Review DP051: Hikozaru vs. Zangoose! Destined Battle!!

[Dogasu]

It's hard to believe that a thread hasn't been made for this yet.

Anyways...the tag tournament continues with what seems to be the battle that makes Shinji give up his Hikozaru for good.

 

[Argy]

Well, it's still early. The episode hasn't aired yet.

 

[Dogasu]

Still...usually a preview thread is posted as soon as the Next Episode preview is made available.

 

[Habunake]

Episode pics will be up on 2chan in like 2 minutes.

Will post some pics for you guys.

 

[Habunake]

Six Picture Limit.

 

[Habunake]

Again. Limit.

No new Ending Pics I saw. Odd. The only one I saw was one that clearly said that the Winter Theme did play in this episode.

 

[Dogasu]

Wow...they must be doing screen captures from a live airing...

Assuming my Internet holds out...I'll be posting a synopsis soon. Here's a preview...we get to learn about how Shinji caught Hikozaru...

Also...Kimi no Soba de ~Hikari's Theme~ (Winter Version) doesn't have ANY new animation at all.

 

[Duque]

OMG, the 4th girl falling in love with Brock in 10 years...

 

[Habunake]

Also...Kimi no Soba de ~Hikari's Theme~ (Winter Version) doesn't have ANY new animation at all.

Is the song different at all? What animation does it use, the first or second version?

 

[Lucifer Angel]

Two of mine this week

 

[Trainer-c]

Looks like Brock has another admirer.

Judging from the battle screens Chimchar manages to win the battle (with help from Turtwig) so Paul must release it despite it's winning the match.

Hmm. If there is a backstory to how Paul caught Chimchar that isn't full of abuse, then perhaps there remains a chance of them reuniting.

The winter version of Hikari's Theme has no new animation? Maybe they are waiting for a certain point in the series then they will change the animation.

 

[Habunake]

With Chimchar joining, they'll probably insert him in somewhere.

 

[Duque]

I hope the next time they don't make a "autumn version" for the ending...

For the pics, I think chimchar disobeyed Paul and protected turtwig from the attack. So, at least, Paul seems to have problems in accept that pokemon have feelings (happy pokemon, who need help/give a hand to another in battle). Sincerly, I hope chimchar won't be stupid enough to back to Paul. If it evolves with Ash's training, I liked more see Ash with monferno/infernape than give it back back to Paul evolved already.

 

[Dogasu]

Heh...before the show starts, there's a commercial for a new Final Fantasy VII "potion" soft drink x_x

Anyways...on to the episode!

-The cold opening shows scenes from the previous episode.

-Opening: Together
-Title Screen-

-It's nighttime, and Mukubird is ordered to use Aerial Ace on all of Satoshi's pokemon. The bird obeys, but everyone is able to dodge by doing that spin thingee Hikari taught them back during the Kurogane episodes.
-Suddenly, in the distance, Satoshi spots a huge blast of fire...
-Meanwhile, at the Pokemon Center, a huge number of trainers have gathered with pokemon who need to be healed (a lot of the trainers look the guys from the Recycled Characters page on my website). Joi is overwhelmed by the sheer number of Monster Balls piled up on the counter...it's at this time that Takeshi appears out of nowhere and offers to help out. Off to the side, Honoka angrily wonders why Takeshi is spending time there when he could be training with her...
-Elsewhere in the Center, Hikari and Kouhei are sitting at a table together, talking about strategy. Kouhei starts to give a really technical battle explanation that confuses Hikari. She eventually gets it, though, and runs off to tell Satoshi. After Hikari leaves, Kouhei takes off his glasses, wipes them off, and glares menacingly into his reflection.
-Back in the forest, Satoshi finds Shinji doing some late-night training with his pokemon. But something's wrong...Shinji has his weakened Hikozaru face off against all his other pokemon at once! Satoshi's rival orders his Elekid, Ringuma, Dodaitoise, and Yamikarasu to all use their energy attacks on Hikozaru and then tells the fire-type to use its Flame Wheel. Hikozaru obeys and, impressively enough, is able to repel all of the attacks thrown at it. Next, it uses Flamethrower, but the attack misses and hits Satoshi right in the chest! The attack knocks the young trainer back, causing both Pikachu and Hikozaru to run to his side. Satoshi merely gets up and brushes himself off, praising Hikozaru for having such a strong attack.
-Watching all of this unfold is the Rocket-Dan, who remain hidden behind the bushes.
-Shinji tells his pokemon to keep training. As Hikari arrives on the scene, Satoshi asks Shinji why he's so much tougher on Hikozaru than he is on his other pokemon. At first, Shinji replies by saying that that's none of his business. However, after Hikari yells at him for a minute, Shinji reveals that he is trying to unleash Hikozaru's true power. At that time, Shinji and his other four pokemon turn around and walk away, leaving Hikozaru behind. The monkey pokemon hesitates for a moment before reluctantly following behind its trainer.
-Meanwhile, in the bushes, Musashi comments on how Hikozaru desperately needs a trainer who can take better care of it. She decides that, logically, she should have the pokemon, so she begins to plan on a way to make the pokemon hers...
-In a different part of the forest (I guess?), Shinji resumes his training. He has Ringuma use Hammer Arm, Dodatoise use Leaf Storm, Yamikarasu use Sky Attack, and Elekid use...some electric attack. Hikozaru is then ordered to use Flame Wheel, but it's unable to launch the attack in time and is hit by the Sky Attack. Hikozaru tries to stand back up, but it falls back down to the ground. Shinji, unaffected by any of this, orders Elekid to use Thunder on the defeated Hikozaru. Just as the attack is about to hit, Pikachu jumps in the way and absorbs it. Satoshi and Hikari catch up and tell Shinji to take his pokemon to the Pokemon Center. Shinji reluctantly agrees.
-At the Center, Takeshi takes care of Hikozaru in a separate "surgery room" (it's similar to the room Raikou was in at the Pokemon Center during "The Legend of Raikou"). Satoshi, Hikari, and Honoka watch on from behind a pane of glass. Shinji is nowhere to be seen. Honoka comments on how good Takeshi is at taking care of pokemon, prompting Hikari to add that they've been saved by his expertise on more than one occasion. Then, the three trainers randomly tell each other that they'll win the tag battle tournament.
-After a short while, Takeshi emerges from the "surgery room" and tells Satoshi-tachi that Hikozaru will be better as long as it's allowed to rest.
-Later that night, everyone is sitting at the tables in the common area. Takeshi and Shinji are sitting at one table, Satoshi is sitting at a table beside them, and the Rocket-Dan are eavesdropping from a table behind Shinji and Takeshi.
-Takeshi repeats the question the others had for Shinji..."Why do you train Hikozaru so much harder than your other pokemon?" This time, Shinji answers by launching into a flashback...
-The flashback begins with Shinji catching a Tekkanin in a forest. As soon as he catches the pokemon, Shinji and his Elekid look up and notice that the sky has gotten dark. Suddenly, they hear a horrible screech. They look up at the treetops and see a Hikozaru being chased by a gang of Zangoose. As Hikozaru jumps from limb to limb, one of the Zangoose uses its Crush Claw attack to cut the tree branch that the monkey had just jumped onto. Hikozaru falls and is immediately lynched by about half a dozen Zangoose. As the pokemon continues to take hit after hit, Shinji looks on. Eventually, Hikozaru is chased to the edge of a cliff where a waterfall can be seen flowing. As the Zangoose gather around it, blocking off all possible exits, Hikozaru doesn't seem to have any hope left! The Zangoose all jump up at once to attack when suddenly, the fire on Hikozaru's tail flares up! Hikozaru launches into a massive Flame Wheel attack and plows through the Zangoose, rolling around in circles and breaking through boulders in the process. After the assault is over, Hikozaru looks around with an air of confusion...did it really just defeat all those Zangoose by itself? Shinji, still looking on, can't believe the power of this pokemon and decides that he wants this power for himself. So, he approaches Hikozaru and tells it to look at what it did. As Hikozaru notices the burn marks on the ground for the first time, Shinji tells it (in a rather coarse way) to come with him.
-Shinji ends his story by saying that after he caught Hikozaru, he taught it how to use Dig so it could win Pokemon League matches while it tries to learn how to control is awesome power. He states that he'll resume his training tomorrow, but everyone raises their voice in protest. Joi even steps in and tells Shinji that he'd better let his pokemon rest the next day...

-eyecatch-

-It's time for the next day of tag battles! The teams of Hikari and Kouhei and Takeshi and Honoka (with hearts in her eyes) advance through the league, and the time for Satoshi and Shinji's battle comes. Satoshi calls on his Naetle while Shinji calls out his Hikozaru!
-In the stands, the Rocket-Dan are selling concessions again. Musashi comments on how she thought Hikozaru was supposed to be taking it easy...
-Satoshi's and Shinji's opponents are revealed. The first opponent, a trainer wearing a cape, takes out his Metagross. Hikari scans the pokemon with her Pokemon Zukan. Takeshi says that Naetle won't be any good against that opponent, so it'll be up to Shinji and his Hikozaru to defeat that one. The second opponent is a karate-looking guy with a Zangoose. Satoshi, remembering Shinji's story, gasps in shock. Shinji merely smiles. Hikari scans Zangoose with her Pokemon Zukan.
-Before the battle starts, Satoshi tells Shinji to leave Zangoose to them.
-And...the battle commences! The caped guy orders Metagross to use Comet Punch, so Shinji counters by having Hikozaru use Flame Wheel. Zangoose jumps up to attack Hikozaru in mid-Flame Wheel, but Naetle steps in with Razor Leaf to stop it. However, Zangoose uses Crush Claw to deflect all the leaves, taking no damage.
-Meanwhile, Metagross seems to have dodged Hikozaru's attack and counters with some spinning attack...thing. Zangoose also strikes Naetle. After that, Hikozaru is ordered to use Dig. Metagross responds with a Magnet Rise attack. Suddenly, Zangoose leaps up from behind Metagross and uses Crush Claw on the monkey pokemon.
-As the battle continues, Naetle uses Tackle on Zangoose. The pokemon jumps out of the way, revealing Metagross behind it. The metal pokemon uses Psychic on Naetle, knocking it backwards.
-At that moment, karate guy orders Zangoose to use Crush Claw on Hikozaru, causing the fire-type pokemon to remember the gang who had attacked it earlier. Satoshi notices that Hikozaru is immobilized by fear and orders his Naetle to use Bite attack on Zangoose's arm. That attack is halted, much to Hikozaru's relief. However, Metagross appears and is ordered to use Comet Punch while Naetle still has Zangoose clamped in its mouth! Shinji sees the oncoming attack and decides to be the one who saves the day, so he orders Hikozaru to use Flame Wheel. The attack hits Zangoose and Metagross, but it also hits Naetle as well! Hikozaru looks back and sees its weakened teammate and starts to feel guilty as Hikari-tachi look on in disbelief. Naetle can barely stand up at this point.
-Satoshi's opponents don't let this opportunity pass them by. Karate dude orders his Zangoose to use Crush Claw, pinning Hikozaru to the ground. The monkey pokemon looks up at its attacker and is suddenly overtaken by fear and anxiety. Shinji orders his pokemon to use Flame Wheel, but it's too scared to obey. At this moment, Shinji says "So that's it, huh?" and turns his back on the pokemon. Seeing that Shinji has given up, Satoshi steps in and orders Naetle to use Razor Leaf. The attack frees Hikozaru, but the badly bruised Naetle falls over from fatigue. Zangoose takes this opportunity to use Fire Blast, but this time, Hikozaru is the one to save the day! It steps in between the attack and Naetle, shielding Satoshi's pokemon. The flame on Hikozaru's tail begins to grow as it continues to block the attack, but Shinji doesn't notice. Metagross steps in with Comet Punch, so Satoshi orders Hikozaru to use Flamethrower. Hikozaru obeys and hits the pokemon directly, causing it to faint. Satoshi cheers on the pokemon and reminds his team to remain focused.
-At this point in the episode, "Pokemon Symphonic Medley" begins to play.
-Next, Naetle uses Tackle, but Zangoose dodges it and uses Crush Claw. Naetle reponds by hitting Zangoose with Razor Leaf before following up with another Tackle. Zangoose is hit from behind and is thrown into the edge of the stadium, hitting its head on the wall and fainting.
-The Satoshi and Shinji team have won! Hikozaru looks up to its trainer, but Shinji does not look impressed.
-The line-up for the next round is announced, and it looks like Satoshi and Shinji will be facing off against Takeshi and Honoka while Hikari and Kouhei will be facing off against Recylced Characters [HASHTAG]#123703[/HASHTAG].
-That night, Shinji releases his Hikozaru and tells it to go wherever it wants. Hikozaru looks confused. Satoshi and his friends arrive on the scene and ask him why he's giving the pokemon up. Shinji doesn't answer and just walks off. Hikozaru begins to walk by itself into a dark forest, but Satoshi stops it and asks it to join him! Hikozaru stops and looks up at the trainer. Shinji, who had been walking away, stops as well. Will Hikozaru accept Satoshi's offer? To be continued!!

Orchid-Hakase lecture: Doutakun. Orchid-Hakase makes Doutakun embarrased somehow...

 

[Jnoo]

Heh...before the show starts, there's a commercial for a new Final Fantasy VII "potion" soft drink x_x

Ooh. Me want. =P

That Zangoose scares me. 0_0

 

[Maxim Posthumus]

According to TV Tokyo's page Karate King (Blackbelt) and Esper (Psychic) Trainers appeared in the episode. Can I have a picture of Esper (Habunake has already shown us the Karate King)?

 

[Piplup]

Chimchar T_T

Donkarasu? are you sure? that's Honchkrow's Japanese name... Murkrow is Yamikarasu
Did Murkrow evolve? I'm sure the preview showed that scene of Paul's Pokémon attacking Chimchar and it still was a Murkrow there

 

[QuietDragon]

TT-TT

Poor Hikozaru! That was so /awful!/

On the other hand, I'm glad the Hikozaru arc's finally coming round!

I wanna see this episode soon!

That was great, Dogasu. ^_^

 

[Chatsy]

Thanks for the synopsis Dogasu!

It's odd how Paul was so determined on revealing Chimchar's true power, but suddenly just gave up because of one battle. Ah well, I wonder how his reaction will be when Chimchar will accept Ash's offer on joining him.

Also, I wonder what Kouhei is troubling with since he stared menacingly at his reflection after Dawn left.

 

[Zangoose15]

Mwahahaha. Zangoose's claim another victem. Looks like an awesome battle, I can't wait for it to air where I live, or for someone to upload it onto Youtube or something.

Does anyone know who the Zangoose belongs to?