ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
760: Cameron's Secret Weapon!	766: Satoshi tai Kotetsu! Himitsu Heiki Sazandora!	Cameron's Fast & Furious Five			Ash faces Cameron in the Quarter-Final of the Unova League	Nope	It helps to know the rules of the tournament you're hoping to win!

Last episode saw Ash and Cameron facing off in the first battle of the Unova League Quarter-Finals. Cameron promised he had a secret weapon and revealed just what it was at the end of the last episode - Hydreigon!

That's one hell of a secret weapon!

Ash checks Hydreigon out with his Pokédex, learning that Hydreigon is an aggressive fuck that believes ANYTHING that moves it an enemy to be destroyed. The crowd and the twerps are impressed, especially Dawn who blushes with ecstasy at seeing the Dragon-Type. Virgil is impressed too, but what is Ash's response going to be? Boldore!

Cameron is right on the offense from the get-go, ordering a Tri-Attack that knocks Boldore over, and follows up immediately with Dragon Pulse before Boldore can even get back to its spider-like legs. Boldore is tough and can take it though, and fires back with Rock Blast, though Hydreigon's position in the air means it is easily able to dodge. Ash realizes he can't rely on ranged attacks and sends Boldore in with Rock Smash, punching Hydreigon right in ONE of its faces. Ash is pleased to have gotten in some offense, but Cameron doesn't give him a moment's rest, ordering a Dragon Rage followed IMMEDIATELY by a Tri Attack. Ash tries to match Cameron's pace, calling for a Flash Cannon but the attack is blocked by a quick Dragon Pulse, working back down the length of Flash Cannon and... Boldore is knocked out!

Hydreigon doesn't fuck around!

Ash recalls Boldore and tells Cameron he's impressed with his Hydreigon, he can see why he calls it his secret weapon. Cameron asks if Ash is having as much fun as he is, and he is - and you can tell it's not just talk, Ash loves being challenged in a battle like this, especially against a guy he likes who is having just as much fun as him. But what will Ash's next Pokémon be? How will he face off against the might and glory of the dragon Hydreigon? Why with his fuzzy little Oshawott, of course!

It's a bit of a shock, and the twerps aren't exactly enthused by the choice. Stephan ponders whether Ash hopes to use Oshawott to chip away at Hydreigon till another Pokémon can come in and finish up the job? Bianca rather loudly asks if this means Oshawott is Ash's throwaway Pokémon, and the proud little otter overhears her and collapses from the sheer horror of the statement. Cilan and Iris quite correctly note, however, that this isn't how Ash does things, he believes in Oshawott and plans to go all out. Indeed he is, Ash orders an Aqua-Jet immediately and Oshawott launches into the air and goes right for Hydreigon, slamming it in the guy before slashing at it with Razor Shell. Hydreigon smacks Oshawott out of the sky with Dragon Pulse but Oshawott recovers and goes right back into the fight with Razor Shell, slashing across one of Hydreigon's faces and then blasting Hydro-Pump at it. Hydreigon blocks and fires back with Tri-Attack, and Oshawott tries to block with his Scalchop... till he realises that he only has one of those and there are three attacks coming! He panics and shifts the Scalchop about, and is overwhelmed by the attack and knocked on his ass. He jumps up and slaps the Scalchop back onto his belly and then uses Tackle to headbutt Hydreigon's belly, then tries another Razor Shell but is knocked out of the sky by Double Hit. Oshawott is hurting and can't avoid Dragon Rush, slammed hard into the ground and knocked out cold.

Ash is down 2-0!

Ash keeps his spirits up despite the twerps concern (and Virgil appraising Cameron as the potential winner) and sends out Pignite. The chubby pig rushes forward with Brick Break and Hydreigon tries to dodge by flying into the air, but Pignite leaps after it and smashes it in the middle face. Hydreigon is able to knock Pignite out of the air with Dragon Pulse but he quickly recovers and fires back with Flamethrower, scoring a glancing hit. Cameron maintains his rushing, all-offense attack style and orders Hydreigon to use Tri-Attack, and Pignite can't dodge all three attacks, and is unable to get out of the way of the follow up Dragon Rush.

Pignite is hurt but manages to get back up with Ash's encouragement and moves in with first a Brick Break, then a Flame Charge that sends Hydreigon flying backwards. Cameron panics, unsure how to deal with being on the back foot, his big plan was to dominate with Hydreigon and maintain control throughout the course of the battle. He orders a Double Hit but Pignite leaps clear and uses Fire Pledge, surrounding Hydreigon with pillars of flame. Hydreigon flies high to get clear, but this locks it into a limited range to move and Pignite is able to blast it with Flamethrower as it rises into the air, doing a great deal of damage. Ash orders a Brick Break and a desperate Cameron orders a Double Hit to counter, and everybody watches as the two Pokémon charge through the air at each other and.... Pignite leaps over Hydreigon and scores a direct, completely unblocked Brick Break into the back of Hydreigon's neck, knocking it right the fuck out!

It's 2-1 in favour of Cameron!

Ash asks Cameron which Pokémon he'll be using next, and it seems Cameron hasn't actually thought this far ahead as he struggles to think, pulling on his headband to get a brainwave - he'll use Ferrothorn. It's a terrifying looking Pokémon, though last time we saw it, it was having to put up with Cameron being confused and blaming it for taking hits. It opens with Metal Claw but Pignite easily dodges the attacks, though he takes a direct blow to his big belly by Pin Missile. Pignite fires back with Flamethrower and scores a shot, so Ferrothorn uses Mirror Shot to blast right back at Pignite, who dodges and charges straight into Ferrothorn with Flame Charge and... knocks Ferrothorn out! It's 2-2!

Next out is Samurott, Cameron has no trouble picking that one. Pignite is at a disadvantage but this doesn't trouble Ash, who orders a Flamethrower. Samurott counters with Hydro-Cannon, blasting easily through the attack and sending Pignite flying back onto his ass. He gets back up and charges in with Brick Break, but he's moving slow and is easily dodged. Samurott uses Aqua Jett and slams that big horned head into Pignite's belly, and this time Pignite stays down - Cameron retakes the lead 3-2.

Next out for Ash is Pikachu, a damn good choice advantage-wise. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt but it is blocked by Razor Shell, a clever counter, so Pikachu uses Quick Attack... and rushes at speed into a Razor Shell backhand! Samurott blasts the knocked back Pikachu with Hydro Cannon, then follows up with Mega Horn. Pikachu dodges and tries Quick Attack, this time dodging Razor Shell and smashing into Samurott's face, then following up immediately with Iron Tail. Samurott can barely stand and only just gets up a Razor Shell to block Electro Ball, but can't maintain the pace and takes another direct shot of Iron Tail. Samurott is down and out, unable to deal with the type-advantage, and it's squared up at 3-3 again.

Next out is Swanna, the granny-bird with a bra. Swanna takes to the air and tries Pluck multiple times, pecking at Pikachu who continually dodges before attempting a Quick Attack. Cameron is impressed by Pikachu's speed but Swanna is no slouch in that department, Wing Attack hits Pikachu directly in the belly as he tries to jump clear, knocking him on his ass. Swanna uses Bubble Beam which Pikachu barely dodges and Ash orders an Electro Ball, Pikachu charging up as Swanna comes in with Wing Attack. This time Pikachu is able to dodge, and hits an unprepared Swanna right in the middle of the back with Electro-Ball, the single shot enough to knock Swanna right out. Ash takes the lead for the first time in the battle - 4-3.

Cameron's next choice is... no choice at all, he sends out Riolu and tells it that all of their hopes rest on it. Ash is confused, what is that supposed to mean? Cameron still has his sixth Pokémon in reserve, right? Wrong! In perhaps the stupidest display anybody has ever made in a professional Pokémon Tournament, Cameron reveals that he thought a "full" Quarter-Final battle was 5-on-5. Ash is horrified, Freddy the Scoop can't believe it, Riolu scowling and Cameron devastated - this is the most public humiliation he has ever suffered. It's also painfully stupid, there is no excuse for this even as a joke - this guy is in the quarter-finals and he couldn't even be bothered to find out the rules? Even taking into account his innocent naiveté, that's just recklessly stupid AND offensive. Why the latter? Because now if Ash beats him, he beat the guy with one too few Pokémon. If Cameron beats him, he beat Ash despite having a handicap. It wrecks the integrity of the League, and while that might sound like a dumb thing to say about a Japanese cartoon about an immortal 10 year old school drop-out bumming around the countryside cockfighting semi-sentient magical animals, there comes a point where you have to say.... that's just stupid.



Cameron raises an interesting if naive point - it doesn't matter if he's a Pokémon short if Riolu just goes ahead and beats everybody anyway! Noticing that Pikachu is panting heavily, Ash recalls him to his side and sends out a fresh Pokémon in Unfezant. She uses Gust but Riolu leaps over it with a leg split, so she tries an Air Cutter. Cameron orders Copycat and Riolu imagines/sees/reflects on a rather cool looking backwards running effect that dissects how the move used against it worked and allows Riolu to use it back. Unfezant is caught completely by surprise and Riolu follows up with Vacuum Wave, catching Unfezant in the rear, which is very undignified. She tries Aerial Ace but is caught by Circle Throw and tossed at great momentum right into the wall, knocking her out. It's 4-4 and all tied up, but that is irrelevant since Cameron only has five Pokémon to Ash's six.

Next out for Ash is Snivy, and Riolu straight away uses Vacuum Wave, which Snivy dismissively dodges before scoring a direct shot of Leaf Blade. But Riolu uses Copycat to use the same move back, and Snivy is horrified to take a direct shot in the face from the same move, and Ash is angry he didn't take that into account. Riolu tries Vacuum Wave again and Snivy gracefully dodges again, but Cameron DID take this into account, sending Riolu after her and using Force Palm to blast her into the air. It leaps after her to follow up with Circle Throw, tossing her hard into the wall. This knocked out Unfezant but Snivy is made of sterner stuff, and she recovers and counters with Leaf Storm. Riolu does a split to jump high and clear of the attack, but here Ash takes a leaf out of Cameron's playbook, planning for the counter and having Snivy grab Riolu's leg with Vine Whip. She slams Riolu up and down into the ground, and it has to break free by using Vacuum Wave to spin clear. This time the move hits Snivy, but she dodges the second by using Vine Whip to leap off of the ground, then follow up with Leaf Storm. Riolu is sent crashing onto his back and the crowd erupts into cheers, sensing the end of the match is near.

Cameron calls out to Riolu asking if it is okay, and Riolu staggers back to its feet and.... oh shit, oh dear, oh no.... Riolu evolves into Lucario! Snivy is shocked, this is a whole new problem to deal with, and Ash knows it too - while Lucario has taken a great deal of damage in the battle so far, he knows from personal experience that a freshly evolved Pokémon (particularly in a battle) tends to go above and beyond the call of duty. Is the idiotic, naive Cameron going to be the latest in a long line of people to ruin Ash's quest to win a League?



I sure as hell hope not!

BEST QUOTES

"Are you saying Oshawott is Ash's throw-away Pokémon!?!"

Previous Episode Next Episode Episode List