bit of humor.
