EP269: Difference between revisions

Outside, Ash and his friends continue discussing strategy. Brock notes that Gary has no particular [[type]] preference, just like {{an|Professor Oak|his grandfather}}, and that he keeps rotating his Pokémon. Ash confirms this and says that he has been that way for as long as he has known him. As Brock reaffirms that his team-building strategy will be crucial, Ash sees a shadow flying overhead. Once again, the {{m|Flamethrower}} greeting is a dead giveaway that it is {{AP|Charizard}}, having arrived from the [[Charicific Valley]] after Brock made a late-night request to {{jo|Liza}}. As Ash is greeting Charizard, Gary appears. After a frank exchange, the two stare each other down until Professor Oak arrives to break the silence, surprising both. {{Delia}} also appears, herself and Professor Oak having arrived to watch the [[Silver Conference]] live instead of on TV. Oak advises the two to lighten up before moving on to other matters. Having received a lot of new Pokémon data, Professor Oak updates the [[Pokédex]]es for both Ash and Gary. Though Misty and Brock are excited about the new Pokédex data and what they can learn from it, Gary stares at his Pokédex intently before leaving. Misty and Brock also remind Ash to prepare their strategy, so they also leave, with Delia offering Ash some encouraging words.

The next day, the Victory Tournament begins in earnest. [[Macy]] and [[Vincent|Jackson]] are also in the crowd as the announcer explains the Victory Tournament conditions: a [[Full Battle]] with a random selection of battlefields between grass, water, rock, and ice-based fields. In the round's opening match, {{jo|Harrison}} easily advances onto the next round when his {{TP|Harrison|Sneasel}} defeats a {{p|Machamp}}. Back in the locker rooms, Ash congratulates Harrison on his victory. Harrison reminds Ash that he will square off against the winner of Ash's upcoming match against Gary. Back on the field, Misty and Brock have already been seated, with {{AP|Pikachu}}, {{TP|Misty|Togepi}}, {{TP|Misty|Politoed}}, and {{TP|Misty|Psyduck}} ready to cheer Ash on. However, Gary has also brought [[Gary's cheerleaders|his cheerleaders]] to cheer him on. After the announcer makes a brief note of Gary and Ash's accomplishments, the match begins on the rock field, and Gary is selected to choose his first Pokémon.

Ash sends out {{AP|Heracross}} as his second Pokémon, so Gary swaps Nidoqueen out for a {{p|Magmar}}. Gary has Magmar start the battle with {{m|Flamethrower}}, but Heracross evades the attack and throws his opponent into the air with a {{m|Fury Attack}}. Magmar uses the increased altitude to its advantage, landing into its own {{m|Fire Blast}} before ramming straight into Heracross. The flames engulf Heracross, dealing massive damage to him. Adding insult to injury, Magmar also adds a point-blank Flamethrower to the mix to cripple Heracross. Suddenly, Heracross manages to blow the fire away with his wings. He charges towards Magmar with {{m|Megahorn}}, overpowering Magmar's Flamethrower defense, and knocking it out.

==Major events==