Preview SM133: Bird Battle! Brave Bird VS God Bird!!

[Rath]

Guzma will be using Golisopod against Lana

 

[KyseL]

I think it's kinda clever tbh, since some birds eat stones/gravel in order to help them grind their food in place of actual teeth. Giving it an annex use in the form of Seed Bomb feels like they're giving a spin to a regular attack more so than them using the Everstone as some form of writing crutch.

Honestly I don't know why a Pokémon not evolving needs that much justification anyway.

 

[Kurolegacy]

It's already overdone though, and it's pretty repetitive. With everstone they done something fresh, and Mokuroh can evolve itself, if it really wanted it, by temporarily pull it out. Heck, I still wouldn't rule out a last-minute surprise evolution.

As is the prospect of them keeping a Pokémon in its first stage for the entire stage despite evolution being a major element of the series. Heck, it’d be great if they did have a Pokémon decide later that it was ready to evolve, especially with the prospect that a Pokémon can learn stronger moves faster in their younger stages as they showed with Bulbasaur and I’d love a curveball like that with Rowlett. Unfortunately, considering the writers seem to function on advertising before story, once they’ve made up their minds that a Pokémon isn’t evolving, they don’t seem to go back on it.

 

[KyseL]

Unfortunately, considering the writers seem to function on advertising before story, once they’ve made up their minds that a Pokémon isn’t evolving, they don’t seem to go back on it.

While I definitely see them chosing not to evolve Rowlet because its popularity, I can also see them keeping it as a Rowlet because they like it that way. From every major appearance Rowlet has had, it always feels the animators and the writers are having a blast, which I feel wouldn't be as true if they had to work with Dartrix or Decidueye.

 

[Kurolegacy]

While I definitely see them chosing not to evolve Rowlet because its popularity, I can also see them keeping it as a Rowlet because they like it that way. From every major appearance Rowlet has had, it always feels the animators and the writers are having a blast, which I feel wouldn't be as true if they had to work with Dartrix or Decidueye.

Problem there is that they seem to have basically made it a joke Pokémon at the expense of developing it along the way. And besides, Pokémon like Bayleef, Gliscor and Sceptile have shown that just because a Pokémon evolves doesn’t mean that it has to lose the traits that make them unique.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Rowlet literally slept during training after insisting to be picked to battle? I seriously thought Ash might treat Rowlet with using Torracat to battle at that stage.

Well, even though Rowlet escaping the Z-Move was funny, but can we take a moment to consider that had it not been for Pikipek and Trumbeak’s gift, Ash would’ve kissed the league goodbye?

Reflects a lot on the episode, and my expectation of the Z-Move escape being a Deux ex Machina ended up being correct, comedy doesn’t change that.

Haven’t been able to do a proper review, so my opinions will surface in bits and pieces as I develop them.

It was a bit alarming that Rowlet could’ve ended up being Ash’s reason for a loss at a league he could easily curb stomp with his current team and it took a comedic deux ex machina to save us from that fate.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Guzma will be using Golisopod against Lana

It’s sorta painful to see a lineup of badass fully evolved pokemon... and then there’s Rowlet sitting there.

 

[Rath]

It’s sorta painful to see a lineup of badass fully evolved pokemon... and then there’s Rowlet sitting there.

Then you remember that Rowlet is undeniably stronger than Primarina, Vikavolt, or Decidueye

Evolution never meant anything in the anime, so I don't know why anyone still acts like it does

 

[Daenerys]

I was hoping Guzma would showcase a different Bug type, but I guess Golisopod is decent enough. And the fact that everyone other than Ash is using a fully evolved Pokemon in their battles is still mighty hilarious to me. The writers sure are funny people.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Evolution never meant anything in the anime, so I don't know why anyone still acts like it does

"Anything" is kind of an exaggeration.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Guzma will be using Golisopod against Lana

I swear Ash feels so out of place in this poster. Everyone else is using some big strong Pokémon in this round and meanwhile Ash, the main character of the series is using a plushie.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I hope Ash either doesn't use Rowlet or Rowlet gets defeated in at least one of the next two rounds. Would feel good for me. The thing is, I've been watching Suede's Pokémon Journey since it started, and he really paid attention to Misty's words from the third episode of season 1:

Ash: "Well, if you just try hard enough, things will work out, won't they?"
Misty: "No, Ash! I'm afraid things won't just work out if you try hard enough! The Pokémon Trainer's judgement is more important than anything else, and unfortunately for you, the Trainer has to have a brain!"

That's basically a total slap in the face for most shonen anime. So whenever I see Ash succeed through just "trying hard enough", I'm kinda disappointed. And that's what he's basically doing now with Rowlet. Honestly, if this wasn't a one-vs-one battle, I wouldn't have minded Rowlet losing to Decidueye and one of Ash's other Pokémon, like, say, Torracat, getting the KO on Decidueye.

 

[Rath]

I hope Ash either doesn't use Rowlet or Rowlet gets defeated in at least one of the next two rounds. Would feel good for me. The thing is, I've been watching Suede's Pokémon Journey since it started, and he really paid attention to Misty's words from the third episode of season 1:

Ash: "Well, if you just try hard enough, things will work out, won't they?"
Misty: "No, Ash! I'm afraid things won't just work out if you try hard enough! The Pokémon Trainer's judgement is more important than anything else, and unfortunately for you, the Trainer has to have a brain!"

That's basically a total slap in the face for most shonen anime. So whenever I see Ash succeed through just "trying hard enough", I'm kinda disappointed. And that's what he's basically doing now with Rowlet. Honestly, if this wasn't a one-vs-one battle, I wouldn't have minded Rowlet losing to Decidueye and one of Ash's other Pokémon, like, say, Torracat, getting the KO on Decidueye.

No, he's doing it because it's what Rowlet wants because Decidueye is its rival. Like how he always uses Lycanroc against Gladion's Lycanroc. It's a running theme for Ash that he puts the feelings of his Pokemon first and lets them do whatever they want.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

No, he's doing it because it's what Rowlet wants because Decidueye is its rival. Like how he always uses Lycanroc against Gladion's Lycanroc. It's a running theme for Ash that he puts the feelings of his Pokemon first and lets them do whatever they want.

I know. But he's also doing it without any sort of strategy. With Lycanroc vs. Lycanroc, it's an even matchup with two fully evolved Pokémon who're neutral against each other, so it's more understandable. Plus, in their previous match, Ash was smart enough to let Gladion's Lycanroc confuse itself before hitting it. That's strategy. With Rowlet, he outright admitted he didn't have any sort of strategy against Decidueye. That's just trying hard enough to win. Exactly what he should be above of by this point.

 

[Matleo]

Who complained about my idea with Torrcat vs Decidueye-both withdraw after 2 attacks colision of z-moves
Pikachu vs A. Raichu? Pikachu withdrawn
Rowlett vs A. Raichu- Rowlett wins
Rowlett vs Crabominable- withdraw after colision brave bird vs ice hammer
Torcatt vs Crabominable- 3 moves Torcat wins after defreezing but faints.
Pikachu vs Deciduey, D wins
Rowlett vs Decidueye, Rowlett wins when using helicopter avkidencd move with Blinding D. With featherdance and hit from the sky with Bravd bird winning the Battle.

 

[Kurolegacy]

I know. But he's also doing it without any sort of strategy. With Lycanroc vs. Lycanroc, it's an even matchup with two fully evolved Pokémon who're neutral against each other, so it's more understandable. Plus, in their previous match, Ash was smart enough to let Gladion's Lycanroc confuse itself before hitting it. That's strategy. With Rowlet, he outright admitted he didn't have any sort of strategy against Decidueye. That's just trying hard enough to win. Exactly what he should be above of by this point.

Yea this is the kind of thing I hate about Sun and Moon Ash and really why some of his Grand Trials were lackluster compared to gyms in previous regions. He has no real sort of plan going into the battle and just flies by the seat of his pants. If it weren’t for his being the main character and this granted plot armor, he’d never make it far. There’s really only so many times you can watch a matchup like this before it becomes tiresome since rather than feeling like Ash won the match with his skill as a trainer, it ends up being that the plot armor compensates for a terrible choice.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Then you remember that Rowlet is undeniably stronger than Primarina, Vikavolt, or Decidueye

I don’t care because most of it is due to plot armor and being the writer's favourite, and plain implausible feats. Ash should’ve chosen Torracat the moment it fell asleep during training because Rowlet doesn’t take Decidueye seriously enough to stay awake during training.

No, he's doing it because it's what Rowlet wants because Decidueye is its rival. Like how he always uses Lycanroc against Gladion's Lycanroc. It's a running theme for Ash that he puts the feelings of his Pokemon first and lets them do whatever they want.

In addition to what Finnish said, the rivalry doesn’t make sense to me since the score's already settled and even. Rowlet beating up Decidueye was completely unnecessary.

I just wish it had been a 2 vs 2, and Torracat got to wipe the floor with a weakened Decidueye and Alolan Raichu.

 

[Pulsaro23]

Evolution never meant anything in the anime, so I don't know why anyone still acts like it does

I'm sorry, but that's a kriffing lie. Evolution has always played an important role in the development of Pokémon, generally being used as a sign of how mature or how much stronger (or both) a Pokémon has become (with the most obvious example of that being Ash's Gliscor). A Pokémon refusing to evolve isn't a sign that evolution is meaningless, it's supposed to show that evolution isn't the only way a Pokémon can become stronger. Either that, or it's just simply used as a plot point in a Pokémon's development, with it refusing to evolve because it's afraid or because it wants to prove it doesn't need to evolve.

 

[TheAerialAcer]

Guzma will be using Golisopod against Lana

Okay but can we talk about how adorable rowlet looks here. I’m gonna miss him so much when SM is over, he’s my favorite Pokémon of Ash’s in 13 years!

 

[Daenerys]

Either way, I've pretty much settled on the idea that Rowlet won't evolve and I've been that way for almost all of SuMo's run since Rowlet was serving Piplup 3.0 from the beginning imo. I just didn't like how the 1st half of the battle was written in the previous episode because it seemed like a typical SuMo style gag battle.