New Title: Maze Shuffle! Everyone Hustle!!

[Habunake]

Well, on a serious note, Yamato seems to be one of the few people who actually help translate lines in the Anime. If only we had some more fandom members who spoke Japanese...I mean, Yugioh GX Forum's I go to have like a guy who will translate the whole episode word by word in like 2 days.

 

[Nando]

I'm throwing my money on the maze being Wayward Cave and the "hustle" being the characters running from a bunch of crazed Gibles.

Mira-chan ftw

 

[Yamato-san]

Yamato-san does a good job, we really should assign you to translate all the rampant speculation/rumours that goes on with the anime on the Japanese forums.*

* and yes, I realize we're stetching a joke a little too far

doesn't sound too bad, actually. I've been meaning to spend more time on Japanese forums for a while now. BTW, thanks for the compliments, guys. ^^

 

[Rocketshipper]

Isn't the next Gym NOT at Hearthrome City? So essentially we're going there for Dawn's next Contest, we may see Ash meet the Gym leader...but either he won't battle her or he'll lose...

I believe we're going to get at least an attempt at a gym battle, since the characters have stated a few times that they're going to Hearthome for BOTH a gym and a contest. Now what I'm wondering is what kind of excuse their going to use to get Ash away from the city (unless they do the unthinkable and have him get badges out of order). The only likely thing I can think of is that the Hearthome gym leader won't be there or will be leaving on some extended trip right when Ash gets there. I can't see them pulling the same thing from the games (the gym leader refusing to battle until you get stronger) because we know Ash's character would compell him to hang around the area and train until she agreed to battle him or give him a rematch; he's not the kind of person who would move on to another gym just because he lost a match or was refused a battle. Hopefully it will be interesting.

I also agree about the delay in the 3rd gym. Yes, it's true that it's only been a (relatively) few episodes since we left Eterna, with only a few fillers, but that doesn't change the fact that DP, so far, is going slower than Johto, and, if they keep to the game geography, will likely not get any faster. (I cringe at the thought of how long the episode gaps may be starting from the 5th gym on.) I really hope I'm wrong (no matter how great DP is, I'd still preffer it to not be as long as Johto), and that the writers start having some single digit episode gaps between gyms, but I doubt it .

 

[Cybersai]

Well at the rate Sinnoh is going we'll be done with it by either 2009 or 2010. This generally sounds scary, considering how much real life changes in that timeframe, so its best not to think that far ahead. (Especially if the 5th gen continues with Ash and we go on through 2015...yikes)

Some people here will be having kids before the time Pokemon is over.

 

[Juputoru]

The only likely thing I can think of is that the Hearthome gym leader won't be there or will be leaving on some extended trip right when Ash gets there. I can't see them pulling the same thing from the games (the gym leader refusing to battle until you get stronger) because we know Ash's character would compell him to hang around the area and train until she agreed to battle him or give him a rematch; he's not the kind of person who would move on to another gym just because he lost a match or was refused a battle. Hopefully it will be interesting.

Fantina could ask Ash to prove his strength by getting the Veilstone gym badge, but other than that, I can't see how refusing to battle him until he gets stronger would work either.

As for this ep...it sounds like a filler so far. Then again, "so far" is just knowing what this ep is titled. It COULD be Wayward Cave, but the thing is, we dealt with the bike path ages ago, and the cave's right under that. Then again, I suppose the writers could just move where the cave is. :/

 

[Ashfangirl17]

This episode is a mase one eh? Cool. I'm with some one else when we say would like a team rocket/Ash team up episode. And I'll continue watching Pokemon as long as Ash is in it till whenever.

 

[Trainer Lisa]

Some people here will be having kids before the time Pokemon is over.

Wow.... O_O

That IS scary!!


Anyway though, yay for Pokemon! And yay for long-running anime series! ^^

And I'll continue watching Pokemon as long as Ash is in it till whenever.

I agree!! ^_^

 

[Doctor Oak]

Some people here will be having kids before the time Pokemon is over.

A number of people in the community have already been there, done that and sold the T-shirt on e-bay.

Anyways, so far as pacing with Sinnoh goes it's not that extreme really. I think some people have just been spoiled with Battle Frontier being constant plot-plot-plot and about 5 fillers total in between. Going by the games we are going to experience a bit of a lengthy gap between the gyms between now and the next one - however, the next three are all rather quickfire together following that, and the next two are pretty quick too (though the anime may take a gap in between given the geographical distance between them - given the Coronet Mountains between them, I'd give this a good chance of being the Team Galactic climax).

Anyways, if we're spacing it out similar to the games - it's really not that much of a massive gap - and when you think about how many of these episodes have been actual filler material, it's still a pretty heavy set between the gyms anyway.

It'd be nice to get to Ash's next big battle as soon as possible - but people have got to remember that we have another 2 and a half/3 years of this to go and there's no need expecting everything to be rushed together so soon. Especially when we're getting so many other sub-plots being built and acted on in between.

 

[Kaiser]

It may also be the Sinooh Underground.

 

[Every Breaking Wave]

Hasn't Ash challenged gyms before, only to be denied the challenge for various reasons meaning that he has to return later?

Norman comes to mind, and being denied because he didn't have enough Pokemon. Jasmine too,although in her case they worked in a game-related plot to delay her match.

 

[Habunake]

Considering Fantina isn't at her Gym till after Pastoria or Veilstone (which actually you can take both ways, but Veilstone is usually seen as the 3rd Gym) they probably will.

 

[Jukain]

Well, Ash currently doesn't have that problem. He has four pokes on him, and Fantina in game has 3 (I think). Granted, the anime has inserted random pokes before. It hasn't happened much lately. I can't help but think that however they deal with Fantina will have to with however they're doing Sinnoh's contests. Something tells me that no matter what Dawn does, she won't be able to win against Fantina, and might see her again at the Grand Festival. And with Fantina going around doing other contests, that may be the excuse she gives for making Ash wait. It would make the most sense, but these writers like to throw a monkey wrench in my logic. That being said, I have no idea what's going on with this one.

 

[Cybersai]

^ Man, I didn't think of that but you're probably right.

I honestly can't see Dawn beating Fantina, unless the writers want to make Dawn look like she's as strong as Ash (which would a bad move this early on), so we're probably in for a loss for her at this Contest if Fatina competes. Fantina traveling to another Contest hall afterward and leaving the Gym might be the excuse the writers use.

Of course, if that happens Dawn will have lost three Contests in early Sinnoh while only winning one, which may be a bit overkill. But then again Ash has been getting pummeled for a while now, so they may do the same thing with Dawn and having her lose quite a bit.

 

[Habunake]

I guess she'll probably do a Conest in Solaceon and win, probably involving a throwaway Coordinator (which we haven't got yet......)

 

[Doctor Oak]

It suddenly occurs to me that Fantina is the entire embodiment of the Ash vs Nozomi problem...

I can see her involvement in the anime being pretty important to all the main characters overall...

 

[Jnoo]

Well, we're not sure if the main contest hubs (Most likely Solaceon, Celestic, etc.) will be the only ones. They may pull an Izabe on us and make a contest on Iron Island or Valor Lakefront or something like that (The former giving us a reason to see Riley).

 

[Habunake]

Or make up cities.

I've noticed DP's been surprisingly low on that...actually, have we seen any made up towns/cities?!

 

[Doctor Oak]

I don't think so, half the series so far has been set in Random Generic Woods [HASHTAG]#1020[/HASHTAG] etc.

 

[Rocketshipper]

Man, I really hope Hikari doesn't end up losing her next contest. It feels like it's been forever since the last one, and I'd be dissapointed if she ended up losing. But if she battles Fantina I guess it can't be helped. They could have Fantina lose to someone else earlier in the contest (like what they did with Drew in May's 2nd contest), but that might make her look wimpy...decisions, decisions.

Another possibility I thought of is that Fantina could have her own rule where she doesn't accept challenges from trainers with less than 4 badges. It would probably be within the realm of Gym Leader powers to make such a requirment, and it would sort of make sense to have gyms with such restrictions, since they've had things like that for contests in the past. (The R1 contest May entered)

The first time I read the title for this episode, I thought it was a dub title. It doesn't really seem like something for the japanese version.