ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
757: Mission; Defeat Your Rival!	763: Netto! Raibaru Batoru o Kachinuke!	Bianca: Pimp			The Unova League continues, the winner of Ash vs. Trip is revealed	Nope	Be scared of new people, they'll ruin your life!

Last episode the Unova League began, with 128 registered trainers taking part in qualifying matches that would see 64 of them through to the next round. Bianca, Stephan, Virgil and even Cameron (thanks to Ash) are taking part and battling to get through to the next round, but the big story of the day was that Ash found himself facing Trip in the very first round of the Tournament. It's either beat the guy who has had the better of him throughout his journey so far or go home with his WORST Tournament result ever. For Ash, this is...



Serperior appears to be even faster than Pikachu, and Cilan notes that his power has grown as well. Ash begs Pikachu to get back up and he does, struggling and barely making it up but Trip isn't going to let up at all, ordering an Energy Ball that sends Pikachu flying again. Serperior follows up with Dragon Tail, Pikachu dodging at first but quickly being knocked around as Serperior continues to slap his tail about. Wrapping his tail around Pikachu and squeezing, it seems that Serperior really is Pikachu's kryptonite, having defeated him every time they've met.

Iris is in a panic and Cilan is concerned, and Trip asks with a smile (not a cruel one) what he is going to do next. Ash goes to good old reliable Thunderbolt, but Trip is quick to react, telling Serperior to ground himself by slamming his tail into the earth. Ash watches in horror as the Thunderbolt does relatively little damage, and Trip allows himself a momentary giggle by pushing on, ordering Serperior to squeeze harder. Pikachu begins to turn purple from the lack of oxygen, while Ash grimaces in frustration, remembering all the times Trip has beaten him in the past, and particularly how well Serperior (in all his evolutions) has taken it to them. He knows that if he loses now, his entire journey through Unova has been a waste.

But there are other battles going on as well, Bianca is still battling against Michael and his Watchog with her Emboar. She's got the best of things though, hammering Watchog with huge blows to the face that knock it out - Bianca has won, and celebrates getting through to the next round. Elsewhere, Virgil's Vaporeon knocks out Crustle with a water attack and makes it through to the next round as well. Keno's Eelektross has had the better of Cameron's Ferrothorn up to this point but Cameron has a surprise move in store to turn the tables, having Ferrothorn blast Eelektross directly in its gaping maw with Pin Missile. The massive internal damage is enough to give the victory to Cameron, who had been losing pretty badly up to that point.

So all his buddies have made it through, while Ash is getting his ass handed to him against a guy who only just recently started his Pokémon Journey. Ash can't figure out a way for Pikachu to get out of its Wrap, to the point that it's actually odd officials haven't stepped in and said,"Holy shit kid, your pet rat is gonna get brain damage or die or something." Stephan, Bianca and Cameron show up to join Cilan and Iris (apparently they can just kick out the people who were sitting in those seats earlier), Bianca and Cameron shouting out encouragement to Ash not to lose in the qualifying rounds. Riolu growls out a helpful,"RRRHH RRRH RIO LU!" while Cameron struggles to think of a way for Ash to get Pikachu out of Wrap, snapping his sweatband and getting what for him is a painful thing - an idea.

Ash has his own ideas though, calling out to what looks like a passed out Pikachu to open his eyes. Trip figures it is all over and calls for a final killer move - Serperior will use his tail to smash Pikachu into the ground. But as he swings his tail down, the motion/air seems to revive Pikachu somewhat and Ash spots his tail, and has one of those battle-savant moments that has served him so well over the years. He calls out to Pikachu to use Iron Tail.... on the ground! Before Trip's startled face ("What happened!?!" he cries out in surprise), Pikachu's Iron Tail absorbs the impact of hitting the ground, which rolls back through Serperior's tail and causes him to release Pikachu at last.

Pikachu is free, but the problem remains that Serperior is faster and stronger. Pikachu tries Iron Tail again but it clashes with Dragon Tail and Pikachu is sent flying. Trip admits that Ash battled well, but it's over now, which shocks Ash - this shit ain't over! He notes Serperior's glowing tail and tries to figure out how to negate it, and then comes up with another of his crazy, nonsensical ideas that somehow work - he wants Pikachu to use a combination of Iron Tail and Electro-Ball! Even Pikachu gives him a "you want me to WHAT!?!" look, but then seems to catch on to whatever Ash is thinking (the two know each other very well) and prepares to pull it off. Trip thinks they're just wasting time, sure of his victory now, and sends in Serperior for the kill. Pikachu uses Iron Tail, Electro-Ball winding around it and leaps into a clash with Dragon Tail that kicks up a massive burst of dust and smoke. It clears to reveal Serperior is still standing but Pikachu is down on his stomach, and it seems that Ash HAS lost. But then Pikachu staggers up, stares at Serperior and begins jumping up and down for joy, turning to grin widely at a delighted Ash. Trip is confused, why is Pikachu so happened? What about Serperior? That's when the dust clears enough for us to see - Serperior is knocked out standing up!

ASH FINALLY BEAT TRIP! TRIP IS OUT OF THE UNOVA LEAGUE!

IN THE QUALIFYING ROUND!

Trip is left standing in utter shock as the crowd goes crazy, unable to figure out what the hell just happened. For the first time he's encountered Tournament Ash - the guy who shows up and puts (most of) his stupidity behind him for the moment. The guy who is on the same wavelength as his Pokémon. The guy who can see things to do that nobody else would think of and that may in fact make no sense whatsoever.

His inclusion into the next round assured, Ash heads to the Pokémon Center with a contented but exhausted Pikachu on his shoulder. He wants Nurse Joy to fix him right up, but stops when he spots Trip collecting Serperior from Nurse Joy. He approaches and asks if Trip is leaving already, and Trip admits that Ash beat him fair and square. Next time will be different though, he has to be the best and beat everybody (including Ash) if he wants to eventually defeat Alder. Ash seems unsure how to react since Trip is still leaving rather than sticking around to watch the 64 best trainers in Unova battle and maybe pick up some pointers, but decides to leave things on a positive note. He puts out his hand and a surprised Trip shakes it (OMG DEY HANZ FROM A HART!), then leaves with a smile. He seems to have finally accepted that Ash isn't a "boonie" and matured somewhat, but there is a lot that shows us that Trip still has a long way to go. He's still obsessed with Alder to the exclusion of all else, he still hasn't learned to stick around when defeated in a tournament to see how his "betters" do it.... hell, why not stick around just to take photos like he was planning on doing to document his journey? That part of his character seems to have just disappeared, which is kinda funny given his Japanese name is a pun on his predilection for shooting photographic pictures.

That night at the free hotel that Ash gets to stay in, he's enjoying the sauna and reliving the glory of Pikachu's victory. Cilan is there with him, just a couple of dudes in their underwear. Stephan and Cameron show up too, and soon the sound of rhythmic flesh on flesh slapping is going on, with Ash finding himself the uncomfortable meat in a Cameron/Stephan sandwich.



Everything I just wrote is entirely, 100% accurate.

Cameron wants to know how Ash pulled it off, and he and Stephan continue to crowd Ash as Cilan has a laugh. Meanwhile in another part of the luxurious amenities of the hotel provided free of charge to homeless, uneducated cock-fighting children - Pikachu and Oshawott are enjoying the indoor springs. Riolu jumps into the water, splashing Oshawott, so Pikachu splashes Riolu back. The two begin happily, laughingly splashing each other as Oshawott settles back out of the way. Riolu gets a little over-excited though, and Pikachu ends up leaping into the air blasting a Thunderbolt at him. Riolu leaps clear, and the blast ends up hurting Oshawott instead.

Out of the sauna, Ash and Cameron are chugging back a milky white liquid (!) - it's moo-moo milk, while Stephan is having an ice-cold soda (which explains his belly). They hear Pikachu and Riolu's yelling and run into the springs where they discover Oshawott floating on his back in the water, sparkling with leftover electricity.

Ahhhh broad physical comedy.

The next day the Unova League's main rounds can finally begin, as the 64 remaining competitors are paired off. In this round, each trainer gets 2 Pokémon and they are allowed to make substitutions. The first pairing is Bianca vs.... Cameron! One of the twerps will be going out in round one no matter what!

We don't get to see what the other pairings are, it goes straight to the battle. Cameron is out on the field before he actually realizes he needs to choose which Pokémon to use, and after using his sweatband technique comes up with Samurott, and Bianca counters with Escavalier.

Samurott uses Hydro-Cannon to start, dodged by Escavalier which ups its defence with Iron Defence. It dodges the next Hydro-Cannon and uses Iron Defence again, making it a tough Pokémon to knock out. Cameron realises he needs to try something different and orders a Razor Shell, Samurott drawing out its "blade" and taking a swing at Escavalier who dodges aside, then uses Iron Defence AGAIN! Ash and Stephan are surprised at Bianca going to the well for a third time, and Cilan and Iris up in the stands agree - using Iron Defence again isn't going to do anything, Bianca needs to go on the offensive.

Escavalier does just that, using Fury Attack, but Samurott is able to defend itself as well using its Razor Shell. Escavalier is hit and sent skidding back along the ground, but that Iron Defence has done its job and it takes no damage. Cameron is concerned, how does he hurt it? He snaps his sweatband and gets nothing but a sore head.... but THAT gives him an idea! He orders a double-blast of Razor Shell, and while Escavalier dodges the first the second smashes it directly in the head. As Cameron correctly predicted in his moment of clarity - while Iron Defence protected Escavalier from the exterior damage, the shockwave of the hit reverberated internally. Escavalier grimaces from the pain and then crashes to the ground - Cameron is up 1-0!

Next out is Emboar, confusing Iris since he is at a disadvantage against Emboar. Cilan thinks she might have a plan though, but it doesn't seem so as Emboar takes two direct shots from Samurott and doesn't seem to have any counter. Ash seems more concerned that he won't get to see Riolu battle as opposed to one of his friends getting knocked out of the Unova League. Cameron prepares to finish things off, but now it is time for Bianca to reveal her strategy - she orders Emboar to use... Attract!?! Yes! It seems Samurott is a girl, and she gapes with lust-struck love at Emboar, who proceeds to show his love with Arm Thrust and then Hammer-Arm, and Samurott is knocked out! It's 1-1!

So Ash gets his wish, he gets to see Riolu battle after all. Iris wonders if Riolu can handle such a powerful Pokémon, while Cilan is pleased at the chance to evaluate Riolu's battling technique. Bianca thinks Riolu is adorable but snaps herself out of it, knowing she has to be on point and take Cameron down. She sends in Emboar to bash Riolu into the ground, but the big Pokémon finds himself outclassed by Riolu's leverage. The little Pokémon uses Judo-style moves and Emboar's own weight against him, tossing him through the air and then blasting him in the chest with a couple of Force Palms.

Riolu moves in to finish things but then is caught by surprise as Emboar gets hold of Riolu by one leg and lifts him up into the air, spins him about in the air and then tosses him through the air. Riolu is able to recover, landing on his feet, and dodges a Flamethrower as Bianca tries to shift things to ranged combat. Cameron orders Riolu to use Copycat and we're treated to an eerie vision of Riolu reviewing Emboar's Flamethrower, figuring out how it was done and then blasting Emboar in the face with a Flamethrower of its own!

Emboar wasn't expecting that and grabs at his eyes, and Riolu prepares to finish things off with Vacuum Wave. Leaping high and spinning around, he sends a wave of energy directly at Emboar and smashes him down - the battle is over, Bianca has lost and is out of the Unova League! She recalls her defeated Pokémon and drops to her knees in tears, unable to believe she lost while Cameron and Riolu leap up and down in excitement at their victory, hugging each other. Bianca yells out that she'll show him next time, but that's a long way away and this is the one that really matters. Relative newcomer (to the show) Cameron has defeated somebody who has been around almost as long as Ash has been in Unova. Is this a sign of things to come? Ash can't wait to face Cameron and Riolu but is this idiotic little boy going to be the new Richie and ruin Ash's chances? Or will that honour go to the even more recent addition Virgil? Or will Stephan step up to the plate and win one for the "relatively well known castmembers"? Or will Ash do something he hasn't done yet and actually win the bloody thing? We'll have to wait to find out, because this is....

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