By JC
Hello guys! I will be giving a summary and review of the 16th Pokemon Black and White episode. The episode picks up right where the previous one ended, at the Battle Club. Don George begins his training lesson with Ash’s Tepig and tells him that the trainer must also train beside his Pokemon. Tepig and Ash start their training on a treadmill, trying to increase their stamina and speed. Don George turns up the intensity by having them dodge “shadow balls” at the same time. At first they struggle, but soon enough, they master the exercise and are noticeably stronger and tired. While Tepig rests, Oshawott is sent out to train.
Don George shows them a water-type training environment that looks like an enlarged swimming pool. There, Ash and his Oshawott are to swim against the current to build up their muscles and stamina. Meanwhile, Cilan and Iris feed a fully rested Tepig, but can’t seem to find Axew. Axew is mischievous and messes with the computer that controls the current strength. Ash and Oshawott are caught off-guard by the increase in current, but Osahwott adapts and performs Aqua Jet. Don George tells him to aim for the target, but the otter falls just short.
After they complete their training, Ash goes back to the Nacrene Gym to have a rematch with Lenora. Like last time, she shows her Pokemon, Watchog and Herdier (she evolved her Lillipup), before the match. The match begins with Tepig facing off against Herdier. Tepig opens with Ember and Herdier defends with Protect. It counters with Shadow Ball which Tepig dodges with relative ease thanks to his newfound speed. Herdier uses Roar and forces Oshawott to switch out. Lenora switches her Pokemon with Watchog to reenact the situation from their last match.
Watchog uses Mean Look right away. This time, Ash and Oshawott are ready for Lenora’s strategy. Right away Oshawott uses Razor Shell and catches Watchog off guard. Ash is excited to use Aqua Jet, but it is unsuccessful twice. He tries to use Water Gun, but misses as well. Lenora makes a quirky remark before issuing a Confuse Ray which connects. Oshawott takes a punishing Thunderbolt, but with his last remaining strength, makes a direct hit with Aqua Jet resulting in a double knockout.
It comes down to Herdier and Tepig. Herdier puts on the pressure by repeatedly using Shadow Ball. Tepig dodges and uses Ember to deflect the attacks, but is hit when he gets to close using Tackle. Herdier follows up with a devastating Giga Impact that seems to put out the fire pig, but Tepig stands tall. He musters all that he has left and unleashes Flame Charge against an incoming Giga Impact. The result is an impressive collision and when the dust clears, both are down. Both trainers yell at their Pokemon to get up and while both do, only Tepig remains standing. Ash is delighted and is awarded the Basic Badge.
I thought this episode was very fast paced, half of it was training, and the other half was the rematch. Usually a training episode takes up all 20 or so minutes, but this is the first time I’ve seen the training and the gym rematch in the same show. The training itself wasn’t that impressive, but perhaps we’ll see more intense workouts in the future. Tepig and Oshawott were the stars of the show, as we don’t see much of Pikachu or the other supporting cast members. I’m glad they got some well needed training because I was getting tired of seeing them standing still and getting hit. We see two new moves, Aqua Jet and Giga Impact. Surprisingly, we do not see Team Rocket at all. All in all, I’m happy that Ash got his Basic Badge and am looking forward to the rest of his journey.
Tags: Ash Ketchum, Cilan, Iris, Oshawott, Pokemon TV Show