ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
752: A Surface to Air Tag Battle Team!	758: Ozora to Daichi no Taggu Batoru!	Bare-bellied Battling Bros			Cilan Big-Brother's two big-talking baby bros	Nada	Corphish and Buizel are totally better than Swanna and Palpitoad

Today finds the twerps passing through a dirt road between cornfields. Iris is enjoying the sight of nature (but it's farmers who made this, it doesn't happen like that naturally!) but they're disturbed by a Drilbur popping up out of the ground in front of them. It eyes them up and then pops back down as a bird passes overhead, a Braviary. It's a Pokémon that cuts itself just to feel alive, apparently, as the more scars these birds have the more macho they are considered. Cilan thinks the bird is watching them, and Iris and Axew laugh that he is imagining things, but he is soon proven right. Laughter from the corn gets their attention and they turn to see two young boys in terrible clothes watching them. They jump down in the twerps’ path, joined by Drilbur and Braviary, and immediately challenge them to a battle. What kind of battle?



With that mouthful of a title out of the way, we return to the challenge. Ash is of course more than eager to throw down with ANYONE but Iris and Cilan think there is something a little rushed about this whole thing. Cilan asks that they at least introduce themselves and the boys seem confused that anybody would not know who they are. They crack some terrible jokes and the confused twerps decide to go ahead and introduce themselves, and the boys reciprocate. The older boy with the Braviary is Soren, and the younger boy with the Drilbur is Rocko. Soren is the "Greatest Older Bro" and Rocko is the "Greatest Younger Bro" and therefore that makes them.... "The Greatest Bros!"

Happy, dim Ash thinks being the Greatest is pretty cool, and Iris refuses to consider that there might be some hyperbole going on and asks these two young children if both of them have one the Unova League before (and she never heard of them!?!) and Soren declares that yes.... yes they did! He then immediately laughs that he is lying, and they state that neither of them would want to enter the Unova League and waste their time anyway. This confuses Cilan (they're CHILDREN!) who asks for an explanation, and learns that they are pissed off about the Unova League not having a Tag Battle division. They claim to be the World's Greatest Tag Team and insist that only recently they beat their great rivals - The Subway Brothers, Emmet and Ingo!

The twerps are shocked, not questioning what the Subway Brothers were doing on this side of Unova in a cornfield. Rocko explains that it was all part of their dream battle, and quickly the truth comes out - when they say dream battle they mean it was a battle they fought in their dreams. They've never actually met Emmet and Ingo, but now that they think about it, that is something they should probably aim for at some point in the future! A disgusted Iris has finally realised what is going on and declares with disgust that they're just a couple of kids but Ash could give a shit - they challenged him to a battle and he wants to have a battle because battling battle battle is battle battler battle battling! Soren and Rocko are delighted, but who is Ash going to partner with? Iris is quick to suggest Cilan, noting that he has brothers himself, and Cilan explains about Chili and Cress and revealing he is a Gym Leader. This enthrals Soren and Rocko who decide that beating Cilan really would make them the greatest tag battlers in the world for some reason!

The battle begins, with Ash using Unfezant and Cilan using Pansage, but Soren and Rocko want to be all dramatic first, exhausting Ash who is getting blue battle balls from the lack of battling he is getting. They offer to repeat their performance for him and when he turns them down they decide that this means they get to attack first, further throwing Ash off-balance as he tries to get used to battling by the rules set by two hyperactive, over-imaginative little boys. They shout together and order a.... Drill Wing!?! What kind of move is that? Braviary swoops in with Wing Attack and Drilbur leaps into the air and uses Drill Run, caught up in Braviary's claws and creating a combination move called Drill Wing. Ash should be no stranger to combo moves but for some reason he is blown away, and he and Cilan watch as Unfezant and Pansage take a direct hit and are sent flying. But they manage to land safely and aren't out for the count, still wanting to fight some more.

Ash and Cilan are quick learners and have instantly embraced the idea of a Battle Combo. Unfezant grabs Pansage with her claws and they lift into the air, Pansage blasting Bullet Seed at a shocked Braviary and Drilbur. Braviary flies about to avoid the attack, Unfezant giving chase with Pansage blasting out more Bullet Seed while a shocked Drilbur tries to deal with being on the other side of a Battle Combo for perhaps the first time in its life. Rocko shouts out angrily at Ash and Cilan to stop "copying them" but Soren has a more relaxed attitude, telling his little brother to chill out. They move on to their next Battle Combo - Brave Dig! Ash and Cilan are confused, watching as Drilbur is dropped out of the air like a bomb and crashes into the ground and tearing through the dirt, using Dig. Braviary swoops into the hole in the ground after it, and then Drilbur bursts back out and takes a swipe at Unfezant and Pansage up in the air, narrowly missing them. Cilan guesses that Drilbur's move was Dig, but what does that make the Brave part of the combo? Gee... could it possibly be Brave Bird by any chance? HOLY FUCK IT WAS! WHAT A SHOCK!

For some reason this DID come as a shock to Ash and Cilan, who watch in horror as the brightly-burning Braviary chops Unfezant's throat with the edge of its wing. Unfezant falls through the sky, releasing Pansage who flails his limbs wildly as gravity takes hold of him as well. The brothers prepare to finish things off, calling for an Aerial Claw - Metal Claw and Aerial Ace. They swoop through the air and break apart to tackle Unfezant and Pansage separately, knocking both Pokémon hard into the ground. Iris is amazed by the quality of their team work and the brothers ask if Ash and Cilan want to give up - and of course they don't! They talk up how they want to keep fighting and get the sweet taste of victory, then remember to actually check and see if their Pokémon are cool with this as well. They are, so they order a combo of their own, having Pansage use Dig and then sending Unfezant into the hole after it. Pansage bursts out of the ground and takes a swing at Braviary and Drilbur in the air, but they're able to dodge. There is another move coming though (well DUH!) as Unfezant zips out of the ground with Quick Attack and smashes into both the Pokémon, knocking them backwards. Ash and Cilan are delighted with their success, Ash declaring the move is called Dig Quick, with Cilan cheerfully suggesting that Quick Dig might be a better name.



Iris is exactly as impressed by all this as she should be.

Rocko is starting to sweat a little but Soren assures him the battle is still theirs, and calls for a Fury Rock. Drilbur uses Rock Slide and as the rocks fall out of the ground, Braviary begins to peck at them with Fury Attack, blasting the rocks at Unfezant and Pansage in the air. They're able to dodge though and Pansage loads up a Solar Beam, blasting Braviary who can't dodge in time (perhaps due to having to carry Drilbur) and sending both Pokémon crashing to the ground and knocking them out - Ash and Cilan win!

The two boys drop to all fours moaning that the earth and sky became one in a way they weren't expecting - they lost! As Cilan notes that the taste of a Tag Victory is different, the two brothers begin arguing amongst themselves over who is to blame. The twerps tell them to calm the fuck down and Cilan points out that brothers need to support each other. Soren and Rocko quickly calm down and agree that Cilan - a brother expert! - is right, and in fact from now on they're going to call him their Super Duper Big Bro! Cilan sweatdrops and tells them they can just call him Cilan!

They ponder what to do to improve as tag battlers (considering they introduced the concept to Ash and Cilan and promptly lost to them) and Cilan goes over all dramatic, deciding that they need a Connoisseur to figure out how to get the most out of their tag team. He has them stand alongside their (now recovered) Pokémon and eyes them up, giving them high marks for their compatibility with their trainers and their mastery over the air and ground respectively. The brothers are delighted to hear the Pokémon they love and care for are a good match for them somehow, and Cilan delves a little deeper by considering the moves they are capable of. The move-types are diverse but combo-wise they're a little... "simple". The Bros are offended, what does he mean by simple... and what's wrong with simple anyway!?! Cilan is in full flight though and isn't going to let their pricked egos get in the way of his evaluation. He insists that simple combinations mean their battles will lack a depth of flavour and will cost them sorely against opponents with a type advantage. If they want to have more depth to their combos, they will need a Water-Type Pokémon. Then they can be masters of air, ground AND water - an idea that delights the brothers. But where will they get a Water Pokémon? Cilan reminds them - dramatically! - that he is a Fishing Connoisseur as well, and they set off with the brothers (who now hero-worship Cilan) to a water spot they know. It's a river just outside of a nearby town, and Cilan declares it the perfect spot. He pulls out his small rod and quickly elongates it - not because he's suddenly developed a thing for little boys in mid-riff exposed tops but because it's his portable personal fishing rod! Declaring that "we meet again" despite the fact he carries with him everywhere, he extends the rod and attaches his little mini-Cilan lure, then makes his patented backhand cast. The brothers throw out their lines as well, and Iris and Ash decide they might as well join in as well. Everybody casts out their lines as Cilan REFUSES to stop talking, rabbiting on and on and on and on about how great fishing is, the anticipation, the moment of capture, the blah blah blah blah blah while everybody else just sits happily fishing.

A short time later, the brothers get a pull on their lines and prepare to haul them in, but follow Cilan's instructions and wait for just the right moment. It comes and they pull back, dragging two pissed off looking Frillish - a male and a female. The boys want to battle right away, but argue over which Battle Combo to use, leaving it too late as the Frillish blast Braviary and Drilbur and then dive back under the water. The boys blame each other and begin arguing angrily, but Cilan shuts them up and reminds them that they need to be able to cover for their weaknesses and rely on each others strengths, and they can't do this if they're arguing. They take him at his word and quickly make up, eyes glittering with man-love as they thank their "Super-Duper Big Bro" once again. They go back to fishing and soon get a tug on the line again, and at just the right moment they pull back and... oh my God!



YESSSSSS!

It's a Corphish and a Buizel - not Ash's of course but he knows them, a huge smile on his face as he scans them with his Pokédex for the brothers' benefit. Iris reminds them to battle together and the two brothers follow through, working in perfect concert as they call for Brave Dig. The two Pokémon smash into the ground and then out through the concrete side of the water-way (who the fuck is going to pay for that!?!) delivering shots to the faces of the shocked Buizel and Corphish. Soren suggests that he go for Buizel and Rocko go for Corphish, and his little bro agrees. They throw their Pokéballs and..... the Pokémon burst out still pissed off and not ready to call it a night just yet! The bros are shocked but prepared to keep fighting, and act in concert once more as they call for a Drill Wing. It hits again and the bros through their Pokéballs... and this time they catch them! They just caught two (awesome) Water Pokémon!

Losing their goddamn minds with excitement, they declare that they're now an overwhelming triple-whammy, and Iris laughs nervously that this part remains to be seen. Of course the bros WANT them to see, and Iris knows that there is no point in trying to convince Ash and Cilan otherwise.

A short time later they stand together and go through their dramatic pre-battle presentation, now incorporating water into the mix. Their first new combo is from Soren - "Jet Brave", using Buizel's Aqua Jet and Braviary's Brave Bird. The next combo is Rocko's - "Bubble Drill", using Corphish's Bubble Beam and Drilbur's Drill Run. Iris is impressed by the new combos too, but does nervously remind everybody that each single bro is using only his own Pokémon now - shouldn't they be teaming up their Pokémon together? The brothers insist that the fact they're a complete team in and of themselves now makes them even better! The twerps have a good laugh at this - why? I guess because the Tag Battles the bros love so much are now just plain 2 on 2 battles between two single trainers!

They say their goodbyes and the twerps head off, asking the bros to keep up their infectiously optimistic fighting spirit. As they follow the water way, Cilan spots a Swanna and a Palpitoad and immediately starts doing the calculations, gasping as he realises they would have been an even more effective combo playing to the brothers' various strengths. Ash and Iris talk him down though, reminding him how excited the over-enthusiastic little boys were with their new Pokémon, and they continue on down the road for more Adventures in Unova and the eventual Unova League.

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