"Top-Down Training!" Episode Discussion

[DoubleWide]

I liked the episode. As Ric Flair always says, "To be the man, you've got to beat the man." Or in other words, you have to challenge the best in order to become the best. It makes sense for Paul to challenge her, makes a nice change from Ash always doing so. Paul is arrogant enough to believe he had any chance to win, anyone else would take the battle as a chance to learn from the best. But not Paul, he blames his Pokemon for his own failures rather than himself. Whenever Ash has a bout of arrogance, someone usually shows up and knocks him down a peg or three.

BTW, didn't Paul challenge her to a 6 on 6 battle? If so, why did he stop at 4? :\

 

[Charaxes]

It makes sense for Paul to challenge her, makes a nice change from Ash always doing so.

BTW, didn't Paul challenge her to a 6 on 6 battle? If so, why did he stop at 4? :\

When the Japanese episode first debuted, SBaby said something like, "why should Ash bother challenging Paul since Cynthia's victory gives him no reason to?" It's true, for it's hard to worry about Paul's superiority complex after such a thrashing/beatdown, what have you. With the continuity taking hold, this theme, no doubt, will return. And it should.

It beats Gary's loss/epiphany (lost it to a stranger at Indigo), that's for sure.

As for Paul's use of only 4, hm. Futility or plothole or time crunch? You make the call!

 

[Miss Reyna]

I guessing that it was time crunch why they didn't finish the battle. Also it could be because Paul understood that he wouldn't be able to beat Cynthia with just two pokemon and one of his most well trained pokemon being defeated. He may have just thought that it was best to give up there. Paul is kinda smart by the way so he may have thought to just stopped there.

 

[Pikachu20077]

If Cynthia wasnt there, Paul wouldnt have gone back to the center

 

[lovelygirl111]

how are you so sure about it