Review JN124: The Semifinals III: "Valor"

[PkmnTrainerV]

I think in show Garchomp was just too beat up for any gimmicks. Both power ups would basically make her Garchomp slower.

Dynamax could help Garchomp. Lance uses it to increase his Dragonite’s durability as well.

 

[Gabo2oo]

Heck yeah, this battle's getting better by the second, the way they're using (and breaking!!) so many abilities and game mechanics is amazing. I also love how the music helped to switch the battle's pace after Sirfetch'd cleared the Stealth Rocks.

Ash deciding to keep Dracovish just because it wanted to would've been a bit jarring to me, but Cynthia fully aknowledging the way he goes along with what his Pokémon want (and mentioning the ups and downs of it) really solves the issue I have with these things. It's the characters questioning it what makes the difference.

And Cynthia's decision to dynamax Togekiss is perfectly understandable, she probably wants to tire Lucario ASAP and not take any last-minute chances with Garchomp. She's being smart about it and recognizing Lucario as a force to be reckoned with. I'm loving the writing for this battle.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

If Cynthia is as sore about her losing as you are, then I'm not sure just how much longer that legend would live on...

Let me point out that I'm not a sore loser. All I want is that battle to be fair and square. No plot armor, no cheap "ash-pull" victories just for the sake of Ash advancing to the finals. (I decribed my points of criticism in detail in my first post). You see, I've been looking forward to this battle more than to anything else in the Anime and after that awesome and promising start last week, I was hoping it would be the most epic battle of the entire show.
And just when I thought no more champions being turned into Leon fodder, Ash becomes the "new Leon", getting massive plot armor support by the writers, e.g three of his opponent's Pokemon obviously not being allowed to dodge so they could be taken out or damaged or those invisible(!) Stealth Rocks being destroyed by some bullshit move that defies all logic.
So far , Cynthia has saved the Masters Eight by showing us extraordinary , fantastic battles. However, having to see that now even our great Cynthia has become a "victim" of Ash's plot armor is beyond frustrating.
I'd like to ask the writers one question: What's so bad about Ash losing to Cynthia this time and trying again in the SV anime? I mean losing leagues over and over again is what Ash used to do all the time, so why are they trying the shove the message down our throats that all of a sudden, Ash can even defeat the mightiest Champion? SwSh wasn't about gym battles either so they could do the same with SV while making Ash's progress and victories more realistic over time.
Anyways, Cynthia being "defeated" by plot armor and the fact she wasn't allowed to go full power with her Mega-Garchomp just because Ash needs to win at all costs, that is unforgivable!

I'm done with Journeys and the PWC now. Couldn't care less about Leon vs. Ash, a match between the two worst written characters in Journeys. Just wondering which one of them will get more nonsense wins and if Ash will surpass Leon in that regard...It's my personal low point of the show

I personally don't think her using Dynamax with a Pokémon other than Garchomp instead of using Mega Evolution makes her any less strong.

Although I can't prove it (of course nobody can btw.) common sense tells me that it would indeed make a big difference if Cynthia uses a gimmick on one of her other Pokemon or on her strongest partner and absolute ace. I guess it's more than obcious, don't you think?

Garchomp has already taken a heavy hit, so Cynthia probably wanted to reserve her gimmick for a Pokémon that wasn't as badly hurt.

Although the writers had Garchomp just stand there, not allowing her to dodge, it's still... Cynthia's Garchomp! The very same Pokemon that was described as a legend in the battle against Iris. A duck with a leech that's far from being as experienced and well trained as Garchomp shouldn't pose that much of a threat to the latter.
So, I wonder what's wrong about using Togekiss to wear down Lucario while Mega-Garchomp, after taking a rest, could easily finish it off.
To me that's just another attempt to make Cynthia "weaker" on purpose so that Plot Armor Ash wins.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

I'm starting to feel as if people are overusing the term "Ash-pull." Its getting to ths point where we're using to to describe EVERY victory. Yeah, there's been some ridiculous ones, like Drasna, but its literally every battle now. If Ash does defeat Champion Cynthia, I'm really not looking forward to the reactions online.

 

[Daren]

I'm starting to feel as if people are overusing the term "Ash-pull." Its getting to ths point where we're using to to describe EVERY victory. Yeah, there's been some ridiculous ones, like Drasna, but its literally every battle now.

That wasn't the specific phrase back then, but people have been complaining every time he wins a battle since the original series was airing.

 

[Konja7]

Although the writers had Garchomp just stand there, not allowing her to dodge, it's still... Cynthia's Garchomp! The very same Pokemon that was described as a legend in the battle against Iris. A duck with a leech that's far from being as experienced and well trained as Garchomp shouldn't pose that much of a threat to the latter.
So, I wonder what's wrong about using Togekiss to wear down Lucario while Mega-Garchomp, after taking a rest, could easily finish it off.
To me that's just another attempt to make Cynthia "weaker" on purpose so that Plot Armor Ash wins.

If they wanted Cynthia to be "weaker" on purpose, they would allow Mega Lucario to easily destroy Mega Garchomp. I'm pretty sure they aren't using Dynamax Togekiss to make Cynthia "weaker"

After all, they are the writers, so they don't need to make Cynthia "weaker". They could just write that the Giant Aura Sphere could defeat Mega Garchomp.

 

[Nicolas721]

The good:
+All Pokemon involved had good roles, there weren't any fall guys or unjustifable defeats.
+The animation was good when it had to be, through the pacing wasn't as good as the previous episode.

The meh & the bad:
-Dracovish and Sirfetch'd took supereffective hits like they were nothing only to fall to less impressive moves. Where have we seen that before?
-Dracovish's competitive and easily angered personality came from nowhere, usually he's very relaxed and laid-back. If that was the point, then they didn't make it clear.
-Why did three matches had to end in samurai crossroad killings? One per battle is more than enough.
-I'd have been okay with Sirfetch'd cleaning up the rocks if a) Ash had suffered more from them, and b) the characters hadn't exaggerated how good it was.

A step down from the previous episode, it doesn't feel as carefully planned but still is not insulting or mediocre. Let's see how it ends, I'll comment on the Dynamax Togekiss thing then too.

 

[LeonMagnus]

Let me point out that I'm not a sore loser. All I want is that battle to be fair and square. No plot armor, no cheap "ash-pull" victories just for the sake of Ash advancing to the finals. (I decribed my points of criticism in detail in my first post). You see, I've been looking forward to this battle more than to anything else in the Anime and after that awesome and promising start last week, I was hoping it would be the most epic battle of the entire show.
And just when I thought no more champions being turned into Leon fodder, Ash becomes the "new Leon", getting massive plot armor support by the writers, e.g three of his opponent's Pokemon obviously not being allowed to dodge so they could be taken out or damaged or those invisible(!) Stealth Rocks being destroyed by some bullshit move that defies all logic.
So far , Cynthia has saved the Masters Eight by showing us extraordinary , fantastic battles. However, having to see that now even our great Cynthia has become a "victim" of Ash's plot armor is beyond frustrating.
I'd like to ask the writers one question: What's so bad about Ash losing to Cynthia this time and trying again in the SV anime? I mean losing leagues over and over again is what Ash used to do all the time, so why are they trying the shove the message down our throats that all of a sudden, Ash can even defeat the mightiest Champion? SwSh wasn't about gym battles either so they could do the same with SV while making Ash's progress and victories more realistic over time.
Anyways, Cynthia being "defeated" by plot armor and the fact she wasn't allowed to go full power with her Mega-Garchomp just because Ash needs to win at all costs, that is unforgivable!

I'm done with Journeys and the PWC now. Couldn't care less about Leon vs. Ash, a match between the two worst written characters in Journeys. Just wondering which one of them will get more nonsense wins and if Ash will surpass Leon in that regard...It's my personal low point of the show

Although I can't prove it (of course nobody can btw.) common sense tells me that it would indeed make a big difference if Cynthia uses a gimmick on one of her other Pokemon or on her strongest partner and absolute ace. I guess it's more than obcious, don't you think?

Although the writers had Garchomp just stand there, not allowing her to dodge, it's still... Cynthia's Garchomp! The very same Pokemon that was described as a legend in the battle against Iris. A duck with a leech that's far from being as experienced and well trained as Garchomp shouldn't pose that much of a threat to the latter.
So, I wonder what's wrong about using Togekiss to wear down Lucario while Mega-Garchomp, after taking a rest, could easily finish it off.
To me that's just another attempt to make Cynthia "weaker" on purpose so that Plot Armor Ash wins.

That duck hit her with a stabbed version of one of the strongest moves in the game (stronger than draco meteor btw). It was a direct hit too.

Other than that you clearly have bias, I’ll ignore most of them but the one that stands out is Cynthia being able to profit off of abilities like Natural Cure and Serene Grace, while Ash get’s jack. Like Togekiss being able to flinch Lucario with absolutely no consequence despite both of Lucario’s abilities punishing flinch based moves is absolutely plot armor.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Not sure what Cynthia's plan is with making her pokemon into a bigger target against a nimble mobile target with access to super effective ranged moves

One Steel Beam and Togekiss becomes the next Hindenburg

(but thankfully they'll opt to go for the ineffective-until-it-isn't close-range Aura Sphere because it's Lucario and that's all they're allowed to do)

 

[Gabo2oo]

those invisible(!) Stealth Rocks being destroyed by some bullshit move that defies all logic.

I really wanted to think you're not just Cynthia-biased, but questioning Ash's very trademark style of battling now of all times, as if somehow "doesn't count" right now?

According to the Pokedex, Stealth Rock creates invisible(!!) rocks. So, Sirfetch'd magically destroying them was not only an insult to every fan taking the battle mechanics seriously but , what's even worse, it's also nothing but impossible nonsense that's still outraging me. And no, Ash's crazy tactics do not count as an excuse here because outright nonsense has nothing to do with tactics.

How does the rocks being invisible come into play when the counterattack to them was a move that precisely didn't require Sirfetch'd to see them?

Dracovish and Sirfetch'd rushing up against any attack Cynthia was throwing at them and staying completely unfazed. Plot Armor at its worst! .

Except they were clearly shown struggling and fazed by them?

Jaw bite hitting Milotic although Dracovish and his mouth in particular were completely immobilized and blocked

Except... it wasn't, which can be proven by the very fact Dracovish could use the move? It only becomes illogical if you decide to assume his jaw was immobilized beforehand, since it was never established.

Cynthia would definitely have won if she had been allowed(!) to use Mega-Garchomp!

And suddenly Cynthia is nerfed because she's not using a gimmick on her ace? When au contraire, all it does is reinforce that she's not dependant on just one Pokémon and she's willing to switch up her strategies if the battle calls for it?

If anyhting, all of Cynthia's movements and planning in these two episodes have shown her as a very intelligent and strong battler, IMO more so than any other Trainer has gotten during this series. Strategic switching, Stealth Rock, Destiny Bond, Hypnosis, Natural Cure... and most of them were either effective or surpassed by Ash with skills he's already shown beforehand (i.e. Counter Shield, improv uses for his Pokémon's assets).

It may not be the best battle in the whole anime (lack of dodging/movement overall is a universal problem in this series, for both sides, for all battles), but they're doing Cynthia herself a lot of justice. I'm sorry but it does sound like you went into this battle with the mindset that anything that puts her in trouble was going to be an asspull.

 

[nickdt]

Let me point out that I'm not a sore loser. All I want is that battle to be fair and square. No plot armor, no cheap "ash-pull" victories just for the sake of Ash advancing to the finals. (I decribed my points of criticism in detail in my first post). You see, I've been looking forward to this battle more than to anything else in the Anime and after that awesome and promising start last week, I was hoping it would be the most epic battle of the entire show.
And just when I thought no more champions being turned into Leon fodder, Ash becomes the "new Leon", getting massive plot armor support by the writers, e.g three of his opponent's Pokemon obviously not being allowed to dodge so they could be taken out or damaged or those invisible(!) Stealth Rocks being destroyed by some bullshit move that defies all logic.
So far , Cynthia has saved the Masters Eight by showing us extraordinary , fantastic battles. However, having to see that now even our great Cynthia has become a "victim" of Ash's plot armor is beyond frustrating.
I'd like to ask the writers one question: What's so bad about Ash losing to Cynthia this time and trying again in the SV anime? I mean losing leagues over and over again is what Ash used to do all the time, so why are they trying the shove the message down our throats that all of a sudden, Ash can even defeat the mightiest Champion? SwSh wasn't about gym battles either so they could do the same with SV while making Ash's progress and victories more realistic over time.
Anyways, Cynthia being "defeated" by plot armor and the fact she wasn't allowed to go full power with her Mega-Garchomp just because Ash needs to win at all costs, that is unforgivable!

I'm done with Journeys and the PWC now. Couldn't care less about Leon vs. Ash, a match between the two worst written characters in Journeys. Just wondering which one of them will get more nonsense wins and if Ash will surpass Leon in that regard...It's my personal low point of the show

Although I can't prove it (of course nobody can btw.) common sense tells me that it would indeed make a big difference if Cynthia uses a gimmick on one of her other Pokemon or on her strongest partner and absolute ace. I guess it's more than obcious, don't you think?

Although the writers had Garchomp just stand there, not allowing her to dodge, it's still... Cynthia's Garchomp! The very same Pokemon that was described as a legend in the battle against Iris. A duck with a leech that's far from being as experienced and well trained as Garchomp shouldn't pose that much of a threat to the latter.
So, I wonder what's wrong about using Togekiss to wear down Lucario while Mega-Garchomp, after taking a rest, could easily finish it off.
To me that's just another attempt to make Cynthia "weaker" on purpose so that Plot Armor Ash wins.

You don't want plot armor...

What did actually happen with Spritomb then? Dragonite was just standing there. Not dodging whatsoever and Ash didn't recall it when it fell asleep. If that wasn't plot armor, nothing is plot armor... which means your entire argument about Ash can only win because of plot armor is invalid based on this one point in the battle, since its obvious Cynthia could only defeat Dragonite because of said plot armor.


So... you are coming over as petty and whiny (Which i feel like is were that sore loser comment came from, since it does feel that way due to how you are only looking at one side and not the other with the plot armor argument), all the while not seeing that Cynthia drew first blood because of plot armor.

Like... don't get me wrong, i agree with your last statement they should have use Mega Garchomp over Dynamax Togekiss... since the writers want to make Mega Lucario look good, but it actually will be reverse. Mega Lucario will look worse than Iris's Haxorus, since Haxorus at least drew out Cynthia and Mega Garchomp... which means that Cynthia sees Lucario less of a threat than Haxorus.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

-Dracovish's competitive and easily angered personality came from nowhere, usually he's very relaxed and laid-back. If that was the point, then they didn't make it clear.

It was angered due to getting poisoned, which it hasn't experienced before.

-Why did three matches had to end in samurai crossroad killings? One per battle is more than enough.

It's a popular anime trope that the Pokémon anime has also used many times.

Like Togekiss being able to flinch Lucario with absolutely no consequence despite both of Lucario’s abilities punishing flinch based moves is absolutely plot armor.

Actually, Lucario didn't flinch. It was able to block Togekiss's next Air Slash without effort instead of being immobilized.

Ash didn't recall it when it fell asleep

Dragonite would've been left immobile and vulnerable against the next opponent it was sent out against.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

I'm starting to feel as if people are overusing the term "Ash-pull." Its getting to ths point where we're using to to describe EVERY victory. Yeah, there's been some ridiculous ones, like Drasna, but its literally every battle now. If Ash does defeat Champion Cynthia, I'm really not looking forward to the reactions online.

Well, please don't blame us fans for using that term. It's not our fault after all and it's not that I'm trying to be quarrelsome. I'm just mentioning things the writers(!) messed up with their bad writing

That wasn't the specific phrase back then, but people have been complaining every time he wins a battle since the original series was airing.

In that case there has to be at least some truth in it after all. As I just said, it's the writers' fault, not the fans'.

After all, they are the writers, so they don't need to make Cynthia "weaker". They could just write that the Giant Aura Sphere could defeat Mega Garchomp.

Now you're getting my point that they'll come up with all kind of unrealistic nonsense. If the writers decide that Ash has to win at all costs, they will just keep increasing the size oft Lucario's Hax Sphere...sorry I mean Aura Sphere until even the mightiest Champion is defeated. That's Plot Armor to me and that's exactly what's bothering me

while Ash get’s jack. Like Togekiss being able to flinch Lucario with absolutely no consequence despite both of Lucario’s abilities punishing flinch based moves is absolutely plot armor.

That's not quite true I'm afraid. Ash didn't get jack. When Go said, Lucario will be fine, he was referring to his ability Inner Focus. And that's why Lucario didn't(!) flinch.

How does the rocks being invisible come into play when the counterattack to them was a move that precisely didn't require Sirfetch'd to see them?

By throwing a shield around blindly you can at best hit a few rocks by pure chance because you don't know where they are. But precisely destroying all(!) the invisible rocks is a perfect example of Plot Armor and unfair support for Ash by the writer just because he needed it in that situation.

Except they were clearly shown struggling and fazed by them?

Wouldn't agree here, especially with the "clearly" part. But I admit this is a subjective observation.

When au contraire, all it does is reinforce that she's not dependant on just one Pokémon and she's willing to switch up her strategies if the battle calls for it?

You could see it that way but we can't know for sure until we get an official explanation. However, you can't deny either that it smells a lot like "Oh, Ash would be doomed if we allowed Cynthia to use Mega-Garchomp. So let's Dynamax one of her " normal" Pokémon instead to find an easy way out of that dilemma".
And the fact Leon had realized before the Garchomp vs Sirfetch'd battle that Cynthia had a different plan shows it wasn't because of Garchomp being hit by Star Assault but it has always been the writers' (wicked) plan

What did actually happen with Spritomb then? Dragonite was just standing there. Not dodging whatsoever and Ash didn't recall it when it fell asleep. If that wasn't plot armor, nothing is plot armor... w

Plot Armor is when a character is super strong or invincible because he's the protagonist for example. But in the scene you're mentioning it was Ash's free decision to keep Dragonite in the battle. Even if I weren't a Cynthia fan, I couldn't see any Plot Armor for Cynthia whatsoever.


In general, let me say this:
Fans like me wouldn't complain about Plot Armor if the concept of Journeys hadn't been that fundamentally flawed. In the past you didn't know until the very end if Ash wins or loses (once again). But in Journeys you knew right from the start Ash and Leon are now established as the untouchables superheroes and that Ash will inevitably defeat them all.
Seeing how one great (and true) champion after another has been "destroyed" by that bad, flawed concept, as one of the greatest Cynthia fans I simply can't accept that the same should happen to one of the best, greatest and most popular characters in Pokemon

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

By throwing a shield around blindly you can at best hit a few rocks by pure chance because you don't know where they are. But precisely destroying all(!) the invisible rocks is a perfect example of Plot Armor and unfair support for Ash by the writer just because he needed it in that situation.

This was not any regular shield though, it has the power of a Pokémon move behind it and covered the field multiple times.

ouldn't agree here, especially with the "clearly" part. But I admit this is a subjective observation.

They’re literally shown on screen taking damage. It is NOT subjective.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

 

[EXGShadow]

Unlike most people here, I actually liked that Cynthia dynamaxed her Togekiss instead of mega evolving Garchomp. It shows versatility from her part, a Champion shouldn't be a one-note battler.

Loving the animation and care they are giving this battle. Cynthia is one of the most hyped trainers in the franchise, and she's been a recurring character for like, 15 years now, and I think this works as a nice farewell to her and her team.

 

[Imtnt]

The fact that the Sinnoh League battle is being replicated just proves that Ash vs Paul is still the GOAT.

It prob says something about Ash's exp. Its not much in compare to other champions but its just enough exp to win some hard match ups.

As it stands for current power ranking
1. Pikachu
2. Mega Lucario
3. Sirfech'd
4. Dragonite
5. Dracovish
6. Gengar
7. Base Lucario

I dont believe Dragonite and Dracovish are above Gengar. And if it is Gmax maybe even higher. We all saw Base Lucario can be brutal with the right move set.

I personally don't think her using Dynamax with a Pokémon other than Garchomp instead of using Mega Evolution makes her any less strong. Garchomp has already taken a heavy hit, so Cynthia probably wanted to reserve her gimmick for a Pokémon that wasn't as badly hurt. Not to mention, it plays into her strategy of subverting Ash's expectations regarding her strategy. Also, Garchomp is super strong even without Mega Evolving. That's been proven many times.

+1

Although I can't prove it (of course nobody can btw.) common sense tells me that it would indeed make a big difference if Cynthia uses a gimmick on one of her other Pokemon or on her strongest partner and absolute ace. I guess it's more than obcious, don't you think?

So Pikachu wouldnt win against Megachonp with Z move? In that logic the drag was plot armor after Spiritomb already too much against Ash, and Ash couldnt use his absolute ace.

To me that's just another attempt to make Cynthia "weaker" on purpose so that Plot Armor Ash wins.

The writer and the animation in the last 3 episodes made it look like it is powerful enough without mega evolving.. actually..

The Dynamax-Togekiss scenario actually turned out to be true...Well, in that case I guess I'll apply an old philosophical principle which claims to see something good in anything, no matter how bad it looks at first glance. And the good thing, whether you like it or not, is that we Cynthia fans will now be able to claim forever that Ash could only "win" thanks to massive support by the writers. I'll say it here I will repeat it whenever necessary:

I dont like that fact either... dont forget all of us wanted to see a mega showdown. IMO it is a big deal Cynthia might be steping her last battle ( is it though?) without mega evolving her ace. But that should not be making her any less powerfull in general as a trainer or in any 6v6 match. She prob didnt think its her last one anyway.

To sum up: Not only is Cynthia not allowed to go full power at Ash, no, the latter can only win with Plot Armor and cheap, forced defeats. Frankly, I had the feeling this would happen but by doing so, the writers also gave us that invaluable argument that Cynthia would have won if she had been allowed to go full power
So, Ash' s "victory" is already invalidated and no matter how that battle ends, what's incredibly satisfying is that Cynthia's legend will live forever!

Dont forget Ash isnt using his full power. Getting some aces from the past could lead the win without too many doubts.. so it is not unfair they are not both using the cards they chose not to use..

And the fact Leon had realized before the Garchomp vs Sirfetch'd battle that Cynthia had a different plan shows it wasn't because of Garchomp being hit by Star Assault but it has always been the writers' (wicked) plan

I think it is not because she got effective hit by Sirfetchd (it was realy a good hit), it prob because she doeant need to mega evolve to be powerhouse, and inorder to make it harder for Lucario vs 2 pokemon, Togekiss need the upgrade more than her reliable Chomp..

IMO it is the same call Ash should take most of thw 6 v6 here, but for him it is Gmax. Cause when Gengar need the upgrade the most. Maybe the Z move is a good option to make the dif against Zard. And Mega evolution for Lucario as last resort to beat Cynthia ace + another gimick. But Pikacho got plot armor by his side in the best way Ash could wish for. And Lucario already got the aura advantage so this is how he won PWC battles anyway.

So I do accept the opinion of those who prefer to upgrade the ace, but it is wiser to think about all 6 pokemon, not just the ace.

 

[Vengeful Ghost]

To sum up: Not only is Cynthia not allowed to go full power at Ash, no, the latter can only win with Plot Armor and cheap, forced defeats. Frankly, I had the feeling this would happen but by doing so, the writers also gave us that invaluable argument that Cynthia would have won if she had been allowed to go full power.
So, Ash' s "victory" is already invalidated and no matter how that battle ends, what's incredibly satisfying is that Cynthia's legend will live forever!

If you are so quick to condemn Ash’s victory as plot armor, then you should be equally quick to condemn Cynthia’s own plot armor as another user pointed out.

Cynthia was literally introduced with her Pokémon no selling a high power 4X effective move.
Her plot armor is just as bad as his, possibly worse.

It’s almost as if the concept of plot armor is a way fans use to invalidate characters and moments rather than actually analyzing actual narrative payoff.


Power scaling does not matter in the anime. It only matters in fan matchups and thought experiments. Narrative matters. As far as we are concerned from a narrative standpoint, Cynthia has shown no indication of actively throwing the match. The idea that Cynthia will win even after she loses is not an analysis of the plot. It’s a fanfic. It’s a fan’s attempt at upholding character dignity like novice fanfic writers do with their OCs. Only this time it’s a canon character.

 

[Nicolas721]

It was angered due to getting poisoned, which it hasn't experienced before.

That just solidifies Dracovish as a giant baby who shouldn't be going against champions...

It's a popular anime trope that the Pokémon anime has also used many times.

Popular =/= Good. And my complaint was about its overuse in this episode.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

That just solidifies Dracovish as a giant baby who shouldn't be going against champions...

It may have a somewhat childish personality, but its strength in battle is the real deal.