Sliding Into Seventh (595)

[Serebii]

Snowpoint Gym! Ice Battle!

It is time for Ash's 7th Sinnoh Gym Battle. Against the Ice type gym leader Candice, Ash faces a tough 4 on 4 Pokémon Battle. Using Grotle, Gliscor, Staraptor & Chimchar, the battle is sure to be strong against her Snover, Medicham, Sneasel & Abomasnow. Will Ash get his 7th Badge? Or will he have to keep training?

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Discuss

[ShinyCharyZard]

So Chimchar took it eh? Pfft, oh well....Staraptor had better get some good league battles.

Lmao, did I really just get an "I told you so" PM from Almighty Zard? How sad.

[cloudk]

To start the ball rolling, i've only received extremely brief information on the episode by watching a preview.

-Grotle was seen using Energy Ball
-Medicharm was seen using Fire Punch
-Gliscor was seen using Fire Fang
-Sneasel was seen using what appears to be Metal Claw
-Chimchar was seen dodging one of Snover's punch and then retaliating with Flamethrower.
-Abomasnow was seen using Blizzard
-Sneasel was seen using what appears to be Icy Wind on Grotle
-Chimchar was seen using Flame Wheel on Abomasnow(?)

Too less information D;
Here's hoping Staraptor won't be ignored in this episode.

[Almighty Zard]

it is sad, because you and several others spent the whole week constantly babbling about how Staraptor would take it out of so called "Fairness" (which time and again i've pointed out the writers don't know what the word means) and look at what happens.

In anycase the results according to bulbagarden.
Grotle vs Sneasal:Grotle wins and gets withdrawn
Staraptor vs Medicham:Staraptor wins and gets withdrawn
Gliscor vs Snover:Snover wins.
Chimchar vs Snover:Chimchar wins and gets withdrawn.
Staraptor vs Abamasnow:Abamasnow wins
Grotle vs Abamasnow:Abamasnow wins
Chimchar vs Abamasnow:Chimchar wins.

[Crikko]

I was hoping that Chimmy evolves in this episode... too bad neither Staraptor has gained a lot of attention...we have to wait for the League to see the real Staraptor in battle, but vs. Medicham he was great ^^

I was also hoping that Candice had Froslass..but that's another question xD Nice battle but a bit boring, don't you think?

[Dax]

Lmao, did I really just get an "I told you so" PM from Almighty Zard? How sad.

LOL! Meh Chimchar again. Boring.

[Squaaah]

This gym was a LITTLE bit dissapointing. The battles look great from the piks i've seen, but Chimchar not evolving and Staraptor not getting the win was a bit of a fail. Still enjoyable though if you dont get your hopes up for stuff. Seems to me to be one of those trainers who only trains one pokemon, so shes got one uber pokemon and a team of weak ones.

[Almighty Zard]

judging from the pics, either my eyes are deceiving me or Candice acutally used a combo attack to beat Staraptor, cause it looked like Abamasnow formed the energy for an ice beam in it's hand and then combined it with Blizzard for double the force.

Also intresting to see Chimchar use a peice of ice to skateboard around abamasnow and torch's it's buttox repeatedly with flamethrower, and chimchar had some funny facial expressions too.

Best pic of all, Grotle's face after getting smashed by wood hammer, i will forever enjoy starring at that pic for days to come.

[S.Suikun]

Snowpoint Gym! How I have been so looking forward to this moment, and the fact that we are now here brings a tear to Old Man Suikun's eye. I swear, if Suzuna never appears again, I'm gonna stop watching this show, a threat which makes perfect sense for those threatened to do such a thing with Ambipom leaving or Piplup not evolving - irrational, up-you-own ass, intentionally stupid behavior! So in light of the special occasion, I opt to totally rip-off my Pastoria Gym theatrics.

GROTLE VS. SNEEZE L. - The Tortoise and the Hair-Raiser
Ooh, starts with nice below-the-skirt shot of Suzuna. Must replay. Heck, I replayed that whole sweater whip scene too. Too bad for Grotle that Sneasel has mastered the art of roller skating on ice (also known as ice skating). Too bad for Sneasel that Grotle has the power of rushed battles on his side. It is indeed just like the Tortoise and the Hare, except this time, the Tortoise wins.

MUKUHAWK VS. MEDICHAM - Muku for Moko Puffs!
It's Meditite vs. Muku.BIRD 2.0, except this time, the feathered one shakes off the attack instead of having a headbang party with the floor. Too bad. Instead, the now badass Mukuhawk makes quick work of Big Lips, thus leaving commentary for this match limited and unproductive.

GLISCOR VS. SNOVER - I Vant to Suck Your Snowballs
Oh, the Ice Beam outside is frightful...and the Fire Fang's so delightful...but since there's no place to...Gliscor down. Thank goodness I don't have to finish that song. You know, I hope Pokemon gyms have great insurance, because the amount of damage done to their walls and ceilings is ridiculous.

CHIMCHAR VS. SNOVER - Monkeys on Ice
Chimchar's and Snover's attacks collide, making for a sauna inside Snowpoint Gym, meaning that Suzuna will immediately satisfy me by taking off her...never mind, Chimchar wins. This battle is going by really fast, but that's what you get for cramming 4 vs. 4 into one episode.

ASSORTED ABOMASNOW VICTORIES - Big Bird and Yertle the Turtle vs. Dr. Freeze
Chimchar withdrawn mid-battle, Mukuhawk and Grotle both down in one blow. I like how Zoey has been caught in the same blank-stare expression the entire episode.

CHIMCHAR VS. ABOMASNOW - Diddy Kong vs. Eddie the Mean Old Yeti
Did I just reference the DKC cartoon? Kill me now. Anyways, Abomasnow has some fun playing whack-a-mole with Chimchar. His lack of success only earns him one ticket when the game ends, however, and Smarties cost ten. I find this whole cat-and-mouse scene hilarious, thanks to some highly strange BGM and Abomasnow getting totally ticked off and going on a rampage. Chimchar, on the other hand, has apparently been playing too much Twilight Princess and begins sledding on a shard against a yeti. This gets him the win, but not the Heart Container.

Obviously my extreme bias puts this battle above Cinnabar, Blackthorn, Sootopolis, Battle Dome, Veilstone, etc., although the battle was admittedly rushed up until Chimchar vs. Abomasnow, making me again wish they kicked off the match perhaps at the tail end of DP126. Also, I'm unaware of why Skuntank Man from DP126 deserved another B-plot; he didn't even deserve his first B-plot! Paul confronts Suzuna at the end, giving me a shred of hope she'll at least have a minor role at the beginning of next week's also-busy episode.

[jolteonjak]

Talk about rushed. With the way the episodes are split up on ___, I've seen all but Chimchar vs. Abomasnow (before it knocks out Grotle and Muku). The way people spoke, I initially thought one Ice Beam, and Gliscor went down. It actually put up a good fight.

This gym would have been better suited as the end of 126 and all of this one. I guess I'll wait to comment on the rest until I've seen it.

[Mythic Mist]

Yeah it was rushed, but it was a sweet battle. Good job to Natsume too for giving us a nice looking battle. Especially with Chinchars little acrobatic maneuvers against Abasnow. And While Im not a fan of the female types, Suzunna taking off her sweater like that was oh so delicious.

Yes the battles were rushed, but like I said, they were rushed but played out nicely, and they were believable. Sneasel died from getting it's skinny butt stomped on by Grotle's big self. Medicham? Brave Bird KO(nicely animated there IMO). Happens all the time right? Gliscor goes down to Snovers Ice attacks. Yup. Seems cool to me. Chimchar winning this was obvious since it did have the biggest advantage.

Abamasnow. It was awesome. Loved the way it used Ice Punch. Loved how it just SMASHED Grotles head in. Loved it. And his battle with Chimchar. Acrobatic acts and proffesional snowboarding skills against a big icy brute. Delicious. Also loved the last scene with the Flame wheel dragging Abamasnow around the field and MR. Abomasnow's last ditch effort to try and stop itself from being KO'd. Pure Win.

Yeah, it was Rushed but I'm satisfied with this battle. However that damn TR plot was a HUGE waste of time. It was completely unnecessary. @_@

[BirdStaraptor]

This gym battle was ok, Not as good as the last gym battle, it had some great battles and some boring battles, the big problem is the battle itself was too rushed. LOL Gliscor got beaten so badly. I love CHIMCHAR.

[mitchman_93]

I think Chimchar's stare on its win over Snover spoke for us all. Seriously this was too rushed a battle. Thats what they get when they only do 4 gyms in 100 episodes and then try to finish the other 4 in 40.

[ShinyCharyZard]

So Paul arrived at the end to challenge Candice...Lookie who's falling behind now.

Most of the battle was too comical for my liking. The only bits i really liked were Grotle taking down Sneasel, Staraptor's Close Combat/Brave Bird and Gliscor delivering a blow to Snover's chest. The whole Abomasnow battle was pretty lame.

[Darkness Angel]

It's nice that Ash won his seventh badge and all but I would. Have liked to have seen Chimchar evolve in the battle.

[S.Suikun]

Oh, I didn't go on a fanboy spree! You all should be so very proud of me.

The battle wasn't bad or even mediocre. It was actually fairly enjoyable. However, Chimchar vs. Abomasnow was certainly the highlight seeing as how it was actually given the proper time to flesh out. As stated in speculation, this is the first time a 4 vs. 4 gym/frontier match has been squeezed into a single episode. We've had it in the leagues, but many of those become one-hit-KO frenzies, hence why I wasn't too thrilled with Grotle and Staraptor succombing to single punches, even after fighting Sneasel and Medicham. But aside from TR's plot, the episode never took a breather and stayed at breakneck pace, which is both good and bad.

I didn't comment on the animation, but Natsume gets my thumbs-up for future gym matches. It may not have been as wacky as the Natsume norm (although Abomasnow's ticked-off rampage had some highlights), but he's highly capable when it comes to fluid animation in general.

[Munchlax66]

Gliscor vs Snover:Snover wins.

Using a Gliscor in an ice gym was pretty much a bad idea. And this battle proved it.

[uber gon]

Darn and here I was hoping Grotle would go all Wolverine on Sneasel's ***.

Woah so did Ash get to Snowpoint before Paul?

[Almighty Zard]

So Paul arrived at the end to challenge Candice...Lookie who's falling behind now.

For all we know he could have an anime exclusive badge for his 7th and this would be his 8th, still i get the feeling next week's going to open with him thrashing candice badly as apposed to Ash struggling with her, we all know how that works.

Most of the battle was too comical for my liking.

What's wrong with that, i quite enjoyed the actions of the pokemon and how they acted, makes the fight more entertaining.

The whole Abomasnow battle was pretty lame.

Gee I wonder why, bitter that the bird didn't get the star spot i see.

Using a Gliscor in an ice gym was pretty much a bad idea. And this battle proved it.

Yes, but given the circumstances what other choice did he have, Pikachu and Buizel weren't exactly good choices either given two of her pokemon had type advantage over them. So, he didn't have any other choice, and given that nearly all of Gliscor's attacks were super effective in some form against most of candice's pokemon it made sense to use it.

However the fact that it couldn't drop Snover with Fire Fang, yet took down Bastiodon makes me confused and wonder if it's win in that match was forced just to make it look cool.

[Torpoleon]

I liked the battle, but I wish Chimchar would have evolved during it, or before.(what is taking so long) Ash is so stupid for not using Staraptor.

[bui]

What are you talking about Ash did use staraptor.

[Dax]

The battles were rushed and it didn't give the other pokemon time to showcase more their battling style. Grotle had a lot of endurance and so did Staraptor. I'm glad they ended up winning despite getting big hits. Love Close Combat and Rock Climb.

I expected so much from Gliscor... They keep whoring up Chimchar. Against Abomasnow was enough, Gliscor deserved to win. That Flamethrower on Snover's butt was totally hilarious!

Poor Grotle with Wood Hammer. I love how it sounded... painful.

Definitely not as horrible as Wake but still a weak gym battle. Nothing exciting about it.

[MidnightMelody]

Did Ash win?

[BlueVapor]

Eh, a bit disappointed at the gym results. Still wished Staraptor took down Abomasnow, but oh well, Chimchar's good too. I'm just glad Ash finally has his seventh badge.

[dman_dustin]

This gym battle was too cliche, and when crap like this happens it's hard to accept the anime does not equal games motto.

Sneasel vs Grotle- Aside from Rock Climb looking weird it was an okay battle.

Medicham vs Staraptor- Absolutely loved the brave bird arc animation, Staraptor was homing in Medicham's heat signature. Still disappointed that Medicham really didn't belong in this battle.

Snover vs Gliscor- Arguably the most disappointed battle of the whole thing, Gliscor did not deserve to get treated like that. I don't undersatnd how Gliscor could've lost like that, they were both at a disadvantage, I would've preferred a tie.

Snover vs Chimchar- As if Chimchar is going to lose <_<

Abomasnow vs Staraptor- I hated this too but at least Staraptor did get a win unlike Gliscor.

Abomasnow vs Grotle- from now on Candice just start with the thing, if you're going to cream up at the end, start with the thing.. I kind of like how the writers said FU to Grotle's defense completely ignoring the fact it was wood hammer, something that wouldn't have done that to Grotle in the first place.

Abomasnow vs Chimchar- Way too Cliche, fire type beats grass/ice Pokemon without pause. I guess all those people who say Buizel is the strongest Sinnoh Pokemon can now zip it. 6 gym wins to 3.

TR Plot- Oh come on how could not find this hilarious, Skuntank goes into the guest shack and basically farts causing Team Rocket to run the hell out of there. And also it is somewhat of a SOA (Shadows of Almia) reference using Skuntank's field power.