So in case you haven't heard, Episode 38th of Pokemon XY&Z that airs tomorrow August 18th on TokyoTV (7PM JST / 5AM EST / 10AM UTC) might be one of the most monumental/important episodes in the 20 year history of the anime (possibly a slight exaggeration on my part? but I'm excited).Episode 38 Preview 1Episode 38 Preview 2For the long and short of it, Ash "never won a League tournament no the Orange League doesn't really count" Ketchum might actually win the finals of the Kalos league with quite possibly his most stacked team in the history of the show.ContextOur never aging protagonist Ash Ketchum has gotten to the Pokemon League conferences in five different regions before thisTop 16 @ (Kanto) Indigo League Conference (lost to Ritchie due to Charizard not obeying his commands)Top 8 @ (Johto) Silver Conference (beat Gary in Top 16, lost to Harrison & his Blaziken)Top 8 @ (Hoenn) Ever Grande Conference (lost to Tyson & his Meowth, who eventually won the whole thing)Top 4 @ (Sinnoh) Lily of the Valley Conference (beat Paul in Top 8, lost to Tobias and his bullshit Darkrai and Latios, who of course won the whole thing)Top 8 @ (Unova) Vetress Conference (lost to Cameron and his Lucario)Aside from the Orange League championship (which isn't a multi-stage tournament), Ash has never actually won a league championship. The closest we have gotten was during the Diamond and Pearl series, where not only did he have an excellent rivalry with Paul that was resolved in battle much like his with Gary was resolved in Johto, he got all the way to top 4, only to lose to a competitor that out of nowhere had not one but two (and possibly more) legendary Pokemon, which felt super unfair.Which brings us to the current seasonHis teamPikachu (Electric) - You know himTalonflame (Fire/Flying) - Evolved from a Fletchling, Has fought in 7/8 battles and fought Zapdos + MoltresHawlucha (Fighting/Flying)- Complete with Luchador costumeNoivern (Dragon/Flying) - Hatched from Egg, Evolved to deal wtih ZapdosGoodra (Dragon) - Evolved from Goomy, traveling to help Ash since he lives in his homeland similar to CharizardGreninja (Water/Dark) - Evolved from Froakie, can transform into Ash-Greninja which is like a Mega Evolution, but not exactly.Ash's Kalos League bracket thus farRound 1 (Top 64) (3v3) (Episode 32): vs Tomo (Altaria, ???, ???); used GreninjaRound 2 (Top 32) (3v3) : vs ???;Round 3 (Top 16) (3v3) : vs ???;Round 4 (Top 8) (3v3) (Episode 33): vs Astrid (Mega Absol, ???, ???); used HawluchaRound 5 (Top 4) (6v6) (Episode 34-35): vs Sawyer (Mega Sceptile, Salamence, Slurpuff, Aegislash, Clawitzer, Slaking); used all Pokemon, with only Greninja not fainted.Round 6 (Finals) (6v6) (Episode 37-38): vs Alain (more below)A word on AlainAlain premiered in the Mega Evolution Special with his Mega Charizard X with an obsession with fighting and defeating all Mega Evolutions. He originally began as Professor Sycamore's assistant but is now working for Lysandre as part of Team Flare. His friend Mairin's Chespin was injured, and in order to help restore its health and Mairin's happiness he is working with team Flare to capture Zygarde. (Yes this is Zygarde, no it's not super relevant to this battle right here)He has come across Ash twice so far in the series, with his Mega Charizard X beating Ash Greninja both times. Since entering the Kalos league, he has only used two Pokemon up until his fight with Ash, his Mega Charizard X and a Metagross.Ash v Alain Play by Play (Episode 37 Spoilers)Alain's Tyranitar vs Ash's Pikachu - Pikachu wins (5-6)Alain's Weavile vs Ash's Noivern - Weavile wins (5-5)Alain's Weavile vs Ash's Hawlucha - Hawlucha wins (4-5)Alain's Bisharp vs Ash's Hawlucha - Bisharp wins (4-4)Alain's Unfezant vs Ash's Talonflame - Mutual KO (3-3)Alain's Metagross vs Ash's Pikachu - Pikachu wins (2-3)Alain's Charizard vs Ash's Pikachu - (TBD)To summarize, Alain currently has his Charizard and Bisharp remaining, while Ash has Pikachu, Goodra and Greninja remaining.Based on the clips above, we see definitely a Mega Charizard v Ash-Greninja showdown, and Bisharp vs Goodra. What will likely happen is Pikachu will faint, and then Alain will swap in Bisharp and Ash will swap in Goodra. Either there is a mutual KO or Bisharp faints, but in either case, Alain sends out Charizard again. It defeats Goodra if it is still out, and it comes down to the 3rd battle between Charizard and Greninja. Also Greninja has a Destructo Dish/RasenShuriken technique which should be pretty hype.Other speculationThe Title's name is "Kalos League Victory! Ash's Ultimate Match!!" - While this could technically refer to either of their victory, many suspect it is from Ash's point of viewAsh's last serious rivalry (Paul in Sinnoh) defeated Ash in two full battles before Ash won in their league full battle. Similarly, Alain's Charizard has beaten Ash's Greninja twice, and this would be their third encounter.Probably most notably, the upcoming Pokemon Sun and Moon games are speculated to no longer have gyms, instead having Island Challenges across four islands involving Trials, a battle against a Totem Pokemon, and a Grand Trial battle against and Island Kahuna, chosen by the Guardian Deity. Those who complete all four challenges are declared Island Challenge Champions. Should Ash travel to Alola (likely) in the next iteration of the anime, there would not be a gym challenge or league conference for him to take on, which means this would be a good chance for him to win a league now.20th year of Pokemon. Why not commemorate it with him winning.Greninja is also HUGELY popular in Japan, so Ash winning with Ash-Greninja would be huge there.The only thing (that is a real possibility mind) is that Ash's battle might get interrupted by Team Flare. But we'll just have to watch to find out. (and if it does, flavor our popcorn with buttery salt). He is confirmed to be captured by Team Flare at some point in the next few episodesAlso that Sakuga...Shoutouts to /r/AnimeSakuga for these links, but if you haven't been watching Pokemon, you definitely should even if for the Sakuga alone. Gone are the days of static pokemon slideshows with striped backgrounds. Here are a few examples from recent episodesAsh vs Wulfric (8th Gym)1 2 3 4 5Ash vs Sawyer (Top 4)1 2 3 4 5 6 7ConclusionSo between Ash finally having a chance to actually take down his rival for this arc (after losing twice previously), Ash-Greninja pulling some DBZ/Naruto type moves, a pending Team Flare showdown in Episode 39, and ASH FINALLY WINNING A LEAGUE AFTER 20 YEARS in possibly his last chance to do so if next region doesn't have gyms (this will already be his best placing for sure in a tournament), this is one episode of Pokemon you should definitely watch. http://ift.tt/2b4qQCu
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