Social NintenZone Social 4 - Bring It In, Guys!

[Robert of Normandy]

TMW you want Terry in Smash but it will never happen:

Oh how I wish.

 

[CyberHyperPhoenix]

I'm seeing a bunch of people tweeting about the newest Pokemon episode (which looks amazing btw).

Anyone know if Ash won or not? I swear if he doesn't win the Kalos League, ima be salty af.

 

[Sir Gengar de Èctoplasma]

I'm seeing a bunch of people tweeting about the newest Pokemon episode (which looks amazing btw).

Anyone know if Ash won or not? I swear if he doesn't win the Kalos League, ima be salty af.

I haven't even watched the episode but I still know the outcome of the battle.

Spoiler

A future episode's title basically confirms that he wins the battle with Sawyer.

 

[Wolfie557]

Yay! Love list time!

My 8, including veterans...

• Ivysaur
• Squirtle
• Ice Climbers
• Snake
• Wolf
• Medusa
• Rayman
• Inkling

Veterans took the priority.

 

[AlphaSSB]

My 8 extra characters? Not including characters with pre-defined roles:

1. Wolf
2. Ice Climbers
3. Snake
4. Krystal
5. Sceptile
6. Inkling
7. Isaac
8. King K. Rool

 

[Starlight_Lily]

Know this is bit late for this, but I really wanted to respond to these, since I feel they had some stuff wrong

Let's face it, Kamiya called dibs on Murasame Castle first. So any other developer or director would have been less favorable choices.

I saw one guy say Next Level Games should do it. Do you not realize that sports games are their main forte? Just Federation Force's existence alone tells you that they would have ****ed up Murasame Castle just to appeal to newcomers. Eeeeww, just no way.

No, just cause Kamiya said he'd like to work on the next Murasame Castle, does not mean he gets dibs. Nintendo's higher ups and dev teams would decide who'd work on the next Murasame Castle.

You know that Next Level Games is working with Devs who worked on the Prime trilogy to make Metroid Prime Federation Force right? And it was that devs call to go with the artstyle they went with, not Next Level Games.

So, no Next Level Games working on Murasame Castle would not messed it up, they mad Dark Moon similar enough to Luigi's Mansion, and kept Punch-Out on the Wii faithful to its original gameplay styles and take a look at Federation Force again, its pretty clear the gameplay is very similar to the Prime trilogy gameplay.

Also you know Next Level Games only made like 3 sports games right? So it can't really be said sports games are the forte

My thoughts exactly.

It really baffles me when I see people say "Sakurai making Murasame Castle is likely" or "Retro Studios is definitely the right choice" when they gloss over the fact that Kamiya said he was interested first. I love Sakurai and all, but I seriously doubt he's a good choice for such a project. Retro Studios is a Western company and they wouldn't know jack squat about Japanese culture (hence why DKCR and Metroid Prime are good fits for them). This is another thing I'll never get the appeal of.

And you are so right, Next Level Games would be a terrible fit as well. Just because they did Punch Out doesn't automatically make them "10/10 perfect choice". Federatiom Farce is also a friendly reminder of how much botching to the source material NLG would have did if they were in charge of a Murasame Castle project. Give them a chance my ***.

Yes because as we all know, its not as if Retro Studios staff doesn't have access to items easily explaining Japanese mythology or work with a Japanese company or anything like that /s

Seriously just saying Retro wouldn't be able to make a Murasame Castle game just because their located in the USA, is very foolish, and completely forgets that, and I'm pretty sure this is true, that Japanese devs are working at Retro.

What is the basis that Sakurai isn't a good choice for making the next Murasame game, exactly? Please explain, because everything I've seen from Sakurai shows he's a good dev who knows what he's doing. Which would means he would know perfectly well how to craft the next Murasame Castle game

And on your Next Level Games part, again refer to my response above to AwesomeAussie27.

Also just going to reiterate this point, just because Kamiya said he was interested on working a new Murasame Castle game, does not mean he called dibs on it, because that is not how business or game development works.

You guys want to know who are the most likely to work on a new Murasame Game? Its devs from Nintendo EAD, cause that's where some of the original devs are right now, and it being a sister game to Zelda, would mean Nintendo is way more likely to hand it off to Anouma and his team.

And just another thing, you 2 may find this a bit rude, with the way I'm about to put this, but Azure Warrior and AwesomeAussie27, you need to get over your hate boner for Metriod Prime Federation Force already, it may not have been the game you wanted, but its what the devs wanted to make, so just let it be.

Now I just want to make this clear, I'm not saying you have to like the game, not at all, but don't go saying that its messed up just because Metriod is in the hands of a dev that hasn't worked on it before.

Now onto something more fun, so that 8 new characters in Smash NX, hey

Well I'll just list them here:
1. Pichu (Gen 2 mascot, which is my fav gen, so slightly biased, but I also want to see a high risk high reward character added in Smash, cause that's my perfered playstyle)
2.Solid Snake (Cause dang it, he deserves it
3. Young Link (Because I just want him back, don'r care if its with or without mask, but would prefer him with the masks
4.Ice Climbers (Cause I want them back, plus they can bring back summit and bring the rocking theme from it back with them
5.Pokemon Trainer with Ivysaur and Squirtle (Yes, I'd rather have him comeback with them, then them separated, simply because I just like the idea of them as a tag team)
6. Wolf (Because it'll A. make people stop going on about his cut and B. I do genuinely like Wolf, and would like him back)
7. Inkling (Because I'd like to see how they'd create a moveset for them)
8. Toon Zelda (Rather simple, I'm biased to her and I want a moveset based around all the Phantoms from Spirit Tracks)

Yep, that list is mostly vets, what can I say, I would like all the vets to comeback.

 

[Chrono.]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Wish I'd known about this earlier.

Looked it up on the eShop and it looks nice.

 

[Burruni]

No this is bit late for this, but I really wanted to respond to these, since I feel they had some stuff wrong



No, just cause Kamiya said he'd like to work on the next Murasame Castle, does not mean he gets dibs. Nintendo's higher ups and dev teams would decide who'd work on the next Murasame Castle.

You know that Next Level Games is working with Devs who worked on the Prime trilogy to make Metroid Prime Federation Force right? And it was that devs call to go with the artstyle they went with, not Next Level Games.

So, no Next Level Games working on Murasame Castle would not messed it up, they mad Dark Moon similar enough to Luigi's Mansion, and kept Punch-Out on the Wii faithful to its original gameplay styles and take a look at Federation Force again, its pretty clear the gameplay is very similar to the Prime trilogy gameplay.

Also you know Next Level Games only made like 3 sports games right? So it can't really be said sports games are the forte



Yes because as we all know, its not as if Retro Studios staff doesn't have access to items easily explaining Japanese mythology or work with a Japanese company or anything like that /s

Seriously just saying Retro wouldn't be able to make a Murasame Castle game just because their located in the USA, is very foolish, and completely forgets that, and I'm pretty sure this is true, that Japanese devs are working at Retro.

What is the basis that Sakurai isn't a good choice for making the next Murasame game, exactly? Please explain, because everything I've seen from Sakurai shows he's a good dev who knows what he's doing. Which would means he would know perfectly well how to craft the next Murasame Castle game

And on your Next Level Games part, again refer to my response above to AwesomeAussie27.

Also just going to reiterate this point, just because Kamiya said he was interested on working a new Murasame Castle game, does not mean he called dibs on it, because that is not how business or game development works.

You guys want to know who are the most likely to work on a new Murasame Game? Its devs from Nintendo EAD, cause that's where some of the original devs are right now, and it being a sister game to Zelda, would mean Nintendo is way more likely to hand it off to Anouma and his team.

And just another thing, you 2 may find this a bit rude, with the way I'm about to put this, but Azure Warrior and AwesomeAussie27, you need to get over your hate boner for Metriod Prime Federation Force already, it may not have been the game you wanted, but its what the devs wanted to make, so just let it be.

Now I just want to make this clear, I'm not saying you have to like the game, not at all, but don't go saying that its messed up just because Metriod is in the hands of a dev that hasn't worked on it before.

Now onto something more fun, so that 8 new characters in Smash NX, hey

Well I'll just list them here:
1. Pichu (Gen 2 mascot, which is my fav gen, so slightly biased, but I also want to see a high risk high reward character added in Smash, cause that's my perfered playstyle)
2.Solid Snake (Cause dang it, he deserves it
3. Young Link (Because I just want him back, don'r care if its with or without mask, but would prefer him with the masks
4.Ice Climbers (Cause I want them back, plus they can bring back summit and bring the rocking theme from it back with them
5.Pokemon Trainer with Ivysaur and Squirtle (Yes, I'd rather have him comeback with them, then them separated, simply because I just like the idea of them as a tag team)
6. Wolf (Because it'll A. make people stop going on about his cut and B. I do genuinely like Wolf, and would like him back)
7. Inkling (Because I'd like to see how they'd create a moveset for them)
8. Toon Zelda (Rather simple, I'm biased to her and I want a moveset based around all the Phantoms from Spirit Tracks)

Yep, that list is mostly vets, what can I say, I would like all the vets to comeback.

You're partially wrong.

NLG's only dabbles with 1st party itles are.
Mario Soccer Games.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
Punch-Out!! Wii.
Fed. Force.

Of these... none of them seem to click with the kind of gameplay people'd like to see out of the series, Dark Moon being the closest.

(I erroneously first read your point as if to say that NLG was the team behind the prime trilogy)

 

[FalKoopa]

Top 8 (why 8?) characters for Smash NX for me would be

• Isaac
• Waluigi
• Ashley
• King K. Rool
• Lyn
• Tingle
• Wolf
• Inklings

The day Waluigi and Tingle are in Smash is the day I feel truly blessed.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

How ****ing stupid can you get? Are they going to claim that 'The seas themselves are white knighting sjw *****' after nature does it's thing?

 

[ChikoLad]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Wish I'd known about this earlier.

Looked it up on the eShop and it looks nice.

I'm sorry but I saw that whole love heart motif and stuff and the name "Gotta Protectors" and I can't help but assume this is a game about condoms or something.

 

[A Distant Demon]

My copies of Birthright and Bravely Second that were supposed to come today are predicted to come tomorrow.

Good thing im off TODAY and NOT tomorrow. oh wait -_-

 

[Starlight_Lily]

You're partially wrong.

NLG's only dabbles with 1st party itles are.
Mario Soccer Games.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
Punch-Out!! Wii.
Fed. Force.

Of these... none of them seem to click with the kind of gameplay people'd like to see out of the series, Dark Moon being the closest.

(I erroneously first read your point as if to say that NLG was the team behind the prime trilogy)

Well may main point with Next Level Games was, that given thir track record, they've kept all the games they've worked on fairly close to gameplay styles of old games in the series.

Also if you want prove that Federation Force plays like the Prime games, go watch SomeCallMeJohnny's video on it here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfVN3L6No8

 

[Deleted member]

Just caught Ho-oh in HeartGold. Time to go to the Pokemon League

 

[RodNutTakin]

well since everyone's doing it

here's my 8 for Smash 4NX

-Ice Climbers (if you didn't expect them on my list then you obviously haven't read my posts seriously, their data made for SSB Wii U can't just go to waste)
-Bandanna Waddle Dee (#1 Kirby character. if he got in, I'd finally be maining someone other than Game & Watch

)
-Inkling (if Corrin got in, then I don't see why not this character. also is a popular choice)
-Wolf (just because)
-WALUIGI king k rool (fanservice)
-Someone from F-Zero (please sakurai)
-Paper Mario (deserves more)
-Third SEGA character (My gut says Tails or Knuckles [Knuckles more

], my hopes and dreams say [again])
-also as a bonus, Pichu

 

[Chrono.]

So I found a stray cat on the way home.

Spoiler

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Well may main point with Next Level Games was, that given thir track record, they've kept all the games they've worked on fairly close to gameplay styles of old games in the series.

Also if you want prove that Federation Force plays like the Prime games, go watch SomeCallMeJohnny's video on it here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfVN3L6No8

Well more often than not with them they're reviving something that's been dead a while and in turn tries to make just a newer version of a certain Classic. Luigi's Mansion, Punch Out!! particularly. Only exception is Mario Strikers and maybe Federation Force. But like you said that game plays like the other Prime games which haven't been around for a good while.

So, in turn, they are usually praised for that. That's why they do it.

 

[PK_Wonder]

After thinking about it for awhile, I'm happy with the NX.

When you look at:
-it being the most powerful dedicated handheld console ever made.
-meaning they won't have to spread themselves too thin between a console and a handheld since it combines the two (meaning more frequent first party content that most of us know and love)
-the fact that CD Projekt Red, Take Two, and Square Enix are all praising the device, which is encouraging for at least some respectable third party support.

It sounds pretty promising. The cards are already in place for it to have a much stronger library than the Wii U at least, and plus I'll have a PS4 for everything it doesn't get. So yeah, I'm sold. A strong library of games I want to play is all that really matters to me at the end of the day.

 

[Chrono.]

-the fact that CD Projekt Red, Take Two, and Square Enix are all praising the device, which is encouraging for at least some respectable third party support.

That's what all 3rd parties say.

They did the same with the Wii U pre release and look how that turned out.

It's all PR talk.

 

[PK_Wonder]

That's what all 3rd parties say.

They did the same with the Wii U pre release and look how that turned out.

It's all PR talk.

To a strong extent, you're absolutely right, but the pre-Wii U hypers were the usual suspect cash cows like EA, Ubi, Activision, and Warner Bros. who also make plenty of casual games and afford to gamble on early poorly-selling ports. The creators of The Witcher and GTA not just giving PR talk, but straight up praising it, is a whole new level. I'm not saying it will mean much, but it at least means more than it does from the people who announced Just Dance.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

To a strong extent, you're absolutely right, but the pre-Wii U hypers were the usual suspect cash cows like EA, Ubi, Activision, and Warner Bros. who also make plenty of casual games and afford to gamble on early poorly-selling ports. The creators of The Witcher and GTA not just giving PR talk, but straight up praising it, is a whole new level. I'm not saying it will mean much, but it at least means more than it does from the people who announced Just Dance.

I agree. CD Projekt Red is the greenlight that told me that the console really IS something special. They do some damn good work on their games and they're a smaller company so they're not inclined to say anything. Rockstar may be a little more inclined considering that GTA6 may or may not be out by Holiday 2017.

 

[Schnee117]

To a strong extent, you're absolutely right, but the pre-Wii U hypers were the usual suspect cash cows like EA, Ubi, Activision, and Warner Bros. who also make plenty of casual games and afford to gamble on early poorly-selling ports. The creators of The Witcher and GTA not just giving PR talk, but straight up praising it, is a whole new level. I'm not saying it will mean much, but it at least means more than it does from the people who announced Just Dance.

2K fit in the same boat as Ubisoft and co.
They have cash cows in GTA (plus the micro-transactions), Red Dead, Borderlands and their yearly sports games. They can more than afford some crappy ports that sell bad then abandon ship.

CDPR are the only good example you have because they're a small studio that make some truly amazing stuff.

 

[epicmartin7]

10/10 Would buy.

 

[LIQUID12A]

8 characters for Smash NX:

1. Sylux(duh and thank you NonSpecificGuy <3)
2. Ridley
3. Inkling
4. Snake
5. Rayman
6. Elma
7. Isaac
8. King K Rool

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Wait did CDPR genuinely say they liked the NX? I only remember their drunk stream

 

[shrooby]

Top 8 (why 8?) characters for Smash NX for me would be

• Isaac
• Waluigi
• Ashley
• King K. Rool
• Lyn
• Tingle
• Wolf
• Inklings

The day Waluigi and Tingle are in Smash is the day I feel truly blessed.

No Anna
I thought we were friends
</3

 

[Z25]

I'm seeing a bunch of people tweeting about the newest Pokemon episode (which looks amazing btw).

Anyone know if Ash won or not? I swear if he doesn't win the Kalos League, ima be salty af.

Ash wins and is going on to fight Alain in the finals.

The fight looked good, can't wait to see it in the dub.

Next Week Lysandre confronts Ash so I wonder what will happen then.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

My top 8 are

*Ice Climbers
*Wolf
*Snake
*Squirtle
*Ivysaur
*Inkling/Squid Sisters
*Dixie Kong
*Krystal
*Daisy
*Elma
*King K. Rool
*Ridley (because the dream will not die damnit!)
*Shantae

Yellow is if it includes veterans, blue without vets, white is the overlap.

 

[FalKoopa]

No Anna
I thought we were friends
</3

Aww. I certainly do like her, and she is in my Top 10, just not Top 8.

I'll be worried about the potential backlash though, being another FE character.

 

[Coricus]

"Oh, I wonder why I suddenly have 22 notificatio-"

. . .

. . .Oh, my posting that image and thinking about whether they'd add more characters kicked off an eight character roster wave. LOL.

I see three and a. . .third requests for Best Character. My good men.

I'll try to do seven attempts at realistic guesses and my personal bias for number eight, although other than Inkling I can't say I'm hyper confident on anything. Part of making realistic roster guesses is understanding that being inside the box and guessing safe means you're going to get a lot of things wrong, after all.

1. Inkling
2. Wolf
3. Ice Climbers
4. Rowlet Leaked Evo
5. Something From DK
6. Isaac (OK this one is less realistic when I think about it since Ballot input is basically his only chance)
7. Rhythm Heaven Character
8. Tails

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I can say that I am feeling really confident about the NX's sales.

 

[shrooby]

Aww. I certainly do like her, and she is in my Top 10, just not Top 8.

I'll be worried about the potential backlash though, being another FE character.

You fiend
I'd be too busy playing as Anna to care about backlash~

 

[Ura]

We most certainly do not need to have an FE newcomer anytime soon. For an NX port at least we don't need one.

Maybe come the next Smash Bros game provided that they cut someone (like Corrin) from the roster.

 

[Retroend]

I'm seeing a bunch of people tweeting about the newest Pokemon episode (which looks amazing btw).

Anyone know if Ash won or not? I swear if he doesn't win the Kalos League, ima be salty af.

check serebii.net. won't spoil it here.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

tbh I don't mind more FE characters, thought I admit half of em with the same moves is wrong

 

[Deleted member]

OK, this means absolutely nothing, but thinking about Smash 4 NX newcomers with their own Amiibo wave made me think of an image I made a while back.

At the current CSS size you could cram in eight new characters, give or take a couple pixels. I know it's absolutely futile since they already threw organization out the window this time and they can add as many characters as they want, but it's definitely a little tempting to just. . .nudge things over and think about what could go in those places.

My 8-characters selection:
- Wii Fit U Trainer
- Male Wii Fit U Trainer
- Baby Wii Fit U Trainer
- Green Silver Wii Fit U Trainer
- Toon Wii Fit U Trainer
- Zero Suit Wii Fit U Trainer
- Dark Wii Fit U Trainer
- Wii Fit U Trainer.jpg

Spoiler: More serious list

-
-

- Paper Mario
- Dixie Kong
- Sylux
- Elma
- Takamaru
- Inkling

 

[ChikoLad]

tbh I don't mind more FE characters, thought I admit half of em with the same moves is wrong

That's why Rinkah is an unrealistic hope of mine.

She'd actually be cool because we don't have any club users in Smash. Plus she has other things to pull from like magic, or they could give her one or two fire moves (always found it weird she doesn't actually use them in Fates except for attack effects).

 

[Pazzo.]

Here's my top 8.

1. Professor Layton
2. Ice Climbers
3. Inkling
4. King K. Rool
5. Wolf
6. Waaa...!
7. Dillon
8. Takamaru

The jury's out in Ridley, for an honorable 9th place.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Know this is bit late for this, but I really wanted to respond to these, since I feel they had some stuff wrong



No, just cause Kamiya said he'd like to work on the next Murasame Castle, does not mean he gets dibs. Nintendo's higher ups and dev teams would decide who'd work on the next Murasame Castle.

You know that Next Level Games is working with Devs who worked on the Prime trilogy to make Metroid Prime Federation Force right? And it was that devs call to go with the artstyle they went with, not Next Level Games.

So, no Next Level Games working on Murasame Castle would not messed it up, they mad Dark Moon similar enough to Luigi's Mansion, and kept Punch-Out on the Wii faithful to its original gameplay styles and take a look at Federation Force again, its pretty clear the gameplay is very similar to the Prime trilogy gameplay.

Also you know Next Level Games only made like 3 sports games right? So it can't really be said sports games are the forte



Yes because as we all know, its not as if Retro Studios staff doesn't have access to items easily explaining Japanese mythology or work with a Japanese company or anything like that /s

Seriously just saying Retro wouldn't be able to make a Murasame Castle game just because their located in the USA, is very foolish, and completely forgets that, and I'm pretty sure this is true, that Japanese devs are working at Retro.

What is the basis that Sakurai isn't a good choice for making the next Murasame game, exactly? Please explain, because everything I've seen from Sakurai shows he's a good dev who knows what he's doing. Which would means he would know perfectly well how to craft the next Murasame Castle game

And on your Next Level Games part, again refer to my response above to AwesomeAussie27.

Also just going to reiterate this point, just because Kamiya said he was interested on working a new Murasame Castle game, does not mean he called dibs on it, because that is not how business or game development works.

You guys want to know who are the most likely to work on a new Murasame Game? Its devs from Nintendo EAD, cause that's where some of the original devs are right now, and it being a sister game to Zelda, would mean Nintendo is way more likely to hand it off to Anouma and his team.

And just another thing, you 2 may find this a bit rude, with the way I'm about to put this, but Azure Warrior and AwesomeAussie27, you need to get over your hate boner for Metriod Prime Federation Force already, it may not have been the game you wanted, but its what the devs wanted to make, so just let it be.

Now I just want to make this clear, I'm not saying you have to like the game, not at all, but don't go saying that its messed up just because Metriod is in the hands of a dev that hasn't worked on it before.

Now onto something more fun, so that 8 new characters in Smash NX, hey

Well I'll just list them here:
1. Pichu (Gen 2 mascot, which is my fav gen, so slightly biased, but I also want to see a high risk high reward character added in Smash, cause that's my perfered playstyle)
2.Solid Snake (Cause dang it, he deserves it
3. Young Link (Because I just want him back, don'r care if its with or without mask, but would prefer him with the masks
4.Ice Climbers (Cause I want them back, plus they can bring back summit and bring the rocking theme from it back with them
5.Pokemon Trainer with Ivysaur and Squirtle (Yes, I'd rather have him comeback with them, then them separated, simply because I just like the idea of them as a tag team)
6. Wolf (Because it'll A. make people stop going on about his cut and B. I do genuinely like Wolf, and would like him back)
7. Inkling (Because I'd like to see how they'd create a moveset for them)
8. Toon Zelda (Rather simple, I'm biased to her and I want a moveset based around all the Phantoms from Spirit Tracks)

Yep, that list is mostly vets, what can I say, I would like all the vets to comeback.

I believe this is the tl;dr version here would mean.

But you're right, the FF hate is getting old and the best thing to do is wait until the game itself is out.

 

[Erureido]

Just finished the newest episode of Pokemon XY&Z.

I have no words. That was an incredible fight! Honestly, I'd say the Ash vs Sawyer league battle gives the Ash vs Paul league battle a good run for its money. I was filled with hype throughout the entire episode as I watched it.

To break down how this fight went (as well as my thoughts about it):

Spoiler: Ash vs Sawyer part 2

Part 2 of the battle starts off with Pikachu vs Aegislash. Aegislash has just cut down several trees, creating blockages throughout the battlefield. Pikachu uses Iron Tail against it, but Aegislash uses King's Shield for protection, causing Pikachu's attack to harshly fall. After a few attacks back and forth, Pikachu tries to use Thunderbolt, but Aegislash uses King's Shield again. As Aegislash is about to protect itself, the camera slows down just as it is about to enter its shield. You know what this means? Ash has figured out something!

Pikachu won against Aegislash, but the way it did so was extremely clever. Aegislash starts cutting up the logs to the point they are all flying in the air. Ash orders Pikachu to keep hoping back and forth on the logs. When Aegislash is about to attack Pikachu, Pikachu flips a log to have it act like a shield. This also allows Pikachu to secretly escape to the next log without taking any damage. Eventually, Sawyer orders Aegislash to use King's Shield again. What follows is a pretty neat move on Ash's part. Ash orders Pikachu to kick the log towards Aegislash. Pikachu kicks it toward Aegislash's shield, and the log gets stuck there to the point that Aegislash fails to use King's Shield because it can't fully enter the shield. Now that Aegislash is wide open for an attack, Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to finish it off. You gotta give Ash some credit for a really clever strategy there!

The battlefield now changes settings, going from a forest to a small canyon. Ash then withdraws Pikachu and sends out Noivern. Sawyer summons Salamence, revealing that Shelgon has evolved since the last time we've seen it. It starts off with Noivern using Boomburst. Salamence flies around at fast speeds trying to dodge it, but it eventually gets hit. Ash then orders Noivern to use Dragon Claw, while Sawyer orders Salamence to use Dragon Rush both attacks collide. Salamence then uses Incinerate, causing Noivern to fly around in an attempt to avoid it. Salamence eventually lands a Dragon Tail on it, causing Noivern to take some damage in the process. After a few more attacks dealt back and forth, it reaches the point where Noivern uses Dragon Claw and Salamence uses Dragon Rush once again, causing both attacks to collide. This knocks out both Pokemon resulting in a tie.

The next phase is Goodra vs Slurpuff. This was Goodra's first battle in a really long while, so I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would at least take it out right away. Anyway, while Slurpuff had the type advantage, Goodra put up a really good fight. Much of the fight consisted of Ice Beam (from Goodra) and Flamethrower (from Slurpuff) collisions, Fairy Wind and Dazzling Gleams from Slurpuff, and Goodra's attempts at Bide and some Dragon attacks here and there. This phase ultimately concludes with Goodra finally pulling off a Bide as Sawyer orders Slurpuff to use another Fairy Wind attack. Both attacks collide in a big explosion, knocking out both Pokemon to result in another tie.

Sawyer is now on his last Pokemon. He summons Sceptile, his ace Pokemon, while Ash summons his Pikachu. This phase didn't last too long. Pikachu uses Quick Attack, but Sceptile counters it with Leaf Storm, sending Pikachu up into the air. Sawyer then orders Sceptile to use Frenzy Plant. Although Ash orders Pikachu to try avoiding it as it falls to the ground, the Frenzy Plant catches up to quickly, trapping Pikachu in the process. The Frenzy Plants then forces Pikachu into the ground in a brutal attack, knocking it out in the process. Ash is now on his final Pokemon.

And now we've reached the main highlight: Greninja vs Sceptile!

Spoiler: Greninja vs Sceptile's final battle

This phase starts out with Sceptile and Greninja engaging in a one-on-one sword-like duel, with Greninja using Cut while Sceptile uses Leaf Blade. After several attacks, both trainers figure it is time to reach the next level. Ash and Greninja synchro-evolve to become Ash-Greninja. The Pokemon XY&Z theme starts playing. Sceptile then talks out the bookmark in his notebook and Mega Evolves his Sceptile. NOW the battle begins!

Greninja starts it off using two Water Shurikens. Sceptile cancels both of them with Leaf Blade. Greninja then uses Double Team, and Sawyer orders Sceptile to use Frenzy Plant. The Frenzy Plant hits all the clones, but the true Greninja manages to avoid it and start running on the giant plant. Ash then orders Greninja to use Cut, and let's just say Greninja cuts up the plant Attack on Titan-style (it now has two blades when using Cut). Several more attacks follow, with a Leaf Storm knocking Greninja into the air. Sawyer then orders Sceptile to use Frenzy Plant again. Just as it seems to trap Greninja, Greninja escapes it by cutting up the plants like he's escaping a Titan's grasp. It proceeds to cut down the entire plant like Levi did to that one titan in Attack on Titan: No Regrets OVA.

Ash then orders Greninja to throw the Water Shuriken behind its back. Sawyer orders Sceptile to try to counter it by using Leaf Storm. At this point, Sawyer's face looks really desperate.

I mean, damn, just look at his eyes! He's starting to get really tense!

Unfortunately, the Leaf Storm is too weak to handle the incoming attack, as the Water Shuriken easily passes right through it. The super-charged Water Shuriken hits Sceptile, creating a huge explosion.

As it turns out, the attack knocks out Sceptile. Ash has defeated Sawyer and is moving on to the finals to fight Alain! The crowd erupts with joy, as we Ash's gang and the X/Y Rival trio are pretty happy. For all the Amorushippers here, there's even an Armourshipping hint during this scene.

Serena's eyes move to the point that it looks like she's about to cry tears of joy!

Ash and Sawyer then shake hands over a well fought battle, and the episode ends!

Overall, this was a fantastic episode! This was definitely the best animated battle in the entire series as of now, and I even say this was one of the best battles in the entire Pokemon anime, period. If you want to see some great animation for a fight and Ash-Greninja cutting up Frenzy Plants like he's Levi from Attack on Titan, this episode is just for you! Seriously, I highly recommend watching it when you have the spare time. You won't regret it!

For next week's episode, it's confirmed that Ash will encounter Lysandre for the first time. Ash and the gang will also have their first encounter with Mairin as well. You could say next week's episode will be the calm before the storm with the gang finally meeting up with some Mega Evolution Act-only-characters before Kalos League finals happen between Ash vs Alain.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Ash and the gang will encounter Steven some point soon.