ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
730: Evolution By Fire!	736: Hono no Memori! Pokabu tai Enbuo!	A Sham(us) Of A Trainer			The twerps meet Tepig's old trainer	Gone again!	Settle deep psychological issues with fire!

The twerps are still on the way to Icirrus City, but wouldn't you know it they're taking a break! Instead of going to a Pokémon Centre to freeload, however, they've stopped off at the night in a small town's Battle Club. As they approach it, they hear excited shouting from inside and rush to get inside, discovering a double battle is going on.

A Mienshao and a Watchog are battling an Emboar and a Heatmor, the latter of which appears to be some kind of anteater with internal fire that breathes through its asshole. The young trainer with Mienshao and Heatmor seem to be doing well but the other trainer seems oddly arrogant, calling on his Fire Warriors to show their power... and they do, beating the shit out of Mienshao and Watchog and knocking them out. Don George proclaims the Fire Warriors' trainer the winner, and we learn his name - Shamus.



Walking through the corridors, Ash is happily talking up Shamus' skills. Cilan agrees, but when they turn the corner Iris is less than pleased to see Shamus glowering over the other trainer, demanding one of his Pokémon as "payment" for their battle. Iris rushes forward to give him what for, shocking Ash who can't believe it and leaving a stunned Cilan to point out that this is... well, it's kind of fucked up is what it is!

Don George shows up to happily congratulate Shamus on doing a good job in his battle, and the little bastard quickly moves on leaving the poor kid behind. The twerps ask him why he agreed to a battle where he could lose one of his Pokémon, and he explains that he DIDN'T! Shamus apparently bullied him into a match because he wanted a Pokémon with "potential", confusing Ash who can't understand why anybody would be such a jerk despite many scores of people over the last 15 goddamn years of his 10 year old life who were jerks.

Everybody settles down to dinner, the Pokémon scoffing down the food Cilan has prepared. Tepig is amongst them, but he stops chowing down when he spots Shamus eating by himself at another table. Staring in surprise, Tepig flashes back to Shamus walking away leaving him tied up outside the Battle Club back in Accumula Town. He becomes excited and rushes over to Tepig's leg, bounding up and wagging his little piggy-tail. Ash calls over and apologises, but Tepig won't come back to him when he calls, and Iris suddenly remembers how Tepig was abandoned, and Ash wonders if this is the guy? Iris certainly thinks so, angrily slamming her hand on the table and charging up to Shamus' table. Ash explains that they think he is Tepig's former trainer who abandoned Tepig and he.... freely admits that he did! And he doesn't give a fuck!

He tosses Tepig back into Ash's hands, and Ash and Iris want to throw down with Shamus and beat the living shit out of him. Cilan steps in though, as cooler heads prevail and... he throws on a judge costume! Before you know it, Ash and Shamus are sitting on opposite sides of a court presided over by Judge Cilan, with Iris and the other Pokémon either representing the jury or the audience!



Cilan declares the case of the Tepig abandoned in Accumula Town open and asks Ash to make his case. Ash - who is either happy to play along or legitimately thinks he is actually in court now - timidly gets to his feet and calls Cilan,"Your Honour", and Iris snaps at him to speed it up. Cilan asks Ash to explain what Shamus did, and Ash tells him about how Tepig was tied up and left behind at the Battle Club, and is taking time to get over it. Iris roars angrily and Cilan calls for order in the court, causing Iris, Snivy, Pikachu and Axew to pout.

Shamus (also playing along it seems) smugly tells them they have it all wrong. He left Tepig there for his own good, saying that he was too weak to fight and it would have been crueller to keep putting him into situations he couldn't deal with. Tepig cowers sadly to hear this while Ash yells back across the "court" that this is a lie. Cilan shushes him and Shamus continues, saying that once he realised that Tepig had no talent for battle he decided to leave him for his own good. Iris roars angrily (the other Pokémon are also up in arms, other than Oshawott who has fallen asleep) and Ash demands to know why Tepig was tied up if Shamus just left him at the center. Shamus has an answer for that too though, saying that Tepig continued to follow him after he left, and so he had no choice but to tie him up for his own well-being.

Jessebelle used much the same logic!

Iris demands that Cilan harshly judge the young boy Shamus since Shamus judging a young Tepig was wrong, wrong, wrong! Cilan admits that they all raise good points and they all demand a verdict from him, and Don George saves the day by showing up to remind them that they're in a Battle Club so why not sort it out with a battle?

Ash could have thought of that! ....and nothing else, probably.

The creepy-eyed Shamus accepts.... on the proviso that it is a Double Battle. Ash agrees but notes that when he wins, he wants Shamus to apologise to Tepig. Snivy stomps up as well, and Cilan remembers that she had problems with her trainer in the past as well and wants to step up to Shamus. Ash happily agrees, but Tepig doesn't seem too enthusiastic about the whole idea.

That night, Tepig settles down beneath a tree outside the Battle Club and stares at the moon, remembering being called out of his Pokéball by Shamus and "freed" to go separate ways. Shamus had walked away but Tepig had followed, not understanding. Shamus - displaying surprising emotion - had sadly told Tepig that they just wouldn't work together, and had tied Tepig down before walking away, leaving the weeping Tepig behind.

Back in the present day, Tepig is crying again but shakes the tears away as the twerps and Snivy show up. Cilan notes it is possible that Tepig doesn't want the battle after all, and Iris tells him that there is such a thing as being TOO nice. Snivy demonstrates this quite well by... giving Tepig a big ol' slap! She snaps her name at him a few times and he gets up and shakes his head clear, seeming to be fired up at last to fight, much to Ash's delight as he declares it time to train.

The next morning, Don George opens the Double Battle to an audience of just Cilan and Iris. Ash calls out Tepig and Snivy, and as soon as Tepig sees Shamus he appears to lose all his desire to fight. Shamus brings out Emboar and Heatmor, and Ash opens the battle with a Leaf Storm, which Emboar... punches out of the air! Ash calls for a Flamethrower from Tepig and he starts to fire up, but then stops as he looks up and sees Shamus. Shamus has no hesitation though, calling on Emboar to use Hammer Arm and smash Tepig in his fat little belly.

Cilan suggests that Tepig has lost the appetite for battle, and he staggers back up and stares up at the smirking Shamus. Ash commiserates, accepting that Tepig is still struggling to get over being abandoned by a trainer he cared for.... but Shamus just laughs that Tepig is STILL being fooled. What? Oh yeah, in a rather callous fashion (especially since Don George is RIGHT there) he freely admits that whenever he abandons a Pokémon (this wasn't a once only thing!) he puts on some fake tears to convince them to stay behind, acting like it is a hard decision he is being forced to make for the greater good. In a flashback we see a smirking Shamus leaving Tepig behind after pretending to be heartbroken, yawning and laughing that it was time to go and find a Tepig that was actually useful.

Tepig's reaction is about what you'd expect.



Ash rushes to Tepig's side and yells at Shamus that he has no right calling himself a trainer, and Shamus laughs that power is all that matters and he only wants to work with a Pokémon with talent. Tepig lays teary-eyed as Snivy tries to give him a pep-talk, while Cilan and Iris note that if Tepig isn't able to fight, then the Double Battle becomes a handicap match.

Ash and Snivy are both more than willing to cover for Tepig though, and Ash has a pretty good equaliser - lust! He has Snivy use Attract on Emboar, causing it to glow with love for the proportionally tiny little Pokémon. She smacks him around with Vine Whip as he swoons over her, but Shamus is prepared, having Heatmor use Fury Swipes... on Emboar!

The attack clears Emboar's head and gives him that 2-1 advantage again, and he calls for a Combo Attack of Flamethrower and Fire Spin. Snivy dodges but Tepig just stands and takes the hit, getting knocked back before Shamus concentrated on attacking Snivy with first Fury Swipes, then Heat Crash, ending with Emboar SITTING on Snivy!



That's... OUCH!

Emboar staggers up off of Snivy's squashed body and waddles off as Snivy struggles to her feet.... but she still wants to fight! Tepig is astonished, while Don George rules that Snivy is able to continue. Ash tells Tepig that he knows how Snivy feels (Ash doesn't understand they were crushed in different ways) and the little fat pig stares at Snivy who stares back, and Tepig finally seems to pick up the fighting spirit.

Ash sends him in with Flame Charge, smashing directly into Heatmor and Emboar and knocking them both back. Ash laughs at Shamus, saying he was wrong in thinking Tepig was without talent. Shamus admits Ash did a good job raising Tepig, but says that isn't enough - you need to be able to take everything an opponent can dish out and keep coming. Getting wide-eyed and cackling with insanity, Shamus raves that anything less is a third rate Pokémon battle!

Emboar and Heatmor get back up and use one of their deadly combo attacks, a Flare Blitz/Fire Spin that Cilan imaginatively calls... Super Flare Blitz! Shamus explains that the move does damage to Emboar as well, but the damage he will dish out makes it worth it. The huge pig zooms right towards a horrified Tepig who is too scared to dodge, until Snivy knocks Tepig out of the way and takes the full brunt of the attack, getting knocked out.

Ash rushes to pick Snivy up as Don George announced she is out of the battle. Ash tells Snivy to take a break but she disagrees, she may be out of the battle but she wants to see Tepig finish it. He agrees and tells Tepig they're counting on him, and he nods and... EVOLVES!

Tepig just got fatter!

Shamus is surprised, then derisive as he states that he still won't be able to beat Emboar. It's a reasonable idea, except Pignite immediately unleashes his new move - Fire Pledge! Columns of fire burst up in a cage around Emboar and Heatmor and crash onto them, before Pignite stomps his fat little feet and uses Flame Charge, smashing straight into the (already hurt) two Pokémon and.... knocking them THE FUCK OUT!



Oh Shamus, you got served, son.

Don George declares a victory to Ash, who leaps in celebration while still holding Snivy, and Pignite waddles happily over to hug him. Cilan declares that his verdict is (finally) in and Ash was clearly in the right. Shamus recalls his two defeated Pokémon and then approaches Pignite, mostly ignoring Ash to tell the Pokémon that he was wrong about him and clearly he is a Pokémon of talent and skill.... and so they should team back up!

Yes, according to Shamus, since Pignite hasn't been able to forget him after all this time, they should reunite and be a team once more. Pignite stares in wonder up at the trainer telling him all the things he has longed to hear, including Shamus telling him to "ditch the loser" trainer he is with. Pignite smiles and... blasts Shamus in the face with Flamethrower.

Now normally you'd expect this to melt flesh and destroy nerves, but all it does is comically frazzle Shamus' hair. He rushes away in a panic as Cilan and Iris rush to happily join Pignite, Snivy and Ash in victory. Pignite evolved, put to bed a long standing issue and got to burn somebody's face off.

All in all, a good day!

BEST QUOTES

"It's as clear as the hair on my head!"

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